DUMUZI

"It never occurred to me you could pull that off," Ogrik stated as he brushed past me. His voice was low, but it was unnecessary. Our reconnaissance room was empty except for the large, blue orb resembling Earth, which rotated in front of us. "I am impressed."

He moved to stand beside me, his fingertips caressed by electricity as he worked at a glowing pedestal. He searched for the highest radioactivity concentrations on Earth, for reasons I did not understand, but I let him be. A powerful mechanical arm whirred and inserted a pin into the orb.

I said nothing.

"I know you much better than you think. That was nothing but a sophrot showing its gleaming, colorful spikes. You would never do that to Pearl or Shadrach, regardless of what they expected of you. But was it all a lie? I have a certain... feeling."

His voice was brash, but he was smirking.

When he felt my mood, the smile vanished. It reminded him of my darker temperaments, and he wanted none of it. I shrugged one shoulder. "You are entirely too perceptive for your own good."

"So she is with child. Pah! Yet something bothers you. Shouldn't you be elated?"

I moved to a table beside him, my gaze drawn to a project that another Enuki had abandoned. "I am."

A power sphere that generated gravity and pressure in order to facilitate space travel sat at a table. Was it necessary to replace the one we were already using?

Irritation soared.

It was not my request that this be made. In any case, it would provide me with something to do, so I began working. With a scowl on my face, I fiddled with wires, flicked switches, and completed computerized connections.

"It is Pearl." I ripped a connector from its socket and tossed it to the table beside me. "I fear that I may have emotionally wounded her, and I expected her to swat me out of her room when I returned. However, she did not. It is as if I have smoldered her embers."

"Hmmm." He studied the orb in front of him, tilting his head in thought. "So, what are you doing to do?"

"Retire from my seat on the council," I said, unbothered. "We will distance ourselves from this way of life."

That sent him rocking back on his heels, surprised. "You cannot be serious."

"I am."

"Why?"

My rationale should have been clear. The only thing that mattered to me was Pearl. Everything else was background noise.

"It killed me having to do what I did in that field. I will never do that again. For as long as I breathe," I ground out, tugging on a wire. "She says she forgives me—which she shouldn't have to—but I cannot forgive myself. I should not be the cause of her unhappiness."

"Neither should she be the cause of your unrest."

"One inevitably leads to the other, does it not?" I continued my work, casting my hair over my shoulder in one fluid movement. "Before I depart, I will make amends with my brother. I will not revoke his title. Earth will remain intact."

"How is that going to work?"

"It is the will of Osa."

"Even for me, that seems quite far-fetched."

I smiled, a human action. "Isn't it true that my child is a hybrid? How can that not be Osa's will? It would be so easy to claim I didn't sense it at first. Why would I destroy a planet from where part of it came?"

As a precaution, I kept Pearl from knowing the truth in case she did not feel ready to receive it. In the event that she was not ready, I would have devised alternative means of saving her planet.

From the corner of my eye, he nodded once. My dark mood was like acid permeating the air, and it was affecting him. His dark skin looked rather... ashen.

My presence caused Enukis to scatter as of late. I had little experience with fear until Pearl fled to doomed Earth. I knew little of remorse until what I had to do to her in that field.

It had to be done.

It was against our laws to allow a mate to influence council decisions. Any insolence by them was to be dealt with swiftly. Without prejudice.

When Qhin gave me the decision to save or destroy Earth, I knew it was a test. If I had saved it, I would have lost my title and brought great shame to my grandfather and my ancestors.

Pearl's punishment would have been much harsher than what I pretended to give to her.

It was my intention to save both of us.

"Well, that is an apt reason." Ogrik took a step back, lowering his head. "A very apt reason."

"It is the perfect reason, Ogrik."

Children were our future, and even the Elders were vulnerable to children; all of us were. To hear their peals of laughter, we would throw ourselves at their little feet and balance the stars on our shoulders.

The council wanted nothing more than a chance to live on.

He prepared to speak, but I held up a hand. "Shouldn't my child be able to have a say in the matter when they are older? Shouldn't humans have a say if our fates are intertwined?"

Despite my tone, his eyes nearly sparkled with the idea. "Even the Elders would give anything to see a child again and would give them entire planets to play on if they so desired. You've thought this through, haven't you?"

"Of course."

He placed a finger to his chin, lost in thought. Yet his lips pursed in disapproval. A monitor board showing our speed, position, and course flashed behind his head. "And Pearl?"

"I want her to be happy, far away from the council if she wishes."

"Truly?"

"It is imperative for me to make amends with her. I do not wish to serve as the head of the council since that would require an iron fist and create distance between us. I prefer to remain focused on raising our children without being distracted by meetings, trade, and treaties with other life forms. I will not be an absent father as mine was."

He seemed surprised. "You would do that... for her?"

"Of course, I would!"

Despite my raised voice, he continued to work, scribbling notes on a scrap of paper. "Forgive me, but I believe you are suffering from a fundamental misconception. You were unable to attend a council meeting when you were with Pearl on Lare. I do not think you should leave your seat. I will beg you if I must."

"I am determined to leave, Ogrik."

"Your brother doesn't want to succeed Qhin. You know this. But I know of an Enuki who has the prerequisites, and does want the seat."

I froze, already knowing who he spoke of. "No."

"Degnath is slated to be second in line."

In my clenched palms, the wires were on the verge of breaking. Enraged, I threw them on the table in front of me. "He's a madman! How can this be when he doesn't even show up to council meetings? When he wasn't even here tonight!"

He held his hands up, cautioning me. The hologram of Earth shimmered like heat on desert sands. In the far corner, the mechanical arms placing locations turned off.

He shut his workstation down, his eyes caustic. He did not like the idea as well. "Believe me, I am against it. But he was a general, a hero, and a brilliant scientist with endless titles and accomplishments—"

"I am aware of what knowledge he possesses, and I am aware of how much we need him. But I care little about his prerequisites. What will become of us if a man interested only in bloodshed and heinous experiments is elected? What are the Elders thinking? It would seem they aren't at all."

"It wouldn't matter so long as you stayed."

"I will have to convince Shadrach," I ground out, waving a hand. "If I want to be a good man to Pearl, and if she wants to be happy and free of the pressure from the council, I will have to leave. Shadrach will make for a fine leader."

"You would require an insurmountable batch of luck to convince him."

The wires once again occupied my attention. The Enuki who worked on this contraption was a halfwit; it was far too jumbled to fix. With time and effort, it might have been possible, but I was unable to think clearly.

I wished to return to Pearl and worship the goddess who brought light into my life and bestowed upon me what I believed I would never have: fatherhood. I would be lying if I said I was not overjoyed that she decided to keep the pregnancy.

My hearts soared at the thought, but I was still... uneasy. She was terribly tired, and perhaps even tired of me.

I must fix this.

"You cannot leave now, of all times. Ona, your brother, is due to be executed soon."

I dropped my hands to the table.

Ona.

The name elicited an outpouring of rage, despair, and contempt. I should have killed him long ago when I had the opportunity; my mother deprived me of that option.

The bonds between parents and children were deep, even if the offspring was a vicious traitor.

She was refusing to speak to me as of late because of this. It did not surprise me. She would rather see him rot in a prison on Xerrox, when I thought it safer, and best, to have his head on a spike.

It was because of him we lost everything. The difference between Ona and Degnath was that Degnath did what he did to defend and sate his curiosity.

Ona did what he did to gain power.

"I'll have to inquire what Pearl desires," I replied, relaxing my fists. "I intend to transport her to Nibiru. She does not need to be on Lare. It is far too dangerous for her now that she is with child."

He sounded shocked. "You are leaving your position up to her?"

"You are insulting your own intelligence if you think I wouldn't. She is a being who, regardless of what our kind believes, is deserving of a choice. And with that, finish whatever the fuck this is on this table. It's offensive."

I turned my back to him and strolled away.