by Trevor Scott
Liam picked up his bowl of Leguma and slurped down the rest of the broth, chewing the chunks of vegetables last. To his surprise, the taste continued to grow on him as he ate it. When he was down to the purple seaweed Ju-Long reached into his bowl without asking and snatched the longest piece of vegetation, wrapping his broken hand.
“Really, Ju-Long?”
“Hey, I need it. If you want some maybe you should lift a finger in this operation.”
Liam scowled. Despite the progress Ju-Long seemed to have made, he could still be an ass.
Nix was the first to stand up from the table. He collected the bowls into the empty pot and put them in one of the metal cabinets, sealing it tight behind them. Nix pressed a button on a panel next to the cabinet and then it began to shake, slowly at first and then growing in intensity until it was vibrating at such a high frequency the movement was hardly noticeable. Reading Liam’s confused face, Nix said, “Sonic washer. No use wasting water in space.”
A red light flashed on the ceiling, pulsing along with a pleasant tone. Nix regarded the light and his expression changed. He turned serious and moved quickly toward the doorway. At the edge he turned and said, “We’re approaching Surya’s moon.”
24
The cockpit was awash with crimson light when Liam entered and took the seat to the left of Nix. Ahead of them, a dark planetary body steadily grew as they approached. The solar system’s sun was behind Surya, leaving its moon in darkness. Few lights danced on the surface where the ruins must have been. Liam squinted, trying to make out the outline of the ruins, but was unable to see anything but the blackness of the surface and a serrated rocky landscape.
Nix fired the reverse thrusters, slowing down their craft so they could make their landing approach. For a moment, the window of the cockpit was flooded with the pressure of the thin atmosphere, but the effect quickly dissipated. Liam swiped his hand along the control panel in front of him and scanned the readouts. The moon had a far thinner atmosphere than Surya’s but had enough air pressure so their heads wouldn’t explode. Always good news. The temperature was too cold for human skin and there was hardly any oxygen in the air.
Nix noticed Liam fussing over the display and put a hand on his arm. “Don’t worry, friend. Sunrise is coming, you’ll find the temperature much more suitable.”
“With the atmosphere so thin, how are we supposed to breathe?” Saturn asked.
Liam felt the air resistance build as they descended. Nix leveled out the ship and let the small amount of drag slow them down further.
“There are breathing apparatuses in the cargo hold. The temperature should rise above freezing within minutes of sunrise.”
Ju-Long put a hand on the back of Nix’s seat and asked, “How hot will it get?”
“Due to the rotation of the moon and constant heating and cooling cycles it won’t get nearly as hot as Surya. But if we miss our window upon return things could get a little uncomfortable.”
Nix slipped his arm through the ring on the console and grabbed the control handle. With his left hand, he pressed the release for the wings and there was a rumble as they extended. They were only ten kilometers from the surface now and the ground was fast approaching. Nix fired a controlled burst of the thrusters and they slowed even further, the wings helping them slightly.
The sun began to creep around the horizon of the moon and lit up the surface. The moon was rocky, with jagged monoliths jutting violently out of the surface in all directions. Nix maneuvered the ship to a flat area ahead of them just wide enough for the craft to land. Nix seemed to know exactly where he was going as he twisted his arm and moved the ship into landing position. When they reached the flat area, Nix fired all thrusters and they hovered directly over the rocky plain. Nix slowly twisted his arm down and Liam felt a crunch as the landing gear flattened some small rocks. A deep moan emanated from somewhere deep within the ship, somewhere between a protest and a sigh.
The sun was peeking up over the colossal rocks and piercing the cockpit window, blinding Liam and the crew. Nix removed his arm from the control handle and flipped a switch off to his right. The cockpit window polarized and the light abated. He flipped another switch and the red warning lights ceased. Nix turned around and said, “Welcome to Surya’s moon, home of the Disciples of Re and very little besides.”
Nix unbuckled his straps and Liam and the crew followed suit.
When Liam stood up, he saw a light out in the distance among a particularly jagged collection of rocks. Liam pointed it out and asked Nix, “What is that?”
“That’ll be our welcoming committee.”
Nix powered down the engines and led the way out of the cockpit, past the dining area, and into the cargo hold. Once they reached the hold, Nix flipped a switch on the wall and two copper hull plates slid aside, revealing a deep cabinet with gear for seemingly any occasion. He began pulling out breathing masks and passing them around.
Liam lifted the metal and rubber mask to his face but the edges wouldn’t form a seal around his mouth and nose. Nix reached over and twisted a rusted metal knob under Liam’s chin. The mask adjusted and Liam could feel the rubber clamp down snugly over his skin. The ancient mask made Liam uneasy. Some of the technology on the ship looked too old to function, though admittedly their landing on Surya’s moon had been a lot smoother than their previous landing attempt on Surya. There was something to be said about tech that just plain worked.
Nix helped Saturn and Ju-Long adjust their masks and then affixed his own, which went on much more smoothly. When Nix spoke, his voice was metallic like he was speaking through a fan. “Ready to go?”
“Ready,” Liam said, marveling at the sound of his own voice through the apparatus.
Saturn moved over to the ramp and slammed a fist against the large release button. When the ramp lowered, a burst of cold air came rushing up at the crew, blowing their cloaks up behind them. Liam blocked the rush as best he could with his arm but he still had to catch himself on his back foot to keep from being blown away. After a moment, the gusts subsided and Nix motioned for them to follow as he descended the ramp.
“How are you able to handle this cold?” Saturn called down to Nix, her voice tinny through the mask.
“Generally, the Dinari do not like the cold, but this is not my first journey here. Zega used to send me on these runs every month. Once the sun rises fully it will be fine.”
Nix was right. Liam hadn’t checked the monitors before he left the ship, but the temperature was a far cry from where it had stood before. In the minutes since their landing it had raised above freezing. The sun was rising over the jagged spires of rock and the thin rays which pierced the monoliths beat down on his face, a welcome refrain from the cold breeze.
The ground was covered in a thin layer of frost, though there was no snow or bodies of water to be seen. The air itself seemed to be chilled with the strong humidity surrounding them. The moon’s black soil crunched under Liam’s feet as he followed Nix, who walked with long strides away from the ship and toward the distant light. Liam turned to look back at the ship and the ramp had raised up behind them, its lights fading until only the sporadic rays of sunlight could distinguish it from the darkness.
The crew walked for fifteen minutes until they reached the edge of the flat landing area and came upon the dramatic rock faces. Nix pointed out a small path between them. Liam slowed, gazing up at the angled pillars, black even in the light of the sun. Despite the rising sun, he could make out countless stars in the sky behind him. Because of pollution from factories and the lights of expansive cities, Liam had never seen stars from Earth’s surface. The feeling was humbling.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Saturn asked him.
“Yeah,” Liam replied.
Ju-Long stopped behind them, heavy metallic breaths emanating from his breathing apparatus. He looked up at the stars and commented, “I guess it beats the mine, huh guys?”
Saturn rolled her eyes and then continued walking
at a brisk pace in an attempt to catch up to Nix.
“You’re real smooth, you know that?” Liam chided.
Ju-Long’s cheeks moved with what Liam assumed was a smile. “Because you’re a real charmer.”
Ju-Long didn’t wait for a reply before starting off after Saturn and Nix. Liam shook his head and continued the trek. He tried not to let Ju-Long get to him. So he wasn’t the best with his words; of the two human males in that part of the galaxy, Liam was a veritable Casanova.
The light up ahead split into two distinct orbs much like the orbs of light Liam had seen on Surya. They were only a hundred meters away now and Liam began to make out the two figures carrying the orbs. They wore masks that obscured their faces and dark cloaks that matched the color of the rocky soil. From their height and stature, Liam could tell they were Ansaran and he instinctively moved a hand down to his energy weapon.
When they were twenty meters apart, Nix raised a hand in greeting. The two Ansarans bowed their heads in response, stopping five meters shy of the crew. From up close, Liam got a better look at the masks. They were mirrored, he assumed to reflect the sun, and came to a point over the nose. One of them removed the top portion of their mask, revealing stark white scales that were smoother than any fish he’d ever seen. He was far paler than the Ansarans on Surya and had piercing ice-blue eyes to match. A deep steely voice spoke through the lower portion of the metal mask, his eyes squinting as he spoke, “You have some nerve coming back here, Nix.”
Liam’s gaze quickly turned to their Dinari guide, who stood frozen with his arms at his side. Liam kept his hand by his weapon, his fingers slowly finding their way to the grip. Nix took a step forward and pulled down the hood of his cloak, eyes trained on the Disciple. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important.”
“We have seen your coming,” the Disciple said, breaking eye contact with Nix and gazing at Liam and the others. “I must admit, after your last visit I did not expect to see you again. Or, I hoped as much. Your presence does not bode well for us. You bring darkness in your wake; always.”
“Then all the better I’m with the worshippers of the sun,” Nix quipped.
“So it is,” the Disciple said with hesitation. “Why have you come back?”
“I have brought outsiders who have seen a terrible omen. The Kurazon attacked them and they lived to speak of it.”
The Disciple seemed to scrutinize Liam, Saturn, and Ju-Long. He squinted his eyes and deep lines appeared on his brow. If he was surprised to see a new species in his galaxy, he hid it well. After giving Liam a prolonged look, he turned to Nix and said, “Why bring that kind of trouble here, young one?”
“I come regarding the Gift of Re.”
The Disciple’s eyes widened and he exchanged a hurried glance with his companion. He replaced the top portion of his reflective mask and bowed his head. “We will speak of this inside.”
The Disciple turned and made off toward a particularly massive rock face. It took them another ten minutes of walking to reach the ruins. Dozens of black pillars jutted out of the ground lining the path to the temple. Each was several meters in circumference and chipped from countless years of erosion. Liam couldn’t quite see the sun over the top of the temple, which grew more ominous with every approaching step.
The temple itself was built into the side of what appeared to be the largest piece of rock on the moon. The stone came out of the ground at an angle to Liam’s right, lit up by the reflection of the sun off the surface of Surya. The black rock extended back farther than he could see. Bits of the walls were crumbling along the sides and a faint glow emanated from within.
The entryway alone was twice Liam’s height and four times as wide. There was no door; instead, the entryway led into a courtyard with skylights blasted through the rock overhead in consummate squares. The Disciples led them through the courtyard, past several monuments and statues of creatures unfamiliar to Liam. There were at least a hundred carvings, each of them unique, depicting a different life form. Liam had to admit a few looked downright monstrous.
One stone carving spanned the length of the wall; a mural of a flying creature with scales and wings that looked too patchwork to remain aloft. The creature was incredibly long and had a dozen beefy legs with as many faces. It occurred to Liam that the creature might not have existed at all, like dragons on Earth. Despite the lack of physical evidence, Liam had always been a believer in dragons. He wondered how nearly every culture on Earth had at least one story of a dragon, even if their descriptions were far different from one another. Surely it was no coincidence.
“What is that?” Ju-Long asked Nix, pointing at the carved mural.
Nix glanced at the carving and smiled. He said dismissively, “That? It’s nothing. A children’s story.”
“Come on,” Ju-Long pressed.
After a sigh, Nix elaborated, “On Surya, there is a myth of a terrifying creature which would come for the weakest of the Ansaran and Dinari children. The faces represent the many ways the creature has been described. The only consistency is that it is flying and terrifying. The beast crept into the dreams of every child, holding dominion over them and scarring even their waking moments. It was said to be the king of all beasts.”
As they continued to follow the Disciples, Saturn asked, “Why would the subject of a myth be here with the Disciples? Don’t they worship your sun?”
The Disciple who had spoken with Nix stopped and turned around. He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his cloak. “You are mistaken. We do not worship only our sun. Re is the god of all suns, even yours. The Garuda is said to be his instrument.”
The Disciple turned and continued walking, leaving Saturn looking browbeaten.
Ju-Long walked past her and said, “Looks like a dragon to me.”
“Shut up, Ju-Long,” she retorted.
At the end of the courtyard the Disciples stopped at a round metal door. The stone frame of the door was connected to one of the carvings, its round tentacles encapsulating the rim. Liam’s eyes were drawn to the right where an animal with six legs and a muscular horse-like body was drawn up on its four hind legs, its sharply angled face bearing an expression of ire. A dozen tentacles shot out from its eyes toward the entryway. Liam clenched his jaw. He wondered if such horrifying creatures truly existed in this part of the galaxy. However, despite its frightening qualities, the creature’s face bore similarities to the Ansarans.
One of their Ansaran guides took his hand out of his cloak and pulled a lever on the door’s complicated surface. A mess of gears churned and the door swung toward them, sighing as the pressure was released. The Disciples of Re stepped through into the passageway, which was lit only by the orbs of light they carried with them.
Liam moved to follow them but Nix turned and stopped him, a hand placed flat across his chest. He bore a serious look in his eyes, which was confirmed when he spoke softly through the breathing apparatus. “Tread lightly inside the temple. The Disciples are easily offended and do not take kindly to outside points of view. We must find what we are after and take our leave. We can’t dawdle.”
Liam nodded and Nix looked to Saturn and Ju-Long for similar looks of acknowledgement. Nix removed his hand from Liam’s chest and strode through the circular doorway after the Disciples. Liam and Ju-Long followed him but stopped when Saturn didn’t budge.
“What’s wrong?” Liam asked her.
“This place creeps me out. I feel like we’re walking into some kind of weird sacrificial ritual.”
“We’ve come this far.”
Saturn’s eyes closed and she nodded in agreement, walking up the steps past them and through the doorway into the dark. Ju-Long’s face bore a sign of hesitation as well. Liam wasn’t surprised. The Ansarans had proven to be less than trustworthy throughout their journey, and despite the differences between the Ansarans on Surya and the Disciples on its moon, Liam was skeptical of their motives. He clenched his jaw tight beneath his mask and walked through the doo
rway, mentally preparing himself for whatever he might see inside.
25
The dark passage wound along the outer wall of the temple, the only light emanating from the orbs carried by the Disciples, far in front of Liam. The ground was a smooth stone which clicked and clacked as his feet shuffled along through the shadows. The temperature rose the farther they walked toward the temple’s core, the passage spiraling inward as they went. The Disciple’s lights were dim by the time they reached the walls around Liam, but he still got the feeling the ceiling was rising up, making the passage appear even darker as less light was reflected. Liam bumped into Saturn, prompting a cry of protest. “Watch your hands, buddy.”
The slim passage began to widen and the echoes of their footsteps sounded farther away. They scuffled into what appeared to be a very large chamber somewhere near the center of the temple. The Disciples were several meters in front of Liam and approached a pedestal which rose out of the ground, in one piece with the stone on the ground. One of the Disciples put his orb on the pedestal and it grew to three times its normal size, rising into the air unsupported. The orb became so bright it hurt Liam’s eyes to look in its direction.
When he looked away, the chamber walls were illuminated, covered with carvings of beasts and countless Ansarans and Dinari. Some were in the heat of battle while still others shook hands with figures that could only have depicted gods. The Disciple that had spoken to Nix before removed the reflective top portion of his mask once more.
In the bright light, it was apparent just how pale his skin really was. He removed the hood of his cloak and unbuckled the strap on his breathing apparatus. Once removed, Liam saw that he had a thin mouth that curved down at the edges into a frown and a nose that sloped into a point. Purple veins crawled up his cheeks, plainly visible beneath nearly translucent skin. The Disciple took a deep breath of the musty air and slowly let it out. With his mask off he seemed to relax a bit. “I have not yet introduced myself. I am Xara, High Priest of this temple and a Disciple of Re. Pray, tell me what you know of the Gift of Re.”