Chapter 193
"Tell me the truth, do you think those walls will protect you for very long?" Mexyn narrows her eyes on Hen but doesn’t wait for her to respond.
"And you, do you think that the enemy in Thraqe won’t find out about your stronghold sooner than later?" She turns to the alien army.
Again, she doesn’t let either side answer.
"Both of us are fighting against the wrong enemy. To think that we are safe simply because we stay away from each other is simply absurd. One way or another we each have a bigger enemy. The high royals. They will come in here and break through whatever strongholds or walls we have and hurt the people that we love. It’s not a theory; they’ve already done it." Mexyn continues to talk loudly, and Tempest notices that the people are moving closer to her.
Tempest couldn’t think of a time she was more proud of Mexyn.
"Now I know blindly trusting the same people you thought were the biggest threat is a heavy ask." She’s turned to Hen now, "I’m not asking you to trust the alphas and the army, I’m asking you to recognize that we both have a common enemy. We have to work together to defeat them. If we don’t, we’re just going to wind up being another story of warning in their history books."
"It’s different...you have to see the difference." Hen starts but Mexyn cuts her off.
"It’s different? How? Your trauma shouldn’t outrank our own. Do you know what we are going through over there? Here on your own land?" Mexyn’s voice cracks, she was getting emotional. Tempest knew the truth of the matter. This wasn’t just a ploy to get inside the human settlement; this was personal for Mexyn. She’d been in the machine that they knew as the high royal class system far longer than anyone. And as an omega, Mexyn might have had to endure the worst of it.
Tempest reached over and rubbed Mexyn’s back, letting her know that she had some support here.
Mexyn continued, "No, we’ve suffered too. At least, you’ve had your community to fall back on. The people of Ustea are fractured. The people that are meant to be our leaders lie to us. They treat the people of the poor class as disposable. Reproduction is controlled. Classes are kept segregated. Even this man here," She points to Dron, "The strong leader you see here was labeled cursed simply because he looks different from everyone else." Mexyn let out a deep breath before she continues. "Look around, They taught every group standing here to fear another group. Doesn’t that make you wonder what they were afraid would happen if we ever stood together?"
There was a soft grumble of people talking. The humans looking among eachother. The alphas shrugging their shoulders.
Tempest could see it happening like a wave washing over the crowd. Mexyn was getting through to them. She was getting them to see the truth. It wasn’t something that Tempest could ever hope to do. She was an outsider. An outsider to both groups but Mexyn was one of them. One of the Usteans by birth and one of the humans by condition. She was hidden away too, used as a piece of property. Everything the humans feared Mexyn had experienced in some way.
"I know I have no right to speak on such matters," Tempest turned to see Crilium walking closer to Mexyn, his voice loud as he spoke. "But I think a little background on someone who has been wrong by our common enemy might allow you to see exactly who you are fighting against."
Mexyn nodded and Crilium took her place in the center of the crowd.
"I used to be a nobody. A simple trader, I worked in the transport system. The leaders here discovered some shipments that were being moved into Skoq that weren’t properly recorded. That was how I became part of the army. It wasn’t just regular shipments. It was medical equipment, restraints, poisonous tonics."
"I raised the alarm and somehow got roped into the military. The shipments were from the high royals. They were hoarding away supplies when the people on their lands were dying horrible deaths. Amputees, sickness, starving children, all people who could have benefited from those supplies. When we tried to fight back we became just another group of savages to them. That’s what they tell the people of Thraqe that the people here on Skoq are savages. That we are the enemy. It didn’t matter to them that we were desperate for aid or that we just wanted a safe place to leave, all that mattered was that we didn’t go against their word." Crilium turned to look at Mexyn, "If we are born into the wrong class we are destined to stay there, never any hope of bettering ourselves or being with someone from a different class. We’re prisoners the same as you."
"They treat the poor class the same way." Someone from the crowd spoke out.
"My mate was taken from me because they thought she would suit someone from the royal class better." Another voice spoke from the alphas.
"They burned my family in their homes simply because we accepted help from another class." A small boy spoke, Tempest only then noticed how close he was standing to Dron. Looked like on his journeys Dron had found a new friend.
In the crowd, Tempest began hearing some of the humans speaking out. "They told me I had to mate with an alien or be left to die. When I refused the man’s advances he put me on a ship and sent me here. I spent so long out in the wilderness, it was only by stroke of luck that a patrol from this settlement found me."
"They killed the other women they kidnapped along with me. Just to prove a lesson to me." Another of the human women spoke.
"I had a family. On Earth. I had a life and they abducted me simply because they could. I lost everything." Another woman said.
Mexyn moved forward yet again, "So you see, we’re spending all this time being fearful of each other when the real enemy is out there. I can’t take away your trauma or your fear, but I can promise you that right now it’s not us you need to be afraid of." She leveled her eyes with Hen.
Tempest stepped up, "How can we take the next step? Things need to change, and you need to be the one to change them."
Hen stared at Tempest for a minute before she smirked at the woman. "You would’ve been a good politician."
"You think so? I don’t know about that." Tempest laughed and tilted her head.
"They’ll leave their weapons outside the gate." Hen started.
Tempest could feel the hope and relief exploding inside of her.
"Yes."
"They will stay in the main area, I don’t want them snooping around the settlement without supervision."
"Of course!"
Hen sighed and turned once to look at the rest of the people at her back; they all nodded and stood back. "I guess all that’s left to say is welcome to our home." With that, Hen walked into the settlement.
Tempest reached to the side and grabbed Dron’s hand once again.
This time as they walked to the threshold of the human settlement, no one stopped them.