EvO (Darverius, House of DaR #16)

Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

EVO

Qwin is leaning back against me. My arms wrapped around her small waist as my head lay on top of hers, while the lift maneuvers us to the lounge area. Several times, I was tempted to hit the stop button, but I don’t. Because I know how important this meeting is for Qwin and the others. She has tried to put up a strong front, but I can tell she is worried about what is going to happen.

The lift opens, and instantly voices surround us. We walk in the room together, several turn our way, besides a group in the back arguing about something. I look around to see if Ember or ViN are here, but they are not.

“ Destroyer , comm ViN , and see if they are going to attend this meeting.”

Moments later, ViN and Ember come walking in. Ember seems paler than usual, but she still has a smile on her face. Whereas ViN’s runes are dancing aggressively under his skin. “ Sorry we are late brother, but Ember was ill once again this rising.”

“ I appreciate you both coming. We will discuss your mate once this meeting is over.”

ViN walks up to my side, his arms casually crossed as he peers out at the many faces around us. I thought Ember would join her people, instead she stands beside ViN showing their unity. Qwin seems torn, as she is unsure of where she should be. I hold out my hand, happy when she doesn’t hesitate to take it.

“ Can I have everyone’s attention, please?”

Several turn, but there are simply too many voices for me to be heard. A sharp whistle beside me has me looking over at Ember . The entire room quiets down.

“ Effective , Ember , you need to teach us this trick.”

She rolls her eyes playfully at me before I address the crowd. “ Good rising, I hope you are all settling into your new dwellings successfully. I have been viewing your questions and we are here to answer what we can.”

An older male steps forward.

“ Captain , sir, my name is James . I have been elected to ask you the main questions pertaining to our lives now.”

“ It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, James . Go ahead and voice your concerns. I don’t have final answers for everything, but I will do my best to relieve some of the stress you all are feeling about the unknowns.”

He seems slightly nervous as he looks down at a slip of stationery; they have manually written their concerns on. “ Several of us are on medications, my wife being one of them. A doctor was mentioned when we came aboard, but we have not seen one.”

“ You have not been evaluated by, LeX ?”

“ No , Captain .”

“ Forgive me for simply assuming. This issue will be dealt with the moment this meeting is over.”

“ Thank you, we appreciate it. Next question on the list is. Is this going to be our home now?”

“ Good start because this is one of the subjects I believe I need all of your opinions on. No , the Destroyer will not be your final home. She is a battle cruiser that was designed to protect and patrol the worlds within this solar system. She was sent into the Nebula due to her haul strengths and weapon capacities. The upside to that is, not much can hurt her. The downside is she is not equipped to deal with this many on board.

“ We barely had enough separate dwellings to house you in. I trust you have already been notified that garments and things of that nature are being limited to only three per person, as those materials are already running low. I am certain there will be other random items that will also have to be restricted before we reach our final destination. The positive thing is, we have plenty of food and water until the cargo ship ANDI can reach us. However , the Destroyer is still a few risings away from docking with him.

“ Now that you have that information. I have a question of my own before we go any further that pertains to your first inquiry. Would you prefer to be intertwined with other cultures on planets and moons that are already established? Or desire to start over?”

“ What do you mean by start over, Captain . We have no wealth or skills that are of any good here.”

“ James , I was speaking to my father Commander DaR earlier. He suggested that we find a location that you all might come to call home. Where you can regenerate your race and thrive. A place your kind could govern and eventually establish trade with other smaller races similar to your own.”

“ Captain , now I am only speaking for myself here, but there are several that were saved that have never worked a physical job in their lives. They were in the pods due to their status on Earth .”

Ember steps up, taking over for a moment. “ James , you have a valid point. I am only here because of my family’s wealth. I would have perished quickly had another not found me. The day we discovered you guys in that Nebula was a day of grief and happiness for me. Because it meant I was going to have to face the fact that my parents did not make it. However , at the same time I was informed that I now carry a life inside of me. I learned quickly when my world was taken from me. That we all have something to contribute no matter how large or small. Our people can be trained and will adapt. The fact that you all are standing here shows how resilient our kind is.”

Ember steps back and ViN pulls her next to him, his massive frame hovering over her protectively as tears flow down her cheeks.

“ Ember is correct, the only way is for everyone here to be open-minded enough to let the past teach them how to move forward. Let me take the time to explain your options a little better. There are hundreds of established races throughout our solar system. Some you could integrate into seamlessly.

“ However , others would see your body as weak and take advantage of that fact. The human body cannot survive in harsh environments and unfortunately due to piracy and the fact that two other races coveted your females. I honestly believe it wouldn’t take long until you all started disappearing one at a time. Neither sex would be safe from some of the more aggressive races. Now , slavery is not allowed in the sectors run by my father, or Commander ZoD , but things still happen out of their control. The moment you would be reported missing. They would send out someone to find you, but this is a big universe. It would be like looking for a piece of sand in a desert.

“ My father takes your safety and wellbeing very seriously as his own mate was obtained at a slave market. Her name is Kira , she is also human and has been with us for several Orbital rotations now. That should give you some perspective on the fact that your kind has been taken against their will from Earth many risings and there was nothing you could do to prevent it.

“ Now I understand the downside of starting over is just as daunting. First , we would have to find a planet or moon that is tolerable. Once that was found, a group of you would be sent down to decide where you would like to start rebuilding your culture. And I mean it would need to be built from the dirt up. There would be no energy sources, housing, satellites, or trade already there. You as a people would have to be the ones to get your hands dirty. The moment you stepped into that pod, there was no division. No wealthy, over the poor, or sick over the healthy. One way is easier, but with constant threats. The other will be harder, but you would have more control, and a say in what happens around you.”

James turns around, putting his back to us. “ Let’s vote on it. All who believe we have the strength to start over from scratch raise your hand.”

Almost every hand lifts.

“ Ok Captain , you saw that for yourself. Now what?”

“ I will contact my father and tell him of your wishes. Once a suitable planet is located we will move forward. Until then, make yourself comfortable. Talk among yourselves as to who has what skills. We are all more than we can be when pushed. Your holo pads are packed with learning materials that should help as well. You are not alone. We will be standing right beside you until no longer needed. Were there any other immediate concerns?”

“ Yes , and no, but I believe you have given us the answers we were seeking for the moment.”

“ Thank you all for attending, if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. We will be scheduling more of these meetings as we go. You’ll receive a notification on your comm unit when you’re scheduled for a one-on-one medical appointment.”

Most start heading back towards their dwellings and the multitude of voices dim as they go. Qwin has stood silently beside me this entire time. When I look down at her, she gives me a sad smile, her previous happiness gone. Just when I start to ask her what’s wrong, ViN nudges me. “ You are going to have to take my shift this darkness. Ember has remained ill and I’m uncomfortable leaving her.”

Leaning past him, I gently pull Ember over to me so that I can give her a quick hug. I am one of the few ViN can tolerate touching her and humans thrive on affection. “ I hate that you’re sick, but congratulations. Are you excited or scared?”

“ Thank you EvO , and it’s a little of both. If my stomach would settle, it would be easier. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that there is going to be a little ViN running around.”

ViN growls out, “ Maybe it will be a little Ember .”

She rubs her belly, and I am shocked to see that she is slightly showing already. Ember smiles up at ViN . “ It would be fun to have someone to play dress up with. That is, unless she comes out with your fiery personality, ViN .”

“ My daughter will be coveted by all.”

“ Thanks Ember , there will be no living with him now. You know either way, it will be spoiled. Look at what we’ve all done to Keida . At one point, XuL and Brit banned any more gifts because they had no place to put them. Oh , forgive me, Ember . It slipped my mind that you haven’t had much experience with the other females since you and ViN joined me right after your formal mating.

“ I talked to Kira and Alana daily before we entered the Nebula . I can’t wait to tell them about the munchkin.”

“ You need your rest, come my Ember .”

ViN doesn’t give her any other options, simply picks her up and walks away. Ember waves as they head down the hall. This entire time, Qwin has remained quiet, simply standing here beside me, watching us interact.

“ Qwin what is on your mind?”

“ There are so many things that I can’t narrow it down to any one thing. Life just keeps tugging along around me and I feel like I am standing still.”

“ Is it so bad if it’s beside me?”

“ It’s just that your words hit me hard back there. This is not something I am going to wake up from. It’s not a vacation; this is my new life and I’m torn. I feel guilty for every smile I share with you. I have a responsibility to my people, EvO , to Earth . I know I should go with them to help rebuild our world, but then there is you.”

“ Come , let’s take a walk while we talk about our future.”

“ Future , see it’s that word that has me all messed up inside. How do you determine your future?”

“ Was it any dissimilar on your world? Did you not have to decide every rising what to do next?”

“ Yes , but you have to understand that’s nowhere near the same, EvO .”

“ How is that? You awaken, dress, eat, and proceed with no way of knowing the outcome of that rising. In the blink of an eye, your world could and did change. That is no different now.”

“ No , reckon when you put it that way, it is not. Back home, I was needed. I had a purpose and goals. Here … not so much.”

“ You are pushing yourself too harshly, my Qwin . You are intelligent and knowledgeable about things that will be of great assistance to your people and mine. The schooling and research of the alternate fuels alone will extremely interest SCOUT and others working in these fields.”

“ If you say so … EvO … Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I would like some time alone. I need to work a few things out in my head.”

Her words hurt my heart, but I put on a fake smile as I try my best to look at this situation from her point of view. “ I need to speak with LeX anyway, then report to the helm. It would please me if you would join me there later.”

“ All I have to do is hit this button right, and the Destroyer will lead me to you.”

“ Correct .” I kiss her on the forehead and turn away. Making myself give her the space she has requested, even though it’s tearing me apart on the inside.