The Alliance - 13. Asla

Itumak stared out the window in the cabin, taking in the size of the space station they were about to dock in. He hoped Mateio knew where he was going. Without him, they would be hopelessly lost.

Lian stood behind him, the Daknar’s head lowered respectfully. He was taller than Itumak in this form, but Itumak knew he towered over the alien in his wolf form. The werewolf still had no idea why his wolf had changed, but as he thought about it, he realized he kind of liked the change. Itumak had always been a little small for a palace guard, but now that could change at a thought.

Shaking his head, the werewolf left the cabin as they flew into the station. Making his way toward the ship’s door, he leaned against Mateio’s car, waiting. He felt the tug of his wolf as the gravity changed slightly, but the station replaced the gravity and Itumak was spared the shift.

Aaron approached the neko, a grimace on his face.

“Are you ready for this?” Itumak asked quietly as the ship landed with a thump.

“Who could ever be ready for something like this?” Aaron muttered.

The neko nodded silently in understanding. Today the elf would be pleading for aid in front of an alien. Itumak did not envy him at all.

Mateio stepped out of the cockpit, tapping on his tablet.

“I have a map that will take us to the Commandant’s office,” he said, stopping beside Aaron. “This will work. I promise we will free your people.”

The elf nodded.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said quietly.

The ramp lowered, Mateio leading the group off the ship. Another Faro stood to the side of the ramp, dark fur covering his face while a dress covered his body. Itumak found the outfit strange, but he figured the culture was just different from his own.

“Greetings friend,” the Faro smiled at Mateio. “Do you require anything during your visit here?”

“My ship requires fuel and if you can manage to find a Steirich engine, I would pay top credit for it.”

The Faro frowned.

“I believe we only have starship engines here and even those are rather picked through,” he said.

Mateio nodded slightly.

“Well, just fill the ship. We’ll be at the station for a day before heading out.”

He paid for the fuel before guiding the group deeper into the station.

Passing through a door, Mateio spoke to a young Xanar who pointed them through another door. The Faro thanked them, motioning Aaron ahead of him.

“Mateio, I don’t know how to speak to these people,” the elf said as they walked.

“Don’t worry. You aren’t in the fleets so some mistakes are expected. Just try to be polite,” the fox replied.

Knocking on a closed door, Mateio heard a feminine voice call, “Enter.”

He opened the door, motioning for Aaron to enter first. Taking a deep breath, the elf stepped through the door, his eyes widening at the sight of a white tiger sitting behind a desk.

Another alien? How many aliens were in this galaxy?

“Greetings General Athena,” Mateio said beside him.

“Greetings ser. May I ask why you three are here and why you have brought a slave in my presence? I do not recognise these two, but I am rather certain that is a Daknar of the Empire.”

Aaron saw Itumak shaking his head on the other side of him.

“This is Aaron Etaro, ruler of Astara,” Mateio said.

“Astara?” the tiger frowned. “You went to Astara?”

The Faro nodded, sliding a chip toward the tiger.

“And I am glad he did. The Empire attacked four days ago,” Aaron said. “I was run off the planet and I had to leave my people defenseless.”

Athena frowned again, the chip in a gold bracer on her left arm. Aaron could hear his words translated into the common language

“Astara is lost to us then.”

Aaron stared at her, unable to believe how callously she gave up on his world.

“Miss, my world is under occupation by a vicious enemy. I cannot accept that you would do nothing to help free the world, especially when I was assured your people try their best to ensure the freedom of the galaxy.”

“Forgive me Lord Etaro, but you do not understand my position. If the Alliance was to help you take back your planet, it could very well cause a war that would engulf the entire galaxy.”

“I can understand your position,” Aaron denied. “I would not want to cause a war. However, my people are dealing with forces beyond their comprehension. Is there any way you could get someone on the planet to help ease them into this new universe, even though they will likely be slaves in it?”

The tiger sighed quietly, sitting back in her seat.

“Officially, no. However, you are free to go home, and take as much technology with you as you can. Your world is not under a technology ban any longer.”

Aaron nodded, understanding that Athena was suggesting he bring weapons to his people.

“I would suggest you do not fight your captors directly. Ambushes, hit and run tactics, make small moves to disrupt your enemy while not giving yourselves away.”

“Thank you Miss,” Aaron smiled gratefully.

“For what? In my eyes, you were never here.”

Athena turned to Mateio with a scowl.

“You however… do you know what you have done? Landing on a technologically inferior planet, leading the Empire to the planet through your presence, causing the loss of a promising world.”

“General Athena, they were launching ships into space already. I believe they are ready for the portalling technology. However, by the time I had assessed their capabilities, the Empire had already landed, and I had to escape with the planet’s ruler,” Mateio said.

“You still caused the deaths of thousands of people by introducing a mortal enemy to the planet. As you are not in the Military fleet, I cannot have you removed from service. But I can demote you for your careless actions. You will assume the rank of Captain, effective immediately, with the ensuing reduction in pay and privileges.”

Mateio lowered his head.

“Yes General,” he said quietly.

“You are dismissed. And off the record, good luck.”

They were silent as Mateio bought two rooms for the night, leading the group to a hotel situated near the docking bay. Lian understood they were going back to Itumak’s planet, though he wasn’t sure why. By the sound of it, they were going to their deaths. If freeing a world was as simple as planning a few ambushes and killing a few people, his species would have been free long ago.

But as Itumak’s slave, he was to go where the two soul went. Maybe he would get lucky and find Thaelin. Lian couldn’t believe she was dead; his stone said otherwise. If the missing part of his soul was dead, his stone would have cracked. No, she was just far away, further away than they had ever been before. He would find her again, and she and Itumak would love each other, he just knew it.

Itumak guided the Daknar into a room, a large bed taking up much of the room. A desk sat against a wall, small yet functional. Lian immediately set about warming the bed and making Itumak comfortable.

“Mateio says we are staying here until tomorrow,” Itumak said, studying a clock on the desk.

Lian couldn’t make out the symbols on the clock. He had never been taught to read, for what slave needed to read?

“I believe Master Mateio will wake you when it is time to leave,” he said quietly, folding back the bedsheets.

“Lian, I need to tell you something,” Itumak said just as quietly.

The Daknar paused in his task, facing the two soul with his head lowered. With a conscious effort, Lian raised his head slightly, staring at Itumak’s mouth. It was a nice mouth, smooth and pale, lips parted slightly as Itumak thought about what he was going to say.

“I don’t think I can transmit my disease anymore.”

“That is wonderful news Master,” Lian said.

“I know you see yourself as my slave. I want you to know I will never make you do anything you don’t want to.”

The changer took a deep breath, studying the Daknar before him. Lian knew he wasn’t much to look at. Red scales, a short head, small wings that could barely keep him in the air from lack of use. Yet the way Itumak looked at him, the Daknar felt like the king of his people.

“We are connected,” Itumak said quietly.

Lian’s hand traced over the topaz in his chest, a move he knew did not escape the two soul.

“That’s what your stone is for, isn’t it? It shows you who your mate is.”

“It is you Master. I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to be with me, but the Maker made it that way.”

Itumak’s finger traced across the stone slowly, Lian feeling an electric warmth at his touch.

“There is another?” he asked quietly.

“Thaelin,” Lian replied. “I lost her three months ago. She lives, but I do not know where.”

Itumak nodded slowly.

“We are mates,” he said. “But you are my slave. I can’t be with you if you can’t say no to me. I want to be your equal Lian.”

The Daknar clutched his collar fearfully. Itumak couldn’t remove it. Lian couldn’t live on his own.

“The collar is a symbol that tells people to treat you like trash,” Itumak said. “Besides, I do not like the idea that you will die if something happens to me. I’ll leave it on for now, but before we leave the station, it is coming off.”

“Yes Master…” Lian said quietly.

“Freedom isn’t as bad as you think. I will be right beside you the whole time. You just won’t have a collar.”

Lian perked up slightly. If Itumak was going to stay with him, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

“Why didn’t you warn us sooner?”

Mateio whimpered as a bolt of energy vaporized the human again. Aaron’s segal, dead in an instant because of him.

The world around him shifted, bringing Mateio back onto his ship with a woman standing between him and the door.

“You will be the ruin of us all,” she hissed, hitting a button next to the ship’s door.

Mateio screamed as he was sucked out into the nothingness of space with the human. His eyes snapped open, a loud whine escaping his mouth.

He was laying in bed, in his quadruped form. A hand stroked his back slowly, soothingly, and it calmed the Faro. Until he realized what was happening.

Kicking away from Aaron, Mateio nearly fell out of the bed. He shifted forms, his clothes piled near the foot of the bed.

“Are you okay?” Aaron asked urgently.

“D-Don’t touch my fox. Please…” Mateio gulped.

Aaron frowned at the request.

“Why? I mean, I won’t do it again. But why not? Is it a bad thing?”

Mateio shook his head.

“Only Bonded touch each other like that,” he whispered.

Aaron frowned.

“You touched my wolf. Are we Bonded then?”

“No, your wolf doesn’t follow the same rules. Many have touched it,” Mateio said.

“Could we be Bonded?”

Mateio sucked in a breath.

“Lord Aaron, you do not know what that means,” he said.

“To take one lover, and only one lover for the rest of your life. To be with the one who completes you, who makes your wolf howl. To be one with the being who will cherish your fox.”

Aaron slid toward Mateio, his arms wrapping around the Faro.

“I’m done trying to run from my wolf. You have shown you care about me, and more than that, you care about my people. I would be honoured if you would become my consort Mateio Estian.”

Mateio closed his eyes, soaking in the presence of the larger being.

“Your people would accept an alien as the lover of their ruler?” he whispered.

“Not easily, but they will in time.”

His body leaned into the warmth of the elf, a quiet purr rumbling through his body.

“I accept Lord Aaron Etaro.”