"Well dat was a big fat waste of time," Joey moped, kicking a soda can down the street.
Atem sighed. He hadn't really known what he was getting into, but he thought that someone could have helped him out. "How is anyone supposed to get into the Federation when no one will explain anything?" Atem asked himself aloud.
Tristan was thinking about something. "You know, we really weren't any more qualified for this than the others were."
They stopped. Tristan was right. They had just gone through that whole spiel about the others getting themselves hurt, but they hadn't even been given the opportunity to fight. "Kinda makes you understand how it feels, huh?" Joey observed. "I hope the others don't feel as bad."
Atem had some serious apologies to make. Yugi had acted alright, but Atem didn't really know if Yugi could fight or not. He had made assumptions, and he was genuinely sorry.
They walked into the Game Shop and headed up the stairs. "Hey, guys!" Tristan asked. "We got something to say to you!"
Tea walked out of the bedroom, pulling Yugi behind her. He looked reluctant as he was dragged in front of the others. "Hi," she said cheerfully. Apparently she wasn't angry at Atem anymore. Girl's hormones changed as quickly as the commercials on the TV.
"We have an apology we have to make," Atem admitted.
Tea seemed interested. "Really? Is that why you're back so early?"
The others shuffled their feet embarrassedly. "One of the other races told us that we were going to get ourselves killed," Atem said. "That's why we're back early."
"Which race?" Tea asked.
Joey was confused. "Whaddya mean, 'which race'? We don't know. He had red, furry skin and yellow eyes."
"So you mean a Kryllian! Right, Yugi?" she asked, poking the young half-breed. Yugi blushed and nodded.
Tristan scratched his head. "Huh? How do you guys know about that?"
"Tell them, Yugi," she said, nudging him in the side. He didn't respond. "Tell them, Yugi," she said more firmly.
Yugi sighed and stepped forward. "What would you guys think if I told you… that I wasn't from Earth?"
The others were silent. "What are ya tryin' ta say, Yug'?" Joey asked hesitantly. He was almost afraid of the answer.
Yugi closed his eyes and transformed into a Loramys. Atem, Joey and Tristan gasped. Atem immediately recognized Yugi's new appearance as the same as some of the patrons of Klyndeneya. "You are one of the other races?" Atem asked Yugi incredulously.
Yugi nodded shyly, trying to hide behind Tea who kept pushing him back in front of his friends. "Dis is awesome! We can go shove dis in dat barkeeper's face!" Joey exclaimed, always seeing the bright side of things. He gave Tristan a high-five. "What now?" he said mockingly to the invisible Kryllian bartender.
Yugi laughed. Tea was right. He was so relieved. Atem walked up to him. "Yugi, have you had experience with the Federation before?"
Yugi nodded emphatically. Atem noticed that he seemed to radiate cold. "You bet I have! My parents had a Union of their own, and they went on missions when I was a kid. I practically grew up in Klyndeneya. Besides, I had to apply for a permit to live on Earth permanently…"
"So, tell me about it," Atem requested as Joey and Tristan began a victory dance. "What do I need to know about the Federation to join?"
"Well, let me tell you about the worlds and the races…"
About ten minutes later, Yugi had finished telling his friends about everything regarding the Federation. In order to join a Union, they had to have a down payment for weapons and assignment collateral, along with a computer quiz on the basics of the worlds. Yugi had the money and the knowledge, so passing would be easy.
"You couldn't have told us 'bout dis before?" Joey asked after Yugi narration. "You could have saved us some humiliation."
"I'm sorry, guys," Yugi said, scratching his flat nose. "But I've kept this secret for half of my life." He glanced at his hand, with its blue skin and long fingers. "It feels strange to be Loramyshan again…"
"So this is why you never talk about your past," Atem realized. "You never wanted us to know that you came from Astala."
Yugi nodded. Tea adopted a shrink-like, cavalier attitude. "So, tell us about yourself."
"I lived in Poranis, one of the Astalan ports, for half of every year," Yugi began. "My parents always lived near a port, because they were Union members and they had to travel often. For the other half of the year, I lived in the Senmarian port of Toritana. We had to move back and forth because of the weather. Since my father was human, he wouldn't be able to survive the cold."
"It must have been weird, flip-flopping back and forth like that," Tristan said.
"I lived my entire life that way," Yugi said. "Most of my friends were Klyndeneya's staff members, so it became like a sort of third home. I didn't realize how strange it was until my parents died…" He trailed off, the emotions of the loss welling in his throat. "They were killed on a mission to Kryos, by a mother Lilitum."
"What's a mother Lilitum?" Atem asked. He already knew what a Lilitum was, because Yugi had told him earlier.
"Lilitu are like bees. They have drones, which are the ones you'll most often meet. And they also have queens, known as mother Lilitu, that spawn all of the drones. They're very powerful and enormous. Nearly impossible to kill…" Yugi seemed lost in thought for a while. He wondered if his parents knew that it was a mother Lilitum. They would never have done something so reckless… would they?
"After that, I decided to live on Earth with my grandfather." Yugi continued. "I had to take a test from the Federation in order to do it. It was about things like customs and laws. They also had to make sure I could maintain a human form indefinitely, which took a couple of unpleasant experiments."
Atem noticed something. "Why is it that Earth is the only planet that seems excluded from the Federation? Kryos, Astala, and Senmar all know about the other worlds and races, but I'm only hearing of it now."
"A long, long time ago, the ports weren't machines like they are now. They were stones, made of a mysterious material that allowed you to travel to its 'brother' on another planet." Yugi answered, happy that he had paid attention in his Astalan history class. "A few primitive people of each race got together to discuss the proper use of these 'portstones', and they came to an agreement to create the Federation, an interterrestrial body of law to protect each world.
"But the leader of the humans wanted the power of the portstones for himself. He tried to kill the other members by using trickery and deceit. But the Kryllians were not easily fooled, and they punished the humans by denying them the right to join the Federation. You all lived in ignorance of our entire existence until the 1950s, when an Astalan pro-human rights activist decided to set up Klyndeneya, meaning 'may Kryos forgive' in the Astalan language. Most humans go inside and think that it's all an elaborate costume party, but certain people, like you guys, have taken things seriously and decided to join Unions."
"Wow…" Tea remarked. "Remind me to thank that pro-human rights activist."
Yugi laughed. "Her name is Pijana, and she's my grandmother."
The gang's jaws dropped. "Your grandmother?!" they exclaimed simultaneously.
"That's one of the reasons my mother married a human." Yugi said, smiling at their reaction. "It probably wouldn't have been legal if it wasn't for Grandma's efforts."
"So, Yugi…" Tristan began. Yugi urged him on. "If your grandmother was available, then why did you decide to go through the trouble of living on Earth?"
Yugi winked. "I've always loved human food. Going to Earth gave me an opportunity to eat as much of it as I wanted!"