Page 25 of Koha'vek
“Honestly, I don’t know if I can. I’m going to present the request to General Dark, who is probably not going to take this well after fighting 90 years of war against their kind. Many cyborgs had negative experiences with Mesaarkansduring the war. Some were captured and tortured, or badly injured in battle, but not by these Mesaarkans. They did not fight in the war, and most of them were conscripted by the Mesaarkan Empire and forced into the military, then sent to Earth. If it were any other race, I wouldn’t be in this position.”
“And you’re telling me this now because—?”
“If I get fired or disciplined, this could affect you too, and I’m sorry about that.”
“Well, it sounds like the right thing to do from what you told me. And I am always on your side, my love. Do what you need to do, and I’ll back you up.”
I smiled at her, taking her hand and raising it to my lips. “I love you.”
After my conversation with Hannah, I made a call to General Vyken Dark and requested a one-on-one holographic meeting. This wasn’t a message I could just send to him over the cyborg network. And there were things I needed to show him from the records I made in my CPU of the conversations with Koha’vek and the aliens and humans at the refugee colony.
When his hologram appeared in my living room, I stood at attention and saluted him. “Thank you for seeing me, General Dark. Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thank you, Protector Blackwood. At ease. So, tell me what you couldn’t say over the cyborg network.”
“Sir, I’ve discovered a small colony of Mesaarkans living in the wilderness with their human mates. They are refugees who deserted from the Mesaarkan military bases here because they believed abducting and trafficking humans was wrong. They also believe that their leaders carried the war on far longer than was necessary to avenge the murders of their colonists.
Because they abandoned their posts, it could be a death sentence if we send them back to Mesaark. For this reason, they’re asking for asylum and wish to remain here with their human partners. There is also at least one lone ‘saark living in the wilderness with his human mate, and he is requesting asylum as well.”
General Dark would not have looked more stunned than if I were there in person and sucker punched him in the gut. He paced back and forth several times, seeming at a loss for words. I’m sure he was not pleased. “Fuck! They want asylum when their species left our cyborgs bleeding in the dirt of a dozen star systems? Do youknow how many parts I have had replaced in 90 years of fighting? Or how many days I’ve lain in a field on some distant planet more dead than alive because of these people?”
I couldn’t blame him one bit for how he felt. While those of us on General Dark’s team awakened after their return from the war had not suffered like they did, we had seen a lot of suffering caused by the Mesaarkan invasion.
“I understand, sir, but these Mesaarkans didn’t fight the war. Most of them were conscripted against their will and forced into service on Earth. They are victims of the Mesaarkan Empire, too,” I explained.
General Dark stopped pacing and turned to face me. “You trust them?”
“I trust the evidence. They’ve remained hidden for years. No attacks. No interference. Half of them have bonded to human mates. Some have mixed-species children. More than that, one of them helped me after Mayor Jenkins kidnapped my mate. He ran interference while I broke in to rescue her. He didn’t do it for me. He did it because they took her against her will. I have a complete record; I’m sending them through our network as we speak.”
“This will all have to go through Cyborg Command and the Federation. I’ll review yourinformation and share it with the relevant authorities. Meanwhile, as long as they don’t cause any trouble, don’t take any action until we can convene a formal hearing.”
“There hasn’t been any trouble so far, and I don’t expect any. I know this must be strange for you, after fighting their species for so many years. We killed a lot of them, too. These Mesaarkans just want to live in peace, and I believe them.”
“Point taken. Punishing them for what their predecessors did would be wrong. Having them live on the same planet after fighting against them for so many years will take some getting used to. But don’t be surprised if they make it your job to keep track of them,” said the general with a half-smirk.
Hannah stayed off to the side while I met holographically with General Dark. When his hologram had disappeared, she came back into our living room and joined me. “What do you think?”
“I believe he’s considering the request, but the final decision’ll be up to the Federation High Council. They will review the information I submitted and then debate whether to accept my request.All we can do now is wait.”
“When I saw that creature,” she told me. “I thought I had seen a monster. Do you think that people will just accept them living here on our planet?”
“I understand what you’re saying. They are reptilian humanoids that don’t resemble homo sapiens, even though they walk on two legs and have two arms and dexterous hands. They also have tails, and their bodies are covered in green scales. But they are not monsters. They are intelligent, sentient beings with emotions quite like our own.
“When Koha’vek helped me rescue you, he did it because he knew they took you against your will, and he knew that was wrong. He rescued a female named Ava Blake when she ran away from Jenkins, who tried to coerce her to become his mistress.”
“Oh my god, I know Ava Blake. She lived with her father on a small ranch just outside of town. He died a few months ago. I’m glad you sent that bastard Jenkins to prison.”
Hannah came close and put her arms around me, and I did the same with her. “Is Ava all right?”
“She was fine as far as I could see. She said Koha’vek is now her mate. She loves him and she wants to stay with him. Apparently, he feels the same for her.”
“Oh, my.” I felt her shudder against me. “I can’t even imagine.”
“I know a lot of people will feel that way, but they are adult beings. Their mating is not hurting anyone. Ava assured me that she was with Koha’vek because she wanted to be, not because he was forcing her. Otherwise, I would not have left her there.”
“How long do you think it will take them to decide?”
“With bureaucracy, you never know. I process that it will take a while.”
