Alien Scrooge - Zara Zenia Page 0,49
not be so content to sit around scratching your balls. Regardless, I have better things to be doing, and they involve naked women, so if you don’t mind hurrying this little reunion along, I’d be quite grateful.” He drummed his long fingers on the table as if his patience were wearing thin and he were warning us of an impending repercussion to that fact.
The massive square muscles of Manzar’s shoulders tensed, so I held up my hand, stemming the violence before it began. I knew a brewing fight when I saw one, and I had neither the time nor the energy to feed into these men’s egos.
Manzar was a military man and nearly as adept a warrior as myself. Rawklix stood no chance against him, but more importantly, there were matters far more pressing than the posturing egos of my younger brothers. They could clash at each other’s throats on their own time.
“Enough, both of you. Bloody each other on your own time. I will not keep you here long, for obvious reasons, but for now, Trilynian business takes precedence, and you will all sit and hear what I have to share with you,” I said, gaining the attention of all six of my brothers. My voice boomed and barreled through the room, crashing down upon them like waves pelting the sand.
I nodded to Coel, my burly guardsman, and he silently swung open the thick metal door that was the only way in or out of the council room. The room was heavily fortified and operated on its own power source, completely distinct from the rest of the palace, making it the most secure space and ideal for such a conference. If you needed to discuss private matters, the council room was where you could operate under the most discrete of circumstances.
A few seconds later, in marched my two top scientists, looking a bit bewildered by the company before them. It was clear by their rattled expressions that they hadn’t been expecting the entire council to be together in this situation.
The viral outbreak that had ravaged Trilynia had resulted in tight precautions that meant my brothers and I were rarely in the same location at once, the risks of infection too grave. Everyone had to be under tight lock and security. There was no room for error in the world we now lived in.
“Your Highnesses,” Lifiya, the lead researcher said, dropping to the floor and kowtowing beside her assistant, a thin man, at least by Trilyn standards, with messy brown hair and anxious eyes. She awaited a command or response before lifting her head.
“Please rise. I do not wish to be burdened with ceremony. Proceed with your presentation.” I strained not to let my failing attitude in the moment leak through my voice, but it was a nearly impossible challenge.
“Of course, Your Highness.” She nodded, blinking owlishly. “Please forgive my surprise. I assumed this would be a remote conference,” she said, setting the small box in her faintly trembling hands on the table before us. Her eyes briefly flickered across the table, skirting from brother to brother with subtle apprehension.
Pressing her hand into the gooey biometric scanning port, she unlocked and opened it, lifting the small metal device in front of her face. Now, she had stoic determination and precise concentration reflecting in her features.
“Your Graces, may I present you with our prototype Biostatistical Information Assessment and Symbiosis Scanner,” she said reverently, staring at the item like it contained the secret to life itself. The pride radiating from her aura as she displayed the object was remarkable and unmatchable.
“We call it the BIAS scanner,” added her assistant, looking eager to participate. She shifted her weight and licked her lips, eyeing each of us as if she were proud of her contribution to the conversation.
“A dubious acronym,” my younger brother Jinurak responded, his twin Lortnam nodding in agreement. They seldom exchanged a difference of opinion.
Lifiya flashed an irritated look at her assistant then offered the device to me. It was weightier than I expected. I held it in my palms and gave it a thorough inspection.
“Dubious as it may sound, this will ensure the future of our people,” I announced, passing it to Darbnix who sat nearest me. “Be careful,” I advised. “Don’t drop it.”
The small blue watch-lizard on his shoulder scrambled down and inspected the device as he did. How he could be so comfortable with the tiny reptile crawling on him was beyond me. The lizard curled its prickly