Chapter 153: Next Course of Action
I reached up to the right side of my neck and brushed my fingers over where the choker was. I could feel the Nanos receding back into their home, leaving me exposed in more ways than one.
I had put on a thick pair of leggings to fit under my snow pants, as well as three other layers under my burnt orange sweater. Growing up in Region M, I thought I knew how to properly dress for winter. And I guess, by earth standards, I would have been fine. But this was a planet made entirely out of ice, and I was entirely unprepared for that level of cold.
My body started to shiver a bit, and Midnight tucked me under all of the furs, handing me a now lukewarm cup of hot chocolate. With the most put-out sigh I had ever heard, GA took the cup from my hands and glared at the other male.
"The internal temperature is 70 degrees, completely unacceptable as a hot drink for her," he growled and turned around. I shared a look with Midnight, and he just shrugged his shoulders.
"He’s not wrong, you know that, right?" I said, with a smile on my face.
"I will keep that in mind next time," he promised with a smile of his own.
"What... what is going on?" asked the new male as he stared at me like I was his newest obsession. Yeah, that undivided attention centered on me never got old.
I watched as his armor started to transform, and he physically became even larger and more intimidating than before. His locks were now encased in a light silver metal shield, his helmet dividing into what looked like three different sections, a larger ridge in the center to dip down into two smaller ridges on each side.
His eyes glowed blue in the darkness of his helmet, and his mouth appeared to have a grill in front of his mouth, making him look like a Decepticon. The rest of his body was encased in a tan armor with symbols scratched all over it. His armor covered his chest and abs, making him look like he had a ....12 pack.
There was a large buckle with a belt spanning his hips before his armor took on a rough metal scale appearance similar to how his arms were. He had a weapon of some kind fused to his back, but for the life of me, I couldn’t make out what it was for.
His red cape was no longer attached, and I hoped that that was not going to be an issue for him. As far as I was concerned, he looked a lot more attractive in the metal armor than the fishnet thing he was wearing before.
"I don’t suppose we have a mirror anywhere?" I asked with a sigh as I buried deeper in the furs. Stupid environmental controls being broken. I was frozen. Ye’tab grunted and pressed a few buttons, revealing a reflective surface across one of the sides of the ship. Not quite a mirror, but it would do.
The new male turned around and stared at his reflection, bringing his new, elongated claws to his helmet as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. I would admit that it was a big change. I wondered if the other Saalistaja underwent something similar, and if they did, how did no one notice?
"I programmed the Nanos to make our armor look the same to everyone else," said Ye’tab, and GA grunted as he handed me back my hot chocolate, nice and hot this time.
"We thought that would reduce the number of questions, and we wouldn’t have to be classified as government experiments like Midnight," explained GA. Midnight rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose.
"As good as all that is, can someone please explain to me what is going on?" asked the new male, turning around to look at the rest of us. "And, based on your looks, I would have to say that you are female but not Saalistaja."
"Well, at least you believe that I am a female now," I chuckled. "And no, I am not a Saalistaja, which was why I had so many questions when you said that only Saalistaja blood could activate the armor."
"Yes, I could see where that might raise some concerns. Do you mind telling me what species you are?" continued the male.
"Can I get your name first?" I return, raising an eyebrow. "It is only polite to introduce yourself first."
"Of course, forgive me. I am Elder Da’kea of the Saalistaja Tribe Bloody Knife. I serve as a diplomate for our tribe as well as the others, depending on the circumstances, and I also sit on the Elder’s Council," he said, his chest puffed out.
"My name is Bai Mei Xing, captain of the L-series spacecraft Jun Li, human most of my life until I was taken away from my planet six years ago. Due to some... experimentation, it was discovered that I have recessive Ethawainian genes which, with the right twerking, turned me into the last pureblood Ethawainian royalty," I said as if it was no big deal.
Taking a sip of my drink, I let out a little moan of pleasure, and I wiggled further under the furs, the warmth of the drink flowing through my body, warming me up from the inside out.
"I see," said the Elder, walking toward me. "Have you informed the Alliance?"
"Yeah, no," I said with a shake of my head. "Apparently, they have the results of the test, just not who it was run on. They are now attempting to recreate it with the other remaining human females. One has already died as a result."
Nodding his head, Da’kea started to pace back and forth. "And you know for certain that the Alliance is responsible for this?" he asked, holding up a hand before I could reply. "I am in no way doubting your account. I just want to make sure that I have all the information from both sides before we can best determine our next course of action."
And just like that, he was including himself amongst our ranks.
