I slinked up the stairs into the building, where soon the fate of my world would be decided. My world, the last planet to possibly be destroyed for the hyper pass route the Grand Council was creating. The route was meant to make traveling along the universe easier for many. With only just over 3,000 inhabitants, my planet Tarsus would be possibly destroyed. Since the only other planet they could kill, was Netrus which held 500 more inhabitants then mine.
The Grand Council continued to tell the universe that sacrifices would have to be made. Of course the inhabitants of the planet would be given safe haven; meaning if we were picked to be destroyed, we are given so much time to pack and get out.
I continued down the building halls, my purple skin glowed under the fluorescents. I wore a casual dress known among my species. It was summer on our planet, so little else for clothing was needed. I nodded at the guard, showing him my badge. He had red skin and his hands were replaced with claws. He understood me only because he knew our language, which was the same as our sister planet. He glared at me.
Of course, always the rudeness of a Netron, I thought angrily. I shrugged of the threatening glance and made my way to the council room.
I, as well as my partner on the matter, were here to represent our planet. Technically I was only here to witness for our planet, to make sure the word of my superior would be correct.
My superior, Commander Maxwell Latting, walked up beside me, his skin was glowing green. Men and women of my species are determined by the color of our skin. From far away we are almost indistinguishable, unless you count in our skin color. Men are green and women are purple. A lot of us had either paler or darker of our color.
Max, as I call him, was a paler green. There was only a slight white tone if one looked from far away. At a distance he looked closer to those of our sister planet, Earth, Humans. Of course the inhabitants of earth were saved because of their numbers, as our planet looked to be destroyed in the close future. We were sister planets because of our size, the easy access of oxygen in the air, and the way both our species replicated each other. The only difference between us is the color of our skin and our eyes.
If one was blind they wouldn’t know we were Tarsuns, unless they glimpsed our eyes. Our eyes were unique, shockingly beautiful to the outside world. Everyone’s eyes were different, the only thing we had to ourselves. Mine were blue, the lightest blue. Max’s were orange, flaming in his skull. But the colors weren’t what made our eyes shocking, it was the shape. They are our biggest feature but our pupils are slanted like a cat’s. We’ve been called demons, monsters; mostly by those religious figures from our so called sister planet.
Max looked down at me, worry in his eyes. My fear and worry must have been visible because he placed an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into the embrace, hoping that his strength would guide me, even after the decision was made.
“What do we do Max, if our world is lost? All of the species of animals, the questions we will never be able to answer, and the question’s lost with the explosion, but most of all our origin. We can’t lose our planet,” I nearly sobbed into his shoulder. The glances from the lower council members, we’re filled with concern and pity. I defiantly glared back. They were just as much to blame for this mess.
“All we can do is pray, Ayden, all we can do is pray,” was his simple reply. He knew the consequences if the Grand Council voted in favor for the Netrons. I leaned away from him, his sudden tension telling me the meeting was coming to order. He was a gifted Tarsun, very rare on our planet. He could read the minds of those around us. It was convenient when being attacked but in this situation he was powerless against hearing our fate before anyone else.
At that second, all seven of the Grand Council members joined us in the room. There were only five groups present in the room. Us the Tarsuns, the Netrons, the Grand Council, the Lower Council, and the universe reporters. From the way Max slouched, I could tell we were the losers in this debate. My throat began to clamp up, my eyes burned where the tears threatened to show, and my fists were balled up in sudden anger and humility at losing our precious planet.
The Higher Grand Council member looked in our direction, no emotion showing on his face. None of them had any kind of emotion on there faces. There were three women and four men. My tears crept forward and spilled from my eyes into my balled up fists lying on my lap.
“As speaker for the Grand Council, I declare that planet Tarsus will be destroyed for the making of the universe hyper pass. Netrus will be saved because of it’s quantity of inhabitants. Meeting adjourned,” he said. He looked extremely bored.
There was suddenly a very loud wailing in the court. I didn’t realize until Max grabbed my arm that it was me. Everyone stared. They were shocked at my outburst; unable to feel the pain I was feeling. The reporters seemed excited, finally seeing some kind of action. I kept my face low, no doubt they’d already gotten there pictures for their papers. I could already see the headline. Lunatic Tarsun goes ballistic at Grand Council meeting. If our faces could blush like humans, my whole body would be red. I’d look like a Netron.
“Ayden, come. We have no more business here. Let us leave to warn our planet,” Max said no emotion evident in his voice. I knew how much pain he must be in, as everyone else would when the news was broken. We would call ahead letting them know we were on our way, than we’d get there just to break their hopes and leave. I sobbed, silently, at the thought of leaving our planet.
“Commander Maxwell and Witness Ayden report to the Grand Council chambers,” came a command over the buildings intercom. Max looked at me, worried I couldn’t handle seeing the Grand Council members again. I straightened up my back and wiped the tears from my cheeks. I looked up into Max’s flaming eyes and nodded my head.
It wasn’t long before we reached their chamber. We were announced by servants, from a lower life form planet. I looked in pity at them; they’d lost their planet as well. Not for the Hyper Pass route, but during the wars, of feuding planets. Their planets name was lost with their culture. Anger rose up from deep down in my heart. I wouldn’t let our planet be forgotten.
We called in and were seated in front of the long desk that seated them all. They looked at us with serious expressions. A woman, not much older than me on the council looked at me warily, debating if I was going to make another outburst. I held my head high, even though tears threatened to flow again.
“We have called you to tell you what you must do, now that your planet is to be terminated for the building of our hyper pass. Be lucky to be among the 17 planets that have given their homes for this great creation. With this hyper pass we will be saving species of planets much time. It’ll also help our armies against the Gargun,” he concluded. The Gargun were a common enemy among all of the planets. They traveled planet to planet, capturing many species of people. Some returned, only held for ransom. Others did not, only our imaginations could wonder if they were killed quickly other than slowly. My father, when I was 10 years old, Tarsus years, was captured by the Gargun. We knew my father was dead, he was one of the first prisoners they captured and to invoke reactions from planets, there was a live broadcast to all the planets. Everyone, every planet watched those prisoners die. I watched my father die. My mom said he died saving us. He had told my mother to go as he fell back from the fleeing Tarsus and let himself fall into the arms of a Gargun.
“We well know what we must do, Grand Council member. We can take it from here,” Max said, a hint of anger flaring up from his core.
“So you have a Safe Haven planet?” the Grand Council member demanded. At Max’s blank stare, the Grand Council member seemed amused. The others continued to stare, uncaring, no emotion visible.
“No, we don’t,” Max sighed. Pain beginning to rise up into his voice. My eyes echoed his voice. The woman who seemed wary before began to fear another outburst on the horizon.
“So that’s what we’re here for you to tell us? Just tell us, so we can leave and mourn our planet. Or does that seem lowly to onlookers? Have you ever lost a planet, Grand Council members?” at my questions, the members stared. My last question made them flinch. Of course they hadn’t, “I didn’t think so.”
“All we wish to tell you is the nearest Safe Haven planet is Decidrus, maybe about 45,000 light years away. The planet is far enough away so you will not be caught in the blast or be able to watch your planet die. There is a radio device on the planet, we wish you to contact us when all of you have safely reached Decidrus so we may commence the termination. We are very sorry for your loss,” another woman commented, pity leaking ever so slightly from her eyes.
I realized, I believe for the first time that day, that there was no way to change their minds, it was decided. All we could do was go back and hope. Go back and just try to survive the remaining days we had on our planet until survival would become something worse. Survival would all we would have left.