Page 14 of Ava Stargazer (Planet Xai #2)

“It is good to see you, Vox. It has been too long since we have been in person,” Iryl said, coming close and tapping his forehead with Vox’s as he stepped off the transport near the Galactic Board headquarters on Elyheim.

Vox took a minute to update Iryl’s appearance in his mind. It has been too long. The hologram distorted him some, and the image in front of him was more in line with the Iryl he remembered.

Iryl stood proud in front of him, slightly shorter than Vox but with longer frills and more angles to his face. His distant demeanor had always hid his true intentions, but Vox knew that aloofness was a front designed to keep most others at arm’s length, even though Iryl himself felt deeply.

Vox put his hand on Iryl’s arm after their foreheads broke apart. “I am also glad to see you. I appreciate your help with Ava’s tasks.” Vox shone and connected mentally, wanting to stress this point. Thank you. “I will share her gratitude.”

Iryl closed his eyes and grinned, absorbing the feeling. “I have felt an echo of her mind through Lirell, but yours adds extra depth to her character. I like her. Truthfully, it was nice to have something else to work on other than these peace talks and trading deals for credits.” After a pause he added internally. “I have contacted those who have Joy. After the meeting, in more secure halls, I will share more.”

“Is it hopeful?”

In response Iryl just nodded and moved to greet Erox, pressing his forehead and grinning.

Rhutg, walking stiffly out of the transport, looked around glumly at the Galactic Board’s docking station. “Maybe you need a break back on Xai. This place feels unnatural.”

Iryl chuckled and connected foreheads with Rhutg. “Tell me about it. But I’m happy with my role here.” He stood back and gestured for them to follow. “Alright, we have a bit of time before the meeting. Let me show you what I know, now that we can connect better.”

Vox nodded, rolling his shoulders, stiff from the flight over. “Good, good.”

While they walked, Vox had to agree with Rhutg’s initial assessment that the station felt unnatural. The Board reminded him of the Phor ship, full of long, closed-in hallways. The design shouldn't be the same though, as they were on a planet and not in space. Offshoot halls led to open-air garden meeting areas, so the closed design was not due to the planet, Elyheim, being inhospitable. This area must be enclosed for a reason. Maybe it makes the essential areas easier to defend .

Vox kept his eyes open while walking, determined to absorb as much information as he could as he swept his head side to side. The flowers were in bloom here in the courtyards, lending the area a riot of colors. It was beautiful, this planet. Such a contrast to the ones like the Tuxa who also walked these halls.

This was the first time Vox had been to the Galactic Board. Had this visit been for different reasons, he would have liked to explore more, as the station that housed the board was a cultural hub for the varied species that had delegations there. Vox craved learning, as he knew that information could make the difference in planning for success.

As it was, though, his senses were overwhelmed within minutes of exiting the ship. He turned on and off his meditative state, almost rhythmically, to absorb some data but then to have silence to process. The newness of everything is exhausting. This must be how Ava feels.

Iryl spoke aloud, over his shoulder, as they walked down the halls lined with murals and paintings. “Okay. So. The meeting is in half a cycle. Would you like a brief tour or to head to my quarters to prepare?”

Erox answered, scanning the walls as they walked just as thoroughly as Vox did, “Half a cycle? We’ll look around more after.”

Vox spoke, still craning his head to see down every corridor he could. “Iryl, everything is hard to make sense of here in just one sitting. Just share what you know and then we can look around after.”

“Alright, you really don’t know anything?” Iryl said, side-eyeing Lirell, a slight frown on his face.

Lirell waved his arms nervously at his sides. “I did share everything on the ride here from my time learning with you. I told them as much as I knew!”

Erox clapped Lirell on the shoulder. “The boy did well, but youth and optimism colors his perceptions.”

Lirell looked down as he continued walking, shuffling his feet.

Vox changed the subject as they walked down the hall from the spaceport to Iryl’s delegated area. His thoughts were spinning with strategy and putting every piece he was learning into the puzzle he was constructing in his mind. “Who is mediating? Do we know this species and if they are fair?”

Iryl shook his head as they entered his rooms, gesturing for them to sit at the table that took up the majority of the area. A quick glance around showed a few living quarters off this main meeting area. Vox remained standing, still stiff from sitting in the transport all the way here.

“Hold on. Let me just . . .” Iryl flashed and sank into meditation, his glow steady.

Vox, intrigued, followed his line of thinking, joining his mind.

Iryl angled his head toward them. “I am just checking for any other cameras after that first one. I haven’t found any, but with you all coming, never know if they might try again.”

“Can you share what you are looking for?”

In response, Iryl shared the image of a decorative fixture. It looked like an extra beaded crystal on the ceiling’s latticework. More important than the physical description was the feeling that came from it, similar in a way to the IO minerals, yet not. “I think I can sense others in the main areas, but I was only really sure about this one since I knew everything in the room before it was here. That is only how I found it.”

Vox turned inward, memorizing the image and signature. “ Nothing from Torga.”

Rhutg confirmed his senses a moment later. “This absolutely is not the Tuxa. There was nothing in their city as sophisticated as this unless they traded for it. The signature feels almost alive in a way.”

A pressure of agreement came from Iryl. “I didn't think so. Through all our trading for credits, I’ve never encountered anything like this for sale. It mostly self-destructed after I discovered it, even.” He motioned to Lirell. “Can you bring what was left?”

Lirell leapt to obey and came back a second later with a fractured version of Iryl’s memory, designed to look decorative, matching the light fixtures already here in his quarters.

Vox reached out, touching. “It feels inert now that it is not powered.”

“Yes. Could be mistaken for anything now.” Iryl checked the time before he cleared his throat and brought up a screen in front of them. “At any rate. Back to the Tuxa. The meeting. The Decata are mediating. A species is randomly selected for these things. Although not us, since we are always at war these days. There is pressure here from the board for us to come to an agreement.”

On the screen, a picture rotated of a creature covered with spotted fur and a long tail. The Decata looked like one of their wild animals on Xai, only it walked upright and was apparently sentient enough to be labeled a Class 1 species. Long ears tapered down over its whiskered face to touch its pointed chin.

Rhutg leaned forward, disbelief on his face. “They look puny. How can they moderate between us?”

Vox, looking at the photo, had to agree. They do look puny.

Iryl glanced back at the photo again. “The room acts as its own security. Physical security at least. You will see. I’ve been careful to act ignorant and weak and kind so that the meetings can continue in person.”

Rhutg snorted. “You? Weak and kind?”

Iryl leaned forward, his eyes animated. “Yes. So humble. The Tuxa aren’t buying it, but they are a bit confused.”

Vox chuckled too, looking at Iryl, who was suppressing a grin of his own. “Even as a kit, Iryl, you always were a bit of an ass.”

“Well, I’m downright cordial right now. Even Lirell would agree.”

Lirell shook his head. “Uh . . .”

Vox chuckled again and then frowned at the picture. “So did that Decata see the feed of Ava as well?”

Iryl sighed and nodded. “Yes. As did the Phor. And whoever else the Tuxa have been yapping to.”

Rhutg’s eyes narrowed. “What did the Phor have to say about it all?”

“About Ava? Nothing. But the Phor already knew about Humans. They could have been the ones that even shared the information with the Tuxa initially. The Decata also had no comment. Only the Tuxa seemed interested.”

Vox’s eyes narrowed. Who knows about Humans now? Well, the ones who ran Cipra for sure. He looked at the destroyed camera. Even if it isn’t connected, the timing . . .

Iryl changed the screen to display the logs he was keeping of the trade agreements. “The only thing the Phor cared about was getting paid for their property damage and lost lives. Like they really care about any lives. But they did care about the credits, the greedy Phor bastards. Thankfully, from our trades our fine was covered already, and we have returned to neutral status with them. The Tuxa also paid their fee, and now, with their stakes settled, the Phor are no longer involved.”

Erox chuckled. “We got the better part of the deal, getting that ship from them.”

Iryl smiled his enigmatic smile. “Yes. So lucky, and too bad for them that R526 got officially destroyed on their records. I couldn’t imagine their demands if they found out we now have access to their precious biologics and all their mechanical know-how. We’ll use it so much better.”

Vox winced. Ava is so protective of the biologics. He could feel her hesitation even letting the Spry see them. And the biologics won’t just work for anyone, either.

Iryl glanced at the time on his feed, and his smile faded. “Enough. Let me just show you directly. Then we can be better prepared. A lot of your questions will have better context then.”

Iryl lit up, glowing brightly, and closed his eyes to focus.

Vox finally sat at the table with the others and closed his eyes as well. The room was silent for some time as they connected mentally. They shared until a chime signaled on the feed, breaking their concentration.

Iryl sighed heavily, his eyes weary. He ended the connection and took deep breaths while drinking some water. “Forgot how much energy that took.”

Rhutg leaned over and grabbed some water. “Weak.” He took a sip and smirked at Iryl. “So humble indeed.”

Vox looked around at his companions, his mind buzzing with Iryl’s knowledge as he sorted it methodically. “There are so many species here.”

“Yes. It’s a wonder Iryl keeps them all straight.” Erox nodded.

Iryl pushed his chair back, ready to rise. “Well, it’s time to go. Let’s get this over with.”

Vox fell in line behind Lirell, his mind working through the information as they walked through the halls. He was already better able to put names to all the various species as they passed them. He had a moment of pause, of uncertainty, as they walked. Even with Iryl’s knowledge, there is still so much we do not know. Vox kept his eyes wide. I still don’t know how to act to be a true player here.

With Iryl leading the way, they soon entered the room for the peace talks. Like everything on this board, it was metal walls and enclosed. Sterile, and not at all like the rustic beauty of Xai.

Vox filed in behind Rhutg, looking around. The room was set up in a way that eliminated direct contact, with both parties being behind barriers during the talk. The Decata, who was indeed tiny, smaller than Ava, was on a raised platform in the middle. Vox tested out his mental strength and inwardly grinned, happy to note the room’s setup didn’t hamper their mental reach in the least. “Both the Decata and the Tuxa are easy to reach.”

Iryl looked relieved, joining their connection. “I’m glad you came. Already you can see so much more than I was able to.”

The Tuxa stood, reptilian and ugly, across the tiled floor when they entered, looking at the five of them in turn. There were four of the Tuxa in a line, indistinguishable between one another. Vox smiled a slow, sinister smile as he stared into the Tuxa’s vapid eyes while crossing his arms. He leaned forward on his feet in an intimidating manner as he opened his meditative state as far as it could go, touching their minds without letting them know he had such full access to their thoughts.

“They know it’s us,” Rhutg thought smugly.

The coat of fear felt delicious on Vox’s mind. He savored it. “Yes, they do. I believe we have a reputation.” He smiled again, not checking it as it turned into a leer.

Vox noted Lirell by his side, his glow also steadier than before. “ You’ve improved. ” He felt an appreciative flush come from Lirell, followed by renewed focus.

The negotiations went on despite Vox’s posturing, but the feeling of satisfaction remained that they were unsettled. He flitted in and out of the Tuxa’s mind with an unwelcome familiarity. No thoughts of Ava, just hatred for us. Although unless they broke them completely, it would be impossible to know everything. Frustrating. He would need to ask directly.

“What if I just break them after we’re done and send them back to die? We can know everything then, instead of trying to dance around,” Rhutg snarled internally. His lip curled upward as he watched the proceedings, the only indication of his murderous thoughts.

“That probably would be the opposite of being subtle about what we can do. Iryl couldn’t pretend to be so harmless then,” Vox added with a hint of amusement.

Next to him, Erox snorted out loud, turning it into a cough.

Rhutg’s eyes flashed. “But so satisfying.”

“I don’t like being here, Iryl. How do you stand it?” Vox thought absently. He missed Ava acutely. Her soft form, her scent.

Rhutg eyed him in disgust. “Mind your thoughts.”

Vox was chastised and hastily shielded those thoughts. If there was one person he didn’t want to overhear them, it was Rhutg. None of them, actually.

Erox was irritated as well. He should be at home with Orla right now, in the middle of his mating thrall.

“You as well.” Rhutg glared until the focus changed.

The talks were useless and unfocused. The Tuxa were clearly frazzled by the four of them, knowing they had been the ones on their land not so long ago. The Decata mediators did not know how to proceed, and long stretches of silence loomed over any speech they attempted regarding potential peace arrangements.

“This is taking too long,” Vox said internally. “ Iryl, put the feed of us up there, with Ava. I wish to scrape their thoughts.”

“Alright.”

Iryl waited for an opening, which was not difficult as silence reigned due to Vox and the others’ presence. A picture of Ava, a close-up, appeared on the screen.

“Split up to monitor? I’ll take the one on the left,” Erox asked.

“ Yes, center.” Vox focused his mind.

The one Vox was focusing on saw his form holding Ava, and he heard the Tuxa make the connection that it was him carrying her, as well as their desire to find out more about her. “ I can't stand them thinking of her .” His fists clenched in rage.

Iryl flashed him a glance. “Surface level only, Vox. We cannot let them know we can see anything. Don’t get stupid.”

“Right.” It went against his nature to pull back mentally, but he did. Instead, Vox flushed a deep purple and physically leaned forward, arms crossed, to speak with the Tuxa directly. “Iryl let us know you had questions regarding this female, and us on your planet. We came here to answer you simply. She is one of ours, just like the others you have tried to take in the past.”

The Tuxa began to talk, the one in front with a purple armband taking the lead. “She looks different from the ones we had before. We do not trust your words. We know that she did not originate from your world.”

“That is true. However, she is compatible with us, and we will be joining with her.”

The Tuxa in the front spoke in a guttural voice. “Others may disagree.”

Vox’s voice came out like a whip crack. “Like who?”

“Blood traces and hair were left that we analyzed. Others may want them if they are breedable. Her DNA scans indicated Humans are not bound by any laws of sentience and are able to be owned.”

Vox’s lip curled. I’ll kill you myself. It took everything in Vox to not break the Tuxa and make him gut himself, slowly, right there in the middle of the room. He closed his eyes, and his hands clenched at his side. He disconnected a moment, needing to take a step back to not do something he would regret.

Rhutg took it into his own hands as Vox took a deep, steadying breath. “She is one of ours, a different kind. We are the ones who were on your planet before, and we have a message.”

The Tuxa leaned forward again. “What gave you the authority to just claim them? These Humans?”

Vox had a feral look on his face as he snarled, “The Humans are ours. You tell your puny brethren if they so much as try to mess with us or any that look like that female on the feed again, we will force your own hands to destroy your planet while we watch. There will be no mercy.”

The Tuxa spat back. “There will be none for you either.”

Iryl sighed. “That was not subtle .”

“ Good .” Rhutg's lip curled.

The tiny Decata squeaked in dismay, pulling down on his long ears.

But Vox could not soften, and he ignored the Decata’s frustration and fear of not making progress. They were innocent bystanders in all of this. In fact, they were gentle creatures. At another time, they could have become friends like the Spry.

Vox scanned them idly; he’d been so fixated on the Tuxa he almost forgot about them. “Their thoughts are not surprised about seeing Ava. A Human.” He posed to the others, “Were they already aware of Humans as well?”

Iryl responded, “Maybe they got over their shock at the initial meeting. They’re pretty freaked about what is happening right now.”

Vox let it drop. As species went, the Decata were harmless.

He turned his gaze to the Tuxa. Nothing more needed to be said. Vox could feel that his words had hit their mark. With one last glare at the Tuxa, and a planted thought amplifying their fear, Vox turned and exited the room with the others.

But their resistance and questioning still made him worry. “We need to head to Cipra when we get back. Find what we can before these Tuxa get more curious.”

Rhutg echoed his agreement.