Chapter 6
TRUO SEEDUON, SECOND COMMAND
I was still in a state of shock after the experience that I had with Vera. I did not know that it would feel the way that it did. It left me feeling complete. Now I understood why Cyro was so obsessed with this human female. Being inside of her almost felt like Corillion destiny. It was as if this were the entire reason for our existence.
When I released inside of her, I became bonded to her. She was so fragile and delicate, and I wanted to protect her. This was a problem: a big problem. She belonged to Cyro, and he was my leader. What I had done with Vera was treachery against my leader, and if I were found out, I would be put to death. Considering that I was already planning to overthrow him and take over command, being with Vera was the dumbest decision I could have made. It made things more complex than they already were.
Yet, after being with the human female, I only wanted to protect her. It seemed to be the only thing that mattered now; I could not stop thinking about her ever since I was inside of her. It was stronger now than just wanting to help the human female by telling her the secret about her husband; this was stronger than just wanting to help her. Now I wanted to protect her at all costs.
This was a problem for me because how could I plan to overthrow the leader Cyro while trying to protect his human female? It was not possible. In fact, it made everything worse. The warriors that were on my side in support of my overthrow of Cyro would not believe that it was because I could be a better leader. They would think it was because I wanted his human female, and having them think that would not be good for their support.
We would have to keep our friendship a secret. We would have to keep what we have done together a secret. I would have to keep the fact that my life had now been extended beyond the 22-year cycle a secret because there was only one human female on this asteroid that could grant that for me. It was too risky. We both risked a lot, but damn if it wasn't worth it.
Two days had passed since I’d had the intimate experience with Vera. I went to the secret spot every night around midnight to make sure that she was not waiting for me, but she was not. I figured she must be feeling guilt and shame over what had happened. Perhaps now she was more frightened than ever. But I had to know if she was okay, so I periodically checked on her in the courtyard, waiting for her to come to the window. Then I would know that she was safe and I could continue on with my plans.
"Jin has called a meeting,” Sitione whispered into my ear as I sat at the table feasting with the leader Cyro. I noticed that Vera was not at his side and she must still be telling him that she was ill. This made me happy. This meant that he was not mating with her.
"He has never called one before,” I whispered to Sitione.
"I am aware. Will you be there?” he asked.
"I will be. Same time,” I whispered back. I looked around the room to see if any other warriors were watching us. Everyone seemed to be feasting, and our secret interaction went unnoticed.
At the hour of 10, Jin and Sitione met with me in the underground passage room.
"I have doubts,” Jin said.
"Yes, that is understood,” I said to him.
"Unseating Cyro from leadership may cause unrest in the tribe here on the asteroid. The High Council might look down upon it,” Jin said nervously.
"I understand your concerns, Jin. But the bigger concern is that the leadership of Cyro will cause the extinction of this tribe. If he cannot produce an heir to his leadership position, there will be unrest anyway. I am the next in line to take the leadership seat. I should take it now before the unrest happens. The High Council would be on my side in this and force Cyro to resign his seat once they know that he cannot produce offspring,” I said to them. “They already disagreed with what he did on Earth. He took a human female and a male that were already wed together and killed the male. It was unnecessary violence, and our war with Earth is already taking its toll. The council was very upset with Cyro because of this, yet they let him off. One more problem with his rule and they will unseat him. I know they will.”
"It is all the secrecy that is making me nervous. We do not yet have the High Council on our side. You have not met with them in order to request that Cyro resign his seat. Because of this, what we do is treachery,” Jin said.
"Yes, but you knew of that from the very first meeting,” Sitione added.
Sitione and I both looked at each other. Jin was growing too nervous for our comfort. He was on edge. I had to tell him something that would calm him and stop him from telling anyone about our secret meetings.
"I have met with ten other warriors who are on our side. They are ready to accompany me to plead to the High Council that they should force Cyro to give up his seat in leadership. They want to attend the next meeting with us down here in secret, but they prefer to keep their support hidden,” I said, lying to Jin.
Jin sighed in relief, “Why did you not say this before? That gives me hope. That we three are not the only ones involved in this dangerous game that we are playing,” he said.
Sitione looked at me as though he knew that I was lying in order to stop Jin from betraying us, and then he added, “Yes. And I have talked with many that have been concerned about the fact that Cyro's wife, the human female Vera, is not yet with offspring. It is a major concern for them. All our lives depend on it. Although they did not put into words that they doubt Cyro’s leadership because of the circumstances, they were all thinking it. It was very obvious in the way they spoke about their disappointment that he had not yet planted an offspring in the human female after a month time of mating."
"This is good news,” Jin said. “This is more support for our efforts. The more warriors on this asteroid that agree that Truo should be leader, the more likely it is that a smooth transition can happen.”
"Yes, I agree. As I said before, I am working on a plan, and I have leave to capture human females to bring to the asteroid for the high-ranking warriors to take as a wife. When I leave, I will go to the High Council instead and plead my case to become leader,” I said to them.
"Until then, we will say nothing,” Sitione said as he looked at Jin.
"That is understood,” Jin said.
"Then this meeting is over. Take separate passages back. You cannot be seen together emerging from the underground,” I said to them.
They nodded goodbyes to me and I waited for them to be completely out of sight. Then I went to check on my secret. I was not speaking of Vera: I was speaking of my secret emergency escape. From the secret underground meeting room, I took three narrow passages that snaked beneath the fortress. It was a passage that only I knew of, and it led to a very opportune section of the fortress. At the end of the last passage, I climbed several steps that led to the outskirts of the fortress directly onto the asteroid. Here is where I hid a small escape pod. As soon as I had decided to overthrow Cyro, this was the first thing that I implanted. It was crucial, just in case I was found out before the coup was successful. This was here in case everything went wrong, and I could escape the asteroid and Cyro quickly.
I opened the space pod and went through the checks that I went through once a week. I made sure that the fuel had not leaked out or evaporated. I made sure that it would turn on and that all of the systems were online and working. Then I shut it down and hid it once more.
I made my way back through the underground passage and back inside the fortress. I climbed the stairs inside the fortress to the courtyard and hid in the shadows. I peered up at Vera's bedroom window. Her light was on. I could see the flicker of light as she moved back-and-forth in the room. Just knowing that she was moving around and well made me feel good. It was something that I needed. It gave me a fix of Vera, like a dose of medicine.
I found myself needing this dose more and more. I fantasized about taking her away from the asteroid to Earth. How happy that would make her, but I would have to leave her. I was the rightful leader of Seeduon and I could not let my Corillion brothers down over a human female that I had become infatuated with. I forced myself to turn from her window.
I left the courtyard and went to my own chambers high in the fortress towers on the east side of the sprawling complex. As a second in command, I had ample space and a well-built living quarters that looked out toward the edge of the asteroid.
I sat there in my quarters waiting out the extra hour until midnight when I would go once more to the underground passage to see if Vera would come looking for me. I secretly hoped that she would not, simply because it was too dangerous. I secretly hoped that she would, simply because I could not stop thinking about her. I wanted her. I needed to touch her again. My body was obsessed with being inside of her. My heart was obsessed with comforting and protecting her from Cyro and all of her pain. It was a complicated situation to be in when trying to overthrow the leader and create a revolution.