Oriehn

Chapter 17- Alice

Chapter 17- Alice

"Come on, Alice! This way!" Drai called, waving me over frantically. I nodded, sprinting towards her as she headed up the stairs.

I followed her, running up two steps at a time. "Do you not have elevators?" I huffed slightly as we ran up the fourth flight of stairs.

"Yes, we do, but of course with our luck they're broken today," Drai groaned as she reached the fifth floor. "Sit down. I need a rest, and I think you do too." I just nodded and plopped onto the ground next to her, waving my hand in front of my face.

"Is this a normal occurrence? No one looks that frenzied, and no one is taking action," I commented, and Drai frowned, shaking her head.

"No, it is not. I am not sure why no one seems as panicked as we do...maybe it has been here for a week or so already? I have not been here in quite a while, so I am not sure. Let's go and warn the leaders," she answered, and I grimaced. "Okay, come on."

We ran up more flights of stairs until we reached the top floor. I had lost count, but Drai had informed me that it was the thirtieth floor. "We're—here..." I panted, leaning on the wall for support.

Drai was sprawled on the floor, her hair covering her face.

"Yes..." Drai trailed off, sighing dramatically. I laughed and pulled her up as she whined dramatically again.

"Come on, Drai, we have to go!" I say, laughing as she slumps back on the ground.

"One more minute!" She protests, and I sit down next to her. We sit in silence for more than a minute, but none of us seems to want to break the tranquility shrouding us. The minute we disturbed it, we would have to face whatever lay before us. I shifted slightly and Drai started.

She quickly looked at her watch and her eyes widened. I would have chuckled at her expression, if it was not such an urgent matter. "I will lead the way," Drai pointed down the hall towards the row of offices and started walking at a brisk pace down the hall, I hurriedly followed after.

She stopped at an office, abruptly rapping at the door. "This one is my father's. He is probably the only one that will make time for me," Drai whispered as the door opened.

A man of a thicker build stood there, his eyes confused and wary but seemingly very friendly. He wore a big smile at the sight of Drai, and they hugged quickly. "And who might you be?" Drai's father asked after exchanging pleasantries.

"I'm Alice Proctor. Nice to meet you, sir," I stuck a hand out which he promptly shook.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" He mused.

"He forgets things sometimes," Drai whispered to me, her face lighting up at the sight of her father as she reminded him,"Dad, this is the last-born female, remember? She was stranded on Earth without knowing her ancestry. We have brought her back to live on Oriehn now."

"Ah, yes!" He smiled at me, then frowned. "Why are you two here at this time? I told you, Padraigin, don't interrupt me unless it's important," he shook a finger in her face, and she laughed.

"You always say that yet you would have canceled one of the most important meetings for me," she laughed.

"Why, yes, I would have. But now may I ask why you're here?" He asked, his voice turning serious.

"There are ships outside, and getting closer to us every second. How can you not notice them? Why has no action been taken? Surely this is important." Drai's father nodded somberly, smiling wryly.

"We have noticed them...but there is no need for any action to happen. These spacecrafts are multiplying by the second, far too numerous for armed conflict, and that is not necessarily the scariest part."

"Then what is?" Drai interrupted.

"The capsules are from Earth. They are unmanned, and the people on Earth are controlling them remotely. We can bomb a squadron up, but it will immediately be replaced like nothing has happened."

I frowned. "What are they here for?" I spoke up.

"We aren't sure. There's a theory on it, that they may be an impending threat, or perhaps a reminder that we are not the most powerful in the Etanalim Galaxy. We aren't taking action because they haven't yet. I assure you, once they fire the first shot, we will immediately retaliate." Drai's father said.

"What if that happens? Will we win? With the millions of ships with ammunition, and they keep multiplying, will the Venery be enough to stop them?" Drai inquired worriedly. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she shot me a grateful smile.

Her father hesitated. "We...we aren't sure. We have nothing on these ships, not even an estimate on what they can do, and how many there are. We aren't even sure if they'll immediately eliminate all of us, or if it will stop growing," He said wearily.

Drai frowned. "So is it a losing battle?" She pursed my lips.

"Perhaps. We do not know anything yet. It seems that the people on Earth are stronger than we thought they were," he sighed.

Drai turned to me. "Alice, did you know this was happening?"

I froze in place, eyes wide. Did she suspect me? Did she know? My heart pounded at what her reaction would be if she found out. Heartbreak? Betrayal, certainly. I was gathering information, intel, and sending it back to the human insurgence— the one that wants to put an end to the Oriehn race as a whole. My thoughts flew around me, and I swallowed deeply as I looked about the small cabin aboard the lunar station while collecting my thoughts.

I shook my head, finally calm enough to answer. "No. I was in the labs, which is in no way connected to the engineering of these ships. I would have never guessed this, even. And if I did know, why would I climb up thirty flights of stairs to hear something I already know?" I reasoned.

"No, you wouldn't," Drai agreed, turning  to her father. "Do you have any idea what they are going to do?"

"We think that it is in position to attack us if we step out of line, but all we have are guesses. No one is really certain." He finished as footsteps came echoing towards us.