For DianneBaquiran, Followers and Watchers

Turn your face towards the sun; face the shadows right behind you.
Do look back but carry on; and the shadows will fight beside you.
And you know; I've been burned x3
You've seen me lose control; it's worth x3; my soul
'Towards the sun by Rihanna' edited lyrics

After completing two straight day cycles of work without rest, Balem was still disengaged from his feelings even when it was safe to have them on his ship. Entering his private bedchamber he was perplexed for he didn't see his Kira yet he felt her. He yelled at Ki through FTL.

Balem was furious at Ki's answer that Sigil recommended that Balem interacts more with Kira instead of his attendants resolving miscommunications. Frustrated after unusual higher beings life and death decisions he made during the two cycles, he just wanted to drug himself and fall asleep with his living pillow not talk to it.

For those two day cycles Kira couldn't stand being in the spacious bedchamber, she knew it was just her body not feeling safe from all the attacks; especially since the first one started in this same room. Kira with the help of her FTL and Sen the chamber presence, she found his closet behind a wall, that dematerialized. It's Balem's private closet for when he didn't want androids or anyone else near him. Curled in a ball, she hid in it behind his clothes and it calmed her for his pheromones were more concentrated in the closet.

He was disappointed that it would hide from him. Balem wanted to knock the wall down instead of dematerializing it but if it-she was frightened of him then that wouldn't help. He didn't want to know Kira's thoughts for he did that involuntarily by mistake when his mother was frightened of him.

Bending down to his knees as if approaching a frighten animal like his nursemaid taught him, Balem dematerialized the door of his closet through his FTL. He opened his arms but Kira stayed still instead of running to him as he thought she would.

Kira felt him near before he entered the room yet she wasn't afraid of him but of herself. She changed her mind about going to Earth and held back the tears.

Words started pouring out of Balem's mouth, "I'm here. For you. Always." And in a flash that was uninterrupted by his FTL Repressing Memory Program he remembered that his nursemaid said those words to him as he hid in one of his closets after feeling ashamed of breaking by mistake one of the presents his mother had brought him.

He, as a child ran straight into his nursemaid arms when his nursemaid spoke. Kira on the other hand slowly exited the closet and was on all fours with her head turned to the side for he was nude again and it was her ovulation part of her cycle which she knew her body would take-over all her other systems. She was hoping he would have worked one more day for it to pass.

"Why," the word came out without Balem's consent and he decided autopilot wasn't a good idea and it's time to take over.

"Because of me…," she started knowing that saying 'I am afraid of myself' he would have ignored the 'myself' part, "I need to learn to control myself." She started weeping for what other planets or beings will she destroy for him.

Balem remembered not to move even when he wanted to pick her up but waited till the animal came to him per his nursemaid's instructions. "I trust you," he said extending his hand and when she took it, "I'm the only one. that matters."

Kira stopped crying as she laughed at his 'I'm the center of the universe' attitude. Testing his words she stood up while still holding his right hand then looked down to see him smiling.

Looking up he smiled at being able to control himself for he wanted to pull her down and knock her off her feet.

She pushed the nightgown's skirt between her legs before kneeling down in front of him and asked, "May we skip Earth's visit?" for Kira is disappointed at herself that she can't face her mistakes especially if her friends and family are still alive but everyone else is gone.

He wanted to yell at her NO instead Balem commanded to know the flimsy excuse, "Why."

"I..," Kira started but couldn't say that it was because she thought he felt Earth was more important to her than him, "I would understand if I was asked to cut all my ties… but punishing a whole planet isn't that a little too much?" She wanted to know why but knew better than to ask directly.

Balem closed his eyes as if he was in pain, "I want it." Smiling, he visualized the sanitizing blue nitrogen polymers covering the surface "Done." He felt her hand on his cheek Balem kissed her hand while seeing an implosion of the planet in his mind, "And gone." He knew he wasn't going to destroy all the thousands years of resources that have been invested on that planet but it felt good to imagine it gone.

Kira's body wanted to pounce on him to kiss him but her mind did a double-take when he said he wanted the planet gone.

'Be yourself.' He said to through FTL while making her look at him, [the one I met in] 'Our… first meetings.' Getting off her knees she threw her body on him. Balem was ready, his body was still and accepted the contact for that was the greeting he expected from her. They kissed passionately.

She tangled her hands in his hair gently pulling as he does to her and kissed those big pouty lips of his as if he was the oxygen she breathes.

When they let go in unison and gazed into each other's eyes while she smiled and he tried not to do so. Balem through FTL continued, 'Pretending to be equals.' He petted her as a feline moving his hands from her head down to her buttocks then standing up while keeping her close to him.

Seeing that they are going to bed, Kira smiles that she can put off facing Earth. He tries to pull her off him but she playfully stays clingy for a few minutes. When she lets go he gently kisses her lips before taking her nightgown off. She's amused when he folds it perfectly to lay it on the side.

He sat beside her on his bed and called a preloaded slow release sleep-pen it flew slowly towards them.

"Show off," Kira teased.

"All homo-sapien-sapiens do this," Balem replied yet he was showing off for he could have asked the chamber presence to bring it to him.

When he had it in his hands Kira asked, "What is it?"

"Slow release sleep aid," He noticed she started to panic when he said the word sleep. 'No one is allowed here,' he told her through FTL.

'No holograms… ?' Kira asked timidly remembering the last time.

Balem fortified his ship and upgraded protocols. 'Low end holograms. Approved through FTL. They can't interact with the environment.' he replied and saw her relax. He held out the medi-pen on his hand and told her to do whatever she wants with it.

She suggested he throw it across the room because there's no need for it anymore and he did but before it hit the wall Sen the chamber presence stopped it from shattering and put it away.

He asked her to sit on his lap and straddle his waist because he wanted to see her reactions to his mother's words. Before deferring to him she reminded him that she has never felt her body being so uncontrollable with its own will.

'You aren't an animal. You're a hybrid therefore your mind has control over the body,' he admitted to her through FTL.

Kira thought, 'great there goes that excuse for if they were going to accuse me of being an animal I…' her FTL let her know he was connecting, '…was at least going to enjoy that status.'

Balem wanted to ask what status but held back hoping she had forgotten that he can be in her mind. Instead he kissed her forehead and started, "My mother taught me what was necessary to rule in this universe." He waited to see if she would flinch or want to protect him from his mother like his nursemaid.

"Please teach me… I want to know what you know… to know is to love," Kira asked for she wanted to know how it was possible to disassociate from so much death.

"Life is an act of consumption," Balem waited for her to comment. She just stared at him in awe so he continued, "To live is to consume and the human beings on your planet… are merely a resource waiting to be converted into capital, and this enterprise is just a small part in a vast and beautiful machine designed by evolution, designed for a single purpose… to create profit." It was odd that she was still smiling at him.

Kira thought 'Oy! Snobby one percenter; As below so above… unfortunately is true.' He was waiting for what she thought so she answered him, "I found out the hard way for I wanted to only produce and not consume to be like a plant that I thought only used energy from the sun. I made the mistake to think plants were producers when they take more than the carnivores."

Balem reminded her, "You where a sentient plant that had just transcended to its first lifetime as a feline. You where one of many that skipped many rungs of the ladder from what we thought were a low neuron network to a high one…," he laughed and asked, 'tell me how "not to consume?"

Kira blushed and tried to look down but he held her making sure she faced him. "I was an unhealthy vegan no matter how much I fermented, sprouted, and slowly cooked grains. Also I thought later that I was killing plant babies so I only ate fruits and threw the seeds on the ground. Those were the worse three months of my life." She paused so he could laugh at her like all her non-vegan friends.

He let out a big belly laugh, "Seeds and nuts are babies that want to grow into a plant that is their purpose. Plants reproduce enough knowing that most of their offspring won't survive and you felt bad eating them?"

"Yes, I still do. I feel more horrible eating a seed than the flesh of an animal for at least the animal had a chance to live. Many lived miserable lives but I was lucky enough to be able to choose those that lived well eating them after a full life," She was still trying to look down feeling guilty but he wouldn't let her.

"You're adorable for how can you feel guilt over your body's needs… you have done nothing wrong," then Balem remembered Earth's experiments of destroying some instincts and amplifying others. He saw that she didn't believe him so he told her the truth, "its part of that planet's experiment to manipulate the mind to force the body to go against itself."

She looked at him awes trucked that he would admit it was their fault.

He laughed at such a notion and didn't feel any guilt over it but said it to amuse her, "It is our fault." Still laughing, "I take full responsibility."

Laughing Kira broke her own rules of joking with the truth, "Liar!"

Balem retorted, "I take full responsibility for you. You. Are. MINE! There's nothing you should feel guilty about. You are at the top of the pyramid now."

"Thank you, Balem." Kira replied happily and thought 'thank you for trying to make me feel better but there's no right or wrong way to feel it's how we use them.'

He didn't reply to that for he thought he can control everyone's feelings if he wanted to do so.

"Pyramid? … at the end of the cycle?" Kira asked wanting to know how the bee, ant, and the original hierarchy have been convoluted in this level if the one on Earth is twisted.

Balem was delighted by her metaphor, "My mother… made me understand. That every human society is a pyramid, and that some lives will always matter more than others. It is better. To accept this… than to pretend it isn't true."

Kira started to feel guilty and started crying again, "I want my life to be worthy because of what I have contributed not just because you own me…" knowing he probably will feel angry she still said how she felt, "Those ladies I shot were worth more than twenty me for their knowledge and contribution was greater," she was trying to stop crying.

"Remember you have Entitled Kepler genetics and more… you are above them," Balem tried to make her see. "When I wasn't achieving all that I set out to do… Mother told me:

"Many people believe that because 'they do, they are,' but in reality 'they are, therefore they do.' Our actions, My Sun, do not change who we are, rather they reflect who we are. Stop comparing yourself to me for you are a perfect child and I am a 5,000 year old adult."

Balem continued, "You are a perfect new human and above the old ones who have had numerous human lifetimes. Tell me how all consume on Earth's pyramid." He waited for her response.

Kira thought, 'Earth's pyramid has been screwed err un-harmonized by human intervention jerks,' forgetting he was listening. "Our main star eats who knows what but I know it must eat something, the soil is alive, eats all, and needs all the nutrients it can get to sustain vegetation and life.

The plants eat the soil and the sun, ruminants eat the vegetation to keep it in check if there isn't enough of them the vegetation will take over and if there are too many of them they would eat all vegetation not letting the plants reproduce creating deserts.

The carnivores keep the ruminants in check to make sure they don't over reproduce and eat everything. The omnivores keep everything in check.

When all beings die the soil and vegetation feeds on them. The soil and plants need their blood and bones to live. It was in perfect harmony till agriculture decided to control nature," She wasn't sorry at all for her long rant.

He didn't say anything for Balem was satisfied that it was close enough to his mother's system and how his mother said the universe worked. Since he searched the weird rituals of Earth's mammals to entertain himself as Kalique suggested the first day he met her, he wanted to play with her and enjoy her response, "I am satisfied with my pen's limited explanation." He saw she didn't understand so he made it easier to remind her of her abstract answer laughing as he stated, "This cob has the biggest nest in this universe."

Kira giggled, "Swans." And wondered why he brought up her lame excuse.

Yawning for he hadn't slept for seven cycles, Balem didn't want to sleep and asked with a mischievous smile, "Choose for when we wake; porcupine, Earth's internet humans, Reah's tribal humans," for he knew from the Kepler's that she would not be happy choosing any of those.

"Are they wasteful yes or no?" Kira wanted to know.

"No, Yes, Maybe," He replied smiling.

"Maybe?" curiously she asked.

"I don't think it is and mother probably would but in the end it will go to the same place," he said with a real smile and laid his back onto the bed.

"Then that one…" she agreed to the last, "tell me what they are…" she said as she laid forward and gently kissed his neck.

He laughed at her and said, "No." She didn't think it was funny so he told her, "It will ruin the surprise."

"I don't like surprises even when they are awesome," Kira said in a frustrated tone ending in a sigh.

Balem laughed again, "My pen is just like me."

"Master will be disappointed when it grows up to be a flightless penguin," She broke her rules again joking with the truth.

"Must I get an entire planet to bow down to you for you to STOP that," Balem retorted.

"That will probably make me feel worse," Kira felt ashamed for saying that out loud turning her face away from him.

"My Queen of Earth," Balem added fuel to it.

"Please. That isn't funny," she wanted to run back into his closet but stayed.

"I gave you Earth's title and as promised will show you how to seed it however you want it," He said remembering his words to her.

"Will they, the stock humans, have a choice to volunteer for ReGenX or stay?" Kira asked.

"If that is what you wish for that planet, My Queen of Earth," Balem still playing with her.

"I'm being serious Balem," Kira replied to the comment he thought was funny.

Balem replied, "I'm always serious, My Kira. Always." Then held her close to him and rolled to pin her to the bed. "Many things I thought were impractical that my mother did have specific reasons that took me years to understand. This is to remind your spirit that being in this body is fantastic," he said before passing his fingers, exploring her and then kissing her in a grid pattern as his mother always did to him.

Kira remembered it from the FTL memory he showed her, she knew the reason just as newborns need skin to skin and to be touched by their mothers yet she resisted for it tickled and the grid pattern just made it seem so unnatural. Finally she relaxed and even fell asleep.

When he finished and stood to watch her intensely she felt it and fluttered open her eyes to smile at him. Balem disconnected from her FTL.

She asked if she could reciprocate and he accepted. By the time she started his right hand he couldn't stand the reminder of his mother and started hyperventilating when she kissed his chest. Kira stopped and stood back even though she wanted to hold him as he curled into a fetal position to whimper. She waited till he finished crying before lying down and curling her body, even if it was smaller, around his.

'Thank you My Earth Queen,' Balem told her through FTL. He kissed her hand that was wrapped around him before turning to face her and pulling her up for them to be face to face to ask her to sing him to sleep. Sen the chamber presence lowered the lights slowly and switched the screen that looked like windows from grasslands to stars that can be seen on Reah's night sky.

"When you dream, what do you dream about?
When you dream, what do you dream about?
Do you dream about music or mathematics
Or planets too far for our eyes to see?
Do you dream about religions or quantum mechanics
or angels who sing lullabies?"
When you dream by Barenaked ladies

Kira watched him sleep but she couldn't fall asleep as her body was still on alert. Ki commanded through FTL for her to take the sleep aid but Kira still refused. So instead she thought of how the plants controlled the animals on Earth, how they called animals, how they formed symbiotic relationships with fungi and bacteria to feed the animals it called. She smiled at how magical is the universe.

She wondered, 'Will he really let the stock decide. Oh no I'm starting to think like them. Will he really let humans on harvest planets decide or was he playing with me? Like I played with the ants when I gave them food and then flooded their homes as a child,' feeling guilty and then feeling more guilty for her feeling guilt over ants more than some humans. She fell asleep trying to think of win-win scenarios.

Balem woke up smiling next to Kira then annoyed at Ki telling him that Kira needed more rest. He turned on the anti-gravity and Sen dressed her in the air.

Sen dressed her in what looked like a Michael Cinco full length black shinny dress were the top lace part seemed to almost be tattooed on her skin and a skirt of black shiny stripes and see through beige. On her head two clips of three see through white wings; one big one surrounded by two small ones and three that held the Abrasax logo on top of her third eye forehead. And a large black hooded cape coat that covered her entirely blocking the light from her eyes.

He was wearing a dark grey black embroider shirt and pants that fit him like a glove with a charcoal black frock leather coat that had darker symbol embellishments. When Sen was finished dressing Kira, the chamber presence slowly turned off the anti-gravity that Tael may bring her to the ships boardroom. Balem wanted to carry his Kira but Ki and the rest insisted that the assistants assist.

Kira woke up in Tael's arms after leaving the bedchamber she wanted to say hi to Tael but then remembered to pay attention to the center of the universe wiggling out of the large cape and running to smash into him.

Balem was too busy with work on his FTL that he almost toppled over when Kira ran into him on purpose. He wanted to be angry at her for acting undignified in front of the servants but instead enjoyed it for he felt her joy and delight at being alive. It was hard for him to keep a stern face and not feel.

The saragon who usually carried him and his chair was dismissed as he decided to walk with Kira that she may see her home-ship. She remembered protocols and stayed five feet behind him. Across his room was another chamber he barely used entering it he told her it was hers to do as she pleased.

The servants stayed outside as Balem commanded them when the doors of Kira's room materialized closed. Kira wanted to smash into him again but decided that wasn't a good idea instead she walked slowly to take his hand as he showed her with FTL how to change the window digital screens. That FTL was easier to control with hands but better form and the new implant she has can be controlled with eye movements or thought process.

He told her to switch the windows into mirrors it took her a few tries with concentrating in her mind but she succeeded. Kira let go of his hand to touch her reflection for she couldn't believe that it was her and wanted to ask how to add ten years back but held back.

Balem thought that she was upset thinking that she was being moved out of the master chamber so he tried to console her, "For when you want your own space. Would you like to set it up now and take a nap?"

"I want to spend time with you. May the room set up wait till when you go somewhere I can't follow?" She asked instead of saying no.

'You are delightful,' he told her through FTL as he pushed her onto the window digital screens with his body. Balem nuzzled her neck and she trembled remembering the last time he pushed her against the wall in her room. He twirled her around before seeing her face when telling her through FTL, 'You'll sleep in the boardroom while I work.' And then amended when he saw she didn't like that idea, 'It's quite boring for most people.'

'I want to learn yet I understand. Thank you, Balem. Shall I call you master in front of the servants?' Kira replied.

'If you must talk to me do so through FTL, if I ask you a question which I won't 'my lord', and if referring to me to someone else 'Master Abrasax' it denotes apprenticeship or under my protection.' Balem informed her.

'Thank you,' she said it again.

'Don't thank me. I do it for me. Just be honest through FTL and yourself when we are in private,' he reminded her.

Kira was confused for Balem held her hand as they exited her room and did so till they were in front of the boardroom. She tried not to panic when she realized it was the same place she murdered four high end people and razed planet Earth.

Balem felt her panic so he carried her into the room as he switched the main huge cathedral like windows to display an ocean beachfront with different planetary fauna that he thought was relaxing. Timeless-Balem gently laid her on the round cushion as he soothes her through FTL, 'no more test ever on our home I promise.'

Tael covers Kira with the hooded cape coat and lies beside her. Kira asked through FTL, 'I want to see you instead of the ocean.'

'I won't be able to work with you intensely staring at me,' timeless-Balem replied to her and she conceded.

Hours later she was still awake for all she thought was about Earth. He finished more than was necessary and dismissed his assistants.

Tael stood and he sat on the cushion next Kira to ask, 'Are you hungry?'

Kira took her hood off, looked behind her, and seeing no one other than Tael; she embraced Balem while teasing, 'for you.'

Balem thought it was hilarious as he picked her up this time his pretty sculpted muscles that aren't as strong need a ReGenX fix for it hurts but he doesn't let it show.

Brings her to a white chamber where there's an extra large bathtub with a garden behind it. He takes her hooded cape coat off and the dress easily comes off for its full of snap buttons from top to bottom on the back.

Coming closer to the tub she smells sweet blood before she sees it. Kira breathes and calms down remember Diana's crazy prank of bathing her in cow's blood and that she did say yes to him. She turns to see him, 'was it humanely harvest and how many humans?'

'Of course is yes. I'll tell you after you are in,' Balem told her while picking her up and gently sitting her on the steps of the tub.

'It's cold,' she replied remembering that she said yes if it was warm.

'It has to be for it's on it last viable stage. It's for emergency if ReGenX is ever scarce. I use it to feed the plants that will feed the beings that feed the beings we consume.' Balem tries to explain.

Kira is freezing yet she ducks her head in for that is what he wants. When she emerges he uses his tongue to lap some of it off her lips before kissing her. She guesses it's his. It's all his for his mother would think this was wasteful. Laughing, she takes cups her hands to hold some lifts it up to him before drinking it.

Then Kira lets out a sigh remembering Earth, 'I must agree with our queen for all the O negative null blood to go to plants instead of scientist who can save many lives with it is a waste!'

'You've remembered what the trice reborn said,' Balem stated.

'Anitza said that the true human races are blood types not skin or features and I disagreed with her saying that it is mtDNA,' Kira waited for his opinion but he didn't give one.

Balem reminded himself to make sure those four are there for their visit. He saw her nervous system respond reminding them of their amphibian primate ancestry wrinkling her fingers making it easier for their ancestors to grab fish and vegetation.

'Reah tribe planetary custom?' she asked taking him out of his concentration.

'Yes all of it is intertwined. My Kna'ani's transfer to her next lifetime, my first planetary cleansing, my first true mercy killing, my only friends, and harvesting for quality instead of quantity,' timeless-Balem answered as he picked up a natural beige hooded thin towel created especially for his Kira that will be given to the ground and food for the plants on the ship.

Kira waited for she guessed he will tell her when he is ready, she stood up and reached out. He took covered her with the thin towel which turned red as it pulled the liquid off her body. The chamber presence took off the towel and he paused admiring the red hue of her skin as tiny micro spots of his blood coagulated attacking and destroying her entire bio-dome. He was happy for he will rebuild her bio-dome as he sees fit.

The machine dried her leaving the red hue for Balem didn't want to wash it off yet. He wanted to parade her in front of the top Entitleds for they have begged him for this procedure and he has always refused. They will be more jealous of her so he decided against it. He gently unclipped the two wing clips and covered her with the large black hooded cape while she squealed in joyfully.

He brought her to the lab that will rebuild her bio-dome. Balem asked her, 'Do you trust me?' as he placed his hand on the chamber's force field.

'With everything,' she answered lining up her hand to his before the force field chamber was filled with the enzymes and the warm oxygenated liquid that will provide the growing medium.

'I go through this ever so often. The sooner you empty your lungs the faster they will get filled and you will feel wonderful,' he tried to calm her.

Kira's body still panicked even though her mind was calm as the liquid engulfed her she choked on it. Balem stopped and it lowered the liquid level.

'Wait till it's over your head before emptying your lungs,' he tried not to laugh and waited for her to be ready before filling the chamber again.

The chamber was huge compared to Sophie's so Kira to the opportunity to twirl and move up, down and round and round; like a goldfish in a bowl. She felt warm and safe, so through FTL she told him 'thank you Balem.'

That's when Balem decided to permit it, he thought 'I tolerated it from Annabelle and mother must have permitted my nursemaid to say it.' Timeless-Balem auto answered Kira for him, 'you're welcome.'

"You know when you give your love away
It opens your hear, everything is new.
And you know time will always find a way
To let your heart believe it's true."
Amarantine by Enya