Zherosha Chronicles- Unknown Origin

by Nancie Neal

  "But you will be, and I challenge you."

  At that moment Rodgistan walked in. He looked around the room and seemed to catch on to what was happening.

  "Astran, it's time for you to go to the insulated room," He said.

  "I was only trying to help," Astran defended himself. "Why doesn't Amnika try to stop me if she's supposedly so strong."

  Amnika ignored him.

  "Astran, we can discuss this later. Go to the insulated rooms."

  "Why? Amnika is still here!" He pointed at Amnika. "She doesn't have her cape on!"

  "Astran! I'm not going to argue with you..."

  Amnika felt an energy surge. She looked up in time to see Astran throw an energy burst at her. Rodgistan stepped in between them to catch it, but it was too close. The energy got him in the chest, and he fell back.

  Amnika felt her nerves burn. "Astran stop!"

  She felt Astran draw more energy. She immediately drew hers and pushed it out before he could finish. It was a small burst, meant to just stop him. It worked, but only for a moment. Astran drew again.

  "Why are you doing this?" Amnika yelled.

  In pain and very angry, she drew before he could. This time it was a stronger burst. Astran fell back and curled up in a ball.

  "No Amnika," Rodgistan gasped. "Stop!"

  The pain was starting to subside. Amnika realized what she was doing and stopped. She saw Astran on the floor, still conscious and crying. Looking down in fear and shame, Amnika couldn't face any of the other children or Rodgistan.

  Amnika did explicitly what Inersiens were not allowed to do. She used her energy to attack another Inersien, and she knew she was in trouble.

  One of the children used their tablet to call for help. Her father, Zakkon, and five other high-level Inersiens walked into the building.

  Sensing her father in the room frightened her more. She didn't know what was worse, being disciplined, or having her father know what happened and having to deal with it.

  The high-level Inersiens split. One helped Rodgistan with his energy levels. Two walked over to Amnika, and two walked over to Astran. They escorted the children to the insulated rooms. They put Astran in front of one door and Amnika in front of another.

  Amnika was so afraid she was trembling. She thought about the possibility of execution. It was never done, but since Naehus, it was always deemed a probability.

  She had no cape, so everyone picked up on her thoughts.

  "Oh, come on," Astran said. There was fear in his voice. "They won't execute children."

  Amnika looked at him. She was afraid, and she was also angry with him. He got her into trouble again.

  "They will assess us," Amnika said. Then she looked at him in the eye. She wanted him to be as afraid as she was. "There is a first for everything." Then she looked down ahead of her.

  The Inersiens guarding her also became nervous.

  "No," one of them tried consoling her. "That won't happen."

  Amnika could sense that the Inersien was unsure. This uncertainty caused Astran to be afraid. Amnika thought that it finally sunk in what he did.

  "There hasn't been an execution that I know of," one of the men said. Still, his voice also lacked confidence.

  The door in front of her opened. She knew exactly what to do. She sat on the other side of the table with her hand on top and waited. The door shut and she could feel no energy.

  She stared at the door and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Rodgistan walked into the door.

  She didn't say anything and watched him sit in front of her. He took her hand without a word, and she closed her eyes. She relaxed and let him scan her. She began to feel the familiar rummaging and crunching in her head. She hated it when someone scans her, but Amnika knew it part of the process.

  Within moments, she saw the whole scene go through her head. It started from when Amnika saw Trinka crying and ended with the high-level Inersiens. Rodgistan went back to when she sensed Astran's energy rise the second time.

  He stopped the scan and sighed. Amnika noticed that he seemed relieved and this calmed her down.

  "Your father will be in to scan you in a moment," he said while giving her hands a squeeze. "Remember that he is Advisor and you will treat him as such."

  Amnika nodded.

  Rodgistan left and after a few more painful moments. The door opened, and her father walked in.

  He sat in front of her and scanned her in the same way. He also brought up when she sent out the second energy burst.

  He seemed relieved, but also sad and angry. He got up.

  "It's not likely Zakkon will be in," He said. "I'll let you know when you can get out."

  This was a sign that she no longer had to sit at the table. So she got up and walked to the wall behind her. She traced her finger in a long line across. The entire upper half of the wall cleared so she could see outside.

  She was confident that they wouldn't execute her or Astran. She let herself get worked up. She decided that after this was all over, she'll go outside in the sun. She hadn't done that much recently.

  The door opened again, and her father walked in. It surprised Amnika that he didn't seem stern.

  "I guess my job as Advisor is done." Father sighed and waited.

  Amnika nearly ran towards him and gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed, "I let my emotion dictate my actions. I didn't mean to hurt him. I only wanted him to stop."

  "I know," Father consoled her. He began to cry with her, and they shared their fears. He was afraid that she did get too angry, and they didn't know what to do with Astran, but execution was never discussed.

  "Anger is a powerful emotion. Like fear, it can cause us to make bad decisions," Father explained. "But anger can sever even the strongest of connections. I was afraid that I was going to lose you."

  Her father then shared with Amnika how Astran lost both of his uncles and a few other relatives. He lost all his connections. His mother was so sad that she began to stop connecting with him, too.

  "He's probably bitter," Father cast to Amnika.

  "Then he needs new connections."

  "Well, yes..."

  "Let me do it."

  Father pulled back and looked at her.

  "Are you sure?" Father said. "He's in a lot of pain."

  "I need to apologize to him and let him know I forgive him," Amnika said. "I did let my anger dictate my actions, even if it was a little."

  "We'll talk to Zakkon about it, first."

  "I understand," Amnika said.

  They walked out of the insulated room Zakkon greeted her. He too was afraid for her. She assured him that she was okay.

  "I want to connect with Astran," Amnika said.

  Zakkon looked at Father, astonished. Father nodded.

  "Are you sure?" Zakkon said, "You will have to share his pain in the process."

  "I know this," Amnika said. "I also know that we have a lot of shared experiences."

  Zakkon looked at her for a moment. Then he sighed.

  "All right," he said. "but if I see that you have trouble, I will go in myself."

  "I understand," Amnika said. She watched Zakkon glide his finger halfway down the solid white wall. The upper half became transparent, showing Astran with his hands on the table. He was looking down.

  Amnika opened the door and stepped inside. She noticed that Astran reacted, but he didn't look up.

  Instead of sitting on the opposite side from Astran, she walked around the table, sat next to him, and reached out for his hand. When she saw him look at her out of the corner of his eye, she hesitated, wondering if he would accept a connection.

  She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand.

  "Father told me about the deaths," Amnika said.

  "What would you know? " Astran cast a thought. She could feel his anger and sadness.

  "Nothing, unless you share with me," She cast back.

  Astran looked up at her. His eyes were red and puffy, his fa
ce was still wet with his tears. Amnika pulled him close and put her head against his.

  He shared the night when his uncles died. When he went to see a neighbor, the door wouldn't open. He tried to get his mother, but she locked the door. She refused to see him.

  They both cried for a few moments. Amnika felt the anger and frustration. There was another neighbor who took him in, but Astran didn't want to connect. He was afraid that he would lose him too.

  Amnika shared when her uncle died. Then she shared when she felt the connections break.

  Astran pulled back.

  "You can feel those connections break?" He asked.

  "Yes," Amnika said. She gave him a hug and shared that every connection got worse.

  "Does anyone know?" Astran cast a thought.

  "Only Father. I don't tell anyone because they are already afraid…" She cast back but stopped. It was almost as if saying would make it come true.

  Astran's eyes were wide. She knew he understood.

  "They are afraid that you would become like Naehus." Astran cast the thought to Amnika. "I made it worse. I'm so sorry."

  "It's okay," Amnika said. "As long as I keep connecting, they seem to be okay with me."

  Astran nodded as he thought about it. Then they were quiet for a moment.

  Right then, the door opened. Father walked in.

  "Are you feeling better, Astran?"

  "Yes," Astran said. "I apologize. I let my feelings dictate my actions…"

  Before he could finish, Father hugged him. "Don't ever feel like you cannot connect to someone when you need to. Losing someone to isolation is worse than losing someone to death."

  "I understand." Astran buried his face into Father's chest and cried. Amnika could feel his relief.

  As they stepped out of the insulated room, they met with Trinka. She held Amnika's cape. Amnika grabbed it and put it on.

  "Oh, Trinka," Amnika said, "You have your own cape!"

  "Yes, I don't feel so left out anymore," Trinka beamed.

  "I apologize for making you so sad," Astran said to Trinka.

  Trinka looked at him for a moment. Then she gave him a hug. Amnika was close she sensed them share their experiences with the deaths.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Rodgistan standing next to her.

  "I think we all need some time to reflect," He said. "You three will have to go to your dorms for the rest of the day. Check your tablets for your next tasks. Your math assessment is ready."

  Amnika was about to leave when Rodgistan stopped her.

  "We still need to talk," he said, and he guided her back into the insulated room.

  Amnika looked at him, but he didn't seem upset. They stepped into the room, and he closed the door.

  "Do you know why you have a protectorate?" He asked.

  Amnika thought about it a moment.

  "In case I become unreformable?" Amnika asked. Looking down, she whispered, "Like Naehus?"

  "Well," Rodgistan said, "That is a rare case. We haven't had a problem since Naehus. As long as you connect with others, you shouldn't have a problem, too." Rodgistan chuckled a little. "At one time, I thought the same. I thought everyone was afraid I would become like Naehus."

  Amnika felt relieved she wasn't the only one who thought that way. She looked up at him expecting him to continue.

  "The reality is that the less experienced you are, the more difficult it is to control your actions. Your emotions are strong right now, and they can dictate your action if you let them."

  Rodgistan leaned back against the table.

  "Rhada trained to jump to your defense first, so you don't use your energy. Knowing that someone will defend you will make you less likely react so quickly."

  Rodgistan put his hand on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

  "It is easy to draw out too much energy and injure someone when your emotions run high. It's already happened more than once with you. You injured yourself in the towers, remember?"

  "I was a bit nervous and excited," Amnika conceded.

  "I had the same problem, and I had to have a protectorate. By the time he passed on, I was in better control of my emotions."

  "That's over two hundred cycles," Amnika marveled. She never thought of Rodgistan's age before.

  Rodgistan looked nostalgic. "He passed on at two hundred and thirty, about ten cycles ago." He looked at Amnika who stared at him in wonder. "So? I was a late bloomer," he joked.

  Amnika laughed.

  "Rhada will also be your confidant and friend. Trinka won't be able to follow you around like Rhada will. When you are outside of the city, if no one is with you, he will be there to listen and to comfort you if you need him to."

  He paused as if to think of what he needed to say next. He let his hands drop and stared over Amnika before looking at her again.

  "It's true that Inersiens do well when they connect with other Inersiens. Sometimes, though, you will not be near other Inersiens. As one of the highest levels, you will have some responsibilities that only you could handle. Until Nahaeda passes on, Rhada will be required to follow you everywhere. It will be sooner than usual, but judging on how quickly you recovered from today, you should be fine."

  "What about Astran?" Amnika asked.

  "He may be a low twenty. The wall guards are trained for people like him if he were to reach that high. I doubt he will be a problem though. After today, he learned the importance of connecting with other Inersiens. Painful emotions are easier to deal with when they are shared."

  Amnika took a moment to contemplate what he said. Then she nodded.

  "Okay," Amnika said, "I understand.

  "Good. You will need to spend the day in your dorm. I will take you and Astran to the decision building tomorrow. We will review what you are going to miss today. You were supposed to take the math assessment tomorrow, but you will do that today in your dorm instead."

  "I understand," Amnika said, and she got up to leave. Rodgistan opened the door, and they headed towards the dorm.

  Right before she went into her room, Rodgistan said, "It was discussed a long time ago, but we never executed an Inersien before. It's not likely it would ever happen." He gave her a reassuring smile and left.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Amnika continued with her studies. It wasn't long before the first half-cycle came and went. It was the last time she would be able to spend an extended amount of time with Trinka. Rodgistan and his wife lived on the floor below them. This means that during half-cycle breaks, she would be able to see Trinka. After the half cycle, they change rooms and share with a new roommate.

  Every time she crossed the mountain hangar on her way to the research building, new parts were added to her ship.

  "My ship," She whispered to herself once as she watched the ship engineers work on the hull.

  Even Zakkon called it her ship every time they talked about it.

  "If your ship passes all the tests," He said, "it will be the flagship in our new research fleet. Someday, you will be Commander."

  Amnika thought "someday" was far off. She knew she had to finish her education first. Then Rodgistan will give her a level. After, she will be assigned a mentor. It will only be after the mentor releases her as competent at her job she would be able to be a commander.

  Life seemed to return to normal.

  Every time Amnika had a chance, she would go into the second floor to the top. It was her parents' home, so she had free access. Then she would go and put her hand on the window and feel the city's pulsating energy.

  Father at one time walked in on her.

  "What are you doing?" He asked. In the same way when he first caught her throwing energy bursts down the generator shafts. It was the sound of bemused curiosity.

  She turned without taking her hand off the glass and smiled.

  "I can feel the pulse of the city," She responded.

  He walked over and put his hand on the glass.

  "Oh. I
t does pulse, now, doesn't it?"

  "Like a heartbeat," she said.

  Father took his hand off the window and gave her a hug. She could feel his pride. Then he walked over to the cooking area and grabbed a couple of bars. He handed her one, and she accepted.

  "They're talking about you upstairs," He said, referring to Zakkon and Rodgistan. "It seems that you passed all your basic assessments already except for one."

  "Yes," Amnika said, "I haven't learned much about medical, yet. It was sort of on the low end of my priorities since I don't plan on working medical at all."

  "As a high level you will need to know the basics," Father said.

  "I know. I asked for it for next half-cycle. Rodgistan wants me to start next level research at the same time."

  "He thinks you can do it," Father said.

  Amnika remained silent and looked at her bar.

  "What's the matter?" Father asked after a moment.

  "I'm not good at genetics," She confessed. "I don't exactly like it either."

  Father nodded.

  "You can't be good at everything, I suppose. Fortunately, the basics are all you need to know to be able to take advanced courses."

  Amnika sighed. She knew that too. "I don't look forward to watching the instructor go on and on about genetic history, DNA, and chromosomes. It seems daunting."

  At that moment, the door buzzed. Father answered it.

  "Another base was attacked. This one was on the other side of Hemeria." The voice said. Amnika couldn't see past her father, but she could sense he was a high-level Inersien.

  Father glanced back at his daughter before leaving.

  Amnika finished her bar and left to go to the research building. As usual, she stopped and looked at the unfinished ship. The ship engineers added a few more parts. The circuits and tubing were still exposed. It made her think of a skeleton. Only it was a ship skeleton, Roniathan's skeleton.

  Amnika glanced outside at the shadows. She knew she had some time before she had to be with Roniathan to check her progress. So, she watched the engineers work.

  It made her think that the Creator did the same. First, he created the consciousness then he built the body to put it in, maybe. She knew that the distant planet had a creation story. Her father told her of it. The creator made the body first out of the ground, then he breathed into it. It was the story that the Natisiens seem to like the most. She's heard them tell it a few times.