Someone bumps into Jari-ri as they pass her, she nearly stumbles, myself included.
“What where you’re going asshole!” she shouts, but the culprit is long gone. “I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with this crap. Between shit like that and the awful smell, I just feel like quitting.”
I don’t blame her. There’s no such thing as manners on this planet and the smell in the mines is a nasty mixture that constantly assaults anyone who still has a nose. Even after several months of working here, I’m still not used to it.
“If you want to quit, do it, but tell me first. I’m not working this shithole alone,” I tell her, patting her shoulder.
She bats my hand away. “Bah. You just want to use me as a reference for your next job.”
“Well…now that you mention it, but I’m not even sure how much longer I’ll be on this planet.” Scratching my head, I think of all the possibilities.
It’s been five years since the invasion. Since discovering that we’re not alone in the galaxy, I’ve hopped from one place to the next in a state of constant travel. Now that I’m truly thinking about it, I’ve probably stayed on Delarou Valdani far longer than I should’ve. Maybe it is time I leave. The thought lingers in my mind, but something deep inside nags at me as if to tell me there’s a reason to stay. I dismiss the idea altogether. It’s a thought for another time.
When we enter the elevator, it hums to life, rattling and shaking as it hurls us towards the planet’s surface. It shreds my nerves, but we manage to survive. Soon, the doors open, bringing us to the surface. I burst through the crowd of aliens who rode up the shaft with us, freeing myself from the deathtrap shaft.
Fresh, crisp air greets me when I reach the exit tunnel and I take the biggest of breaths before coughing blank-gunk grime. Despite wearing a mask my entire shift the stuff still builds up in my airway. It’s disgusting and makes it difficult to breathe, but a woman’s got to work.
Arm in arm, Jari-ri and I head down the road to our apartment complex. It’s only a few blocks away. In fact, it’s where we both met when I landed here six months ago. I’d rented the cheapest place I could afford and ended up with a room right next to her. When we bumped into each other in the halls, we hit it off instantly, and because she’s so kind, she even vouched for me to her boss at the crystal mines. If only I knew how shit of a job it was...
As we walk, we’re blasted with the chilly, underbelly wind from air transports flying overhead. It scraps harshly against my skin and so I pick up the pace, eager to get home. Out of sheer homesickness, I glance to the unnaturally colored sky which is much different from Earth. Even with a telescope, because I’m so far out, I’d never see my home from here. It’s depressing, but the sight of Delarou’s twin suns slowly settling down past the horizon, fills me with distraction and awe. Beautiful sage green and apricot color the heavens and in all my travels since escaping home, I’ve never seen anything so stunning. It almost makes the grimiest parts of this world sparke like a gem. If the city of VadCurah wasn’t so vast or had no massive skyscrapers assaulting the sky, I’d be able to watch it entirely from here. It’s a real shame that I can’t.
“I wish I didn’t have to pay for a transport to see the sunset,” I mumble quietly, memories flashing before my eyes.
“Hey, if you’re gonna get all depressed on me I’m gonna stop introducing you to my favorite spots. I mean, look at what’s already happened at Shakaat’s. You go there almost every week and harass the barmaid over the mystery alien,” Jari-ri says, playful and chiding at the same time as we finally reach the dark grey and gritty high rise that serves as our home and houses several of the bottom feeders of the city.
I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with drug fiends at the local coffee shop near where I was born back on Earth, and I’m not interested in seeing the alien version of that. It’s one of the reasons why Jari-ri and I get along so well. We’re one of the few single ladies that reside here and it feels safer to be in each other’s company.
“Ha, as if,” I snort, heading up the stairs. Pulling out my I.D. badge, I slap it across the chip reader. Peeking behind me, I notice Jari-ri has her arms folded across her chest. I give her my best eye-rolling glare before heading inside.
“What? It’s true,” she insists, following behind me.
“Ok, you’re right.” Admittedly, she’s telling the truth. I flash her a grin. “Maybe I do go there more often than I should, but at least I have a name now.”
“What the hell Rena? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner. What is it?” She aggressively hits the button to open the elevator and selects the seventy-seventh floor.
The elevator zips to our level in a matter of seconds. Alien technology, it’s a wonder. The door hisses back open and drops us off on our floor without interrupting our conversation a bit.
“How about I tell you over a cup of Crevetcheck—” My words cut off sharply as I realize my door is slightly open. I swore I locked it this morning...Worried, I lightly push on it. It creaks open, revealing two males in drab, black attire as they flip my furniture and make a terrible mess of all my belongings.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demand. My voice comes out harsher than it should considering the size of these guys, but this is my place, my sanctuary.
Jari-ri runs up behind me, stepping inside. One of the males continues to plunder my belongings, tossing shit around, while the other staggers to his full height of eight feet. They’re brutish looking, like a bruised dark plum, with leathery skin that’s almost warty. If he’s trying to intimidate me, it’s not going to work. I work too damn hard to be pushed around after losing my world once already.
“Inspection,” he grunts, his beady silver eyes appear unamused as he barricades us while his partner works away.
“Inspection? The hell does that even mean? You can’t do this!”
The male doesn’t answer me, and gives me his back, effectively dismissing me.
“Come on.” Jari-ri grabs my arm and pulls me aside into the hallway. “Just let them do what they came here to do.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask her, but I don’t see even a speck of concern in her eyes which has me confused.
“They do this at random, but it's usually every six lunar cycles” she replies with a slightly annoyed sigh as she shakes her head. “Checking for illegal activity. I’m pretty sure it’s against regulation but no one gives a fuck.”
“Six months? This is so damn tiring, trying to learn everything all over again.” I lean against the corridor wall, sagging to the cold floor.
She sits down next to me and nudges my shoulders. “Then stop starting over.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the worry set in on her face. It’s nice that she cares. “I can’t help it. Nothing feels right, nothing feels like home,” I say, sighing deeply on an exhale.
It’s a hard thing to admit, but it’s true. Several long seconds pass and the longer the silence the more my gut is wrenched apart. It’s hard keeping track of time and dates, especially when every planet is different. Right about now, we’d be smack in the heart of winter. I’m certain of it. Bright white snowflakes would fill the sky and people would be singing merry songs and preparing for Christmas. My heart lurches at the sound of that word inside my head. What I wouldn’t do for another Christmas...
“And it might never will,” Jari-ri says, pulling me out of my dark thoughts with even darker words of her own. “You need to accept that, or this is what your life will always be like. Roaming one place to the next, never settled. Is that what you want? Because I don’t think it is.”
Leaning back, I close my eyes and take a moment to consider her words. She’s right. I’ve been on the long haul for five years now. Never settling anywhere because I’m trying to find that perfect place which feels like home. But I can’t replace Earth or all the people I’ve lost. My family, my friends, my life. Nothing will ever be the same, and maybe I’ve be
en running from that, running from a past that I’ll never be able to go back to no matter how desperately I want to.
When the Ru’tah hit Earth's atmosphere on large, oversized purple disc shaped ships everyone panicked. It was something someone would probably see from an old black and white science fiction film, but vastly different in every way. Then they landed. They hadn’t given a single fuck about the people or animals on the planet, murdering everything in their path as if we’re a mere annoyance or slight disturbance at best.
The muddy brown and blood red ombre aliens, apparently had destroyed their world as well, and appeared to have adopted an ‘if my home is a wreck, then yours will be too’ kind of attitude. They’ve been reported by many to wreak havoc on unsuspecting planets, pillaging for resources to save their own desolate planet. They’re selfish, vile and downright hideously disgusting, but I guess where I come from, anything that’s coated in a protective slime to regulate their bodies would be considered gross.
I hate them. I hate them for what they did.
The worst part, though, is that I don’t even know what became of my family. I wasn’t home, my manager forced me to pick up an extra shift at Daneilla’s Coffee Shop. One of the employees had quit and there was no one else to fill the spot. If I hadn’t been in the middle of bumfuck nowhere serving coffee on a dirt road to stragglers, who knows where I’d have ended up. The guilt of this eats me every day, not knowing if my family suffered horrible deaths, or made it out alive like I did. Five years is a long time, and the galaxy is far too large to ever know the truth. I suspect that I never will and it’s time that I moved on and accepted it.
Jari-ri and I both jump up off the floor as my apartment door slams shut against the frame, creating a resonating clank that echoes down the hallway. I reach up and clamp my ears shut as the two aliens who just ransacked my apartment move down to the next door. Assholes.
“Do you mind if I take a raincheck? I need to be alone for a while.”
“Sure, but I’m going to get that name out of you one way or another,” she says, her smiling dropping when she realizes how sad I’m feeling.
Giving me the biggest hug she can muster, she walks away and heads into her own apartment, leaving me standing in the hall. It’s been a long time since I’ve dealt with my feelings about the loss of Earth, my family and everything I’ve ever known, but I think it’s time to put my big girl pants on.
Chapter 2
Aarvik
Today I have traveled the farthest I ever have, but it has not cooled my frustrations and I do not know how much more of this I can take. Ordinarily, my meditative walks help to clear my mind, but not today.
It has been nearly seventeen lunar cycles since I have started this wasteful mission, and nothing has happened. Not, unless I count the time where I held that beautiful female in my arms. She had bumped into me and her rich brown eyes gleaned when she caught sight of my scales. Purple and blue, a rare color combination for one of my kind. There had been a moment where I forgot all reason as to why I was there in the first place. I had been lost, basking in her appreciation. She had almost reached out to touch my chest, directly above my hearts, but at the last second pulled her hand away. I itched for her to touch me and ff it had been anyone else, I would have torn their throats out. It is strange and baffling, I know, but there it is the truth. She is constantly on my mind, a distraction I cannot afford, yet I cannot escape her or shake the deep sense of loss when I think of her.
If only I did not have a mission…
An irritated scoff escapes me. Maybe my task is just a fool’s errand; a sliver of hope that I simply cannot let go of. If I did, I am certain my sanity would have slipped long ago. In this time of my own uncertainty, I find that my path requires more guidance, but my ancestors have been quiet. Why did they lead me here? To this forsaken planet full of greed? Their silence along with my vague visions they send me feel like a betrayal, the sting of it becoming increasingly harder to ignore.
Eventually, I find myself passing through the lush, evergreen trees in front of my huts. Half a day’s travel yet it feels like only a few minutes have passed since I left earlier this morning. For a moment, I consider turning back and rewalking the same way I came, but the fear of falling off course is hard to shake. My head is still not clear and thoughts spin their webs, entangling me in a dangerous and emotional ride I am not willing to go down. So, I decide to call it a night. Perhaps, if tonight will bear the news I so desperately seek.
As I pass through the threshold of the door, entering the meager dwelling that I have been hiding in, I am filled with shame. If my family were still alive, they would be ashamed of me as well. My world is gone, plundered down to nothing by an enemy far greater and more elusive than anyone has ever known. The Ru’tah. As the Crowned Daltaka, I was destined to protect and rule my world, but instead, I led my people to destruction.
My mind constantly replays memories of my world, my people and the duties I was charged with. I thought I had done everything possible to ensure our nation and their safety. Yet, all my work went down the drain as Dakasu was invaded by an alien species. We were not ready for the Ru’tah’s plunder, and the responsibility of that fault is mine to bear.
A dying beep comes from an old comm that lays hidden somewhere in the room. The last time I had the nerve to check it, which was several moons ago, there were several messages left from the Daltaka guard, distant members of the Royal Daltaka family. I am ashamed to admit their messages went unanswered. I cannot bear to listen to what they have to say. My people do not need me. Not anymore. They are better off without the dishonored Crowned Daltaka. A life of isolation for my failure is what I deserve.
Pulling the ceremonial robes off a hook nearby, I sling the old, silky fabric over my shoulders before settling down on the center of the floor. I pause briefly to think of Dakasu and the remaining Daltakeu. My people are now scattered across the galaxy, aimlessly wandering around without a home to go back to, and even if we could, who would follow a fallen Crowned Daltaka? And even if my people would follow me, I do not think I have the strength left with the shame I carry on my shoulders. My burden is mine alone to bear, even if carrying it destroys me entirely.
Assuming the ceremonial position of ancestral connection, I kneel on the floor with my head bowed down between my hands. In my mind, I reach out to my ancestors, silently begging them for forgiveness and guidance. Hours come and go, my body straining from lack of movement, but I am not ready to stop just yet. Giving up now is not an option. There has not been a moment of clarity, no sudden realization or understanding. My mind is still full of pain and regret, and until I can clear the way and find meaning in the reason they sent me to this cold planet, I will stay like this. One way or another, I need answers. Whether they condemn me for my crimes or something else, I care not, as long as they are answers.
Eventually something comes. I see a bar. It is Shakaat’s, the one I travel to several times a week, where I wait for destiny to make it’s call. This time, however, the vision changes. It’s slightly different than what plaques my dreams. The place is crowded with species from various parts of the galaxy, drinking, eating and laughing. Sounds begin to echo through my mind and I know my moment is coming. What I have been begging for: a revelation from my ancestral guide.
“You have been patient my son.” The masculine voice is loud, surrounding me as I bask in the warmth of a long since passed member of my family. “Tonight, is when it all begins. You will be crowned again, bringing forth a new era for our people, ending the darkness of many generations. Forgive yourself, or you will never bring peace. Forgive yourself or you will never find what your hearts need to heal.”
“Wait! There must be more.” I call out, beging, but the vision has faded away, signifying its end. Even if I tried to reach out again, it would be fruitless. I heard only what I was meant to hear. No more and no less.
My people, the Daltakeu, believe in strong ties to the past, so much so that ov
er the centuries we have developed a close relationship with those passed over. Unfortunately, the dead can be vague in their guidance, and not always willful with their words. There is a saying from my world Dakasu, ‘Vut ki tuuk sul la vigidia’ and it means the living are ruled by the dead. I feel like those words could not be any truer at this moment.
Standing on shaky legs, I head outside to the beautiful wilderness on the outer city of VadCurah. It reminds me of home with its wild growth of varying lifeforms. Tangled, dangerous and beautiful.
As if my vision was not enough, the world suddenly begins to shake beneath my feet and the ground rumbles an angry roar. I glance up, unafraid of anything more this existence could throw my way. In the distance, I spot a massive volcano erupting its fiery spirit into the air, bathing the world at its feet, washing it anew.
It is a sign that life is changing. That my life is changing. Perhaps it is time to forgive the past. It cannot be changed, but my destiny can.
Tonight, I will go back to that bar and await my new destiny. I will embrace my new responsibility as any Crowned Daltaka would, and if there is a life to be had for my people, I will forge it with my dying breath. Nothing will step in my way now that my ancestors have finally breathed words of life to reignite my soul.
I think of the short female I held in my arms all those months back and feel regret. To know that my time here on this planet is surely coming to an end and that I will never have a chance to discover why I cannot stop thinking of her. It is unacceptable to me, but I cannot fight the destiny my ancestors have laid out.
Chapter 3
Rena
I didn’t get much sleep last night. Not after the eye-awakening conversation with Jari-ri. And most certainly not after the booming quakes, which the locals have kindly explained is the Goddess Valdani. Even the crystal mines shut down for the day as most people called out to celebrate the return of the dormant Goddess. Me? I paraded around town with my friend, who made me try on a thousand and one dresses in hopes that I would catch Aarvik’s eye. That is if he finally shows himself tonight.
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