Zeerah’s Homecoming

Five Standard Years Later…

"Humana's in range, Captain," Werrin says. "Establishing a holding pattern."

Falkion stands proudly in the middle of the bridge.

"Captain, the landing crew is ready," Laris says.

"We're being hailed," Marip says. "By the…er…Captain?"

Falkion says nothing.

The bridge crew murmur.

Falkion does a slow pivot around the bridge, then he sidles over and knocks on the bridge conference room door. It echoes on my viewscreen, and it sounds muffled in real life.

"Zeerah?" Falkion glances up at the camera. "Are you coming out soon?"

I sit on my butt like a child, hugging my knees. I'm totally not hiding in here to conceal that I'm having a highly unprofessional panic attack. "Er, just a click!"

On the viewscreen, he rests his forehead against the door. Once, he would have done something crazy. Yelled, attacked the door, carved it open. Now, in a low, sexy voice that sends a shiver up my spine, he murmurs, "Can I come in?"

Images of what we did the last time he used that voice, just a few clegs ago, flash across my mind. Him, nude, worshipping my body.

"The door's unlocked."

He enters, slides the door shut again, and seals us in privacy, then he crosses to me and squats down. He doesn't say anything. Just waits.

I scratch my nose. "Maybe we should skip this. We'll hit my home planet on the way back. You're really needed elsewhere."

He smiles, lightly amused. He's always really needed elsewhere. That's the life of a high commander of the Empire. It's why we decided to stop now, because there would never be a better time, so we just had to make time and do it.

But he still doesn't say anything, and somehow, his silence is the pressure I need to release the floodgates.

"It's the first time seeing my family since I upended everything," I tell him. "I was away a long time, and I've learned a lot about politics. Someone's going to attack me."

He lifts a brow. "They will be cut into a thousand pieces before they land a single blow."

I choke on my hysterical laugh. "And then there's that. You kind of destroyed my planet, and yet we're also…"

"You're also my sun, my star, my universe, all that matters and also doesn't matter, and everything in this lifetime and whatever comes after?"

"Yeah."

He teases my hand free of hugging my knee and kisses my fingertips.

"But if I skip, then I'll disappoint the crew," I say, shifting from one upset reason to another.

He smiles again and threads our fingers together. "They've been to a thousand planets. One more or less won't affect them. This stop is only for you."

He's right.

My heart swells.

I guess I'm just trying to run away. I'm excited to see my family, but if they come at me with accusations—How could I oust my uncle? Why do I think I can interfere in their lives after abandoning their planet? How dare I marry an Arrisan of all people?—then, the vulnerable me inside, the girl Zeerah, who always wanted their approval and notice and love so badly, will probably shatter.

But if I shatter, Falkion will pick me up and melt me back into goo and heal me again.

I stand.

He rises with me.

"Sorry for making us late."

"Late?" He brushes my lips with his kiss. "There's no schedule, Captain. The party begins and ends with you."

He's right.

No more excuses, Zeerah!

I return his kiss—enticing and delicious—and he uses the moment to press my body against the wall, his hard contours hinted at beneath our protective skinsuits.

Thus fortified, I stride out to the bridge proper and issue orders to my crew.

They take it in stride. I don't usually abandon the bridge, but as Falkion pointed out, this is a "fun" stop. No one's shooting at us. We could spend the whole time circling the planet, and nobody would care.

Nobody but me.

I pilot my small shuttle down to the planet. Falkion looks out the viewscreens at the green-and-blue beauty. Marip is the only bridge officer interested in sightseeing, but I also transport almost all my engineers and a few curious souls in the rest of my crew.

My shuttle can skip the intergalactic port and touch down anywhere. First we go to the beach, and I race Falkion and the others on the sand. Then, while they continue the races, I download and show Falkion one of my favorite childhood movies. It's about a robot dog that saves children, and it's dubbed into Arrisan Standard. The only thing that's missing is sharpening my knife collection, but he says that's fine.

Then, with our nerves worked out, I fly everyone to our second landing spot atop the tallest skyscraper in Greater Lagos. No dusty, garbage-filled backfield for me! I land without any noticeable bump—hooray for well-maintained, top-of-the-line parts—and lead us down the gangplank to the wind-swept roof.

Tayo and a cluster of younger relatives greet me.

My heart thuds.

Five years ago, shortly after Falkion's confirmation as high commander, I was finally contacted by my family. It was a basic reminder of my responsibilities. Now that I had fabulous wealth and connections, I needed to properly take care of my family and my tribe.

I worked with Lia, my local client who oversees and protects Humana, on how best to support them. During one of these interactions, I received an interview request from an old school friend, and while I tried not to embarrass myself, she asked me about my family.

"The head of the family says that you owe everything to him." She leans forward, well aware of my past. "Because of him, you've succeeded."

"No." My stomach twists as heat flushes me. I straighten and shift positions. "My uncle's saying that? Really?"

She nods, poised for my answer.

My heart thuds. I feel like I've been cornered by a Harsi.

It's unfair that I've defeated and survived both the greatest threat to our planet—the Arrisans, of course, and the greatest threat of all time, the Harsi—and still, thinking of my uncle's face can reduce me to a fearful mess.

He's nothing. Just a man who once controlled my destiny. That time is long past. I'm an adult, a survivor, a hero. And a captain. He can't hurt me anymore.

"You tell my uncle…" I choose my words carefully. "I succeeded in spite of him, not because of him."

Her smile sparkles. She will tell him.

When I read her article later on the flight to our next destination, I'm struck by two things.

First, that in spite of speaking slowly and carefully, I actually said, "You tell that H-ing H-er that I succeeded the H in spite of him, not because of him. H."

So, my neurologist aunt was right years ago, and I really need to cut down on the swearing.

I just don't hear it. And, based on my bridge conversations, I kind of think Falkion and my crew no longer hear it, either.

Second, although I gave money on the assurance that my uncle wouldn't have control, after this interview, he was completely ousted.

There was a brief power struggle, but my uncle only kept control because of the larger and more powerful tribes he courted. As soon as control passed back to us, he was kicked out, and my great-aunt, a quiet woman with a stern but kind demeanor, was brought in. And things have been quiet ever since.

Now, five years later, I'm reaping the results of the discord I've sown.

I stand in front of Tayo, awkward and hopeful, all ready to hug him if he wants, but equally prepared to give him a respectful distance.

"Zeerah." He beams, then drops fully prostrate in front of me in his formal clothes. "Let this unworthy cousin greet you, oh great and honorable—"

"Gah!" I drop to my knees, hugging him and laughing. Yes, I'm older, but who am I to stand on ceremony? We both have tears in our eyes, and then he gives up and hugs me fiercely.

"You should let me honor you," he murmurs.

"I wouldn't have gone anywhere without you," I reply. "You are the reason I succeeded. I did everything because of you."

He claps my back.

Then, we become aware of our surroundings. The Arrisans behind me, like ominous gray doom clouds, and the other relatives waiting awkwardly to greet me.

I help Tayo up, and then I absolutely don't repeat the scene when the others greet me with perfectly respectable waist-bows and curtsies.

"You're doing well?" I ask Tayo as we descend spiral stairs into a glassed-in rooftop banquet hall. Sure, I get reports, but I want to know his real feelings. "You're all okay?"

"We are very fine." He beams. "Just look at this buffet."

Four kinds of crayfish soup, three types of fried plantains, jollof rice, every type of meat, yam balls cooked into all my favorite soups… The scents of pepper and spice make my mouth water.

Nobody puts on a feast like the Kingdom of Nigeria.

But first, I greet the official family hostess, my great-aunt. She's seated at the head of the room with other senior family members. I go down to my knees before her.

She rests an aged hand on my shoulder. "Child of fortunes of her own making, yet still surrounded by loving family, I greet you."

It's a bit different from the last time.

I am truly recognized within my own family for the first time.

Then I greet the rest of the senior relatives. Great-Uncle M is sober now. He pats me with a shaky hand, smiling. I finish the greetings and glance around the room.

My other family members' approval washes over me. Despite my importance in the empire, I still know how to respect my elders.

At the last moment, my aunt slips into the empty chair on the end, tucking away her phone—probably cutting off a president—and beams as we exchange greetings. My mom can't be here, but she is.

We rise to go to the buffet, and she hugs me and then squeezes my shoulder. "Your parents would be proud."

Yeah. I think they would be.

The Arrisans remain at a respectful distance. That seems both appropriate and prudent, honestly.

Tayo holds the job of circulating me around the tables as I eat, stuffing myself on the flavors of my childhood while meeting all my new nephews, nieces, and cousins.

The one time I stop by the Arrisans' table—my choice, just to check on them—they've flipped their chairs backward and only Falkion is eating the food.

"How is it?" I ask him. The others have small samples that appear picked at. "Okay? Or, uh…"

He's sweating, and his eyes are watering. He chews a big spoonful of soup, then sniffs. "Interesting."

"Maybe a little hot?"

"No, no."

"Too spicy, I mean?"

"No." He wipes his brow, then crushes a yam ball under his spoon and peers at the goo. "Humana food is very soft."

Nutrient cubes have the consistency of freeze-dried nuts and bolts, so I'm not exactly surprised. Falkion eats a hot pepper without flinching, then wipes his dripping brow.

"It hurts you, but you still go back for more." I bite my lip. "I feel like this is a metaphor."

"Humana food is an unusual sensory experience."

I pat his shoulder. As long as he's interested, I'm happy. Because I know, at the end of the day, the others are here for curiosity, but Falkion is here for me.

And I make this moment worth it.

I rejoin Tayo, and he takes me around the rest of the relatives. I meet his lovely wife, who's six months pregnant with their first child.

Shoyebi is expanding his repair shop, and he arrives out of breath with his new family. He greets me, panicked, and we almost have a repeat of the rooftop scene with both of us trying to over-honor the other, but then Tayo intervenes, and we all burst out laughing.

Shoyebi's shy wife is two months pregnant with their second child. I bounce their first, an adorable toddler, as he reaches for my ear, and I hum to him the songs my mother used to hum to me.

I'm sorry that my mom and dad can't be here now.

But I feel like their echoes are living on through me.

The choices I make with Falkion affect the entire universe.

And those choices are no longer subjugation and destruction.

We have a huge empire with thousands of races, and their voices are finally coming out and being heard.

After the party, I turn the return trip piloting over to Marip. Standing beside Falkion, I watch the lights of Cloud City disappear beneath us as we fly up into space.

"Did you have a nice time?" he asks.

"I did." I tip my head against his and link our fingers. "This was the closure I needed."

Years ago, I promised Tayo and Shoyebi I'd come back and pick them up in a fabulously wealthy ship and we'd cruise around the universe.

But instead, I've brought them freedom.

They're still welcome to join me, but they both made excuses about kids and families and being happy where they are, so I think it's worked out just perfectly.

We will all meet again.

I've already met with my former clients. They've all been cured in one way or another.

The final decision is that their lusteal sensitivity developed in the womb. Their mothers were exposed to massive amounts of lusteal while they were pregnant, usually because they were rooting around the few old wreck sites from when Arrisans accidentally flew too close or shot each other down (because it certainly wasn't us humans).

Catarine's father used to take his family to these sites in order to rebuild the bridges or other grand structures that the Arrisan wrecks had once destroyed. Esme's mother told her that a ship wrecked over their city, and it "rained iridescent black powder" for days while she was pregnant. They're still researching exactly how it's come to be, but right now, this is how they explain it.

The Arrisans have also started loosening up on their test-tube baby breeding program. Since ancient times when they stopped the mating system, a few mated pairs still slipped through. So, in the last seven years, the increasing interest—and high placement of me, Allie, and a few of the others—have made the Arrisans think that maybe there's a heretofore unknown benefit to having a mated partner. Mates are being reintroduced, slowly, as an option for the general population. It hasn't been super popular—to a race that has never experienced sexual desire or even family relationships, it's more a curiosity and definitely not a craving—it's pretty open to anyone who wants to try it out.

We rise above the curve of the planet, ascending into my beautiful battle-hardened Starbreaker.

Falkion draws me into a kiss.

We silhouette against the sunset on the planet that's forever changed, the one who did it entwined with the one who survived. It's a fact of our shared past. We move on not by pretending it never happened, but by listening deeply and opening ourselves up to change.

The universe spreads before us.

Falkion and I face it together.

Five years is barely any time at all.

In the scope of ages, it's a blink.

We are here together, now, shaping the future for a thousand races.

This is how it should be.

The universe is changing because of him.

One brutal warrior who completely changed himself.

And because of a determined human who wouldn't give up for anything.

Now, instead of being terrified of the darkness between stars, we soar between them.

Falkion has never been afraid of who he is.

But me, I've had my worries.

As we dock inside my ship, Falkion draws back out of respect for me. His grip on my hand loosens so I can withdraw if I want to. Pretend in front of the crew that I'm just a captain and he's just my commander, like they don't know we're forever bound.

Sometimes, the urge to run and hide myself away is still overwhelming.

Falkion is strong, though. He can handle fears, my whims. All of me.

And as for me?

This time, as the doors open, I tug him close.

His silver eyes darken with intensity.

I meet his mouth.

Gray and brown. Arrisan and human.

We are stronger, smarter, and more successful together.

Together, we will change the universe.