by Adam DiSalvo
“You staying long?” Lythten asked.
Braenna tapped the screen on her wrist, confused. She looked back at the pod.
“We might be,” Gestos responded. “Mission objectives aren’t clear. You know how they use that kind of shit.”
Braenna started the scan again.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Lythten laughed. “Well we aren’t going to be in your way so go ahead and do your thing at the antenna and we’ll do ours.”
Braenna shook her head and leaned over to Levron pointing to her screen. Levron scowled.
“I’m just hoping for some commendations after this,” Gestos revealed. “What we have here is incredible.”
Levron tapped Taytha on the shoulder urging her to look at Braenna’s screen. Taytha looked down at the display. Her head shot back. She glared at the soldier walking beside Gestos as they led both groups. Taytha fell in a few steps behind the two leaders. Braenna spoke as they passed one of the pods.
“What’re you guys loading up?”
“Sorry. Can’t tell you that,” answered Lythten without turning.
Taytha turned and shrugged as she kept pace with the soldiers.
“Imperial Navy!” Jeshet goaded. "Where no one knows a damn thing but, we’re sure it’s classified!”
Gestos’ team laughed.
The man leading them shot the team a sideways glance. A smiling Gestos turned back to Lythten shaking his head.
“Good luck to you, Captain,” offered Lythten.”
“Until we meet again.” Gestos replied. The two groups parted ways with Gestos’ team headed for the antenna's entrance.
Braenna jogged up to her captain, slowing to walk beside him.
“Captain those pods.”
Gestos lifted his hand, cutting her off.
“Get the team inside.”
“Captain?”
“I’ve seen those pods before. They’re ether stasis pods.”
“There’s children inside! Infants!” she hissed.
Gestos stopped, eyeing Lythten and his men as the strange soldiers strode away. He turned back whispering to Braenna.
“Something’s very wrong here."
CHAPTER 17
THE LORD OF Light stood underneath the glass domed vista deck of Lady Helena's orbital cruiser, his white and cream colored robes bunched up on the floor beneath him. A viewport fifty feet wide sat above a lounge offering the most lavish of amenities. The long couches were upholstered with fine dark green fabric and the low tables were polished to a black shine. Blue lights ringed the edge of the crysteel dome accenting the decor’s chrome stylization.
“This human. This Raffa Calderon,” Master Gaiyegan prodded. "How did he come to discover this power?”
Lord Ty held his gaze on the Pearlgese through the viewport above them.
“I do not know but, if his calculations are correct, and we each have the degree of control we claim.”
Tyserin tuned to Gaiyegan.
"That ship and its crew shall be transported to Skylauren. Unharmed.”
Gaiyegan Taranis towered over seven feet tall. His blonde hair was long and messy matching his beard. A scar dominated the left side of his face leaving behind the stormy blue gaze of a single eye. He wore a suit of armor that was styled in the ancient traditions of warriors long ago. Swirls of liquid metal spun about him like wisps of clouds with the edges evaporating into bursts of light.
“And if he is wrong?” Gaiyegan countered.
“Then we’ll have to see about trying once more.”
“Once more?” Master Taranis bellowed. “For a human?”
Lord Ty turned his gaze back to the Pearlgese.
“Why?” demanded the Master of Storms.
The Lord of Light materialized in front of Gaiyegan forcing him to step back. The Master of Storms glared at Tyserin.
“Because my dear friend,” Lord Ty explained. “If the knowledge he shares reveals itself to be true, we would be one step closer to returning to the old way.”
“You haven’t forgotten. Have you?” Gaiyegan sighed.
“No. No I have not,” Tyserin replied now beholding the Pearlgese above them.
“I have often wondered if that is the true measure of our ages.”
Ty turned a sideways glance to the Master of Storms.
“Meaning?”
“We are from a time before the knowing of it,” Ty mused, notes of longing drifting into his tone.
The Master of Storms took his place next to the Lord of Light and gazed up.
“I’m curious Lord Ty,” he pried watching the ship above them. "How did all this transpire? Why were you not able to cease that mortal's vibration and take this knowledge for yourself?”
“Master Taranis. In your million plus cycles have you ever sacrificed anything?”
“I have never.”
“Same as I,” Ty remarked.
“Our kind are not required to make sacrifices. They are made to us.”
“I see. And what has this human sacrificed for us? Or has he sacrificed for you?"
“It will be his life.”
“That sounds more like the old way.”
Lord Ty smiled.
“When shall his debt come calling?”
“At my whim,” dismissed Ty. “But first we must see if this mortal's claims are true.”
“I have my suspicions,” came a voice from across the deck, behind them.
Like a specter, a levitating Lady Helena Kess slipped through two sliding double doors leading into her grand vista deck. She adorned a backless, strapless, black dress with a train that billowed out for several feet behind. Nothing touched the ground. Her vibrant crimson hair curled out into thick black tips which accentuated her flawless pale skin and dark brown eyes. High cheekbones gave her a natural squint. If the ages granted beauty, Helena was timeless.
“Our Lady of Darkness,” greeted Gaiyegan.
He gestured around them.
“The wonders of The Syrix never cease to amaze me.”
“Thank you Master Taranis.”
The Master of Storms bowed his head. Lord Ty followed Gaiyegan’s lead as he greeted her.
“Lady Kess.”
He lifted his eyes.
“This is a momentous occasion.”
“Ushered in by a mortal nonetheless” she remarked.
“It’s remarkable,” Lord Ty offered.
The Lady of Darkness scoffed.
“Remarkable? How is it that you could not wrest this knowledge from such a fragile subject?”
Lord Ty’s eyes shifted back and forth between Master Taranis and Lady Kess.
“I had inquired the same, My Lady,” Gaiyegan agreed.
“Lord Ty indulge me as well, please,” Helena urged.
Lord Ty cocked a half smile.
“You know nothing of this mortal, Raffa Calderon,” Ty chided. “In your seven hundred thousand cycles, Lady Kess have you ever known anyone to break the light speed barrier?"
Helena hung in the air, silent. Lord Ty looked over to Gaiyegan.
“And you, Master Taranis? What deepening knowledge of the universe have you brought to us in the last million cycles?”
Ty grinned from the strength of which his analysis landed.
“This mortal, Raffa Calderon,” he went on. "Will usher in the single greatest leap we’ve made towards realizing the reemergence of the old way.”
The Lord of Light looked back up at the Pearlgese through the dome above.
“Soon we will be able to place our forces anywhere in the system with impunity. We could deploy soldiers directly to the surface of Genethis and secure our ancestral homes.”
“You speak of the reckoning.”
“Yes Master Taranis. No more shall we long for what once was. We shall resurrect the old way and drag this system into a new age."
“You really believe this mortal has delivered us the key to instantaneous travel.” Helena pushed.
“He has. Or he would never
have come,” revealed Ty.
Lady Kess furrowed her brow.
“How are you certain?”
“You two have met before,” aired Gaiyegan.
Lord Ty turned back around meeting both their eyes.
“We have. He is a very affluent mortal from Pyra Prime.”
“But a mortal, still,” Master Taranis pointed out. “His life has no value. It is meager and short.”
“Yes, they’re deliciously pointless,” Helena agreed. “How else do you treat them except maybe with indifference?”
Gaiyegan and Helena laughed.
“You know there’s a particularly beautiful flower that grows on Cal’Utha,” Ty interrupted, ignoring the laughter. "Have either of you ever been to Cal’Utha?”
Helena and Gaiyegan exchanged glances.
“No, of course you haven’t. You’ve been trapped here for millennia after our expulsion from Genethis,” Ty elucidated. “As you, I have lived for aeons and there are moments where I have gaps in time. Like empty spaces in my memory where I can not remember what it was I was doing but, there is this flower on Cal’Utha I can always recollect.”
The Lord of Light held out his hand, a bright light burning at the center.
“It grows on only two mountain tops. Each over thirty thousand feet above sea level. The males on one and the females on the other, mostly."
From the light grew a magnificent pink flower with pointed petals. Three incandescent blue pistils with tiny green hairs rose from the middle.
“They used to dominate every mountain top on Cal’Utha before the great arrival. Now, high altitude jet streams are all that carry the necessary pollens from one mountain top to the other. Most mating pairs never even meet.”
Bright green leaves protruded from the stem supporting the flower.
“The Cal’Uthan shadeera,” he revealed. “Magnificent in its beauty and matched only by the sorrow of its tale.”
Lady Kess smiled beholding its pink crystal pedals.
“Ever more tragic however,” Lord Ty continued as the flower of light desiccated before them. “That it only blooms for three sunrises and then withers and dies.”
He waved his hand whipping the dead flora into wisps of glowing dust.
“In the few days before its final moments it makes a final desperate attempt to grasp at beauty and recognition. Hoping for a witness to its fleeting splendor.”
Lord Ty clasped his hands together.
“My old friends. Raffa Calderon is our Cal’Uthan shadeera.”
He looked back up at the Pearlgese.
“Once we have verified his knowledge to be true. He will wither and die.”
He looked back at Helena and Gaiyegan.
“And our future will be on the air, billowing in the winds of change.”
“What strength do we possess to bring war to Feera Sungarden?” cautioned Gaiyegan. “He is the only sibtegath ever born. The number of his legions rivals the stars.”
“We now have legions of our own,” replied the Lord of Light.
From inside his robes Ty revealed the Hydra’s crown to his fellow rulers. Helena gasped. The Master of Storms took it, gripping it tight in both hands.
“I give you command of the forces that brought the empire to its knees,” Tyserin offered. "The old way will be once more and Raffa Calderon will be the instrument of our ascension.”
Lord Ty held out his hands prompting them to join him.
“Shall we?”
They each took a place next to one another forming a small circle. Lord Ty swiped a few commands into the PDC attached to his arm under his robes.
“Mr. Calderon. Can you hear me?”
“Yes, your brilliance,” came Raffa’s voice through the speaker.
“Are you ready for departure?”
“We are. Again we thank you for this tremendous opportunity. This wouldn’t be possible without aid form the three of you.”
“The pleasure was ours Mr. Calderon.” Helena responded. “You have delivered to us a wondrous gift. One that shall keep on giving.”
“You are very welcome Lady Kess. Until we meet again.”
“Farewell, Mr Calderon,” she replied.
Raffa closed the link and brought his PDC up to his face.
“All clear. Countdown set. Prepare for jump.”
“Roger that,” chirped Lusio through Raffa’s PDC.
Lusio’s voice boomed though the PA onboard the Pearlgese.
“Everyone, this is the captain. Prep for jump in T minus five minutes. May the goddess watch over us."
Raffa leaned back in his chair and covered his mouth with his right hand. He stared at the glass topped desk in front of him, motionless. His breathing slowed drawing out a drift into day dream. He cleared his throat and got up in a shot. He exited his quarters and made his way down the concave white hall. He stopped at one of the cabin doors and knocked three times.
“Go away,” came Serena’s voice through the speaker just outside her door.
“Serena please let me in,” pleaded Raffa, talking to the speaker.
“Why?"
"Please Serena. Just let me explain inside.”
"You have one minute,” she warned as the door slid open.
Raffa stepped inside and made his way to the lounge where he found a waiting Serena. She sat on the right side of the couch just on the other side of the room. She wore white cargo pants and a skin tight v-neck t-shirt. Her right arm was bandaged with white compress, bits of blood still soaking though. Moisture still clung to her face where she had just wiped away tears. A half finished snifter of Pyra bourbon sat on the table next to her. Raffa sat down in the chair across from the couch. He leaned his elbows upon his knees.
“You’re running out of time,” Serena whimpered.
“I know. I just. I know what I’m trying to do but, right now I can’t seem to find the words to get it done.”
“Get it done? Raffa we’re done.”
“I wanted to see if you were alright.”
“Alright?! Did you hear me?! I said we’re done. From here on out you’re on your own. I quit.”
“I guess you’re fine then?"
“Fine? If you were wondering if I’ll live, I will.”
“No. That’s not what I meant. I wanted to know how you are doing.”
She wiped away tears before they fell and turned a sorrowful look to Raffa.
“How do you think I’m doing? I thought we were going to die in there!”
“I would never have brought you here if I thought you were in danger.”
“Oh my goddess! Raffa!” she cried. "I was in fucking danger! Just because you didn’t feel like I was doesn’t mean I wasn’t! How can you possibly believe you’re in control of every fucking situation?!”
“I am.”
“No you’re fucking not!” she barked. “You’re fucking not! It's crazy that you think you are!"
“Okay, I’m rarely not.”
“How do you even know this is goin to work?”
“How what’s going to work?”
“This jump!” she yelled. “It’s never been done before!”
“It has and it was successful,” he retorted.
“When, Raffa? Where?!”
She nodded, mocking Raffa.
“Can’t tell me that either huh? I saved your life back on Pyra Prime! I’ve been your chief engineer for years! We’ve been friends since! Shit! We’ve trusted each other with our secrets!”
“I do trust you Serena but, I’m asking you to trust me when I say I can’t tell you."
Serena shook her head.
“After all this you’re asking me to trust you? No. You trust me Raffa. Trust me when I say I’m done. I really mean I’m done. I don’t work for you anymore. I’m not helping you anymore. I’m not your confidant anymore. I want to go home. I want a quiet, unremarkable life. Faceless. Nameless.”
“Serena they know who you are. You think that just because you left the company
and got another job that somehow that makes it not you who was in that room with Tyserin?”
She looked away.
“Why did we come here Raffa? Why Cantiga? Why must you get this ship back? Why can’t it just be destroyed?”
She turned to find Raffa sitting silent. Her head tilted back and she stared at the ceiling.
“This is why I can’t continue with you, Raffa.”
“I understand Serena. I hear you but, I just want you to know that this wasn’t for nothing.”
Serena threw up her hands.
“Then what was it for?”
Raffa leaned back in the chair biting his thumbnail. He looked over at Serena through the corner of his eye. She grabbed her drink and took a sip.
“You’re unbelievable Raffa. You know that? You’re unbelievable."
Following a chime, Lusio’s voice squawked through the PA speaker in Serean’s quarters.
“Jump in ninety seconds.”
Raffa leaned up from the chair.
“Serena. There was no other choice.”
“You can’t be serious! You never gave me a choice! What if he killed me?”
“That was never going to happen. I had it all figured out.”
“All figured out? You’re such an asshole! You treat people like fucking pawns!”
“We’re alive aren’t we?”
She threw up her hands.
“You kidnapped Cantiga’s Minister of Security at gun point, handed over the Hydra’s crown to Tyserin, and gave the High Council the secrets to near instant transmission! All for what? To pickup your precious ship?”
“Everything turned out okay didn’t it?”
“Turned out okay?”
Serena tore off her bandage and held up her arm.
“Look at this Raffa!”
He looked away from the gore Ty left behind. Still bleeding, the Tyserene royal seal covered her inner right fore arm.
“Look at it!” Serena demanded.
Blood dripped onto the couch.
"Look what he did to my fucking arm!”
“T minus thirty seconds,” Lusio announced through the speaker.
“I can fix that,” Raffa proposed.
She picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Raffa. Tears now rolled down her face. She pointed at the door.
“Get out! Get the fuck out!”