by M E Wise
“Sir?” Brigs voice filled the air. “Brigs I have a new recruit for your efforts. Have Troy come to the base of the Cresche and the Lo’Mor’h Ja’Tivi will accompany him to your stead.” The COM was quiet for a moment. “Indeed Sir, Troy will be there shortly.” Brigs took direction very well at times. Our time together had built a firm respect. “Is there anything you need?” I asked the entirely too serious Ja’Tivi.
“Need?” He asked and tilted his head with a twist. “What needs do I have?” He asked.
“We will find them along the way then.” I replied. His admission took me by surprise. I thought that assuring him a union would be the best start. Future interactions will need further stabilizing to ensure this neglect didn’t become systemic. Troy arrived at the enclosure. “I bid you both good day.” I again put Dae’s verbiage to use. Troy looked panicked as he always did in my presence. Ja’Tivi began packing what little he had to claim as his.
The elevator was a nice reminder of simpler days. I arrived at the lab in seconds though. So much for a long lived trip into simpler times. “You need to cool your high and mighty heels!” Dr. Drakos was hotly addressing my wife. “What needs to be done is to eliminate all of the junk DNA that these aliens forced into normal stands. Why make them live longer as misshaped ghouls?” She barked loudly.
Laine sat perched on a lab stool looking completely engrossed. Faith had found herself a hideaway in the near apse and a window seat high above the world below. I moved towards her to see if the use of careless language had any effect but her ears were connected smartly to a device. She waved with her fingertips. Dae stood across the lab and was obviously cross.
“If we lengthen their lives long enough to pursue that goal then why are you opposed?” Dae slammed her station and bit down hard. I kept my focus and made my way around the lab unnoticed. “Opposed? Opposed!” Dr. Drakos laughed mockingly. “Would you listen to this girl talk like she knows best…” Her words quieted as she became aware that I had entered the room. “Better to think first before acting is all that I am suggesting.” She continued glaring at me.
“Reign.” Dae said with a kiss. Then she quickly returned to form. “You completely ignore the fact that once the genes went generational they are now normal. Just like you were born old and bitter!” They both grinned as their daggered words had both struck deep. I stood beside Dae trying to remain innocent of any wrong-doing. “If we must put it to a vote then I think we are asking for a greater problem. The people of unique genetic makeup known as Halfers, would need degrees in patience to help them understand why we resolve these greater philosophical dilemmas first, before making options available. We can solve one part of the puzzle now! Why shouldn’t we?”
“Did I hear you correctly?” I stood alert. “Have you solved something?” Dae looked to Dr. Drakos.
She leered back at Dae with a distasteful look. “We have. The question is: Do we proceed with the band-aid when the severing of the limb would serve a better outcome.” Dae bounced to stand tall. “No! You wish to sever a perfectly good limb because it is unappealing. This isn’t a question of vanity! That’s an unethical hold out for some unattainable perfection.” The two women were always at odds. I could see how they inadvertently challenged each other though.
Dalia and Wan Sah arrived on the elevator. Dae had apparently found a uniformed appearance they all shared now, form fitting deep red jump suits with a lab coat to finish. “Stylish!” I said louder than I intended. “Thank you.” Dae spat amongst the tension. “So what is it we can do?” I interjected. “If I may ask.”
“They can live.” Dr. Drakos said with a big smile. She was obviously moved by the idea. She tried to remain stoic and obtuse but this was a genuine victory over something worn by many. “I don’t know if living longer as something you aren’t supposed to be is better but…” she stopped and Laine came to her side. Laine hugged her and they smooched quickly. Dae took my hand and I sighed as her contact felt good. Not just good but better.
“You had something to share didn’t you?” Dae whispered in my ear. I just gave her a loving glance. “Tonight, later tonight.” The reply brought a warm smile from her. I left quietly.
“A night on De Braga!” Dae said with a purring melodious tremble in her voice wading the tub.
I often forget how much we love this converted array until we arrive and then for at least a short while, never want to leave. Of all the wonderful things S’lei has done for us; this getaway wedding gift was the most enjoyed. Dae looked amazing as always, silkened with the water flowing over her. The vision hurts now. “What is wrong Mr. Mister?” Dae was drunk and seductive. “We just gave new life leases to so-o-o many people!” She slurred.
“I knew that was only a step away for you. I won’t mention assisting persons but your team had this solved once you had your direction. Who knows what you solve next?” I watched her slide to and fro. She looks so happy; I am starting to rethink telling her anything but how do I hide such a thing? And for how long?
“I told you once, on this very station, that you couldn’t hide things from me!” Dae challenged.
Her eyes of blue felt like chilling icicles cutting into my every pore. I was uneasy and failing to pretend anything else. “If you can’t tell me. Then show me?” She hated linking. The idea of sharing everything was something she felt violated our mortal temples. She had analogies for everything like this.
“The truth then. I can’t share this without showing you. I don’t think I can though.” She waved me over closer. She tugged me into the water, clothes and all!
“Just do it.” Dae grinned as I moved water and soap from my face. “Share with me.”
I sat up sternly. “You look so serious.” Dae said slowly. I looked deep into her eyes and watched her pupils dilate. She jolted slightly and her face changed slowly from jovial to solemn and contemplative. As tears began to fall from her eyes I stopped sharing. She tried to speak but couldn’t. As she collected herself I felt like this was the end. This moment was the last separation between our worlds and she would be done with it.
“You love me so much.” Her chin trembled with these words. “I felt it so strongly!”
She stopped talking and put her hand to her mouth and clutched at her heart. The blue light of the room hid her red hair, the slight freckles on her shoulders, while enhancing the pale of her skin. I waited with nothing to say and if I had anything to say I wouldn’t. She sobbed for a moment. “We live now until well over a hundred!” She batted her eyes and laughed with a cry at the minute period it was in scope with eternity.
“I suspected as much, you know.” She said looking at the ceiling, her tears flowed farther down and more consistently. “Momma always said angel’s live forever. Marta O’Shea declared you an angel from day one!” She cried harder. “Marta O’Shea is never wrong!” Dae laughed and cried at the same time. I was paralyzed. “The light of day is a fleeting thing. It is always coming and going but never staying put.”
“Dae, we can chase the sun in a perpetual orbit for the rest of our days!” I blurted painfully. “The rules have changed! I make the rules now.” My bravado was failing me. I was making wild claims. I slid to my lover, my wife, my life. “We have to try! I can’t live forever. Not without you.” Dae placed her fingers over my lips and locked eyes with me like we were dying in deep space together again. “Ok.” She said softly. “Ok.” She repeated and kissed me. “Don’t let me go!” She said shaken with grief and torn between the truth and our fantasy. She cried and I held her in a pool of shimmering reflected space.
Reign Eternal Chapter 8
Sustaining Mythos
The solar screen transitioned back to the view of Mor’h. I had seen enough. The Sol System was not going to improve on its own and I am certainly; if only partly-to blame for this. Watching the array was consuming me. I have spent months discussing, arguing and gathering intelligence; as Brigs would call it, on th
e circumstances. Intelligence is a laughable description for the recording or watching the rampant paranoid reactions of a mad man. The constant acquiring and updating of fact and rumor were all a game for those who have the appetite for it. I would starve if it was the only sustaining thing in my life but with the Sol system in crisis I have had my fill of this soured meal.
I have painstakingly isolated many political figure heads that seemed to be more apt to entertain the Mor’h as anything more than the Mortalien threat certain factions have built platforms on. Mor’h’s historical actions would leave little to argue for a universal diplomatic alliance. But the scales were tipping. Gorgon Pri was becoming a nefarious legend and a titan! He has successfully cut Earth off from control of trade to Mars and Luna. The Orbital Guard that once held control of Sol space are now at half strength and withering. Their patrols are limited to the far rim and Earth’s local orbit. The journey in between is guaranteed conflict.
The UHP or Union of Human Preservation has poisoned all chances for civility in a campaign to purify the system. President Dominuus Anastas was no longer the true mouthpiece for the Union; Gorgon Pri had long established himself as the real master of the domain consisting now of the moon colony and the Mars controlling corporations. President Anastas is but a puppet whose strings were cut and tied closely to a desk. Earth appeared desperate enough to listen if I reached out. The question is no longer should I but when? And I feel that time is drawing closer to maturity than our abilities to resolve this without sustained conflict were. We must act soon or risk acting too late.
“I don’t believe a display of power will solve anything either.” I finished S’lei’s thought in the link.
“Little remains of Mor’h who are ready for conflict or of the will to join in conflict.” S’lei’s display was vivid in the light from the solar panels. The elegance of her simple form, outlined by the light created a very surreal ballet. “I can watch but I cannot effect this changing of their season in this way.” She was very sincere and I knew she was torn on this dilemma. The entire council felt compelled to act in their guilt but uniformly averse to becoming conquerors. “You have our support but in material only. The advantage is still greater than they can match.” She turned her unique stare onto me and even without the link I understood her expression, as our time together had finally allowed me to see the character in her Mor’h design.
“I have a different question.” I asked as she stood tall above me.
“I know. Our minds hide little and our recent days have left us with much to bask on.” She answered with subtlety.
“Q’ua Z kept many things from me. I feel that you knew this and I know that you did.” My words caused pause in S’lei. “Don’t misunderstand! I am not angry or am I holding onto some childish growing pains. What I was getting at was you were there more often than I remembered. If only in very defined moments but you were there and concerned for my wellbeing.” S’lei stood carefully outlined in the light. “I can’t measure how grateful I am for the things you did when no one else would. If I had a mother or anything resembling one; you are that mother for me!”
S’lei remained silent and still. Her stature and presence was always something to behold but now she seemed set in stone at the peak of her beauty. Her hand stretched out proceeding her long reach and touched my face. She leaned down steady and gracefully, her crowned growth befitting a queen clearly developed. Without a word she pressed her cheek to mine and gently, ever so slightly kissed my cheek. This wasn’t a Mor’h custom; she had learned to be a mother for me. S’lei fluttered her eyes and stood tall again. The difference in height a consistent measure of our roles.
“You carry the future.” S’lei said proudly. “This mother is proud.”
With nothing more said she left for the elevator with her Lo’Nar in short step behind. Dae; who I didn’t know was on our floor came from behind the elevators opposite side. Marta was pressed against her back. “Like a storybook!” Marta frowned with joy. “Oh Mother!” Dae smacked her on the bottom. “Sorry babe! We weren’t trying to intrude.” Dae, when with her mother was known to be a little snoopy. I simply ignored the commonality of the event. “S’lei is unique even among her kind.” Dae said ceremoniously.
“She saved my life on more occasions than I am even aware of.” I added.
Dae and her mother both laid down some sketches on the central table they had been working on. Marta was much more seasoned in her work but Dae was mechanical and detailed as one would expect a doctor and scientist to be. “Thinking of making connections?” Dae asked concerned. “I’m not prying but I feel a strong need to be part of this decision.”
“Through the array. I will not meet with anyone until the work is done. I will not budge on any safety measures that I can place on the arrangements if any we can come to.” I stated soundly. “Gorgon Pri is a war criminal in the majority of people’s minds there. Even the few who give him vocal support are leery of his intentions and power. I think he is the focal point and he is the one most important correction to be made toward stability.”
“We’re not assassins Reign!” Dae challenged calmly. “We can’t pretend to cut off the head of a snake without knowing how great the serpent’s death throes can be.”
Dae’s words were usually a great compass for me. I know she is being sincere but the situation is brutal no matter how it is to be remedied. “Like I said; safety is the first concern. I will consult Brigs for the militant suggestions, Hermes for any historical angles, and Taiyou for wisdom. S’lei and the council are well aware of this situation and I think we can manage within Sol relatively safely. Even if we run into conflict the Castor more than exceeds our ability to escape or even contend with the threat.”
“Threat!” Dae swelled with anxiety. “I trust you Reign. I trust you.” She was rattled but relented.
“How are the H.O.T. repairs coming?” I asked with a devilish grin to change the tone. Dae looked completely cross with the mere mention of the acronym. “Obfuscated no more!” Dae blurted hotly. She was stewing now and totally in another realm. “It was a brilliant conception. The hypothesis was sound and I even proved it! Living It Down is the appropriate title for the next paper I write.”
“L.I.D.?” I laughed. “As in put a lid on it!” Dae attacked.
“Halfer Ob-Obfuscation Theory was a great title Dae!” Marta chimed like a proud Mom. “You should be proud that they gave you such praise. Hot isn’t something we always hear.” Marta batted her eyes and sighed wiggling her frame.
“Seriously.” Dae stared blankly. “We will announce the procedure soon to a waiting group of colonist. Maybe they will be more gracious with the discovery?” Dae was feigning more offense than there was.
“I’m sure they will dearie.” Marta smirked as her and I shared a comical glance.
“My Ladies are tuning up the first tanks to be able to complete the procedure. While Diane is tailoring a better method of locating the gene we can begin our first real patient test as early as…” Dae paused quickly. “Crap! I have got to get going! I was supposed to be running the last of the genome scenarios and simulating the reactions in the database.” She came over to me and gave me a mean mugging then kissed me hard. “Bye love.” She glared at Marta. “Mother.” She said jokingly harsh.
Dae quickly disappeared down the elevator shaft. Marta looked to me as if I had better things to do and I did. “I hope to see you for dinner but if I don’t, enjoy your day and evening.” I said quaintly. “Be safe angel-man.” Marta threatened with a pointed finger. I backed away smiling and made my way toward the busy elevator.
The Castor offered the cleanest communication relay to the array in Sol. My first goal was to link several systems and then address the many recipients with an invitation. The signal would be a palm print on the device that they could link from in a private forum. The array would control any interference and monitor the links for interruptions in the signal that would suggest t
ampering. The message was simple: The Tri-Utopia symbol was followed with a clear video of me on the De Braga station, “You are not alone. We can assist discreetly with a common goal. Directions are included in the link with the acceptance of a palm-print submission to your monitor. I will be in contact.” Some onscreen animations helped with the process. False submissions were verified and rejected through their own database of similar clearance.
Several high ranking officials; Presidents, Chancellors, Prime Ministers and local representatives were quick to accept the invitation. Of the fifty-five invitations sent only two were attempted falsely. One was Gorgon Pri’s own signature print! The Prime had either been present when the invitation was sent to a mole; or some unfortunate individual suffered revealing their lack of confidence in the dictatorial leader. The second, a wife of a Minister who unknowingly voided their invitation with her own hand. I was hoping I had Pri’s attention and that much was confirmed.