by K. L. Bone
I did not call the Councilor the next day and Kavra had never returned from the Seltas galaxy; not in almost two long years. Nor had he allowed me to come to him. “I’m sorry, my dear,” he would always say. “This system is just too unstable. I will not risk your safety.”
A year later, on my seventeenth birthday, I had broken down into tears, begging Kavra to let me see him. “Why? What have I done?” I pleaded over and over again.
“Chrissa,” his voice sounded strained. “You cannot come here, it’s just not safe.”
“That is such bullshit!” I exclaimed. “It’s no more dangerous than any other outskirt of the Empire.”
“Chrissa,” he sounded so tired. “Don’t you think I want you with me?”
I shook my head, tears falling freely. “I don’t know anymore. Do you?”
My words stung, as though I had struck him across the face. But in my anger, I could not take them back. “Why are you doing this?”
“Chrissa,” he spoke the words as though they were wrenched from him. His hologram stepped closer to me as I stared into his pale blue eyes, a part of me expecting to feel the touch of his warm skin. “I would give anything in my power to be with you. To wipe the sorrow from your eyes,” he paused long enough to let his words settle over me. “Never doubt that, Chrissa.” He was so close.
I reached my hand towards him, and it passed through his left arm, causing the hologram to shimmer in the disrupted light. My tears fell faster as I looked up into his ghost-like form. “Please don’t cry.”
Later that night, it was not Kavra, but Councilor Vektor who came to speak with me. “A little bird thought you might need a friend tonight,” he said as he walked through the door to my private chambers.
“He shouldn’t have called you, my Lord,” even to me, my voice sounded bitter.
“Chrissa,” he addressed me. “Do you remember, what I once told you about choices and consequences?”
I nodded.
“A day will come, my Lady, when you will be asked to make a choice.”
“Between what? Two Lords who love me?”
“No,” Vektor shook his head. “It’s far greater than that.”
“You speak of choices,” I replied with a surprising amount of venom. “What choices have I ever had?”
“The choice to be human,” he answered.
“I don’t understand.”
“To be Setian is not to love, Chrissa. And yet, Kavra loves you. Not in a way of possession or power, but a pure and simplistic love. You humanize those around you, and you don’t even have to try.” He shook his head. “Kavra was not always like this. He never would have called and asked me to bring him back, in spite of Kasar’s wishes.”
“He what?”
Vektor turned his gaze back to mine. “It’s as though the human soul you are slowly losing has found its way into his heart.”
“I am not human,” I replied.
“No, but you are not Setian either; not yet.” He paused for breath. “A human heart with a Setian soul. It is the heart they covet, my Lady. That frail piece of humanity that lingers in you still. And one day you will have to make a choice. A choice between the humanity he loves, and the Empire to which you are eternally bound. It is a choice that is unique within our Empire, for no human has ever before been admitted to our ranks.”
I looked into his grey eyes and asked, “What will I choose?”
He looked at me with such sadness. “If you chose to fight your fate, my Lady; it would be a sight to behold.” Then, in a dead gaze he said, “But you won’t.”
His words sank over me as I drove back the threatening tears. Then I schooled my features to a practiced pose before stating, “I shall pray to the Emperors of the past for Kavra’s safe return, my Lord. When the council and Lord Kasar deem such a return appropriate. You shall not be troubled by this issue again, my Lord.”
He paused and then said, “Thank you, my Lady Kasar.”
That had been almost a year ago, and I had never again asked to see Kavra. Now, at last, Kavra had returned only to… I could not think.
I turned and walked out of the command room to the sound of Harras fifteen’s voice calling out behind me. “My Lady,” he called. “You can’t just leave and…”
“Yes, I can.” I turned to face the Horde, who towered above me in his alien form. “Communications have been restored. The Sentile command base has been destroyed. All ships that have entered the atmosphere have retreated and Lord Kasar is winning the battle above.” I drew a deep breath. “A Setian Lord has crash-landed and I am going to go find him.”
Let me take the search team instead,” Harras fifteen stated.
“No.”
“My Lady.”
“A Paltian child could oversee what is left of this battle,” I informed him, my voice held a deadly sense of calm that I did not feel. “Now, are you going to watch those monitors or do I need to find someone who will and give them your head as well as your rank?”
The horde stared at me and then stumbled over his response. “I shall oversee the remainder, my Lady.”
I nodded. “If the status of the battle changes, contact me immediately.” I did not wait for his response, but instead turned and walked toward the center of camp. I gave the Paltas a brief update before turning to Fillas, the elected leader while the emergency camps were up. “I need your help,” I said, then proceeded to tell him about the missing commander. “I need someone to be my guide.”
One of the natives who had been standing around us, Figus, said, “I will.” He looked at me solemnly. “My wife and child are alive because of you. I would be honored to help you find your missing Lord.”
I nodded, “I would appreciate it.”
I took a small task force in search of Lord Kavra. The satellite uplink showed fifteen fallen ships at various locations around the planet. Eight of those were part of our own fleet and specifically identified as belonging to a particular commander. Those were eliminated. Of the remaining ships, four we were able to reach by air and quickly determined that they were not Lord Kavra’s.
The last three proved more of a challenge. They had fallen in the middle of deep forests. We landed as close to the site as possible and proceeded to search for the ships on foot. It took hours to hike through the woods to find the ships. The first, we found everyone dead from the impact of the crash.
The next ship that we went in search of was located in the densest part of the forest. The underbrush was thick enough that it was difficult to walk. I had to be careful not to trip over the vines that had fallen from the crash. Trees lay scattered and my guards watched from afar, looking for signs of life. Then we saw two hordes standing along the side of the fallen, silver ship. I motioned to my sub-commanders, who nodded in acknowledgment.
I stepped forward carefully, cringing every time I crushed a leaf beneath my feet. The guards we were approaching were standing to the right side of the ship, unfortunately for them, staring in the wrong direction. I slid behind them, using the side of the ship to cover my approach. The steel was cold beneath my fingers. The two guards were whispering something inaudible and must have been very distracted in the conversation, because I managed to reach them before they realized I was there. I put the gun in my hand against the back of the horde’s large head and said, “Don’t move!”
The man beside him spun around, but the slith behind me was ready for his reaction, and knocked the second horde’s gun to the ground. The man I held the gun on put his hands up in the air. “Turn around, slowly.” I took one step back so he could comply. The horde did as I ordered, turning around slowly and looked into my deep green eyes. The air was tense around us as we held that glance for several moments, then he said, “Lady Kasar, thank god!”
“Your name and rank?”
“Sectra 15, my Lady. I served on your guard detail the last time you visited Lord Kavra.”
Still uncertain, I asked, “What planet did we stop by on our way home from that
trip?”
“Jereitinal,” was the reply. “Famous for its desserts.”
I lowered the gun. “Where is Lord Kavra? Is he alive?”
“Yes, but he was injured in the crash. The ship’s power has been completely knocked out. We don’t know how the battle is going, and could not afford to walk into enemy lines.”
I turned back to take a more through look at my surroundings. Black scorched one side of the otherwise silver ship. The trees destroyed by the crash lay on their side like bodies covering a battlefield.
“The battle has turned our way.” I informed Sectra 15. “I was sent to find Lord Kavra.”
Sectra led me back toward the ship. A few seconds later, I was standing in front of the man himself. Lord Kavra was sitting against what was left of the ship’s wall, a blanket thrown over him to keep him warm. His eyes were closed as I approached and his blond hair was matted against his forehead. “Kavra.”
He opened his light blue eyes and blinked, then attempted to focus. “Chrissa?” he finally asked.
“Hello, Kavra.”
“Am I dead?”
I shook my head.
“You came.”
“Of course I did.”
“You came yourself?”
“You know me,” I replied. “An adventure with certain death assured? I wouldn’t miss it.”
I knelt down beside him and watched as he tried to straighten. The blanket that had been covering his body slipped from his shoulders. I saw the large gash across his upper chest. It looked as though a piece of glass had tried to slice him in half, but failed and only cut half-way. “Oh, Kavra,”
“Long way for nothing, huh?” how he managed to smile, I will never understand.
“Now, you listen to me. If I came all this way to find you, the least you can do is not die on me. I am going to call the ships, have this area cleared, and get you back to the fleet immediately. Do you hear me Kavra? Don’t you dare die on me!”
Lord Kavra coughed weakly. “I thought I was the higher commander here.”
I thought for a moment then replied, “You may be the sixth in command of the military, but I’m a spoiled brat who always gets her way. You wouldn’t want to ruin my perfect record, would you?”
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to do that,” he laughed, and then grimaced because laughing hurt.
Then more seriously, I said, “Hold on, we will have you out of here in a few minutes.”
I picked up the small, black communication device from my belt and called the main fleet. “I need immediate medical support. Priory silver,” the code for an injured Lord.
“My Lady,” a voice came through. “I am sorry, but it will be at least an hour before we can get to your location.”
The answer surprised me. “What?” I asked. “Excuse me, did you hear me correctly? Get those fucking ships down here now!”
“We will be there as quickly as we can, my Lady.” The device gave a sharp beep as communications were cut.
I turned back to Kavra and knelt down beside him. “They will get here soon. Don’t worry.” Silence filled the air, as though the surrounding forest had swallowed every sound. I slowly reached my hand toward his, but stopped almost involuntarily mere inches above his pale skin.
“Chrissa.” I raised my gaze to meet his pale blue eyes. Kavra drew a deep breath and grasped my hand in his own.
I moved toward the side of the metal ship, pushing myself beside Kavra and pulled him against my chest. His breathing was unsteady. “I’m here,” I whispered. “Please, hold on. Stay with me.” Time moved slower than it ever had before. Every minute dragged into a horrifying eternity as Kavra’s breathing became more and more ragged.
“I am sorry, my dear. I do not think I am going to make it out of this one.”
“Don’t say that,” I said back fiercely. He coughed. Blood splattered my sweater. Kavra jerked back. “It’s okay.” I pulled off my outer sweater to reveal the clean black shirt beneath.
Kavra leaned his head back against me. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s fine. Don’t talk.”
“Chrissa, you need to know how sorry I am. I never should have stayed away…”
“Be quiet, you can apologize later,” I paused, then added, “preferably with roses, diamonds, and groveling.” It brought a small smile to his pained face. I turned back to the guard on my left. “Call the fleet again. Tell them that they have to come now! Tell them it’s Kavra.”
“They are in the middle of the battle,” Kavra said. “You know the rules, Chrissa. They won’t come until it is safe to do so.”
I kept my eyes on the guard, “Tell Kasar it’s Kavra. Protocall be damned.” He nodded and left to make the call.
“Chrissa,” Kavra said.
“Be quiet! You shouldn’t be talking.”
He fell into another fit of coughing. I shook my head, trying to think of anything I could do. Fear clamped my throat making breathing difficult. He was dying in my arms. I closed my eyes trying to clear my head.
After a few moment of forcing air down my constricted throat, I said: “Take me.”
“What?”
“Take me,” I said again. “I am un-infested. You can transfer to me and then even if this body dies, you will still be alive.”
Kavra looked at me somewhere between disbelief and sadness. “Even if I wanted to accept your offer, Chrissa, we both know that it is not possible. A setian cannot transfer from one host to another directly. You know that.”
I did know that, I wasn’t thinking. My left hand flew to the golden chain on my throat in a nervous gesture. As I ran the thin chain back and forth between my fingers, my hand touched the small glass cylinder that hung from the golden chain; my gift from Councilor Vektor. “Of course!”
Kavra looked up at me with tired eyes. “You have to absorb the water of Setianta before transferring, correct?” Kavra nodded, then moaned from the pain. I jerked the chain from my neck, breaking it cleanly in half. “I have water right here. It was a gift from the Councilor, remember? That day on Setianta? You can use this water and transfer yourself to me.”
He gave me a long look, then glanced at the vial in my hand. “Normally I would say that it is not enough. However since it is from the Setianta Ocean, perhaps…”
“Let’s do it.”
“Chrissa,” he said, wasting time we did not have. “Do you know what you are offering?”
“Yes! Now please…”
“No!” he shook his head. “You don’t understand. You will have no secrets from me, Chrissa. There will be nothing you know that I will not…” he coughed more blood into his hand, painting his lips red with blood. “No memories that I will not see, and no thoughts that I will not hear. You will not be able to speak, move, or even draw breath without me allowing it. That cannot be something that you want and I would rather die than force myself upon you.”
I let his words roll through my mind and for a moment, they scared me. Then I glanced down into his light, blue eyes and tried to imagine a life without him; the thought was unbearable. “I don’t care. Please,” tears flowed freely down my cheeks. “Let me save you.”
My heart was beating far too quickly, fear clutching my body as I waited for his response. His gaze held mine and prolonged into a silent battle of wills, both waiting for the other to speak. “Chrissa, I don’t think.”
“You are a commander of this Empire!” I began to yell. “You will not give up your life when you have a chance to live and serve another day. I can save you! Let me. Kavra, please. Let me. God, please.” I forced myself to lower my voice, moving my lips to his left ear. “I can’t live without you.”
He coughed again. “All right,” his voice was hoarse and unsteady. “Okay, Chrissa, you win.”
My tears ceased as I nodded. “Okay. Tell me exactly what needs to be done.”
“It’s rather simple. I will remove myself from my host. When I am completely withdrawn, you will pour the water over my body slowl
y, covering as much as you can. The water will be absorbed through my skin. Then…” he drew a deep breath, exhaled and continued. “Then you will…you will.”
“Insert you into the new host,” I finished for him.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay. Sounds like an adventure. Let’s do it.”
One of the human guards from Lord Kavra’s ship stepped forward, “May I be of assistance, my Lady?”
“Yes,” I replied. “Can you hold him while I pour the water? You will need to be as gentle as possible.”
“Of course, my Lady.” The guard, a young man with fair skin and chocolate eyes stepped forward. He knelt to the ground in front of me and as we watched, Lord Kavra began to remove himself from his host, his thin, gel-like body slipping slowly out of his host’s left ear.
“Okay, easy now,” I cautioned the guard as he moved forward and assisted Kavra. Moments later the guard, Sectra 49, was holding Kavra’s small, clear body in his hands. I took the small vial of water off the broken chain. The water was pale blue in color, appearing surprisingly softer in the dark woods than it had in the brilliance of the sunlight on the home planet. I opened the vial carefully and moved the bottle over Kavra’s body.
He appeared so small, in Sectra’s large hands. I had never seen Kavra or Lord Kasar outside of their host bodies and the realization that this tiny creature was the same powerful Lord was rather unnerving. I carefully turned the vial over and poured the water over Kavra as evenly as I could. The water seemed to disappear as it touched his body. His skin, if you could call it that, transformed to match the blue of the water. When the bottle was finally empty, I glanced at the band of the black watch that was around my wrist and began to count. Three minutes, Kavra’s body had changed from blue to a pale red. “What is happening?”