The sound of metal on metal pulled his attention to the door as it opened. Sienna and Sommers sat down across the table to face him. Legian stood in the corner at his
tahren’
s back, shooting a glare straight at Roden.
“Why’d you come here?” Sienna asked.
“And I thought our friendship was off to such a fine start.” He crooked his chin toward her. “Although it looks like you’ve run into some trouble since our last encounter. Tell me, how’s your mother?”
She lunged forward and punched Roden. Heat bloomed on his cheek, and he chuckled in a response.
Legian hit the table and snarled. “You ever speak like that to Sienna again, I’ll slice your wings and tie you outside for the carrion to have their way with you.”
Sienna rubbed her knuckles. “It’s all right, love. He’s just trying to rile me up.” She turned to Roden and sat back down. This time she pulled out a blaster and set it on the table, the barrel pointing at him. “And he knows that’s not a good idea. Answer my question, Roden. Why’d you make this suicide run?”
Roden nodded toward the weapon. “Is that the same blaster you used to execute your mother after she tried to blow up the base with you in it?”
Sienna grabbed the weapon and fired, the heat from the blast singing his wingtip before searing the wall behind him. “You sent my mother to her death. Her blood is on your hands.”
He tsked. “If you remember, I went straight for you. That business with your mother was the act of an unsavory fellow, who’s no longer a threat.”
“I should’ve killed you a year ago.”
He shrugged. “You tried. You failed.” Then he sighed. “Getting rid of me won’t solve your problems.”
“There’s nothing stopping me from killing you now.”
“With me harmless in a cage. How very
Sephian
of you.”
“I’d take
Sephian
over
Draeken
any day.”
“What have my people done to you, Sienna? I’d wager your experiences all tie from making your alignment with the Sephians and getting caught up in the unpleasantness between two peoples. It’s certainly not from anything between your people and Draeken.”
“
My
people are Sephians as much as humans,” she shot back at him.
Sommers brought his hand between them. “Roden, you came here alone and unarmed. While I appreciate the gesture, if you have something to say, now is the time.”
“I came under the terms of peace.”
“You came under the terms of surrender,” Sommers reminded him.
He shrugged. “Semantics. I have information you need to keep humans from getting slaughtered.”
“And in return?” Sommers asked, the woman at his side still glaring at Roden.
“In return, I ask for the same thing the Sephians have here. An alliance. A chance to make our home on your world.”
Sienna shook her head. “We don’t make deals with terrorists.”
“A rather harsh label,” Roden replied. “When have we done anything against your people that would infer such hostility? My people have come in peace to your planet, fleeing genocide and seeking only a place to call home. We are refugees, not terrorists.”
She gave a combination of a choke and laugh. “You really believe humans will accept you, to live side-by-side with you, when they find out that the Sephians were nothing but Draeken slaves for centuries? What’s to stop you from doing the same thing here?”
“Slavery?” Roden raised a brow. “You should ask your
tahren
about the history of slavery on Sephia. It was there long before my people arrived. We continued a tradition merely because the entire political structure and a millennia of customs depended upon it. I may not condone what my ancestors did, but I understand it. Who are you to judge, when slavery still exists in this world?”
She shook her head. “Slavery is outlawed. It’s being stomped out. And we certainly don’t have it here.”
A smirk curled his lips. “Ah, yes. Your people are so altruistic. Slavery hasn’t been condoned in this country for a whole
century.
You’re certainly an enlightened race.”
Sienna fumed. “How about Club Mayhem, then? Everyone knows that you were the one behind that breeding facility, using humans as slaves.”
Roden lifted a brow. “You make it sound so clinical. It was a place for our peoples to discover one another in a social setting.”
Sienna hit the table. “Bullshit. You were cross-breeding, using human women like cattle!”
“Were we?” he asked. “Did you talk with any of the women from there? They would have a much different story.”
“Christ,” she countered. “Those women were brainwashed.”
“Really?” Roden belted out a laugh before going sober. “You’re grasping at straws because you already know the truth. You know damned well that everything in that club was consensual. Find me one person who was in any way traumatized or said they were forced.” He leaned closer. “I’ll bet the women were checked for drugs and yet none were found. Club Mayhem was the first connection of my people with this world’s inhabitants. We met on their terms. We hid
nothing
. We forced
nothing
. It gave us a chance to get to know one another under casual conditions.”
“Why did you keep it secret?” Sommers asked.
“It wasn’t a secret. The place was legally licensed under the laws of this country. We simply did not widely broadcast our attendance since we had yet to meet with this world’s leaders.” Roden turned to Sienna. “You just don’t like it because you’re a racist.”
“A racist?” She balked at his words, shaking her head in denial. “I’m engaged to a Sephian!”
“A Sephian who wants to see every last Draeken dead,” he replied calmly. “You go straight for genocide without giving us a chance.” He shook his head. “No, my dear. The root of the issue at hand is that both the Sephians and Draeken underestimated humans. Their technology was so archaic, we both
inaccurately
assumed that they wouldn’t yet be able to comprehend that they had brethren in the stars. The Sephians have begun to rectify that miscalculation.” He turned to the human male. “How about you? Do you believe the Draeken should also have a chance to make amends with your people?”
“I’m still figuring out both of you,” Sommers replied. “And what I’ve seen from both sides so far hasn’t earned my trust. You brought your war here. You set up shop here uninvited. And neither one of you reached out to us until after we were onto you. So in my eyes, you both have a lot of work to do.”
Roden nodded. “Fair enough. I came here today to stop a war that started on Sephia and continues to bleed us.”
“A war you propagated,” Legian said. “A war you propagate still.”
“Believe what you will.” He turned back to the ones sitting before him. “We can all agree that unless we reach peace, this war is going to result in human casualties soon.”
“What game are you playing this time?” Sienna asked.
“No game. I like this planet.
Earth
; it has a nice ring to it.”
Roden turned to find Sommers studying him. “Why now,” Sommers asked. “What’s happened that brought you here today?”
The human was smart. He could be a valuable ally. Or a dangerous enemy. “My people are undergoing a change in leadership.”
“Hillas Puftan is stepping down?” Sienna asked.
Roden chuckled. “The Grand Lord is dead. Courtesy of your friend and my
tahren
, Nalea. But, that’s beside the point. A doppelganger is now in place. Unfortunately, this Hillas isn’t so smart, and once backed into a corner, is likely to lash out.”
“Meaning?” Sommers asked.
“Meaning Hillas had figured out how to modify our power cells to run off this planet’s lunar energy, and this man has no qualms about using them to protect our people and his position.”
Legian placed his other hand protectively on Sienna’s shoulder. “If this man has power cells,” he said. “Then this planet doesn’t stand a chance.”
“On the contrary,” Roden said. “He only has working prototypes. But it won’t take long to modify the cells once he’s ready. We don’t have much time.”
“How do you know he’s not ready now?” Sommers asked. “We could be walking into a trap.”
“Because we’re all still alive,” Legian said.
“That’s why time is of the essence,” Roden added. “Fortunately for you, I just happen to have in my possession a working prototype. Should we reach an alliance, I would gladly share it with my Sephian and human
friends.
”
“We could return to Sephia,” Legian murmured.
“The new cells would support travel both ways,” Roden added on.
“How can we trust you?” Sommers asked.
“You can’t. Trust has to be earned,” Roden said. “But we have one thing in common.”
Sienna snorted. “And exactly would that be?”
Roden’s eyes narrowed. “We all want peace.”
No one spoke for several moments. Sommers was the first. “What kind of alliance of you asking for?”
Roden inhaled. “First, we need Earthside support to go in and remove Hillas’s doppelganger from leadership. Once that’s done, I will be able to ensure the integrity of my people. They will not be the aggressors here.”
“So, you’re asking for our help in your coup,” Sienna said.
Roden stared at her. “I’m asking for your help to prevent a war. Once that is done, I’d prefer to find something mutually beneficial for all three of our peoples to live in peace. I’ve seen enough bloodshed.”
“Why should we help you instead of this Hillas?” Sommers asked.
“Because this man enjoys the comforts of slavery,” Roden snapped back. “If not for altruism, consider an alliance for that saying,
the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
”
No one looked convinced.
Sommers templed his fingers. “I’d like to think peace is a real possibility and not just some pipe dream. We may be able to provide a certain level of mission support to eliminate the imposter in exchange for the working prototype. But we need a lot more details first. And we need to see this prototype. After that, for anything more lasting, a hell of a lot more negotiations need to take place.”
Roden nodded. “That’s all I ask for. I can have the prototype delivered tonight while we work out the details.”
Sienna leaned forward. “Even if we have to work together, I’ll never trust you, Roden, you know that, right?”
“The feeling’s mutual, Sienna.”
“You still have war crimes to atone for,” Legian pointed out.
“No more than you,” Roden snapped back.
“That’s between your two races,” Sommers stood. “I need to make some phone calls.”
Roden rattled his chains. “You could take these restraints off as a sign of good faith.”
Sommers chuckled. “We’re not there yet.” And then he left, leaving Roden alone with two people who very much wanted him dead.
They sat in silence for several minutes. “I can’t believe it,” Sienna said finally. “You two really became
tahren
. She’s too good for you, you know.”
I know.
His heart hardened. He’d have time for contemplation later. Now, he had a people to save. “She was, you mean,” he said.
Sienna stood and stared at Roden, her face devoid of emotion, and Legian enveloped her. He imagined the amount of emotion going through the bond at that moment. He’d known Nalea and Sienna had been close friends. And Nalea and Legian had served together on Apolo’s trinity for years before that. The news clearly devastated both, though neither shed tears.
Legian glared, his voice dark and cutting. “The gods would never punish anyone that much so that they’d make a
tahren
pairing with you.”
“Funny,” he replied. “Nalea thought the same thing. Didn’t stop the bond.”
“
You forced her
,” Legian bit out, the words caustic.
Roden’s blood froze. Every muscle tensed. “
Never
.” He forced calmness in his mind, sending it down through his neck, then his torso, down his legs. He refused to lose control. He would not show weakness. He leaned back. “Careful how you speak about my
tahren
. And you’ll be wise to watch your tone if you want my cooperation.”
“How did she die?” Sienna asked, her words soft.
“We were ambushed after we killed Hillas. They got both of us,” Roden replied, his voice flat.
“Where were you when your
tahren
was being killed?” Legian asked from the corner.
Roden lunged forward, only to be held back by his chains. “You want to know if I abandoned her? Yeah, I did. I escaped, leaving her to die alone in a cold cell. Here’s another human saying for you:
shit happens.
”
He was ready for the fist, welcomed the punishment; he just hadn’t expected how blasted strong the Sephian was. When Legian hit him, Roden’s jaw made a thundering crack and his world spun in blackness and stars. It took a long time for his world to stop spinning.
When it finally did, Sienna watched him carefully, as though she was pondering something. “You cared for her,” she said after another while.
“We both want vengeance,” he said, the words slightly slurred from his jaw not working quite right. “If not to save this world from enslavement, join me for retribution.”
At that moment, Roden had a sudden sense of
bothness
, something nudging against his soul, but the sensation was gone too quick as to believe it could have been Nalea.
She’s gone. You’re just losing it now.
He’d been sure as
fyet
surprised when she accepted the bond with a Draeken, with him, no less. Then he realized why. Now it was clear why she’d allowed the
tahren
bond to take hold.
She believed she wouldn’t survive that night.
“Roden Zyll should be executed for crimes against humanity.”
Sienna’s words from an earlier discussion thrummed at Apolo’s mind. Humanity? Crimes against Sephia, yes. But, despite memories of more than twenty years’ of war, the Draeken lord had yet to be found guilty of any crimes on this world. More so, there was something familiar about Roden …
He turned his attention back to the thick glass window. Apolo hated this corridor. Deep within the bowels of the base, this was where they kept the Draeken they captured at Club Mayhem. One had already died from the tests. From the looks of the female currently being led from the testing room, today’s tests couldn’t have been pleasant.