“Your father did say that you like to be, ah, rather hands on.”
“Yes.” I laugh and shake my head again. Father really knew what he was doing when he sent me here. I should’ve trusted him like Mom did. She knew all along why Father was doing this. He taught me everything he could. She did too. I just needed to be set free, to flap my wings, to try everything out on my own. Now, now there doesn’t seem to be anything I can’t do, and it’s all because of him.
Father made me who I am, and I like the person I’ve turned out to be.
“Ovian bastard,” I mutter, somehow turning the term into one of endearment.
“I beg your pardon?” the leader asks.
I smile. “He’s right. I do like to get my hands dirty if that’s necessary.”
"Yes, well, I'm glad you were willing to sit down and talk to me. I've asked your father to join us as well. Is that all right with you?"
“Y-Yes,” I say slowly.
“In holographic form,” she assures me.
I chuckle. “I don’t know if Father will ever come here.”
“Perhaps one day.”
She taps on the table, and I didn’t even realize there had been a tablet laying there. Father’s slightly bluish form pops up above the tablet.
“Madelaine, it is good to see you,” my father says, dipping his head to nod at her. “Strol,” he says, his tone a little more apprehensive now.
"Father." I flinch. He's here in his official overlord capacity, but he doesn't seem bothered by my use of the familiar term. If anything, a slight curl twitches at the corners of his lips.
"Overlord Nestrol, thank you for joining us." Madelaine smiles as she clasps her hands on the table in front of the tablet. "As you know, I have been asking for quite some time now if we could have a permanent official representative from Kuria here on Earth, a leader of sorts to keep relations solid between the planets."
“I volunteer,” I blurt out.
My father chuckles. I haven’t heard anyone make him laugh aside from Mom in a long time. “Do you now, my boy?”
And I haven’t heard him call me that since I was nine years old.
“I do. I think—Have you been kept abreast of the situation with Frankie?” I ask.
“Yes. The moment you became involved, Earthlings sought to contact me,” my father says.
"Yes, well, what happened cannot and will not stand, and I, for one, think that it is necessary for there to be a united front on that end. There should be no prejudice at all, and the best way for that to happen is for the Earthlings to see and get to know the Novans, the Kurians. The more common we are here on Earth, the more they can accept us. If we only stay on Kuria, it becomes too much of a they/them, us/our type deal." I clamp my lips shut to stop my rambling. Leaders don't ramble. Instead, they give motivational speeches and orders.
"I am very impressed by Strol's actions," Madelaine says. "He pushed to be on the mission to capture those responsible for kidnapping Nina Tristin, and he managed to get a general and a representative to agree that he should not only be on the mission but that he should spearhead it. Even so, he listened to the general, who acted as an advisor and a supplier of both weapons and soldiers."
“And a backup boat in case we needed it,” I add. “Which we didn’t, but having the backup available was smart.”
“Your son is very capable,” Madelaine says, “at least from what I see. Do you see any reason to think that someone else would be better suited for this task?”
I suck in a breath. Does Father truly think I am a strong, capable leader? He should. After all, I’m his son, and I am more like him than I ever thought I was.
“Yes, Strol is capable, and I do think that this position will help the planet. I do hope he’ll continue to listen to generals and advisors and not be too, ah, reckless in some of his pursuits.”
I grin and puff out my chest. I can’t help feeling more than a little smug. “It will be an honor to serve in this capacity.”
"Wonderful. I look forward to working with you closely in the future." Madelaine eyes her watch. "I have to step aside for a phone call. If you will excuse me for five minutes. Ten at the most. My apologies."
“No need to apologize,” my father states. “I asked for the meeting at this time, and you have other engagements.”
Madelaine nods to us both and leaves the room.
“We’re alone now?” Father asks.
“We are.” I brace myself. Is he going to find a way to yell at me after all?
“What changed?” he demands.
“What changed?” I echo, confused.
“In you,” he says gruffly.
“It was a woman, wasn’t it?” Mom asks, suddenly appearing beside Father. She wraps an arm around him.
I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t understand. Who says I changed at all? Maybe I would’ve always done this.”
Mom just shakes her head. “Denial. What’s her name?”
“Mom!”
“Well? She puts her hands on her hips.
I heave a sigh. “Isabella.”
“She’s the one who helped you to save Nina,” Father says.
“I knew it.” Mom pumps her fist. “I knew sending him would be for the best. Didn’t I tell you?”
“Wait. It was your idea to send me here, Mom?” I ask, even more confused now.
“Yes,” Mom says simply.
“She thought that I was being a bit… What was the word you used?” Father asks.
“Overbearing. I thought you needed to have time to be yourself, to make up your own mind about your life, to see what course you wanted to take.” Mom smiles smugly.
I throw up my hands. “You basically sent me here as an experiment of some kind.”
“It worked,” Mom says. “Now, tell me about this Isabella. What is she like? She went on that mission with you, so she must be headstrong.
