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“That’s for the elders to decide at this point, Vexarionaxnoryndrik,” Amarithlumonarion says, trying and failing to sound more stern. He really must not have wanted to be the one to do the interrogation today. There are so many other important jobs he could be doing. Instead, he’s been assigned to speak with me.

“If you could tell me what you think I did, I’m sure I could clear up any confusion.” I roll my eyes as I say it but keep a respectful tone in my thoughts.

I have more important things to do right now, like going over these lab results. I need to make sure that every human female in Unit A12 is ready to be transported to the new tribe as quickly as possible. Once I’m sure they can all be transported, I’ll be sending more humans through. Only volunteers who know what they’re volunteering for and want to move to the other planet. I’ll send orphaned younger females as well, but I’ve been reassuredby the humans currently on planet 87.39.49 that they’ll make sure the young are taken care of.

There’s a long pause from Amarithlumonarion, and for a moment, I think maybe he’s bored and doesn’t want to deal with me today. I’ll need to get approval from the collective mind soon, but I’m hoping to put it off as long as possible. Preferably, as soon as I’ve given the tribe on planet 87.39.49 enough time to prepare homes for the new humans.

If I tell the collective that it’s possible to rid ourselves of the burden of having to help this primitive Earth species, there’s a good chance they’ll listen to me. They’ll want to streamline things, though.

Right now, the biggest thing working in my favor is that this plan should work within ten years. That’ll be ten years faster than the proposals from other units located all over Earth. They’re sending the humans in their units to other planets. Their plans are all said to be taking almost double how long mine will.

When I tell Amarithlumonarion about my plan, he should be more than willing to follow it, but I need to make sure everything goes right.

As soon as I think that, a soft humming sounds in my ears, and Amarithlumonarion is standing in my lab, looking irritated that he had to make a trip to this insignificant little planet. Not that it takes much effort on his part, but most don’t enjoy having to deal with primitive species.

Humans could’ve reached stage three if they’d worked together just a little bit more instead of fighting so often. It’s the main part of what keeps primitive species primitive. If a species can’t get past the prejudices of its own kind, how could it ever thrive in a universe filled with others?

“You have thirty Earth minutes to tell me what you’ve been hiding. If I deem it worthy of keeping secret, then I will.” Amarithlumonarion looks around my lab as though hewas expecting it to be more than what it is. I’m sure he’s disappointed he didn’t find me in the middle of illegal activities so he could set up a punishment and be done with it.

“If I’ve gone through the trouble of hiding it for this long, why would I tell you?” I ask, not liking that I’ve already had to admit that there is something, or rather someone, that I’ve been hiding from the collective’s mind this entire time.

“We all have secrets, but it took being here on Earth before you started keeping any.” His tone softens as he watches me.

I’m still in my human skin because I’m used to wearing it most of the day since I’m around the humans so often.

The skin isn’t ideal for humans. Some of them still have a prey part of their mind that tells them I’m wrong, I am other, and they fear it. It’s better to look slightly different than for them to see the real me and be unable to comprehend me at all. Only two humans have seen me like that, and only Simone has seen me in my true form for an extended period of time.

I’ve also grown accustomed to how I look with the skin on. On my first day here, I stole the appearance of a doctor on a poster in one of the advertisements in the stadium. I didn’t think it’d end up being my permanent appearance, but now I don’t know what other form I would take.

“Does your secret have anything to do with finding a fated?” Amarithlumonarion asks me.

It takes everything in me to keep my features schooled into neutrality. I work to keep my thoughts calm and empty in the part of my mind I don’t keep locked down. He either sees through my calm facade or wishes to say something to me in the hopes I crack. Either way, he continues.

“None of this is being shared. You can see that when you open your mind to the collective. This conversation will remain among my own private thoughts unless it will cause harm to thecollective. My job is to protect the whole, not the individual. If you aren’t a threat, you’ve nothing to fear from me.”

I do open my mind to the collective, and I cycle through as many memories as I can of the elder standing in front of me. I follow threads of memories to see what judgments he’s made, what punishments he’s doled out, and how he voted when it came to killing half of this planet’s population. The memory is strong since it’s still one of the more recent major decisions we’ve had to make.

It’s only when I see the memories of him arguing with the others not to kill half of this planet that I decide to trust him. Only two of the twenty elders voted against the killings. It was the first vote that made me question if what we do is right.

“Give me ten years, and I can make this unit obsolete,” I say, not wanting to reveal more of my plan than that until I get a gauge on how he feels about it.

“Ten years?” he asks with a sound that makes me think he doesn’t believe me at all.

The current plan takes twenty to ensure that all the human females are fully matured before sending them to other planets where they might be useful and letting those who aren’t useful die right here in this stadium when we’ve finished what we were sent to do.

I’ve changed the plan, though, and I’ve altered it for the better. I just hope he can see that and be willing to advocate for my plan to help save as many humans as I can.

“I have reason to believe that the inhabitants of planet 87.39.49 are preparing their tribe to accommodate even more females.” I pause to see how the elder reacts. When his energy pauses and begins to ripple quicker, I know he’s interested.

Amarithlumonarion isn’t a male who enjoys needless killing, and if I can prove to him that fewer lives end this way, there’s a good chance I can continue with my plan. Right now, I only needhis approval to continue since he’s the elder assigned to Unit A. As soon as we start allowing more females through, it will need approval from the collective as a whole. I can’t see many of them caring if one primitive species is sent to live with another in greater quantities.

“What reasons are they?”

“Personal communications with the inhabitants of one of the tribes,” I say. I stand tall so as not to let him know that inside, I know he could call for my execution for communicating with a species without prior authorization.

We were already reprimanded pretty harshly for using female hormones on the inhabitants of planet 87.39.49 when they were asleep to aid in the mating process. That was when they didn’t know of us. Now I’ve told an elder that I’ve spoken with this primitive species and didn’t even try to hide that I was other.

“Show me,” Amarithlumonarion says, reaching out an extension of his energy to me. It’s a way of communicating our thoughts, memories, and experiences with one another without offering them up to the entirety of the collective. I hesitate for only a moment before allowing myself to reach out to him and show him my conversations with Ralleth and his mate, Olivia.