✅ Project SETI 3: Eve's Advent

Part XIV: Where We Left Off

Three months later...

The human government made several attempts to locate and contact the Temetor One, but their efforts thus far were fruitless. Long-distance transmissions refused to connect and displayed a message stating that the receiving code was no longer valid, and a deep scan of the local galaxy and the few that surrounded it revealed that the mothership wasn't anywhere nearby. When asked, Nova informed them that the mothership tended to orbit an Earth-like planet in the Adastreia Nebula, to trade with the locals for resources and the like. Temet confirmed this and provided the exact location of this planet. The re-branded Global Defense Force was dispatched to this location with two objectives: to liberate the humans on board and neutralize the Daxut threat in its entirety.

While Sam had been vague about why she needed this information, in her heart, Temet knew what the humans would do if they found the Temetor One, and it only potentiated her depression. In general, her mood improved when she moved in with Gabriel and Nova, but she was still deep in it—and the knowledge that Nova's shot at Jarah had been fatal made the situation even more difficult to adjust to. She understood why it happened, how it happened, that it couldn't have happened a different way—but the simple fact that Nova killed her continued to pain her daily, and she didn't know what else to do but push it down. The anger and grief became too exhausting to feel all the time.

Gabriel gave her the entire first basement to do with as she wanted. It was gradually converted from an entertainment area that, admittedly, wasn't used all that often, if at all—and the end result was a weird mix of a bachelor pad and a garage. She had a place to sleep, a desk with an elaborate computer, and the rest of it was littered with human technology of various types. When she had the energy for it, she studied it and tried to improve upon it or build something else entirely from the parts, and when she didn't, she indulged in the long-standing human past-time of watching visual media on the internet when she wasn't helping Gabriel with little things. He was making a truly impressive recovery—three months in, his stutter had completely gone away, and a considerable amount of his memory returned to him. He gradually regained his former strength as well, but he didn't get off completely scot-free. In addition to post traumatic stress, he was now epileptic, to a degree where medication didn't completely prevent seizures; it only curbed the frequency and severity of them.

Upstairs, she could hear Julia, Gabriel and Nova talking about something, but the actual words were indiscernible. Then she heard their footsteps moving toward the stairs that led to the basement levels, and shortly after, she heard a cluster of rhythmic knocks on the door.

"Come in," Temet called out from her lounging position on a couch situated across from the computer screens.

"Just going down to the other basement," Gabriel waved to her as they came through the door and immediately rounded the corner that led to the second set of stairs. "Jules is upstairs if you want company."

"Yeah, maybe. Thanks," she lazily waved back and watched out of the corner of her eye as they disappeared downstairs.

Nova waited until the door to the second basement had closed completely before he spoke, "do you... think she knows?"

"What, what we're doing down here?" Gabriel smiled coyly as the severe white surgical lights clicked on. "Probably not. I keep the door locked, and these walls are thick as hell. She won't be able to hear us."

Nova returned the grin. "Good. I've missed this."

"Me too, baby," Gabriel moved toward his large decorative bong and took a huge pull off of it. He held his breath and stepped back over to Nova, took his face in his hands, and forcefully blew the cannabis smoke into his lungs.