right, it’s not going to get to that. We just wanted to make the protocol clear, that’s all. We’ll know when to leave and what to do once we get there. It’s truly unhealthy to start speculating now,” I said, looking at Julian and Ariana. “Tristan and Esme will be fine. At the first sign of trouble, we’ll reassess our situation.”
“But the data we’ve gathered so far did not yield any information about them being a hostile nation,” Tristan replied. “The few images we got from the telescopes did not reveal any conflict zones or other indicators of violence. That says a lot.”
Things didn’t look grim at all, from my perspective. We were leading a small team into a new world, hoping we wouldn’t have to steal the blood we needed for the day-walking cure. Naturally, resorting to such methods was still an option, in case the creatures didn’t want to give it willingly, but this, too, required that we make ourselves look friendly and trustworthy in order to get away with it.
Frankly, I was looking forward to putting this mission behind us. Achieving a cure for the sun would make our lives incredibly easier. Getting this out of the way would then allow Derek and me to go back to our plan for another child. We hadn’t abandoned the idea at all, but we’d agreed to put it on hold, at least until after the trip to Trexus-2.
We’d been through so much that we needed to take our time, going forward, regarding our decision to adopt. The universe felt different, after we’d almost lost everything in our dealings with the Hermessi.
But if we got through this mission without a hitch, then I knew we’d be in a good position to finally raise another Novak in The Shade. A clear sign from the universe that we could truly move on.
Esme
I didn’t want to be afraid of what we’d find upon reaching Trexus-2. Compared to what our people had been through in the past, I was really happy with a plain exploration mission. To be fair, after GASP’s dealings with the Hermessi and Ta’Zan’s programmed Perfects, I had a feeling we wouldn’t be dealing with such extremes.
This was important for Tristan and me. Our grandmother had been a revered and beloved immune. The gene had skipped over our mom, as well as my brother and me. But if there was anyone who understood the value of blood as life force, it was us. This was our opportunity to make vampirism more comfortable. For too long our kind had lived in the shadow of night, slaves to darkness and fearful of the sun.
Personally, I didn’t care that much for the day-walking protein itself. I’d become accustomed to my nature. I’d grown fond of the night and the moon. But my brother longed to walk in the daylight again, and so did my parents. I was doing this for them. I wanted to see them happy.
Besides, from a tactical perspective, the fewer weaknesses that our species had, the better positioned we’d be in the future. Vampires could live forever, if they were careful, and being able to live in both daylight and darkness would be an extraordinary advantage. In my family, I was the only one who applied a military approach to pretty much everything. Unlike Tristan, I’d loved my time at West Point, and I’d enjoyed every second of GASP training as well.
Not that my brother couldn’t hold his own—on the contrary, Tristan could be a fierce fighter when he wanted to. But he never exhibited my passion for combat. No, I was the soldier among the Vaughns. I took after Great Uncle Xavier.
“How long till we take off?” I asked, glancing back at the shuttle. Douma and Dmitri were both inside. I could see their figures through the smoky windshield, fiddling with the control panel. Lumi, Nethissis, and Kailani were preparing the spell paraphernalia, their proprietary blend of herbs, minerals, and powders, which they would place in ceremonial bowls at different points across the pentagram. The symbol was to be drawn in the sand, around the shuttle.
“I’m not sure. Maybe an hour or two, tops,” Sofia replied. “I’d rather we take our time with this and make it to our destination safely.”
“No, I agree,” I said. “Sorry, I’m just anxious.”
Tristan shot me a grin. “Relax, sis, we’ll get there.”
I probably wouldn’t have done this without Tristan by my side. My brother and I shared a deep, unbreakable bond. He was my