Her soul pulsing in the shadows of sleep, the girl lies in a shallow pool of dark water surrounded by stars on every side. She breathes in. She breathes out. Ancient energy flows through her body, a mystical power only a celestial could wield. Her four arms are spread out across the water beneath her. Her dark purple skin sheds a dim light. She is one with the universe. Soon, she hears a voice that is not her own.
Fili stellarum… Aperi oculos tuos.
She opens her eyes and looks up at the endless night sky. Silence now meets her ears. She waits. Nothing. She sighs and closes her eyes again. If she can empty her thoughts, perhaps she can reach out to the voice. Centering her senses on the cool water under her slender body, she opens her mind to the disembodied voice.
Potesne me audire?
"Yes. I hear you. Who are you?"
Meum nomen est Wrivin. Excita et potentiam tuam resera.
"How do I do so?" the girl says. No response. She sits up and shields her eyes as a blinding light shines down on her from above.
Bene vale.
"She's waking up!" a man's muffled voice calls from beyond the light. She guesses it is time to leave this plane.
***
Soon, the girl opens her eyes and slowly sits up. What happened? One minute she was in space in her vessel, The Carnation; the next she is here. How long was she out? Her head hurts. The fluorescent lights make her eyes sting. She looks at her hands, her vision slightly blurred. Instead of her normal dark purple skin, she is met with the fair, soft flesh of a human. Huh? Why did she shapeshift? She doesn't fear her rescuers. On the contrary: her species adores humans and their unique culture. She reflects on her studies: holidays, romantic rituals, arts and literature, languages, games and leisure, religion—how fascinating all of those subjects were! Why then did she transform? Could it have been instinct? She has no idea what humans know about her people, the Crierce. She shakes her head gently, clearing her mind, and looks up at the man and woman in front of her. She blinks. In their eyes, she has a slender, yet muscular frame with chin-length messy dark brown hair, and purple eyes with silver flecks.
"Oh, thank God you're all right," the man says. He breathes a sigh of relief. She tilts her head to one side, perplexed. "Oh, right," he says. "I should introduce myself. I'm Adam Graves. This is Violet Hallows. And you are…?"
"Non memini," the girl says. Adam looks at Violet. Wait, is that… Latin? Why is she speaking a dead language? At least, no one on Earth speaks it anymore. He has no idea about the rest of the galaxy. Could humans have brought Latin back to life?
"Huh?" Adam says. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you."
"She does not remember," Violet says. Suddenly, the girl realizes the problem.
"Oh. Sorry… You do not speak that language, do you?" she asks in a low, husky voice.
"I'm afraid I don't."
"Ah. Now you understand. English, yes?"
"Correct. It's the human galactic standard."
"Very well. I will continue to speak English. As your companion stated, I had said before that I do not remember my name."
"Oh. You… don't?" Adam asks. She shakes her head. A wave of dizziness overcomes her
when she does, so she stops.
"Unfortunately, no." She pauses. "I am sorry."
"No need to apologize. Seems that the crash must've done more damage to you than
we thought. You probably have a concussion."
"I suppose that would explain the dizziness and sensitivity to light."
"Let's get you checked out before we proceed any further."
"Okay."
Adam and Violet help her to stand, then gently grab her arms as the three of them walk to another room. Once they reach the new room, they run some scans to check for brain damage using the equipment they have acquired from their government sponsors. Why do they have this equipment? Adam would rather not think about that. His past experiments had all resulted in horrible, irreparable mistakes. He clutches his head. No, God, please, not this again. He closes his eyes as his heart squeezes in his chest. He can't handle the sheer grief of his sins right now. What would his sister think of him now? His mother? His father? Oh, how ironic, being raised in a religious household only to become… what is the term? A failure? A psychopath? Did he really become the very thing he swore he would never be?
"Mr. Graves?" Juno asks softly. Her voice is just enough to rip him free from his train of thought. He opens his eyes and blinks.
"Huh? What? Yes?"
"You were… lost in thought."
"Oh, um… s-sorry. Also uh, I go by Dr. Graves, but… you can just call me Adam if you want."
"Ah. My apologies."
"No worries." Adam gives her a tired smile.
Now focused on the task at hand, he studies the images carefully. When he was a high school student all those years ago, he was absolutely certain about what he wanted to study in college. He had always been interested in numerous areas of science, but neuroscience had fascinated him the most. He fondly remembers staying up late reading articles about breakthroughs in research on the brain. Once he graduated from Storm Coast High, he moved to an apartment in Ibrocester to complete his education at Rosetti University. Dr. Stella Watts, his favorite professor, introduced him to the medical field of science and continued to assist him throughout his eight years there. She really was a great mentor. A slight smile crosses his face again at the memory. As his eyes pan over the results from the scans, he checks for any abnormalities. Ordinarily, CT and MRI scans don't display much visible change from a head injury, he remembers. However, in this case, the advanced scans he has taken do reveal slight tears in the white matter in her brain.
"Well, it would appear you do have some minor damage to your hippocampus, which is causing your retrograde memory loss, but despite the crash, I think you'll be okay after a couple of days of rest."
"Good to hear. Thank you," the girl says. Violet hands her an ice pack.
"Here. For your head."
"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Adam asks.
"Sure. Go ahead," the girl replies, placing the ice pack against her head.
"Can you recall what you were doing before the crash?"
"I… do not know. Most of my memories regarding my activities before the crash are gone."
"I see. Don't worry; it's no problem. As I said, your memories should all return to you in time."
"Okay."
"Now, since you're currently without a name, would you like one?"
"I am open to suggestions."
"How about we call you Juno? Means 'Queen of the Heavens' in Latin," Violet says.
"Sure. I like that."
"Very well. Nice to finally meet you, Juno," Adam says, reaching out a hand. Juno gently grabs hold and shakes his hand. Adam smiles kindly.
"Welcome to Xindyria," Violet says.
"Thank you. I am sorry I spoke Latin in our first interaction. Where I come from, our people speak it regularly. I must've reverted back to it in my haze. I am actually fluent in several other languages."
"Which ones?"
"Mostly Earth languages. What do you call them?" She thinks for a moment. "English, of course, Spanish, German, French, Arabic, Japanese, Russian, Mandarin, Greek. I have studied languages for many years, but I still make mistakes on occasion. I have come to understand that English is one of the most common human languages, which is why I selected it. Anything else you are curious about?"
"We'd like to know about the symbol on your ship," Violet says.
"Ah, yes. My vessel's symbol is the symbol of my people."
"Your people? What do you mean by that?" Adam asks.
"I am not human." She pauses. Should she tell them? Maybe they have already guessed the truth about her.
"You're not?" he says.
"No." She hesitates again. Adam and Violet seem nice enough, and from what she's learned about humans, they are generally a kind race. Just to be sure, though. Closing her eyes, she draws on her psychic magic and reaches into Adam's head with invisible, spectral fingers. His mind swarms with thoughts.
Ah. She is not human after all. Clearly, she's something other. Now the question remains: what is Juno? She must be an alien. Oh God, what if she's an Illixi? Wait, that's impossible. She hasn't tried to hurt us at all. We'd have been dead a long time ago if she were an Illixi. On that note, she has offered to answer all of my questions despite hardly knowing me. She has expressed trust in me and Violet. She seems to believe that humans are inherently good. Why? I'm not sure. I know one thing, though; I can never let her find out what I've done.
As Juno releases her hold on Adam's consciousness, she blinks. What did he just say? She reaches in again.
No more thinking about that. I wonder… I wonder what Juno thinks of me. I hope I've made a good impression on her. Maybe it's my religious upbringing, but… I just… I want to be good. I don't believe in God anymore, but if He's listening… let me help Juno. Please.
So far, his thoughts do not express any ill intentions. If anything, he is concerned for her. What about Violet though? She quickly reaches her spectral fingers into Violet's mind. A couple of thoughts bounce around.
Wait, Juno isn't human? She has to be an alien. She must belong to a race we haven't heard of. If she's keeping a human appearance, then she may be a shapeshifter. How fascinating! I would love to know more.
Juno blinks again. Yes, Violet seems friendly too.
"I am a Crierce." She nods.
"A Crierce?"
"Yes."
"How do you have a human appearance?"
"I have shapeshifting abilities."
"You do?"
"Yes. Shall I show you?"
"If you'd like."
"As you wish." Before their eyes, Juno envelops herself in light, then changes from a human girl to a tall, lanky alien. She has dark purple skin, four arms, and four legs with a crown-shaped skull. Her long pointed ears lie flat against her head. A set of seven eyes with narrow, lizard-like pupils stare at Adam and Violet. Juno's thin nostrils are hardly noticeable against her dark skin. She stretches. Her hands have seven fingers and her feet have seven toes. When she turns around, they notice a small tail and a spiny ridge along her back. She turns back around to face them.
"Whoa. You… You look…"
"Beautiful," Violet says. Juno returns to her human form again before speaking.
"Thank you. I have never revealed my true self to a human before. We Crierce are a quiet people. However, my understanding of humanity is a favorable one. You have not expressed any intentions of harming me, so I believe I can trust you."
"Are you sure? I mean, you've only just met us," Adam says.
"I find that humans are inherently compassionate. You treated my concussion and gave me a name without understanding what I am. You have made no attempt to hurt me." Juno gives a slight smile and a nod. Seeing her smile… something about it is endearing for Adam. His eyes soften.
"Well, thank you. I appreciate your trust in us. We'll do everything we can to keep it. I must admit, I've never heard of your people until now. What are they like?"
"We tend to keep to ourselves since we are located in the Euphoria Galaxy, which lies within one of the tendrils of the Laniakea Supercluster. However, many of us, including myself, do still enjoy traveling and collecting trinkets from other planets. Many of our households are decorated with objects such as flags, plants, lights, figurines, signs, artwork, toys, and games from other worlds. We are also curious, studying other cultures through their books and other media. We keep journals about our day-to-day experiences. We also enjoy celebrating their holidays with imitations of their food, music, and gifts. Generally speaking, we are reserved, though our borders are open to other races."
"Including humans?" Violet asks.
"Not exactly."
"Why's that?"
"Humans have not reached our planet yet. Strange, I know. You are quite a fascinating race, though. We have learned a great deal about you throughout our education."
"Violet? Could you meet me outside for a moment?" Adam asks. Violet nods.
"Be right back." She follows him out of the room.
"Okay," Juno says as Violet closes the door behind her.
"So, what should we do with her?" she asks.
"We have to be careful about how we proceed here."
"Of course."
"We should care for Juno as best we can."
"I agree. What about the Illixi? Should we tell her?"
"She might already know."
"True. And if she does? What then?"
"Well now, that's up to her."
Both of them are silent for a moment before Adam speaks again.
"I'd like you to give Juno a tour of the facility."
"All right."
"We'll ask her some more questions first."
"Okay."
The two reenter the room.
"Welcome back," Juno says.
"Thank you," Adam says. Violet nudges him. "Juno, we… need to explain the situation at hand. What do you know about the Illixi?"
"We… had close ties with them centuries ago. Once led by a benevolent monarchy, Illixi society has since collapsed into a dictatorship. I am not sure why. I do not know much about their leader other than that she is a princess. Since she rose to power, she has implemented a genocidal agenda against humanity. I cannot say I have figured out the reason behind her wrath. Most of the Illixi have become religious zealots under her rule. Her hatred burns bright. She and her projects pose the greatest threat to you. She has an armada of space factories, each equipped with devices that can shred human bodies. The Red Machine is the largest and most dangerous. I have also heard tell of something called the Web. I do not know what it is. However, I do know that becoming part of the Web is said to be a fate worse than death."
"H…Hopefully, we'll never find out," Adam says nervously.
"Anything else you can tell us? We've heard reports from several planets about the factories, but…" Violet shudders. Clearly, the memory of what she heard is too traumatic to even think about. "I've never heard of the Web before."
"I wish I knew more. Unfortunately, from what I have seen, the princess does not leave a planet until she is satisfied with the destruction she has wrought. She and her people's magic allow them to rewire human minds and turn your people against each other. I have heard stories about a lucky few humans whom she has selected to work in the factories. Why? I cannot be sure. However, you must know that the Illixi are immune to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weaponry. Only the energies of the universe can kill them."
"Do you know how we can access and employ those energies?" Adam asks.
"On the day of my birth, our best scholars found an ancient magical tome inside our planet's core. Since then, a legend has spread throughout our planet about a mysterious, ethereal deity capable of harnessing the energy of the universe. According to my people, I am the reincarnation of that deity. I left my homeworld on a quest to explore my latent power, but have not had any results so far."
"S-So, you mean to say... that you're a goddess and that you can defeat the Illixi?"
"Correct." Adam's breath catches in his throat and he immediately drops to his knees. Terror floods him. What is he supposed to do here? Avoiding her gaze, he takes the child pose and scrounges his brain for old Biblical verses to help him. He can hardly believe what she has just told him. He trembles, not daring to offend her, else she decides to release her wrath upon him. She has been peaceful up until this point, but he knows nothing about the nature of space goddesses. He wasn't one to believe in prophecies or other such religious nonsense, but now? He is desperate. Best case scenario, she speaks the truth and real peace will finally be achieved. Worst case? He, everyone he cares about, and all of humanity will die brutal deaths.
Might as well take the chance, right?
Although… He pauses. What is the cost of peace? If Juno releases her magic against the Illixi, would she accidentally destroy humanity in the process? He cannot say. Again, he knows nothing about goddesses. How could he? He abandoned his faith long ago. He doesn't even know why he of all people was sanctioned to carry out research on this deadly alien race. Surely, there were much more qualified people than him. Oh, but Violet? She's brilliant. Adam reflects on the conference where he first met her. She had given a presentation on Illixi manipulation tactics. Quite fascinating material. He redirects his thoughts to the present: their government sponsors must've hired others. Maybe not here, but on other planets. No way they expect only a neuroscientist and a psychologist—no offense to Violet—two people who are not at all militaristic, to solve such a horrifying problem on their own, right? All of the information on other planets' efforts against the Illixi, however, is "classified." Sure, they still have some communication with their human populations, but the underlying efforts of governmental research groups are unknown to them for some reason. He shakes his head. Both trusting Juno and not trusting her could lead to humanity's demise, but… surely there's a higher chance of survival with Juno, right? At least, if she is what she says she is. Honestly? He has no idea what to believe at this point.
"You do not have to bow to me," Juno says, a slight smile on her face. Adam looks up for a second and realizes that Violet is still standing. He blushes bright red and quickly stands.
"Oh, uh… s-sorry."
"You are all right."
"Are you sure? Should we make you an offering or anything?"
"No need. I don't know what others expect of me, nor do I know how I should present myself. I must admit, I am… quite new to the scene of goddesshood."
"Yeah, uh, me too." Adam rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. Great, he embarrassed himself in front of a deity. What an idiot! "Um, so, what does the legend say?"
"Our legend's exact wording is the following: One to be reborn from the heavens raising light and darkness rises in the sky to the wicked machine. Shielding whole planets with the sacred light of the stars, she brings another promise to humanity with mercy and salvation."
"So, you… won't hurt us in the process?"
"That is not what the prophecy foretells."
"How exactly can you defeat them?" Violet asks.
"I have not unlocked these abilities. All I can do now is shapeshift. However, if I can release these universal powers from my body, I can destroy their leader and her most fanatical followers."
"H-How… How long will that take?" Adam asks.
"I am not certain how to begin accessing these powers."
"We'll do everything we can to help you," Violet says. Adam nods.
"Good. I shall do my best to reach my full potential as quickly as possible."
Juno thinks for a moment. Once she unlocks her powers, defeating the princess in combat should be a relatively simple task. And yet… she is hesitant. Her people's former alliance with the Illixi… how could they have fallen so far? Something has cost the princess her sanity. Why? How? Under her rule, the rest of her race have become mindless killing machines. Could she be controlling them with her powers? Or has she unlocked the true nature of her race? Juno doesn't want to believe the Illixi are so unspeakably evil at heart. After all, she remembers a time before the collapse of the monarchy when they had been happy. However, she has little choice; humans must survive at all costs. She and her people care about them too deeply to let them die in such a horrible and grotesque way. She wants to cure the princess of the plague inside her mind, but… she doesn't know how.
"On that note," she finally says, "I have decided to help you win the war against the Illixi. As far as I am aware, humans have committed no crime terrible enough to invoke the extreme and genocidal hatred of the Illixi. I need to ask a simple favor regarding my help, though."
"Anything," Adam says.
"If I should die when all of this is over, I want my body returned to my homeworld, Happi, to be buried amidst my garden."
"We can promise you much more than that."
"No need. I do not seek any of your worldly accolades."
"Very well. You have yourself a deal."
"Good. We have an agreement."
"How do we reach Happi?" Violet asks.
"Ah, right, yes. All you must do is input the coordinates from my ship's navigation console into your ship's navigation console. It will take you exactly where you need to go."
"Okay. Thank you, Juno."
"Won't your people think that we…?" Adam asks.
"No. As I said before, Crierce are trusting of humans. If you are still concerned, I can inscribe a message for my people to read."
"All right."
"If you can destroy the princess and her followers, great. Other than that, try to incapacitate all other Illixi you encounter," Violet says.
"Understood."
"Thank you, Juno. Now then, on a completely different note, would you care to see the rest of the lab?" Adam asks.
"I would like that."
"All right, follow us."
With that, the three of them explore the facility together, walking and talking.
"So, Juno, what is your homeworld like?" Adam asks.
"Happi is a terrestrial planet orbiting the star Caustasea in the Euphoria Galaxy; Happi has three moons: Apollyon, Estus, and Mania. Our population is just over three billion."
"Ah, that's significantly smaller than our population here."
"It is?"
"Mhm. We are at about 7 billion last I checked."
"I see."
"Are you familiar with Earth?"
"Yes, the planet where humans originated."
"At one point, its population was about 8 billion, so slightly more than this planet. I have no idea how many humans there are now, though. We've done a lot of traveling, to say the least. As far as I remember, humans now inhabit thousands of planets."
"I see. I have studied much of human culture over my lifetime, but our planet is obscure, so I have not met any humans face-to-face until now. I hope to learn more during my time here."
"Well, we're happy to answer any questions you might have."
"Thank you."
As they continue talking about Juno's past, she studies Adam and Violet. On one hand, Adam has fair skin, platinum blond, almost silver hair tied up in a loose bun, and scruffy facial hair. He wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a silver nose ring. He also wears a long-sleeved dark beige shirt and jeans. How fascinating, the ways humans decorate themselves with cloth and metal! On the other hand, Violet also has fair skin with wavy ash-blonde hair that fades to purple at the ends. Her eyes are ice blue. She wears a dark grey turtleneck and black pants. Soon, they notice Juno watching them, so they stop.
"Everything all right, Juno?" Violet asks.
"Yes. I am fine."
"Okay. You just seemed to be lost in thought for a minute there."
"Maybe a little. Just observing."
"Oh. And… what exactly are you seeing?"
"I see the rich green and pale blue of your eyes and the hints of shiny metal in your nose and ears. I feel the softness of your hands holding mine and your heartbeats in your wrists. I can smell the soap you clean your bodies with and the soft sweetness of your hair. All of my senses are engaged in learning more about you."
"Wow. That was… oddly poetic."
"Thank you. I… never could write poetry."
After visiting most of the rooms, they return to the garage where Juno's vessel rests. They had moved it there while she slept.
"So," Adam says, "if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to take you exploring. Help you become familiar with our planet. Most of the humans are still here, so I'm sure you'll get the chance to introduce yourself. Not today, of course, but hopefully tomorrow. Sound good?"
"Yes. I will attempt to make repairs to my ship tonight."
"Need any help?" Violet asks.
"No, thank you."
"All right. Well, this is where we leave you until it's time for dinner." He turned to walk away, then paused and turned back around. "Oh, Juno, uh… what do you eat? I assume your body can't process human foods?"
"I can eat human foods in this form."
"Oh. All right. Well, in that case, is there something special you would like?"
"Anything is fine."
"Okay. I'll let you know when we're ready."
"I will be here."
With that, Adam and Violet head off to the kitchen and Juno begins repairing her ship.
***
Outside, a young man with dirty blond hair sits in a tree, keeping an eye on the lab through a visor. He turns his gaze to the open garage to find a girl welding pieces of scrap metal to the hull of her vessel. Although not a permanent fix, she can make this last long enough. He looks around in the garage. An old motorcycle, open bins full of raw materials, and tools lining the walls all catch his eye. He then hones in on her and smiles. Such a pretty face… And her eyes! He's never seen such lovely eyes on a person before.
"Who are you…?" he murmurs.