I sat in front of Sophie in the living room, patiently waiting as she fiddled with the rough braid she'd been working on for the past hour. It was beginning to become tiring, sitting there on the floor, unable to move, but I knew it would be unfair to complain. It wasn't Sophie's fault that this simple hair style was failing her; it just wasn't in her skill-set. Despite her expertise and intricate ability to work with tiny little parts of machines, braiding hair, and doing it well, was far beyond her.
We were getting ready for the treaty presentation that day, where we would appear on stage in front of thousands of people. I knew that the highest leaders from both our races would be speaking as well as Criken and then Sophie and I would be tasked with something to symbolise the treaty. Therefore we were making sure we looked nice. I was wearing a plain purple skirt and a simple button-up shirt. Sophie was wearing a clean pair of dress pants she'd been lent and her ordinary blue tee, along with her standard boots. To glam it up a bit I'd braided Sophie's hair, and then once I was finished she had announced she was going to braid mine too. Since then she'd been struggling, and I sympathised with her as I could sense her frustration. As she tried to fold over two more locks of hair and they fell apart once more she gave an irritated, muted screech and I decided it was kindest to stop this now.
"Don't worry about it Sophie." I told her, pushing her hands back from my hair and turning round to face her. "It doesn't matter."
She looked disappointed and ashamed that she hadn't been able to do it, so I quickly determined a compromise.
"I've got a better idea." I stood up, and taking her hand I left the house, pulling Sophie along beside me and heading for the forest.
"Wait, what are we doing?" she asked, confused as we entered into foliage. I tried to ignore the sight of blackened trees not far from where we were passing through. Flashes of the Weraynian appeared in my head; especially the moment I realised he had control of the weapons and he set fire to my forest. Moving further onwards, away from the charred remains of once beautiful trees, I tried to push the thoughts of the past couple of days out of my mind. Today was a day of celebration not mourning. To distract myself I addressed Sophie's question, shaking my head and urging her forward.
Finally we arrived, in a tiny, hidden grove amongst the leafy plants and stopped.
Sophie exhaled softly, awestruck. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah." I smiled as I stooped to pluck from the ground a few of the wild flowers that made this place so enchanting. The flora here was in all colours, and they scattered in a pattern that seemed to be calculated to be pleasing to the eye, beside a small, clear pond that they drew moisture from.
I pulled myself upright again and handed Sophie half of the flowers.
"Just kneel here." I told her and she did, sinking into the soft down with a confounded look on her face. I laughed softly at the expression, and knelt beside her, undoing her braid.
"Aw, Abi!"
"Trust me." I said, and she conceded, letting me pull her hair apart completely.
I then proceeded, gently, quickly, to thread the small flowers into her brown curls, pinning them in by the short stems and I knew Sophie was smiling as she realised what I was doing.
Once I was done, I turned around and allowed her to weave her flowers into my hair. She did this much more easily than braiding and within a few minutes we were done, and we both looked quite pretty in my opinion. Grinning fondly at each other, we hiked back up the hill and, knowing we had to be at the Counsel building early for the ceremony to be explained to us, started our trip into town.
Many people greeted us enthusiastically as we went by and told us how nice we looked, which we thanked them for and then continued.
Soon we were at the Council and, contrary to our last visit, the guards on the door let us in gladly and we swept through to the planning room.
"Hello, girls." Ray greeted pleasantly as we came in, and gestured for us to go over to him.
He was sitting at one of the side tables at the back, secluded from the mad rush of everyone else in preparation for the ceremony. We walked over and sat beside him.
"So what's the schedule?" I asked him, glancing at the device which he was clutching that displayed a run-sheet.
"Well," Ray began, "you two will be sitting on the stage, along with Criken, Captain Ridley, and the High Counsel. The ceremony will begin with an opening statement by the Overseer, will be followed by the reading of the treaty for our peoples, then both the human captain and leader Xerafin from the Capitol will shake hands and give a short speech. After that, you two will take the stage. You'll be handed the two sections of the peace offering which symbolises our two races, and then you'll connect them, symbolising unity. Neither of you need to say anything; you've done enough already for us all. Then the official part will be dissolved and the celebration will begin." Ray continued, looking over his sheet. "I do believe that's all the information relevant. We'll just prepare-"
Suddenly an interruption occurred in the form of a group of humans throwing the doors open and lugging in a machine the size of a horse. Struggling, Brock led them, and he directed the machine to be brought over to the centre of the room, nearby us. Once there, they lowered it to the ground with grunts of exertion.
We all stared at the machine as Brock told the group to go back and get ready for the presentation.
"What's that?" Sophie leaned forward keenly, eyes alight with interest as she took in the complex machination.
Brock opened his mouth to answer but I beat him to it. "Stealth wave generator."
He nodded gruffly. "That's right. We found it in the solar stacks, hooked in there among everything else. Thought you might as well have it, it might be of help."
Ray stood up and shook his hand. "Thank you Brock, that should be of great use to us."
"Well," Brock shrugged. "We figured it was fair enough, after all the trouble we caused you."
He turned away to leave but I called after him.
"Hey Brock," I said gently. "You know we don't blame you right? Any of you."
"Doesn't mean its not our fault." He replied, jaw set and eyes looking anywhere but me.
"Don't blame yourselves for this." I told him. "If it's anyone's fault, it's the Weraynians. They're the ones who tricked you into believing you had to attack us, it's because of them that this problem occurred. You didn't know we were innocent; in fact, in a different situation what you did would be noble."
Brock sighed. "I wish I could believe that, and somehow I almost do, but then I remember how willing we were to be coerced into a war against you people, and I know that we are beyond guilty." Looking mournful, he turned away and walked off, leaving me standing there silent and thoughtful.
"You humans." I swivelled slowly to face Sophie, who was biting her lip concernedly. "So stubborn; you won't even accept forgiveness when it's thrust in your face."
Sophie shrugged, and then put on a weak smirk. "That's us, the human race!"
Ray, who had been downcast, fidgeted uncomfortably and then stood up, still holding his device.
"Well, I'll go get the treaty token." he said and walked off. Sophie and I sat idly for a minute until he came back.
"This is it." he announced and we looked up to see him holding what looked like two crystals, one blue as sapphires and the other the colour of amethyst, each set into a half of a circuit contained within an insulated aesthetic covering. They were fairly small, about the size of a palm, and were clearly made to be connected as a full circle. I could tell that when put together, the circuit would complete and the crystals would shine brilliantly, beautifully. This token was a wonderful masterpiece.
"Wow." Sophie ran her hand over the purple gem as Ray placed the crystal wired circuits down on the table before us. "That's a simple analogue inductive circuit, if I'm correct."
"Almost." Ray stated, as I picked up the half with the blue crystal and fiddled with the insulated shell to try to envision the mechanics within. "For the past day, our scientists and some of the humans have been working on this, a metaphorical symbol of the treaty between our races. They decided a circuit would be best. The two colours represent our two peoples, blue for Earth's sky, and purple for Flauraan's, obviously. As I mentioned before, when you two come forward on the stage, each holding your people's half of the token, you will connect them and that will signify the signing of the treaty between us. That's all you have to know, really." he raked his eyes over his run-sheet once more. "Yes, that's it."
"Should we do something with the stealth wave?" Sophie asked, glancing at the bulky machine still on the floor next to us.
I nodded. "Temporary storage vault?" I directed the question at Ray, who agreed.
We loaded the generator onto a transporter module, and manoeuvred it through the room, the corridors of the Counsel building, and to the fortified vault in the bowels of the structure. Ray authorized the door to be opened, and as it unlocked and swung open Sophie and I shoved the module in and detached the stealth wave generator from it. Then we withdrew with the transport, locked the entry door again, and headed back to the planning room, where a few leaders were now sitting there in formal robes.
"Now we just have to wait for the leaders to all be prepared." Ray informed us, and so we sat down and waited.
Soon they had all filtered in, and there were a lot of leaders, as the array included those from my town, those from the Capitol and a few human authorities. Many exchanged kind greetings with Sophie and I, and congratulated us, wishing us well. We responded in the usual way and then everyone got back to readying themselves.
Finally the Overseer, one of the most important leaders on Flauraan, a true genius with skill in many areas, entered and announced that it was time for the ceremony.
In double file, we left the Council building, Sophie and I having been ushered to the front. It didn't take long before we had reached the field, and could see the throng that had turned out to celebrate. The town, the field, and the stage, had been decorated wonderfully for the occasion, and as I mounted the steps to the platform, I grinned with delight at the sight of thousands of enthusiastic Paladanians and humans alike. In amongst them, and near the front of the crowd, were my parents, smiling up at me. I waved happily, and then took my seat next to Sophie. The Overseer stepped to the podium, and silence fell.
He raised his hands to address the nation. I could see recorder pods floating around the crowd, filming this all. Most were the human's, but some were of Paladanian or Halapatovian design.
"Fair people," he began. "We gather here today to celebrate a day of triumph, and friendship. As you all know, five days ago the human spacecraft known as the Eridanus II received a distress signal from the planet Werayne, and, in responding, managed to bypass the force field in place for the protection of the universe. The Weraynians lied, and because of that lie reinforcements were called for, and the Staarus System came under threat. With the Eridanus II piloted to earth, this meant that there were less than three days until the human fleet would arrive and launch their attack, and even less time for us to discern what was going on and to respond. Of course, we would have been lost except for the extraordinary actions of two young people who are here today." He gestured to Sophie and I, who each smiled softly. "Sophie Lestari is human, and without her presence on this planet we would not be here today. Similarly, Abigail Shurn, who I am sure is known to many of you, aided the salvation of this helpless situation greatly, and without her also, we would not have overcome. So we are here to day not just to celebrate the new friendship of our peoples, or the freedom we have achieved once more, but also the bravery and ingenuity of Sophie and Abigail."
Suddenly there was an uproar of cheering, clapping and whistling in support of us. I glanced at Sophie, awestruck. We had really done all this. Together we'd saved the system. This was monumental! She squeezed my hand and smiled gladly.
"Told you we did it." she whispered.
For the next half hour we sat through the speeches of the human captain, who stressed his apology and new-found sense of unity with the Paladanians, other significant leaders, and last of all the Overseer once more as the treaty was read out and then the human and Paladanian leaders shook hands.
Then Criken stepped forward for a special address.
"This form of attack," he began grimly, doing that thing where he makes eye contact with everyone as he swept his own eyes across the crowd. Hush fell at his tone. "took us by surprise, and proved that we were not ready in order to defend our people, meaning that we, your leaders, have failed you. Although we had anticipated many schemes which the Weraynians might utilize so that they could defeat us, we were not prepared for this one." From my vantage point at the back of the stage, I could see the sudden gloominess that had come over the populace as it sunk in to everyone how close we had really been to war. I was proud of Criken, as my leader, to have the courage to make this speech, to put a damper on the festivities to make sure people heard what they needed to hear, even if they didn't want to hear it. That took quite a lot of courage, especially on a day like this one. "For this we are deeply sorry and we promise that we are increasing our efforts in protecting you from our enemies, as we know that war is inevitable and that it is vital that we be equipped to face it. But that is all talk for another time; for now, let us simply celebrate this victory together. Young ones," he glanced back to Sophie and I, and gestured for us to come forward. Gripping each our portion of the circuit, we stood. "Bring forward the Circuit of Unity, token and reminder of the unity this new treaty has brought. The festivities will begin, but not before we commend these wonderful young ladies for their marvellous job in defeating the Weraynian and bringing our two species together!"
As the crowd roared in approval, Sophie and I stepped to the edge of the stage with our halves of the token that our peoples had worked on together. Glancing briefly at each other to clarify, we moved our hands together in sync and connected the two parts. Instantly, electricity flowed and the connected crystals glowed to life as one, radiating brilliance around us and proving its wonder as a construct of both human and Paladanian ingenuity. It was a symbol of our new-found harmony and partnership, and no more so than in that moment, reflected not only in the circuit but in all of us, but most of all in me and Sophie. Grinning she reached for my hand. I obliged, and together we thrust our linked hands high in the air, revelling in our friendship in this moment, and, for the first time since this all began, I felt truly happy.
And so the celebration began. Music played, wonderful tunes emanating from human-made speakers and igniting the atmosphere with amazement. Dancing began, and it was quite a sight. Never had I ever seen any being dance with more energy and thrill than the multitudes I saw on that afternoon. There was foodand everyone shared in it joyfully together. Sophie and I, after handing the still-glowing circuit back to our leaders, entered into the throng, determined to enjoy it. Really, we didn't even have to try, and soon time had flown past and it was night time.
With the party still in full swing, all sorts of lights and attractions amassed, and even more people there than before, Sophie and I slyly snuck away, and headed back in the direction of my house. We grabbed some blankets and went to sit on the hill, away from the now-dull sound of celebrating over at the edge of the field, and, exhausted, I laid my head on Sophie's shoulder as we stared up at the stars that dotted the sky.
"Majestic, aren't they?" I asked her dreamily, searching the expanse gleefully.
"Yeah." she replied, and then pointed to a certain constellation. "Hey, there's Orion! It looks a bit different, but that's definitely it."
I laughed. "Well, I can't say if you're right or not, because we named our constellations differently to your people. From my reckoning, that's Aandreyus."
"Whatever." Sophie shrugged, her tone light. For a moment I closed my eyes, burrowing my head closer into her shoulder. I felt so happy, to have a best friend who clicked with me so brilliantly, and who I could sit and do things like this with. I was so grateful for Sophie.
"So what next?" I questioned softly. She turned her gaze on me, confused, so I clarified. "In your quest to find your dad, and the expedition. Do you know how you'll go about it from here?"
She became suddenly awkward, rubbing the back of her neck. I raised my head inquisitively.
"Well, I was thinking," she began to explain. "I've been searching for years now, and I still don't have any proof that they're alive still, that the ship hasn't just been blown to pieces. There's no evidence for that either, though, but that's not my point. What I'm trying to say is... that if they're still out there now, they'll still be alive by the time I find them, but if not, then it doesn't matter what I do now anyway, so I was planning, I suppose, to stay a while." she paused for a moment, as I felt excitement race through me, and then stumbled onwards. "I mean, I have to put together a report on Flauraan and stuff for when I get home anyway, so it makes sense to stay a bit, a couple weeks or so, and if it wasn't any trouble, I wouldn't mind spending some time with you. But only if it's okay."
I grinned, shaking my head at her nervousness. "Sophie, that would be wonderful if you stayed! I'd love you to."
"Really?" she asked with relief clear in her voice.
"Yeah. of course." I said, and replaced my head on her shoulder.
I could sense how happy Sophie was, and I was glad, but underneath I could sense something more, and I knew I had to correct it.
"I know you think you're not important." I told her, shifting my head slightly. "But look at what you did! Sophie, if you hadn't turned up here and helped out in the way you did, then right now Flauraan would have been at the centre of a war! You were probably the biggest factor at play these past few days."
Sophie turned her head to look down at me.
"Thanks." she answered softly. "You weren't too bad yourself."
I chuckled a little bit, but not much. I was still so tired. The stress of the whole ordeal would have been enough to exhaust me, but add the fact that I hadn't been able to manage healthy habits like eating and sleeping and thus passed out, and you end up with a completely out-of-it me. Hopefully, I'd get the next few days to rest, but if Sophie really was staying I knew things would be anything but peaceful around here. That girl could barely sit still even now. Currently though, we were okay to just be still and not worry about anything.
And so we sat on that hill, watching as more beautiful stars arched their way over the horizon, content that everything, and everyone, was, once again, safe.