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Threxin flicked his fingers dismissively, and Renza released the bristling red one. For now Threxin would watch their interactions. He would deduce just how important she was to Orion Halen, and whether she could be used to force his hand. Renza lifted a shoulder and turned, plopping the brown-haired female in his arm to her feet. She stumbled as he shoved her into a questionable semblance of a line with the rest.
The remainder of the humans were herded from the chamber and out of sight. His cohort was efficient about it.Peyata was a little too harsh with the barrel of her weapon as she jabbed a slobbering male in the spine to make him move faster. He buckled to the floor, but there were no other damages and it was effective in making the others pick up their feet.
When they were alone, Threxin faced the former commander of hisClossal. He appeared occupied with trying to shoo away his addicted female, motioning her off the platform. She was defiant, speaking quickly in hushed tones into the male’s ear.
Her words came too fast to be intelligible, save for the occasional “ours” and “promise.”
Finally Orion Halen had had enough. His hand extended with impressive speed to grab his female’s chin and drag her face toward him. His words were biting, but slow enough for Threxin to make out: “Pipe the fuck down and let me handle this, princess.”
Upon release, he gave her cheek a rough pat. The flint in his gaze softened when he saw the look in hers. Threxin observed as Orion Halen rubbed a thumb across the female’s bottom lip, hooded eyes flicking to her mouth.
“Trust me, Kaia,” he murmured.
Kaia,Threxin made a mental note. Seeing human dramatics play out in person only doubled his skepticism. Threxin doubted anything these creatures could offer him would be worth dealing with their living presence.
The female glanced toward him, the fearful gleam in her weird green eyes drawing him out of his disposal plans.Nowshe was afraid? Threxin’s apertures twitched.
Orion Halen was watching him through narrowed eyes that almost humorously reminded him of his dead birth father’s mannerisms. He was weary, and maybe it would be good to just sit and listen to the human’s likely futile attempts to bargain with him. What Threxin could really use was adrag of hak. He hoped some of the joiners would find the foresight to bring their stash.
“All right, human.” Threxin leaned back in his seat, rolling his tired shoulders. “Convince me.”
They had spent three ship hours poring over what evidence Orion Halen had been willing to share.
Threxin was familiar with subspace resonance imaging, of course. The data presented appeared promising enough. But the strange way Orion hesitated as he explained the methodology, as if expecting Threxin to be discouraged, confused him. Was there something wrong with this ship’s subspace wavelength detection equipment?
“I will observe this and think,” Threxin finally said, unconvinced but unprepared to dismiss the offer outright. “If I say, I will consider keeping your humans.”
“And if not?”
“Then you are not worth any effort. You will go now. Remain in your habitat until I provide my answer.” Threxin lifted a chin at one of his cohort guarding the door. “He will escort you.”
Threxin turned back to the thermaview, bringing up the radar projection to check who was coming. In the merciful silence that ensued, Threxin’s thoughts drifted to his brother. He had not told Renza of his plan to kill their—hisfather. It was the right decision, but he had seen the limiter haze in his brother’s eyes earlier. Renza would see reason eventually. He always did. But he may need time to come to terms with Threxin’s judgment.
Threxin stared at the thermaview as he pondered this. There was less than one ship hour left until his deadline and several markers were already blinking toward hisClossal.
CHAPTER 5
ALINA
Everything smelled like sweat and skin, and at first it made Alina feel sick, but after a while she’d begun to get used to it. Besides, Alina smelled like sweat and skin now too. She looked around—she’d seen most of these people before on the command deck, but didn’t know any personally. Most of her friends had been from the CRD or the maintenance and cleaning crew, not officers.
The invaders had chosen to corral them in one of the nearby canteens to await their fate. They huddled in a corner with eight-foot giants loitering about. The uhyre had all removed their helms, and while their monster eyes were bright and hollow and their expressions indecipherable, Alina thought she could see the droop of weariness in their armored shoulders.
She turned to the comms lady, who was sobbing in terrified silence.
“Hey,” Alina muttered. “It’ll be all right. Commander Hal…” Alina swallowed, glancing at the aliens. “Mr. Halen is striking a deal. You heard him.”
The woman looked uncomforted. “My kids. They would’ve been in school. Do you think they’re home?” Shepivoted her wide eyes to Alina, as though expecting her to know somehow.
“I’m sure the kids are fine,” Alina chanced a squeeze of the woman’s shoulder as her eyes swept the invaders again.
They looked like they shouldn’t be real. She’d seen vids, of course, from Old Earth. She knew that uhyre existed… But only now, seeing them in the flesh, did she really understand. Their size, the glowing cracks in their skins, all of different hues. Alina wondered how they lived among humans for a whole thirty years back on Old Earth.
How did humanity ever look at these creatures and think,Hmm, yeah, let’s share our planet with these guys? Of course, once addiction to their exorin took hold, it wasn’t much of a choice.
“My daughter stayed home sick yesterday. I don’t even know if she’s eaten,” a man joined the conversation in a hushed voice.
So go do something about it.
