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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Nemo__404 on 2024-09-15 16:33:03+00:00.
Luna VI query: Set the source to the leaked files of the first reconnaissance operation of Irisa.
Done!
Luna VI query: Tell me the aftermath of Amara’s incident in the meeting.
***
Nathan was only a few steps from Amara, who sat quietly as Queen Khala stood beside her, when an unusual wave of whispers and bursts of exotic colors rippled through the elders. The queen, lost in thought, gripped Amara’s hair—her touch far less gentle than Nathan would expect from a mother.
The meeting had fallen into stunned silence after Queen Khala’s bold announcement, claiming her daughter was pregnant. Nathan hadn’t fully grasped the implications. In a state of avoidance, his mind refused to entertain the possibility of fatherhood, clinging instead to the hope that there had been some mistake.
Still, watching Amara being held against her will was deeply unsettling. Nathan knew she could easily free herself if she chose to. Her claws, though not raised, were rigid, and he could almost see the turmoil playing out in her mind. The scene brought flashes of Zandrid taking Amara hostage in the valleys, and Nathan, fueled by a growing rage, moved toward her, held together by sheer willpower.
He approached her from behind, ignoring the hostile stares from guards of various factions. With one arm, he held Amara protectively from behind, and with the other, he pushed Queen Khala’s arm away. The queen’s look of disbelief was immediate, but the guards’ reactions were even more telling—guns were raised, some aimed at Nathan, others pointed at one another as tensions escalated.
“I’m sorry for touching you,” Nathan said, his voice steady despite the chaos brewing around him. “But I don’t think Amara is in any condition to attend this meeting right now.” He was so focused on his words that he forgot he was still gripping Queen Khala’s arm.
“Touching me is the least of your offenses,” Queen Khala snapped, withdrawing her arm with a sharp, fluid grace. Instead of addressing the elders or guards, she turned toward the three screens displaying the VIPs. “How can a species as powerful and advanced as yours choose this man to represent you? My son, brutally murdered, and now my daughter…” Queen Khala’s voice faded, her gaze lost on Amara’s belly.
Nathan had been so focused on the Queen that he had momentarily forgotten about the three screens. When he glanced at them, the Martian Prime Minister caught his eye, shaking his head with a stern expression that hinted at disapproval. More pressing to Nathan was Sally, the elderly woman who might actually be his boss. She was typing on her antique wooden keyboard, her entire demeanor suggesting that she found this sort of drama beneath her.
Unexpectedly, it was Zara’s father, Robert, who truly stood out from the others. He had burst into uncontrollable laughter, so loud that it drowned out the murmurs of the elders. Even Zara, reduced to a small square in the bottom corner of the screen, rolled her eyes and sighed, which finally prompted Robert to rein himself in.
“We never blamed you for your obvious schemes to seduce our people,” Robert said between fits of laughter. “So perhaps you should extend the same courtesy.” After another burst of laughter, he added, “If anyone’s at fault, it’s your daughter—for seducing him far too well.”
Under normal circumstances, Nathan might have found Robert’s comment amusing or leapt to Amara’s defense. But since he saw the situation as a massive misunderstanding, his mind immediately sought reasons why it was impossible. As someone well-versed in biology, he quickly got lost in the complexities of genetic barriers that would make Amara’s alleged pregnancy implausible.
While his thoughts raced to find the perfect argument to disprove the absurdity, he suddenly felt a tail coil around his arm. Before he could fully register who it belonged to, he noticed the same thing happening to Amara. Two guards were gently helping her up from her chair. His train of thought shattered as he realized he wouldn’t get the chance to argue. Nathan’s gaze shifted, and then he saw Aldrinch overseeing the group of Irisians, clearly intent on escorting both him and Amara away from the meeting.
Despite Aldrinch’s advanced age, Nathan could see the elder’s neck turning red as he argued heatedly with a group of guards nearly twice his size. Even Queen Khala, usually commanding, could only watch as more elders converged around Aldrinch, offering their support. The confrontation quickly escalated into a mass departure, with Nathan and Amara at the center. Aldrinch’s guards formed a protective circle around them, escorting them through a towering door.
Nathan’s last glimpse of the room was of the three glowing screens. Queen Khala remained motionless in her spot, surrounded by just a few elders at the now nearly empty table, which felt larger and more hollow than ever.
Amara was by his side, but they were moving too quickly and were surrounded by too many people to speak. Even if privacy weren’t an issue, breaking the silence of such a large, solemn group felt wrong—something unimaginable if the group had been composed of just humans. Still, Nathan’s gaze met Amara’s for a brief moment. Her skin, mostly a mix of blue and black, caught the dim light, but he couldn’t overlook the faint emerald hue around her eyes—the very feature Queen Khala had pointed to as proof of Amara’s pregnancy.
Nathan was usually able to pick up on hints of what Amara was thinking, but this time her gaze felt completely neutral. What did she make of this massive misunderstanding? That question consumed him as the group came to a halt in front of an unremarkable door. Aldrinch ordered the others to step aside, unlocked the door, and said, “What are you waiting for, human? Take her inside!”
It took Nathan a few shameful moments to realize Aldrinch wasn’t speaking to the guards—he was talking to him, the only human there. Once it sank in, Nathan stepped forward without a word, gently holding Amara by the shoulders to help steady her. Without hesitation or questioning why they were there, he guided her into the room, accepting his role in the moment.
The room they entered was stark and functional, a sharp contrast to the ornate palace corridors. The walls were smooth and metallic, with nothing but a faint blue hue decorating their surfaces. A cold, bluish light emanated from fixtures embedded in the ceiling, casting a dim glow over the sparse furnishings. A large, slightly warped mirror dominated one wall, reflecting the room in an unsettling, distorted manner. Simple benches lined the walls, and shelves held neatly folded garments in muted tones. The floor was soft and rubbery, absorbing the sound of their footsteps.
The scene was so unexpected that Nathan whipped his head around and saw Aldrinch inside the room with them, sealing the door and leaving everyone else outside. “What is this place? Why did you bring us here?” Nathan asked, his voice tinged with confusion.
Aldrinch, with his gaze directed at the locked door, exuded an air of quiet wisdom. He seemed almost oblivious to Nathan and Amara’s presence, his mind lost in thought as his colors shifted in solitude. Nathan couldn’t comprehend why this frail, elderly Irisian had risked angering the queen to aid their escape from the meeting.
“This is where the servants store their uniforms,” Aldrinch spoke, his voice carrying the weight of countless experiences. “I chose this place because it’s the one sanctuary within the palace where I’m certain the queen’s watchful eyes won’t penetrate.”
Amara’s colors revealed nothing of her inner feelings, but her voice had at least regained some strength after the incident at the table. “What is so important that you could not wait until we left the palace to tell us, Aldrinch?”
“It’s not I who needs to speak, young one—it’s both of you,” Aldrinch replied, his voice softening when addressing Amara. “Does the human understand what will happen if the tale of those emerald rings in your eyes is true? Because if it is, both of your lives will change course forever, and the fate of Irisa might change with it. The elders left your mother alone because they can see this change coming. You must be ready for it, whether you and the human like it or not.”
Nathan’s eyes widened, his mind swirling with questions. He opened his mouth to ask them, but before he could, Aldrinch abruptly opened the door and left, leaving him alone with Amara. His eyes and body language practically screamed that he wanted to talk, but Amara missed all the cues. With a flick of her tail, she brushed his hands aside and immediately rushed toward the mirror, her skin showing hints of purple as she caught sight of her reflection.
Amara’s shoulder-length hair draped over most of her elongated ears, with only the tips peeking through the strands. Her face, though largely impassive, displayed a pair of wide, orange eyes surrounded by emerald rings. Her pupils had dilated as if she were standing in complete darkness, giving her the appearance of a tribal warrior adorned in ritualistic makeup, preparing for battle.
As she touched her face, inspecting her swollen lips, Nathan broke the silence. “You don’t really think you are pregnant, do you?”
She stopped looking in the mirror, a trace of red appearing on her skin. "I am not aware o…
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