The story so far:

---- Aija and the others are on the South-Land. They are waiting for the Leadership to attack. Goldstar is alive. They lost the Premiere, Leigh, Tailyn, Arah Lin. Ze is getting better in his training. Ze and Ruyanir aren't married yet. The war comes to an end when Iernei spaceships arrive. Aija finds her brother Rei and Vincent alive.Aija and Thieron tell Goldstar all that has happened with them. Aija and Thieorn want to go to Ierne to give Aa'di Irih'va the Avo. Luka didn't expect to survive this long. He now feels at home with Thieron and Nala. Zuri goes home. She asks her parents to go to the South-land with her. They refuse. Xan accepts Var-Inu's offer to get an Iernei body. Xan is now Iernei. Thieron talks to Aija; she says she's confused and needs time. They all go to Ierne, Aa'di Irih'va welcomes them and takes Aija away. Zuri roams the Palace. She meets Ze, who tells her he doesn't like Nala and makes Zuri doubt her relationship with Nala. Aija asks Irih'va to remove her bond with Thieron. He agrees and accomplishes it. Goldstar gives Premier Zhaleh a plan to use against the Leadership. Thieron wakes after the bond is removed. He misses Aija. Aa'di Irih'va asks him to go home and then to join the Ithi'hra to work with him. Thieron gives Aija candy; she accepts them and it makes him happy.

----Nala and Ze have a fight session. Ze wins. Nala gets to know Thieorn spoke to Ze about her and Zuri. She asks Thieron about it. He convinces Nala to go home.

✽✽✽

****16.2 ETRIE****

The inexorable dark of space stifled him, choking the last modicum of patience out of him.

It didn't help that Aija was on Ierne with the ist'we stone. With Zuri. Getting them back from under the Hi'er Emperor's scrutiny proved impossible. It also didn't help that they had the Àvo. It, however, did help that Thieron hadn't obliterated humans. That would have been hard to explain and get out of, for he hadn't been able to stop Thieron.

Etrie Ay'tir wanted to do what was right for Earth. Humans weren't capable of surviving without poisoning the life-planet. They'd had multiple chances, and none had proved prosperous. The R'ies needed to take complete control and restore Earth to its former glory and never give back authority to humans.

There existed violent and power-greedy civilisations across the Universe. Few had destroyed their life-planets beyond salvageable. The Ithi'hra recognised the value of life-planets; so much had to go right for one to sustain life. It was devastating when civilisations ravaged them. It was Ithi'hra's duty to save life-planets and hence R'ies', so it was also Etrie's.

Etrie had messed up with Aija. He could hardly, still, believe she chose Thieron over him. Had she known then, he wouldn't hurt humans? In any case, Etrie had to get her and the Àvo back. But for now, he'd focus on getting souls for the Àvo. He knew Alton had located a second device; Etrie had to find it.

It had been a long process, letting H'eon Harvest. At first, their goal had been to prevent them, but soon they morphed their views and let H'eon do all the work. In the end, they could get the Àvo, kill Alton, get the In'ealk, and use it to heal Earth and bring humans under submission. Extensively planned, it had gone well until a human girl chose her enemy over Etrie and sabotaged hundreds of years of work. It had been demanding and inconvenient to let H'eon Harvest. They'd had to kill few H'eon members and set back the collection of Àvo souls to ensure the R'ies members uninvolved in their work didn't doubt them. Even Kuna hadn't known Etrie's real purpose. Etrie worked with few R'ies comrades who understood the seriousness of stopping humans and protecting Earth.

Etrie had commanded Maya to search for the In'ealk the Ithi'hra had seized on Earth. They hadn't been moved off the planet, and he still had the opportunity to access them. All he needed was a thousand souls or only five-hundred if he could get Aija.

The alarm blared twice, drawing Etrie out of his scheming.

A message sounded over the Comm. 'Ship I-1202-3 requesting permission to connect.'

Etrie dashed out of his pod to the Control Deck.

"It's an Ithi'hra spacecraft," the Captain informed when he arrived on the Deck. "We must accept."

Etrie gave the go-ahead, and Captain Ire'il accepted the request.

The spacecraft shivered when the bridges struck a connection, and Etrie couldn't get the feeling of something big happening to ebb from his blood. The Ithi'hra commanded the R'ies. Had they figured out his strategies for Earth? Had they come to arrest him? Or had they come to discuss Alton's death? The news of his death had spread fast, and even Etrie had heard of it on Ytèan just days later.

Etrie and the Captain waited at the end of the duct; Etrie's nerves sizzled with anticipation. The door opened to reveal four figures marching towards them: two Ytai, one Scru, one Ovur. The Scru, tall and pale, had translucent skin revealing red veins underneath, their eyes all black like their hair, disconcerting.

Etrie heard Captain Ire'il suck in a sharp breath. Even Etrie recognised this as abnormal. And serious.

"Se'isn, Ytai Ay'tir Etrie," the Ytai woman greeted them, showing them her Thre, "oa Ytai Sje'hun Ire'il."

"Se'isn," the two of them murmured.

The four visitors carried themselves with such superiority, Etrie nearly buckled under their gaze, their presence domineering. He knew the topmost Ithi'hra associates addressed people by their race. Whatever this was about, it was grave.

"We have a mission for you, Ytai Ay'tir," the woman declared. Etrie noticed that no introductions were made on their side. "You will help our comrade in their mission; no questions asked."

"Nè," Etrie bowed, saying the only correct answer.

"Failing will have consequences," the Ytai man warned.

Of course, it would, Etrie thought. "Nè," he bowed.

The Ovur and the Scru stood silently, and Etrie couldn't decide which of them perturbed him more. The Ovur, he concluded; at least the Scru appeared Ytai-like in structure.

The Ytai woman issued a command over a strip of metal around her wrist, fancy enough to pass as jewellery. From their spaceship came two more Ytai; one man, one woman. Etrie's breath hitched as he took in the woman with familiar shades of two-toned hair and two-toned eyes. She appeared terrified. The Ytai man let her go and without a word, she stepped into Etrie's ship.

The Ytai woman told her, "You know what to do."

The girl nodded, head down.

The Ithi'hra left, and the duct disconnected. Etrie, Captain Ire'il, and the girl, whose name Etrie didn't know but recognised which family she belonged to, stood staring at the closed exit for minutes.

The girl took something out of her coat-pocket. Etrie's hand went to his blade; if her mission was to kill him, he'd not appreciate it.

But in her hand wasn't a blade or a shotgun.

Etrie eyed the object, bewildered.

Then,he laughed. 

✽✽✽