Chapter 8
The citizens of Artemis had gathered in the center of the citadel to mourn the passing of their fallen harvesters. Taci Galen was near the center, with her young son, Jaison, at her side. Beside her was Emilie, mother of Arsino, who was unable to hold back her tears as she wept over the loss of her only child. Taci reached out and put her arm around the elderly woman, her own tears held firmly in place for the moment.
Stepping out, Councilman Speros addressed the people. “Citizens of Artemis, we gather here today to pay respects to our fallen brothers.” Two men, each holding aloft the fluttering red banners of the empire, walked ceremoniously toward the two women. Behind them walked Councilman Thym and General Vod. As the flagbearers stopped, Thym and Vod removed the banners from their poles and began to fold them. Once the task was completed, Councilman Thym handed one to Emilie. He spoke softly, so much so that even Taci couldn’t hear what was said. She held a breath as General Vod approached her with a folded banner.
“I, too, grieve for your loss, Taci Galen,” the general said as he held out the flag to her. “Riath’s name will be spoken with great honor.”
Taci reached out and took the flag from the general, saying nothing.
Both Vod and Thym stepped away without another word, moving back into the crowd and giving the ceremony back over to Councilman Speros.
“Our fallen will be remembered always for their courage and their sacrifice,” Speros shouted to all. “Let us all bow our heads in silent reverence.”
A silence fell over the citadel, punctuated only by a gentle wind whipping through long-unused communications towers high in the citadel’s walls. But then a new sound appeared, a high-pitched whine that caught Taci’s attention and drew her eyes to the sky. As the noise turned into a roar, all heads were upturned as the people sought to find the source. The twin suns were bright, making discernment difficult at first. For a brief moment, the object eclipsed one of the suns, and all in Artemis could easily see that it was a ship.
A ship! Our leaders! The phrases were echoed in whispers. Taci and Emilie moved away from where the craft was intending to land.
Vod’s eyes burrowed their gaze into the vessel as it made its way slowly toward the center of the citadel. It held no recognizable lines. Even after centuries, surely the leaders would have returned in something that would bear some resemblance to craft of the past. It had to be something else. “Harvesters, arm yourselves!” he shouted to the men standing in awe behind him.
The strange vessel slowly circled once more, then set down on three legs which had unfolded from within. The noise of the engines slowly faded as the harvesters, with their weapons charged and ready, surrounded the large craft. Vod stepped toward what he felt was the cockpit, unable to see into the darkened ports. Halfway to the vessel, he stopped abruptly as a ramp was extended. Behind him, he heard the sound of his men readying their weapons. Vod raised an arm in preparation for the order to open fire.
All eyes watched as the door above the ramp slid open and a figure emerged.
It was Riath Galen.
“Husband!” Taci shouted, then ran toward Riath.
“Taci!” Vod shouted, but it was too late. She was already up the ramp and embracing her husband.
“I thought you were lost,” she wept.
“Shhh,” he cooed as he kissed the top of her head. “I’m here, my love.”
Taci looked into his eyes. “But how? You’ve been gone for nearly eight cycles. How did you manage to survive?”
“With help.”
“Arsino?”
Riath looked at her and shook his head.
“Then how?” General Vod asked from the bottom of the ramp. “And what of Arsino?”
Riath’s eyes looked past Vod to Arac. “He was murdered.”
Vod’s eyes followed Riath’s. Arac’s face was pale. “Arac?”
The harvester said nothing. His eyes darted around helplessly. When he stepped back involuntarily, Vod quickly ordered two others to take him into custody.
“And Councilman Speros as well, I believe,” Riath said as he pointed to the councilman.
“That is outrageous!” Speros shouted back across the courtyard. “On what grounds do you make such a claim?”
“Your nephew has betrayed his commander just as you once did, Councilman. I found the body of Lindes, and the deposit of tetralyte the two of you discovered those many years ago.”
“Absurd!”
“You knew that the discovery of such a large deposit would allow us to get the Survivor back into space and leave this world behind. But you could not allow that to happen. You were convinced our leaders would return. You hid the truth by murdering Lindes and placing the north under quarantine. You told your nephew that Arsino and I should share in your former commander’s fate if we discovered the truth. You were only partially successful.”
“You have evidence of this?” Vod asked.
“I do, General.”
Vod narrowed his eyes, then turned to his harvesters. “Take the councilman into custody as well. I will question him further.” He then turned back to Riath and the strange ship. “And what of this?”
Riath and Taci stepped down the ramp to stand near the general. “I was injured on my way back to Artemis. They found me and nursed me back to health.”
“The leaders?” Vod asked, his eyes going wide as he continued to stare at the craft.
Riath and Taci turned their eyes back to the top of the ramp. There stood a helmeted being who surveyed its surroundings. It was slightly smaller than the people of Artemis. It had arms and legs just as they did, but there was an extra digit on the hands. It moved down the ramp toward Riath and Vod. Raising its arms, the figure removed its helmet. Small, colored eyes looked up at both Riath and Vod.
“They are not our leaders, Vod,” Riath said as he moved to stand beside the visitor. “This is a human.”
“What is a hu-man?” Vod asked as he looked down to the pale-skinned creature.
The human slowly reached down and switched on a device around its wrist. It then began to speak. The first words were unintelligible sounds, but they quickly morphed into a broken form of their own language.
“My name is Dr. Rayford Katz,” it said, then raised its right hand in a traditional Refarian salute which Vod returned after a moment’s hesitation. “I represent the Unified Collaboration of Planets, a collection of worlds that have banded together in the name of galactic peace and prosperity. I am a scientist, sent to study this world.”
“Study?” Vod asked in disbelief. “For what purpose?”
“It was decided some time ago that Canassra was to be surveyed as a possible site for a future colony for our people. A team of scientists, including myself and several others, was dispatched to perform the initial surveys. We found something more valuable than anything else I’d ever discovered in my life.”
“Tetralyte,” Vod replied angrily. “And now you intend to steal it.”
The human made a noise that was untranslatable, which Riath later said was a laugh. “Not at all, General. What we found was you.”
“Me?”
“Well, your people, to be exact. We’ve been studying you for over a decade now.”
“But why?”
“Because you and your people are the last remnants of the Refarian Empire.”
Vod’s eyes went wide. “The last . . .”
The human nodded slowly. “A century ago, as best our records show, a virulent plague killed off the entire Refarian race. We thought your species extinct. That is, until we came across Artemis. We’ve come to believe it was the most distant of all Refarian outpost worlds. Many cycles ago, a plague had arrived on this world. You called it the Blue Pox. Fortunately, we were able to synthetize an antidote, which we introduced into your water supply without you knowing it. We were intent on continuing our studies, but as we watched the events of the last few cycles unfolding, we decided it was time to make our presence known.”
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“But why?”
“Because we are an endangered species,” Riath said, placing a hand on Vod’s shoulder. “These humans, these scientists, refused to stand by and watch as Arac killed his own people.”
“I admit,” the human began cautiously, “that intervening now does go against several laws my people have over such matters. However, I felt the action was justified, and I’m going to accept the consequences of it—though I feel that given the circumstance, the punishment will be light. Regardless, we are here now, and we have much to discuss.”
Vod could not agree more. His head was spinning with everything he’d learned in such a short time. His entire world was about to come crashing down around him, and the very survival of his people as a race was now on his shoulders. “I am . . . not a diplomat, Dr. Rayford Katz. I believe Councilman Thym will serve admirably in that post.”
The human looked to the councilman. “We know of your talents in the political arena, Councilman Thym. We’d be honored to speak with you and the rest of your council.”
Thym stepped up beside the human. “Are there more of you . . . up there?” he asked, pointing to the sky.
“Many, many more, Councilman. And you’ll have the choice of meeting them amongst the stars or remaining here on Canassra. But that will come with time.”
“And our people?” Vod asked, unsure of what to say next.
“They need a leader,” Riath replied. “One who will look out for their best interests. I can think of no one more suited to that task that you, General.”
“You will stand at my side?” Vod asked.
Riath nodded. “In my short time with them, I’ve learned some things of this Unified Collaboration of Systems. I believe they have much to offer us, but we also have much to offer them. Our tetralyte is a material widely used in their government. The mineral is extremely rare in their space.”
“As are we, it would seem.”
Riath smiled weakly. “It is to our mutual benefit that we listen to what they have to say. We are all that is left of our empire. It is up to us to rebuild it, if we choose. But whatever decision we reach, whether it is to remain here or search the stars for more of our lost colonies, I believe these aliens . . . these people . . . can help us.”
Vod silently looked at the alien craft once more. The twin suns of Canassra glinted off the hull and bathed the assembly in light. All of Artemis was looking down at him, all voices were silent. He swallowed as the weight descended upon him. He lifted a hand and placed it on Riath’s shoulder, and then turned to the alien visitor. “Let us hear what this human has to say. Come.”
The End
Beta Sector- Anthology Page 15
