by Trevor Gregg
Shapes flitted in the darkness, humanoids with the blue skin. They resembled the AI Skotty. These had to be the same race, it couldn’t be a mere coincidence. Kyren realized that if he had indeed gone back in time, he would have to find a way to lay the groundwork for all the other bits of information contained within the core.
But that wouldn’t be possible if they didn’t somehow obtain their freedom. He decided to watch and to wait. Perhaps opportunity would present itself, he thought.
They were led up to a massive stone building many stories tall and unceremoniously dumped to the stone. The net was untangled and he was lifted roughly to his feet by firm four-fingered alien hands. He was relieved of his weapons, then the alien said more indecipherable gibberish and pointed at the doorway before him.
He looked at Alis and Benjam, who had both righted themselves too, and nodded toward the door. Alis glowered as the aliens bent to take her wrench. Kyren shook his head slightly. She looked frustrated but acquiesced, allowing the strange beings to disarm her.
Kyren led the way through the doorway and into the darkened room beyond. A dim glow came from a large brazier in the center of the wide space. Seated upon some cushions on the other side, was another blue-skinned alien. This one was decidedly female, regal purple robes velvety and pristine.
She stood and barked an order in the creatures’ strange language. Several more aliens emerged from the shadows and advanced on him. They bore what appeared to be small pistols of some form.
Bracing himself as they advanced, they chattered amongst themselves. Several rough pairs of hands restrained him and the pistol was raised to his neck, placed against the skin. He felt a sting of pain and then it dissipated. Suddenly, the babbling began to make sense.
“What are these funny looking things?”
“Look how fuzzy they are.”
“What do you think Leicara will do with them?”
“The matriarch will decide. Enough chatter, you lot!” the feminine alien brought the chatter to a halt.
With a hiss, both Alis and Benjam were injected with whatever had been given to him. Whatever it was, it seemed to be responsible for suddenly being able to understand the creatures.
“So now we can speak, is that it?” Kyren asked his captors placidly. “Whatever you injected us with allows for communication, then?”
“Indeed,” the woman said, stepping forward toward them. “I am Elcidaria, royal Sister. You are trespassers in our land. Who are you? I have given you the power to communicate with us, use it wisely strangelings.”
“I am Kyren, my companions are Alis and Benjam. We have crossed a vast distance to be here to fulfill a purpose,” he admitted, deciding he had nothing to lose with the truth.
“Welcome, then. Are you emissaries for your kind? Or simply lonely travelers?”
“Lonely travelers, we are,” Benjam squeaked. “We have no people to represent.”
“Very well. Perhaps you have been brought here for a purpose though. Come, let us meet my royal Queen, my sister.”
Elcidaria motioned for them to follow as she made for the corridor exiting the room. They took many twists and turns, ending up in a broad central courtyard, ringed by lush foliage. She took them across the courtyard, harsh stone replaced with spongy moss and tender young grasses. A large tree stood in one corner, and beneath it sat a figure, bathed in the moonlight. She rose as they approached.
“Your grace, I have brought the interlopers,” Elcidaria said with a bow.
“Yes, I see you have,” she said in a confident, commanding voice.
Kyren put out his hands and spoke, placatingly, “Leicara, is it? We’re not here to harm anyone. We’re travelers on a long journey. At this point we’d appreciate your hospitality, as we’ve no where else to go.”
“You speak as a noble, are you of your species’ leadership caste?” Leicara questioned, moving closer to them.
“Leadership caste? No, I’m no leader, just a guy trying to keep the galaxy from destruction, that’s all,” Kyren replied with a chuckle, realizing it was bluntly honest.
“Well, I appreciate the way you speak. But I cannot know if you’re truly sincere. Subterfuge abounds in these times. We must be wary,” she responded.
“Is there any way we can prove ourselves to you?” he implored.
“Yes, there is a way, although you may be uncomfortable to share what you will be asked to share.”
“Okay, well, I’ll take a little discomfort if it’ll prove we’re not here to hurt you,” Kyren affirmed.
“Fair enough, traveler. Brace yourself,” she said as she raised her hands to the tree and motioned at him.
Suddenly tiny shapes began to flit from the tree, darting and fluttering around him in a dazzling array of color. Serkins!
“My pretties will draw your memories from you, they will extract the sum of your life. And then I will absorb it from them and judge you. Will you submit?”
“Yes,” he said, lowering his head and bracing himself.
The serkins streaked toward him and began fluttering around him. Their faint, delicate touch on his skin amplified and amplified, until the tickling of the hundreds of serkins was nearly too much to bear. He stood fast though, and let them be about their work. Whatever it was they were doing, he felt none of it, beyond their gentle touch.
Minutes later the serkins disengaged and moved from him to Leicara. They began swirling around her, alighting upon her exposed skin. Her eyes twitched and she began to shudder.
“No… there is something missing. You have a hole in your memory. My serkins are distraught. They have never encountered such a thing. But the rest of your memories validate your words. I see you are seeking to stop a great calamity, although I understand it not.”
“Yes, you see we mean you no harm. You see we have a difficult road ahead of us. You see we could use allies,” he pleaded.
“At this time, I believe we could both use allies. Welcome to Azoria, Kyren,” Leicara said extending a four-fingered hand.
26
Requests
Alis woke as the wan light of dawn streamed in through the open balcony. The air was balmy and the wind light. She could smell the ocean, even at this distance from the shore. Stretching, she rolled from the plush bed and stood, drawing on her coveralls.
She made her way out onto the balcony and welcomed the rising sun. She didn’t know what they would do next, or how they would accomplish what was set out for them. Hell, she didn’t even know where they were. Doubt struck her as she wondered just how they would get about their tasks, she wondered just how long it might take.
How long would they have? She had no idea, and that was worrying. How fast did they need to move?
“Mornin’ Alis,” Kyren said from the balcony next to hers. He was sitting, sipping a beverage from a large mug. “You should try the tea, it’s really good. There’s a pot outside your door.”
She fetched the pot and mug and poured the tea, which was still steaming hot. She examined the pot and found a tiny control panel. She touched it and a holopanel sprang into existence. She saw temperature controls. It seemed this pot could both heat and cool. Neat gadget, that’s some tech, she thought.
These beings seemed to live rather simply, primitively. But here was some pretty advanced tech. She wondered what other surprises these people had in store. She only hoped they would be the allies Leicara claimed them to be.
“So Kyren, how much time do you think we have? To accomplish what we need to, you know?” she asked him, hoping he had a better answer than she.
“Well, what we need to do is complicated. I don’t see any way to accomplish it quickly. We need to gain these people’s trust, they’ve got to be the way to our goals. Why else would we be here?”
“So how do we get started, anyway? What’s our first step?”
“We’ve already started. We’ve earned their trust, or at least begun to. It’s all we can do at the moment, until we find out more.”
“Hello,” Benjam squeaked from his balcony, the other side of her.
“Hey Benjam, do you think you can calculate a timeline? Do you think you could figure out how much time we’ve got here?” Kyren asked him as the light began to grow, dawn coming fully into being.
“Well, I’ll need some pretty dramatic computing power, and time to run simulations. I’ve already been building a theory, but I’m not ready to discuss it yet. So yes, I can, but access to computing is what I need most,” he explained.
“Okay, I’ll ask Leicara when we speak with her next,” he promised.
“So they injected us with something, nanites I suspect, that have somehow given us the ability to understand their speech. That’s some advanced tech. These teapots are also high-tech too. They seem to live simply but they’ve got some serious technology. Hopefully they’ll give us access to the computers you need, Benjam. They should have them,” Alis remarked.
A soft knock sounded at her door, so she went and answered. Opening the door revealed an Azorian, clad in simple rough spun tan clothing.
She bowed slightly and spoke softly, “You are requested for an audience with the queen.”
She stepped out and saw two other attendants scurrying away from Kyren’s and Benjam’s doors also.
“Well, let’s go see what the good queen has to say,” Kyren said, following the Azorians.
“Maybe she has a computer I can use,” Benjam squeaked hopefully.
Alis and the others made their way down the hall, winding through the corridors of the stone building. Shortly they reached a set of large double doors, heavy wood fitted to the stone corridor perfectly.
The doors swung inward and they were ushered across the threshold. A spacious chamber with a throne at one end was filled with waiting Azorians. A murmur went up through the crowd as they entered and followed the attendants up to the throne.
Leicara stood there holding a holopad of some form, its semi-transparent screen floating in the air before her.
She greeted them, “Welcome Kyren, Alis, and Benjam. I hope you have been made comfortable.”
“We have, thanks for the hospitality,” Kyren replied.
His tone turned diplomatic, “Leicara, we have several requests, things we require during our stay here.”
“Indeed, what can I do for you? Please, speak freely,” Leicara responded, sounding gracious, but peering intently at Kyren.
“For one, I would like to learn more about you and your people,” Kyren requested. “Also, where exactly are we in the galaxy?”
“Yes, we can spend more time together, and I will answer all your questions. I will reveal the workings of our society,” Leicara crooned. “And as for your second question, our territory lies in the Scutum-Centaurus arm.”
Alis didn’t like the tone of her voice, she sounded like she was stalking Kyren, ready to prey upon him. She felt her ears go flat, belying her response. Leicara did not miss it.
“Fear not, Alis, you are all safe here. We will not harm you, nor let you come to harm. As the leader of the Nevthifar I can assure you of this.”
“What about access to a computer, we need that too,” Alis demanded, flustered by the alien woman’s direct gaze.
“Yes, I need to run simulations, I’ll need at least a nettron of processing power, if you can provide it,” Benjam spoke up.
“Done, you’ll have access to our most powerful processors,” she replied. “Now, Kyren, come with me and we shall discuss my people, and our predicament.”
“Alis, Benjam, go see what you can figure out with their computers, I’ll try to learn what I can,” Kyren responded, as she and Benjam were ushered from the room.
Alis resisted the urge to growl and stalked away angrily instead.
27
Alliance
Kyren followed Leicara through the facility, returning to the garden where she had originally received them. The sun had risen fully now, but was still not high enough to peer over the walls yet. The courtyard was still in shadow. Leicara strolled amid the trees in silence and Kyren followed.
He spotted movement and turned to see several serkins, gently flapping their wings as they sat upon a branch. They took flight and fluttered after him.
“Ah yes, the serkins have noticed you. They seem to find you an anomaly. They are incredibly interested in you, in why you have a missing memory,” Leicara explained. “It seems they may have become somewhat obsessed.”
“But I’m not missing any memory,” he denied.
“Well, regardless, they seem to be more interested in you than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“So you said you needed allies. Allies against whom?” he said bluntly, figuring that was the most important of all the questions he could ask.
“Yes, indeed, straight to the point. I appreciate your directness, Kyren. I’ll try to be as forthcoming as I can be,” she began, pausing to collect herself before continuing. “We are a people divided, simply put. There is a schism so great that nothing can overcome the division. We are the Nevthifar, our brothers and sisters the Halifax, our mortal enemies.”
“So you are at war. A civil war?”
“Yes. But we do not war as typical races do. We understand and value our precious existence. Therefore we battle by proxy, chosen warriors contesting for each side,” she admitted. “But these battles consume resources. All the while, a greater threat looms. I have dreamed of what is coming. I have seen the egg that arrives from space, I have seen what we must do to stop it. But it will cost our people all to defeat this threat.”
“You’ve seen it? You’ve seen the Kirugi?” he asked, intrigued.
“You know of this creature? Tell me all!” Leicara pleaded.
“It comes from space, lands on a planet, and then shoots its eggs back into space to repeat the cycle all over again. It would seem it threatens all sentient life in the galaxy. It’s a plague that must be stopped before it can be allowed to spread,” Kyren explained as best as he understood it.
“How do you come to know of this?” she asked, curious.
“I have a…” what was Elarra, anyway? A companion? A counselor? A friend? What was she after what she had done to Alis?
“I know someone who can see the future. Yeah, I know, sounds crazy, but she’s seen it. She’s shared her vision with me, and I know how to fight it. Well, I know something we can use to fight it,” he tried to explain.
“I too have seen this Kirugi. I know a way to fight it, but if I do, I leave my people vulnerable. The enemy will overcome us if we weaken ourselves by fighting this new threat. But we cannot let the galaxy be overrun, can we? Our people’s survival is meaningless if there is no galaxy in which to survive. Yet to save the galaxy, we lose.”
“Sounds like a dilemma. But you’re hoping we can shift that balance of power, then?”
“Yes, indeed, you may be just the advantage we need to maintain our tenuous hold,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing a faint purple.
“So who are these enemies? Another faction of your own people, I’m guessing?” Kyren posited.
“Yes, the Halifax are our brothers and sisters, they just follow a different path. They oppose our rule at every turn, fighting for power, for control.”
“So how do you fight? Where do you wage war? I’ve seen no warriors, no war machines, no battle zones,” he wondered.
“Our battles are fought where and when appropriate, by proxy,” Leicara revealed.
“Proxy? You have gladiators, then?” he asked in surprise.
“Ah yes, this term of yours, “gladiators” does adequately describe our warriors, and how they resolve our conflicts,” she confirmed.
“And let me guess,” he said confidently. “You use bots to fight your battles.”
“Yes, you are quite astute,” she said, reaching out and resting a hand upon his arm.
Her touch was warm and soft, and not unpleasant. He reached out and placed his hand over hers.
“I’m here to accompli
sh some very specific tasks. Aid me, and I’ll do whatever is in my power to help you with your enemies, both internal and external,” Kyren offered.
“Very well, it would seem we have a mutual purpose, then,” she said, releasing him and staring intently, her purple irises fixed upon him.
“So the first thing we need is computer access. We’ll need serious computing power and access to all your networks. And I need to know everything about Skotinicene’s station and the giant robot,” Kyren said, taking a chance and guessing at the connections that were just now becoming apparent.
“You are indeed special if you know of both Skotinicene and the Gaidan,” Leicara confirmed. “Come, let us join your companions and I will provide the access you require.”
She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling. He wasn’t entirely sure he was okay with how she was looking at him.
28
The Vid-itorium
Benjam followed the attendant as he left the room, Alis trailed behind. The plainly-clad Azorian led them through the facility, back out into the bright morning sunshine.
“This way,” the attendant said meekly.
“I’m Benjam, what’s you’re name?” he asked, in what he hoped was his friendliest tone.
“My name is Heston,” the attendant replied sheepishly.
“So you are a worker? It seems to be a large compound, from what I’ve seen. Does your family live here as well? Do they work here too?” Benjam asked as he squiggled alongside the Azorian.
“Work? We are the Dras, we serve. It is our way,” he replied, eying Benjam warily.
When Benjam’s silence indicated he had not really understood, Heston continued, “You see, Leicara is Yal, we are Dras. The Yal have always led the way, and the Dras have always followed. We do as the Yal command, for we always have.”
“Seems like kind of a stupid reason to me,” Alis interjected, immediately looking like she regretted speaking.