Page 5 of Her Alien Delegate
"Hugput?"
"The tooth was freshly sharpened and covered in hugput paste before your duel," she said with measured words like we were speaking about what to eat for dinner.
"He intended to harm me permanently," I processed out loud.
She carefully dipped her nail into the ink and returned to marking my skin. I hissed as it burned, now very much not in control of my reactions.
My mother lifted a brow at my pain, and I sucked in a breath to measure my own emotions. There was no place for such things when I held the responsibility of all unGor on my shoulders. She nodded, then continued.
"You may be thinking why I allow him an honor of joining any commission after fooling our tribes into believing he was fighting fairly," I opened my mouth to speak, but she shook herhead to let her explain more, "I will not tell anyone that the duel was compromised, because you were able to handle it, and it gives you the opportunity to rule in your own way on how to handle your brother, and his inevitable future actions to take control."
"If you know then, why?"
"Should I answer that for you?" She challenged.
"If you handled it, then I would lose trust within the tribes and my brother would gain more support. Our planet is at peace and ripe for misplaced dissatisfaction that could cause tribal wars."
"It pleases me that you have listened to me over the years. You will find a way to quell your brother's greed and secure your place as leader of our tribes."
"With a delegate," I surmised.
"It is the safest way. Not that it is the only way."
"Kill him..."
"It isn't that simple," she said with an exhausted sigh. "If that is what you choose to do, I will support you, even if it pains my heart."
"But..." I knew there was more.
"But—killing him does not fix things. Some will praise you for your dedication to rule without favoritism. Others..."
"Others would see me as weak, and unworthy of leadership if I couldn't even earn the respect of a brother."
"Many would know power corrupts, but they would question if it was your brother or you who has been corrupted."
"I would never—"
She stopped me from defending myself with a direct stare that I'd often seen when either of us were up to mischief when we were younger. "No need. I know all too well that you do not want any of this. I am the one that forced you to duel. There is no law that says you must succeed me to the commission. I ordered youto duel because I could not trust your brother to do it without you."
In a show of emotion I rarely saw from my mother, she cleared her throat to continue, "I didn't know he would resort to hugput on his ormete bones. It permanently damages them when in contact with blood. Such a foolishly risky thing to do when he could have easily harmed himself just as easily as harming you. I have wronged you..."
My teeth ground together, knowing what she didn't say at the end. She wasn't sorry to have wronged me, simply sorry I had been hurt in the process. Her next words confirmed it.
"You've done well with your brother. Your mercy will be remembered, and you've shown the tribes that you're willing to do whatever it takes to protect them. Cutting your own ormete took away any claim your brother would have had to seek vengeance. No warrior would support his actions without a delegate to lead them."
"If the tribes were in such a state of disrest, why are you stepping down?"
"I've grown weary over the cycles, and my last wish is that your brother will understand that being the Commissioner of AsunGor is about bringing the tribes together, not ruling over them. I want you to show every tribe that it isn't one unGor that rules, but all unGor that make us prosper."
All I wanted to do was tend to the Rolly Caverns, and take my brother's offspring on hunting trips for their ormete rites. All of my tribe were brothers, and unmated unGor always helped raise the young. This was all I ever wanted.
"I never intended to have my own delegate..."
"Sometimes our paths are not sought, but given. You must head to Trillume to register with them about your new status as Commissioner of AsunGor. All commissioners visit the Trill Council and help secure diplomacy for our planet before theyreturn. You can meet up with Romek, who can show you around and help you study your new duty to AsunGor, and keep an eye on when a human delegate will be selected for you."
"I'll leave immediately."
"Romek lives on Trillume. He's a strong warrior, but he hasn't seen much outside Trillume for too long," Pheyal advised as the ship was filled with trade goods destined for Trillume. "He has adopted many trill mannerisms, including the vision that he is what you are to AsunGor, a commissioner of all tribes. He may view you as a rival to his claims, and without his support, you are sure to lose respect with the rest of the tribes, which is why I will be joining you."
