Commander Pyre Juno
I gazed at the human as she slept, my chest tight and full of emotion I had never before experienced. She was beautiful. Although her features were quite different from those of the Verian females, who were regal and stunning in their own right, there was something about this human that was even larger than her appearance – her spirit.
Ariel would be sleeping deeply for many hours now, and I tentatively took the opportunity to touch the human’s small hands. They were balled up in loose fists as she slept, and I somehow found myself holding gently to her hand and testing the softness of her curious skin. What would it take for me to be accepted by this female? Her hatred toward me was so potent; I could feel the weight of it in her eyes every time she looked at me.
But I couldn’t fault her for that. I was her abductor: a cruel man who had again and again subjected her to conditions that were not safe or comfortable. The least I could do now was help her to heal from the malicious disease that had taken root in her from landing on Helna’s dying surface. I should have been more careful. The next batch of humans to arrive should come shielded. I would report this to the Doyan at once.
At least it would give some merit to my story; the death of the important prisoner, being due to the extremely common poisoning that so often took the lives of small children and old yul and yula. It was getting worse as the planet struggled to take its last breaths, and with the planet’s suffering would come our downfall. Just as would happen on Earth if the Doyan was allowed to continue his reign of terror against the humans.
“Greandol!”
I frowned when the human thrashed in her sleep, tearing her fist away from my light grip. It was a distinctly Verian name, but I was certain she had never encountered anybody of such a name as that during her time on Helna. It was a family name; one that belonged within only a certain clan of Verians with the surname Blu–peacemakers, they had been deemed. One of a small few had disappeared long ago during a mission to Earth. Was it possible that the human had met him somewhere along the way?
But that was impossible. The yul’s name had been Thearsi. Still, it perplexed me enough that I was tempted to wake the human. Thearsi had been a highly valued member of the Council for Peace, and it had always been his belief that the humans and the Verians might one day coexist peacefully together on Earth without the need of violence. Men of this opinion were rare and frequently sought after. The Verian were a warrior race, and anyone inclined toward peace was considered sagely: a wise man.
“Pyre,” Barvaa said, tugging at my robe. I was startled by the sudden presence of the Pelin but looked down with a smile. In a way, it was a relief not to be alone with the human. I was fighting impulses I wasn’t really sure how to handle.
“Yes, Barvaa?” I asked. “What is it?”
“I come with this for the human,” he said, laying a bouquet of fresh oka on the bed. “The scent will purify her insides while she cannot eat.”
“Thank you, Barvaa,” I said, taking the bouquet and placing it near the human’s face. She would breathe much easier with it nearby, this I knew for certain. It was a good thing for the Pelin. They had brought oka as a staple-crop when Helna had labored to produce enough food to feed the ever-growing Verian population. It was miraculous, really, nutritious and healing in many ways.
I arched my brow. I did not like the sound of this “also.”
“Yes?”
The Pelin hesitated before answering. “You are being summoned at the base for questioning in the death of the human. Arke has been sending word to any who will listen that you had a hand in the human’s death, and I’m afraid the Doyan is likely to punish you for it.”
I sighed heavily.
“Do you know when the conference will be held?”
“Tomorrow evening, Yul Pyre.”
I could tell that the Pelin was afraid, as if by delivering the news he would be subject to my wrath. It was a bad habit he had learned from the first Verian man he had worked for, cruel to the bone like Arke and Doyan Yoltaz. But I had never harmed a hair on the tiny man’s head, nor was I likely to.
“All right, Barvaa. Thank you.”
The Pelin hesitated before leaving, a sign that he trusted me more now than he had when he’d first arrived. He used to hurry out of the room as if terrified that I would change my mind and decide to lash out at him.
“Is the human doing well?” he asked, standing on his tip toes to try to see over the bed. The human was sleeping soundly, and, although she was prone to those bizarre visions of the night that humans endured, she seemed to be healing more and more as the hours ticked by.
“I believe she is improving, yes,” I said, smiling down at Barvaa. “It is thanks to you. I hadn’t seen the signs of illness. It could have been too late for her.”
“Well…” the Pelin said, backing away modestly and looking at the floor. “It is good that she is well. And only you could have bathed her in the sacred water. So perhaps we were both able to have a hand in healing her.”
I nodded. “Perhaps you’re right.”
Barvaa lingered a moment longer, and I gave him a knowing smile. “You are dismissed, friend.”
The word friend really seemed to stump him, and I smiled despite myself as the Pelin man rushed out of the room, this time, perhaps worried again that I would change my mind and regret using such a familiar term on someone who, as the human would say, was essentially my slave.
***
I woke suddenly, startled from sleep by Ariel’s voice. She was leaning over me, her eyes heavy with an emotion I couldn’t determine.
“I want to go back into my own room.”
I nearly laughed at the absurdity of the human’s request to return to her prison, and couldn’t help but feel mildly insulted that she would rather be locked up than lay with me. Still, it wasn’t for me to be insulted. The yula was sick and tired and angry with me.
“Why?” I asked stupidly. “Aren’t you comfortable here?”
Ariel hesitated to answer, looking sidelong at her hands propped up on my pillow. If I wanted to be assertive, I could taste her lips right then and there. All I had to do was tilt my chin up a little, hold her body against me…
“This is inappropriate. I’m in your bedroom, aren’t I?”
Inappropriate? I did allow myself to smile then.
“Yes, these are my quarters. It doesn’t do well for a sick person to be confined, you know.”
Ariel narrowed her eyes at me.
“I’m a doctor,” she said. “Don’t condescend to me like that.”
“I see,” I said, sitting up slightly. She backed away quickly, as if terrified by our nearness, and I pursed my lips. From the way she acted, one would think that I was repulsive.
“Please, take me back to my room.”
I studied her hard, fighting against my strong impulses to keep her safe, to make sure she was near me at all costs so that the fate I had lied about to the Doyan might not be realized in reality.
“As you wish,” I said, standing up from the bed.
The human followed right on my heels until I had led her back to the cell in the back of my house. Sure, it had been fashioned from an old bedroom so that, if need be, I could keep an eye on prisoners of war, but it was still moderately comfortable. I had never had anyone in it before except an uncle, who had threatened to out the opposition to the Doyan if I didn’t stop working for them at once.
It hadn’t ended well. I would do whatever it took to protect the resources of Earth from nuclear fallout. And my uncle had learned that the hard way.
“All right,” I said, punching in the code for the cell so that the doors swung open. “In you go. The Pelin will be in to look after you through the night.”
The human was about to walk inside the cell, but hesitated.
“It’s cold in here,” she said quietly. “It’s still a little hard to breathe.”
I sighed irritably.
“You are the one who demanded to return to your prison.”
“Well you are the one who is keeping me in a prison in the first place!” she exclaimed. “Don’t you have anywhere else I could sleep that isn’t beside you? You disgust me!”
“Well,” I thought, trying to tame the agitation that was bubbling in my breast. “I suppose we could work out something. But you will be guarded.”
“Where can I escape here? If I go outside, then I will become ill again.”
“Perhaps,” I agreed, grateful that despite her anger, she could see sense in the futility of her actions. “It would not serve you well to try. I do not let anybody get in my way. Not even you, human.”
Ariel’s features grew apprehensive, maybe even a little hurt, though why I could not even begin to fathom. If I was such a monster to her, then why would she be so surprised when I stood my ground? No matter what I felt toward her, strengthening the opposition was my true passion.
“I’m tired,” she said quietly, and my anger subsided, just a little. I sighed.
“Come then,” I said, leading her past the open kitchen where the Pelin was hard at work. “Barvaa, when you are finished, could you join us in the red room?”
“The red room, Yul Pyre?” the Pelin asked, halting his work to look at me in disbelief. “But…”
“Hush,” I said, clearing my throat. “I will hear no objections. The human requires more comfortable quarters, and I would like to put you in charge of keeping an eye on the illness. It is still a delicate process.”
“Of course, Yul Pyre.”
I nodded formally, and Barvaa did the same. The human watched the exchange silently, her eyes flickering from the Pelin to me. I could tell she sensed some hesitation about the Red Room. It was a special place to me. A place of meditation and healing that I had never let anybody else enter. It was the only other room of the house with a bed and other necessary accommodations.
And besides, I figured if the Red Room could help me to heal, then perhaps it would do the same for the strange human, who resisted me in every way. I contributed the slow degeneration of my strength to the mental prowess that the sanctuary granted me, and perhaps some of the power in that room would be able to help the human as well. It was worth a try.
And if it didn’t work, that would mean that I had desecrated the sacred space and would ultimately end up growing weaker at a faster rate. But I would try to stay positive. She was pure enough. She deserved the same chance at healing as I had. Even if it did somehow desecrate my space.
“In here,” I said, pushing the door of the Red Room open. It was dimly lit, the windows covered by intricate and ancient tapestries that had been passed down through my family for thousands of years. They helped me to center myself and gave me the direction I needed to aim my prayers and mantras.
“This is beautiful,” Ariel whispered, standing at the threshold of the doorway. “I almost feel like I shouldn’t go in there.”
I smiled tiredly at her. “You have given me no other option, Yula,” I said. “Come and find peace in the sanctuary of the Red Room.
Ariel took a small step forward, her eyes roaming the deep maroon of the walls and the golden frieze lining the ceiling. Words of healing had been etched into it, and she read some of them out loud in a hushed whisper.
“Your Verian is very good,” I said, impressed by her fluency.
Ariel nodded.
“I’m a scientist,” she said distractedly as she began making her way around the room. “I have to be good at a lot of things.”
Ariel stopped abruptly in front of an altar, and I turned away, embarrassed to have the human’s eyes upon something so deeply personal to me. On the altar were photographs of my parents, who had been killed long ago in the war, and relics I had found on Earth that I’d thought were beautiful or full of life I couldn’t bear to see extinguished. I’d brought all of them back to Helna to remind myself of life; that healing is possible. Helna’s soil was dead; no life but the oka sprang from its depths. But Earth inspired me. That’s why I worked so hard to protect it and risked my life to head the opposition.
Because of that, it made no sense that I was risking it all just so this human could rest comfortably and heal well. If she tried to escape, would the Pelin even have the strength to stop her? The Pelin were not a warrior race like the Verian. In fact, they were small, almost defenseless, and poetically inclined. They were not the ideal guard of the scientist that could put the war in favor of the opposition.
“You take care not to get too comfortable here,” I said stiffly. “And do not touch anything. The Pelin will report everything to me, even if you consider him an ally. True, he is a caring creature, but he is loyal to myself, and myself alone.”
“You take yourself pretty seriously, don’t you?” Ariel asked. I immediately had the urge to defend myself, and opened my mouth to do so, but when I saw that there was a faint hint of a smile on her face, I couldn’t help but relax.
“Anyway, make yourself comfortable. The Pelin will be in with some oka and to keep an eye on you.”
“Oka…” Ariel’s eyes narrowed. “You guys have to use that for everything?”
“It was a gift to us from the Pelin, and it continues to serve us in many ways. If you have questions about it, ask the Pelin. You interrupted my sleep.”
“Someone’s not a morning person,” Ariel mumbled, crossing the room and settling onto the comfortable bed in the corner. I prickled.
“That’s because you woke me in the middle of the night instead of staying put. Know your place, or I will put you back in your cell. And if you get sick again, next time I don’t have to save you.”
I wished I could stop the harsh words from spilling out of my mouth, but it was too late. They were already out in the room, already reaching the human’s ears. And the same look of anger and contempt froze me where I stood as we stared at each other.
I turned away from her and left the room without another word. I had to stand firm. I was the one in charge here, and she wanted to keep pushing me to see how much she could get away with. like a child!
I could feel the human’s eyes burning a hole into my back as I left, just as the Pelin hurried past me with another bouquet of fresh oka. She was his concern now. Good riddance.
***
Inside I was quaking with rage. Looking Doyan Yoltaz in the eye was enough to make any moral and gods-fearing Verian want to vomit. But this was a council meeting. I had to present myself with the utmost dignity lest they find some reason to punish me.
“The human was ill, and as Commander, I did what needed to be done to dispose of the corpse before it could contaminate the site.”
“Is this so?” the Doyan asked, turning his cold eyes onto the Pelin in charge of the crematorium.
“It is true,” the Pelin said.
And as far as he knew, it was. I had managed to get my hands on the corpse of a woman who had been recently killed by the same disease that had nearly taken Ariel. It was she who had been incinerated, and the Pelin had disposed of the remains himself.
“The logs say you left shortly after without proper notification to the other Yul in charge of the human’s care,” the Doyan said, his gaze returning to me.
“That’s right!” Arke exclaimed from across the table. I refused to acknowledge him.
“I had dismissed those gentlemen already. You will find documentation stating the same. They were using abuses on the prisoners that are outlawed.”
“I see,” the Doyan said, looking down at his papers. “These laws are getting outdated, don’t you think, gentlemen?”
The room erupted as most of the men present nodded in agreement. They wanted to do away with anything that prevented unprovoked cruelty. So many Verians were bitter about their inability to conceive and regain their strength. They wanted to be able to take it out on anybody at any time they chose. It chilled me inside.
“However, as of now, the law is still in place, and as Doyan, it is my duty to uphold those laws. I consider this matter settled. Yul Pyre, Yul Arke, you may leave. The Pelin as well.”
Clamor filled the room as everybody stood from the table and began to chatter amongst themselves.
“Don’t think that this is the end. I know you did something with that human, and I will stop at nothing to find out what that is!” Arke growled to me, his bushy eyebrows closely knit together in rage. “You’re not going to get away with this.”
“Yul Arke, I recommend that you keep your violence to yourself,” I said, turning to him and squaring my shoulders. It would do him good to remember that, despite my own affliction, I was still stronger than him or any of his men. That was why I had the position of power that I did, and whether he liked it or not, I would best him in any physical altercation he threw my way.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” Arke grumbled again. I sighed as he pushed past me. I clenched my fists, but this was not the place to settle this disagreement. Despite his bloodthirsty appetite for destruction, Doyan Yoltaz was a man who liked to hide behind the guise of civility when it came to any public demonstration of his authority. It was part of why it was so difficult to convince the Verian people that the man in charge of them was actually a twisted and corrupt being.
The opposition hoped to get footage of his ways before he had a chance to invade Earth with his harmful weaponry, but until that happened, we would all have to sit and wait for the Doyan to make a false move that was public enough to warrant outcry. It was unlikely to happen, and that is why the opposition had begun to infiltrate the council.
I, for one, was high-ranking due to my unlikely physical prowess; but then, I had come from a long line of fierce warriors who had founded much of the rules of war. The Juno were highly skilled men and deeply intelligent women, and I was the result of many generations of the fittest breeding.
Naturally, the Doyan had included me on the council, along with Arke, who was also of a similar background. However, he was older than I when he was stricken with the terrible disease and had half the strength of my immune system regardless.
There were two other men on the council who were members of the opposition. A man named Grew Krechov and Plai Breanal sat on either side of the Doyan, a covert mission to get as much intel from these meetings as possible. So far, their efforts had recovered nothing of use, but there was still time. We hoped.
“Good to see you again, Yul Juno,” Renad Vrean said, approaching me with a broad smile. We knelt to each other in greeting, and I smiled back, despite the anger bubbling just below the surface. Arke knew just how to push my buttons, and he knew it. That was dangerous.
“Yul Vrean, hello.”
“Are you coming to the rally tonight?” he asked, his voice low.
“Rally?” I asked, feigning confusion. “I don’t know of any rally.”
“I hear there is an uprising of insurrectionists gathering at the Square. A few of us have been asked by the Doyan to see to it that it stops before it even begins, and to arrest and take down the rebels by any means necessary. It sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
Renad’s face filled with glee, and a sour feeling erupted in my stomach. So they knew already about the opposition. My men had been right; it seemed too soon to draw attention to our cause. Especially if people were going to be injured and killed in its name. People who could have proven useful during the real fight.
“It does sound fun,” I agreed, lying through the tight smile on my face.
“I think we’re supposed to be waiting around in the shadows at about nightfall. That’s when they’re going to show up, waving torches and shouting whatever nonsense they’re trying to talk people into believing. Some people will fall for anything, you know? But who would be stupid enough to go against the Doyan of all people?”
“It would take a very special kind of krocha, that’s for sure,” I agreed. And it was true. One would have to be stupid and gutsy to take on this regime so close to their victory over Earth. But that was the only way.
“Right!” Renad said. “So can I count on seeing you there? I’m getting pretty excited about the thought of bashing rebel skulls!”
“I wish I could go,” I said, feigning sadness. “But I have matters to attend to.”
“You’re going to beat up Arke, aren’t you?”
At this, I laughed, as the thought was very much on my mind. But beating up Arke would be seen as some kind of admission of guilt by his cronies, and I wanted to be rid of the lot of them and stay miles away from the opposition’s demonstration if I could. No, I had other plans.
“It would give me great pleasure to put him in his place for his false accusations, but no, I am going to take my position as leader seriously and remain honorable.”
“Yep, you’re a Juno all right. My father spoke frequently about your family. You’re some good stock, man. Good stock.”
Renad nodded approvingly and went along his way. I followed as the members of the council streamed through the doorway, my mind teeming with all that had transpired. The opposition was in trouble. I would ask Blaithe to help them if he would be willing, but in a way, I had a feeling that he would let them try their best to get the word out.
The Verian people had a right to know what was going on right under their noses, and seeing one small group of insurrectionists might be enough to embolden somebody else out there as well. We could only hope such would be the case. We needed all the help we were going to get if we were going to survive Doyan Yoltaz and his regime. And that was a sad fact.
***
“How is she?” I asked as soon as I returned back to my abode.
The Pelin man nodded. “The human is fine. She is getting her appetite back. Perhaps she will be better off going back to her cell soon.”
“Of course,” I said absently as I made my way down the hall. “As soon as she is well.”
“Yul Pyre!”
I froze at the sound of Blaithe’s voice.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I’m sorry, Yul Pyre. The man here pushed his way inside. I could not stop him…”
I narrowed my eyes at Blaithe, who shrugged casually.
“Why isn’t the human in her cell?” Blaithe demanded. “We need her information. Now. Did you know that the Doyan found out about the demonstration? People will die! We must find out what she knows!”
“That is no reason for you to push your way into my home and bully Barvaa!”
Blaithe wrinkled his nose. “You call your Pelin by name? I thought they didn’t like that.”
“Barvaa, please go tend to the human. Lock the door behind you.”
“You mean, you’re giving me permission to enter the Red Room?” Barvaa gasped, backing away and shaking his head profusely. “I mustn’t!”
“Do as I say,” I growled, keeping my eyes locked on Blaithe. It was unfortunate for him that he had caught me on a bad day. I was ready to fight.
“Of course, Yul Pyre.”
“How dare you!” I shouted as soon as the little man was out of sight and I heard the door slam shut. “You enter my home like this?”
“The opposition is more important than any man’s privacy!” Blaithe exclaimed. “You said so yourself!”
“That doesn’t mean you are welcome here! I am the leader of the opposition, and that means that I make the rules. Do you or do you not understand that?”
I balled my fists, and started forward, my mind imagining only violence.
“We have to find out what she knows!” Blaithe exclaimed, backing away from me, his eyes wide with fear. “If we don’t then we have no way to win against the Doyan!”
I hesitated, and instead of punching Blaithe, I put my hand through the wall. He yelped and cowered on the opposite end of the room.
“The human has been ill. She has needed time to rest and recover. And you coming into my home without cleansing yourself first, you bringing outside contaminants from the thuse with you, could kill the only chance we have at victory!”
“Dershalga!” Blaithe said, his eyes wide with fear. “I didn’t go near her yet, I swear it! I just needed to talk to you. To–”
But the idea of Ariel being injured by Blaithe’s carelessness had triggered an enormous rage from deep within me, and I crossed the room and swiftly punched him in the stomach. He fell to his knees with unshed tears in his eyes, and I kicked at him, all of my frustration beginning to boil over.
“Pyre! Stop!”
Ariel’s voice halted me immediately, and I turned to look at her, a little bit disoriented as my need for violence began to wear away.
“Please, if you kill him, they’ll arrest you.”
“What do you care?” I muttered, gazing down at Blaithe’s bloody body as he scrambled to his feet.
“Just don’t do it, all right? I want to hear more about what it is that you are going to do. Why do you hate the Doyan? What are those sticks doing in your room? There are no trees on Helna. Not anymore.”
Blaithe looked from the human to me, shaking his head in disbelief.
“You’re letting her wander free in your home,” he said between breaths. “You’re a fool.”
“I’m doing what needs to be done. And if you don’t warn the demonstrators, the Doyan and his troops will kill them all. Go now, or I will toss the human’s pleas over my shoulder.”
Blaithe seemed suddenly to understand the rage in my voice and barreled toward the door. I waited until he was gone to turn back to Ariel, surprised to find that she was approaching me, very slowly, concern in her deep blue eyes.
“You shouldn’t be out here. What if Blaithe was contaminated?” I sputtered, gripping her arms and leading her back toward the bedroom. “I don’t know what I would do if…”
“I’m going to be fine,” Ariel assured me, taking my hand gently and laying it by my side. “Please, just tell me what you’re trying to do with me. Why do you want to protect me so much? Is it really all to do with the information?”
“That’s an odd question,” I said, shifting uncomfortably.
“Yul Pyre! I’m sorry, I tried to stop her, but she was just so fast! Humans have long legs, and—”
“It’s all right, Barvaa. But please leave us for now. Perhaps you could prepare a meal for me; it has been a long day.”
“Of course!” the Pelin said, suddenly cheerful. He was probably relieved that I didn’t want to scold him, especially after the violence in the household that evening.
“I suppose I will tell you,” I said. “But not here. It isn’t safe. I will have Barvaa cleanse.”
“Let’s talk in the Red Room,” Ariel said quietly. I nodded, and followed her down the hall, wondering where I was going to begin.