Page 24 of Aura Awakened
“I get it. If someone told me I could never see Acacia again, I’d fight that with everything I have.” I glance at the time. I need to check in. “Come on. We don’t want to be late.”
At the transport station, I watch Aura as she takes in my world. I try to see it with her eyes: the majesty of the twin suns, the endless swathes of jade, the forests and the flowers and the fauna.
“Eden,” she murmurs, and I glance at her.
“What?”
She meets my gaze. “On Earth, it’s part of an ancient creation myth. That when the first humans existed, they lived in a perfect garden, surrounded by beauty. They lived in harmony with the animals. But they were eventually evicted from Eden, and the whole world changed. It’s just a story, of course, but if it had really existed, I bet it would have looked like this.”
“I take it you like what you see?”
“It’s even more incredible than I expected, and I was expecting a whole lot after the pictures you showed me and the things you described. It must be an amazing place to live.”
“It is. One where you’re welcome to stay for as long as you like.”
“It’s certainly a place I’d like to explore. If we have time, will you show me some of your favorite spots?”
“Of course! There’s a secluded cove not far from here with amazing views of the water. The royal gardens are a sight to behold. And there’s a wildflower grove a few hours from here that will take your breath away.”
She grins. “I want to see it all.”
The shuttle finally arrives and whisks us to the Coalition base. It’s bustling, with uniformed officers from a number of different worlds striding around with purpose. The base is relatively small; the Coalition is headquartered on Kalandria Prime right now, so all the other member planets have satellite bases like this one. All the same, it’s a hive of activity.
I lead Aura into the main building, where we’re escorted to a debriefing room. Cynara, one of the toughest women I’ve ever met, is waiting. She’s tipped back in her chair, heavy black boots resting on the table. Her skin is darker than mine, and her orange hair is twisted into a mass of tiny braids, which are secured into a series of knots on her head. On some women, the look would be intricate and feminine. On her, it’s badass and no-nonsense, a convenient way to keep it out of her amber eyes.
“Fillian,” she says. Her glaze slides to Aura and an eyebrow shoots up. “Who’s your friend?”
It’ll be up to me to handle translation between the two of them, since Aura doesn’t know our language and Cynara can’t read her thoughts.
“Aura, meet Cynara, the commander of this base. Cynara, this is Aura. My human star-mate. She was with me on the mission and requested to attend this debriefing. She’s also interested in talking to Coalition scientists about the possibility of traveling to Earth.”
“Star-mate?” Cynara repeats, swinging her boots down to the floor. “My goodness, we have some catching up to do. Later.” She glances at Aura. “It’s nice to meet you. I look forward to getting to know you better when we have time.” I send the words into Aura’s mind as Cynara turns back to me. “I need you to tell me where you’ve been, Fill. Start at the very beginning.”
That’s Cynara for you. Why make small talk with an old friend—someone you’ve known since you were both twelve—when you can get straight to business? Why ask about the life-altering experience he’s apparently just had? Cynara is the very definition of impassive.
“No. I’ll tell you everything, but before I do, Aura gets to make her request.”
Cynara eyes my star-mate curiously. Nara doesn’t get told no very often, because the consequences are usually dire. I know she’s wondering just how powerful the bond must be if I’m willing to defy her.
“Okay. Let’s hear it then.” Obviously, her curiosity is winning out over her irritation at my insubordination.
I give Aura a nod and she clears her throat. “As you can probably tell, I’m human. Not from a colony either; I live on Earth.” Nara’s brows raise at that, but Aura keeps going. “I was abducted from my home by the Malifects, which is how I ended up on the mission with Fillian. I was already on the ship when he got there.” I’m careful to translate her speech word for word.
“Interesting,” Cynara says.
“Anyway, I’ve learned a lot about Malifect technology, their jump gates and portals and all. Fillian tells me that you don’t have anything comparable, but I want to verify that. Speak with Coalition scientists and find out if there’s any way I can get home.”
“Back to Earth.” Cynara doesn’t phrase it like a question, but Aura nods anyway once she receives my thought.
“As I’m sure Fillian explained, that’s a remote possibility at best. I won’t say impossible, but it is highly improbable. That’s not to say we won’t develop the technology at some point, but you might be here for a number of years before that happens. Although, I have heard that the scientists on Lyca have been making some promising developments in jump technology. Nothing on the scale you’re looking for, not yet, but they might be able to help you. I’ll pass your request on to the science division and hopefully put you in touch with them, but in the meantime, I would suggest making other arrangements. You’ll be here for at least a year, and that’s the best-case scenario.”
“That’s the best you can do?” I ask, even though I know it is. Nara doesn’t bullshit.
She shoots me a look. “What were you expecting? Giant advances in the week you were gone? I’m sympathetic to your friend’s plight, but all I can do is forward her request. Besides, there are other things that need my attention. So back to the topic at hand. I need to know everything that happened from the moment you spotted the Malifect ship.”
I shoot Aura the words and an apologetic glance, even though it was pretty much what we were both expecting, then explain about Ramp locating the Grim ship on our sensors and making note of the jump gate. I tell Cynara everything: taking the nanocraft into the Wraith Nebula, infiltrating the ship, waking Aura and the other prisoners. I slide my mini-comm onto the table. “I recorded everything I could from the conversion lab. It’s all there, along with the coordinates. If we can find a way to open that jump gate, maybe we can destroy the nebula.”
Aura’s sharp intake of breath gets my attention. “What?”