Her smile was a little sad. “So do I. What I’m trying to say is, when—and it's going to be when not if—us humans discover spaceflight, it's going to be bloody. The ones in power are going to take one look at all the different species out here and decide in an instant that humans are the dominant species and everyone else should be either eradicated or subjugated. Even if the Rijiterans win and are back in control, they will face constant opposition from humans. We are a hardy, stubborn people and even facing overwhelming odds, we don’t give up.”
He bent so that they were face to face and cupped her cheek in his palm. “My darling, humans are thousands of years behind the rest of us. Give ten Rijitera thirty days with no rules on your planet and it would be a wasteland in twenty. We will do what we have always done. Crush any opposition without mercy and welcome those who want to be a part of the empire with open arms. Once you're done killing all the ones who hate you, all that is left is peace.”
She stared into his eyes, her face serious and tense. “I hope you're right. Don’t underestimate us humans though. United against a common enemy, the people of Earth would be a force to be reckoned with. All we know is war.”
He chuckled and straightened, taking her hand in his. “You are forgetting that the Rijitera have been living among your people for the last five thousand years. They know your strengths and they know your weaknesses. Theyknowyou. If it comes to war, humans will lose and lose badly.” He squeezed her hand, smiling down at her. “But take heart, dearest. The Rijitera may be a bloodthirsty lot, but they love just as strongly as they hate. As long as they have been living on Earth, I am sure that they have also come to love the people of Earth and would do all that they could to bring as many under the safety of their claws before they slaughtered the ones causing trouble.”
He pulled her along until they stood before a model of a planet, its purple painted sky long faded to a dull dirty white. The placard below read in gilded letters:Musalara, Galactic Year 265798, Kornith Ar’Nira, Ara’Ama.
He ran a claw along a raised mountain range before flicking the globe into a slow spin. “This is Musalara, a once thriving planet filled with a people much like your own. Stubborn, resilient, strong. They worked tirelessly building their first starship. It was a uniting factor between nations that had long been at odds with each other, but they treated and combined their scientific communities together to achieve this great advancement.” He gave the globe another flick, spinning it faster. “It was a success. They had catapulted themselves to the stars and settled their first moon, and then a few years after that, one of their sister planets in their solar system. It was a time of great celebration and hope for the future.”
Callie sighed and leaned against his arm. “I’m guessing there is a ‘but’ coming.”
He chuckled and spun the planet faster, sinking into the drama of the story. “Too right. Their technology progressed by leaps and bounds and they managed in under fifty years to leave their galaxy. It was then that they made first contact with an alien species. And naturally went to war with these new people after years of tense contact. They won and expanded. Again and again they would meet a new species, play nice for a time, before tensions would snap and war would start. And so it went, they conquered and expanded ever deeper into the universe until they stumbled upon a great white ship in the deep of space.”
He paused for effect, widening his eyes as his claw hovered over the spinning globe. Callie grinned and shook her head. “Well don’t leave me in suspense, go on.”
He deepened his voice, laying it on thick for her. “The great white vessel heralded them, extending a virtual hand inwelcome. The people of Musalara were horrified by this new alien. Tall and predatory, with fur and fangs and claws and eyes that shone with murderous intent. They did not trust the hand the aliens held out in welcome. So they did what any new space faring, war mongering, conquering species does. They fired their weapons at the great white vessel and declared a holy war against the aliens. Shocked they were when their greatest weapons did nothing to the white ship, and so they retreated to make new and more terrible ones and tried again. When that of course didn’t work, they searched for the furred monsters’ planets and attacked them. And were forcibly removed without a single kill on their part, though they suffered heavy losses during the expulsion. This enraged the people of Musalara. How dare these disgusting creatures defeat every attempt to conquer them. It pushed the Musalara people into a foaming frenzy. The furred monsters tried to reason with the people of Musalara. They deflected their attacks and asked for parley time and again. Treaties and ceasefires would be signed and then promptly broken. Until the furred aliens had enough.”
Callie smiled thinly. “Let me guess, they were crushed into powdered dust and never heard from again?”
Rathal huffed dramatically and spun the globe ever faster. “Don’t interrupt. The furred monsters first found all the civilians of Musalara that were tired of war and had never had hate in their hearts to anything different from them. This was done simply enough. They infiltrated one of the people of Musalara’s colony planets, took a few sympathizers, turned them into propaganda tools and sent them back into their system with a mission. To spread the word that the Rijiteran Empire offered sanctuary to any who would wish it. After that? Well,thenthe Rijitera crushed the people of Musalara into powdered dust.” He slapped his hand onto the globe, halting its spin. “They were conquered, their leaders slaughtered. Any and all oppositionwas killed until all that was left was those that just wanted to live in peace. They were granted that opportunity, and thus the Rijiteran Empire expanded yet again, its population swelling.”
Callie shook her head, her brown eyes questing. “Okay. I get that the Rijitera are badasses—”
He held up a finger to her lips. “I am telling you this not to brag about my kin, but to dissuade your fears that all of your people will die in a war between Earth and the Rijitera. The people of Musalara were just as resourceful, just as smart and hardy as the people of Earth. They too hated anything strange or different. They too warred among themselves since the dawn of their civilization. They hated each other for various reasons and they united over a common enemy and spread that hate to any alien they encountered. And despite all their hate, the Rijitera still spared their people and their planet. Because my kin understand that hate and prejudice doesn’t affect every single person on a planet, and that there are those that embrace differences and change and they should not be punished for the actions of the majority.”
He cupped her chin, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin of her cheek. “Your planet will be safe, and so will any who don’t want to kill someone just because they might have a few extra limbs. I imagine that there will be a great exodus in the future of Earth, and wouldn’t you know it, the Rijitera have a few handy propaganda tools already in their grasp. Three to be exact. Three lovely human women who have fought and loved and lived among the species of the universe and can use that knowledge to save their fellow humans in the event of a brewing war.”
Callie snorted and rolled her eyes. “If you think the men who run my planet will listen to women who have fucked the enemy, you have another thing coming. They will dismiss us as alien whores and move on. Not to mention that Patty and I aren’texactly entirely human anymore,” she said, baring her tiny fangs at him.
He grinned, tightening his hand on her face and gave her a little shake. “Who cares about the men who run your planet? It's not them that your message would reach anyways. I’m sure there are more than a few women who would gladly leave Earth for space and freedom. I could take a few daring pictures of myself for the propaganda posters. ‘Come to space and find a male who will worship you.’ I think that would convince the females of Earth to abandon it entirely.”
Laughter bubbled up out of Callie’s throat and she reached up to wrap a hand around his wrist. “And a few other genders as well I imagine.” She blew out a breath and smiled sweetly at him. “You’re right. Thank you.”
He wrapped her in a tight hug. “I usually am, darling. I usually am.”
She let him hug her for a few breaths before pushing him away with a laugh. “Yeah, yeah, Mr. Arrogance. On with the tour before your head gets so big it crushes you.”
He bowed low, his arms spread with a flourish. “As my lady wishes. Come! There are a great many things in my collection that I wish to brag about. There is a jewel around here somewhere that is larger than some of the shuttles.”
They wandered around the museum for another hour or so, before coming back to the statue of the Ka’Ne. A pang struck through his heart at the sight of it. The memory of the great animal running through his mind like the ghost it was.
He gently touched a finger to the figurine’s head. “Tell me, do you know if Anu saved the genome of the Ka’Ne in the Archive?”
He’d avoided thinking about it, just in case he was wrong and the species of his home planet were lost forever. It was an old wound, long since scarred over, but to get his hopes up andthen to have them crushed would be like lancing it open all over again.
Callie nodded, her hand reaching for his, her thumb playing over the gold rings on each of his fingers. “Yes. I’m pretty sure she said she saved all the native animals and plants seeds and DNA so that she could remake Ara’Ama. Last time I checked, there were tiny little nano drones cleaning up the planet's atmosphere and soil to start printing and repopulating. You’d have to ask Jack more about it. I’m sorry.”
She was sorry? Of all the foolish—“Callie. You’ve just told me something so profoundly joyous, I’m not even sure how to properly thank you.”
She cocked her head to the side in a way he’d known himself to do and smiled, shrugging. “I mean, I could probably think of something.”
She stepped closer to him, pressing her hand into his stomach. It sent shocked pleasure through him. He found himself sucking in a breath right as she tiptoed and pressed her lush lips against his.
By the Mother, her taste. It would drive him further into madness.
thirty
