Jaiya waited quietly until the tractor beams parked her fighter in its assigned location. Her wing and transport were stationed nearby, waiting to follow her lead.
Jaiya wasn’t foolish. She knew the only reason she hadn’t been shot down was that Idris wouldn’t be able to live with himself, knowing he could have saved more innocent lives. That was why she’d mentioned the attack rather than the sanctuary they sought from their own people. She hoped she could convince him to allow them to stay—even if it meant siding with the Daextru in the fight against the CTA.
She cut her engines, going through the motions without conscious thought. She would need all the energy she could get if they refused.
She unlatched her harnesses and climbed out of the cockpit, refusing to delay the inevitable. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she reached for her sheathed beamblade and tossed it to Raizxl, trusting he would catch it.
Shock crossed his face as he looked between her and the weapon in his hands. The reasoning behind her action dawned on him, and he nodded respectfully back at her.
As she turned to face the male who haunted her every thought, she scanned the hangar bay.
The lack of fighters in the bay and command ships docked outside told her that the fleet was gone. The hangar bay was instead filled with the Daextru crew that had been left behind.
A sea of tall metallically horned aliens surrounded them, armed and ready to protect their prince. Their serious expressions and blank stares met her gaze as she passed them.
Prince Idris was surrounded by his entourage, poised to hear what she had to say. Erlyn and Ajexk flanked him, together with Raizxl and an older purple-scaled male she didn’t recognize.
When their eyes met, Idris sucked in a breath as he took in her horrible condition.
There was no time to be ashamed or worried about offending him with her rough appearance. He knew who she was underneath the grime.
Jaiya dropped to the ground, her knees buckling underneath her as she pressed her forehead to the floor. The sounds of her crew following suit broke the silence in the hangar bay.
“Prince Idris, pardon my unpleasant appearance. I’ve come a long way to see you, so I hope you will listen to what I have to say,” she told the ground in Dzexet. Even though her crew didn’t understand her words, the Daextru around her would. “After I left the starbase, I was captured and thrown in prison. My crew rescued me, along with a group of female citizens about to be sent as breeding tributes for the Vresqoxk.” Snarls erupted around her, giving her the confidence to continue. “The CTA sold out to the Vresqoxk. They hoped that your assassination would serve as a declaration of their commitment to the alliance. I spoiled their plans, so I was to be offered as first tribute, my punishment broadcasted across the galaxy to deter future rebels. I am here to let you know that your sister’s fleet is in trouble. The CTA have drafted an enormous army and is on their way to join forces with the Vresqoxk front.”
Chatter erupted in the room, but Jaiya didn’t dare lift her head. Bowing wasn’t a Daextru custom, yet the gesture was universal—complete submission to the one in charge.
She knew her place. Outside of her fighter, stolen from the CTA, she owned nothing.
“Silence!”
Instantly, the room fell silent, waiting for the prince to speak. The anticipation was starting to eat away at her.
Did I read him wrong all along?
A gentle hand grasped her shoulder, but still, she dared not look up.
“Do you speak the truth?” Idris whispered as if they were alone. “Jaiya, please don’t let this be another—”
“I’ve explained myself to you. Is that not enough?” Jaiya sighed and looked up, throwing etiquette out the window. “I risked my life, along with my crew’s—again—to warn you about an ambush. Don’t disregard my warning because you judge me based on a lie I told to protect myself. I hoped my actions since then would prove my honor to you; male or female, I am still the same person on the inside. Do you truly only care about what’s reflected on the outside?”
He flinched as if she had smacked him and dropped his hand, looking away.
She switched to CTA Common to allow her crew to understand. “I demand sanctuary for my crew and me.”
His teal eyes met hers, no longer slit in shock. “Search my crew and our ships. My Rear Wing Captain, Zaera, can provide you with all the details on the incoming army. In return, I request adequate quarters. We can work for our keep. Our government has abandoned our people to the Vresqoxk, so we refuse to fight for them—or allow them to sacrifice innocents for their own gain.”
“I can’t make this decision by myself,” he replied, matching her change in language. “I need to contact Ushyaz and relay your warning. The best I can do is provide you with a safe place to rest until a verdict is reached.” He scanned the pilots behind her. “I hope that is enough for now.”
“And if you decline us sanctuary?” Zaera asked. Jaiya would have winced at the bold interruption if she herself hadn’t breached etiquette just a few seconds ago. “What will you do with us then?”
Idris and his team followed the direction of Zaera’s voice. She knew most of the Daextru understood basic CTA Common, but she wondered how much they actually picked up. From their reactions, it was enough.
“We will trade your information for supplies and charge for your ships—”
“That won’t do, Prince Idris,” Jaiya declared, as she stood up, chin high, daring him to disagree. “A life for a life. You owe me a life debt. Now I am here to save both you and your people, and you refuse to grant quarter to my crew? The least you can do is treat us honorably,regardless of how you feel about me.”
“What she says is true, Sire,” Erlyn admitted in his native tongue. “It would be wrong to turn away a plea for sanctuary, especially considering the risk they took to warn us. It is the least we can do until a decision is made about their future. We have enough work in the empire for the refugees to make themselves useful. That would be up to your family to decide.”
“See to it,” Idris replied in CTA Common, glaring over his shoulder at his assistant. “Send them to the lounge and tell the Galley to provide them with some refreshments after they have been inspected and vetted.” He turned and faced Jaiya, scanning her body once again. “And find a place for the Wing Captain to freshen up with something clean to wear.”
“All due respect, I would rather stay with my crew until our fate has been determined.”
“So be it.”
