The Ghost of Sephera

by J. D. Tew

  ‘My father!’ Tez shouted, shrieking into the receiver. ‘I said his name!

  ‘Tez, Tez!’ I hollered into the speaker, ‘Maybe they’re not paying attention.’ Sadly, the Urilians monitor most communication channels on their ship, the Uriel. And it was merely seconds before they barged into Tezmarine’s room to arrest her. That was when I heard a male voice: ‘Tezmarine Halperin, daughter of King Trazuline, you are hereby arrested for the act of treason!’

  ‘Tez! Tez!’ I yelled. No response.

  Her scream nearly brought me to my knees. In that moment, we lost her to Zane for treason. She was arrested by Zane’s Urilian faction and possibly in danger of execution. Voicing her father’s involvement in the Opposition was a mistake we couldn’t undo.

  I had to face what was left of my crew, which was assembled from the most courageous teenagers in my town back on Earth—St. Paul, Minnesota, to be exact. My depleted remaining crew consisted of three humans and one Rangier. The three humans: Mariah, Dan, and myself. Nilo was our foreign stowaway Rangier and our liaison into realms we knew very little about.

  Before leaving my room I tallied our losses again. Liam was missing in action. Earth Lincoln was dead and reincarnated as a Sepheran replica. Liam was stranded on the planet Karshiz. My plan would be formed on the basis of saving Lincoln and Liam. Because, without a full crew of trained personnel, the ultimate goal to kill Odion would be a soft and shapeless threat.

  Despite the tough decisions that were ahead, I remembered my grandfather always said a rocking chair is exactly what it does. My role in the war was becoming evident; I just needed to assume it and formulate the plan. Hell, that’s why I was chosen as Earth’s messiah in the first place; I was a leader and it was time to do just that.

  After I left my room and told the other members of my team about Tezmarine’s capture, my crew grumbled and cursed me. I couldn’t even get a word in edgewise, and I didn’t hold it against my crew, as they had every right to be frightened. It was a mistake that Tez and I shared, but she was likely feeling the brunt of the disappointment. Everyone was looking for me to make a move. After informing my crew that I needed to deliberate on a hunch, I fled to my room to make the call that would set everything in motion.

  Once I reached my dorm, I contacted King Trazuline to advise him what happened to his daughter. At the same time, I desperately needed to convince him that we needed to retrieve the Sepheran Lincoln, as he was vital to our plan.

  I gathered my wits, grazing my finger against the glowing red hologram initiator; its bright green light passed through the edges of my fingers. I turned the communication console on, placing a request for the king. I said, ‘Trazuline. This is Theodore Crane. Confirm connection—over.’ There was a momentary lapse of sound, then a click and hum, similar to when I spoke with Tez, earlier.

  The holographic projection displayed a crestfallen king, pacing and forcing the image cameras to follow his erratic movements. I had a good idea of what was ailing the king of Karshiz. He seemed like he was holding back and ready to explode. Trazuline looked as if he had just been in a battle, as his armor was partially dismantled. Sparks flew away from the surface of his shoulder plates, revealing damaged circuitry. Finally, he spoke, his eyes betraying a haunted look. His voice was ragged and raspy as he said, ‘Anyone who plays his hand so close to his enemy is bound to give something away. I am aware of Tezmarine’s capture. My informants aboard Zane’s ship notified me instantaneously.’ He started raising his voice to that of a booming roar, full of fury. He shook his fist as he yelled, ‘You really let me down, Theodore! I almost died aboard my own ship for the mistake you and my daughter made. Because of all this, I had to kill three of my own men. Captain Pritok and I barely escaped. Let this be a lesson! Operational security comes first.’

  While shouting, Trazuline waved his finger at me like my grandpa Marvin. I knew a day would come when being an outer space neophyte couldn’t be used as an excuse anymore. That was the day. Besides, I wasn’t contacting Trazuline to pout or sulk over the perils of war; I had actually defined my mission and was ready to implement a sound strategy.

  ‘Yes sire. I’m sorry,’ I said, rattling it off quickly, as if I was removing a fishhook from the mouth of a northern pike. “What happened aboard your ship?’

  ‘Zane ordered the troops under my command to arrest me on my own vessel. Potential divided loyalties may prove to be helpful, at some point. My captain Pritok, managed to escape with me, and Lieutenant Xalag is masquerading as the master of my castle on Karshiz. Pritok and I are now declared criminals, and to make things worse, Zane has sent a small battalion to seize my planet in my absence.’

  ‘I’m just glad you and Pritok escaped. Are you still fully committed to your role as one of the leaders of the Opposition?’

  ‘Yes, definitely. I’ll nail that bastard Zane,” the king growled. His features softened as he acknowledged the danger ahead. “What do you propose we do?’

  ‘I don’t want to discuss mission details, sire, as this channel may not be secure.’

  King Trazuline said approvingly, ‘You’re learning. Though, this is an encrypted channel, making it improbable for anyone to intercept.’

  I was glad I could speak freely, but I feared revealing my special request to the king might form a desire within him to take Lincoln for himself. I expected Trazuline to rebuke me more about what happened with Tezmarine, but kings do not quibble with emotions that cannot invoke change. Kings are men of action. He didn’t scold me or yell it me further, because what would that achieve? A true leader devises an alternate plan in the face of adversity without emotion, resulting in productivity for his followers. I admired him for that.

  ‘What will you do?’ I asked, feeling out the king’s motivations and objectives.

  ‘I am going into hiding, as me and my escort are currently on a heading toward a location that I cannot disclose to you in case you are arrested for questioning. I’ll be in contact with you later. Do you understand?’ Trazuline asked.

  ‘What will you do about Tez?’

  ‘There is nothing we can do—yet. Zane will keep her alive to lure me in. Zane has her, and that gives him an edge. I will need you, but not now. We may have to take him down, Theodore.’

  ‘Zane?’ I asked. My heart rattled inside my chest. The thought of taking down an Omnian gave me chills.

  ‘Yes. Though, the best action for me now is lying low until I can mobilize my resources.’ Trazuline drew in his breath, and said, ‘I have more tactical intelligence for you. You’re going to need to hear this. It’s about Odion.’

  I gritted my teeth at the mention of the Evil One. ‘Go ahead, sire.’

  “Odion’s taking full advantage of our disputes with the Council. After aligning with Tritillia, Odion sacked and seized the planet Gilong, which was a major mining planet. With Gilong under Odion’s thumb, the resources will be bottlenecked. Soon, Odion’s army may take over the Truchery region if Zane and the Council continue to undermine the Opposition’s efforts.’

  The Truchery region of the galaxy. I had been in space only a short time, but every planet-hopper knew of that region as being the engine of the multiverse’s prosperity, as that region consisted of resource-rich planets such as Gilong, forming a vital supply chain of metals and metalloids that tied into factories employing millions of space beings. The Truchery region wasn’t very pretty as an interplanetary stop, but every engineer and every manufacturer in the multiverse got on his knees and thanked the Gods for its existence.

  ‘My report is done,’ Trazuline said. ‘Now, what is your plan?’

  ‘Sire, I need to re-constitute my team in order to continue our success. Although Lincoln is now Sepheran, he could be even more useful, now that he is immortal. Also, we need a strong fighter, someone who can use his fists. For that, I will need Liam, if you remember him.’ I needed to entice the king with the notion of rescuing Lincoln, without revealing my desperation.

  ‘I do remember Liam. B
ig, muscular guy, right?’

  I nod.

  ‘Liam was taken from our custody a week ago, Theodore. My contacts in the Karshiz desert told me he was last spotted in the hands of Skiorf pirates. My transport control crew was escorting Liam to a secure facility when they were ambushed by the pirates. My top investigators were searching for him, but now with me out of the way, he is likely on his own—unfortunately.’

  My throat goes dry over these revelations, and I worry for Liam’s safety. ‘Where was his last known location?”

  ‘The Windled Desert on Karshiz. The pirates have numerous temporary settlements there. I still have Liam’s last known coordinates in my device and will send them over after our discussion. If you can arrive at these coordinates without incident, seek out the Caves of Ranvier. I know it sounds like a nasty place... bat droppings and all... But there you will find the Gitushkin mollusks. They’re are like no creature you have ever seen. Extremely advanced. They are much larger and far more sophisticated than the ancient creatures on your planet. And careful, they are carnivorous.’

  ‘Thank you, Sire.’ I said, mentally filing away that useful nugget of information. Mollusks? my mind protests. Intelligent mollusks that can talk? There was no limit to diversity in space. But I had more pressing matters on my mind. “Now, about Lincoln. You must tell me the location of Sephera and the coordinates on that planet where he might be.’

  ‘The Lincoln you know from Earth is dead, Theodore! Do you really want to head down this path? This is why we oppose Zane.’ Trazuline was waving his hand angrily and his hologram image was breaking up because of it.

  ‘I am not going to debate the morality of using one of Zane’s creations,’ I state, confidently. ‘All I know is that this Sepheran is Lincoln. My plan hinges off his rescue.’

  ‘How?’

  I couldn’t sell it too hard. I wanted Lincoln’s immortality and potential unbridled powers for my own objectives. I knew Lincoln and I could only pose a threat to Odion’s empire if we worked together. ‘You have to trust me. I’ve placed my trust in you.’

  ‘What do you know about Sepherans, Theodore?’ Trazuline glared at me, looking into my eyes and challenging me. ‘How do you know this is not a trap, and Lincoln would not turn upon you?’

  ‘These are risks I am willing to take. I can’t expect you to understand. Lincoln would figure a trap out in a second. He would never let Zane use him for the wrong reasons.’

  ‘Your faith in Lincoln is admirable. You remind me of Gillard Tannon, a Rangier warrior and hero of the past,’ the king said as he sighed. ‘Very well. We are running out of time. Zane could deactivate our rolesks using a remote device. Are you still sure about contacting Lincoln?’

  ‘Lincoln is a part of this team, your majesty. We will be stronger with him; we need him. Help me talk to him, please. He could be our liaison into the Sepheran world.’

  ‘Irrational loyalty can lead to your downfall, Theodore. You must be careful. Lincoln is not Lincoln anymore. He is fifty billion Dietons, linked together to mimic what you remember about him.’

  ‘Securing Lincoln and the Dietons that he commands, gives us an edge, which would even the playing field with Odion.’

  ‘Odion? We have to focus on Zane now.’

  ‘We want Odion,’ I said. Trazuline’s obsession to rid the galaxy of Zane concerned me. ‘But if I have to go through Zane to get to Odion, I’ll do it.’

  Trazuline cupped his hand over his beastly beard and stroked it. ‘I’m really impressed with your tactical planning. You’ve changed a lot since I met you. Yes, let’s do it. Don your rolesk, close your eyes, and focus. We will need to access the mainframe within the temple, Eppa. We will have to do it remotely.’

  I still had my rolesk, and Trazuline had his. Trazuline’s rolesk was fit for a king, regal and had far less restraints on its power than mine. Few rolesks have been issued throughout history, all by Zane, but they looked like crowns used by royalty back on Earth, with the addition of some wicked glowing circuitry.

  We knew Zane would eventually deactivate all of them, or maybe he enjoyed watching Trazuline and I squirm. I can’t imagine Zane going through the trouble to fly all the way to the planet Foita, breaching the Council’s treaty to access the database for the Dietons, only to deactivate our rolesks. I’m sure he would much rather pry them from our corpses, after killing us. I even considered the possibility that Zane left the rolesks activated to pinpoint our locations, so using the rolesks was risky business, but necessary if I wanted Lincoln.

  King Trazuline used his profound experience with his rolesk to search for Lincoln, giving high-level commands through his mind to his Dietons. There was no way I could have done the same; it takes years of practice, a luxury that I did not have now. Trazuline looked at me, excited. ‘We have seconds to act. I can see Lincoln now on Sephera. He is walking toward your grandfather’s Dieton-formed house, as we speak. Fascinating.’

  I was flabbergasted. “My grandfather’s there, too?”

  Trazuline nodded and said, ‘Lincoln’s human body dies, and in Sepheran form he goes looking for his one true friend—you. A Sepheran showing loyalty after the human body’s dismemberment and death is notable.’

  ‘How do I do this?’ I ask, excited beyond anything.

  ‘I am transmitting the exact coordinates to your rolesk now. This is only something I can do, until you master this. But now that you have this fix on his location, you should be able to talk to him.’

  ‘I am not hearing or seeing anything from Sephera,’ I said, pacing around the dorm of my ship, Freebird, frustrated. The rolesk would have to act as a remote medium between the collector Dietons on Sephera and my brain. If the link was properly achieved, then I should have seen and heard everything on Sephera, with Trazuline’s guidance, even if I was not physically there. Yet I was having troubles accessing this unfamiliar portal in my mind.

  ‘Concentrate Theodore! For now, because you’re new at this, I will handle the visuals. You just listen for the voices. Once you’re linked up, everything will rush into your mind. Be ready.’

  ‘You’re right. I can hear them now!’ I shouted, gratified to hear these once-familiar voices of my loved ones. ‘Yes they’re replying to my request!’ I said. It was fuzzy, but I could hear a muffled voice and it was becoming clearer. As I focused; I knew it was my late grandfather’s voice, that of Marvin, the man that Odion ordered death upon.

  ‘Hello, speak up, I cannot hear very well!’ My grandpa shouted into the phone, grumbling.

  ‘What? It’s my grandpa. I’m talking to him somehow.’ My heart was racing with joy.

  ‘Speak to him, Theodore,’ Trazuline said, smiling.

  I placed my attention back toward the rolesk, holding my hands on my head; the device was working its magic. ‘Yes sir, can I please speak with Lincoln?’ Hearing Marvin’s voice was like dropping my hand into a pot of boiling water. The shock silenced me while he spoke. Even after he was done speaking, I still endured a moment of astonishment, because he was not my grandfather but rather a Sepheran representation of my grandfather. Marvin had no clue it was me. Zane probably reformatted Marvin’s memory, but not Lincoln’s, yet. Formatting Sepherans takes time.

  ‘Lincoln? He is at my door right now.’ After a few seconds, I heard his footsteps as he trudged to the front door to greet Lincoln. ‘It’s for you. I think it is one of your friends,’ my grandfather grumbled again, pausing for a response. ‘He says his name is Theodore.’

  ‘Hello,’ Lincoln said. His voice was uncertain, distant. He seemed out of sorts.

  ‘Hey bud! It’s me Theodore!’

  I didn’t like his reply. ‘Theodore who?’

  ‘Theodore Crane. Ted. We both were from Minneapolis. Your mother is Karen and your father is Mark.’

  ‘Yes, I know who my parents are,’ the Sepheran Lincoln said, sounding annoyed. ‘My father hasn’t been here for a long time, and I don’t know who you are.’

  I badly wanted to be the
re on Sephera with Lincoln, arguing with him, so that he could see me—and reality. My voice took on a pleading tone. ‘Think about it, Lincoln. Why isn’t your father here? You’re no longer on Earth!’

  Lincoln chortled. ‘Of course I’m on Earth. Where else could I be?’

  I attempted to convince him. ‘Lincoln, this isn’t real, bro. Are you hearing me? This isn’t real! Look up! Trust me. You should see a sun and two moons, right?’ We learned about Sephera aboard Zane’s ship, and I hoped pointing out the planet Sephera’s differences as compared to Earth would bring Lincoln back to reality.

  There was a lengthy pause as Lincoln was probably observing the sky. I hoped he would understand that it wasn’t Earth, but zillions of Zane’s Dietons everywhere, acting as objects and people familiar to Lincoln. Zane told us that the Sepherans were kept in a macrosphere, which encompassed the entire planet as a type of bio-dome or an enclosed ecosystem.

  ‘Yes, I see a sun and two moons. What is going on? How did you do this?’ Lincoln demanded of me.

  ‘Don’t worry. We will get you out, Linc.’

  ‘Out of where?’ he asked.

  ‘Sephera!’ I shouted, because I felt my grasp on the Dietons slipping away, like a dream shook by waking hands. The imagery in my mind was fading. Lincoln’s voice sounded tunneled and distant.

  I turned to Trazuline’s holographic image. ‘I’m losing him!’

  ‘It’s okay Theodore. Let go,’ Trazuline said from the communicator console. ‘That is a hefty promise you just made, to a machine no doubt. Lincoln is a Sepheran, Theodore. One day you will have to accept that. I may be able to help with your mission at some point, but get some rest. I will figure out where we stand. In the meantime, I will be hiding, but don’t worry; I will be with you shortly. Trazuline, out.’