Chapter One
Naomi
Double doors slide open and I gasp with surprise.
A crush of costumed beings and a wall of loud voices hit my sensitive human ears. Bright lights and laughter fill my senses. My gaze darts from one amazing alien outfitted in scary clothing, to the next.
I knew this event was a big deal but, wow.
The annual Dark Moon Costume Ball on the planet Timbur, a Xylan species outpost, is being held tonight within a giant cavern, inside Timbur’s famous Illibrium mine. And therefore, this event is filled with Mine Corp employees dressed in gruesome costumes. Wall to wall beings garbed as killers, warriors and bloody assassins or beasts, and even more vicious beasts.
A whimper escapes my lips because it’s a lot for one small human to take in.
The ceiling is so high in the enormous cavern it’s hard to clearly see the edges of rocky outcropping and the stringsof lights held above that zig zag everywhere. Old-fashioned candelabra are lit and positioned on heavy wooden tables and in dark corners. Xylan music drums from a live band on a small stage.
Beings laugh and chat, exposing sharp fangs and flashing claws. Everyone wears dark masks over the top of their faces, leaving holes for their glittering eyes. There’s an array of dazzling costumes, but I can still detect their tall forms, long hair and powerful bodies, both male and female. I’ve never in my life stood amongst this many Xylan in one place. They’re intimidating. I am easily the shortest being in this crowd.
Luckily, I’m not arriving alone—that would be terrible.
Saxon, my best friend’s husband, hands our three invite chips to security as we enter the costume ball. “Dancing, eating, games and prizes for the best costume and last mask of the evening,” he yells out happily. “This is going to be great. Admin spared no expense for this event.”
Saxon of Nine is a Margol Xylan miner, dressed tonight as an ancient warrior with a fake bloody sword he holds in one claw. Jeez, he’s a fright. He even wears chain mail over his wide chest and a fierce metal helmet on his head. His long, dark braided hair flows down past his shoulders. There’s a black mask over the top half of his face, which makes him scarier.
I smile as I watch his exuberance. Its infectious.
The miners on Timbur are basically celebrities in the four sectors, spoken of in awe and hushed tones. The rare Illibrium crystals which cleanly power all the major industrial, military and tech hubs within the known universe are found only on this one planet and in this one mine. And they are difficult to obtain. Illibrium crystals specifically “fever” bond amongst certain lines of the Margol Xylan and will only allow these chosen beings to carefully extract them from the mines.
The fact that my best friend fell in love with and married one of these famous guys and scored a job for herself on Timbur never ceases to amaze me. Leah was in engineering at university, always knowing she wanted to eventually work at a mine. Meanwhile, I studied art and marketing. We were roommates, thrown together in student housing at our first day in university and became fast friends.
I scored a one-month tourist visa to visit my friend, her husband and her young daughter, Argylia. I’m happy the timing is right and I’m able to finally visit this remote location she calls home.
Saxon’s other claw is positioned on the small of his Bride’s back as he guides Leah inside.
I follow beside them, the hem of my long, black gown swishing against the stone floor. I was only cleared to attend the ball after I arrived, so there wasn’t much time to create a costume. Normally, I don’t care much for costumes, so I was secretly pleased to have an excuse to not bother with a costume. As long as I wore a mask and formal attire, I’d be allowed inside, so I went with a fancy gown, instead of a costume. Although now that I look around, I worry because I’m the only one tonight who isn’t in costume.
Oops.
I love this elegant dress that we were able to fabricate. The top is strapless and accentuates my waist and manages to make my small breasts look bigger than they actually are. My long, straight, dark hair is styled into an updo at the nap of my neck and I’m wearing a bit of makeup. Strappy heels in a gray metallic shine click on the floor. A black mask and long, elbow-length green gloves complete the outfit.
“Isn’t this ball amazing?” Leah exclaims.
My friend is dressed as a ghost hunter and looks both cute and feisty in her tan utility pants, black boots and green jacket. She wears a black mask too, like everyone else.
Apparently, there’s a competition called “Last Mask” that ends right at midnight. The point is to be the only guest still wearing a mask, therefore having managed to remain anonymous, with no one guessing that being’s true identity until the stroke of midnight.
Leah flashes a smile at me. She’s comfortable and at ease in this crowd of Xylan because she’s a human mine tech employed by the mining corporation and these are all her coworkers. Timbur is her home and Saxon’s large family is also her family.
Meanwhile, I’m a stranger trying to adjust to this new setting.
I shake my head. “Um, it’s kinda scary,” I comment, wringing my hands.
“There’s nothing to be scared of, small human,” Saxon chuckles from beside me. “Humans are allies of the Xylan. We will always protect you from harm.”
I roll my eyes, because, yes, the Xylan did long ago come to the rescue of the enslaved humans on New Earth, freeing us from our evil captors, the Hurlians, for which we are forever grateful. But the Xylan are also well-known for considering humans delicate and unable to care for themselves, which at times can be slightly insulting. The Xylan are noble, but also a bit arrogant and full of themselves. I’ve heard the Royal Pigment Xylan are even more arrogant than the Margol Xylan.
“The Xylan take their Dark Moon festival very seriously,” Saxon continues, looking over my head into the crowd. “It’s a recreation of an ancient festival from our home planet, Chronos. We enjoy celebrating it on Timbur because this planet happens to have a yearly eclipse similar to our home planet, so we hold it on a different date than Chronos but incorporate manysimilarities. Be glad we do not still include events from ancient times, such as bloodletting and beheading between Morgols and Royal Pigment during costume disputes.”
My eyes widen. “Thank you for the explanation.”
