by Andrew Gates
“I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you, I guess, for loving me.”
“What do you mean?” Margery asked as she wiped some tears from her eyes. “You don’t love me too?”
“I… I guess so, but I don’t know,” Jallah answered. In truth, he was wholly unprepared to have this discussion right now. He began to shake nervously.
“You might not see it, but I can see it,” Margery said. “You love me. I know you do.”
“How do you know? How can you tell?”
“You’re overcomplicating it, Jallah. There’s no way to tell. You just feel it. It’s something you know deep in your heart without anyone telling you.”
“It is?”
The room was quiet for a moment, but that silence was soon interrupted by the subtle snickering of Ophelia in the corner. Jallah and Margery both stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
“What?” she said as the eyes turned her way. “You guys should hear yourselves. It’s like something out of a cheesy romance story,” Ophelia teased as she took another bite of apple.
“You see that he loves me, right?” Margery asked.
“Oh, I know exactly what you guys think of each other, but I’m staying out of it.” Ophelia finished the last bite of her apple and walked to the doorway. She tossed the apple core outside and continued walking. “I’ll leave you two to be alone.”
Now without any distractions, Jallah stood awkwardly beside Margery. He did not know what to do or say. He stared at her, then moved his gaze to the door.
“What? Is that it?” Margery asked.
“I… I…” In that moment, Jallah said the first thing that came to his mind, which was also the worst thing he could have possibly said. “I have to pee.”
“You have to pee?” Margery repeated.
“Y… yes. I have to pee.” With those words, Jallah promptly turned and exited the lab.
The boy instantly knew that he screwed up. Holy crap, dude. It’s simple! Why didn’t I just tell her that I love her too? What is wrong with me? I can fight off a zombie with a robot arm, but I can’t say the right thing to a girl! He smacked himself in the forehead and squished his way through the thick mud until he exited the dome and found an isolated bush.
Jallah sighed as he undid his jumpsuit and let loose. Once finished, he zipped himself up and turned back around to face the lab, which resided in the portion of the town still covered by its glass roof (now dark with dirt and grass and moss).
He took a deep breath. It shouldn’t have been so hard to say three simple words.
The boy took a single step forward before suddenly stopping in place. It occurred to him that it had been hours since he last laid eyes on his hidden possession. Maybe just a quick look will make me feel better, he thought.
After checking to make sure the area was clear, Jallah reached into his pocket and removed the Metamorph. It shimmered in the light as the clouds slowly parted away.
In that moment, Jallah forgot all about those three simple words. They did not seem to matter anymore. Jallah stared at the vivid color in the vial. It looked so beautiful, so pure. He felt transfixed, as if he could not look away. This magnificent liquid had a power over him that he could not explain.
“My destiny,” he said aloud, not even intending to say anything at all. He stroked the glass. “The key.”
Chapter Two
Christening
Sup-Chief. Kho Ikharus
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
The words echoed through Ikharus’s head like a dream. His vision was foggy. He could hardly even see the figure leaning before him.
“Who? Who there?” Ikharus murmured. It strained him just to speak.
“It is I, Kho Kudulah,” the voice replied.
Ikharus did his best to sit up as his vision slowly improved. He was still unable to make out the finer details of Kudulah’s features, but he could at least tell that he was now talking to a male figure that at least resembled Kudulah, more or less.
“Kho Kudulah?” Ikharus repeated, dazed and confused.
“Yes, your Majesty, it is I.”
Ikharus must have misheard him. He thought he had said, “Your Majesty.” He turned to see if anyone else was in the room, but only a wall rested behind him. They were the only ones here.
“Majesty? Why do you address me as this?” Ikharus asked, facing Kudulah again.
“Because, Kho Ikharus,” Kudulah said, his blurry form bowing then rising, “you are the Supreme Chieftain.”
Ikharus instinctively checked the room again, sure that Kudulah had either misspoken or that there really was someone else here with them. But once again, they were alone.
“The? The?”
Details slowly came through. Ikharus was now able to see the room more clearly now. He was in some sort of medical facility with bright white lights.
“Supreme Chieftain, that is correct,” Kudulah said, finishing the sentence for him.
“B-but how? Me?”
“Yes, you, no one else. You are the Supreme Chieftain.”
At last the memories came back to him. Ikharus recalled the sight of Veznek’s lifeless body sprawled across the throne room floor. He remembered sitting upon the throne, surrounded by a room of Kholvari all bowed before him as he boldly declared, “You may rise.”
The mission to defeat Kho Veznek had come together rather quickly. Kreeds Marauder and Echelon sprung into action with little planning. All they knew was that they had to breach the ship and kill Kho Veznek. They did not even have so much as a battleplan laid out before embarking on their mission. But then again, that had always been the way of the Kreeds.
It still felt like a dream, but Ikharus now knew it was all real. I am the Supreme Chieftain, he nervously accepted.
“I… I…” Ikharus did not know what to say.
“I understand that this is surprising news to hear. We wondered who would be best to break the news to you.”
“We?”
“The members of your staff, your Majesty. We met hours ago and discussed your transition.”
“Hours?”
“You have been unconscious for some time. You defeated Kho Veznek and, in doing so, used every bit of energy you had left. You were on the brink of death yourself, so we quickly took you in and rushed you to medical attention. Since then, you have been recovering.”
Ikharus tried to remember anything that happened after sitting on the throne, but he could recall nothing. He must have passed out shortly thereafter.
“Where am I? Here now?”
“In good care. Do not worry, your Majesty.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“But that title belongs to you now, Kho Ikharus.”
Ikharus was quiet. He was still so confused. He sighed and blinked his eyes, doing anything he could to improve his vision.
“You mentioned earlier, ‘we’. Who is ‘we’?” he asked, trying to change the subject to something more digestible.
“The Supreme Chieftain’s cabinet, well, save for Kal Sanja.”
“Who?”
“Kal Sanja. She is an evolved-one. She was not officially part of Kho Veznek’s cabinet, but he kept her close. We debated bringing her in for our most recent meeting but decided against it as she did not have an official role with his late Majesty. We did not want to overstep our bounds by assigning her one now.”
“What… what did evolved-one do?”
“She acted as an advisor mostly. She even helped us target an evolved-one location for an attack.”
“Advisor?” Ikharus must have heard Kudulah’s words incorrectly.
“Affirmative, your Majesty.”
Ikharus shook his head in disbelief, still so confused. Kho Veznek hated the evolved-ones. How did he have one as an unofficial advisor?
“Is she useful?” Ikharus wondered.
“I suppose so, your Majesty, but I have my reservations, as do the others.”
“I see.” Ikharus adju
sted in his seat. “And how about her? What would this evolved-one think if we excluded her from the cabinet meetings?”
“She would likely be upset. Kho Veznek gave her a tremendous amount of responsibilities.”
“Is that so?”
“It is, your Majesty.”
Ikharus sighed.
“Then include her in future meetings for the time-being. We do not want to shake the status quo right away, at least, not until I get more comfortable with my new role. Only then, we can begin to make more drastic changes.”
“Excuse me?”
“This evolved-one… Kal… I cannot recall her name. Kho Veznek trusted her. Perhaps he would have granted her an official role if only he had more time. If I were to absorb her into my cabinet, it will show that I am not trying to tear down Kho Veznek’s legacy, but rather continue it.”
“Do you want to preserve his legacy, your Majesty? I thought you despised Kho Veznek.”“In truth, I do not care to preserve any aspect of that wretched traitor’s legacy. But the Chiefdom will not take kindly to one ruler dismantling everything the other has done. Involving the evolved-one is a decision I make to maintain consistency in this office, not one I make out of trust for a creature I do not even know.”
“I see.” Kudulah nodded. “Very well, your Majesty. We will include her henceforth.”
Ikharus sighed.
“I am already making decisions. By the Chiefdom. What have I become? How did this happen?”
Kudulah wisely did not answer.
“When do I have to report to my duties as Supreme Chieftain?” Ikharus eventually asked after a long moment of silence.
“Well, your Majesty, that is actually the reason I am here.”
Ikharus looked up at Kudulah curiously.
“We hope to hold the ceremony soon, tomorrow in fact.”
“Tomorrow? You mean I am to officially inherit the role before I can even stand?”
“The healers tell me you shall be back on your feet soon. It will not take more than a day for your worst injuries to recover.”
Ikharus closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He felt tears stream down his face. He did not want this. He just wanted to stop Kho Veznek, not to become him. What have I gotten myself into?
“Leave me, Kho Kudulah. I wish to be alone.”
* * *
Ikharus sat still on the ornate throne. Rows of Kholvari stood before him along the gleaming black floor of the sprawling room. The stunning vista of Earth and the Kholvari space fleet shone through the massive window at Ikharus’s back and although he could not see it from his angle, its reflection was clearly mirrored across the shiny floor before him.
Ikharus took in the sight. He was impressed to see how quickly this room had been transformed. Only a day ago, it was a battleground, covered in blood. It was hard to consider that each of the guards in this room were prepared to kill him. Now here they were, swearing their lives to protect his.
The former soldier tried to adjust his left arm along the armrest before remembering that he had no left arm at all. Where there was once a limb, there was now nothing more than a stump wrapped in bandage and covered with an ornate cap crafted by the royal designer herself. He had to admit the gold and jewel craftsmanship of the cap was beautiful, especially when considering the hastiness of the project. Still, living without a left arm was something Ikharus knew would take some getting used to… along with being the ruler of Kholvaria.
That would take even more time to get used to.
Ikharus was not a politician and never wanted to be. He was a soldier, good at taking orders not giving them. But he contested Kho Veznek’s rulership and defeated him before he had time to name a successor. Though such a contention had not occurred in planet-cycles, precedent dictated that Ikharus was, by right, the Chiefdom’s new ruler.
He may not have asked for this. He certainly did not know this would happen and, he guessed, neither did Veznek. But it did happen and it was Ikharus’s duty now to rule. His Chiefdom needed him. And as a loyal servant to the Chiefdom, he would not let his people down.
Squad Leader Kho Ikharus was gone. He went by a new name now, a name that still did not sound real: Supreme Chieftain.
“Before all eyes of the Chiefdom, we bear witness to the christening of a new ruler,” stated the ship’s first mate, Kho Plokah. The words instantly brought Ikharus back to the here and now.
The first mate held a crown in his grasp. Ikharus recognized it. This same crown formally belonged to the late Supreme Chieftess Kal Khtallia. It seemed on such short notice, forging a new crown was out of the question. Plokah slowly placed it atop Ikharus’s head. It felt cold against his battered skin.
“All hail the Supreme Chieftain, his Majesty, Kho Ikharus, of the Kholvari!”
“All hail!” the crowd responded in unison before lowering to their knees.
“May he succeed where others would fail!” Plokah said.
Ikharus could not believe his eyes. All these Kholvari here and across the Chiefdom were bowing for him. He never thought this would be his fate. He sat still for several seconds, taking it all in.
Plokah slowly leaned in next to him.
“Your Majesty, I apologize for these invasive words. It is not my place to intrude, but this is the part where you declare your loyalty to the Chiefdom,” Plokah whispered.
“Ah, yes, Kho Plokah. Thank you,” Ikharus replied, waving to him with his left arm stub before remembering that there was no limb attached to it.
Ikharus stood up from the chair. His long, heavy red cape moved with him. His legs and back still ached from battle. He leaned on the scepter in his right claw for balance. He stared at the Kholvari before him and cleared his throat.
“I, Supreme Chieftain Kho Ikharus of the Kholvari, henceforth declare my loyalty to the Chiefdom and proclaim that I am bound to my duty to Kholvaria and to the Colony of Mars until death or the lawful rules of succession terminate my position after 20 planet-cycles.” He had rehearsed the words all afternoon and knew the phrase forward and backwards at this point.
“And we shall obey his word,” the crowd replied as they stood up from their bows.
Ikharus had not noticed her before, but as he stared down at the crowd before him, he caught a glimpse of the one member of this chamber who was not like the others. She may have been garbed in Kholvari fashion, but she was anything but Kholvari. Her soft, unshelled dark skin seemed to absorb the light around her. She stood tall and confidently on two feet, staring Ikharus straight in the eyes.
“Progress through obedience,” she said as the other voices remained silent. She placed her right hand before her heart. “Long live the Kholvari Chiefdom.”
Ikharus did not know what to make of the evolved-one woman known as Kal Sanja. He had only heard tales of her and had not yet had the opportunity to speak to her in person. As far as he knew, the evolved-one woman had supposedly betrayed her own people, decimating them with the tools of the Chiefdom. As a former soldier, Ikharus shuddered at the very idea of such treachery. The more he learned about her, the more Ikharus worried that Kal Sanja could not be trusted. Until he could find a use for her, he would entertain her with a pointless role among his staff that would allow her to feel in power yet keep her at bay and prevent any unwanted meddling, no matter how eager she wanted to contribute to the Chiefdom’s leadership.
“Thank you all,” Ikharus said as he examined the other faces in the room. Noticeably absent were the brave soldiers he had fought alongside to get here, but Ikharus knew that their reasons for not attending were justified. After the intense wounds they had sustained in battle, his allies were likely being treated with much needed medical attention on the other side of the ship, or so he assumed. He knew nothing for certain. He had heard no word of their fate, or if they were even alive.
“It is my immense pleasure to take on this burden of rulership,” Ikharus continued. He lifted his scepter high. “To hold dominion over the Chiefdom is a task far t
oo grand to ask for, but an undertaking that must be made. It is no secret that our great Chiefdom has met a time of immense vulnerability and weakness, with the destruction of our greatest city and two hierarchs displaced in not even a month’s time. It is in these trying times that the strength of a reliable leader is most needed. I know some may have their doubts, but I assure you all, I shall fight for this Chiefdom as I have fought for it all my life.”
“All hail the Supreme Chieftain, his Majesty, Kho Ikharus, of the Kholvari!” Plokah said again.
“All hail!”
“And may he succeed where others would fail.”
Ikharus nodded, then sat down. He silently considered Plokah’s words. May he succeed where others would fail. That thought was not a comforting one. Two hierarchs dead, first Kal Khtallia, then Kho Veznek, and their fates met back to back. Ikharus hoped he would not meet the same sudden end as his predecessors.
But these were trying times and the rules of the world seemed to have been turned on their head. In this dark hour of the Chiefdom, nothing was ensured.
* * *
“At long last, after ceremony upon ceremony, the time has finally come for my first official meeting as ruler of Kholvaria,” Ikharus declared as he entered the private conference room reserved for the Supreme Chieftain and his staff.
This room was far smaller than the elaborate throne room, though Ikharus felt more comfortable here. He welcomed small spaces. Here there were fewer places for enemies to hide, not that he would have to worry about that anymore with his entourage of guards, but some habits were hard to break.
Kho Kudulah, the advisor to the Supreme Chieftain, Kho Quokka, the head of finance, General Kal Ri’Khor, one of the Chiefdom’s military generals, Kal Sanja, the newest addition to his advisory council, and surprisingly, both Kho Kozakh of the honor guards and Kal Ezenkharam, the special operations commander, were in attendance. The latter two were strewn up in bandages and leaning on crutches, still recovering from injuries that Ikharus and his allies had delivered.