Solacium

Ch 41: Vorian

I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing. Scattered across Earth's inner atmosphere were dozens of Zuran scouting ships expertly navigating the gray sky above.

Upon seeing this, my words failed me and all I could do was stare in awe and relief that my brothers had finally come. Given their location above us, they no doubt have been tracking my ship's location and were headed in my direction now. And judging by their numbers, it seemed that they had heard my message and the warning I embedded in it.

Blake, noticing my sudden change in demeanor, followed my gaze to the sky above us. As she took in the sight, her eyes widened.

"My people...they are finally here," I said, excitement rushing through my body as I stared up at the sky.

I watched as a large ship began emerging from a cluster of grey clouds, escorted by the scouting ships.

"What's that?" I heard Blake ask from beside me, staring at the large vessel. Yet, I did not miss the hint of fear and hesitation in her tone.

"It's a transportation vessel," I explained, watching the ship emerge fully from behind the cloud, moving slowly in the sky.

It was a ship built to transport thousands of people across entire galaxies, so naturally, its size reflected its grand purpose. For those unfamiliar with it, though, it could be quite an intimidating sight to behold.

Blake turned to me. "Transportation?"

I pressed my lips together, my eyes flicking down to meet her inquisitive gaze. Her green eyes searched my face and after a moment, her expression darkened as realization washed over her.

"For women..." Blake concluded, and I nodded slowly.

Suddenly the spectacle in the skies wore off, and the mood between us had soured once again as the topic of our quarrel resurfaced. I watched in silent dismay as her brows pulled together in a frown, crossing her arms as she thought. Clearly, she was troubled with what I had told her, a fact for which I could hardly blame her.

Yet, she was still here. I knew Blake to be frank enough that if she was truly that disgusted with my lie, she would have turned around and left. Or perhaps given me a verbal lashing or pulled out her Earth weapon and shot me. An act I knew from experience she was more than capable of.

Yet, she didn't.

Instead of acting with violence or rage as I had expected, she seemed hurt. Seeing the way her face crumpled upon hearing my admission almost undid me. I was taken aback by her response, and yet, it only served to make me feel even worse about having lied to her. Her anger was something I had learned how to deal with, but her sadness was foreign to me and so much worse.

The arrival of my brothers had given me a momentary respite from the heavy topic of our discussion, but now that was over. The truth was out, and all I could do now was hope that my previous stupidity has not ruined everything.

Though despite her clear discomfort, Blake stood her ground beside me as she thought. A fact that provided some relief to my anxious thoughts. I could practically see the thoughts racing across her green eyes as she watched me, contemplating what I had said, and what her next move would be.

Ever the strategist...I mused. In light of the situation, I found my gaze softening as I admired my fiery Terran from the distance she had put between us.

I watched as Blake's eyes moved from examining the skies to studying my face before she finally tilted her chin up to speak.

"Vorian..." She began, firmly holding my gaze when suddenly a loud bang emanated from the sky.