"Is that so? This is actually quite beneficial. See what you can find out about their species. Especially the king. I want to see if there is a way to get him here."
"To conduct tests on him? Why not just ask him what you want to know?"
"Do you really think he would tell the truth? How would we know whether or not he feeds us lies? It would be much better to conduct the tests ourselves. I want to see how this king and his species survive on such a cold planet. Now Captain, I order you to get close to him. Befriend him if you must. Then when your ship is fixed and he least suspects it, drug him and bring him here. I assure you will be paid quite handsomely for this."
"Yes sir."
"Good. Update me whenever you can."
"Of course, sir."
I watched with a frown as General Issak's warn old face disappeared, leaving only a small floating icon. I didn't really want to manipulate Asurah, but it seemed that was the only thing on my boss's mind. And to be paid handsomely? It would be a benefit to us as well. Although, I really wish we didn't have to use such a violent method. I had to befriend Asurah, then once my ship was fixed, drug him and bring him to Earth, where god knows what will be done with him. I didn't want to deceive him like that, but I was ordered to, and I couldn't disobey my orders. The government had full authority to dispose of my family if I were to actively disobey an order. It was sickening that they could do such a thing without batting an eyelash, but it was sadly the reality we were living in. I had absolutely no say in the matter.
I glanced over to where Olivia and Jack lay, both of them out cold as they slept the night away. Well, almost morning, I thought absentmindedly, glancing down at my digital watch. I never went to sleep as Asurah had intended. I had tried to, but my dreams were plagued with nightmares. Instead, I worked out, doing pushups and situps, and whatever else I felt like doing. I even looked around the room, admiring the details put into the place. This place is truly something else, I mused, laying down on one of the floating beds. I sighed, dragging my hand down my face, my eyes closing.
I hadn't even realized that I had fallen asleep, until I heard our door open, revealing Asurah in all his pale glory. He wore the same outfit as last night, except this time his bangs were pulled back with a clip, allowing him to see better. I felt a guilty pang in my chest as he greeted me with a smile, his hands folding together in front of him as he cocked his hip to the side.
"Good morning. I sure hope you all slept well. Breakfast is being served now, so come follow me. We can answer some of each other's questions as we eat."
I nodded, climbing out of my bed to wake the other two up, both of them jumping when I non-too-kindly smacked their knees. "Get up. Breakfast is ready."
They both groaned and groggily climbed out of their beds, all of us following Asurah once we all were ready. We then began heading to the dining room, Olivia and Jack both asking Asurah many questions, all with which he gently told them to wait for. Once we were in the dining room, we sat down at a large glass table, one side of the room made completely out of floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing us a stunning view of icy mountains in the distance.
"So! What is it you wish to know?" Asurah asked, taking me out of my thoughts.
I glanced at him, watching as he looked up when a servant set a plate in front of him. His snowy eyes shifted away from the other dainty creature, finding their way back to me.
"What are you?" Olivia asked, staring at him with curious, sparkling eyes.
Asurah glanced at her, cutting into what looked like a silverfish. "I am a Glacic. We are creatures of intelligence that have adapted to the cold world outside. Out skin is thicker in order to trap what heat we can so we don't freeze to death, and we lack outer ears. Now, my turn, what year is it on Earth?"
"2058," I answered, digging into the fish that was placed in front of me, surprised by the juicy taste. "How far is Glacion from the Milky Way?"
"A few light-years. How did you manage to get this far into the universe?"
"Well, obviously by a spaceship." At Asurah's blank face, I smirked and cut off another bite-sized piece of fish. "I actually have no idea. We were supposed to be heading to Saturn to scope out the surface. Something went wrong and...well, here we are." I took a sip of what looked like cranberry juice, only to be pleasantly surprised at the bitter taste. "How long have you been king?"
Asurah shrugged, sprinkling some kind of herb in his drink before taking a small sip, smacking his lips together. "Three hundred and three years, I believe."
Jack and Olivia both choked on their drinks, eyes going wide at the revelation. Even I was dumbfounded. He was over three centuries old? How the heck was that possible?! Was it just that his species had longer lifespans than us, or was it the cold prolonging their existence?
Asurah chuckled at our facial expressions, daintily dabbing at his face with a sheer blue cloth. "I understand if you do not believe it. But I am in fact three hundred and twenty years old. I understand that humans normally live up to only one century, so your shocked expressions are expected. Now," He paused as a small female rushed to him, whispering silently into his ear...hole...thing, making him glance at us thoughtfully before he waved her off, placing his napkin onto his plate. "It seems that my handymen have arrived. If you wish to show them your ship, then you can go. I'll have Enae provide you with warmer clothes."
Jack and Olivia jumped up, clearly ready to get off this icy planet. I, however, paused, seeing this as an opportunity to get closer to Asurah. Jack noticed that I hesitated, and he shot me a questioning look. "You coming, Joseph?"
I shook my head and glanced at Asurah, who also had a look of bewilderment and curiosity on his face. "Actually, I would like to spend more time with His Highness. Perhaps he can teach me some of the Glacic culture. I'm sure you and Olivia have everything covered."
Jack shot me one more look before he reluctantly nodded and went with Olivia, leaving me with Asurah. "Well, that was unexpected. I was sure that you would want to assist your subordinates with your ship." Asurah crossed his arms and walked up to me, his gaze meeting mine directly, since we were the same height. "So you want to know about the Glacic culture? What questions do you have about it?"
"Well," I paused, unsure on what to say. I merely said I wanted to learn more about Glacic culture, yes to gain more knowledge, but so I could also keep tabs on Asurah. If I could study the way he does things, heck, if I study his personality, I could manipulate him and get this mission over with. So I could go home to my mother, who was very ill and needed expensive treatment. "Um...why such little...clothing? That doesn't look all too comfortable to me," I finally managed, making Asurah blink curiously.
"Well, since a Glacic's skin is thicker, we have no need to wear too much. If we wear, say, anything you have on currently," I glanced down at my windbreaker and thickly padded leather pants, "we would overheat and could die. Besides, Glacic's hold no shame to their bodies, and we prefer to show it off. Actually, I have seen Glacic's who prefer no clothing at all."
"That's...weird. But, oddly interesting. So, does Glacion have different weather types? Like, hurricanes, tornados, things like that? Or is it this peaceful all year round?"
Asurah gestured for me to follow him, leading me out of the dining room. "Well, we do have blizzards. Quite commonly, actually. We have windy days, snowy days, but other than that, we don't have much difference in weather. I hear that Earth sometimes shakes."
I raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled, crossing my arms over my chest. "They're called earthquakes. It happens when the tectonic plates shift. Sometimes it like a little shake that does hardly any damage, then there are the strong ones that can damage a whole city."
Asurah looked ahead of us, seeming to be lost in his thoughts. "Interesting. We have never had our world shake before. Must be scary."
I shrugged, standing aside as Asurah stopped by a door. He waved his hand over a panel on the wall, making the door open to reveal a large library. My eyes went wide as we walked inside, the books being displayed by glass cases and bookshelves, some of the shelves being made from crystal. There was a large chandelier dangling in the air, center of the room, looking like a bunch of lit up icicles. Asurah led me over to a plush white chair and I sat down, watching as he took a seat in front of me. And as I watched him, I could see that he was not malicious in the very least. He was kind, and curious of the worlds beyond. This mission was going to be much harder than it looked. Because even now I liked who he was as a person. I didn't want to subject him to the torture and test experiments humans were known for. I could already tell that when this was over, and I did my part...the guilt would stay with me for the rest of my life.
A/N: Hehehehe. I wonder if Joseph will really go through with his mission. Maybe. Maybe not. Let me know what you think he's going to do. Also, let me know how I'm doing! I love feedback, and I'm quite interested on what you think about the story so far.
Anywho, enjoy!