Page 34 of Heart's Keeper

Lana nodded. Bo gestured for them to follow and, looking out to the forest, Lana walked with them. She felt an uneasiness as the gates closed behind them, but she didn't worry yet about being locked up or harmed. Though the soldiers were concerning, she sensed Bo was trustworthy enough and the gyda to be non-threatening. She took in the surrounding buildings, many looking like living quarters while some were clearly places for work or for socializing. People walked about, many stopping to watch them pass. There were both gyda and humans walking and talking together, mingling as she had never seen before. In the reserves and on the bases, the gyda kept to their own groups though they participated in human society. Here, the gyda society and the humans’ were one and the same.

"What is this place?" Lana asked.

Bo smiled back at her. "Station Eleven is the technical term it was first given, but many are calling it New Haven. The biggest interspecies community of XL-08. Haven't thought of a better name for the planet yet." Her smile turned into a grin that really did remind Lana of Nicole's once bright and cheery smile. "Welcome to the first ungoverned, outerworld city."

Chapter Twelve

They came to the largest building in the station, a wide, circular structure with a large, metal and glass dome at its center. They walked through the foyer and through a large doorway where they entered into a wide-open space with the dome high above them. On the ground floor, Lana thought she had stepped into the past as she witnessed scientists and engineers, both gyda and human, working together alongside high-tech machines and giant monitors. There were even a couple of scibots walking around, carrying materials from one side to the other, assisting those when needed. There were plants and other creatures being studied in tanks, what she took to be those from the actual planet itself, and operating tables alongside what she could only assume were advanced medical equipment.

"This is where we do all our research," Bo explained. "The gyda, as I'm sure you remember discovering from your time studying them, have amazing medical skills. They helped to build many of our latest equipment and create new medicines."

Lana did remember some. It was why the military had sponsored so much of her research at the time. They wanted their knowledge of healing and medical expertise. Of course, she had wanted them to be more than just another tool for the military to use. It was only through compromise that her research team had been able to push for the gyda to be integrated into human society.

Though, back then, she had been proud of how close they had come even when all the gyda had were at the reserves and bases to interact with people. Now, seeing this station, she realized how much more could have been done. The gyda had never been given jobs or allowed to be a part of certain events while within Earth's territories. They were never allowed to travel to civilian worlds or experience the same things as other people. Their home world, Dornn, was all they had left of their culture but was slowly fading away. When the research teams first discovered the gyda, they found that their planet, an ocean world, was drying up. It was why the gyda were willing to make contact with them in the first place. It was sad to see the outcome as the refugees took to the base planets, but seeing them together now in New Haven filled Lana with surprising hope. It reminded her of a time years ago now when she had dreamed of seeing such a connection between other species. It had been her greatest goal to witness a perfect integration. Being with the vrisha, she'd forgotten, and for that, she felt partially ashamed.

Through her fear—much due to what happened at Lazris—she had closed off any sort of possibility that such a society was possible.

"This is...amazing," Lana said with honesty. "When did you come here? Start all this?"

"Not long after you disappeared, truthfully," Bo said. "But before we got here, the planet had only a small research station, used by an independent expedition team. Before Grayhart started, there were just those few ships willing to travel outside the boundaries, sponsored usually by some corporation or nonprofit. Government teams went out to find planets to terraform or scout them for bases, to add them to Earth's register and expand Earth's governing systems. These independent teams, however, were looking to get away from all that. To escape Earth's rule and find a new home. The expedition team of this planet wanted to do just that for XL-08. They got together with a few other organizations and together created Project Gemini. Which is us." Bo smiled. "With a goal to make a new home for all. We saw how segregated and poorly treated the gyda were, despite the fact that they had been a part of Earth society. So, we made a plan to make a community here, where humans and gyda lived equally."

"So, you did what the government claimed they would do," Elise said from beside her. "An integrated city."

"More or less," Bo said. She walked over to a large machine Lana couldn't identify, where Abrohs took a seat at a terminal beside it. "As you can see, this small community is all we have after so many years. It's been a slow build-up. Unfortunately, when it comes to being an independent organization, you don't get any sort of help from the government. But this place is ours, and since it's outside Earth's boundaries, Earth's laws don't affect us. And they can't take it from us either. At least not yet though I'm sure they've considered trying," Bo said bitterly.

"How do you fund this place then, without Earth's help?" Lana asked.

Bo's bright expression darkened considerably. "That's the other unfortunate thing," she said in a low voice. She glanced around to where some of the armed men stood beside the entrance doors watching them. "As I mentioned, independent teams are sponsored usually by corporations. It's the same with us. Sythtec Industries gave us all the equipment and supplies we needed in exchange for access to resources from the planet. We thought it a small price to pay. They were a company that made parts for ships and robotic equipment. It was hard to refuse." She glanced at the men again, then stepped a little closer, talking quieter. "Then they started bringing in their own security team, saying they wanted to protect us, in case of threats. But once they gained access to our transmission system, we knew something wasn't right."

"They are the ones looking to contact Xolis?" Lana asked.

Bo nodded, looking around nervously. "We learned about Xolis from those we stayed in contact with on Earth. We worried about the hunters, which was when Sythtec sent more of their men. Then they made that transmission message. Told us they were going to bring the people from Xolis here to talk, get them to negotiate, have them bring others to be a part of the city..." She shook her head. "It was a bunch of bull, and we knew it, but we couldn't fight them."

"Why then?" Elise asked. "Why do they want Xolis to come here?"

"They want their tech. Their weapons," Bo whispered. "They honestly think they can fight them and win. We learned all too late they don't just make ship and robotic parts, they make weapons too. They kept that from us," she hissed. "And we are certain they are aligning now with the military—"

"Dr. Siera," came a booming voice from above. Bo jumped, and they each looked upward to see a man standing on a balcony on the second floor. He was older, with deep black eyes and slick blond-gray hair. He wore a dark uniform with the same symbol as the men surrounding him—a purple wasp with three stars above it and three blades below it on the left side of his chest. On the right, it said 'Sythtec Industries.' He looked irritated at first but slowly smiled down at them. "Won't you introduce me to your friends?" he said in a deep accent Lana couldn't place but sounded Romanian in nature. Beside him, Jameson glared down at them, his hand resting on his gun. "After all, you convinced me to let them in," the older man said. "They must be very important."

"Mr. Tabara." Bo seemed to tense as she addressed the man above them. "Yes, this is Dr. Hart and her associate. Lana, this is Mr. Tabara, an official of Sythtec."

"It is so nice to have you visit, Dr. Hart." Mr. Tabara walked toward the stairs, making his way down to their level. "I have heard of your work and your escape from Lazris. Very harrowing but extraordinary tale." With his men beside him, he approached them with a dry smile that didn't match the look in his eyes. As he stopped before them, his smile widened. "I apologize for the greeting my men gave you at the gate, but I'm afraid it is procedure. We are very protective of our little paradise here, aren't we, Bo?"

"Yes, sir," she said softly.

His smile dropped, and his eyes bore deep into Lana's. "But it is odd that you have come now. Why, may I ask, are you here?"

"We caught on to your signal," Lana said, standing her ground. "As we were already heading toward the governing systems, we thought it suspicious when we heard the transmission of a human speaking in Xolian, so we decided to investigate."

"Ah, yes, Kate. She was one of the fortunate women to escape that dreaded empire," Mr. Tabara said.

"Is she here now?"

Tabara shook his head. "Oh, no, certainly not. We merely visited her at her home on Freya and...persuaded her to make the message."

Persuaded as in threatened, no doubt, Lana thought. "A message to the Xolians to come to this planet."

"That is correct."

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