Chapter Twenty-Four
Within three hours, Briette has escorted us to the bridge of Commander Vol’s flagship, Redeemer. We’ve washed, eaten, and debriefed. The medical report from our nanites comes out clean, which Kest never doubted, but comes as a relief to me.
Parked in orbit around Earth, Redeemer hums with activity, as Dominars gather intelligence with Earth and ambassadors reassure confused and worried world leaders.
True to their word, no humans were harmed in the ‘attack.’ Though some fought the Dominars, all were peacefully subdued without either side experiencing casualties. As militaries around the world discovered, the Dominars are more than capable of winning without firing a shot.
I tell myself that this will be a good example for the years to come. Even now, as I watch the planet from space, more and more ships are still arriving. They appear as if they simply teleported from one end of the galaxy to the other, then descend toward the surface.
“Briette accused Bakan of foul play immediately,” Vol explains to Kest. “If he hadn’t covered his tracks so well, we’d have arrived much sooner.”
I listen to Vol speak, though I can’t help grinning and staring. If I wasn’t deeply, deeply in love with Kest, I’d be all over the commander. Like all the Dominars, he’s obscenely handsome and muscular, but he possesses an invigorating, youthful energy. He’s also been surprisingly courteous to me, far more than most of the Dominars.
“…After that, Bakan’s perfidy became clear. When tracked down, he surrendered without incident,” Vol concludes.
Kest raises an eyebrow. “Without incident? That doesn’t sound like Bakan.”
“Bakan begged him to say that,” Briette cuts in. “He flew into a rage when he learned the Council’s commendation of bravery went to both you and Haley. He’s never gotten one.”
“I’m a man of my word,” Vol says, shrugging.
“Very charitable,” Kest replies, chuckling. “I assume he’s already faced his charges?”
“He has,” Briette confirms. “He’ll be spending the next few thousand years on Vakhsa, surrounded by inferior beings.”
Kest laughs. “Perfect.”
“What happens to him after that, though?” I ask. “Won’t he come back?”
“He’ll be allowed back into society, but his Council membership will be permanently revoked,” Vol explains.
“Permanently?”
Kest rubs my shoulder. “He can be invited back, if he gets unanimous approval.”
“Which never happens,” Briette finishes.
“Good,” I say.
Vol excuses himself, leaving me with Kest and Briette. She gives us a tour of Redeemer, ending at the main hangar, where a new ship is waiting for Kest.
“You have a decision to make,” Briette says to him. “Have you thought about it?”
Kest nods. “Normally I’d know the answer…”
“I get it,” says Briette. “You need time to think it over.”
“What is she talking about?” I ask.
Briette bows slightly. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Kest thanks her and bows in return. He takes me on board the ship, which looks mostly the same as his old one, though bigger.
“So, what’s going on?” I ask.
He sits down on the bed and motions for me to come sit next to him.
“Haley, right now I have two choices,” he begins. “I could stay on Earth and oversee our operation here, making sure my recommendations are carried out and humanity’s transition proceeds peacefully and effectively. As the Dominars’ foremost expert on Earth, it makes sense, though plenty of others would do fine in my stead.”
“Okay,” I say.
“Or, I could take a new assignment on another world. Basically, the same thing I did here on Earth: stay a few decades and learn of its people, and determine their viability.”
“I see,” I say, nodding. “And what do you do normally?”
He sighs. “Normally… I go. By the time I’ve made a report on a planet, I’ve seen all of it and am ready to move on to the next. But Haley, for you I’d stay here. If this is where you belong, then so do I.”
Holy shit.
“You’d do that for me?”
Kest pulls me in for a hug. “Of course. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll make my home.”
It’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. The life he’d be giving up to be with me… Seeing the galaxy, exploring incredible new worlds…
Maybe I should be asking myself how I could ask this of him, but I’m not. In my heart, I already know what I’m dying to do.
“Kest, I had the time of my life with you on Ohalessa. The longer I was there, the less I missed Earth, until I realized that I didn’t exactly miss it at all. I don’t have any real friends here, or a family who would miss me. As much as I’d like to stay just to see Chadwick Thorpe go to jail, that’s not really enough to keep me here. Not when I could be out there… with you.”
Kest’s face lights up with the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. “You’d leave Earth behind to be with me?”
I laugh. “I’d leave Earth to be a janitor on Ohalessa, but I’d rather be with you.”
Kest embraces me and we kiss. It’s long and slow, filled with relief and joy. No doubt, this moment has been on Kest’s mind for a long time, and I’ve given him the answer he couldn’t or wouldn’t dare to dream. More important, I know this is the right decision for us both.
“I want to see the places you see,” I say when our kiss ends. “I want to know the galaxy as you do. Even if it’s only for one lifetime.”
Kest’s smile fades a little, replaced by confusion. “One lifetime?”
I nod. “Dominars may not age, but humans do. It’s okay, Kest. That’s life, right?”
He shakes his head. “No, pet. It’s not. The same nanites that keep me from aging can do the same for you.” He takes my hand and holds it to his heart. “We could be together a very, very long time.”
His words scramble something in my brain, and for a minute, all I can do is stare. The future has suddenly become something I can’t even fathom—something wonderful and impossible, a gift no human has ever been given.
Kest gives me a minute to process, then he grins. He can see it on my face. He knows the answer before he even asks, “What do you say, Haley? Want to go live out in the stars for a while?”
“Yes,” I say. “I’d like that.”