Chapter Fifteen
“Let me get this straight.” Ari’s commanding officer, Kira, rubbed a spot between her eyebrows. Her bondmate, Brendan, sat next to her at one of the tables in The Old Oak, his eyebrows hiked up his forehead as he also tried to process everything.
Ari gave Kira a moment to collect her thoughts. He had given her a great deal of data in a short amount of time.
She took a deep breath, and said, “The source of the anomalous readings was a sentient species that you believe to be the Vegans—and they claim they have permission from an Earthling to be on the planet.”
“And this Earthling has formed an alliance with them,” Brendan added.
Ari shook his head. “It’s more than an alliance. They now consider themselves both Earthlings and Vegans.”
“And so does the human?” Kira said.
Ari nodded. “She’s been integrated into their society.”
“Is there anything more I should know about?”
“Um…” Ari wasn’t sure how to explain the rest. Especially about him and Sarah.
Sarah walked out of the kitchen of The Old Oak carrying a tray with five glasses filled with green liquid. Cerulean was sitting on one of her shoulders, perched more like a bird than a lizard. He was chittering and clicking. Sarah nodded in response.
After the ceremony and festivities, Sarah had insisted they start teaching her how to speak in the Vegan language. Ari planned to learn it, too.
Cerulean smiled at them. “Ah, this is your Sadirian planetary liaison.”
Kira’s frown deepened. “You are the alien lifeform claiming to be from Vega.”
“Claiming?” Cerulean clicked something at Sarah and she laughed.
“Wherever they were from originally, they’re part of Earth now.” Sarah set the drinks down in front of each person at the table
The confidence in her tone was well deserved after how well she’d adapted to the exo-suit. Its silver bands had melded onto her skin, looking like ornate jewelry around her neck, arms, legs, and…other places that he had carefully inspected. To make sure she was comfortable.
Ari had helped her train a few times and couldn’t wait to receive his own. He’d be even better able to help her, the Vegans, and Earth afterwards. To help everyone in the Coalition.
“That’s not your call,” Kira said.
“Isn’t it?” Sarah said. “Who gets to decide then? You?”
Kira’s deep voice remained level. “The situation is complicated.”
“Complicated.” Sarah pursed her lips and nodded. “I suppose it’s a good thing we have a First Contact committee to sort things out.”
Kira glared at Ari.
Brendan leaned over and said, “I think you mean ‘Department of Homeworld Security’.”
Kira turned her glare at him.
“We know about the Sadirian vessel on its way to Earth,” Sarah said. “With the help of the Vegans, Earth will be in a much better negotiating position. The Coalition won’t dare make a move to piss us off.”
“Except it isn’t all of Earth that has the Vegans,” Kira said. “It’s you. One Earthling living in a…treehouse.”
“One Earthling and my Sadirian bondmate.”
“Bondmate?” Kira closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. “That isn’t on record.”
“Actually, it is part of the Vegan archives,” Cerulean said. “Which I believe you will find are recognized by the High Council.”
“If you actually are Vegans,” Kira said. “I’m not convinced.”
Cerulean cocked his head at her. “You think it such an impossible chance to have encountered us again in the vastness of this universe. I say that it is much less probable that I should meet you—an awakened Sadirian.”
Kira stiffened. “Awakened?”
“It is our term for one who was born with the innate gift of controlling our technology with the mind alone,” Cerulean said. “Very rare among Vegans. Unheard of in any other species.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kira said.
Cerulean laughed. “You have nanites living within your brain. They are a fundamental part of Vegan technology. I can hear them through my exo-suit. You can hear them without one.”
She and Brendan exchanged a glance.
Ari was too stunned to say anything. He knew the Coalition had installed a nanNet in Kira’s brain—something usually done to improve the functionality of citizens that were considered to be sub-standard in performance. It would give her better recall and increase her mental acuity. He’d never heard of anyone being able to talk to the nanites, though.
“How the hell do you know that?” Brendan asked.
Cerulean shrugged. “They told me.”
“Okay,” Kira said. “I’m a little more convinced.”
Brendan steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair. “First order of business—I think we should invite Sarah to join the Department of Homeworld Security. We’ve been working on recruiting more representatives. I’ll contact the others as soon as possible and make sure they’re in agreement.”
“I think the second order of business should be to reassign me to the Vegans,” Ari said. He wasn’t sure what “order of business” meant, but it sounded official.
Kira nodded. “Agreed.”
“And the third order of business…” Sarah lifted her glass high above the table. “A toast to Earth’s future. May our friendships help the world—or galaxy, I guess—become a better place for everyone.”
“Indeed.” Cerulean jumped to the table and picked up his Vegan-sized glass.
“I can drink to that.” Brendan eyed the contents skeptically and shrugged. “I hope.”
Ari lifted his drink and tapped it to Sarah’s, sharing the toast—which he’d learned simply meant sipping the delightful beverage after a brief statement from one of the people participating in the toast—and was not at all related to heated bread.
Brendan grimaced and set the glass back down. “Ugh, that is disgusting. I think it just added five years to my life, though. Is there kale in that? You health nuts always put kale in things.”
Sarah grinned at him. “That would be telling.”
Brendan smiled back. “Did you guys really pair-bond within less than forty-eight hours of meeting?”
“We did.” Sarah leaned into Ari and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“That is a story I have to hear.” Brendan reached for Kira’s hand and interlaced their fingers without seeming to think about the act. Kira’s lips twitched up in a smile.
Ari could feel his own smile all the way to his toes. His heart felt light and full at the same time. Endless possibilities had opened up to him. All because of Sarah.
“Well, it started with these lizards…” she said.