Chapter 28
The sound of insects buzzing in the distance wakes me from my stupor and I blink a few times, my eyelids heavy with sleep. The sunlight coming in from the window embraces me with its warmth, bright rays of orange kiss my cheeks comforting me in a way I can't explain.
The heat, the dull burning in my skin. It is the very opposite of Pluto and for some reason I am reminded of Earth and those brief moments I spent on my home planet before I was swept up in this war.
I sit up gingerly and the sheets that have been covering me fall to my sides. The side of my bed is empty, Lucian isn't here.
The shivering and dark thoughts are gone now, replaced with a dull throb in my leg and a newly burning hope that our future could be as bright as the sun shining through my window.
It is all I can hope for.
I get off the bed and walk to the bathroom, eager to wash the sweat and stale smell that clings to me. My hair is matted and sticky and my clothes reek of dried sweat. I fish around for a fresh pair of clothes and find a loose dress in one of the baskets.
It is neatly folded and smells good so I take it, hoping it's clean and shower till I am satisfied. I air dry, throw the thick material over myself, slip on my boots and then leave the room.
The floors are a dark wooden colour and they absorb my footsteps as I walk down the small hallway that houses rooms similar to mine on both sides. A dark red skinned alien sits by the door to the exit and she barely glances at me as I leave.
The overwhelming sunlight engulfs me whole the moment I step out on to the sandy brown grass but some how I don't care.
I stand still for a few seconds letting the blazing sun burn me down to my every memory of warmth.
A hug from my parents. A trip to the beach when we were kids. A kiss and caress from Lucian.
My smile widens and I stretch my hands out, palms facing upwards so that more of me is exposed. The burning continues almost to a point where it is painful and it is only then that I decide to walk across the grass to the building in front of me.
I hear voices behind the door and slowly nudge it open, hoping to see someone I know. There are numerous aliens and Plutonians sitting around the scattered tables, most of them eating while the rest talk to each other.
The sound of cutlery clanking and chairs being dragged across the floors fill the hall. Nobody notices the human peering at them.
I look around but don't see Lucian, my squad or my friends. A small bubble of panic builds in my chest but bursts immediately when I catch Joon at the opposite end of the hall. He is leaving the room through another door by the back and I rush along the walkway outside to meet him.
"Aria!" He exclaims in surprise when he sees me. His eyes crinkle in happiness when he smiles at me. "You look so much better."
"I'm feeling much better," I admit. "How long was I out for? Where is everyone else?"
"Everyone is evidently stuffing their faces inside," He points at the room he was just in. "You must be so hungry. You were out for so long."
"I was?" I exclaim in shock. It certainly didn't feel like that.
"Well you were kind of delirious the few times you were awake."
"What?" My eyes are wide with disbelief at his words.
"Yeah, I didn't get to see you much though. Commander Lucian was the one who fed you and cleaned you up as well as your dressing," He gestures at my bandaged foot which has almost healed. The medicine they used was miraculous. It doesn't even feel like Lazarus ever broke it.
My cheeks go warm at the idea of Lucian handling me at my worst and I can't help but feel embarrassed. I hope I didn't say anything too stupid and how was he able to take my stale sweaty smell?
I cup my face and grimace. "Shit. Shit. Shit."
"What's wrong with you?" Joon's asks in concern.
"Joon, I was so dirty and God only knows what crap spewed from my mouth. I don't remember anything."
He laughs at my worries before he replies. "Don't worry they weren't much. Just you being paranoid about Lazarus hating Lucian over and over again."
I groan out loud wishing I could erase the past few days from existence.
"Don't worry you went through a lot. We understand," He pulls me into the hall and grabs a plate of food for me to eat.
I take a bite hesitantly and then snarf down the rest quickly. My stomach is growling but my curiosity makes me restless.
"Where are the others? Cat? Rachel? Commander Rigel?" Lucian?
Joon's lips pull back into his signature charming smile and he leads me out of the dining hall while I guzzle down a small pouch of water.
"While you were snoozing, the rest of us have been pretty busy." He teases me and I punch him on the shoulder playfully.
We walk along the sandy grass again and a gust of wind hits my face making me squint. I see a small rectangular building ahead of us and notice large antenna like structures perched all over it's roof top.
"Our recent mission cut off the exclusive access the Plutonians had over all the camera's and broadcasting throughout the universe temporarily. This has given us the window we needed to get our message across to all those civilisations who were fed Lazarus's lies," Joon's voice carries with the wind but each word is a bullet of hope embedded into my chest.
This means we can finally get the truth out there and then maybe there would be more planets, more aliens willing to fight with us.
I can almost imagine how angry Lazarus must be about this. The thought makes me smile.
"Commander Lucian, Commander Luna and General Lyra have been broadcasting their sides of the story as many times as possible before Lazarus can regain control again. And so has Commander Rigel."
I stop walking and turn to him once we are under the shade.
"Joon, this is amazing," I stutter.
He only nods, his skin glowing from his new tan caused by the sun on this planet. I've never seen him look so alive, so hopeful and I know his expression must mirror my own.
"What about Earth? What about the humans who are unaware about the governments working for Lazarus?" My eyes brows raise slightly, my chest filled with anticipation.
His smile only deepens when I say this. "Follow me."
We walk through the door and down a shadowed corridor till we reach a brightly lit room who's door has been left hanging open.
I see Cat, Rachel and a few other humans that I don't recognise inside. Some are fiddling with what I assume to be filming equipment and the others are walking around, reciting words to themselves.
I see Rachel in her army uniform, standing in front of a bright screen that shines harsh white light on her face. I'm surprised she can keep her eyes open but her face is serious, her dark brown eyes piercing as she speaks to the monitor with a conviction that amazes me.
"The military bunkers have already been set up and it is only a matter of time till the Plutonians arrive to take over. Life as you know it will change. You've heard the former slave on Pluto's message before. That will happen to us if we don't fight back. If we don't destroy those bunkers while we have the chance. There are all over the planet. All you need to do is look."
She carries on in a heat of words until the person behind the screen waves his hand in the air signalling that she's done.
"You sent out a message too," I say in awe.
"Yup, I had to. It's high time the humans realised what has been happening under their noses," Joon replies softly.
"But are you sure they will get this? How can we know for sure?" It all sounds too good to be true. For someone who has expected the worst for years, I can't help but feel skeptical.
"Commander Pollux has been successful in sending out Commander Lucian's messages as well as the others. Hopefully it will be the same for us," He squeezes my shoulder and I swallow hard before nodding.
He's right. All we can do is act and hope it works in our favour.
"Aria! You're awake," Cat exclaims excitedly and rushes over to us. She hugs me tightly as Rachel walks up to us as well. Rachel hugs me softly, as if afraid I would crumble into pieces and I smile at everyone feeling grateful.
It's so nice to see familiar faces that aren't Lazarus or Stela.
"Do you want to pass a message to Earth?" Rachel asks me and everyone in the room falls silent, waiting for my reply.
I can tell from their knowing faces that they recognise me, whether as Aria the Bone Breaker, Commander Lucian's lover or the human who escaped Pluto and split up the empire, I am unsure.
They're gazes threaten to crush me under their weight and I remember a conversation with Lucian when I won my third match in the pits.
We were soaking in a healing pool in his mansion, discussing the implications of me joining the army as his lover. Lucian had mentioned how public opinion shaped someone's reputation like nothing else could. The conversation feels like it was light years ago but it is something I will never forget.
Lucian shaped me out to be a star in the pits but my actions have lead me to where I am now. As much as I hate it my labels are a part of me and I never knew how much of an impact that would make.
I nod slowly and make my way to the screen.
As I look into the bright white lights and the lens that record me, I am number 7203, the slave taken from Earth. I am the Bone Breaker, who fought her way into the army. I am Lucian's lover and squad member, who worked with fellow Plutonians and saved a general on a mission because not all Plutonians are evil and some of them have Earth's best interests at heart now like Lucian.
And last but not least I am just Aria, a human who was taken from my family at seven, is fighting for my planet's safety and will continue to do so till this war is over.
The room is so quiet that my words reverberate off the walls like I am using a speakerphone. Once I am done everyone smiles in satisfaction and suddenly I am met with a thunderous applause from everyone in the room.
The feeling is foreign. Watching people look at me the way everyone is right now. Like I am some sort of hero and every terrible thing I have done to get here has been something for the greater good. There is no mistaking the admiration on their faces and a lump forms in my throat as I stare back in disbelief.
"Good job," Joon pats me on the back, proudly. "Couldn't have said it better."
"Yup, if that doesn't get the humans thinking. I don't know what will," Rachel says.
"I did good?" I mumble out in incredulity.
"Yup, that speech was pretty damn good," Cat stares at the screen that replays my message.
I walk over to her and stare at my face, my cheeks pink from a slight sunburn.
"You should have worn a bra though," Cat whispers teasingly and it is only then that I notice my chest.
I gasp in embarrassment and look down. Thankfully the thick material hides almost everything but on the bright screen it is pretty obvious.
"Cat!!" I say in frustration.
"Don't worry I'll just edit it out," She laughs and crops out the bottom half of the footage.
"Where am I supposed to find underwear? There was nothing in my room," I whisper in her ear desperately.
"I'm not wearing any either. They don't have any here. We're just going to have to wait till we get our old clothes back."
"Umm, Aria?" A tall middle aged woman addresses me from the side.
I turn to her and she smiles hesitantly. "It's an honour to finally meet you."
She shakes my hand and I reciprocate, feeing slightly stunned. Honour?
"A few of us have been dying to meet you actually." She introduces me to the others and somehow all of us end up sitting on the floor as we engage in a discussion about things that sound so alien to me after eleven years of being away.
We talk about life on Earth.
Heyyy guys. How have you been?? Aria's fully recovered and reconnecting with her fellow humans. Hope you enjoyed :) :)
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