I go away when you turn me off, but it might be best to wait until after the war, Enki stated hopefully.
Speaking of, how much time do we have? Aarik asked, drifting closer to consciousness.
Time is irrelevant. There are sequences that play out and, just like you walk by taking one step at a time, our future is the same. In order for one outcome to happen, the other comes first. Ask yourself this question. In any of the many futures you saw, did the war happen without you? Enki explained.
Aarik racked his brain for one instance and came up empty handed. I suppose not. Human lives revolve around time since it is over so quickly. It’ll be a hard concept to swallow, but I’ll adapt. What can I expect at the convocation?
Zyntese is a water world, but we’ll be docking with the Central City in orbit above the planet. Not everyone can fit in one place, of course, so it will be broadcasted to everyone else not able to attend. After you and Kiya have had a chance to plead your case, your opposition will be given a chance to issue a rebuttal, then the people will vote. Voting is done through the AZOK, as you like to call it, and the results are real time, Enki answered patiently.
I didn’t realize we had an opposition, Aarik said in realization.
I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed something or someone having the love of everyone. There will always be opposition to everything we do. The ticket is finding your tribe and building on it. War has a high price and is not something anyone should jump into. You have a couple vital pieces of information that will help sway the tides in your favor and you should use them to your advantage. Besides the fact that you are me reincarnated, the people deserve to know the king has no plans on stopping with Earth. Humans are just the beginning; their overall goal is to wipe out all half breeds they’ve engineered throughout the universe. They don’t like feeling inferior. It’s a superiority complex, Enki replied solemnly and then added, Time to wake up and find out. Kiya needs you.
At the mention of Kiya, the subtle background noise melded to the forefront as he heard her exclaim, “How many different poisons could there be in the universe?”
“Too many for your mind to comprehend,” scoffed a guttural voice Aarik recognized from one of his visions.
His sense of protection flared to life at the putdown. Opening his eyes he pinned them on the giant across the room and said, “A simple too many to count would have been sufficient. I really expected more from you, Gameer the Gentle. Since when did you start picking on people?”
Gameer’s sneer turned to a snarl before he said, “Who told you my name?”
“No one. I am Enki the Enlightened, reincarnated, and have seen your past, present and future. Who told YOU it was acceptable to patronize someone? Has it been so long that you forgot how it felt?” Aarik responded in a booming voice, grateful for Enki’s commentary on his long-time best friend.
“Enki? Could it be?” Gameer stammered out breathlessly.
“He’s in here, but so am I. When we have more time we’ll play catch up and talk about why you’ve turned into an asshole. For now let’s address the poison. Have you tried any of the poisons from the dryad’s home planet?” Aarik returned, as he swung his legs out of the ARC and looked over at Kiya, who looked so worn down.
Gameer nodded as a smile spread across his face before he replied, “Not yet. I’ll look there next.”
Kiya dropped her head and breathed a heavy sigh. Raising her head, she pulled herself up, turned to face Aarik and mouthed thank you. Aarik had every intention of getting up to comfort her, but was grateful when she saved him the trip by approaching him carefully. Opening his legs and arms, she sank into his embrace. Burying her face into his neck she hummed with contentment. Seeking out his ear she whispered, “If you ever do something idiotic like that again without consulting me first, I will personally make your life a living hell. In this life and the next!”
Pulling back she studied his face. Blinking back tears she gave him a small smile before she added, “I’m not joking.”
“I know you’re not and I’ll do my best to not keep secrets in the future,” Aarik answered, bopping her on the nose to lighten the mood.
“That includes secrets by omission. Not telling me something you know, Mr. All-Seeing, is just as bad,” Kiya added as a lone tear rolled down her cheek.
Aarik gently swiped it away and said, “You can lean on me. You can cry on me. You can rant at me. You can hold it all in too and I’ll be proud of your strength or you can buckle under the pressure and I’ll be there to catch you. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it together. I promise to tell you what I know, but knowing isn’t always better.”
“Does Grams make it?” Kiya asked flat out, staring him down as she looked for signs he might be lying or leaving something out.
“Enki seems to think so. She’s very stubborn,” Aarik replied honestly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It was his idea to try a dryad poison. Said something about Ashryn having a soft spot for the woman.”
“AND he was right as usual. Ashryn used one of her tears,” Gameer replied with his eye scanning the read-out in front of him. Turning around, he punched something into the wall of machines forcefully and said, “I’ve started the defrost cycle and programmed the antiserum to flood her system the second we shock her heart back to life. The rest will be up to her.”
“What do you mean up to her? With all the technology and magic in this room, how could we fail?” Kiya demanded, as she looked down at the softly lit ARC.
“She’s crossed over and is visiting with loved ones. It can be hard to return to reality,” Gameer explained as he approached Aarik and Kiya curiously.
“How long ‘til we know?” Kiya asked in a daze.
“If she’s not back within the next five minutes, we’ll know she made a different choice,” Gameer replied remorsefully.
“Different choice...that’s a polite way of saying she decided to give up,” Kiya muttered defeatedly.
“Crossing over isn’t giving up. Staying here is. She’s old and has only you left in the world. There she is full of life and surrounded by all of her loved ones. When you’re busy starting your own life and don’t have time for her, what do you think she’ll be thinking about?” Gameer challenged, cocking his head as he studied her reaction.
Aarik watched as a gamut of reactions crossed Kiya’s face, until a look of resolution appeared and she said, “I know you don’t know her, but my Grams is a force to be reckoned with. She’s very important to me and I’ll never leave her alone. Besides there is no way she’d miss raising any grandbabies.”
At the mention of babies the monitor above Tashina’s ARC flared to life. Aarik looked down to see Kiya laughing hysterically. Sobering, with tears streaming down her face, she hiccupped and said, “Gotcha ya!”
A whooshing noise caught Aarik’s attention as Thad and Isis entered the room wearing long robes in deep colors. Thad took one look at a crying Kiya and the monitor above Tashina’s ARC and said in confusion, “Why are you crying? She’s alive!”
“Happy tears I assure you,” Kiya replied on the end of another hiccup. Wiping her face with both hands she looked over at Gameer and said, “May I have some water and a straw if you have it?”
“Straw?” Gameer returned in puzzlement.
“A tube to draw liquid up with by mouth,” Kiya explained, followed by another hiccup.
“Sure just a second,” Gameer answered before heading back into the glass room to the large panel of machines. Moments later a see-through container of clear liquid with a straw made of similar material appeared in a cubby within the wall. Reaching in Gameer removed the cup carefully delivering it to Kiya with just as much care. “You know the trick to getting rid of hiccups is to focus on something else. It acts like a reset to the brain they say.”
“I’ve got something that does the trick alright and it works every time,” Kiya boasted with a smile as she bent over and took sips of water upside down. Standing up she cr
adled the glass to her chest and spun around three times in different directions. When she was done she stopped and waited before a goofy grin spread across her face and she said, “See no more hiccups!”
Laughing Aarik tucked Kiya into his arms and nodded over at Thad and Isis, “What’s with the dresses?”
“Tradition calls for it. Otherwise it would be a fashion nightmare. Some of the cultures of those attending wear little while others wear more...this is a compromise I assure you. Puts us all on one level,” Isis explained with a curtsey. Holding her hand out she gestured to Kiya, “I’m sure you’d like to get cleaned up before we arrive. I found a robe that should fit you.”
“I would love a shower, but if you don’t mind, I would prefer to stay with Aarik,” Kiya replied graciously looking up at Aarik for permission.
“She’s not leaving my sight,” Aarik replied without looking away.
“I’m sure we can accommodate that,” Thad responded with a smile.
“We appreciate it.” Aarik stated as Kiya motioned to pull away She walked over to her grandmother’s ARC and splayed her hand out warmly before she said, “Thank you for helping her, Gameer. We will forever be in your debt. If it’s not too much to ask would let me know the moment she wakes up?”
“Of course. You’ll be the first person besides Thad that I notify,” Gameer replied with a slight nod.
“Thank you, Doctor. As always, your service was exemplary,” Thad fussed enthusiastically as he moved to usher Aarik and Kiya from the room.
“Actually, today it wasn’t. I am embarrassed by my behaviour and would like to be punished for my transgressions,” Gameer cried out in response with two large tears escaping from each corner of his eye.
“You saved a life! What have you done that deserves to be punished?” Isis scoffed incredulously over her shoulder.
“I judged them on appearance without giving them a chance to prove me otherwise,” Gameer explained with a sniffle, as he looked at Aarik with remorse.
“I’ve done worse than that, and I’m not demanding to be reprimanded. You really need to grow a pair Gameer. I’m sure they’ll forgive you if you ask them,” Isis said in annoyance as she turned around with a flare.
Aarik could feel the gentle giant’s grief from across the room and threw him a bone, “I think I speak for both of us. Your apology is NOT necessary. Without your help Kiya would be an orphan. You’ll always have a special place in our hearts. Both of us for different reasons.”
Gameer shuddered slightly, sighed and said, “Only you would think so. Regardless, I am truly sorry for my treatment of you both.”
“Apology accepted,” Kiya offered before she added an addendum, “As long as you accept mine? Believe it or not, I haven't exactly been on my best behaviour the last couple of hours.”
“I never would have guessed,” Gameer teased with a chuckle. “I’ll let you know if there is any change.”
Patting the ARC as he followed Kiya from the room, Aarik stopped at the threshold and turned around. Catching Gameer’s gaze, Aarik gave into Enki’s grief and let him apologize telepathically, Thank you again, my friend. I can only hope you will one day truly forgive me for lying to you on the day of my assassination.
I could have prevented it. I blamed myself for years, then I grew bitter. It will take time, but you can still count on me to hold up my end of the bargain we made the day you saved my life, Gameer answered solemnly.
I don’t deserve it, but thank you, Enki replied with gratitude.
Walking out of the room with a final nod, he caught up to Kiya as her grandfather was explaining what they could expect from the convocation. “...representatives from every race will be present. You and Aarik will present your side and your opposition will counter. You can rebuttal as many times as you want, but so can the other side. The whole thing could take more than a week.”
Just as Kiya was about to argue they were out of time, Aarik hooked his arm around her shoulders and said, “It won’t take that long. Trust me.”
Chapter Twenty
Kiya
Kiya was slightly disappointed in the ship’s version of a shower. As she entered the glass enclosure, an ultraviolet radiation scan removed most biological contaminants. An efficient system that she would have normally found fascinating, but it was followed by a dusting of something medicinal smelling that made her look like a cheap version of a ghost. She barked out a laugh until a giant vacuum turned on above her head and nearly sucked the air from her lungs as it removed the cleaning agent, a few hairs and skin cells in the process. Stumbling from the contraption, she was surprised to find her hair tangle free and looking styled with volume. Donning the ceremonial robes, she pinched her cheeks for color and gave herself a pep talk.
“Nothing to be nervous about. I’m on a spaceship far from home, about to embark on a peaceful emissary mission. If we fail...If we fail...” Kiya’s thoughts paused as she looked at her reflections and considered the consequences. Small seeds of doubt started to wiggle their way in as possibilities, until Aarik entered her thoughts and said, We’ll just have to think of something else. So far everything else has worked in our favour. We found the watchers within an hour of our arrival. We successfully rescued your Grams and even though she killed herself, she is on her way to recovery now. Have a little faith, our luck will continue.
With one final look in the mirror she took a deep breath and said, You’re right, but it’s hard to remain positive when so many lives are at stake. Got any insider information you want to throw my way to placate my rampant thoughts?
Exiting the bathroom, Kiya came up short when she found Aarik with his arms crossed, leaning against the far wall waiting for her. Pushing off with his foot when she stopped, he approached her slowly and said, “I know we have help, but so do they. Don’t let them goad you into a long argument, in the end, the decision will come down to one vote and our ability to come across as demure will sway them to our side.”
“Then we better come up with another plan, I’m not exactly known for keeping my mouth shut when I am passionate or opinionated about something. It’s been known to get me in trouble a time or two,” Kiya replied in defeat, as she thought of the many times her Grams tried to teach her that valuable lesson.
“Well, we could always become Kh’izmets. Enki seems to think if we go in boasting about his reincarnation and our union, it would make this a sure vote,” Aarik offered with a smirk.
“Is that your way of proposing to a girl?” Kiya bit out on a laugh until she realized Aarik wasn’t joking. Biting her lip she said, “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were being serious.”
“Gee, give a guy more credit than that. You’ll know when I ask you to be mine, trust me. I told you I would make sure to keep you abreast of what I knew and, well, now you know what I know,” Aarik promised with conviction. A small look of vulnerability crossed his face before he looked away and said, “A promise is a promise after all.”
“Hey. I wasn’t laughing at the mere idea of us or anything,” Kiya explained with a tilt of her head as she studied his reaction. “You just caught me off guard. You were so nonchalant when you brought it up. It was like an “oh by the way” type of thing, that I thought you were joking. I mean we’re okay, right?”
“Of course, we are. That statement sounded better in my head. I just didn’t want you to feel pressured to do it, so I tried playing it off like I didn’t care if you said yes or no, but in reality I’m nervous as all hell to find out,” Aarik confessed in a whisper.
“I don’t want our decision to be based on someone else’s need. If you want me to tie my soul to yours for eternity then you better be able to ask me without fear and mean it. I’d also appreciate it if we weren’t on a time crunch. I want more than 15 minutes on a bed barely big enough to fit me!” Kiya demanded in a huff, only to squeal in surprise as Aarik scooped her up and squeezed her to his chest in a hug.
Lifting her chin his green eyes pinned her in place as he skimmed
her lips back and forth with his and said, “You want honesty, here it goes. The only thing I fear is losing you. Regardless of what we face today or tomorrow, I would choose us every time. I know you mentioned we are short on time, but the ceremony is short and doesn’t require intercourse. It’s just usually a by-product of the ceremony because of the connection the couple feels, but we can wait for that until we have more time. I am a selfish man when it comes to you and the needs of others are far from my mind when I think about you as my soulmate. In fact, give me one reason why we should wait.”
Kiya melted into Aarik’s arms, resting her forehead on his chin she whispered, “I honestly can’t think of one reason when you hold me like this. Are you sure you want to be stuck with me?”
“Not a doubt in my mind,” Aarik confessed, bringing Kiya’s head up once more before he added, “Is that a yes? I don’t want any doubt in your mind either.”
“What did Enki have to say about it?” Kiya asked on a sigh.
“Ouch! Way to be a mood killer!” Aarik cried out in a huff before admitting, “He said you were even more beautiful in person.”
“Ahh that was nice of him to say,” Kiya joked and then added, “How long will we have the third wheel?”
“When we decide we don’t need his help anymore,” Aarik replied with a grin.
“Can you silence him long enough for us to have some privacy? I feel like the act should be just between the two of us,” Kiya asked shyly.
“I’ll make it happen, one way or another,” Aarik vowed, closing his eyes to enter the AZOK.
Kiya grinned nervously and looked about the room to memorize the location of their joining. Waiting patiently for Aarik to confirm their solitude she studied his perfection in detail. Lost in his features she was taken aback when he closed the gap unexpectedly catching Kiya in a passionate kiss. Pulling back he nibbled on her lower lip gently and said, “We have a few minutes to ourselves, but it’s not like we are on an Enki timer. I locked him up tight, but who knows how long the rest of the ship will leave us be. If you are ready, just close your eyes and think of our connection.”
Home of the Forgotten Page 15