Nascent Decay (The Goddess of Decay Book 1)

by Hash, Charles

  “I don’t see why not,” said Reskle. Rhylie looked over at the child as he played on her bunk with a pair of brightly colored balls.

  “I’m too dangerous,” said Rhylie. “And I’m not the same person I once was.” She wiped away a tear before it could roll down her face. “At one time, he was all I ever wanted.” Another tear followed. Reskle sighed.

  “I don’t think I should offer any counsel on this, unfortunately,” he said. “But whether you raise him or not, I’ll understand either way.” He reached up and put a hand on Rhylie’s shoulder, gazing at her blindly. She couldn’t believe that she had once found him threatening and intimidating. “And we’ll always be here for you and him. I will anyway. I can’t speak for the others, but I suspect you’re stuck with us, more or less.” Rhylie laughed sadly.

  He can see everything around him without turning his head, the Chamber whispered sinisterly. The Namih interpret their surroundings by echolocation through their ears, as well as by feeling changes in atmospheric pressure through the hairs covering their body. Do not trust him.

  Not now, Rhlylie thought. Not now.

  “I just need some time for myself,” she said. “I have a lot to think about. Am I being selfish?” He pulled his hand back, a concerned look on his face.

  “Nothing too crazy, I hope,” he said. Rhylie shrugged. “I don’t know if you’re being selfish or not,” he continued. “It isn’t my place to say, really. You’ve been through a lot. But he hasn’t. He is still innocent and vulnerable.” Reskle motioned towards Rhylie’s son. “Just being around you could make him a target.” She hadn’t thought about that.

  He is right, the Chamber said. She ignored it.

  “I don’t know. After everything I’ve gone through I just need a break,” she said. “Away from everyone and everything.” Reskle pursed his lips.

  “You could leave the child here with us while you take time to consider it,” he said. “It’s not like Mersi and I ever leave the ship.”

  “I appreciate the offer. The only other option is to hand him over to my people,” she said. “And to be honest I have no idea where they are or how they would even respond.”

  “Mersi could find out,” Reskle offered.

  “I’m not sure I’m ready to contact them yet. Who knows what they think of me now, or what they would do with him,” she said.

  “You’re a very polarizing figure, Rhylie.” She rolled her eyes.

  “You mean the entire galaxy hates me, right?”

  “No, not the entire galaxy, more like half and half.”

  “I guess that’s better than nothing,” Rhylie said. “Thanks, doc.”

  “I’m always available if you need to talk,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” She lifted her child from the bunk and carried him on her hip to Mersi’s room. Mersi smiled at the child and wrinkled her nose.

  “I came to ask you some things,” Rhylie said. Mersi shrugged.

  “Sure. Whatever you need,” she replied.

  “I was thinking. The planet we…buried Isaar on…could you get Quasar to redirect some human refugees there? Maybe some homesteaders?” she asked. Mersi smiled sadly.

  “I can. I think he would like that. He and Drasce used to talk about it all the time,” she said. “You know, he left Drasce behind on the outpost, thinking he would be safer there.” A pang of sorrow washed across her face.

  “Sometimes our best intentions are not enough,” Rhylie said. “There is no guarantee that any of us will see tomorrow.” Mersi nodded once in response, with a solemn look on her face. The toddler in Rhylie’s arms burped loudly. Rhylie and Mersi both began laughing in spite of themselves for a moment, but it quickly died.

  “The other thing I wanted to ask you…” Rhylie said, trailing off.

  “What about it?” Mersi asked.

  “Do you…you know…mind looking after him for a little while?” Rhylie asked plaintively. She figured the direct route was the best. Merci recoiled slightly, an odd look on her face.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “I can’t raise him. I’m too dangerous,” Rhylie said. Mersi cocked her head to the side. “I need someone I can trust to keep him safe until I figure out what I’m going to do. And I need some time to myself for that.”

  “So….” she said uncertainly. “Are you serious, or are you messing with me?”

  “Reskle told me I could leave him on the ship while I made up my mind what to do with him,” Rhylie said. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind looking after him.” Mersi’s eyes widened.

  “You mean you would trust ME like that?” she asked incredulously. Rhylie smiled at her, struggling to hide the emotional torrents running through her.

  “You’re the only person I would trust with him,” she said. “There are a lot of people out there now that will try to use him to manipulate me, or worse. I know you won’t.”

  “Of course I’ll babysit for you!” squealed Mersi. The toddler swung his head around to look at her. He gave a huge grin and a bubble of snot burst from his nose and began to drip down his upper lip. The look of jubilation quickly vanished from Mersi’s face. Rhylie laughed and set the child down on Mersi’s bunk. She wiped the child’s snot away with her hand.

  “This is the last thing I wanted or needed at this point in my life,” she said. “But…it’s not his fault, and that makes it even more difficult to walk away from him.” Her lower lip trembled slightly. “I have to keep reminding myself that it’s for the best.” She wiped a tear away. Mersi nodded her head solemnly.

  “I don’t know what to say, Rhylie,” Mersi replied. “I’ll take good care of him for as long as you need me to.” Mersi smiled sadly. “I can’t have any of my own.”

  “Why is that?” Rhylie asked.

  “They sterilized everyone at the brothel before we could even start working,” she said numbly. Rhylie put her hand on Mersi’s shoulder. “Couldn’t have the whores having babies, you know.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. It was getting harder and harder to not cry. “I didn’t know.” Mersi shrugged.

  “It’s just something I have to live with,” she said. She reached out to brush the child’s hair out of his eyes. “When will you be back?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll check in from time to time though with the com,” she said. Mersi smiled happily. “If you don’t hear from me soon, something bad has happened.”

  “We’ll be here,” she said, looking back up at Rhylie. “You’ve started something big, you know.” Rhylie sighed deeply, frustrated.

  “I didn’t mean to,” she said.

  “I know you didn’t,” said Mersi. “We all just kind of got caught up in this.”

  “I suppose so,” she said sadly. “I had better go while I still can.”

  “Rhylie…please come back, okay?” Mersi asked. “We kinda sorta need you.” Rhylie nodded her head sadly. If she said anything else she was likely to break down in tears.

  Rhylie hugged Mersi in silence and gave the toddler a quick peck on the head before leaving. Vorcia had been right about one thing. He was precious and adorable, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about having a child.

  *

  “Chamber, did you update the map of the known galaxy while we were there?” she asked once she was outside of the ship. It somehow seemed less weird communicate verbally with it.

  Yes I did. Very up to date, in fact.

  “Good.”

  The first place she visited was Mars. It was mostly abandoned now, but perhaps eventually it could be repopulated. A few holdouts still remained, refusing to leave the world they had been born on.

  It didn’t matter, they were still a hunted race, even if they were largely forgotten for the time being. She spent a little bit of time in her parent’s vacant compartment. Some kids had broken into it, vandalizing it and breaking almost everything that had remained. Fitting, she thought. A perfect metaphor for my life. She visited the places she had alwa
ys loved growing up, from her childhood, through her teens, but they were empty, and smaller. She didn’t stay on Mars long; she couldn’t stay long. The emptiness and memories wouldn’t let her. Vorcia had called her the most powerful being in the galaxy, yet she couldn’t fix the things that mattered most.

  When she left Mars, she spent some time going by some of the remaining human outposts in the system. Most were either completely abandoned or populated by only a few that had dug in and steadfastly refused to leave. After the bustle of the rest of the galaxy, they were so vacant by comparison that they felt as though they were frozen in time, from an era long gone by. Eventually she left her home system to explore the galaxy and see what she could see, disappearing into the vastness of space.

  At least she had the Chamber to keep her company.

  Epilogue

  Conflict is eternal; it builds us up into something greater than we really are, or it breaks us down, degrading us into useless fragments.

  Conflict is omnipresent, lurking within the very fabric of space-time itself. It is the essence of existence, as well as the harbinger of life and death. It can be chaotic, but it can only be tamed with discipline. Without challenge, nothing would grow, or expand. Nothing would ever fail; but there would be no sweetness of victory as well.

  There is never a true end to anything, only a series of endless beginnings that interlock, weaving into a web more intricate and organic and dynamic than any other. Such is true about the galaxy, as it is about life. A beginning begets an end, which leads to yet another beginning.

  Sometimes words can take on a life of their own, and become a living, breathing being that is greater than whomever spoke them. Sometimes they continue to live longer than those that gave them birth. Sora’s words of warning continued to survive, long after her death in such a way.

  The power vacuum that remained in the wake of the death of four of the Masters was nearly unprecedented in collective Galactic History, and the rush to fill the void left behind would spread conflict and violence far and wide, until there was nowhere in the galaxy that had not been tainted by it. Kraeke’s pleas for peace did little to stop the chaos as it spread.

  The resistance groups, feeling emboldened, began to flourish, their ranks swelling until they could begin carving out territories of their own. War after war broke out across the reaches of the galaxy, and with all wars, the ones that suffered the most were the oppressed, those born without a voice. They were the first to be thrown into the conflicts as fodder.

  Rhylie had disappeared after she left her home system, and no one could find her. Despite her promise to keep in contact, there were no more communications from her.

  Mersi and Reskle continued to care for her son in her absence. Konii became an ambassador for peace, in an effort to stop the wars, and was never far from Kraeke’s side. Vorle had gone down a darker path, and once again took leadership of a violent militant faction of his own, staging attacks on those that would enslave and oppress the races of the galaxy.

  Adam was eventually returned to his people on a planet within an uncharted system in Kraeke’s arm of the galaxy, where he tried to resume a normal life, to rebuild something that had been lost forever. Many humans joined the galactic resistance groups, especially Quasar, while others began starting over, trying to create a new home, and come to terms with what was behind them.

  As we are all prone to do.

  Index

  Time

  1 second – 1 Picocycle

  1 minute – 60 Picocycles

  20 minutes – 1.2 Nanocycles 1 Hour – 3.6 Nanocycles

  1 Day – 90 Nanocycles

  1 Week – 0.5 Microcycles or 604 Nanocycles 1 Month – 2.6 Microcycles

  1 Year – 31 Microcycles

  1 Decade – 315 Microcycles or 0.3Millicycles 1 Century – 3 Millicycles

  1 Millennium – 3 Centicycles Races

  Siirocian: An ancient race that claims to be the oldest civilization in the galaxy. They have a much longer life span than most of the other races in the galaxy and are generally very patient and manipulative. Their culture is insular and secretive, stealing most of their technological advances from the other races, especially the Fetullians. Their home world of origin is arid and comprised of a wide variety of ecosystems with large expanses of oases dotting the otherwise desperate landscape. Ex: Vorcia, Drasce Fetullian: One of the races represented on the Galactic Council, their home world is in the Siirocian arm of the galaxy. Their culture is deep and varied, with a passion for art and science. They are often held back by the Siirocian, who are threatened by them. Their home world of origin is very gentle and lush, although small. Volcanic and seismic activity is rare, although some regions receive massive amounts of rainfall. Ex: Isaar, Noura Siddish: An aquatic race that also claims to be the oldest race in the galaxy, a point of prideful contention in their feud with the Siirocian, which is the oldest in the galaxy. They were the first two races to encounter each other over 30 Centicycles ago, in the vastness of space. Their home world of origin is comprised of violent, turbulent seas with massive storms that rage across the surface. The few strips of land are little more than large, volcanic islands. The Siddish are genderless. Ex: Kraeke Daotian: An amphibious race with a striking variety of sub-races. They are capable of regenerating appendages, and as such reject most forms of implants and technological upgrades. Biological modifications often have strange, unintended effects on Daotian races, due to their adaptive physical qualities. Although they are usually quite intelligent and curious, they are considered a primitive race for political reasons. They are one of the most commonly used races for testing and exist mostly as slaves. Their original home world has been ruined and turned into a toxic wasteland of corrosive sludge in the temperate regions. Ex: Mersi Namih: The Namih come from a twilight world, a planet in synchronous rotation around the star at the center of the system. They are often avoided by other races due to the uncanny and potentially unnerving qualities they possess. They only drink fresh blood or consume small living prey, but most have settled for synthetic substitutes in order to assimilate themselves with the rest of the galaxy. Ex: Reskle Dophal: One of the few sentient aquatic races to achieve interplanetary travel on their own. They have highly adaptive physical regenerative qualities, much like the Daotian, but cannot regenerate spinal injuries. Their homeworld is covered in gentle, shallow seas scattered with chains of delicate islands. The poles are constantly under a sheet of ice, and there are many deep rifts in the ocean. Ex: Konii Acirum: The most recent race appointed to the Master Council, they have progressed quickly through the galaxy’s political ranks by harvesting and exploiting any and all resources they can. They are generally brash and brazen, lacking sophistication and tact. They tend to flaunt a contrived nobility, and claim the moral high ground in all issues, although their popular culture is driven by fetishes for sexual violence. Ex: Riddai T’ces’ni: A hive mind culture of rigid rules and behavior, they harbor a false sense of pride in their willingness to follow others unquestioningly. They are dedicated, untiring workers capable of the most magnificent feats of construction in the galaxy, as long as they are told what to build and given precise blueprints. They have the largest known army in the galaxy, and are unmatched in their coordination and communication in space or ground combat. With a non T’ces’ni leader, they could potentially conquer the entire galaxy. Ex: Potaan Irinese: A prolific race that can withstand a wide array of extreme conditions and mortal injuries that would kill any other race. They have exploited this by harvesting resources without consideration for the effects on their environments. They can survive toxic conditions, extreme heat and cold, extreme radiation, diseases, and will shut down when they are on the verge of starvation and dehydration. They can survive extreme pressure and even the vacuum of space. Ex: Sothu Bhagolian: One of the first races to be enslaved in the galaxy, and the only surviving slave race from the early history of intra-galactic communication. Their home world is long forgotten, probably destroye
d or corrupted beyond supporting life. They survived where other enslaved races went extinct by embracing and adapting to slavery. Their cultural identity now revolves around submission and acquiescence. Often used for high profile positions, serving the wealthy and powerful due to their meek nature, exceptional wisdom and intelligence. Ex: Sora Rodassian: An ancient race that has been passed over many times for consideration for the Master Council due to political reasons. They are one of the few sentient races capable of flight in denser atmospheres, which requires tremendous upper body strength. Those that have lost the ability to fly due to physical degradation are usually shunned or looked down upon. Although they have somewhat of a variety of cultures and sub-races within their race, they are still very much predators, logical and emotionless. Ex: Vorle Druukyn: An enslaved race that is among the most durable in the galaxy. Along with Irinese, they are prime examples of sentient extremophiles. They are generally strong, tireless and obedient when kept happy. They can survive and even thrive in extreme cold and extreme heat with little or no protection. Once you have earned their trust and respect, they are utterly loyal. Ex: Rahve

  Other work by this Author:

  Promises of Eden:

  A morality tale set in the not too distant future, after earth has been conquered and enslaved. Humans and other alien races are being used to deconstruct the earth for resources by the invaders.

  How far would you go for the promise of Eden?

  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U5UBIBK

  The Nightmare Virus – Desperation: Twilight settles in on humanity as the last vestiges of hope fade on the horizon.

  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V1ECIJU

  Blood in the Water:

  The depths are dark and treacherous for even the deadliest of predators, and what may appear to be prey may just be an even deadlier ruse. A dark political thriller set in a feudalistic underwater kingdom. It is not a question of if, but when the madness will consume you.