Beyond the Stars (38 page)

“
Careful,
Gaelan, you must be rational,” she warned in a serious tone, with all of her attention on him.

“I know. I’m not
unreasonable
,” he said trying to disregard her concern. He seemed insulted by her threat. It was as though they were talking in code. Was Gaelan
really
serious when he said he wanted to blow them up? This whole thing about saying what you mean was hard to get used to. I was accustomed to people being dramatic and words not holding their full value. Azil seemed worried about her brother’s judgment and the repercussions of his actions. Neither of them spoke for a moment. She turned away from him to face me, putting an angelic smile across her face. Her mood went from threatening to cheerful in a blink.

“Sami, the other reason I’m here is because I brought you a dress and shoes for tonight’s reception.” She draped a gorgeous red gown across the bed. “Our homecoming gala is considerably formal compared to our everyday attire,” she explained excitingly. “I was hoping that you would consider pulling up your hair. It is considered more appropriate for the occasion,” she explained as she continued to unload a handful of accessories from her arms. It seemed impossible for her to miss out on any detail.

“Of course, Azil. Thanks for thinking of me. The dress is very pretty, but it’s just so bright and vivid,” I moaned.

“Yes, I think the color will be just beautiful on you.” She sounded thrilled. My sarcasm was lost on her. I couldn’t help feeling like her Barbie doll at times.

“Will you be wearing something similar? I would prefer to blend in as much as I can.” It’s not that I wasn’t grateful for her help. She was most considerate, but
bright
red?

“Don’t be concerned. This is perfect. You’ll fit right in. Let me know if you need anything. I am going to be in my quarters.” She turned to leave. Obviously, she didn’t plan on giving me any other options and left before I had a chance to complain.

“You should trust her. It’s her specialty, after all,” Gaelan chimed in after the door closed behind her.

“What is?”

“I know Azil spends her time in the gardens, but she is actually an accomplished clothing designer,” Gaelan explained.

“I thought she specialized in agriculture. She knows everything about the gardens here.”

“Well, that’s sort of a given when you grow up on a farm. Her main duty is to clothe the crew. It’s the ideal job for her. She can’t control her creativity. Her usefulness was discovered by accident. She always took it upon herself to make sure everyone aboard was perfectly outfitted for our travels. She did it so well that it became her designated duty aboard the ship.”

“Really, and to think, I thought she just liked me.”

“She does. You should see what she would give you to wear if she didn’t.” He crinkled his face up in a disgusted look.

“Stop it,” I scolded. Gaelan just laughed. Truthfully, I knew she provided clothing for the crew, but I thought it was because she was in charge of keeping track of it. I never realized that she was the one who actually designed the clothing. She never told me. She was too humble to mention it to me.

My mind drifted to the previous topic of conversation. I couldn’t help wondering about his remarks to Azil. “Gaelan, I have to ask, you weren’t seriously considering blowing up the Dreons’ ship,
were you
?” He didn’t answer me at first. He furrowed his brow and looked at me as though he was trying to decide if he could tell me the truth.

“Mm-hmm. If they hurt you, yes, I was contemplating it.”

“Wow,” was all I could reply.

“What? The universe would be a better place without them.”

“True, but that’s not for you to decide.”

He looked at me with a forbidding glare. “You are
really
starting to sound Katarian.”

“Hmm.” I shrugged in response. I didn’t know if he meant what he said as a compliment, but it sounded like an insult. He seemed to have a deep, underlying resentment for his society’s submission to the Dreons. I could see his point with them being as intrusive as they were. The temptation to eliminate your enemies would be a challenge when you have such powerful weapons at your disposal. Still, I was glad he acted prudently. He walked past me to avoid any further inquisition.

“
Well
, I wouldn’t mind seeing you in this.” Gaelan raised his eyebrows as he sat down beside the dress and slid his hand across the silky gown. “Maybe the party won’t be so bad if you’re there.” He sulked.

“Gaelan, why are you so unenthusiastic about going home?”

“It’s hard to explain. No, actually, it’s easy. There are a lot of reasons. For one, the gala is obnoxious and completely unnecessary. I don’t know why it’s mandatory to have one after every trip. The other reason is the guilt trip from my family. They never want me to leave after I’m home. They would be happier if I would stay with them. They think I’m lonely, that I isolate myself. ‘You should start a family and live on Kataria,’ I hear over and over,” he whined. “It gets old.
Maybe
, they’ll leave me alone after I introduce you to them.” He smiled a little and looked at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “But then there’s the whole bureaucratic nonsense. We are required to explain in detail our success in meeting our mission objectives. The council constantly threatens to cut our future support if we do not obtain their preset goals. It’s just to demonstrate their power. They like to tell us what we can and cannot do. I would just like to avoid the whole thing.”

“Great, I can’t wait.” I sat down next to him on the bed. “Are you still sure about me keeping the band?”

“Sami, I have never been surer of anything. Just let them challenge me on that. I will
not
let them dictate how I choose to live my life.”

Gaelan leaned over to me, stroked his hand across my back, and gave me a long, intense kiss. It felt incredible. He reminded me of how easy it was to love him. I followed Azil’s instructions and got ready for the homecoming. I couldn’t believe I was about to step foot on yet another planet. I wished I had a stamp in my passport showing where I had been since leaving Earth. I hadn’t been this nervous since my wedding to Jack. I hoped that the rest of Gaelan’s family accepted me as easily as Azil and Zaric had. Gaelan seemed confident that our intergalactic marriage would be openly embraced. His bravery to stand up for what he believed in seemed unfaltering. I, however, wasn’t sure how it would be received. I knew how crazy people on Earth could be when old traditions were challenged. Being the first of anything increases the risk in any event.

***

The ship was cleared for landing, and we effortlessly reached the planet’s surface as we did when we landed on Decca. Again, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how smooth the ship lowered itself to the ground. There was hardly a bump. I came out of the bathroom dressed and ready to go.

Gaelan gave me a huge smile. “You look stunning,” he said with his smooth voice.

“Thanks, as do you,” I replied. He looked fantastic in his elegant suit. His magnificent body conformed to his clothing perfectly. We followed a crowd of crew members down the corridors to the landing. I hardly recognized everyone in their formal dress.

“Sami,” Noah beamed when he saw me, “you’re a Katarian goddess.” Karis looked across the room, pretending not to hear him.

“Thanks, Noah. I’m nervous,” I moaned.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be just fine. If I survived on Earth after all these years, surely you can handle a few days on Kataria.”

“Let’s go, my love.” Gaelan linked his arm in mine as he escorted me down the ramp.

We stepped out onto a plush, grassy, green field. It was early evening on what appeared to be a warm summer’s night on Earth. A large, coral-colored sun was beginning to set in the distance over the trees. You could see bright stars and two moons, one full and one crescent-shaped, appearing in the clear twilight sky. The air felt clean and fresh, so I took in a few deep breaths. A mellow breeze carried the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass. I couldn’t believe their planet was so similar to ours. Ahead of us was a long stone patio hosting the reception gala, elaborately decorated with strings of tiny white lights canopying over the crowd. Spanning out directly behind the patio was an enormous stone castlelike building illuminated with shining gold spotlights. It was five stories high and appeared to be centuries old. Its colossal size was breathtaking. The entire scene was absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was crashing a millionaire’s wedding. Our group walked up to join the swarm of eager people rushing forward to greet us. I felt Gaelan’s grip on my arm tighten protectively. Festive music grew louder in the background as we approached the group.

“
Gaelan
, over here,” shouted a man, popping his head up while he cut his way through the mass of people.

“Liam!” Gaelan smiled after spotting his brother. They happily embraced each other when they met and patted each other’s backs. Liam was every bit as attractive as his siblings.

“Azil, Zaric,” Liam cheered as he quickly hugged his sister and brother-in-law as well. “I was worried you explorers would never come home. I thought maybe you forgot your way and I would have to send out a search party,” he teased. I was glad to find that he had a sense of humor.

“Where are Mother and Father?” Gaelan asked.

“Oh, they are around here somewhere. They were with Gallina and the kids the last time I saw them,” he said absently.

“How are the little geniuses? Getting big, I imagine,” Gaelan said kindly.

“They are wonderful. I learn something new from them every day. You are really missing out, Gaelan. When are
you
going to start a family of your own?”

“I do not know the answer to that, Liam. Could you please stop asking me that?” Gaelan turned and looked at me for empathy. I gave him an understanding look.

“Liam, I want to introduce you to someone,” Gaelan said, changing the subject. “This is Samantha Bennett.” Gaelan pulled me closer to him. “Sami is from Earth.” Liam paused and stared at my face. His mouth opened slightly like he was stunned. It was as though he didn’t even notice me before. He stepped back and brazenly looked me up and down.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I reached out to shake his hand. He grabbed my fingers and squeezed three of them, unsure of the appropriate response. I was accustomed to the Katarians knowing our normal greeting. Apparently, the people aboard the ship understood me better.

“Hello, Samantha. I would have thought my brother could have told us of your arrival ahead of time. Tell me, how did you end up on a Katarian starship?” he asked smugly.

“It’s a long story. It was sort of by accident,” I answered meekly.

“Take it easy on her, Liam,” Gaelan warned.

“Well, welcome,” he said boisterously, loud enough for people standing twenty feet away to hear. “You are the first person from Earth to reach our land. This is a historic moment,” he continued. I glanced over at the crowd around us and was met with curious stares after the people overheard Liam’s exaggerated reaction.

“
Please
, Liam,” begged Azil, “enough with the theatrics. Don’t draw attention. Can we just go and join the party?” she attempted to hush him.

“What? What did I say? Oh, you are all
too
modest,” he refuted through pursed lips.

“Liam,
behave
,” Azil scolded through her teeth. She meant it like a threat.

Liam smiled as though it gave him pleasure to get a rise out of her. “Certainly, we must introduce our guest to Mother and Father immediately. They love surprises.”

Gaelan and Azil ignored his comment and continued walking to the decorated patio. I could already see why Gaelan said I had to meet Liam to understand what he was like. His personality was overbearing, to say the least. I looked across the grass and saw Noah with Karis and what looked to be her parents. She was introducing them enthusiastically. He gave me a wince as if he were in pain. I smiled back, trying not to laugh. He looked like a sixteen-year-old boy meeting a girl’s parents for the first time.

We stepped onto the stone patio, where the music and crowd were considerably louder. There had to be over five hundred people in attendance. People were eating, socializing, and even dancing on the central dance floor. They danced a dance that resembled an Austrian waltz. I couldn’t believe the similarities our people shared. Aside from some of the clothing, it felt like home. I had to remind myself that I was on another planet.

We quickly found their mother, Miria, and their father, Colin. They looked shockingly young. I didn’t know why I was so surprised, having already been aware of their discovered longevity. Gallina, Liam’s wife, and their daughters, Mia and Liana, were all together. Azil and Zaric’s children, Ariana, their adult daughter, and her husband, Zander, as well as their teenaged son, Maric, also joined us. Ariana and Azil’s resemblance was uncanny. The way Azil and Zaric embraced them made me long to see Leah and Jackson.

Each of them gave me a simple nod as Gaelan introduced them to me. I copied their mannerisms. Here, I was the outsider trying to behave with acceptable social graces. The group greeted me with open arms. They were almost too nice. It was as though they didn’t want to do or say anything to scare me away. Regardless, I was just happy to receive such a warm reception. I was starting to relax with the tightly knit group when Gaelan had to excuse himself, leaving me alone with his family. He promised to return in a few minutes. Liam wasted no time. He quickly approached me and backed me away from the others. Everyone was enthralled in their conversations and didn’t notice his advance.