The boy, Raven, was anxious as he waited for the Cel to come back. In Raven’s opinion, Cels were a vicious species. He knew that they were extremely dangerous from his lessons. How did the Fanferians not know that? He often wondered why humanity had kidnapped aliens. The girl had looked human with a few big differences. She had bright, watchful eyes the seemed to be looking everywhere at once. And they had been pitch black with tiny white specks, like the night sky. Her hands had been otherworldly. Or other starly. Where her nails should have been, there were claws instead. The girl’s hands themselves had a gray tint with small red spots. Her face had been pocked, like the moons of Fanfer. She had whiskers so thin, that normal humans eyes couldn’t see them.  Her hair was a shiny curtain of gold and silver. She had worn a military garb that looked uncomfortable. Raven glanced around, looking for were the Cel had gone. He couldn’t see her anywhere. But he knew, that wherever she had gone she had probably had a very good view of him to make sure he didn’t go anywhere. That thought reminded him to call someone. He plucked his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed a number. The phone was picked up on the other end a ring later.
“Did you meet her?” Asked the boy on the other side.
“Yes, I did. I also gave her the envelope.”
“What does she look like?”
“Otherworldly.”
“Don’t forget to plant the--”
“I know, I won’t forget. I just hope I can get out of here before she decides that she needs to get rid of me.”
“Stay till she leaves and --”
“Follow her. Yes, I know Eagle. We went through this a hundred times already!”
“Good luck. Cels are known to be dangerous.” Eagle hung up before Raven could respond. His friend was always making sure he knew the plan, even though it was always Raven that came up with their schemes. He put away his phone quickly and glanced out on the street. Sensing someone behind him, he whipped his head around. It was the Cel.
“Have you found the information valid?”
“Yes, you’re free to go.” She growled. Raven knew it wasn’t on purpose. It was the way the Cels spoke Fanferian. Their vocal chords were much rougher than Fanferians. The girl turned to go but Raven grabbed her elbow.
“What about the deal? Where is the item I requested?”
She reached into her bag, scowling, and brought out a small box.
“It took me ages to get. Just because I’m a Cel doesn’t mean I live in space anymore.”
Raven grabbed the box and opened the lid. Stardust sparkled inside. Mined from the center of a planet close to the sun. No one except the Cels knew where it was. He looked up to ask the Cel another question, but she had left the cafe table. He thrust the box into his bag quickly and followed the Cel at a distance. As he was walking he pulled at a small dart gun, which was his own design. He took aim while he was walking, and fired. The dart sailed past the other people on the street and hit the girl square in the back.

Nova stopped and reached a hand behind to grab the dart. She grabbed it and was just starting to examine it when the boy appeared by her side.
“You shot me.” She growled in disbelief.
“Yes, I did. Now come with me.”
“Why would I come with the person who shot me? You think I am crazy?”
“No, I know that you are actually quite smart. You either come with me or come with my friend who is not so nice. Anyway, you don’t belong here.”
“What do you mean I don’t belong here?”
“You’re an alien for Calef’s sake. Urbanized areas aren’t for you. For that matter, you don’t even belong on Fanfer.”
The girl felt the dart’s contents coursing through her veins. She knew she had to get out of there soon, or she could be useless for days, at the mercy of this boy. She tried to walk away but the boy grabbed her.
“You chose the hard way.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket. As soon as it was out, hers was out in a flash.
“Juniper! Get me out of this area now!”
“Where are you?”
“By Willow--” The phone was plucked out of her hand before she could continue. The boy slipped the phone into his pocket.
“Really? You really think you can get out of this?” The boy asked, taunting her.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with!” Nova hissed. She lashed out her claws, hitting him in the chest. He let go of her, clutching his chest. Her claws had a little bit of poison in them that left the receiver in severe pain for hours. She turned and sprinted away. She collided with another boy who had been standing nearby, watching them. The boy was bulky, tall and strong. Nova turned to run again but the boy grabbed her arm.
“You’re not going anywhere,” The boy said.
Nova tried to claw him, but he grabbed her wrists.
“Nar tle!” she growled. Nova’s native language. Oops. She rarely used it anymore, because the Fanferians didn’t understand it. Except when talking with her own kind.
The other boy that had given her the envelope, walked up to them.
“Get her in the car, Eagle.”
The bulky boy, Eagle, started dragging her toward a truck. Nova noticed several things at once. The car next to it was a silver Sienna, there was a woman approaching, and there was a man standing in the street staring right at her. Wow, Starling had come himself. Nova twisted her foot and hooked it around Eagle’s ankle, turning him slightly in the process. He stumbled but didn’t fall. That was when the bolt hit the boy, square in the back. A purple ball of energy had sailed through the air from Starling’s hand. Modern science had allowed him to do that. There were chips in each hand that let him use the energy around him as a weapon. Not many people could afford them. Mostly the insanely rich. Eagle crumpled to the ground, and doing so he let go of Nova. She whipped around, and grabbed the other boy, dragging him closer. She dragged him toward the woman. She had light brown, curly hair and her eyes were a vivid green. Juniper grabbed the boy and held him in a headlock.
“Let’s go Nova.”
Nova climbed into the silver sienna as Juniper hauled the boy into the back. He was clutching his stomach and moaning in pain.
“Can you please just give him the antidote Nova? And make him shut up?”
Cels, on Fanfer, always carried the antidote to their poison. They were immune to the poison themselves, but in case they poisoned someone they didn’t want to poison, they could heal them. Nova sighed, but reached into her bag and pulled out a small vile. It had a clear liquid in it. Nova carefully nicked her right hand and a tiny bit of blood flowed. It was shiny and silver. She let it drip into the vile. The blood and the clear liquid swirled around each other and then settled into a bright green. She hopped into the back with the boy, who had been watching her make it.
“I am not taking that!” He exclaimed.
“Well, if you don’t you’ll have to have extreme pain for the next, uh, 24 hours.”
“Fine. Do I swallow it or spread it on the cuts?”
“The cuts. It gets into the bloodstream quicker.”
“Will it sting more?”
Nova realized he was trying to talk, to distract her. From what? She wondered. Then she felt the poison he had injected into her start to take effect. It coursed through her veins, slowly forcing her unconscious.
“Juniper! The boy poisoned…”
The girl slipped into blackness before she could finish.

Raven watched in delight as the Cel slumped. He was not delighted when she slumped toward him though. He shoved her off.
“What did you do to her?” exclaimed the woman up front. She had long, curly brown hair and had bright green eyes. Her face was perfect, layers of makeup smothering it. Raven already hated her. He hated anyone who decided to cover up their true features, which was kind of ironic.
“Just a sedative that only works on Cels.” He said with a grin.
“How long?”
“It knocks Celestial Beasts out for weeks.” That was a lie. It was only a day Cels were knocked out.
“Is there an antidote?”
“Yes, and I have it with me.”
“Then give it to her.”
“Why would I do that?” Raven said snidely.
“Because pretty soon, those cuts she gave you are going to start hurting a lot worse.”
“I have the antidote for it though.”
“It doesn’t work unless Nova activates it.”
“Fine,” Raven knew it didn’t need to be ‘activated’ but, as he was a ‘clueless Fanferian’ he had to act like it.
Raven pulled out a small vial filled with water. He took some of the stardust the Cel had given him and mixed it in. He took a leaf of Karkill out and added it to the mix. A little surprise for the Cel. The mixture turned a cloudy gold. He grimaced, but opened the Cel’s mouth and slowly poured the antidote in, making sure she swallowed it. Once it was all gone, he put the vial back in his pocket. The Cel sitting next to him shuddered and came too. As soon as her eyes had located him, she was reaching out towards his cuts. He was too surprised to react as she cut deeper and injected more poison.
“Nova! Get in the front and control yourself!”
The Cel’s eyes were a hideous black right now. It was as though a black hole had come to swallow him up. He shuddered and started shivering, terror taking control. Get out. He had to get out from the Cel’s gaze right now.
“Nova! Stop playing your mind games with him! Get up here!”
“Can’t--” Was all the girl got out. But, she had turned away, severing the connection between their eyes.
“I forgot to mention, Cels go a little wild after waking up from the poison,” Raven said pleasantly, although his voice contained a slight tremor. It should not have had this effect on him.
Nova seemed to be struggling greatly to control herself, staring out the window. Raven could see her eyes swirling like black holes. Slowly, the swirling subsided and the Cel’s eyes returned to twinkling like stars. She turned to face him again.
“Can you apply the antidote now?” Raven asked her, for the poison was just starting to hurt a lot more.
The girl nodded and picked up the vial. She opened it up and slid a claw in. It came out dripping with the green substance. The Cel went to apply it but Raven shrank from her claw.
“Does it really have to be applied that way?”
“Yes.”
Before he could move again, she slashed out, and cut into his wounds again. He screamed and his face reddened in embarrassment. Raven shut up. Miraculously, the pain from the poison slowly dissipated from his stomach. Before he could do anything else, the car turned into a garage. The woman up front grabbed the tan envelope that Raven had given the Cel. She got out of the car and closed her door. The Cel scrambled to the front just as two people in uniforms reached the door. Each one opened the door that one of the kids were sitting by. The Cel extended her wrists and the person at her door cuffed her. She stood up and followed the person out to a hallway, her silver, and gold sparkling hair swinging. By the time he had turned his head from watching the Cel exit, his hands were cuffed and he was getting dragged out of the car. His guard then proceeded to haul him down another hallway.

Nova hated when she lost control. There were so many substances on Fanfer she needed to avoid in order not to go crazy. She was gonna kill that boy if she was freed. Okay, not kill but make him pay. Well, she probably had already done that with her poison. She grinned as Karly walked her down the hall.
“What’s up kiddo?’ Karly asked.
“Just thinking about sweet revenge.”
“Revenge? Hopefully not on me right?” she asked with a smile.
“Revenge on the boy we brought in. He gave me one of the numerous substances on Fanfer that makes me go a little crazy. I had already scratched him though.”
“Sounds painful--for him!”
“It was,” Nova said with a grin. The grin was forced, but Karly wouldn’t know any better.
The pair rounded the corner into a room with two big cages. One of the cages was occupied by another of the Harlkflan or as the Fanferians called them, Starfolk or aliens, or Cels. Karly opened the other door and Nova stepped inside. The door was locked behind her.
“I still don’t understand why I have to stay in a cage!”
“You know the rules, Nova,” Karly said tiredly.
“Hmph!” Nova poked her arms through a cage gap so Karly could uncuff her.
Karly uncuffed Nova and left. The other Cel perked up as soon as Karly was gone.
“I don’t know how you can stand any of them, Nova!” The other girl said in galactic verse.
“Maybe I can make them let me go,” Nova replied in their native language. “I am their best Cel and they still put me in a cage! I am tired of working for them. I want to go home.” She finished in a quiet voice.
“How was your mission?” The girl said after a pause.
“The boy tried to kidnap me. Starling came, along with Juniper.” Nova reached behind to her back, and gingerly felt the small bump that was there.
“The boy?”
“There was a boy I was supposed to get info from.”
“Did you get it?”
“Yes, then I walked away and got shot.”
“Shot?!” The other girl echoed.
“It was a slow acting sedative.” She didn’t mention the other thing that she thought was in it as well.
“How are you still awake?”
“He gave me an antidote I think. With Karkill leaf I think.” Nova’s mind drifted back to the sense of power she always got from the black hole effect.
“Oh wow. He picked the wrong battle. But, are you okay?”
“Fine. I just went crazy for a little. He got the black hole treatment.” Nova flipped her hair over her shoulder.
“Wow! Karkill leaves are really potent.”
“Tell me about it.” Nova sighed. “I’ve been thinking about home more and more recently.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I want to go back to space, Harlk.” That was the galactic verse version of what the humans had named Harlk. Her name, to the humans, was Hope. Though it should technically be Star, as that was what the Harlkflan called the stars, harlk.
“I am so glad they still let us use galactic verse,” Hope said.
“Me too…” both girls proceeded to stare at the ceiling. “Tomorrow, I am gonna ask Starling if we can have a leave.” Nova continued.
“Nova, they aren’t going to let us go.”
“We do have a few tricks up our sleeves,” Nova said with a grin, mischief alight on her features.

Nova walked into Starling’s office the next day. She waited by the door, her hands cuffed behind her back.
“Nova, why are you in my office?” Starling asked in a cold voice.
“Sir, I have two questions I would like to ask you, sir,” Nova started.
“Well, ask them!” he snapped.
“What happened to the boy?”
“The boy that tried to kidnap you?”
“The very same, sir.” She growled with a dip of the head.
“He is being held for questioning. I assume that you would like to help with that a little?”
“If you would be so gracious sir, yes please.” Nova found it very hard to act extremely polite to Starling, knowing that he was the main reason she was here.
“You may do that. What is your second question?”
“Harlk--Hope I mean, and I would like a leave to go visit our brethren in space.”
“You want to leave for space? How do I know you would come back?”
“You know I would come back. I wouldn’t leave Nile alone for long.” She thought about her brother, the one that she had come to rescue. He had been hurt, so he had to stay on Fanfer until he healed. But she had traded herself for him. Once he was healed, he would be released back to space. While he was still here though, Nova was tied here until she could escape. She looked directly into Starling’s eyes and willed him to say yes. 
“Fine. You can go to space for a rotation of the stars. If you have not returned within the limit…” He didn’t finish but she knew he was threatening Nile.
“I’ll be back sir. Thank you so much!” Nova practically skipped out the door. She ducked her head back in though at the last second and opened her mouth to ask one last thing.
“You can see him before you leave,” Starling answered her question before she had even asked it. Nova nodded and raced past the guard waiting for her, heading toward Harlk’s and her cages.

This was not what Raven had in mind when he had first accepted his mission. Getting interrogated for hours, question after question. When they finally let him sleep, it was at least ten pm he thought. He went to sleep, and when he woke up a Cel was in his face.
“Gah!” Raven bolted upright. It was Nova.
“Glad to see you’re awake!” The Cel growled cheerfully. Raven shivered. He hated the way Cels talked. It was physically impossible for them to talk without growling. Their language sounded much better than them talking Fanferian.
“What do you want?” He asked wearily.
“Just some information.” The Cel’s grin was starting to creep him out.
“I already gave you information, didn’t I?”
“Well, now I want some more.”
“And why do you think that I’d give any information to you?” Raven toyed with her, knowing what was to come if he succeeded.
“Because I am a ‘Cel’, as you call me. I am not a beast, but sometimes I can act like it!”
Raven snuck a hand in his pocket, forgetting they had taken all of his herbs. That was when the Cel in his room picked him up and slammed him against a wall. She had lifted him easily, Cels were stronger than most Fanferians. It was so hard not to slam her back, as Raven had the strength to.
“I am going to make you pay for giving me Karkill leaves.” She hissed.
“And how are you going to do that?” Raven asked, gasping for breath. Raven could sense her almost flicking a switch in her. He had succeeded in getting her mad enough to do it.
She didn’t respond, but her eyes started to swirl. He tried to look away, but it was too late. The eyes of the Cel drew him in. Black hole. He was getting sucked into a black hole. The Cel started to talk in a smooth voice.
“Why did you try to kidnap me?” the Cel growled. It was smooth but raspy.
“I wanted to get more stardust. I know you had more. I also wanted to study you.” Raven lied with some difficulty. Even though he had been trained to resist it, it was extremely hard.
“Study me! You wanted to study me?” Her eyes started swirling faster and faster. Red pinpricks started to form in the middle. Then she coughed. She started rasping. Raven ducked out from her gaze. He stared at her as she fell to the ground, shaking. What was happening? Just then, three people burst through the door. As Raven looked closer at them he revised what he had thought about the group. It was two people and a Cel. The Cel rushed to Nova’s side and a Fanferian followed her. The other person came toward Raven. Raven sighed but allowed to be dragged away. As he was brought down the hallway, one thought coursed through his head. What had happened to the Cel?

 Nova woke up and saw Hope staring down at her.

“Are you okay?” Hope asked.

“F-fine. What happened?” Nova stuttered a bit while she was gaining her bearings.

“You hadn’t hooked up last night, did you? You ran out of helium and your body went into cathigag mode.” There was no human word for cathigag mode so, They just said it in Galactic verse instead.

“Where are we?”

“We’re in a helium chamber, in the medical bay.”
“Nakrill! Can I see him?” Nakrill was in the medical bay as well.

“Sure. I’ll have him brought in here. Stay lying down would you?”

Hope walked to the door and opened it. It sealed behind her and Nova heard the hiss as helium was drained from the adjoining hallway. About ten minutes later, she heard the hiss as helium flooded the adjoining room again. The door opened and in walked Hope and Nakrill, he was getting supported by Hope. The last time Nova had seen him, he had been on crutches. His legs had gotten damaged. No one would tell her how, but she thought he had been experimented on. It was very hard to walk around with a smile on her face, pretending she liked the people here.

“Nakrill!” Nova bolted upright and rushed to her brother. She hated that they had taken his name away from him, and given him Nile. Who names a kid that? His skin was a shade blue, and his hair was in spikes of a golden hue. The two siblings embraced each other and stayed hugging for a long time.

“Hi, Nava!” He growled in their native language once they had finally untangled.

“How are you? Are the Fanfer doctors okay?”
“Yes, I am fine and the Fanfer doctors are okay. My legs are getting stronger by the day. I can’t wait until you and I can go back to the stars! How are you?”

“I am fine.” Nova’s face twitched as she fought to keep the sadness off it. Nakrill didn’t know about the trade she had made. He didn’t know that only one of them could return to the stars and Nova had decided to send him back home. She would have to stay on this miserable planet, grounded here to save her brother. Hope knew about the trade though and knew that Nova didn’t want to tell Nakrill until she had to. Hope stepped in to cover Nova.

“Hey Nakrill, did you know that Nava and I are going to be allowed to go back to space for a rotation of the stars. Isn’t that cool?”

“That is really cool! I wish I could go.”

“You have to stay here and make sure your legs heal! Then you can get back to space for good!”

“You’re right Harlk.”

“Now, your sister needs some rest. She needs to absorb as much helium as possible.”

“Wait, what happened to you, Nava?”

“My helium absorption rate had dropped.”
“Oh. Well lucky you were here so they could get you in a helium chamber quick.”

“Yes, Nakrill. I am lucky,” She growled with a grin. If I had been in space, she thought to herself, it wouldn’t have been a problem at all.

“All right. Come on Nakrill. Let your sister rest.”

“Okay, Harlk.”

The two walked to the door and there was a hiss as once they closed the door. Nova was consuming helium at a rapid rate. The Starfolk called helium Scarklun. Nova could not wait to go back to space. The first place that she would be heading, once she got back in space was her parents and her sister. All her parents knew was two of their kids had disappeared onto Fanfer. She would have to explain the trade she had made. She would have to tell them this was the last time that they would see her. She had told them before she left home, that Nakrill would be coming back. She would do anything to get him home. Her younger sister, Fosni, had begged Nova to come. Nova had left in the middle of the sleeping hours so she wouldn’t follow. She hadn’t returned for nearly a year based on Fanferian timekeeping. Nearly thirty rotations of the stars for Harlkflan. The door opened and in strolled Hope.

“What’re you thinking about Nava?” Hope asked in galactic verse.

“Home. I am going to have to tell them they won’t see their eldest daughter again. That their eldest daughter traded her life for her younger brother’s life.” She broke down crying. Nakrill was nearly recovered enough and he would return home. Then her part of the deal would have to be fulfilled. She would have to take Nakrill’s place. They could do whatever they wanted with her. The deal forbade them from doing anything besides sending her on missions and such. Once Nakrill was gone, she could be experimented on, or anything really. Hope put her arm around Nova.

“It’s okay. You'll always have me.”

“You only owe them six rotations. I  am stuck on this miserable planet for the rest of my life! At least Nakrill will be free to go.”

“Yes I do only owe them six rotations but I will still visit you.”

“You don’t have to. Anyway, if you tried to come back someone else could get you.”

“I am going to visit you.”

“No! I will not let you put your life in danger just to visit me.”

“I don't need your permission you know, I can do what I want, so I will visit you.”

Nova was just about to reply when the door opened, revealing Raven. 

Raven had been walked to another room and left alone for awhile. When someone finally came to talk to him he asked the question that had been consuming his thoughts for hours.
“What happened to the Cel?”
“What?”
“The Cel. What happened to the Cel?” Raven sighed in annoyance.
“It had a helium deficiency.”
“What? How would she have a helium deficiency?”
“One, it's not human. Two, it's an alien for Calef’s sake. Three, Celestial beasts breathe-- no absorb helium. The helium in the room you were staying in before ran out, it lasted a little bit longer, but then its brain was shut down so it could survive.”
“Oh. That’s interesting.” He already knew all of this, just needed to act like a clueless, interested human.
“Interesting. That’s one way to put it.”
“Is the Cel okay?”
“It will be fine. Why are you so curious?”
“Um… No reason.”
“Sure. Well, good news for you. We will be releasing you soon. The Cel just wants to talk to you once more before.”
“Um, okay.” Raven’s heart sped up.
“You’ll need this.” He held up an oxygen mask.
“Um… What for?”
“The Cel is in a helium chamber.” The man said a grin.
“But-- too much helium can kill me!” Raven almost grinned at how easy it was to fool him.
“That’s what this is for.”
“Fine!” Raven scowled and grabbed the mask. The man walked Raven down a few halls until they reached a viewing window. Nova was in there, along with another Cel.
“Put the mask on now.”
Raven fitted the oxygen mask on his face and slyly turned the oxygen mask off. The man shoved him into a side door. He heard a hiss of air and then the door to his right clicked open. He walked through it into the helium chamber. It didn’t look like much, just a table/bed in a room. The two girls looked up from their conversation, surprised expressions on their faces. The Cel--Nova, he corrected himself would have been expecting him, wouldn’t she?

Why was the boy here? He shouldn’t be in a helium chamber!
“What are you doing in a helium chamber?” Nova asked first in galactic verse, forgetting to switch back.
“I cannot understand your growls. Please speak Fanferian?” The boy asked.
“Sorry. What are you doing in a helium chamber?”
“One of the guards told me you wanted to speak to me one last time?”
“Um… I don’t remember asking that. Just the first time when my body basically shut down entirely.”
“You don’t blame that on me do you?”
“Why would I blame it on you?”
“I don’t know!” he shouted at her.
“Then why ask?”
“I don’t know!”
“So, continuing our conversation from earlier, why do you want to study me?”
“Uh… Scientific reasons?”
“Not good enough,” Nova stood up and walked toward the boy.
“Uh…”
“What’s your name?”
“Raven.” He said, surprised.
“Raven. Let’s take a walk shall we?”
“Uh… Let’s not?”
Nova ignored him and dragged him toward the door. Hope stood up and followed silently.