Page 36 of Scars & Starlight
“I’m more of a ‘taking things apart and then running tests to see how it works’ kind of girl,” she says sheepishly.
I huff. “Well, we’re not going to do that now, but maybe in the future.”
She grins widely before facing the consoles. “Teach me your ways, then.”
The things I want to teach her are numerous, and flying a fighter ship is near the end of that list. Still, I show her how to take off, set a course, and which readings to keep an eye on to ensure the Ghorvek are not observing our movements. When we land in the human city of Brussels, not long after takeoff, Tara’s mood has soured again.
“So much devastation,” she murmurs, her eyes taking in the surroundings. We landed in a large, open square, and buildings that used to be tall border it in each direction. “You know, if we walk in that direction, there’s a famous statue of a boy peeing. Don’t ask me why it’s an attraction. I wonder if it survived.”
“You can show me every part of the planet once we’re done,” I say. “We’ll see everything that survived and help rebuild what didn’t.”
Her lips twist mischievously. “I haven’t been everywhere, you know.”
“Once we’re done, you won’t be able to say that anymore,” I vow.
She squeezes my leg, making Kiko chirp. “Come on, boys,” she commands, standing up with her back straight and shoulders back. “We have a ten-minute walk to the royal palace, where Maggie said the leaders are holed up.”
Our destination building is protected by turrets and ground-to-air missiles, and neither Elmsleigh nor Besson got a confirmed communication about our mission through to thispart of the world. Consequently, Tara and I decided to land a distance away to avoid a stressful descent.
We exit the Talon and turn in the direction where intel suggests the leaders congregate.
“Has your world always been this divided?” I ask Tara after a few moments of vigilant silence.
She hums thoughtfully. “Pretty much. There were a few ancient civilizations that tried to conquer bigger areas under their command, but eventually, they all proved too large to govern and splintered.” She looks at the remains of a fountain and frowns. “What about Avaris? Has it always been led by your family?”
Kiko flies up, and I help him settle on Tara’s shoulder before answering her. “Yes, the Veyrathi royals have led the Avaren for almost as long as any records exist. We had a few different names over the cycles, but the lineage is unbroken.”
Tara whistles quietly. “That’s impressive. I can’t imagine that being possible here on Earth.”
“Why do you think that is? Avarenissmaller than Earth… Perhaps we’ve always been more connected.”
“I’m sure that if we hadn’t argued about what color someone’s skin was or who they were or weren’t allowed to love, half of the problems would have disappeared.”
“Well, the latter has become an issue on Avaris since the Ghorvek appeared, simply because we’re under threat of extinction,” I admit. “Every time an Avaren partners outside of a genetic match, our chances of survival drop.”
Her eyebrows lift at that. “Don’t you perform artificial insemination?” she asks with a flush to her cheeks.
I’m embarrassed, too, when I answer, “It seems to be less effective than… natural copulation among matches.”
She whirls around, forcing me to stop walking. “With all your advanced technology, you haven’t figured out why that is?”
I begin shaking my head before she’s even done talking. “I guess some things are only known to the creators.”
Before she can comment, several humans file out of nearby buildings, pointing their guns at us. I’m relieved to see Tara’s exoskeleton appear immediately, even as her hands come up nonconfrontationally.
“Stop there!” the closest human male commands in a language my nanites determine to be Dutch.
“Whoa, take it easy,” my princess replies in English. “We’re here to help.”
“What is that?” a female asks, pointing at me with her chin. Charming.
“This is Kairen,” Tara introduces me. “And that’s Kiko. They’re from the planet Avaris, and they’re here to help with the Ghorvek. That’s the nasty big guys,” she adds when she gets blank stares.
“We’re heading to the royal palace,” Kiko adds enthusiastically, making a younger female squeak in surprise.
“Good luck with that,” the male who spoke first snorts. “Don’t you know it was taken out by the alien scum last month?”
My match and I exchange concerned looks. “No,” Tara admits. “We avoided flying over it because we were told there’s an aggressive defense system. Guess it didn’t help?” she jokes in a thin voice.
