The Greater Universe

"What's In The Sky?"

"Sebastian, Kiffa, you two know the rules. No tv until after breakfast."
Anivene's stern yet gentle reprimands from down the hall were what pulled Max from sleep.
They opened their eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight filtering through the window behind them, and slowly sat up with a yawn.
Their head felt foggy. Man, did jet lag suck.
Max pressed a hand to their forehead and took in a deep breath before edging their feet over to the ladder and cautiously climbing from the bunk above Sebatian's bed to the floor, grabbing the shirt they'd thrown onto the floor last night and slipping in back on.
"But Mom," Sebastian protested, voice muffled as he was several rooms away, "this is really cool! Look!"
"Well turn it down a bit," Anivene sighed, giving in, "your cousin's still sleeping."
Max bit back a laugh over the fact that it had been Anivene that had woken them up, not whatever Sebastian and Kiffa were watching.
They were about to call out to their aunt that they were awake, but a small shuffling noise from the room next door made them pause.
Frowning, Max peered around the half-open door into what they had learned what Azadri's room, which had once been the guest room but was given to Azadri by Luan and Anivene since she preferred privacy.
In the slightly smaller room next to Sebastian and Kiffa's shared room, Max spotted Azadri standing by her bed with her back to them and bit their tongue against a gasp.
She was naked, the sun from outside the window shining on her pale blue skin and catching on a few small, iridescent freckles scattered across her back and shoulders like stars.
Max must have still made some kind of noise because Azadri abruptly whipped her head around, eyes sparking with surprise and anger when she saw them, and Max quickly ducked back around the door.
"Sorry, sorry!" They exclaimed, "I-I didn't think you were still in there, I-"
"Why were you looking at me?" Azadri demanded, storming up to the door with a blanket from her bed wrapped tightly around her body. She closed the door just enough to cover herself, glaring around it at Max. "I sleep in a separate room for a reason. What, did you wanna see what weird anatomy I have? Yeah, I look different than a human, down there too, is that what you wanted to know?"
"No!" Max protested frantically, not sure if they should avoid eye contact with her or not, "I-I thought you were already up, I heard a noise in your room and thought Cupcake was in there or something!"
"Sure." Azadri snarled disbelievingly, her tiny nose wrinkling in a way that Max would've found adorable if the situation wasn't so tense.
"I swear!" Max exclaimed, but Azadri had already closed the door on them.
Max sighed at the sound of her footsteps stomping back over to her bed.
"I'm really sorry." They said after a few seconds of awkward silence.
Azadri didn't reply.
Hanging their head in defeat, Max shuffled out of the room and down the hall. However the guilt sitting in their stomach like a rock vanished when they entered the living room and saw the oh-so-fascinating program Sebastian and Kiffa were watching.
"Residents of Citrine City in the Republic of Venus say the object hovered above the city's dome for several hours without moving," the reporter was saying while a few blurry images were shown on the screen, "there were thousands if not millions of witnesses but not one of them was able to identify the strange craft. It's been suspected that this was an unscheduled visit from an ambassador from another planet, but some witnesses are doubtful."
The screen changed to an interview of a Citrine City resident, who had a rather panicked look on their face.
"That ain't no ambassador ship!" They exclaimed, "I watch 'em come in whenever I hear about 'em comin', and not one of 'em have ever been as big as that thing!"
Another interview, this time a quieter resident who had a haunted look in their eyes.
"I've never seen anything like it. I know it wasn't an ambassador visit because no one went up to meet it. Ambassador ships always land at the spaceport! This thing didn't! Besides, VenusGov is stationed at Daffodil City, if they were trying to meet with us, they would've gone there, not here! Not here..."
A third interview, now a much younger person closer in age to Max and Sebastian, with an AirBoard tucked under their arm.
"If you ask me, it's a sophont species we've never contacted before. They're here to check us out, maybe take some of our resources. Hope they're friendly, at least."
The screen went back to captured pictures and videos of the object that had caused so much fuss as the reporter concluded the story, but Max wasn't really listening anymore, staring in shock at what they were seeing.
It was the same massive ship they'd seen twice on their flight to Venus, hovering over the protective glass dome covering Citrine City.
From below, Max could see that its wings were lined with large, circular lights, and in the centre was an absolutely massive opening of some kind, though it appeared to be closed in most of the pictures and clips.
"Reports are now saying that the object may have left Venus and is now traveling towards Earth," the reporter went on, and Max tuned back in immediately, "though it's impossible to be completely sure. What we do know is that whatever this thing is, it has plenty of people across the solar system asking 'what's in the sky?'"
The news segment ended, the reporter moving on to something else, and Sebastian muted the tv.
Everyone in the room was silent for a minute.
"That sounds scary," Luan murmured finally, "hopefully it's nothing serious."
"I'm sure it's being blown out of proportion," Anivene said quietly, "people want exaggerated stories, not the truth."
"But what if it is the truth?" Sebastian spoke up, turning to face her and resting his elbows on the back of the couch.
"Sebastian," Anivene sighed.
"I'm just saying, it might be!" Sebastian insisted, "those people in the interviews really saw it, why would they lie?"
"We're not saying they're lying," Luan said gently, "we're just saying it's more likely that the news is trying to make it sound scarier than it is."
"I thought it was pretty scary..." Max mumbled without thinking, and suddenly all eyes had turned to them.
"What do you mean?" Kiffa asked, tilting xer head to the side.
"I-I saw the thing," Max stammered awkwardly, hoping Luan and Anivene wouldn't be annoyed by them saying this, "twice. Once when my ship was leaving Mars and again when we got closer to Venus. It flew around the side of the planet, and me and... a-and the stewardess both thought it may have been near Citrine City."
"So that's what you two were talking about, huh?" Luan asked, raising an eyebrow in mild amusement.
Max nodded.
"Yeah. I think she and I were the only ones who saw it the second time, but almost the entire ship saw it on Mars. It shot off at the speed of light, maybe faster, but it was going so slow as it flew towards Venus. It was weird."  
"Well there's no reason to be scared," Anivene murmured gently, weaving around the kitchen island to place her hands on Max's shoulders, "it's on the other side of the planet, so it's nothing to worry about."
"I know," Max said, nodding again, "I feel way safer here than I would on Mars, even with whatever that thing is hanging around."
Out of the corner of their eye, Max thought they saw a look of deep sadness cross Luan's face before vanishing just as quickly, but they couldn't be sure. Besides, they were distracted as Azadri finally came down the hall from her room, now fully dressed.
She and Max made eye contact before they both awkwardly averted their gazes.
Max already knew breakfast was going to be boarderline unbearable.
They sat next to Luan this time, with Kiffa on their other side, trying not to pick at their food.
"Az, you're slouching," Anivene murmured kindly, and Max looked up to see that Azadri had her shoulders hunched and was staring blankly at her food, though she made an effort to perk up at Anivene's gentle voice. "There, dear," Anivene went on with an encouraging smile, "you're so beautiful and strong, don't look sad."
"I'm not beautiful, though." Azadri mumbled.
"Of course you are!" Anivene protested, "just because you don't look like a human girl doesn't mean you're not a beautiful Eviorian girl. Luan, tell her."
Luan glanced up with a mildly panicked expression.
"What? I'm no good at this kind of talk!" He said helplessly, and Anivene put her head in her hands.
"You're totally beautiful, Az!" Sebastian put in, "you're the prettiest girl in school!"
"Yeah, that means a lot coming from someone who only likes guys." Azadri scoffed.
"Hey, just because I'm gay doesn't mean I can't appreciate a beautiful girl!" Sebastian argued.
"He's not wrong," Kiffa added, "I don't find anyone attractive and I still agree with him."
"Guys, just stop it," Azadri almost whined, "you're not gonna make me feel better, so stop trying."
"I think you're the prettiest person I've ever met."
It happened again. Max had said the exact thing they had wanted to not say because they knew it would just make everything even more awkward than before.
Azadri blinked at them from across the table, once again her iridescent eyelashes catching the light through the kitchen window, her mouth hanging open slightly in a delicate O-shape, as if "oh" was exactly what she wanted to say but her throat didn't seem to be working. Her ears and cheeks flushed a light greyish-purple color.
Zally's wet nose nudged Max's leg under the table and they shook themself.
"S-sorry," they stammered, "that was inappropriate of me-"
"No," Azadri cut them off, though her tone was hesitant, "... thank you."
She didn't say anything more, and Max couldn't think of anything else to say, so slowly everyone at the table resumed their previous conversations and the terrible discomfort of the situation finally eased.
Max tried to forget about it, but after breakfast when Luan and Anivene were in the kitchen washing the dishes and Sebastian and Kiffa had returned to the living room to watch tv, Azadri suddenly took Max's hand and dragged them back down the hallway to her room, shutting the door behind her.
"Azadri," Max said nervously, "what-?"
"Did you mean what you said?" Azadri demanded, cutting them off, "or were you just lying to make me feel better after what happened this morning? If you think I'm hideous and deformed-looking then don't pretend I'm not just to placate me, I'm not a child and I don't want to be toyed with!"
"No!" Max exclaimed quickly, "I wasn't lying, I meant it! I promise!"
Azadri stared at them with a mildly disbelieving expression, though in the depths of her sparkling eyes, there was something like hope.
"I like that you don't look like a human girl," Max murmured finally, after what seemed like eons of the two of them staring into each other's eyes in complete silence, "all my life all I've seen is perfect pretty people made for Lady Solar System, and it's all so fake. They've had surgeries and gene manipulations and put PermaFilter chips in their faces so they always look the same, and I hate it. I never wanna look like them. I like the way you look. You're real."
That greyish-purple blush had returned to Azadri's face and ears, and that small glimmer in her eyes had grown, until they shone like stars. Then her face fell.
"I'm glad you feel that way," she murmured softly, "but I never will. You may think I look good the way I am, but no other human ever will."
"But why do you care?" Max asked, "what difference does it make what people think?"
"You don't understand what it feels like," Azadri hissed bitterly, "to see what the world you grew up in calls beauty around you and every day waking up knowing you're so far from it, that people will think you're 'weird' or 'exotic' or even downright hideous, but no one will ever think you're beautiful."
"But I think you're beautiful!" Max argued in desperation, and Azadri froze.
Max's heart was hammering in their chest, and they felt like they might throw up. They hadn't expected to be expressing this to Azadri today - or ever, really.
The moment was broken when Sebastian abruptly opened the door to the room and stuck his head in.
"Hey! Dad said he's gonna take us swimming, you guys comin'?" He asked excitedly, totally oblivious to the situation.
Sebastian had never been good at reading the room.
"Uh, sure," Max murmured, forcing an awkward smile, "sounds like fun!"
"What about you, Az?" Sebastian pressed.
"I dunno..." Azadri said, looking at the floor.
"Aw, c'mon Az, you never come with us!" Sebastian groaned.
"I don't like swimming," Azadri mumbled, "I don't even know how."
"I can teach you." Max spoke up, and once again wished they hadn't said a thing - it seemed like whenever they were around Azadri, their ability to not say stupid things went away. "If you want me to, that is." They added at Azadri's questioning look.
Azadri was quiet for a moment, then, to Max's surprise, smiled and gave them a slight nod.
"Okay," she murmured shyly, "maybe I'll come with you. If you promise not to make fun of me."
"I'd never do that," Max replied earnestly, "to anyone."
Especially not you... they thought, but for once managed not to say out loud.
"FINALLY!" Sebastian yelled, throwing his arms up in the air, "it's gonna be so much fun! I'm gonna go tell Kiffa!!"
He turned and raced back down the hall, and Azadri rolled her eyes.
"I probably shouldn't have said that." She grumbled.
"Huh. I've thought that about ten times this morning." Max admitted dryly, and Azadri giggled.
She had the most beautiful laugh Max had ever heard.
"I think it's nice that you're honest," she murmured, "it's better than pretending to be nice so you won't hurt my feelings. Or so you can make fun of me. And... thanks. For all the nice things you said about me. Even if I don't believe them."
She turned and walked out the door to join Sebastian and the others in the living room, and Max was about to follow when they remembered they'd left their phone under their pillow.
They hurried back into Sebastian and Kiffa's shared bedroom to retrieve it from the top bunk, and as they were climbing back down, they noticed a new message had appeared.