Page 13 of Soros
It was like a stab to my heart when her gaze fell on Soros and then Nerix, only to land on me last.
“It’s fine. Star doesn’t want to make that decision so I’m making it as the captain,” Lios said. “We’re supposed to be ten soldiers on theGreat Defender, but right now we’re down to seven crew members and you three.” He nodded toward Soros, Star, and me. “I’m splitting us into two groups. You civilians are coming with me and Nerix to New York and the rest will go to London.”
“You can’t let five aliens go to London without a local agent to assist them,” I insisted. “Let me talk to K’rem. I’m sure there’s someone he can connect them with.”
“There’s no need. I am submitting the request as we speak.”
Elan came walking from the docking area. “The first shuttle is ready for take-off and the other should arrive soon.”
Plotton, Imiros, Zobran, Ayedin, and Elan all got aboard the shuttle, which looked like the one I had seen Soros and Malliko arrive in when I picked them up at base thirty-seven.
“The rest of us will go with the next shuttle to New York,” Lios told us.
Taking Star’s hand, I raised my eyebrows. “Prepare to have your senses bombarded.”
“Will I be alright?” she asked and turned the ring on her finger.
“Think of it as an adventure,” I said at the same time that Nerix told her not to worry. “We’re not leaving you alone and no one will get close enough to hurt you.”
I wanted Star to have a wonderful experience on Earth and I worried that New York would overwhelm her. “Hopefully, we’ll find Ko’roz fast,” I said with a stiff smile because finding one person in New York sounded impossible and we couldn’t even be sure he was in that city… or on Earth.
CHAPTER 6
New York
Soros
It was hard for me to focus on my work when Tania was around. Normally, I was skilled at figuring people out but she was sending so many mixed signals that I was exhausted from trying to catch up.
She didn’t like me and treated me with disgust. If she could, she would forget I ever existed. So why was she upset that I slept in Star’s room?
I would like to think it was due to her having lingering feelings for me and potentially feeling jealousy. But another thought that I had initially dismissed was grinding on my nerves and made me prickly. What if Tania had regretted how intimate we were for all those months? What if she felt coerced and blamed me for taking advantage of her? Could it be that she feared I might actually hurt Star? The very idea was insulting.
“Is that truly the pilot?” Star whispered to Tania when we were on the shuttle. They both sat staring at the Tomq-Kvi floating in the air.
“I think so. I’ve never seen anything like it. It reminds me of a jellyfish.”
“Fish?” Nerix wrinkled his forehead. “According to the language archive, fish live in water. I’m seeing images of these creatures on the demonstration.”
“You see images of fish?” Star gaped. “I only get the phonetic words. Are there different versions of the language archive?”
With a gentle tone, Lios suggested, “You’re working with the basic version, but the stronger your mental connection, the easier you can look at related material such as images, sayings, definitions, synonyms and much more.”
Her shoulders slumped as Star said, “I don’t have access to any of that.”
“Maybe your abilities can grow with practice,” Nerix comforted her. “At least you can express yourself. There are plenty of species without the ability to use verbal language at all.” He looked up. “Like the Tomq-Kvi.”
Having studied different species, I offered my insights. “Tomq-Kvis are a highly intelligent sentient species.”
“Does it even have eyes?” Star whispered and kept her eyes on the floating being.
“It has more eyes than us, but it operates the shuttle through a mental connection, just like all other pilots.”
“What’s the plan?” Tania asked. “How are we getting to New York? We can’t just land in a normal airport with an alien plane.”
Lios answered, “Their initial plan was to take us to Canada and have us drive down to New York, but Soros contacted one of his friends here who has connections and now we’re landing at a location closer. They’re setting everything up for us.”
“Who is your contact person?” Tania asked me.
