Which World is Real?

Chapter 8 - The Reunion

don't have any idea of what time we eventually fell asleep. But I woke up before Chloe. So I went through my normal morning routine and then I decided to tidy up our mess from the previous night.

I thought I'd wake her up with coffee and breakfast, but she wasn't impressed. Aperantly she hates eating in bed. So I followed her lead and moved her breakfast to the dining area. So she finally went to enjoy her breakfast I snuck off to tidy the room, but she beat me to it.

After she finished her breakfast and shower she went to the bridge and the next moment she came running towards me. "We need to talk."

Me. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Chloe. "No, but we must have lost track of time somewhere, we will be arriving in a couple of hours and we have a lot to go through and there are a few things we need to get ready."

Me. "I'm listening, but how is that possible? You said it will take 2 days."

Chloe. "I did, we must have lost track of time and just slept very long. Time in hyperspace does that."

Me. "Please explain."

Chloe. "No time." I could hear the urgency in her voice. "First we need to take all the weapons systems completely offline, otherwise they won't allow us to land."

Me. "That will leave us vulnerable."

Chloe. "We have to show that we come in good faith."

Me. "But aren't they part of the alliance?"

Chloe. "No, they withdrew from the alliance a very long time ago."

Me. "Then why did we even come here?"

Chloe. "They are not enemies, they just didn't want to be part of the alliance. But enough about that. I need you to listen to me and not interrupt me. "

Me. "I understand."

Chloe. "We are going to arrive in normal space at the edge of their solar system, they will make contact and they will scan the ship. They will know if our weapons are active or not and how many life forms are onboard. All I need you to do is follow my lead and whatever they say don't speak, I will handle everything."

Just then the lights dimmed a bit.

Chloe. "We are almost there, come with me. "

She put her pilot suit on during her sprint towards the bridge.

Me. "I don't know where mine is."

Chloe. "You won't need yours."

She ran into the bridge and activated a controls and worked on it a bit and then she finally took a deep breath. "Just in time."

The words barely escaped her mouth as the ship gave a light jerk and we were back in normal space.

We both looked up at the main screen as it came to life and I gasped for air as I stared at what I could only describe as an unbelievable sight. At first I wasn't sure what I was looking at, it was huge, just floating all over and everywhere.

As I stared at hundreds of monoliths Chloe spoke up. "Those are planetary defense weapons, they can't build ships as big as ours, but one of then can fight off a fleet of over 100 ships a second."

She brought the ship the an almost stand still when a signal came in.

Voice. "Unidentified Seleon ship please identify yourself and state your reason for been here. "

Chloe. "It's princess Serine , Daughter of High Queen Azaria. I need to meet with the emperor."

Voice. "We already have a Seleon Pressence here, Queen Krish."

Chloe. "Queen Krish? Did I hear that correctly."

Voice. "Yes, so you can return to the Terran solar system."

Chloe. "No, I will not leave until I've seen the Emperor."

Voice. "Then you will be arrested."

Chloe. "Fine, I'm here to inform the emperor that the Merge has begun and is almost complete."

Voice. "The merge" a few seconds of silence. "Then another voice came on.

Krish. "Sarine is that really you?"

Chloe. "Yes aunt it's me."

Krish. "You said the Merge has begun, that's serious, do you have evidence of this?"

Chloe. "I do, I have him on my ship."

Krish. "Him?"

Chloe. "Yes, allow me to land and I will explain everything to you."

Krish. "Give me a few moments."

Radio silence.

Me. "Him?"

Chloe. "Yes, and what you carry with you. Just stay calm, I will explain everything soon."

Voice. "You May land at station 13."

Chloe smiling. "What a coincidence, or is it providence?"

She then took the controls and in a flash of light we moved forward, I just saw lines as we were moving and after a few seconds the ship slowed down as we approached a space station that seems to be standing on a pillar that goes all the way down to the planet.

She moved the ship slowly to a gap in it where light was shining out of it and then she let go of the controls and the ship moved in by itself and as we entered the ship turned.

Chloe. "Let's go. "

I followed her down the corridor towards the exit just to find that we landed and there is a carpet on the floor and a row of guards. With 2 guards standing by the exit.

Guard. "Right hands."

Chloe stretched her right hand out and I followed in suit. The guard them placed a metalic cuff on each of our wrists and then they stepped to the sides. All I can do is look around, they are not as tall as the Seleons, but still taller then any human I've ever seen, they basically look like those beautiful elves you would see in movies.

Chloe. "These are just so they can track our movements while we are here. It's mostly so we don't leave designated areas where we are allowed to go."

Then Chloe started walking briskly towards a tall woman standing at the end of the hanger, as we got closer I could swear it was Azaria, but then I saw she looks slightly different.

Krish. "My dear girl, it's so good to see you."

As she gives Chloe a hug.

Chloe. "It's also so good to see you, what's it been, a thousand years?"

Krish. Looking at me and back at Chloe. "So how is he the evidence?"

Chloe. "Let's go to your lab, do your tests and you will see."

Krish. "Follow me."

We then entered a huge glass room and the door shut behind us. As it started to decent they kept talking about random stuff, I wasn't really listening, I was too fascinated by this technology as we went down the shaft towards the planet I kept gasping at the magnificent engineering of this species, they have all these silver glowing towers that looks like discs stacked ontop of each other to form tall sky scrapers. Strange shaped flying cars all over the place.

I was so engulfed by everything I was looking at that I didn't even notice when the elevator stopped. I just felt Chloe taking me hand. "Come, we are here."

I followed them out of the elevator down a long corridor and as we entered a huge white room in the shape of a dome krish welcomed us.

Krish. "Welcome to my humble lab. "

Me. Looking around at all the equipment everywhere. "Humble?"

Krish. "It's unfortunately not Seleon technology, but it gets the job done. "

Chloe. "I need you to run a dna test on him and tell me what you see."

Krish. "Can you explain why?"

Chloe. "That's what I'm hoping to find out."

Krish. "Okay." she came to me and pricked my finger with a needle and walked over to a console and place the needle in a slot. "Anything particular I'm looking for?"

Chloe. "Please compare it to yours?"

Krish looking up at Chloe confused. "Please explain?"

Chloe. "Please trust me on this."

Krish. "Okay" , she then pricked her own finger and placed the needle in the other slot. She worked a bit and then gasped, she sat back in her chair and turned around looking at us, she was the whitest white color I've ever seen any being go. "It's impossible" she looked at me with tears in her eyes, "this is not possible, you died, I've personally seen your dissected body on the rogue ship we captured. "

Me. "What's going on?"

Chloe looking at me, "she is your mother, you are not a hybrid. You are exactly the same as me."

Me. "I don't understand."

Krish. "How's this even possible?"

Chloe. "He is from a parallel dimension that was destroyed by the interdimensionists, and I've seen creatures on earth that was believed to be extinct in this dimension, some that I helped hunt down to extinction."

Krish, "the merge!!!" She went pale. "Has the crystal appeared yet?"

Chloe. Taking my back pack off the table and opening it, she takes a rock I found in the garden just after arriving in this dimension out and puts it on the table. "Yes, and he found it."

Krish going pale again, that means this is the last reality left before the void consumes everything. "

Me. "What are you girls talking about?"

Chloe. "It's too much to explain."

Krish. "I've sent all the evidence to the emperor."

Just as she finished saying it a guard came bursting through the door.

Guard. Out of breath, "the emperor wants to meet immediately."

Voice behind guard. "I'm here."

Krish. "Emperor? You never meet outside the palace."

Emperor. "I've received your message. No time to waste. Chloe, right? That's what you like to be called?"

Chloe. "Yes my Lord", bowing down while blushing.

Emperor. "No need, I should bow to the lady who saw the danger coming." He then looks at me, "so you are the dead son returned to life." smiling at me. "Welcome to the family." That's when Chloe and I noticed the grin on Krish face.

Chloe. "You two?"

Krish. "Yes we are together."

Emperor. "There will be time for everything later. Chloe, tell Azaria the Acturion Empire will join your alliance."

Chloe. "Thank you, so on behalf of my mother I thank you my Lord."

Emperor. "Not her alliance, your alliance, Chloe's alliance. "

Chloe. "I don't understand, I'm not a queen."

Emperor. "The alliance follows the one who has the crystal."

Chloe. "He found the crystal, not me."

Me. "I didn't find it, it just appeared. "

Emperor. "Well the alliance will follow your leadership in this battle for reality and against the void. "

Me. "The void? "

Chloe. "The end of all existence."

Part 9 - returning to earth

The emperor decided that we must stay in the palace, personally I'm not sure it it's a palace or a small city.

It's mostly build from crystal or do they grow the crystal like this? Honestly I'm not sure, I didn't bother to ask.

Chloe has gone out with Krish and Idecided to stay in the room, if you can call it a room. It's more like a house with its own garden and beautiful views of the city beyond the palace.

I'm still feeling tired, I haven't slept much, I had a huge shock and got a lot to deal with, to be honest I can't get around to calling Krish mother, she said I can take my time to take everything in, I do feel that Chloe should have thought of a better way to tell me, she did admit that she suspected it all along. So is this is the secret she thinks Azaria's was hiding? Or is there something else?

A few weeks ago I was settling in to my new life on earth, happy with a girl I've been dating for years, we had beautiful pets, oh and our pets, luckily a neighbor was kind enough to offer to look after them. We have one more day before we return home. Chloe did warn me that Azaria will most likely be waiting for us and we will have a lot of explaining to do.

The emperor's staff was kind enough to provide us with more appropriate clothing for the palace, but I've never been one for formal wear.

And besides all that, we left earth during an attack, who knows what's happening back home. But the emperor was adamant that we stay for a bit, aperantly he has a surprise for me and just like that.

The door opens, Chloe barely came through the door followed by Krish and the emperor, you would think him been the ruler of this planet he would enter first escorted by guards, but no. It's Just them.

Chloe. "Come with us, it's time you see your surprise."

I can see the emperor and Krish both got a huge smile on their faces.

Emperor. "Are you going stare at us or are you coming?"

I pull myself out of my trance and force a smile. "I'm coming."

I find myself following them down the long corridor to a balcony which turns out to be a landing platform, ah there it is, his guards standing in 2 lines leading to what looks like a luxury hover car, after getting in I look around to see who is driving, but the emperor just says the words, "my private hanger." And we immediately take off.

Chloe still smiling takes my hand and whispers in my ear. "Krish and the emperor had something special designed for you. I think you will like it."

Then she takes out a blindfold and covers my eyes. "No peeking."

I can hear the 3 of them laughing like excited kids so I decide to play along, I'm still not really feeling very talkative so I just sit in silence. And after what felt like hours I hear the emperor speak. "We are here, let's go."

I can feel Chloe taking my one hand and for the first time Krish takes my other hand, they led me for what felt like an eternity till we stopped.

Emperor. "You can look now."

I slowly take the blindfold off and felt my breath escape me at what I'm looking at.

Krish. "So? Don't you like it? My fiancé had it specially designed and developed for you, it's yours."

I find myself at a loss for words, I'm not used to receiving gifts, but this, this is too much.

I look back at them, they all standing there smiling and waiting for my reaction. "I can't accept this, this is too much. I mean this must have cost you a fortune." I could feel the tears building up.

Emperor. "Nonsense, your mother gave me back my life and her love is more then I could ever want and now her son is my son."

Then I felt it rip, I just sat down on the floor and held my hands over my face. I felt so ashamed for crying. That was until I felt someone giving me a hug, I look up to see Krish, "it's okay, you've got a family now. Come look at your ship, Chloe helped us to make the final modifications as she understands earth languages."

Then Chloe took my hand and helped me up. "So? What do you think? "

I look back at this beautiful shining disc shape ship standing in front of me, it's a bit smaller the Chloe's ship, but still huge. I look back at all of them and can barely utter the words "thank you, thank you so much, it's beautiful."

Chloe doesn't wait any longer, she grabs my hand and almost pulls me off my feet into the ship, she's so excited, showing me around and eventually we get to the bridge.

I look around at the controls and pilot platform, "Uhm, I have no idea how to even fly anything."

Krish. "And? We will let you spend time in the flight simulator, by tomorrow you will be a pro."

Me. "Flight simulator?"

Chloe. "They've got some of the best pilot training simulation systems you can find in the galaxy. "

Emperor. "We added a few extras for you. But don't worry, you and Chloe can still travel together, this ship was set up to follow your commands from anywhere." Then he hands me a device that looks similar to what the Seleons wear on there arms. "You can literally tell the ship what to do and it will do it. It is fully equipped with the latest space drives, weapons and more."

After they showed me the ship Chloe took me to what looks like a strange room which turns out to be the simulation system.

It feels like I've spent a week in there, but turns out I got the hang of it in half the time they expected.

We all said our goodbyes and I gave my mother a final hug goodbye before Chloe and I got on our way, my ship following shortly after, we are about to exit hyperspace and should reach earth soon, my ship is just a few minutes behind us.