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Deathworlders Should Not Be Allowed To Date! 48
🕑 Added 2024-08-19 23:24:36 +0000 UTCLuna VI query: Set the source to the leaked files of the first reconnaissance operation of Irisa.
Not a problem!
Luna VI query: How did the meeting about the Zandrid incident go?
***
Nathan felt like a piece of a puzzle that didn’t fit anywhere. The chamber of intricately decorated rock where the elders would meet the humans was filled with tension. A colossal wooden table dominated the center, around which a heated discussion raged. Amara, her eyes twin embers, clashed verbally with Queen Khala, their tails pointed at each other as accusations were exchanged at a dizzying pace.
Flanking them were the elders—their bearing confident, though their colors were not as vibrant as they once were—each siding with either the mother or the daughter. Yet, amidst this storm, their argument's absurd core was unbelievable—the placement of their chairs around the table for the upcoming meeting with human leadership.
It was a scene of such dramatic dissonance over something as trivial as seating positions that Nathan found himself glued to a distant corner, a silent observer of his girlfriend in an argument he had no say in and no intention of getting involved in.
Overwhelmed by the exchange and unfamiliar historical references, Nathan felt a growing sense of isolation. His gaze drifted to the only other human in the chamber, Ryo, who stood silently in another corner with his arms crossed.
Aside from the tension between Earth and Mars, Nathan and Ryo had never been best friends. An overly enthusiastic botanist and a soldier were hardly kindred spirits, and their interactions since the mission began had done little to bridge the gap. Yet, as he observed Ryo now, he wondered if their shared predicament might have created common ground. After all, they now shared the dubious honor of being the only humans with alien girlfriends. Considering that Amara and Elysira were in the process of repairing their friendship, perhaps they too could have a chance at, at least, a surface-level friendship.
Before he could overthink it, he found himself strolling toward Ryo, who was already tracking his movement with a mix of curiosity and mild annoyance.
"A bit dramatic over who sits where, don’t you think?" Nathan's attempt at conversation was as cliché as they come.
Ryo glanced at him with a look that suggested he had just proposed a duel at dawn. Like a seasoned guard at Buckingham Palace, Ryo returned to his silent vigil, completely ignoring the unwanted intrusion.
"Amara and I visited Elysira in the hospital a few times." Nathan's strategic shift was deliberate. "She said she misses you."
Ryo took a moment to process his words, his rigid posture softening slightly. "And what does that have to do with you?"
"Nothing," Nathan replied calmly, anticipating Ryo's sharp response. He could have easily retorted or walked away, but instead, he broke eye contact, leaning against the wall. His gaze drifted towards Amara, engaged in conversation with an elder. "I just thought her feelings might matter to you."
Time ticked by as Nathan endured the elders' curious glances, their hushed whispers a constant background noise to the escalating argument between Amara and her mother. Just when he had accepted Ryo's silence, the soldier spoke, his voice devoid of emotion. "She's better off alone."
Nathan was taken aback by Ryo's assessment. He'd heard Amara mention Elysira no longer needed to leave the planet, but the reality was stark—a severely injured woman with nothing besides Amara's friendship. To suggest she was better off alone seemed not only callous but foolish. Even Nathan, with his limited political understanding, could grasp the absurdity of the statement. Mars would likely pay for the R&D of the procedure to recover her tail just to prove they could do it.
"At the very least, she could use some reassurance and someone by her side to help her communicate with the doctors," Nathan argued, convinced Ryo was allowed to do that much, regardless of the limitations imposed by his on-duty status.
"Easy for you to say." Ryo punched the wall. "You blew that piece of shit's head off and saved your princess."
Nathan’s eyes widened as he realized the commotion Ryo’s outburst had caused. Even the queen was staring at them, her gaze fixed and intense. Regret for the conversation washed over him as he straightened from the wall, his focus now solely on Ryo.
"Amara was grilling Elysira about you in the hospital," Nathan began, his voice low. "How was she captured, why did you leave her behind, that sort of thing. Elysira kept going on about how brave you were, how you did your best." He paused, turning to leave. "Just remember, you might not find another woman who can tolerate that temperament of yours, alien or not."
He returned to his previous corner, the urge to question his place in this upcoming meeting momentarily eclipsed by the queen's unwavering gaze. He forced a nonchalant demeanor, but his mind raced. Was this his life now? Forever haunted by what he did to save his girlfriend? His thoughts stirred into absurd scenarios—a stiff, awkward family dinner with the queen, for instance.
Just as he was conjuring a cartoonish image of Queen Khala surreptitiously slipping poison into his food, a gentle squeeze on his hand brought him abruptly back to reality.
"You cannot sit beside me, and I will not be allowed to sit in the middle," Amara declared, her voice low. Her attire, while formal by Irisian standards, was almost translucent to human eyes.
Nathan noticed subtle spots of gray at her neck but dismissed the sight. "I think we can manage to be apart for the meeting."
Amara stared at him, a trace of red creeping up her neck. "This means the elders do not accept our relationship and doubt my leadership abilities."
"So, that's what all the fuss was about." Having someone who could effortlessly decode the argument for a human was a game-changer, a luxury born from their long night talks. "How serious is this 'they don't accept us' thing?"
Her skin tone remained unchanged, but her grip on his hand tightened slightly. "They are not as direct as you humans," she explained. "Their true opinions will only become apparent when they are forced to make a decision." Her gaze locked into his. "Do you think your species will bring up this subject in the meeting?"
He was caught off guard by her question. The idea of their relationship becoming a topic of discussion during a meeting about the Zandrid attack was almost inconceivable. "I'm not sure," he replied slowly. "It's more likely to be brought up privately afterward."
Amara turned, her eyes scanning the elders who were already taking their seats at the table. "That would be better," she replied. Her tail disengaged from his hand, pointing toward the vacant chairs on the opposite side of the table. "You and Ryo will sit on the other side. We will use those three screens on the wall for the meeting since none of the elders have integrated translators."
Nathan could already see the Irisians clustering together on one side of the table while he and Ryo would have their backs to the screens, where some important people would appear. After this meeting, they might finally let him prove his worth as an ambassador—if Earth shows any interest in Irisa after discussing the suspected Alliance ties to the revolutionaries.
Aldrinch and his guards approached Amara as Nathan pondered his role in the upcoming meeting. Before he could process the situation, she was drawn into a small huddle for a briefing, while another Irisian guided him to his seat. Events unfolded rapidly thereafter. Ryo took a seat at the opposite end of his side of the table, and finally, Amara and the queen joined the elders, mother and daughter fixing him with intense glares, though for vastly different reasons.
This was Nathan's first close encounter with Queen Khala. Unlike the elders, whose age was evident even to human eyes, hers was masked by an almost supernatural youthfulness. Compared to Amara, subtle lines around her eyes hinted at a maturity beyond her daughter’s years, and even the tips of her long ears seemed to drop slightly, perhaps due to gravity. Still, there was an aura about her, a possible glimpse of Amara's future—that of a short, elegant alien woman whose presence commanded absolute attention, maybe even fear for those whose lives could be determined by her whims.
He swallowed hard, avoiding Queen Khala's gaze and turning toward the screens to mask his discomfort. Only one screen was active, displaying the large face of a man with a neatly trimmed beard. In a small square in the bottom left corner, he spotted a familiar face—Zara. As soon as she noticed his gaze, she waved enthusiastically.
He waved back shyly, and then the middle screen activated, revealing an elderly woman. She wore glasses, and her silver hair cascaded over her shoulder. On her desk was a peculiar setup—a wooden keyboard and a tiny, pink mouse. It was an archaic interface. Given the ubiquity of modern ocular technology, even the glasses were equally baffling, leading Nathan to believe they were some sort of fashion accessories.
The final screen lit up moments later, and Nathan instantly recognized the figure. With a deceptively youthful appearance, an obvious overuse of nanotechnology, the Martian Prime Minister, Ezekiel Ivanov, filled the screen. He was a popular leader who had steered a unified Mars for four consecutive terms, his youthful presence a stark contrast to the elderly woman that Nathan supposed was representing Earth.
As Nathan was about to summon a window to check his messages and emails for a clue to the old lady's identity and avoid some embarrassment, Queen Khala's voice caught his attention.
"In spite of the terrible circumstances that have brought us together, it is an honor of the highest order to finally meet the decision-makers of humanity." When Nathan's eyes turned to the Irisians, Queen Khala was standing and bowing with her tail coiled around her leg. "If my intelligence serves me correctly, Ezekiel speaks for Mars, and Robert represents the O’Neill Conglomerate. May I inquire who represents Earth?"
The elders exchanged puzzled glances, their attention fixed on the old woman on the central screen. Amara's eyes sought his, a silent plea for clarification. He shook his head subtly. He hadn't even recognized Zara's father, let alone this elderly woman, who was clearly neither a head of state nor a global union leader.
"You can call me Sally, sweetheart," the old lady introduced herself. "I'm just an accountant of the global union."
Had she just called the Queen 'sweetheart'? Nathan's astonishment mirrored that of the Irisians. Even the Martian Prime Minister looked uncomfortable. But the most surprising reaction came from Zara’s father, who burst into laughter as if he'd heard the funniest joke ever told.
The elders whispered among themselves, hints of purple appearing with every moment. Queen Khala's image mirrored their bewilderment. Nathan couldn't help but empathize. Even though this was far from a first contact scenario, for the elders and the queen, this meeting might be their closest encounter with humanity yet.
"Alright, folks, that particular lady there is not an accountant you'd want on your bad side," Robert interjected with a casual yet authoritative tone, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Let's move on, shall we? Pretend this little hiccup never happened." His voice held the practiced ease of someone accustomed to navigating delicate social situations.
After Robert took the meeting back on track, the Martian Prime Minister spoke. "Let's cut to the chase, then. I understand there was an attempted assassination on Earth's representative using one of my soldiers. We know Ryo's side of the story, but we need to hear from the others involved."
Queen Khala opened her mouth to speak, but Sally cut in, her voice sharp and direct. "What's there to hear? Zandrid was a pawn of the Alliance. The question is, why are they targeting us in such an indirect way and on such a small scale?"
Robert joined the conversation, his voice carrying a note of steel. "As small-scale as this might seem to some, my daughter almost died because of it. The only reason to involve the Irisians in this meeting is to ask if they're okay with being used and discarded like pawns. For all we know, this entire rebellion could be a fabrication of the Alliance."
Nathan watched the exchange with growing unease. He'd expected a more gradual buildup, a careful dose of diplomacy and information sharing before diving into the heart of the matter. But it seemed the key players were already knee-deep in the details, their casual references to data and perspectives hinting at a level of intel far beyond anything he’d imagined.
The elders were as visibly rattled as Nathan felt. A few of them were already displaying purple, their eyes darting between the screens. Queen Khala stood firm, her colors hinting at controlled fury. Amara mirrored her mother's composure, though Nathan sensed her anxiety was more focused on her mother's reaction than the accusations being hurled across the digital divide.
Queen Khala stood tall, her voice carrying a regal authority. "I had prepared a detailed explanation of the external involvement in the rebellion, but it seems your species knows everything." Her gaze locked onto Nathan. "The situation is exactly as you humans perceive it. My son was manipulated by the Alliance as a weapon against your people, and then mercilessly discarded by that human."
A collective intake of breath swept through the elders as the queen’s accusation landed. Their gazes converged on Nathan, and despite knowing it was just his perception, he felt judged and perhaps even threatened. Unlike Zara, protected by her father's influence, or Ryo, shielded by the mantle of a soldier following orders, he was just a botanist who had signed a contract. For a fleeting moment, he considered sharing his stored sensory data as proof of his innocence.
However, before Nathan could even mention it, Amara rose to her feet, her voice cutting through the tension. "Nathan would not have done anything should you have ordered the revolution to end," she said, her orange eyes fixed on her mother. Aldrinch reached out to pull her back into her seat, but Amara ignored him. "But harvests passed, bodies piled up, and you could not bear to harm your precious son. Am I wrong, Mother?"
Queen Khala remained silent, her exterior showing plain blue. As if oblivious to the scrutiny of the humans on the screens, she allowed Aldrinch's guards to approach and restrain Amara, gently but firmly guiding her back to her seat. Only then did she speak, her voice carrying a chilling calm. "Who can blame a mother for not harming her child?"
Amara's breathing was rapid, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Nathan registered that it seemed unusually accelerated. But with so much else to worry about, he unconsciously overlooked it, consumed by the growing dread of the potential consequences they could face after the meeting.
"You always allowed... Zandrid to... do everything he wanted..." When everyone thought Amara was finished, her voice returned, trailing off in a disturbing whisper. It was then that Nathan realized something was terribly wrong. Before he could react, she leaned forward, her claws scraping against the table as a wave of nausea overtook her. A violent spasm racked her body, and she vomited onto the pristine table surface.
A heavy silence descended upon the room as everyone stared at the disturbing scene unfolding before them. Finally, Aldrinch broke the tense stillness. "Poison. She needs a doctor immediately."
Nathan lunged towards Amara, his instincts overriding reason. The guards started to move, but a sharp command from Queen Khala halted them in their tracks. "No!" She strode purposefully towards Amara, her movements filled with urgency. With a firm grip, she lifted Amara's head by the hair, her eyes scanning her daughter's face with intense scrutiny.
After a long moment, Khala spoke again, her skin purple and her voice tainted with disbelief. "Dilated pupils, swollen lips, an emerald hue around her eyes... this girl is pregnant."
A wave of purple washed over the room as the elders' gazes converged on him. Overwhelmed, Nathan averted his eyes, desperately seeking another human face. Finding Ryo's ashen countenance, a cold certainty settled in his stomach—the hours ahead would be a long ordeal.
***
This was an account based on the meeting about the Zandrid incident. The previous narrative is based on the events of the forty-seventh day of the exploratory mission of Irisa. According to your current settings, no queries will be suggested.
Comments
Rohn Carver
Haaahaaaahaaaahahahah. I'd bet money that the nanites had a *hand* to play in this working. But God damn is that just funny.
