by Day Leitao
“Suit yourself,” the voice replied.
Dess clicked off the comm and looked at Saytera. “You don’t have to do this.”
“But I want to.”
He stretched a hand and caressed her hair. “Fine. You know it’s not your fault, right? You had no choice.”
“If you could blast that thing, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you do it knowing it would kill all of them?”
“Yes…”
“I guess it’s the same,” Saytera said. “I’m not gonna feel bad about it. I didn’t spend that long in the academy, but it was what they were preparing us to do; kill if necessary. Wasn’t that what you trained for?”
He paused, then said, “Yes.”
“So don’t make it seem like this was any different. You’re just making it worse.”
Dess looked away, then back at her. “All right. Let’s dock, search for survivors, and inspect the damage, then.” He held her hand and squeezed it, as if to reassure her, then let it go.
They landed soon after, proceeded to their airlock, then were on the dock, wearing their helmets connected to their small air reservoirs. There were fighters from Heliumforge parked. Through the windshields she could see that the pilots had open, lifeless, glassy eyes. Two other Lunar fighters were there. Nadia and Sam came out of it. She pointed up. The entry for the ship was through ladders leading to airlocks, that then led to its interior. Saytera climbed it, removing her helmet once they were safely inside. It was all dark and she lit the light on her wrist. There was a dead person lying there. A young man. She knelt and checked his pulse. Dead indeed. No signs of any physical damage.
“It’s better not to touch them,” Nadia said.
“I was just checking.”
They proceeded to the bridge. It wasn’t where the control of the canon was. A man and a woman were dead on their seats. Dess shot the controls.
He looked at Saytera. “Scrap metal.”
“We need to find where the core power is,” Nadia said.
Perhaps Saytera’s learning would be useful after all. Ships had a certain logic. “I think I know where it is.”
Saytera led them through dark hallways illuminated only by the dimm light of their flashlights.
“You think Heliumforge will come and pick this up?” Sam asked.
“They should, right? At least to bury their dead,” Nadia said.
“If they leave it here, this could be the next ghost ship,” Dess said.
“That’s a legend, isn’t it?” Nadia asked.
“It isn’t,” Dess replied. “It’s an Alien spaceship. Blue technology. Floating abandoned on the Samitri system.”
“Why then haven’t we studied it?” the girl insisted.
Dess sighted. “Cause nobody comes out of it alive.”
Nadia pointed her light straight ahead. “I hope we get out of here alive, then.”
“We will. It was obviously their own energy ray that killed them.” Dess would probably keep insisting on that story.
“Weird,” Sam said. “There is no burning or anything.”
Of course. They weren’t hurt, just had their fire quenched. Not something anyone would understand.
“Should we take a body and study?” Nadia suggested.
“I’m not taking back a body,” Dess said. “Let Heliumforge deal with this.”
Their talk was making Saytera anxious. She didn’t think anyone could guess what had happened, and yet… Those deaths were unexplained. She’d just shut down their light. Like that. She wondered if she could do it with people in other situations. Probably yes. Indeed, the thought was chilling. She understood why Dess hadn’t wanted her to see this. But she had to. And now she was helping them find the core of the ship.
Once they got to the core, the three Lunars shot strategic parts. They couldn’t leave such a dangerous weapon operational in their system.
Dess and Saytera were silent for some time on the way back.
He then said, “You know, I wish they knew you saved us all. I wish you’d get the hero reception you deserve.”
“It would scare people…”
He took a deep breath. “I know. I’ll never let anyone know anything about it.”
“You think Sam and Nadia bought it?”
Dess shrugged. “They have no clue what happened, but they don’t have the slightest idea that you had any role in it, so it’s fine. Let’s leave it a mystery.”
They landed on the military port. A few people greeted Dess. There was relief but also pain on their faces. They had lost friends. And perhaps they had no idea how their actions had helped save their city. They would never know.
For a second Saytera felt dizzy. She held Dess’s arm.
“Tired?” he asked.
They hadn’t slept for a long time. “And hungry.”
“I’ll take you home.”
Home. An odd word. Was it her island, the base on Cliffbound, or even the base on the Tahari Moon? No. He meant his home. In a way, if it was with him, it was home. After such a long time longing for her home, Saytera had found it.
Dess’s kitchen was rather empty. He realized that was a terrible first impression but hoped his performance in the Tahari Moon kitchen would have made up for that. At least the apartment wasn’t dirty. He gave Saytera porridge. She ate it slowly, her eyes almost closing. Who knew how exhausting it was to use that much power? Dess gave her a shirt and put her in his bed, but had to kiss her goodbye.
“It’s all a confusion now. Power vacuum. I need to make sure I’m there.”
Saytera just mumbled something. She looked so little and so fragile there, even if she wasn’t short. Nobody would ever guess what she was capable of. Perhaps anyone but him would be terrified. Dess had always felt she was unusual. Maybe she was a bit more powerful than he’d suspected at first, but that was in line with what he thought of her. And now she slept peacefully, hopefully leaving behind all thoughts of death and darkness.
Meanwhile, Dess was going to claim Staralloy, tell Heliumforge to come pick up their mistaken delivery, and make sure the new Sapphirlune leadership had the people’s interests in mind. Tons of things. His head hurt just to think about it. A few months before, all he wanted was to be a good pilot and do his part for his moon. Now he understood that doing his part in a system that was rotten would never change anything.
A week had passed since the Lunar victory. Might as well have been an eternity. Saytera never felt guilty for what she’d done. Like Dess had said, if they had the choice to blow up the Shieldbreaker, they would have done it without blinking or considering the lives there. Perhaps it was just that she had seen so many deaths that something in her had been numbed. Perhaps she’d always been cold-hearted. Another question she had was whether her power had anything to do with the Terens who had chased her. Would she ever know?
They were back in Citarella to sign a new agreement and elect new representatives. Larissa had been “the voice of peace”, working incessantly to connect everyone, inform everyone, and to bridge Moon and Mainland.
As the voice of peace, she ended up elected for Mainland highest representative. On the Lunar side, it had been Nadia. It couldn’t have been any better. Nadia’s connection to Staralloy, to the top military and her involvement in the Peace Warriors movement had been important. Her father was still alive and hadn’t been arrested. He’d sent a message shortly after their victory, congratulating them, saying he was happy Kades Tahari was alive, and willing to assure a smooth transition and cooperate with interstellar deals. Saytera didn’t trust Tarel, but then, neither did Dess. So far, Tarel’s new position had only benefited them.
Dess was going to implement his parents’ plans for that moon, so that it would benefit everyone equally. He and Saytera were going to live near Cliffbound, going back and forth to Tahari moon as necessary. Saytera would be back near the ocean, ready to try to connect with her magic even more.
Tonight they were going to celebrate the new Agreement. Lunars would b
e able to visit Mainland, even live in Mainland. In a way, things were going back to the way they’d been before Sapphirlune’s independence. But then, it was one system.
Saytera had tied her hair in a complex braid so that it looked shorter than it actually was. The party was at the Military headquarters. Dess and Saytera were in a hotel near it. Before leaving, somebody knocked on the door.
Dess got up. “Weird, they should have announced them.”
Saytera shrugged.
He stood beside the door and asked, “Who is it?”
“I want to see Saytera.”
Saytera’s knees gave away. It was a voice she thought she’d never hear again. A memory from her past walking back in her life. Kerely.
35
Meeting
“I know her.” Saytera went to the door and opened it.
Kerely wore a grey cloak with a long hoo, covering her face and stepped inside. She turned to Dess. “I need to talk with her alone.”
He crossed his arms. “Won’t do.”
“Dess, please. It’s all right,” Saytera said.
He sighed. “I’ll be outside, down the hall.”
Once he’d left, Kerelly lowered her hood and hugged Saytera. It was weird because she had dyed her hair blond, and maybe it was weird to get that hug since Saytera thought Kerely would still be angry at her. Tears came out of Saytera’s eyes and she wasn’t sure if it was relief, surprise, sadness.
Kerely stepped back and put her hands on Saytera’s face. “How are you?”
“I’m fine—Now. How come…” The words got caught in her throat. Saytera wanted to understand how they hadn’t found her earlier but at the same time how she’d finally found her. So many emotions at the same time.
“They’re watching Yansin closely.”
“Who?”
Kerelly sighted. “Other Terens. Some of them know people in our group. They think she’d come looking for you.”
Saytera snorted. “How wrong they are.” There was unexpected bitterness in her voice.
“It’s for your safety. Don’t think for a second she hasn’t thought about you every day since you left.”
Saytera looked down. “I know it was my fault.”
“Of course not! We should have told you the truth earlier, that’s all. It’s just… You see, you grew up so fast. You were just a kid the other day.” She pointed to a chair. “Come. Sit.”
Saytera sat down.
Kerelly continued. “The last person who had contact with you was Carla, right?”
That memory was so old… Almost buried. The woman who had led Saytera to a truck—and, in a certain way, to safety. “Yes.”
“Did she tell you that you had to hide?”
“She did.”
Kerely thought for a moment. “Right. You’re at the center of a revolution that’s being talked about all over the human universe, so I’m not sure this is a great hiding strategy.”
Saytera stared at her. “It’s not as if I chose to do all this. It happened.”
Kerelly nodded. “I see. Well, you need to be careful.”
“Are you going to tell me why?”
“Yes. It’s time for you to learn the truth. You’ve studied the fall of the Ringon monarchy, right?”
Saytera groaned in frustration. “Why do you guys always bring up that stuff… It has nothing to do with anything that matters to me.”
“Well, no. Indeed, no. But… You know that there was a king and queen.”
“Who were killed, yada, yada. Yes. I know that. And?”
“They had a child. Who everyone thinks was killed, too. There were Terens involved in that revolution, Saytera. In the beginning. And they killed the little prince. Or that’s the story everyone tells.”
“And what do I have to do with any of that?”
Kerelly narrowed her eyes briefly. “You never suspected.” She sounded surprised. “Never connected the dots, did you? Never even tried to peer into it. Always hated the subject, avoided the topic, right?”
Because it was pointless and boring. Saytera took a deep breath. “Can you skip to the part that matters?”
Kerelly observed her, as if waiting for a reaction. “What if I told you it was never a prince, but a princess. And they never killed her?”
“The girl is still around, then.”
“Yes, Saytera, she’s still around. But, thanks to Vivian, some people found out she had survived. Some wanted to kill—”
That couldn’t be. “You’re talking about me?” Saytera didn’t know what she felt. Disgust, shock, surprise? It didn’t make any sense.
“Yes, we’re talking about you. You’re the daughter of the Human Alliance monarchy.”
Saytera got up, a nauseous feeling in her stomach. “So you’ve always known who my parents were.”
Kerelly nodded. “Yes, but it had to remain a secret. There are some Terens who believe they should control the human universe.”
Saytera remembered that. “Maxterens.”
Kerely rolled her eyes. “They call themselves that. If they could, they would love to use you to claim the government of the Human Universe.”
Saytera frowned. “Those were the people who wanted to kidnap me.”
Kerelly nodded.
“And what about the ones who wanted to kill me?”
She shook her head. “They think they mean well. They’re misguided by a stupid prophecy.”
“What prophecy?”
“Nonsense. You know what Yansin says…”
“I do. I’m just curious. What’s the prophecy?”
Kerely took a moment, then said, “That the child of this queen and king would bring darkness to our world.”
Saytera swallowed as she felt her heart race. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Could it?
“Don’t stress about it,” Kerelly added. “I know what you did. I know how you defeated the Shieldbreaker.”
Saytera was surprised. “You do?”
“Well, there’s talk about a secret weapon and things that don’t make sense. Any Teren would know what happened.”
Saytera felt a chill down her spine. “Can’t they believe that their ray malfunctioned?”
She shook her head. “It would have damaged the ship.”
Saytera shrugged. “So, as you can see, I can unleash darkness.”
Kerelly laughed. “You can’t unleash it. It would be like unleashing cold. It has no existence in itself.”
“What do I do, then?”
“You quench fire, that’s all.”
As if it were so simple. “Maybe you could give that explanation to the really nice people who want me dead.”
Kerely’s face was somber. “They wouldn’t care. Still, I bet nobody has yet connected the dots that it was you who disabled the shieldbreaker. Some people think Yansin was here. She’s the only other person who can do that, but even her… I mean… So yes, that’s something else that might bring attention to you. People will come. They’ll want to know who was fighting that Shieldbreaker. But… as to the people who want the princess dead, they just heard a prophecy and they want to prevent it. They are blind and don’t want to see how they might be misinterpreting it.”
“But…” Saytera stared at Kerely. “It has some point, doesn’t it? Or else it’s an insane coincidence.”
Kerely sighed. “Maybe it has a point and they are misinterpreting it. Someone who can quench flames can be quite useful when your house is on fire. What you did was good. You can use it for good, Saytera. But please be careful. People would kill to grab their hands on someone with that much power. They are thinking that this system has a weapon. What if they realize you are the weapon?”
Saytera didn’ like the thought. She looked down, thinking. “So that was why I was kept with Yansin? Why she raised me. And why would she teach me to quench flames knowing…”
“She took you to protect you. She taught you I think because she saw your talent, or because you took after her. You’re like a daug
hter to her. No, you are a daughter to her, Saytera, and it’s no wonder you can do something that, until then, only she could.”
“Don’t people want to kill her?”
Kerely chuckled. “Tons do, but it isn’t that easy. For different reasons. Nobody made any prophecy about her.”
“When can I see her?”
“Soon. She’ll send you recorded messages. That’s the safest thing we can do.”
“So you didn’t come here to take me home.” Saytera didn’t know if she felt relieved or disappointed.
“It seems that you found a new home, haven’t you?”
“Which, according to you, is problematic, since we’re being at the center of this whole system and now people are all curious about us.”
Kerely nodded. “That’s true. Your challenges are far from over. The Peace Alliance and people connected to Heliumforge would love to come here and crush you all.”
“What are they waiting for?”
“Figuring out the weapon you guys used. I’m pretty sure nobody is sending any military ship here any time soon.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes.” She paused. “Work together. More than ever, the planet and moon need to be united. The enemy is not here.”
“I know. But am I supposed to hide or help?”
“Help. But be careful.” She took a small box from her purse. “This is for you.”
Saytera opened and saw a small golden circle in water. “What is it?”
“It’s for your eye. It will turn it brown. That should help. But stay away from cameras, meetings, anything where someone might identify you. The messages you sent had poor image quality and I think it will be fine.”
Kerelly took her to the bathroom and showed her how to use the small lens. It felt odd when she put it, but after a while it was comfortable. Saytera looked at herself in the mirror and saw two matching brown eyes.
