Lustral || Complete

I

"Welcome to Earth," a man's slow drawl crackled over the ship's intercom. "It's currently seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit in New Seattle with falling precipitation. Please collect all your belongings and proceed to the customs counter before leaving the transport station. As usual, mind the red lines. And thank you for choosing Tedds Transports for your inner-galactic traveling needs."

The space-transport doors hissed open. A collective sigh from the weary travelers resonated through the cramped cabin as fresh air replaced the body-odor tainted oxygen.

With a midnight-purple hooded cloak in place, Liri Delaney's willowy frame squeezed past red-skinned Martians, lanky Greys, and other various aliens.

Outside the ship, Liri gulped in several lungful's of rain moistened air. Her ice blue gaze ran along the red line surrounding the ship as she moved towards one of several customs counters near the street exit. On the far side of the large windows anti-grav cars and busses zipped past in a blur of activity.

"Oof," Liri grunted as she crashed into a broad scaled back.

Growling, the massive form spun around.

Standing upright and rubbing her shoulder, Liri said, "I'm sorry, I—"

"Watch it, girl-food!" the Draconian woman snapped, bearing her mouthful of razor-sharp teeth in warning.

Liri shook her head and pointed at a retreating arachnoid. "I was shoved and didn't—"

"Mama, Mama, Tessa told me that Pinky is too ugly to play with Violet." The child held up a pink-haired doll that was missing an arm and half of one of it's green-grey legs.

"It's butt ugly," another Draconian child said as she fluffed her well-kept doll's purple hair.

"What have I told you about that kind of language?" the Draconian mother snapped.

"Sorry, Mom," the young girl said. She bowed her head and shuffled her feet.

Liri backed away from them and pointed over her shoulder. "I see that you're busy, so I'm just going to—"

Lights flickered overhead. The station's music stopped, and the viewing screens went black.

"Not again," Liri quietly lamented. Icy tendrils of dread and panic zapped Liri like a cow prod. Clenching her fists, she fought the urge to flee as fast as possible with each muscle-cramping jolt.

"What's happening, Mama?" the pink-haired doll owner asked, worry crossed her young dragon-like face.

"I'm sure it's just a power surge because the grid is overtaxed or something simple that the Earthlings are too lazy to fix. Grab your sister's hand so we don't get split up like we did at the zoo on Draconis Prime."

Phones and transport flight boards filled with the bright-orange emergency signal before a message popped to life on every screen in sight. Translated, it stated, "We know you are hiding here."

"What's going on?" A tall Grey asked as its head bobbed around in alarm.

"What does that mean?" a man asked his blue-skinned traveling companion.

A woman's soothing tone spoke over the public-announcement system, "A solar flare has disturbed the net and may take several minutes before it subsides. Please, disregard the interruption and continue about your business."

"You see children, nothing to worry about." The Draconian patted her daughter's heads. "Just the sun acting up is all."

Liri took a steadying breath as her eyes darted around the area for any unwanted familiar faces. She shuffled forward to the customs desk and kept her head down.