Chapter Thirteen
The mission had definitely taken an unexpected turn. Ari was in a cloaked Vegan vessel and sitting next to an Earthling he had spent an incredible night with—and was now pair-bonded to.
He couldn’t even say he had any regrets. Whatever happened going forward he would face with Sarah. They would help Earth through the challenges ahead. With the Vegans on their side, they actually stood a chance.
The ship they were riding in helped his optimism. It was incredible.
Instead of close spaces and chrome, with views of the outside primarily serving the pilots, they were in a round…sitting room. That’s what Brendan would call it.
The bottom of the ship was white and the entire top half was some transparent material. The pilots—two Vegans that Sarah had apparently not met yet—rested on what looked like branches growing out of the ship’s floor and trained to reach their control consoles. The Vegans were able to maneuver the ship by passing their hands over the panels in front of them. They didn’t even have to touch anything.
A ring of cushioned seating framed the back half of the ship, forming a semi-circle. Sarah was at his side, holding his hand while she chatted with Cyan. Cerulean silently watched from across the cozy space.
“Your curiosity is obvious, Sadirian,” Cerulean said.
Ari bowed his head. “Forgive me. This vessel is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
“There is no forgiveness necessary for curiosity.” The Vegan’s lips pulled up on one side in something like a smirk. “Curiosity is the forerunner to advancement. Do you have any questions?”
Ari couldn’t let such an opportunity pass by. “The ship is so spacious. Was it designed with Earthlings in mind?”
Cyan laughed. “Sadirians focus too much on physical efficiency. We recognize that sentient beings have spiritual needs as well.”
How did a larger space meet spiritual needs? Ari wasn’t even sure what that meant.
Now that he thought about it, the ship did remind him of the space beneath Sarah’s treehouse. She’d explained to him that it was meant to be a place that soothed people’s emotions and minds. He felt a similar sense of serenity in both locations.
“Does the design make you uncomfortable?” Cyan asked.
“I guess I’m accustomed to the tighter quarters aboard our ships,” Ari said.
“Is that how you were able to get around in my treehouse so well?” Sarah cocked her head so she could look at him. The gesture seemed oddly Vegan.
“Yes,” he said. “It’s actually the most comfortable dwelling I’ve encountered on Earth.”
“I’m glad you like it so well. I’m hoping you’ll be spending a lot more time there.” She grinned at him, but then her eyes widened suddenly and she crawled onto his lap.
It would have been more enjoyable if she’d been looking at him, but she was staring out the window at something over his shoulder instead. He turned in his seat so that he could see what had caught her attention and his heart started to pound.
The Life Ship.
It rested on the deep blue waters of Earth’s oceans. Uncloaked.
“I see the fear on your face, Sadirian,” Cerulean said. “The Life Ship is only visible through the viewports of this vessel. The cloaking systems are on the same frequency.”
“How do you manage that?” Ari said.
The Vegan smirked again. “We have advanced our cloaking mechanisms quite a bit since we last interacted with Sadirians.”
Ari held Sarah against his chest as they watched their vessel descend toward the enormous Life Ship. It must be miles across, made up of circular sub-levels connected through various walkways.
Everything was covered in green. Colorful buildings rose up around trees and grass interspersed with colorful plant life. It looked like an island, except for its perfectly circular shape.
How did the ship maintain its structural integrity while traveling through space? How did the Vegans protect the life on the surface when there was no apparent dome or structure covering it?
“It’s beautiful,” Sarah breathed.
It was. And he’d once again fallen into the Sadirian mindset of looking at its physical efficiencies.
“It’s a miracle,” he said.
She smiled at him, picking up his hand and squeezing it tight.
They landed on a circular pad that pulsed with a soft blue light. Sarah didn’t hesitate when the hatch opened. She boldly followed Cerulean, and Ari followed her.
They walked down a broad staircase, to the edge of a humongous field of low grass filled with Vegans. There must be thousands present. Tens of thousands, even.
Sarah did pause then.
Ari wrapped his arm around her, offering his support. The landing they were standing on was high enough that the gathered Vegans could see. They all looked about the same size as Cerulean and his friends.
Cerulean started to speak in their Vegan language. The crowd seemed rapt as his speech built in intensity. Finally, they began to cheer, waving their short arms in the air and leaping up and down.
Cerulean gestured for Sarah to step forward. She didn’t glance back at Ari. Instead, she just stiffened her spine and joined Cerulean on the edge of the dais.
Ari’s heart seemed to grow as warmth flooded his chest. Her courage amazed him even more than the Life Ship. The Vegans had chosen their Protector well.
Another Vegan, one Ari hadn’t seen before, stepped forward holding a tray with two thick bands of silver on it. Sarah looked to Cerulean for guidance. He took the bands from the tray and turned to her.
“Earthling-Vegan Sarah, do you accept the role of Protector—granting permission for us to moor the Life Ship on your oceans, to assist in the healing of your world, and to work with us for the betterment of both our peoples?”
“Sounds good to me,” she said. She smiled at Ari, her cheeks flushed. “I mean, I accept.”
“Hold out your arms, please,” Cerulean said.
She did, and Cerulean stepped forward, holding the bands underneath her wrists. They started vibrating, then sprang apart briefly before snapping onto Sarah’s wrists and rejoining in seamless circles.
She stepped back in surprise, looking at the thick wristbands. “Um, what’s happening?”
“All Vegans wear exo-suits to interact with our environments,” Cerulean said. “We began work on yours some time ago. Our engineers will immediately begin creating one for your bondmate.”
Ari was going to get an exo-suit? He suddenly understood the Earth gesture of the fist-pump that he sometimes saw Brendan and Henry make while playing video games.
“How is this an exo-suit?” Sarah asked.
Cerulean grinned. “Give it a moment.”
The wristbands started to glow. Metal unfolded from them, trailing up along her arms. Ari could see it moving down her spine under her dress before it appeared on her legs, wrapping thin, evenly spaced bands around them as well.
The bands became thinner as more silvery substance swept up and over her head, until she was wearing a gleaming suit of…incredibly sexy mech-armor. The metal looked almost like jewelry—a perfect balance of sleek metal and smooth skin.
The faceplate framing her face looked distinctly reptilian and the suit even had a tail. It dragged behind her, though, unlike the actual tails of the Vegans.
Aside from the artistry that made the suit beautiful to look at, the technology was incredible. Ari could only imagine all of the things such a suit would be able to do.
“Due to your physiological differences, the tail will take some time to adjust to,” Cerulean said. “Eventually, you will learn to control everything. The suit will respond to your thoughts. It will react as if it is part of you.”
Sarah turned in a slow circle with her arms spread wide, watching her tail drag behind her. “This is either intensely cool or intensely terrifying. I haven’t figured out which, yet.”
“Give it time. Soon—”
Cerulean’s words were cut off as another vessel shot past them. Ari grabbed Sarah, trying to wrap his body around hers to keep her safe. In her new exo-suit, he found he couldn’t budge her.
A group of Vegans scattered as the ship landed in front of them. Others remained close.
The hatch opened, and three Vegans filed out. The first was Violet.
“Seriously?” Sarah said. “Come on, Violet. We’re on the same side, now.”
“Not yet,” Violet said. “The ceremony is not complete until you demonstrate full integration with your exo-suit. If you can’t control it, you can’t protect us.”
“Okay, well, give me a minute.”
“I claim the right of challenge,” Violet said.
The Vegans on the dais gasped. Cyan covered her mouth with her fingertips.
“Violet, I beg you not to do this,” Cerulean said.
“I am within my rights to do so. I challenge the Earthling Sarah for the rank of Protector. It has not yet been decided.”
“I don’t understand,” Sarah said. “I thought I was already the Protector.”
“Violet is right.” Cerulean turned a deeper shade of green. “Until you have demonstrated control of your exo-suit, you will not officially be considered a Vegan. We were prepared to guide you through this during the ceremony.”
“And she can just interrupt?”
“Any Vegan can challenge the candidate when a new Protector is chosen,” Violet shouted.
“We haven’t selected a Protector in centuries,” Cyan said. “Violet is taking advantage of outdated laws.”
“But laws, nonetheless.” Cerulean turned to Sarah and sighed. “You don’t have to do this. If you forfeit, we will take you back to your treehouse and leave you in peace.”
And if she did, Earth wouldn’t just be facing the threat of the Coalition. Ari was certain that Violet and her group had plans for the planet as well. If Violet took over as Protector, she would start with Earth and then expand from there. Ari wasn’t certain she and her group weren’t already colluding with other sentients. The entire galaxy was at risk.
“Is this like a duel or something?” Sarah asked.
Ari hadn’t encountered that word yet, and his cultural indoctrination session hadn’t covered it. “What’s a duel?”
“Where two people fight for a common prize or to redeem their honor or something,” Sarah said.
“It is like that.” Cerulean nodded gravely.
“Who chooses the weapons?” Sarah said.
Violet sneered at her. “There are no weapons. Just our exo-suits.”
Ari couldn’t believe that Sarah was considering going forward with this, even with everything that was at stake. If something happened to her…
He couldn’t face that possibility.
He stepped forward, and said, “I’ll do it.”
“No,” Violet said. “The challenge has been issued to Sarah and only she may accept or decline.”
Ari’s stomach twisted. “Sarah, please. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. But look at where ‘getting into stuff’ has gotten me. I’m on an alien vessel in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by new life forms. And I’m with you.”
“But—”
She stood on tiptoe so she could reach out and press a finger to his lips briefly. “It’s my turn to ask you to trust me.”