The Anuan Legacy

by Traci Ison Schafer

  Our souls merged. Fused.

  One body.

  One mind.

  One being.

  Bonded.

  CHAPTER 96 -

  BRIAN

  My circumstances had definitely changed. All I could discern was that I no longer lay curled up on some cold concrete floor. I was somewhere warm, and soft, and comfortable. Not hungry. Not thirsty. And not conscious. Not quite, anyway. Hell, maybe I wasn’t even alive. If not, I was okay with that. So far, it seemed to be an improvement.

  I strained to pull my eyelids open. After a minute or two, my will finally won out, and they slowly parted. Just a slit, but enough to verify I was no longer locked in a dark cell. I saw only whiteness, a soft whiteness, but still light. Not coming from a single bulb hanging from the middle of the ceiling this time, but emanating directly from the walls, seamless and pure. Maybe I was dead and heaven really did exist. Yeah, right. Like they’d actually let me in. I laughed to myself, more disgusted than amused. No sound escaped my lips, though. My eyes might have been working, but the rest of me hadn’t caught up.

  Before I could figure out what had happened, a movement to my left caught my attention. I opened my eyelids wider and saw a little droid hovering above me.

  “Hello, Brian. My name is Toji,” the thing said.

  Ho-ly shit! I was not in Kansas anymore. Or Ohio. Or Earth, for that matter. Since Gaige had been the only alien I’d bumped into lately, and I seemed to be in some alien place somewhere, I figured he had something to do with this. I hoped that meant he and Tori were okay.

  “Where am I?” I asked the droid. I figured since he’d introduced himself, maybe he could actually carry on a conversation.

  “You are on the Anuan scientific vessel, Mission Earth.” Small lights blinked on the disc-shaped droid when he spoke. “You were rescued from an Earth incarceration facility and brought on board the ship to recover.”

  The lightness in the room brightened and a young rosy-cheeked woman approached my bed, her jet-black curls bouncing against her shoulders. “Hello, Brian. My name is Miccan. Like Toji said, you were brought on board to recover. We’re sorry for any inconvenience, but your situation was very dire. We figured you’d want the assistance.”

  “Inconvenience? I wouldn’t call this an inconvenience. I’d have died in that pit. So, thank you and whoever else saved my life. Who actually did get me out of there?” Feeling that the rest of my body might be catching up and actually work now, I wriggled myself up in the bed. It adjusted on its own to help me sit. No remote. Just my movement. I liked this place.

  “That would be Gaige. I believe you already know him.” She brushed a curl away from her face with the back of her hand then pulled something from the wall. A screen protruded from the surface of the handheld device on the side that had been hidden within the wall. She waved the device through the air above my forehead and torso then looked at the readouts on the screen. “Your numbers look good.”

  I leaned forward trying to see the details. “May I?”

  “Sure.” She tilted the readout screen in my direction.

  I had no idea what the garble meant. It looked to me like something between ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and Russian.

  “Oh wait.” She pushed a symbol at the top of the screen.

  The garble turned to English—pulse, temperature, blood pressure, hydration, and numbers for heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and every other organ a person could think of. I had no idea what all the numbers meant, beyond the basics, only that they looked good.

  “Fascinating,” I said.

  “Yes, they tell us everything we need to know to make a proper assessment.” She placed the device back into the wall where it merged smoothly. “I’ll let Gaige know you’re awake so he can come by and discuss your options with you.”

  “Wait!” I called out as she turned from me.

  Spinning around, she jerked the medical device from the wall. “What is it?”

  “Oh, sorry. I’m fine. It’s just that you said Gaige would be coming to talk with me. Does that mean he’s okay?”

  “Yes, Gaige is fine.” She snapped the device back into the wall. “There was an incident during your rescue, but he’s recovering well.”

  “Incident?”

  “You don’t need to worry. Gaige is fine. He’ll explain everything to you.”

  “Good, then. And what about Tori? Do you know anything about Tori?”

  “Tori?” She tipped her head to one side and searched the ceiling like the answer was up there somewhere. If Tori wasn’t with Gaige, what had happened to her?

  The hovering droid’s lights started blinking. “I believe he is referring to Victoria.”

  Victoria was her full name. I’d seen it on her application package. I didn’t realize she ever went by that name, though. “Yes, Victoria. Is she okay?”

  Miccan’s face lit up as the pieces came together. “Oh, of course! Victoria. Yes, she’s doing quite well. She’s here, on the ship, with Gaige.”

  A weight lifted. I was safe. Gaige and Victoria were safe. General Ash and his posse hadn’t captured them. Or, if he had, they’d been able to break free. We were all now far from his reach in—what had the droid called it?—the scientific vessel, Mission Earth. But what came next, I had no idea.

  CHAPTER 97 -

  VICTORIA

  We slept soundly the rest of the night in my bed. Together. Before we’d fallen asleep, we’d made love again, and again when morning came. I was sure I could never get enough of him.

  I lay with my head on Gaige’s shoulder, tracing my fingers through the thin layer of dark hair at the center of his chest. “So, you knew me when we were little?”

  “And you knew me,” he said.

  I placed my hand on his cheek. Feeling the vibration of his energy, I knew why he seemed so familiar when I’d first met him in the lab. I might have been too young to remember him, but I’d recognized his energy from all those years before. “I guess I did.”

  I removed my hand from his face and instinctively started to touch the pink line running across his neck, to make it feel better or something. Not wanting to hurt him, I pulled my hand away and laid my arm across his chest. “Your neck looks a little better today. Does it hurt?”

  “No.” Gaige put his own hand on the scar. “Well, maybe a little. But Zada did a good job. It shouldn’t be sore much longer.”

  The Anuan’s medical technology was incredible. Only the day before, Gaige lay near death. Now he was very much alive, in every way, and almost completely healed. Everything I knew of the incident came from my dream, but I wanted the real story. “What happened down there, Gaige?”

  With his hand still touching the scar, he said nothing at first. Probably processing how to present it to me, still trying to protect me. “Mission mishap,” he finally said.

  “Obviously.” As soon as the word left my mouth I wished I could take it back. “I’m sorry, Gaige. I didn’t mean to be rude. But I’m better now. I don’t need protecting. I don’t want to be protected. I’m here to stay. This is my world and you are my world, whatever that involves. So, no more secrets. Okay?”

  “You’re right.” He removed his hand from his neck and patted my arm, the one that still lay draped across his chest. He let his hand rest there. “It was an old enemy, back to haunt us. We thought they were all dead.” He looked away from me. “We thought we’d killed them all.”

  “It’s okay, Gaige. Look at me. Tell me why? I know Anuans are peaceful people. You had to have a good reason.”

  His eyes came back to me. “We are peaceful, but sometimes the ability to choose peace is outside of our control. They were trying to take over our planet. We had to defend ourselves.”

  “Why were they trying to take over Anu?”

  “It all happened when I was a baby, so I don’t remember it firsthand. But I’ll tell you what I know.”

  “Okay.” Holding onto the covers, I sat up in the bed and faced Gaige so I could lis
ten better to his story.

  With a sad smile, Gaige watched me reposition myself before continuing to tell me what had happened. “They’d destroyed their own planet warring amongst themselves with technology they didn’t respect. We took in refugees—all their women and children. The men were still off fighting each other, even after destroying their planet. They didn’t learn. Some never do.” Gaige stared off in the distance, like he was imagining that place and time. “We helped the refugees. They weren’t responsible for the chaos, just helpless, homeless victims. But they weren’t used to our planet. Many died from diseases they had no immunities to. Our medicines weren’t always enough to help them. The warriors—the men—accused us of deliberately killing their families, and didn’t want our help anymore. They wanted revenge: our planet and our lives. We couldn’t let that happen.”

  “No, you couldn’t.” I lay back down next to Gaige, heartsick the Anuans had gone through that. In equal measure, I was mortified that these beings were still around and had almost killed Gaige. “Will they come after the Anuans again?”

  “I don’t know.” He pulled me tighter against him. “I’m sorry, Victoria. I should have tried harder to talk to you about this. You know, before we—”

  I put a finger over his lips, just as I’d done when he made the attempt to tell me before. “No. I told you it didn’t matter. Together is what matters. For better or worse. That’s what we say on Earth.”

  “This is definitely a worse.” He ran his fingers across the pink line on his neck. “Definitely a worse.”

  I realized then, talking about this enemy after what he’d just been through, had to be keeping the trauma of his attack fresh. “Gaige, I’m sorry. Let’s talk about something else.” My mind reached for a topic, any topic. With him lying next to me, naked under the covers, the choice was clear. “Us. Let’s talk about us.”

  “Yes. I can’t think of a better subject.” He gave me a long kiss, but then got out of bed and pulled on his clothes. “I’ll be back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Get ready. I have a surprise for you.”

  And with that, he was gone.

  CHAPTER 98 -

  VICTORIA

  Gaige arrived back at my door wearing a navy blue Earth suit and matching tie. In his hand, he held a flowing white dress.

  “You look nice, Gaige. And the dress, it’s beautiful. But what’s all this for?”

  He handed the dress to me. “We have an event to attend.”

  I took the dress, admiring the delicate lace. “What event? Gaige, what are you talking about?”

  “It’s our celebration.”

  I remembered him saying Anuans didn’t have marriage ceremonies, but celebrated their unions. We had just taken that final step. “The celebration of our union?”

  “Yes, exactly.” He kissed me on the top of my head. “Hurry, put on your dress. Everything will be ready soon.”

  “Hold on.” I spread the dress out neatly on the bed and turned back to him. “I know you told me about this event, but let me get this straight. We're going to celebrate, with other people, the fact that we’ve just had sex?”

  “It’s more than that, Victoria. You’re thinking like a Kian.”

  “I am a Kian.”

  Gaige cradled my chin in his hand. “I didn’t mean that in a negative way.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “But you’re also Anuan and this is an important event. Mom and Dad are getting everything ready, and are excited to welcome you into our family.”

  “You told your Mom and Dad we had sex?”

  “In this world we’re married now. Intimacy is just one part of that. Don’t you think us committing our lives to each other is something to celebrate?”

  I started pacing, not sure how to sync the two worlds. Our commitment was worth celebrating. Spending our lives together was worth celebrating. Having sex was even worth celebrating—but with each other, not the world. I continued to pace back and forth between my bed and the wall, wanting to be okay with the Anuan custom. I was, after all, Anuan—half, anyway. I wanted to be comfortable with everything that meant. But wanting to be comfortable with something was far from being comfortable with it.

  “Victoria, you’re going to make yourself dizzy.”

  “Just give me a second.” I grasped desperately for the courage to celebrate our most intimate moments with his parents and everyone else on the ship.

  Gaige waited patiently. The shimmer in his eyes extinguished a little more with each second that passed. “If you’re not comfortable, and you obviously aren’t, we don’t have to do this. Let’s skip it. We know we’re together. That’s what matters.”

  He stood in front of me with such disappointment in his eyes, ready to sacrifice something really important to him for me. Knowing what a selfless, loving, protective, strong, compassionate person he was, how could I not want to scream to the world that this man was a part of my life, in every way? The two worlds reconciled. “No. Don’t cancel. I’m not uncomfortable with it. Not anymore. I just had to wrap my head around it. Thank you for waiting.” I adjusted his tie and kissed his lips. “Besides, you look pretty hot in that suit. I should probably show you off.”

  A smile spread across his face. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. My first Anuan event will be one celebrating us. I can’t think of anything more perfect.” I caught a glimpse of the silver jewelry box on my dresser. “Or maybe I can.”

  “What?” he asked.

  My parents' rings pulled me to their little velvet-lined home as strongly as if they'd reached out with hands and grabbed me. Gaige followed me to my replicated dresser and, still behind me, slid his arms around my waist.

  “In this Anuan world we're committed now. Married. I know it's silly, and we don't need a symbol of our commitment. But . . .”

  He leaned close and whispered in my ear. “There is no but. Whatever you want, it's already yours.” He reached a hand toward the jewelry box and opened its lid.

  I lifted the rings from their resting place and read the inscription in the smaller one. “May peace and love surround us, always.” Sliding the rings off their chain and laying them in the palm of my right hand, I turned to face Gaige. “Anu’s motto?”

  “You could say that, yes.”

  “Anu’s motto on these gold bands, which are an Earth symbol of love and commitment. A blend of Anu and Earth. The perfect combination for my parents.”

  “And for us.” Gaige removed the smaller ring from my palm and took my other hand—the left one—in his. “Victoria, I take you to be my wife, forever and ever.” He slid the band onto my ring finger.

  It fit perfectly. I wiggled my fingers, watching the ring settle into place. Gaige’s wife. That fit perfectly, too.

  Now it was my turn at our little slice of Earth tradition. I looked at my father’s ring, then at Gaige’s Anuan-sized hand. “It’s not going to fit.”

  “We can fix that.” Gaige picked up the ring and went to the constructor. He put the ring snuggly on the tip of his left ring finger and tapped the wall next to the constructor drawer. When it popped open, Gaige placed his hand inside. “Size ring to current finger.” After a moment he pulled his hand out. The ring now hung loose at the end of his finger. He let it drop into my hand. “Go ahead. It’ll be fine now.”

  I picked the ring up. “Gaige, I take you to be my husband, for better or worse, forever and ever.”

  “Nice touch,” he said. “Me, too.”

  I pushed the ring onto his finger, past both knuckles. Like mine, it fit perfectly. “Now for the best part.” I smiled. “You may now kiss—”

  And he did.

  “That was the best part.” He gave me a full-dimpled smile. “I love you,” he said.

  And I loved him, too. Enough to celebrate our most intimate milestone with his parents and everyone else who would be at the celebration of our union. And to stand by his side, for better or worse, even if worse meant facing monsters who could
tear a person apart in the blink of an eye.

  CHAPTER 99 -

  LOME

  After taking time overnight to calm myself, I marched into the conference room with Cruck following closely behind. The Anuans had to know we were on Earth. So there had been no reason to drive back when we could transition and give up nothing that hadn’t already been given. Thanks to my anger, I’d flashed our presence like these Earthling’s neon signs to whatever cloaked Anuan carried that floating scientist. Only estimating where to aim, I’d felt the resistance as claws dug through flesh. The Tamanacke swath I’d carved into the would-be rescuer’s neck—or someplace close—would be unmistakable. Dead or not, that Anuan would talk. His wound would tell them, even if he couldn’t, that we’d survived their massacre.

  “Be seated!” I yelled.

  With Cruck taking the seat to my right, my soldiers quickly disbursed themselves around the conference table to await my words.

  Back in my own form with my head held high, I stepped to the head of the table. I would not admit defeat. This was not over. “Stop gawking. Yes, we’re back early. The Anuans will know we’re here now. They came for the scientist and the timing was, well . . . bad. But no matter, it’s time for us to get to the business of avenging our people, anyway.”

  “Why would they come for the scientist?” Tull asked.

  “For his knowledge?” Dath offered.

  Tull waved off Dath’s suggestion. “Phsssh, the Anuans already possess everything any Earth being would know.”

  “Who knows why they do what they do,” I snapped. “Who would have thought they’d come back for the girl after all these years. But they did. They think differently than we do. We will probably never know why they came back for either of the two.”