Well no, the least he could do was stay at the Waystation and drink himself into a stupor, but that path held no dignity for himself and gave no honor to the memory of Rai.
The Guardians had said there was little chance anything would wash up, but if it did, currents favored this Cove. And the Juggernaut had asked for a search to be performed, so the Guardians had been over this and other area beaches several times already. The trouble was, you never knew when, or if, something would surface. Or how much. Ponar shuddered to think of the possibilities.
The waves in the cove grew furious, churning white and gray, drawing Ponar's attention. Was some giant sea creature beaching itself? He strode in that direction, seeing pointed black fins and scales breaking through the roiling surf in a shallow pool. As the water receded the creature calmed, and was it just Ponar's imagination, or did the color wash out too? No, soon the flesh took on the color of pale sand, and the creature shrank, although it was hard to make out the particulars under the mask of sea foam. The trunk shrank, and the limbs extended until he knew it to be more human than anything else, and with that shock of auburn hair forming the head, Ponar fell to his knees in disbelief.
Was this a Terror? Rai? Whatever it was, it was living, or close to it, and he was alone to meet it, her, for better or worse.
The form shivered and shook with what Ponar assumed was pain. The surface of her skin was fluid, motion underneath spoke to upheaval and undoubtedly painful internal remodeling. Yet she laid there, half-covered in foam and seaweed, curled into a ball, unmoving. Yet, with every passing moment, Ponar was more and more convinced this was what had once been his sister Rai. What it was now?
A soft, keening groan emitted from the ball of flesh before him, and his heart went out to her. No, it. The high-pitched noise oddly echoed off the walls of the cove high above.
"Who... who are you?" Ponar asked.
"I'm sorry you had to be the one to find me, Ponar." Her voice was rough, dry. But it was her voice.
"How? Is it you?"
"Don't come any closer, brother. I'm not myself." Rai rolled onto her knees and sat up. Still naked, she pushed herself up onto her feet and shook the water off. The motion sent the moisture rolling down her body as if repelled and unable to stick to her flesh. Her hair was inexplicably longer and darker, and she ran her fingers through the now-dry locks.
Ponar rose to stand with her, still keeping his distance, fighting his animal instinct, which demanded he flee. "That's an impressive trick."
Rai closed her eyes, and sand rose up and sheathed her flesh, transforming the sand into a delicate and supple fabric. As Rai shifted from foot to foot, the fabric flowed gracefully around her slight form. It reminded Ponar of the multicolored garments the Guardians wore, yet this dress had the appearance of being somehow improved, although he couldn't quite put a finger on the difference.
"That, that's better. So, you're not resurrected as a Terror, then? Just to be clear."
A momentary confusion passed across Rai's expression, furrowing her brow. "You assume you could have a conversation with a Terror?"
"Well, no, I suppose not, come to think of it. But whatever you're doing, this..."
"No, you're right, this isn't normal. Something happened to me, Ponar. And to be honest, I think I'm every bit as dangerous, or perhaps even more dangerous, as every Terror on this planet right now."
"You seem fine..." Ponar heard the skepticism in his own voice even as he said the words. Just because he wanted Rai to be alive and well didn't make it so. Whatever had saved her life had also transformed Rai into something distinctly other. Something unnerving and a touch terrifying.
Rai cut him off. "Don't be a fool!" she spat. "Underneath this surface is something I fight every second to retain even a speck of sanity. There is an awareness, an other, within me."
"What happened to you, sister? Do you remember?" Ponar took a step forward, but Rai waved him off.
He took two steps back at her urging. And again fought the urge to run. But this was Rai, he knew her. Well, he used to know her, whatever she'd become had nearly alien overtones.
Rai clutched her chest, panic or shock filling her expression. "Please, stay back. She wants you dead. She wants all humans dead." She took a deep breath, and held her head in her hands as if breathing slowly would somehow control the beast within. "Ponar, when I went under the water, I thought I'd die. But then something found me, called to me, and drew me in. Then she filled me, every molecule of me, with herself. There's nothing left of me."
Ponar watched, full of apprehension as Rai paced, continuing to hold her head.
"You look like Rai. You sound like her." He heard the tremor in his voice. Surely she did too?
"No, I am just a vessel now. She's called Vidaaquar. She's been here, on Az'Unda, forever. She sees humans as an infestation of her bio-system. She won't tolerate our presence. Can you take this message to the Matriarchs, so they can understand what's about to happen? She's the cause of the plague. The Terrors. They were just a weak initial response of her consciousness before she was fully awake."
Ponar drew a hand across his brow. "First the Juggernaut, and now this? Rai, if you're still in there, I weep for you."
Rai gave him a weak smile. "I stopped crying when the pain from the transformation became unbearable. Vidaaquar is not a gentle mistress, and she is limitless. And the Juggernaut, I fear they are another matter entirely."
"Surely Vidaaquar fears the Juggernaut too?" Ponar asked. "We all do."
"Vidaaquar fears none. We go to the source of this disturbance. Sebaiya." The words rang out, monotone yet clanging off the cliff walls. Rai's eyes swirled pearlescent ivory, and Ponar staggered backward, knowing he'd roused the beast from her distractions.
"Noted." He lowered his eyes, unable to look directly at Rai when that voice issued from her mouth. The words had exited Rai's mouth but were clearly not her own. He flicked his gaze back up and watched her eyes roam the crags of the cove, seeking. When they lit upon the caves, recognition hit her face. Then the iridescent sheen cleared from her eyes, returning them to normal.
"It was lovely to see you one last time, Ponar. Tell the Durmah I'm sorry."
"Can I go with you?" Ponar replied.
A brief look of horror flashed across Rai's face. "No, I can barely keep her under control as it is. If we hadn't been close before, been family, you'd be dead and not a messenger instead." Ponar paled at her words, spoken so plainly. "Now go, a Guardian will be here soon. And another. But we must go. Good luck, brother."
Rai turned from him and half-ran, half-flew towards the steep walls of the cove, clothing and cape billowing out behind her. When she reached the rock, she disappeared into a dark cave, and he could see her no more.
The surreal experience was mocked by the waves, rushing up to smooth away her footprints from the sand. Soon enough, as predicted, a Guardian appeared along the upper rim of the cove and Ponar motioned him down, unable to move from where he was standing. When the Guardian arrived, at first all he could manage was to point, gaping at the footprints, which the fellow followed to the cave mouth and back.
"So, you encountered a Terror and lived to tell the tale?" the Guardian said. He was an older man, who gave Ponar the impression that he was not easily swayed or shocked. "I noticed we start off with bare feet here, then booted, and midway the boots widen and shorten into something resembling a horseshoe. No worries, I'll get a team down here to dispatch it."
"You don't understand. It was Rai Durmah, my sister."
The Guardian let out a long whistle. "Ouch, that's a rough one."
"It's worse, she had a message. I need to get it to the Matriarchs."
It was the Guardian's turn to gape. "Terror's aren't articulate. I mean rarely they are, but what they say never makes sense. It's all nonsense."
Ponar shook his head, resolute in every aspect of his being. "She's not a Terror." The Guardian opened his mouth to argue, but Ponar's passionate conviction m
ust have swayed him because the other man didn't speak. "She's something new," Ponar continued. "Something older and altogether more dangerous. C'mon, I fear we don't have any time to waste."
Undeterred, Ponar strode in the direction of the steps which led up and around the cliff wall. He would carry her message as far as needed.
Ponar and the Guardian rendezvoused with the rest of the squad at the top of the Cove rim after a brisk hike. The Guardian did most of the talking while Ponar drank his water rations greedily. A female Guardian drafted a message to the Guardian Chieftess, per protocol as they explained, who would then pass the information along to the Matriarchs herself. Ponar was allowed to review the message, but not write it himself, which chafed at first, but he didn't begrudge them their protectiveness over the equipment either. Soon the message was off, and a strange sense of ... something washed over him.
He shifted on his feet, not at all comfortable in the present company of Guardians. Shouldn't he feel relieved, now that he'd delivered Rai's message to them? But he didn't. Not at all. Rai was out there, inhabited and tortured by this Vidaaquar. All he wanted to do was chase after her and help her, but how? And where was this 'Sebaiya,' anyway?
He did no one any good standing around.
"Will you be taking me back to the Waystation now?" Ponar asked.
The Guardians didn't meet his gaze, which wasn't at all their regular mode. They'd stare you down until you blinked first and then stare you down some more. Today...this eerie silence. Eventually, the woman at the terminal spoke up. "You're to be held here for a short while."
Guardians avoiding an issue? "What do you mean, held? I can find my way back to the Waystation without difficulty."
"It will become apparent soon enough. We are handing you off to another for transport," she replied, again pointedly not meeting Ponar's eyes.
Another? Another what? And where were they taking him? Perhaps the Matriarchs wanted to speak to him directly after his discussion with Rai? If it could help, he'd do whatever they asked.
At that moment, a thundering boom rang through the air and he jumped, his ears aching from the sudden reverberation. Ponar's gaze was drawn skyward, and he had to shield his eyes from the glare reflected from the underbelly of the descending shuttlecraft. He'd never seen a spacecraft in person before, and the sight was more startling than the preceding sound. This craft was covered with a reflective black shell, and its sleek lines reminded him of the mighty Juggernaut he and Rai had encountered in the forest. It was large; about three stories high by human standards, sporting three engines and exhaust ports with streamlined fins along each one.
Could the Az'Unda colony even afford something of this caliber? Likely not. He'd seen pictures in the history books of the human colony ships, but the Juggernaut craft's design was hadn't been included in those books. These were aliens who didn't just travel through space; they owned it with a finesse that brooked no equal.
The hulk kicked up a bit of dust as it settled down, and when the air cleared a large hatch opened on the side. A retinue of Juggernaut traveled down the extended ramp and approached. Ponar admired the steadfast Guardians, who held their ground, not appearing one bit startled by the Juggernaut's dominant display. They made not a single move to leave or otherwise flee the situation.
The Guardian's earlier statement suddenly slammed home. Surely he wasn't going to be 'handed off' to aliens? Though Ponar was ashamed to admit it, he felt weak in the knees.
Ponar tried to meet the eyes of the Guardians, who he now realized surrounded him. All of them had their gaze trained on the approaching Juggernaut envoy. All but one. The woman who'd sent the message to the Matriarchs met his gaze straight on, but no words were expressed. Her look wasn't filled with tenderness, but instead with quiet resolve. It said one thing: don't make this any harder than it has to be.
Adrenaline flooded his system. Why were they doing this? Yet there was no point trying to run. So he turned to meet the envoy face to...shell? Remember not to flee in terror, right?
The envoy consisted of three of the aliens. Each stood nearly nine feet high when they chose to walk bipedal, which was a change from when Ponar and Rai had met the one in the forest. It had been on all six arms, or was it legs? Scurrying about at the time, and even then it had been over six feet in height due to the length of its limbs.
The Juggernaut came to a stop a few paces away. "Thank you for signaling us with the pickup location. We are pleased with your compliance. The subject comes into our custody for questioning now."
Questioning? Sweat broke out on Ponar's brow, and anxiety sank into his stomach. So this is how the defiant Matriarchs dealt with Hegemonic demands? By giving random citizens into the hands of monsters?
The female Guardian took a few steps forward, undaunted by the hulking alien. "This fulfills the terms of our agreement?"
The lead Juggernaut stepped forward and swung his upper torso around, so he towered over the woman. "For now. Ponar Durmah, you will accompany us back to our cruiser."
"Can I ask why?" Ponar stalled.
"This was not explained to you?" asked the Juggernaut in charge.
Ponar shook his head, beads of sweat running down his temples.
"Your sister, Rai Durmah, is of interest to my people. You are to answer questions as to her whereabouts. Is that a satisfactory explanation?"
He hadn't thought the sinking sensation in his stomach could get and worse, but there it did. How could he answer questions about Rai, when he didn't understand himself what had happened to her? He didn't want to betray Rai to the Juggernaut, even if she was no longer fully herself. "Yes, thank you. Lead on."
Ponar didn't look back at the Guardians. Instead he focused on the Juggernaut, understanding they held his fate in their inexorable grip.
Despite his raw fear, Ponar couldn't help but examine the aliens, his curiosity--at least temporarily-- winning out. They were curious creatures, each black carapace identical except for the different imprinted sigils in the ridges behind their heads. There, the color flared and pulsed, perhaps according to their heartbeat, or was it something else? Whatever the mechanism, the effect was stunning.
A sense of finality hit Ponar as he passed over the threshold into their craft. How long would the Juggernaut keep him for questioning? Would this be the last time he set foot on Az'Unda?
Inside the cruiser, the ship was just as sleek and streamlined as it was on the outside. They placed him in a small sling-like chair and otherwise ignored him. No doubt, they expected Ponar to remain a complacent and willing prisoner. He was not ignorant of the situation or how poorly things might fare for him if he did not comply fully. The Juggernaut were not known for their goodwill, patience, or even temperament.
Ponar tried not to overthink his situation, as he sat and stared at the Juggernaut while they worked at the consoles. His home world drifted away into the distance as the shuttle docked with an alien mothership. Perhaps he should have been making plans, strategies, or well, coming up with a methodology for dealing with the upcoming inquisition? All Ponar knew was that he was out of his depth and utterly without an advocate, having been abandoned by his people. What he knew about Rai, or whatever she'd become, was likely unbelievable to a species as advanced as the Juggernaut.
He was used to a life traveling as a merchant and often being across the planet from his family, but home had never been so far away as it was right now.
After docking, one of the envoys led him down a series of corridors and into a room filled with a menagerie of creatures, some he recognized but many he didn't. A zoo? What sort of aliens traveled with a zoo? None of the creatures appeared or sounded particularly happy, and many were bandaged.
Within this vault, Ponar was led to a cell that looked like a human, or more specifically, an Az'Undan bedroom, kitchen, and bath. The front glass panel was opened, and he was ushered inside. Nauseated, Ponar looked out from his cage. Had the Matriarchs known what would happen to him?
"
Someone will be with you shortly. Feel free to rest a while." The platitude, spoken without emotion nor inflection but a clear indicator of business as usual, chilled Ponar to the bone.
He'd become yet another attraction, one of the dozens? Hundreds?
Ponar's escort faded into the distance, and he was left alone in the menagerie.
Chapter 21
Rai traveled through the underground caves, lost within the substance of Vidaaquar. It had taken so much out of her to sustain herself, her form and cohesiveness while talking to Ponar, and now she'd let go and allowed herself to drift in the sea of overwhelming consciousness she'd become so accustomed to these past few days.
Whatever Vidaaquar was, it was ancient. Rai thought of it as a she, as Vidaaquar had risen from the feminine-natured oceanic expanse. She'd nicknamed her 'Vida,' and thought of her as a colossal organic super computer. Watching and observing Vida had taught her much, but nowhere near enough to stop Vida's plan to wipe out the colony.
Vida knew everything about the planet. With each footfall, each brush of contact against her skin, Vida processed information on the flora, fauna, and geologic makeup and condition of the world. Vida would, at times, stop and modify the actual DNA of the things they passed if she assessed a need for drastic repairs. The few times they came across species the humans had introduced, Vida'd stopped and, with a single touch, commanded their DNA to split and dissolve, turning a once-alive creature into an oily puddle. These actions made Rai's stomach turn.
And yet, Vida had no qualms using Rai, a human, as her host. There was something about Rai that Vida found unique and stable, and therefore useful. 'Useful' meant something not to be destroyed, Rai was learning. If only she could prove the humans 'useful', or at the least, not harmful?
Would she be thrown away when Vida was done? Rai couldn't know, couldn't divine that secret from Vida. It simply wasn't important enough on Vida's eternal agenda. Rai did know the plague was Vida's work. Time and time again, Vida lamented how ineffective it had been. And Vida rejoiced in finding herself a physical host, Rai, to be her avatar of destruction.
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