by C. C. Ekeke
Not everyone was enjoying the soup. Poor Byzlar looked as if he had swallowed putrid saltwater. V’Korram was doing his best to remain neutral, but Habraum could tell the Kintarian would have spat the soup out if the Quud High Chief wasn’t seated across from him. Different races, different tastes.
Neither Khrome nor Tyris could eat regular humanoids foods, and at their request, the Quud attendants brought out specialized meal options salvaged from the transport. Khrome munched on a few metal nutrient rods. Tyris’s meal was in gas form, inhaled from a short tube placed on his mouth region.
Habraum kept the conversation light while waiting for everyone else to finish their food. “You got any other offspring, besides Mhir’ujiid?”
“I have eleven children,” Kyas’argiid answered proudly, “all from same Quud wife.”
Habraum smiled, but that faded. What began with a slight rattle of his empty bowl abruptly soared into a full-scale tremor that shook the entire pyramid. Soon the quake made all of Habraum’s bones quiver like jelly. Everyone gripped their seats, which did little good.
As the rumbling intensified, Habraum realized the entire city was shaking. On the streets below, Quud scrambled to safety inside the closest buildings, crying out from all over.
“Whoa,” Byzlar said as the rattling waned, looking around, “skyquake.”
“Yes, a skyquake.” Kyas’argiid rose. “If that is what you call them.” He gestured something to an attendant, and she scurried back inside the complex.
A quick glance at his team told the Cerc everyone was merely shaken up, but seeing Liliana rub her temples with eyes squeezed shut gave him pause.
“You okay, Lily?” Khrome asked with concern.
The doctor forced her eyes open as if it were a demanding endeavor. “Yeah...just a bit nauseous. Not because of your food,” Liliana quickly added before Kyas’argiid could respond.
Tyris eyed Liliana through narrowed slits, and then turned to Khal. “Pass me your bowl.” The dancing bonfire underscored the comm officer’s perplexed look as he handed his bowl over.
The Tanoeen waved away the offering. “Use your telekinesis.”
Khal’s skepticism deepened, but he did as asked and let go of his bowl. It floated in midair, and the Star Brigadier let out a surprised laugh.
Khal then smugly waved a finger in Tyris’s direction, rocketing the bowl at him. Tyris barely caught it with quick hands and glared coldly at the human.
Habraum frowned at the two and then focused, as always, to activate his biokinetic abilities. He looked down to see his fists glowing bright crimson. Habraum had hated feeling so exposed and powerless. The sensation now lifted from his mind like a physical weight. “Brilliant.” He grinned. The glow around his fists winked out with a thought. “How did you know, Tyris?”
Liliana answered, “During the lightning attack on Thasque, he saw my headache when I used my abilities.”
“Ha!” Khrome clapped his hands in a loud clank, causing everyone to jump. “Star Brigade is back!”
Marguliese stared at him dispassionately. “We never went anywhere, Khromulus.”
“Stop killing my joy! You killjoy,” Khrome snapped, and then continued his fist-pumping.
Habraum saw how this revelation made his Star Brigadiers and the Armada officers sit straighter and with more confidence. But before the hunt for Ghuj’aega could resume, Habraum needed information.
“Now that we got our powers sorted and grub in our bellies...” Habraum leaned forward and stared at Kyas’argiid. “Tell us everything you know about Ghuj’aega and his Ghebrekh.”
Chapter 47
Kyas’argiid sat on his stone seat, legs crossed. Mhir’ujiid drew both knees up to her chest eagerly, clearly a fan of her father’s stories. The high chief began speaking over the hungry crackle of orange bonfire flames, “Ghuj’aega’s tale start before his birth, before the Ttaunz came to our world. We Farooqua were not always tribal. Thousands of years ago, we were almost starbound.”
He then gazed at the stars with a look that bordered on longing. “But something stripped us of technology, leave our species devolved.”
As he spoke, Habraum glanced at V’Korram crouched atop his chair, captivated.
“The only remnants of our past are the ‘Six Elements of Totality.’ Estria for earth, from where all things grow. Pyra for fiery energy that heats, powers, or destroys; Propa for evolution of things that provide food, homes, and air; Ebria for the flowing fluids that nourish the earth; Tala for hard, resilient metal taken from earth to provide our protection; and Atma for the open expanse of universe beyond our everyday experiences. The sum of these is the Zenith Point, our guiding light through the best and the worst times.” Kyas’argiid pointed to the shimmering full moon overhead.
Khal looked back at him skeptically. “Your moon’s the Zenith Point?”
The Quud Chief nodded. He hadn’t missed the doubting looks being exchanged between Habraum and CT-1.
Marguliese arched an eyebrow. “And how do you know the Zenith Point is all these things?”
Mhir’ujiid spoke up, “We have seen its power in our daily lives. It’s as constant as the sun.”
Kyas’argiid continued, “The skyquakes, the flash storms, the cyclones, the pillars from our ancestors... the Gajjland sinkholes... The jusha beasts brought from another realm…”
Kyas’argiid’s mention of the jusha drew a choked noise from Specialist Byzlar.
The Quud chief continued, “All because of the Zenith Point. It removed our excesses, brought Farooqua back from where Ttaunz are headed.”
The high chief gestured to his daughter. “The Farooqua have...what do humans say?”
“Blood memory,” Mhir’ujiid added quietly.
Kyas’argiid nodded appreciatively. “Yes...blood memory. Memories passed down from each generation, which is how we know much about times before today.”
“Some of us have stronger blood memory than others,” Mhir’ujiid added. “Others don’t have it at all. It is how our holy votaries, and at times our leaders, are selected.”
Liliana raised a timid hand. “What are their connections to the Six Elements?”
Kyas’argiid finished his soup with a large gulp. “You know how the Ttaunz came to Faroor, yes?”
Liliana, the Union-history aficionado, nodded eagerly.
The Quud High Chief smiled. “In the beginning, the Ttaunz lived on their lands and we lived on ours. We cross paths, and would help them learn about Faroor. Many of our kind even lived in Ttaunz settlements.
“Over the years, Ttaunz grow greedy, always wanting more land, breaking our treaty. Our sister tribes stood their ground, but were no match for Ttaunz weapons or vehicles. We Quud stayed out of conflict, urged our brethren to use peaceful methods…”
Habraum scratched his hairless scalp. “That’s when Ghuj’aega appeared, yea?”
Kyas’argiid nodded. “No one knows Ghuj’aega’s tribe. All we know is he appeared two season cycles ago, claiming he was shaped by the Zenith Point itself to purge them from Faroor.”
“Ghuj’aega began recruiting,” Mhir’ujiid continued, “starting with the smaller tribes near Ttaunz-Farooqua borders easiest to woo. He displayed wondrous powers—transmaterialization, levitation, controlling flash storms, granting youth or old age, seeing one’s past or future—all from elements of the Zenith Point. Ghuj’aega represented hope that Farooqua could rally around.”
Kyas’argiid continued, “As Ghuj’aega rose, relations with Ttaunz failed. The Ghebrekh targeted new Ttaunz settlements on Farooqua lands with suicide bombs. Then, skyquakes now happen all the time.”
Khrome, formerly bored, perked up. “The intervals between the skyquakes keep decreasing, right?”
The word “interval” befuddled Kyas’argiid, but Mhir’ujiid nodded in confirmation for him.
“So, using his abilities causes disruptions with the Zenith Point because he taps into its power?” the Thulican surmised. “Hmmph.”
Habraum smiled at the fascination in Khrome’s digitized voice. During all this, two Quud males had carried a small tree onto the terrace and placed it near the gathering. Habraum, absorbing Kyas’argiid’s information, kept mulling over those stone pillars from the Gajj territory mines. He’d also seen them in the Ttaunz city-state Thasque. Here in Qiidr Ol-Chaeda, he couldn’t walk two feet without running into a pillar. The common thread suddenly clicked in the Cerc’s head, like finding missing puzzle pieces.
“Ghuj’aega’s followers all have strong blood memory, don’t they?” Habraum interjected. “And I’m guessing they use those pillars like some kind of ancient transmatter. That’s how they appear almost instantaneously all over Faroor? That’s how you got us from Inorskii to Quud lands so quick, yea?” He leveled a glare at Mhir’ujiid. “And how the Ghebrekh sneak suicide bombers into Ttaunz city-states.”
“Yes, to both questions,” Kyas’argiid answered, seemingly oblivious to his guests’ rising anger.
Mhir’ujiid, however, could not look any of them in the eye. Again this girl had lied to Habraum. “You said nothing when we asked you what those objects were.” He clenched his jaw, barely keeping his fury in check. By his teammates’ faces, the feeling was mutual.
“That is how we connect to other tribes. Why reveal to those who could take it away?” she replied.
“It would have told us what we were dealing with,” Habraum pressed heatedly. “Imagine how it would look if the Ttaunz and the UComm find out about this?”
Collected on the outside, the Cerc wanted to yell at these two for their selfishness. But he was a guest in their lands, and needed their help to find Ghuj’aega.
Fiyan, bearing no such reservations, sprang to her feet. She pointed accusing fingers at the Quud High Chief from both right arms. “Think of all the lives lost. Not just innocent civilians and UComm officers, but Farooqua killed in the retaliation. Uyull might be alive!”
The air grew tense and awkward. If it were possible for Mhir’ujiid to become invisible, she clearly would have done so. Kyas’argiid observed this detractor with an inscrutable, narrowed stare.
Habraum knew Fiyan’s grief-fueled rant would only make things worse. “Fiyan,” he warned.
The Nnaxan whirled on him, craniowhisks swinging. “No, Nwosu. The Quud did nothing—”
“Sergeant,” Habraum’s voice boomed over hers. “Enough.”
Fiyan closed her eyes, letting out a maddened sigh before sitting back down in her seat. From the glow of the fire, Mhir’ujiid’s buggy red eyes sparkled with fresh tears. She should feel guilty, the Cerc smoldered. Kyas’argiid stared up at Qos, a strange sadness filling his scarred features. No one spoke for a long while, leaving the Nnaxan’s outburst to marinate in the silence.
Habraum was the first to finally speak, “Kyas’argiid, please continue.”
The high chief surveyed the gathering and resumed, “In addition to cloaking his tribe from detection, he can also transport them across lands unaided.”
Moroseness weighed heavily on his tone. “I was arrogant, thinking my tribe could never join such madness. So we Quud remained...how you say?” Mhir’ujiid leaned over and whispered to her father. “Ah. We remained ‘neutral’ on the Ghebrekh. Then, Quud living at the foot of the Qiidr Mountains began joining Ghuj’aega.”
“Things got worse after the Ttaunz attack on the N’noa lowlands,” added Mhir’ujiid, “and my kidnapping. Quud from larger dwellings began questioning my father’s authority, some even defecting.”
“And when I did not attack the Ttaunz to get Mhir’ujiid back...” Kyas’argiid paused, trying to find the right words. Deep sadness finally bled through his solemn mask. “Ekus’oguul joined the Ghebrekh.”
“Sorry,” Cortes scratched her dimpled chin in confusion, “but who’s Ekus’oguul?”
Mhir’ujiid still could not face the Brigadiers. “My cousin and my hunting partner always held a hardline view of the Ttaunz. My kidnapping and the Quud staying neutral were too much for him.”
“Why didn’t you attack?” growled V’Korram. Everyone turned in surprise, their reactions ranging from mild to strong bewilderment. “Your eldest child,” he nodded at Mhir’ujiid, his feline features more curious than usual surly. “How could you not want to rescue her yourself by any means?”
Kyas’argiid stared at the Kintarian for a long, charged moment. “The Ttaunz have better, bigger weapons, more resources. As High Chief of Quud, I carry the weight of all tribal nations.” The high chief slapped a hand on his own back to drive home his point. His tenor grew heated, his Standard more choppy as he continued, “I cherish family over everything except Zenith Point, but if I attack...other tribes do same…and get slaughtered by Ttaunz. I tried to set peaceful example—even though I wanted to butcher those that take my daughter.”
The Quud slammed a fist on his chair’s armrest with a smack. “Time for talk is over. If nothing done, the Ghebrekh will start war between Ttaunz and Farooqua.”
Habraum leaned back in his stone seat, eyeing Kyas’argiid with both grudging respect and mild contempt. “And that’s why you’re helping us; we do the fighting while the Quud’s peaceful standing remains unsoiled. Nor does it appear that you ‘betrayed’ the Farooqua to outsiders. How convenient.”
Kyas’argiid’s solemn, scarred visage cracked a smirk. “In ways you cannot imagine. Once Ghuj’aega is gone, those tribes who helped the Ghebrekh will pay heavy price!”
Habraum had no reaction for or interest in that news. All he wanted was to eradicate the Ghebrekh and rescue the Faroor Viceroy’s son, if he still lived. But the latter seemed doubtful at this point.
“You mentioned Ghuj’aega can see someone’s past and future,” Marguliese said. “Expound, please.”
Kyas’argiid gave the Cybernarr a baffled look until his daughter signaled subtly with her hands.
“Oh, you mean ‘explain’?” The Quud chief nodded in comprehension. “His powers let him see someone’s history with a glance. As for seeing the future, it has been how he evades capture. Ghuj’aega sees possibilities in advance and counters them.”
The explanation sent uncomfortable, anxious ripples through CT-1 and the TerraTroopers. This explained how Ghuj’aega had found us at Inorskii Fields. Marguliese angled a frown at Habraum, both of them realizing that this ability would surely compromise the Brigade’s battle strategy.
The scrawny attendant who previously departed after the skyquake now reappeared, walking briskly over to the high chief’s side with gestures so subtle it looked more like she had a twitching problem. Whatever she was telling him visibly pleased Kyas’argiid. He turned to his guests. “It appears the damage to my city is small. Few injuries, no deaths.”
“Glad to hear,” voiced the Cerc. “What’s all that toil and tousle back there?” Habraum’s query was directed at whatever two fast-moving Quud were setting up behind them. The freshly uprooted tree, covered in gnarled black bark with some circular shoots of spiky and curving orange leaves, was surrounded by mounds of crumbly soil and metallic-looking blue pebbles.
As Habraum watched, both Quud workers pounced on an unsuspecting iokkas grazing around the terrace. One Quud hooked its arms around the beast’s neck and another grabbed its waist. The iokkas squealed and squirmed frantically to free itself. But the Quud, despite their extremely scrawny physiques, overpowered the poor creature and dragged it toward the tree without getting kicked by its bucking legs. They held the iokkas in front of the tree and waited. The other two iokki grew skittish and padded to the terrace’s farthest edge in fear.
Before Habraum and the others could wonder why they grabbed the beast, Kyas’argiid stood up and slowly walked over to the agitated animal. Accepting a long spear from a Quud warrior on hand, calm resolve washed over the high chief. Habraum glanced quizzically at Mhir’ujiid, who sat enthralled by her father’s actions.
“A sacrifice to the Zenith Point,” she finally spoke, “in thanks for your rescuing me, and to grant luck
against Ghuj’aega. We combine all six elements of totality for this ritual.”
As she spoke ever so reverently, the Quud High Chief hefted the spear adroitly in a practiced attack stance, ignoring the iokkas’s nonstop squealing.
Abruptly, he plunged the spear through the iokkas’s side, pinning it to the tree. The two iokki reared and galloped away from the carnage. Habraum jerked back as gushes of frothy, white blood spewed out from the beast’s wounds. Liliana covered her mouth with both hands in horror. Khal, Tyris, and Khrome started. Fiyan and Byzlar, both who had seen so much death on this rocky world, turned away in disgust.
The night filled with the iokkas’s appallingly shrill screech, its blood spurting from either side of the wound onto the mounds of dirt and metal pebbles.
One of Kyas’argiid’s subjects handed him a large bucket filled with a strange opaque liquid, which he quickly tossed on the iokkas, the tree, and the soil—drenching them all.
The liquid touched the soil and immediately ignited into bright white flames. The inferno outshined their bonfire, shooting into the air and consuming the entire setup.
At that point, the flames had totally consumed the iokkas, which had thankfully stopped shrieking. That gruesome death aside, Habraum soon grasped the ritual’s meaning—the tree, the metallic pebbles, the soil, the iokkas, the liquid, the final blaze and its reddish smoke licking the belly of the skies—every part stood for one of the six elements.
The sacrificial animal’s death lingered on longer in the gathering of Star Brigadiers, save for Marguliese, who blinked aloofly as she scrutinized the sacrifice.
Liliana Cortes shot to her feet, drawing everyone’s attention. “I need some fresh air,” she announced, sounding as nauseous as she looked next to the white-hot blaze. “Excuse me.”