Chapter Twelve

“Can you wait a damned minute?!” Casair demanded, following me through the streets of the Syldrari Sector. What I guessed to be curses streamed from his mouth as he caught up to me and gave me an agitated glare.

“I’m on duty, so if you want to talk, keep up,” I countered without giving him a second glance. “You’re a soldier yourself, right?”

“Patrols are a thing of the ancient past—or only used in interspecies cities,” Casair snapped, shaking his head. “We have better things to spend our time on. Walking in circles gets nothing of value done…” he trailed off into a disgruntled growl, and rubbed the back of his neck, “…but I understand that orders are orders. Humans closely monitor performance?”

“Especially the performance of oddities,” I answered pointedly. “I think we came to an understanding that I was going to patrol even if it isn’t necessary, due to my other non-options. So, I’m guessing you wanted to discuss something else.”

“Right…” Casair grumbled. “Can you find out if Xilen told the humans she’s coming? It’s…common courtesy to inform a planet’s officials ahead of time, due to the effect a queen can have on any Syldrari there.”

I raised an eyebrow at him as I pulled my communicator out of my pocket. “She didn’t seem to have much of an effect on you all aside from annoyance.”

“That’s…” Casair trailed off into thought, frowning, as I dialed Zafir’s number.

“Elara? Did something come up? Do you need an extraction team?” Zafir inquired the moment he answered. “You—”

“Do I need to start calling you ‘Mother Zafir?’” I asked dryly, shaking my head. “Nothing is wrong, I just need some information. Were we aware a queen was coming to visit?”

“A…” Zafir paused, and I heard him tapping away at his data pad. When he spoke again, his tone had grown more serious. “Are you alone right now?”

“No.”

“Do you need an extraction—”

“For fuck’s sake, Zafir. I just need you to answer the damn question!”

“Allow me.” Casair took my phone and raised it to his ear. “‘Zafir,’ right. My name is Casair. I asked Elara about the queen’s visitational status. You see…”

Over next few minutes, Casair explained the encounter in the diner and his concern that the queen’s visit was unannounced. Then, he handed my phone back to me.

“Uh…get all that?” I questioned when I heard nothing but tapping.

“Yes…ah. Here it is. Marked as unimportant?! Those fools—!” Zafir reined himself in with a sigh. I could practically hear him rubbing his temples. “Continue your patrol for the day, I’ll arrange for a relocation for the duration of the queen’s visit if I can. You’re lucky they aren’t already…ornery… Hmmm…”

“What is it?” I found his shift in tone a little strange.

“Ah…just a theory. One I can explore later.” Zafir chuckled. “Be careful, and don’t hesitate to call back if you need out quickly.”

“Your boss seems…eccentric.” Casair snorted, the glowing patterns on his skin glowing pale purple briefly before returning to a calmer light blue. “I’ll accompany you for the remainder of your patrol.”

“Weren’t you just saying that patrols are a waste of time?” I shot him an amused look.

Casair’s cheeks and the tips of his ears turned blue as he looked away with a quiet grunt. His glow shifted rapidly between blue, pink, purple, white and…off? a bunch of times before phasing back to blue as he let out a slow, measured breath. Finally, he spoke up, “Making sure the local ‘nice but overly confident human’ stays alive isn’t a waste of time. And if those rumors are true…”

He gave me a pointed look, but I appreciated that he didn’t push the matter.

“Well, I can understand that. Plus, it’s a nice change of pace. After all, I don’t want to drag you out for a stupid brawl now,” I remarked thoughtfully, before shooting him a mischievous smile. “Though, I am curious what sparring with you would be like.”

“Heh. Don’t get ahead of yourself, yir~stryta.” Casair patted my head. “If you don’t want people thinking you’re Lethe, having a round or two with a soldier like me isn’t a good idea.”

I sighed in disappointment and linked my hands behind my back. “You have a point there, I guess. Still, I can’t help but be curious. We’re told Syldrari are so much stronger than humans, that we don’t stand a chance even with augmentations. Yet we’re not shown why.”

“Ahhh, so the lack of information makes the curiosity of a hunter come out in you. Dangerous, unknown ‘prey’ for you to challenge yourself against.” Casair nodded his head faintly and rubbed his chin. “I thought such instincts were dead in humans. Well, I can tell you we are dangerous…when we must be. You would too if your home planet was like ours.”

“Yeah…I’ve gotten the impression that your planet is more like a death trap,” I remarked, shaking my head. “Well, I won’t press you for a match, but I am disappointed that it’s ill-advised.”

“Heh. Maybe one day you’ll get a chance. I don’t mind giving curious humans a taste of our differences,” Casair mused, smirking. Noticing my expression, he added, “Don’t be so eager to prove your ability. If you hold your own or win against a Syldrari, you aren’t human. Given which government’s leash you’re on, I don’t think those are implications you want to explore.”

“Why do you have to be so damned…reasonable?” I let out an agitated sigh. “Fine, fine, I get it. What’s a girl gotta do to have an interesting fight for once…”

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