Page 23 of Uprooted

Aro

I hate politics. Six hours ago, my father and I walked into this room, sat down and we haven’t moved since.

He shoots me a death stare and I stop my knee from bouncing. I even got an “ahem” when he caught me messaging Elowen during a particularly boring monologue from one of his advisors.

Maybe I’m not that good at faking my interest in this meeting.

My father selected these nine Tilaks over the last twenty years.

I’m sure he picked each one based on their individual strengths, but at this moment, they are all a giant waste of my time.

I prefer more direct communication, specifically where I don’t have to sit in the same room for hours waiting for someone to get to the point.

Over the course of the day, I figure out they have split into two factions.

One group is blindly supportive of my father and will follow whatever he says.

He has been talking about opening our planet to other species for a while now, and it’s no secret that he hopes the Apollo Treaty with Earth is the first step in that direction.

The other group is very comfortable with the status quo on j'Tilak. Their mumbling and body language give away what they would never have the audacity to say outright: they don’t think humans or any other species belong here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they were working with the protestors who definitely need better slogans if they are going to be taken seriously.

Besnik’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “Commander Rialto, thank you for joining us here today. We have analyzed the sample your team collected outside MuraDome IV. We have determined that it is mire from an Atorum. ”

Finally, we get to the reason I’m here today.

Rialto’s eyes widen for a fraction of a second in surprise. I don’t know what an Atorum is, but it doesn’t sound good. He brings the room up to speed on what happened the day we discovered the black ooze.

“What is an Atorum?” my father asks.

“It’s a GMEO, a genetically modified eradication organism. They’re used to eradicate harmful viruses, bacteria, or invasive species. Simply program what you want removed from the environment, and they take care of it while leaving everything else largely untouched,” Besnik explains.

“What is it doing here?” my father asks.

“No way to know with only the mire. If we are able to intercept the Atorum, we could possibly trace it back to where it came from,” Besnik says. She’s a newer advisor. I’ve been unable to get a read on her in our limited interactions.

Great. A programmable killing machine is loose. Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Where is it now?” a soft-spoken voice says from the back of the room. I haven’t bothered to learn that one’s name. However, they might be my favorite because they have spoken the least out of everyone today.

“We don’t have any leads at this point,” Besnik says reluctantly.

“That’s enough for today,” my father says, bringing the meeting to a close. The council members file out quietly, their feet shuffling on the stone floor. I slip into the back of the line to follow them out.

My father intercepts me before I can leave. “I hope you’re not trying to run off before you say hi to your mom,” he says with an affectionate slap on the back.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say, even though that is exactly what I had planned to do.

“You didn’t seem to be enjoying the meeting today. It won’t be too long before you can appoint your own council,” he says.

“It was fine. A little too long in my opinion. I just wish everyone would be more straightforward and say what they were thinking. It’s pretty obvious that a few disagree with your decision about the treaty,” I say.

“I’m aware. I wanted to have advisors with different backgrounds, different ways of thinking. It’s dangerous to be surrounded by people who will only tell you ‘yes.’ ”

“Differences of opinion are one thing. Giving consideration to those with dangerous ideas is another,” I say.

“You were paying attention!” he says.

I guess I did pick up more than I thought.

“Go see your mother. She’s waiting for you at home, and she made me promise that I’d send you there the moment the meeting ended. I have a few more things to wrap up. I’ll see you at dinner.” That last part sounded like an order.

I’ll be here in Bihar longer than I had hoped. I guess can stay here for the night and still be back to the dome by lunch tomorrow.

I don’t want to avoid my mom. We’re close.

I usually go out of my way to see her when I’m here.

I don’t know if I’m ready to go into detail about my personal life at the moment.

My mom’s powers of perception are high. She has a knack for getting information out of me.

I don’t know how she’ll react to me being interested in a human.

She’s supportive of my father’s goals to open up our planet to others.

I’m not sure how far that support extends.

I take a shortcut through empty rooms and corridors over to the residency where my mom is waiting.

It’s been years since I’ve lived here, but I still know all the shortcuts.

It makes me happy to be back. It would be even better if Elowen was with me.

I think she’d like hearing about all the trouble Kiera and I got into when we were young.

* * *

Sounds of clinking direct me towards the kitchen. Anytime I need to find my mom, I know where to look first. She passed down her love of cooking to me. This is where we’ve always bonded.

“You kept me waiting,” she says with mock seriousness.

“Not my fault. I was ready to leave hours ago.” I drop a quick kiss on her cheek.

“You’re here now. Grab a knife and start chopping.

” She motions over to a pile of veg on the counter.

“How have you been? Things at the muradome must be busy. I haven’t heard from you in weeks.

” She pauses her movements around the kitchen to watch me.

She’s always had the uncanny ability to see right through me .

“It’s not too busy. I mean, I’ve been busy, but the dome is boring… but busy.” I trip over my words and laugh a little. This must be Elowen’s influence rubbing off on me.

“So which is it—busy or not busy?” Her dark eyes stare into me.

“Busy. I’ve been busy.”

“If it’s not the work keeping you busy, then what is?” she asks. My mom has a unique way of asking questions. If it were anyone else, it would be an interrogation. She manages to get away with it. I’m not going to bother resisting. I might as well just tell her what’s going on.

“I’ve been spending time with one of the scientists.”

She silently urges me to continue.

“She’s funny, and smart, and completely unimpressed with me,” I tell her.

“She sounds perfect,” Mom says and pops a bite of veg in her mouth.

“There’s one tiny insignificant detail,” I say sarcastically. “She’s human and will be returning to Earth once her research is done. I brace myself for her reaction, but none comes. She continues to cook.

I haven’t stopped to think about how this could all play out, and I don’t want to now. There is just something about Elowen that feels right, and I’m going to follow that instinct. We can figure everything else out later.

“Who’s to say what is significant or not? Things are always changing. Who knows what our world will look like in a few rotations?" She shrugs like this is all no big deal.

“I’m starving!” my dad declares when he walks into the kitchen. He greets my mom with a kiss on her cheek and steals a bite of veg.

“Aro was telling me about his new friend at the dome, a human.” My mom brings him up to speed.

“Rameera,” he warns. My dad is much better at giving me space when it comes to my private life.

“Roman.” She mimics his tone.

I’m hardly listening while the two of them recount their day. I keep replaying what my mom said. It didn’t bother her at all that I’m interested in a human. My family’s support would make it a lot easier on both of us. If only I can somehow convince Elowen to stay after the program is done.