“Interesting. Your mate does not lie to get you on board our ship.”
“Ella is a good person. She only wants to help.”
Khirana stared at him, assessing.
He was aware of the men and women at her back. They all had weapons. They could kill him the moment he entered the ship, but he had faith in his woman. If she spoke about him, she had good reason.
Khirana stepped back to give him space to enter the ship. “We’re going to scan you to make sure you are healthy and that you are not hiding another weapon.”
“I am not hiding anything.”
“Put your hands on your head.”
“I am not a criminal. You are.”
She snorted. “Oh, please, the only criminal right now is you. How could you think to put our entire hope for survival on a ship without enough oxygen, no weaponry, and no way to repair it? We had been following you for days, watching your ship gradually fall apart.”
“You were following me?”
“We had no choice. When we heard word of the human female being returned to Earth, we thought it was lies. All factors pointed to the humans being our link to survival, and you took her away. We were going to intercept, but you crash-landed on Earth before we caught up with you.”
“You didn’t risk going to Earth?” he asked.
“We’re an advanced race. There was no way we were going to run the risk of getting lost or becoming a science experiment. We have more class than that.”
“Clearly.”
Men ran scanners over his body. There were a couple of times it bleeped, shining a red light in his general direction.
“He is clean. A couple of cuts and bruises, but he will live,” the soldier nearest him said.
“What are those?”
“They medi kits. They’re designed to scan our bodies, to detect illness and areas that will cause us problems.”
Dhiro couldn’t believe they had such things. Although Trenuians were technologically lightyears ahead of humans, this was advanced even for them. “Impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible if you are determined to see your vision through, which is exactly what we did. The Scyathra believe in development, the future, a better life for all. You and your people have a backward belief, seeing greed, pain, and death as your future.”
“What you say is … outrageous.”
“Really. You need to study up on your facts before you even begin to accuse us of anything.” Khirana handed him a small compact computer. It was so small, but he saw the news articles as they showed in graphic detail what actually happened. The plague wasn’t the cause of their infertility. They did this to themselves. His people were first to unleash a biological chemical that eventually rendered them all infertile.
He flicked through each article, shocked as he checked the dates. Their people had purposefully hidden this information so no one would know the truth.
“Everything is a lie?” Dhiro asked.
“Not everything. Your people do not have the proper tools to see our races succeed. I want the opportunity to be a mother. We are not here to wipe you off the face of the planet, Dhiro. We do not seek vengeance for being outcast.”
“What do you want?”
“The chance to bring about peace. Now is not a time to be fighting against each other. Now is the time to come together. To unify, no matter the cost.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?” Dhiro asked.
“You hold the key,” Ella said.
He spun around and saw Ella in the doorway. She wore Scyathra clothing. She held up a hand and waved at him, presenting him with a smile.
Dhiro went to her, wanting her in his arms, but the soldiers stood in front of her, stopping him.
“Let him,” Khirana said. “After all, she is his mate. We are not animals. We all know how important it is for us to be close to our people.”
He had to have Ella in his arms.
The soldiers stepped aside, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“I’m fine. They took care of me. I was so scared. I thought you were dead.”
“Nothing would keep me from you.”
“Just like a Trenuian. Thinking you’re indestructible,” Khirana said.
He glanced behind him at the woman. All his life, he’d hated the Scyathra. The truth she had just unveiled was … sickening, but the time for war was gone. There was no way any of them would prosper from fighting each other. His people were not bad. They were living off the tail-end of their old lies.
“What do you propose we do?” he asked. “I cannot make guarantees that whatever you ask for can work.”
“We can,” Ella said. “Your people are desperate.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” Dhiro asked the woman.
“We currently have one of our craft just outside of Earth.” Khirana pressed a few buttons of the device he’d given her back, and she held it toward him. “We are making sure your brothers are safe. They do not wish to be taken back home just yet. A communication was intercepted, and we offered them a place on our ship.”