by Cara Wylde
“You don’t like it. Being like me…”
“No, I… I don’t know. It’s… different, for sure.”
He stepped between her and the mirror, took her face between his warm hands, and forced her to focus on his eyes.
“You. Look. Amazing.”
Allie smiled. His intense gaze, the confidence in his voice… Ark’s sheer presence snapped her out of her trance. Brought her with her feet back on the… well, not the ground. On The Hesperia. Out of nowhere, an idea popped into her head. She grinned.
Ark furrowed his brows. He could see the image of a tall, blue-skinned woman taking form in Allie’s thoughts, but he didn’t know who she was. He’d never seen her before, and she didn’t look like she was an Unxendi, either.
“Mystique,” Allie said.
“Err… Who?”
“Don’t you know Mystique? The X-Men?” She rolled her eyes. “So many things I have to teach you. Oh, damn! I just realized I’m going to miss the next X-Men movie.” She slapped herself over the forehead. “Ugh! There won’t be another X-Men movie! This is awful.”
Ark blinked in confusion. She was talking about Old Earth entertainment, that much he had figured out.
“Nevermind.” She took a couple of deep breaths. “It’s alright. I can live without X-Men. No biggie. But the last one was so good…” More deep breaths. She closed her eyes, opened them again, smiled tensely. “It’s fine. Do you know why, Captain?”
“Why?”
Ark couldn’t lie to himself. He had thought that after he’d conquer Alison Page’s heart and show her he was her twin flame, she wouldn’t confuse him as much. He’d been wrong.
“Because now I get to be like them. Like the X-Men. Maybe not a mutant, exactly. What a horrible word, don’t you think? But I am a sort of hybrid, right?”
“Mmm… I wouldn’t say that.”
She waved him off.
“Okay, okay. Absorbing some of your DNA doesn’t make me half Unxendi, but it does make me blue. You know what? I don’t mind it. I don’t mind it at all.” She pushed him to the side so she could see herself in the mirror. “Now all I need is… red hair.”
“Red hair? Why?” The image of the Mystique woman again. “Oooh…”
“Yes, sir. I’ve always wanted to be Mystique. She’s badass, I’m badass… it’s perfect!”
“Your ass is not…”
Allie laughed. “Oh baby, you’re so innocent sometimes.”
She focused for a moment, and a tall bottle of hair dye appeared on the sink. Allie popped the cap and squirted some of the thick liquid in her palm. It was exactly what she needed.
“I don’t know what this is made of, but I don’t care.”
Reluctantly, Ark stepped closer to her. He wasn’t sure what she was planning to do.
“It looks like it’s made of crushed Pyxinian Nocte Flowers…”
“Don’t care.”
She squirted more hair dye into her palm, then rubbed her hands and prepared to color her hair.
Ark’s eyes widened.
“Are you going to put that thing in your hair?!”
He’d never seen a woman dye her hair before. It wasn’t something specific to the Unxendi culture. The Unxendi women and men were dark-haired, and the color persisted naturally even in old age. Neither the women, nor the men had ever had any reason to change the color of their hair. Not even for aesthetic considerations. They liked it just the way it was.
“But I love your yellow hair,” he protested desperately. “I love it! Please, don’t make it red.”
Allie grabbed a thick lock and started rubbing the red dye into it.
“I know. I love it, too. But I’ve always wanted to be a redhead. It will look awesome, trust me.” She turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile. “It will look super hot.”
Ark didn’t look very convinced, but she had already colored half of her hair, so there was nothing to be done.
Allie worked the dye into her blonde locks as best as she could, making sure she covered even the tiniest hairs around her round, pretty, now very blue face. Once she was done, she turned on the shower and hopped into it to remove the extra. She also needed a good wash after the long night of wicked pleasure she’d just had with her new alien twin flame, so this was perfect.
When she walked out of the shower ten minutes later, Alison Page was a different person. Naked, warm water running down her blue, luscious skin, her curves full and enticing, her hair as red as the sunsets on Old Earth…
“Like what you see?”
Ark swallowed hard. The massive erection between his strong, thick thighs made even the thought of answering her question redundant.
“See? I was right.”
She took a step toward him, then another, swaying her hips seductively. She reached for the engorged cock throbbing for her and only her. One more step, and she’d be there, right where she wanted to be, pressed against that ripped chest of his…
Next thing she knew, she was tumbling forward, unable to regain her balance.
Ark caught her into his strong arms.
She melted.
Her stomach did a flip, and Allie was ready to throw up all the Yoniphant Blood wine she had drunk the night before.
“Allie, it’s okay. I’m here. Deep breaths, deep breaths. In and out. You’ll get used to this eventually.”
“Did we…?”
“Drop out of hyperspace? Yes.”
He furrowed his brows. How could he have forgotten? He’d been so caught up in his own world, so focused on Allie…
“Are we…?”
“There? Yes. We reached the Council.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“So, where exactly is this Galactic High Council of Seven? Another spaceship? A planet?”
Allie and Ark were rushing down the corridor to the Bridge. Ark would’ve used his own inner stargate to take them there, but he could sense Alison wasn’t ready. She needed time to clear her head and calm down her wild heart. The five minutes it took them to reach the Deck would have to be enough.
“Septem Space Station. The seven Councilors come from seven different planets, and Septem is neutral ground.”
“Oh.” She focused on breathing in and out evenly. After the night she’d had with him, Allie was too tired for the pace they were walking at. “I’m not ready.”
“You’ll be fine.” He took her small hand into his and squeezed it reassuringly.
“I can’t believe I never asked you or Shirin about the Council and the… Gaea Alliance? What was I thinking?”
He chuckled. “If I may, I believe you had other more pressing matters on your mind.”
“Still…”
They took a left. There was not enough time for Ark to tell her everything about the Council and the Alliance. Not in words, at least. He focused on a set of images that would tell her the story, then projected them into Allie’s mind.
Taken by surprise, she gasped. At first, nothing made sense. It was as if she was watching a very bad trailer for a Hollywood movie she wasn’t interested in.
They reached the door to the Bridge, and Allie grabbed Ark’s arm to stop him.
“Wait.”
He turned to her, worry dancing in his blue eyes. He could see she was struggling with the information he’d just passed on to her. He cupped her cheek with his hand and placed a quick kiss on her forehead.
As if by magic, the touch of his hand and his cool lips on her heated skin brought clarity to her thoughts. It took her only a couple of seconds to sort through the mental images and digest the story Ark was playing for her on fast-forward.
Seven of the wisest men and women in the universe. Immortal, as all souls were. They were as old as all of existence, yet the physical bodies they resided in were young and strong. Not a wrinkle on their faces, not a worry line on their foreheads. The Galactic High Council of Seven had the Universe in their hands, made all the
decisions, and had armies under their command. One of those armies was the Gaea Alliance, a special military force in which ship captains, soldiers, pilots, engineers, and men of science volunteered. It was the only way it worked. The Gaea Alliance had one mission alone: to protect Terra from the Anunna. At all costs. And for hundreds of thousands of human years, the Gaea Alliance had been protecting Terra. First, at the cost of their own men and women. Now, at the cost of planet Earth itself. Apparently, the Anunna couldn’t be defeated. No matter. They could be left behind.
Alison let out a sigh of relief. She understood more than she could tell. The general feeling she got was that the Council could be trusted. There was no selfishness in their decisions, no secret agenda behind their orders. Not even when those orders seemed to lead to destruction. The Gaea Alliance could be trusted, too. After all, her twin flame was an important part of it. She had nothing to worry about. She was safe.
“I’m ready.”
Ark smiled, took her hand again, and pulled her onto the Bridge. All eyes turned on them.
Shirin covered her mouth with her hand. Thivo wanted to say something, but changed his mind. All the other Unxendi on the Deck stared at Allie as if she were a ghost.
“What… what happened to your skin? Your hair…” whispered Shirin.
“Oh, this? Do you like it?” Allie grinned and strutted her stuff to the Captain’s chair. When Ark took his seat, she placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Yes? I’m not sure. It’s different.”
“You can call me Mystique now.”
“Mys-what?”
“Ladies, there’s no time for chit-chat.” Ark’s voice was low and serious. “Thivo, what’s our status?”
“The Captains are ready. The Councilors are waiting for us in the Grand Hall.”
“Did you send in the report?”
“Yes.”
Ark took a deep breath. So, they all knew. The other captains in his fleet, and the Councilors. They all knew about his doubts concerning the mission, and they also knew about Alison Page. Since leaving the Milky Way, Arkvar had had a hard time preparing the mission report. He’d changed his mind countless times, and written and re-written large chunks of it. He had considered keeping Allie a secret from all of them. Just make sure she’d never leave The Hesperia, then take her to his home planet and build a life there. No one had to know she was a human from Old Earth. But, no. He couldn’t do that. The Gaea Alliance was built on truth and honesty. No matter the consequences. Lying about Allie would have made Arkvar unworthy of his position. Unworthy of commanding The Hesperia.
“Thivo, Shirin. The Bridge is yours.”
He took another moment to look at the Septem Space Station through the main window, then he stood up, rounded the chair, and took Allie’s hands into his.
“I’ll guide you.”
“Okay…”
“Captain.” Thivo’s voice held a subtle trace of worry. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. They already know. It’s better to take Allie with me so they can see with their own eyes how special she is.”
The Chief Officer nodded. Glancing at Allie’s face, he regretted having said anything. When she had reached the Bridge, she had been calm, confident, and hopeful. Now, his words had shaken her a bit. He should have kept his mouth shut.
Allie sensed Thivo’s unease. She offered him a quick smile and a wink, then closed her eyes and focused on Ark. For the second time, he was using his stargate to physically move them both through space. All she had to do was trust and surrender…
Breathe in. Trust.
Breathe out. Surrender.
Allie opened her eyes. She and Ark were still together, still facing each other and holding hands, but this time in the middle of a great hall. The floor beneath their feet was painted in colorful geometrical shapes, and the ceiling was so tall that Allie’s world started spinning when she tried to gaze into its heights and comprehend its possible limits. Ark squeezed her hands to get her attention, and she shook her head gently before gathering the courage to look around the large room.
They were there. The seven Councilors. Tall and proud, slender and gracious. The wisest members of the most noble alien races. Three women and four men. Some of them had long, flowy hair, others had no hair at all. Red skin, ivory skin, green skin, purple skin… Some had dark eyes, others had eyes as white and cold as death. Except… death didn’t exist. It was just a false concept constructed by the ego which came attached to any physical body. Allie knew that now. Not in a rational way, but at a deep soul level. Gazing upon the Galactic High Council of Seven, her whole world shifted.
They weren’t alone, though. Six other ship captains were standing behind her and Ark. She recognized them by their black uniforms. She didn’t dare stare at them too long. They were too intimidating. However, they seemed to show a lot of interest in her. And they weren’t the only ones.
The realization that everyone in the Grand Hall was studying her intently hit Allie right in the stomach. Ark had turned to face the Council. She forced herself to do the same, thanking the heavens that he was still holding one of her hands. She needed his physical and mental support. Among so many alien races, she felt small and completely out of place. She shouldn’t have been here.
“A human,” one of the female councilors said in a soft, barely audible voice. “A human of Old Earth.”
“Yes.”
Ark sounded confident enough.
“Care to explain, Captain?”
“I have stated my reasons in the mission report, and I am glad to reinforce them now. I speak in my name only. My fleet captains had nothing to do with my decision, nor with the conclusions I reached after our mission on Terra.”
The members of the Council nodded.
Allie heard a sigh coming from behind her, then one of the captains whispered something to another. She couldn’t hear what he said. To her surprise, she had no access to their thoughts. Had they put up walls between themselves and her? She was pretty sure Ark could communicate with them and the councilors telepathically. She, however, only had access to Ark’s thoughts. And Kimmy’s. She placed her hand under her breast, where she could gently caress the Kidem without anyone noticing. She was so thankful she’d had the inspiration to take it with her before leaving The Hesperia.
“I believe we were wrong to destroy Old Earth and force the Terrans to take their spirit forms when they weren’t ready for such a change. They still had hundreds of years of spiritual evolution in front of them. We took that away.”
“We gave them a second chance,” a green-skinned Councilor said. “You know that. A better chance to reincarnate on a new, young planet, and grow and evolve without the pressure and constant harassment of the Anunna.”
“Many of the souls will not reincarnate on New Earth for years and years to come,” Ark argued. “They had a physical body on Terra, but they were asleep and unconscious when we took that experience away from them. It will be that much harder for them to find their way back into a physical body.”
“We discussed this risk and decided it was one worth taking,” a purple-skinned woman said.
The tone of her voice implied her word was final and there would be no more arguing on this topic.
Ark took the hint. His jaw was set, and his whole body was so tense that Allie was afraid he might soon snap if he didn’t relax a bit. She sent pleasant, calming thoughts his way.
“Tell us about the human.”
Ark placed his hand on Allie’s lower back and pushed her forward.
“This is Alison Page. My twin flame.”
The purple-skinned woman cocked an eyebrow. Apparently, the twin flame detail didn’t impress her.
“Why is she here? Your mission clearly stated all humans of Old Earth would suffer the same fate as their planet. No survivors.”
“We should have given Terra and the Terrans more time,” Ark insisted. “Yes, most of them were v
ery far from spiritual transcendence, but not all. There were these few evolved souls who were constantly working on holding higher frequencies and pulling the whole humanity through the portal of a new dimension. They were working on it day and night, some consciously, other only half consciously. Alison Page is one of them. She is… special.”
Allie blinked in confusion. Why was Ark telling the Council she had been working on helping everyone on Old Earth transcend? That was a big fat lie. Or, was it?
“All Terrans are special,” a bald, red-skinned man said. “Their race is the only one in the Universe that has the ability to bring infinite peace and unity among all races. They are the missing link. And we need to wait for them to transcend and understand what they are capable of. We need to wait for them to step into their power and take responsibility for their divine mission. And we need to support them through their trials. We, the Galactic High Council of Seven, decided that relocating them was, at this moment in time, the best way of supporting them. It was the only way of releasing them from under the Anunna’s oppression, so they can gain the freedom and clarity to fulfill their mission. The Gaea Alliance has lost too many brave soldiers defending Old Earth. It was time for us to say ‘no more’.”
“There comes a time, Captain,” the purple-skinned woman took over, “when the wise choice is to let go and move on. The war with the Anunna could not be won. They have colonized too many planets in the Andromeda Galaxy, and their determination to sabotage the human race and prevent peace and unity is strong. So far, the Gaea Alliance has met hostility with hostility. This approach hasn’t gotten us very far, has it?”
Ark shook his head. Even Allie did the same, although she wasn’t part of the conversation. It was strange. The Council was talking about the destruction of her own species… in a way. Still, she saw the logic in it. She agreed. It was insane! She agreed that she should not have been here right now. She agreed that Ark should have left her to die a physical death along with the rest of humanity because, in the grand scheme of things, it was the right move.
“We found a new planet for the Terrans,” said the red-skinned councilor. “It is young, pristine, bigger in size than Old Earth, and it is near the Septem Space Station. We can keep an eye on it, and it will take the Anunna an immeasurable amount of time to find it. If they ever do, they will not have the same access and possibility to infiltrate the humans, control them and manipulate them.”
