Chapter 17
Atem
Peony and the others were staring, shocked, at his planet. The reaction was concerning. It was clearly not a planet they had been to before, but just seeing a foreign planet shouldn't have been jaw dropping to them.
Unless they had never been to space before.
Were they from a pre-space travel species?
The idea made too much sense. He didn't recognize their species; they didn't recognize his.
They seemed baffled and confused by the most common technology.
And now they stared at his home planet, not as though they didn't recognize it for what it was, but just baffled that it was a planet at all.
Their surprise and amazement didn't need translation.
The possibility was unsettling. Not only because it meant that they were an undeveloped species, and that capturing them was not only highly illegal but potentially dangerous, but also because it meant that they most likely didn't know where their own planet was.
He had no problems taking care of these sisters to his heart, but he would be a dishonorable male if he didn't at least attempt to offer them a way back home.
If he couldn't find it, however...
If water eyed Peony was his forever...
Before he could follow that enticing thought to its logical conclusion, a soft beeping alerted him of the incoming communication request. He didn't even have to look to know who it must be.
“Ratchi ship, you have entered domini space without permissions or permits. You will identify yourself immediately. If you do not, you will turn about this moment, or my fleet will be forced to open fire upon you.”
Atem grinned as the females all stared at his panel, likely recognizing his language but not what was being said.
“Very intimidating, Survii,” he praised. “If I were a ratchi, I would be shaking in my scales.”
There was a loud thunk, like something had dropped on the other end. “Vi Dominani! Is that you?”
Atem couldn’t help himself. He grinned as the tip of his tail flicked with lazy enjoyment. “You expected someone else?”
“No. Forgive my surprise, vi Dominani. It’s just, you have been missing for some time. I did not expect to hear from you.”
Atem frowned. “Survii, it sounds as though you didn't have any faith that I could get free and find my way home.”
“Not at all, vi Dominani. Just annoyed that I lost the betting pool,” came the cool response. “Do you need an escort to the surface?”
“I do not. Send a message to the rest of the Council that I am en route. And alert my people. I will address them the moment I land.”
“Vas, vi Dominani.”
“And let the ground crew know that I have five female aliens with me. They aided me in my escape and have earned my respect. I will tell everyone the tale when I land.”
“I look forward to hearing it. Welcome home, vi Dominani. I am eager to hear how you killed those who dared try to harm you.”
Atem grinned as he ended the comm. It was a tale he was eager to tell. Not because it made him seem particularly glorious. In reality, defeating a handful of weak ratchi was no matter worth mentioning for him and he would only do so because it was expected.
The recounting of a warrior's trials was an ancient tradition among his people.
As First Domini, he was duty bound to recount his tale to all domini.
He was excited not because he was eager for the glory of the story, but because this recitation would be the first step to repaying the debt he owed these five females for the service they had done him.
And once that was done, he could see about getting them a neural upload so he could finally talk to his water eyed female.
Atmospheric reentry was such an old and familiar thing to him, he didn't stop to consider that it would be fascinating to his females.
The navigator was broken, so he would have to fly manually, but the calculations for a safe descent weren't affected.
It was easy to work with the computer to get himself down through the clouds, manually flying over familiar landscapes in order to find Calvitorum – his home city.
But as boring and banal the sequence was to him, it was incredible to his females.
He kept the exterior camera feed on screen, though he couldn't use it to land as it was on a slight delay.
The five of them watched, calling out in awe as they pointed at the beauty of his home planet.
Peony's hand hadn't left his, but her wide eyes were transfixed on the images.
Once again, he was put in the position of trying to look at something wholly unremarkable and plainly familiar as though it were new.
The golden sands of the Deep Basin Desert were stunning, glittering in the rays of the sun.
They passed by quickly and gave way to the towering Honsivi Mountain Range that spread out beneath them like the twisting coils of a trutki bug.
Those, in turn, eventually turned into the Silver Spray Fields – a marshland that reflected the sky so perfectly, it appeared like a mirror, only broken by the occasional waterspouts that gave the field its name.
That turned into the Twisting Plains, stretching out between the lanes of five different rivers that broke and joined at will.
Then, finally, beyond that, the towering trees of the Uritii Krukiin. Literally, the Home Forest. In the center of which rested the massive Lake Temtal. And built partially upon, partially beside that lake, weaving through the massive trees, reaching high up to share their canopy, was Calvitorum.
At long last, Atem was home.