After the Earth Wars

by Shana Rae

  Xacalei poured some more drinks and sat down again.

  "Can you give me a clue as to what is going on?"

  "No…wait and see."

  "I will still be getting the implant tomorrow won't I?"

  "Absolutely."

  Evahlia received a telepathic message from Vysani.

  "Check the network Xacalei."

  He got up and walked over to the terminal and sat down, Evahlia watched Xacalei intently.

  Eventually he turned round to face her.

  "I understand why you wanted a drink, how do you feel now you know the truth?"

  "Honoured."

  Xacalei went and sat down next to Evahlia.

  "When Vysani was fighting to get you accepted into the Clan, we couldn't understand why he was so determined. It couldn't have been easy for him to keep all this to himself."

  "And I suppose you were one of those insisting I pass Shi-kelryn first?"

  "I have to admit I was the most vocal opponent of Vysani's proposal…but I am glad you made it through the ritual. Now I understand why you are so good at Vorin-dra, you have your fathers spirit."

  "How do you think the rest of the Clan will react?"

  "Once they get over the shock…favourably."

  "No one will be angry at me for what my father did?"

  "That is not the way of our Clan, they will just be proud of your heritage, Vysani must have told you that your father was one of our best warriors?"

  "Yes, I have a lot to live up to."

  Xacalei put his arm around Evahlia's shoulders.

  "Just be yourself, that is all your father would have wanted. The fact that you are the first woman to come through Shi-kelryn speaks for itself."

  "I lied Xacalei."

  "Pardon?"

  "About being able to drink Pure Proof…"

  "I'd better take you to your quarters."

  "Can't I stay here?"

  "No Evahlia, not now and not with me, it would bring dishonour to your father's name."

  Evahlia staggered to her feet.

  "Fine, I'll go to my quarters."

  Xacalei stood up and taking hold of Evahlia's arm helped her to her quarters. She opened the door, stumbled across the room and fell on to the bed.

  "I'll see you in the morning Evahlia."

  Xacalei closed the door and walked away.

  22

  The next morning, Evahlia woke up with a thunderstorm raging in her head, and every single muscle ached. She rolled out of bed, landed on the floor and slowly got to her feet. Evahlia barely managed to get dressed, but eventually she left her quarters and headed for the medlab.

  Corin and Xacalei were waiting for her, Evahlia glared at them.

  "If you've got something to say, please whisper."

  "Feeling that bad Evahlia?"

  "Yes Xacalei, and worse."

  He tried not to laugh.

  "I was going to ask you to fit Xacalei's implant as you've done it before, are you sure you're in a fit enough state Evahlia?"

  "Damn you Corin, I am Attarran's daughter, of course I'm in a fit state."

  Corin glanced at Xacalei.

  "My apologies Evahlia."

  He gave her the implant, Evahlia turned to Xacalei.

  "Sit down and relax, not into full meditation though…"

  As Xacalei sat down, Evahlia put her hand on the back of his neck, she could sense his energy was very strong. With her other hand she held the implant against his neck.

  "There will be some pain at first, but try and stay relaxed."

  Xacalei barely flinched as the implant attached itself to his neck. Evahlia knelt down in front of him and took hold of his hands.

  "As the implant begins to link to your mind, everything is going to get really loud. So visualise a brick wall in your mind to block out the noise, it should be quite easy for you as you're skilled in meditation."

  Evahlia sensed the change in Xacalei's mind and knew the implant was working, she felt his barrier going up. She asked him telepathically how he was feeling.

  "I'm…"

  She put her finger on his lips and he finished the sentence telepathically. Evahlia smiled at him.

  "Congratulations, you're now a CyberTelepath and like Vysani, you're going to need very little training. Using meditation in warrior training is a definite advantage."

  "I have to admit it feels very natural, like an extension or an enhancement to being a warrior. This is going to make Vorin-dra very interesting."

  "Well when you feel you're ready…I'm up for the challenge."

  Xacalei got to his feet and turned to Corin.

  "Do you consider me fit enough to fight?"

  "I am more concerned about Evahlia."

  "There's nothing wrong with me that a good fight won't cure. Now if you'll excuse us…"

  Evahlia walked past Corin, followed by Xacalei. Corin walked over to his terminal to file the report on Xacalei's implant.

  "Where's Xacalei and Evahlia?"

  Corin turned round.

  "Vysani, I thought you'd gone to Kalocia?"

  "The appointment was cancelled, so where are they?"

  "In the training hall."

  "What about Xacalei's implant?"

  "It was such a success that he and Evahlia challenged each other to a fight."

  Vysani turned to leave.

  "Before you go…when Evahlia arrived this morning, she had quite a hangover. When I asked whether or not she was able to proceed with fitting the implant she said; ‘Damn you Corin, I am Attarran's daughter, of course I'm in a fit state'…"

  "Do you have a problem with that Corin?"

  "Of course not…it was just unexpected."

  "Get used to it Corin, as Evahlia said, she is Attarran's daughter and very proud to be."

  Without saying another word, Vysani left the medlab.

  When Vysani walked into the training hall, he saw Evahlia and Xacalei in the middle of the room. He sensed they were fighting telepathically more than physically. Each using their thoughts to block the others attack with the Vorin. He walked over to them.

  "Very impressive."

  Evahlia and Xacalei stopped and turned to Vysani.

  "I obviously don't need to ask how you're feeling Xacalei, and how's your hangover Evahlia?"

  "Much better now, I knew a good fight would clear it. Aren't you supposed to be on Kalocia?"

  "Yes, the appointment was cancelled, come with me to my office, we need to talk. Xacalei, go to your quarters and keep a low profile, I'll explain later."

  Evahlia handed her Vorin to Xacalei, picked up her jacket and followed Vysani out of the training hall.

  When they got to Vysani's office, he closed the door and stood facing Evahlia.

  "I had to cancel my meeting on Kalocia, on the way I got a message from Zareli about our revelation, he's on his way to see us. That's why I asked Xacalei to keep a low profile."

  "What kind of mood was Zareli in?"

  "He didn't seem too angry… he's just coming into land, so we'll soon find out."

  Vysani opened the door as Zareli approached, he stood for a moment in the doorway staring at Evahlia, then walked in and sat down.

  "When did you first know the truth Evahlia?"

  "Just before Vysani put the report out last night."

  "Well I must say it was quite a shock."

  "Imagine how I felt Zareli, I never doubted for one moment that I belonged to any other Clan expect the LightStar."

  Zareli turned to face Vysani.

  "You kept the secret well, when did you know that Evahlia was the daughter of Attarran?"

  "The moment I met her in your warehouse, when she held on to my hand…"

  "Well at least you've finally got what you wanted."

  "Zareli, Vysani and I aren't sleeping together, how dare you assume otherwise?"

  Zareli abruptly stood up.

  "I only came to say goodbye Evahlia, I thought we had something special between us…"
<
br />   Without saying another word, Zareli walked out of the office.

  For a moment Evahlia sat there stunned, then she got up and ran after Zareli. Vysani thought about stopping her, but decided to let her go.

  Evahlia ran across the landing zone, Zareli was about to board his fighter.

  "Zareli…wait…"

  He turned round as Evahlia walked over to him.

  "I am truly sorry, I can't change who I am…"

  Zareli put his arms around Evahlia, as they kissed they shared the memory of the night they'd spent together. Evahlia pressed herself against Zareli, he started to undo her jacket. Suddenly Evahlia pulled away.

  "No, I can't…"

  "Then it is goodbye forever Evahlia, our paths must never cross again. Never forget the brief moment we shared…"

  Zareli boarded his fighter as Evahlia walked away and watched him launch into space. She felt as if he'd taken her heart with him. Not being able to go back and face Vysani, Evahlia went to the training hall, it was deserted, so she went and sat in the middle of the room and started to meditate.

  When Evahlia didn't return, Vysani went to find her, he could sense her energy so he knew she hadn't left with Zareli. Leaving his office, he knew Evahlia was in the training hall, he felt it would be best if he left her alone for a while. So he decided to go and see Xacalei.

  When he got there, the door was open, Vysani stepped inside.

  "I could sense you coming Vysani, and I also sense there is a problem."

  "Yes, Zareli, he came here to say goodbye to Evahlia. She's not dealing with it very well, her mind is in turmoil and I don't feel I can do anything to help as I'm part of the problem."

  "With your permission, would you let me take Evahlia up into the mountains. I know of one safe path that leads to a place I used to practice meditation. I don't know why I want to take her there, must be this telepathy guiding me…"

  "If that is what you're feeling, then you have my permission."

  "I don't know how long we'll be gone…"

  "Xacalei, I know she will be safe with you, give her as much time as she needs."

  Xacalei left his quarters, headed over to the training hall and went inside. He walked over and stood in front of Evahlia, she opened her eyes and looked up at Xacalei.

  "Come with me Evahlia, let me take you to a special place where you can find peace for your spirit."

  Evahlia slowly got to her feet and followed Xacalei across the square and through the gateway.

  "Where are we going Xacalei?"

  "To the mountains, don't worry, I know a path that is perfectly safe, follow me."

  23

  It was a long steep climb into the mountains, and by the time they reached the top, night was beginning to fall. Xacalei helped Evahlia climb onto a large flat slab, she stood and looked around. Far below her she could just about see the lights of the main square and the encampment beyond the walls. She took a deep breath.

  "This is beautiful Xacalei, thank you for bringing me here."

  "I used to come here and meditate, I knew it was out of bounds, but I felt compelled to be here, so I broke the rules occasionally."

  Evahlia looked up as the first of the stars started to appear.

  "On Earth, my grandfather used to take me to his special place where we'd sit and look at the night sky. He would tell me that beyond the stars there lay a galaxy that would be our new home. It's ironic isn't it, on Earth we always wanted to be out amongst the stars. Now here we are…out amongst the stars on another planet looking out into the night sky and realising that even on Earth we were out amongst the stars…"

  Evahlia fell silent as she stared out into space.

  "Did Vysani tell you that Zareli came to see me?"

  "Yes Evahlia, that is why I asked his permission to bring you here. To give you the peace and quiet you need to think."

  "My mind is so confused Xacalei, until the moment when Zareli said goodbye, I didn't realise I had such strong feelings for him…"

  "What are your feelings for Vysani?"

  "It's different what I feel for him, I think…see I'm confused."

  "May I make a suggestion Evahlia?"

  "Of course."

  "Maybe you should find yourself first, you have only just discovered who your father was and that you have always been of the NightStorm Clan. Search the records for information about your father, get to know him better first…then start to understand who you are."

  Evahlia turned to face Xacalei.

  "A very wise suggestion, thank you, because I don't truly know who I am…"

  Xacalei sat down and looked up at Evahlia.

  "Would you like to join me in meditation?"

  She sat down facing him and took hold of his hands.

  "It will be quite different now you're telepathic."

  They both closed their eyes and slowly slipped into deep meditation. In the meditative state, Evahlia opened her eyes and waited for Xacalei to join her, he appeared by her side. They walked over to the edge of the slab and looked out into space.

  Telepathically Evahlia spoke to Xacalei.

  "Shall we go out amongst the stars?"

  She took hold of his hand, she could sense he was slightly apprehensive.

  "Have faith Xacalei, we can fly."

  They stepped off the slab together and slowly soared high into the night sky.

  Eventually, Evahlia sensed it was time to return, she gently guided Xacalei back. Slowly coming out of meditation, she opened her eyes. Xacalei was looking at her with a broad grin on his face.

  "What have I been missing all these years, how can I ever thank you Evahlia."

  "There is no need to thank me, you bought me here to help me find peace for my spirit, in return, I've taught you how to fly. I hope this won't be the last time we come here, it's too beautiful an experience not to share again."

  Evahlia moved alongside Xacalei, and laid her head in his lap. As he gently ran his fingers through Evahlia's hair, she slowly fell asleep.

  24

  When Evahlia and Xacalei returned to the main square, it was late afternoon.

  "Can you go and let Vysani we've returned safely, I want to take a quick shower, tell him I'll see him shortly."

  "Of course…and thank you again Evahlia"

  As Evahlia headed for her quarters, Xacalei went to Vysani's office.

  "We're back, Evahlia is just going to have a shower, she'll be here shortly."

  "Did it help?"

  "Yes, and I can assure you that Evahlia and I didn't…"

  "I know, I can sense it, there is no need to explain yourself Xacalei. But I do sense something happened…"

  "Evahlia taught me how to fly, I have never experienced anything so profound, I didn't even know it was possible. We flew amongst the stars Vysani, meditation is never going to be the same again."

  "I just hope she's not going to teach all the warriors how to fly, I'll have problems keeping you all grounded."

  "Well I'll let Evahlia tell you everything when she gets here, I think I need to take a shower too and if you can excuse me from training today, I would like to get some sleep. I stayed awake most of the night watching over her."

  "I am proud of you Xacalei and what you have done for Evahlia. You know that Katagh will be retiring soon and I would like you to take his place."

  "That will be a great honour Vysani and one I will be proud to accept."

  "Good, I know that between you and Evahlia, you can train our CyberTelepaths to the highest level. Now go and get some rest, thank you Xacalei."

  Xacalei left the office.

  Shortly after Xacalei had left, Evahlia appeared in the doorway.

  "Where's Xacalei?"

  "Gone to get some rest, you wore him out."

  "But I didn't do…"

  Vysani laughed.

  "I know, he told me you took him flying."

  "Yes, have you experienced it?"

  "Only briefly."

  "Would y
ou like to share it with me?"

  "One day maybe, now please sit down, your energy is quite overpowering."

  Evahlia sat down facing Vysani.

  "After talking to Xacalei, I've decided the best thing for me to do is find myself. Starting with finding some information about my father if that is acceptable?"

  "You can use the office next door, you'll find all the data in the system."

  "Thank you, I know it's going to be a long and painful journey discovering my true self, but if I am to serve your Clan to the best of my ability, then it is necessary."

  Evahlia stood up to leave.

  "Before you go, I asked Xacalei to take over when Katagh retires, I want you to work with him to train our CyberTelepaths."

  "That will be an honour, I have a great deal of respect for Xacalei, not once during the night did he even think of…"

  "And if he had, would you respect him any less?"

  "I know he wouldn't, because of the respect he has for you."

  Vysani walked over to Evahlia and stood facing her.

  "When I am ready to take you to my bed, then I will expect nothing but total loyalty. But for now, while you're still discovering who you are…just enjoy yourself Evahlia."

  She smiled at Vysani, then left the room.

  Evahlia went through to the office next door and sat down at the terminal. She initiated a search for her father, all his records were there. All the battles against the military that he'd taken part in, the raids he'd led. It couldn't have been easy giving it all up for the woman he loved, and the child she was carrying.

  Reading through the data, Evahlia wondered how different her life would have been if she'd have known she was of the NightStorm Clan. But she knew that it was the knowledge her grandfather had taught her, the ways of the LightStar Clan that made her what she was.

  Leaning back in her chair, Evahlia closed her eyes and recalled what little she could remember about her parents. One thing she clearly remembered was that although her father had the blonde, almost white hair so typical of the Clan, he had worn it short. Evahlia assumed that after he left the Clan, wearing it long only served as a reminder of what he'd left behind.