Page 63 of Alien Peacock

“I think I can tell Eoans apart,” I point out. “I’m sure the reverse is true, too. Even if it’s not Tara, she’s an Earth female in danger.”

He frowns. “Surely they’re all in danger as long as the Bululg own the planet. Why focus on one? Who is almost certainly not your sister?”

I can hear the colonel back on Earth:Don’t get caught up in anything else.

But this could just be Tara. I can’t ignore it. If nothing else, I have to check this out. “What space station was it?”

Arelion pierces me with his bright eyes. “I suspect that if I tell you that, you’ll drop everything and hurry to go there.”

“It’s my mission,” I tell him, disengaging from his embrace. “It’s why I’m in space in the first place. You understand about missions, I know that.”

“I also understand about not pursuing the wrong target,” he counters. “I can’t come with you to keep you safe. The war against Buroteo has been launched. My forces are already goingto their starting positions. I’m leaving here the moment Virlu arrives.”

I think I know why he doesn’t want me to go: he wants me safe. “I was trained for this mission. I don’t want you to risk your life for it. ButImay have to.”

He opens his arms. “Stay here in safety while I take back Eo! After that, I can help you on your mission. Your chances of success will be much greater with my navy by your side!”

I look away. “That could take months. And you may not survive it. It may not even work. I’m sorry, I know you’ll win. But every war is risky.”

“You have an answer for everything,” he snaps, pacing around the room. “I need you to be safe! Don’t you get it? I love you, Maeve! I Marked you! What would be the point of taking back Eo if I have no one to share the success with? How could Ipossiblyenjoy that victory if something happened to you?!”

The control room is silent.

I go over and hug him. A strong declaration of love from Arelion is beyond anything I ever thought I’d experience. And it hits me right where I feel it the hardest.

“I’ll think about it.” I sniff. “I will not go now, and if I go, I will be careful. I ask the same of you in your war. Because I love you, too.”

He sighs heavily. “It was Xap Station. In the Xap solar system, right next to my solar system of Eo.”

I squeeze him tightly. “Thank you. I just had to know.”

He lifts me off my feet. “It’s not easy, having to save your home planet. But we have to try. Virlu will soon return, and then I’ll be on my way. I want you to wait here. Like you said, it might take months. But it might also take only days.”

We leave the little Bululg saucer. Outside, the bigRevengeis already here.

Arelion gets busy assigning places for the rescued captives to sleep. He has a lot of military equipment, and even three hundred guys don’t make much of a dent in it.

“How will you get rid of these guys?” I ask when he and I share a quick emergency ration meal standing up. “Suddenly they’re your problem.”

He looks over at a group of captives, laughing and joking and apparently enjoying their newfound freedom. “They all have somewhere they want to go. Virlu and Sponz will take them to those places while I’m gone. Sponz is transporting the first batch to planet Mub right now. That was on my request. Mubians have a strange smell to them.”

I take a sip of alien fruit juice. “You can’t use any of them in the war, I guess. Your people won’t like it if you bring aliens to fight for you.”

“They really won’t. I can only fight with Eoans.”

I squeeze him again. “Remember what I said? You don’t have to be in the front line always. If you die in the war, most of the point of the war might be lost.”

He shrugs. “It’s no great loss to Eo if I die and our side wins the war without me. They will elect a new Supreme Leader, one that will be better than Buroteo. Just about anyone would be.”

“It’ll be a great loss tome,” I point out.

He reaches out and strokes my cheek with infinite gentleness. “I will do my best to?—”

A hush goes through the room, and everyone looks towards the entrance. No wonder — Peroena just entered, looking more resplendent than ever.

“Supremacy,” she says as she comes over, her silky voice having taken on a harder edge since last time. “Your forces are deployed and ready for battle!”

She doesn’t seem to notice the many aliens in the room.

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