“Radoo, thank Syh you’re here. I thought we were going to be late!”
“Oh, by the skies, what now?” Radoo barely refrained from groaning aloud.
“We are intending to travel to Preor Tower. Correct?” A young Preor pilot frowned as he stepped away from the entrance to the dock. Radoo paused, mind racing as he tried to recall exactly why he would leave the ship. He had simply been traveling to the dock to check the shuttle mechanics for beetles, but now he knew he missed something.
Probably something important, knowing his luck lately.
“The gala…” prompted the young warrior. Radoo could not remember the male’s name, but that was a common problem for him lately.
It felt like ten tons of rock crushed him beneath their weight, but Radoo remembered. He fought to stay composed as he remembered the hurried ceremony with Taulan earlier in the day when he had been made honorary War Master. Taulan had left for Kouvai Nihon to be with his family, and Radoo’s first order was to attend the gala in his stead.
Lovely.
“Looking for something?” Choler appeared at his side, holding a large katoth bag and Radoo released a sigh of relief as he realized Choler had brought ceremonial garments for them both. “Are we not going to the tower?” Choler asked, amused.
Radoo nodded and allowed them to lead him to the fully prepped—and beetle free—shuttle. Even though his stomach churned at the idea of the festivities and security measures he would be responsible for, he was secretly thrilled to be getting off the ship and away from the insanity.
Even if it was only for a short while.
Once they were settled and the shuttle was happily humming its way toward Preor Tower, Radoo leaned over to whisper with Choler. “You saved my wings.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Choler’s lips twitched with a small smile. “We still have to survive the human bureaucrats.”
“Yes, but I would never live it down if I forgot to attend the event entirely. Where are the others?”
“Melissa and Jarek are on Kouvai Nihon with Lana and Taulan and they are all staying there, out of our way. The other mates are already down at the location, helping with the festivities. The garden party has been open since nine this morning.”
Radoo winced. “Am I late?”
“Not truly. You’re requested for the ball, but everything else is good publicity.”
“I better make sure it is good, then.” Radoo’s mind spun with positive things he could do. He knew he was expected to appear in photos kissing human babies and shaking the hands of government officials. In his current state, he would probably shake the baby and passionately kiss a human senator.
That would not do.
He took a deep breath, watching as they drew closer to the landing pad atop Preor Tower.
“I am glad to have you at my side, Choler. I do not think I could do this without you.”
“You will be fine,” Choler rubbed his shoulder. “Don’t undermine yourself. The ship would have fallen apart much faster if anyone else was in control.”
“The ship fell apart?” Radoo grinned, feeling a little like his old self.
“Well, only most of it,” his friend teased.
Radoo was still smiling when they came to rest atop Preor Tower and then headed inside. Choler had brought their full military dress with tanned katoth pants and chest straps fully adorned with every medal of honor they had ever attained. Tonight, they would have to live up to the alien image while also proving to humanity that they were not a threat to their way of life.
Once they began to move through the tower, anxiety began to creep up on Radoo. He tried to pass it off as stress built up from the atmosphere of the ship, but he could not shake the sensations.
It’s like flying high and feeling a storm in the distance. The electric shocks shimmy over your wings and warn you, get down. Find safe harbor before it hits.
Before what hits?
On the first floor, he and Choler went in separate directions to change and soon met up with Whelon and Brukr in the main rooms. Radoo instantly went for the coffee station tucked in a corner and grabbed a cup of coffee.
“Nice of you to join us, Radoo,” Brukr drawled with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
“I’m not late, not yet.”
“I wanted to go over security with you more thoroughly, but we do not have time right now. Here is a map,” Brukr pressed a small button on a control panel and a screen against the wall lit up with a display of the event. Radoo quickly took in entrances and exits as well as problematic areas that were out of sight from the guards.
“You’ve got people in the air?” Radoo snapped.
“Lay off the coffee,” Whelon muttered and Radoo shot him a glare.
“We do have Preor in the air,” Brukr answered. “But all they can do is report. No one wants to see a giant dragon burning anyone to death today.”
“Where are the girls?” Radoo missed their calming presence.
“They are at the event already, helping out with the kids’ games.”
“Are they attending the ball?”
“Yes, but much later. They wish to rest before it starts.” Brukr pressed a few buttons and faces appeared next to the map. “These males are the most powerful politicians. They have international contacts. If we are truly going to settle on Earth, a basic treaty will not be sufficient. These guys will have to negotiate with other countries about how we move around or the aid we can provide.”
Radoo nodded and sipped his coffee. “I’m supposed to impress these males?”
Brukr gave a wry smile. “If at all possible, yes.”
Radoo huffed and focused on the many entrances and exits. The event had been structured for fun, not security, and he had trouble figuring out how to cover all the exits. He spied terrorists lurking in every shadow and protestors in every corner.
“How many Preor are on the job out there?” he murmured.
“A couple hundred, at least,” Brukr answered vaguely.
“And human police and military support?”
“Yes.” Brukr nodded. “The human government is just as eager to see this event succeed as us,” Brukr watched Radoo’s face carefully as he eased closer to the screen.
“What’s wrong, Radoo?” the male finally asked. “We’ve organized events such as this before.”
“Yes, but humans are a wild card.” He had heard the term from Grace—or perhaps, Carla—and liked the way it accurately described humans. They were wild and unpredictable. He lifted a hand and hovered over the small areas of the map that were not fully covered. “Get all these gaps seen to.”
“I think you’re being overly cautious,” Whelon informed him, but Radoo shook his head.
“No such thing.” The conversation went on a little longer, but Radoo barely heard a word. He knew there was nothing left to say. Not truly. He had checked and double checked the security detail, and it could not get any better than it already was.
He did not know why, but the air still held a hint of menace that he could not seem to shake. He kept telling himself it was merely the importance of the event coupled with the fact that he had very suddenly been forced into a leadership role. That was all. Yet the harder he tried to shed the feeling, the more it lingered and stuck to him.
Choler raised an eyebrow at him in silent query as they left the room, heading outside to get into their waiting limo. Radoo was even more frustrated and felt even more trapped than he had back on the ship and didn’t respond to his friend.
When I left the ship, I was relieved to get out of there! he thought. The idea of hanging out, eating fancy food, and doing some photos seemed far better than another minute in the ship, but now I don’t even want to be here!
Even as the vehicle pulled into Tampa traffic and the warm waves of the city wrapped around him, he could not release his anxiety. Something was going to happen today, and it was not simply positive publicity for the Preor.
He knew today might be the day everything changed—for both humans and his people.