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"In due time," I tempered her new hope and vengefulness. "It's complicated."
"Try me," she challenged, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"The empire controls vast parts of the universe," I began to explain. "But there is also the Galactic Treaty Union—GTU— ensuring no one species overruns the others and seizes too much control. They enforce certain intergalactic laws every species must obey."
She nodded her understanding, baffling me. There was a lot more to her than the sex toy the Cryons used her for. If the rest of her species was this intelligent, Daryus would interfere. He was a specitarian, believed deeply that everyspecies in the universe had a place in it and deserved to live to their full potential.
"If the Cryons overstep by doing things to the humans that goes against the GTU laws, they will put a stop to it?" she wagered.
"In essence, vra," I confirmed but cautioned, "those things do take time though."
She sighed deeply. "Just like on Earth, just on a grander scale I suppose."
"Tell me about Earth."
"We have many different races on Earth," she explained. "We did the same things to our fellow humans, that the Cryons are now doing to us. Whenever a race discovered a weaker one, the stronger one overtook them. And the victor usually was… just as devious as the Cryons. Later we had the UN—United Nations—which sounds like your GTU, to ensure peace and to stop certain superpowers from overrunning weaker ones."
She stared at her grayish skin. "We just haven't been as inventive, but if we had the technology, I can't say we wouldn't have done the same."
"Warriors then?" I stated, pushing my plate away.
"Some," she allowed, before she sighed again, "It just sucks to be on the losing end."
And boy did itsuck. Like most Westerners I thought myself invincible. At least when it came to being invaded by another army. On some level I wondered if we had it coming, considering our past. Karma and all that.
That didn't mean I had to like it though.
"What can you do for the humans already in Cryon captivity?" I asked, sensing the man who rescued me having some pull with hisemperor. Emperor! I shook my head. As advanced as these Pandraxians were, they seemed to adhere to some very medieval customs. Either way, I figured the emperor would have some pull with the GTU.
"It depends on Emperor Daryus, if we can convince him to take up your cause with the GTU." Garth's eyeschallenged me. "Are you prepared to plead your people's cause to him?"
Being a representative of Earth and pleading for billions of lives was the last thing I had ever expected to do. I was only a real estate agent, I was twenty-six years old, what did I know about pleading a cause? I had never even publicly spoken, unless you counted a presentation in front of no more than ten of my colleagues. To do so now, in front of an emperor, seemed terrifying.
Who else was there though? For some reason, I was here, now, with this man who could take me to the one person or persons who could put an end to my people's suffering.
So I stuck my chin out, lifted my head, and met his challenging gaze full on. "You bet your ass I am."
His lips twitched, but he didn't laugh, instead he praised, "I believe you are, and from the looks of it, you will leave quite an impression."
Our eyes met and held. He was a very attractive man, one I would have flirted with at any bar or place. One I had already experienced the most intense, intimate sex of my life with, I remembered, and my face began to burn at the memory of how I begged him to fuck me. Yes, it hadn't been of my own making, I had been quite helpless, but it happened and I wasn't sure if I would ever beable to get over it.
I broke the moment. "When will we reach… your empire?"
"Pandrax," he filled in for me. Something dark crossed his features, as if he didn't like that I had cut our moment short. I didn't believe for a second that he was attracted to me. I only had to take one glimpse at my grayish, appalling skin to reiterate how repulsive I looked. He was probably only taking pity on me and for some reason that notion bothered me more than it should have.
"It will take four space days."
"Space days?"
"It's how we measure time in space. We still have to adhere to days and nights, to keep morale and discipline up."
That still didn't tell me anything. For all I knew a space day could be a year in Earth time, Einstein and all that, not that I knew anything about it other than the idea that time in space traveled differently. Thousands, if not millions of people would die while I flew through space, trying to save them. Many more would die while I talked to the emperor and maybe, hopefully the GTU, and even more while they would debate what to do. And even if they decided to interfere, so many more would die or be taken captive, that it blew my mind.
Suddenly I was very tired, exhausted.
"Where will I sleep?" I asked quietly, praying he didn't expect a repeat performance of… had it happened last night? Hours ago? I didn't even know anymore.
The way he eyed me told me that he did toy with the idea of a repeat performance and my cheeks heated even more, making me wonder if they turned a darker gray or lighter.
