The Emperor Of The 7 Galaxies

by Dave Gordon

  As she held her face against my chest she said, “If we are pulled apart, it will not be because I do not love you. The paths are many and the way is not clear. Now we are together as one. Let us not grieve the future while we have the present.” She slowly released me, as we got under way again.

  I grappled with the concept of releasing the future. I knew the future I wanted in my heart. It was not likely to be. The steps I took along the road we were walking were steps I chose freely yet they carried me towards an end that would likely break my heart. All I could do was choose the best among the steps presented. If that led to grief then it was of my own choosing. The realization that I was directing my own future brought me down the present. Each foot followed the other. The crunching of the gravel beneath our feet was the only certainty.

  The Emperor said, “I chose where my feet go but not the path. That is a matter decided before we step foot upon the soil. We cannot know, or perhaps even change, the future, but we can choose our steps wisely.”

  The old Illistari ruled an empire by simply living in the present. The results were wonderful by all appearances. How different from our way, I thought. The endless planning seemed so often in vain. The megalithic corporations tried to choose the paths of others for their own purposes. It all seemed so doomed to failure. I wondered if there was any hope the Earth might one day become as serene as Illistar. I looked at the Emperor. He was smiling slyly. I wished I could understand the first thing about his thoughts.

  The stark and dramatic Illistari landscape alternately glowed in pinks and reds during the day; or sulked in blues and blacks at night. The trees became taller and upright as we traveled. There were thickets that suggested a forest ahead. The slope gradually increased and the plant life became thick. Odd leafy plants with long fronds reached out from under the trees. Small plants and flowers covered the ground. Small animals darted through the brush.

  I am not an early riser by nature but the Illistari seemed to have a psychic link that resulted in them all waking at the same time. A brutally early time. I never knew if the light meal we had for breakfasts was because of local tradition or because they could not see well enough to cook. At any rate, we would be walking down the road as the pale sun began to spread a thin light across the landscape. The sun of Illistar is different from any other place I had been. There was nothing quite like it. Even at mid-day, it is soft and gentle. I never got a sunburn. Believe me, two years on a spaceship is not a good way to prepare for long days in the sun. Tuya became darker as the days went by. Her hair grew at an alarming rate. You could practically watch it grow. She had Perian cut it for her several times. He was concerned that she might find his abilities lacking but it did not matter. In three days she would have a wild shining mane that would shame the greatest lioness.

  Water appeared in the oddest of places. A beautiful little spring or a turn in the road would reveal a perfect little spring. We walked up to a small pond. The water was perfectly clear. Small creatures swam back and forth as though studying us.

  “Do not feed the Kricken your fingers,” the Emperor said. “They are small but ambitious. They will make a meal of you if you let them!”

  I watched the small fish-like creatures swim back and forth as I fought an urge to test them. My shoulders become heavier. I began to sag under the weight of the sun. My thoughts were fuzzy and confused. I reached for the water. A flash of pain in my upper arm stopped me.

  “If you had read the manual, you would know that disturbing the wildlife of a planet is not allowed,” Tuya said as she dug her fingers into my arm.

  I roused as if waking from a dream, the pain of her vice-like grip was an anchor that anchored me to reality.

  “Thank you, Tuya. I do not know what happened,” I said still confused.

  The Emperor turned back and said, “They are quite convincing, don't you think? If you listen long enough, you will wish to become one of them. Who knows? Maybe their numbers are made of the people who have succumbed to their song.”

  “Ensigns are not on the menu tonight, let them look elsewhere,” Tuya said as she ushered me away from the water.

  Jorma'Y and Monel'A finished filling the water bags.

  “Why did not they attack you?” I asked.

  Jorma'Y replied, “Because we do not allow them to see us. We are one with the air and the water. They can not distinguish us from the dirt around us.”

  The Emperor grinned and peered out from under the brim of his straw hat. “Can you tell me why that is?” he asked me.

  The thoughts of the Illistari flowed through the psychic landscape like water. Their individual thoughts blended and drifted through the trees on the wind. They did not simply breathe the air, they were the air. The soil they stood upon did not stop at the bottom of their feet, they were made of it. They were not beings who simply existed in a time and place. They were a time and place expressed as a being.

  “Because there is no difference,” I said.

  “Very good!” the Emperor shouted and turned back to the road laughing.

  “How do you always know the answers to those questions?” Tuya asked, honestly amazed.

  “I am an Illistari progeny,” I said smugly.

  “Did you perhaps mean prodigy?” Tuya asked trying to suppress a laugh.

  “Yes, that too,” I said.

  Tuya allowed herself a small laugh and then we were off again.

  The Emperor veered off the path and headed towards the hills some distance away. The other Illistari followed as if this were a normal event. Tuya and I looked at each other and shrugged. We set off following behind the group. We approached a non-descript hill. As we rounded the point of the ridge, a broad amphitheater came into view. It looked to be immensely old but it was as sound as the day it was completed. The large semi-circular gallery had been carved from the living stone of the mountain. A shear rock face rose three-hundred feet above the structure. The floor of the stage was inlaid with stone of many colors. As I mounted the stage, I realized the pattern was the symbol of the universal life force. Our footsteps echoed off the canyon walls in sharp slaps.

  The Emperor continued across to the high tiers cut into the face of the mountain. Torval'T, Jorma'Y, and Monel'A remained in the center of the stage. The Emperor chose a seat and we sat next to him. He sat placidly staring out across the vista of the broad plain we had been crossing. An odd tingling sensation began spreading across the top of my head. The three Illistaris in front of us lowered their eyes and began to drone in what I can only describe as an “unearthly” way. Their voices began to emanate from the tingling sensation in my head. I looked at Tuya. Either she was not hearing it or she was simply not reacting. Each singer seemed to be voicing at least two notes along with another psychic note. The effect was an all-enveloping cocoon of sound as the outer voices echoed off the steep walls and the inner voices swelled. They began to sing with a psychic line laid underneath.

  Something mysterious formed

  (can you see it?)

  born before time

  (can you hear it?)

  in the silence and the void

  (can you hold it?)

  alone and unchanging

  (as one).

  It does not strive, yet overcomes

  (it is like water)

  It does not speak, and yet is answered

  (flowing ever down)

  it does not ask, yet lacks nothing

  (to the lowest)

  it has no direction, yet its goal is reached

  (and so is high).

  They believed they knew, but they did not know

  (those who knew not arose)

  the hard and strong fell

  (while the soft grew strong)

  while the weak overcame

  (to follow the path)

  and by leaving, returned

  (to the virtue of the one)

  As the echoes fell from our ears, the swimming inner voices subsided. I was left stunned and amazed. I felt el
ectrified. The song had lifted me to a state of high elation; I felt I might float away. As I gradually settled back into my body I saw Tuya was looking at me oddly. “I'll tell you later,” I said.

  The Emperor stood and walked to the singers clapping his hands. “Well done, well done!” he cried out. He turned back to us and said, “It is too bad we do not have more time, the whole song is quite moving. It takes a whole day to recite the entire saga, but we must be moving along.” He turned and began walking back down the path.

  I felt fastened to the seat. Tuya helped me up. “What was the matter, you looked like you were completely unaware of the surroundings?” she asked.

  “You didn't hear the voices in your head?”

  “No,” she said, “I only heard singing.”

  “There was another set of verses set underneath the spoken words sung telepathically. It was absolutely unbelievable.” I began regaining my strength. Soon we were hurrying to catch up with the Emperor.

  * * * *

  The singer's voices echoed in my thoughts as I laid under the stars that night. I searched for meaning in the lyrics. The Emperor seemed to imply the song was part of a story. Story of what? The phrase “by leaving, returned to the virtue of the one” kept running through my mind. I was sure the performance was for the benefit of Tuya and myself. The song was very meaningful in some way, and I resolved to find out how. The haunting song echoed through my mind as I fell asleep.

  The next day the road rose steeply. We climbed several miles through sharp switch-backs. I almost ran into the Emperor when we crested the top. He was staring back the direction we had come from. I turned around and beheld a sweeping vista. The city of Duhain was visible in the distance. Small clouds dotted the sky pushing small shadows across the ground. The road ran from the city through a long valley between two corridors of rock. One could almost imagine the rock lining the valley to be walls constructed a very long time ago.

  The Emperor turned back to the road. It was then I first saw the capitol city. Amanya; standing in the distance was a gleaming city, dark and mysterious. Tall buildings built of polished stone crowded the sky. Domes of polished stones huddled around their feet. I could see two other roads with heavy foot traffic leading to the city. There were carts being pulled by large animals. The road became paved with a dark stone as we gained level ground. The path turned from gravel to stone and the perfectly laid stones were worn from heavy use.

  “Was it you that wore out the road?” I asked the Emperor in jest.

  “Yes, Yes,” he replied chuckling. “I have worn out several of them.”

  It took the rest of the day to approach the city. The Emperor choose to camp outside the city. We emptied the remains of our packs for a final feast. Having a little extra to eat was a joy. I thought back to my life on Earth and aboard the Triton. What would it have taken to make me happy there? This assignment was turning out to be very significant for both Tuya and I, and I couldn't help but wonder if everyone that came to Illistar had the same experience. That's when I remembered the buoy. Is that why the Illistari are so dangerous, I wondered?

  “Emperor, I wish to ask you about the space buoy we encountered on our way here. Are you aware of it?” I asked carefully.

  “Yes, we are aware of it. We leave it because it suits us,” he said.

  “You leave it?” I asked somewhat surprised. “You mean you could remove it if you wanted?”

  The Emperor looked at me as if explaining a simple concept to a dull student. “Yes. If that was what we chose to do, then it would be done.”

  “You have space flight capability?” I asked.

  “I did not say it would be done tomorrow,” the Emperor said with a grin.

  I thought the old man was playing with me, but no matter, I understood what he meant. If they really wanted to remove the buoy they would develop a technology to do it.

  “Why choose to remain non-technical?” I wondered aloud.

  “You may have a better question soon, then you may understand.”

  I fought back the irritation I felt at hearing another cryptic answer, but again realized he was certainly getting at something. Sounds came from the city after sundown, audible only because we had spent so many days in complete silence. I wondered what fate awaited us in the city, why we had been brought here. I had the impression there were empaths and psychics inside the city searching and probing. I felt them brush across my consciousness and continue on. These were not Illistari, or not like the Illistari I knew. I fell asleep reluctantly, holding Tuya and hoping for a good outcome.

  Instead of setting out at dawn, we arose later than usual. A delegation of uniformed Illistari men and women walked out to meet us while we were making tea. The Emperor barely acknowledged the group. The apparent leader stepped forward and bowed deeply, palms pressed together in front of his chest. “Your return is anticipated with great joy,” he said still bowing.

  “Oh, Palinta'R, you raise me up too far. What if I should fall from those lofty heights? My old bones could not endure it. Sit, tell your company to join us in a cup of tea.”

  Palinta'R sat with us although he looked a little uncomfortable. The rest of the delegation sat some distance off. He accepted the tea from the Emperor as if he were being presented with a medal of high honor. The Emperor gathered a few spare cups and took them over to the group seated a few yards away. They took the cups and accepted the tea while never looking directly at the Emperor. They were obviously treating him with far more deference than he wished.

  At last we were ready to enter the city. Palinta'R led the group. Two others of his group followed just behind. The Emperor insisted Tuya and I accompany him. Perian Int'E followed the Emperor. Everyone else followed him. I realized this was a royal procession, which meant a crowd would perhaps meet us. I found the prospect exciting. The entrance to the city was through an arch of polished black stone that was thirty feet high and twenty feet wide. A crowd of bowing Illistari met us as we walked though the arch. We walked in silence except for the rustling of robes and scuffling of feet. Our progress slowed as the Emperor returned the many bows. This lasted for at least two miles. Eventually the crowd thinned. It was then I began seeing aliens. Some more humanoid, some less so. There were a few in environmental suits. They were also bowing to the Emperor as we walked. I looked at the Emperor with a question in my eyes.

  “This is not the question you will ask,” he said.

  Tuya and I were objects of intense interest among the aliens. The Illistari seemed to take it in stride. Groups of aliens would press forward trying to get a look at us. We entered a wide plaza of magnificent stone. Stone of deep blacks, blood reds, and olive green in rich shades paved the ground in intricate inlay. A monument stood in the center of the plaza. The Emperor walked up to it. Tuya and I stood in wonder. In front us stood a simple rock, somewhat reddish but not bright. It was roughly round and about twenty feet in diameter.

  “Do you know what this is?” The Emperor asked.

  Tuya looked at me with one eyebrow cocked. The answer seemed obvious but Illistari philosophy could be tricky sometimes. I looked at the stone. I was reminded of the question Stellant'I had posed earlier in our stay. “It is a stone, more significant for what is not there than for what is.”

  “Very good!” the Emperor said with a grin. “This is the uncarved stone. We strive to maintain the simplicity of the un-carved stone, for this is the true state of virtue.”

  The loosely gathered throng around us nodded their heads approvingly as we passed the monument. We walked on towards a large building several stories high. It was a somber, imposing structure built of dark stone. The architecture was a mix of domes, turrets, columns, and terraces with balustrades. It had wide black steps leading up to a carved stone door. Uniformed Illistari lined the steps. We topped the last step and paused in front of the huge double-doors. The Emperor stopped and said, “Welcome to my house.”

  The ponderous doors swung open silently. We entered the pa
lace and were met by the unanimous gaze of hundreds of aliens seated around the large chamber. The Emperor walked directly to a low table in the middle of the hall beckoning Tuya and I to his side. The Emperor raised a hand to quiet the crowd. He said, “These are my friends Tuya ‘al Ayan y h!dlay Zhia!tu, queen of the planet Borial in the Galaxy they call the Milky Way which we call Tel'as'Ti; and Avron Tular, ambassador of the planet Earth Trade Commission from that same galaxy.” I cringed when I heard my introduction. The assembly nodded their heads and tentacles approvingly while I tried to grasp the introduction. I thought the Illistari must have made some kind of misjudgment. But, they were the ones who choose Tuya and I. That was a bewildering prospect. Perhaps it had all been by design. The Emperor made ready to sit at the small table. He looked at Tuya and me and said, “Please make yourselves known. Perian will see to your needs.”

  The Emperor sat and Perian escorted us some ways away. A sea of unfamiliar engulfed us. Several tried to speak with us, some in Illistari, but neither Tuya nor I could understand them. Perian led us to a small group of disparate aliens. They regarded us openly for a moment and one of them said, “We have been studying your language. Do you understand?” His thick accent sounded vaguely like Earth Russian.

  Tuya said, “We understand you. How do you know our language?”

  The group of aliens looked at one another with inscrutable expressions. Another of the group said, “The Illistari gave us the information.” He also sounded Russian.

  This time Tuya and I exchanged glances. “How did the Illistari come by the information?” she asked.

  They all broke out in laughter. Some of it did not sound like laughing, but that was undoubtedly what it was. “Why dear,” a third said with a Russian accent, “the Illistari have ALL the information. You did not know?”

  Tuya and I stood staring at the group as their laughter subsided. “I am Finerl,” said the alien who had spoken first. He was somewhat humanoid in appearance having a round face with leathery, wrinkled skin. His movements seemed slightly odd but all aliens seemed that way at first. “I am from the planet SanSassi. These two,” he said pointing at the others, “are from the planet Inickticktic, you probably could not pronounce their names. We are all here for the same reason you are. To conduct trade. The Illistari are the keepers of the ancient wisdom. They know where all the planets are, who lives on them, what they need, what they will trade, who to contact. In short, the Illistari control trade in this galaxy, and now it appears they will control trade between yours and ours.”