Chapter Forty-Five

I wandered into the common area, not quite paying attention as I went. Syldrari music played in my head via chip—I’d chosen calming-yet-eerie music that made me think of some lurking, beautiful monstrosity. It wasn’t until the sound of bratty bitching overpowered my music that I focused on my surroundings.

Zafir was approaching me briskly, while my team sat on the sofas, looking ready to murder someone. On the far side of the room, I spotted a vaguely familiar human woman. After wracking my brain for a moment, I looked to Zafir and asked, “Didn’t I tell her to drink bleach? She disobeyed me? I’m disappointed.”

“Come with me. Now.” Zafir steered me back in the direction of his office. Once there, he pinned me back against the door and I noticed he seemed winded. His eyes were having trouble focusing, and his skin seemed to have grown damp—or reverted to a Syldrari texture. I couldn’t quite tell which. “Elara…what do you think you’re doing? Every Syldrari in the city is going to…”

“Hmmm? What? What? I’m not doing anything!” I exclaimed, alarmed as his head drifted downward, his expression hazy. “I just woke up and was listening to some music while I try to calm down. I didn’t sleep well, you know…nightmares. Um…what?”

Zafir stopped with his mouth by my neck and released a distressed groan. “ Elara … Order me to focus on professionalism for the next five hours. That…should buy us time to…”

“To what?” I prompted as Zafir’s disguise flickered briefly, revealing a neon pink glow. “Zafir? Answer me.”

His gaze regained some clarity and returned to my face. “Team B’s leader is moving to this floor today. She is legitimately a human with modified genetics. We can’t trust her, but she is Imperator Julien’s daughter. We must tolerate her.

“I…” Zafir’s gaze went cloudy and his human disguise melted away completely. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. When he spoke again, he sounded fully Syldrari—even his accent had returned. “How may I serve you?”

What in the… I stared at him, utterly taken aback. His plea for me to order him to focus on professionalism suddenly made sense. “Zafir, you’re to focus on working professionally for the next five hours of this planet’s time. You have work to attend to, and we need to find a way to stop…whatever I’m doing.”

The lights came on all at once, and his glow abruptly went from bright pink to a deep yellow. He rocketed to his feet and glanced away in discomfort before disguising himself again.

“Can you explain to me what I’m doing, so I can try to stop?” I asked gently, placing a hand on his arm.

“You are…ah…” Zafir struggled with his words for a moment. “It seems that you are ‘broadcasting’ your availability and status… Accidents such as this are how we usually discover queens. They lose control for one reason or another and… You said you were having nightmares?”

“Mhm. About…well, that woman who was eaten. Sights, sounds, smells. I can’t get it out of my head, and my nightmares make it worse.”

“…and you are reliving the event of binding that criminal as well?”

I stared at Zafir in realization. “Oh. I see where you’re going with this. Yes.”

“Try to…do the opposite of that. Considering you mimicked one of Jysel’s powers, perhaps you can work out how to reverse your own,” Zafir suggested eagerly. “There is no telling how far you projected. Every Syldrari in the system could have felt it for all we know. You need to stop it quickly, before someone manages to trace it specifically to you.”

I did as he said, eventually envisioning pulling everything that was ‘me’ inward, much as I did when I tried to stop any electrical discharge. Then, I glanced to him questioningly.

“Thank the Abyss Father…” Zafir sighed heavily, before tilting his head. “Mmm…that doesn’t quite have the right sound to it now.”

“So…what does super bright pink mean?” I inquired curiously, eliciting a flinch from Zafir as he leaned away from me.

“… must I answer that question? Were I composed, I would never have shown such a taboo—”

“I wouldn’t say you ‘must,’ but I would appreciate it since that color keeps coming up.” I placed a hand on my hip and eyed him as he hesitated. “You don’t have to, but forewarned is forearmed. Right?”

“Ah…yes…” Zafir grumbled, flushing and turning his head away. “It…pardon my rather blunt phrasing, but I believe it would translate to ‘wanting to fuck someone blind.’ It is pure, unfiltered, consuming lust. It is considered incredibly rude to show such a color. I must apolo—”

“Nope. No apologizing. I should be the one apologizing for putting you in an uncomfortable situation with my powers,” I interjected firmly. “But we should get to work before people get suspicious. Have I withdrawn whatever I did well enough?”

“Yes…you did so quite well,” Zafir murmured thoughtfully. “I would like to study it more, but you are right. We should deal with Sydney…”

I followed Zafir out of his office and back to the common area, where the woman in question had turned her attention to my team members. She seemed to be trying to make them do things for her, but no one was having it.

“They’re my team, not yours. Sit down and be quiet,” I snapped at the woman as we approached. Several guards quickly hid their amusement, while the researcher who had accompanied Sydney shot us a tired smile.

“How dare you! I am the Imperator’s daughter. You should be thankful I haven’t had you sent to the brothels for your treatment of me!” Sydney snapped back, her arms crossed.

“The Imperator’s daughter, you say?” I gave her a cold smile. “I see. Then I will have to have your bones fashioned into dinnerware. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you had finally made yourself useful.”

“Please, ladies,” a familiar voice interjected. I glanced over my shoulder to see General Crowe and a group of guards approaching us. “Sydney, this is Elara. You will be learning from her. If you want to learn to survive— listen to her .”

Sydney smirked. “Ohhh, so this is the bitch I’ll be replacing after she retires?”

“Elara,” Crowe began tiredly when my eyes narrowed, “that is not what she is here to do. Her team will be separate from yours and requires training. Aisu will be taking over your team when you do retire.

“If Sydney doesn’t make herself useful, you have the authority to send her to be reprogrammed with a better attitude, or to be processed for the reproduction program.”

“Even though she’s the Imperator’s daughter?” I raised an eyebrow. That didn’t sound right. Not at all. I almost felt sorry for her.

“Imperator Julien hopes that military service will correct her personality.” Crowe shook his head slightly. “If she is too problematic, she is to be treated the same as any other soldier requiring disciplinary action. Understood? She is not to be coddled.”

“Oh yeah? And where’s my permission to send her to the— Eek!” Sydney ducked behind a couch when I directed a mass of dark, glimmering ooze along the floor in her direction. She clutched the back of the sofa frantically as she tried to keep from being sucked into the floor.

While she struggled, I addressed the general in a calm voice. “I understand my orders, sir. Am I to train her as I do my team?”

“Yes. Treat her just as fiercely. We have no use for soft soldiers.” Crowe cracked a smile, then looked to Zafir. “Furthermore, I have orders for both of you. Your office, Professor?”

“Certainly,” Zafir answered, fidgeting with his glasses. “Elara…”

“She’ll be fine. For now.” I looked over to my snickering teammates. “See to it she learns some etiquette. If she continues being a bitch, throw her in virtual for a while. She’s going to need exposure training.”

“Exposure training? What— Get back here. I’m talking to you!” Sydney snarled.

I tilted my head in Crowe’s direction. “…sir, permission to—”

“Oh, how I wish. But no. We have orders to keep her alive.” Crowe shook his hand and linked his heads behind his back. “Such individuals have their uses. We know the Syldrari won’t take her in exchange for Rel or Jysel, so we are stuck with her.”

“Sir?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Bah, the empire is fighting itself on whether to annihilate the Syldrari ships or work with them,” Crowe answered with a grimace.

“If I may…what is your opinion, sir?” I inquired curiously.

“Mine? We should be working with the ancient races toward betterment of humankind.” Crowe shook his head slowly. “Our species, and our empire, are young. There is too much knowledge just out of our reach because of the imbeciles who want progress to be wrought only by human minds and hands.”

“You mentioned orders, sir?” Zafir inquired.

“Yes—we would like Elara to go keep an eye on this ‘Rel’ person’s cafe today. There are rumors circulating that there may be an attack on the Syldrari Sector and his establishment today.” Crowe glanced my way. “You’re to keep him inside no matter what. If that means seducing him and using him for entertainment for a few hours—you’ve got permission for it. Indefinitely.”

“…uh…” I stared at him in disbelief.

“As for you, Zafir, I’ve got some samples for you to look into from offworld,” Crowe continued, looking to Zafir, then glancing back at me. “Elara, you’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir…?” I left as asked, baffled. An attack on the Syldrari Sector or Rel specifically? And, I was allowed to fuck his brains out to keep him indoors? I grimaced when I felt a twitch between my legs. Let’s…just not think about that part. Nope. Not after how today has already been going.

* * *

When I entered Rel’s cafe, I found myself faced with Aldiner, Ciheri, and a pole that looked like it didn’t belong in the room. The two Syldrari were dressed in skintight body suits with translucent cutouts. The feet of the suits ended in heels that made them tower over me.

“What…are you two wearing? What are you doing ?” I stared at the two of them in disbelief. Aldiner abruptly stopped speaking in Syldran to Ciheri, whose hands were on the pole. All at once, the two of them smiled and grabbed me by each arm and led me over to a seat.

“You can watch me teach Ciheri how to dance!” Aldiner exclaimed excitedly. “Having an audience always helps.”

“Mm. With the city being so cramped, and my disinclination to leave this building, Aldiner suggested I turn to dance for exercise,” Ciheri added, giving me a cheerful smile. “I hear it can be quite entertaining! And, it strengthens the entire body.”

“And…the clothes?” I asked.

“What about them?” Ciheri blinked, then looked down at himself. “You don’t like it?”

“Ohhh right, Elara doesn’t know,” Aldiner remarked, clicking his tongue. He twirled gracefully around the pole, pulling an impressive acrobatic maneuver. When he landed, it was facing me, his back against the pole, and his arms crossed. “Syldrari clothing isn’t ‘gendered’ like human clothing. The six sexes all wear similar things—there’s concepts of feminine and masculine of course, but that is so the consumer can find what they find aesthetically appealing.”

“Uh… so… You know what, I’m not going to question it.” I rubbed my temples and shook my head. “You look good and you’re comfortable—that’s what it boils down to, right?”

“Human clothes are gendered?” Ciheri looked to Aldiner quizzically. “Is that why I get weird looks when we go to human stores?”

“Yes, it is,” Aldiner stated dryly. “Humans struggle with self-expression. Don’t worry about it too much.

“Now then! Let’s start with the— Oh. Wait. Elara, why are you here? Did no one at HQ satisfy you?”

“…. I’m on duty ,” I growled defensively. “Damnit. That bullshit reached here too?”

“Hey, it’s one of your gifts! Don’t be mean to you!” Ciheri protested, leaning forward, his expression distressed. “It was an accident, right? I’m sure there was a good reason. So, why don’t you just relax and watch us dance? That’ll help calm you and bring you peace, right?”

“I don’t know about that… I’m on duty, and this type of dancing—” I started slowly.

“Aldiner, Ciheri, I’m going to go find Elar…” Rel spoke from somewhere behind me. There was a sharp intake of breath, and then the room seemed to shudder. “We have discussed this! No pole dancing in my cafe ! This is not a nightclub—take it upstairs!”

“Elara too?” Aldiner asked slyly, slinging his arms around my shoulders. “Or, the four of us—”

“Elara is remaining here with me. Do not make me tell you twice.” Rel’s dangerous tone seemed to do the trick. The pair packed up their things and fled upstairs. Shortly after, Rel placed a hand on the back of my chair and tilted it so that my feet were no longer on the ground, and he could look down at me. “What are you doing here, Elara?”

“Duty calls and all that,” I answered with a smile, but something about my expression seemed to displease him. “What is it?”

“You look exhausted. Let me take a guess,” Rel began in a grouchy voice, picking me right out of the chair, “you barely slept because of nightmares, and the contents of those nightmares led to this morning’s incident. After regaining control, you found yourself with orders to come here for…some reason.”

Rel deposited me in a seat at the bar, then walked over to the front door, locked it, and closed the curtains. He even switched his business sign from ‘open’ to ‘closed.’

“Yeah…you’re right on the money so far. I had no idea I was even doing it until Zafir —”

“Did he hurt you?” Rel demanded, his expression and tone equally fierce.

“No?” I tilted my head. “He didn’t do anything other than kneel and ask how he could serve me. Well, before that, he asked me to order him to be professional since he knew what was happening. I didn’t order him until after he kneeled though—that was what made me realize what was going on.”

“I doubt any Syldrari on the planet missed that…” Rel muttered, leaning his elbows on the counter and covering his face with one hand. “The queens may have missed it, as they aren’t susceptible to other queens. But…”

“I’m sure that’s all important, but we should focus on the reason I’m here,” I interjected pointedly. “There’s rumors circulating that there will be an attack on the Syldrari Sector—and more specifically this cafe—today. I’m to keep you inside at all costs ‘even if it means using you for entertainment for a few hours.’ Their words, not mine.”

“An attack…” Rel’s eyes widened. “Forgive me, but taking you to bed is not on my list of priorities if my clan is in danger. I need to contact the other Elders and our soldiers.”

“No offense taken. I figured you would be reasonable,” I answered amusedly. “Can you contact them without going outside?”

“Who is to say this isn’t a ploy to take us both out at once?” Rel countered with a low growl.

“Mmm… I have a hunch it’s a misdirection. When did you last speak to Jysel?” I tilted my head and glanced toward the clock, then back to Rel—whose expression had become defensive the moment I mentioned his twin.

“Not since you last saw us together.”

I nodded mostly to myself. “Thought so… I hate to impose, but could I ask for a drink while I explain what happened last night? You need the information too, and it will explain his whereabouts. Plus, I’m fairly sure it’s the reason you and I are here.”

“Impose?” Rel arched an eyebrow and glanced to either side, then back to me. “You wouldn’t be troubling me. Ah, you’re still a tad rattled by your power, aren’t you? Perhaps a drink with soothing qualities, yes…that might work.”

Rel turned his back to me and busied himself making us drinks, while I proceeded to explain to him the incoming fleet, the repositioning of the resonance weapon, and Jysel’s decision to act.

“Is the fleet’s identity still unknown?” Rel inquired as he placed a glass of pale green drink in front of me.

“Uh, let me check…” I murmured, pulling out my communicator and swiping through the various apps and over to HQ’s dedicated one.

“Is there…a reason that you do it that way?” Rel inquired, his head cocked like a curious dog. “I mean no offense, it’s just…odd.”

“Odd?” I questioned blankly, looking from the communicator to him and back. “I don’t know. It’s just how I do it? Is there another…oh. Right . I forgot I can use the chip for that, um…”

Rel’s mouth pulled into an amused smile as he leaned against this counter, his eyes closer to my level. “Do what makes you comfortable. I was merely curious.”

“Uh huh…” I grumbled, embarrassed, as I finished pulling up the list of new notifications. “It says here that they’ve been identified, but it’s classified. They’re not currently seen as a threat, as their course appears to be set for uncharted space—not this planet as originally thought. However, they’re tracking the fleet with the resonance weapon until it’s out of the system. Let’s see…”

I felt something against my lips, and flicked my attention to Rel. He had lifted my glass so that the straw was by my mouth. He had an amused, but oddly dreamy expression to him.

Noting he had my attention, he chuckled and said, “You did say you wanted a drink. Don’t go getting too distracted to enjoy it.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, taking a brief slurp before continuing, “Anyway, I think that we’ve been assigned the role of distraction…sort of. The response doesn’t seem right for a suspected attack, and I wasn’t given any details on what sort of threat it might be.”

“So, one of us is likely right, and it would be best if it were you,” Rel remarked, setting my glass down again and giving me a contemplative look. “Hmmm, how to pass the time… And, no, I am not reopening the cafe for the day.”

“And I’m sure you can’t tell me any of the things I want to know about,” I added thoughtfully. “Mmm…in which case… I should probably focus on practicing with the medallion you gave me. I’ve been losing control of my powers a lot lately, and I get the impression Ciheri hasn’t made much progress with his investigation into queen abilities.”

“Yes, you do seem rather ‘charged’ as of late…” Rel remarked, drawing his fingertips along the bar briefly as he walked along it, before rounding the corner and coming up to my left. “Lightning, water, and…hmmm. It would be easier to advise you if I knew the extent Zafir has investigated your ability.”

“Didn’t I say I don’t want to impose?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Training you is reward enough,” Rel answered slyly, a suggestive smile pulling at his lips. “Or were you thinking that your superiors’ suggestion was more appealing?”

“Um…” I faltered. It wasn’t like I could say no . “What I was thinking is that I should probably learn to control my lightning, so I don’t accidentally electrocute anyone I want to keep in one piece.”

“I wouldn’t complain if you…” Rel sighed heavily and looked toward the nearby stairs. A few moments later, I heard footsteps. “What is it, Ciheri?”

Ciheri peered around the corner shyly. “Um… About Elara’s abilities, I did discover a few things…”

“Come here then,” Rel stated with a sigh. “You needn’t lurk.”

“Ah, didn’t want to intrude…” Ciheri flushed, his glow turning silver even as he darted over to us.

Rel sighed and put an arm around Ciheri’s shoulders. “It’s fine, Ciheri. One of our highest priorities should be helping Elara learn to control her powers, considering this morning’s accident.”

“Mm…but if she’s lived around humans, ah…” Ciheri flushed darker and glanced away from me.

I had an idea of what Ciheri was implying, though I wasn’t sure of how best to broach the subject. After a second, I slowly spoke, “Sooo, I had an interesting conversation with Jysel last night?”

“About something ‘meaningful?’ Impressive,” Rel remarked sarcastically.

“Mhm, well we were so utterly confused by each other’s statements, I’m not surprised,” I answered, shooting him an amused look. “You see, I had some misconceptions and thought everyone bound to a queen was in a relationship with her. Which then resulted in a conversation about human versus Syldrari relationship customs…”

“He was patient with you?” Rel inquired, clearly astounded. “When it comes to the illogical nature of monogamy, he gets quite defensive because of…” Rel paused, his eyes widening, when I gave him an amused look. “…he told you about our father’s illness as well? By the… If he desires to be so open with you…hmmm, it is no wonder the imbecile once feared you had already claimed us. That openness is unlike him.”

“I’m…not sure I follow?” Ciheri questioned, looking a little distressed.

Rel proceeded to explain what happened with their father and his ‘quirks,’ then I gave them the short version of what I’d discussed with Jysel. Eventually, Rel had drifted behind the counter and started making some sort of dough while he absorbed the information.

“Humans are… weird ,” Ciheri remarked with a heavy sigh.

“Is that the scientific term?” I teased with a small smile.

“Ah! No—” Ciheri spotted my expression and gave me a sheepish grin. “I don’t think the humans would like any of our terms for them. They’re proving to be quite accurate, though.”

“Humans have a saying—’the truth hurts,’” Rel stated dryly. “All you need to know about them, Ciheri, can be extrapolated from that statement.”

“Huh?” Ciheri stared at Rel in disbelief. “But lies and other forms of falsehoods are destructive! Humans may be…ill-equipped…to handle the truth, but that is something that can be fixed by adjusting their culture and bolstering their understanding of mental health. They—”

“They aren’t your responsibility to fix,” I remarked, stretching in my seat. After, I let out a long sigh. “Anyway—”

My communicator started ringing with a frantic tone I didn’t recognize and I pulled it out. The caller was Zafir, and there were little exclamation points all over the screen.

After glancing at my two companions, I answered, “Hel—”

“Is there any chance at all that you could go into hiding?” Zafir asked sharply, causing both Rel and Ciheri to drop everything and come squeeze close to listen in.

“Doubtful, Zafir. I’m not a magician.” I raised an eyebrow when he released a shaky sigh.

“You’re at Rel’s? Go up to the second floor and look to the northeast.”

Ciheri and Rel followed me upstairs, where I managed to catch a glimpse smoke on the far side of the city.

“Is that…?” I murmured.

“The weapon platform has been disabled. It happened overnight.” Zafir hesitated his voice strained, “You…have orders to go do a sweep of the building and search for survivors. Your team has been assigned various basement levels, and you to the top floors of the structure where the control and access rooms are. It’s…”

I glanced at Rel when I felt his hand on my shoulder, his grip tight. Grimacing, I addressed Zafir, “If my team is going, then I should too. I don’t want to abandon them to whatever fate they may find there. However…if we’re investigating the building, where is the smoke coming from?”

“The surrounding complex. We believe the main building was left relatively untouched. All scans show the structure is intact, no fires, weak lifesigns. It seems only the surrounding buildings and the weapon itself was destroyed.” Zafir hesitated, his voice dropping low, “I need to go. One of Citomy’s delegates recognized the weapon and demanded all our data on it. If we don’t comply…”

“I get it. Someone on the way to pick me up?”

“Erik will be there soon.” Zafir sighed nervously. “Be careful, Elara. I…hope that you don’t find a truly Syldrari mess on your hands.”

When I lowered the communicator, Rel offered, “And by that, he means he’s concerned that Jysel truly let his hunters loose. It may have been a bloodbath.”

“It’s one thing after another…” Ciheri grumbled, before throwing both arms around me and pressing his cheek against mine. “Be careful! We want you back in one piece. Cuddles are best that way!”

Uh…what’s a cuddle? I wondered, then caught Rel’s expression: he’d clearly heard that. Oh, don’t you pretend you didn’t hear that, Rel. Your brother already screwed up on that. I know you can both hear my thoughts if you want to.

He looked briefly taken aback, then gave me a wry smile and placed a hand on top of my head. “I agree with Ciheri, of course. Be careful. The building likely isn’t as safe as the human instruments believe.”

“I will.” I nodded, then side-eye the sulking Ciheri who was still squeezing me. “Ciheri? Can you give us the short version of what you learned about queens, while you two walk me to my transport?”

That seemed to perk him up a little, and he immediately began talking. “So, I found out that most queens are made to practice on people as of late—its theorized that this is to trick young queens into quickly building disorganized, eclectic clans that can never truly focus on something.

“Before that practice, queens learned to control their power by learning to control their other abilities. In your case, lightning, water, and whatever else you might have. Syldrari abilities all have similar structure, meaning learning to control water or lightning naturally increases your control over the one that troubles you.”

“Similar, but not identical?” I asked with a slight frown.

Ciheri nodded excitedly. “Yes, the structure for elemental abilities varies based on if you’re using a solid, a liquid, a gas, and so on. Think of it like…every power has its ideal container, and ideal accelerant. The structure contains both.”

“And we will be here for months if we give Elara a basic course on aetherology, natural and synthetic structures, or any of the related topics,” Rel interjected gently, before turning to face me. “In short, practice with what I gave you. I can work additional exercises into your martial arts training.”

“You’re sweet and all, but we have to go,” Erik spoke up firmly as he walked over, his rifle aimed at the ground. He glanced around, then locked eyes with Rel. “You good here, or should I send for guards?”

“We will be fine,” Rel answered with an amused smile. Then, he looked to me. “Hunt wisely.”

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