Page 56 of Defiance
It was easy to forget the rest of the galaxy in our insulated little colony. Renata was a safe haven, and I hadn’t realized until just then how vulnerable we were as a community. We owed our sense of security to Ferulis, Vindilus, the Lost Souls that made up our security team, the delegates from Samridve… How easy would it be to take advantage of us and pick us apart if they didn’t protect the home we were building?
How much would the galaxy froth at the mouth when they found out about Ezra and Mel’s hukaari babes?
“You must tell me how this fortuitous proposal came about,” Guei said, directing us to walk around the room. I counted my breaths to keep calm, feeling like Sath and I were wearing targets on our foreheads.
“As they do between most friends,” Sath said graciously. He was playing the part of an excellent liaison, keeping the conversation flowing even if my attention was divided. “Ms Halloway and I have great, yes, admiration for each other.”
Guei brought us to a halt near a raised platform. The feed drones hummed closer as a hjarna with her crest painted in a thick blue line crouched down to politely interrupt our conversation.
“Well, I hope our Charlotte will mention you in her remarks. Just think, you’d usher in the first diversified offspring in the Union,” she sighed wistfully, though there was a glint of greed in her eyes. “Have you given thought to the name? Hjarman, or Humna? Hjurna! Oh, I do like that one, yes?”
Sath glanced at me uneasily. “We have not, hm, discussed it yet.”
“We’re ready for you, sir,” the hjarna woman on the platform said. Guei patted her forearm.
“Thank you. Charlotte, you’ll accompany me. Oh, I know it’s petrifying, but just a few words to thank HIXBS and Director Caher, hm? The whole galaxy will be riveted no matter what.”
Great.
The woman did a sound check, placing a plas sticker on the side of my neck to interface with my transitor bionic directly. It grew warm and buzzed against my skin, drawing away some of my sudden-onset stage fright. I followed Guei up onto the dais and found Novak and Pioden flanking the main entrance. He gave me an encouraging nod and tapped my medallion with his claw.
“Friends!” Guei’s voice boomed, echoing over the city like the sports anchor in a football stadium. Conversation and music quieted down until we could hear the murmur of crowds outside. “Gracious friends…” She put her hands on her chest, golden crest catching the warm, intimate lighting. “I am so honored to stand here in your presence! The good work of the Huajile Institute for Xeno-Biological Studies is only possible through your passion and dedication to our inter-species health, innovation, and happiness. Director Caher Bi?dou…”
She bowed her crest to him in the front of the crowd, mouthing what was probably athank youin Hja Erle. Polite hisses, vibrations, and rumbles filled the courtyard like a humming hive of bees from the diverse crowd.
Then Guei looked at me and beamed, holding my forearm in both her hands with a gentle grip. My cheeks went up in predictable flames, and I gave my best go at looking vapid and happy instead of desperate to rip my arm out of her claws.
“We are privileged tonight to keep the company of Ms Charlotte Halloway. She is one of twelve hundred sixteen humans liberated from theParamourone and a half orbits ago. The first of the refugees to make a public appearance. I hope the first ofmanyin the coming months and years, to exercise your voice and will as equal partners in the Intersolar Union. Charlotte, would you like to say anything?”
I cleared my throat, the lights now too bright to see Novak or even Sath just meters away.
“Yes, I—” My voice trembled, so I took a deep breath and started again. Slower this time.
“Yes. This is nerve-wracking,” I admitted with an anxious chuckle. Soft laughter met mine, supporting me while people waited patiently for me to speak.
The whole galaxy will be riveted no matter what.
I cleared my throat again, a crease in my brow. “This has been a life changing experience for me. Thank you to HIXBS for your important work and hospitality. The friends I’ve made here will be with me my entire life.”
I smiled down at where I thought Sath was, threading my fingers together to keep myself moored. That was all I needed to say, but I wanted to say more.
“I, ah… I remember my abduction,” I started without knowing that’s what I would say. “It was an early autumn day, crisp and with a mist of rain. I remember slipping on the deck of the ferry on my way to work all bundled up in my coat. Only I didn’t slip. A pale hand with extra long fingers was pulling me overboard. I should have landed in the ocean, but instead, I crashed on an invisiblesomethingnext to a monster. A needle transport, I’ve learned. He used an aero-syringe to knock me out. Things were blurry for a long time after that.”
No one breathed as I paused, collecting myself.
“I don’t think all hjarna are monsters,” I assured them with a sad smile. “Humans can be monsters too. It makes me even more grateful for the people that have kept us safe while we build our lives back up. Our security, the delegates from Samridve, Ambassador Zufi… Novak Gaul has been with me for weeks serving as my bodyguard even though he’s the kral of his own guild that does important work on Huajile. And Chairman Ferulis… Though I wish he could have accepted his invitation for tonight’s event, I forgive him for going on the mitch while he cares for the Union’s protected colonies. Renatans love you and thank you—all of you—for the sacrifices we know you’ve made, and the ones we don’t.”
I took another deep breath as the courtyard hummed with approval like applause. It died down quickly, hanging off my remarks with eagerness. I wanted so badly to reveal Guei’s hidden ugliness. They should know what I knew about thewoman standing beside me. I could do it. No one would stop me. I could change the galaxy in a few sentences…
All I’d get out of it was a smug moment of satisfaction and a few months of tabloid headlines.
And we’d stand to lose so much in return.
So I swallowed my pride, smiled, and said thank you again with a little bow and wave. The crowd got the hint and Director Caher was welcomed up as I stepped down. He made a show of shaking my hand before the sound woman helped me down and removed the disc stuck to my throat.
The hard part was over. It felt like it had lasted both eons and milliseconds. Regret instantly rose up in me. I didn’t have to tell them about my abduction or wax on with thank-yous like I was on some awards show. And Novak! Feck’s sake, I should have checked with him. But he’d used his real name when asked, and Guei knew who he was. It’s not like I couldlieand still give him the praise he deserved…
“It was perfect, yes?” Sath said, crowding over me as we moved away from the dais. He shielded me from the drones with his crest and smoothed out all my ruffled feathers with a warm smile.
