----------------------------------------

<06/02/149,565 {Avion 148} - 09:00 | Corral Position, Genosis, Altiri Sector Space>

Even though few months had passed, my withering stretched the time longer, as I ceased caring about anything else in our world. Despite every attempt made from my sisters to try and cheer me up, nothing they said helped anything. I don't know why this one kid matters to me so much. Maybe it's because I've seen the same cycle of time affect someone so pure, destroying them from the inside so many times, where Reed's ensured destruction was the final crack I could take.

I held back as much as I could invoking the clairvoyance to check up on him, only doing so occasionally to see if his situation has improved or worsened. As expected, elements in his life were only getting worse, Reed becoming less in tune with himself, more isolated than ever before. Each time I learned what I already knew, it drove me deeper into the darkness none could pull me out of.

I told myself nobody cared about anything human or Altiri. The very purpose of our learning operation, for most Altiri would eventually lead to somebody worth purging in the first place, but if I can't save one single soul from crushing sadness, if I can't even try, what then is our purpose here? Did our discovery of alien beings mean nothing to anybody else? Was the entire purpose of all this merely a means to ease boredom through entertainment? Whatever the answers in life are, I'll never find them like this.

Just was well, I cannot force my sisters to assist me in sending a purge. The cost really is immense for anyone involved, and I promised them the freedom to vote and choose if ever the situation came up. I still thought I would have majority support; how wrong I was!

I never set out to manipulate anybody, my tears genuine, my heartbreak too real to belong in an act. I think, merely out of sympathy if nothing else, Talor and Junko eventually changed their minds about what felt right in the mess I had made. Talor was with me right now, huddled beside me, holding me tight while talking in random sprits about all the things she learned about the human world. I cherished every second of her words and company, and loved that she would dare to take my side even though nobody else would. It made me feel a little better, despite knowing that three Altiri would never be enough to pull off a purge.

Hurma of course wasn't happy about Talor's large heart, and she even proposed disbanding the entire aggressor group of Cy-Stars over this. I told her she could do whatever she felt like doing, and I knew Hurma was not bluffing about the threat. Our passive opposition only made our entire mental network all the more hostile, though I've given up fighting them long ago.

I would have sank even deeper into nothingness had Talor not been beside me, talking about everything. "Even though everything has wound up like this, I'm glad I got to see the human world, to study so many unique people and their lives."

"I'm not okay with this though," I implored. "What's the point of always being a passive observer, unable to interfere, unable to change a single thing when it matters so much?"

"I wish I had known earlier, that you wanted to enact a purge on somebody whenever you found the person you thought you would connect with most."

I held my tongue before Talor, wondering why she didn't know the truth in my heart already. I couldn't see the harm in revealing everything to her, as she is one of very few I now trust. "So have I... I never planned on using a purge; it was the furthest thought from my mind for the longest time."

"And Reed changed your mind that quickly?"

I nodded, denying her claim, only to come to terms with what I should have realized long ago. "I think it slowly crept up on me, bubbling up with every victim I had to watch suffer or die at the indirect hands of their cruel world." Humans sometimes have such fragile hearts, especially some of the women there. I've lost count how many times I've seen the light of hope leave their eyes, how many times they have taken their own lives, and how many times they too have warped their own essence to better fit a twisted environment around them. I've gotten close to some of those kinds of people before, and it always stuck with me, always has it hurt me so.

Humans speak of a separation level of thought processes, something they call the subconscious, versus the conscious, in which thoughts we have do not register for quite some time, yet do have a latent effect on us. Perhaps as I continued to observe all the hell I never wanted to see, some part of me subconsciously wanted to embrace the option of a purge more and more, as time went on, unaware of my feelings, until I was.

"So then, all you really want to do is help Reed?"

I had to inhale deep and slow before answering, aware as well that my motivations were not entirely pure. "I want to help him, but I also want to be part of his life too. I don't know why I care this much Talor; it's a sensation I think I've never felt before."

"You say you don't know that sensation, but I think I do."

Suddenly she had my full attention, having never expected Talor to learn something that I didn't. "What is it then?"

Talor glanced at me with a soft smile, though I could see her crying inside her mind, through her body language without having to shed one tear. "I've seen the way you look at him with your far-sight, and how deeply you connect with what he is feeling despite never being linked to him once. They don't call this care Lumina. The phrase you're looking for is love."

"L-Love?" What does Talor mean by that? There are a lot of different complicated types of love, and even I barely understand most of them as observed on Earth. I love Talor, and my other sisters; I know that I do... But is that really the same feelings I hold for him?

"You seem to have a talent for seeing the inner depth of a person's entire heart and soul without ever talking to them, and you've demonstrated such talents, at least far more often than we have. I think it's the reason most of us are confused on why you would so suddenly desire to purge a human that could quite literally become our greatest enemy. You see something inside him that none of us have seen as of yet."

"I do," I admitted proudly. "But what of it? I'm powerless to do a single thing about it."

"Are you sure that Reed really needs your guidance and input to survive as he is now?"

"I don't know..." I couldn't be certain, because everything I've felt for him now is all mixed up and confused. Even if I was able to purge him and complete that cycle, there's still the chance that it all amounts to nothing in the end. I'd still rather try than not try. "All I know is, he is a kind soul, no matter what Hurma and the others may think. But if something happens to him over the years, if he stops becoming the person I adore so much... I don't know what to do! I can't accept that!" As I've done hundreds of times over the past few months, I broke down into a cry again, with Talor here to comfort me.

The sadness never let up; it only continued to intensify within. I thought my damage would have left me emotionless and brain-dead, but instead, I was forced to bear the intense weight of everything splashing from my heart. Many of my sisters have been distant from me lately, only because these horrible, hurtful feelings leak into them from the telepathy, something they would rather ignore than to share with me.

"Sister... You are crying in despair again?" Luna let us know she and the others had been listening to us both, through Talor's senses as well as my own, while everyone had inadvertently absorbed much of my sadness through the telepathy.

"Some of us are getting sick of this torment Lumina. How can you be this torn up over one human?" Ashiela spoke before risking Hurma catching wind of this, knowing how vile and unsympathetic she has been lately.

I wasn't sorry for how I felt, and their telepathic snooping was the only reason they were sharing in my pain right now, something I never asked them to do. "Few of you understand, and those of you who do, care not about my sadness."

"I dispute that claim Lumina. We all care about you."

Sherika wasn't capable of fooling me through her empty promise. "You think you can just give it some time and I'll be back to my old self? I'm never going to recover from this, everyone. Reed will soon be no more, either cut down by his own hands, or swallowed on a path of lies and deceit meant to warp him into something unrecognizable. I have already detected a beginning to the pattern."

"Lumina? This is Rose speaking. I understand your sadness, but not your methods. You know already that we've decided in collective not to risk sending a purge to anybody. You cannot change what is to come because of this choice. Not to sound harsh, but why don't you try and move on from this experience?"

"Move on to what exactly?" As I addressed Rose, my mental voice turned fierce and toxic, enraged at the thought that all of this could simply be steamrolled. I then amplified my energy, ensuring every single sister in our fleet could hear me. "Is this really what all of you want? Think back to everything we've ever been a part of; everything we've ever done and been through, and ask yourselves if it was all worth it."

"What do you mean by that Lumina?"

"If you would stop to think about it long enough, Fionne, you would quickly realize how pointless this life really is." My anger quickly melted back into the stronger sadness binding me down, as my voice delivered all of my pain to everyone else as I spoke. "Despite everything we've ever gone through, we live in a world of entropy. We live forever, but our numbers still decline, our ability to birth removed. We Altiri, The Unity, claims to be an amazing race of people, but how magnificent are we? We are slowly dying off one by one, our progress stopped and our minds wrapped in another world we can never interact with or change."

"Everyone knows this already."

"I love all of you." I whispered my confession, though its weight surged so powerfully from my heart. "You and other friends have helped me out, helped me become the person I am today... But now, I want to do something for someone else in need, something only I can do. If I have not at least the ability to try, then what further purpose is there for us on this side of the world? Discovering the human race was one of the biggest things that has ever happened to us, and instead of doing something about it, we're just watching their world, their people, both guilty and innocent - decay!"

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

At last, my words got the attention of Hurma, who had been listening in the entire time, and so she felt the need to drive her point in like before. "Lumina. All of this has nothing to do with the target you are—"

"No Hurma! You're wrong. This has everything to do with the people that we watch. Do you honestly think the people down on Earth are always as happy and cheerful as they appear on the outside? Many of them wish for miracles they know will never come, because they too are powerless, unable to change a fate most cruel to them, a fate many do not deserve to have. I once needed more help than I was willing to admit, and all of you pulled through for me... But now, Reed is the one who needs our help. He's wishing for a miracle of change, for anything that will make his life any amount more livable, and I want to help him. I don't care if my emotions are motivated by something crazy, by something selfish, or by a love forbidden on its own."

"The faith you put in such a stranger is going to be your downfall one day."

"The lack of faith that you have in others is even more appalling. It's anything but honorable. Even so, I still cannot force you to make a decision."

"You got that part right," Hurma snapped. "Nothing you say can change our minds."

"Hm. I won't force anyone to do something they are so clearly against. However, I will continue to hang down here and beg! I beg every last one of you to help me purge Reed during this year's autumn, because I'm not giving up." Despite how hopeful I meant to sound, I've never felt as hopeless and defeated as I do now, though this too resonated around to everyone else.

"Lumina..." Talor's sympathetic gaze was stuck on me, though I could tell something else was digging into her too, as she became suddenly desperate within five seconds of silence. "Hey, Sherika? Come on; hasn't this gone on long enough? How come nobody is willing to help her after all these months long?"

"Do not try to coerce me into changing my mind Talor. What Lumina feels now is merely a passing phase."

"A passing phase? Look at her!" Talor held her eyes onto me when she spoke, sharing her vision to everybody as well as Sherika. "Lumina has been in this state for months now! You said before it would pass long ago, and yet she's still right here, heartbroken about the one thing in life she has ever felt worth fighting for."

"Talor—"

"And where have any of you been during all this time, huh? Why am I ever the only one who warps into her ship and visits her?"

"You know why," Ashiela answered swiftly. "Any time we get near her now, our minds are overwhelmed with her immeasurable sadness. To top things off, we do not agree with her wish to purge a human being by dragging us along for the ride."

"That's inexcusable!" Talor was something fierce, even though I never asked her to stand up for me on my behalf. I didn't want to admit that she was right, because these little details were something I didn't pay much attention to. Even so, why is she the one so fired up about it? "Even if you disagree with her; even if you think she is wrong; or even if her sadness spreads to us like a disease, she's family to all of us. Even if I have changed my mind about the purge, it is not the reason I've been here for Lumina this whole time. I cast shame on all of you for failing to at least visit or comfort my Lumina." She of course meant exception to Junko, since Junko has been here for me as well, being my co-pilot and all. Still, I wasn't expecting this intense ire to leave her lips.

"Is she family though?" While short and simple, Hurma's reply put a shock in all of us. I remembered quickly how at odds she was with the rest of us over this, though I still never would have expected Hurma to turn her love away from the only friends she had. The cascade of gasps was loud for any of us, though Rose replied on our behalf.

"How dare you speak such treachery, Hurma. Have you really lost your love for Lumina, all because of how she feels towards a particular person? I don't condone your spread of hatred onto one of our own. I don't care about the semantics of the situation anymore. You apologize to Lumina right now!"

"I will not. Lumina is going to have to learn from this the hard way, even if it takes an eternity. Or, as I mentioned before, we could simply disband the Cy-Stars. Maybe then, she and Junko can merge with a group that wants to play this stupid game." She left out Talor, only because Hurma mentioned before that she would physically never allow Talor to leave.

"Stop fighting you two! Hurma? If that really is how you feel, then I won't stop you from leaving." I didn't want to let Hurma go for any reason, this adding more pain to the wounds already in my soul. "Even if you hate me forever, I'll always love you, as my sister, whether you deny it or not."

"You are too forgiving Lumina..." Rose didn't want to continue the argument, but saw no choice in dropping Hurma's disgusting comment to pursue a bigger matter. "But Talor presents the most rational argument. Combined with how you've felt about this for months, I can finally admit that I was wrong. I've been wrong about this for a long time. I'm sorry Lumina."

"It's okay Rose. I never asked any of you to warp into my ship to console me."

"Yes you did," Rose argued. "You didn't ask with your voice or your mind, but I still know you've been deprived of our love for far too long... Purging Reed would really make you the happiest person in the world, wouldn't it?"

"Well..." I didn't know why she was asking, but I had to take a moment to answer. "Purging Reed is only the first step. Becoming his best friend, somebody he can count on, that is what would make me happy. And what would be best, is if none of us had to be split up and divided to make it so. I don't know what I am to do Rose. I want to do whatever it takes to get through to him... But I can't just abandon all of you."

"... Very well. Since that is the case, though it scares the hell out of me in more ways than one, I shall alter my position on the matter, so it that I am an ally to your cause, rather than an enemy."

"Rose?!" I as well as many others were just as surprised to hear what she just announced.

"Why fight this? We may only get one single purge, but then, what's the point to having one if we never-ever use it?" I would hug her with my cold embrace if I could reach her. Rose; that's the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me!

"You're not serious, are you?" Even Fionne kept up a resistance against one of the most respected of all of us. "You're supposed to be the smartest person in our group, the most intelligent we know. Your change in vote makes no sense!"

"On the contrary," she argued back. "I'm not doing this because it makes the most sense or because it feels like the smart thing to do. I support my sisters, those I care most about. I opposed this idea because I thought Lumina was making a mistake, that she was doing something unwise, and perhaps the possibility still is that her choice is unwise. Even so, I won't stand against her any longer, not when her lack of control is killing her from the inside as it has been for months and months."

"But—"

"I've seen enough bright Altiri burn the life out of themselves in our world, and I will not have another casualty of despair... If we don't do this, there is a guarantee that nothing will ever change for the better. But if we help Lumina with what she wants to do, even though the probability of success is still insanely low, it is higher than zero."

"In that case, you can count me in too." Though I had to see through Rose's eyes to determine Sherika was holding her shoulder speaking to us both, I was understandably shocked that she too had changed her vote so suddenly.

"Sherika? You as well?" Derria was just as surprised, though we could all feel the doubt and dissidence within her.

"I may not fully agree with the choice to purge this particular human, and since he is a male human, putting aside all of the consequences and dangers of doing this without the royal approval, I personally do not trust that he will come around. That said, I do trust Lumina. I'd rather be with her and wrong than be against her and right. It is crazy, but that's just how faith works sometimes. Rose and Talor have convinced me that this is in fact the right call. As a purge still becomes stronger and more successful with more of us pitching in, I ask that all of you think about this again, and reconsider what is at stake here."

... The space around us fell dead silent, with nobody else speaking up to volunteer for such a risky plan of action, until one eventually broke the silence, Hurma. "You already know my answer."

"Perhaps, but an answer so swift is not really a consideration at all."

"You want to know why I'm so against this? It's so simple, that I'm amazed none of you can remember. Reed is a male! This means the human is a heathen! There are no exceptions! Is that too hard to comprehend?"

"Lumina states otherwise," Talor defended, "and I for one believe her. What if you're wrong Hurma? What if the rest of us all decide to send this purge, and you decide to leave yourself out of it? Even though you'll still be part of our group, you'll never be looped into what is going on after that point."

"I don't know why this is so hard for you all. He's the enemy!"

"In your haste to mark Reed as an enemy, you have also decided to treat Lumina as one and the same. You don't have to take part in this purge Hurma, but you should not hate Lumina for what she wants to do."

"Even if it's treason?" Hurma was determined to go back and forth between herself and Sherika, while all of us listened passively.

"What's more important? Stopping what may or may not be considered treason, or helping your sister when she's in need, even if only for moral support?"

"You do whatever you want. I am not part of this."

"As you wish. We still need about two more volunteers to assist in this purge at minimum. Will any others step in?" It was one of the most important requests Sherika has ever made from the Cy-Stars, and I was too amazed to speak up for longer, realizing that nearly half of the entire aggressor group has suddenly decided to support the miracle I wish to make.

Rose is right about one thing. The chances of this purge being a success depend on too many factors to count, and the probability matrix is one huge mess. Every sign of luck points to my efforts being wasted in failure... But I'm ignoring the probability matrix this time. I don't care anymore what my chances might look like, or if we get reprimanded and punished for defying the queen later. I will purge Reed, and I will save his life!

Time had to pass for more to change though. In the span of twenty-three days, little by little, the others eventually changed their mind about wanting to help me, and it wasn't easy to convince any of them. Lulu and Luna were the first Sherika and I focused our efforts on when it came to convincing them of this choice, as they were abstinent to my wish for the longest time. They only agreed on the premise that they could one day be allowed to speak with Reed directly when the connections become stronger.

As for convincing Fionne and Ashiela, it was a tougher challenge than we expected. Neither one of them wanted to give up what powers they would have to in order to help me purge one person, and they argued with us endlessly to not be involved with a heathen, taking Hurma's side in the approaching decision. In the end, it all boiled down to how much they were willing to trust me, with promises to fight and hurt me if I was indeed wrong about Reed's core identity, promises I accepted willfully.

Derria agreed shortly after the others did, by proxy of not wanting to be left out of what would be a change in destiny. Then there was Hurma. With every other sister onboard with the plan, we had more than enough to send a purge without Hurma's help. However, purges sometimes fail for various reasons, and the increased amount of those assisting will increase the chance of success. On top of this fact, I didn't want to leave Hurma out of this choice, because I knew deep down, if I did, she would ultimately make the choice to leave us forever, causing me to lose somebody irreplaceable to me.

With a final push in person to convince Hurma, she was as hostile as she always was. "I don't need to keep repeating myself to you Lumina! Even if you've somehow gotten everyone else on your side, I'm not going to be part of this purge! I don't have to force myself to do so, and you have plenty enough to make the purge a success without me."

Hurma; if only she would understand why I'm asking her to do this. "I want you to be part of us Hurma. I know that you're planning to leave the group if the rest of us go through with the purge."

"So what if I am? Is that a crime, compared to what all of you are about to do?"

Even though this has gone about as well as it always has, I decided to use less of my words, and more of my feelings to reach inside. I stepped in front of Hurma, and tightly embraced her in such a strong hug, one she was not expecting.

"Hey! Wha— What are you doing?! Let me go!"

I did no such thing, not until she understood how much I will always love her. "I don't ever want you to leave us Hurma. No matter what horrible things you keep saying to me, I know you don't really mean it."

"Oh, I mean it!"

"I love you Hurma, as my family. I will always love you, no matter what you say or do to me." It's such a simple statement, but one overpowering, and I meant every part of it. My words were strong enough to pacify Hurma in my never-ending hug, as our shared sadness began to resonate together.

"Then why must you do this Lumina? Why would you go through the trouble and the risk?"

"Because Hurma. Even though nothing will outweigh how I feel about all of us, I love Reed too, and I trust that he is not the evil, vile monster that you so often accuse him of, if only you would trust me."

She didn't have to ask if everybody else agreed with my testament, since it was clear by now that every other Cy-Star was going through with this. "You're making a mistake, and willing to go through with it even at the threat that I leave this group for good."

After releasing her from my hug, and seeing her true face for the first time in months, I made another promise to her. "My choice must be made Hurma, but it doesn't mean I don't care about you. If you do leave our group, I'm still going to visit you all the time."

"Even if I don't want to see you, and if I go into hiding?"

"You won't hide from me Hurma. I will find you if you try to escape me. That is what I mean when I say I love you. It isn't some kind of joke to us. You're always going to be our sister, part of us, no matter what happens."

Oddly, Hurma glanced downwards, looking more confused and conflicted than ever, though she didn't really change her mind either. After a prolonged awkward moment of silence, Hurma turned around towards the teleporter, planning to warp back to her ship, when she stopped and hesitated before us.

I waited in moments to pass, as Hurma turned around abruptly, hugging me back in a strong embrace, with more emotion than I've ever seen out of her before. "I don't support what you are doing... But I can't hate you for it Lumina. When you decide to send your purge, give me notice before you do, so that I know to leave and evade the fallout of your insane ideas."

"I will Hurma. We will be set to purge Reed during sometime this Fall, when the weather in Georgia begins to cool again... I wish you well."

"Yeah..." Hurma let me go at last, though she seemed uncertain about what she was supposed to do, standing there for half a minute before making her path towards the teleporter. Once she left us, Junko walked up behind me, giving me the one last chance to change my mind.

"I won't let go of my sisters either. I will tell you though. Since you plan to purge him in the fall, this means there is still some time available for even you to change your mind."

As if I could. I let Junko know where I stood on all of this. "The summer of Georgia has been in effect for some time now, and we have a few months before the purge will officially begin. I will still check first when I can, to confirm that we are not too late. When the time is right, we will bring Reed into our senses, overlapping his perception with mine, until he understands the truth of our worlds."

"I'm only doing this to follow your lead, because I trust you and everything. Just remember Lumina. With this kind of purge, we're only going to get one chance."

"I know... My life was changed for the better, thanks to all of you being there for me. Now, I will extend this feeling, and bring what has been missing from a soul suffering so far away. It may only be one life, but it's still important to me. When the time is right, we shall send our purge."