Chapter 58: A Choice
"You’re getting rid of that child."
The ground ate at his hardened skin causing small scratches here and there but Thira didn’t care instead he sunk into himself more so he would get heavier and hurt himself more.
"Okay."
The emperor looked down at him, stopped walking and hoisted the Miwa over his shoulder. The corridors changed, the shining walls of the royal chambers faded into the normal dull walls farther into the palace.
"Your majesty."
A cheery voice greeted as they entered a chamber Thira had long become accustomed to.
Healing Chambers.
A female U’Kan approached them and bowed. "How may I be of help?"
Tuk gently lowered Thira onto a padded bed made of weaved leaves and beast hides.
Her eyes fell to Thira’s glowing belly, "Your majesty..." then back at him. "I told you to avoid mating with him for now... his body is still healing from the... trauma of last time."
"Tell that to him."
The room shook as the emperor’s head turned to face him. "Another U’Kan mated with him in my absence."
"The gall! Permit me to use his remains to brew broth for our beasts!!"
"That will not be necessary for I have taken his life."
"That is good too, your majesty."
"...get rid of the child."
The femal U’Kan who went by the name Jin’Ki, froze as the words reached her.
"...your majesty."
"At once, I will be outside until you are done."
She nodded and propped Thira properly on the bed. One of her rings left her finger and expanded over Thira’s belly, she began to chant songs with the ring glowing with her pitch. Her rings flickered with uncertainty but she pushed.
After a while, she couldn’t hide it anymore. She stood to call on the emperor but a small hand wrapped around two of her fingers.
"Do it... don’t tell him. I know taking out the child with the state of my body only means I’m going to die, I asked the U’Kan he killed to mate with me because I know he wouldn’t stand me having a child, whether it was his or someone else’s. Don’t tell him... just kill me with it."
Jin’Ki swallowed.
"The emperor will have my head if anything happens to you... I’d rather not take the risk."
Saying this, she snatched her hand free and marched outside to meet Tuk.
Thira sighed resignatedly and curled into himself.
If it was left to him he would rip his own belly and take out the child but he had no experience.
But did it really matter?
The end goal was to die, wasn’t it?
He uncurled and sat up, scanning the room for Jin’Ki’s tools.
Atop a cabinet sat a tray of carefully crafted metal tools.
Thira picked the sharpest one there.
The curved blade gleamed under the light as it inched towards his belly.
Just a straight cut under the belly and on the abdomen...
The cold metal bit into this plating, tearing the surface as if it were fabric. Silver blood trailed down his stomach and his legs, painting his hands and the floor beneath him.
"Vae’Thira!"
Hot wind rushed at him and the scalpel was knocked to the ground but he didn’t give up instead he shoved his hand into the small gap he had managed to create.
The wet squelching feel of his guts sent him keeling over but it didn’t stop him.
"Vae’Thira!"
His hand was snatched out, an intestine came loose with the force.
"Put him to sleep!"
One of them yelled and something got burned against the back of his head and his vision flickered before going pitch black.
The next time he woke up, his wound had fully healed and his stomach had climbed higher.
"No..." his head rotated around the room but it was too unfamiliar.
The emperor’s fancy beddings were gone, so were his fancy interior ’decorations’. All that greeted his eyes were endless walls of white and armors.
Specifically worn...by the emperor.
His spiral of thoughts were abruptly cut short when the doors hissed open. The large familiar frame of Tuk filled the room, his armor clattered onto the ground as he carefully approached the Miwa.
"You’re finally awake."
His long fingers shakily reached for Thira’s face. "How do you feel?"
"What did you do to me?"
"What?"
Thira gently pushed his hand away and scooted back, a jolt of pain struck him almost immediately. His hands flew to his stomach as he cried out from the sudden pain.
"You mustn’t move too suddenly for you are almost due."
Due?
He was due?
How long?
How long had he been asleep?
"You must rest—"
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why didn’t you get rid of it?"
"...it would kill you."
"Who cares if it does?"
"I will not sit back and watch you die, Vae’Thira."
"I convinced As’La to mate with me."
A ring flared around Tuk’s neck but he didn’t speak.
"..."
"I’m tired, Tuk. Just let me die."
"...please."
The bed lifted with Tuk’s weight leaving it. The U’Kan paced the room for some moments before settling at the edge of the bed once more.
"I destroyed the home planet of the people that killed my mother."
"I grieve for your mother but how does this information concern me?"
Tuk began pacing the room again before stopping again at the edge of the bed.
"We are currently on a ship routed for Qashka."
That piqued Thira’s interest.
Why was he in a ship?
"I couldn’t bear to leave you alone back at home after that... incident. Jin’Ki gave me two options and a choice."
"I chose to keep you alive... I took you along... you can keep the child, I won’t hurt it. Just don’t think of dying or... killing yourself."
"..."
"If you want, I can take you on a walk around the ship. You’ve been asleep for quite a while, I’ll take you to see the stars. It’s quite beautiful."
Thira glanced at the walls and back at the emperor.
"Okay."
"Thank you."
Tuk rounded the bed to where he sat and gently lifted him into his own arms.
The two toured the ship. It was there Thira found out how long he had spent on ships.
Tuk had had him moved several times during the war with the humans.
They passed by a chamber with children crying from inside it.
Thira’s hand instinctively found the under of his belly, the emperor noticed this and turned in the direction of the chamber.
The doors gave way to a largely built cage sectioned to fit different sizes of children.
"Why put them in a cage? They have no hand in this!"
"It’s for the best."
Thira’s eyes scanned the room before landing on a particular child with eyes so blue they could have passed for Tink, a rare blue gem on planet Qashka.