Empyrean Iris

The obsidian was cold below his knees and the darkness seemed to squeeze in around him from all sides. Hundreds of eyes watched him from the recesses of darkness, just outside the firelight where their eyes would glitter with the fiery hatred that they so readily bestowed upon him.

His hands were not bound, but he still knelt hands clasped before him knowing there was nothing he could do. A spear was held to his back at all times, and Sunny, though small for her race, could easily tear him in half if she wished.

He was on his own.

And he was going to die.

General Kazna stood over him in the darkness, her deeply colored carapace seeming almost black in the light from above in comparison to where the fire flickered over her left side.

Another attendant scurried from the darkness and whispered something in her ear.

She nodded and let them go, turning her head back to the dancing flames.

It was then that Sunny moved forward, her head held high, though he could sense the trepidation in her footsteps, quiet and hesitant across the floor.

"Mother."

"Yes Chalan?"

"What is going on here.... If you were in league with the Tesraki, why did I have to sneak onto one of their ships?"

Adam tilted his head to the side listening intently as the traitor spoke.

Kazna turned to look at her daughter, eyes narrowed slightly, "You were not privy to this information, and nor did you need it."

Sunny crossed her arms, both sets, and somehow the gesture seemed strange in comparison to the other Drev, "Well, seeing as your plans have almost succeeded, it wouldn't hurt to tell me. Besides, after all that I have done, don't you agree that I deserve your trust?"

He kept his head down, trying not to look too interested in their conversation.

"What is there to tell you? We recently bribed the Tesraki into helping us, thought that was 'after' you stowed away."

"How could we bribe a Tesraki? We don't have the money to do something like that."

"I found a.... sponsor of sorts."

"A sponsor!" Sunny stepped closer to her mother, "What do you mean.... Who!"

General Kazna sneered, "A scientist. He has agreed to help us win this war in exchange for human subjects. We capture humans and we trade them to him. In return he supplies us with weapons and other necessary items."

He was almost surprised at how shocked Sunny looked, as if she hadn't been told any of this."

"What? But he's a scientist, why would he need our help to find human subjects?"

"You of all people should know how hard it is to find humans." Kazna hissed, "Besides, they generally tend to travel in packs, so getting one on their own is part of the struggle. Now that we can capture them in droves, it is no longer needed. We receive our revenge, and he gets his humans. Everyone wins."

His head was down, and he could only really see them out of his peripheral vision. But it was almost as if he could see a look of disgust on Sunny's face.

"Mother, It is not my place to question your judgement but-"

"No it most certainly is not!"