It still shocked me that the Destiny was about to go on its last voyage. It made me sad—the ship that rescued me would no longer exist.
Everyone thanked Mwe and Oeta for having them over for dinner before exiting his apartment. I straggled behind, needing to speak one more time to the male who helped me gain my freedom.
“When will I see you again?”
He tilted his head toward Oeta and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him as their wings pressed against each other. “I will escort Oeta to Zirene’s ship to say my goodbyes and watch you on your journey.”
“And after that?”
His eyes locked onto mine. “I will make time to take the vacation I am owed and visit this Destima of yours.”
“How will I be able to contact you?”
He gently shook Oeta. “I will have her give you my contact information. Before you go, I will teach you how to send your mental thread out, which will allow you to reach out to me and hail me whenever you are in the CEG HQ space.”
“Really?”
“Selena,” Oeta sighed, grabbing my hand. “It will take a lot of energy from you, which is why my father didn’t want to do it here in front of your crowd. Your nestmates will appreciate if my father taught you in the comforts of your assigned cabin on Zirene’s ship, so you can sleep right after.”
“But that means I won’t be able to say goodbye to you,” I said to Mwe.
“Being able to use this basic ability will be worth it,” he said. “It is my gift to you. We will see each other soon enough. You are an important person in the galaxy, Selena.”
Rolling my eyes, I let out a huff. “That is what everyone keeps saying.”
“I know, but it is true.” He gave me a gentle smile. “Just because you don’t want to hear it, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I hope Oeta and your research team come up with a solution. The sooner it happens, the easier it will be for you.”
“That may be the case,” I sighed, “but it doesn’t mean I like it.”
“Father, leave her be. Let her spend the Circuli princes' last moments on the space station together. You can continue this boring conversation over the communicator if you must.”
“You are right, Oeta.” He grimaced. “Selena, I will see you again soon.”
The lift doors opened, revealing the busy common docks of the Aldawi Empire. Workers rushed by on their hovercrafts to their next job, and ship crew loaded or unloaded their supplies as civilians lingered out of the way of travelers.
A loud hum filled the air as a strong foreign smell assaulted me. I rubbed my nose on my shoulder, trying to get rid of the horrid scent.
Both Circuli princes laughed as their appendages gave me a reassuring squeeze along my torso. Since this was my last moment with them, I walked between my newest nestmates, knowing the next five days would be hard on them.
“You will get used it the more you travel,” Z’fir chuckled.
“Are you saying you are willing to take me with you as you travel the stars?”
Z’fir glanced at Zirene, who was watching our exchange.
“Perhaps, when things settle down, you can go along their rounds once in a while.”
A loud screech of excitement escaped my lips before I could control myself. I covered my mouth, my face heating from embarrassment as everyone in hearing range stared at me.
Way to be subtle.
“I figured you would want to spend time on your moon before going on any adventures,” Zirene said. “You have a lot to develop before things settle down.”
“Zirene is right. You should focus on relaxing and helping to form your vision for Destima before you go on any journeys,” Odelm voiced.
I sighed. They were right, but at least I knew I had the option when it was time.
Glancing at our surroundings, I searched for the Destiny.
Ships in a variety of shapes and sizes filled the hanger, yet they all had one thing in common—each wielded a purple and silver stripe with large black lettering lining the side.
“That is their registration stripe. It indicates the ships’ names and what territory they serve,” Xylo explained.
“Where is the Destiny?” While the ships were impressive, they were tiny compared to the size I estimated the Destiny should be. Most of the vessels would easily fit inside its terrarium.
“The larger shuttles have their own section of the hanger. A few are too large to dock, so they need to connect via tunnel hubs,” Zirene explained. “Destiny is docked in the Aldawi’s Royal Docking Lobby alongside Royak’s Hope and my Glorious.”
He led us to pass along the side of the wall, through a door with guards stationed at the entrance into a highly decorative hallway. A pair of guards scrambled to attention when they first saw us rounding the corner next to a black and purple door with Aldawi’s symbol in silver. The doors opened, revealing the Aldawi’s Royal Docking Lobby, where Zirene and I marked each other.
It was nearly empty. I assumed it was because all three shuttles were about to leave, so those in the lobby were either stragglers or staying behind.
Two similarly styled black ships caught my eye outside the glass wall. They were sleek in design and only slightly larger than those in the busy common docks but had the same purple and silver stripe the other ships had.
They were dwarfed by the silver domed colony ship next to them. I could make out each of the residential floors as it surrounded the terrarium with its large hanger and engines behind it. It was beautiful even though I could see its age with all the patchwork on its sides.
“That is the Destiny?”
Multiple confirmations sounded behind me.
In silence, I studied the ship that brought me here, engraving it in memory.
“It is time for us to go, Selena,” Z’fir said, his voice gentle.
“Really?” I
