I swallow hard as I look at the curious, expectant faces in the room.
Every one of these men is drop-dead gorgeous, and I know now that they’re honorable and good-hearted too. Still, that doesn’t stop them from being incredibly intimidating. But as I look at Emma, her gaze focused on mine as she sits next to Khrelan with her hand laced through his, I remember why I’ve come. Why this is so important.
I gather my courage and force the words out of my mouth.
“I heard about the mission to rescue the women who have been abducted from Earth at the slave auction,” I say boldly, my gaze fixed on Khrelan and Emma. “If that’s true… if that’s really happening, then I would like to go too.”
There’s an audible ripple of surprise through the room, hushed comments and noises of shock. I can tell that whatever they expected me to say, it wasn’t that. But no one interrupts me or tells me no, so I plow forward, hanging on to what’s left of my nerve.
“I was stolen from Earth too, as you know. The rest of the women and I were to be given as ‘brides’ to those disgusting, vicious Orkun. The Kalixians rescued us, for which we will always be forever grateful,” I add quickly. “But it took a long time for many of us to truly trust you. One thing that helped to move that forward, that helped gain our trust, was seeing the bond between Rose and Tordax. We saw that she trusted him, and that he was good to her, that he didn’t harm her. That they loved each other.”
When I pause to take a breath, I can see that I have everyone’s attention. They’re all looking at me, not as if waiting for me to be finished so that they can dismiss me, but as if they truly want to hear what else I have to say. I’ve always been good at speaking in front of others—even if others is usually a group of my peers or students much younger than me, and not seven-foot-tall alien warriors—and I cling to that.
I can do this. I know I can. And if I can’t even finish my speech, I definitely don’t have any business going on a rescue mission into space.
“It’s important for a human woman to go on this mission for that very reason,” I argue, looking around the room. “I can be an intermediary between the Kalixians and the women, someone that they’ll recognize as one of their own and hopefully trust. If they don’t have multi-language implants yet, I can translate. If they see that I’m with the warriors of my own free will, it’ll be easier to make them see that the Kalixians are worthy of their trust too.”
I pause to take a breath, doing my best not to let my fingers twine together nervously as the room falls silent for a moment, everyone waiting for me to go on.
“A rescue mission is risky enough,” I continue, “but it’s much less so when the people you’re trying to save are willing to go with you without a fight. If the women are too terrified, if they’re suffering from trauma and abuse, they’re not likely to go with any alien, no matter what. They’ll believe that they’re simply being abducted by some other species—another group that wants to use them or hurt them. Remember, on Earth, most people don’t know that other sentient beings exist in the universe. These women’s time with the Orkun will be the only alien contact they’ve ever had. They’re not going to know that you mean well, even if you do.”
I stop then, pressing my lips together to keep myself from rambling. I’ve made the best argument I can, and anything else I say will likely just become nervous babbling.
As I look across the massive table, I realize that Khrelan looks impressed. Emma does too, and she smiles at me a little ruefully.
“I admit, I should have had the same thought,” she says. “It didn’t occur to me that it might be helpful, if I’m being completely honest. I suppose now that I’m mated to a Kalixian, it’s hard for me to remember what it was like to be awed and scared by them. But you make a good point, Cora. There’s no way to know if the women have translators implanted, and even then, they may not believe they’re being rescued.” She glances over at Khrelan. “I support Cora’s wish to go along on the mission, as a translator and intermediary.”
Khrelan purses his lips, considering.
“Are you certain?” he asks, focusing intently on me. “It’s not that I doubt your capability, Cora. The women of Terra have shown many times over that they’re brave, intelligent and well able to handle themselves. But this will be a very dangerous mission. The Orkun are like wounded animals, angry and ready to lash out, and Nierra is a dangerous planet in its own right. The city where the auction will take place is one of the most nefarious in the universe.”
I glance around the room, taking a deep breath. The gathered warriors are all looking at me, and I notice Druxik among them, gazing at me more intently than all the others. I can’t tell if he’s hoping that I’ll agree or that I’ll back down, and I wonder if the warriors who have been picked for this mission think I’ll be a liability. I wonder if they think I’ll slow them down and do nothing but give them something else to worry about.
But I know I won’t. And I need to do this. I feel it deep in my soul, all the way down to my bones.
I’ve been looking for a reason why I’m here, for a purpose that I can latch on to, and I feel certain that this is it.
“Yes,” I tell Khrelan firmly, lifting my chin. “I know it will be dangerous. But my mind is made up. If you and the queen will allow it, my king, I wish to go.”
4
Druxik
Nothing in recent memory has startled me quite as much as the petite woman who just walked into the war council and made an impromptu speech in front of all of us, asking to go along on our mission.
I know the Terran women are strong-spirited, but this is still far more than I would have expected from one of them. I study Cora’s face curiously as she tells Khrelan that she wishes to go despite the danger, wanting to know more about this outspoken woman who has just become a part of our team.
I know her a little already from our time on the stolen Orkun ship and on Monri, the planet where we were briefly stranded. The other Alpha Force members and I were often tasked with guarding the women or accompanying them to the market on the nights when we weren’t fighting in the arena there.
Since we returned to Kalix, I haven’t seen much of her outside of official celebrations—or any of the women, really. There have been other things to think about for the unmated warriors, military strategy to focus on, and the ongoing Orkun threat.
But now, as I look at her, some of what I knew about her comes back to me.
I can see some fear in her eyes as she lifts her chin and speaks, which is a good thing in my opinion. A healthy amount of fear under the circumstances speaks to her intelligence. Only fools are never afraid. A lack of fear doesn’t mean bravery. It just means you’ve never encountered something worth being afraid of. Courage comes from overcoming your fear, from pushing forward in spite of it, not from the absence of it.
And as I watch her face, I see determination there too. That, more than anything, impresses me. To stick to one’s convictions and fight on despite danger and fear is the mark of a true warrior.
Khrelan glances at the queen as Cora tells him firmly that she still wishes to go, and when Emma nods to him, he turns back to face the petite woman at the end of the table.