Starbearer

by Rock Forsberg

  After the official part of the ceremony, Mianea was taking pictures with her bridesmaids when Oberen said to Berossus, ‘I doubted I would ever see this day. I am proud of what my son has become.’

  Berossus thought he saw a glistening tear in his father’s eyes, and opened his arms. They shared a big hug.

  ‘I’m just glad to have you back,’ Berossus said.

  ‘Me too.’

  They stared at each other for a moment. His father’s rough face exuded pride, and Berossus felt the utmost respect for him and his achievements.

  They were interrupted by Inanna. ‘I’m sorry, but there’s someone I’d like you to meet.’ Oberen went with her, and as Berossus watched his father, a massive Andron man, walk beside his mother, a small human woman, tears of joy welled in his eyes.

  Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and found Efia standing tall before him in a long green dress with golden embroideries.

  ‘Congratulations,’ she said, and offered him a big hug.

  The Shade felt like a real person in his embrace, or not exactly—she felt more than a real person, for her presence exuded healing power.

  She took a step back and regarded him. ‘Look at you. It’s but a blink of an eye since we left for Tabou, and in that short time you’ve changed from an anxious young fellow to a calm and composed man.’

  ‘Thank you for being there with me.’ Berossus felt like he had undergone a massive transformation, and it was good to hear it from Efia.

  She pulled up the book. ‘Remember this?’

  Berossus nodded as she opened the book. She showed a picture of a woman on a castle wall, a massive army beneath her, including the planet-sized monster, Grangar. She had shown this picture to him before they set out to Tabou.

  She smiled and turned the page.

  What once had been just an empty frame was now filled with a picture of a raging monster in the middle of a mess of slithering black creatures and torn-off limbs.

  ‘That’s me on the alien ship.’

  ‘Correct.’

  The next page had Berossus and the Thaqaran side-by side with Grangar and a shimmer of light behind them.

  ‘That’s when we separated.’

  ‘Yes, it was a critical point of uncertainty, and a major turning point on your path. That is why this picture was chosen.’

  Berossus agreed. ‘What happened with Grangar?’

  ‘Unlike the creatures of Remola, Grangar is of our world. Unbound from Nenetl’s magic, it roams free.’

  ‘Won’t it pose a danger to humans?’

  ‘No,’ Efia said with a chuckle. ‘In fact, I talked to it recently and—’

  ‘You can talk with it?’

  ‘Of course. Even though it doesn’t have a mouth, that doesn’t mean it can’t communicate. It’s going for a long holiday, but will gladly come back should we require its services.’

  Berossus wondered what kinds of services Grangar could provide, and without thinking about it, flicked the next page in Efia’s book.

  Quickly she closed it. ‘Did you see anything there?’

  ‘Yes,’ Berossus answered truthfully. ‘A big man, and a boy, floating.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  ‘What does it mean?’

  She smiled.

  As the wedding party was in full swing, Tredd stood barefoot on the grass and watched as the sky turned pink.

  It had been difficult for him to understand Jill: why she left him, why she got back with the navy, and why she eventually took up with Belinda Killock. It was almost exactly the opposite of what he had thought she wanted, but then again, just like before, the signs had been there, and, projecting his own wishes on her image, he had been too blind to see the actual person.

  In the distance, Eddie and Cassandra were scuttling their three boys to the house in which they stayed. It was an idyllic image of a family, but seeing the boys reminded Tredd of himself, Eddie and Tommy as teens in Dandelia. Eddie’s boys were younger, but Tredd couldn’t shake the idea of them going into stealing crafts—or doing some other stupid things boys do—and starting another cycle. Such was life: rich and ragged, but always full of surprises. The cycle had repeated billions of times before him, and, with humanity out of harm’s way, would likely continue until the final freeze-down.

  ‘Remember our first trip on Rutger?’ said someone behind him.

  It was Evie. She carried a purple flower.

  ‘Beautiful flower.’

  ‘It’s aconitum, reminds me of Shosana.’

  ‘My condolences.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Evie said. ‘Meeting her for the first time aboard the Angel was unreal, and now everything about her seems like a mythical dream. She was an extraordinary person with a second sight that, while saving the lives of billions, was her curse.’

  ‘She’s a true hero.’

  ‘She will live on in me, and to tell her story, I’m planting a garden of aconitum for her in Spit City, in Avalon, and in Momentum 7.’

  ‘Wasn’t it six?’

  ‘Yeah,’ she said, and her face became animated. ‘The makers of the game just popped out Momentum 7, a whole new world to be explored. They had it under wraps already, so Momentum 6’s destruction failed to wipe character data, which means that all my friends, items and buildings were still there!’

  ‘That’s good to hear,’ Tredd said, recalling his sister, Fione, whose physical capabilities were limited and who found solace in the life in the virtual world of Momentum 6. Thinking about his own family made him all the more mindful of Evie’s situation. ‘How are your parents?’

  Evie shrugged. ‘I haven’t been able to get in touch with them. Neither the Dawn Net nor the locals knew anything about them. It was as if, like Shosana, they had been drawn out like they never existed.’

  ‘I know what you mean,’ he said, recalling the time Jill had disappeared from him. But that was a long time ago now. Things had come full circle since then … or not quite. ‘You know, I thought I wanted a relaxing life on a paradise beach, but when I got it, I realised it was no life.’

  ‘Uh-uh. What are you up to now?’

  ‘Back to Spit City, doing what I do best. With the navy gone, Kisha Clan will grow stronger, but there’s also the Noir—and the new group, Big-X, is building clout fast.’

  ‘Noir is the sane one, believe me,’ Evie said. ‘I’ve done some gigs with them and Reina Wolfe.’

  ‘She’s good,’ Tredd said. ‘She’s the reason I became a bounty hunter.’

  ‘That’s why you were acting like such a fanboy!’

  Tredd grinned. ‘So, I hear you run the Shuttler-shop now?’

  Evie laughed. ‘It runs itself, but I have my backroom ops. If you need anything, pop by.’

  He chuckled. So many things had changed, but at the same time remained the same. ‘You know, Gus used to give me a good discount on crafts.’

  ‘And you brought them back all dented.’

  ‘I blame the other guy.’

  Evie smiled. ‘Spit City’s got the worst.’

  ‘But also the best,’ Tredd said, and stared into the darkening sky. ‘I can’t let her go.’

  ‘Jill?’

  ‘No. The city.’

  Later that evening, Henning stood barefoot on the grass in front of the biggest tree in Avalon, the same spot that during the day had served to unite Berossus and Mianea. Now the sky was black, but the tree was lit with the torches carried by the new Avalonians, as he liked to call those who had stayed and those who had joined Avalon for its rebuilding.

  To his right, Skyla Almer stood behind her children, two boys and a girl, each holding a torch. She met his eyes with a loving expression that spoke of the joy of having her children returned in good spirits, and made Henning feel warm inside. They were the future of Avalon.

  Sofia held a torch, too: the navy had offered her a promotion for her accomplishments, but she declined the offer and joined Henning in Avalon to pursue studies in the intersection of nature, huma
nity and technology.

  Before them was a small vehicle, a rocket that was to carry his father’s ashes to the sky, to eventually spread across the planet, as was customary in Avalon.

  It was time for silent contemplation.

  Henning had for so long thought his father was dead. But he had been there hiding in plain sight. It was those small favours he did for FIST, even though he actively tried to keep out of it. It was how he had helped Tredd, and trained Evie, and it was how he had guided them to deliver Aino back home.

  As Gus, his father Jilius Dal had been their guardian angel. Even when they thought he was kidnapped, he was actively working against the threat, to destroy the pathway hub in Runcor, and when the time was right, direct Nenetl’s shadow world into a virtual reality system from where it could be destroyed.

  He had been angry with him, because he hadn’t told him. For years he had thought his father was dead. Then again, talking with Oberen, Henning understood why. Now he just wished he could have had a chance to speak with him one last time as his son.

  He was grateful for everything his father had done for him. His inheritance provided him with documentation of their ownership of the land of and around Avalon. It also provided him with plenty of funds to rebuild.

  Henning and Aino, as the descendants of the dead, stepped forth to the rocket.

  They stopped silent for a moment.

  But then everyone around them moved. Everyone stepped closer.

  Skyla Almer leaned in and whispered, ‘We are all his children.’

  Henning found a tear in his eye as he contemplated the small metal tube that contained his father’s mortal remains. His body was now gone, but with Avalon, his legacy would continue. Henning swore to raise his family in a community that upheld the values his father had spent his life honouring.

  After a few minutes of silence, the crowd stepped back. Henning stepped by the rocket, and kneeled.

  ‘Thank you, Father.’

  He reached out his hand to the side of the rocket and flicked a small switch. He stood up and stepped back as a small blinking light on the rocket indicated the time to launch. When he was back with Aino and Sofia, the light stopped blinking. The rocket lit up a thrust of steam that accelerated it towards the sky. Just after it reached an altitude where it was no longer visible to the eye, it burst in an explosion of white light, scattering his dust to the wind.

  Jilius Dal would forever watch over Avalon.

  After the ceremony, Henning walked with Aino through the yard of his old home. On the pristine green grass lay a piece of twisted metal, about three metres in diameter. A piece of an exploded navy fighter plane from above, with its shiny and matte surfaces and uneven shape, it looked like a modern art piece.

  ‘It’s getting chilly,’ Aino said.

  ‘Go ahead,’ Henning said. ‘I’ll join you soon; just want to have a moment.’

  Aino hugged him and skipped towards home.

  The metal of the broken fighter was cool underneath his fingers. The windows of his house shone with inviting light. The sky was deep blue. What first seemed like a shooting star flying across the sky, a blue light stream, turned and landed beside Henning in the shape of the Shade, Aalto.

  With his energy back, Aalto was radiant. Now he looked like he was in his late forties or fifties. His hair was short and dark, with a touch of grey at the sides, and his powerful jaw was shaven. He wore a long, elaborate crimson jacket with a golden lining.

  He said, ‘It is done.’

  ‘They can’t use it?’

  ‘No, only the people with natural ability can access and draw upon the Energy.’

  ‘May I ask,’ Henning said, ‘how were you able to do it?’

  ‘Always curious,’ Aalto said. ‘Together, we four did what we had never done before. By adjusting the parameters of the universe itself, we changed the composition everywhere. We have refrained from adjusting the core parameters because they may cause unexpected consequences, but with the right care… for one, it is a better way to change things than what Nenetl had in mind.’

  ‘I agree,’ Henning said, gazing at the darkening sky. ‘You can’t kill a Shade, so what happens to her now?’

  Aalto’s expression grew darker. ‘In essence, we are all coalesced Energy. Hers is spread thin, but it exists. In time, she will regain her form and ability to function. By then, we hope she has learnt her lesson.’

  ‘And if not?’

  ‘The episode was a good reminder for us. We are building safeguards, not only against Nenetl’s rise, but for all of us. We must stay vigilant and in harmony. The recent times have shown what can happen if we drift apart.’

  Henning nodded. The existence of the Shades and their efforts to bring harmony across the universe soothed him and filled the emptiness with vigour.

  ‘Your father was a great man,’ Aalto said. ‘For your loss, I offer my condolences, and the assurance that his sacrifice was a gift to us all.’

  ‘Thank you. He was the best.’

  ‘I trust you will continue on the path set by him?’

  ‘I will.’

  ‘Good. Even though Nenetl is gone, humanity will need its champions; harmony is forever a delicate balance.’

  Henning nodded and regarded Avalon around him. The walls stood tall in the distance, scaffoldings covering the holes that the battle had left. The tower was still a stump, and many houses remained damaged. But there were people, magical people like him, and together they would rebuild Avalon as the cradle of humanity.

  ‘Your child will be special,’ Aalto said. ‘More so than any other person ever born to this world.’

  Henning’s breathing quickened. ‘How?’

  Aalto gazed at the sky. ‘Only time will tell. You will be the best father he can ever have.’

  ‘He?’ Henning said. ‘I don’t—’

  But before he could finish the sentence, Aalto disintegrated to a shimmer of blue light that swirled around as it rose in the night sky.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Jill moved with power and grace under the warm spotlight. The full house, with an audience from all over the Dawn controlled space, held their breaths as she spun around. And when she froze in a pose, they burst into roaring applause.

  She revelled in the music, the movement, and the crowd. On stage, she was herself.

  She stood up and bowed to the crowd. The roar of the applause grew stronger. Some people stood up. Someone shouted, ‘Bravo!’

  When the applause started to fade, she glanced around. From behind the curtain stepped Belinda in a blue sheath dress. The applause grew stronger again and reached its climax when they kissed.

  Jill said, ‘It’s perfect.’

  Belinda smiled and said, ‘There’s just one thing missing.’

  ‘What’s that?

  ‘Well, you know. Computer, stop the simulation.’

  The audience vanished and they were left standing in the middle of a grey matrix of a presence room.

  ‘With your skills, it won’t be long until this is real.’

  Jill smiled. She knew she could count on Belinda to cheer her on, but making it to the big stage wasn’t the reason she was doing it. ‘I just love throwing myself into it… It’s as if the world disappears around me. Audience or no audience, in dance, my being flows onto another form of existence.’

  ‘It’s a beautiful existence,’ Belinda said.

  Jill smiled as they left the presence room and passed the corridor to the lounge. Tapping into her long-time compounded pot of teradollars, Belinda had acquired a beautiful ship that had become their home. They called it Perpetuity, and its white-and-gold interior was to carry them to see all the wonders of the universe Jill had so far avoided.

  Belinda poured two tall glasses of Vitalo water. Jill gulped it down, while Belinda sipped hers.

  She put the glass down. ‘I need a shower.’

  ‘Yes, you do.’

  Jill pulled her top over her head as she left the lounge and w
ent to their luxurious white and gold spa, where she first took a quick shower, and then stepped into a big bathtub. She leaned back on the comfortable backrest and let her eyes close as the water soothed her skin.

  Back together, the four Shades’ purpose was to bring harmony over creatures of the universe, but with trillions of people and established structures, it would take time. With the sudden leadership vacuum in the navy, Jett was promoted to admiral and assigned the role of Chief of Dawn Alliance Navy. If his actions and results so far were of any indication, he was the number one choice to replace Mrs Mason as the Chief of Military at the end of her term.

  Even though the navy was transforming, it wasn’t the place for her. Perhaps it would be one day, but the itch that drove her back was no more. The threat of Remola was removed, and in Belinda, she had found something she never thought she’d have. She had made Jill accept who she really was, and grow comfortable in her own body, in being herself. Jill wasn’t the ugly freak she had considered herself for so long, hiding behind a mask. She was as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and nobody could take it away from her.

  Travelling with Belinda and dancing were the best things right now, but perhaps in the future something else might come up, something that required their unique abilities.

  The warm water, infused with healing salts, caressed her body, and she had almost fallen asleep when Belinda came in. Jill watched her take a quick shower and smiled as she stepped into the bath with her.

  Belinda closed her eyes and sighed as she relaxed.

  But Jill was awake now. ‘I wonder what happens with the Shades now, and if Nenetl will be back?’

  Belinda yawned. ‘You blasted her up pretty well.’

  ‘Uh huh, but I didn’t do it alone.’

  ‘No,’ she said, and adjusted herself to a more upright position. ‘But the navy was right in awarding you the medal of the dawn.’

  ‘That makes two of us,’ she said, with a wink.