“Truthfully? I want to have the freedoms any citizen has. I want to live my life with my clan and be left alone from outside pressures. I know by being attached to Prince Zirene,my status and importance will hinder any chance of privacy. Even so, my dream is to have the power to explore the stars whenever I want to,” I admitted, my voice filling the room.
“I see,”he replied softly. “What if I told you that you might be the key to unlocking all of our problems? That you could help interspecies couples, and all species which are having fertility problems?”
“Are you trying to guilt me into allowing myself and my offspring—current and future—to be your test subjects?” I barked, slashing the air with my hand. “You said they provided you with documents from Prince Zirene. I am sure between them and the meeting he had here, you know how I was treated. So why would I want to help? It was Prince Zirene and the Aldawi who hunted down the remaining Yaarkins. The rest of you said it was a waste of resources. Who cares that your withdrawal from protecting Earth resulted in the Yaarkins abducting a small percentage of humans, killing the rest and making sure Earth was uninhabitable? Now tell me—why would I want to help the group who doomed my species, not once, but twice?” I demanded, meeting his gaze with full force.
“Are you going to allow this savage to speak to you like that?” a silver Quaaw male shrilled.
I turned toward the voice and shouted, “It’s the truth!”
“She isn’t natural. She is an abomination! Untamed! She should have no say in the matter. She should be locked up and experimented on,” a muddy-colored reptilian female hissed—reminding me of the male who tried to take me when I tried to escape the Yaarkins ship.
Their comments cut deep, but I refused to allow them to see how it affected me. Dark memories from my time on the Yaarkins’ ship flashed before me. My past threatened to drown me, swelling up from the hidden corners of my mind, only to hurt me at a time like this. My vision started to blur.Images of being tied down to a table with a bright light blinding flashed by.
“Selena! Snap out of it!”
I blinked and shook my head.
Voices flooded the room. Arguments between members of the same species and their neighbors exploded.
Breathing deeply, I willed myself to filter out the banter and stop the tears threatening to drop. Getting upset in front of everyone would only make everything worse.
“This was what I tried to warn you about,” Mwe remarked.
I jerked my head his direction, and his subdued gaze met mine.
“What’s in it for me? Why would I want to help?”
“Because you have a kind soul and deserve better.”
“Being good or kind doesn’t cut it,”I paused, trying to hold myself together. “Why?”
Sadness filled his eyes, and he frowned. “Because my daughter is the last of her generation. My bond-mate sacrificed herself for my species’ future, experimenting on herself in hopes of solving the problem. She died while pregnant with our son. My daughter has been working hard, continuing her mother’s research, and finishing what she started.”
Guilt stabbed my heart at his story. I felt for him—being the last of my species—but I didn’t want to subject my offspring to the same life I had. I refused to.
“What do you suggest?”
Did I have to sacrifice my newfound freedom after all? When would enough be enough?
“Allow my daughter to lead a team in studying you and—”
“You are going to leave my offspring alone. I will NOT allow them to be touched. This is my sacrifice and a gift to them to have a normal life,”I demanded.
“But what if we set limitations?”His eyes lit up in hope.
“No. It is just me or nothing. Also, I am putting my nestmate,Master Scholar Xylo, and his team in charge of building the research team. No offense, but I don’t trust you or your daughter. They have been with me since they found me and know everything about me.”
“But my daughter—”
“Will still have to be vetted. If approved, she can aid my current team with finding any other team members they may want.”
“Deal.”
Our telepathic conversation lasted a few blinks of an eye.
“SILENCE!”Chamber Master Mwe shouted both mentally and out loud, slamming his hands on his desk.
The noise in dome instantly ceased. Members rushed back to their seats.
