Chapter 21
The hallway outside his quarters was mayhem. The main structure of the capital colony was organic. Scientists assumed it was the remains of vast creatures who had lived below the waves when Zanthar had been completely covered by ocean. The halls and chambers had been carved over the centuries, the inhabitants discovering that they were strong, lasted for eons, and were relatively soundproof.
They walked out to be greeted by an angry mob that had gathered outside his quarters.
"Exile the Earthling!"
"Give the Human the Heave-Ho!"
"Zanthar for Zantharians!"
His "loyal subjects”, as Dr. Cohen had once called them, were shouting, their fists shaking in the air. Men and women, and a few younglings even, were pressed together in the hallway, protesting his policy.
Protesting his guest. Protesting the woman he wanted as his lover.
Although Zanthar was a large planet, similar in size to Earth, the planet's population was limited. His race had crawled out of the ocean onto dry land a millennia ago, and there had been little enough of that land to go around. Even once his people had moved into their current colonies under water, their reproduction was slow.
Zantharians tended to live to 150 cycles, but each female could usually only have one child. His people were driven to mate at the prime of their lives, the males going into what was quaintly called a "mating frenzy" until they placed their seed inside a female.
Each female had only one egg, which they carefully guarded inside a special organ until the right mate came along. Zantharian females could choose which male would inseminate their sole egg. A single child would be born, and cherished. Only once had a woman had two. Xivthar couldn’t help but think of his brother Drake.
Because his planet had such a small population comparatively, each Zantharian was able to be hands-on in the political process. Meaning that if a Zantharian disagreed with an elected official's policies, he or she could tell that official to his face with very little effort.
"You're making a mistake," a woman said, her color a bright yellow. "You're being blinded by the Earthling while our planet is defenseless!"
"Yeah, Supreme High and Mighty One!" a young male behind her shouted.
Xivthar held his face expressionless. He made sure his color remained light green to show that he was unaffected by the ruckus.
"You two," he said, pointing to the guards flanking his chamber door. "You're with us. Make a hole."
The older guard, the one who likely agreed with every angry shout of the crowd, started shoving his way through the mob, clearing a space for them to walk.
"Traitor!" someone shouted.
Xivthar wasn't sure if they were talking about him or Dr. Cohen. Neither made sense. But then, shouting, "Go mate a squid!" didn't make much sense either.
"The Earthling whore is a plant!" a male behind him yelled. It took everything inside him not to flash yellow on the bastard.
The high-pitched scream of terror tore him from his internal bantering, and he lost the ability to control his emotions.
"Let her go!" he yelled at the two Zantharian males who had taken hold of Dr. Cohen. They were dragging her backwards, one pulling on her arm, the other having taken hold of her hair.
"We're taking care of the problem," the larger one said, yanking her back until she let out an angry yelp.
Xivthar went a yellow so bright, he was surprised his target wasn't blinded. "If you don't release her, you'll have a problem thatI'lltake care of."
The big one laughed, elbowing his friend. "He's going to take care of us. You and what army, Supreme Shithead?"
"Just me," Xivthar said, sweeping out a leg to catch the bastard behind his knees. He fell, and his friend lost his grip on Dr. Cohen's arm. The regent threw a fist at the second man, too fast for the man to dodge. He went down, too.
The big one had taken the opportunity to put his arm around the Earthling's neck. He was squeezing, and the female’s face shaded red.
"Let her go. This is your last warning."
The bastard was no longer laughing, but he still managed a smile. "Make me."
"Please," the female said, her face moving from red to purple. "I can't breathe."
