Jaiya repeated the oath, proudly and without hesitation, as her eyes began to glisten. When Ushyaz leaned forward and fastened the pin onto the strap of her dress, she whispered something into Jaiya’s ear. His sister pulled back and pinned her with her gaze until she nodded in reply.
Idris watched his starmate as his sister moved down the line of pilots. He was glad Erlyn had asked a few crew members to record this moment. He wanted to create a hologram filled with their memories, and this one would be the first he added. His lover looked like a fuchsia cosmic flower from his home planet, which only bloomed on the night of the summer solstice—a rare treasure too beautiful to keep.
But keep her he would, until the Stars claimed him.
Each wing member repeated the same oath and received their pin, which demonstrated to Daextru outside the starbase that these weretheirhumans. No matter how this moment had come to be, it was historic.
Never before had aliens sworn themselves to the empire as citizens. There were a few allies who traded and worked with his people, but none were claimed and protected by his government.
“Before you dismiss us, Princess Ushyaz, if I may, I have an announcement of my own to make.” Jaiya’s voice cut through his thoughts, sending him into a full alert.
What is she doing?
A mischievous smile broke out on Ushyaz face, ruining the seriousness she had projected throughout the ceremony. “Yes, you may.” She backed away, giving Jaiya free reign of the stage.
The crowd started to mutter, unsure, like him, of what was about to happen.
His cosmic flower smiled with pride, and she stepped up to face him.
She reached for a lock of his hair and twirled it around her finger as she locked her gaze with his.
“Prince Idris, we may be of two separate species with completely different cultures and traditions, but somehow we were able to cast aside all obstacles and fall in love.” Gasps and murmurs filled the crowd before they hushed into nothingness as she turned toward them. She bent over, a glimpse of his golden scales flashing like a mark of his possession, and unstrapped a pouch from her thigh. “We are starmates, and I was told that traditionally, a pair exchanges matching cometbeads to bind them together.” Idris watched as she licked her lips, wishing that tongue was licking something else instead. “I asked Erlyn to make us a matching pair of cometbeads from the hair I gave you, braided tightly with golden fiber thread.”
She poured the pouch’s contents into her palm, revealing the ornaments. Two black braided cords laced with gold held five colored beads—the three colors of Daextru royalty, green, silver and gold, a sapphire blue to match his scales, and lime-green to match her wing.
“I designed them so you could wear them twisted around your horn or tied into your hair,” she explained. “I will place mine in my hair; with its short length, it will stand out.”
“Jaiya . . . I . . .” He studied the cometbeads in the palm of her hand in disbelief. “I shall match you and wear it in my hair for all to see. You bring me great honor, Jaiya Lian.”
He stepped closer and took her head in both hands, smashing his mouth upon hers.
The crowd’s roar faded into the background, drowned by his starmate’s kiss.
