The other man is perfectly calm like he has accepted his destiny. Just by seeing him, I understand what he has in his mind.
He’s going to sacrifice himself to stop our pursuers from getting to us.
“Jay, there are other four like me that know exactly the same things as I do. My mission was to guide you to this temple. There’s nothing more that I can do for your except making sure you get out of here alive.”
After I arrive next to them, I see him looking at me. His glance is momentary, but it’s more than enough to make me understand.
“Jay, let’s go,” I say.
“What? Are you mad? Don’t you get it? He wants to…”
“Jay! Let’s go. We don’t have time.”
The second time I yell at him, my words seem to get through. He wants to complain, but he doesn’t. Instead, he grunts and runs towards the passage. I cast one last look towards Dale and I see him grinning at me. His eyes are sparkling.
He thanks me with a nod and turns his back on me.
As I turn to watch Jay, my chest feels heavy. This is exactly what happened back on Mosa with the destroyed embassy, and this is exactly what will happen many times in the future until we find a way to solve this mystery.
People will die because we aren’t strong enough to protect them.
And yet, I don’t feel sorrow inside me this time. Just anger.
But, life once again had other plans for us.
The shock wave of the explosion tosses me to the other side of the room. The stone wall stops my movement but not before retaliating. My whole body aches as I fall to the ground clumsily.
Once again, I’m in the middle of a dust fog. The ruins falling on our heads lift a heavy cloud of brown dirt. I cough as it sticks in my throat, but I’m soon on my feet, limping towards the passage.
I follow Jay’s shouting, and I end up before a mass of fallen debris. The entrance to the passage has collapsed.
Shit is the first word that comes in my head. I’m stuck on this side. I don’t have time to do anything about it, though.
“Eladia duck,” I hear the same, twisted voice command me. I obey and hear the clunk of metal hitting the stone wall above my head. Someone tried to kill me.
My eyes catch a man with a plain, black mask on with two openings for the eyes and one for the nose. Everything else is covered.
As the dust settles, I see that there’s a whole group of people in the same attire, with laser guns and swords, a rather peculiar choice of weapons.
“Dale, where are you?” I mumble behind my teeth, and just like that the man appears right on my side.
“Damn you Eladia, I told you to leave. Now...now I have to find a way to save you,” he says, sounding rather disappointed he couldn’t give his life to save us.
“It wasn’t my fault! I was on my way but then this bomb happened,” I say, but he has no time to hear my rumble.
He passes his hands below my knees and tosses me above his shoulders. Why every man in my life feels the need to carry me when I’m in danger? I can run you know!
But soon, I understand. He’s insanely fast even when carrying me on his shoulders, fast enough to hit two more faceless men and get us out of the thick cloud of dust surrounding us in no time. Among the chaos of marching men, I still hear Jay’s shouts.
I can almost make out what he’s saying, but maybe it’s in my head.
The words travel through the air like empty promises made for people that actually love each other.
“I will find you! I promise!”
I hope I heard right. God, I hope I did because I make a promise to myself, a promise that I’ll make sure to keep no matter how much time it’ll take me.
“I’ll wait for you!” I shot back at him as we vanish deep into the forest, under the juggernaut debarking countless soldiers.
My heart beats fast as we leave behind us the pyramid-shaped temple. A small shuttle leaves from behind. They managed to escape. I’m able to breathe again, but that’s until Dale clumsily drops me to the ground.
“What the hell? What’s wrong with you?” I say to him.
That’s before I see the three weirdly looking men surrounding us.
Maybe I was too fast to think that we lost them. Or maybe, this is destiny. Either way, this adventure has just started...
Chapter Forty-Four
Alyce
I walk into the grand hall of the Class 5 juggernaut named Hope, a juggernaut of the Alliance reserved for intergalactic meetings like this. Representatives from every member of the Known Galaxy’s Alliance have arrived. They wear a jovial, kind expression on their faces, an expression that seems out of place in this assembly. I seriously don’t understand what they’re thinking. Innocent people are dying on Yaerus as we speak, and we’re standing here, socializing and waiting for this meeting to start.
From what I’ve heard from my father, most political leaders are against taking rush decisions, and they want to trust humans to take care of their own problems. Still, for all of us to gather here means that the possibility of a Purge is real and lurking above the human species. I mean, come on. Shouldn’t we be doing something? Maybe for a change fight and not abandon a planet on the mercy of brainless, undead creatures?
I sweep the room with a glance, searching for my fellow Phadh among the crowd. All around me, small wells of people pop up from time to time. Some of them secretly peek at one another, trying to scale the general opinion of their rivalries; others are just enjoying their trip over Sector 6, home to the human race and their home planet, Yaerus. Luckily, my fellow Phadh proudly distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd by not meddling in other people's affairs, waiting for the council’s meeting to start.
My father, the Chief Ambassador of the Phadh in Sector 6 of the Known Galaxy, is the only one keeping a semblance of a smile on his face, trying to keep up appearances and get a better understanding of the status on Yaerus. He has his own dedicated circle of followers, one that it’s getting bigger by the minute. I decide to head towards him. There’s always something interesting happening around him.
Moving towards my father, I hear his slow, booming voice prevail over the other ambassadors as they all discuss with each other. The autumn leaves swaying on his head-branches are a sign of my father’s true age. He’s one of the eldest Phadh in the room, maybe even of this Sector.
We, the Phadh, start as human-like creatures and grow up to resemble trees as the years pass by. Leaves and branches have started growing on my father’s body during the last century. Soon, he won’t be able to travel into space anymore and will have to return to Zeania, our home planet, and live his last days contemplating his long life.
Even though many species would have taken his old age as a sign of weakness, the Elder Phadhs are among the most influential people in the Known Galaxy. And with still many years ahead of them before turning into Colossi, the Elders are our true leaders.
When I get close enough, I hear the restless rattle of a man as he tries to draw my father’s attention to himself.
“Many planets of the Sector 3 are plagued by pirate attacks. Why don’t we try to address that crisis first and let humans respond to their crisis alone? They didn’t want us here to begin with, so I say we let them have their way and fight those monsters all by themselves.”
One of the Unranked Species ambassadors, the Totes, seem way too aggressive towards resolving the human crisis. The truth is that humans didn’t actually ask for our help on the matter, but their neighbor planets, afraid of the epidemic on Yaerus turning into an uber-demic, did.
Dad smiles at the other man, nods at him, and proceeds to answer his question: “My dear friend, humans are short-lived creatures with even shorter tempers and irrational ambitions. They wouldn’t ask for our help even if they had a foot in the grave. The Alliance, however, retains the right to meddle with other species’ affairs if the situation endangers their neighboring civilizations. Incompetence can be a dangerous thing, espec
ially when we’re talking about interplanetary politics. We’re not here to save the humans. We’re here to save others from the human problems.”
That’s my father then; the great diplomat, the man of the hour, the one that always seems to appease the angry crowds. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it. I would just have punched the guy in the face, between those antenna-like eyes that flop all around.
“You’re right, you Great Elder. I understand. But, I’m not only concerned about the crisis on Yaerus anymore. Humans seem so occupied on snatching the Second Rank from the Vlatall that makes their crisis management slow and sloppy. It’s not only that, but they also endanger other species with their incompetence. Even if we manage to find a way to save them all, it’s already too late to help them retrieve their planet without proceeding with a Purge,” the other man continues in a calmer manner.
Frankly, no matter how much I hate to agree with him, he’s right. Yaerus is done for. The reanimated corpses have ravaged most of the planet’s main cities, including Mosa. It’s almost impossible to find a solution now, not without risking more lives. Even with the overdeveloped Phadh technology and knowledge, it still remains a mystery how the humans stumbled upon such a dangerous disease.
My father sighs, probably searching for the right words to counter the ambassador's claims. That’s what I thought at first. When I finally catch up with the events, I have to use every ounce of my self-restraint from cupping my mouth. He’s angry.
When he finally calms down, at least to my experienced eyes, he proceeds into answering the other man’s question. “I didn’t claim that we can save their planet, fellow ambassador. Right now, I’ve lost my patience towards the human race as a whole. But don’t be mistaken. Humans have long surpassed their Third Rank Status. They’re already deep into the Second Rank and rising.
“Yaerus might be dead, but humans have countless planets at their disposal to colonize. This is far from being over, my friend.”
The other man stands in surprise before my father. To be honest, I’m surprised myself. His claims are dangerous, especially at a meeting hosted by humans. To openly speak about his worries over the human expansion is a sign of bad things to come.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. I couldn’t help but overhear your discussion.”
Oh no. The bad things came faster than I expected them. That’s one of the twelve human ambassadors of the meeting, a man plainly called Mr. Terasaka. He looks around a tenth of my age, meaning he must be around thirty years old. I never expected humans to send their children to fight their battles. He’s only a seed in front of my father and in no way prepared to rival my father’s political speech.
He walks right in the middle of the tightly pressed circle made of various ambassadors that have now amassed around them to observe the upcoming debate. The atmosphere is tense.
“Don’t worry about that, Mr. Terasaka. We weren’t trying to exclude the rest of you from our conversation. At this point I think all of us would love to hear your opinion on the matter,” my father says.
The black haired man, wearing a stylish black suit that highlights his eyes, quickly exchanges nods with my father and the Tote ambassador. He doesn’t seem all that bit bothered about the tense atmosphere.
“You seem to know many things about the way the human government works, you Elder of the Phadh. But, you’re also awfully quiet about the Phadh over-colonization of the 21st Sector or the misuse of the cloning method incident that came to light three years ago and still hasn’t been addressed by the council.”
“Make your point, Mr. Terasaka. This is not a public forum to express your concerns and worries about the strength and adequacy of the Phadh regime. None of our neighbor planets asked the Alliance’s help so far. That means--”
“That means nothing. You don’t have a home planet to start with. You keep the land of Zeania as a glorified graveyard. No one does even dare speak up against the mighty Phadh because of your military excessive power. And yet, here you are, calling for an emergency meeting of the Alliance’s Council to order a Purge you’re not authorized to--”
That was it. The last straw. The patience of the rest of the ambassadors is over. Everyone in the room starts talking at the same time. I cup my mouth with my hand and wait for the commotion to die out, but it doesn’t seem it’ll lose any of its intensity soon. Surely not before the meeting starts.
As I walk away from the grand hall, there’s something troubling me. Throughout my whole life, I’ve never—ever—heard anyone interrupt my father in a debate before. I haven’t even heard anyone talk back to him.
But sadly, everything the human said is true. We get complaints about the mistakes of the Phadh rule all the time, even if all the problems tend to mysteriously go away as soon as Elite Phadh Originators are assigned on the matter. I don’t want to admit it, but my father might be fighting a lost cause. Humans came to this meeting prepared to even go into an all out war against us to keep their claim over the Sixth Sector, even if their home planet it’s almost destroyed.
I head towards the observation deck. The cacophony of voices slowly becomes distant and muffled. Sure, it’s not like some of the greatest people of the Known Galaxy’s Alliance are fighting with each other. No, to me, the ambassador’s daughter, it’s another boring evening attending a diplomatic meeting with my father.
‘You have to come to this meeting, Alyce! You have to learn politics by experiencing them first hand. Our species is going through great changes, Alyce, and you’ll become one of its leaders someday in the future.’
God, I hate my dad’s voice when he’s asking me to escort him in one of those boring meetings. Nothing ever happens.
Until it does.
A small scale explosion erupts at the next room. I end up on the floor from the impact. I’m not sure what’s going on. Soon, the alarm goes off. At the same time, a thick cloud of smoke envelops the room. I hear steps closing in on my location.
“Help! Somebody! I’m in here,” I yell, trying to be heard above the ruckus the explosion caused.
Amidst the gray smoke, a man with a red, intimating mask appears. Three men follow him close behind. The three men wear plain gray masks, big enough to hide their faces.
The man with the red mask takes a step into the room and heads straight to me. The three men behind him stay put. When he’s close enough to touch me, he bends down and sprays something on my face.
I cough and crawl away from him as quick as I can. “Who are you? Are you the one that did this? What do you...?”
I feel my eyelids heavy. I can’t talk anymore. I try to fight it, but this is a fight I’ve lost before it even started.
Chapter Forty-Five
Eladia
I’m not sure how many times it is now. Running away from the men with the black masks has become an oddly common activity during this last year. And the truth is that I’ve become good enough to not even worry about them anymore. The poor guys don’t even stand a chance. I know Caso’s alleyways and secret passages like the back of my hand.
I keep turning my head to check on them, but they don’t show any sign of exhaustion. It’s almost unnatural how easily they keep up with me. They keep running, keep coming at me like they’re robots, never tired and never giving up.
Honestly, I wish I could just stop and take them on. But Cross was downright clear about it. He doesn’t want me fighting them.
He always tells me to run and try to lose them in one of Caso’s labyrinthine alleys. That’s the reason why we decided to move in this colony in the first place after all.
I stop thinking nonsense for a moment and look around me. The subterranean city of Caso is one of the most badly planned cities of the entire galaxy. Honest to god, there are some paths that start on one side of the city and end up on the totally wrong side like they don’t follow the rules of nature at all. I don’t know what is wrong or why, but being one of the first human settlements, my theory is that it still retains that archaic, some
what sketchy, urban planning of the early human endeavors.
Caso is an underground mining station on planet Xioria. It’s the first planet of the Known Galaxy that we moved into since the start of this intergalactic chase between me, Cross, and the black-maskers. The plan was to stay in the Uncharted Region for as long as possible, expecting that they wouldn’t find us there.
But, they always did.
You make a mistake by using online transactions, they find you the next day. You share your name with one of the commoners, they find you the next hour. Honestly, I don’t know how the fuck they do it, but if it wasn’t for Cross, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with them. I wouldn’t be able to survive for a whole year without him, to be honest.
Nowadays, though, and after I had completed a great part of my training next to him, we decided to return to the Known Galaxy. I’ve asked Cross many times why we did that, but I think he avoids sharing his plan with me.
Alien Romance Box Set: Romantic Suspense: Alien Destiny: Scifi Alien Romance Adventure Romantic Suspence Trilogy (Complete Series Box Set Books 1-3) Page 90
