“Someone is competing with you in terms of being diplomatically challenged,” Wrath mentally said to our little psychic group.
I repressed a smirk. My mate and Reaper chuckled, and Reklig snorted. I didn’t quite know how I felt about Daeko’s response, but I agreed with every word.
“You are alive today because it is the will of the Queens,” Daeko continued, clasping his hands behind his back and lifting his chin defiantly. “I would have had you executed for miserably failing in your duty. You were to protect our people, and instead, you followed an abomination that has murdered the previous Queen Aitxa, slaughtered every single General, and tainted the genetic pool of our people.”
Daeko tapped a few instructions on the armband on his left wrist. Seconds later, a holographic projection of Khutu appeared next to him. The Soldiers cringed at the sight of their military leader. Although they controlled their expression, the disgust they felt poured out of them like a tsunami.
“This is what you have been following for the past few decades. Look at him. Or should I say look at it?” Daeko said with undisguised contempt. He gestured at the hologram before spreading his arms wide. “Then look at me, and tell me who is the Kryptid.”
He slowly spun on himself under the begrudgingly admiring gazes of the Queen’s Guard.
“You are the last Soldiers that still possess our people’s strong constitution of old,” Daeko said, coming to a stop after completing a full rotation. “Every day, you carry out hundreds of defective eggs or stillborn hatchlings. You should have raised the alarm. Instead, you bowed your heads and allowed that monster to sacrifice entire generations for his own selfish gain. Our females—who are our thinkers, our builders, and our nurturers—were forced to take arms in your stead because you failed them and the entire colony. So, I ask you, will you finally do what you were born to do, or are you going to blindly continue following that thing while he destroys what is left of us?”
The Soldiers exchanged a few glances. Some brief telepathic discussions expressed that they were close to caving in, but still had a very valid concern holding them back. Commander Hulax gave the young General an assessing gaze before casting a suspicious glance towards us.
“You make compelling arguments,” the Commander conceded. “But how do we know it is you speaking and not them?”
He gestured at us with his chin.
“I will answer that, if I may,” Wrath intervened before Daeko could respond.
The General slightly frowned but bowed his head in agreement before taking a couple of steps back. Wrath advanced with determined steps closer to where the guards had lined up near the energy field. Arms crossed over his chest, he locked eyes with the Commander of the Queen’s Guard.
“I cannot blame you for your suspicions, but we have no need for such elaborate tricks,” Wrath said in a calm and surprisingly respectful voice. “We are not the enemies of the Kryptids. We are the Vanguard, the Peacekeepers of the galaxy. If our goal had been the eradication of your people, it would be done as we speak. We currently have the only three remaining Queens of your people, all your eggs—defective though they are—and the handful of healthy ones the rebellion leaders were able to salvage. We have your only Generals that can sire the next generation as healthy and strong as your own used to be. And yet, here they are, unscathed.”
The atmosphere in the room changed upon hearing such ominous words. Even our rebel allies looked uneasy, apparently realizing for the first time how they had indeed put the faith of their entire species in our hands. It was a dangerous game Wrath was playing, but one I believed he had carefully calculated.
“All it took was three of our people to infiltrate the most secure location of your homeworld,” Wrath continued in the same calm and unthreatening tone, despite the terrible words he was uttering. “Again, if the destruction of your species was our goal, why go through the hassle of kidnapping the Queen when we could have simply planted bombs in the Palace and destroyed you all? We could have done the same throughout your planet because your General has grown so complacent, so certain of his absolute invulnerability. But we have not. We have no quarrel with the Kryptid people. We. Want. Peace. And the only way to achieve it is by eliminating the psychopathic egomaniac that has seized control of your world: General Khutu.”
“And you want to make us believe that after all these bloody wars, the Vanguard and the Coalition are willing to simply turn a blind eye and help us return things to the way they were?” Commander Hulax challenged.
“The population cannot be held responsible for the poor choices of their leaders, just like Soldiers should not be punished for following orders, unless they were blatantly wrong and immoral,” Wrath countered. “You are now riding that fine line, so choose wisely.”
“And assuming we agree, what would you expect of us?” another Soldier asked.
“To simply perform your sworn duty,” Wrath said matter-of-factly. “Protect your Queens and their future Generals until they can take their rightful place on your homeworld. Rally the population behind them and help us track down the abomination General Khutu has become. There is no reason for this to turn into a bloodbath. Battle doesn’t need to come to Kryptor, if your people turn on him and force him off-planet. Wouldn’t you prefer a manhunt away from your planet than a bloody war that will pitch opposing factions of your people against the other?”
With these words, the Warrior had won them over. A quick scan of the thoughts swirling around their heads revealed not only the honesty of their agreement, but also relief and blossoming hope. While the bloodthirsty part of me mourned the epic battle I had been looking forward to, the mated male was grateful that it meant less danger for my woman and those I cared about. Even with all our forces combined, a battle on Kryptor would result in massive casualties on all sides.
After far too many meetings and obnoxious socializing, we were finally liberated. Without wasting any time, for fear someone else would realize they wanted some of our time, I absconded with my mate to our private quarters. It was surprisingly comfortable, and qualified more as a small studio with its own bathroom, small sitting area, a square worktable, and an impressively large bed.
As was my wont, as soon as the door closed behind us, I picked up my woman, and she wrapped her legs around my waist, her palms cradling my nape. I loved the way she looked at me, and how her fingers absentmindedly played with the scales covering my head. She made me feel handsome and cherished, two things I would have never thought associated with me.
“I missed you,” I whispered against her lips while advancing further inside the room.
She chuckled and rubbed her nose against the little bump that served as mine. “How could you miss me, silly man, when we were together all day?”
“We were on a mission,” I countered in a slightly grumbling tone. “I had to focus on all the Kryptids surrounding us and that could harm you if I let my guard down. I missed being like this with you, admiring your beautiful face, feeling the softness of your skin against mine, hearing that bratty little laughter of yours, and being able to tell you how much I love you.”
Her face melted with that expression that always turned me upside down. Holding herself up with one arm around my neck, Linette traced each of my features with the fingertips of her free hand as if she was discovering them for the first time. There was such awe in my little Firefly’s stunning dark-blue eyes—growing darker with each passing second—as if I were some treasure she couldn’t stop admiring.