by Maia Starr
“Gina, it is Imuna. Could you come over? It is important,” I asked her. She only lived five blocks away, so it wasn't a strange request, especially because it was only seven in the evening.
“Imuna? It is so good to hear from you. I have been worried. I have left you messages, but I thought you needed time. What's going on?” Gina responded.
“I will tell you when you get here. Can you come over?”
“Yes, of course. I will be there in half an hour.”
I hung up and got dressed. I paced back and forth in my living room. I didn't know what was wrong with me and looked at my body in the mirror to see if there were any other blue patches. I could not see any unless they were in areas that I could not see, like the back of my neck. I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue, pink. There was nothing unusual about me and I didn't feel sick.
Finally, the bell rang. I went to the door and answered it. Gina gave me a warm long hug.
“It is so good to see you, Imuna. I have been worried. But I know you are going through a trying time,” she said as she walked in. I closed the door behind her.
“Thank you; I am sorry that I haven't called you back. I just needed some alone time, as you know.”
“I know. Take all the time you need.”
“Gina, I called you here as a friend and as a doctor. There is something wrong with me, and I don't know what it is. I am a little freaked out.”
“Okay, what is it?” she said looking concerned.
“There is something on my skin: a tint. I don't know if it is dye from clothing rubbing against me. I was in the bath so it should have come off.”
I grabbed her hand and led her into the bathroom where the light was much brighter. I stood in front of her and pulled up my shirt rubbing my hand over my belly. She gasped.
“What? Am I sick?”
She suddenly looked at me as though I was a monster standing in front of her. She didn't say anything, but I knew by the look on her face that she knew I had been with an Ition. It all hit me at once; I was pregnant. This was a sign.
“You are pregnant, Imuna,” she finally said.
My eyes were open wide with fright. I shook my head from side-to-side know. I put my hand on the wall and held myself up. My husband and I had been trying to have kids for years, and I never could get pregnant. I had a one-night stand with a forbidden alien, and I got pregnant. This couldn't be happening.
“A blue belly is a sign of a pregnancy with an Ition alien. Imuna? How? What the hell…” She could not finish her sentence.
“It is a long story.”
“Well, you better start talking! Do you know how dangerous this is? I only know about this because I have attended a few human pregnancies by the Itions; those women are in jail because of it! You know that the Itions are forbidden!”
“I didn't do this on purpose! I was abducted against my will,” I said and felt the lie as soon as I said it. Yes, I had been abducted against my will, but sleeping with Evex was something that I had welcomed at the time.
Gina ran out into the living room and walked back and forth in a panic. She was freaking out.
“This can't be happening. I wish you wouldn't have called me over, Imuna. I could lose my license just for knowing about this. I could be put in jail along with you! Why didn't you think of that?”
I realized that I had made a mistake by calling my friend to confide in her. I could see just how panicked she was in that she might not be able to hold this secret. But she had to.
“I am sorry, Gina. I did not know what was wrong. I didn't know a blue belly was the sign of pregnancy! How could I possibly have known that? Everything is so secret when it comes to the Itions. I would not wish trouble on you of course. I would never wish that for you. If I had known that's what it meant, I wouldn't have brought you into this mess. And it is not your mess to deal with; it is mine. But you must promise me to keep this secret.”
She stopped and looked at me. There was something on her face, something that said I couldn't trust her. But I had to.
She sighed. “I promise. I will keep it a secret. But don’t call me anymore, Imuna. Promise me that,” she said.
“I promise. Thank you for coming. I won’t keep you any longer.”
She grabbed her purse and then gave me a long hug. I knew that it was a goodbye hug. Possibly forever. Then she left me.
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 hour
s 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.
Chapter Eight
Imuna Parker
Every day was a day of anxiety. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone found out that I was pregnant with an alien child, the child of an Ition leader. I was driving myself crazy not knowing what to do. I didn't have anyone to confide in. My friend Gina was angry with me for bringing her into the mess; she wanted to stay out of it. But every day I worried that she was going to turn me in. I didn't know if at any moment the council would knock on my door and take me to jail. It was a trying time.
But when I was alone, I would put my hand on my belly and feel the life within there. It gave me hope. I had become bonded with the child inside of me, ready to love it unconditionally. But I was bringing it into a world that would hate it, that would exile it and myself. I had to come up with a plan, but I didn't know what.
I wasn't even sure how long I had. There wasn't exactly any information about what a pregnancy between an Ition and a human was like. I could wake up and find my belly triple the size or give birth in a matter of three months instead of nine. I knew nothing. That only added to my anxiety. But one thing was for sure; I already knew that I would give my life for my child. I had to make sure that it survived and was in a happy place of acceptance once it was born. But how?
I had spent the weekend shopping for tunics that I wore over stretchy black pants and boots. This looked fashionable, but really it was to hide my growing belly, without giving anyone anything else to think of other than the fashion of it. But still, when I walked into work that Monday, I felt eyes on me. I crossed the bank wondering If I was being looked at because people still pitied me about my husband, or because they knew. Could they see my belly? Was it showing on my face? Had my friend Gina told someone? I walked faster, with the heels of my boots clicking on the marble floors. I finally made it into my office and closed the door. At least I could work in silence and without people looking at me.
I sat down at my desk trying to throw myself into my work. Any moment could expose my pregnancy. For all I knew, my face could turn blue at some point to match my belly. The only way to distract myself from such things was to work and try to think about nothing else. I tried to not think about the regret I felt leaving the Ition ship. Now that I was pregnant, I would be much safer there. Or so I thought. For all I knew, Evex could be cruel about the pregnancy and take the child away from me. I felt like I had nowhere to turn.
“Imuna,” Mr. Gregory said as he knocked on my door and walked in. I was shocked.
“Mr. Gregory? What brings you down here?” I asked and not knowing why my boss was in my office. He was hardly ever on this floor. I wanted to stand up to greet him, but I also didn't want to give him a chance to see my belly.
“I received a message from Councilor Vilox. It seems they have requested a meeting with you. They have sent an escort to lead you to the building. They should be here in ten minutes or so. I just received the message and came to tell you immediately,” he said and looked at me with bewilderment. I could see that it was shocking to him that any one of his employees would be summoned by the council. It wasn't a normal thing. Sweat began to form on my forehead as I started to panic. But I had to keep it in check. I couldn't show that I was panicked on the outside, no matter how much I wanted to freak out and run away on the inside.
“Oh, I see. Then I shall grab my things,” I said as I quickly stood up and turned my back to him. I grabbed my coat and put it on, tying it over my belly. I grabbed my purse and waited. I didn't know why Councilor Vilox was summoning me; I could only assume that this was it. It was about to be found out that I was pregnant with
an alien child. This would be the last time I saw my office. This would be the last time I saw my boss. My life as I knew it was over. They were going to throw me in jail and then take my baby away from me once it was born. I held back tears.
“Here they come now,” Mr. Gregory said as he stood in the doorway looking down the hallway.
“Thank you for letting me know. I don't know how long this will take; it's possible I might not return today,” I said apologetically to him.
“Oh no, do not worry yourself. When the council summons, it comes first no matter what. I think your work can wait a day. It is not a deadline day here at the bank. Take your time and do give my regards to Councilor Vilox,” he said.
“Imuna Parker, you have been summoned by Councilor Vilox. Please come with us,” a council guard said approaching the doorway.
“Yes, I received. Thank you for escorting me,” I said politely, as though I had been expecting it. Even though on the inside I knew that I was walking toward prison.