by Andi Feron
“We gotta go. A storm is coming. Your family is on our ship,” I told them.
They both stared blankly at us. Gabriel bent down to their level and repeated what I told them. The children backed away. We didn’t have time for this. We were going to have to grab them and take them back.
“We have to take you to our ship. If you don’t come, we will have to carry you there,” I said.
They still stared at us. I moved to grab the boy, and he reeled back. The girl pulled out a revolver and pointed it toward us as though she was going to shoot us. The boy began signing something with his hands.
“You know what he’s saying?” I asked Gabriel.
“No, we need to call Allie.”
“Yeah, I suppose she’s better with children.”
“No, she knows sign language.”
“Allie knows sign language?” I was caught off guard by this information. How had I not known my sister knew a secondary language?
“Yes.” Gabriel grabbed the radio, explaining that we needed Allie to sign to the children.
John sounded irritated and said we needed to leave, but he agreed to send Allie. Allie came running in and slowed when she saw the children. She smiled at them even though the little girl seemed as if she might fire the weapon. Allie began signing, and both the children looked relieved. The boy signed back to her.
“They say their puppy is trapped in the tunnel, but their hatch is jammed and they aren’t leaving without him. Seems reasonable,” she translated.
I narrowed my eyes, not believing what she said. I wasn’t sure how any of that was reasonable. We were all about to be toasted, and now we were going to have to save a puppy. This was why John had sent a message ahead, that the colonists were to have all animals with them and ready. In fairness, the Khalbytian attack probably scrambled everything, but still, we didn’t have time for this.
I concentrated on the puppy and saw he was ten feet underneath the house. Allie told the children to move so we could access the hatch. I put my weapon on low and evaporated the hatch. Allie told them she would get the puppy and quickly climbed down and pulled out a fluffy ball of brown fur. Allie appeared to be in heaven as she held the puppy.
“See why they had to save him?” Allie smiled at me, and I shook my head. She said, “We all know you’re a big softy, and you wouldn’t have let him die either.”
Allie was right, but I gave her no confirmation. She explained to the kids that we had to hurry back to the ship and held her hand out for the weapon. The girl handed it to Allie, and we made it to the ship with ten minutes to spare.
Back on the ship, I asked Allie, “Since when do you know sign language?”
“Since high school. My friend who was deaf taught me. I can read lips, too.”
“And you never thought to mention this?”
“Never came up, I guess. I know American Sign Language anyway. The one the kids spoke was a little different, but close enough, I could gather what they said. In case you wanted more details on the topic.”
“How much more don’t I know about you?”
“I have a feeling there’s a lot more we don’t know about each other.”
I agreed with her more than I wanted to. Before she joined the war, I had two separate lives, one with her and one without. All that time I was away, she was living her life and gaining new experiences that I wasn’t a part of. One thing was for sure—she never ceased to surprise me, and today was no exception. She had grown into this amazing person, and I had missed a lot of that process.
We took the colonists to their new planet, and I was sure they had to be excited after the melancholic world they migrated from. This planet was full of lush green trees and grass. Most of the planet consisted of forest terrain, and the children would have endless ground to explore. The Loctorians already set up domed houses to give a sense of familiarity and make the transition easier.
We stayed a few hours to make sure the colonists were getting settled okay before returning to base. We lost a couple of days to the colony mission and decided to go ahead with game night the day after we got back.
*
“At least one thing I do know about you is you still suck at bowling,” I told Allie with a laugh as she guttered her third ball.
She smiled back. “Yep, I only come for the dancing.”
“Someone say dancing?” Deron chimed in. Dancing was his favorite part, too.
“Yeah, turn the music on already, Monroe.”
Deron went over to the computer in the wall and switched on Daft Punk’s “One More Time.” I watched Allie dance; there was so much life to her, and the universe needed that. I needed that. Seraphine came over and sat next to me.
“She’s going to be fine, Talon. You’ve taught her well.” Seraphine often knew my thoughts with a single look.
“I don’t doubt her, same as I don’t doubt you. I doubt all the other shitty things that exist.”
“At some point you have to just go with it. At this moment, what you need to see is your sister loving her life and not the battles that threaten her. None of us know the time we have, but if we obsess with the ending, we’ll miss the moments that are the reason we don’t want the ending to come too soon.”
“You are profoundly wise, my love.” I kissed Seraphine’s cheek.
Seraphine leaned back against me. “Not sure if it’s wisdom or just things I have to tell myself. We’re all going to grow grey and have those family reunions. Allie will be the fun aunt who still has everyone dancing when she’s ninety. You’ll yell at her that she’s going to break a hip. She’ll yell back to quit lecturing her because she’s a great grandma and old enough to make her own choices. We’ll be surrounded by grandchildren, and great nieces and nephews, and all of this will be a faded memory. Lives well lived is what we will know at the end.”
I laughed at Seraphine’s end of life description. “And you’ll be like fine wine and have aged beautifully. No doubt in my mind.”
“You have giant, unrealistic dreams, but that’s why I love you.” She laughed and kissed me.
“Save the make-out session for home and come dance!” Allie yelled at us, and Seraphine pulled me to the dance floor.
What Seraphine told me was right, these moments were why I was scared of the ending. I never wanted them to end. I would listen to my wife and breathe in the dancing, the family, and friends. This was how we would make it to the lives well-lived that Seraphine described. We would make it there by fighting to have moments exactly like this one.
Chapter Twenty
Talon-September 8, 2014
I had a message from Admiral Parks asking me to stop by her office in a couple hours. Usually John met with her to get mission briefings, and he would relay the information to the rest of us. Seraphine was still sleeping when I decided I should get myself going for the day. After quickly showering and shaving, I saw Seraphine was up and I told her about the message.
“Hopefully she doesn’t want you gone too long,” Seraphine munched on her cereal.
“I know, it’s been a while since we’ve had a separate mission.”
I put on my uniform and went to Admiral Parks’ office.
“Talon, great to see you,” Parks greeted me warmly. “How’s Seraphine?”
“She’s doing great.”
“Glad to hear it. I asked you here today because it seems I have found myself in a bit of a predicament with the Loctorian council and it has to do with a species you are familiar with—the Anierisians.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t recall that species. Could you refresh my memory?”
Admiral Parks handed me a tablet with info on the Aniersians. “They were the fog species, the ones who brought out fears until the victims died of dehydration.”
“Yeah, definitely remember them. Let me guess, the council can’t leave them alone?”
“Yes, they want an alliance formed with them because they think their skills would be useful. But I know the only way they let
anyone go was for you to promise them we would leave them alone. You’re the only one I know of who can go in and not be affected by the fog.”
“They were pretty adamant we leave them alone, or they would kill the next group. I did have the thought we could use bio-suits, but I think that would make us more intimidating and might lead to a bigger attack.”
“I know, but my hands are pretty tied here and the Loctorians aren’t letting this one go. I was wondering if you would be willing to go talk to the Anierisians?”
I took a deep breath. “And go back on my word? That mission is a one-way trip, a suicide mission. Whoever goes on it is not coming back, and the council is wise enough to know that.”
“I don’t know of anyone else whose mind is resistant to mental abilities.”
“Is this an order?” I asked for confirmation.
“No, but the council wants to send Captain Trammel. He’s the best negotiator we have and he’s not even a manipulator.”
“What if I go speak to the council? Try and persuade them of the fault in their thinking?” I was grasping at straws. I didn’t know if anyone could persuade the council of anything, but I needed to try. If they sent John or anyone else on my team, I was sure that they wouldn’t be coming back.
“I’m open to this. Let me make some arrangements and, if it’s cleared with the council for you to speak to them, let’s plan on you leaving tomorrow morning,” Parks said.
I agreed and went home to talk to Seraphine. When I told her about them wanting to send someone back into the fog, I saw her eyes and the fear it brought.
“I don’t want you to go back, Talon,” She was nearly pleading with me.
“I might not have a choice. If I refuse, it sounds like John is up for the job. I’m not susceptible to the fog as he most likely is. If he goes, he’s not coming back. Plus, I have a trust built up with them.”
“Not if you go back. It’ll mean you broke your word and can’t be trusted.”
“Let’s just see how this meeting with the council goes. It’ll be interesting to finally meet the council that has been controlling our lives for years.”
Tonight was game night with the team, and I would bring it up to everyone as Admiral Parks told me to. She thought the council might even send my entire team. I didn’t want anyone near that fog, especially not my family.
I relayed the entire mission Seraphine, and I had been on a few years back. How we had gone on a mission to rescue two previous teams and check out a shielding chemical. The chemical had ended up being a natural gas emitted from the mouths of Anierisians. When a human breathed in the gas it caused hallucinations. Hallucinations that would bring out its victim’s worst fears.
The person would wander in the Anierisian fog until they died of dehydration. My brain worked differently than the other victims and I was able to figure out my hallucinations weren’t real. The Anierisians noticed and confronted me about it. After promising them humans would not return to their planet, they let my team and the missing ones leave.
After telling my current team the mission story, I filled them in on the current intentions of the council.
“Sounds similar to a siren without the beautiful singing voice,” Gabriel said.
Colin raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t sirens mermaids?”
“Not originally. They morphed into that over time as people mixed them up with mermaids. They were originally half woman and half bird according to Greek mythology.”
“Well, she was definitely more bird-like than fish-like,” I told him.
“So the issue is you promised them we would leave them alone so they would let your team go, and now the council wants to mess things up and get more teams killed,” John said.
“Pretty much. I’m going to talk to the council tomorrow to see if I can persuade them to back off their plan.”
“I’ll go with you. I think if they end up ordering our team to go, it’ll be good for me to have as many details as possible.”
“I’m not sure what to expect. All I’ve heard are rumors of the council. I don’t really know anyone who has actually met them.”
“Sure you do. John’s met them,” Allie said nonchalantly.
I looked at John in surprise and wondered why this was never brought up before.
John nodded. “Yeah, when they first recruited me. They wanted to convince me to fight and insisted I was destined to be an admiral in the war. They trained me for four months, helped me learn all the things I can do with my ability, and let me practice to make it better.”
John went on to tell me what occurred and what I should expect. He seemed unfazed by the fact he was one of only a few people to have actually seen the council. Even Admiral Parks told me she had never seen them and didn’t know anyone else who had either. All the orders were relayed through others. This made me wonder what their plan for John was, considering that he was important enough for them to want to convince and train directly.
Morning arrived and Admiral Parks informed me that the council would be expecting John and me. I found this a bit creepy because, when she called, I hadn’t relayed to her the fact John wanted to tag along.
“Be careful, Talon. I don’t like this one,” Seraphine said.
I pulled her into a long hug and kissed her forehead. Then I stepped back a little to look her in the eye. “Babe, I got this. I promise I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not worried about your ability, I’m worried about the council interfering. They may be able to glimpse the future, but their judgment is not a hundred percent.”
“I know, but you quit worrying. I’ll be back before you know I’m gone.”
“Doubtful.”
I gave her another kiss and left to meet John at our shuttle. We arrived on the planet that the council was on and trekked back a couple kilometers through a very narrow cave tunnel until it finally opened into an elegant, grand room. The council sat at a long table facing us, and their bodies were wholly encompassed in their robes. Twelve wore brown robes with hoods, and the middle member wore dark blue. John told me his name was Killreth.
Killreth spoke for the group. “Talon Cooper and John Trammel, welcome. Can we offer you any refreshments before we get started?”
I glanced at John, already finding the interaction odd, but he shook his head and said, “No, I’m fine, but thank you.”
I followed suit and gave the same answer.
Killreth continued, “We have been told you want to dispute us sending more teams to negotiate with the Anierisians?”
“Yes, sir. When I went on that mission a few years ago, the only way I could get them to release my team was to promise we would leave them be.” I went on to refresh their memories on the details of the mission, and when I was done speaking, there was a significant pause.
“John, how do you feel about leading your team there?” Killreth asked.
“I trust Talon’s judgment and experience. I think it would prove detrimental to my team, and their loss would be significant for the war as a whole.”
“Your team always tasks a risk, but we see your points are valid. However, we see the Anierisians fighting alongside us with favorable outcomes. We also see that if they do not fight, they will face annihilation at the hands of Khalbytians. Talon, we would like you to go and talk to them. If you do this, we will accept whatever answer you gain from them and not send any more teams.”
Admiral Parks already told me this would be the most likely outcome, and I felt there was little choice but to accept. I would be the best bet either way since I could resist the influence of the fog. Creating believable hysteria seemed to be the Anierisians’ only true defense. The council asked John to remain behind, as they wanted to discuss some things with him.
Before I left, a Loctorian by the name of Meseri gave me a vision that I could share with the Anierisians of the Khalbytians wiping them out. I set the coordinates to return to the planet of nightmares and break a promise I made years ago. The more I thought about
it, the more I found it fitting that I was the one to return. I could ask for a pardon and accept the consequences if one was not granted.
I landed close to where my team set down last time. I walked through a field of ankle-high blue grass. I trudged for a couple kilometers and was beginning to wonder if they even lived in the area anymore. Tracking them had never been easy, and since there was no fog out, I couldn’t track the chemical they emitted either. Shielding was their expertise. A white-winged woman with long black hair swooped down in front of me. Her normal looking teeth retracted and razor fangs filled her mouth.
She moved closer to me. “Talon Cooper the strange has returned, yet he said he would leave us be.”
“I know, but I didn’t have a choice. I’ve come with a warning and a request. I know you can delve into my brain and pull out my fears. Can you find the vision I was given about an hour ago?”
“You are full of tricks and we should slay you for your lies.”
Three more of the creatures swooped down surrounding me, snarling their lethal incisors my direction. I stayed planted as the first one opened her mouth wide with her sharp teeth hovering centimeters from my jugular. One swift bite and I would bleed out far away from any hope of rescue.
“I had every intention of keeping my word but I have been given no choice. If I didn’t break my word, not only would people I love get hurt, but your people will be annihilated also. If you search my mind, you will see this to be correct.”
Her jaw twitched as if in internal conflict between ripping apart my throat and paying my words heed. She opened her mouth, and a thick, silver fog glided from her mouth until it surrounded me. We stood in the middle of the vision Meseri sent to me. We watched as the Khalbytians brought down several Anierisian cities. The Khalbytians were wearing a special mask, and I assumed it must be keeping the fog from working on the Khalbytian minds.
After the vision concluded, the Anierisian spoke, “We have thoroughly scanned your mind, and we do not believe Talon Cooper to be full of deceit. We will go with you and speak to the council.”