Iqi: Arrival

Chapter Three

 "A sister?" I exclaimed. "How?"

Chancellor Nakano sat down in the identical egg shaped chair beside me. President Tapiwa had left the explaining to him while she and Captain Kiernan continued their discussion.

"Well your mother had a child before she had been abducted by those smugglers all those years ago," Chancellor Nakano began.

"I was told my mother was still a child when she was taken," I interrupted.

"Technically yes. Maia Floros was 19 years old when she was taken which is on the cusp of adulthood. She had Hermione when she was 14 years old, which is very young and unusual for humans but not impossible."

"Hermione," I tasted the name on my tongue. It was foreign and difficult to pronounce. "She looks nothing like my mother."

Chancellor Nakano chuckled. "Yes, she supposedly takes after her father. But there is no denying she is your mother's child. She's been quite excited to finally meet you."

"Why was she denied access to meet me?" I asked.

Chancellor Nakano frowned. "What makes you think she was denied access to you?"

I casted him a curious glance. "She was obviously not intended to be there when she arrived. And she was dragged out of the room after announcing herself."

"Ah, the thing is that there was protocol in place. You and her were to meet and a different scheduled time. A time in which you had already been informed you had a sibling. Hermione felt that family shouldn't have to take a backseat to intergalactic protocol."

The way Chancellor Nakano spoke of her was with annoyance. I felt a sudden protective urge to defend her.

"I agree," I said a bit haughtily. "I would have liked to have been informed about relatives on Earth before my arrival. If that option had been considered perhaps there would have been no need for my sister to be dragged off like an non sentient beast."

"Ah, well we apologize for the use of force..."

"It is not me you should apologize too."

"Ah, well, yes, of course...."

I sighed. "Tell me of my options for living in this United States. Are there any climates suitable available?"

"Yes, of course!" Chancellor Nakano beamed grateful for the change in subject. He pulled a map out of his file. "I would suggest all the northernmost states such as Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine."

He pointed at each state as he listed them but it made no difference to me. I did not know enough about Earth to tell these places apart. I pretended to study the map closely before pointing the the most familiar sounding one.

"This one here is known for its diversity correct," I asked.

"New York? Ah, you must be thinking of New York City," He pointed at a very small dot on the state. "Yes, New York City is known for diversity, but it is located near the very bottom of the state and the summers get very warm. Is diversity very important to you?"

"Yes it is," I pondered the map for a moment. "How often do the seasons change on this planet? And how quickly?"

"It takes an entire cycle around our sun for the seasons to make a full cycle. We have a different season every 4 months or approximately every 2 fv'irtes."

"Hmmm, do you think it would be possible for me to spend the colder seasons in New York City and the warmer ones in perhaps a colder climate."

"Of course! Chancellor Smith oversees all of Canada and Russia which are famously cold countries," Chancellor Nakano smiled.