They had been walking for quite some time, and Tika could feel exhaustion clinging to her. The temptation to stop and rest was so great — her entire body ached from the fight, and her legs felt numb from climbing the never ending stairs on Dorvak. However, Varka said that some Velrakis-Aran members would pick the two of them up at the topmost part of Dorvak, where they would then take Tika back to the Royal Palace. From there, Tika would be returned to Earth to report about the failed exchange program.

After that… Well, Tika didn’t know what would happen. Mothership Velrakis would leave and never return. She might never see Varka again — and she… didn’t want that.

Tika knew her feelings to Varka was highly unprofessional, not to mention impossible to become a reality. Varka was a space traveller and a royalty, and she was just… a human from Earth. She was a nobody.

It felt so stupid to mourn about the possibility that she would never see Varka again, while her colleague was gone. Perhaps she was still in denial about the whole thing — she still couldn’t believe that Professor Arga and his family were gone, and she didn’t want to believe it. Because believing it would mean that the outer space that she had been dreaming of since she was little was a dangerous place that had taken her colleagues’ life away.

And she didn’t know how to cope with that. Not now. Not ever.

“I’m so sorry, Kartika”, Varka said all of a sudden. The two of them paused on a landing pad of some sort. Tika let out a sigh.

“This isn’t your fault, Varka”, she returned.

“Not my— argh!” Varka rubbed their hair in frustration. “I’m a Velrakis-Aran member who was assigned to protect you and your colleagues. I should have known about the Larkis’ plan to attack you before it actually happened. But I failed, and your colleagues paid the price.”

Tika didn’t know what to say, but she knew that none of it was Varka’s fault. Perhaps they should have known about the Larkis’ plan to attack her and her colleagues. Perhaps they should be able to prevent it from happening. But it all had happened, and it was—

“It was my fault…” Tika said glumly, and tears rolled down her cheek down again. “You couldn’t protect the others because I was thrown out of the train car.”

“What?! That’s not your fault at all!” Varka cried out, before going silent. “Did I sound like that?”

“A bit”, Tika sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes, a small smile on her lips. “If you can accept that this is not my fault, then you should be able to accept that it’s also not yours.”

Varka nodded in agreement. “This is all the Larkis people’s fault”, they said. “But why on the Mother Universe did they attack you and your colleagues? What would they gain from that?”

“Well…” Tika muttered. “You’re the one who knows them better than I do. What do you think they will gain from it?”

Varka opened their mouth, as if about to say something. But then, a laser bullet wheezed past them, hitting Varka in the chest and causing them to stumble. Tika cried out in surprise, and Varka pulled their sword once again, ready to face their attacker.

That was when a familiar voice cried out, “Drop your weapon!”

Tika turned around, and her eyes widened as she saw—

“Auntie Ratri?!” she cried out in disbelief. She couldn’t believe her eyes, because standing there was Professor Ratri. She carried a laser gun — and wait, didn’t Varka said that Professor Ratri was gone?

Tika didn’t know what was actually happening. Why would Professor Ratri point her gun to Tika and Varka?

Wait, no— Professor Ratri only pointed her gun to Varka.

“I said, drop your weapon, you alien freak!” Professor Ratri cussed. Whoever thought the professor was a calm and collected woman surely never saw her like this, challenging a being whose height doubled her, not to mention armed.

Varka dropped their sword and raised their hands in the air. They looked like in pain, even though they didn’t look injured after being shot. Tika frowned and opened her mouth, but Varka shook their head slightly.

Even so, Tika still couldn’t accept it.

“What is actually going on, Auntie? What did Varka do?” she asked, placing herself between Varka and the barrel of the gun before the two of them.

“Why don’t you ask that alien freak?” Professor Ratri asked in return.

“I have no Idea what are you talking about”, Varka said. Their voice shook slightly, as if they tried to keep calm.

“You plotted to kill us — you and your terrorist friends, Avamar and Jonathan!” Professor Ratri shouted.

One by one, Professor Ratri’s family walked out of the dark corner where they were hiding. Professor Arga’s head was bandaged, while Bayu and Indah walked limply. They all looked shaken and slightly shell-shocked.

“You’re still alive?!” Varka cried out in disbelief. “But— But Avamar said— Wait, you said Avamar and Jonathan—”

Before Varka could finish their sentence, a white blinding light came from above. Tika looked up, squinting, and saw a small black ship flew over their head. From the ship, Avamar, Commander Jonathan, and several beings dressed like Larkis people jumped down.

Tika’s attention was torn between wanting to protect the others and wanting to know what was actually happening. Why did the Commander attacked them? Why did Avamar do all of these things? Tika couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

Meanwhile, Professor Ratri managed to take down a few Larkis people, before fighting one on one with Commander Jonathan, who deftly disarmed her. He put her in a headlock, while some Larkis people grabbed Professor Arga, Indah, Bayu, and Tika. The only one left standing was Varka.

“Give it up, Varka”, Avamar commanded, her voice cold.

“You can’t hurt me”, Varka growled. They brandished their sword toward Avamar.

“I don’t need to hurt you”, Avamar said, while she pointed her gun to Tika’s face. “You’re just like your father. Your silly feelings for humans made you two vulnerable.”

“Traitor”, Varka hissed, but they let the Larkis people take their sword and bound their hands.

“Don’t be like that. I’m doing this for all of our sake. For the humanity and the citizens of Velrakis”, Avamar said. She snapped her fingers, and Tika and her colleagues were taken into the ship.

“You bastard! You tricked us all with this exchange program, and for what? To declare war with us?” Professor Ratri growled as soon as they were inside the ship. She turned to Commander Jonathan, glaring. “And you! You betrayed your own people?”

“You don’t know anything, Ratri”, Commander Jonathan growled back.

“How dare you betray my father!” Varka hissed toward Avamar.

“Your father is not what you think he is, you naive child!” Avamar returned. “Why did you think he agreed to an exchange program with an underdeveloped being? That’s because he wants to take over the Earth and make it our new home-planet!”

“I— That’s not— W-what…?” Varka’s voice shook.

Avamar sighed deeply. “Thanks to the population boom, your father has been considering to take over a planet. An inhabited planet. Earth became his main candidate, especially after the arrival of your mother on Velrakis. He believes that taking over the Earth is the only way for us, the Anur Arta, to live side by side with the humanity.”

“Mother won’t agree—” Varka stopped, their eyes widening as if they realized something. “Did— did he kill—”

“It was a tragic accident. Your mother was experiencing a lot of health issues after she gave birth to you. Not to mention the stress for marrying the Emperor — not everyone agreed to their wedding”, Avamar said, shaking her head. “The three of us argued late into the night, and… well… there’s a reason why the Emperor never recovered after her death.”

Tika would feel absolutely sorry for Varka, if only her thoughts were not filled with scary images about Mothership Velrakis flying above Earth’s orbit, and Velrakis-Aran soldiers lining up to take over the Earth. The image was so clear and so vivid that it made her want to throw up.

“But her death didn’t stop him from wanting to take over the Earth, correct?” Professor Ratri asked.

“Of course not. Velrakis is unable to sustain any more of its citizens”, Avamar said. “To the Emperor, building a new life on Earth is the only way to save our species from total extinction, while also preserving the memory of her late wife.”

“We would never agree to that!” Tika cried out.

“I never said it’s a great idea”, Avamar returned. “Subjugation is not our way. Once I know about the Emperor’s plan to take over the Earth by using the exchange program, I knew I had to do something.”

“By killing the exchange program members”, Professor Arga added. “That way, the people on Earth would never trust you again, and the diplomatic mission will be cancelled entirely.”

“That is correct”, Avamar said.

All of the sudden, the ship shook hard. Tika used the moment to pull herself away from the Larkis people holding her.

“What’s going on?!” Avamar asked.

“The Velrakis-Aran— they’re pulling us in!” one of the ship’s crewmembers answered.

“The Velrakis-Aran will never forgive you for conspiring against father”, Varka said to Avamar.

“And Velandar will never let the Earthlings out of his grasp, not after they know about his plan to take over the Earth”, Avamar said, before turning to Tika and her colleagues. “You need to escape. This ship is outfitted with an emergency shuttle. Use it to reach Earth and tell everyone about the Emperor’s plan!”

Without any more words, Tika and her colleagues went into the shuttle. When Tika turned to Avamar and the others, her eyes fell to Varka. Varka, whose world was turned upside down. Varka, whose very principle and idealism was being violated by their own father. Varka, who looked absolutely shaken by everything that had been revealed to them.

“Varka! Come with me to Earth!” Tika cried out, offering her hand toward them.

Varka blinked. They turned to Avamar, as if wanting to ask something.

“Perhaps it would be best if you leave all this mess behind”, Avamar said, gently.

Varka hugged Avamar tightly. She looked surprised for a moment, before pushing Varka into the shuttle. Before the cockpit completely closed, they could see Avamar’s face, filled with regret.