Skyway: Clairvoyance
J.D. Cavalida
Skyway: Clairvoyance Copyright © 2018-2019 by J.D. Cavalida. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Cover designed by Audrey Jade Tenorio
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Green Pod
Chapter 2: It’s a Hit!
Chapter 3: Towering Starframes
Chapter 4: Distant Redemption
Chapter 5: Recovery and Remembrance
Chapter 6: Positive ID
Chapter 7: Destination - Jumpgate
Chapter 8: Skyway University
Chapter 9: Promise to the Future
Chapter 10: Onslaught
Chapter 11: Fight or Flight
Chapter 12: The Way of Life
Chapter 13: Language
Chapter 1: Green Pod
The sun shone bright, an unusual morning, oddly warm, amidst winter solstice. A little ray of sunlight, seeping through the thin ceiling, bothered my plan to sleep a little bit longer. Another morning, another day to live. Every single day, somehow felt the same as always— pointless... utterly pointless. I could not discern the need of it, but I still do my daily "chores"— a repetitive routine that I have been doing for the past five years, in order to survive, and ultimately, live on.
I stood up, rubbed my gooey face filled with red and green rheum, and proceeded downstairs. Pulling the doors wide open, I peered outside at the vast world I still call home. A place filled with nothing but trash greeted my eyes— the once glorious Planet Nera, my home planet, is now nothing but a landfill for the Human race. "Is it really wise to use a planet as a dumping site instead of a neighboring star?" My self-muttering would yield no answers, obviously, but it did not stop me from wondering.
Humans, an alien race much similar to us, suddenly invaded in the most direct way possible— Chaos, unabated destruction. I, Jess Starfall, somehow survived the odds and lived to tell the tale of a fallen race: The Nerians. Back then, in our desperate attempt to survive, our world leaders agreed to manifest an experimental wormhole— a vortex capable of mass teleporting our citizens to a foreign planet, in order to survive. It was a risky decision, but it was the wisest choice at that time.
Worse came to worst. I wasn't able to get in the wormhole. I physically couldn't.
The bionic half of my body disrupted me from entering the wormhole. I was rejected and spewed out of the vortex. I was considered a material rather than a living being due to the presence of my bionic arm. I wasn't the only one left, though. More were unable to get in as well. Bionic parts were quite common in our race, as we often lose limbs; our bodies are quite soft and do not have the innate ability to regrow anything.
Millions were left behind, while billions successfully crossed.
We, the ones that were left, became desperate, but we didn't lose hope. We fought— we tried, but... Facing the harsh turmoil of a seemingly overpowering adversary equipped with nothing but minuscule strength... Everyone, myself excluded, soon perished. I was the lone survivor, a person who cowered in fear under the rubbles of war in order to survive. It was a regretful choice that I could never change. Oh, how I prayed that I was brave back then to have faced Death in the eye and joined the others in the afterlife.
I was a coward, and this was my punishment.
5 years later and here I am, a washed-up cyborg furtively living on a planet occupied by a race that treats it like a garbage disposal. I couldn't even enjoy the scenery of the vast horizon without a pile of trash disrupting my view. "Those brazen bastards..." Every time I look at the surroundings, I could not help but rebuke. It didn't matter though. None of my reproaches would be noticed. I am currently residing at the centermost part of the planet's supercontinent. I dubbed it "The Chest", as I often find things that are helpful in my everyday life. It was like a treasure trove; the safest place I could seek refuge in.
As to how I survived for five years with nothing but trash around?
We Nerians do not consume much, to begin with. We were a race that never relied much on external intakes to sustain our bodies. Our cells oxidize and burn energy ever so slowly that we could technically live forever, we would not die except through forceful means. Altogether, food and water intake never became a priority. What became a primacy, however, was to find suitable parts to maintain my bionic half.
The amount of trash outside would always be hefty enough for me to not wander far in search of parts.
I would then do my daily routine; encircling the perimeter, earnestly searching for suitable parts. Although I regret surviving up to this day, letting my bionic half die and my organic half follow its "death" by not being able to move at all is not that way I want to go out. Albeit impossible, certainly unachievable, I do want a better future. In the sense of surviving, however, I was never technologically adept, per se. My bionic arm does most of the job finding the necessary parts "it" needs. I am just someone who acts as its "host". A symbiotic relationship of some sort.
Bleep!
A high-pitched sound rang, signifying that a suitable part had been found. I then scoured through the closest pile of metallic dump in order to search for the part that my arm deemed usable. The ringing stopped when the part was already in my grasp. On my lustrous metallic palm, an odd-looking green orb.
"Huh? What's this thing?"
It was definitely my first time seeing something so peculiar. It was an object that I have never seen before. It was unlike those chips or wires that I got back then. "How can my bionic arm use it, anyway?" I casually tossed the orb up in the air, catching it when it came down. I tried weighing it this way, just so I could tell what it might be made of.
Alas, I had no idea.
Judging by its look alone, I reckon it is some sort of a "core", a power source, to run something. If so, then I would not doubt the bionic arm deeming it useful, but as to how it would use it, I could not possibly know. Regardless, I still kept the orb. Stashing it inside my rugged satchel, I moved on.
I spent the entire afternoon roaming around the perimeter without hearing another beep. It was odd. I usually would get more than one per day, but it would seem like today was different. The sun's light dwindled as it finally disappeared over the horizon. I then headed home, to my humble dwelling. I usually clean and clear most of the trash closer to my house, so it wasn't particularly hard for me to enter.
I yanked open the door, went inside, placed the green orb atop the center table, and proceeded to the washroom. Even though the water supply wasn't particularly clean, and could not be used for drinking, it was good enough for cold showers. Taking a bath every day after going out became a necessity for me. The filth from plastics and metals weren't any better than decomposing biodegradable waste. At the end of the day, they were still trash.
I thoroughly cleansed my body, including the artificial parts. My bionic arm was waterproof, so I need not worry about it malfunctioning. Having a shower would always lighten up my mood. I walked out of the washroom feeling quite comfortable, forgetting that I live in such a desolate place.
Next order of business would be knowing the origins of the green orb and how It could be useful. I could tell that there was no way it could be attached to my arm as far as I could see. The orb does emit a mystical glow that fel
t rather comforting. It wasn't ominous in color, the green in it glowed serenely. My hypothesis about it being some kind of a power source couldn't be proven unless tested; but as to how I would do it, I was unsure. I am not technologically savvy. Even the other half of my body, which was made up of bionic and artificial composites, was overall foreign to me.
I thoroughly wiped myself with a clean sheet of cloth. I find it interesting that this particular towel is amazingly clean and wasn't worn down after almost a year of use. It should've been something left by those Earthlings. Those humans, as I do not recall my race having such an amazing item. The other half of my body, which is still translucent flesh, glimmered after getting thoroughly dried. Its lustrousness did not pale in comparison with my metallic half. We Nerians have distinct features that separate us from humans. Besides our gelatinous skin which doesn't necessarily tear after getting pierced with sharp objects, our vital organs are resilient as well. They do not easily bleed.
"If it weren't for those gigantic armors…"
Even though 5 years have passed, everything that happened back then was still crystal clear in my memory. Gigantic suits that towered over structures landed and toppled over our buildings, destroying everything. We weren't thoroughly helpless at first, and managed to fight back using similarly large suits of armor. Although they weren't as grand as those that the enemy aliens were using, we were able to slow down their attacks.
It was at that time when the governments of different countries decided that we would all escape. It was pointless fighting a losing battle, ending up being extinct in a futile war. Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly the lucky one.
I was 18 back then and barely understood everything that was happening. During the invasion, a freak accident happened to me while trying to escape from the commotion that destroyed my home. My parents died during the time when the enemy's gigantic suits trampled over the building in which we were living. Along with them - my parents - was my severed arm. Our city barely won the battle. 50 of our custom suits hardly defeated a single towering suit of the enemy.
In order to survive, I went through the operation of attaching a bionic arm. Stopping the excessive bleeding and giving me another chance to live normally. Dr. Steven was a family friend of ours and gladly helped me during the crisis. After hearing that my parents died during the battle, he took care of me. But nonetheless, Dr. Steven was able to cross the wormhole, something which I failed to do.
I could've severed this bionic arm back then. But aside from risking my life if I were to abruptly detach the bionic arm, something actually came up that made me decide to stay. It would seem that Dr. Steven thought ahead and had a calm expression on his face when we both realized that I couldn't cross. "Do not worry, this arm will help you survive. Reclaim our home if you can, and we'll try to get back here someday." It was Dr. Steven's last word before crossing. The serene expression on his face soothed my anxious heart back then.
Seeing that I wasn't the only one left, I came to the conclusion that I could do what Dr. Steven said, or so I thought.
And here I am, five years later, alone and thoroughly defeated. I was in despair, yet I couldn't help but smile. How naive of me to think that I would be able to save a race, let alone a planet.
I woke from a doze, feeling groggy.
I had been unconsciously wiping my bionic arm for the past 10 minutes. It now glimmered with unusual radiance. It was as if a year's worth of dirt peeled off, revealing a brand new layer that had never seen the light of day.
I could clearly see words written on the dazzling layer of my bionic arm. I subconsciously uttered them.
"Even Steven?"
From my wrist to the lower section of my elbow, a vague thin line appeared. What followed next was something that I surely would not forget.
My bionic arm suddenly opened, splitting apart into unequal halves. It was something that has never happened before. Wires and parts often melded with it externally, but having it wide open, exposing its odd innards, was quite shocking for me. Since when could my arm do this?
The insides of my bionic arm suddenly wriggled. A pod-like object came out of it and started floating back and forth within my living room. My dwelling wasn't spacious at all, so the pod knocked over a few of my belongings before stopping atop the table. It conspicuously hovered over the green orb which I found earlier.
The mysterious pod suddenly swallowed the green orb whole. A jaw appeared from its rear and gulped the orb in one bite. I sat on the floor dumbfounded by the situation and could not move. I am now 23 years of age but there are things that I am still afraid of, especially floating, swallowing, alien pods.
It might have been fear, but I did not move an inch, even when the pod floated closer to me. It drifted a few feet overhead, and it soon landed towards my open bionic arm.
Clink Clank Clunk.
The sound echoed, revealing that my arm was now back to its usual form. The thin line that distinguished the opening did not disappear, though. It left a noticeable trace, as a greenish glow illuminated from within it.
What in the world just happened?
I could sense some energy within my bionic arm. An unusual energy. It wasn't the same energy that usually runs it; it felt… alien. Some sort of power that reverberates from within. I felt stronger, revitalized even. I shot a glance towards my bionic arm once more, but what caught my attention the most was that my clear gelatinous skin was gradually becoming opaque… my body was becoming something of the Earthlings. I was transforming into a human appearance.
What was in that green pod?
Chapter 2: It’s a Hit!
Sector 2, Quadrant 1. Above Planet Nera.
Blue lights flickered across the monitor. A middle aged man was attentively watching it, observing each of the dots of lights and their movements. He was comfortably seated in a sophisticated-looking chair, something one would only see in the offices of high ranking officials or people in power.
After a short bleep, the blinking of the lights stopped and altogether disappeared from the screen.
Still no sign of that object. The middle aged man had scoured through almost half of this damned planet. It might not even be here at all.
He grunted, seemingly disappointed. Pinching his temples, he lightly pressed a button which was situated near his ear and issued, "This area is clear, change the direction, head towards the final sector."
Leaning back and letting out a sigh, the middle aged man glanced to his left. There, a circular window pane could be seen, revealing the location of his office. Stars, billions of them, clumped together to form a figure called a galaxy, could be seen outside the window. It was apparent that they were in space. In a space station, to be precise.
Through the window pane to his right was the Planet 14, or what the previous locals called Planet Nera. Number 14 symbolized the order in which the planet was conquered, meaning Planet Nera was the 14th planet to be colonized by Earth. As the space station moved further away from its previous spot, the image on the right window distorted, slowly revealing the desolate situation of the planet below. "14th planet and we still decided to turn it into a trash bin, what a waste," the middle-aged man muttered.
He then proceeded to focus himself once more as he leaned forward and started the routine he had been doing for the past few weeks. If he could just find a slight trace of its whereabouts, it would then be better if he went down and retrieved it himself. He pondered as he continued observing the blinking lights within the monitor.
***
The peaceful life that Jess had been living for five years was seemingly disrupted by the sudden event of his arm suddenly splitting open and swallowing a foreign object. It bothered him so much that he wasn't able to sleep for the entire night. The sun shone as brightly as usual, illuminating the desolate lands of Planet Nera, but the usual activeness of Jess's morning routine wasn't there.
It was ten minutes past twelve in the afternoon, yet Jess was still in his bed, blan
kly staring at his bionic arm which was emitting a strong energy. He could clearly feel the energy abundantly surging out, and then being sucked back in. It was as if his arm was a living, breathing sentient being that was inhaling and exhaling mysterious energy.
He sat there, not letting his attention stray from the arm. It was now morning, but he could not rest until he found what the green orb really was. It wasn't just the green orb that made Jess lose sleep, it was the fact that his arm had kept a secret he now just found out.
He took a deep breath before muttering, "Even Steven?" Instantaneously, the crude line in his arm split, revealing the arm's insides once more. His guess was correct. So it really was that phrase… Steven. Was this something that Dr. Steven made on purpose?
The peculiar phrase wasn't that mysterious anymore now that Jess could finally pinpoint the reason as to why it was there. It was part of Dr. Steven's creation, an additional feature to the bionic arm. But what did it have to do with the green orb? What was that green orb to begin with? As for the knowledge of both the pod and the green orb's purpose, Jess could not put his finger on it. He had no clue whatsoever.
Only two things were apparent to him at the moment. One - the arm emits energy that seems way too strong to be normal. Two - his Nerian features are slowly fading away for unknown reasons. As far as he could tell, his image was starting to turn into that of a human. It had been years since he last saw what they really looked like, so he was having doubts on that area.
There should still be a mirror downstairs. If his memory served him right, he could still identify the physical features of those Earthlings and make a comparison. He barely saw any of them back then, as they spent most of their time inside their giant armors. Jess pondered for quite some time before deciding to at least clarify one of the two points he was concerned with. As for the surging energy, he couldn't do anything for now.
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