Beyond the Empyreal Stars

15.

15.

For the next five days after the arrival of the Terrian Primes, Odette was orbiting Earth on the Navigator. It was strange to her after being on the planet for so long, going back into her role as Paragon and conferencing with the races of the Alliance as they arrived.

Padric, Nova, and Bas were all with her, while Warin stayed on Earth in search of the Whispian soldiers who still threatened the planet. None of them had spoken to their human friends after the night of the State Dinner when all was revealed. They wondered if they would even be able to still call them by such a title.

Odette hated how Duke found out everything so suddenly without her even getting the chance to explain herself. Of course, no one was able to see it in her expressions, slipping effortlessly back into her Terrian control. For the past two days, she'd been in the Navigator's comm room, keeping track of the Whispian activity on Earth and the Alliance arrivals.

For the moment, she refused to look into any news feeds from Earth. She'd heard through whispers of all the riots and protests after the president's press conference the morning after the arrival. And it wasn't just in the United States either. The entire world was up in arms.

Many of the world leaders who had been in D.C. when the Primes arrived were still there. They had been in multiple conferences with the president, but nothing of what they were speaking of had public. There would no doubt be opposition. Once they knew the very threat that meant to destroy their planet, maybe they would feel differently about the offer of protection.

Most of the time, Odette was in her quarters. Whenever she wasn't, she was congratulated on a job well done with her assignment, getting close to the president and his family. But whenever she was reminded, all she could think of was Duke and the betrayal he must have felt. She'd been playing her part for too long, using him and his obvious attraction, that she forgot it was just that.

Now, she felt like an outcast within her own society, longing to be back on Earth instead of on the Navigator with the rest of her race.

Now, she was in her quarters, looking out the window at the planet below them.

Evangeline spoke through the comm system. "Guardians Nova and Sebastian request entry."

"Accept," Odette spoke, and turned just as the door slid open, revealing a worried-looking Nova and Bas.

The two of them noticed where she was looking. There expressions didn't need words to accompany. They knew what she wanted, but she couldn't have just yet.

"Are you all right?" Nova asked, sitting down on the bed. "You have hardly come out of your quarters in the time we have been here."

Odette nodded once. "I am fine. So much has been going on these past few days. I am still trying to get back into the Terrian way of things. It is a harder transition than I would have thought," she admitted. She turned away from the window, looking between the two of them. "Tell me, what has occurred over the past few hours?"

They looked at each other before Bas spoke. "The Primes are in conference with Queen Elektra as we speak and Emperor Mehrab is on his way from his ship. The Nereidians should be here in a matter of hours and King Marinus will join."

Nova continued. "After all races of the Alliance are present, they will convene once more before they head to Earth. President Mitchell has convinced the world leaders there for the State Dinner to meet with them. Most of the population of Earth is against it, even after his press conference explaining what has happened."