Page 40 of LeX

“ANDI, thank you for escorting me to my rooms.Thisevening has been a delight even with my muddled thoughts.”

“Itwas my honor.Iam pleased you are adapting so positively to the changes forced upon you.Thingsbeing a little chaotic is normal, considering the circumstances.”

“Ok, nowI’meven more confused.Areyou talking about us being back home, or something else?”

“Ohmy,IbelieveImay have misspoken and opened a can of worms.”

“That’senough!WhydoIfeel like people are walking on eggshells around me?Enoughof the cryptic bullshit, what’s going on?”

“Iam not at liberty to tell you straight out, butIwould advise you to view some of the past risings on your holo pad; that is allIcan tell you right now.Butonce you have, please call out to me andIwill answer any questions you might have.”

“Areyou saying everythingIneed to know is on that holo pad?”

“Ibelieve the mental clarification you are searching for is on that device, yes.Ijust hopeIhave not caused you more harm than good when this is over and done.Ifyou will excuse me dear,CommanderDaRis requesting my presence.”

Heleaves me standing in front of our rooms with more questions than answers.So, the first thingIdo since the door actually opens this time is head straight for the holo pad that is blinking next to the bed.Notknowing exactly what to look for,Iam shocked when it turns on, it’s feed showing back to when the pods were being brought in.Sittingdown on the bed,Iwatch the scenes unfold in front of me.Mymind is suddenly a lot clearer.

Chapter Twenty-Three

LEX

Iamone of the last to walk into the conference room.Father,CommanderZoDandTordanare all present on the large holo screens at the front of the room, since they are all in different locations.Itseems like everyone is in attendance and the last time this occurred, we were sent out to explore theNebula.Assoon as the soundproof doors close behind me,Fathermotions for all of us to sit down.

“Iknow you all are ready for a well-deserved break, butSCOUThas just brought something to our attention thatIbelieve needs to be addressed immediately.SCOUT, the floor is yours.”

SCOUTappears off to the side where everyone can see him. “Asyou are all aware, theJynrelpirates that tookAvXand his mate beforeCommanderDaRcould intercept them were bragging that they were told theKorgonshad dumped four cryo pods in an unknown area.Upuntil theDestroyer, excuse meDestiny, returned with the exact signal indicator of all the pods you recovered,Ihad no way of tracing or finding out if that claim was factual.However, while on your return tripCaptainEvO,Ibelieve you were informed of a set of beacons coming from anarea where there are no visible planets or anything else in the outer sector of our solar system?”

“YesSCOUT,IhadDestinyscan the entire area.Eventhough we could not pinpoint their whereabouts, the alerts were extremely close in nature to the human pods we found in theNebula.”

“Ihave a theory for the reasonIbelieve you could not see or locate them.Ithink something is blocking our scanners.Somesort of barrier.Ihave asked theCommandersto reconsider another search in that area onceDestinyis restocked.Butbefore we do thatCaptainEvO, we would like your input.”

“Ihave no objections, butIwould like to leave my crew intact … if they want to remain on board that is.”

Fatherspeaks up, “Ihave already spoken toViNandEmber.Evenwith the youngling, they have agreed to stay on board.So, the ship and its personnel will need to have some training when it comes to her safety and care.Rafeapproached me earlier this rising asking if his mate could stay on the ship with him andIgranted his request as well.Thatonly leaves you,LeX.Son, are you willing to head back out, and what are your main concerns if you do?”

“Ihave no personal objections, butIneed to talk toRyliebefore giving you my final answer.Ihave made enough decisions for her already.Myone request is a complete restocking of my lab, and a med chamber is critically needed.Giventheir complexity and difficulty to build, could you askMeKwhen the next one will be available so we can adjust our mission timeline?”

“Son,Iwill take your request into consideration.Thereis one other thingIwant you all to be aware of.Thismission is to be keep a secret at all costs; there are things or individuals in oursector that are working against us.So, information on where you are heading will only be known by a select few.Whichonce again leaves this ship vulnerable if you get into trouble in an unknown sector.SCOUTis guaranteeing me that we will not lose contact with you this time.ButIneed you all to be prepared for anything as once again, you will be too far away for us to aid quickly.

Also,Destinyis being equipped with a more advanced cloaking and defense system before she leaves port.Anyother concerns you might have, please bring them up at our next meeting.AndIalmost forgot, you all must be back before the warrior trials.KeidaandDannywill be competing as well asHaL.Iwant the entire family present, if possible, just in case.”

“Igather you anticipate problems at the games,Father?”

“EvO,Ibelieve it would be the perfect opportunity to seriously hurt several members of our family, yes.Zura’smother is still missing, and we have not been able to pin down which elder knew about the invasion of theWaldrinonCommanderZoD’splanet.SiNis working behind the scenes, and even though we have an idea of who is taking these steps against our people, we do not have enough proof to move forward.So, trust only the ones currently in this room, watch your wording on all holo messages, and be well.Youare all dismissed.Enjoyyour next risings.Strengthand honor,Sons.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

RYLIE

Inthe last hour,IbelieveIhave gone through every emotion.Anger, pain, hurt, awe, and nowI’mjust sitting here, staring at this dark holo pad.Suddenlycurious,Iwalk into the bathroom and strip off the gownIhave on, only to stand there in front of the large mirror, my eyes examining the new me.

Atfirst,Ifeel likeI’mlooking at a stranger, but once the tears slow down,IrealizeI’mstill me, just slightly different from whatIwas before.Differentis the word that explains it all.Differentworld, appearance, life, expectations, reality.Ireally want to be mad atLeX, but insteadIjust stand here numb.Iunderstand why he did what he did.WouldIhave done the same?I’mnot sure.Hemust have felt something more for me than any of the others; to have taken the risks he did to save my life.Didhe know this would happen?Idon’t think so, but would he have still made the same choices if he’d known the outcome?

AllI’mdoing is creating more questions for thingsI’mnot sureIwant to know the answers to.Runningmy fingers down my arms,Itrace the line of delicate scales that end right above a mark on the inside of my wrist.Thesymbols and swirls markme in some way.Thesmall scales seem to only be on the upper part of my body.It’slike someone quit drawing on me halfway through.I’mslightly smaller thanIused to be, soImust have lost weight while in that pod.Onceagain, so many more questions.

Wipinganother tear off my face,Istare back into my familiar blue eyes.Imight look different on the outside, butI’mstill in here.

Sighingwearily,I’mso caught up in categorizing all my differencesIdon’t hearLeXcome in until his head pops into the bathroom before instantly turning away sinceI’mstanding here naked.

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