The Ghost of Sephera

by J. D. Tew

  ‘I hate to have to do this...’ I placed my hand on my holster for shock value. ‘...my crew and I are commandeering this vehicle by council order six-five-eight-two-two: by which, any messiah is given the authority to commandeer a vehicle if it benefits the Galaxy.’

  ‘That isn’t a Council order!’

  ‘Do you want to test that theory in court?’

  ‘Go ahead, she’s yours to command, but I’m not giving up my seat. I’m responsible for this bird. At least let me take her where you want her to go.’

  ‘Deal. But I want my pilot to function as your auxiliary. Liam, activate ED. And Nilo, there is no more use for the charade.’

  Liam used his voice to activate ED, using the proper voice command ‘ED, ON!’

  And Nilo ceased to deliver his illusion of the king. ‘Got it Ted.’

  ‘Lincoln,’ I hissed, ‘You’re up! ED, you will assist this pilot, make sure he takes us to the Uriel. No screwing around.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  Lincoln activated audio communication with Zane’s ship. ‘Uriel. This is Lincoln Royce, aboard the shuttle Starburst. We are requesting access into the zone of termination.’

  The Urilian flight commander said, ‘Access granted. You may proceed to within a kilometer of our vessel.’ Our shuttle was like a tinderbox compared to the Uriel—Zane’s ship. The Uriel was probably the largest and more advanced spacecraft in the Universe, bettering any of that of even Odion’s. It had enough firepower to throttle a hundred armies.

  ‘Alright, everyone! This is where I go invisible!’ I donned all of my equipment, to include my new communication rolesk which was capable of accessing Dietons, and I went completely transparent. ‘So, to be clear… once we dock and make our initial appearance, I want everyone to load onto the ship and await Tezmarine’s arrival. When she gets here, Mariah, I want you to minimize her shock response to the situation. Take her to a dorm and explain everything. Isolate her, immediately.’

  ‘Yes, Theodore.’

  Communication came through: ‘Zane would like to speak to Lincoln at once,’ the Bromel network encryptor said.

  Zane appeared on the screen. He looked calm. ‘Lincoln, at long last. Let me say this: I never thought anyone would try and leave Sephera. Do you not understand the consequences?”

  Lincoln was poised and confident. ‘I only come for one thing: Princess Tezmarine. You are violating several laws of the galaxy by holding her captive.’

  ‘And you have grossly violated many more, by leaving Sephera!’ Zane’s voice escalated along with his temper, which I remembered very well from the time I trained aboard his ship. ‘It is forbidden for Sepherans to leave their planet! Punishable by the council.’

  ‘Your planet, I may remind you. It is a planet composed of nothing but the creations of your delusions!’

  Zane stood up, fury rendering his face unrecognizable. ‘Silence! Where is Theodore?’

  ‘Theodore was taken in by the Council.’

  ‘Trazuline... That mutt has screwed everything up.’

  ‘You have Tezmarine and can hand her over now for this all to end... We both know what you want.’

  Zane stiffened. ‘And what’s that, oh wise prophet?’ he said in a mocking voice.

  ‘I was the first Sepheran to be set free. This has never happened before, and it scares you. I have the secrets of Sephera with me... You’re afraid and need closure.’ Lincoln was tantalizing Zane even further.

  ‘You speak in nothing but lies. At any rate, we are wasting time arguing. I want a conference with you, alone. If anyone tries anything that even resembles an attack against my people, I will not only destroy all of you, but I will be forced to take the life of Tezmarine as well. Do you understand me, Lincoln?’

  ‘I do.’

  Zane snarled, ‘You may enter the north hangar. Officer on deck, once they arrive, please escort Lincoln to my quarters, and have Tezmarine brought here at once for exchange.’

  The communication ended, suddenly. I leaned into a huddle with everyone. ‘You guys will be alright. Just do what is necessary.’ I instructed the pilot to take us in toward the hangar.

  The shuttle Starburst docked and everyone stood up to exit the ship. I whispered to ED, “Is there any way to access security in Zane’s quarters?”

  ED said, ‘Yes, if you have a galaxy class mainframe in your pocket. I’m kidding Theodore.’

  ‘Well...’

  ‘Zane doesn’t allow sentinels to access his quarter’s security cameras. Only Migalt can access those cameras.’

  ‘Yikes. Then we will need a bit of luck.’

  A ground crew and two Ophanims waited at the end of the ramp. ‘Right this way, Lincoln,’ Zane’s security chief said, walking up to, the drop hatch of our shuttle. While Mariah, Dan, and ED cloistered around Lincoln, I was invisible, thanks to my cloaking devices. As Lincoln led his entourage off the ship, I was trying to match my steps on the floor, with those of Lincoln’s so as to not give away my presence.

  ‘Who are these people?’ the security chief said, looking at the crewmates behind Lincoln.

  ‘This is my crew,’ Lincoln said haughtily.

  ‘Sorry, my orders are to bring you in alone, and only you.’

  ‘Correction.’ Lincoln wagged a finger at the burly guard. ‘Zane is to meet me alone. He didn’t say anything about bringing in my colleagues up to Zane’s ready room. And we will need to see the princess, of course.’ Apparently Lincoln still remembered his time aboard the Uriel very well.

  ‘Well, we’ll search you, then decide.’ The security chief waved at several armed soldiers surrounding us, and they did a thorough search of our persons. ‘Clean,’ one of the guards said as he nodded. ‘This way.’

  The deadly, ruthlessly efficient Ophanims escorted us. They were sentient machines, armed with a hundred laser-ejecting nodes and monofilament restraint systems. I was sweating from their presence, fearing that they would be able to identify me, even though I was completely invisible.

  Lincoln was probably sweating bullets, as well. As Lincoln and I started walking, the other members of my crew were silently examining the compartments and features aboard the Uriel, murmuring to one another about the wave of fresh memories brought about by the surroundings.

  Eventually, everyone congregated in the guest chamber, that space devoted to welcoming guests; it was full of grandeur and luxury, such as a waterfall on the side and several skylights showing outer space. And in from one entrance, walked in a slim, resolute figure decked out in an emerald gown. Her well-trimmed fur, adorning her face, torso, arms, and legs, was silky and sleek as ever. ‘Tez!’ Mariah shouted.

  ‘Lincoln, the whole crew!’ Tez screamed with overwhelming joy, as she ran up to embrace her long-lost acquaintances. However, her Urilian guard cruelly seized her, and yanked at her arm. ‘But where is Theo?’ Tez hollered, exerting with all her might to be close to us. She feared that I was lost to the war, or worse, dead. And it took every ounce of restraint I had in my body to avoid hugging Tezmarine and revealing my position.

  At this point, outlining the heightened security closer to Zane’s perimeter, two giant Bromels joined in the procession. The belly of the beasts were lined with hard shiny reptilian-like scales and their four pronged talons were three times larger than human hands, with the first and last digits pointing backward.

  The behemoth bird animals had iridescent plumage similar to a peacock and the underside of their wings shared this characteristic; their wingspan could reach twelve-feet long for an adult. At first sight of the giant walking bird beasts, one couldn’t help but be frightened. We guests were feeling terse, aware of the heightened stakes at hand.

  Standing before two massive doors ensconced in a golden metallic substance, polished and three meters tall, we waited. Migalt said to Lincoln, ‘It has been a long time, comrade.’

  ‘Yes,’ Lincoln responded, ‘It has.’ It affected me deeply that Migalt was showing some spark of humanity. As one of Zane’s fie
rcest protectors, he had once rescued me from the Dacturons on Earth when they had sent in a squad after me.

  ‘You understand, you all have to remain outside these doors. Zane wants Lincoln alone.’

  ‘That was the agreement.’

  Migalt looked weary. Finally, he sighed and said, ‘You may enter now, Lincoln.’ As Migalt allowed Lincoln to enter, with me not far behind, I entered invisible with full battle-rattle. I had my sword, Wrath, holstered at my side. My modified rolesk hovered above my head. I could kill Zane with his own sword if I wanted. No one was onto my scheme. I had already envisioned doing the deed fifty times during the walk over.

  The ornamental glimmering gold doors slid along a rail into the wall automatically, then quickly returned to their closed position with the guards outside, closing us into the throne room. Zane was sitting in a silver throne engraved, with serifs and leaves; he wore a resplendent white robe, trimmed with a red border, made of the finest silk in the galaxy.

  Zane stood and walked toward us, pompous and unarmed. His intimidating eight-inch tall regal rolesk crown hovered over his head. As it glistened from the overhead starlight, it appeared intimidating. It had been over a year since I last saw Zane in person, but he appeared just the same—tall and hefty, with pale green skin. ‘I have to grant it to you, Lincoln. Once you became Sepheran, I feared you had become useless, as I did not think you could escape your design. And you did. Now, you are immensely powerful—fascinating.’

  As Zane walked closer, I thought he was brave to approach so close to Lincoln. The Bromels waited outside, which was a concern as well.

  To his credit, Lincoln said nothing, waiting for Zane to reveal his game plan—and perhaps any hint of any upcoming weakness we could exploit.

  Zane exhaled deeply. ‘Do you know why I called you in here?’

  ‘I can think of two things,’ Lincoln answered honestly. ‘Either you want my secrets from Sephera, as that gives you incredible power to command the Sepheran army, or you’re seeking revenge on us for destroying Eppa.’ Then he hastily added, ‘Or both.’

  Zane raised his eyebrows. ‘Very astute. You’re wrong on both counts.’

  This time, Lincoln’s voice took on a tone of alarm. ‘Oh?’

  Zane’s voice now came out in the form of a growl. ‘You’re a threat. One that must be eliminated.’

  Panicking, Lincoln started dissipating in a wave of Dietons. ‘Why?’

  The Omnian held out his arm dramatically, commanding billions of Dietons in the grand room to swarm all over Lincoln. As he laughed liked a madman, these billions and billions of Dietons, forming a hazy orange cloud, feasted upon Lincoln and pinned him to the ground. Cackling again, Zane rose up from his throne, and clapped his hands in glee. ‘I own you!’ Standing away from his ornate chair, he swept his arm toward it, and the cloud of Dietons swept Lincoln off the floor, and slammed a slumped Lincoln into the throne. Lincoln’s head slumped slightly, and he gritted his teeth, fighting off the unbearable pressure from the imposing Dietons, to no avail.

  ‘You dared break free,’ Zane spat out, raging over Lincoln’s immobile body. ‘You were mine, and then you weren’t. That... is most unacceptable!’

  ‘Your zeal for control and order will be your undoing, Zane,’ Lincoln snapped, although his voice was getting weaker. As for myself, I could barely restrain myself, I so badly wanted to leap out of hiding, and to grab Zane by the neck. But I knew that there was a crucial time by which I could gain the upper hand, and I would know it when I saw it.

  ‘You and I are not that different.’

  ‘Explain,’ Lincoln growled back.

  ‘I too, am Sepheran,’ Zane proudly exclaimed. If he was looking for an expression of shock on Lincoln’s part, he did not get it. “In fact, Odion murdered me many years ago.’

  Lincoln was playing his role as uninformed bystander smoothly. ‘Are you serious?’ he blurted out, drawing out a long gasp within himself.

  ‘Yes. That should have been the end of me, but I had already arranged for my own transformation. Being Eppa’s creator, it was my first order of business. Now we both are Sepheran. Do you not enjoy it, savor it, crave it?’ Zane’s face demonstrated ecstasy as he balled his hands into fists and looked heavenwards. ‘The power…’ he whispered. ‘The immortality!’

  ‘Yes,’ Lincoln admitted. My heart leapt at this revelation. Was Lincoln weakening? Was Zane successfully seducing him?

  ‘But,’ Zane said as his face relapsed into a contorted grimace. ‘There can only be one ruler of the Sepherans, and I know you have been liberating billions and billions of Dietons. That is most unstable.’

  ‘Now I know why you want me,’ Lincoln retorted, still pinned under Zane’s abominations. ‘You fear freedom.’

  ‘No, I fear anarchy. All these Dietons, trillions and trillions, destroying everything in their path. The universe could be at stake. You and I both know it.’

  ‘I disagree,’ Lincoln said. ‘Like all sentient species, they will find a way. They will be guided by conscience and humility.’

  ‘You are too confident! They need me!’

  ‘I cannot stand with you, Zane.’

  Go, Lincoln, go! My thoughts raged within myself. I wanted to cheer him on, and I nearly broke out in tears.

  ‘And that’s fine. Because with my rolesk, I can crown you.’ Zane chortled, as Lincoln sat uneasily in Zane’s throne. ‘This rolesk I made with my own hands, in the case a Sepheran dared to challenge me. This rolesk will return you to a Sepheran identity once more, back to your normal self. And as for that bastard Trazuline, his useless daughter, and that rogue crew of Earthlings, I will have them all killed after I render you my servant for life.’

  I nearly revealed my intricate position with another gasp of horror.

  ‘You mean an unfeeling, unaware, and unloved self,’ Lincoln snarled. He must have been getting worried that I was not witnessing this, after all, as much time had passed. He seemed like he was ready to panic, as his eyes widened in terror.

  ‘Then you are ready.’ Zane walked closer to Lincoln, removing his rolesk as if to place it upon Lincoln’s head.

  Just as I planned.

  I placed my hand on Wrath, charging her power coils, as it sensed my emotional reaction to stimulus. Zane didn’t even see it coming; I lunged toward Zane with hatred in my heart, but not for him. My heart pounded and my breathing was short and staggered.

  Destroying Zane wasn’t the answer to all of this. But I knew exactly what was. My hatred was of the rolesk—its function.

  I shed my veil of invisibility, revealing my position, and then I slashed a crescent strike to cut his magnificent dictatorial rolesk in two pieces, bisecting it. Zane’s Dietonical hands dispersed as my sword followed through.

  I knew that if what Eppa showed me was true, and Zane was Sepheran, I could possibly speak to his Dietons, using my rolesk as a medium. I feared he would react with anger—going giant.

  The rolesk fell to the ground, with Zane and Lincoln both looking down in astonishment as the two bisected rolesk halves rattled to a stop; jewel and circuit fragments scattered upon the smooth floor. The rolesk components were arcing sparks in every direction. I withdrew Wrath, placing it back into its holster, so as to focus all of my mind into my newfangled rolesk, hovering over my head, praying its relationship with the Dietons was flawlessly designed by the Armizards.

  Zane looked at me with horror, unable to comprehend this dramatic reversal of fortune. For the first time ever, I saw fear in him, a sensation that was cold and unyielding to him. He froze, simply unable to fathom this incomprehensible outcome. But I knew that in a few seconds, he would vent his hatred upon both of us, and we had to act fast.

  Using my rolesk, I spoke, but not just to Zane as one celestial body, but to all Dietons that constituted him. I said, ‘I am giving the power to your people. You are like a demented father, controlling his children—abusing them, bridling their freedom. Too prideful to let them grow and become better. Yo
u don’t see it because you’re so attached. Sephera will find its way. It may not be your way, but at least the Dietons will decide for themselves.’

  Zane started to glow red at the tips of his fingers. I feared he was going to disassemble like Lincoln in order to fight as one nebulous force. I unsheathed Wrath, my eyes widened, and my heart pounded. Zane lunged, his hands outstretched to rip the limbs from my body.

  Then it happened. My jaw fell open as I watched.

  Suddenly he started to dispel, to fall apart. Shrieking with utmost fear, he raged and raged—not for the loss in this battle, but for the knowledge that his distinguished life was about to end. For the loss forever of the opportunity to for once and for all to defeat his despised brother, Odion.

  ‘No, no!’ Zane screamed, as his Dietons broke free, scattering away from him as far as possible. ‘This is insanity! No!!’ Zane yelled, confused, as to how easily he could be defeated—that one human and a Sepheran of his own creation could overcome him—not realizing that his biggest mistake was believing that only one person would represent the fight against evil. There was no “one” because Lincoln Royce and Theodore Crane were both the answer to Odion and the evils of the universe. He couldn’t see it because he was blinded by the tradition to choose only one person as an agent for change.

  With his tormented cries being sucked out of the vacuum of the throne room, Zane fell silent, forever. His own Dietons were totally dispersed and he was forcibly extinguished from the galaxy that he one day thought of ruling as its omnipresent Emperor, with his own vast army of Dietons.

  ‘No time, Lincoln. Transform into Zane now! Then, remember, Migalt has to see you change from Zane back to Lincoln.’ Lincoln immediately changed into Zane, and my mission was nearly complete. I returned to my invisible state. ‘Wow. That’s... weird.’ Seeing Lincoln as Zane was profound.

  ‘You tell me.’

  ‘Say everything the way I told you.’

  ‘I’m Sepheran, how could I forget?’ Lincoln said, exhibiting his Sepheran version of nervousness.

  I couldn’t let Zane or Lincoln utilize such power—such unrivaled submission of Dietons and the Sepherans they form. That is why I had to destroy the rolesk.