Chapter Seven
Evex Ein
After sending Imuna back to Earth, I was faced with regret. I wished that I would not have done it. Part of me wanted to take her again. I had been in a mood did not want to deal with her and her sadness, especially because I was the cause of it. I needed my sharp edge in my ruthless behavior in order to continue to be the leader that I was, and seeing her sadness and vulnerability made me want to give in to her. It made me want to apologize to her and tell her the truth about her husband; those were things that had never crossed my mind before. Yet I was thinking it because she had this effect on me. But I knew that I regretted sending her back to Earth because I wanted to touch her again. She had an impact on me like no other human female before.
At night, I was desperate to sleep, wishing that she was in my bed with me. Me! Wanting to share a bed? That did not happen. Yet when in a deep sleep, I would roll over and stretch out my arm, hoping to touch her, but then I would wake and realize I was never going to see her again. It had me in a strange and peculiar place.
Two weeks had passed since I let her go, and she was all that I could think about. Going about my daily responsibilities as the leader of the clan Alva was second on my mind; she was first. She was always first.
I still had the amulet; I would open it from time to time and stare at the digital photograph inside. Her wild red hair moving around her in the breeze and then her turning to stare with those green eyes, as though she could see me directly. This amulet haunted me now. How I wished that I had never taken that pilot aboard my ship.
“Leader Ein, we have a communication call coming in from Earth; it is from the Earth Council. The message reads that it is from Councilor Vilox himself.” Lieutenant Draxel said interrupting my thoughts about the human female.
“Did it say anything else? Did it say the reason for the communication?” I asked knowing that this was a very strange instance. We had already set a date for the next Earth council meeting that would get absolutely nothing done, which would be in another three weeks’ time. So it was strange to hear from Councilor Vilox again.
“No, there was no information other than that.”
“I will receive it. Set it up in private communication room number one. No one else in attendance except for you and me,” I said.
“Right away, sir,” he said and turned down the hall. I followed him to the communication room. We closed the door, and I stood directly in front of the screen, ready to accept the call. Lieutenant Draxel went through the motions of connecting it and pulling it up on the screen.
“This is Leader Ein. Councilor Vilox, it is good to hear from you as always. To what do I owe this communication?”
“Leader Ein, a pleasure as always. I am communicating with you to ask if it is possible to have a meeting with you as soon as possible, here on Earth. Something has come to our attention, and we wish to discuss it in person, as the matter is very delicate.”
“And what might this matter be exactly?” I asked, wondering what the Earth council could possibly want that was so urgent I needed to go to Earth. This was most unprecedented. It had me wondering, was this a trap? The Earth Council wouldn't be so bold.
“As I said, it is a delicate matter. I don't feel that it is secure to discuss over such long-range transmission. As you know, the communications have been hacked before; anyone could be listening. That is why we prefer to speak face-to-face. We know it is a lot to ask and you have your responsibilities. You don't have to answer me now, but if you will, see if your schedule will allow it; we would like to see you within the week. Please respond in forty-eight hours to let us know. That is all for now,” he said.
I nodded a goodbye. Then the screen went black. I looked at Lieutenant Draxel. “In my chambers, now.”
He turned off the panels in the room and followed me to my living quarters.
“That was unusual, Lieutenant Draxel, what do you think it is?” I asked my most trusted Lieutenant.
“It is possible that it is about the pilot; something has led them back to us.”
“Yes, it is possible. We must prepare for it. The data that the pilot was carrying is very important. We did not know that it was going to be such a treasure of information,” I walked back and forth in my room thinking.
“Yes, that the humans are quietly acquiring weapons from the Bindor aliens is quite the information. These humans are not as stand-offish as we thought. Those weapons are powerful enough and advanced enough to take on our own. Do you think they are preparing for war?”
“We have been at war; this cold war is still a war between us. It is the step before actual war. Of course, they are preparing for battle and violence just in case, but I assumed that it would be in response to the Itions becoming violent. Not the other way around. Still, the information that the pilot was carrying is valuable. It was the schedule of every trade route that those weapons from the Bindor will be taking in the next year. If they know that that data did not explode in the explosion with the human pilot, then they will change the information.” I said.
“And what do you plan to do with that information, Leader Ein?”
“When we return home, I will share it with the other clans, of course. But until then, we keep it to ourselves. For now, I must prepare for this meeting. If I don't go, it will look suspicious, and they will suspect that the issue with the pilot is because of me. If I go and listen to what they have to say and deny it, it is possible that they do not have any proof. Therefor just showing up will show them that I am not guilty,” I thought out loud.
“Whatever you decide, Leader Ein, I am with you.” My trusted Lieutenant said.
I walked quietly back and forth in the room. I had to make a decision, and I wanted it to be sooner than later. The quicker that I answered, the less it would look like I hesitated. I had to give the regular time to make Councilor Vilox think that I had to look at my schedule and create a window for me to enter Earth; that was standard. But I couldn't wait too long. It was settled; I had to go to this meeting. Delaying it would only make me look bad. Plus, a part of me wanted to go to Earth sooner rather than later; even though I had promised myself I would never see the human female again, the thought of visiting her made me very excited.
“I will go to the meeting at the end of this week. Check my schedule, move some things around if needed. Wait until tomorrow morning to send the response to Councilor Vilox that I will be attending this meeting, giving him the time and date of my arrival. We can't make it look like I am too eager, or too accommodating,” I said.
“Yes, Leader Ein. Right away,” he said.
“Wait, something else.” I stopped him from leaving my room. “If they do know for a fact that it was us that took that pilot, then there might be a need for a quick escape. Not just from Earth, but from the solar system entirely. We must start making the preparations. I want to know at least three plans to get me out of the council building as quickly as possible if I were to be arrested. Then, of course, escape from Earth and getting back to the mothership as soon as possible. The mothership should be ready to jump to hyperspeed as soon as we board it with a destination in mind. I want all of this set up as a backup scenario, but set up nevertheless.”
“Yes, Leader Ein. I will see it done,” he said. Then he walked out.
But there was something else that I did not tell him; I was ashamed to admit it. I wanted to add in that there should be a plan to take the human female Imuna from Earth again. If it was going to be that I would never be able to go back to Earth again, then I would want to take her with me. But I didn't want my lieutenant to know this; he would talk me out of it. He would say there would be no time to get her and me and the crew out of the council building if things were to go wrong. He would be right. I would not risk my crew to get her, but I knew that it was what I wanted. The thought of never being able to go back to Earth, to see her ever again if I were caught, was too much to bear. I would have to come up with the plan on my own.