“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 very 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.”
“Our plan was flawless,” an ivory-skinned man with long, white hair said. “All you had to do, Captain Arkvar, was to take your fleet and follow a simple order. We understand it was not easy. But something not being easy or comfortable is not an excuse to defy the Galactic High Council of Seven. By saving the life of Alison Page and bringing her with you, you have failed us, Captain. You have failed the Council and the Gaea Alliance.”
Allie felt her blood boil under her newly blue-colored skin. The rush of sudden anger made her cheeks flush inky blue.
“Wait. Don’t I have any say in this?” She let go of Ark’s hand and stepped forward. Back straight, brows furrowed, and fire in her voice… She was ready to take on the elders of the Universe. “I am a human. Old Earth was my home planet. You’re talking about my race as if we’re… children. As if we’re helpless and clueless, and unable to decide our own fate.”
The purple-skinned woman smiled indulgently.
“Thank you, Alison Page. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.”
“What?! No! You’re twisting my words.”
“We are not twisting your words. You are the one who, while stating the truth, chooses to interpret it differently.”
Allie crossed her arms over her chest.
“That is not…” She sighed. “I can’t win this, can I?”
“It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about what it is. Yes, the human race is very young. Your limited perspective does not allow you to see it now, but compared to all the other races sharing this Universe as their home, Terrans are the youngest, most innocent, and inexperienced race. At the same time, they are the ones who will complete the circle of unity. When you transcend your physical condition, you will be able to see even more than we, the Galactic High Council of Seven, can see now. That is what we strive for. So far, it was worth the countless sacrifices of the Gaea Alliance. Now, it is worth the sacrifice of Old Earth.”
Allie bit the inside of her cheek. Once again, she had to admit it all made sense. She didn’t like it, but there were no other arguments she could come up with. What had she been trying to achieve, anyway? Oh, Ark! The Council had said Ark had failed them and the Alliance.
“Captain Arkvar hasn’t failed anyone,” she raised her voice. “He did what he felt was right. In the grand scheme of things, there is no right and wrong, is it? It was destiny. It was meant to happen. Yes, he saved me because he felt I was different, but he also did it because he recognized me as his twin flame. Twin flames, as I’ve heard… are hard to come by.”
“Yes, you are right.”
“Huh. That was easy,” Allie thought.
“But every action comes with its consequences.”
“Err… no, wait.”
“Consequences aren’t right or wrong, either. They’re just consequences.”
“Fair…?”
The woman turned to Ark and looked him straight in the eyes.
“We cannot undo what you have done, Captain Arkvar. You saved Alison Page’s life, so Alison Page must live. You are twin flames, so you must be together. The Council has decided that you will be stripped of your rank and sent to spend the rest of this physical existence on your planet, Unxendio, among your people. You will take Alison Page with you. Although she is human, she will learn the way of your race and fit in.”
A murmur rose from behind Ark and Allie.
Arkvar was silent. His strong, proud features didn’t betray a thing of what he felt inside.
Allie, on the other hand, was enraged. For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to react, but then she ran her hands through her fiery red hair, pushed it out of her eyes and face, and got ready to pour her heart out and keep at it until the Council got tired of her tirade.
“This isn’t fair! He followed your order, and he did it against his own instincts! The Gaea Alliance is formed of volunteers. Volunteers! You can’t dismiss a volunteer like that!”
“Allie…” Ark grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not fine.”
That wasn’t Allie. That was an angry voice coming from among the other captains. More voices rose in unison.
“Councilors, if you strip Captain Arkvar of his rank, then we step down as well.”
“He did what his conscience told him to do. And our own conscience always reigns supreme.”
“Yes. Despite any order.”
The men and women in the Council seemed surprised for a moment, then they glanced over the seven ship captains. It was written in their eyes that they’d just made a decision, right on the spot, and it wasn’t a pleasant one.
“I brought my own human twin flame with me.”
The Grand Hall went silent.
Ark and Allie turned to see who had said those words. It was a tall, bulky man with light-green skin and dark scales on his neck and shoulders.
“Theren?” Ark whispered.
A second green-skinned alien who seemed to belong to the same species as Theren stepped up.
“And I. My brother is the only one I’ve told. Theren and I found our twin flames on Old Earth and couldn’t leave them behind.”
“Kaelen…”
Allie smiled wide. She couldn’t believe this was happening! She and Ark weren’t the exception anymore. That meant the Council would have to reconsider their verdict.
But what happened next was even more surreal. The last four remaining captains stepped forward and said they, too, had brought human females with them, on their own spaceships.
“We can prove it to you.” Kaelen turned to his comrades and nodded.
In a matter of seconds, all six alien captains used their inner stargates to bring their human twin flames on the Septem Space Station, in the Grand Hall. Allie found herself surrounded by six other women. She couldn’t understand what was happening or why, but her heart filled with joy, and her eyes with tears. She wasn’t the last human in the universe! They were there. Her human sisters. She wasn’t alone.
Some of the women still looked human, but others had already gained some alien traits and were hard to recognize. They hadn’t expected to be transported to the space station, so they seemed lost and confused. Their captains had decided to keep them a secret, and now they’d changed their minds. It was a lot to deal with.
One by one, the members of the Galactic High Council of Seven stood up. They studied the human women, silently assessed the loyalty the fleet captains showed toward the commander of The Hesperia, and acknowledged this had just turned into a situation they could not dismiss lightly.
“The Council will retire to reconsider,” said the red-skinned man. “You will be summoned when we are ready.”