Entry Visa (The Department of Homeworld Security Book 5)

by Cassandra Chandler

  Sure, because they love Sadirians so much.

  They might not love Sadirians, but they seemed really taken with Henry—a feeling that he couldn’t deny was mutual. It was the weirdest thing, but hanging out with them and talking and laughing had felt like family. Craig had even said as much, and Barbara had called Henry “nestling” before he left.

  Vay shifted closer against him under the huge pile of blankets he’d heaped in front of the fireplace screen. Her legs were entwined with his and her arm draped over his chest. He kissed the top of her head, and she let out a contented cooing sound.

  If he was Craig and Barbara’s family, then so was Vay. Henry had to convince them to help her.

  He wasn’t actually sure she’d welcome their help. The Lyrians’ hatred of Sadirians might not be one-sided, and knowing that in advance seemed like a good idea. Coming at the matter head-on didn’t seem wise, so he started with a different line of questioning.

  “Tell me about the Tau Ceti.”

  Vay laughed. “I thought you already knew about them, from your mysterious source of information.”

  “I want to hear your perceptions of them.”

  “Okay.” She was silent for a moment, her fingertips trailing soothing circles over his chest. “They’re amphibians. They evolved from something similar to frogs. Their genetic engineers modified them to look more like Sadirians and they can now stay away from water for a long time. The best specimens are difficult to differentiate from us, but most have telltale characteristics that set them apart. Narrow eyes, wide mouths.”

  “Great.”

  And Craig had said that Barbara comparing Henry to a Tau Ceti was a compliment?

  “You know why they’re on Earth, right?” she said.

  “No.”

  Craig and Barbara had covered so much ground with Henry. Since he didn’t really know much about all of these new species in the first place, he didn’t know what questions to ask. The galaxy was much more populous than he’d dreamed.

  When Vay didn’t continue, he prompted her. “I take it from your silence that it isn’t a good reason.”

  “It isn’t. But they’re not killing anyone, at least. That we know of.”

  A chill swept over him. “The fact that you’re opening with that is not as reassuring as you might be going for.”

  “Sorry. The Tau Ceti have modified their forms further so that they have retractable fangs that they use to siphon blood out of humans. They strip the blood of certain chemicals—oxytocin, dopamine—and return it with a chemical agent that causes memory loss.”

  The chill turned to nausea.

  “That’s awful,” he said.

  “I agree.”

  “Let’s talk about another species. You said there were Grays on Earth. You called them Scorpiians?”

  This time, she was the one who shivered. She put her arm back across his chest, hugging him close.

  “Now I’m really freaking out. They’re worse than the Tau Ceti?”

  “So much worse,” she said.

  “You said they’re shapeshifters. All they need is some DNA to take on another form. Does it have to be a being with similar biomass?”

  “Nobody knows the extent of their abilities for certain. They’re very secretive.”

  He wondered if he had her distracted enough to bring up Craig and Barbara. His palms were starting to sweat. With her head resting on his chest, she could probably hear his heart rate increasing.

  “Let’s see,” he said. “What other systems are nearby that we’ve found possibly habitable planets for? There’s Cygnus.”

  “Cygnus-1 is populated. There’s a black hole nearby, which causes gravity fluctuations that actually protect the planet from too much Coalition interference. Plus, they’ve evolved to have incredible strength and speed. Their skin is incredibly hard as well—almost like stone.”

  “They sound like gargoyles.”

  “I haven’t come across that word yet.”

  “They’re decorative stone statues that we have legends about coming to life and moving around. You should look them up.” This was the perfect segue into asking about the Lyrians. “Speaking of legends… I’m starting to wonder how many of our legendary creatures are actually alien visitors. Take Bigfoot, for example.”

  Vay snickered. “Who?”

  “Bigfoot. The Sasquatch. It’s a really tall, hairy creature that roams through the woods. They leave big footprints, hence the name.”

  “I was wondering.”

  “Most legends say they’re brown, but some people think that the Yeti might also be a form of Sasquatch, and those are white…” He let his voice trail off, hoping she would fill in the rest.

  “Sounds like a Lyrian.”

  Yes!

  “Oh? What are those like?” He hoped he was doing a good enough job keeping his voice calm.

  Her grip loosened on his chest. At least she didn’t seem to be afraid of them.

  “They’re tall and have spines that I’ve heard are really soft. They even look like fur. The spines are colorless, but appear white due to how they refract light. Lyrians can actually bend light around themselves at will, giving them a natural cloaking mechanism. It helps them with their criminal activities.”

  “Come on, they can’t all be criminals.”

  “Of course not. But the ones we encounter are almost all involved in something that goes against Coalition law.”

  “The Coalition has sounded pretty crappy, from everything you’ve told me.”

  “Well, yeah, but I’m talking about thievery and smuggling.”

  His hopes of Vay getting along with Craig and Barbara started to tailspin. “It sounds like you don’t think highly of them.”

  “There’s a saying on Sadr-4. Lyrians have four arms to help them steal.”

  “Okay, I get it. Let’s…move on.”

  It wasn’t just that she was confirming his fears about her people’s opinion of Lyrians. Henry couldn’t stand to hear her badmouthing people he respected and trusted, even after talking to them for such a little while.

  If only she could get to know them as he had. All they wanted was to help other sentients. He was sure they would help her, once they understood the situation.

  “Henry…”

  When she didn’t continue, he said, “Yes?”

  “Where did you get that scarf?”

  Crap.

  He didn’t want to tell her—on many levels. He didn’t want to think about it himself, even though the scarf really was the warmest and softest thing he’d ever worn. And it was sort of a sweet gesture.

  Lots of humans wore clothing made from animal fur. The donors just usually…weren’t sentient. Or so insistent about it. And they didn’t pluck out their fur and weave it into a scarf right in front of you.

  “Henry, you haven’t been talking to a Lyrian, have you?”

  “No.”

  Technically, he hadn’t. “I’ve been talking to two.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Vay pushed herself up on Henry’s chest so that she could look him in the eye. She had to be sure that he was serious about what he was saying. But how would he even know to make a joke about such a thing?

  “They’re really nice,” he said.

  “That’s insane. Do you know how dangerous Lyrians are?”

  “I do.”

  “Obviously you don’t, or you wouldn’t have associated with them.”

  He sat up and shifted away from her. The motion chilled her in a way that went beyond the physical absence of his body heat.

  “I’m going to give you a pass on that one, since I’m assuming that your uber-controlling government has given you false information about them.”

  “Henry…”

  “Have you ever talked to a Lyrian? Just sat down and had a conversation? Maybe played some cards. Sang some songs.”

  “Sadirians don’t do those sorts of things.”

  “I know. But Lyrians do. Did the Coalition includ
e that aspect of their culture in your training on their civilization, or did they focus on the whole ‘if they get mad, they tear your arms off’ thing? Because yes, they do that—which is really disturbing. But their physiology is so different than ours it means something totally different among their kind. And they don’t do that to other species. Usually.”

  Her heart was thundering. The Lyrians would only have given Henry a scarf made from their fur—one of the most sought after and precious commodities their planet offered, and one they very seldom willingly shared—if they considered him kin. Which meant their protective instincts would be fully engaged.

  Anyone they perceived as a threat to him would definitely fall outside of that “usually” addendum about them not pulling off other species’ arms. She didn’t want Henry to learn about their violent tendencies by watching them tear her apart.

  And she really didn’t want to be torn apart.

  “Henry, this is—”

  “They can help you.”

  She let out a laugh before she could stop herself. “A Lyrian is not about to help a Sadirian. They hate us.”

  “From what you’ve said, the feeling is pretty mutual.”

  All the warmth had left his tone. His lips were pulled in a tight line—lips that she had so recently felt caressing her skin. She wanted his laughter back.

  Most of all, she wanted him safe.

  “There are some beautiful aspects of their culture,” she said. “But there are also records of attacks. Plus, they’re notorious smugglers.”

  “I believe it.”

  She was so stunned by the revelation that she just stared at him. She couldn’t think of what to say.

  “I absolutely believe Lyrians have attacked Sadirians,” he said. “And that Sadirians have also attacked them. But without having full information on what happened in those circumstances, I’m withholding judgment—on both parties. Maybe you should give that a try.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. He had obviously become attached to the Lyrians, too. And he’d assimilated their hatred for Sadirians—for her.

  “This was a mistake,” she said. “I shouldn’t have come here.”

  When she turned from him and tried to stand, he grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

  “This wasn’t a mistake. Please don’t think that. Never think that.” He pulled her close against his chest, smoothing her hair with one hand as he held her tight. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just…protective of them.”

  She let out a small laugh, wiping at her eyes as she leaned back to look at him again while they spoke. “I don’t know what to think about this.”

  “Just open your mind to the possibility that what you believe about them might be wrong. Or at least skewed in favor of the Coalition.”

  That wasn’t hard to do, actually. Everything the High Council did was skewed in favor of the Coalition.

  Moons, she’d reacted just the way she’d been trained—had jumped to the conclusions they planted in her brain in her initial programming sessions. After everything she’d learned about the Coalition, everything she’d seen with her own eyes, she knew better.

  And there was also so much beauty to the Lyrian culture. Their intense love of family, their incredible sense of community.

  “You’re right,” she said. “The Coalition is terrible to sentients who can’t—or won’t—conform to Sadirian standards.”

  “From what you’ve told me, they’re not even good to their own people.”

  She nodded, her mind trying to wrap itself around this new—and stunning—information.

  “The best lies are the ones that have a bit of truth in them,” he said. “Lyrians do get mad and tear off each others’ arms—or even their own sometimes.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “If one of their arms is damaged beyond their ability to heal it, they’ll pull it off. And if that throws off their balance, sometimes they do the same to the one opposite it, knowing that both will grow back.”

  “That’s deeply disturbing.”

  “For you and I, it’s alien.”

  She arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Let me rephrase that,” he said. “It’s outside of our experience.”

  The smile she loved so much pulled at the corners of his mouth. Warmth spread through her chest at the sight.

  “What about the smuggling? The thievery?”

  “Another misinterpretation,” he said. “At least, in the case of my friends. Earth’s biomes are incredibly diverse. We have ecosystems that match dozens of inhabited planets—planets that have singular environments.”

  “Earth’s diversity is part of why it has preservation status. It’s an alluring target for sentients who want to exploit your resources.”

  “They aren’t here to exploit us. They’re gathering seeds.”

  The misgiving that she was fighting against came back full force. “Henry, that is a serious crime in the Coalition. How is that not stealing from your planet?”

  “They aren’t stealing. I’m giving them what they need,” Henry said. “After talking to them and learning about their mission, I’ll help them any way I can.”

  “You don’t have the authority.”

  “Who are they going to ask for permission? Your government? Mine? I can go to any garden shop and buy what they need with my own resources.”

  “But that’s what this is all about. Resources. Earth isn’t capable of supplying resources to every planet with sentient inhabitants who feel slighted by the Coalition.”

  “Slighted? We’re talking about worlds that have been completely stripped of what they need to sustain life. People that are now dependent on the Coalition for survival.”

  “People who traded their resources—”

  “Who made a mistake. A huge, terrible mistake. Some of them hundreds or even thousands of years ago. And they’re still suffering.”

  “You can’t damage your own planet to save theirs.”

  “I don’t have to. All Craig and Barbara need are a few samples of each specimen, and they can replicate them to distribute to planets in need. They just need the genetic templates to use as a baseline for the worlds they’re helping.”

  “Craig and Barbara?”

  Henry shrugged. “Those are their chosen Earth names.”

  Their efforts almost sounded like what Brendan’s sister, Paige, was proposing. She had left with Khel to try to convince the High Council to let her use her knowledge of environmental science to repair the damage to worlds in the same type of situation Henry was describing.

  “They’re just trying to help other sentients to lead better lives,” he said.

  That didn’t sound right. Lyrians had always been described as mercenary. They were the Earth equivalent of pirates. But now that she was thinking about it, she didn’t remember hearing stories about Lyrians selling anything for profit. Her training mostly said that they were focused on “leading planets away from the Coalition’s care”.

  She let out a breath that seemed to empty her as she actually felt her paradigm shift.

  “Are you okay?” Henry said.

  “Yeah. I’m just…processing all of this.”

  “I don’t mean to heap more on you, but there’s a time factor here.”

  “Are they on a deadline or something?”

  “No, but you are.”

  Now she was really confused. Although, looking out the window, the sun was getting ready to set. She had maybe thirty minutes of daylight left.

  “Vay, I have to ask you something that’s very important.”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you want to go back to the Coalition?”

  Her blood seemed to still in her veins. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t dare to hope. But if he was thinking of offering her an escape, was it because he felt sympathy for her, or something else? Something deeper?

  “I don’t,” she said, at last. “But I will. To help your planet. To help you. If I don’t go back, they�
��ll search for me.”

  He shook his head. “The Lyrians can help you. Like you said, they are smugglers. Just good-guy smugglers.”

  She almost managed a laugh, but it came out as more of a pained sigh. “There’s more going on with Earth than you know.”

  “Like the Tau Ceti? Centaurans?”

  Vay scoffed. “Your friends really do know a lot. But do they know about the Scorpiian?”

  “They didn’t mention any Grays. I’m assuming they know about the bugs.”

  She laughed, which was kind of amazing, given what they were talking about. Henry had that power over her. It was its own kind of magic. But this was too serious a matter for Vay to let herself get distracted.

  “I’m talking about the bounty hunter that tried to infiltrate both the Department of Homeworld Security and the Arbiter itself before it left orbit,” she said.

  “They might have thought it was too scary for me.” He shrugged. “I tried to explain that I’m an adult, but when they found out that my parents had died, they insisted on adopting me as their nestling.”

  “Your parents?”

  He looked away. “Just before Christmas.”

  Her breath rushed out of her. That was what he’d been dealing with when they’d met. When he talked about letting go of his family’s traditions, she’d had no idea what he must have been going through.

  “Henry—”

  “Yeah, Craig and Barbara were pretty upset about it, too.” He smiled at her, but his eyes glittered and she could see thin lines around his mouth, as if he was in pain. “They think I need them. And I guess I kind of do. They’re the only family I have now. Except for you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  From the way Vay’s eyes widened, Henry was pretty sure she understood what he meant by that. Just in case he wasn’t being clear, he figured he should tell her in his own Earthling way.

  “I love you, Vay. I have since we met on Christmas Eve. I dream about you at night and think of you all the time. But not in a stalker-y way.” He shook his head. “I’m not saying this well.”