“Okay, next is Osya. It only has one continent, and is mostly covered in water, so it has lots of floating cities, most of which like to stay in temperate waters. This makes it popular with tourists.” Tiera paused to think. “It has an artificial moon.” Why can I only think of moon facts? “Oh! And since it’s located in a solar system that’s in a central location to the other planets’ solar systems, it plays a huge part in mediating trade. It takes less energy to create a wormhole that spans less distance, so its central location makes for cheaper transportation.”
“Next is—hold on.” Tiera looked at the ceiling. Origin, Faroa, Osya, Rencin, Gemis, Fugon, Zura, Hyran. “Next is Rencin. It’s close enough to its sun that even at its poles you can grow crops, so it provides some crops to other planets. It didn’t have a lot of water until some of its rings were harvested . . . ” Tiera went on like this for a while, discussing each planet first by its geography, then by how that geography affected its industry and culture. Then she’d throw in a moon fact for good measure. She kind of stumbled through Zura, which Tiera swore almost cracked Dr. Chis’s smiling façade—Dr. Chis had gone over Zuran specifics in class solely for Tiera’s benefit after all—and then she finally got to Hyran.
“I admit that I don’t know much about Hyran either. I know its northern hemisphere is basically just ocean and the southern is just a huge continent.” She tried to think. “It also has a prison on an island somewhere. And its moon is yellow.” Tiera could feel her face getting hot.
“It’s understandable that you don’t know much,” Dr. Chis said through the same old smile. “Hyran was only founded as an official colony 6,027 years ago, after all—that’s what ‘H.F.’ stands for, darling. The Hyranian Foundation.” She made a few notes on her smart glass tablet. “Was there anything else you wanted to add?”
“If it gets me more points, I know that Origin has two moons?” Tiera said hesitantly. Is there anything else? I mean, I could . . . “I suppose the last discovered—or rediscovered—planet is Earth. We’re pretty self-sufficient, though energy and world hunger are kind of a problem, but if Origin helped—”
“I’m sorry, Tiera sweetie, but there are other students waiting. You understand.” Dr. Chis had said this so loudly that Tiera actually jumped. She looked at Dr. Chis in confusion, but the professor’s expression was immutable as ever with that plastered-on smile. And something about her eyes told Tiera she had just crossed a line.
“Sorry,” Tiera said as she stood up. She didn’t know what she was sorry for, but she hurried out of Dr. Chis’s office nonetheless.
Tiera’s face felt hot as she thought about Dr. Chis’s dismissal, but by the time she was at the police station for her meeting with Leon her temper was hot too. I’ll just have to make her learn about Earth—she can’t exactly avoid it if it’s forced into the course she teaches. “Interplanetary Relations” my ass.
That thought reminded Tiera of what she planned to talk about with Leon, as well as her looming yet unknown deadline to save Earth. From what Daven said, Parliament could seal the fate of the Milky Way any day now. Though luckily it seemed like they had a lot on their plate to distract them, and they were pushing their decision about the Milky Way around like it was an unsightly vegetable. But if Tiera didn’t speak to Parliament on the next third Tuesday—in a little over a week—she wasn’t sure if she’d have a galaxy to save by the time next month’s third Tuesday came around.
That isn’t an option. Tiera squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think of what might happen if she was too late. It’s not lost yet.
“Hello, Tiera Jasperson. How was your week?” Chief Leon Uedent pulled Tiera from the vacuum of her thoughts as he entered the small visitor’s room where she had been waiting. It was exactly like the one Tiera had first talked with Daven in: simple and white with low gray benches around the walls. In fact, it could have been the same one for all Tiera knew.
“It was good! I got some assignments done, had some quality time with my roommate—nothing to complain about. How was yours?” Tiera wanted to be as charming as possible today. It can’t hurt my chances.
“Draining, but good. My family and I might be moving soon, but there are a lot of forms and interviews to fill out to be considered for that.”
“Really? Where is it you want to live?” It was a sincere question. Tiera knew she’d have to jump through some hoops to visit Origin, but she thought things like that would be easier for the police chief of the capital of Faroa.
Leon looked like he wasn’t sure if he should tell Tiera, but he finally said, “Origin.” Then, in a louder voice, he began the interview. “This is Chief Leon Uedent and it is 19:04, day 11 of 9 of 6027.” Leon sat down and looked squarely at Tiera. “Have you had any progress? Do you remember what it was that Kert Yematoro put into your mind?”
“Not yet. Sorry.” Tiera had given this answer the past several times she had met with Leon, and to be completely honest she doubted she would ever discover Kert’s secret. Leon had hoped that as she learned more about Origin and its government in her classes, it would spark something to help her remember. “But . . . I have an idea for what might work—for what might get me to remember.”
“You do?” Leon seemed surprised.
Tiera nodded. “We’ve been hoping one of my classes would help me remember, but I was thinking—what if I went to Origin? Wouldn’t that be more likely to help?” Leon folded his purple-sleeved arms and gave her an incredulous look, so Tiera hurried to explain further. “I’m just saying that Kert said whatever is in my head would be the downfall to Origin’s government. What if I have contact with the government—with Parliament even? Couldn’t that draw it out?”
“I’m sorry, Tiera Jasperson, but no one in Origin’s government would knowingly stand in the same room as you, let alone ‘have contact’ with you. And I don’t say that to be rude—you’re just seen as a threat to galactic security.”
“But—”
“I know you’re not. From what I’ve been able to gather from our interviews you’re harmless—and you’ve been very cooperative—but some politicians have referred to your mind as a bomb. They wonder if you haven’t been brainwashed to assassinate some key political figure.”
“But I haven’t!” Tiera tried to remain calm, but her plan was quickly crumbling. “We’ve gone over all of the names and faces of Parliament—not to mention all of the politicians and governors and presidents and councilors you could think of—and it hasn’t sparked anything!”
“Then what makes you think ‘contact’ would do what the names and faces didn’t?” Leon asked. It was a very good argument.
“I—” Tiera struggled to think of anything that would convince Leon that she needed to see Parliament, and she couldn’t. “I just have a good feeling about it I guess. I can’t explain it.”
“Really? A good feeling . . . ” Leon frowned at Tiera’s answer. He actually seemed to be considering it.
Maybe I should play this up. “Do you think that might be a clue? That my desire to see Parliament might have something to do with what Kert put in my mind?” Tiera let Leon soak that in for a moment or two, then continued. “They don’t even have to talk to me—I could just go observe them on their third-Tuesday open forum. It’s better than nothing, right?” Leon still hadn’t responded, so Tiera decided to add one last thing, “I even have a friend who can get me clearance to visit Origin, so it wouldn’t be any trouble for you.” That friend can also get me screened to speak to Parliament, but I probably shouldn’t mention that.
Leon perked up at Tiera’s last point. “Who is this friend of yours?”
“Xana Seeli—Pit Seeli’s daughter.”
“You got Pit Seeli to endorse you to visit Origin?” Leon actually sounded jealous. “I could only manage Sala Meklin.” Leon looked at Tiera as if he just realized who he was speaking to. “That was before I was appointed chief, of course—now I can visit Origin whenever I like, as long as it’s work-related. Anyway,” L
eon said with a shake of his head, “fine. If you really can get clearance you can go to Origin. We’ll work out the details of your escort once that happens—and you should notify me directly when that happens. Part of the clearance process is a police screening, but I can waive that, considering all of the meetings we’ve had.”
“Thank you, Chief.” Tiera couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re welcome. Just be careful not to bother any politicians.” Leon said that last part very seriously.
“Of course,” Tiera said. I’ll just convince them to save my galaxy. That shouldn’t bother them.
“Alright. I think that’s all for today. Interview over.”
As Tiera left the police station and waited for a car, she wondered if Leon and his officers would be involved in the separate screening process she needed to complete to address Parliament, since he was already going to be involved in her screening just to visit Origin. I hope not.
A gentle, tingling sort of shock came from the smart glass in Tiera’s pants pocket just as the car she had hailed slowed to a soundless stop in front of her. It was a call from Xana, and Tiera wasn’t sure if she was more excited or nervous for what she might say.
“Hi, Xana.” Tiera smiled at the image of Xana that appeared on her smart glass; she was careful to keep the smart glass’s camera trained on her face as she climbed into the car.
“Hi, Tiera—is this a good time? It looks like you’re going somewhere.”
“Yeah! I’m just going to dinner. What’s up?” The car door closed after she sat down, and Tiera was soon speeding toward the shopping district—a lot of the cheaper restaurants were there.
“I just heard back from my dad.” Xana looked more like she was talking about the weather than telling Tiera the information that could decide the fate of a galaxy. “You’re officially cleared to visit Origin, but there’s a huge line to address Parliament. They probably won’t even start your screening for at least three months.”
“Three months? Half of my galaxy might be destroyed by then!”
“‘Compressed’ is a better word. And I’d have to look up how many wormholes they plan on using to know if that sort of efficiency is possible—wait.” Xana caught herself. “I’m being insensitive again aren’t I? I’m sorry.”
Tiera tried to wipe the annoyance from her face. “It’s alright. I just—” Tiera sighed. “I just need to think of another plan is all.” Part of what Xana just said finally registered in Tiera’s mind. “You said you’d have to look up how many wormholes they’ll use? Are the details of their plan available to the public?”
Xana looked troubled. “No, they’re not.” For a second it seemed like she was going to explain further, but instead she said, “Did you know that the police have surveillance systems in these public cars? Every ride you ever take is recorded in a database that they and their higher-ups have access to. Interesting, huh?”
That wasn’t quite as subtle as Xana probably thought it was, but Tiera understood what she was trying to say enough to play along. “That’s very interesting. We should talk about it more when I get home tonight.”
“I’m going to be in the lab pretty late tonight, actually. We could talk about it tomorrow morning though?”
“Sure.” Tiera closed her eyes and put a hand to her head as she remembered the main reason Xana had called. What am I going to do? How can I talk to Parliament in time?
“Tiera? Are you okay?” Tiera opened her eyes and saw a look of concern on Xana’s face.
“I don’t know, Xana.” Tiera sighed. “I think I have some studying to do if I want to figure this out.”
“You could talk to my dad about it if you want. He wants us over for dinner tomorrow.”
“What? Really? Why?” Tiera couldn’t fathom why a member of Faroa’s Planetary Council would want to have dinner with her.
Xana shrugged. “He just said he wants to meet you. Is that okay?”
“Yeah! It’s great, actually. I bet he knows loads about Parliament and laws and all that; that would be really helpful!” Tiera tried to push down all of the what-ifs that crowded her mind and focused on her friend.
“So you can do it tomorrow night?”
“Definitely.” Tiera smiled. “Tell him I’d be honored.”
Xana blushed. “No. I’ll just tell him you’re coming.”
Tiera laughed. “Whatever works.” She looked out the window and at the glowing city it framed. Some of the office buildings looked familiar, so she figured she’d arrive at the shopping district soon. “Hey, it looks like I’m almost there. I’m going to let you go, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Right. Good luck with lab stuff! Bye!”
When her car pulled into the shopping district’s car port, Tiera headed to the sandwich-gyro shop that she and Daven had eaten at when she first got to this planet. The night air was definitely chillier now than it was then, and Tiera pulled her long, white coat closed, hugging her midriff as she did so. Despite her Faroan clothes, Tiera still attracted just as many stares here as she did when she first arrived. I’m not sure if a haircut would even be enough for me to blend in. This isn’t my home, and they know it.
By the time Tiera had linked her smart glass to the sandwich shop’s interface to pay for her sandwich, all of the what-ifs she had pushed away before came creeping back into her mind. What if I can’t petition Parliament? What if I can, but nothing I say will convince them? What if this is all just a waste? Tiera began to feel so frustrated that she had to constantly remind herself to keep eating her sandwich. What kind of a government is this? Who are they to decide they can just wipe away an entire planet full of people? An entire galaxy? What kind of monsters are they?
Tiera counted to ten as she breathed in, then counted to ten as she breathed out. These are people too. I just don’t understand them, and they don’t understand me. But they’re not monsters. Tiera counted and breathed. She did this several more times as she made her way back to the car port and hailed a car to take her to her apartment—she couldn’t call the apartment she shared with Xana “home.” Not as long as she had any hope of going back to Earth.
It’s not lost yet. She repeated her mantra and breathed anytime her thoughts seemed to be getting out of control. She had lost count of how many times she had done this when she finally arrived at her apartment.
Before she opened her front door, Tiera noticed a small, red circle flashing on the wall next to it—she had a package waiting. She placed her palm on top of the circle, and a second later a large drawer opened up from the wall. Inside it was a small, white pharmacy parcel that most likely contained Tiera’s next round of regulator pills. Tiera shut the drawer, leaving the pills inside. I don’t want to think about that either.
Tiera walked into her apartment and shut the door behind her. She had made it halfway across the living room when she froze. The lights are already on. She and Xana always left them dimmed while they were both out—it was programmed into their apartment.
“Xana? I thought you said you were going to be out late?” Tiera tried to project her voice so that Xana could hear her from her bedroom.
“Xana isn’t here—it’s just us. And please don’t scream. I only came to talk.”
Tiera startled at the sound of the familiar voice and turned around almost as fast as she heard it. Standing fixedly between Tiera and the front door of her apartment was Professor Kert Yematoro.
Chapter 15
Tiera stared at Kert—he had the same short white hair, the same wrinkled features—the only things that had changed were his clothes and the amount of stubble on his face. He had swapped the white jumpsuit for an ensemble of grays, which seemed to fit the grave expression on his face.
Despite her overpowering urge to run, Tiera couldn’t move. Her mind stuttered through this impossible situation like a video stuck on buffering. How could he be here? How did he get in? The door only recognizes my and Xana’s handprints. Did he bre
ak in? Our security system should have had the police here in a heartbeat. How did he get here? Cars would have trapped him and brought him straight to the police station. Did he walk? Anyone he ran into would have turned him in on sight. How long has he been here? There haven’t been any sightings since he disappeared. How could he be here? What if he—?
“Where’s Xana?” Tiera finally asked, breaking the silence. Kert had been waiting quietly while Tiera thought through everything.
“She’s still at the lab, working on communications software for a new satellite with her team.” Kert said this calmly, but still eyed Tiera wearily. “I haven’t harmed her to get inside if that’s what you’re wondering. Let’s just say that the police aren’t the only ones with a lock fryer.”
“You know about her group project.” Tiera slowly started walking backwards, toward the kitchen and the hallway to their bedrooms.
“Yes.” Kert didn’t offer up any further explanation. “Listen, Tiera. I don’t have a lot of time. I wasn’t even planning on coming this soon until I saw you were in line to be screened to speak with Parliament—”
“How do you know about that?” Tiera started backing away faster, panic fluttering through her chest until it caught in her throat. He’s been watching us. He has access to government records. A phrase Daven had used entered Tiera’s mind: potential for violence. Tiera entered the kitchen and rounded the corner into the dimly lit hallway.
“Tiera!” Kert called after her like she was an unruly student.
Tiera ducked into her dark bedroom, closed the door, and pulled out her smart glass. “Send the police to my location. Emergency! It’s Kert Yematoro!” she whispered.
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