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Jaxil couldn’t believe he was still alive. The human kneeling before him had chosen not to shoot him right away. He found that he was beginning to relax around her, despite himself. He tried to remind himself of his commander’s description of humans: They were ruthless, sadistic, and quick to violence. When confronted, they would fight first and reason only to save themselves when captured. They had no morals, and most importantly, they despised Lunairans.

He reminded himself of the information he had been provided by his commanding officer, yet somehow, no matter which way he looked at it, this human didn’t fit the description. She had been merciful, empathetic, and quick to speak before shooting. Had his leaders been wrong about humans? He grimaced in the dark, cursing himself for having such little faith in his superiors. Of course not. This human must have been the exception among her kind. Or maybe she was too young and hadn’t developed a sense of brutality yet. Whatever the case, he knew he could count on one thing: the higher powers were never wrong. They knew everything and only wanted the best life for the Lunairan people. He had to trust them.

It was easier said than done. As the human continued to speak to him in that soothing tone of hers, Jaxil found that—as much as he wished it wasn’t true—he [i]agreed[/i] with her about the war. He agreed that it was scary, that it was just causing unnecessary loss of life… and in that moment, he hated himself for it. [i]I’m not a traitor,[/i] he silently tried to convince himself. [i]I can’t be a traitor. The higher powers know what they’re doing. I just can’t understand it, that’s all. I don’t have enough information.[/i]

The female’s next statement began to put his mind at ease. Apparently, one of the other humans had sent out a search party to find a “dangerous Lunairan.” He let out his breath in relief. The higher powers had been correct, after all. The humans really did want to kill his people. This female was merely an exception to the rest of her kind. The war was just.

Jaxil’s interest was piqued when the human began talking about the Lunairan traitor, Serix. His commander had informed the platoon that there might be one of their own fighting on the side of the humans. Supposedly, this male had gone missing during the scouting mission, but had never reported any danger to his pilot. He had simply vanished. Now, here he was, sidling up to the humans like an obedient pet and hurting his own people’s efforts to repopulate this planet. He had even taken a human female as a mate. The thought of it turned Jaxil’s stomach.

Apparently, this human didn’t think Serix’s betrayal was a bad thing though. She spoke of him and his mate fondly, claiming that their union was a sign of peace between humans and Lunairans. Jaxil wasn’t sure what to think about that. Sure, those two might have somehow ended up coming to an agreement that didn’t end in death, but it was an isolated incident. The other humans were vicious and needed to be exterminated… right?

His confidence wavered as he looked at the human sitting before him. Her weapon lay harmlessly on the ground and her expression was kind. The longer they stared at each other, the harder he found it to see her as a threat. He no longer knew what to think.

He reeled back as she suddenly extended one hand towards him. What was she doing? Was she going to harm him after all? He eyed her warily for a moment, then decided the gesture wasn’t malicious. Still, he didn’t know what it meant, so he just stared at her blankly.

[b]“It’s a greeting,”[/b] the female explained, understanding his confusion.

“Oh,” he furrowed his brow, looking at her hand. He held out his own hand, copying her position so his hand was outstretched in front of him.

The human took it in hers and shook it in an up-and-down motion, [b]“My name is Terra.”[/b]

“Jaxil,” he said in return. “It’s, err… pleasant to meet you.” He lowered his hand when the human released it. She was truly a curious specimen. His violet eyes swept over her form. She had a slender body and long hair that fell across half of her face, covering one of her eyes. She also appeared to be about the same age as him, if perhaps a little younger. If he was honest, she looked just like a Lunairan, except for the colors of her hair and eyes. He didn’t know what to think about that.

“Thank you for not telling your people where I am,” he said gratefully. He still didn’t understand why she was helping him. As soon as he found a way out of the hideout, he planned to inform his leaders about what had happened and update the tacticians’ intel. It was his duty as a soldier, but somehow Terra’s friendly presence was making his convictions a little harder to stick to.