Page 94 of Guardian's Destiny

Lord Protector Garth took us through a large hall into a more intimate room. A table was already set with dishes as he pulled a chair out for Sloane. "Please, have a seat, eat." He noticed Sloane's protest on her face, but he shook his head before she could voice it. "Please. Silla would never forgive me if I made you wait for her. When she heard you were coming, she set the cooks to preparing Earth food for you."

"Oh," Sloane exclaimed as she sat down and lifted the lid of one of the covered dishes. "Pizza?" She looked at Garth.

"She said you were very fond of it last time," Garth replied with a proud tone in his voice.

"She is amazing." Sloane grabbed a slice of something red and yellow that had been cut triangularly and whose end was hanging down most unappetizingly.

Without any reservations, she took a big bite. Her entire face lit up, and she moaned, "Hmm!"

I waited for Lord Protector Garth to take a seat before I followed his example next to Sloane.

"Oh you guys, you need to eat this," her mouth was full and she was hard to understand, but I had never seen her happier. With trepidation, I reached for a slice, determined to tell her I loved it even if it looked slimy and disgusting. For her, I would do anything.

Surprisingly, thepizzadidn't taste bad at all. It wasn't slimy, but gooey and strangely comforting.

Lady Silla didn't join us until the end of the meal. One look at her and Lord Protector Garth rose to fold her into his arms.

"That bad?" He asked.

She nodded against his chest, and he gently brushed her hair back. His eyes met mine; they were cold and hard and delivered one message:We need to talk.

The opportunity didn't come until the table was cleaned, and we took our seats in a comfortable seating area surrounding a cozy fireplace. Lady Silla's color had returned, and she looked more herself.

"I need to talk to the Space Guardian and Sloane about what happened. They need to leave soon. Are you alright, or do you want me to take you to our quarters?" He asked his mate.

In answer, she slapped his arm, "If this is about the Ohrurs, I'm not going anywhere." Her voice was hard and determined, showing the steel I knew she must have in order to deal with a warrior male like the Lord Protector.

"What can you tell us, Space Guardian?" He turned his full attention on me.

I wasn't sure how much to divulge, but we had nothing to hide either. The Ohrurs were very aware of our defection, and if they had any sense, they would bring their full force to Darlam. If I could gain any allies for us, it would be in our favor, specifically the Pandraxian Empire. They were one of the most powerful species in the universe, even more so since they had usurped the Cryon into their Empire.

So I filled him in, holding only the fact of Zapharos’s presence back, not for Zapharos, but for Sloane and, by extension, keeping Emperor Daryus's secret.

"I think your report warrants some serious investigation on our part. I will personally see the emperor and inform him of these atrocities. He treats any injury to any of his subjects as a personal injury." Lord Protector Garth said this when Sloane and I readied ourselves to leave. "I can't make any promises, but I'm certain he will lend his support to your cause."

I wasn't stupid. I knew that the emperor wouldn't simply do so out of the goodness of his heart or to avenge the injury to his citizens. Gaining the support of the Space Guardians would very much work in his favor. And with the Ohrurs out of the picture, Space Guardians would be free to choose new employers if we so wished. Even if only a handful of us would join the Pandraxians, supporting us would be worth any expenses he might accrue.

"Also please inform him that I was here, that I finished the mission. Tell him to watch his trade routes, that some members of the GTU have found new allies outside their ranks, ones with a history of war rather than diplomacy. Their hunger for conquest has never faded, only waited for the right opportunity. And now, they’re being invited to the table."

Garth stared at her unblinking for a moment, before he composed himself, "If you're saying what I think you are… this is a dangerous development."

Sloane nodded. "Yes. One he needs to be aware of."

With that finished, I thought we would be ready to leave now, but Sloane had other plans as she turned to Lady Silla, "One more thing. I was wondering if you might have a record of one Tucker Beauvier in your database."

"Hmm, let me see." Lady Silla pulled out her comm, and Sloane watched her intently as she entered her search. Surprised, Lady Silla looked up. "He just arrived here a few days ago. I haven't seen or spoken to him, but one of my intakers has and mentioned he is looking for a Nova Beauvier. Is that our Nova?"

SLOANE

I knew it!Still, hearing Silla say these words was like a punch to the gut. Damn if I wasn't about to turn into a believer.He just arrived here a few days ago… that was just the kind of shit I was coming to expect. "I need to speak with him."

"Of course, let me have him fetched." She called a servant over and told him to wake Tucker if necessary.

Her using her comm was a big nono on Astrionis, where the Pandraxians of this particular branch lived strictly traditional lives, kind of like the Amish on Earth. It was a tightrope, but it seemed to be working for them. The only reason Silla was allowed to use her comm out in public was because of the need to keep track of the constant stream of humans arriving. Her goal to reunite as many friends and family as possible was admirable. Point case Tucker.

But she couldn't simply call him and tell him to come by, which was why she sent the servant to fetch him, just like in medieval times, just like everything around us. Old-fashioned candles burned, and fires roared in the fireplaces. Silla wore a long dress I would have found cumbersome. Just another indication of how well chosen we all were to our partners. The question just was: who did the choosing?

"Why didn't Nova say anything when she was here?" Silla fretted, shaking her head. "I didn't even know he was here."

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