Binary Love (18+)

Tangled Up In Blue

Nova gripped tightly onto the straps clipped across her chest. If she had it her way, she hoped to never enter a planet's atmosphere in such a small shuttle ever again. Trying to distract herself, she glanced out a small observation window beside her, carefully taking note of the changes already happening on the planets surface.

It had been a few days since the Atlantis had arrived and the whole group had watched in fascination as the ship had docked on Arcadia.

Like a strange and beautiful flower, the ship had bloomed open, doubling in size to reveal a glass dome. The petal-like sides had curled out to show large solar panels, used to harvest solar energy.

Under the glass dome within was a city spread out like a spiderweb, with a large glistening palace at its centre. In a matter of days, foliage had begun to spread on Arcadia, growing at an unnatural speed. From their calculations, the planet would take a couple of years to terraform, but that was still faster than any other terraforming project completed by the Intergalactic Alliance.

The shuttle gave a sudden jerk, startling Nova enough for her to audibly gasp. Two sets of illuminated eyes focused on her - one silver, the other aquamarine - their unnatural glow more evident as the shuttle's lights flickered from the turbulence.

"It may not feel like it, but this shuttle is actually Volos technology," Nyx lazily waved her hand, her eyes flashing brightly for a second. As if by magic, the shuttle's descent became smooth, while the lights stopped flickering. "I suppose the facade is no longer needed anymore."

Was that meant to make me feel better? Nova thought. Just how long have the Volos been living in alliance space? A shiver prickled and danced along her skin when she realised how advanced they must be to successfully hide for so long. It was either that, or they came from the uncharted parts of the galaxy... or an entirely separate galaxy altogether.

Without the rattle of the shuttle, the lack of conversation became more noticeable. Nova wasn't the best at awkward social situations, but this was on an entirely different level. She looked to Mark at her right - partly for reassurance and partly to avoid Nyx's gaze - trying to express through her eyes her discomfort.

Thankfully, he took the hint. Tipping his head to the side and pulling his ears forward, he then held Nyx's eyes to pull her attention away from Nova.

"Why would you need to hide?" Mark's deep voice rumbled and echoed in the silence. "You know well enough that your technology is more advanced then anything the IA have."

Nova picked up the undertone in the conversation immediately. Mark had essentially acknowledged that the Volos had the winning hand; the IA would accept them with open arms due to what their advancement could bring, but the Volos could also decline and wage a successful war if they wanted. Hiding didn't make sense.

Nyx's silver eyes narrowed in a mixture of amusement and calculation. Her full, blushed lips carefully curled up on one side in a half smile.

"There are a multitude of reasons why." Her sultry voice was smooth and slow. Like she had all the time in the universe. "We are nomadic in nature and our history has taught us the downfalls of giving into hubris. However, we need to still put down roots occasionally. During that time we tend to watch and wait to decide how best to move forward. With more developed neighbours a harmonious integration is preferable."

Nyx seemed to have perfected the art of giving just enough that she was truthful, while withholding enough that it could also be a lie of omission.

"But why hide for this long? Why go to such effort to bring other species here, all with links to Earth Tech?" Nova plucked up the courage to ask, but quickly regretted it when Nyx's unnatural eyes focused on her so intently.