Page 26 of The Space Traveller's Lover
“Tell me, my dear child, do you still miss your previous home?”
“I do!” Shaillah hastily replies as if she had been thinking about it all the time, but she immediately doubts herself.
Zula-Or raises her chin as a nostalgic streak flashes through her sharp, glistening eyes. Then she adds in a melancholic tone, “When I was very young, I also missed my home. But I was too far away, and of course, we did not have the means we have now.”
Zula-Or pauses, checking on Shaillah to ensure she’s listening attentively. “Back then, we had discovered planet Earth’s riches, and we did not waste any time settling down. We went, and we stayed. We showed the humans how to find the vast deposits of diamonds and precious metals. We taught them how to build magnificent sky-high monuments. For a time, we lived in harmony. We even interbred. But it was not to last. Humans became very controlling and eventually saw us as a threat. They started killing anyone of Rom-Ghenshar descent as they tried to eliminate every trace of our civilisation.
“So, we had no other alternative but to flee for our lives, but not before emptying all their precious mines and taking away all the tools we had given them. We unleashed massive wildfires and then endless floods. We thought they would never recover. We returned to our mother planet, licking our wounds but wealthier and wiser, and we swore that one day we’d be back.”
Zula-Or’s face beams in a triumphant glare. “And now, after ten thousand Earth years, we are ready to fulfil the dream of our ancestors. We have been closely observing the humans. We know their weak and strong points very well. We’ve prepared everything. Now we’re ready. But this time, it will be unlike anything they have ever seen. We’ve grown stronger, smarter, invincible. We are immortals.”
Zula-Or’s self-conceited grin changes into an impatient grimace as she adds, “Of course, we would’ve finished our mission long ago. But we were held back by the unexpected—let’s also say non-negotiable—demand. We had to change and delay all our plans so we could bringyouinto our world first, lest we incur the rage of one of our finest space warriors—oh no!—our finest.”
Zula-Or pauses as she notices the look of disbelief on Shaillah’s face.
“I s-see,” Shaillah stutters. “Why me?”
“The strangeness of our universe often conspires to thwart even the most carefully planned mission. Nobody could predict it. But as soon as Rothwen saw you … and knowing where you come from—”
“Where do I come from? Please tell me now—”
“Listen, Shaillah, you have regained what is rightfully yours. Your Rom-Ghenshar ancestry was always within you. We only needed to activate it.”
“I don’t understand,” she mumbles.
“My sweet child, you were … artificially created.”
Shaillah’s heart sinks. She covers her mouth with her hands whilst closing her eyes and shaking her head, refusing to believe Zula-Or’s words.
Zula-Or grabs Shaillah firmly by the chin, ordering her to open her eyes. Then she stares intensely at Shaillah while, with her other hand, she takes one of her crystal petals off the back of her headpiece. Suddenly, Shaillah finds herself trapped in Zula-Or’s arms as she feels a sharp blade against her neck, slowly cutting into the flesh.
Shaillah helplessly watches as she is immobilised while her blood drips in a steady thread onto the floor.At any time soon, I will faint, she fears. But then she realises she does not feel any pain, and she is not even feeling in the slightest bit dizzy.
Zula-Or takes the blade out of Shaillah’s slashed skin. Immediately, Shaillah covers her bleeding neck with her hands, but she is wholly astounded to feel her wound sticking together and healing under her fingertips.
“Does it hurt? Do you feel weak at all?” Zula-Or probes while placing the red crystal blade back into her bristly crown.
Shaillah shakes her head.
“That’s because you have our rapidly regenerating high-energy supercells. They would starve of oxygen in Earth’s weak atmosphere.”
“Who created me?” Shaillah asks timidly while caressing her healed neck.
“I designed you, Shaillah. You are very special, one of a kind. Our Chief Scientist, Athguer, sculpted your genes to perfection. You are the most advanced hybrid replica we ever created. I’m so proud of you.”
“Why do you do this?” Shaillah asks, completely baffled.
“We design all types of replicas, place them in different planets as fertilised eggs, and check their progress from time to time. So, we did the same with humans, studying them as they are born and develop in their environment, getting to know them intimately, changing them, and controlling them. But when we started with you, we decided to embed Rom-Ghenshar supercells into your body. It had an amazing effect. Look at you!”
“It’s all too hard to believe right now.” She sobs.
“Don’t cry, Shaillah. You have now this amazing opportunity to get to know who you are and to realise your potential. You’ll soon understand your abilities and power. I admire you so much.” Zula-Or praises her.
Shaillah looks down while in deep thought as Zula-Or softly caresses her face and wipes away the tears, giving time for Shaillah to come to terms with her real self while inspecting her closely.
“Your beauty and strength are as evident as the radiance of this gem-studded garden. Your indomitable soul shines through, my dear Shaillah.” Zula-Or proudly says as she keeps staring at a disconcerted Shaillah.
While evoking the past aeons of her life, Zula-Or can’t help but draw striking similarities between herself and Shaillah.
