Page 31 of I Married Amreth

“It sounds like the vision of a Seer or Oracle,” I said pensively. “Could those friends be Korletheans?”

To my shock, all three humans responded in unison with a definite no. That surprised them, and they exchanged amused looks at their instinctive reaction.

“I don’t know why I can say this with complete certainty, but the Kreelars’ friends absolutely hate the Korletheans,” Ciara said carefully, to which her colleagues nodded.

“Yeah, I feel something very icky when their name comes up. It has to come from those mysterious friends,” Ernst said with a frown. “I wonder if their friends could be Sarenians.”

Ciara nodded “It’s plausible considering they possess mind controlling powers. With a single command, they could have wiped our memories. They also hate the Korletheans. But what would they be doing here in the Dead Zone? They mostly stick to their own region at the opposite end of the Eastern Quadrant.”

“Does it matter?” Ernst countered.

“Absolutely!” I exclaimed sternly. “Unlike humans, who are also part of the Galactic Alliance of the Eastern and Western Quadrants, the rest of us here in the Northern Quadrant know very little about the Sectarians. They helped perform an attack against one of our most powerful Ally vessels. Was this an isolated event or are they up to something more nefarious?”

“Fair question,” Ciara said in an appeasing tone. “But the Kreelars truly need our help. Without their friends’ intervention, they might have become fully extinct in the next few years. Also, so far, I’ve perceived absolutely no evil or deception from Aku and his tribemates. They only want to save their people.”

I nodded begrudgingly. “I also do not perceive any treachery from them. But why are their friends so secretive?”

“You know why,” Ciara said in a reproving tone. “They broke the law to help the Kreelars. Even though they have done this forgood reasons, you would breathe down their necks if you could get your hands on them.

“With valid reasons!” I exclaimed.

She gave me a hard stare, her face closing off in the most unpleasant fashion. I didn’t like stirring that type of response from her.

“If I have to break the law to save a dying species, I will do so without hesitation,” she said in a harsh tone.

“There were other ways they didn’t explore,” I argued.

“Were there?” she challenged. “They believe we are the one hope with the best outcome for all. So far, their foresight has been right, including you coming here.”

“A crime is a crime,” I said stubbornly. “People got hurt because of their attack.”

“And they made every reasonable effort to mitigate injuries, including saving my life and fully healing me,” Ciara said in the same stern voice. “You violated the Prime Directive to come and rescue me. Should you be sentenced to Molvi?”

I waved a dismissive hand. “Some exceptions are made when helping relatives and also based on the intentions of the person who committed the trespass.”

“Exactly!” Ciara exclaimed as if that should be obvious to me. “You don’t know what their intentions were.”

“Fair,” I conceded. “But what were they doing here on Kestria in the first place?”

I shrugged. “What were we, humans, doing here as well? What were Elias and his team doing here? This is the Dead Zone. The UPO has no more jurisdiction over the Sectarians who come to this planet than the Sectarians do over us. Whoever their friends are, they might have had legitimate reasons to be here. And clearly, they have a strong bond that strikes me as having spanned many years. So technically, if there are any intruders, it appears to me thatweare.”

I pursed my lips as I reflected on her words before nodding slowly.

“You make valid points. But why are you so protective of them?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

She appeared taken aback by that question. To my delight, rather than instantly denying or going on the defensive, Ciara took a moment to assess her thoughts and feelings about it before responding. That pleased me a great deal.

“When I became a doctor, I pledged to do no harm and to aid those in need. The Kreelars are in desperate need. Without their friends, they were guaranteed to die. You spoke of an attack, but not of a slaughter. Aku swore that they harmed no one, not even the guards, who they had also psychically disrupted. You confirmed as much. Yes, people got injured in the panic. But that was not the Kreelars’ fault, or rather not directly. The way they saved me proved they were trying to mitigate any damage done to innocents.”

Once again, I found myself begrudgingly forced to nod in concession. That seemed to please and embolden her.

“I think the Kreelars are good people, and their friend saw it, too. They could be treating us like shit for what they’ve endured, even if Elias and his team are the ones responsible for it,” she continued.

“They have been extremely kind to us,” Ernst concurred while Mehreen nodded in support.

“Ciara says you might have found a trail. You think you can help?” I asked.

Ernst nodded, his face lighting up with hope. “We found the responsible prions—the infectious agents that are causing this variation of prion diseases,” he added quickly in an apologetic tone, although that explanation would remain less-than-clear for most people.

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