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Deathworlders Should Not Be Allowed To Date! 69
🕑 Added 2025-01-19 19:47:53 +0000 UTC[Author's Note] Sorry for the delay. I switched jobs last week, and being the new guy is never a comfortable position. It took up the time and energy I usually dedicate to writing. Anyway, here’s another long chapter.
Luna VI query: Set the source to the leaked files of the first reconnaissance operation of Irisa AND the translation logs of Princess Amara Auralyn.
Done!
Luna VI query: Narrate the day Amara went public with Argos’ rescue mission.
***
Amara settled onto a park bench, her borrowed jacket concealing her tail as she tried to fend off the cold that the weak morning sunlight failed to dispel. As she glanced at Nathan beside her, her breath formed small clouds in the air, and she found herself wishing they had found gloves that could accommodate her clawed fingers.
They had left Sally's home after breakfast, during which she had agreed to share her translation logs. Now, they had just met with Nathan’s parents, who had been bombarding him with messages since before sunrise, desperate to meet their grandson for the first time. They had even brought Mia, who had stayed at the hotel the previous day.
The park, with its abundant green leaves and sparse activity at this early hour, was the agreed meeting spot. To Amara, it felt foreign—an unfamiliar place, quite different from the narrow streets of Caladris. Here, they had finally found a quiet space where no curious humans would stop to stare or, worse, ask questions. Humans, she noted, were far more open with their curiosity than Irisians, something Nathan had also experienced while in Irisa.
Now, however, he was determined to share Earth’s wonders with her. Earlier, he had even tried—and failed—to catch a cicada to show her up close, but now, he sat beside her, pointing out the buzzing insects in the distance. He named the various plants around them, occasionally breaking off leaves to crush between his fingers and letting her experience their distinct scents.
Despite his enthusiasm, Amara found it difficult to focus. Her gaze kept shifting to Nathan’s parents, who were several steps away, holding Argor. Nathan's father was utterly captivated by how Argor shifted colors to blend with his jacket, while his mother looked on in awe. Mia had taken over the explanations, providing Amara and Nathan a rare moment of rest after a night of little sleep and intense emotions.
“Still don’t trust them?” Nathan asked softly, noticing her unease.
Amara hesitated, then admitted, "I know you humans can build thrust and friendships quickly, but I cannot silence the nagging voice in my head despite knowing they mean no harm."
Before Nathan entered her life, the only people she trusted were Elysira and Aldrinch. Over time, she had grown comfortable enough to extend that trust to Yelara, and even Mia and Ryo, but they had all earned their place on that list gradually. Nathan’s parents, however, hadn’t yet had the opportunity to do the same.
She glanced at him, expecting an argument, but instead, Nathan shifted closer, pulling her into his side and holding her cold hands.
His response was simple. “That’s fine.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, and her skin flushed with a vibrant yellow, a color she didn't even attempt to suppress. Leaning against his shoulder, she found comfort in his easy acceptance. Meanwhile, Emily and Noah remained absorbed in their exploration of Argor’s traits, holding him near trees and other surfaces to marvel at how his face blended with each one. Instead of anxiety, Amara began to find amusement in their fascination, her worry softening as time passed.
As the sun climbed higher, its rays growing warmer, Amara’s thoughts shifted. For the first time after Argor’s kidnapping, the carefully constructed barriers in her mind began to crack.
The gray of suppressed emotions seeped to the surface—not exactly sadness, but something deeper, more reflective, and harder to understand. It wasn’t happiness or anxiety, but a raw void that the lack mentor's presence left on her mind. For now, she let it linger as Nathan’s conforming presence reminded her that all urgent matters had been dealt with.
"How long are humans expected to live?" Amara broke the silence, her gaze landing on Nathan’s parents as they played with their grandson.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" Nathan scratched his head, but rather than pressing for an answer, he addressed her question. "Well, if we exclude advancements in digitalizing consciousness, humans today can easily live healthy lives beyond two hundred years. But that hasn’t always been the case. For a long time, our typical lifespan was much shorter, around a hundred years I believe. None of my great-grandparents are alive because they lived in those earlier times."
"This means Aldrinch could still be here for a long time, as long as I could convince you humans to share your technology." Amara turned to Nathan, uncertain of what she hoped to see on his face.
Nathan paused, processing her words. "Oh... with the rescue and everything, you never had time to—"
He didn’t finish. Instead, he pulled her into an embrace so tight she felt as though her bones might break. For a moment, Amara was struck by how Nathan seemed to understand what she needed before she even voiced it, or even realized she wanted it. Still, she allowed herself to sink into the moment, stretching it longer than she thought she would. The only words she heard after were Nathan’s quiet reply to Mia, who had approached them with a question: "Not now."
When Amara finally decided to pull away from Nathan’s embrace, she noticed more than just his parents and Mia playing with Argor near a small pond and occasionally casting concerned glances in her direction. She also saw that the skin on the back of her hand had returned to its calm, natural blue.
"Feeling better now?" he asked.
"I will feel better after I say every terrible thing I remember about the Alliance when your leaders bring it up this evening," Amara replied, deliberately avoiding mentioning how much Nathan had helped her, though she knew she wouldn’t forget it when he needed her.
"Bet you will," he said with a faint smile.
When Emily and Noah returned with Argor, Amara sat elegantly, like a proper queen. She was relieved when the conversation shifted to lighter topics, such as where they would have lunch, and grateful that no one pressed her about what had just happened.
Nathan’s Perspective:
That evening, Nathan and Amara arrived at the GU-owned building where Sally was scheduled to meet them before Amara's first official public appearance. After being attentively guided from the parking lot to a back entrance by Sally's driver, they were led into a private function space where Sally waited for them alone.
Nathan was struck once again by how unassuming Sally appeared, even in such a formal setting. Despite her significant role, she still exuded the aura of a grumpy old librarian rather than a powerful figure. Wearing her pink glasses and proudly showcasing her gray hair, she stood with a glass of bubbling liquid in hand. Nathan wouldn’t have been surprised if it was alcoholic, given the generous amount of wine she’d enjoyed during dinner at her home the previous night.
"I didn’t think you’d bring the little one," Sally said, her eyes settling on Argor as Nathan held him securely in his arms.
"I know Earth isn’t Irisa, and the Alliance has no chance of reaching him here," Nathan replied, "but it just didn’t feel right to leave him with anyone else."
The memories of Argor’s kidnapping were still painfully vivid in Nathan’s mind. The image of himself, shot in the chest and unable to help, replayed far too often for comfort. Trusting anyone else with Argor right now felt impossible.
Amara’s color remained a calm blue as she stepped ahead of Nathan. "Will I be questioned the same way Nathan was?"
Sally’s lips curved into a barely perceptible smile. "They wouldn’t dare face the public backlash of questioning you like that, not with the additional weight of your role as queen of Irisa."
To Nathan’s surprise, he could have sworn he saw a flicker of disappointment in Amara’s eyes. Knowing her as well as he did, he was certain she had already formulated a plan to handle a situation similar to his own hearing.
"Then what do you humans have in mind for the evening?" Amara asked, crossing her arms, her tail swaying freely behind her.
"Not quite what you expect, sweetheart," Sally replied, lowering her glasses and tilting her head. Her gesture carried the air of someone addressing a stubborn child rather than the queen of the Irisians. "Your translation logs did more than prove you had no intention of baby-trapping Nathan. They also made it abundantly clear just how much you despise the Alliance. You should thank me for the favor this has earned you with the anti-Alliance faction. Their support will give you a rare opportunity to make your case tonight."
Amara’s eyes widened, a flicker of purple rippling across her skin. "An opportunity?"
"The anti-Alliance faction pulled some strings to give you the honor of going public with the details of the hidden lab," Sally explained, her voice taking on a serious tone. "You’ll expose what the Alliance has been doing to those poor alien prisoners. I hope you understand just how significant this is. Even at my age, I can count on one hand the number of times a leader has had such a massive spotlight. Every one of them earned it by rallying the world during moments when Mars tested its planetary weapons, long before Nathan was even born."
With her eyes traveling between them, Sally added, "tonight, you have the chance to become the first non-human to be the focal point of such level of global attention. I hope you use it wisely and avoid overstepping."
Nathan noticed the subtle change immediately—Amara froze beside him, her usual fluid grace replaced by a stillness that seemed almost unnatural. Her gaze fixed ahead, unblinking, as if she were lost in a battle of thoughts.
While his attention was on Amara, Sally adjusted her glasses and turned toward the door. "I’ll leave you two for now. I have some people to greet," she said casually. "Feel free to stay here, and Amara, you might want to start preparing your speech for the presentation. You’ll need it soon."
Without waiting for a response, she left, the click of the door echoing behind her.
Silence lingered in the room, broken only by Nathan’s soft breath as he adjusted Argor in his arms. Then, he felt it—a light pressure on his wrist. He glanced down to see Amara’s tail wrapping around him, an action so gentle it was almost comforting.
"Do you think they want to use me?" Amara asked, her voice and expression betraying her doubts as she kept her gaze fixed on the door Sally had just entered and disappeared behind.
Nathan hesitated before answering, his mind racing as he tried to find the right words. "I don’t know for sure," he admitted. "But it feels like they want to use you to sway public opinion, perhaps to jawbone the people in favor of a war with the Alliance."
His words caused more silence, and for a few moments, neither of them spoke. Then Amara shifted, moving from his side to stand directly in front of him. Her orange eyes locked onto his, searching for something in his expression.
"Do you think I should do what they want?" she asked.
Nathan sighed and placed a gentle hand on her head, brushing his fingers through her strands. He watched as the colors shifted to a soft, light purple hue, her ears adorably poking out from beneath her hair. His expression softened as he spoke. "I hate the Alliance as much as you do," he said, "but I just can’t see you letting yourself be used as a pawn in someone else’s game."
He shifted Argor in his arms, holding him securely with nothing but one arm, and added with a faint smile, "But that’s just the opinion of a fool who doesn’t like to see his queen playing the role of a pawn."
Amara’s eyes lit up in pleasant surprise, faint traces of yellow mixing with the purple along the sides of her neck. Her tail uncoiled from his wrist and swayed before pointing toward a small table nearby with two chairs that seemed perfectly sized for them.
"Then tell me more about your history, human," she said with a playful glint in her eye, "And I promise your queen will deliver a speech your species will never forget."
Amara's perspective:
The evening passed in what felt like the snap of a finger to Amara. She absorbed Nathan’s history lessons with an ease that surprised even herself, her focus broken only by his occasional exaggerated gesticulations, which seemed to amuse both her and Argor. The little hybrid’s wide eyes followed his father’s fingers as they moved across the virtual screens in their shared augmented space, highlighting key moments in humanity’s recent history.
Nathan’s passion for storytelling brought the lessons to life, turning complex human politics and societal shifts into something even a child could find entertaining.
As covered the last topic, the door to their private function space opened, revealing a bulky human male in a black suit. He stepped inside with a no-nonsense air, announcing that it was time for Amara to move to the backstage area. There, she would wait her turn to speak after an announcer introduced her to the selected guests and the gathered press.
Amara threw Nathan and Argor a lingering parting glance as she rose to follow the man. Nathan caught her look and, with a playful grin, gently waved Argor’s small hand in her direction.
“Good luck,” he said with whisper, knowing her sensitive ears would catch his words.
The moment she stepped out of the room, every trace of emotion drained from her body. Her movements became precise, her mood unreadable as blue and black became the sole colors on her skin. By the time she reached the backstage area, a group of human staff had already gathered to brief her on what to expect.
“You can speak freely,” one of them explained, “and an AI will handle the visuals. The screen behind you will display footage and evidence from the underground facility where your son was rescued. You won’t need to prompt it—the system is programmed to adapt to your words in real time.”
Amara nodded, understanding their instructions as efficiently as she had Nathan’s earlier lessons.
When they finished, she was allowed to wander the backstage area while preparing for her first public appearance on Earth. She used the time to organize the topics in her mind, meticulously deciding how to frame her speech.
Occasionally, she peeked out from behind the curtains at the small crowd of formally dressed humans waiting in the audience. Compared to the vast number of people who would watch the broadcast live or through recordings later, they were just a drop in the ocean—but still, their presence felt significant.
Her attention shifted when the announcer began speaking, her voice echoing with some enthusiasm. The announcer, a young woman with an energetic demeanor, was building up momentum for Amara’s entrance. Her words were carefully crafted to introduce the crowd to the Irisians and their queen.
“...and tonight, we welcome Queen Amara of Irisa, the former princess who ascended to the throne during her planet’s struggles. She is not just a royal leader but a popular figure among her species who has fallen in love with a human, a story that brought her to Earth. Her visit follows the dramatic rescue of her son, a hybrid born of a union between human and Irisian, who was kidnapped by the Alliance and saved through the united efforts of...”
Amara’s ears twitched at the subtle falsehood embedded in the speech. The announcer had omitted a crucial part of the—her true reason for coming to Earth was to ensure Nathan wasn’t wrongfully arrested for going public about their relationship. A faint flicker of offense stirred in her, though nothing escaped to her exterior. How conveniently they had glossed over that truth, reducing her journey to a simple tale of love and rescue. She remained still, her focus sharpening. Tonight, she would prove they were not the only ones who could play with words.
The announcer spoke as soon as approached her. "And now, Queen Amara of Irisa will share something of immense importance with humanity tonight."
With that, the young woman stepped aside, gesturing toward the podium at the center of the stage.
Amara, clad in the formal two-piece attire Mia had insisted she wear, stepped onto the stage with a confident stride. Her movements were fluid and graceful, every step projecting an elegance befitting a queen. Her long tail swayed in the rhythm of her steps her as she approached the center of the stage, the crowd’s eyes following her every move.
Reaching the podium, Amara took one final step onto a hidden platform designed to elevate her height, ensuring her presence dominated the room. She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, her eyes scanning the crowd. The humans below seemed captivated, their gazes locked on her with fascination.
Then, her gaze drifted to the discreet far corner of the room, where Nathan stood holding Argor. His warm smile and encouraging nod were enough to steady her nerves. Drawing strength from within, she straightened her posture and began.
“I am Amara, third queen of Irisa of my lineage, representative of my species on Earth, mother to Argor, and Nathan’s soon-to-be wife,” she announced with a tone both shameless and regal.
The crowd’s reaction was immediate yet restrained. Whispers emerge among the audience like a low wind, their words inaudible but their faces speaking of their interest.
Amara, undeterred, continued, her voice capturing their attention. “I am aware of the support and controversy surrounding me. I understand there are those who doubt my intentions. To those, I say this: I have already shared my translation logs with your elders. They have scrutinized every detail, and the file answered their every question. I will not waste your time addressing the same doubts tonight because I am here to share something far more important with humanity.”
This time, their reaction was louder, less restrained. Voices rose in scattered bursts of excitement. Amara’s translator struggled to isolate individual voices amidst the crowd, leaving her to wonder what exactly they were saying. She waited, her expression calm as the noise gradually subsided.
When the room fell silent once more, Amara began to speak again. “I stand before you tonight to reveal something of great importance. This concerns a terrible research conducted by the Alliance—a truth uncovered and extensively proven during Argor’s rescue. I expect this will be recognized as a crime by every dethworder species, regardless of culture or biology.”
As expected, the crowd erupted again, this time louder than ever. Amara allowed the noise to wash over her, briefly turning to glance behind her as the commotion settled. The enormous 3D screen behind her illuminated, displaying an image of three prominent figures from the Core Galaxy Alliance. They stood in front of a tiny ship, the focus centered on Senator Eelzails, his unsettling green antennae and utterly alien expression dominating the frame.
When silence took hold once more, Amara turned back to them, her voice a whisper spreading through the silent tension. She began narrating the harrowing details of the rescue operation.
“Behind a giant door, we found sealed glass cages. Each one imprisoned a self-aware creature, some of which we could not even identify yet...” she explained, her tone serious yet charged with emotion. Her skin flushed a deep red—a calculated move to emphasize her words, though it also reflected the genuine anger burning within her.
Amara’s anger drew the crowd’s attention like a magnet, silencing the room into a state of stern respect. The intensity of her crimson skin seemed to deepen as she continued speaking, her steady voice narrating every detail of the rescue. Even as she described how Argor had been placed beside an incinerator, her voice remained calm, though her glowing red hue made her appear as fierce as a crimson tigress.
She suddenly realized she was overdoing it. With effort, she forced her skin to cool back to a serene blue, regaining her composure as she neared the conclusion of her story. “Ryo, a Martian soldier and my friend, took the final shot that allowed the mixed team inside. From there, a complex rescue operation began. The survivors are now being treated, and I hope that soon they can be identified and returned to their species.”
As she finished, chaos erupted in the room. Reporters from the press shot to their feet, some producing specialized image-recording drones that hovered above their shoulders, far superior to the nanites embedded in their eyes. They surrounded the stage, shouting questions with a fervor that bordered on frenzy.
Security personnel immediately moved in, attempting to keep the reporters at bay, but a few managed to slip through, shouting their questions as they inched closer to the podium. Amara hadn’t been briefed about this level of chaos, but she handled the barrage instinctively.
The first question came in a rush, asking how Argor was doing now. Amara answered with a composed truth, “He is safe and happy under our care.”
Another question followed quickly, asking about Irisa’s relationship with Mars. She replied honestly again, detailing their distant ties.
Then came the question she had suspected would arise sooner or later. A man with a rapid voice managed to shout over the others: “Is your presence here a prelude to war, or perhaps an announcement that Earth and Irisa are now allies in one?”
The room seemed to freeze, the cacophony of voices lowering in an instant. For the first time, Amara spotted Sally standing near the back, close to Nathan and Argor. Their eyes met, and though Sally’s expression was calm, Amara could somehow sense the old woman’s expectations.
Maintaining eye contact with Sally, Amara replied firmly, “It is not my place to stir humanity toward a war.”
Another voice quickly followed, louder and sharper. “Have you forgiven the Alliance for what they did to you?”
“No.” Her reply was immediate, resonant, and strong enough to slow the stream of questions. The image of Aldrinch flashed through her mind, his lessons on restraint and caution surfacing just in time. Calming herself, she added, “The only reason I am not advocating for war now is because I do not yet know if the culprits are the entire non-deathworlder faction or just the High Council. We would be no better than them if we burned entire worlds without being certain that every member of their species is to blame.”
Her gaze softened, and she continued, “I am only able to say this now because my son is safe with me. I am painfully aware that, had Argor not been found, my answer might have been very different.”
In the brief moment Amara found herself lost in her thoughts, the security team successfully removed the reporters who had surrounded the stage. The stream of questions ended abruptly, and the room calmed once more.
Amara noticed the young announcer gesturing at her from backstage, though the exact meaning of her hand movements was unclear. However, Amara inferred that she was meant to continue.
Facing the crowd again, Amara decided it was time to use what she had learned from Nathan to conclude her speech. Her tone shifted, softer now, and more personal. “I have finished explaining the events and I answered your questions,” she said, “but now I want to speak with you not as the queen of Irisa, but as an Irisian woman who chose a human as her mate and spent two harvests with him building a family.”
The room seemed to shift. The chaos from moments ago had disappeared, replaced by an almost unnatural silence. This time, they weren’t just curious—they knew that whatever Amara was about to say might be crucial for humanity, or at the very least, juicy enough to be worth something.
Amara noticed their contained interest and continued. “Ever since I took Nathan as my chosen, I have come to understand more about humanity than perhaps any other Irisian. Over time, I developed a profound respect for your species and even found myself enjoying traits I once found unbearable—such as your unrelenting noise even as you sleep.”
A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd, catching her by surprise. The humans seemed to interpret her words more lightly than intended, but she quickly realized this could work to her advantage. Adapting with a hint of yellow around her neck, she adjusted her tone.
“I suspect there are those among your leaders who would wish me to stand here and declare words of war,” she said, careful to no mention any names. “They might even hope to twist the pain my family has endured to manipulate your compassion and drive Earth into conflict with the Alliance. But I am far too stubborn for such games. Instead, I will offer you my perspective on how we must confront this threat.”
She paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over the assembled faces. The atmosphere was tense. She glimpsed Sally in the distance, her expression a picture of her disapproval, but Amara refused to falter.
“I believe the wisest course,” she said, “is to expose the galaxy to what we uncovered in that deathworlder research facility and to use the survivors to unite all of us into a single coalition. This should be our best chance against a force as ancient and vast as the Alliance.”
A faint ripple of purple through her skin as she continued, her voice carrying an almost regal cadence. “I am certain that humanity’s military strength surpasses that of every other deathworlder species in the galaxy. But that truth does not change the reality that humanity controls fewer than ten star systems, while the Alliance presides over thousands.”
She noticed skepticism flicker among the crowd and instinctively addressed it. “There is no war yet, but the Alliance’s actions reveal their fear. The fact that they restrict deathworlders’ access to advanced technology speaks volumes. They fear us. And as human likely know, cornered prey is the most dangerous of all.”
The crowd remained silent until a reporter stood, breaking the stillness with a pointed question. “Why would you seek a coalition with other so called deathworlders, when many of them supported the ban on interspecies relationships? That law was passed while Argor was being rescued.”
The question caught Amara momentarily off guard. She realized she hadn’t kept pace with the Alliance’s parliamentary maneuvers since Argor’s abduction. Still, her answer came effortlessly, unshaken.
“They think deathworlders should not be allowed to date?” she said, her gaze sweeping across the room. “Humans are new and mysterious, and my species has always been feared across the galaxy. Those deathworlders are either afraid of hybrids or being manipulated by the Alliance. My only response to them is this–regardless of their laws, Nathan and I may very well try for a daughter soon.”
Chaos erupted instantly. Reporters clamored for follow-up questions, their voices lost in a chorus of questions. The human announcer stepped onto the stage, her voice suppressing the noise as she thanked Amara for the presentation and declared the event concluded.
Amara needed no further prompting. She understood the humans believed she had said enough for one night, though she was confident she had not upset anyone to the point of making enemies. As she left the stage, her eyes caught Sally murmuring something into Nathan’s ear before glancing in her direction. Sally’s pointed look made Amara reconsider—perhaps she had said more than the old woman was ready to hear.
***
This was an account based on the day Amara went public with Argos’ rescue mission. The previous narrative is based on the events of the first year of Irisa's exploratory mission. According to your current settings, no queries will be suggested.
Comments
Aured
fantastic! That was wonderfully done.
