Chapter Twenty

Several weeks had passed since my ‘team’ and I had encountered the cloaked Syldrari. I’d seen the guys intermittently for training, but Aisu and Diana were nowhere to be found—though Sarah and Zafir both assured me they were fine. Just busy with their assigned sectors.

“Elara, open up.” Zafir knocked on my door. Thankfully, he apparently had learned not to barge in.

“Hold on. Not dressed.” I grabbed a bra, undies, and pajamas, quickly pulling them all on. Then, I opened the door and squinted at Zafir. “Ow, bright…”

“I brought you some things for your headache. Hope they kick in before you begin to work.” Zafir strode into my room and placed a glass of bright pink liquid on my nightstand. Beside that, he placed what looked like a jar of hard candy. “Take one , and finish the drink.”

“You said something about work?” I grumbled as Zafir made himself comfortable in a chair.

“More like…a personal request.”

“Huh?”

Zafir pulled out his data pad and continued, “I need you to deliver a message for me, and I don’t think you are going to like who to.”

“What now?” I sighed heavily, before popping a ‘candy’ into my mouth. Immediately, my entire body tensed. “Oh my fucking… That is sour !”

“Contend with it.” He waved a hand. “Nothing better than that to mend your headache. The drink is to get rid of the taste.

“Anyway, as I was saying. I’ve received concerning information…and I can’t get ahold of any of my contacts. I’m hoping that Rel will have better luck—but he is your contact, not mine.”

“And this message is going to…?”

“…the R’selkti.” Zafir raised a hand, clearly expecting me to fly off the handle. “Our bosses finished a prototype resonance weapon and intend to test it on the orbiting R’selkti cityship. I finished my calculations a few hours ago…we can’t let them fire the weapon.”

“Show me.” I extended a hand and wiggled my fingers. He hesitated, then handed me his data pad. I skimmed his notes, my stomach sinking as I did. “The millions on the cityship is bad enough before taking into account the aftermath and chaining events.”

Zafir nodded to me. “There is also an approximately 82% chance that the weapon will not survive after the first shot. If it explodes, we will be looking at a catastrophic loss of life on the surface as well.”

I frowned at him. “But they’re still going to fire it?”

“Ah, their calculations are flawed due to missing information.” Zafir’s shoulders slumped and he slowly shook his head. “They believe their success rate to be 98%—rounded down. However, that is due to their lack of knowledge regarding the Syldrari components used in their version of the weapon. Components they shouldn’t have been able to acquire unless someone on the inside has betrayed the R’selkti.”

“And you think I can deliver this info to them?” I gave him a dubious look.

“The rumors about them may be foul, but their motivations always come back to honorable and interesting battles. While yes, that means bloodshed is ingrained in their history, it also means they feel intense guilt over the first Resonance Incident. Thus the lengths their ‘young master’ went to right the wrongs of his father.”

“No promises, none of the people in the Syldrari Sector seem too fond of the R’selkti…” I rubbed my temples, then the back of my neck, then glanced over at Zafir. “I’ll take payment in the form of a neck rub. I swear my muscles turned into stone overnight.”

Zafir hesitated before sighing and coming over to do as I asked. After a moment, he spoke up in a concerned tone, “Have you not been taking proper care in your training? You should not be this tense.”

“I’m careful.” I arched my neck. “Right there’s good…”

“It’s no wonder you have a headache.” Zafir gave the back of my neck one last squeeze then stepped away, adjusting his glasses. “If this problem persists, we will need to take a look and see if something is wrong, or if you simply need better physical therapy care.”

Who said you could stop? I whined internally, choosing to keep the thought to myself. In the absence of my teasing or certain phrasing, Zafir’s professional air had returned and the flustered Syldrari persona had vanished. I felt the latter was closer to his actual personality, but I didn’t want his reactions to raise suspicions with anyone.

“What is it?” Zafir tilted his head.

“Maybe I need a different pillow?” I shrugged. “When do you want me to leave? I should get dressed—and am I going as Lethe?”

“Go as Elara to Rel’s cafe, and to the R’selkti as Lethe…but you may have to reveal your face to make an impression.” Zafir lifted his tablet out of my hands and rapidly typed something, then ejected a tiny disc of some material I didn’t recognize. He placed it in a case, then handed it to me. “Everything they need to know is there—including the consequences for if they out your identity.”

“Okay. I’ll behave.” I nodded to Zafir. Not quite how I thought I’d be meeting the R’selkti…

* * *

The moment I walked into Rel’s cafe, I made eye contact with him and took on the most commanding tone I could muster. “Rel, we need to talk and it’s going to take a while. You should close for the day.”

“Hey! What about my lunch?!” One of the customers protested when Rel promptly pulled off his apron.

“Aldiner, Ciheri—take over while I’m gone.” Rel looked to the rave fish and the ghostly one. “Close up at the usual time if I’m not back by then.”

Rel led me upstairs to his apartment but backed me into the door after it shut, resting his forearm above my head. “You have my attention. Now, I suggest you think carefully about what you are going to do with it before you take that tone with me again.”

“I need you to get me an audience with the R’selkti,” I stated, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “And before you ask, no, it isn’t for some half-baked idea of revenge.”

“…when?” Rel frowned, though he didn’t move away. “I would rather not expose you to each other any further.”

“Now.” I narrowed my eyes at him, then summoned my battle suit just in case he decided to comply without warning. “We may not have long at all to prevent a cataclysmic event. If you know where they’re hiding on the surface—”

Rel sighed heavily and leaned a little closer. “What kind of cataclysm, Elara? You will have to be more specific if you want my cooperation in this particular matter.”

“…the humans are going to fire a resonance canon at the R’selkti cityship.”

In an instant, Rel’s demeanor totally shifted. His expression became fierce, all his pupils shrank, and his glow turned into what I could only describe as a storm. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Where did you get this information?” Rel inquired in a quiet, dangerous tone, before lifting a hand up and removing my visor.

“My ‘boss’ is an informant working for the Syldrari. He’s lost communication with all his contacts, and hoped you would be able to help,” I answered plainly, watching as Rel studied me a little too intently. “What?”

“…keep this on.” Rel set the visor back into place. “And don’t take it off until we’ve returned here, and you can dismiss your suit. I will handle the R’selkti if they protest over your appearance as ‘Lethe.’”

“Um, okay?” I asked, puzzled. “Can you at least tell me why?”

“No.” Rel finally moved away from me and walked over to the nearby closet, where he pulled out a harness that had both some kind of gun and short sword strapped onto it. Then, he offered me a hand. “I’ll transport us to their base. If you must be sick after, try to aim away from me, please.”

The moment I took his hand, my vision exploded into a burst of colors and chaotic shapes. I clenched my eyes shut against the vibrant barrage, and stumbled when I felt my feet hit the ground again. Thankfully, Rel had a good grip on me. My stomach lurched as I opened my eyes, but I managed to keep what little was in my stomach there.

“Oooh…dizzy…” I crouched in place and raised my hands to my head.

“What in the…” A familiar voice exclaimed, and I peeked around my forearm to see Casair standing by a man with a rather familiar sword—and face. “Rel, what is the meaning of this? She shouldn’t be here. At the very least, you should have warned—”

“Related? That explains a lot…” I muttered, glancing between Rel and the… un cloaked bastard. They had the same slate blue skin, the same pale blue hair, and the same hazel-patterned white and yellow eyes. Hell, most of their facial features were similar too. And, now that I heard him again, the uncloaked Syldrari must have been using a voice modulator before. He sounded much like Rel.

“Related?” Rel raised an eyebrow, then offered me a hand. “Can you stand?”

“…maybe.” I let him pull me slowly to my feet. “Are you saying you’re not related?”

“The usual guess is twin ,” Rel answered dryly, looking past me to his apparent brother. “Which, we are. Most humans can’t tell the difference between us.”

One of the soldiers muttered, “Most anything can’t tell the difference between these two.”

“And…you’re R’selkti?” I asked pointedly.

“Rel saw our father’s insanity sooner than I did. He left and formed the V’shir…centuries ago now.” The uncloaked one made a dismissive motion before stepping around the table he was at and approaching us. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you where you stand.”

“Zafir sent me because he can’t contact you.” I crossed my arms over my stomach as he slowed his pace.

“This human could still be lying, sir!” One of his men spoke up. “If Zafir was compromised—”

“I can assure you I’m not here to exact revenge for turning me into what I am,” I stated flatly. “I may be pissed off about the Resonance Incident, but that doesn’t mean I want to see millions die either. So. Are we going to talk or not?”

“Please. We were only responsible for the first one, and—” The soldier fell silent when he got a sharp look from both Rel and his twin.

“Which one did you think I survived, dumbass?” I raised my hands into the air and sighed dramatically. “My hands are stained with both Syldrari and human blood thanks to that. Now, let’s not add more blood to that just because you’re an even bigger stubborn pain in the ass than your boss is.”

Rel let out a short laugh, while the stubborn pain in the ass in question shot me a foul look.

“ Fine . Speak.”

“We’re going to need something that can read this.” I held up the tiny disc, and he sighed.

“Casair, halt ongoing procedures until I’ve dealt with the human. Keep the men busy, but let them know they aren’t to attack her… yet .” He turned to look at me and motioned in the direction of a long corridor. “This way, then. It’s a long walk, so start talking.”

“Jysel.” Rel gave his brother a reprimanding look. “I can vouch for the importance of her information.”

Jysel sighed irritably. “Yes…otherwise you wouldn’t have brought her here.”

I shrugged and began talking, “The military has been working on their own version of your father’s resonance weapon for several years now. Unfortunately, it has reached it’s ‘completion.’”

“You don’t make it sound complete.” Jysel snorted.

“Remember our conversation about how humans tinker with things before having any grasp of how something works or what they’re doing?” I asked dryly. The twitch of his tail was a good enough answer. “There’s several issues. Do you want the bad, the idiotic, or the worst first?”

“I want whichever one prompted this visit.”

“Okay. Worst it is. The military plans to test the weapon by firing it at your cityship. Their projections suggest a slim margin for error. However, Zafir’s more informed calculations guarantee that the weapon will destroy your cityship, but the debris will take out many of the other ships in orbit, as well as pelt the surface of the planet. Furthermore, there is a high probability that the weapon will overload and explode after firing. He estimates a severe loss of life on the surface from the explosion as well.”

Jysel slowed to a stop but didn’t turn to look at me or Rel. “…and why are his projections so…severe?”

“The canon is a mixture of human and Syldrari technology that has been spliced together. As far as he can tell, the majority of the Syldrari tech are pieces that were salvaged from the original R’selkti weapon.” I crossed my arms, my stomach turning. “Due to what human tech it’s been paired with, he believes the initial explosion will remove the parts that give the weapon its directional aim. It will likely get several seconds of resonance off in every direction before the vibrations cause the weapon to be fully destroyed. The final explosion itself will also release toxins into the atmosphere, but there won’t be many people left after the resonance to begin with.”

“Why haven’t they fired it already?” Rel frowned, stroking his chin. “It’s unlike them to wait.”

“They’re waiting for signs that all the R’selkti have returned to the cityship.” I scowled. “They’re planning to put out a broadcast banning certain clans from visiting the surface. Their intent is actually to make certain they destroy most of the clan in one strike.”

“That should be easy enough to get around.” Rel tilted his head in thought, then shifted his gaze to Jysel’s back when he didn’t make a move to start walking again. “I told you she’s a valuable asset, as did Zafir.”

“She is troublesome .” Jysel raised his fingers to his temples and slowly shook his head. “But not as troublesome as the Resonance Project. A minor mercy. This way, there’s a secure computer back here. What is on the disc?”

“Zafir’s full report and his calculations, along with the weapon’s details. As interesting as I find…most things, if I’m being honest, I don’t have quite the grasp necessary to explain these things fully.” I followed Rel and Jysel into the room, and handed the disc to the latter when prompted. Then, I glanced over when I heard a low whine.

A massive furry… thing that looked vaguely canine padded over and stuck his nose against my torso with enough force that I would’ve toppled over if Rel hadn’t caught me. The creature took a few sniffs then sat on its haunches, looking a tad confused.

“Not going to go running in fear?” Jysel remarked, glancing at me before patting the shoulder of the creature—which rested at his eyelevel.

“So… cute !” I balled my fists to keep myself from darting over and burying myself in the thing’s fur. “What is it? What’s its name? Can I pet it? Are they from Syldra? What—”

“Uh…” Jysel looked taken aback by my sudden excitement.

Rel, on the other hand, laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Sal’aphel is a nyndsh~r. Whether you may pet it is up to Jysel. Yes, they are from Syldra—the colder reaches to be more precise. Their thick fur helps to regulate their temperature in the frigid waters, though they can function just fine on land too.”

“If it will keep her occupied…” Jysel shrugged and looked up at Sal’aphel, “be nice to the human. For now.”

Another whine, and Sal’aphel laid down on the floor, four of its six legs tucked up underneath it. I scooted over as it watched me, its head laying on the floor. Then, I reached out to scritch its head—finding its fur was so long it went up almost to my elbow.

“How is Zafir?” Jysel asked after a moment.

“Tired and distressed, though he remains focused and professional,” I answered, then tilted my head. “Though, he’s been rather on edge the past week or two. The moment anything is even slightly wrong with us, he wants to run a full docket of tests to make sure we’re okay. The only reason I’m not back at base and in bed for having a headache this morning is because delivering this information was clearly more important.”

“Ah. He must be concerned about the attempted murder still,” Jysel muttered, causing me to glance toward him. “Someone among your superiors seems to quite dislike all aspects of the Resonance Project…” he trailed off and reread a portion of the report several times. “Rel.”

Frowning, Rel joined his brother, leaving me to lavish the fluffy thing with attention. A moment later, I heard Rel say, “They’re going to fire from there…? The entire city would get caught in the explosion! What little of the empire is left would be thrown into war with each of the species—”

“Avoiding a test of the weapon won’t be enough. We’re going to have to infiltrate the weapons platform and disable it.” Jysel flipped through a few schematics, then glanced back at me. “You won’t be able to create a distraction large enough to get in…ah. I know what we can do.”

“Hmm?” I tilted my head at the smirking Syldrari, but he just turned back to his screen. Sal’aphel butted me with its snout, demanding for more attention.

“Are you just going to keep pretending you don’t see that Sal’aphel likes her?” Rel asked dryly, making his twin twitch.

“I’m working .”

Rel laughed. “That’s a ‘yes’ then.”

He walked over and crouched next to me and Sal’aphel, reaching out to give the creature several pats. However, when there was a noise at the door, Sal’aphel abruptly leapt to its feet and put itself between us and the door, snarling.

“And that is why he isn’t the best guard—everyone but me and Jysel are his enemies.” Rel chuckled and shot me an amused smile. “Well, until now, I suppose. Perhaps you have certain traits he likes.”

“Sal’aphel, settle down. Let them report,” Jysel murmured distractedly. “Come in.”

Casair inched the door open and peeked around it, then paused when he saw Sal’aphel had come back over to me and had put his massive head in my lap. “What in the name of the…”

“What is it, Casair?” Jysel prompted. “We’re very busy—”

“Sir. Our scouts have confirmed the number of queens the military has captured, experimented on, and hidden from us.” Casair hesitated, then glanced toward me. “Am I to report here, or…”

“Considering the huma-… Elara is trying to prevent the humans from wiping out our cityship, and she is the one who delivered the information about the queens…I will let it slide. This time.” Jysel rested his head against his fist and slowly swiveled his chair to look at Casair. “Continue.”

“Sir. I’ll be blunt. The humans have 53 queens,” Casair stated venomously. “Most of them aren’t in our databases or in Xilen’s. The humans, or perhaps one of their allies, may have found a way to discover queens faster than we do.”

“All the more reason to stop this attack…losing 53 queens would be… Ah.” Jysel glanced back at the screen, then brought up a second document. “That would be perfect… Casair. Begin drafting plans for an invasion of the facility—and Elara, keep your mouth shut about this. Don’t tell Zafir.”

“Um, alright?” I gave him a puzzled look as he stood up and strode over.

Jysel made a face when he saw Sal’aphel snuggling with my lap. “Another reason he can’t guard—”

“Hey! Sal’aphel is a good boy!” I protested, smooshing the creature’s cheeks and massaging its jaw muscles. “Or girl. Or uh…do the various creatures on Syldra have as many sexes as Syldrari do? Whatever Sal’aphel is, they’re a good that!”

“Of course he’s good. He’s been trained well. He just isn’t—” Jysel started, but Rel stopped him, murmuring something in their own language. Jysel stiffened, then looked away before answering him slowly. Whatever the answer was, Rel didn’t look happy about not being let in on it sooner.

“It’s time you go back to your headquarters.” Jysel gave me a pointed look. “If you utter a word of any of this—”

“I won’t.” I shook my head and stood up. “They’re liable to act early if they suspect anything, and I’m not keen on helping them to begin with.” I paused and glanced toward Rel. “I have to wonder. Are you regretting advising me to take their deal, yet?”

“Not at all.” Rel smiled. “You’ve proven yourself to be a great ally. Even this dolt recognizes it.”

“I do not—” Jysel started to protest, and Rel promptly put an arm around his twin’s neck and made him practically bow. “Be nice to the nice ‘human’ lady who gave us vital information.”

“Are they always like this?” I asked, looking at Casair.

“You could say that…” Casair shrugged slightly. “Elara, I should have told you I’m—”

“Please. And go against your orders?” I flicked his arm. “I think not.”

“Sal’aphel, stay. Elara has to—” Jysel started, but a moment later I was lifted into the air and dropped onto a sea of fur. “For the love of…”

“Aw, are you going to miss me?” I cooed, scratching the back of Sal’aphel’s neck. He made a sound somewhere halfway between a dog and a bird as he trotted in the direction of the main cavern I’d entered from.

Jysel took on a commanding tone as he addressed his soldiers, “There’s been a change of plans. Call back a portion of our forces from our ships.”

“Let’s go.” Rel nudged my leg, then looked at Sal’aphel. “Come now, Sal’aphel, set her down.”

In response, Sal’aphel showed his teeth and growled—a response that caused everyone in the cavern to freeze and turn to look at us. Sighing, Rel placed a hand on Sal’aphel’s leg and said something in his own language, using soft, soothing tones. Sal’aphel hesitated, before crouching down. Pale purple energy coiled around me and lifted me off his back, setting me carefully on the ground.

“Mmm? Was that…psychokinesis?” I peered at Sal’aphel curiously, then to Rel when he nudged me again.

“Come along.” Rel reiterated quietly, taking me by the wrist and then transporting us without warning. “Yes, nyndsh~r are psychokinetic. That…I suppose is a decent glimpse into just how Syldra is dangerous. It isn’t simply tooth and claw we must be wary of.”

“So, what now?” I murmured, watching as Rel put away his harness and weapons.

“Dinner, on the house, if you like.” Rel motioned toward the door, then paused. “Once you dismiss your suit, that is… And, I feel as though I should apologize for my brother’s behavior. He—”

“He’s a pain in the ass, and not your responsibility,” I interjected dryly. “He said you left the clan to form the V’shir?”

“Yes. Our father was…I suppose the best translation for it would be, ‘queen drunk.’ He would do anything to appease the R’selkti queen.” Rel grimaced and crossed his arms over his stomach loosely. “Admittedly, that was not her fault in this case. He was unstable long before he met her, from what we understand. Exposure to the queen’s power simply made it twist further and become more prominent. He became obsessed.”

“And I take it stopping him wasn’t exactly a simple matter.” I shook my head faintly. “You also said that humans have a hard time telling you and Jysel apart? Why?”

“Yes, stopping him back then would have been— What do you mean why ?” Rel stared at me in disbelief. “As the soldiers were muttering, most people can’t tell the differences between us. The Syldrari only manage to do so because of our ability to see other spectrums. You shouldn’t be able to—”

“Your voice is a little deeper than his, your face is narrower, his eyes are set a little further apart. You wear your hair much differently. He carries himself with arrogance, you carry yourself with confidence. You smell different. Your presences feel different. You…” I trailed off and gave him a questioning look when he placed a hand on my head.

“And those sort of detailed observations, my dear, you need to keep private. They are not the manner of things humans notice so easily.” Rel patted my head then moved past me to the door. “You need to take more care in protecting yourself, and that begins with pretending to be more human than you are.”

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