Lilith: Eden's Planetary Princess (The Michael Archives Book 1)

by Robinson, C. E.

  Oceania

  An arm was draped over Josephine with its hand gently grasping her left breast. Another arm was under her, the hand to that arm pulling on her stomach. Whoever was holding her was cuddled up closely — a chest against her back, a pelvis against her buttocks, bent knees against bent knees. The hands and arms felt strong, but she did not feel constricted or controlled, only warm.

  Josephine’s head was dull and her stomach a little queasy. Her eyes hurt. I finally see why Collin wanted me to get thick curtains. She could not remember how much she had drank and smoked or how she had made it to bed.

  A wave of panic hit her. Her body tensed, but she did not bolt up or snatch the covers off; she just gently lifted them, looking at the color of the hands and arms that were holding her. The color of the skin was not green, it was pale white. Whoever this was, thankfully, was not Collin Striker. Josephine was also still wearing the same lightweight dress from yesterday. She relaxed, closed her eyes, pulled the covers over her head, and took a deep breath.

  Her sleeping partner stirred, and then rolled over. Spontaneously, Josephine rolled over as well. She consciously slid one hand under the warm body until it rested upon a hard flat stomach. She laid her other arm across his or her side and let her hand lightly fall, finding that her hand discovered a nicely sized breast. Female — thankfully, not Collin.

  She cupped the breast gently. Josephine had not had sex with a female for many years, not since it had become perfectly clear that she was pure heterosexual. As she pulled herself tightly against her sleeping partner, letting her own breasts squeeze against a back, her pelvis pushed firmly against buttocks, her bent knees against bent knees, there was no feeling of sexuality — only warmth, only love.

  Josephine heard it before she felt it — the delicate sound of an Angel’s wing growing. A few moments later, a large white wing was lying over the length of Josephine’s body.

  Josephine felt the pulse of a strong heart beating with love, beating love for her. Tears streamed down her face. A moment later Josephine and Pegasus were like kittens, absorbed in a deep, safe blissful sleep.

  Chapter 42

  Karolita’s Bad Idea

  The greater the arrogance, the greater the probability for making immensely stupid decisions. This was the saving grace of any Valkyrie commander fighting against the Overlords and their children.

  —King Joshua

  Oceania

  "Ihad sex with a subordinate officer who didn’t know I was his commander,” Josephine blurted out as she and Pegasus dressed. “There was no malice in the affair — just a stupid oversight on my part.” Pegasus knew instantly whom she was talking about.

  “Everyone calls him Dr. Yummy, but his real name is Collin Striker. He’s in charge of Oceania’s logistics depot.”

  “Holy shit,” Pegasus exclaimed.

  “You said it. You know, when Kahmael hears the news, I’ll be busted.”

  Pegasus shook her head and looked up. “Well, since we’re making confessions, I have one to make.”

  Josephine had a good idea what was coming. She already knew about Pegasus leaving the Lanonandek for the Nazz’s taking. She pretended to be surprised when Pegasus told her that it was she who had retrieved Smigyl from Prince Caligastia’s palace on Urantia and transported him to Elysium; how sweet Kuko Kiena had been to her; what Kuko had said; and that she was still in love with Kuko.

  Josephine’s head slumped when she heard the name ‘Kiena’. After fighting back new tears, she confessed to Pegasus that it had been her duty as Edentia’s security officer to determine how much of a risk Pegasus constituted after her affair with Kuko. In fact, it was her, Josephine, and not Kahmael, who had made the final decision to ship Pegasus out of Satania.

  Josephine realized that her decision to ship Pegasus out of Satania had been correct after all. Pegasus’ ability to make good decisions in Kiena’s presence had, indeed, been compromised.

  “Well, since we’ll both probably be on the next boat out of Satania, how about we go sailing?” Josephine suggested.

  “Splendid idea.”

  While Pegasus rented the boat and diving equipment, Josephine walked over to Frank’s Grocer and purchased food and a couple bottles of water.

  Josephine did not bother to tell Pegasus which particular Frank it was who owned the store. For whatever reason, Frank intimidated Pegasus. Josephine thought there was no need for Pegasus to be apprehensive that the intense Frank Haiguns could show up at any moment. She was sure Frank would not be there. David had recently left for a survey mission in Northern Venom taking Frank, Michelle, and Laura with him.

  “You’re wearing that to go snorkeling? Josephine asked. “Where’s your swimsuit?”

  “Don’t have one. I can snorkel in shorts. No big deal.”

  “Uh, I don’t think so. Let’s store the groceries in the boat, then get you a swimsuit at my shop.”

  The cash register rang a couple of times while Josephine helped Pegasus pick out an elegant swimsuit — one that nicely matched her build and complexion. By far, the majority of Josephine’s patrons did not really need anything; they were just enjoying themselves as they looked at beautiful things.

  “Would you like to pay for that now?” asked Josephine’s store clerk, Rachmiel — Miel to most. Josephine and Pegasus paid no mind. In almost every case, leaving without paying was a simple oversight.

  But sometimes it was not. Although few in number, some Angels who were on borderline probation were intentionally allowed on Oceania. Sometimes it was difficult to judge an Angel’s performance and true character while incarnated in the flesh in the middle of a warzone. Their minds and hearts could become so polluted from the Overlord’s Etherial Leviathans that they lost their ability to judge right from wrong, often falling into self-servitude. Their Nakshatric Blankets amplified this difficulty, especially if they had been sent into the enemy’s camp after being programmed as spies.

  As part of their evaluations, borderline probationary Angels were sometimes sent to vacation spheres like Oceania after their Nakshatric Blankets had burned off. Evaluations from their time on Oceania were usually conclusive.

  “Pay for what?”

  Josephine’s head jerked around to see the owner of the crass, sarcastic voice.

  “The diamond necklace in your pocket,” Miel calmly replied.

  “What are you saying? How dare you imply I’m a thief?”

  “Look, Karolita. Don’t be a thief and a liar too. Just give it back.” Again, Miel’s voice was calm. Although Josephine remained in the swimsuit section, she surreptitiously moved to get a closer look. There were four other Angels with the one called ‘Karolita’. Josephine knew several disreputable creatures with the name ‘Karolita’, but she did not recognize this particular, quite attractive, bright blue face.

  “I don’t have to take this from a mole like you,” Karolita said, referring to Miel’s brown skin. Karolita turned her nose up, spun on her heels, and headed toward the door, her four companions in close tow.

  Josephine sighed. She was not in the mood for a verbal confrontation or a fistfight and certainly did not want to waste any more daylight while tracking down one of the island’s security personnel.

  Pegasus suddenly appeared at the door, blocking Karolita’s exit.

  “Get outta my way, Horse Face,” Karolita shouted as she tried to get around Pegasus.

  “Karolita. Everyone already knows what you are. Do you really need to go around proving it?” Pegasus replied.

  “Shut up and get your ugly horsey face out of my way. What do you think you can do about it anyway?”

  In one smooth, unexpected move, Pegasus grabbed Karolita’s hand and twisted it up into a painful wristlock.

  “Let go of me, you ugly pigeon,” Karolita hissed.

  “I’ll give you a choice, Karolita. Either give back the jewelry you stole, then leave and never darken this store with your evil presence again, or I’m gonna tie you up with a rope and dr
ag you to the Marshall’s office by your feet. Or don’t you think a horse like me can do it?”

  Josephine casually wandered over, but kept a distance. After studying the agony on Karolita’s face for a few seconds, Pegasus let go of her hand. Karolita pressed down her clothes, smoothed her hair, angrily dug into her pocket, and then hurled the beautiful diamond necklace with all her might. Before it could smash against the far wall, Josephine casually plucked it out of the air.

  Karolita glared at Josephine. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead, her blue skin began to pale.

  “That’s right,” Josephine said calmly. Karolita’s eyes shifted from a vicious blue to a nervous white. Josephine had no idea who this was, but it was clear Karolita recognized Theatre Commander Colonel Josephine P. Doulmahel.

  Karolita bolted toward the door like a rabbit sprinting from a wolf. She banged headlong into Pegasus who grabbed her by the back of the neck, reached down, and grabbed one leg while Josephine held the door open. Pegasus tossed her unceremoniously into the street just like a farmer would toss a bag of feed into his barn.

  Josephine held the door open, allowing three of the Angels to pass. But when the fourth tried to leave, she held out her arm to stop her. The fourth Angel looked young, unsure of herself, worried. Her face seemed familiar. Josephine leaned forward and spoke quietly into her ear.

  “It is wise to know with whom you associate.” The kindness of Josephine’s words made the fourth Angel look at Josephine’s beautiful, creamy face and soft green eyes. Josephine gave her a stern, concerned look, the way a good mother would look at a beloved but rebellious child who was starting to make bad choices.

  Two of the Angels rushed over to Karolita; the third stood back nervously. The one Josephine had detained lingered on the sidewalk for a moment, staring at Karolita. She looked back at Josephine. Josephine gave her a subtle nod and shifted her eyes to the left, pointing her in the opposite direction of Karolita and the others. The young Angel turned and quickly walked away, only once glancing back to make sure she was not followed.

  Josephine and Pegasus stood on the sidewalk for a minute to ensure Karolita would not attack anyone else. As Karolita stood, she seemed to remember something. Her head jerked up and stared at Josephine. The fear returned to Karolita’s eyes. She hurried away to the right with an Angel at each shoulder and another close behind.

  Josephine looked back to the left to watch the fourth Angel. She noticed a guy with a good crop of stubble on his face, leaning against the wall. He looked like a scruffy, intoxicated beach bum with his crumpled casual shirt, ragged shorts, and old worn-out sandals. That’s Commander Vegu-Aniel Odinero. Why’s he wearing Frank’s clothes, Josephine thought to herself, shaking her head with a smile.

  As the fourth Angel quickly walked past him, Aniel leaned forward and started walking along side her, casually talking to her as if he knew nothing of what had just happened and was simply flirting with a young, pretty Angel. He glanced back to Josephine and gave her a quick wink as his face flashed through a series of strangely unreadable expressions.

  Josephine could only imagine why he had selected to personally follow this fourth Angel and not the others. She turned back to her store, unaware that Aniel was hoping this fourth Angel was his long lost love, his wife, Glimarije.

  Chapter 43

  A Love of Convenience

  It’s true all love isn’t the same. Yet, if you feel love coming from another, even if it is motivated by a transient convenience, go ahead and accept the love. And if it turns out your lover is actually the enemy, then as our King Joshua teaches, go ahead and love your enemy in return. I promise you, the love you pour upon an enemy is what they need the most.

  —Pasiel Pegasus

  Celestial Waters of the Mamsa

  En-route from Oceania to the Isle of Belize

  The swells on the ocean were moderately sized and there was a good breeze. Even though Josephine was energized after her encounter with Karolita, her brain felt dull and her body drained. Before leaving shore, she asked Pegasus if she would take the helm.

  Josephine saw the delight on her friend’s face as Pegasus quickly optimized their trim, skimming across the surface of the water alongside dozens of boats filled with joyful Angelic sailors. Josephine pointed out Emerald Isle, a tiny little dot a couple of kilometers off their port bow. Pegasus suggested they see the corals around Emerald Isle, but when Josephine explained that it was this place where she had had her first outing with Collin — well, there was no need to say another word about it. Instead, they set sail for the scenic coral-surrounded island of Belize, a seven-hour trip from Oceania.

  Although there could be several thousand vacationing Angels on Oceania at any given time, there were only a few scattered sailboats this far out to sea. Most of the vacationers had had their fill of traveling and were completely satisfied to stay on the Oceania main island and just relax.

  As they approached Belize, they saw a medium-sized sailboat anchored a couple of hundred meters offshore, but no one was on board. There were only two small boats resting on the shore. One of them was a rowboat — most likely to transport passengers from the larger sailboat. The other was small, just like their boat.

  Josephine knew the aquatic system around the island fairly well. She pointed out to Pegasus where the coral reefs lay sufficiently deep to risk no chance of their boat running aground. Pegasus timed it so she would zip in right behind a big swell and cut port to get as far away from the other boats as possible. Suddenly, the wind stopped cooperating. She had to cut back starboard much quicker than she would have liked in order to reach dry land before a massive swell bore down on them from behind.

  Josephine quickly raised the skeg, and then jumped out while Pegasus dropped the sail. Josephine grabbed the bow rope and pulled hard as Pegasus jumped out and pushed on the stern to get them as high on the shore as possible. Josephine uncoiled the bow rope as she trotted across the wide beach to the tree line and tied it tightly to a sturdy tree. She scanned the rope to make sure the brightly colored ribbons attached at intervals would alert anyone walking along the beach to the rope’s presence. The ribbons fluoresced at a frequency easily detected by an Angel’s eyes.

  Pegasus grabbed the winch from under the boat’s bow and used it to ratchet them high onto the pink sand. The tides near Oceania could rise and fall significantly depending upon the alignments between Oceania’s three moons. Today they were in the middle of a moderate alignment cycle; therefore, the tides would change significantly.

  They unpacked their equipment — masks, fins, snorkels, gloves, rash guards, a broad belt that secured a shell collection bag, a waterproof bag for a change of dry clothing, a couple of different sized knives, a small pry bar, and another small satchel with medical supplies.

  Swimming on Oceania was like swimming within the physical oceans of any Material planet. Movement came by using hands, fins, or flowing with the currents or tides.

  The creatures that lived upon Celestial spheres such as Oceania and swam within Celestial oceans were Gods. They were the archetypal templates that projected the structural and biophysiological characteristics of the physical creatures living upon a physical Material planet. The Celestial oceans that flowed throughout a galaxy carried all these forms of life.

  Josephine held tightly to Pegasus’ hand as they floated along. Her body was bathed in the glowing turquoise water while her senses were filled with the millions of different animal species swimming around them. Her troubles of the past days — her problems with Collin — the war for Eden — all her concerns drifted away with the waves.

  Pegasus rotated her fins in a backward circular motion to keep her in place while pointing directly below them. Josephine followed Pegasus’ finger, at first thinking she was just pointing out the dozens of little orange clown fish.

  A dark, long, narrow shape deeper down grabbed her attention. The fish was approximately two meters in length — as sleek as a missile — a tailf
in that seemed inappropriately large — a slender protruding lower jaw lined with razor sharp teeth — the oversized eyes of a predator.

  A wave of adrenaline flowed through her. Barracuda. At that second, the oversized tailfin flicked, the missile flew, and razor sharp teeth ended the life of a tasty fish, who itself was looking at a fish with its own lusting eyes.

  Twilight descended. The shifting frequency of light changed the reef before their eyes. Daylight animals vanished and nighttime animals slowly appeared as if manifesting out of nowhere.

  By the time they reached the opposite side of the island, all daylight from the bright green moon had fallen, replaced by the red moon’s soft glow. Near the place where they made shore with their sailboat, the ocean currents divided and moved around either side of the island. Now on the opposite side of the island, the two tides reunited. As a result, the waves were often quite high and erratic as two currents moving in opposite directions attempted to again become one.

  Josephine and Pegasus let go of each other’s hands and kicked through the chop. Fifty meters later, the oceanic shelf dropped off steeply, and the waters became calm.

  Pegasus lifted her head, removing her mask and snorkel while treading water. She took off her gloves, stuffed her gear into the shell collection bag, and then gave her face a vigorous rub. Josephine surfaced in front of her and did the same. “Hey. Let’s dive under,” Pegasus said.

  “Let’s rest a minute first,” Josephine replied as she pulled her hair out of her rash guard, leaned her head back, and ran her fingers through it, stretching it out, letting the long strands breathe. She opened one of her belt’s satchels and pulled out a snack, offering some to Pegasus.

  “Beautiful place, isn’t it?” Josephine said to the little blue moon as it slipped below the horizon. She floated on her back in the warm water, enjoying the sweet nourishing snack. With her hair flowing in a circle around her head, Pegasus thought it looked like Josephine was surrounded by a burgundy halo.