Fade

Ta'haarel curled on the main sleeping platform of the Lizard in the Night, shaking uncontrollably with pain and fear and relief. Ti'ani cuddled him, stroking his hair, wordlessly reassuring as the zhaneer struggled to come to terms with what had happened…

Welcome to the family… The words had sent a thrill through him - then, to his embarrassment, he'd burst into tears. Zha'haabron had pulled the zhaneer weakly into his arms, holding him comfortingly, but it had been several long and anxious minutes before Ta'haarel had been able to gain control of himself and pull back, still shivering.
      "I'm… I'm sorry... I feel… strange…"
      Ti'ani laid an arm across his shoulders.
      "That's hardly surprising."
      "I know… but…" he suddenly moaned, wincing and burying his head in his hands. Ti'ani frowned and hugged him.
      "What's wrong?"
      The zhaneer shook his head tightly, and the hybrid eyed the king worried, but before anyone could say anything two unfamiliar zhaneer strode into the suite through the wall, their expressions cold. The R'ren'nkh'ian guards moved forwards - only to find themselves frozen, mindlocked in place. As were the family, helpless to do more than watch as the zhaneer beckoned to Ta'haarel, who rose unsteadily to his feet and made to follow them. Le'leen - with 'vahn and Ti'ani slightly behind him - planted himself in front of the trio, arms folded and glowering.
      "He's staying here."
      But Ta'haarel shook his head.
      "N… no… I… have to… do this…"
      Ignoring the furious glares of the other zhaneer, Ti'ani rested his hands on Ta'haarel's shoulders.
      "You don't have to go with them, zk'vissin. You're part of the family now."
      "I… I know… but I have to do this… to… close my life here…"
      "They're going to hurt you."
      The zhaneer managed a mirthless smile.
      "No… they won't…"
      "They're already hurting you!"
      "Just… to make sure I go with them." Ta'haarel's voice was a little stronger, his body a little more relaxed. "You see? They know I'm complying. They aren't hurting me now. They won't hurt me. I can *feel* it."
      "I'm coming with you."
      Fear flared in big golden eyes, just for a moment.
      "No… I would rather you did not…"
      Ti'ani's eyes narrowed.
      "Why not?"
      "It will be - easier - for me if you do not."
      Easier, as in less humiliating, Ti'ani *saw* in the zhaneer's mind: there was no sense of threat from the elders he was being taken to see, only a coldness, and he knew how to deal with that. Ti'ani nodded, very reluctantly, not at all sure he believed it would be as easy as the zhaneer thought - hoped, was trying to convince himself - and touched Ta'haarel's arm gently.
      "You need any help - if you even think you might need help - you *call* me. Understand?"
      Swallowing hard, Ta'haarel nodded. The hybrids moved aside, grudgingly, allowing the trio to pass…
      Le'leen glanced at his twin.
      *You should go after them.*
      Ti'ani gritted his teeth, torn.
      *I know - but Ta-chan meant what he said… And…* He gestured to the family, still motionless around them, *I can't leave while everyone's like this…*
      It seemed to take forever for the *lock* to be released, but once everyone could move again Zha'haabron struggled upright and gripped Ti'ani's shoulder.
      "Go to him. Find him. Bring him back."
      "But…"
      The king shook his head.
      "Go, if we want him to survive."
      Ti'ani stared, eyes wide and fearful, then turned and ki-blasted his way from the suite, *tracking* the zhaneer as best he could, closely followed by Le'leen and 'vahn. Radittsu caught his bondmate as Zha'haabron crumpled.
      *What…?*
      **He is in danger**
      *I gathered. More of us should go.*
      **They will only stop you… Contact the ship. They must send down a shuttle - we must leave as soon as possible**

Ti'ani nearly collapsed as a tidal-wave of pain and disbelief coursed through his body. Le'leen grabbed him, supporting him for a moment, then dragging him onwards grimly, fighting against the pain. 'vahn had *lifted* their zhaneer's location from Ti'ani, and led the others on… blasting through one final wall…
      Halting in revulsion and fury at the sight within. Ta'haarel - their Ta'haarel, new kin, host to the Ssii'iin's sirelings - naked, mind *frozen*, his face a mask of disbelieving horror, bent forwards over a sharp-edged block in the centre of the chamber, an elder between his thighs…
      Ti'ani glanced once around the room, taking in the eight newly-dressed zhaneer, the twelve still naked, erect, queuing elders - and gathered ki, snarling incoherently as he killed the one hurting his zhaneer, then landing at Ta'haarel's side, heart breaking at the agony and blind fear in the lovely face.
      *Zk'vissin… it's me…* he winced as Ta'haarel whimpered, closing his eyes. *Come, I need to get you back to the suite…*
      Beside him Le'leen and 'vahn, faces coldly, implacably threatening, had forced the elders against one wall. Le'leen, his voice dripping loathing, eyed Gil'lalran with unadulterated hatred.
      "Why?"
      The zhaneer sneered.
      "He has mated with one of you… animals… he does not deserve the title of sentient, much less zhaneer."
      "That," snarled the hybrid, ki flickering threateningly around his hand, "does not explain why you felt it necessary to rape him. Or do you make a habit of fucking animals?"
      "It shows him his place. Not that we need to explain or justify ourselves to you."
      Le'leen glanced over his shoulder briefly, catching his twin's eye: Ti'ani had managed to force apart the organic bonds holding Ta'haarel's wrists and wide-spread legs and gathered the shaking, traumatised zhaneer into his arms.
      *Hurt?*
      Ti'ani nodded worriedly.
      *He's bleeding, inside. I have to get him back to Vinas.*
      Le'leen swung his gaze back to the elders, eyes burning, as his twin raced Ta'haarel to the biotech.
      "You have assaulted a member of the R'ren'nkh'ian reigning family and a citizen of the Saiyan Empire. Not that I think for one instant that that actually means anything to you…" he paused, unable to think of anything appropriate to call them, and hissed his frustration. "Killing you all would afford me a great deal of satisfaction, but I'd rather let you live. You're dying anyway, here, alone, unknown, disregarded. Abandoned. Pity really - the Emperor would have accepted you into the Empire. You could have… revived your race." He eyed them for a moment, but his words seemed to have no effect. Too far gone to even understand what that would mean for their civilisation, he thought… He shook his head. "You will be forgotten."
      That raised a ripple of alarm, but Le'leen had lost patience. He turned, gesturing to 'vahn to fly with him, speaking negligently over his shoulder.
      "You are contemptible. We will leave you to die in the knowledge that those you call animals are a more powerful, more civilised, species than you."

"How is he?"
      Vinas looked up from his examination of the shuddering zhaneer, his face as grim as a Feeodoreean face could get.
      "You mean, are the hostlings going to survive?"
      Zha'haabron frowned.
      "No, Vinas-sama, I mean how is Ta'haarel?"
      Vinas lowered his eyes, sighing.
      "Forgive me, majesty. I… am not myself. I cannot understand how a sentient species can behave as the zhaneer have done…"
      The king touched his shoulder briefly.
      "There is nothing to forgive, my friend… Ta'haarel?"
      "I can stop the bleeding, heal the damage. The hostlings will survive, with a little care. Physically, he will recover." Vinas drummed his digits on his monitor. "Mentally… I do not know how resilient he is. I cannot offer any kind of informed opinion." He smiled very slightly. "But I have seen this family achieve the impossible before."
      Zha'haabron nodded, glancing at Ti'ani. The hybrid was hovering anxiously, eyes bright with unshed tears. Current crisis notwithstanding, Ti'ani was very close to bonding with the zhaneer, the king thought. Which might or might not be a good thing, depending on whether it was a reaction to 'raadiin's rejection… And on how Ta'haarel responded. He sighed. They didn't have the leisure to worry about it now - getting offworld was the important thing.
      As soon as Le'leen and 'vahn got back…
      Radittsu had been in growled conversation with the ship's crew, giving them hasty instructions: the shuttle had already landed and was awaiting them at the spaceport. Having seen the state Ta'haarel was in when Ti'ani had carried him into the suite, the Saiyan was very, very strongly tempted just to step outside, remove his visor, and let the moons take control… But that would only add to their problems. Snarling to himself, he ordered the R'ren'nkh'ian guard to ensure that the few things they had brought with them were packed and ready to go…

*Will they let us go?*
      'vahn had snuggled into his sire's arms, shaking slightly as the adrenaline rush of the last few hours drained away, leaving him anxious and unhappy. The big Saiyan cuddled him closely.
      *They will, brat.*
      'vahn nodded, but it was a little tentative. All his hopes and beliefs about his maazi's race had proven wrong, and for the moment he was feeling disorientated and… lost… But papa, and maazi, were here… he snuggled into his sire's mane, the way he'd done as a little bratling, accepting papa's warm reassurance.
      Of course it would all be all right. Maazi and papa would make sure of it.

Pirum, 'selaan and 'leesaan, with Kiraz in attendance peering over their shoulders, eyed the collection of 'samples' they'd collected with fascination. A small piece of the semi-sentient stuff that the buildings - and transports, and furniture - was made of, a few drops of that silver stuff from the pools that were dotted about the city, chips of rock-like substance that Kiraz had managed to ki-carve from the roadway, even a couple of tiny plant-like things they'd prised out of small cavities in the outer wall of one of the city's towers… Vinas was too busy right now, but once they got back to Vejiitasei he'd be impressed and pleased with his students' resourcefulness, they were sure…

They were back onboard the Lizard in the Night within two local hours, the crew given the order to leave as soon as was possible - which, given their efficiency, proved to be almost immediately. Radittsu stood behind his bondmate in the observation blister, holding him closely, as they watched the blue globe dwindling behind them.
      *I'm so sorry, beloved.*
      **Why? It was hardly your fault**
      Radittsu sighed and kissed soft emerald hair.
      *You know what I mean.*
      Zha'haabron's shoulders drooped.
      **Yes. I should not be flippant… I am sorry too. It could have been wonderful… should have been… But at least we now know. The mystery is solved** He twisted to face his bondmate. **I for one am glad. You were right, zkai'da, if we had never found out the truth, it would have forever been a… thorn, twisting somewhere in the back of our consciousness…**
      The Saiyan hugged him tightly.
      *I am so proud of you.*
      Golden eyes gazed at him lovingly.
      **That means more to me than I can say**
      *Beloved… zkai'da… My life. Myself.*
      Zha'haabron stroked his face.
      **Later for us, zk'aida. For now, let us rejoin the family…**

The hostlings looked - fraught, the king thought as they assembled in their stateroom. It had been a harrowing expedition, full of such promise at the start, ending in such bitter disappointment. He glanced at their zhaneer lying in Ti'ani's arms, brutalised and withdrawn. Not to mention pain... He sighed and spread his arms wide.
      "This has been, perhaps, a salutary lesson to us. Not one I would have chosen, had I known the facts, but…" He paused for a second, suddenly, overwhelmingly proud. "Let us accept that we are not zhaneer. Let us embrace the fact that we are zn'hre, ourselves, our own species - hybrids, yes, but we have already seen something of what our hybrids can do. Let us take pride in our heritage, our strength, the strength and endurance that has prevailed, that has made us what we are."
      He glanced around the room, eyes glowing in the silence, heart full as one by one the hostlings and guards, Feeodoreeans, and even Zaheen, dropped to one knee, hands clenched over their hearts but heads high, smiling up at him. Radittsu, at his shoulder as ever, murmured through his tears, voice sunfilled with pride and love.
      "Always, beloved."

It was a full ship-board day later that the big Saiyan thought to ask his bondmate what had been happening back on Vejiitasei. Zha'haabron blinked and focussed - then his eyes widened in something very close to panic.
      **I cannot feel him!**
      Radittsu wrapped brawny arms around the strong blue body, struggling to soothe his zn'hre.
      *Gently, zkai'da… what do you mean?*
      Zha'haabron had paled.
      **I… I have no sense of Zha'haarak…**
      Radittsu nuzzled his hair.
      *Be calm, zkai'da. Don't panic. Focus - gently. Remember, the elders hurt you. That may be what's causing this.*
      Swallowing, the king closed his eyes and very gently, very carefully, felt his way along the instinctive link, reaching for his sibling…

Zha'haarak bolted upright with a small cry, waking Hijau and Ti'aasaan. The captain pulled his bondmate immediately into a comforting embrace.
      "What happened?"
      But Zha'haarak was beaming, tears rolling down his face.
      "The Ssii'iin! He's back! He's all right!" The gentle zn'hre slumped into his bondmate's arms, sobbing happily. "They're all all right…"

Le'leen lay wakeful, watching the family as they slept on the platform, eyes sad and fond where they fixed on Ti'ani - cuddled into Ta'haarel, the fearful, trembling zhaneer still withdrawn, but slowly improving as the family's soothing, loving influence bathed him - then resting on 'zhasaan, nestling against 'miiron…
Le'leen smiled to himself. He knew Ti'ani was concerned, worried about his twin's incipient bond with a pure-blood. Well, no, that wasn't strictly true, the fact that 'zhasaan was pure zn'hre wasn't what was bothering him - heh, did the word 'pure' actually apply to any of them anymore?! But Ti'ani had first-hand experience of a one-sided bond, and didn't want his twin to end up suffering too.
Which was kind, and compassionate, and entirely unnecessary. Le'leen now knew exactly what he was doing.

More to the point, so did 'zhasaan, even if he wasn't prepared, quite yet, to acknowledge it…