***Siefer***

Siefer stared at the human woman, Alexis, as she watched the stars and planets pass by the windows of the spaceship's command center. Everyone's life had changed because of this one woman. No, it was wrong to blame her. It was actually King Shene's doing, and he had paid the ultimate price for his arrogance. 

As the planet Arkani passed from view, Siefer relived the past months. He remembered King Shene's command to intercept the ship of human women headed to Arkani as brides. He had wanted the Milisarian warriors to breed with the women and bring forth a race with human intelligence and Milisarian strength. The king had not counted on the women's stubbornness.

Siefer smiled as he thought of the first time he had laid eyes on Destiney, the human that was now his wife. He had been mesmerized by her amber eyes, curly brown hair, and curvaceous body. It was love at first sight. Now there was a baby on the way. Not all the changes were bad.

King Shene had chosen Alexis for himself, though he had many concubines already. The Milisarian warriors found that to be dishonorable, for Milisarians were meant to have one mate for life. The king further caused dissension by mistreating the women who refused to mate, even having Alexis beaten and locked away. Instead of giving the rebellious women to the Arkani, who had sent for them in the first place, the king was going to dump them back on Earth. Many would be going back to life in prison or poverty. Alexis refused to allow it. She had fallen in love with the king's ship commander, Nabvan, and wished to stay with him.

Aboard the spaceship, bound for Earth, the women were still locked up and mistreated, though the king had promised to show them kindness. Upon discovering his future wife, Alexis, in bed with her true love, King Shene ordered Nabvan's torture and death. Alexis and the women started a mutiny and with the help of Nabvan and Siefer took over the ship. Nabvan was badly injured, yet still managed to overcome and kill King Shene.

Nabvan took the women to Arkani where they were welcomed by the kind race and given husbands. The Arkani also healed Nabvan and repaired the spaceship. In turn, Alexis, with her scientific knowledge, found the cause for the deaths of the Arkani women.

Siefer returned his mind to the present upon seeing the four moons of Milisaria. He was almost home. Destiney was waiting for him, possibly beside an execution squad. Siefer wasn't sure how the Milisarians would view the death of their king at the hands of his own warrior. 

In a very short time, the green seas and rolling hills of his home world appeared in the window.  The ship touched down amidst the clouds. It was time to discover their fate. Siefer turned to Nabvan and asked, "Are you prepared for this? We may be tortured and killed, or we may be heralded as heroes. Either way, our lives have changed drastically. Our world will be changing as well. We have no king to lead us now."

Nabvan stepped forward and put his large translucent hand on Siefer's shoulder. He said, "I am ready, my friend. I thank you once again for standing with me in this endeavor. I will do whatever I can to keep you from punishment. I killed the king. It was not your doing. You were only protecting innocent women."

Siefer laughed, "You know that is not the truth. The women and I fought along side you. We must face this as one, undivided in our loyalty. It may be the only way to save ourselves. Let us disembark. I am anxious to see Destiney, if it is allowed."

Siefer, Nabvan, and Alexis stepped off the ship. A contingent of warriors greeted their arrival. The tall, muscular men with long dark hair and tribal markings on their pale skin were all familiar faces. They stood at attention, expecting to greet their king and escort him to his chambers. Their faces changed to confusion when only the trio exited from the ship. The largest warrior came forward and demanded, “Where is King Shene? He must be honored first. I cannot allow you to pass until he has disembarked."

Siefer watched the warriors' response closely when Nabvan announced, "There is no one else aboard the ship. Let us pass. We will speak to the council at a later time."

The warrior blocked their path and stated, "I take orders from the king, not you."

Nabvan's eyes darkened as his anger rose. “When the king is not present, I give the commands. You are well aware of that. Move out of the way or prepare to fight."

The warrior moved out of the way, but growled, "Where is the king?"

Siefer replied, “We will answer to the council. We do not need to answer to you." He pushed the warrior aside and went in search of his wife. His long strides quickly took him through the common areas and into the long hallway that led to the living quarters of the warriors. To his relief, no one stopped him to ask questions. He slapped his palm against the electronic lock to his personal quarters, and the door slid open. He gasped upon seeing Destiney sitting in a chair, cradling a baby at her breast. His huge, powerful hands began to shake as he numbly crossed the room. He looked from the baby to Destiney and caught sight of her reassuring smile.

Destiney spoke softly so she wouldn't frighten the sleeping child. “My love, meet your son. He couldn't wait for you to come home. He insisted on entering the world early." She pulled back the swaddling to reveal the perfect baby beneath.

Siefer gazed at his new son with awe. The baby was a combination of Destiney and himself. His hair was the color of an Earth spice known as cinnamon, and his skin matched Destiney's exactly. However, he had four arms like his father. He was larger and more muscular than any human newborn. As Siefer watched, the little one opened sleepy eyes of amber and looked directly into his father's eyes. The intelligence behind those young eyes was plain to see. Siefer grinned at his son and was answered with a matching one.

Destiney held the baby aloft for Siefer to take. He cautiously received the bundle, balancing it carefully in his strong arms. He was terrified of his own strength for the first time in his life. He didn't want to crush his precious son. With the baby now cradled against his chest, Siefer turned to examine his wife. She appeared well, though slightly paler than normal. He asked, “Are you unharmed? Did the birth cause you injury? We were not sure how a human body would handle giving birth to a Milisarian child."

Destiney answered quite calmly, “I must admit, it was difficult and painful. He is much larger than a human baby would have been, and he had four arms to expel rather than two. There was some tearing inside and a lot of bleeding. The nurse took good care of me. She had medicine from one of the conquered colonies and managed to save me. I am weak, but I will heal. Others are not handling their pregnancies as well as I did."

"I am sorry that I was not at your side when my son came into this world. I regret that it caused you such pain. I would have been here if possible, but many things have kept me away from this world. Thank you for the wonderful gift of my son. May he bring my strength and your human intelligence to our people. The Milisarians will need their future leaders to be a race of intelligent men, able to create technology rather than steal it from conquered worlds." A command came through the speakers in the ceiling. Siefer handed the baby back to his wife and headed toward the door. “I have been commanded to speak to the council. I hope to return to your side soon. If not, then do not forget that I love you and our son. Raise him to be a great Milisarian warrior. One that will change this world for the better."

Destiney panicked at those words and screamed, "What do you mean? You must come back. We need you. Do not leave us!” No answer came as the door slid shut.

Siefer met Nabvan at the entry to the council chambers. They were greeted by the council guards who stiffened at their approach. The council summoned the pair to enter. Siefer met the council's stares with pride and dignity. He would not cower in fear. Nabvan also stood at attention, his gaze never wavering.

The council was made up of older warriors, with many years of experience. They had seen many worlds, and though Milisarians were not as intelligent as other races, these men knew more than most. They saw the determination and unflinching courage of the two warriors standing before them. They felt great pride in the younger men. The oldest man began the questioning. “The king, his future wife, the human females, and several guards left this planet. Only you and the king's woman returned. The ship's navigation system shows that the spaceship never went to Earth. Instead, it flew to Arkani. We need an explanation. Where is our king?"

Siefer answered, “Our king is dead."

The uproar was instantaneous. The council came to their feet in astonishment. The questions were fast and direct. “Did the Arkani murder our king? Have they overstepped their place? Do they wish to go to war?"

Nabvan put up a hand to stop the questions. He spoke loud and clear. “The Arkani had nothing to do with the death of King Shene. They did not attack us. They are a peaceful race. We redirected the ship to Arkani to deliver the human brides we stole from them. The king was already dead at that time."

The council settled down and looked to Nabvan for more answers. They said, "Perhaps you should explain from the beginning what transpired on the ship. We are not sure what to ask. If you were not attacked, then how did our king come to his end?"

Siefer motioned for Nabvan to stay silent. He declared, "The king has thrown Milisarian laws aside for a long time. He has made his own rules and defamed our world. He continued conquering other worlds and taking their technologies, food, and other assets. He never took care of their needs in return. Those with medical knowledge were left to starve, and the ones with plentiful food died of diseases. King Shene could have shared the plunders we brought to our planet, but he did not care about others. He stole the human women from the Arkani and expected them to bow to his commands. When they did not, he punished them severely. They were starved, locked away without access to showers, and beaten. King Shene's chosen one was beaten so badly she almost died. Nabvan saved her by going against the king's orders and calling in the nurse. He promised to give them more freedom if Alexis became his betrothed and allowed him to bed her. It did not happen."

The councilmen cut him off by stating, "We saw the women. They were clean and well dressed. None appeared harmed."

Siefer continued undaunted, “As you said, they appeared clean and well dressed, but that was for the sake of others. Behind closed doors, they were still starved and beaten for their refusal to submit to Milisarian men. To further insult the women, King Shene was returning them to Earth. They would be going back to the lives that they were running from. Some would be jailed, others left in poverty, and some to be treated as lesser beings. Aboard the ship, King Shene discovered the human, Alexis, with Nabvan. He had Nabvan tortured and was about to execute him. There was an uprising among us, and the king perished."

Nabvan took over the explanation. “The women wished to be taken to the Arkani. They stopped my death, because they knew of my love for Alexis and that I would honor their wishes. In a battle for my life, I killed King Shene. Alexis was mine, and I could not send her back to Earth."

The councilman raised his eyebrows and asked, “The woman belonged to the king, did she not? He was within his rights to execute you for defiling his intended queen. What gave you the right to murder him?"

Nabvan stood tall and proud as he answered, “Alexis was mated with me before she gave in to the king's demands. By Milisarian law, she was mine, not the king's. It was not murder. It was self-defense."

The council turned away and spoke among themselves. When they turned back, the elder one announced, “We find you not guilty in the king's demise. He has long been a trial to our people. He hid behind other warriors in battle, took from colonists, and never gave anything in return, and made a mockery of Milisarian monogamy. We will keep the details of his death within these council doors to ensure no one tries to avenge his death. However, we need a new king. An election will be held as soon as possible. I would like to recommend that one or both of you put yourself up for election. Leave us now."