Chapter 9: A Night at the Village of Zo’t’za

“So, tell us the whole experience,” a reporter asked Neo. The camera drone hovered in place as Serrein was not that far from him. Her arms were crossed as she seemed disinterested in the event. Vala’rein was using her arm to help provide a system of support for the racer to stand upon. His leg still remained offline as he looked at the camera.

It was not long after the race had just finished. Neo could see the replays of the ending of track 5. Serrein’s hoverbike had slowly coasted into the finish line with Neo right behind her. It was one of the slowest last laps but one that ended before the timer ran out. Serrein had taken fifth place, and Neo had willingly taken last place. Despite this, the audience seemed appreciative of everything that had happened. Yutilians were not far from their seats and location. Other staff members had watched in earnest of the other vehicles that had long powered down.

“I saw that Serrein was in need of help,” he explained to the reporter. The Yutilian journalist was recording everything as her fingers typed endlessly on her tilon device. “I had to make sure that she was going to pass the finish line,” he continued. “The damage that she had was extensive. It couldn’t be repaired there. I was thankful that the villagers here were able to provide a part to keep her hoverbike operational.”

“It ... will be returned to them,” Serrein added. There was a look of annoyance in her voice.

“And what about your leg?” the reporter asked. Her English had a very thick accent that was similar to French, Spanish, and Japanese mixed into one.

“There was a part that would keep her hoverbike operational with a circuit that came from my leg. I will ... need to have the part back.”

“You actually sacrificed your ability to walk?”

“Until I get the part back, and if it still works, yes. Otherwise, I will be limping for the rest of the championship till I get a replacement.”

“Neo, your sacrifice in walking ... was it because of...” The reporter struggled with the words. “Your desire to apologize for your outburst on the Shal’rein, prior to the championships?”

“I can assure you that Neo doesn’t have any bad feelings against the Itreans or the Shal’rein,” Vala’rein explained. “He is my mate.”

“Yes,” she replied back. “What are your comments on the fact that Meifen has taken first place in the entire championship?”

“She lost to Gip’grenda on this track!” Serrein said sternly. “I don’t care if she has enough points to take first in the championships. She lost to her on this track.”

“Bullshit!” yelled a distant voice. Neo knew that it was Meifen that said it. The Martian driver seemed agitated as she could see that the cameras focused on her.

“Looks like Meifen has something to say,” the reporter said. Meifen marched forward to the three.

“It doesn’t matter if that little Yutilian beat me. She barely did, and so did Vala’rein in track 3,” Meifen explained. Her hands were waved outward. “In the end, I beat you two fair in square. Face it, your little vehicles can’t drive fast, and you suck as drivers.”

Serrein bared her teeth at her. Vala’rein was considering having to put his hands onto her sister if Meifen would keep pushing it.

“I don’t care if you took first place, you bitch!” Serrein yelled at her. Her finger was pointing at her. “In our rules, if you can’t beat the person in front of you, then you still lose.”

“Says the person that broke down in the track...” Meifen said as she gave a vicious smile to her. “Guess it pays to have your precious boyfriend come and save you from weeping all the way to the finish line.”

“Argh!” Serrein said as she took a step forward. Meifen almost laughed at her as Vala’rein lifted her hand to stop her sister.

“Yeah, go ahead and stop me,” she continued. “I can see it in your eyes too. You can beat the shit out of me, but in the end, you know that I can outrace all of you. Itreans ... what a fucking joke you are.”

Neo could see that even Vala’rein’s patience was being put to the test. He had to step in.

“I don’t know what made you like this,” he told her. “People like you sicken me.”

“Oh ... people like me?” Meifen said as she laughed.

“Yes, Oluchi could have never been like you. You’re a fucking asshole to others. People like you can give this racing a bad name.”

“Oh, quite the contrary, peg-legs. I’m enjoying every minute of this.” She lifted her finger up as if she was driving a point. “I’ll be honest that I thought that you Itreans were going to be a true challenge. Instead of the other five ... human racers, I instead get to race three Itreans instead. Nope ... you three were nothing at all challenging. You should go home and forfeit on the last upcoming track. I take first no matter what.”

“Peg-legs...,” even Neo took that as a grave insult. “You insult a person like me that fought and bled for Oshun!”

“Oh ... it looks like I finally struck a nerve. Don’t worry ... you got a buncha tough women there to keep you protected from me. Ha, ha...” she turned around and began to walk away. “Take care, losers! See you on the last track.”

Even Neo was a little bit rattled from it. The other Yutilians that could understand her words were hissing at her. Meifen simply gave a polite wave to them as she walked back to her tent, all the way shaking her hips in glee. Despite her claims, she was correct. Even if she lost in the last track, she had more than enough points accumulated in the races. She was in first place no matter what. He decided that it was best to resume talking for the recording as he looked back at the camera. He recomposed himself fully.

“I can say this,” Neo said to the reporter. “I do appreciate the hospitality that the Yutilian villagers have made here. Don’t let Meifen be a true representative of human personality. Oluchi and I have enjoyed every minute of being in this world.”

While the journalist was trying to be neutral in her tone to alleviate bias, he did see the short-statured Yutilian was content to hear the comment. A small sliver of a smile appeared as she resumed her questioning. Neo could feel that Vala’rein’s arm tightened around his as he looked up at her. She seemed to be content as well. His eyes went to Serrein, and even she seemed to show a hint of solitude and calm. All he knew was that he was looking forward to the night.

Everything remained as it were for the next several hours. It was late afternoon as Neo, Vala’rein, Serrein, and Oluchi had wandered into the village of Zo’t’za. It was under the wishes of Gip’grenda that had clearly invited them all. Only Meifen refused to show up, and Neo knew the fundamental reason. Even if she was trying to agitate people deliberately, she probably knew it was best to avoid further upsetting the locals.

The sun had been setting, leaving a relatively serene and beautiful scene for Neo to remark upon. New Atrea’s mountains naturally shielded some of the sunlight as the star was moving further and further down. The great shadows that they had only got bigger as each minute passed. The waters were naturally more lit. There were signs that there were other forms of life besides the sounds from the forest and moving water. Some of the trees in the distance gave off a green, almost dim fluorescence to it. This light attracted certain insects to come to the budding flowers that were blooming from them. Even the nearby forest also had similar types of plants as well. It wasn’t enough to completely illuminate the area, but it prevented a person from wandering around in pitch-black conditions.

There were sounds coming from the village. Sounds of simple tools being banged together were commonplace. The Yutilian villagers were a mix of those who believed in modernism and wanted to live a simple life. They typically wore long dresses of yellow and green. Their midriff would be exposed where they had a series of red and blue markings to them. Each of their feathers and scales was either dyed in different colors or had different shades of tones to them. Their lower dresses had tiny bell protrusions to them. When they walk or dance, they naturally produce a subtle harmony to them. The location was well lit with various lights that had been turned on for the human visitors.

Neo was not far from the shack and hut where Gip’grenda was located. His leg was working again, thanks to the fact that Serrein had given the part back to him. Vala’rein was currently preoccupied with getting some of the local food in the area. Serrein was not far from him, almost unintentionally sneaking upon him. Cordeina again seemed mainly preoccupied with talking to the villagers and sharing stories with them. Neo remarked that they knew upon her immediately when they pointed to her tattoos. They even pointed to a rather large-breasted Yutilian that was breastfeeding a baby girl while using the word “Gersin” to identify her. She instead started to associate with this woman, but Neo didn’t understand the Itrean words.

Instead, he remained focused on the events. He felt oddly contempt of the village and its inhabitants. Many of the women mainly seemed relaxed and welcoming. It was as if there was no such thing as a war that was going on in the galaxy. He looked upon Oluchi, who was busy talking to a pair of Yutilians in an open hut. Neo’s thoughts were interrupted as Serrein walked up to him.

“So Oluchi is here,” she told him.

“I didn’t think so either,” he said, realizing that Serrein was actually talking to him. “Racing veteran like him ... I imagine he is getting a chance to tell them all of his stories of being on the track. Knowing him, he has plenty to tell.”

“They probably know like half the words he’s saying,” she said. However, her attention was half away from it as she seemed primarily focused on herself.

“It was people like him that inspired me to race ... now that he is going to be leaving ... his nephew is going to take over.”

“He is your source of inspiration in racing?” the words caught her attention. “Hmm ... that’s very interesting.”

She was picking at her fingers as her shark-like eyes seemed to look away from him. Her tone remained unenthusiastic, as if she was trying to hold back on something. He noticed this immediately as she had never really done this before. He was heavily focused on the mohawked Shal’rein.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“In our language, we call the inspirers ... ones that bring inspiration as the ‘Kolpa.’ You have the honor of racing with the one that brought you to here. I never had that chance.”

“I see...,” he paused as he crossed his arms. She seemed to notice his mild unease.

“Let me ask you this,” Serrein asked him. “Do you hate me?”

“No, I don’t. You are the sister to Vala’rein ... my wife ... I don’t...”

She actually waved her hand at him but kept it calm. “No ... that isn’t what I mean. I...” she paused in her words. “I need to talk to you. This isn’t going to be easy for me.”

Neo’s brow lifted in curiosity as he understood her. “Yes?”

“I’ll ask again. Do you hate me?”

“I ... admit that I have some resentment towards you, but I don’t hate you.”

She did a quick nod as she continued to pick at her fingers. “Come with me...”

Neo was curious as to where this was going. He was almost caught off guard by how her tone and personality had turned into. He wasn’t stupid, however. He knew that this was most likely the fact that he helped her in the recent race. He followed her as she started to walk down the long beach path. Sheer curiosity and the fact that she was acting this way had prompted him to walk along with her.

As the two were heading away from the village, Vala’rein watched the scene of events that transpired. She held one of the pod-like plants in her hand. A swarm of tiny cooked insects was inside it that she had been eating from. A small smile was on her face as she could see her sister was leading him away.

“There you are,” Cordeina said as she came walking up to Vala’rein. The content on her face was apparent as she was watching her half-sister focus on another. Cordeina put her hand onto her shoulder.

“Yes?” Vala’rein asked her.

“Just getting a chance to talk to the ones here,” she explained. “The villagers seem to have a healthy lifestyle. I noticed that ... oh...”

Cordeina finally saw that Neo and Serrein were walking away together. She seemed to give a sly smile upon the revelation.

“Oh, I should come with them,” Cordeina said as she inched forward. She let go of Vala’rein’s shoulder, but Vala’rein had reached ahead and grabbed Cordeina’s shoulder, halting her advance.

“No, this is good,” Vala’rein explained to her. “I don’t want you to disturb them. She needs to tell Neo everything. She needs to heal. Besides, you already know what’s going to happen.”

“Yeah ... that’s what I wanted to see,” she said with a slight chuckle. Vala’rein gave a half-smile in response.

“Hmmm...,” Vala’rein did have a thought that hit her. “Maybe I do need to ... what is the human word... ‘interject?’ Cordeina, do you have those recording drones of yours? If they announce their mateship, they will need it. Her cycle might be today, and she might...”

“Ummm...,” Cordeina interrupted her. She tapped her fingers together as if she had something to say.

“Yes?”

“That might not be the case...,” she said with much hesitation.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Neo’s wish.”

“What?” Vala’rein’s eyes narrowed at her as she walked around to look at her.

“He ... he wanted to get you pregnant next. I sort of did something to make sure that would happen.”

Vala’rein was trying to understand what she meant by that. She then looked at her arm. “The injection ... Cordeina, what do you do?”

“Simple hormone injection,” she paused as she held up her hands and shrugged. “I knew that eventually, Serrein would come around ... I mean, I know that it hasn’t happened yet, heh, but if it did ... well ... you would get pregnant next.”

“You delayed her cycle? Cordeina...,” Vala’rein gave a scolding look at her sister. “You lied to her, and you lied to me.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I was just honoring Neo’s wishes. I could see it in his eyes. He was happy that I was pregnant, but he felt that he betrayed you. You know our customs ... especially when it comes to polygamous mateship.”

“Those are Shal’rein clan traditions...,” Vala’rein let go of her. “I don’t give a shit about them, and you know that the Shal’rein clan doesn’t care about us or the others that live in T’rintar space.”

“I know, I know, I know,” she said as she pressed her hands in her direction. “Still, it’s harmless. You know your sister. I wouldn’t want to try to do anything out of the ordinary unless there was a good reason.”

Vala’rein lightly sighed. “It isn’t me that you need to convince ... try convincing that to Serrein ... this time, I won’t interfere if she gets upset.”

“Heh...,” Cordeina almost nervously laughed. She took a deep breath as she completely recomposed herself. “I think everyone will be happy.”

“I want you to tell me why you yelled at the Shal’rein prior to this championship,” Serrein asked Neo with a mild manner. They both walked down the long-curved path of the beach. It was a relaxed moment as he felt a little bit at ease talking with her. The sounds of the village were getting further and further away as it was getting replaced with the splashing water. The darkness was starting to settle in as it was getting harder for him to see. However, the starlight above reflected the far distant space traffic of the capital world. Among one of the things, he could barely make out was one of the vast shipyard facilities that housed hundreds upon hundreds of warships and transports. One of the small moons also reflected some light as well.

“Why does it matter?” he responded. “I’m married to your sisters.”

“No,” Serrein was firm with him. “You had a reason, fucking tell me why.”

Again, her inflections were more of getting to the truth. But, despite her curse word, she wasn’t really agitated, and he decided not to push her too much.

“Fine...,” he said. “Yeah, I yelled at that Shal’rein, and uh ... I meant it at the time. I apologized to her and the audience for all of it. Are you going to chastise me for it?”

“Listen,” she was direct to him. “Why did you feel that way?”

“Uh...,” he sighed. “You want the whole story? Yeah ... I might as well. I guess it doesn’t matter in the end. I served in the UHN. Prior to it, I was wanting to be a professional racer, but ... I also wanted to support Oshun and the human race. We thought we were going to die at least before the T’rintar clan was ever going to help us. I remember finishing up boot camp just after Eutera was taken. Then, I was stationed aboard a battleship. I watched the whole event with Cipra being taken. God ... I remember how much we were counting down our days. When was Aphadus next? When was Oshun next? When were Mars and Earth going to go? I just had this feeling that I wasn’t going to ever see the races, let alone do what I’m doing now.”

Serrein was listening intently, even if she wasn’t fully showing it. She looked at him as they continued their walk.

“And your leg?” she asked.

“November ... eh ... a few months ago, Shal’rein clan fleet arrives at over our planet. They go straight at us. Nobody was going to help us. I remember the fear in me ... watching the recordings as ship after ship was getting popped in orbit like party balloons. I had this feeling I would just hear a small little breach and Boom ... gone. Like, I wasn’t afraid that I was going to necessarily die so much that everyone else was going to share that same fate. We just didn’t know if your ... I mean, the Shal’rein clan was going to capture Oshun and start doing ... torturing and enslaving people. I’m sorry for fumbling those words. I didn’t mean to say ‘your people.’”

She didn’t seem to take it personally. “They never were ‘my people,’” she added. “After the Emphra destroyed the original home that my grandparents lived, the Yutilians offered their homes to us. I’m T’rintar ... those that don’t live in T’rintar ... those Shal’rein are just ... monsters.”

Neo understood what she was getting at. She was stating the words that were often spoken by the Shal’rein or Aksren that served in the T’rintar clan. To them, the other clans were nothing more than the enemy.

“Yeah, well ... anyways, I was serving my shift on my ship and ... like they train you for that shit, but it was just happening so fast. I don’t think that the crews were ever really prepared for the whole thing. Before we knew it, I was heading to repair the launch tubes when ... bam ... railgun round went through ... never saw it coming. Hit so fast that I didn’t even feel it. I watched the whole thing ... it was ... unsettling.”

She nodded her head. “That’s why you hold anger towards the Shal’rein?”

“No, far from it. At the time, I never saw the faces of our attackers until much later. Once the alliance was made, and Itreans started to arrive on Oshun, that I finally saw an actual Shal’rein. Yeah, I mean, I know that they aren’t the Shal’rein of the attacking clan, but you understand what I mean. When I saw what they looked like, I imagined them as vicious murderers. I could suddenly imagine them if they were on my ship, attacking and killing everything. Understand that to me. I was just the ordinary kid of my block. I didn’t want to hurt anybody. Hell ... I cared more than anything. Friends that I helped along the way as we did our street races. Heh ... I remember the times they would boast about getting an augmented leg or arm or eyes or something to enhance their bodies. They always asked me what it was that I wanted to get.” He shook his head. “I wanted none of it. I wanted to be whole. I wanted actual natural shit that I was born with.”

“You choose not to have yourself augmented?” she asked.

“Yeah. I wanted real shit. I don’t care if augmented limbs were better. I wanted to be ... real. To me, augments were taking a piece of your soul. Suddenly becoming artificial. Like, I even see what some people did in illegally going overboard to their bodies ... all because they wanted to be better than the other. Meanwhile, as my friends and family would go through the hospitals and come out with augments, I could pride myself that I never needed it. I get to be the fastest person alive ... I would outrace them in my damn motorcycle.”

She smiled momentarily. “That wasn’t what happened, wasn’t it?”

Neo shook his head. “It all fucking changed when that round hit. It flashed before my eyes. I was either going to bleed to death or survive long enough to know that I was going to get a replacement leg. I saw that leg fly ... and I would have used every ounce of my energy to get it back. The person that saved me had to pull me away, or I would’ve lost my life pursuing my leg. Once my ship was destroyed, they told me that I suffered from PTSD as they gave me a new leg.”

“I see.”

He paused in the walk as he looked at her. She even halted in her walk as she kept her gaze attuned to him.

“Understand this, Serrein,” Neo explained. “It isn’t you that I hate. I never really hated you at all. It’s the fact that I hate the people that look like you that made me break my oath to myself. They took a part of me. They took my ship and killed the people that I knew on board. For that, I’m sorry that any of that may contribute to hurting you in some way.”

Serrein seemed to understand very well. “That isn’t what I saw today. I saw you use your leg for my benefit ... for that. I thank you.”

She turned around and began to resume her walk. Neo would remain for a few seconds before he continued his long walk with her. A part of him felt reassured by what she had just said.

By now, they were pretty far from the village. There were only the sounds of the distant wildlife and moving water that splashed against the beach. For a minute, the two said nothing. Neo remarked upon the track that they had raced upon earlier. It seemed so huge, even if most of it was in his mind. There were still track marks left behind that the vehicles had so carefully skewered into the dirt. They were approaching the area that was separating into the forest and the remaining beach area. Serrein was starting to leave the racetrack and continue down the path of the beach.

“You know ... it wasn’t easy when I saw you,” she said to him.

“I could tell,” Neo tried to reply politely.

“I said those things when we first met to ... scare you or ... at least...,” she paused as she didn’t seem to have the words for it.

“What happened?” he asked her. “Not when we first met, but ... what happened to you?”

She hesitated momentarily as she slowed down in her walk. She seemed to brace herself as she gripped onto her arm. Her fin-like tail even twitched a little bit, almost in aggravation. She only seemed to consider his story.

“You wish to know about me...,” she paused again. “Yes, I guess it’s fair. You already know about our prior mate. Yes?”

“Yeah, from what Vala’rein told me, you were both mated to Jintar’rein.”

“Jintar’rein...,” Serrein almost seemed to bite her lip hard. “Never had I met a more valued mate than him. For a short time, Vala’rein and I fought for him. I was ready to tear my sister’s ears off if it meant having him. Eventually, we decided on the next best course. Short of killing my own sister, we reluctantly agreed to shared mateship if Jintar’rein would have it.”

“Vala’rein often spoke highly about him.”

“Jintar’rein was as close as you call a kolpa, though he was a lover. He was a better racer than both of us. He trained both of us in racing. I ... loved him so much.”

“Then Zilik’s Disease...,” Neo tried to say.

“Yes ... Zilik’s Disease. That fucking bitch ... that male-hating bitch ... she had to do it. I watched as he fell sick. Then I watched as the others in our family began to die. I first thought that the other clans had done it, then I found it was done by one of our own clan. Meifen is nothing like Zilik. She took everything away from us. She might as well unleash the disease and killed us all. It happens every fucking time with our people. They drop a disease and never watch what it does. They never look back and...,” she seemed rather choked up as a part of her seemed filled with anger.

“I know...,” Neo said as he understood. “I get this story a lot. Loved ones lost ... family lost ... I understand that it fucking sucks.”

“No ... not with me,” her voice became deep and raspy. “She took it all ... she took it all ... including my son.”

Neo gave a surprised look at her as they approached near the water. “What? You had a son?”

She looked out at the waters as she simply grimaced. “I was going to have a son ... I loved Jintar’rein so much. Vala’rein was hesitating on having a child with him, but with me, I was more than ready. Before the disease struck, I was pregnant ... three of your months in. Then the disease struck. I watched as Jintar’rein died in front of my eyes. All the males were dead...”

He simply looked in shock at her. He was almost speechless as she continued.

“It didn’t end there. I begged to whatever was out there ... whether you call them gods. Rumors and stories began to quickly spread.” She took a deep, exacerbated breath. “Children were dying ... including the babies in the wombs ... everything that was male. Somehow ... I hoped that I was immune. Even if Jintar’rein died, his child would continue in me ... then I was told that there was nothing. You, humans, call ... stillborn...”

He paused shortly as he could see a small tear fall from her eyes. One of her hands was clasped to her stomach, almost as if the life had been ripped from her.

“Oh my god...,” he said. It suddenly hit him on why she was acting in such a manner as before. Even he couldn’t honestly imagine what the Itrean mothers and women had to go through. The loss of family and loved ones was one thing, but to even cause miscarriages, all for the sake of malice and hatred. Each story seemed to provide a hint of reality that the women went through, but Serrein’s was the worst case of them all.

She continued to rub her stomach. “My son would have been enjoying the races ... If we met your species sooner, I would have brought him to your races so he could watch it. He would be ten of your years old.”

“I’m so sorry,” he told her. He was tempted to reach his hand to her arm, but he wasn’t sure. All he could do was just be there for her.

She shook her head. “Nothing could change it ... and it wasn’t you that made it. I just knew the stories that came forth after so long. We meet a whole new race of people. The humans have the cure. The humans will be our new mates. The humans will...,” she shook her head. “Do they? Do they really have it? Are all of us doomed to have Ivon, be Ivon, or find some human to solve our fucking problems? Then I saw you ... I saw you talking with my sister. Everything is so well. Everything will be well. Then, somebody else will deploy some fucking weapon. Then the human race will be gone, or something will happen. It will just be a cycle of death.”

“You know that isn’t going to happen,” he said. “Look at me. I almost didn’t make it, but I still did. Oshun almost didn’t make it, but we still did. The UWA almost didn’t make it, and we still did. I know that I can do it.”

She seemed to acknowledge it as she stepped toward him. “Do you? Jintar’rein was far stronger than you, and yet you’re fucking my sister. You, humans, are much weaker than us. You’ve already got Cordeina pregnant. Do you think that you’ll handle being a father?”

He could see that the tear in her eye had fallen to the sand below. She was stalwart at him, but he could detect a hint of resolution in her face. Her questioning had no sense of malice in it. He decided to give a brave face to her.

“Yes,” he firmly said to her.

“Then prove it to me,” she said as she went and used her hand to shove him. The physical strength of her was enough to knock him flat into the dirt. He was unhurt, but it did provoke a response as he got back up.

“Hey! What the hell?” he said to her.

“That’s it?” she said as she went and used her hand to shove him into the ground again. This time, he did try to resist the somewhat simple push from her, but her strength was far more potent than him. Again, there was aggression in her face, but a part of him knew that she wasn’t trying to be overly belligerent towards him.

“What the fuck?” he asked as he got back up to face her. He was looking up at her as she almost got into a fighting stance. Her tail slapped the dirt.

“I think you humans are so physically weak. My son would have kicked your ass at this age now. Yet here you are, trying to put babies in us. All of you humans are ... you don’t realize what those Shal’rein children can do to you.”

“I’ll fucking try to be a good father, and you’ll know it.”

“Not good enough,” she said, trying to provoke him. “You’re weak. If you feel like you can best me, then do it. I might even give in and give you what you want. You get to have all three of us. The catch is you have to prove it. Hit me.”