Defender of the Stars

by Lucee Joie

  “Hello,” Ece says, as though he knows the man personally. “Are you from Division One?”

  The man looks over at Ece and sizes him up. Then, he looks to me, giving me the slow once over. I blush at the attention, leaning in closer to Ece as I try to hide from his gaze.

  “Seventh,” he finally says. “And, you are?”

  “I work under King Thahars,” Ece replies.

  “You’re his son?”

  Ece nods and I freeze. This man knows who Ece is. I clench my teeth in an effort not to audibly suck in my breath. My breath hitches in my throat at the realization that this might be the moment in which we are arrested.

  Ece, however, appears to be completely at ease with the fact that this man knows who he is. I need to remain calm. I have to try for both our sakes. If Ece can bluff the situation, I need to as well. It seems an impossible task and I discreetly wipe my sweaty palms down the sides of my pants.

  “You were not so eager to share that news, were you?” the Brux says.

  “Sometimes it is best to keep quiet on my standing, not everyone is a fan of the Galactic Union.”

  “Are you implying I’m not?”

  Ece pauses, staring at the man, as though sizing him up. I lean in further, not sure of what to make of it all, my nerves jangling and rattling along with my chains in response. Ece puts his arm around me and kisses the top of my head.

  We have discussed this previously, about how we must maintain an act, that we really are a breeding couple. Even with the awkwardness between us today, it still gives me a reason to snuggle in further and hide my face. I am terrified at what his man may see there.

  “I am just being careful,” Ece finally says. “This is a crowded room, there are plenty of people here who may not be fond of the Union’s regime.”

  “What about you?” the Brux asks.

  “I am my father’s son,” Ece replies. “What can I say?”

  He kisses me again and the Brux snorts.

  “Perhaps you’ll care to join me in my private party?”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Ece replies and I have no choice but to follow the pair as they head out of the crowded room.

  “Just follow my lead,” Ece whispers into my ear as we walk. He lingers there a moment, his lips at my neck and I sway towards him unconsciously.

  “This party is for dignitaries such as yourself,” the Brux says.

  “I didn’t catch your name,” Ece says as he straightens and I feel a cold chill where his hot breath once was.

  “Zaxra Daeli,” he replies.

  As he speaks, he passes two guards. They nod at him and open the doors behind them. Zaxra leads the way and we enter a much more intimate space.

  And, by intimate, I mean that everyone in the room seems to be in various stages of undress.

  Great, it’s one of those sorts of parties.

  Ece’s arm tightens around my waist and I look up at him. He is staring forward and I can see his jaw working under his skin as he surveys the room.

  “Nice gathering,” he says before clapping Zaxra on the back.

  “Relax, make yourself at home, enjoy your little lady all that you like while you’re here.” Zaxra winks at me and I cringe away from him.

  They are a strange breed, I decide. They almost seem to meld quite well into their servitude. Unlike my own kind, who are ever mindful that they are captive, the Brux seem to take it all in their stride, doing the bidding of the Ochek almost like it is a great service merely to be given the opportunity. I remember Beth once telling me that she felt it an honor to be able to be given the opportunity to breed with Horgeer, that she loved him so much that she was happy to be his breeder, even now she had the choice otherwise. The Brux, as a whole, appeared to be of a similar mind regarding this concept.

  A waiter approaches and offers me another of the blue drinks. I take it but don’t sip this time. Ece also takes one and downs it like he did the first.

  “You don’t like chax?” he asks, pointing to my own drink.

  I shake my head and pass him the drink. He takes it but doesn’t immediately drink this one. Instead, he turns to the room and scans the crowd. I follow his gaze, which settles on an Ochek and a human who are practically having sex in the corner of the room. Turning back towards him, I watch his face, wondering if he is horny, if he is thinking of how we woke up this morning, of the things we have done recently.

  A heat starts between my legs and I grab the chax back off him. Drinking it down in one hit, I hope that it tastes better that way. Anything has to be better than being forced to think about how I wished that I hadn’t jumped from the bed this morning, that I had snuggled back into Ece and perhaps started something else off.

  I feel the scorch of the alcoholic beverage burn down my throat before it starts to warm my extremities.

  “How strong is this drink?” I ask but Zaxra returns with another man and my question is lost.

  “I’d like you to meet Ozl,” Zaxra says and Ozl nods at us in greeting. “He is from Division One and is curious to meet you.”

  “Nice to make your acquaintance,” Ece says, nodding at the man.

  “And yours,” Ozl returns. His voice is slow, slimy. It creeps me out. This man is not a Brux and I am immediately on edge around him. I grab another drink as a tray passes by. This time I sip it, noticing that it is like any alcohol, meaning that if you drink enough of it, it eventually starts to taste good. “It is opportune that you are here today, I have been trying to get in contact with your father for several days now.”

  “Oh, really,” Ece says, also taking another drink. “Is there something amiss?”

  His question is hesitant as he fishes for information.

  “Well, I’m not sure,” Ozl replies. “I have a meeting with him soon and was hoping to confirm it prior to attending.”

  “I am sure that he is expecting you. What’s the meeting about? I might be able to help out.” He takes a sip of his drink as his arm wraps around my waist. “I am on vacation but I am still happy to oblige.”

  Ozl looks down his nose at me before speaking. “It’s a shame that your type has to lower yourselves to breeding with humans.”

  “Oh, it’s not so bad,” Ece replies. His smile is tight and his fingers dig into my side as he speaks. “I enjoy mine immensely.”

  He kisses my cheek and his lips are hot against my cheek. I turn, kissing him full on the mouth, my own mouth open, drawing him in. I am surprised at my reaction and wonder at just how strong chax really is.

  His lips part and his tongue darts over mine as my arms wrap around his waist, pulling him in closer. Before the kiss has really started, Ece is pulling away and I frown in disappointment.

  “See how affectionate they are? You should try one sometime.”

  I want to slap Ece for that last statement, even through the rosy euphoria of our stolen kiss. Resisting the urge to drink more, I scan the room, looking for an opportunity for an escape as my wounded pride fights against my captivity. My emotions are all over the place and I am not only worried I might reveal myself to the Brux with us but I am in desperate need of a quiet moment in order to process everything that has gone on between us.

  “Is there a bathroom around here somewhere,” I say as I clench my fists together.

  “See that sign?” Zaxra says, pointing across the room. “It is through that door.”

  I leave in a hurry, my chains clanking together as I move. As my gaze darts across the crowd, I notice that plenty of people are watching me. I quicken my pace and rush through the door.

  Following a long corridor, I have no idea what the signs say since I can’t read the language. My language chip that was inserted when I was first taken into captivity will only process the spoken word, not signage.

  There are several doors and I tentatively open the first one I come to. Inside, the room is dark and I feel around for a light switch.

  “No, turn it off,” a woman says as soon as the light pierces the room
. In that brief moment, I see a male Brux in bed, a woman next to him. She is vigorously shaking her hand at me and I quickly switch off the light.

  “So sorry,” I mumble, trying not to notice the bloody stain seeping through the man’s bandages. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I focus on the woman. From the brief glance I got when the light was turned on, she looks harried, exhausted. I wonder just how long she has been here, sitting in the dark with whoever is in the bed next to her. “Can I help?”

  “No,” the woman starts but then hesitates. “Actually, I need to use the bathroom.”

  “Sure,” I respond, surprised that the woman volunteers to leave me alone with the man. Although to be fair, seeing me in chains, she has likely lumped us together. The Brux are as much captive servants of the Ochek as humans are.

  She darts past me and I realize that she must be pretty desperate to use the facilities. The poor woman, I muse as I make my way towards the bed.

  “My name is Shirley,” I say, merely to be filling the awkward silence.

  “Hello,” Bivir says, his voice cracking as though he hasn’t spoken for some time.

  “Can I get you a drink?”

  Even in the darkness, I can see him nod. On a small table next to his bed is a glass vessel with a straw poking out of the top.

  “What happened to you?” I ask as I offer the drink.

  “Rebellion,” Bivir says and I am shocked at his honesty.

  “Against who?” Considering how even-tempered the Brux are, I can’t imagine them actually rising up against another race. “Should you be saying that out loud?”

  “I’m dying,” he whispers. “What does it matter what I say?”

  “Have you seen a doctor?” I don’t know a lot about medicine but I saw how injured Horgeer was when he was shot by a laser and this wound looks similar. Horgeer was just fine with medical intervention, even if it was just the rudimentary treatment from Danika and with the limited medical supplies we had on hand. “What did they say?”

  Bivir snorts. It is a dry, abrasive sound and it is followed by a grimace of pain. “We have no doctors, the Union has them all.”

  “The Union? Surely you can ask for assistance from them?” I may not like the Union but I thought they had an agreement in place with the Brux. Or, at least, the Union used them. Perhaps, there was no reciprocation.

  “King Thahars himself was the one who did this to me, I suspect he is not going to be inclined to help me live.”

  “Get out!”

  I am startled by the sound, having not heard the woman return. I rise, stepping away from the bed, quickly leaving before she unleashes more of her ire at me.

  Still, even as I am fumbling down the corridor, I can’t stop thinking about what Bivir has just said.

  Chapter Eight: Ece

  As soon as I lay eyes on Shirley, I know that something is up. I excuse myself and make my way towards her. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s a man out the back that says your father injured him,” Shirley whispers. “He says that he is dying.”

  “What?” I look around the room before turning Shirley back the way she came. “Show him to me.”

  My gaze flitters relentlessly across the room as we cross it. I am conscious of everyone watching us, even if it is surreptitiously. I start to feel an uneasy dread in the pit of my stomach.

  “Are you sure Shirley?” I whisper it low in her ear. “This could be a trap.”

  “The man is dying, even I can see that,” Shirley replies.

  She has taken hold of my arm and is discreetly pulling me along now. I can’t resist her, not only because it would cause a scene, one that I think everyone in the room might be waiting for, but because, to put it simply, I just can’t resist Shirley.

  It is dark as we enter but my eyes are used to adapting quickly. I scan the room, taking in the two people there as well as the sickly smell of death approaching.

  “You need to do something,” Shirley says as soon as the door is closed.

  “Who are you?”

  “This is Prince Ece,” Shirley says before I can truly assess the situation and answer appropriately. I am horrified that she has revealed my identity already.

  “Why did you bring him here?” the woman asks. She glares at me even as she shirks away, sinking back into the chair that she is sitting on, trying to escape without actually moving.

  “Ece is a part of the rebellion,” Shirley says. “Just like you.”

  “Um, I don’t think so,” the woman says. “Last time I checked, the prince is just as much a threat as the king.”

  “Have you heard any news of the Prennia being stolen?” Shirley asks.

  The woman shakes her head. “The Union’s auction ship?”

  “Yes.”

  “There has been a rumor,” the man in the bed utters. His voice is low, hard to hear.

  “Well, it’s not a rumor,” Shirley says triumphantly. “I was one of the women on board who was supposed to be auctioned off. Ece and another Ochek took over the ship and now we are looking for a safe place to hide before we organize a proper revolt against the emperor. We were hoping to land here.”

  “You’ve turned against your own father?” the man in the bed asks feebly.

  I nod my head but quickly realize the man probably can’t see my action. “I no longer agree with my father’s stance regarding human captivity. Tell me what your father did to you.”

  “He captured him,” the woman replies. “We were organizing a meeting regarding the rebellion. Your father found out and led an attack.”

  “Can Danika help him?” Shirley interrupts and I look her way. There is hope in her eyes and I wonder why she wants to assist these strangers so badly.

  However, it doesn’t matter why. My father has injured this man and, if there is any way we can find a bigger group of people that will help overthrow my father’s regime, these people are likely it.

  “I think so,” I say as Shirley throws her arms around my shoulders and hugs me, ignoring all that has happened to us recently. Even without her approval, I feel an obligation to this man, this person who stood up against my father in spite of his clout.

  No, I have an obligation to help.

  Chapter Nine: Shirley

  The ship feels confining now that I have had some time away from it. However, being free of my chains as well as the threat of being found out is welcome. I hug Beth and the other women as we enter the main room of the Prennia.

  “How did you go?” Beth asks as she steps back.

  “I think we can stay there,” Ece says and I quickly butt in.

  “Where’s Danika?” I scan the room and notice the woman towards the back. “There’s an injured man, a Brux, can you help?”

  Danika steps forward, moving through the crowd quietly. Her dark hair is pulled up on top of her head in a messy bun, her almond-shaped eyes searching me out as she approaches.

  “What’s the condition?” she asks, not even questioning why she should do it. Nurses were certainly a special type of people. After everything that has happened, there would be no way I would want to help if our positions were reversed.

  “It looks like what happened with Horgeer, a laser to his body, I think. It’s pretty bad.”

  “Do they have medication there? Doctors?” she asks, confused. “Shouldn’t someone be attending to him?”

  “It’s complicated,” I reply. “The Brux have no medical staff thanks to the Galactic Union taking all the Nostrals and not allowing others to trade services with them—”

  “Plus, my father was the one who injured him,” Ece interrupts. “The man is a member of a rebellion against the Union, as well. So, I’m not sure who would be willing to publicly help him out regardless of whether there were medical staff available or not.

  “Dude, are you okay with that?” Horgeer asks. “If we help this guy and word gets out, that puts you in an even worse situation with your father.”

  Ece nods, his face is sullen a
s he thinks through his response. “I have no option anymore. I can’t side with my father and also disagree with what he is doing. When I helped steal this vessel, I crossed a line my father will never let me uncross. Even if I wanted to make amends with him, that wouldn’t be an option in his eyes.

  Horgeer claps a hand down on Ece’s shoulder by way of support and moves on to stand next to Beth.

  “How soon do I leave?” Danika asks.

  “Well, he’s in a pretty bad way,” I reply. “The sooner the better, I guess.”

  “I can leave immediately if you like,” Ece says.

  “Oh, can we come too?” Beth asks. “I am sick to death of being in space.”

  Ece pauses a moment before replying. “Yes, that would probably be a good idea. If we want to join this rebellion on Bruxland, we might need a bigger group for negotiations. It would look better if we had other humans in the mix as well.”

  “I’ll come with you,” I add.

  Once again, Ece pauses. “I think you should stay here,” he finally says. I glare at him. “I want someone to start searching online. If the Brux don’t know about my abdication, I want to know who does. I know that you’re good at searching up that sort of stuff, at digging deep.”

  “What? Get online once more? What about that person that contacted us?”

  “I think we should risk it. We need to know exactly how many people know about what is going on, about what we are up against. If they contact you again, simply disconnect everything like we did before.”

  I huff at Ece, not really wanting to agree with what he is saying but also seeing the merit in his words. “There will be no one here to fly the ship if something goes wrong.”

  “You have the manuals there,” Ece replies. “I know there are a couple of women who have already read them and have a fair idea of what is what. However, I don’t think there will be any need for that since we won’t be gone for very long.”

  I finally nod in concession. I don’t want him to go but I have no choice. Without fanfare, without a departing embrace, Ece turns and leaves. Danika, Beth, and Horgeer follow behind and I have never felt so alone as at this point in time.