Before the Eova land on Earth

  Thriexa Aizih POV

  The weight of our decision pressed heavily on my mind as I made my way to my mother’s quarters. The corridors were quieter than usual, the echo of last night’s celebration replaced with a solemn stillness. The joy we had allowed ourselves had faded, leaving behind the reality of what lay ahead.

  I hesitated outside her door, gathering my thoughts before stepping inside. Xilta sat in the center of the room, her regal posture softened in the familiarity of her own space. She was waiting for me, her sharp violet eyes studying me with a quiet understanding.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t come to see me immediately after the meeting,” she said, her voice calm but inquisitive.

  I exhaled slowly before taking a seat beside her. “I considered it, but Tocci and Trenal convinced me that I needed one night of respite.”

  Xilta gave a small nod, her expression unreadable. “They were right. Balance is necessary, even when it feels indulgent.” She studied me for a moment before shifting slightly. “But that is not why you are here.”

  “No,” I admitted. “I came to speak about the Dephorians.”

  She raised a hand to stop me before I could continue. “Before we discuss them, I want to talk about your role on Earth. I want you to take the lead.”

  Her words took me off guard. “What?”

  “You have followed my lead on the last three planets. It is time you take on more responsibility,” she said, her voice firm yet encouraging.

  I hesitated, uncertainty creeping into my thoughts. “Are you sure I’m ready?”

  Her gaze did not waver. “Absolutely. I have led our people through fourteen planets, but my time as Aizih will not last forever. When I step down, you must be ready to take my place.”

  A part of me swelled with pride at her trust, but another part of me felt the immense weight of her words. “Thank you for your faith in me, but I still feel—”

  “You are ready,” she interrupted, her tone leaving no room for doubt. “Now, tell me what you wished to discuss about the Dephorians.”

  I took a steadying breath, my hands tightening in my lap. “They’ve been chasing us my entire life. Isn’t it time we do something about it?”

  Xilta’s expression hardened slightly. “You know we are a peaceful people. We will not battle them.”

  I met her gaze, my frustration simmering just beneath the surface. “I am not suggesting war, but we can’t keep running forever. We live in constant fear that they will catch up to us, and our people feel it too.”

  Her posture remained composed, but I knew her well enough to recognize the tension in her shoulders. “What exactly are you proposing?”

  I leaned forward slightly. “We reach out to them. We offer a peaceful meeting, a chance to negotiate. A treaty.”

  Xilta’s jaw tightened. “You are na?ve to think they would ever consider peace. They are the opposite of us, Thriexa. They thrive on war. They will see any attempt at diplomacy as an opportunity to strike first.”

  I refused to back down. “Surely their new leadership can be reasoned with.”

  Xilta’s eyes darkened with something deeper—regret, sorrow, memories of things I had only heard about in stories. “In their eyes, we are their greatest enemy. We destroyed their technology, their space fleet, and killed their leader.”

  A lump formed in my throat as anger and grief intertwined within me. “And they killed our Aizih. Your true partner. My father.”

  Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she did not argue.

  I swallowed hard, pushing forward. “They took advantage of our help. We shared our technology with them, believing it would bring prosperity, and when we saw that they planned to use it for destruction, we stopped them. But we should have seen it coming sooner. We should have left before it ever happened.”

  “You mean I should have seen it,” Xilta said, her voice quiet but sharp.

  I didn’t back down. “Yes. You should have. That is what our abilities are for. That is why we are still the leaders of our people. It is our responsibility to ensure our people are not deceived, that we do not fall into traps.”

  For a long moment, Xilta was silent. Then, finally, she spoke, her voice steady but final. “I am still the Aizih, and I say what is best for our people is that we continue moving forward. When you are Aizih, you may bring this discussion to the council. But not now.”

  I clenched my hands into fists, struggling to contain my frustration. “You raised me to love our people and always consider them in my choices. You also taught me to trust the Eova around me. Shouldn’t we at least ask the council what they think?”

  Her violet eyes softened, but her decision remained unchanged. “It is our duty to protect the people, and that is what I am doing. We will not bring this to the council.”

  Silence stretched between us, thick with the weight of our disagreement.

  Then, she exhaled and reached out, placing a hand over mine. “Despite this, I still want you to be the lead ambassador to Earth. I believe you are ready. We may not agree on everything, but that does not change the fact that you will be a great leader.”

  I looked down at her hand, feeling the warmth of her touch, the unwavering faith she had in me, even when we stood on opposite sides of an argument.

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  “Thank you, Mother,” I said, though my heart was still heavy with frustration and doubt.

  As I left her quarters, my emotions churned within me—anger, uncertainty, hope, and determination. The future felt like an unsteady path, but I knew one thing for certain: when the time came, I would not make the same mistakes.

  During our journey to Earth, I buried myself in preparation. Most of my time was spent with Topzell Astrea, perfecting the English language and studying the history of our new home. With each passing day, my resolve grew stronger.

  I would prove myself worthy of the responsibilities that awaited me.

  The observation room was silent except for the soft hum of the ship’s engines. Before us, Earth hung in the void—a shimmering sphere of blue, green, and white. I had seen countless planets in my lifetime, each with its own unique beauty, but this one felt different. There was a weight to this moment, a mixture of apprehension and hope pressing against my chest as we stared at what we hoped would become our new home.

  Tophae was the first to break the silence. “Welcome to Earth.”

  A shiver ran down my spine. This was it. The beginning of another chapter for our people.

  He continued, his voice more measured now. “The humans have many satellites orbiting their planet. My team is working to cloak our presence and ensure we remain undetected.”

  I nodded but couldn’t shake the ever-present worry gnawing at me. “Any sign of the Dephorians?”

  Tophae kept his expression neutral, but I could hear the certainty in his tone. “They are still following us, but at their current trajectory, they won’t reach us until long after we’ve left this planet.”

  Xilta’s gaze remained locked on the planet. “Keep monitoring their location. We cannot afford any mistakes.”

  “Already in place,” Tophae assured her.

  “Have we chosen a landing site?” Vorak Algoks asked, his pragmatic voice cutting through the tension.

  Tophae brought up a display, highlighting a small, secluded island surrounded by vast oceans. “Saliscana Island. It’s uninhabited, remote, and stable. The perfect place for our settlement.”

  Xilta gave a firm nod. “Very well. Prepare for descent.”

  The ship’s engines quieted as we completed our descent. Unlike other species, the Eova did not simply step out of their ships as they were. Instead, we had to pass through the transformation portal—an oval structure humming with energy in the center of the landing bay.

  The portal pulsed with shifting colors, swirling blues, purples, and greens. It was mesmerizing, a beautiful but necessary transition. To walk among the humans, we had to take their form.

  I stood at the portal’s edge, my pulse quickening. Stepping through was always unsettling—the moment of change where my body was forced to reshape itself, adapt to a new existence. I had done this before, but each time was different, each time an adjustment.

  Taking a breath, I stepped forward.

  The moment I crossed the threshold, the world around me blurred. A surge of warmth spread through my limbs, followed by an intense pull—as if the very essence of my being was being unraveled and rewoven all at once. My bones felt as though they were stretching and compressing in an unfamiliar rhythm, my muscles reshaping, my skin tingling as it adjusted to this new form.

  For an instant, I wasn’t sure who I was. My true form, the one I had left behind in space, flickered at the edge of my mind—a reminder of what I had been before I was forced to become something new. The sensation was both exhilarating and deeply unsettling, as though I were caught between two realities, neither one fully mine.

  The energy of the portal crackled against my skin, heat rushing through me as my form shifted. My limbs felt stretched, compressed, reshaped all at once. A sharp jolt of pain flickered through me before it faded into a strange tingling sensation. Then, as quickly as it began, the transformation was complete.

  Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the sensation faded. My body felt whole again, settled, but different. I stepped out, my breathing uneven as I glanced down at my new form. My lavender skin was now a natural human tone, my body more compact, my limbs structured differently but still familiar. I caught my reflection in the polished metal wall beside me—my hair was still purple, a mark of my Aurra heritage, but the rest of me was indistinguishable from a human.

  The building of our settlement began immediately. As the lead ambassador, my role was not limited to diplomacy. I worked closely with the representatives of each nation, ensuring that our home was built with precision and care.

  The Eova did not force nature to bend to our will. Instead, we wove our structures into the landscape, honoring and preserving the life around us. We identified locations that could sustain us without disruption, using the natural strength of the trees as the foundation for our homes.

  The central palace stood as a testament to our way of life—formed from living trees that intertwined to create an elegant, sturdy structure. Vines and moss wove through the walls, integrating our home seamlessly into the island’s embrace. The interiors were spacious and filled with light, designed to reflect the harmony we sought to establish.

  The Zetill coordinated efforts telepathically, ensuring every piece fell into place with seamless efficiency. The Klaro created a medical center, blending their knowledge with Earth’s natural resources. The Luxsor shaped communal spaces, ensuring beauty and function coexisted effortlessly.

  Every detail mattered. Our paths were compacted earth and stone, allowing water to flow freely and the land to breathe. Our gardens were planted with native species, fostering a connection with the environment. Even our lighting drew from bioluminescent materials, harvested carefully to maintain sustainability.

  And I was there for all of it—carrying supplies, planting seeds, standing alongside my people as we built something new. It was exhausting, but fulfilling. With every completed structure, every carefully tended plant, we inched closer to making this place our home.

  I still carried my worries, my doubts, the weight of what had yet to come. But for now, in the heart of this new world, surrounded by the life we were creating, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, we had finally found the place where we could stay.

  The plan was simple. Xilta and I would allow ourselves to be captured. We needed to establish communication with the human authorities in a way that ensured diplomacy rather than fear. Walking into their world unannounced would cause panic, but being taken into their custody? That gave us control over the narrative.

  As we stepped onto the beach outside our settlement, the air was thick with the salty tang of the ocean. The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows across the sand. We had been watching the humans from a distance, observing their movements, their patterns. They were searching for us. It was only a matter of time before they found their way here.

  Xilta walked beside me, her steps measured, her posture regal as always. “Are you certain about this?” she asked, though her tone held no doubt—only a mother’s concern.

  “Yes,” I said, my voice steady. “We must be the ones to set the tone for this meeting. If we let them find us in their own way, we will be met with fear. This way, we dictate the terms.”

  She nodded, but I could sense the tension in her shoulders. Neither of us liked placing ourselves in such a vulnerable position, but this was the best way forward.

  We didn’t have to wait long.

  The distant hum of helicopters grew louder, their blades slicing through the evening air. Soon, the bright beams of searchlights swept across the island, illuminating the trees, the sand, and finally—us.

  I raised my hands in a show of surrender as figures in tactical gear rushed forward, their weapons trained on us. The humans barked orders, their voices laced with urgency. I kept my gaze calm, meeting their eyes as they encircled us. Fear radiated from them, but beneath it, I sensed curiosity. They didn’t know what to make of us.

  “Kneel! Hands behind your heads!” one of them commanded.

  Xilta and I exchanged a glance before slowly complying. I could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on me. This was the first step in proving that we were not a threat.

  Cold metal cuffs snapped around my wrists, the sensation foreign but not unexpected. I allowed them to lead us toward their transport, their voices buzzing with frantic energy as they relayed the capture to their superiors.

  As we were guided onto the aircraft, I exhaled slowly, centering myself. This was only the beginning.

  Now, the real negotiations could begin.