Prologue

August, Year 2019

Humans, as Luna Tase (that was her chosen name this time around) came to realise rather quickly, were not known for their ability to be silent. Truly, their incessant twittering could get extremely annoying, although that could just be an attribute of the current company she was forced to keep. They were all women at the table, ranging from as young as one barely touching her legal adult years (by the human's incomprehensible standards, of course) to the one who's current date of birth they were supposedly celebrating albeit five decades later. She would never truly understand humans, they were such a troublesome bunch. She had come to this party as a guest, as an impartial observer, invited by the guest of honour herself, but if the woman known as Isadora Ravenswood made one more comment about how lilac differed from violet and why it was so important then Tase wasn't responsible for her actions. Great Stars above, it was the year of 2019 by the humans calendar! Couldn't they have come to their senses a little more?!

   The celebration was something the humans had referred to as an "informal tea party" and it was currently being held here in London, in a high class socialite club known as "The Rooftop Garden" just as the hands of the clock brushed past the fifth hour after midday. Her friend had informed her that it was a long standing tradition on the British Isles to drink tea at the seventeenth hour of the day. How true that was still remained to be seen. It was as she was entertaining such idle thoughts that Tase realised that the emotion she was experiencing right now was what these people would have referred  to as boredom. Tase glanced to her side to see if any other guest of Lady Margaret Deboreigh was experiencing such an emotion, but, to their credit, if they were, none were showing it. Typical Homo sapiens behaviour... Tase was abruptly jerked out of her thoughts as she heard the lady of the hour speak.

"And how are things progressing down in Berkshire? What of Windsor? Have any efforts towards it's reconstruction been made? It's been five months since 'Impact Zero', they ought to have made some progress by now."

Tase looked up, her interest revived by the shift in topic. Yes, 'Impact Zero'...She wondered what these over privileged ladies thought of the aftermath of an event they had probably never even laid eyes on. 'Impact Zero' - that was how the humans had come to refer to the calamity that had occurred five months prior, in the beggining of March, when a rather small asteroid came hurtling down from the sky and despite the humans best efforts it landed in the British Isles, reducing the historic town of Windsor and all of it's inhabitants to nothing but rubble and ash, burying them in the crater and mountain of stone it had created. Miraculously, the rest of Berkshire had remained unharmed if a little rattled. The asteroid had broken apart into a mountain of stone, standing as a silent monument and reminder to the people of what they could and could not control. Tase could barely hold back a scathing comment as Cynthia Farrell, an older member of their gathering, spoke up, voice dripping with false sorrow.

"No, I'm afraid they haven't, Lady Margaret. They say the goverment itself is at a loss of what to do. They have merely quarantined the zone and continue to search for any possible remaining survivors even now. It is such a tragedy, is it not? Ah, how I wish I could do more than just donate shares of my fortune to the organised charities and restoration efforts..."

The younger ebony-haired and blue eyed woman, known as Isadora Ravenswood, nodded her head in agreement, a mask of grief that she honestly didn't feel an ounce of on her face.

"Oh, as do I. Are you aware that I had a thrice-removed great uncle there? He was an honourable man and according to the will that was read after his passing he had left his wealth and estate to myself. Oh how I grieve! I would eagerly wish away all the money in his will and his estate if only to have him back!"

Tase struggled to hold back a snort as she picked up her teacup to avoid looking at Isadora's dramatics. Oh sure, she believed that just as she believed the fact that humans had wings. Unsurprisingly, the other humans, with the exception of the youngest, rushed to console the frantically (and falsely) sobbing Isadora, whispering words of comfort that most humans appeared to use. Tase wondered if they actually worked. It took another good quarter of an hour for them to calm Isadora down (Tase was impressed she could keep up the act that long) during which their teapot had been replaced by a steaming new one by the efforts of the service staff. As Tase absently watched the clouds drift by overhead in the sky, wishing with all her might that she had not encountered Lady Margaret that day in the Royal Opera House a week ago, a question sparked in her mind and her grey eyes lit up. Yes, this was curious. Leaning her head to the side a fraction, Tase looked at the other four women sitting at the deliacate tea table.

"Ladies, I wonder, who do you think responsible for 'Impact Zero'?"

They all looked at her in confusion, unsure of her meaning. Tase suppressed a sigh: as quick as humans were to assign blame, they could be dreadfully obtuse at times. She adopted a polite smile as she clarified in only a half-serious tone.

"Do you believe it could have been the rumoured visitors from outer space?"

Oh, the sweet irony. If only they knew the truth. The ladies continued staring her uncomprehendingly for another moment (all but the youngest one as Tase noted) before they broke out laughing. The youngest one didn't laugh, she merely looked curiously at Tase. Hm, yes, the barely 18 year-old wife of Theodore Knight named Luceille formerly of the Carlton line was perhaps the smartest one here. Through her chuckles, Cynthia managed to ask:

"Surely, you jest, Ms. Tase?"

Tase cast a glance at Luceille to see the girl's sapphire aura flare brightly with specks of silver before it was awash in magenta. She had something she wanted to get off her chest, did she? Well, Tase would give her the opportunity to. Smiling as if nothing was amiss, Tase responded swiftly:

"No, I'm perfectly serious, Mrs. Farrell."

The three older ladies turned to stare at her again. They seemed to enjoy indulging in that particular pastime frequently. Was that another human quirk? Unexpectedly for everyone, but Tase the young blonde spoke up in a timid voice:

"Well, who is to say Ms. Tase's theory doesn't hold merit? After all none of us have anything other than baseless speculation either. I agree that an external force was responsible, everything was too meticulously arranged for it to have been simply the Earth's gravitational pull at work. Why was only Windsor destroyed? Why has not one centimetre beyond it's borders been touched? And why does the mountain of the asteroid's remains hold no harmful elements to humans? It seems far too convenient to my mind."

All the eyes shifted to her. Tase moved to conceal her shadow of a smile with her teacup. Yes, she had been right after all. The young woman with hair that looked like it had been made of the sun's rays, eyes the colour of fresh summer leaves and skin as rosy as the spring rose was indeed a curious one. However, it wasn't Luceille's apparent beauty that had caught Tase's eye, no, it was the bursts of pure silver her aura carried. This was something only her people could perceive - it was a sign that she would guide or raise one with a great destiny, a destiny beyond anything the humans could conjure. Of course, only a sparse few still believed in destiny now as the two thousandth and nineteenth year drew slowly to a close. That held no importance, Luceille Knight was someone Tase would be keeping an eye on. A harsh voice directed Tase's wandering attention back to Lady Margaret who was now fuming at the object of Tase's previous' thoughts:

"Luceille, still your tongue lest you forget the nature of your precarious position."

Luceille's thoughts flashed back to her unstable, newly obtained marital status and her cheeks flamed, forcing her to speak as she lowered her head in shame.

"Yes, Lady Margaret."

Lady Margaret nodded in approval and turned her focus towards Tase who held her gaze coolly. Lady Margaret shook her head,

"Ms. Tase, now where did you get such a preposterous notion in your head? Only young adults and children who still attend our education facilities have pliable enough minds to even accept such a notion as a possibility."

As swiftly as the topic had been broached it was closed, but Tase was no longer paying attention. Whether intentionally or not, the words of one Lady Margaret Deboreigh had sown the seeds of a brilliant plan in Tase's mind and she was watching them grow in awe. Yes, what was it that had been said... 'Pliable minds' ? Yes, she could work with that, but first a foundation needed to be laid, a strong one. Abruptly Tase stood up from the white iron-wrought table, drawing all attention to herself and away from the debate about the values of current education:

"Pardon me, ladies, but I'm afraid some business of an urgent nature just came up. Lady Margaret, I once again congratulate you on your 50th birthday. Mrs Farrell, Ms Ravenswood and Mrs Knight, I bid you all good day. May we meet again. Pardon me."

With those parting words Tase took her leave, glancing back and resolving to keep an eye on Luceille and any of those who had connections to her once more as the sapphire aura shimmered with silver. Still, Tase's mind was overwhelmed with the new idea she had been given. Tase smiled as she hailed a standard black cab from the busy road of Kensington Hight Street. Yes, she could do this. After supplying the driver with an address, Tase pulled out her smartphone and dialled a number, settling comfortably into her seat. After two rings she heard a click that signified the phone being picked up. Not waiting for an acknowledgement, Tase announced triumphantly:

"Fnoyemiri, I have a plan..."