"Are you ready for sentencing?" Khos sounded amused and I bowed my head further.
"You would dare start without me?" A rather bulky man pushed open the far doors and I wiped at my eyes, trembling in my spot as I watched him. "Let her up. No need to shove her to the floor." At his rather gruff words I was let go rather abruptly as the Peace Officers backed away from me rapidly, heading for the door just as quickly. The man had three other bulky men following him as he moved closer.
"Ahhh, Councilman Rehnas. Very good of you to join us. Who are your colleagues?" Khos' voice was jovial and almost friendly and I shuddered on my spot. I hated that man with everything that I had.
"Councilmen Jonah, Kesparth, and Billimish." He gestured to each man as he said their name and their cold eyes made me shiver uncontrollably. My arms throbbed hotly with what I knew were bruises and I resisted the urge to curl into a ball and cry. I was dead. It was a fact I needed to get used to. "They were to accompany me to the ship on the behalf of the Oria council just as I was. Now please answer my question." He settled into Nadila's seat and I wanted to wince at the reminder that my friend was gone.
"I figured the quicker we got this... nasty business dealt with the sooner we could move on." He sneered the word nasty as he glanced at me and I shrunk under the gazes of the four men who turned to look at me. I swallowed hard and kept my gaze on the floor.
"Nasty business is quite an apt description for it but regardless, such an act needs to be done with a full council in place. You know this." Councilman Rehnas sounded bored and I glanced up as the other three moved to stand beside the table. The movement was odd because there were enough seats available for them to sit down.
"Apologies. Now would you like me to give you the details of this particular case?" Khos lifted a file and Rehnas shook his head.
"No. I am well versed in the case of Liviya Burch and Rhex DharSon. I had a long trip, lots of time to review it." He laced his fingers together and leaned against the table in a rather lazy manner. I let my gaze fall to the floor. My chest hurt and all I wanted was Rhex. My stomach flipped and flopped inside of me, making me nauseous and my entire body shake from nerves.
"Well then I suggest we move onto sentencing." Khos sounded almost delighted and I had to swallow back the vomit that climbed into my throat.
"If you do not mind, Councilman Khos. The Oria council has already passed a sentencing for this particular case." Rehnas picked up a file from the table and flipped it open.
"They have? How efficient. The floor is yours, Councilman Rehnas." Khos waved him on and I had a particular feeling that even if Khos had an issue with it, Rehnas wouldn't have paid him any attention.
"In the case of Liviya Burch and Rhex DharSon, the Oria council had deliberated and come to one very clear conclusion for this matter. As we are to preserve our race and our very people, the Oria council has decreed that action must be taken for this serious transgression." He said it calmly and evenly and my heart sank at each word. "In the preservation of our species and the future of our race, the Oria council had decreed that Councilman Khos and the rest of the council of ship two-nine-three are hereby stripped of their council positions and ranks and are to be banished to the outer realms for their treasonous actions against the people of Oria." My head snapped up and my eyes went wide as I stared at Rehnas. He stood up to his full height, his expression bored as he looked at Khos.
"What?" It was a collective cry as the three council members shot to their feet, their eyes wide with shock. I was fairly positive I looked the exact same as them.
"Detain them." At his words the three councilmen that had arrived with him moved over to them, grabbing them tightly as they cuffed the fighting council members.
"I demand you release me at once! This is an outrage! She is a human! A half-breed!" Khos's face was red and spit flew from his mouth in his rage and Rehnas moved around the table.
"Liviya Burch is a well known half-breed. One that the Oria council had decreed to be born." He moved closer and held out his hands for me to grasp and I shrank away from him slightly. Unsure of him. He crouched down and gently grasped my arms below the bruises, helping me to my feet as I tried to stand on wobbly legs. Everything was confusing. I didn't exactly know what he was saying. "Liviya Burch is one of eight thousand children who were born with more Orrian DNA than human. An experiment to see if a merging of our species would end our fall into extinction." I couldn't process his words but it sounded like the Oria council had ordered me to be born, knowing I was more Orrian than human.
"There is no extinction! Orrians will live as we always have!" Bilesh struggled against the cuffs on his arms and Rehnas shook his head.
"We had only three hundred Orrians born this star year. Next star year there will be less than twenty. Our extinction is rapidly growing closer and we found our cure." He rested a heavy but gentle hand on my shoulder as I tried to take in his words.
"I am trying to protect Orrians! I am trying to save them!" Khos fought hard against his cuffs and the other councilman shoved him against the table, holding him down. "You are going to ruin us by tainting our blood! Orrian life is precious!" He spat the words out as he fought hard to be released.
"Yes it is. That is why I am here." Rehnas said it carefully. "Orrian life is precious." He said the words slowly as his other hand covered my stomach. I wobbled slightly at the words. He wasn't saying what I thought he was saying, was he? I felt myself pale and my legs wobbled further, unable to hold my weight as my face drained of colour. "Easy, Liviya." He caught me surprisingly gently when my legs buckled before he set me on a nearby chair. I pressed my hands to my stomach. I was pregnant? The thought seemed so far fetched and unreal that it wasn't believable.
"That is a lie! There was no request for fertilization." Khos stared at me in horror and I lowered my gaze from him to where I was covering my stomach. It didn't seem real. Nothing seemed real.
"That is because fertilization was not needed." Rehnas stood beside me and I was almost comforted by his presence. "Human-Orrian pairs are naturally fertile. Liviya and Rhex's child, while celebrated on Oria as a rightful miracle, is just one of over a thousand that have been conceived naturally." I lifted my hand to my mouth and rubbed my stomach. I was going to have a baby, Rhex and I were going to have a baby.
Tears burned my eyes and I fought back a sob. The doors opened again and Rehnas moved quickly towards the newcomer. When I looked over it was a small, human woman that Rehnas kissed softly. The woman was holding a curly haired toddler who Rehnas gently picked out of her arms and smiled at as she hugged his neck.
"Just one of a thousand. Like my own daughter." Rehnas turned back to Khos. "You have been fighting against your own government and council for years. This is why you are being stripped of your rankings and being banished to the outer realms. Treason should result in death but every Orrian life is precious." He ruffled his daughter's curls before waving dismissively at the bound council members.
"Take them away." He pressed a kiss to his daughter's chubby cheeks and I wiped at my eyes with one hand, unwilling to let go of my stomach and the life that I had been told was growing within it. It seemed unbelievable.
"I'm sorry I took so long. I intercepted the wrong shuttle at first." Her voice was soft as she moved closer to him and Rehnas pulled her close, tucking her into his side. I felt my bottom lip tremble. I missed Rhex and I wanted him back but he was in hyper sleep somewhere in the galaxy on Khos's command. He was out of my reach.
"It is no matter, Margery. You are here now." He said the words softly and she smiled up at him before he turned his attention back towards me. I couldn't help but shrink under his gaze, both my hands going to cover my stomach as if that would protect the small life form growing within me.
"I am sorry about this unpleasantness, Liviya DharSon. I wished you could have been informed sooner but we needed to remain quiet if we were to gather enough evidence against this council and its treasonous affairs." He truly did seem apologetic and so I gave a rather shaky nod. I still wasn't entirely sure but the fact his soulmate was human and the fact he had banished Khos was enough to have me giving him some trust.
"It's okay." I wiped at my eyes and stood on unsteady legs.
Margery moved over and sat me back down, her hands flitting around me. "No. You must sit. You've had a very difficult week and stress is not good for the growing child." She patted my cheek with a friendly smile and I sniffled. My chest felt tight and all I wanted to do was cry. I wanted Rhex.
"Where is she?" The booming voice was familiar and my heart jumped into my throat as I shot to my feet, ignoring Margery as I sought out Rhex. "Liv!" His voice seemed to rattle the very air with his worried anger as he appeared in the doorway, his expression severe. I gave a cry and bolted for him. He dropped his pack and his rifle and caught me in his arms, holding me close. I started to sob, holding onto him tightly. I never wanted to let him go again. He held my tightly as I was holding him, his fingers digging into me so hard it nearly hurt but all it brought was unending comfort.
The sound of a throat clearing had Rhex loosening his grip on me just a fraction. "I hate to intrude upon your reunion but some things need to be discussed." Rehnas's voice was firm and Rhex slowly let me go, I clung to his side tightly, wiping my eyes as he held me close. "Because of Liviya's condition it is now apparent that until we fix the attitudes aboard this ship, we will need to place both you and her into a safer environment." The councilman gave me a soft smile but Rhex held me closer, gently moving me behind him and out of view.
"What do you mean her condition? What did they do to her?" His tone was severe and demanded retribution. I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I wiped my eyes, clutching his shirt with my free hand.
"It is what you did to her." Rehnas emphasized the word and I swallowed. Technically it was what we both did.
"Excuse me." Rhex's form stiffened as his hands curled into fists and I slowly stepped around him.
I grasped his fist in my hand, rubbing his arm as I silently urged him to relax. As soon as his muscles started to loosen and he looked at me, I swallowed hard. "Rhex... I'm pregnant." As much as I was having a hard time swallowing the news because of the suddenness of it all, both Rehnas and his mate were positive I was. They obviously knew something I did not.
"What?" He looked stunned and confused and I didn't blame him. I still a bit shocked about it.
"She is roughly six weeks along. The peace keepers alerted us to her condition last week." Rehnas placed his hand on his soulmate's lower back as he gave us both a wide smile.
Rhex apprehended thunderstruck by the news and I knew I didn't fair much better with it. "We did not request fertilization." He turned to look at Rehnas, his face almost pale making his scar stand out and his stubble that much darker.
"Human-Orrian pairings do not need to." Margery gave him a soft smile as she took her squirming daughter from Rehnas.
"You are carrying my child?" Rhex slowly turned to look at me, his eyes searching for a lie, searching for something that told him it wasn't true.
"Apparently, yes." My voice came out as almost a squeak. I was terrified. I hadn't planned on having a baby, I hadn't even thought about it. Rhex pressed his face into my hair as his large hand went to cover my stomach, he rubbed it gently before he kissed my temple.
"I will kill him." His words were dark and deadly as he said them against my skin. I could feel the heat of them, could almost feel the promise they carried.
"He is being banished." Rehnas sounded unconcerned and Rhex whirled around to face him.
"He threatened my mate, my wife, and my unborn child! He had me sent away so he could do so!" Anger rolled off him in rather oppressive waves. He had been taken from me because I was to be recycled. Then he had learned that the threat hadn't just been against me but a child we had created and I could understand his anger fully. I could understand his need for vengeance. I knew that if I was in the right mind I would have as well.
"And he is being punished for such. You need to remain with Liviya and keep her happy and healthy while she creates the future generation." Rehnas kept calm and diplomatic in the face of Rhex's anger. He spoke as if it did not phase him and I was impressed. "And speaking of such. You two will be placed upon Earth. It is a safer and more relaxing environment. Many Human-Orrian pairings live on Earth. Much like your friend Ami'la Denmark." He gestured to me and I frowned in confusion.
"Denmark? Ami'la?" I hadn't heard anything about Ami'la pairing off. True it had been awhile since I had contact with anyone down on Earth but I was sure someone would have let me know.
"Yes, she was mated to a Bruce Denmark a few weeks ago when he entered her office, ironically, to find his soulmate." He seemed delighted at the irony of the situation and I blinked in confusion but it was Rhex who coughed to clear his throat.
"Bruce, Bruce?" He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the councilman and he gave a deep nod.
"The very same one that you spent your training with, Rhex." He gave a rather amused smile and Rhex blinked rapidly. I wanted to smile. Ami'la could truly use someone with Bruce's temperament.
"Oh." Oh indeed. I knew I would feel happy for Ami'la shortly but currently I was still confused as to what was happening and what was going on.
"Please, we extend our congratulations for your child to be but you are being asked to leave the ship on a permanent basis. Your belongings have already been transferred down to Earth." He gave us both an encouraging smile and I stared at him. I had pretty much hit my limit for taking in any new information.
"I don't understand." I didn't. I barely understood half of what he had said before.
"You and many human sympathizers are being moved to Earth on a permanent basis. It is time we unpacked the ships and started merging our cultures into one." He shifted his weight on his feet. "Your friend Ghilesh was far ahead of us in getting your things together and on Earth. Illegally at that but that is no matter." That explained why Ghilesh hadn't been seen or heard during my incarceration.
"I do not understand. Why are you doing this?" Rhex said it slowly as he reached out and pulled me close to his side. His rather tight grip let me know he wasn't going to let me go and I appreciated it.
"Because we have been building a chance for our species to survive for years. You and Liviya are just a small part of that chance." His words did little to clear the confusion I felt and I knew Rhex felt.
"Rehnas, he hasn't been told anything. We pulled him off of the ship in his pod." Margery said it quietly and Rehnas's face flushed slightly. It looked rather amusing on such a large man.
"Oh, my apologies." His eyes darted back and forth as if he were looking for the words to use to explain it. "Thirty years ago it was discovered that the reason we had become infertile as a species was because we were not copulating with our true soulmates. We had forsaken the Source and it had in turn forsaken us. It made us barren." My father had said as much as I was growing up. I was surprised no one had truly said it out loud as fact before Rehnas.
"We had then decided on an experiment. We contacted all the doctors and scientists that were looking into the fertility issues of our species and asked them to help us." He gestured as he spoke, his voice calm and even like a true neutral and impartial council member should be. "We requested that they pick out certain people, whom they trusted completely, to carry out this top secret experiment. Your father was among them, Liviya." He gave me a look and it all suddenly made sense. My father hadn't told me because he hadn't been allowed. He hadn't kept the secret of just my DNA but the project in its entirety. It was no wonder he hadn't said anything because he hadn't been allowed to.
"This experiment was to allow human children with more than fifty percent Orrian DNA to be born to see if we could jump start our soulmate process once more. Over eight thousand children were born but only about three thousand of those, all of which were above the sixty percent mark, were actually paired with Orrians. The rest were paired off with humans." He let out a breath before he gave me a rather small smile. "You might have thought you were alone in your inability to bond, Liviya, but you were far from the first. We simply kept everything about them under wraps. No one but the Oria council and the genetic scientists knew about you and the others." Everything was making sense to me. It was in how I had few friends growing up, in how I acted and how different I had felt. It was why I hadn't truly fit in because I was part of something much larger. Something the Source had shown them.
"From the moment you were conceived we controlled every move you made. We were the ones who kept your DNA from ever entering the system. The peace keeper in your room was deactivated by a source code we wrote and implemented in the main servers. A backup in case something slipped through." Rehnas paced slightly as his mate bounced their little girl with a happy smile. "When you turned twenty-five, we chose the ship you would be brought to, we chose the day it would happen, and we had every single Orrian we believed could be your soulmate within the recycling bay for when you arrived." The memories of that day entered my head and Rhex's fingers twitched on my side.
"The scheduling error." There was a note of realization to his words and Rehnas nodded.
"That was us. You were down there because we wanted you to be there, Rhex." They had controlled everything down to the most minor detail. This had been a plan thirty years in the making and I was in awe of how flawlessly they had executed it. "We also moved you from the military apartments to the student ones to prevent your DNA from being discovered. So many little things that brought us all to this moment. " He gestured to the council room with a smile.
"Why keep this a secret?" Rhex frowned slightly. "If it is the cure for our infertility, why continue to keep us in the dark?" That was also a very good question that I too wanted an answer for. Why the secrecy and the subterfuge?
"Because there are many like Khos. We are attempting to weed them out. By exposing Human-Orrian pairings one-by-one, ship-by-ship, we are flushing them out of the holes they have hidden themselves in. Our entire reasoning is to exterminate them. Our species can only survive by combining with humans." He gave a slow shake of his head before he pulled Margery close to his side, giving her a rather loving smile. "There is no other way and even if there was, there would be no other way I would be willing to take." I knew the feeling and from how Rhex shifted his grip so that he was holding me just a touch tighter, I knew he fully understood the feeling as well.
"So we needed to remove the source of the hate and the discrimination and the dissension. How does that human saying go? Remove the rotten apples before they spoil the entire barrel." He smiled at us once more and I nodded slowly. I was understanding more and more.
A few bad apples spoil the bunch.
They were getting rid of the bad apples and in order to do so they had to do it quietly. I was more than impressed.
"Now that we have that covered. You two need to head down to Earth and settle into your new house, Liviya." At that I gave a wide grin and leaned against Rhex. Rehnas returned my grin with one of his own. "It is time for you two to go home."
Home.
I laced my fingers through Rhex's before I brought his hand up to my mouth, kissing the back of it softly. A word had never sounded so wonderful.