Chapter 25
Charles ran his finger beneath the cool metal of his bracelet absently. The man sitting across from him Would. Not. Stop. Talking. One would think the overarching awe of being on a real live alien spacecraft would give him a moment’s pause.
No such luck.
Charles was growing more grateful for the bracelets with each passing minute. He suppressed a sigh and cut into the man’s monologue as politely as he could manage, “As I’ve explained, the terrorists have already left to serve their sentences. There is nothing to be done about that.”
“Mr. Xavier, some of those people are Polish citizens. We have the right to deal with them as we see fit. We demand their immediate return. We never agreed to-”
“Except that you did. We all did. Just a few weeks ago, in fact, when the Earth surrendered and was inducted into the Intergalactic Federation. We agreed to live by their rules and this is what that looks like!” he snapped. He’d been having this conversation for hours with different people from around the world. All his meetings had been the same refrain. None of them wanted to accept the reality of the situation and it was driving him up the wall.
The man looked taken aback by his sharp tone. “I didn’t mean any insult, ambassador. I know you’ve spoken with the representatives of many other nations on this and similar matters. I do hope we’re all receiving the same consideration as America and the United Kingdom,” he said carefully, watching Charles like a hawk.
He barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Of course you are. No country will have its citizens returned until their sentences are served in full.”
The man, whose name Charles couldn’t remember for the life of him, continued. “We have lawyers searching their law codes for the rights to appeal and-”
“You won’t find them. That’s not how the Federation works.”
“We intend to take this to the highest level. My government will not rest until our citizens are returned to face justice under the laws of our land.” He said as though Charles hadn’t spoken.
Charles pursed his lips, counting the minutes until he could send this man on his way. This was his last appointment before their trip and he was eager to be done. “I am your highest appeal and I’m telling you to accept your situation and move on. We are all Genoshians now. We are all Federation members now. There are new laws we must abide by.” He now understood why Erik had wanted him to refuse these meetings out of hand. They were a colossal waste of time, no one was listening.
The other man was incensed; Charles could feel the pressure of it even with the barrier of his bracelets. “We humans do not accept that. We still hope to achieve a fully autonomous Earth within our lifetimes,” he said stiffly.
Charles was reluctantly impressed by his honesty. He knew there was still a lot of bitterness on the side of humanity even with the vast improvements in quality of life that had been immediately felt since their induction with more to come each day. He supposed that was to be expected.
“Given time I hope we will all learn to accept our new situation,” he said as diplomatically as possible.
“Our?” the other man sneered. “You’re hardly one of us anymore.”
Charles sighed, head pounding from the stress of the past few days. He had heard that and worse about him from media all over earth. It was the first it had been said to his face, but he supposed it was best to get used to it. “You’re excused.” He said shortly.
The other man cut a brief bow and strode out of the room, heels clicking angrily on the floor.
Charles sighed and closed his eyes for a long while, eager to be on their way.
~~
“You can’t go.” Moira was stunned at the prospect. He had called an emergency meeting with her after his ambassadorial duties were completed for the day. He wanted to tell her the news in person, though he still felt guilty for the short notice.
Thankfully she was stationed in one of the few rooms he could find without assistance. The last thing he needed was Erik hovering while he tried to make her understand his need for a break.
“Moira-”
“Charles. Did you see what I saw yesterday? Hundreds of humans have been cast into the depths of space! They killed one of their own in front of us! Lord only knows what’s actually happening on Earth or anywhere in the Federation for that matter and you want to just leave?!”
“Eri-The Admiral has many duties, not just to Earth. Yes, I’m the ambassador but I’m also his consort,” he stated calmly.
She pressed her lips together tightly and sucked in a deep breath. “This is the height of irresponsibility. You owe it to Earth-”
After thanklessly dealing with Earth and its troubles for yet another day, that set him off. “And what does Earth owe me?! Thanks to me we’re in the position we’re in! Which is pretty damn good considering what happened just a few days ago! And what thanks do I get? They call me a whore! They brand me a traitor! I can never live there again! I’m sure the A.A.S level would never get lowered from all the attacks on me alone!” he ranted.
“You don’t know that! You’re the one always saying to give them time! Well, practice what you preach!” she fired back hotly.
“Oh, be honest with yourself! None of us can ever go home again!”
Moira flinched at his words, hoping they weren’t true but fearing he was right.
Charles sighed and ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly. “It’s too much. I can’t go on like this, I need a break or I swear I’ll snap and you’ll all have to deal with Erik on your own. There’s nothing more I can do here anyway. At least not right now. I’ll be in touch, you can contact me any time, I promise. No one on Earth even needs to know we’re gone,” he said shakily.
Moira sighed and paced to the window, looking out over the crest of the Earth in silence for long moments while they both calmed down. “Okay. You’re right, I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget you’re not an agent. You weren’t trained on dealing with stress like this and depending on your team the way you’ve had to. And the telepathy…I’m your lead and I’ve failed you in this. I should have insisted you take a break before now. I’m sorry for that.”
Charles swallowed thickly, touched that she took his well being so personally. “Thank you. I don’t hold it against you; it’s been a mad week. And month before that.”
She nodded, “We’ll be here when you get back and we’ll send you updates every day.”
“Earth day or Federation day?” he joked weakly.
She rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug, “Stay safe or I’ll never forgive myself for bringing you into this.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be alright,” he promised softly.
He took his leave of her before he gave in to his overwrought emotions and broke down in tears.
~~
Charles!” he looked up to see Agent Cassidy approaching him with his typical sunny smile.
“Sean, heading in to see Moira?”
“Yeah, she debriefs us every day. ‘Mondo should be on his way now, we should have a few minutes” he blushed slightly and glanced at the panel Charles had just exited.
For a moment he almost wished for his telepathy to be unleashed so he could confirm his thoughts on what put that look on the young man’s face.
“She’s going to tell you I’m leaving,” he admitted warily, worried about the agent’s reaction. “The Admiral is taking me on a short tour of parts of the Federation.”
Sean’s eyes widened and he rocked back on his heels. “Dude! That’s awesome!” he slapped Charles on the shoulder and broke into a toothy grin.
He felt inexplicably relieved to have some real support for this trip. “Really?”
“Yeah! Go have your WALL-E adventure and don’t come home until you fall in love,” he said jovially. Charles gave him a quizzical look. “I mean it, if you’re stuck with him, you may as well make the best of it. Just, give it a try,” Sean implored him.
“Alright, I will.” He promised with a tired smile. He bid him farewell before heading back to their chambers to get ready for their trip, Sean’s advice ringing in his ears all the way.
~~
Erik exhaled silently and flicked the small laser at the wall sending Albert into another fit. He had passed off his duties to Azazel once more and felt sure that things would continue to run smoothly in his absence.
It was normal for Admirals to take good will tours periodically and creating a new colony or taking a mate was the perfect opportunity. He hoped Charles would enjoy himself. He hoped there was a chance for them to find happiness together. Before now, finding his mate had been his reason for existing. From this point on, forming a strong bond with him would bring meaning to his life.
Easier said than done. Every species had different mating rituals and Earth had some of the most bizarre and complex he had ever studied. He hoped to put all his research to good use while on their tour.
“Wish me luck with your papa,” he told Albert who responded by hopping onto his lap and snuggling into his warmth. Erik ran his fingers through his soft fur and waited patiently for his mate to return. Ready for their mated life to truly begin.