Chapter 49 #2
“Well, all of you. I want to make sure you think it’s a good idea. What with the whole attack on the hotel and everything.”
Alanna turned to Peony. Peony looked thoughtful. Then, she grinned. Almost deviously.
“I don’t see any reason why you can’t. But you should probably take Tuvo with you.”
“Huh? Tuvo?” Hattie looked surprised, but not dismayed. Only a bit concerned. “Why?”
“Well, you’ll need security. Alanna and Survii are going to a private island.
There won’t be anyone around, so they’ll be fine.
The rest of us will have Atem. And Havali is no slouch either.
And you won’t ask Romival to separate from Holly, would you?
And Scarlet’s pregnant too, even if she doesn’t look it.
So Havali can’t go. And Atem has to take over for Survii until they get back.
So, Tuvo is the only one who can take you. ”
Alanna bit her lips to avoid grinning. Peony had a truly devious mind sometimes.
She had been trying to get the two of them to make up with each other for a while now.
She had demanded it of Tuvo when he asked for some way to make up for an insult against her, but he hadn’t acted yet.
No doubt, she was trying again to force them to talk.
But the speed with which she had come up with reasons for why only Tuvo could go with her was impressive.
And not entirely a lie either.
Hattie frowned but nodded. “I suppose you’re right. I guess I should ask him if he’s okay with it.”
“He will be.” Peony beamed. “He’s only got our safety in mind. I’ll go ask him right now.”
Turning, practically giggling evilly, Peony crossed the room – aiming right for Tuvo where he stood with some of the other security guys in a corner of the room. There was no doubt in Alanna’s mind that she was going to be telling, not asking, him to go with Hattie.
“Are we allowed to just go off by ourselves?” Holly asked. “Because Romi found out about Oxford, and he really wanted to go visit it. He said he was interested in seeing one of the oldest, most distinguished academies on Earth.”
Scarlet shrugged. “I mean, I guess it will be okay. As long as we all have proper security. I’ve got to admit, I’ve always wanted to explore Paris. I bet Havali would love it. And if I don’t do it now, I might never get a chance again.”
“So, are we all separating?” Alanna asked, looking at the others.
Hattie grimaced sheepishly. “I didn’t really mean to scatter us.”
“I think it would actually be my fault, since my solo trip was planned first.” Alanna touched her shoulder with a smile. “And it might be for the best. If we’re not all gathered in one place, it will likely be harder to attack us.”
“I guess.”
“I’m with Alanna on that,” Holly smiled. “I mean, we haven’t heard a peep since the hotel shooting. And that led to a lot of arrests on its own. I’m pretty sure we got most, if not all, of them. I can’t see someone pulling off something of that scale again.”
“It would depend on their funding,” Alanna said. “And their leadership. If they have enough hatred and motivation, they could probably coordinate something. But to attack all of us at once? That would be a huge endeavor. I think we’ll be safe.”
Scarlet nodded once. “That’s a fair point.
We’ll clear it with security first. It might be that only Alanna and Survii can go.
But we’ll see what they say. I heard that the forums and websites where the anti-alien groups were gathering had all gone pretty quiet.
I think Holly’s right. They threw everything they had into that one attack, and they lost their chance. ”
Alanna nodded eagerly. Excited. She wanted the others to have the opportunity to see Earth before they left – and more like proper tourists and not in one big group.
She checked over to find Peony speaking eagerly to Tuvo. He said nothing, but after a moment, he nodded his head once. Peony beamed and looked back over to her and gave them a thumbs up. He had agreed – to go with Hattie, at least.
It wasn’t until after the reception ended that they were able to broach the idea of splitting up with the guys.
Not very surprisingly, they weren’t as eager as the girls.
But only because they were concerned with their safety, not because they didn’t want to see more of the Earth privately with their mates – or as duty commanded, in Tuvo’s case.
But despite their misgivings, it didn’t actually take much to convince them.
The concern of their safety was easily put to rest. When Alanna called her uncle and asked, he was happy to provide extra security for Hattie while she was in America.
He would have power there and it would be easier for him to do.
Which meant that they would be able to keep the rest of their current team to spread out amongst the others.
Alanna and Survii weren’t going to need a team at all – since the island they were going to was uninhabited – so that also helped.
Tuvo would have to coordinate with their security team to make sure that everything was set and safe before he left. He trusted himself to protect Hattie directly at her side, but he needed to control the others’ teams as well.
And since Alanna and Survii would be leaving only a single day after the second reception, he had to work fast.
***
That night, Alanna had a dream. Her dreams were never good omens. She woke the next day uneasy. Wondering if maybe she shouldn’t delay Tuvo.
But he wasn’t First Warrior for no reason, and his good relationship with the security team made their trips easy, and fast, to coordinate.
Just one day later, the entire group was escorted to a private airport upon which three private planes were waiting. One to take Hattie, Tuvo, and Keith to America. One for Scarlet, Havali, Holly, and Romival – to take them to Paris and London.
The last one, of course, was taking Alanna and Survii most of the way to their destination.
The private island they were going to had a lovely home on it with all the amenities they’d need, but it didn’t have an airstrip.
They had to fly to a larger, nearby island, get on a smaller plane that would fly them to the nearest island, then finally board a boat that they would drive themselves to the docks of their island.
It would be fully stocked upon their arrival, so they would have no reason to leave, and the docks were the only way on or off the island.
The two of them had the furthest to go. Alanna’s phone wouldn’t work out there. Their pickup was scheduled on that same small, middleman island. If they didn’t show up, a boat would likely be sent out to their honeymoon island, but otherwise, they were going to be totally isolated.
That was probably why Tuvo turned to them and offered one of the communicators when they had all gathered on the tarmac while their belongings were loaded onto the planes. They would be taking a flight of stairs directly into the jets when it was time to go.
For now, it was time for goodbye.
And apparently, it started with the communicator.
“You’re giving this to me?” Survii asked, taking it from him.
“You two are going the furthest. You’ll otherwise be out of range of communication. That is unacceptable. Take this just in case.”
Survii nodded and stowed the device in his pocket. “Will you be keeping the second one?”
“Yes,” Tuvo said, but his tone wasn’t happy about it.
“He tried to give it to me,” Atem grinned. “But Peony and I are staying in Geneva. We’ll have the best portion of the security team. Moreover, we’re closest to the others. If necessary, we can be back together quite quickly. The four of you are going the furthest. I’d rather you have the comms.”
Tuvo made a face, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he addressed everyone at once. “If any of us have to summon the shuttle and return to the Stor, the moment we’re back, we send the shuttle for the others. So, if the shuttle shows up, climb aboard and get out. No questions. Got it?”
“Yes, dad,” Peony said, making the others chuckle.
Tuvo was not amused. “I mean it. Separating and going back amongst the Earthlings opens us up to potential attacks. We have to be cautious. We can enjoy ourselves, but we have to be aware that not all Earthlings are accepting of us and the relationships between us.”
“We’ll be careful,” Alanna promised. “Any other rules?”
“Don’t leave your security team. Don’t go anywhere you haven’t already cleared beforehand.
In case of emergency, we – and I mean us domini specifically – are allowed to kill any humans that are attempting to kill us.
We’ve already warned the Earth of this. I’m warning you now, females.
I know you’re delicate and you don’t appreciate violence, so I’m telling you what will happen so you can prepare yourselves mentally if it comes to that. ”
Tuvo was taking their security super seriously. And Alanna rather appreciated it. Knowing Tuvo was looking out for them was probably why everyone else was so calm about splitting up – despite the attack that had happened before.
He really was seeing to everything. He had split up their security teams himself and knew all of them through their head security guy, Bertrand – the guy that he was constantly exchanging hieroglyphic emoji conversations with.
Their luggage was being loaded not by flight staff, but by the security team.
The pilots had all been cleared beforehand, and each plane checked to make sure that everything was perfect for takeoff, and they weren’t even risking bringing stewards with them.
The other couples were taking security teams. Alanna and Survii had a couple of guys that were flying with them, and would be waiting for them on the middleman island, just in case.
Tuvo and Hattie weren’t taking any security people at all, but they would be met by the security team her uncle was preparing the moment they touched down in America.