The Earthly Queen: The Woman of Worlds Apart

Chapter 12: (Eris)

I'm about ready to come apart at the seams. I have absorbed more information tonight than anyone should over the course of a lifetime. I feel like an overworked computer about ready to take a memory dump.

We've been driving for a few short minutes but it feels like forever. I just want to get out of the city, we need to leave, now, I can't take it!

"What exactly is going on?" I ask Caine, finally, my voice so meek it surprises me he can even hear.

"I'm not sure," Caine says. "I can only assume we've stumbled into a feud between the Halcyon-Akin family."

"What the fuck is that?"

"It's a last name, a powerful name. One that strikes fear into the hearts of most. The house of the Halcyon-Akin is the oldest one in the history of the Verse. They're business moguls in the harvesting industry. Very rich, very powerful, very influential towards everything and everyone in the Verse. Earth is only a tiny piece out of the intergalactic pie they have control over."

"And this guy, Kris, he's one of them?"

"Bingo. He and my employer, Lord Zander, are brothers in law and also big time competitors, and as such, bitter enemies. A war between the two isn't uncommon. But for one to be centered around someone like you?" he shakes his head. "I've no fucking idea why."

"I am so fucking confused!" I moan and slide down in my seat wishing I could just sink through the floor and never be seen again. "Besides, how can someone with 'halcyon' in their name do shit like this? I thought that mean joyful, wonderful, amazing, perfection, whatever."

"Perfection, Caine says, "you're correct. Halcyon, akin. Their name literally means 'children of perfection.' Real egotists, right?"

"They don't seem that perfect to me," I say, lamely. "I gotta say, Caine, you're not selling me on the world you come from. Where are we going, anyway?"

"Out of the city, past that, no clue."

"You know what this means don't you? The government and military are going to be looking for me. I'm the cause for half of America blowing up."

"I think you're engaging in hyperbole," Caine says as a weak joke.

"You know what I fucking mean!" I snap.

"I know, sorry. And, Eris, the military is the least of your concern. They won't even know anything happened in a couple hours. Nobody on this planet will."

"That's impossible."

"You still don't get what we're capable of?"

"Apparently not. And after nearly being killed every five fucking seconds I'm really getting sick of being told how stupid I am and being spoon fed more shit I apparently don't know."

Caine sets his jaw. He wants to yell at me, I can tell. He grips the steering wheel so hard the plastic actually cracks a little.

He sighs deeply and speaks, low and calmly. "The buildings that were taken out, the streets, the ships - the battle cruisers and my shuttle - all of it will be removed and rebuilt by tonight, exactly as they were before. The debris will be removed and every single last person that died will just 'vanish.' mass disappearances have happened in your planet's history before, this will be nothing new. No evidence will be left whatsoever."

I stare at him. "The space humans are just going to make all of this go away? Are you shitting me right now?"

"It'll be done by contractors of Kris and, no, I am not shitting you."