ELIJAH PACED his room at the dome with an urgency that
suggested he had somewhere to go. The truth was, the only place he
wished he could visit was not somewhere that could be seen on foot.
Over the past several months, he’d wished he could be back on
Earth with his fiancée, Celia. Even if it was at a time before they had
declared their feelings for each other. Being with her in any capacity
was better than what he was doing right now.
To top it off, her identical twin sister, Avalyn, was always nearby.
Every time that Elijah saw her, he felt the initial attraction that he
felt with Celia. The difference was that Avalyn was an empress of
the planet Blara and she already had a husband, Walrez.
He had taken to avoiding Avalyn when she wasn’t with her
husband. He wasn’t sure if the two had noticed his reluctance to
spend time with her or not, but he didn’t care. If they couldn’t respect
his feelings and understand the emotional trauma he was going
through, then that was too bad for them. He didn’t have any plans to
change his course of action.
“She reminds me of you, Celia, she has to understand,” he said.
He wasn’t sure why, but whenever he spoke to Celia, he looked up as
1
though he was praying to the universe or perhaps God. It wasn’t logical,
but neither was talking to someone who couldn’t hear you. “I miss
you so much, and I’m sick with worry at what you must be going
through. Dreams build a great future, and I would like to find your
perfect smile and create our future.”
Since Celia had been eight years old, Elijah, barely a man
himself, had been tasked with her safety. Her father, a US senator,
had been paranoid about Celia’s safety. Having lost his wife and her
twin sister when they were only toddlers, Christian had used a significant
portion of his wealth in hiding Celia away from the world.
Despite his best efforts, though, she had managed to leave Earth
behind to find her sister on another planet. It had been purely accidental,
a side effect of the powers that she’d been gaining whilst on
Earth. Somewhere inside of her genetic code, there was part of her
that was not human.
It was with his bit of DNA that she was able to become something
more, and through his connection with her, he had also become
something more. Now he was stuck on a planet speaking a language
he could barely comprehend with a woman that looked like his love
but who was untouchable.
A chime echoed through the room, and Elijah turned toward the
entrance. A small crack formed in the shiny white wall. The crack was
the only indication that there was a door there, and from a distance, it
was discernible by the naked eye. When Elijah had first arrived, the only
way he could find doorways was to run his hand along the walls and feel
for it. Now that his vision had been enhanced he could often see it.
Walrez and Avalyn stood inside an elevator, waiting for his invitation
before coming inside the room. “Hello, brother,” said Avalyn.
The sound of her voice made Elijah wince, and the sisters even
sounded the same.
They stepped into the room, and Elijah ushered them to the
sitting area where they could all relax while they spoke. “Have you
made any progress?” he asked.
MOEEZ HATANIAN
2
Another alien race that they had been unaware of only weeks
prior to their arrival on Blara, had absconded Celia. A man, if he
could be called that, from Narran had arrived in the dome, whom
Avalyn had informed him was called Avalros, claiming Celia as his
own. Through some accord signed millennia ago, the man was
allowed to take Celia with him, though they were still trying to find
some way around it.
“Walrez has done some investigating into the matter, and we
word like to put your mind at ease, dear Elijah. The Narran are a silicon-
based life form, and they are not compatible with humans. If
Sordan chooses to marry Celia, it will be an unsuccessful union. He
will not get the outcome he desires out of his actions.” She stared at
Elijah, seeming to almost will him to be calm.
“Also,” added Walrez, “We have communicated with the elders
on Narran, and they aren’t happy with his actions. It’s my understanding
that Sordan’s decision was in no way supported by the
government.”
Their words offered him a sense of relief, though it was small. He
wouldn’t be wholly settled until he had Celia back in his arms and
under his protection.
“There is another issue at hand,” said Avalyn. “It makes the
urgency of returning Celia to Blara even stronger.”
What could be more important than getting your twin back?
thought Elijah. He calmed his face and tried to hide his thoughts
from her, but he wasn’t sure if he was successful.
“We have two… beings who are disruptive to the universe’s
current balance. The Alpha Brothers are causing problems as they
travel from planet to planet, and I’m afraid it will be up to us to stop
the chaos that follows them.” Walrez nodded gravely and reached
over to grasp her hand, with fingers that looked human but were too
long and slender to be quite right.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but those two brothers are not my main
concern,” said Elijah, his tone formal and distant. “Celia, your sister
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3
is my only concern. We need to get to her before Sordan can harm
her.”
“That’s what we’re here to tell you, Elijah,” said Walrez. He
didn’t seem offended by Elijah’s words if anything he seemed sympathetic
to his cause. “While we have been struggling to get things in
motion to return Celia to you, the issues with the Alpha Brothers
have forced the hand of rulers. Everyone is pushing to have Celia
returned to you sooner rather than later.”
A wave of relief washed over Elijah, and he closed his eyes and
leaned back in his chair. He almost felt like he could relax. “So what’s
the plan?”
Walrez smiled at him. “Well first I will need you to visit my
cousin, Vesta. He will be helping with the diplomatic discussions
surrounding Celia’s return. From there, things should be simple. I
would go get him myself, but I can’t leave Avalyn’s side, with the
Alpha Brothers wreaking havoc.”
“What’s involved with getting him here?” asked Elijah. Though
he had gained some powers due to his aura mixing with Celia’s on
Earth, he didn’t have the ability to create portals as she and her sister
did. In fact, the idea of a portal brought back a feeling of nausea. The
experience had not been pleasant, to say the least.
“You’ll take Madalyn,” said Avalyn. She still held tight to
Walrez’s hand. There was something more happening that Elijah
wasn’t quite aware of.
“Who’s that? Isn’t that your mother’s name?” he asked.
“It is my mother’s name, but you won’t be bringing her with you.
I’ve named one of my favourite ships after her. We’ll have you board
that ship and fetch Vesta.”
“Is he just in another city?”
“No,” said Walrez. “It’s slightly more complicated than that.
Vesta is from the planet Lorana; you will have to travel to a different
galaxy to retrieve him.”
“What?” he asked. The idea of taking some ship and hyper
MOEEZ HATANIAN
4
jumping through space seemed ridiculous, yet Walrez was telling
him this with a straight face.
“We do it using Strangelet quark particles. I’m guessing humans
haven’t discovered this yet,” said Walrez with a smile.
“We’re in the Hexan Galaxy,” said Avalyn. “You will need to go
to the Malin Galaxy to get Vesta. Crissada, can you please show
Elijah a map?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” came a voice. It was an avatar of the
computer system that was run throughout Avalros. The Blarans had
technology that was only being dreamed of on Earth, and it made
their lives less complicated.
A holographic map of Hexan and the nearby galaxies popped up
in front of Elijah. A red dot indicated where they were; a blue dot
indicated Lorana. “Where’s Earth in all of that?” he asked. It was
difficult to orient himself on the map; it wasn't something he’d ever
studied. The stars and the universe were Celia’s expertise.
A green dot showed up in another galaxy. Elijah sighed, having
the location of Earth didn’t make the map any easier for him to read.
“All right, so when do we get started?”
“The Madalyn is currently being stocked for your trip,” said
Walrez.
“How long will this trip be, exactly?”
“It will be a few days. You and Vesta will have to pass through
about ten galactic superclusters and utilize some wormholes to make
the trip faster, but all of our ships are designed to do that. Humans
haven’t mastered that yet.”
Avalyn leaned forward, looking at Elijah with concern. “Is everything
all right? I expected this news to cheer you up,” she said.
“Is that what it feels like? I virtually give your heart to another,
only to have her taken away?”
The couple gave him a sobering look, and he found himself
longing for Celia as he looked at Avalyn’s long red hair and her eyes,
so unique, but keys to her soul. The hazel and blue eyes looked like
RISE OF THE OMEGA EMPRESS
5
they should also be the windows to Celia’s soul, but that wasn’t the
case here.
Suddenly a large explosion rocked Avalros. Elijah grabbed the
arms of his chair to avoid falling out. Avalyn had a look of alarm on
her face, but Walrez seemed to be well aware of what was happening.
Crissada’s voice rang throughout the room again, her voice
crackled like the system had been damaged in some way. She spoke
in a language that Elijah didn’t understand but then said clearly in
Blarran, “Do not force our hand. Respect the Omega Order.”
He was learning that this world was full of secrets. First, there
were Ancient Accords, and now there were Omega Orders. What
was next?
“As you can see, the timing has become a bit tight,” said Walrez.
“We’ll need to get Celia back as soon as possible.”
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