Trahzi raised up her hands and a sphere of energy grew above her. Like a miniature sun, it became bigger and bigger, dwarfing even the cluster of ships she had created.
She prepared to throw the star at them. “We understand now, we...”
A blast of dark energy struck her from behind. Trahzi screamed, her body convulsing with pain, racked with torture. The edges of her body dissolved away into vapor.
All through the battle, sailors fell to the decks of their ships, covering their ears as her death knell washed over them. The only one who withstood it was Lyssandra Bal, who looked on savoring the spectacle.
Trahzi’s body writhed, her energies torn from her and absorbed into the sphere. Finally her screaming stopped. The dark ball faded away, its hunger satiated. Trahzi’s eyes went white and lifeless. Her fires extinguished, she fell.
Down and down she went her disintegrated edges trailing off her like dust as she dissolved. Her body was coming apart, like a sand sculpture caught in the wind. She crashed into the yacht, and the two of them spun down into the wind tunnel before disappearing into its depths.
Chapter Thirty
Each of us is alone. Trapped within a single mind, a single reference point, a single point of view. Through words may create the illusion of communication, in reality no one can really experience what it is like to be you. Likewise, you can never really experience what it is like to be them. Being alone, we do the only thing we can. We reach out for each other.
-Catechism from the Holy Scrolls of Soeck, Eight Binding Twentieth Stanza
Trahzi leaned against the wall of the yacht cabin, sweat beaded on her face, her expression twisted with pain. She crossed her arms over her stomach. She couldn’t stop shaking. Her body didn’t bleed, instead it crumbled away to dust. Most of her legs were gone, and she had lost a lot of mass from her shoulders and hips. She looked like a broken statue, eroded and weathered into a fragment of its former self.
“Well, I’ve tried everything I know how, which admittedly isn’t much,” Gerald said as he ducked down underneath the missile poking through the room. “I could increase our energy signature to make us easier to find, but that would only drain our remaining fuel faster. With the beacon and wave systems out, I can’t figure out where we are and I can’t signal anyone. The best we can do at this point is hold out until someone stumbles upon us.”
Trahzi was in too much pain to respond.
Gerald’s face was awash with worry. He hated seeing her in so much agony. He hated being so powerless that there was nothing he could do about it. He hated that gnawing guilt in his heart that told him that somehow it was his fault.
The puppy whined a little, and Gerald picked her up and stroked her head. She leaned towards Trahzi, trying to free herself from his grip.
Trahzi shook some of the sweat from her face. “Hungry,” she panted, some material flaking off of her chin.
Gerald looked down at her fingers, her claws were extending on their own. “This is bad.”
“So hungry...”
“This is very bad. Where is your flask? I’ll get it for you”
“Back on the Kalia Greir.”
“Oh.”
Already black bony blades were growing out from her remaining skin. “If we do not eat soon, we will go into a thirst rage.”
“That sounds unpleasant.”
“Our instincts take over, rob us of our free will, override our mind, and take away our ability to reason. Leaves us as nothing more than a beast until our thirst is sated.”
Gerald took a step back. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I feared.”
He looked out the porthole at the slowly spinning stars. “Well, as much as I don’t want to be alone out here, we need to attend to your health. Perhaps you can fly to a nearby planet and feed on the plant life there to get your strength back?”
Her teeth grew long into fangs. “That... woman’s... weapon, injured this body. We are not sure how. We do not have enough energy to fly through space right now. Not without feeding first.”
“Well, that is a problem.”
Gerald watched her as she lay there trembling. He had watched her slice through warships like they were nothing. She was like a god to him. She seemed to have all the power in the universe, and yet here she was, brought low by her own biology, cowed by her own personal cage from which she could not escape any more than he could his own. In that moment, he saw himself in her.
Gerald looked down at the puppy. It yawned sleepily and snuggled into his chest. “If I don’t so something soon...” he thought to himself.
Gerald shrunk within himself. The decision itself was rather easy. Simple math. It was the monumental finality of it all that overcame him. A bile in his heart, more bitter than anything he had ever known before. It made him shirk, made him hesitate. He thought about everything he still wanted to do. Every experience he had planned on having, every goal he had looked forward to accomplishing, and watched it all blow away before him, like sand in the wind. A lifetime of desires and effort, amounting to nothing more than dust. All the hopes and dreams he had ever entertained, screaming up at the cold black sky, and answered by only cruel silence. It was the scariest thing he had ever faced in his life.
Gerald sat down and stroked the puppy’s head. For several hours he said nothing, just sat there in a kind of stunned daze, while all the time Trahzi’s condition grew worse and worse.
He hated how much of a coward he was. He knew he was only making things worse by procrastinating, but at the same time, he felt like hanging onto every extra second of life he could. He occupied himself by finding a few blankets to make her comfortable, and sponging her head, for all the good it did. She didn’t need bedding, and she didn’t need to be cooled off. Her body needed sustenance to repair itself, and it needed it soon. When Gerald saw more of her body was crumbling away into red dust, he kicked himself for having stalled so long.
He reached up and coddled the puppy close to him, and forced himself to speak. “Can... can I ask you a question, Trahzi?”
“Yes.”
“When a Trahzi eats a soul, does that mean it can no longer reincarnate? Does it cease to exist?”
She shook her head, sweat dripping off her brow. “A soul has many layers. We consume only the outer shell, the layer created and enriched by the memories from that particular lifetime. The core, if you want to call it that, contains the accumulated experience from every lifespan. It is the persona that grows and matures with each lifetime, and cannot be destroyed.”
“I see.”
Her breathing was coming faster now. An animalistic pant. “Why... why do you ask?”
“Because I’m about to do something I never thought I would do. It scares me so much I can barely say it.”
Gerald took off the top half of his cassock, revealing his tanned and muscular body. With it, he made a little bed for the puppy and laid her down in it. Finally, his own breaths becoming shallow, he knelt before Trahzi. “I... I want to offer my soul to you.”
She looked up, fighting against her primal instincts. “You... you would do that for us?”
“Why?”
“It’s not like I want to die. In fact it terrifies me. But I’m guessing that if we wait too long, you won’t have enough energy to fly to a nearby planet even after... eating me. Am I right?”
Her head jerked. “Yes.”
“So, if we wait and do nothing, you’ll eventually lose control and then all three of us will die. If I give myself to you now, you and Puppy Trahzi will live. It’s simple math.”
She looked at him. Concern managed to fight its way past her pain and hunger. “But... you will die.”
Gerald forced himself not to react. “Yes. If I could see another way, I would take it. But I don’t, and I’d rather one life end here rather than three.”
Trahzi’s body convulsed with hunger, but in her eyes, he could see that she was deeply moved. “No... no one has ever offered themselves to us willingly be
fore. Why would you do that?”
Gerald reached out and touched her shoulder, fighting to keep a hold of his feelings. “Because I don’t want to see any more of my friends suffer.”
Her eyes went wide. “Friend? You consider us your friend?”
He sniffed. “Yes, of course.”
“Even after everything we said to you?” She placed her trembling hands over her heart. Tiny tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “We’ve never had a friend before.”
Gerald couldn’t fight back the tears any more. “Be happy, Trahzi. Your mission was a success. You made a friend.”
A tear rolled down her red cheek as well. “We didn’t want our mission to end like this. Not like this.”
“I didn’t either. When you first asked me to teach you love, I never would have imagined that it would end up like this.”
Gerald closed his eyes and sat up straight, trying to be brave. “Go ahead, I’m ready.”
Slowly she reached out her extended claws, dark energies playing along their surface. When they reached his chest, she hesitated.
“Will it hurt?” He asked, his lip trembling.
Another tear rolled down her face. “Yes, it will. Perhaps if we draw the soul out more slowly, we could make it less painful.”
“Would you still get the nourishment you need?”
“No, much would be lost.”
He breathed in sharply. “Then make it as painful as possible. You need enough strength to live.”
Trahzi’s tears fell to the floor, mixing with his. She placed her claws against his massive chest, right over his heart. “You were a good friend to us, Gerald Dyson. We will always remember you.”
“Thank you,” he whispered.
She tilted her head. “For what?”
“For thinking kindly on me. I suppose, here at the end, I am glad that at least now, I won’t be able to hurt anyone else. It is nice to know that once I am gone, there will be at least one person out there who doesn’t curse ever having known me.”
“You are talking about your mother, aren’t you?”
Gerald nodded without opening his eyes. “She told me once that she wished she had never given birth to me. Before I was born she had a good home, a good marriage. Earth was a thriving world. Now, it’s all just a decaying cemetery. Sometimes, when I’m really honest with myself, I think she was right.”
“You cannot blame yourself for the decay of your planet.”
“But I do.”
Trahzi didn’t know what to say. Her body was screaming for nourishment, yet she wanted to comfort him. In a moment it wouldn’t matter, he would be gone. But before that happened, she wished she could ease his suffering.
Her vision was beginning to blur. She didn’t have the foggiest idea what to say to make him feel better. She had watched him give succor to others on so many occasions; she would have thought she’d learnt how to do it by now, but the words simply wouldn’t come.
“Go on, Trahzi,” he bade. “If you wait too long, you won’t have enough strength to take the puppy to a safe place.”
Trahzi bit her lip. “All right. Good bye, Gerald Dyson.”
“Goodbye.”
Trahzi’s claws became intangible, and she pushed them into his chest.
Gerald screamed so loud that twenty million parns away, in her recovery room, Cha’Rolette’s eyes shot open when she heard it.
Chapter Thirty-One
One of the most curious aspects of human psychology is an omnipresent and persistent habit to seek information from the worst possible sources. When seeking relationship advice, humans speak to their single friends instead of happy couples who have been married for decades. When researching a religion, humans ask ex-members instead of faithful members. When seeking financial advice, humans ask scholars instead of successful entrepreneurs. When discussing complex sociopolitical matters, humans solicit the opinions of actors and models. Anteedan Psychologists have dubbed this curious phenomenon the “Oprah Effect,” and had planned on determining the cause, however research ceased after a financial scandal involving the team lead stealing money from the grant and eloping with an exotic dancer named Cinnamon.
-A Tourists Guide to Earth, 2nd edition, page 184, Valium Press
The battered from of the Uragiri rattled as it swam through space, her engine core burning red-hot as she fought to outrun her pursuers.
Lyssandra screamed, smashing her fist into the holo tank, splitting it in half. Even the most grizzled of her bridge crew jumped. She looked around for someone to blame, no one would meet her gaze.
“Those cowardly Bertulf!” she howled. “At the first sign of the tide turning, they retreat from the field. What do they care? Their ships are drones, it’s not like they stuck their necks out the way we did.!”
“The last of the Alliance pursuit craft have given up the chase,” Erusal reported.
Lyssandra turned to him, her golden eyes glowing fiercely. “How many of the others got away?”
The round-shouldered little man seemed reluctant to answer.
“How many?” she howled, picking him up by his collar.
“N... none,” he gasped.
Lyssandra dropped him to the deck, a look of shock on her face.
“The entire corsair fleet was wiped out. We were the only ship to slip past the nets.”
The bridge crew looked at each other. They all had the same unspoken question on their lips. “What do we do now?”
Lyssandra balled her fists, her face twitching in rage. “We’re not beaten yet. We still have Ragnarok.”
“But without the heir, we can’t activate it.”
“You keep on that. Spend all of your time on it. Every waking moment, do you hear me?!”
“Yes, General.”
Lyssandra walked over to the intelligence station. The man behind the desk looked like he was about to wet himself.
“I have a special task for you,” Lyssandra said, her voice quivering. “That boy who led the Alliance to us. Gerald Dyson. I want him dead. DEAD, do you hear me!”
“Y... y-yes ma’am.”
“Do whatever it takes, I don’t care what you have to do. I don’t care what favors you have to call in, who you have to hire. Either I’ll have his head or I’ll have yours, you understand?”
* * *
The door to the recovery room slid open and Doctor Ko’Linna was checked by the Ssykes men before being allowed to enter. Cha’Rolette was sitting up in bed. She looked confused and a little frightened.
Good morning, Duchess, he said, trying to sound cheerful and optimistic.
She leaned forward a little straining to answer.
No, it’s all right, don’t try to answer me just yet, he soothed as he sat down next to her. That will come in time. Right now, I just need to check on a few things. Do you mind?
He could tell she didn’t quite understand, but she nodded slowly anyway. He checked her vitals, he checked the bandages around her head. He ran his fingers through his short ta’atu and they glowed as he gently checked the outer layers of her mind. Nothing too deep yet, her soul was still in shock from her injuries.
I see that the nurses have fed you breakfast already, he said in a friendly way. Are you thirsty?
That one she seemed to understand, and he took heart at the first good sign he had seen since he was assigned to her care. He levitated a glass of water over and set it before her on the left side of her bed tray. All right, I want you to try and pick up the glass, he bade.
His ta’atu waved as he watched her. She strained, but her left arm would not move.
That’s okay, he said, trying to keep the alarm out of his voice. He slid the glass over to the right side of her tray. Go ahead and try with your other hand. I’m always better with that hand anyway.
She was getting flustered, but he looked at her confidently. She gritted her teeth, and her right hand shot up, knocking the glass over and spilling it everywhere.
Oops, had a little spill
there, he said, trying to keep things light while he grabbed a towel and soaked up the spill. That’s okay, I spill things all the time. Why, just last week I was out on a date with this wonderful young lady from Timmeron, and wouldn’t you know it, I dribbled my cup of jaffe right down the front of my shirt...
He happily continued his story, but Cha’Rolette didn’t hear any of it. All she could do was look at her right arm, frozen in place where it had shot up, the fingers cramped into a gnarled position. Slowly tears formed at the corners of her eyes, then traced their way down her cheeks.
No... oh please, no...
* * *
The cool crisp air of spring was on his face, mixed with the warm touch of morning sunlight. Gerald slowly opened his eyes, and found himself looking up into the blue skies of the Rocky Mountains, white puffy clouds lazily sliding along. Some birds were chirping nearby. He could taste the slightly salty air, the hint of pine. Beneath him was the cool and rough sensation of granite.
“Am I... home?”
“No, not really,” came a familiar voice. Gerald tried to sit up, but his body was weak and it took him a few moments.
He looked over at Ilrica, who was leaning against the crystalline tree, her hands locked behind her neck, a captain’s cap on her head. The birds were actually small chirping lizards, munching happily on some of the stone-like mushrooms growing around them. The exposed rock they were sitting on was a glassy obsidian.
“Where are we?” he asked, looking around. The mountain range was made almost entirely of the same glassy stone, reflecting the weak sunlight of a small, distant sun, making it feel a little warmer than it really was.
“I think it’s called Kullun, it’s a small Alliance mining world. Just a few small cities, and the locals taste terrible.”
Gerald raised an eyebrow, “I’m assuming that was a joke.”
“Assume away.”
Gerald’s hand coming up to the scars on his chest where Trahzi had pierced him. “I don’t remember what happened. I must have passed out. I’m guessing you found us in time.”
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