Refusing to waste another moment in doubt, Kiya closed her eyes and reached for their familiar bond. The moment she felt their link solidify, tendrils of warmth spread throughout her body. It was immediately clear why most connections ended in such an intimate act as her body reacted to the stimulation of their possible union. Kiya could feel Aarik coax her inner soul forward. Feelings of peace calmed all the apprehensions lingering in the back of her mind. It was almost like watching a male breeding ritual as Aarik’s soul danced and preened for hers, until her soul vibrated to the same frequency. Just as their souls were about to touch, they were interrupted by an overhead announcement declaring they were about to dock with Central City in orbit around planet Zyntese. The intrusion was almost painful as she watched their souls drift apart, with consciousness pulling them in different directions. A groan escaped as she came back to her body and realized how frustrated the act left her feeling.
“My sentiments exactly. I could wrap us in a bubble of silence so we can finish,” Aarik said in desperation.
Kiya was seconds away from begging when a bell chimed at the front of the apartment they were sharing, announcing they had company. “Oh my gods! Can’t a girl get a break around here!” Dropping her head to his shoulder with a sigh she squeezed her thighs together to clamp down the tingles spreading out from her center. Taking a few breaths she looked up at him and laughed when she saw the pained expression Aarik was sporting. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but right about now I could use a cold shower. At least the robe conceals the evidence of what you do to me,” Aarik groaned out. Kissing her nose he pulled away, and rearranging himself, headed to the door. Isis and Thor stood in the hallway and didn’t wait for an invitation to come in when Aarik opened the door.
Looking around the room expectantly, for what Kiya wasn’t sure, Isis announced, “I’m sure you heard the announcement, but we’re here to escort you to your first important meeting. Are you ready to go?”
“Ready as we’ll ever be, I guess,” Kiya replied, reaching for Aarik’s hand as he walked back to her. He was shaking like a leaf. Reaching for their personal channel she asked, You’re shaking. Are you feeling okay? Did you eat?
Aarik squeezed her hand in response before he replied, Yes I ate. My whole body is wired, must be a residual of our ceremony being cut off so abruptly. I’m antsy, but I think it’s because I want to finish what we started. Let’s get this over with so we can do just that.
Interlocking their fingers, she tugged him forward and said, “Lead the way, guys. Are we meeting my grandfather there?”
“Yes, he was delayed, but shouldn’t be far behind. Tell me what did you think of your shower?” Isis retorted with a chuckle.
“Could have warned a girl. I love how it styled my hair at the end, but it was not relaxing at all. What do you do to relax your muscles after a long day?” Kiya replied as they passed another window that displayed a water covered planet five times the size of Earth.
“Where are we going?” Aarik asked as he continued to stare out the window.
“We are meeting Thad in the docking bay of Central City,” Thor explained punching in a code to another door. When it swooshed open he held out his arm and said, “After you, Kiya.”
Aarik pulled her to his side and said, “Uh, no offense Thor, but your actions are immature. I expected more from you. In fact, I better not encounter any more tests from you while at the convocation.”
Kiya went rigid at hearing Aarik’s warning and asked, What was in there?
Nothing sinister. He is not evil at heart. Just a holding cell meant to test if 1. I had seen it beforehand and 2. If I hadn’t, could I get us out. Needless to say, I just passed his test, Aarik replied with a smile in his voice. Kiya looked over at Thor who looked pleased with Aarik’s response. With a nod of his head, he led them forward with pep in his step.
Kiya watched as they approached an enormous metal city. Hundreds of ships were already docked and, as theirs glided smoothly into place, she asked Thor where they were.
“Central City is an elaborate space station that controls the electrified shield protecting the planet from invasion. Anyone wishing to gain access to the planet must land here for entry. The City holds the lowest orbit possible, which allows other ships to orbit above it while they either taxi for entry or stay to watch. It’s run by the Greys and has never been penetrated by enemies,” Thor explained as they entered an elevator that took them to what looked like a train station.
At the look of confusion on Kiya’s face Isis laughed and said, “This is Ion station. Trains run every 15 minutes. We’ll wait for the next ion train and; while perfectly safe, it can be quite a fright your first time on one, but it will cut our commute time to minutes. Otherwise it would take hours to walk to our destination.”
“Alright thanks for the heads up. Damn, I need to pee. Do we have time for a bathroom break?” Kiya asked looking about the area for a public restroom.
“No time for that now, here comes the next train. You’ll have to hold it ‘til we get there,” Thor pointed out and then ushered them toward the loading platform.
Kiya had gotten used to the different sentient beings in the rebellion, but as the train doors opened she got a taste for just how sheltered the human race really was. The people on Earth had a hard time accepting others based on the color of their skin, sexual preference and religion, she couldn't even begin to imagine how they would accept some of the species present at the convocation.
The gathering reminded Kiya of a freakshow circus, except everyone was dressed the same and had no problem with the person walking next to them. There were birdmen, centaurs, pixies, cyborgs, sasquatches, spindly-legged bald humanoids and some creatures that didn’t even have skin or bones for that matter. It was amazing to witness all walks of life gathered in one place without strife or animosity. Kiya almost felt bad asking them to help a planet of people that could barely tolerate one another, let alone aliens.
Reaching out to Aarik she voiced her concerns as they took their seats, Are we doing the right thing? Should we involve a bunch of innocent beings to save the human race? Are they worth saving at the risk of so many who seem to have peace figured out?
The majority is. All we can do is ask and hope they decide in our favor, leave the rest to fate. Aarik replied confidently.
Are you nervous? Kiya asked, as a teleprompter above her head indicated she needed to raise her arms above her head.
Raising her hands hesitantly she squealed when orange straps clamped her into place. Leaning forward she caught Isis’ attention and said, “Is that the worst of it?”
Isis gave Kiya an evil grin and shrugged before she added, “You told me you didn’t want my negative commentary. You are on your own. If you really want to know ask your boyfriend or better yet...complete the Kh’izmet ceremony and find out for yourself.”
Kiya shook her head and smiled. Under her breath she whispered, “Bitch.”, and braced herself for her first ride on an ion train. When it started out slow she breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed into her chair. Turning her head towards Aarik she said, “That wasn’t so bad. It’s very smooth.”
“Oh it’s not over, wait till they extend the wings,” Aarik warned, as he gripped the arm rests tightly.
Kiya gripped her seat as the train departed the station. Golden sails deployed from the train every 10 meters. With each release the train gained speed, to the point that Kiya felt for sure she would pass out. Sometime during the two minute trip, cushions engaged on both sides of her head to prevent her head from moving. When the train came to a stop moments later, her mouth was so dry she could barely spit out, “I’m never stepping foot on that thing again. I’ll take the long way back.”
Robots serving ice cold beverages stood amongst the crowd. Kiya made her way to one and without bothering to ask what it was chugged it down and then spit it out when it burned on the way down. “Argh. What is that?”
“Serves you right. You
were lucky that time, not everything being served here is consumable by humans you know. At least dung urea isn’t poisonous to humans, I’m told it’s quite an effective truth serum,” Thor offered with a snicker as Kiya started gagging.
Grabbing some water from a nearby vendor Aarik handed it to her, glared at Thor and said, “Now we do, you asshole.”
“Hey, thought you were the all seeing and all knowing Enki,” Thor teased with a deep laugh. Grabbing a different glass he took a big swig and spit it back out quickly. Gasping for breath he said, “Not funny, Aarik.”
Kiya looked between the two guys and was about to ask what it was, when Isis grabbed the glass smelled it and laughed before she said, “Huh, I didn’t think you had it in you. Nice touch topping it with whale semen.”
Kiya grabbed the glass and took a whiff. Grimacing she pushed it away and said, “What is that?”
“It’s called a taste of his own medicine. I added a little bit of everything that wouldn’t kill him,” Aarik replied with a chuckle. Grabbing Kiya’s hand, he said, “I think I see your grandfather, shall we join him?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Aarik
Finding Thad in a crowd among many was much easier when you knew where to begin looking in the first place, but walking away from Thor was a test against Aarik’s will power. The God of Thunder was lucky a drink was all he did for revenge. He gave himself an imaginary pat on the back for not pummeling the guy in the face for his latest trick. Then chastised himself for forgetting about the drinks being served upon arrival in the first place.
He placed the blame on his other brain and willed it to submission as he thought about the upcoming convocation. The drink Kiya consumed was indeed a truth serum and they only had about an hour before she started feeling the effects. The drink wasn’t a deal breaker, but it wasn’t ideal either. What it did mean was they needed to speed up the process and sooner rather than later.
Aarik strode up to Thad and his companions with Kiya in tow and said, “Sorry for the intrusion gentleman, but I need to speak briefly with Thad’gar before the convocation.”
They nodded their acceptance, but Aarik could hear them question who he was as he pulled Thad to the side. Throwing up a bubble of silence he told Thad what happened to Kiya and asked him to announce the start of the convocation immediately.
Thad looked at Kiya, who appeared to be slightly dazed, with a curious smirk and replied, “Perhaps it would be better to postpone the convocation until after it has worn off. These things have been known to take days.”
“Not this one,” Aarik stated adamantly, peeking down at Kiya periodically to make sure she was still with them.
“You do realize you are asking people to hear both sides of a story AND cast a vote that could end up costing them their lives, all within the next hour! You’re crazier than I thought. That timeline is impossible!”
“Nothing is impossible as long as we do this now!” Aarik roared and then looked about the room self consciously, until he remembered no one else was privy to their conversation. “Look, it’s not like I’m flying blind here. Trust me, please; this needs to happen this way and now.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Thad replied with a sigh. Pointing them forward he said, “This way, please.”
Aarik followed behind Thad and marveled at how many people stepped out of their way to let them through. Enki’s name was passed around a few times in reverence, but Aarik was surprised to find out that not everyone was happy with the seer’s reincarnation. He made a special note to ask Enki about the perceived strife the next time they talked and then remembered the seer was still in a time out, per se. He’d have to remember to allow him back out for the convocation.
Thad stopped when they reached a circular white platform with a raised bench seat in the middle that reminded Aarik of a defendant’s seat in a courtroom. Turning to them he said, “This is where we part. I wish you the best of luck. Once you and Kiya step on this platform the convocation will begin. Your voices will be amplified so watch what you say to each other.”
Kiya seeming to snap out of her haze for a moment asked, “Who is our opposition?”
“Enlil will be arguing against the war. He never did like humans,” Thad answered solemnly.
“Enlil the Oppressor? Sumerian myth said he was the cause of the flood. How is he even here? Better yet, how are you guys even on the same side?” Kiya asked in confusion.
“A question best left for another day, I’m afraid,” Thad answered in disappointment. He grabbed Kiya for a quick hug. Pulling back he looked at her carefully and said, “We can postpone this until you are feeling more like yourself. It will give us time to go over more of your training.”
“I feel wonderful, like I could take on the world. We’ll have lots of time to train after the convocation. You have nothing to be worried about grandfather. Aarik and I have this under conttrrol,” Kiya slurred out and then frowned when a hiccup escaped.
Aarik had a moment of second guessing his decision when Kiya giggled, covered her mouth, and said, “Oopsy.” In the end he scooped up a vial of alcohol from a passing servant with one hand and grabbed a hold of Kiya’s forearm with other. Looking down at her he said, “Do you trust me?”
“I do,” Kiya answered truthfully.
“Then let’s do this,” Aarik replied as he led Kiya into the middle of the platform.
The moment they sat down, the platform rose twenty feet into the air and moved to the center of the arena. Pinning Kiya to his side, Aarik closed his eyes and asked Enki to join him once again. Once the platform stabilized he threw up a bubble of silence, turned to Kiya and said, “Don’t be alarmed, but I’m about to wow and dazzle the masses with some parlor tricks.”
“I’ll do my best to stay strong,” Kiya returned with a laugh. Smiling up at him she added flirtatiously, “Gimme a hint. What do you have planned with that beautiful mind?”
“You’re cute when your intoxicated, did you know that?” Aarik replied with a grin.
“I resemble that remark AND you’re ignoring my question,” Kiya volleyed with a chuckle.
“Not ignoring you, just pointing out the facts. I plan on showing them my familial mark,” Aarik replied with a grin, before kissing Kiya briefly. Pulling back he said, “Be right back.”
Standing up, he set his drink down and proceeded to undress. Removing his plasma sword he laid it next to the glass and unrobed, handing it to Kiya when he finished. Dressed only in his pants, he stood proud as Kiya ogled his chest openly. Picking up his drink and sword he approached the railing surrounding their seat. Looking over his shoulder, he warned, “Bubble of silence is coming down. Behave yourself.”
Wasting no time, Aarik broke the bubble, dumped the glass of alcohol over his head and tried to ignore the jeers from the crowd as he gripped the plasma sword and watched it flare to life with he moved the last finger into place on the handle. Using the flames of the sword, he lit himself on fire and almost choked on his own saliva when his whole body lit up like a Christmas tree. Aarik could feel no pain and marvelled again at the fact that he never noticed he was immune to fire before their mission.
Swirling spirals appeared over every inch of his skin, which made it look like he was glowing from within. The view was a stark reminder of his connection to Enki, especially as the seer reminded Aarik of a chant he could use to make his clothes fireproof. Repeating the words like he’d been speaking them his whole life, he marvelled as his pants remained unscathed with his whole body covered in flames. The resounding gasp from the crowd gathered below was a stark reminder Aarik was stepping outside the acceptable boundaries of the convocation, but he didn’t have time to pacify them.
“Is this your idea of having an intellectual discussion? Simple parlor tricks meant to sway the masses?” boomed a dark voice from the left.
Aarik looked over for the first time and noticed a second platform floating next to them. A man of medium height stood in the center and w
as nothing like Aarik expected. His first thought was, perhaps Enlil’s anger towards humans stemmed from his jealousy of their larger stature, especially since they were considered a lesser breed. Squinting for a closer look, he amended his first assumption and thought genetics were a bitch. Enlil’s bench seat appeared to be slightly higher as he worked his way to the edge of his railing. Raising his beak like nose into the air he stared down at Aarik with wide-set eyes and taunted him once again, “Does it even speak?”
“Pardon me, but has there been a change in what has been deemed acceptable behaviour during convocation? I seem to remember tradition frowned upon passive aggressiveness or demeaning remarks for that matter. Have we digressed so far since I’ve been gone?” Aarik retorted with a smirk before adding, “I simply wanted to demonstrate who I was, so that we could cut to the chase and discuss why we are here in the first place, without any pretense.”
“Excellent. You’ve brought us here hoping to incite our people to join a war that doesn’t concern them. We left Earth to its own fate thousands of years ago. They weren’t worth saving then, what makes you think they are worth saving now. People of the Agglomerate! Do you really want to send your sons and daughters to a war? We’ve been at peace for so long; do they even know how to fight?”
“You make a fine point, but I would argue this war has everything to do with you and your kind. Each of you played a role in the creation and development of mankind. Granted, some played a more nurturing part than others, but you each had a part. If you do nothing, it might seem like it was the circle of life, but what you are not aware of is the fact that they have no plans on stopping at Earth. There are plans to take out every half-breed ever created. Are you willing to let them all go?”
Cries of outrage could be heard throughout the arena, as dissension rose from Aarik’s comment. Monitors lining the outer mezzanine gave Aarik a snapshot view of those in attendance and worry and denial was the most prevalent look among them. Enlil seemed to be caught off guard as he surveyed the audience’s reaction to the news, before a look of refutation settled on his face. Spreading his arms wide and chanting under his breath a ball of fire surrounded Enlil and his voice echoed with his forceful bellow, “Anyone can play with fire and not get burned. You’ve barely come into yourself. What proof do you have these serious accusations are remotely true? Did you see it in one of the many possible futures that could happen? Not will, but could.”
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