Matakeo: Echoes of the Future

by Daniel L. Newcomb

  “What do we do now?” Teron’s voice was compassionate and understanding.

  “Other than trying to get a message to Guardian Command and pray they heed the warning? Nothing.”

  The woman placed her other hand on his left shoulder. She squeezed her fingers repeatedly into the fibrous muscles on both sides of his neck. For a moment he allowed it, enjoying the release of some of his tension.

  “I thought about checking in on the men we had rescued. The father will be coming out of surgery soon.”

  “Well, if everything is about to unravel, I may as well go pay the fat man a visit.” A smirk appeared on his face, like one who could be satisfied by recompensing evil with evil. “I believe our holy man is courting with some of the Citizens.”

  “Just be sure you bring him in for trial,” Teron warned. “Do not be dealing justice on your own.”

  Darius smiled real big.

  “I mean it,” she pleaded.

  21

  Kwin watched the surgery from a monitor inside the waiting room. The live feed showed the procedure from an advantage point above the surgeon’s head. He stood there like a statue. His mind however, was enveloped in a flurry of random thoughts. As if in a state of narcosis, he could not control the vivid pictures shuffling around in his head. The man’s soul was on a natural course for healing the mental stress caused by his sibling’s betrayal of his trust.

  Of all people, why did it have to be my own brother? Does he not understand there should be a bond that resides with family members? A bond that should outlive the gravitational orbit existing between a planet and the sun it revolves around; a custodial trust spanning beyond the infinite expansion of the universe? Instead, he lied. Why would he make me believe that father was dead? Had Kwal been told to lie? Did father tell him to, or did he scheme the untruth by himself? Either way, whether father had anything to do with it or not, the damage had been done. Nothing on Earth or in the stars could change that now.

  For a long time Kwin believed he had his twin brother’s personality pegged. He was positive he knew him better than that. Maybe Kwal had a solid reason for telling me father was dead?

  Forcibly, he pushed his awareness beyond the fog of introspection. As he regained the operating table as a visual forefront, he realized that time loss had happened. The doctor was off to the left of the table and in the middle of his post surgery scrub down. If he had been seconds later looking up at the screen, he would have missed the male nurse who had come to wheel the patient’s bed out of the operating room. Oddly, he noticed one of the front wheels of the stretcher was not functioning properly. The object fluttered back and forth, never spinning like it was designed to do.

  Kwal, standing next to his brother the entire time, was quite the observant individual. Being capable of reading someone’s expressions and body language had become a vital tool in his line of work. Knowing how to judge another person's reactions before they commit to a physical response could mean the difference between credits gained or lost. Most importantly, it may be the deciding factor of whether you save your hide or not.

  “Hey, Kwin? The surgery is done. Father is going to be alright.”

  Kwin turned and glared at him.

  Kwal saw a fire burning in Kwin’s eyes he had never seen before. In others? Yes. Right before they drew a weapon.

  Kwin was furious. How can he be so insensitive to my feelings? Why would flesh and blood go this far to perpetrate and fabricate hurt and pain? Like that was not cruel enough, he now acts as if the lie was no big deal. The one who always beat me up as a child is now acting as if he did not lie. Does he expect me to not be mad at him? Get for real. He fumed silently. Our father was the only dream I had to look forward to. I wanted to be with him. Travel from star to star, system to system helping father to earn a living. I wanted to be there with him and you.

  All of these thoughts caused the frustration to mount. His anger was at a boiling point. Like a bomb, he suddenly exploded into an act of retaliation. Doubling up his fist, he swung it toward Kwal’s face. The feeling of anxiety was such a release for him. He closed his eyes and anticipated the crushing blow that would connect with his brother’s chin.

  The impact never occurred. Instead, the attack was knocked off course. The brother placed his arm up in defense, batting it away. Solemnly, the two stared each other down. Kwal expected his brother to cower and apologize. Kwin’s apprehension differed from that of his twin. He was waiting for the return blow that would surely be delivered. Neither one put thought to action.

  Kwin could not stand to be in his brother’s presence any longer. Methodically, he squared his shoulders and exited the waiting room; most importantly, away from his brother. Only one word was spoken as he departed.

  “Jerk!”

  Kwal chuckled.

  The doors slid open. Frenzied, he stepped out and turned right. This put him directly into the path of an oncoming woman. Thankfully, the contact was minimal. Neither suffered bodily harm from the collision.

  “I am so sorry.” Kwin expressed with sincerity. At first he did not recognize her.

  “I forgive you.” She replied.

  Then it dawned on him. “You’re the pilot who saved our butts.”

  “Actually, I should be thanking you.”

  “Why is that?” Kwin asked puzzled.

  “If you had not fired that missile into the Lumi ship there may not have been a rescue.”

  “Well, then.” Kwin’s blush was only outdone by his smile. “You’re welcome.” Only after saying it did he feel guilty for taking credit he did not deserve.

  Teron laughed, which made the smile on his face feel fake. “Nobody can accurately fire a pod as a weapon and hit a strategic point on a moving target. I figure it was pure luck for all of our sakes.”

  He was still flustered with the deceitfulness of his twin. Immediately, he moved around her and continued on down the hall. All he wanted was to escape the current crisis.

  Teron could tell he was struggling with something. Having more compassion than she should, she gave chase. Besides, she really wanted an update on his father’s condition and figured he could probably use a real friend right about now.

  “Hey. Wait up!” No acknowledgment was given to her. Instead, the man actually picked up his pace and tried not to make it noticeable.

  “Hey!” She called out louder this time. By this time she had caught up to him. “Where are you going?”

  Without breaking stride, he turned to her and replied.

  “I haven’t the slightest clue.”

  Teron stayed in step with him. Their forward motion was unintentionally synchronized. It was as if they had trained together for it. Purposely, she waited a minute before imploring him again.

  “Can I come along?”

  Kwin tried really hard to maintain an attitude of self-pity. “Looks to me like you are.”

  “Thank you,” she said candidly.

  Kwin shook his head in disbelief. Every step he took the woman matched, who for some uncanny reason wanted to pester him. At least that is how he perceived it. From the medical center to the public transportation depot, she stuck with him like a shadow all the way to the space port.

  He had made his way to the shipping docks. This was the area where freighters loaded and unloaded their cargo. Here is where his heart felt like it belonged. Or was it? He was no longer confident with that line of thinking. This had been all he had dreamed of, thanks to his father.

  As a child, it had been his ticket to bond with what had been truly missed while growing up. Now he was having doubts about whether he really wanted to know his father or not.

  Finally, he came to a stop near a railing that overlooked another dock on the terrace below. From this vantage there was an excellent view of a Bethel made crane. It was currently loading a crate into the top of a freighter. The ship’s design was of an origin he was unfamiliar with.

  This here was it. Kwin had reached an unforeseeable end. The time h
ad finally arrived to deal with the issue.

  “Why?” The hurt he was experiencing had him by the heart. “Why did this have to happen to me?”

  Teron nudged in closer to his side. “You want to share with me?”

  “Just does not seem fair.”

  “What is not fair?”

  With his gaze fixed upon the laboring machinery below, he explained. “I lost my mother long before I was old enough to remember her.” An insignificant amount of mucous smeared the back of his hand as he wiped it under his nose.

  “I have fragmented memories of my father. Most of those were before puberty.”

  “I could see how that would be hard to deal with. However, there are no guarantees in life.”

  “I understand that,” he replied. “I thought I was man enough to accept the crappy hand I was dealt. Then, Boom!” Kwin threw his hands in the air, as if to portray an explosion.

  “Then what?”

  “I find out my father is not dead as I was told to believe. My mother lives on in an unimaginable form and my brother is the biggest jerk to ever exist.” With the last part of the sentence spoken, he realized what he had said and forced a chuckle. “Actually, I have known for years that my brother was a jerk.”

  Teron smiled. “Wow.” The one word was all she could think of to say without being afraid of speaking something that might hurt him more. Seconds later, she continued. “I am thankful I have not had to go through that.”

  “Yeah,” he murmured. “What do you know?”

  “I do know one thing,” she said in a positive tone.

  “What would that be?” He turned and looked directly into her eyes for the first time since he had run in to her.

  “I believe the unfortunate events that have occurred in your childhood have made you strong enough as an adult to deal with the issues besetting you today.”

  “Honestly,” he remarked as he tugged at the piece of jewelry dangling around his neck. “I know you are right.”

  With the relic in hand, he yanked at it. This forced the chain to dig into the skin on the back of his neck. The metal links came awfully close to gouging into the flesh.

  “I am freeing myself from this today,” he announced. “This token represents pained memories and lies.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My brother gave this to me. Said my father wanted me to have it. Now I realize it was nothing more than an illusion. I was given false hopes for the things that matter the most to me. Everything told to me about my family has been a damn lie!”

  Teron could not find the words to console him now. She had helped progress him to a point where he could accept this state of affairs in life. All she could do now was look on. Wait for him to release on his own. The woman anticipated for it to occur at any moment.

  For several minutes, Kwin embraced the heirloom and what it had meant to him. Then he realized it was the memories and anticipation of what could be that helped him through the bad times of his life, not the necklace. Now he was aware of all the deceit. He felt as if there was no need for hanging on to the piece. A decision was made; a tough but final one. Rearing back the hand that held the memento in its grasp, he flung it forward and released. The object flew over the railing.

  The chain unfolded as it sailed through the air. It continued to stretch out, causing its descent to slow. Sunlight streamed though the chain creating brilliant flashes of color to emit from it. In what seemed like forever, it disappeared into the shadows cast from the east side of a group of crates that were waiting to be loaded on the freighter below.

  Teron was about to ask him what he was doing. However, she knew it was none of her business how the man dealt with his dilemma. Besides, one look at the glow upon his face signified he had found some freedom at a new level of maturity.

  The next line from his mouth was random.

  “I think I am hungry.”

  “I am too.” She nodded in agreement. “We should grab something. Then we need to hurry back to the medical center. We should all get out while the getting is good.”

  Kwin smiled. “I would be honored to go with you to a food stand just so long as you are buying.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I’m broke.”

  The smile she returned to the youngster was for real. “Come on. Let's go.”

  22

  Three hundred miles above the surface of Luminescence, the central command room for the Lumi-Earth force was bustling. Technicians scurried about from one station to another, conferring with their zone officers on specific data readouts. Others sat behind display screens used to watch all major functions of every craft within the fleet. In a timely fashion, all the reports were given to the captain’s chief assistant. Everything was ready and given a final stamp of approval. The Armada was ready to embark on its mission.

  Two people stood apart from the rest of the group. The width of the viewing screen was incredibly long, allowing them to overlook the entire fleet in the harbor. Neither one of them moved for the longest time. They waited quietly for the “all ready” from Tog-Zing. The zone officers' reports were turned in to Tog’s group. Within minutes, they had combined them into one, final presentation.

  Captain Tog-Zing held the report in his hands. He stepped up behind the two on the observatory platform. In a soft and reverent tone, he addressed the one person in the party who was most important.

  “My Banimpire,” he spoke. “All is ready.”

  At first, she did not respond. Deep in her own mind, she was savoring her twisted thoughts. To her, they were nothing more than glorious. Nearly half a minute passed before she acknowledged the captain.

  “Thank you. Please open up a com to the Earth force.”

  “Your Highness, would you rather it be open to both fleets simultaneously?”

  The question asked annoyed her. Holding back the words she really wanted to say, she turned and smiled at him.

  “As I asked, thank you!” Malign spun around on her heels so she was facing the view portal once again. Anticipation was building inside her. Her thoughts were consumed with watching her grand scheme unfold before her eyes. Suddenly, she found herself fighting the urge to pop her knuckles.

  An officer appeared upon the view screen. He was the admiral for the Earth force. Upon his own screen he could see the two in charge inside the war room. To the right of the Banimpire was his own commanding officer, Artisan Cusp.

  “Sir?” The Admiral saluted his superior.

  “You are clear to deploy,” Cusp ordered. “Happy hunting.”

  “Thank you, Sir!” Then the video screen disappeared, taking the image of the admiral with it.

  All the technicians busied themselves once again as the fleet of starships from Earth deployed. The ships became smaller as they moved out of the harbor. Moments later, bright specks of light could be seen out past the break as the ships initiated their FTL drives. Seconds later, the Armada made the jump into hyperspace and vanished.

  “Get me a link to our command ship,” Malign shouted over the din of noise coming from the instruments inside the room. The video screen reappeared once again. This time it was Admiral Shay-Tok’s holographic image displayed.

  “Yes, my Banimpire?” He bowed his head in homage to her.

  “Admiral,” she said. “You and your fleet may deploy now.”

  “Yes, your highness?”

  She turned and faced the officer in charge of the war room.

  “Captain Zing?”

  “Yes, my Banimpire?”

  “You have control of the Command Center. You can reach me at the Palace if you need me.”

  “Thank you, your highness.”

  Malign then placed her left arm into Artisan’s right arm. Then she and Cusp exited the room.

  23

  Rimsen was amazed at how quickly his strength had returned. If it had not, he would have had a hard time running down the Lumi maintenance worker. The chase did not take long at all. Within thirty secon
ds he closed the gap. Once in range, he reached out and grabbed the alien by the back of his shirt. The other hand followed the lead of the first. Both hands gripped the knitted material of the alien’s shirt.

  Like pulling back on the reins of a charging mount to stop its forward progress, so he did with this Lumi Surprisingly, there was very little resistance. As the Lumi’s body was falling uncontrollably backward, the human slid down on his buttocks. He quickly put his feet flat on the ground. Simultaneously, as the would-be squealer’s head fell between his knees, the human clamped both his thighs around the others neck.

  Squeezing tightly, he twisted his torso. This action turned the alien’s head in a direction that was never meant to occur naturally. Several crackling noises accompanied the popping sound. Instantly, the alien’s body went limp.

  Rimsen released his legs from around the lifeless alien. There was no time to waste. He needed to ditch the corpse and get to the drop ship. Luckily for him there was a recycling canister close by. He dragged the corpse up next to the bin. Then he picked the dead alien up. He managed to flip it over the top and in to the can. A loud thud sounded within the canister as he released it. A propulsion system igniting drowned out the noise.

  He turned to look toward the landing pad. The drop-ship appeared above the tops of the buildings. Dark plumes of smoke funneled down out of the exhaust ports. All Rimsen could do was stand there and look on. At first, its ascent was slow. Gradually, as it gained more speed, the trails of fuel emissions narrowed and lightened in color. Thirty seconds later, the craft his comrades had stolen vanished into the sky of Luminescence. His focus remained in the sky briefly after the craft was out of sight.

  Rimsen did not fear for his life. Stuck on a planet inhabited by a species waging war with his did not faze him. He remained calm. Then he had a weird feeling. There was no way to rationalize it. It was as if something important was missing from his personage. For the most part, he felt confused. Any memory beyond twenty-four hours was just not there. At least he was alive and not the opposite. Physically, he felt terrific. In his heart, he was positive there was a greater purpose involved with his being left.