Page 12 of Eclipse Bound
Someone should have told him he was going on this assignment.
Someone should have explained how to talk to the females.
Rowan Clark.
The Earth overlord system made it easy to access her name. People walked around connected to it, feeding it a constant stream of information.
He reached into his pocket for his energy stone. It tapped into their internet system easily and brought up a series of images of his target. These Earth humans were bending creatures, twisting themselves into odd positions, which was strange considering they didn’t walk with much grace.
When they arrived at Crimson Rock, it had been daylight. Then twilight. Now darkness. That would take some getting used to, watching the elements flow together like that on the same location. Thankfully the sun wasn’t as bright here, and there was only the one, so Lunar was able to manage, though he’d been miserable.
Light came from under the door as he neared their room. He found Solar inside sitting cross-legged on the floor of their shared suite, his golden skin pulsing with light as he absorbed energy from the desk lamp he'd dismantled and rewired. Now it was his turn to look miserable.
The furniture had been rearranged into what appeared to be defensive formations, and scorch marks decorated one wall.
"Where have you been?" Solar demanded without looking up. His fingers were tracing patterns in the air, trailing sparkles of light. "Lunar has been skulking around the perimeter for hours. I think he's planning something."
"He's patrolling in the dark," Eclipse corrected, surveying the damage to their accommodations. "Where is he now?"
"How would I know?" Solar snapped. "He disappears into shadows."
Eclipse sighed. "We've been on Earth for less than twelve hours, and you've already damaged our dwelling."
"It wasn't me," Solar protested. "Lunar tried to darken the room by covering the windows with those fabric hangings, and they caught fire when I was merely trying to maintain adequate light levels."
"Merely trying?" Lunar's voice drifted from a corner that should have been empty. The shadows seemed to coalesce, forming his tall, slender silhouette. "You deliberately increased your output when I entered."
"Perhaps I was simply happy to see you," Solar said with a dangerous smile.
A wave of darkness grew from Lunar, trying to snuff out the lamp.
"Enough," Eclipse interrupted. "This behavior is precisely why the council sent us here. If you cannot manage to share a dwelling without destroying it, how do you expect our people to share a planet?"
“The council has exiled us,” Solar complained. “And your corporation has abandoned us.”
“It is not my corporation. I didn’t hire them,” Eclipse said. “I’m trapped here same as you. Our only hope is to prove to them we’re capable of working together so they bring us home.”
Both aliens had the grace to look chastened, in their own ways. Solar dimmed slightly, while Lunar stepped further from the shadows and stopped trying to snuff out the lamp.
"The human living arrangements are unacceptable," Lunar said after a moment. "This structure offers no proper darkness, except for the waste receptacle, and he," he jabbed a finger toward Solar, "refuses to moderate his emissions."
"I have found a potential alternative," Eclipse said. "I've made contact with a local human who may be able to assist us."
"You revealed yourself to an Earthling?" Solar's light flared with alarm. “We were supposed to blend in.”
"I revealed enough," Eclipse replied carefully. The truth was, he hadn’t planned on telling her everything he did, but when he heard her voice, he felt he could trust her. "She works at the arrival site. Her name is Rowan Clark."
"The one who approached us in the crowd," Lunar observed quietly. "She saw too much."
“She did not report us to the authorities or put us on the planet’s overlord system.” Eclipse didn't bother asking how Lunar knew which human he'd spoken to. The shadow-dweller's observation skills were unmatched. It was possible he followed Eclipse there.
Solar inched closer to his lamplight. “You sound soft when you say her name.”
"Yes, I admit, her biorhythm scan shows compatibility markers," Eclipse said. "And she responded with skepticism rather than fear. That's a promising sign."
"Compatibility?" Solar smirked, his golden skin brightening with amusement. "Eclipse, are you developing an interest in the human mating aspect of our mission?"
"I am focused on diplomacy," Eclipse said stiffly. "My personal preferences are irrelevant."
