Chapter 9 - One Last Time
Da'an paced the corridors of the old out-post, agitatedly. They had not yet arrived, and he was beginning to doubt whether they would.
Turning his thoughts away from his worries, he observed his surroundings instead. It was an old station that had once been used by his brethren many centuries before they had come to Earth. Although it was abandoned now, it would only serve its purpose as a Taelon-Jaridian meeting place this once. The station would soon be scrapped, in order to retain any remaining reposits of core energy. They would not have long before the Taelon engineers arrived, but so long as Lili and her Jaridian ally arrived soon, it would be enough.
Turning from the corridor he had been wandering, Da'an entered an old viewing port. He cast his gaze over the horizon, remembering a time before the planet had been turned into a barren wasteland. A pang of regret shot through his body, and a blush took over his being. It lasted only a moment, and in it he knew that all the good he had strived for on Earth would never be enough to erase the sins of his past.
A hollow dinging sound brought Da'an out of his reverie. It was the signal which was designed to alert the occupants of the room of arrivals. Da'an left the room without a second thought, praying that it was Lili who had arrived at the station, and not an enemy who would seek to compromise his position.
Lili walked through the corridor of the abandoned building, uncertainly, Balvak at her side. She recognised the figure that had emerged from one of the rooms, immediately. When the Taelon's gaze landed on her, he blushed, blue energy engulfing his body for a moment before subsiding to leave behind his usual humanoid form. If Lili had the ability to blush in the same way, she knew she would have. No amount of planning could have prepared Lili for actually coming face to face with Da'an after all that had happened. But here they were.
An odd feeling swept over Lili. The realisation that perhaps she would, after all, be granted her one last time with Da'an was almost too much to comprehend.
They both stood for a moment, observing each other numbly. It seemed that he was as unprepared for this meeting as she was. Eventually, the moment passed, and he motioned with his hands, offering the Taelon gesture of peace. Lili returned the gesture, unaware that Balvak was doing the same at her side.
Swallowing her pride, and the shock she felt, Lili stepped slowly forward, not stopping until she was stood directly before Da'an. Gently, he reached forward to take her hand in his, pressing their palms together. The coolness of his touch felt different and yet sweeter than she remembered. Like some forbidden luxury that she had not tasted for many a year. She revelled in the energy that throbbed against her palm, not realising that she was crying until his palm fell away from hers. Da'an smiled, gently, as he raised his hand to brush away her tears.
"Come. We have much to discuss." With that he motioned for them to follow him, leading them into the room from which he had just emerged. Once inside, he gestured to a low bench upon which Lili and Balvak could sit. Da'an sat beside Lili, exploring the depths of her eyes.
"I can honestly say that I had no idea that I would ever see you again." He told her.
"Do you have any idea what I went through? I thought you were dead." She fired at him, unable to keep her feelings bottled any longer. Da'an hung his head in remorse.
"I wish I had told you the truth."
"Why didn't you?"
"Would you have believed me if I had? Could you have accepted it?"
Lili couldn't find it in her to reply. She knew he was right. And yet, the anger she might once have felt would not come. She felt an intense frustration at the feelings that stirred within her. She had been through so much, but the anger would not come. She was relieved to see the Taelon again, and surprised to find that she actually cared about his welfare, but the anger was gone. There was simply no place for it any more. What mattered now was in the present and the future, and the future was held in the tiny body of her beautiful daughter. In that instant, Lili understood her purpose at last. And she knew that she would give it her all, no matter what it took. She would find a way to give her daughter the life she herself had been robbed of, even if it meant making the ultimate sacrifice. She knew this now. And she knew it was Da'an who had given her that.