The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.

---- Thieron and Nala check out a new target, and realize that Etrie's team was trailing the same target.

---- Goldstar preps for the Transfer to the South Land. Goldstar and the Transfers are attacked by the Savages and Creatures in the Open. They are saved by the Gale squad of the Open. Goldstar is terribly hurt and he is told that his wound will definitely scar. They set out to the South Land.

---- They drop the Transfers at the South Land. When Gold asks Iyler to marry him one day she doesn't respond.

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****14.5 - Goldstar****

Goldstar and Iyler headed down for lunch; somehow, having 'lunch' when it was dark outside seemed strange to him. 

Premier Zhaleh and the new Transfers were already seated. Goldstar and Iyler sat next to each other, and she joined the on-going conversation about life in the South Land. Goldstar sat quietly, listening to Premier Zhaleh explain to the Transfers of how life worked there.

The couple – Kai and Elin – wanted to have a wedding, and Premier Zhaleh was assuring them they would receive help. Goldstar wondered if he and Iyler would ever get married. She seemed more comfortable in evading the topic than talking about it.

He ate well in silence. The food at the South Land was such a pleasure to eat; the food brought his taste buds alive. The packed meals in the Cities seemed to kill them. He excused himself soon from Premier Zhaleh and left. He was aware of Iyler looking at him as he walked away without a word or a look towards her, but he wasn't in the mood.

He pulled his new coat tighter as he stepped into the cold dark afternoon. The sun was close to being a sliver in the sky, and in a few weeks, it wouldn't be seen at all.

A few were people going about their work after lunch. Goldstar knew several of them; he had helped many of them and had brought them to the South Land. Many remembered him, and many of them made it a point to visit him when he stayed in the South. He walked along the mud path snaking between the houses enjoying the place. Occasionally, he met people he had rescued, and they stopped to inquire how he was doing.

He smelled the Zayr Settlement even before he saw it. The fragrance of the multitude of spices they used in their food wafted far, and it was inviting. He walked further towards the Zayr Settlement and saw the people going about their work everyone in their traditional clothes.

The Zayr were people of the planet Ierne. The planet of Ierne was close to Ytèan, and the Zayr were people who were in constant conflict with the Monarch of Ierne. More than half of the planet belonged to the Monarch; the Zayr were trying to bring him down and take control of the Empire. Most of the Zayr wanted it, but some were on the Monarch's side. They were threatened by the leader of their clan to support him in his conquest of the Empire. The Monarch gave these people refuge, but the place was in perpetual war. So, some of the Zayr had started to seek haven in different planets – where the civilization closely resembled them in appearance. And, they had found Earth millions of light-years away from war-ridden Ierne.

They had settled on the South Land since the majority of the human population was concentrated on the Main Lands. The South Land wasn't bothered by the Leadership either. The Zayr lived peacefully alongside the humans who had chosen to flee South. Not once had there been any altercation.

The Zayr looked like humans, but like the Ytai, they had their differences. Goldstar had once wondered if all alien species looked the same with minor variances, but then he had come across someone from a planet whose name he couldn't pronounce, and that thought had vanished. He had been terrified by how that 'person' had looked. It was the first and last time he had seen that 'person' on the South Land when 'he'd' come to visit the Princess.

The sound of the Zayr language – Za – floated to him as he neared the Settlement. It was a rather violent sounding language – or it seemed so to him. One would assume the people were fighting if they only heard the Zayr speak with their eyes closed. But if one saw them, they would be laughing and having fun. The Zayr had also learned CommLang, the language of the humans with most Zayr kids who were born on the Earth knowing CommLang like it was their own language. Even the kids' accents were more close to CommLang than Za itself.

"Goldstar!"

It was Zwi'zwr.

Goldstar waved at the Zayr.

"Long time no see, my favorite human," Zwi'zwr told him walking to him.

"How have you been?" Goldstar bowed.

Zwi'zwr was shorter than him and lean like most Zayr. Where the Ytai were all tall with varied skin color (like human skin tones), the Zayr were all short, all thin and lean and all pale.

"Good. You?" his Za accent was thickly embedded into his CommLang.

"I have been well, thank you, Zwi'zwr. I hope the Princess is free."

"Yes, she has been expecting you."

Goldstar smiled. Zwi'zwr had braided his long blonde hair. Gold found the Zayr beautiful, both the men and women. Like the Ytai, he had yet to meet a less than pretty Zayr.

Zwi'zwr walked with him till the Princess' place and the left wishing him a good evening, which had Goldstar wondering how people kept track of time in a place where darkness or sunshine lasted for days.

The guards at the Princess' place greeted him with bright smiles and let him into the house built of wood and stone. One of the men took him to the back of the house, which opened out to the ocean and left him there. The Princess sat on a rock, looking out at the waves crashing onto the shore; her long silver hair strands waves themselves in the wind.

He made his way to her, and as he neared, she turned around.

"Veer," she said.

"Princess," he bowed.

"Come sit." she patted the rock next to the one she was sitting on.

Goldstar took his seat – rock – next to her. She looked young, around sixteen, or at the most seventeen. But, that was just her equivalent human age. She was much older than he was – at least by a few hundred human years. The Ierne and Ytai lived very long lives, making the human's lives seem infinitesimal. But, if he condensed all those years into human years, she was around the age of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old human.

"It has been so long since I saw you last, Veer."

"I've been busy, my Princess."

"Saving humans from other humans?" she faced him.

He smiled. "Where is Yal?"

"She's inside," she said, studying him. "How is your family?"

"Good, my Princess." he fished for the small storage pod he had kept in his coat pocket - thank the stars Daniel had picked up his backpack in the Open when the Creatures and Savages had attacked them – and handed it to her.

"Old world music!" she beamed.

Goldstar had met Ruyanir, Princess of the Zayr, when he had first visited the South. She had taken a liking to him and insisted that they meet whenever he visited. She loved the stories he had about the Main Lands and the little gifts he brought for her. She reminded him of his younger siblings and never once saw her as someone much older than him in years; she was young in her mind like how young his siblings were. She seemed more like a younger sister.

Princess Ruyanir had lived on Earth for a very long time – her father hadn't wanted her where the war threatened her safety. She had arrived on Earth along with the refugees, although she had been sent to Ytèan by her father. Not many Ierne stayed on Ytèan, and she had wanted to be with her people much to her father's chagrin. But, he must have let her off for it, for he hadn't insisted she go back to Ytèan.

She rarely spoke of her family, and when she did, it was mostly of her mother and a few cousins who she had been with when she was much younger.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome, Princess."

"Veer," she said. "The Prince is here. I have spoken so much about you with him. He says he wants to meet you. I told Zhaleh. She wasn't sure if you would want to."

The Princess looked at him expectantly. She was the only one who knew his real name and only called him by his name when the two were by themselves. She had promised not to tell anyone his real name, and she had always been faithful to her words.

"I would like to meet him, Princess."

She was delighted. Goldstar was curious too about the Prince, who visited her often.

"Goldstar!"

The two of them turned around to find Premier Zhaleh hurrying towards them. She looked anxious.

"What's wrong, Zhaleh?" Princess Ruyanir asked.

Premier Zhaleh stood, catching her breath and bowed to the Princess after she had steadied herself. If she came by herself and not sent anyone, it must be something that needed immediate attention. Once she'd caught her breath, she told them, "It's news from the Main Lands."

"What is it?" Goldstar asked, growing worried by her anxiousness.

"The Research Institute... there was a blast."

"What?"

"There was a huge blast at the Institute at Pristine One. At least two are feared dead."

"Oh, no..." Princess Ruyanir's voice was soft.

"And, the Director's son is missing."

"Huh?" Goldstar was shocked.

"The Director's son, Thomas Ersco, was in the Institute at the time. They still haven't found him. Gold, Premier Red wants you back at Pristine One. You must leave tonight."

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