Page 19

Orin

FINDING MY K’SHA AND being the personal guard to the King filled me with pride. The knowledge that I was trusted by Trex made me feel more confident.

Being back in the palace brought a sense of comfort and familiarity. At long last, my K’sha’s heart was mine, and the world would be restored to its rightful order.

A smile involuntarily crept onto my face. My heart swelled with joy at the mere thought of seeing Olivia tonight.

The excitement of my first day as Trex’s personal guard dissipated when I laid eyes on his troubled face. He relaxed when our eyes met.

A tight smile formed on his lips. “Our first task today is an interview with Tinuk. He claims he’s ready to talk.”

I followed Trex out of his office.

When Tinuk was escorted into the interview room, he gave me a hostile look but remained silent.

King Trex questioned, “You stated you were ready to speak to me?”

Tinuk’s expression remained neutral, but his voice revealed tension.” Just so you know, I was working with other individuals.”

Trex leaned in, intrigued by the disgraced Commander’s words. “Who are they? Are they part of the purist movement as well?”

The city guard was now overseen by Drad, a long-time guard. He'd detain any remaining purists to prevent further harm.

Trex had also mentioned that Tinuk’s information about Krilex shuttles near the mining area was accurate, which made me confident that the King was giving Tinuk’s words serious consideration.

The ex-Commander, Tinuk, shook his head in disapproval. “You have no idea what is going on here do you? This isn’t just about some group of manipulated Alaran males.”

Trex leaned back and folded his arms. “Enlighten me.”

Tinuk emitted a grunt. “Instead of going to prison, can I be exiled from Alara?”

King Trex scoffed. “You have violated your pledge to protect Alaran citizens. You are fortunate no one lost their life, or else you would be sentenced to death.”

Tinuk frowned. “I instructed the males not to kill the hybrids. I had to do something or they would have killed me... I’m not the one you should be worried about. The Voletti will not give up on their plans until they control Alara.”

“Voletti? You mean the Unknown alien shapeshifters?” growled King Trex.

We now had the name of our new enemy.

“Yes. They are an ancient race from another Universe. They ended up here by mistake but they cannot reproduce here....”

“I know this already,” Trex snarled.

Tinuk’s face contorted before letting out a sigh. “Then you know that their ships require flonium as fuel. Alara has the minerals and metals to make it.... The Voletti want control over the mines, so they have an ongoing supply.”

“They will fail, regardless of their plans,” stated Trex with certainty.

A rueful laugh escaped from Tinuk. “Is it not clear to you? They have been biding their time for years, waiting to carry out the next part of their plan... It all began more than thirty tenri ago when they introduced their virus into our people. Their sole aim from the beginning has been to eradicate the Empire and its Protectorate, from Alaran space. Then no one stands in their way to have what they need. Now, they are running out of time and patience.”

The Voletti were responsible for the deaths of my mother and many others? My jaw ticked, and I held back a growl.

The virus had all but wiped out the Alaran people, causing the remaining females to become unable to bear children.

Our race would face extinction, leaving only fragments of our DNA to survive in the offspring of Alaran and non-Alaran unions.

And for what? Access to the products needed to make flonium?

The Voletti were a cruel and selfish race. They needed to be removed from Alaran space. Did Tinuk not care that this was his home, too? He too would have lost family members due to the virus.

The shock of the revelation left King Trex as stunned as I was.

“Why? Why would you do anything they ask? What did they promise you?” Trex accused.

“My life. They promised not to kill me if I cooperated. One of the shapeshifters approached me with an offer. If I helped them, I would be allowed to live and be part of the new government.” He glanced from Trex to me and back to Trex.

“I am telling you the truth....They will attack. It is only a matter of time.”

“When are they planning to attack? What are their plans?”

Tinuk shook his head. “I am requesting assurances I will face banishment rather than being sent to Ronroth prison...or executed.”

Alara didn’t have a prison, at least not on the planet.

The Protectorate Alliance designated a minor planet, previously unoccupied, as a repository for high-risk criminals. Technology was non-existent and escape from the planet was impossible.

Rather than landing, ships teleported prisoners to the surface, leaving them to fend for themselves. The nightmarish reputation of the place reduced crimes in the Empire.

Trex let out a roar as he reached across the table and grabbed Tinuk by his shirt. “You will tell me the truth.”

Tinuk’s face turned sour, but he quickly surrendered.” The Krilex will create a diversion, while the Voletti launches an attack on Struna. Their goal is to eliminate you and the Protectorate.”

Trex shook him. “Why would you turn against your own people?”

Tinuk frowned. “My people? I have no one left. The reason I helped was because they threatened me.

At first, I thought the shapeshifters just wanted to create tension between our own people.

I went along with it, thinking it couldn’t do any harm.

If it kept me safe. Shortly after, a member of the Protectorate Council approached me.

He said we had no option but to obey the Voletti’s demands, as they had the power to annihilate us.

He was adamant.” Tinuk stopped and cleared his throat.

“There was nothing I could do but follow orders. But once I was arrested and began thinking about what was coming...I knew I had to speak up.”

Trex released him and plopped into his seat, running his hands through his hair. His emotions showed plainly on his face. He had been betrayed and was ready to end the person who turned against the Alaran people.

“Who is the Council member that approached you?”

WE WERE DESPERATE FOR every detail we could gather. Within minutes, we were standing outside the cell of the shapeshifter who had attempted to assassinate Trex when we arrived on Alara.

The moment I laid eyes on him, it was evident that the creature in the cell was unlike any Alaran or any other race I’d encountered before. Despite its frail, spindly physique and pale skin, Trex and I were well aware that these creatures should not be underestimated.

After killing his father, a Voletti shapeshifter abducted the Queen, but she’d been saved by King Trex and Captain Krin. No thanks to me.

I kept my gaze fixed on the creature, trying not to race to Olivia to make sure she was okay. However, I had a duty to the King and Alara that I had to fulfill.

The news that we might be attacked was more than unsettling, but the palace was well protected.

The Voletti shapeshifter did not move toward the cell door when we entered.

“Prince Trex, this is unexpected. What brings you here? Are you ready to execute me?”

Trex’s fists were clenched at his sides.

I folded my arms and gave the alien a stern glare.

With venom in his voice, Trex confronted the being whose people posed a severe threat to our planet. “You will not be executed by me . You are far too eager to die. Perhaps your people...the Voletti, may want to kill you themselves for failing your mission.”

The alien’s face twitched in shock and I sensed fear drifting off him in waves.

“How...How do you know my identity? Are my people here?”

“I want you to tell me about the Voletti and how to defeat them.” Trex barked.

Trex was very skilled at masking his emotions. My own were barely contained because of my fear for Olivia’s safety, and anger toward the Voletti and Krilex.

We needed to know how to stop the Voletti, and this creature could be our only chance.

“You will never leave this cell. You will die here. But not by my hand. Tell me about your leader’s intentions.” Trex finished.

The alien frowned. “If what you say is true. It means time has run out for all Voletti in this Universe. Our leader, Leox87003, must be desperate if he is here.”

“What makes you think he is here?” asked Trex.

“You would not be speaking to me if he were not. It makes sense that he would return to the seat of the Protectorate and the Empire. By destroying you and your people, he will gain access to the minerals needed for our ships’ fuel.

” The being sighed and his shoulders slumped.

“If my leader finds I am still alive, he will see I am destroyed and used to create more of our kind. However, as further punishment he will ensure my memories will be gone and I will not exist again.”

I watched Trex’s puzzled expression. “Explain what you mean?”

“We do not procreate the way most humanoid races do. Our bodies are destroyed and we use the DNA to create more of us, which includes keeping the memories of our previous versions.”

King Trex’s hands went to his hips. His eyes narrowed at the shapeshifter. “You mean cloning? The Voletti are clones? If that’s true why are you trading technology for females?”

The alien heaved another sigh as his already thin lips pressed together until they couldn’t be seen.

“Our scientists have detected mutations from the repeated rebirthing process, cloning, as you call it. Which is causing concern. Using human DNA mixed with ours we can ensure better quality versions of Voletti soldiers. There is the added benefit of being able to use female wombs to grow them.”

Judging from his appearance, he had mutations, and I wondered what their race originally looked like.

“How many Voletti are there left in this Universe?” Trex asked.

After a moment of contemplation, the alien responded.

“We entered this Universe with ten ships in the armada. We’ve lost two vessels as well as two hundred of our people.

There are one hundred Voletti on each ship.

This is all we have left, though I suspect not all of them have the fuel to leave our moon. ”

I was reminded of our conversation when Trex mentioned that Captain Krin’s ship the Chetok was on its way to one of Jaxia’s moons.

Hopefully he had found and destroyed their base. We had not heard from them yet to verify whether they’d been successful.

“You’ve told me in the past, that you are scientists. Yet you referred to the clones as soldiers a moment ago. Which is it?” Trex’s brow raised in annoyance.

“We consider ourselves scientists, however our people had once been referred to as soldiers. The fact is, we’ve been in this Universe for so long we have lost much of our abilities.

I spoke the truth regarding hand-to-hand combat.

Our vessels have weaponry. We have nothing else to protect ourselves. ”

“Tell me how to destroy your ships?” Trex demanded.

The being was silent while he watched Trex. “If you wait long enough, we will no longer be a threat.” Fear was evident on his face, but I wasn’t sure if his fear was of us or his leader.

Trex released a rueful laugh. “We both know I cannot do that. Tell me what you know and what your leader may do now that he’s lost access to flonium and females?”

“I’ve told you all I can. My importance on the ship was very low. I was ordered to infiltrate the monks of Tenage and kill you if I had the chance....There is not much more I can tell you.”

“I’ve asked you this before, and I want the truth this time. Are the Voletti invaders?”

He shook his head. “I’m unsure what our leader has planned for you.”

“That is a lie. I’m going to assume you are invaders.”

The creature didn’t respond, but appeared to be contemplating something. Several long minutes passed, and we turned to leave when the being spoke again.

“What if I were to tell you how my people came to be here on Alara without being detected?”

Trex spun on his heels, glaring at the alien. “Tell me everything you know.”