"He should have thought of that when he snuck away. I cannot think of anything so urgent that he could not have waited until either of us woke," Zeus snapped.
Before Dargon could reply, a hail sounded at the door. Dargon allowed Zeus to shoo him into the lavatory. The door might not have been replaced, but the room was still out of the way; no one could peer into it from the main cabin door.
"Warlord Sohm'lan, is there something wrong with my brothers?" At the note of alarm in Zeus’s voice, Dargon considered joining him. Sohm'lan would not reveal any secrets. But was anyone with the Warlord?
"No, Prince Zeus, they are well but have requested yours and Dargon's presence as soon as possible."
"Of course. We will dress and be right there."
"Your bodyguards will wait in the hallway for you," Sohm'lan replied.
Dargon wondered why they thought Zeus needed protection while on board The Gorgon. Even though Zeus explained what had happened, he could not help but wonder what exactly he missed that would warrant the extra precaution.
He left the lavatory as soon as Zeus thanked Sohm'lan and he heard the door hiss to a close. "Why do you need bodyguards on your brother's vessel?"
Zeus slid open the compartment that held their clothing. "For one, they have two V'Saar emissaries on board. Although they are guarded, one of their numbers did attempt to murder Alpha. I assume the other reason is the Feteine. Europa's interest in me has not gone unnoticed. I guess there may be a third reason: I am a Mar'Sani prince, and I am never without a guard at home.”
Zeus convinced Dargon to wear his military uniform instead of his normal skirt and tunic. The red uniform buttoned all the way up to his collar, hiding Alpha's absence. Once they were dressed, they stepped out into the corridor to be surrounded by eight Monticore.
Zeus frowned. "Why so many?"
"Prince Azaes ordered your Mahte'Lan to be guarded as well," the highest-ranked officer in the group answered. "We will treat him no differently than the empress or Prince Azaes's betrothed. Captain Kal-Turak is your future spouse, and he and his symbiote bear royal children. We will protect them with our lives."
Dargon watched as Zeus struggled to remain composed at their avowal of loyalty. When the Monticore were in a private setting, their stony, stoic expressions often showed fondness when they dealt with Zeus. What had Zeus done to be so loved by his guards?
"Thank you," Zeus whispered, his voice rough with suppressed emotion. The squad leader bowed.
Dargon's slipped his fingers through Zeus’s for support as they were escorted to Zeus’s brothers. Unsure why Zeus was so affected by his people's acceptance of their relationship, he made a note to ask later.
They were led to the stateroom where the group normally ate breakfast. Three robots that Dargon assumed were Feteine sat at the large table with Prince Azaes. Prince Mestor stood in the corner near the couch where Amlyn sat ramrod-straight. With a perfunctory glance about, Dargon ignored the conversation and crossed to Amlyn, who was not supposed to venture from the Oethra 7.
She stood as Dargon approached, a sheepish expression crossing her face before being replaced by a blank countenance. Mestor stepped close to embrace Zeus, who had followed. Unsettled by Alpha's absence, Dargon refused to let go of Zeus’s hand. Very softly, as if he thought someone listened to them, he said, "Amlyn has been visiting today. We appreciate her efforts."
Dargon did not dare ask for clarification. Something had happened while he and Zeus recovered. Amlyn stepped into the middle of the semi-circle created by Dargon, Prince Mestor, and Zeus. What was going on that she needed to be surrounded like a captive? Dargon steeled himself of bad news; she was in enough trouble already and Dargon dreaded to hear what else she had done to add to her short list of crimes.
"Come then, let me give you a tour," Prince Azaes's voice caught Dargon's attention.
When he glanced over his shoulder to the table, he noticed the white Feteine staring openly at Zeus. An unbidden thrum of warning escaped Dargon. He bared his teeth when her gaze met his.
"Europa, please." Azaes strode around the table to place himself between the Feteine and Dargon.
He watched as Prince Azaes and a small Monticore army escorted the Feteine out of the room. "What is going on?" Dargon snapped when the doors were securely shut.
Amlyn lifted her shirt, revealing Alpha wrapped around her torso. "He asked for my help. I could not deny him only for him to skulk about alone while pregnant. You would have had my head."
He touched Alpha and his symbiote began to slide up his fingers, slipping under the sleeve and up his arm. A part of Dargon relaxed as Alpha resumed his customary position.
"One of the chimera noticed her trailing the Feteine. We were able to distract them before they discovered her." Mestor crossed his arms, a deep scowl twisting his brow.
"Do not be angry with Amlyn. She went along to keep me safe,"
Alpha murmured tiredly.
"What were you up to?" Dargon unbuttoned the top three clasps to loosen the fabric around his neck for Alpha's comfort.
"With all that happened today, and the way the Feteine regarded Zeus, I wanted to know why. I do not trust them. Their actions are questionable and I want to know what issues they bring to our doorstep."
"For the love of all things holy, you had Amlyn follow her because she stared at me?" Zeus demanded aloud.
Alpha mumbled incoherently before he promptly fell asleep.
"Azaes and I noticed she was preoccupied with Zeus," Mestor cut in. "It is the reason we requested Europa to accompany us in the shuttle, and why Azaes is personally giving them a useless tour of the ship right now."
"Why does someone not ask them about their single-minded curiosity?" Considering it related to Zeus’s safety, Dargon thought that would be the first thing anyone would do.
"Diplomacy. We do not want to offend them and possibly lose their support," Zeus sighed. "If an ambush awaits in Valespian space, their help will be necessary."
Dargon frowned. "If their actions bring their intentions into question, then leave them. We cannot afford to have someone we do not completely trust at our back." Only with difficulty did Dargon not yell. As it was, his voice echoed slightly in the room and only the pointed clearing of a throat stopped his tirade. When did the door open?
He spun on his heel to see Prince Azaes and the three Feteine standing just inside the doorway. Dargon had given them a cursory glance earlier. Now, he boldly looked them over. He would not allow anyone with ill intentions among his family or crew.
The one who could not take her eyes off of Zeus appeared better maintained than the other two. She had shiny white paint, polished chrome cables probably designed to resemble hair by her maker, and her face was segmented to allow for human facial expressions around her mouth, cheeks, and nose. Even now, her blue eyes gazed past Dargon at Zeus.
Behind her stood a dingy yellow Feteine, with its paint chipped around the bendable body parts, such as the arms and legs. Unlike the white Feteine, the face was flat. The only features were the egg-shaped mouth and rectangular visor that glowed blue instead of eyes.
The third Feteine appeared to be military grade, with dull, steel-gray plating, and stripes of red highlighting the shins, thighs, breastplate, and forearms. 'War Dogs' was printed across the upper chest. The head had a slightly lupine look with an elongated snout below dark amber eyes with red pupils. Huh. That must be where the name 'War Dogs' came from.
"Which of you is called Europa?" Dargon barely kept from snarling.
The white Feteine tore her gaze from Zeus. "I am Europa Astarte. Who would you be?"
"I am Captain Dargon Kal-Turak, Mahte'Lan to Prince Zeus Vondorian. Do you know nothing about customs or courtesy? Or do you make it a habit of offending people with whom you have loosely allied with?"
Europa's face, which was until now void of emotion, pulled into an expression of surprise, her hands rising in a placating gesture when Dargon jabbed three fingers in her direction.
"No! Do not change your expression just to allay suspicion. Either use your facial program or do not. Be consistent or I will believe you are attempting to manipulate the situation. You will explain yourself this very instant, or I will demand Prince Azaes drop you off on the next planet."
"Dargon," Prince Mestor warned.
"No, I already told you what I think. They brought Atizen to the Qrxzl in the first place. They allowed the Qrxzl to injure Zeus and myself. At any time, they could have interceded. They did not intercept Atizen when he attacked Zeus and Alpha. And now they stare rudely at Zeus, uncaring that their action is unwanted and makes us uncomfortable. I would know why.
Now
."
The gray-and-red, military-designed Feteine stepped forward, pushing Europa back, and bowed. "Captain Kal-Turak, I am called Zian Helia. We apologize for our lack of social manners. Please believe me when I say we mean no harm to Prince Zeus. It has been a very long time since we have had contact with anyone other than the Qrxzl. Among ourselves, we do not need to use our social protocols and typically turn those programs off. Please accept our humblest apologies. I will personally communicate to the rest of the Feteine the necessity of social protocol activation before contact with other species."
"Why does she stare at Zeus? I cannot believe you would not notice that her behavior caused alarm among us. Why then did you ignore the disruption you—she caused?" Dargon moved to the table. Everyone seemed to take that as the cue to have a seat.
"My apologies." Europa interrupted. "I can read electromagnetic signatures, and his matches his adoptive family. I was attempting to discover why I could feel Zeus, but not as a human. His physiology is not Mar'Sani, but he reads as a Mar'Sani."
Zeus pulled out a chair next to Dargon. "That is because I am Mar'Sani."
Zian leaned forward. "Is that what it means to be a Fal'Amoric? We have databases with histories of all of the races, but that of the Fal'Amoric is very brief."
"I could not say. I know very little of them myself. The Mar'Sani have been, and will always be, my people. I do not consider myself Fal'Amoric in the slightest."
"Do you mean to say that all of this time, you have been staring at Zeus because you were attempting to discover the reason for the energy signature? Why did you not ask?" Dargon reclined back in his chair. Alpha's exhaustion seemed to seep into him. He would have stern words for Alpha later about his adventure and soliciting Amlyn's assistance.
"I thought I would be able to discover the reason for myself. I apologize for not being aware of the discomfort. I did not take into consideration the fact my action would be viewed as aggressive."
Dargon decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "Why are there only three of you here? Zeus indicated six came aboard. I apologize if the question has already been asked, but my ship is carrying cargo of great value. I must responsibly ascertain if the Feteine are allied with us under the command of the crown princes of Valespia or if I will need to devise a new plan of action."
"We are to assess the situation and report back to our base," replied Zian. "It would not do for our fleet to arrive in Valespian space when nothing has occurred. If indeed the planet is under siege, we will report our findings to our leaders."
Dargon found himself stroking a snoozing Alpha, which was a habit of his when he felt unsettled. This was the first time Alpha and he were carrying kits. Was it natural for Alpha to be this worn out? He pulled his attention back to the conversation. This was not a time to be distracted.
Zeus’s brow furrowed as he frowned. "I do not see what good it would do for you to report back if we come out of hyperspace and are attacked … Oh!" Zeus paused, his gaze jumping between each Feteine. Dargon could see Zeus’s rising excitement. "You can really do that?" The speed at which Zeus spoke revealed his excitement, his words becoming nearly unintelligible. "I have read about that, but no one I spoke with had met a Feteine, or if they had, it was not a subject broached …"
Dargon had no idea what Zeus was going on about. The Feteine were no help for they merely watched Zeus, his hands becoming even more animated as he spoke. Zeus’s brothers remained silent.
Am I the only one who does not know what he is speaking of?
"Zeus, slow down and explain." Prince Azaes chuckled.
He laughed and took Dargon's hand. "Sorry, it is a science study I have looked into on my off-time while I was cooped up on the space station. All of the ships throughout the galaxies use propulsion systems, using a series of straight-lines. Quantum leap is a jump from point A to point B, with no line in-between. The only race rumored to use a quantum leap is the Feteine. I have so many questions. How much time passes between leaps? Does distance play a factor? How far can you jump? What are the temperature fluctuations for your drives? How long are the cool-down periods?"
Dargon was surprised Zeus had not turned blue from lack of oxygen. Did he even breathe between questions?
"Wait, is your ship following us? How are you going to bring help if you cannot retrieve them? There is no guarantee you will be able to communicate with your fleet once we enter Valespian space. Whoever had the planet under siege has blocked communications. Only some of the private signals seem to be able to get through the communication barrier. Even then we suspect we are being spied upon."
"In fact," Prince Azaes interjected, "our father has not made our last two meetings. It would seem our frequency has been discovered and jammed." The sudden spasm of Zeus’s hand indicated his lover had been unaware of this fact.
"I will start working on getting the system back up." Zeus promised. He turned his attention back to Europa. "How are you going to contact your fleet without communications?"
"If we confirm Valespia is under siege—please do not be offended. You would be compelled to also verify another's intelligence." Next to Dargon, Prince Azaes nodded his agreement with Zian's statement. "If you are correct and communications have been blocked, then one of us will jump to our fleet and report in."