Page 58 of Alien Peacock

“I mean dishonor for Buroteo, Sir, not for you,” I hasten to add. “You are a walking sign ofhisdishonor, not your own!”

“Perhaps,” the male mutters, all energy and all life gone from his voice. “I would join your cause, Your Supremacy. But I fear the sight of me anywhere near you would reflect negatively on your glorious person.”

I feel the truth of his words. A sheared male is repulsive to everyone, and even standing here talking to him, I feel vulnerable and dirty. But I know it’s irrational.

“Ah. You know who I am, then.”

He looks up with surprise. “Of course, Supremacy! I voted for you, as did everyone I know. When Buroteo attacked and banished you for no good reason, I protested strongly. His thugs got me and… well, I can no longer show myself on Eo lest I throw dishonor on my family.”

“You can show yourself there if you’re in a battle suit,” I tell him, realizing that this is not the time to change all our societal prejudices. That can come later. “It’s not the Eoan way to fight encased in armor. But it may be necessary, and in my base I havea selection of them. I will take back Eo, for all that is good and proper! And I need your help. What is your name, Sir?”

“Gereaon,” he says, pulling himself up to stand straighter. “I would be thrilled to join thy cause, Supremacy!”

I force myself to put my hand on his dark red shoulder. “Gereaon, I would be honored to lead you into battle. It might be our death, but feathers or no feathers, we are both Eoans, and we will do anything for our people!”

“Yes, Supremacy!” Gereaon states firmly, his shoulders held back.

“Good. Perhaps our chances of success are greater than I thought.”

“Supremacy, I…” Gereaon hesitates.

“What is it, Sir?”

“Please pardon me if I am speaking out of turn. But that female in your company…” He looks past me, towards Maeve.

I tense up. “Yes?”

“She’s from planet Earth?”

“She is.”

He stares at her. “She’s very beautiful, as they say of Earthlings. But they also say…”

“That Earthlings are unreliable?” I complete his sentence. “That’s only an evil rumor, Gereaon. Don’t believe it.”

“Of course,” he hurries to say. “I take no heed of those rumors. Supremacy, I saw someone like her not long ago. In a Bululg prison cell.”

“An Earth woman?” I ask.

“An Earth woman who looked a lot like that one. The eyes, the hair, the shape… not just the same species, you understand, Sir. It was someone very similar. The movements especially…”

He goes on for a while, and despite the tense situation, I try to remember what he tells me.

The elevator slows down, nearing the top of its track.

“So someone very much like her?” I finally ask. “You are sure of it?”

Gereaon nods. “Very. For a second I thought maybe that was her.”

I turn and walk back to the elevator controls. Discreetly putting myself between Maeve and the opening, I’m the first to spot the Fresk who’s aiming his gun the moment the elevator screeches to a halt.

A loud bang pierces the silence, and I don’t have time to draw my gun. But Maeve already has her weapon in her hand. She calmly aims and shoots the alien goon with a nasty sound as from fabric being torn.

The Fresk falls. Behind him comes many others, aiming and shooting.

Now I’m ready. Ignoring the bangs, I’m able to take out a good few of the aliens before my aim is ruined by all theformer captives charging past me and towards the Fresks with a deafening roar of fury.

I grab Maeve’s arm. “Good shot.”

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