Shey mutters something unintelligible and follows my brother onto the island. All dumb jokes aside, my heart is pounding so hard I’m half-afraid it will leap out of my body. It seems impossible to walk down this dock and step onto an island where I’ve spent so many happy days, knowing we almost unleashed an alien weapon on everyone here. But Drom follows after the others, her face turned out to the endless ocean, so I force myself to keep up.

It also seems impossible that we should be able to stroll to the end of the docks and greet customs agents like we would any other day, and yet that’s exactly what we do. Drom shows them proof of her citizenship here and the ship’s registry under her name, and the rest of us already have business visas established here as her crew. Same as on Deva, customs agents here aren’t too wary of a citizen’s ship arriving, especially given that we’re not taking any cargo. They wave us on after a step through a scanner.

Just when I think we’re about to get past without any trouble, the official frowns and gestures for us to wait.

“Hold on,” she says, looking down at her computer and then up at Shey. “I’m not seeing this one in the database. Did you send over a transmission?”

“Er.” I didn’t know anything about a transmission. “We can do that here, can’t we?”

“Of course not.” The official seems affronted at the mere thought. “It takes at least a month to process.” She gestures at Shey to step back. “No visa, no entry. She’ll have to stay on the ship.”

Shit. Our whole plan hinges on Shey speaking with the council.

“What I mean is, the transmission should be there,” I blurt out, thinking as I talk. “From Gaia?”

“Gaia?” Now the officer looks more confused, verging on hostile. “What does Gaia have to do with it?”

“This is…” I look at Shey, who seems unsure about what to say, and then back at the customs agent. “This is the new Gaian ambassador! You should’ve gotten the file.”

“There is no Gaian ambassador on Nibiru.” The officer squints at me as if she suspects I’m trying to pull a joke on her.

“Yes, hence the new.” I lean forward, tapping a finger on the counter and molding my face into a look of impatience. “I mean, come on, lady, don’t you recognize her?”

The officer’s gaze swivels between me and an obviously embarrassed Shey. The latter clears her throat and clasps her hands behind her back in an attempt at regaining her poise.

“My name is Shey Leonis,” Shey says, lifting her chin. “Daughter of Talulah Leonis, the president of Gaia. And, as my escort has already told you, the new Gaian ambassador. My presence here is a matter of utmost importance.”