Onyx (A YA SciFi Retelling of Othello) Read online

  “Colonel,” General Watrous said, folding his hands in front of him. “You have entreated us to decommission Major Onyx under the rules of Article 246—behavior unfitting a commissioned officer. Under what grounds?”

  “The son of a whore has been… he…” The colonel could hardly get the words out, he’d grown so angry. He sputtered and stuttered for a while before finally getting it out. “I have been informed, just tonight, that he has been consorting with my daughter behind my back. In secret, in seedy hotel rooms, no less.”

  Wyke hardly looked concerned, though a few of the other officers stared at him with disgust. Many of them trusted Onyx with an entire fleet of ships, but wouldn’t leave him alone in a room with their daughters for more than five minutes.

  “Is this true, Major?”

  Squaring his shoulders, Onyx did what he’d always done. He told the truth.

  “It’s true, I have been seeing Dia Tian for the last six months,” he admitted. “But I never took her to a hotel room until—”

  “Until you talked her into doing whatever sick, sexual acts your kind indulges in against my wishes, you sadistic—”

  “Until after I’d married her,” he interjected, swiveling his head to meet the colonel’s narrow glare. “Dia and I are married. She is my wife.”

  A low hum filled the room as the other officers leaned toward each other, whispering among themselves. If at all possible, the colonel turned even redder.

  “No! That can’t be true! I know my daughter. She would never do something like that without telling me.”

  “It’s true,” Onyx insisted. “I have the documents to prove it. We’ve been married for a month now. We had our reasons for keeping it a secret, but had intended to tell Colonel Tian together in private.”

  He could feel the censure being directed at the colonel for openly airing out his family’s dirty laundry. The army frowned on the personal lives of their officers spilling over into their duty. It made things far too messy.

  “There you have it, Colonel,” said Wyke. “The boy’s gone and married her. This is cause for celebration, not reprimands and secret meetings.”

  “My daughter’s marriage to a dishonest, filthy alien?” The colonel hissed, his chest heaving with rage. “Tell me, sir. Would you want him married to your daughter?”

  “Half the enlisted have been in trouble for drinking too much and disorderly conduct. The other half can’t keep it in their pants and practically live in the infirmary complaining about the burning sensation when they take a leak. Major Onyx has served the army with honor and distinction. If I had a daughter, I could think of no better man for her.”

  Onyx fought back a smile. He could always count on Wyke to have his back, even when the others failed him.

  “But… but he lied to me! He encouraged my daughter to keep secrets from me. I know Dia, sir, she would never willingly lie to me. He’s practiced some kind of alien sorcery on her. I know he has!”

  Onyx cleared his throat. “With all due respect, Dia is seventeen. I do believe that is the age young people are encouraged to find a mate to begin procreating. Earth’s population is severely diminished, and every young girl must do her part. Dia and I just so happen to have fallen in love, making the decision of choosing a mate easy for us both. We kept it a secret only because we wanted privacy and time to be together before I come down on orders.”

  “You wanted her to yourself so you could influence her,” Tian accused. “That way, no one could stop her from making such a horrible decision!”

  “Enough!” Watrous thundered, pounding one fist on the table. “I have heard quite enough. Colonel, if the marriage is legal—which I’m sure it is—then there is little that can be done about this. Dia has reached the age of consent, and Onyx has done the right thing, marrying her instead of continuing to carry on with her behind your back. You should be grateful she’s chosen so well.”

  The Colonel seethed, lowering his eyes to the floor. His jaw tightened and loosened spasmodically, his hands clenched tight behind his back.

  “We will hear no more of this,” Wyke agreed. “This matter hardly constitutes a decommissioning. You are lucky we don’t bring you up on charges for dragging us all from our homes this late over nothing. You are dismissed.”

  Tian faltered, glancing from their commanding officers to Onyx with fire in his stare. Onyx had never felt so hated in his life. Yet, relief flooded him now that it had all been dragged out into the open. No more secrets. He and Dia were free to be together in public, something he’d always wanted.

  “I said, you are dismissed Colonel,” Wyke repeated, his tone indicating he wouldn’t tolerate defiance.

  Snapping to attention, Tian saluted the other officers. “Good night, sirs.”

  They saluted him back, and the room fell silent as he exited. Onyx remained at attention, as he hadn’t been dismissed yet.

  “Major, first allow us to congratulate you on your marriage,” Wyke continued. “You hardly needed to keep it a secret. We all must do our duty in the repopulation effort, and well… you aren’t human, but you look like one, and you have proven yourself to be honorable. Your son will likely be as good an officer as you someday.”

  Will you all scorn him behind his back like you do me? Will you call him a half-breed?

  It was one of his greatest fears—one of the reasons it had taken him so long to marry Dia. Even though he’d known from the first time they’d kissed that she was the one, he’d waited. He’d never wanted to ruin her life by sentencing her to an existence like his—one where she would be shunned because of him. Yet, she’d insisted that all that mattered was their love. She didn’t care about such things.

  Even now that it had been done, he wasn’t so sure. Still, he possessed just enough selfishness that having her outweighed it all. One shard of happiness among the ruin that the rest of his life had become.

  “Thank you, sir,” he replied.

  “Now that we are all here, you may as well know that you’ll be coming down on orders first thing in the morning,” Watrous chimed in. “The Matsai were spotted in Quadrant Four, near the Avaron Space Station. We believe they mean to attack.”

  “When do I leave?” he asked without hesitation. Despite the way he’d been treated, nothing excited him more than engaging in battle and putting his knack for strategy to work.

  “As soon as your fleet can be readied,” Wyke said. “You’ll have fifty airships in your charge. They’re expecting you.”

  He nodded. “A request, sir?”

  “Yes, Major?”

  “May I be allowed to bring my wife along?” he asked. “Under the circumstances, I do not believe it’s wise to leave her behind.”

  The moment I’m gone her father will start poisoning her against me.

  The last thing he needed was the colonel sticking his nose into their new marriage. Besides, he knew she would only worry once he was gone, despite her insistence that she could handle it.

  “Request granted,” Watrous replied with a decisive nod. “A man can hardly expect to be away from his bride.”

  He forced a smile—but not a real one, not the one he showed Dia. One that put them at ease and made them see him as servile and non-threatening. It worked. They smiled back.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “You are dismissed, Major.”

  Turning on his heels, he marched from the room, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. If he were anyone else, the bogus charges would never have been entertained. It didn’t matter that he’d been dealing with their prejudice his entire life. It still stung after all he’d done to prove himself to them.

  Dia. I still have her. She would never…

  That thought gave him hope, along with the reminder that he would get to take her along when he left. For so long he’d been a stranger in a strange world.

  With Dia, he was home.

  Chapter Three

  Earth Army Barracks

  Napet Space Station


  Isaias stood near the open doorway of the major’s barracks room, hands clenched behind his back. He fought to keep his face impassive, when all he really wanted to do was lunge across the room, take the alien imposter by his throat and squeeze the life out of him. He’d been disgusted to know that the daughter of such a prestigious family would choose to marry Ethelene scum instead of one of her kind. Not that he could have had her—he’d been married for a year already. After all, it was his duty as a young male of Earth to participate in the repopulation effort. Still, Dia should have been with someone like him. Just the thought of the half-alien offspring they would make turned his stomach.

  No, throttling the major wasn’t good enough for him. He would destroy the man in his own way. The smart way.

  “I need you to deliver this to General Wyke,” Onyx said, turning and extending a large manila envelope to him. “It’s Dia’s and my marriage certificate. I don’t want there to be any question that the union is legitimate.”

  He accepted the parcel and tucked it under one arm. “Right away, sir,” he said in his most subservient tone.

  “After you’ve done that, I need you to prepare to leave.”

  “Did we come under orders, sir?”

  The major nodded and turned back to the open trunk on the bed. Inside were several uniforms and a few changes of civilian clothing.

  “Yes. The Matsai were spotted in Quadrant Four in large numbers. I’m taking a fleet to Avaron on a scouting mission. I want you to come along, but on a separate ship. I need you to escort Dia there to meet me.”

  Great, now I’m stuck babysitting your whore of a wife.

  “I want her to have as much time as she needs to prepare for the journey, so there’s no rush,” Onyx continued. “Maybe you should bring your wife along, too. They can have each other for company.”

  Isaias rebelled inwardly at the idea. One of the main reasons he hadn’t been reluctant to marry at such a young age was because being a soldier meant he hardly ever had to see her. Ellena was pretty—the main reason he’d married her—but she was also an idiot he couldn’t bear to be in the same room with for very long.

  Biting back the refusal, he nodded. “Good idea. I’ll start getting everything ready for the trip.”

  Onyx nodded back, though his face remained impassive. “Thank you, Captain. I’ve found you to be a valuable asset. Choosing you for my ensign was a good decision, I think.”

  Because I’m only good enough to babysit your wife and carry around your mail? I should have been first lieutenant!

  Saluting, Isaias turned to leave, anger clogging his throat and making his chest heave with rapid breath. He relaxed his hand, which had clenched into a fist, wrinkling the envelope containing the marriage license. Fixing his face into a mask of bored indifference, he went about completing his tasks for the major.

  He encountered Reid right after delivering the major’s parcel to General Wyke. The young man stood slumped against the wall, staring off into space as other soldiers breezed past him, some casting him curious glances. His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath.

  Isaias crossed the hall and approached him, taking in his disheveled hair and rumpled uniform.

  “You look like crap,” he said. “If one of your superiors sees you like this—”

  “I don’t care,” Reid whined, running his hands through his hair and ruining it even more.

  “You’re overreacting.”

  “No, I’m not,” Reid snapped. “I wasn’t honest when I said the thing I had with Dia wasn’t a big deal. I… well, I was going to ask her to marry me.”

  “Now she’s married to the Ethelene.”

  He lowered his head. “I want to die.”

  Isaias snorted. “Don’t be a dumbass.”

  “I love her! I don’t think I can bear to see them together.”

  Grasping Reid’s arm, Isaias dragged him toward the nearest men’s restroom and propelled him inside. Finding it empty, he slammed the door behind them and locked it.

  “Okay, enough! Just because you want to screw her doesn’t mean you love her. And just because she picked another guy, doesn’t mean you go and off yourself. No girl is worth killing yourself over.”

  Reid sniffed, turning to peer at his reflection. “How do I get over her? Every time I think about it, I just want to throw that Ethelene through the nearest window and watch him float off into deep space.”

  “You don’t,” he replied with a shrug. “If you want her, go after her. Who cares about a stupid piece of paper? All you have to do is make her see how wrong she was to choose him. And if it means that much to you, I’ll help you.”

  Reid frowned, glancing up to meet his gaze. “You will? Why?”

  Isaias forced a smile. “Because we’re friends, that’s why. Besides, nothing would bring me more satisfaction than sticking it to the major. If you do everything I tell you, I guarantee you can have her. After being with him, she’s no good as anyone’s wife anyway.”

  “Hey, don’t talk about her like that! It’s not her fault. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

  Isaias shrugged. “Prove it. Show her she’s made a mistake. I’m telling you, it’ll work.”

  Reid turned on the faucet, splashing his face with water. Wiping it clean on his sleeve, he took a deep breath. Turning to face Isaias, he sighed.

  “Tell me what to do.”

  Avaron Fleet Command Center

  Avaron Space Station

  First Lieutenant Cronius March scanned the bustling hangar, searching the crowd for the familiar face of Major Onyx. Taking a quick count of the airships flanking his left and right, he cursed.

  “Only fifteen,” he murmured to himself.

  He didn’t know what had happened to the other thirty-five, though he tried to keep himself from imagining the worst—a difficult thing, considering the circumstances.

  A young corporal approached him, wearing a shoulder patch marking him as being stationed here in Avaron.

  “Lieutenant, glad to see you’ve arrived safely.” He paused, snapping his heels together and saluting him with a crisp motion.

  “First Lieutenant March,” he introduced himself. “And this is less than half my fleet. I was separated from the rest of my unit in a nasty storm out in Quadrant Three. Have First Lieutenant Bryson or Major Onyx arrived yet? Any other airships from Napet?”

  The boy shook his head, eyes wide. “No, sir.”

  “Get me your commanding officer, now,” he ordered. “We need to organize a scout mission to explore Quadrant Three for any sign of the missing ships.”

  The corporal saluted again and turned to carry out the order. “Right away, sir.”

  “Incoming!” shouted one of the hangar’s mechanics, alerting the others to the approaching ship.

  Breath held, Cronius dashed toward the nearest window, staring out into space. He grunted in frustration when he realized the ship wasn’t Onyx’s. However, it was a Napet ship, which could mean news concerning the rest of the fleet.

  He waited impatiently for the ship to land and its occupants to emerge. The major’s ensign, Captain Royce, strode down the gangplank, followed by Dia Tian, and Isaias’ wife, Ellena. Cronius rushed forward to meet them.

  “You made it safe,” he said as the ensign saluted him. “Did you encounter the storm as well?”

  “We left a day after you did,” Captain Royce replied. “We received word of the storm and were able to skirt it. Are you just now getting here?”

  Cronius nodded, shooting the major’s wife a nervous glance. The last thing he wanted to do was worry her over her husband.

  “Yes, and with less than half the fleet. The major and about thirty-five of our ships are still out there.”

  Dia gasped, her wide eyes darting around the hangar. “Onyx is still out there? Has anyone heard from him at all?”

  He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. The poor girl was shaking. “Not yet, but I’m already working on a plan t
o find him. I’m waiting for one of Avaron’s commanding officers, and we’re going to send out a search party. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

  She nodded, but he could see tears brimming in her eyes. He turned to Ellena.

  “Maybe you should help her find their quarters and get her settled. I’ll report any news right away.”

  Ellena took Dia’s hand and led her off after waving good-bye to her husband, who hardly spared her a glance.

  “You were good with her,” Isaias remarked.

  Cronius shrugged. “I’ve been married before. I know how worried my Della would have been if she were in the same situation.”

  The ensign rubbed his chin. “I didn’t know you’d been married. What happened, divorce?”

  He sighed. “No. I lost her to the Virus X outbreak.”

  He turned away from Isaias to go in search of that officer. Not that he disliked the man. He just didn’t like talking about Della with anyone. The memories were still too painful.

  Chapter Four

  Avaron Banquet Hall

  Avaron Space Station

  “I don’t know why the Ethelene’s return is worthy of so much celebration,” Reid slurred, sloshing beer over the sides of his glass. “The only party I want to throw that man is a funeral.”

  “Would you keep your voice down?” Isaias hissed, leaning toward his dinner companion across the table.

  The major had arrived a few short hours ago, with twenty of the missing airships, putting to rest many fears that they’d been taken down in the storm. Isaias had watched with revulsion in his gut as Dia had run to the hangar to meet him. Crying hysterically, she’d thrown herself into his arms and sobbed, clinging to the front of his uniform jacket.

  Unlike Reid, Isaias was good at hiding his true feelings. He’d simply welcomed his commanding officer home and shown him to the quarters he’d be sharing with Dia.