Page 54 of Master
Despite the hint that the Kerzak were on Tau Ceti... I didn’t. "They imprisoned your friend Daisy and the children in a mumje mine. Daicon reported the Aljani seemed to be behind the mining operation. He didn’t mention seeing a Kerzak among the guards. Plus, this type of invasion isn’t their style—Kerzak tend to be more bloodthirsty.”
“Why do you call it an invasion?”
Clara moved a step closer, standing just inches away. My fingers twitched to pull her into my arms. Instead, I wound a strand of her wavy blonde hair between my fingers. "Before the Alliance outlawed mumje, most used the drug to subdue a planet’s population before invasion. Invaders used mumje to quell any resistance. But there have been instances of the drug being used for..." I shivered, the word rotten on my tongue. "Sport. Some species enjoy gladiator sports, and those individuals fighting in the area are often under the influence of mumje, turned into nothing but mindless killers."
The violet eyes studied me for a long moment. “You’ve seen it before, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Warm, soft fingers encompassed mine, and the press of her shoulder against my arm offered comfort. Did she already know me so well that she recognized what came next was... difficult?
“I told you about following in my father’s footsteps... to be an engineer?”
Clara nodded, her gaze never leaving my face.
"He traveled extensively, building cities and infrastructure on burgeoning planets for the Alliance. I went with him as often as possible. By the time I reached my twentieth year, I’d already seen more of the galaxy than most. We’d traveled to a planet called Uvar, on the outer reaches of the Eridani system. Uvar was a primitive place, scourged by years of civil war. My father's directive was to design an infrastructure to foster peace between the planet's tribes."
The memory burned in my heart. Only the touch of Clara's hand in mine kept me talking.
"The Alliance had outlawed Mumje for centuries by then. But there were always rumors of its continued use by terrorist factions. Uvar was such a backwater planet, already so decimated... no one ever considered....”
The words choked me. A solid century past—despite that, I felt like the young male I’d been, so helpless and afraid.
“My father and I were on the outskirts of the city, surveying possible roadways when the drug deployed much like it did here. My father helped clean up many planets after mumje decimation—he recognized the smell… like burning grass and rubber. He pushed me into our hovercraft and made me seal the vessel, making me promise not to exit until it rained... no matter what. My father made me swear....” I swallowed hard, blinking back the stinging moisture from my eyes. “I stayed in that craft for ten days before rain fell.”
"What happened to your father?" The softness in her voice, the way her hand tightened on mine, how she stepped closer... Clara already knew.
"For a couple of days, he just stood there. Like some small part of him existed unfettered by the drug, and he didn’t want to leave me. Then the command came over the loudspeaker from the nearby village. Just two words. Fight. Kill."
Beside me, Clara shuddered before pressing her cheek against my shoulder. My heart wrapped around the gesture and held it… cherished it.
"I watched my father and another man beat each other to death simply because someone told them to. For days, I watched those around me act like rabid beasts, killing each other until the rains came and Alliance troops rescued me."
"Oh, Tarook, I'm so sorry." Clara breathed.
I didn't have it in me to resist any longer. My arm stole around Clara’s waist, pulling her against my side. The rawest memory I possessed, and yet, holding Clara, made it easier to bear. Everything with her seemed easier, lighter, freer. My words claiming her as a mate might have been for show, ignored by the Valana, but the rightness I felt with her in my arms—I couldn’t ignore it. Not now, not ever. Whatever that moment in the garden... it changed something intrinsically between us. Changed into what... I don't know, but I liked this new iteration.
We stood holding each other as the wind stirred the powder against the windows.
“The greatest danger the villagers face is an unknown master who might turn them against each other, or worse,” I said after a few minutes.
“How do we stop that from happening?" Clara asked, lifting her head to meet my gaze.
“Hopefully, whoever orchestrated the attack doesn’t realize we’re unaffected. It gives us an edge. Once the air clears, if we can get to everyone before... we can at least keep everyone safe until the Bardaga arrives.” I didn’t verbalize the fact that if we couldn’t get to the villagers before someone else did, we might not get off this planet alive.
“Do you think... whoever... do you think they’re here?”
"The way the drug deployed makes me think whoever is behind this might be off planet," I told her and added, with an ominous note. “For now.”
“So, we wait," Clara agreed, gaze flickering to the window. She didn’t hide her flinch at the billowing powder. I felt the shift in her, the resolve and determination making her tiny muscles swell. “The most we’ll have to wait for rain is three days, right?
"There's water here," I nodded toward the sink on the far wall, then back toward what I hoped was a closet. "Hopefully, we can find some food."
"Those bins hold vegetables for the next round of research." Clara jerked her chin toward a storage unit on the far wall. Her lips twisted ruefully. "Mei said I could help when she started on them.”
"We will get out of this." I tightened the arm around her waist, and with a sigh, Clara's cheek hit my shoulder. More than my vow of fidelity to the Alliance, more than my vow of service to the Bardaga... these words, right now, to her, served as the most important oath I’d ever uttered.
