Chapter Nine
Earth wasn’t bewildering. It was fantastic.
Ari stretched, feeling Sarah shift next to him and curl closer to his side. The sun had risen hours ago, but they hadn’t left the bed. Except for the interlude when she stood, leaning forward against it. And then against the wall when he’d intercepted her coming back from the bathroom.
They had only managed to keep their hands off each other long enough to run back downstairs and eat, and take brief naps between sessions of unity. Sometimes, they stayed awake afterwards and talked.
She had led a textile company—one that focused on sustainability and quality. After conquering that challenge, she had turned her attention to helping people in this community. Teaching them to live in harmony with themselves, each other, and the world. Her values were directly in line with what he and the Department of Homeworld Security were trying to accomplish.
He was learning so much. He would never get enough of this—of her.
She was beautiful and smart. Funny and so giving. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. For all of her gentleness, he sensed strength like the hull of a starship within her.
He wanted to learn more, especially about what they could become. But he would have to leave eventually. He would have to leave soon.
“I want breakfast,” she said. “But I also don’t want to get up. It’s a dilemma.”
He laughed, stroking her hair away from her face. “Food is important. Come on.”
He helped her up, then swung his legs over the side of the bed. How long had it been since he’d checked in with Kira? He needed to take care of that right away.
“Why don’t you go downstairs and get started,” he said. “I’m going to run to the bathroom and then I’ll join you.”
“Okay.” She leaned forward and kissed him, lingering a bit. Then she sighed and crawled across the bed. She picked up her dress from the night before and pulled it over her head, then shimmied into her panties.
“Do you really think those are necessary?” He loved the idea of being able to slide into her whenever they wanted, without any more delay than putting on another condom. Which they were running low on, now that he thought about it.
“I don’t want to be tempted. No sex downstairs.” She smirked at him, then said, “But breakfast won’t take long.”
“Sounds good.”
He waited for her to disappear down the ladder to the kitchen before grabbing his own clothes and heading for the bathroom. After using the facilities and quickly dressing, he activated a secure communications channel to Kira, keeping his watch close to his lips and speaking as quietly as he could.
“Your report is two hours late.” The voice was male. Not Kira. “What have you found?”
“Rin? Where’s Kira?”
“Dealing with the newest shitstorm.”
Of all the Sadirians on Earth, Rin had most readily adapted to human curse words. Embraced them, even.
“Emergency meeting of the First Contact committee,” Rin said. “I mean Department of Homeworld Security.”
Ari could almost hear Rin rolling his eyes—a gesture he’d picked up from Brendan’s sister, Paige.
An emergency meeting could mean many things. None of them good.
“Have we located the Centaurans finally?”
“That’s the least of our problems. We received a coded transmission from Adam. Apparently, the High Council is reviewing his report on the Tau Ceti threat, but think it’s been blown out of proportion. He hasn’t even broached the topic of the changes to our society that we’re hoping for or recognizing Earth’s Department of Homeworld Security.”
Ari’s stomach sank. This was beyond bad news. It was potentially catastrophic, for Earth and the Coalition.
The High Council had backed themselves into a corner without realizing it. They controlled every aspect of Sadirian life—even designing the DNA of the citizens they approved for creation.
Drugs like Coupling and Balance were meant to keep everyone in line, but they also dulled creativity and prevented innovation. Nothing new had been developed within their culture for thousands of years. They were still coasting on the technological developments that had hurled their people into space—and let them dominate every sentient species they encountered.
Most sentients only joined the Coalition for access to the technology—or if the High Council used their technology to force them to. But some of those sentients had taken it upon themselves to make improvements. Like the Tau Ceti. They were a threat, and one the High Council shouldn’t disregard.
“What’s Adam going to do about it?” Ari said.
“That’s not our problem. The High Council is concerned about his interest in Earth. They’re sending a replacement ship to investigate whether the planet needs to be brought into the Coalition early.”
Cygnus X. That would destroy the Earth and subjugate humanity in a way most Earthlings couldn’t imagine.
“What ship?” Ari said.
“The Reckoning.”
The last bit of hope Ari had held onto faded. He put his hands on either side of the sink and bowed his head.
When there was a chance for a peaceful resolution, the High Council sent in the Arbiter. It was meant to be both a show of strength and mercy. If Adam could resolve the situation through diplomacy, he would. And the ship was fully armed in case a stronger course of action was needed.
The Reckoning was sent in when the Council wasn’t bothering with diplomacy. Commander Teisha was known for her swift decisions and brutal enforcement of Coalition law. She did as the High Council said, and if they wanted Earth brought into the Coalition, it would happen.
“Ari, are you there?”
“Yes. What are my orders?”
“I don’t know. This is happening kind of suddenly. The Reckoning was on assignment in a distant system, so we have a few weeks.”
It didn’t seem like enough time to accomplish anything. Except enjoy his last few hours with Sarah. He doubted he would see her again after this.
“I’m going to continue my mission,” Ari said. “I haven’t figured out the source of those readings yet.”
“Well, hurry up. Kira might call you back here the moment their meeting is over.”
“Understood.”
Ari terminated the transmission.
Moons. What could he do to help Earth? To protect it—and Sarah—from this?
He had traveled with the Arbiter to hundreds of Coalition planets. They’d all been stripped bare, trading their natural resources for access to the technology the High Council promised.
And when their planets couldn’t support life anymore, and all the people were huddled under domes, the High Council stepped in to help, managing the population, genetically engineering people who could survive on less and perform specific duties—for them. The Council was only saving sentient species from situations that they had helped to create.
There had to be a better way.
“Hey, Ari?”
Sarah called to him from the trap door that led below. He cleared his throat, before calling back.
“Yeah.”
“Could you come down here?”
“Sure.”
He had a mission. He needed to focus. But he also needed…Sarah.
It had been twenty-four hours since they’d met, and he already couldn’t imagine spending a day without her. Now that he knew what his colleagues were experiencing, he understood their choices so much better.
He climbed down the ladder into the kitchen. Sarah was standing near the sink.
“Did you come down here and clean up last night?” she said.
“No.” He wouldn’t even have known how. Brendan had people who took care of all the cooking and cleaning in the mansion where they were all living.
Sarah opened the door of the refrigeration unit and peered inside. “All the leftovers are in here. And the counters are cleaned, the dishes done and put away.” She turned back to Ari, her brow furrowed.
He shook his head and lifted his hands briefly. “It wasn’t me.”
“This is so weird. Maybe I did it in my sleep last night.” She closed the door and shook her head. “But that would mean I’m closer to actually being a crazy lizard lady than I’m comfortable with.”
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her closer. “You’re not crazy.”
“Thanks, but I’m starting to wonder. I mean, who would come in here just to clean up and put my food away? And why am I the only one who ever sees the lizards in my tree?”
“I’ll help you figure it out.”
He had a feeling when they did, his own questions would be answered. Like, who had used an antigravity field to save her life the day before and why?
Her head was resting on his chest and she was facing the window. A wave of tension flowed through her body. They had become so attuned, it was impossible to miss.
“What is it?” he said.
“Shh. Don’t move.”
He didn’t know what threat they faced, but followed her order.
“It’s Cerulean,” she said. “Don’t scare him off.”
Ari’s heart thudded in his chest. Cerulean was one of the lizards she had told him about—the ones that sounded like Vegans. But that was impossible. Vegans weren’t real. He turned his head as slowly as he could, trying to not scare whatever it was away.
Sunlight fell through the leaves, casting a scattered pattern of light and dark on the creature’s bright green scales. It crawled from the windowsill onto the counter, staring at them.
She hadn’t exaggerated its size. It would be just about three feet tall standing on its hind legs.
As it dropped to the floor, another lizard came through the window. And another.
“Please tell me that you see them too,” Sarah said.
“I see them.” He could barely believe it himself.
Each had stripes along their sides in vibrant colors. Cerulean’s were a rich blue like the sky outside. The second one to come through the window had somewhat greener-blue stripes.
And then there was Violet. He recognized her immediately from Sarah’s stories. How could a lizard look…angry?
Their stripes didn’t catch his attention as much as the strip of silver running down their backs, along their limbs and tails, and framing their rib cages in a design that was too even to be natural.
Exo-suits. Just like in the legends.
“Solar Cross…” he whispered.
He let go of Sarah and slowly lowered himself to one knee, placing his right hand flat on the ground and bowing his head in a show of supreme respect.
“I know I told you not to scare them off,” Sarah said, “but this is a little—”
She let out a little choked sound as the first Vegan, Cerulean, rose onto his back legs. Ari dared to lift his gaze enough to watch.
The silver stripes along Cerulean’s back and limbs popped off of his body, becoming three-dimensional as they remolded themselves to his frame. He opened frills along his jaw and neck, which pushed his eyes forward so that his face looked flatter and more humanoid. His tail lifted behind him, flicking back and forth as he stretched into a bipedal posture.
“Stars…” Sarah whispered.
The other two Vegans stood as well, transforming in a similar fashion, until they were standing before them, looking like three tiny green people. With tails. And scaled skin.
“Greetings, Sadirian,” Cerulean said. “We are pleased that you honor us in the presence of our chosen Protector.”
Ari had to swallow a few times before he could speak. “Protector?”
“Yes.” Cerulean smiled, his green lips stretching across his face. “The Earthling Sarah.”
Oh shit.