Page 15 of Protected By the Alien Knight

His clawed hand moves dismissively as he looks past me toward Annie. There’s clear disdain etched across his features, an unmistakable undercurrent of hostility.

“The Order’s unity is paramount, especially with inter-planetary tensions running high. We cannot afford perceptions of... misplaced favoritism. It undermines our Order.”

Ven’ari refocuses that smoldering glare back on me, his forked tongue flicking out to taste the charged air between us.

“So cease deluding yourself that this human’s protection supersedes the interests of our entire legacy, Cruxian. She is an acceptable short-term risk to be managed. Nothing more.”

I remain stonily impassive. He sneers and turns away in clear disgust at my willful insubordination. Ven’ari is a stickler for the rules, and anything less than complete obedience will not be tolerated.

I clench my jaw so tightly I fear my teeth might shatter. Ven’ari’s blatant hostility toward Annie and her status as a human diplomat is utterly deplorable.

I shift my stance almost imperceptibly, unconsciously preparing for the threat of potential escalation. “With respect, sir, my place is safeguarding Ambassador Agnew from actual threats which have already been made against her.”

Ven’ari’s eyes narrow to smoldering crimson slits. “You’ve allowed familiarity to cloud your judgment and priorities,” he counters. “Your attachment to this... human puts critical operations at risk.”

A muscle ticks in his thick neck as his clawed hands drift toward the ornate sword hilt at his side. Beside him, the air grows heavier as his security team tenses, hands inching toward their own plasma blades.

I angle my body subtly, sliding one foot back into a defensive position as I evaluate potential escape routes. Annie remainsat my back, a stalwart presence radiating trust and unwavering courage despite the rising tension.

“My priorities are to safeguard those under my protection,” I say carefully, projecting a mask of calm reason.

“We are all brothers united in sacred purpose, are we not? Surely even you can see the pragmatism in handling... perception issues before they undermine the Order at a critical juncture. That human’s presence is becoming an unnecessary lightning rod that threatens to divide us.”

The audacity of his manipulation washes over me with clarity. Ven’ari doesn’t care if my instincts are correct. He wants obedience at all costs and he’s willing to compromise our integrity to satiate his own ambitious agenda.

And in service of that agenda, he deems Annie as nothing more than an expendable obstacle to be removed without regard for her lawful diplomatic status. Just a “perception issue” to be neutralized.

In that moment, any doubt I harbored about the elder knight’s compromised principles solidifies into grim certainty. He’s turned against the very duties he swore an oath to uphold. Which means he views Annie’s continued safety as an acceptable liability to be cast aside without compunction.

A low rumble builds in my throat as the truth settles like a leaden shroud across my shoulders.

“So you would abandon our lawful obligations to a ranking diplomat,” I state, allowing challenge and accusation to sharpen my tone. “All to satiate your own unchecked vanity and ambition, Ven’ari?”

In a blur of reflexive motion, his laser pistol is in hand and leveled squarely at my chest. But the aggression rolls off me like water after many years of combat conditioning. I don’t so much as blink, never breaking eye contact as his blazing glare bores into mine.

Ven’ari curls his lip in a bestial snarl. One scaled hand moves in a minute signal, and as one, his troops draw their swords with a hiss of ionized air.

“Last chance, Cruxian,” he growls. “Recant your insubordination immediately. You will relinquish the ambassador to my authority and return to the citadel. Her protection is no longer your concern... or that of this Order.”

The damning ultimatum hangs between us, utterly unacceptable. He’s demanding I turn my back on the sworn lawful duty I’ve devoted my entire existence toward upholding. To abandon Annie to whatever corrupt machinations now grip the Order’s leadership, simply to avoid further blemishing the institutionalized arrogance fueling this debacle.

Should I capitulate?Surrender my values and integrity to Ven’ari’s egomaniacal delusions and live out my days as another muzzled attack hound, stripped of true honor?

Or I could refuse.Sever every ancestral tie anchoring me to our crumbling institution’s rotted husk. Thrust Annie and me into the unknown with only our conviction to guide us through whatever fate has in store for us.

The only choice solidifies in my mind. Some fragment of deeply instilled duty still balks at such blasphemous defiance of our hallowed laws and honored codes. I’ll be branded an apostate, at best, hunted to the edges of civilized space and put down like a rabid beast for this offense. Yet even that grave price pales compared to failing Annie.

The silence stretches between Ven’ari and I. He senses my choice, thumb inching toward the firing stud of his pistol. My own hand hovers over the ignition switch of my plasma blade in silent preparation.

Then I feel the familiar warmth of Annie press itself into the tense plane of my back. She is steadfast, undaunted, even in the face of this escalating brutality. I chance the most fleeting glanceover my shoulder and our eyes meet... every lingering strand of doubt disintegrates into vapor under the blazing conviction shining back at me.

With a steadying breath, I straighten to my full, towering height and release my white-knuckle grip on the sword hilt. The motion seems to wrong-foot Ven’ari, whose own aim tightens incrementally closer with a subtle tilt of his head.

Before he can complete the attack signal, I raise both palms in placating gestures. “Peace, brothers. There is no need for bloodshed here today.”

Keeping my body angled to shield Annie, I meet Ven’ari’s blazing glare steadily. “Give me a chance to gather the ambassador’s effects. Surely you can allow us that small dignity before we depart these sacred grounds.”

I feel her tense behind me for a heartbeat before the rustle of movement signals her acceptance. The gravity of this irreversible decision weighs heavily on both of us—choosing to depart from years of loyalty and embrace a path guided solely by her unbreakable spirit.

---