Sisterhood of Suns: Daughters of Eve

by Martin Schiller

  This was something that Sister Tereysa remained insistent on however, and she had plenty of scripture to support her position. Her favorite passage was from the book of Matthew which she brought to bear frequently, and without mercy.

  “For if you forgive others their trespasses,” it said, “your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

  And even though she had lost just as much as Jon had, Sister Beatriss firmly agreed with Tereysa’s position. It was an area that they would continue to examine and debate during their journey to wherever he was being sent, and for as long as he was there.

  Until Lady Ananzi finally revealed her true purpose for him. Despite all the charity that she had shown him so far, Jon harbored no illusions whatsoever. The old witch was definitely up to something. She was after all, an agent of the Sisterhood.

  Eastern Sea, A’latar, Evaar’eea System, Pa’lla Space, 1049.02|10|05:22:19

  In the Pa’lla language, “A’latar” meant ‘shining emerald’. Human eyes could never perceive the planets primary as anything but a yellow-white star, but for the Pa’lla, whose ocular structure was radically different, it was the penultimate expression of everything that embodied the color green. This was a hue which they equated with all that was holy, perfect and good. To the Pa’lla, green was God.

  Because of this, the planet and its solar system were considered by the Pa’lla to be a source of both physical and spiritual healing, and it was revered as one the most sacred places in their small star-nation. The sick and the soul-weary came to A’latar for rejuvenation and renewal, and although other races could not appreciate it in the same manner that the Pa’lla did, it had still gained a reputation for the healing properties of its resorts. Wealthy beings from many parts of the Milky Way came to A’latar hoping to benefit from the effects of the Sacred Green Ray.

  Humans however, were comparatively rare. Only a small number of women even knew of the Pa’lla, much less about A’latar, and this made it the perfect place for Lady Ananzi to use as a planet-wide safe house, and for Maya to recover from her injuries.

  The JUDI had brought her there, and once they had landed, she was immediately ensconced in one of the many small resorts that were situated on the shores of the planet’s shallow seas, and left in the care of Jeena and Skylaar.

  Skylaar’s natural skin coloring, and Maya’s hazel-green eyes proved to be a plus, garnering them the best treatment that the resort had to offer. To the native owners and their staff, these features were considered to be nothing less than proof positive that their alien guests had been blessed in advance by the Divine. The Pa’lla did all they could to make them feel as comfortable, and as welcome as possible.

  The days passed, and only after Skylaar was certain that she was ready to hear it, she spoke with Maya about Sarah.

  “Maya”, she began. “I have some news that may distress and surprise you. Please try not to become alarmed, but Sarah will be joining us soon.

  Maya sat up in her bed, looking all around her for any sign of the woman.

  “Is she here? Now?” As far as she knew, Sarah was still working for the Agency—and one of the women hunting her.

  “She is not,” Skylaar reassured her. “And Sarah is not with the Agency any longer. I cannot explain why. But you can be certain that she has no interest in harming you, and you have my solemn word that I will protect you from anyone who attempts to do so.”

  Maya gave her an uncertain look. “When will she be here?” she asked.

  “Sarah will not visit A’latar,” Skylaar said. “I have instructed her to stay well away from this world until you are fully healed. She will join us later, perhaps in Ashkele. Perhaps earlier. For now, you need to concentrate on getting yourself well.”

  Maya nodded, but her expression remained troubled. She wasn’t happy with this news at all.

  She also intended to find out why Sarah had suddenly abandoned an organization that had once defined her very existence. And to ferret out what her current motives really were.

  She was equally determined to make certain that the woman answered for her betrayal. Getting even was just as important as determining the truth. If not more so.

  “Fine,” she said. “I’ll forget her.”

  Skylaar smiled, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. She was no psi, but she had come to know Maya well enough to guess the general shape of her thoughts. For the moment though, it was enough for her that her student was willing to cooperate.

  “Thank you, Maya.”

  ***

  Their uniqueness as human visitors ended with Jon fa’Teela’s arrival. He had come to A’latar on another merchanter that worked for Lady Ananzi, the CSS Billie Jo, with Sister Tereysa and Sister Beatrice. Like Maya, once he was downside, he was given a seaside cabin to stay in. It was located two coves further down the coastline, and he was as unaware of her presence, as she was of his.

  His purpose was similar to Maya’s. He was there to rest and to heal. Not in body though, but in spirit.

  The two Sisters met with him daily, and his hours were filled with prayer, studies of the Revelations and lengthy discussions on the finer points of his faith. When she realized that he was ready for it, Sister Tereysa announced the next step in the process; a re-baptism and a fresh commitment to God. Jon, who had quietly been considering the very same thing, quickly agreed.

  They met at his cabin the following morning, just before dawn. He had fasted and prayed throughout the night, and dressed himself in a simple white robe. Sister Tereysa and Beatrice had honored the occasion by attiring themselves in the vestments of their office; the familiar blue and white robes of a Bride of Jesu, and they wore their Stars of the Faithful openly.

  The site they had chosen for the ceremony was in a small inlet not far from the resort, but removed enough to guarantee them privacy. It commanded a sweeping view of the sea, and the craggy rocks along the shore line made a perfect frame for A’latar’s sun as it rose in the east.

  Standing in the surf together, Sister Tereysa began with a quote from the Revelations, the Book of Romans.

  “’We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Jesu was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.’ Go to your knees, Jon fa’Teela. Say out loud that you commit yourself to the death and life of the first Redeemer.”

  Jon did so. “I pledge myself to Jesu, body and soul,” he added. “For he is the true Redeemer of all humans.” As he uttered this promise, the sun broke over the rocks and bathed them all in its perfect radiance.

  Sister Tereysa had positioned herself alongside him, and she instructed him to lie back in her outstretched arm. “You are reborn in Jesu’s light this day,” she said.

  “Praise Jesu and Mari,” Beatrice declared.

  Then Tereysa held his nose closed, and with Beatrice assisting her, lowered him into the surf, submerging his torso, and then his head. The water closed in around him.

  Suddenly, Jon felt the hands that had been supporting him disappear, and for a moment he panicked, certain that the Sisters had let go of him for some reason. He was floating, and he opened his eyes.

  Instead of seeing Tereysa or Beatrice, or even the surface of the water, the only thing that filled his vision was a vast, green nothingness. There was no ‘up’ or down’ for his senses to identify, just a formless void that stretched away from him in all directions.

  A moment later, a light appeared in the distance, and in less than a heartbeat, it had reached him and enveloped him in its flawless brilliance.

  The scene transformed. He was out of the water now, and on the beach, and he could feel the rough grains of sand under his bare feet. The light had also changed. Instead of a yellow sun, the star above him had become a brilliant, flaming emerald.

  He was also not alone. A figure, dressed in a simple robe the color of malachit
e stood near him, its features hidden by the garment’s hood. There were no foot prints around it, and it seemed to leave no impression on the sand whatsoever. Yet it was there.

  “What is this place,” he asked it. “Why am I here?”

  “This place is nowhere, and in no time. You, Jon fa’Teela, are here to decide,” the stranger replied. Its voice was neither male, nor female, and what little of it that he could make out, could have belonged to either sex. It was, in appearance at least, human, but it could have been any age, or every age for that matter.

  “Who are you?” he demanded. “What do you call yourself?”

  It smiled. “You may call me Aggelos,” it answered. “Or Ma’lak, if you prefer.” Instantly, Jon comprehended its meaning. Both of these were ancient words. One was Greek, and the other Hebrew, and they meant the same thing; a messenger. An angel.

  But whether he was dealing with one of the Sons of Men, or a fallen servant of Shaitan, he could not say with any certainty. All that he was sure of was that he was in the presence of something supernatural, and this put him on his guard.

  The figure smiled again, as if it were amused by his reaction, and turned its head to regard him. The shadows of its hood conspired with the light of the alien sun to keep its face a secret.

  “You must make a choice,” it repeated. “Between two futures. Each one promises a reward, and each exacts a toll for that prize. Both of them involve you, and a young woman who calls herself Maya n’Kaaryn”

  Certain now that he was dealing with a demon who was trying to tempt him just as the Evil One had once tempted Jesu, Jon started to refuse. His words died stillborn as the world around him altered once again.

  He was standing on the bridge of a military starship, watching as the women feverishly went about their business at the control stations. On the main sitscreen, a star very much like the one that shone down on A’latar was on display. On a side screen, he could see hundreds of ships of every size and class, lining up to transit into Null. No one seemed to notice him, or his guide.

  Then he overheard the techs as they relayed their data to the ship’s commander. “The enemy has launched their device!” one of them reported. “It’s going to go nova, Commander! The ships won’t get away in time!”

  “We have to find a way to help them,” the woman exclaimed. “There has to be something we can do to—“Her final words were cut off by a gasp of horror.

  The star on the main screens swelled in size and ejected its outer mantle. A gigantic wave of pure, elemental fire expanded outwards in all directions, engulfing the ships, and everything else that it encountered. Nothing was left in its wake but death. Jon was horrified.

  “War, Jon,” the figure stated. “Interstellar war, and on a scale that your race has never imagined in its most terrible of dreams. Entire star systems destroyed right along with their stars, and trillions of innocents killed.’

  “And all because you stopped Maya n’Kaaryn from using the Tree. Thanks to that deed, a new Trio was chosen, among another race, and they used the Tree to start a conflict that soon involved most of the galaxy. Your Sisterhood was swept up in the chaos.”

  “What?” he stammered. “I didn’t do that! That hasn’t happened! Who is this Maya n’Kaaryn? What are you talking about?”

  “You will meet her soon enough,” his companion informed him. “She is the User that Lady Ananzi spoke to you of. But there is more to this future.” It waved its hand, and the ghastly spectacle was replaced.

  He was standing on a balcony now, and below him he could see thousands of people. They were all cheering and chanting and waving up to an elderly man who was dressed in rich, golden vestments. A man that seemed familiar to him for some reason. Very familiar.

  “That is you, Jon,” the figure said. “Many, many years from now, and after the great interstellar war. You have been made Pope of the New Church, and those are just a few of your followers. Thanks to the crisis, everything that the Sisterhood had stood for was called into question, and your faith suddenly found willing ears everywhere. Motherthought was discarded, and Humanity embraced The Word of God. All because you stopped Maya n’Kaaryn.”

  He rounded on the creature. “At what cost?” he snarled. “How many lives was that victory bought with?”

  “Is that important?” it asked. “Perhaps you would like to see the alternative?” Instantly, his surroundings changed again.

  This time, he saw himself, not as an elderly man, but just a few years older. He was in a simple robe, making an impassioned speech to a crowd of women. There were only a hundred or so of them, and although they looked up at him in adoration, they were surrounded by a larger crowd that seemed to be angry at what he was saying. Then, from out of the midst of the crowd, a single woman pushed her way through. She was holding a needlegun, and he saw her raise it.

  “Marionite scum!” she yelled.

  Before anyone could stop her, she fired, and his double toppled backwards, blood blossoming from his chest. The crowd rushed forwards to seize her, but he knew that they were too late. Her victim was dead.

  Jon lowered his head and turned away, sickened by the sight. When he raised it again, he was on another starship. It was no battlecruiser, but a merchanter, and on the displays he saw thousands of ships just like it. There were also Marionite Sisters on the bridge, and they were looking at a small, unimposing star with a handful of planets. One of these was listed as a T-Type world, but just on the edge of being capable of sustaining human life. Existence there would be hard, he reflected, but not impossible.

  “Our new home,” the captain announced.

  “May Jesu and Mari grant us the peace that we have sought for so long, and bless this place,” one of the Sisters said, crossing herself. “You are certain that the Sisterhood doesn’t know of it?”

  “Yes, mother,” the captain answered. “We are well beyond their furthest surveys, and this part of space is still uncharted. I don’t imagine they’ll come looking here any time soon.”

  “What shall we call it?” another Sister asked.

  “New Jerulsaalam,” the first one told her. “Just as the blessed Saint Jon the Martyr would have wanted. If only he could have been here to see this day.”

  “He is Mother,” the younger woman said. “He is here in spirit with us. I am sure of it.”

  Jon’s guide laughed softly. “How true,” it said. “She is wise beyond her years.”

  “This is the alternative?” Jon asked. “This? My death? Exile?”

  “Yes Jon,” it said. “If you fail to stop Maya n’Kaaryn, or refuse to try, then she will use the Tree. No interstellar war will occur, I assure you. And your Chairwoman will try her best to seek peace between your Church and the Sisterhood. But—“

  “But she will fail somehow?”

  “Yes,” it answered. “An extremist movement, guided by surviving members of the Conversation will resist that change, and it is one of their number that will succeed in assassinating you.’

  ‘When she kills you, you will become a martyr—just as the Sisters said—and your Church will continue to suffer, until at last it will be forced to realize that the only choice it has, is to flee.’

  “It will be another exodus, Jon, out of a new Egypt. Like the Israelites, it will find another home for itself—not in any desert land, but in the very wilderness of space itself. As for you, you shall be remembered as a Saint, and in time your people will flourish and grow to greatness. More than that I may not reveal.”

  “I think you are Shaitan,” Jon retorted. “I think you are telling me lies.”

  “You know better than that, Jon,” It answered calmly “You know this is truth. You have two roads before you, and you must choose which one to take. One leads to the death of many, and personal glory. The other leads to a single death, and the salvation of many. Think on that, and when the time comes, let your righteousness speak to you.”

  A nanosecond later, he felt the water surrounding him once again, and
then the sure grasp of hands raising him up to the surface. He was back on the beach with Sister Tereysa and Beatrice.

  “Praise Jesu and Mari,” Tereysa exclaimed. “You are reborn in the sight of God!”

  “Praise God in the highest,” he intoned, more in reflex than anything else. As they guided him out of the water, and proceeded to celebrate the Mass together, he looked up past Sister Tereysa and the makeshift altar that she had erected, to the sun itself.

  Squinting in its glare, he whispered a silent prayer to his Creator. My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as you will.

  No reprieve came from on high though. The only thing that met his senses were the crashing of the waves and the sound of the wind.

  The service ended shortly afterwards, and Jon walked with his friends in silence. He did not tell them about what had happened under the water, and he did his best to ignore the robed figure that followed them back to his cabin, lurking at the very edges of his vision.

  Or the fact that the sun was still green.

  ***

  Like Skylaar, Jeena waited for the right opportunity to extend his invitation to Maya. That time came when Maya was almost completely healed. They were relaxing together on the cabin’s porch, enjoying the breeze coming in off the ocean, and the sultry afternoon heat.

  “I spoke with the Captain today, “the neoman said. “She told me that she got in touch with Lady Ananzi and her friends in the Daughters, and it looks like the Agency has given up trying to find us. She also said that we could go back to the Sisterhood if we wanted to, as long as we lay low when we get there.”

  Maya took a sip of her fruit juice and thought about this. She would have been perfectly satisfied to spend the rest of her life exploring the galaxy beyond the boundaries of her star-nation. But she also had to admit that there were some places, and things in the Sisterhood, that she missed. Home, however fekked up it was, was still home.