- Hey, Peter! Come inside, quickly! - suddenly yelled Will.

I immediately turned around and rushed inside to see something quite surprising on a TV screen. A figure of physique completely foreign to me, and alien. He had a long head, similar to a banana in shape. His skin was of coloration similar to clay, light brown. The features were quite sharp. Eyes dark. In his lower lip, there was a thick dark ring.

The alien was wearing a white robe with multiple golden decorations and jewelry. Bracelets and rings on his hands and feet.

Each of his hands had three fingers and one thumb, and he was using them to form a triangle on his chest area. He was silent, but I noticed that he was breathing..

- What the heck is that? - I asked William.

- I don't know. There was some disturbance in the signal, and this just appeared - he explained pointing at the TV with his hand.

- Ok... But...

I had to stop talking, as the alien finally spoke. He was using a language I couldn't understand, but fortunately for us, it was all translated.

- I greet you, Earthlings. My name is Ashal Kal Anur - we heard in a strange voice, sounding like it was created by a machine. - I'm the messenger of High Queen Ixa, The Enlightened. You've been discovered by Zor'xal the current ruler of Dispur. He wishes to conquer your planet, and enslave you, but according to High Queen Ixa's seventh imperial decree, you might apply to join the Ixan Empire as a vassal, instead of being subdued. You have one local star cycle to decide. I'm here to answer any of your questions, so please send your envoy.

With this, he vanished, and we returned straight to the news Will was watching previously. The stunned women presenting them needed a moment to even figure out that she was back to being live on the TV.

- The fuck was that? - I asked my friend, who was just as shocked as me.

- You are asking me? - he asked outraged. - How the fuck would I know? You are the alien expert.

- Damn... I don't know what the heck is going on, and The Great One is not responding - I admitted to him.

- What?! What do you mean by not responding? - Will was just simply stunned.

- I tried making a contact several times, but there was no response. I wanted to know what he was planing since more gates appeared, but as I said, no response.

- I have a bad feeling.

- You don't say? I thought the freaking war started when I saw this thing - I pointed at the TV.

- I forgot that was even a thing... There was so much going on lately. Shit...

- How could you forget about that? - I asked surprised.

- Well... There was not really anybody around to talk about that stuff, except you, but you have your own things to do. So I was just focusing on other things like my family, and the rest of the fucking world! Give me a break.

,m I snorted.

- Whatever... We need to figure out what the heck is going on. I hope Vikram will have something soon - I said, and sat next to Will, suddenly feeling very tired.

The stream of constant events in my life was just mind-blowing, but I guess that's how it is if you are in the center of events.

- So you want to just wait? - he asked after a moment.

- What else can we do?

- Ask others? Maybe Silvas knows something? Or maybe Uhms? Do you think that aliens just randomly popped above the ocean exactly at this moment? There has to be a reason for this... I just refuse to believe it's a coincidence. Maye The Gear One did something? Or maybe he didn't tell us something? Maybe he hid stuff from us.

- Even if he did, there is no fucking way to check, because he is not responding. What the fuck do you want me to do Will? - I was slowly growing irritated, and I even couldn't really tell why.

It was not like Will was saying some stupid nonsense, or asking unreasonable questions. Maybe it was because I was tired of recent events? Or maybe because I had no idea what was going on? Or maybe because I couldn't do anything, and just had to wait?

- I... I don't know. I just thought you might be able to find him somehow or something. The last time you just brought me straight to him.

- It was different. I made a deal with him, and he was there because of that. I have zero ideas where he might be now.

- So what? We just wait for more information, and then strategize? I hate this idea.

I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't really know what to do.

- What else can we do?

Will sighed heavily and shook his head. It was a hard pill to swallow for him, just like it was hard for me. We used to be in control for quite some time now and always could do something. Even when he faced the divorce from his wife, and the potential loss of his kid, he still had options. But in our situation back then, we couldn't do anything.

A moment of silence between us, as we finally accepted the reality, was broken by knocking on the door.

- It's me - shouted Vikram.

- Come in! - I replied.

He came inside, with a concerned expression painted all over his face.

- Any news? - I asked.historical

- Yes. But first I have a question for you, and I really want you to answer this without lying to me, Peter - he said, briefly glancing at William. - Can I count on that?

- Depends on the question, I guess?

He sighed, and he was silent for maybe even a minute, clearly having to prepare himself to say what he was about to say. Back then it was annoying, but just as he spoke, I could immediately understand him.

- Why did you hide the fact that you meet with The Great One?