Reckoning
"What do you intend to do with her?"
The Saiya-jin-no-Ou frowned at the High King. Zha'haabron was angry. Rightly so - even Vejiita admitted that. And an angry Zha'haabron wasn't something to be taken lightly. He wasn't going to like what Vejiita had to say next…
"At the moment, we are undecided."
Golden eyes narrowed fractionally.
"She must be punished for the attack, and for the harm she has caused… Severely punished. Execution would be appropriate."
"I can't do that."
There was a long, ugly silence.
"Why not?"
"Because, according to our laws and traditions, she did nothing wrong."
For an instant the zn'hre flickered into his saurian form - then regained control of himself and transformed back.
"Explain."
Vejiita grimaced.
"It is perfectly legitimate and acceptable to challenge a claim. If the challenger defeats the claimant, the claimed mate becomes his - or in this case hers - and the previous claim is superseded."
"This applies to non-Saiya-jin?"
"There's no precedent - until recently Saiyans claimed and were claimed only by other Saiyans."
Zha'haabron began to pace, every muscle taut. Vejiita tried to explain further.
"It's why only those with the strongest ki ever felt safe enough to claim another. Anyone challenging a claim has the right to inflict any damage they can on their opponent - there are penalties for actually killing the other, but it takes a lot to kill Saiya-jin." He growled in exasperation. "It would have been safer for Hijau to have claimed the prince."
"That was not what they wanted. And it would not have afforded Hijau the protection he desired."
"From Cendawan?" Vejiita shook his head. "What protection? The baka wasn't thinking clearly. Being claimed is no protection from such as her - as she's just proved."
"Is she to be allowed to escape unscathed, then?"
The Saiya-jin-no-Ou shook his head.
"No - obviously we can't allow that. I won't have any of my people thinking they can flout even the spirit of the Alliance for personal reasons and get away with it. But her discipline is, strictly speaking, a matter for Nappa to determine."
"Are you not in control of the offworld military?"
"Nominally, yes. In reality, Nappa's forces are fiercely loyal to him, not to Vejiitasei. And he would not appreciate having the terms of her punishment taken entirely out of his hands."
Zha'haabron folded his arms over his chest.
"So what are you going to do?"
"The council is meeting with the diplomatic corps to discuss the matter before approaching Nappa. We need some sort of ruling to cover such occurrences in future, as well as in this instance."
"And in the meantime?"
Vejiita gazed at the zn'hre: the King was simmering with anger and frustration.
"I would ask you not to take any precipitate action, nor allow any of the family to do so. Cendawan is in custody and will remain there until the matter is resolved."
Zha'haabron's stony stare was not reassuring, and Vejiita growled to himself. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but for the sake of the Empire will you be patient?"
"This is the second time such a thing has occurred - first Zh'anah and Ti'aasaan, now Zha'haarak."
Vejiita flinched inwardly. The High King was right - the Saiya-jin did not have a very good record where the safety of their allies was concerned…
"I understand that, and deeply regret what has happened. Nevertheless, I ask that you remain impartial until the council's deliberations are concluded."
"Am I to have any say in the matter?"
"It's Saiya-jin business…"
"… which has resulted in my sibling bondmate being badly injured!"
Vejiita closed his eyes.
"I give you my word that if you aren't satisfied with the outcome, you and I will discuss the matter further."
Zha'haabron frowned. It wasn't much to offer… Then again, he could understand the difficult balance of power Vejiita was trying to maintain.
"Very well. You will advise me as soon as a decision has been reached?"
The Saiya-jin-no-Ou nodded, hiding his relief.
"Of course." He hesitated for a moment, then, "How is he?"
Zha'haabron glowered, hissing.
"In great pain. There's some nerve damage, it will be some time before he can use his hands… and Vinas tells me his hip is likely to dislocate easily in future, which is going to cause no end of problems, especially when he's hosting..."
"I am sorry…"
The zn'hre stared at the Saiyan for a moment, then nodded tightly. Vejiita inclined his head.
"We will of course understand if you wish to spend time with him while he recovers…"
"'raadiin!" The young warrior jumped, and turned guiltily back to his terminal. Mahrayne glared at him, then at 'tiisaan.
"Right - I want you," she pointed at 'raadiin, "to swap seats with 'honee." That would keep the little horror under her eyes. "And you," she frowned at 'tiisaan, who was smirking smugly, "will swap seats with 'leesaan."
Sulking, the two young zn'hre jostled each other as they moved seats, then settled themselves at their new terminals and logged back in. Mahrayne resumed the lesson, but she was disturbed and anxious…
Hijau's refusal to have anything to do with her had had an unexpected and unwelcome side effect: 'raadiin - and hence Kiraz, along with 'jiisa and Le'leen - had 'sided' with the captain, becoming sulky and obstructive towards Mahrayne in lessons and only reluctantly doing as they were bid when in the suite. On the other side, 'tiisaan, 'viirel, Buahan and Ti'ani had determinedly taken the Hassinan's part, arguing incomprehensibly with their siblings, even coming to blows at one point (Mahrayne had been startled to see 'tiisaan give almost as good as he got: he didn't have 'raadiin's strength or blood-thirstiness but he was fast and very agile…) It had taken Hijau's intervention to settle that contretemps, the captain dragging the siblings forcibly apart and telling them in no uncertain terms that this was nothing to do with them and they were not to take sides. The day after that Leteetza had spoken to the captain, and later that day the little warrior had taken Mahrayne aside. The tale she'd told had the Hassinan biting back tears.
"His mother killed his twin? Oh 'teetza - that's so awful…"
She nodded grimly.
"He's had other problems too. And he didn't appreciate you overreacting when he asked a simple, straightforward and perfectly reasonable question. You have to face it, you are not and never will be as strong as one of us, and," she grinned wryly, "you were right, most of us don't think any further than using our fists - or our ki - to overcome any 'problems' we might have." She sighed. "It'll take us a while to change that attitude, and some of us never will. But in the meantime, make allowances for Hijau, ne?"
She nodded, and agreed to put up with the captain's behaviour (which, Leteetza thought privately, was a little excessive, although he was under a lot of stress right now…), and to try to treat him as usual.
And things had improved slightly, although the children were still unsettled…
And three days later Zha'haarak had been attacked, and the family needed all the help they could get.
Kyuri laid a hand on her captain's shoulder.
"How's he doing?"
Hijau rubbed a hand wearily over his face.
"Poorly. He's in dreadful pain. Vinas thinks that a nerve got trapped somehow when the Ssii'iin forced his hip back into place."
Kyuri winced, then growled.
"I want to kill that little…"
She wasn't the only one - the whole Guard had quickly grown fond of the gentle zn'hre…
Chilek stuck his head around the door, face sombre.
"Sir? They're here…"
Hijau pulled himself upright in his seat, gesturing for Kyuri to stand beside him.
"Bring them in."
Manzano had had Zyelenyi check the records on the twin ki-manipulators, and the results had been less than completely satisfactory, mostly due to the paucity of detail. The pair had been orphaned at the age of three, and looked after by an elderly cousin until they reached ten - at which point they'd run away from home to Bahche, the capital of Cayir. There were few other details until a year ago, when the pair, now seventeen, had evidently been cautioned on several occasions about their 'lewd and insulting' behaviour towards the family of one of the highest ranking nobles on the island, and had later been caught stealing from the home of said noble - they'd managed to escape thanks to what the guards trying to apprehend them called their 'unbelievable physical agility'. Then a few days later they'd appeared in the alien quarter of Vejiitamachi. There was no record of how they'd managed the trip: they were listed as mid-range first class and it was rather unlikely they'd been able to fly the distance…
Hijau had shaken his head on reading the report. Too many unanswered questions, too little known. He didn't know much about Cayir himself, but a chat with Chilek, who was a native of the temperate island, convinced him it wasn't somewhere he'd particularly enjoy living. Conservative, stolid, the elders self-satisfied and full of their own worth - it didn't sound like a particularly cheery place. He could imagine youngsters wanting to escape.
How the twins had developed their precision ki-manipulation was unknown, but they had had a great deal of success, if the records were accurate. Dislocations, breaks, various muscular and bone ailments and disorders, chills and diseases brought on by the cold season - they really were amazingly adaptable… He closed the report, drumming his fingers on his desk. But was it really worth risking bringing outsiders into the palace, even for his bondmate's sake, when so very little was known about them?
He decided, reluctantly, that it wasn't.
And then Cendawan attacked Zha'haarak, and he no longer had the choice. He couldn't bear his bondmate's pain - physically as well as emotionally. Vinas had insisted on having the prince take a pain-blocking narcotic mix - one he'd had manufactured on R'ren'nkh'ia and imported to Vejiitasei - but it wasn't working very well, which, Hijau was guiltily convinced, was because his own half of the bond was suppressing its effectiveness… The pain, and anxiety for his bondmate, was making it very difficult for him to perform his duties. He'd been forced to order Chilek to bring the twins to headquarters.
They were very, very nervous: Hijau had instructed Chilek not to tell them why they were being brought in, knowing there was a risk they'd bolt but also knowing they'd not get far, not with superbly trained Elites on their tails. They'd apparently realised it too, and, sensibly, hadn't tried to escape. Chilek stood behind the pair as Kyuri and the captain gazed at them appraisingly.
Somewhat taller than Leteetza, but not as tall as Kyuri, they were pretty, with the pale creamy-golden skin many of their fellow islanders possessed, long arms and legs, and identical waist-length, shaggy, heavy manes - of a most curious colour, apparently black, but when the light hit them just so there were flecks and streaks of a beautiful rich blue, similar to the sheen on the feathers of one of Rumput's more spectacular tropical birds. The same highlights flickered along their long, slim black tails, currently twined around each other nervously. Large dark eyes, wide with fear, gazed apprehensively at the pair behind the desk.
Hijau smiled tightly - then paled and grabbed for his hip as the pain-block failed, Zha'haarak lost control, and his pain flooded his bondmate. Kyuri held his shoulders as the young officer fought it down, eyes closed…
"Sir, can we help?"
A small warm hand was laid over his, and he looked up into one of the twins' faces. The dark eyes were flecked with deep blue, he noticed absently.
"Not me…" He bit his lip as another wave of pain ripped through him. Kyuri frowned - then made the decision. She pulled Hijau upright, supporting him, and inclined her head to the twins.
"Come with me."
In the suite Ti'aasaan and Zha'haabron were doing what little they could to comfort their bondmate until Vinas could get there. As Kyuri, still aiding Hijau and with the twins and Chilek close behind, entered the king glanced up, eyes widening, then hastened to take the captain from the female and ease him down onto the sleeping platform, close to his mate. Kyuri turned to the twins.
"This is Zha'haabron, the High King of R'ren'nkh'ia…" The twins stared at each other, wide-eyed, then dropped to one knee, heads bowed.
"..and this is Zha'haarak, the prince. Who needs your help."
One of the twins rose, hesitantly, and moved closer to the bed, frowning down at the exhausted, shaking zn'hre. She knelt beside him, stretching out a hand, then glancing nervously up at the king.
"Your Majesty - may I?"
Zha'haabron nodded and moved to take his sibling's head onto his lap. The young Saiyan very gently cupped her hand over Zha'haarak's hip, closing her eyes and frowning. After a moment she glanced over her shoulder at her twin.
"Dari, come check this."
Her sister moved to join her, resting one hand on the prince's cool forehead, the other beside her twin's.
"You feel it?"
Dari nodded.
"Pressing on the nerve. Can we move it, d'you think?"
"Have to try." Tane slid one hand under the prince's thigh, biting her lip as he whimpered.
"I'm sorry, your highness… We’ll try not to hurt any more than we have to."
Zha'haabron frowned at Kyuri, who nodded encouragingly.
"They may be able to help, your Majesty."
The king inclined his head, dubiously, but before he could say anything Zha'haarak - and Hijau - bit back a cry… Zha'haabron flinched as a wave of echoed pain rushed through his body, to be immediately replaced by a sensation of warmth…
"What…?"
Tane smiled up at him.
"That should feel more comfortable for him, your Majesty."
Hijau was blinking, his expression one of startled disbelief.
"What did you do?"
Tane grinned at him.
"Hopefully fixed the immediate problem…" She smiled shyly down at the prince.
"Does that feel better, your highness?"
Zha'haarak nodded, wearily and gratefully. For two days it had felt like someone was scraping a jagged knife over and over again against the inside of his hip; now the pain had receded to a dull ache, something he knew and could cope with.
"Th… thank you…"
Dari smiled diffidently.
"Is there anything else we can do to help?"
Ti'aasaan grinned.
"How are you with hands?"
Vinas arrived a few minutes later, to find Zha'haarak finally sleeping, something he'd not managed since the attack. Zha'haabron briefly explained what had happened: the biotech frowned at the twins.
"You use ki to effect healing? I want you both in my lab as soon as possible for tests. I need to know what you do and how you do it…"
"Vinas." Zha'haabron's beautiful low voice was amused. "It can wait." He smiled at the pair.
"Thank you."
They blushed and lowered their heads.
"Was nothing, your Majesty."
"It means a lot to us."
Tane swallowed nervously and raised her eyes, gazing at him frankly.
"It'll help for now, your Majesty, but he'll need more." She glanced at the sleeping figure and shook her head. "His hip… it's badly damaged. When does it hurt him?"
"Most of the time." Hijau had moved to his bondmate's side, stroking the emerald hair, his expression soft with relief. "It's worst when he feels cold, though."
"And he feels cold a lot of the time." added Ti'aasaan.
Tane glanced at Dari.
*Do you know what's going on here?*
*'Course not! When have I ever bothered to find out what happens in the palace?*
*I have a feeling we're going to need to know…*
She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry to sound ignorant, your Majesty - but we really don't know who you are, or… or anything…"
For a moment everyone simply stared - then Ti'aasaan laughed delightedly.
"So much for fame."
It was early afternoon. Dazed, their heads spinning, the twins, escorted by Chilek and Kyuri, had returned to the shabby little room they shared above the tavern in the alien quarter. The Guards had left a few minutes ago.
Tane stared at Dari, who stared back.
"Uh, did all that really happen?"
Dari grinned.
"Uhuh."
"They want us to go back tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"We're treating an alien prince?"
"Yup."
"Brother to the Saiya-jin-no-Ou's Alliance partner?"
"So they say."
Tane frowned and shook her head.
"Can't be happening."
"Why not?"
"Things like that don't happen to us…"
Dari pulled her close, supple tail easing its way under the waistband of her leggings to tickle at her groin.
"Maybe our luck's about to change…" she breathed into her sister's ear, nipping at the lobe and sliding a hand under the loose tunic to tease a nipple…
"They will, of course, need to move into the palace."
Zh'leet frowned.
"Is that absolutely necessary?"
Zha'haabron regarded her coolly.
"I want them near at hand, for when the Ssii'irin is in pain." He stroked the gentle zn'hre's pale face. "And that will be most of the time for a while, especially with the cold season approaching."
"But we really don't know anything about them, my Ssii'iin…" While the last thing she wanted was for Zha'haarak to have to suffer, Leteetza vividly remembered the events of the Anzu conspiracy. She wasn't at all sure how the king would take to complete strangers - even relatively weak first class females - having the run of the palace… "I'm not sure Vejiita will agree to it."
Hijau growled.
"He owes us. That fucking baita should be dead…"
Radittsu wrapped his arms around the captain from behind, unusually gently, trying to calm the younger Saiyan.
"A lot of us would be better off, I agree. But you know we can't kill Elites without a very good reason. And we don't have a very good reason. She acted legally."
Hijau pulled away with a snarl.
"Are you defending her?"
Radittsu sighed and laid a hand against his face, his eyes sad.
*After what she did to us? Of course not. And I am bonded to Zha'haarak too, remember - even if nothing like as closely as you. But death is really too good for her anyway - she needs some sort of retribution that will make her regret that she wasn't executed…*
The captain gazed at his aijin, slanted eyes wide with sudden realisation.
*Ah. Like Anzu?*
*Something like that… Vejiita has become adept at devising fitting punishments.*
Hijau smiled, coldly, and pressed a kiss to Radittsu's palm.
*And if he doesn't come up with something appropriate?*
The big Saiyan smirked.
*Then I'm sure we can arrange some sort of 'accident'…*
Zha'haabron inclined his head.
"One way or another, we will see justice done. In the meantime, I will speak with the Saiya-jin-no-Ou on the subject of our little healers. I am sure he will see reason."
Mahrayne had listened with great interest. She'd been in class with the children when the twins had been tending to Zha'haarak: Jeice and Ti'aasaan had joined the morning lessons with Ra'vahn and Za'rayne, since the atmosphere in the suite was proving so stressful it upset the little hybrids. The fact that the ki-manipulators were female twins had fascinated her, and she'd found Ti'aasaan's description of them intriguing. She was looking forward to meeting them.
Though it wasn't to happen just yet. Hijau and Chilek had collected the twins from the alien quarter the following morning, while Mahrayne was taking lessons, and the pair had left by the time they all returned to the suite for the mid-day meal. But it had obviously been a successful visit: Zha'haarak looked much better, the lines of pain in his face almost smoothed away, his breathing easier - and he even had some appetite back! Hijau sat beside him, feeding him small pieces of sweetwater pinkfin, interspersing morsels of the fish with gentle teasing kisses that left the prince blushing and smiling shyly. And as for the atmosphere in the suite - you could almost taste the relief!
Jeice had grinned at Mahrayne as she settled herself somewhat wearily on a floor cushion. She'd planned on giving 'tiisaan a dance lesson later, but found herself unaccountably weary… The hash'shavven inclined his head.
"I can take 'tiisaan this afternoon."
The Hassinan smiled.
"Would you mind, sinam? I'm really too tired…"
He gazed pointedly at her distended belly and smirked.
"I wonder why?"
She chuckled.
"Pregnancy doesn't normally stop our females from dancing…"
"And how many of them have ever carried a half-Saiyan child?"
She beamed at him, and he grinned back.
"Your happiness is a joy to me." he murmured. "I trust it never ends."
'tiisaan was happy to have Jeice take his dance lesson - and for once 'haabron asked to join in.
It was to set a pattern for the near future, and, in a way, it was understandable. Vejiita had insisted Kobis start training, and the young Saiyan had resisted, saying he didn't want to be a warrior… Then having Radittsu quietly point out that 'haabron was steadily increasing in ki as he grew older, and it would make love-play easier for them both if he, Kobis, did what he could to match it, had been a revelation to the young prince, and led to a serious determination to do what he could to boost his own abilities. He gritted his teeth and volunteered to join Radittsu's training group…
Mahrayne had been puzzled as to why 'haabron wanted to learn to dance, until the zn'hre prince had let slip that Kobis liked it when Jeice danced, and liked the music he danced to. The Hassinan had nodded to herself, resigned. Looked like their attachment was serious, then. Ah well. If anything went wrong, they both had the loving strength of the family to call on…
Kelapa was on duty. Hijau had taken Zha'haarak through to their room to rest for an hour or two, *cradled* in his bondmate's love. Jeice had gathered his young students and taken them down to the 'playroom' for an afternoon of hvassah tuition, accompanied by 'viirel, who was becoming quite talented on the zth'ishihn, much to the hash'shavven's delight: the little musician could now add his own melodies to the audio chips Jeice used in his lessons. Radittsu was overseeing the training session in one of the outdoor arenas, and the children that weren't actually taking part - Buahan, Ti'ani, 'fallon, 'zhasaan and 'miiron - had taken scribers and sketchboards with them: Mahrayne wanted to see how their artistic abilities were coming along.
And Zha'haabron had taken a whole afternoon off to spend with his hostlings. He was currently in the bathing pool, gently *encouraging* them to practise bukuujutsu.
Which left Mahrayne and Ti'aasaan in the common room…
The little zn'hre grinned at the Hassinan, his eyes sparkling.
Mahrayne felt that familiar warmth suddenly flare in her groin…
It was a beautiful afternoon, hot, still, sweetly calm. Ti'aasaan pulled a sleeping fur from the pile and headed out to the balcony, glancing back over his shoulder, eyelids lowered and his half-smile seductive. Mahrayne had risen to her feet and made to follow him before she realised she'd moved.
She grinned wryly to herself.
Well, Zorun hadn't actually, definitively, said she couldn't…
© 2002 July 3rd Joules Taylor
This chapter marks something of a departure for me, with the introduction of two new characters based - for the first time - on real people…
I had an e-mail, a while back, from Talon, saying that she and her twin Cleodasia had devised a method for the use of delicate ki manipulation and massage to ease various medical problems, principally joint and muscle ailments, especially those made worse by the cold - and suggesting that the same technique might help Zha'haarak.
Of course, this would be ideal for him - but it's not something any of the family would think of or know how to use. It requires special skills...
Enter guest stars Tane and Dari.
The characters of Tane and Dari are based on my interpretations of Talon and Cleodasia. I've never met either of them, but I have their permission to have them come play in my continuum… They'll be making regular appearances, so you'll be seeing more of them!
