Chapter Fifteen
While the Architect fleet circled the worlds of man, inducing rioting, looting, religious extremism and utter anarchy across Siren, Tyrran and Bouldon, Salvation remained in a fixed position behind Kilar; an odd barbell-shaped asteroid, kept in orbit around Bouldon, due to its rare mineral composition.
With all but its vital systems powered down, Drellic was doing his best to keep his skeleton crew off the aliens’ radar, though he was sure they had already been detected, long before. Drellic’s nerves were quickly unraveling his usual authoritative persona. It was merely for the sake of morale that he decided to entertain his crew with the notion of their concealment.
While using one of the ship’s many external cameras to keep his sights fixated on alien activity, Drellic noticed that the shimmering green glow, commonly seen on the skin of all Planet Farmers, was beginning to dim to a barely perceivable haze; accompanied by a slowing pulse. It reminded Drellic of a slowing heartbeat, fading in unison amongst the entire alien fleet.
Then, as if to coincide with a weakening of the aliens’ influence over man’s technology, the severed communication between man’s ships and planets finally came to an end.
Salvation’s overhead sound system, instantly became flooded with panicky chatter from countless ships and ground stations. But the strongest of the incoming radio signals was the sound of a woman screaming and writhing in pain. Drellic ordered his communications tech. to pinpoint the source of the screams and discovered that they were coming from a small commercial shuttle craft, just a few hundred yards in front of Salvation’s bow.
“What the hell are they doing?” Drellic thought aloud, as he noticed the tiny shuttle rocketing towards a medical bay on the surface of Bouldon. However, the ship’s trajectory directly conflicted with the giant looming tentacle of a Planet Farmer, overhead.
“They’re flying right into it, Commander,” the communications tech. announced, as Salvation’s crew observed the holographic projection of the shuttle; mere seconds away from crashing into the alien ship’s slimy extension.
Drellic ordered the tech to magnify the shuttle’s hull, so he could get a clear image of what was going on inside. To his dismay, he was witnessing a young woman going into labor. The shuttle was struggling to reach the main hospital on Bouldon, in order to safely deliver a child into the worlds. But it seemed as though their plan was about to be quickly derailed.
Then, all of a sudden, in a most unprecedented fashion, the Architect ship, slowly raised its tentacle out of the shuttle’s path, allowing it to safely land on Bouldon. Once the shuttle had successfully passed by the aliens, the tentacle was lowered and returned to its original position.
Drellic and his crew expressed their relief and simultaneous bewilderment, as fearful ship captains and crews in the area, took the aliens’ display of benevolence as a queue to attempt completing their respective voyages.
Drellic looked on, as space traffic between the three domains of man, began to pick up; provoking no hostility from the alien ships.
Though he could tell his crew was anxious to return to space dock, Drellic wasn’t entirely convinced that the aliens had peaceful attentions, simply because of their calm and collective appearance from their stationary positions, as well as their sheer numbers.
“Don’t touch anything,” Drellic ordered. “Don’t adjust anything that isn’t part of life support; no unnecessary movement or electronics.”
“Sir, traffic is almost at normal volume and flow, and the new arrivals seem to be standing idly by. We may have misjudged them in the past,” said Ilda, Drellic’s lead female science officer. “We can’t just sit here much longer, without utilizing our other systems. Our life support can’t take it.”
“That’s wishful thinking and you know better,” Drellic snapped. “You just want to go home; we all do. The problem is, nothing is ever going to be that simple again. We need to wait this out. No one moves a finger until I decide it’s safe. Understand?”
The bridge officers reluctantly complied with Drellic’s orders, removing their hands from their consoles and keeping their eyes on the holographic projection of the comings and goings of ships, caught in transit by the aliens’ arrival.
After several hours of watching normal traffic flow, while the aliens seemed to fade into the background; their presence inspiring less fear as time went on, Salvation finally received a message from Bouldon’s space dock. The acting deck chief had been monitoring them from the other side of Kilar since their arrival, and was curious as to Drellic’s intentions; announcing that they were ready to bring them in for a landing.
Drellic ignored the deck chief’s first few transmissions, as he kept a watchful eye on the skins of the Planet Farmers, which appeared more corpse-like with each passing hour. The once thriving organic husks had become dark, dull shells, as if to convey a period of dormancy amongst the Architect fleet.
After silently debating with himself for a few more minutes, he then finally gave the order to begin the docking sequence. The crew was elated beyond measure and the comfort of home was mere moments away; but not for Drellic.
Drellic had lost his would be son while in route to Kier-en, leaving his wife devastated. His father was dying and his mother was becoming an apparition as a result. In addition to the troubles with his family, the state of the governments of man was unclear. Drellic still had yet to receive an official list of which leaders were killed by the insurgency.
As Salvation came into the comfort zone of the magnetic locks inside Bouldon’s landing bay, Drellic had another frightening thought. He realized that even if the aliens had no intention of attacking mankind during one of its darkest periods, there was still the chance that the ever lingering insurgency, had the potential to start man’s first interstellar war with another sentient race.
But Drellic knew that those concerns would have to wait. Provided he was able to return to Siren unharmed, he knew his family had to be his first priority. During this time of great uncertainty and dwindling hope, Drellic was determined to die with the kin he had left behind, if death was to be his next challenge.
Three days later, after an irritating decontamination process and still no contact with the aliens, Drellic returned to Kail House, where he was greeted by his mother’s warm embrace.
Syll was ecstatic to see her son, but her overlying concerns could not be ignored. She was undoubtedly distraught over the imminent loss of her husband, the sadness of her daughter in law, and the fear that all of human society was coping with.
But in the midst of the depressed household, Drellic found an unfamiliar face smiling at him from outside Moya’s bedroom. It was Moya’s younger sister, Delendra; the ancient human word for heaven, and the name given to the two mile high towers that united the two worlds.
She was a petite, charming girl in her early twenties, with short dark hair and olive skin reminiscent of Moya’s. But before Drellic knew any of this, Delendra was already wrapping her arms around Drellic’s neck and lightly kissing him on his cheek.
“Welcome home,” she said, with another warm smile. “It hasn’t felt right without you here. I’ve heard so many wonderful things.”
After Drellic and Delendra had their first formal introduction, Drellic was led into Moya’s bedroom, where he found his wife staring blankly out into the clear blue sky outside her window; the silhouette of an Architect ship, hanging overhead.
As soon as she heard the door open, she knew that Drellic was there without having to turn to face him. Without wasting another moment on idle sadness, Moya ran to her husband, buried herself in his chest and burst into tears.
“Never leave me again,” she said. “Never torment me the way you have, ever again. I won’t lose another child and I won’t lose you!”
At first, it seemed as though a cheery reunion was in order, but upon seeing Drellic and Moya in the midst of their most recent turmoil, Syll and Delendra slowly backed out of the room and all
owed their personal reunion to run its course.
After their final tears were shed, they made love well into the night, before Drellic was finally left with his most unwanted task, upon his return to Siren.
As Drellic knew he would, his father and requested to see him alone in the master bedroom. Drellic watched Delendra and his mother retreat into the kitchen, as he entered the bedroom, to see his father sitting up against the giant wooden headboard.
Morn was staring intently into the burning fireplace at the far end of the room, watching the flaming embers dance effortlessly around one another and listening to crackling of the fire and wood.
“Did they find you or did you find them?” Morn rasped without looking away from the fire.
Drellic wanted to act oblivious, but knew exactly who his father was referring to; the Architects.
“I think perhaps it was both,” Drellic answered.
“You didn’t believe me,” Morn said, still focused on the fireplace. “But you’re listening now, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. I’m listening,” Drellic answered, with sincerity.
Morn then finally turned to face Drellic and said, “More than ten years ago, I saw one of those Emerald flies. Then one minute I’m sitting in the Great Hall, and the next, I’m standing naked in a field; shivering in the bitter cold. And when I looked up, I saw the tentacles of a giant black squid, reaching for me.”
“You never told me that. You never told me exactly what you saw,” Drellic said; his eyes widening.
“I wasn’t the only one. All those people who died after seeing those insects; some of the people who didn’t. We all saw a different version of the same thing. It was always different, but always the same,” Morn continued.
“I realize that you’re a man of science, son. But can you honestly tell me that you believe this is all merely a coincidence?”
“I don’t know what to believe, father,” Drellic answered. “I only know what I see. Right now, I see my worlds in chaos and an enemy at our door, biding its time.”
“Then you do believe they are an enemy!” Morn exclaimed, with an expression of relief.
“Of course I do,” Drellic answered. “Visitors do not come unannounced, wanting nothing; and so many at that.”
“Then what do you believe, son?” Morn asked.
“I believe that in a desolate galaxy, in the heart of a black abyss, no being of higher thought could ever hope to understand, a tyrannical empire saw two shining jewels in the darkness and is seeking to claim them. I believe their presence is a prelude to an incursion; perhaps one that will result in our timely extinction.”
“Yes!” Morn shouted. “This is what I was hoping for; the proper perspective from a future world leader.”
“Future world leader?” Drellic asked, with confusion.
“Of course, my son. Or, haven’t you heard?” Morn asked.
Drellic remained silent; the look of confusion never leaving his face.
“Surely you must be aware by now,” Morn began. “The entire chain of command on this planet is dead and Marshall Law is in effect. Furthermore, as I am the sole survivor of the High Council, I am now Siren’s Prime Minster, by default.”
“You?” Drellic asked. “You are now the leader of our nation?”
“For now,” Morn answered. “But when I take my final breath, and that day is coming soon, you will become Siren’s shepherd and savior. You, my son, will be the one to lead our people in battle, against the monsters in our skies!”
The Drellic Saga: Books One, Two and Three Page 70