by M. Arcturus
Just when Selené thought she was close enough to Guardian’s Gate to pass by unnoticed, Raydorian flagged her over. Reluctantly, she went over for a short visit, but Raydorian had no concept of time nor the understanding of a brief conversation.
As she walked through the crowd, a group of Ackrids crossed her path, dragging two cloaked figures cinched and chained together. Selené reached Raydorian’s stand, although her attention was still fixed on the Ackrids.
“I don’t like dealing with them,” said Ray, following her gaze.
Unison stood there with his eyes closed as he felt the grime of the Ackrids’ presence. “They haven’t been the same since their nuclear war. Their thoughts have always been focused on battle and glory, but now they have become so volatile. Nearly anything sets them off. The radiation on their planet must have altered their ability to use their intellect,” he stated slowly through his tiny mouth.
Unison was right. The Ackrids had once been a breed so beautiful that even the god, Apollo, was envious. Their skin was golden brown, their hair as dark as ebony, not one of them had a bad figure, but it was their faces that made them truly unique. From the nose up, their faces resembled that of a snake with golden serpentine eyes. You would think with that sort of appearance that they would look hideous, but their skin faded softly to scales, and the way their eyes moved was enchanting.
The war on their planet changed them dramatically. Now, most of them were hunched over, scalier, and their skin looked like it was peeling off in sheets. Worst of all, they had become intolerant, using convoluted truth to justify any means to break out into war.
The Ackrids were the second alien race that traded with Atlantis. Most of their wares consisted of high tech weapons. Their business dealings were usually with the merchants at the military post. They hardly ever made an appearance at the marketplace, so their presence was a surprise to her.
Selené shrugged off her uneasiness and turned her attention back to Ray and Unison. “Would you know, by chance, if there’s a ship arriving at port tonight?”
“One shipment has been canceled. There shouldn’t be any ships arriving tonight. Why do you ask?”
“I had a dream last night…” now she had Ray’s attention, whether she wanted it or not. Once she saw his face light up, she knew her chance of having a quick conversation was gone.
He cut her off in mid-sentence, his dark brown eyes widened with anticipation. “A vision you mean! About what?”
She quickly regretted mentioning the dream to him, and she secretly wished she had been clever enough to create another reason as to why she asked about the ship. Selené started to fumble over her words as she tried to withdraw her statement, but it was no use. She let out a heavy sigh as she continued, “I saw The Destroyer of Worlds on a special ship. I’m not exactly sure where it was headed, but when I went to Juron’s chamber to tell him about my vision, he was talking to an envoy from the Orient. I overheard him say that he wasn’t going to accept their shipment.”
Ray had a blank stare on his face. When he spoke, it was as if someone had delivered the worst news of his life, “The Destroyer, you say...” he paused for a moment, “Why would Juron agree to something like that? What could this ship deliver to make him feel compelled to conceal its arrival? Risking our community, by agreeing to let a ship dock with the threat of carrying The Destroyer of Worlds aboard, to grace our presence?” He spaced out for a moment, not wanting an answer to the questions he had spoken.
Selené looked at him with concern before she spoke, “He didn’t agree to let it dock and you said there were no shipments tonight. Now, you’re talking as if there is going to be a shipment delivered. Why did you change your story?”
“I’ve lived here long enough to trust your visions in spite of who says what. For all you know, his words were just a cover up. If your dreams say that this ship is going to dock, then there must be some sort of special cargo on board, something that he wants to keep to himself, and he most likely did something underhanded to get it.”
She was honored to hear that Ray thought so highly of her gifts, but in light of the situation, her excitement over his flattery was short-lived. She took a deep breath. “Okay, even if this ship is bringing cargo, what makes you think that the cargo is underhanded? What if it’s bringing regular cargo? And even if there was secret cargo, what makes you think Juron is in on it?”
“This ship must be carrying special cargo of some kind,” Raydorian insisted. “If the ship was only transporting The Destoryer, chances are they wouldn’t stop here, or even know how to find Atlantis. You know as well as I do that Juron concealed our location from other civilizations here on Earth quite some time ago. He didn’t want the technology on Atlantis falling into the wrong hands. Or should I say, leave his hands without a price tag on it. The only open trade we have is with certain alien neighbors. He wouldn’t just give our location away unless it would benefit his greed. So, there must be special cargo, and it’s underhanded because in your dream they knew how to find us.”
The expression on Selené’s face said it all. Completely dumbfounded, she had no clue Juron had closed them off from the people of Earth. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Raydorian was right. It had just dawned on her that it had been nearly a hundred years since she’d seen a golden ship arrive with any sort of newcomer onboard. Most of the humans on Atlantis had lived for thousands of years in the city outside the palace. Periodically, the Council would welcome human representatives, but that had been few and far in-between. She had read somewhere in the archive that the human representatives were selected by Akashic Record agreements. These agreements were signed by both the representative and the Elders before the representative was born into this physical world. Even then, it had been almost two hundred and fifty years since the last representatives had arrived, and she’d been disappointed that she hadn’t been able to witness their arrival to Atlantis. She was hoping that one day she would be afforded the opportunity.
“That still doesn’t answer how we receive regular cargo.”
“When Juron opens trade routes with the people of Earth, he dispatches our own ships loaded with exports, and the city receives the ‘regular’ cargo when the ships return with imports.” Raydorian looked a little irritated with her, “Selené, where have you been? I know your books and scrolls are important to you, but what good are they if you lose touch with the outside world?”
Her books had come in handy lots of times. She had learned all about different religions and cultures, which had allowed her to dispel disagreements between the diverse factions on Atlantis. And on rare occasion, she was able to coach Juron on various customs and traditions before he left the isle on official business. A little offended, she replied, “Still doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be someone else behind this.” Selené wanted to give Juron the benefit of the doubt. He may not be her closest friend, and his lust for wealth might get out of hand from time to time, but she never thought he would endanger lives to obtain riches.
“He’s the only one who has tight control over what comes in and goes out at the docks. So, he’s the most likely candidate in my books.” Raydorian’s comment made Selené pause for a moment. Until now, she’d always thought the people liked Juron. It made her wonder how many people actually disliked him.
Unison, seemingly uncomfortable with the conversation, asked to finish buying his supplies and exporting his goods so he could be on his way. Knowing how all the races felt about the so-called traveler who destroyed everything in her wake, Selené really couldn’t blame him.
Out of nowhere came a wail of crying screams. A few members of the crowd looked in the general direction, but when they saw what was going on, they returned to their business transactions, and did nothing about it. One of the Ackrids was placing chains and cuffs on a beautiful girl as her father ignored her, fixated on the package he held in his hands. The girl struggled with
all of her might trying to break free, but the Ackrids were too strong. Selené tried to go and help, but Raydorian grabbed her by the arm. She looked questioningly at her friend.
“Let go of me! Why are you letting them do that to her? What’s going on?” shouted Selené, crying at the top of her lungs, struggling against her friend.
“That is what some call business,” said Ray, briefly catching her attention, but he knew he had a lot of explaining to do, and not a whole lot of time before Selené would lunge back into action. “That’s not the first time this has happened,” said Ray.
“What?”
“That man, or should I say creature, had three daughters. As you can see, he’s already traded two,” said Raydorian gesturing to the two cloaked figures being held hostage. “He has lost them one at a time over the past few months to the Ackrids, a daughter for six pounds of Glaecia. He is not the first to do that, and probably won’t be the last. We don’t stop them because to them it’s business. It’s starting to happen an awful lot. Not that it’s right, but for the time being we can’t do a thing about it. Someday, this will stop, but you can’t stop them by yourself, not even with my help, and there’s too many shades of gray in this matter. The people who stand and watch are torn between their own morals, the codes of business, and the dealings of friendship with the people who bargain like this.”
“All of this—trading a life for a drug,” said Selené, her astonishment was quickly followed by anger and sadness.
Unison reached for her hand and held it silently as the last of his cargo was loaded into his ship. He looked up at her briefly, then left with his head lowered, looking at the ground. The low rumble of Unison’s departing ship didn’t faze Selené or distract her from her thoughts. Selené, still in a sad trance, also departed Ray’s company, not even realizing that she was leaving without saying goodbye. Ray saw her shed soft tears in memory of the current event and watched her disappear into the crowd. For once, she didn’t mind being stuck at his stand for so long. She knew she had to witness that for some reason, and now she knew she was going to do something about it.
Pandora stared into the water, which reflected with pure intensity back into her eyes. She sat in her rowboat watching what swam around beneath her. Their purple fins shimmered as they played in the clear shallow waters off of the Arlantean coast. She put her hand in the water, inadvertently playing tag with them. The mermaids were so small and agile as she moved her hand about in the water. The white stone mantle of the seafloor accentuated every subtle color under the watery surface, which gave them no opportunity to hide. The water and the environment held her attention for a long time before she even stirred. Even then, it took the offshore breeze to provoke her from her fanciful concentration with the mermaids. Pandora felt something on the wind blowing across her face. She instinctively looked up, and that’s when she saw Selené sitting alone on the shore with her feet buried ankle deep in the sand.
Something was troubling her friend. Selené deep in her own thoughts didn’t even notice when Pandora came to shore, and only looked up when she was standing right in front of her. Pandora’s red hair was in a loose braid tied with a green ribbon and draped over one shoulder. Her hunter-green cloak covered most of her attire, but the chain she wore around her waist clanged together as she took a seat beside Selené. Whenever Selené saw Pandora, she never really thought of the burden Pandora had to carry. It was only when she heard the chain, did she remember, and ponder what she would have done in her friend’s place. After her sidetracked moment of thought, she turned her attention to the matters at hand.
“I’ve seen a lot today,” said Selené slowly. She paused briefly, “I saw a father forsake his own children for Glaecia. He traded them off to the Ackrids, and that’s not the worst of it.” Pandora stared unblinking in disbelief as Selené continued. “Last night, my dreams revealed to me that The Destroyer of Worlds is coming to Atlantis by the way of a vast ship. I’m almost certain that very ship is supposed to dock at the port tonight. Earlier, I overheard Juron in his chamber decline a shipment of goods, but now I have reason to believe that the ship he was referring to is the same ship that was in my dreams.
“When I told Raydorian, he said he believes this ship is carrying some valuable cargo for Juron, and that Juron is lying about its arrival. But why would Juron do that? We’re not quite sure, but I agree with Ray. If there is secret cargo, and it’s precious enough for Juron to risk our safety by allowing it to dock; what could it be?”
Pandora crinkled her brow in confusion. “Let me get this straight. You hear from the horse’s mouth that the shipment has been refused. Then get talked into believing one of Ray’s farfetched ideas? Don’t you know he’s the biggest gossip on the island? Sel, pull yourself together! You’ve got youself all worked up.” Pandora let out a sigh, “Have you talked to Juron about this?”
“No, I haven’t talked to Juron.” Her voice dropped just a bit. “Yes, it’s mostly based on speculation. Yes, I’m aware that it’s stupid to act on something that is not completely factual, but I can’t dismiss my dream. What if Ray’s hunch is correct? Shouldn’t we at least check it out? If Ray’s speculation is right and I bring this topic up to Juron, he’ll learn that we know; and he’ll have that ship so heavily guarded with his Secret Guard that we won’t be able to even get close to the ship.”
“I still don’t know how Juron could go from refusing the ship to accepting it so quickly. Even if the cargo is for him, that doesn’t mean he knows everything, or that The Destroyer is possibly on board. Have you really thought this through? And what are we going to do once we board the ship, walk up to The Destroyer and ask him or her to leave?”
“I know it sounds farfetched,” said Selené in disappointment, “but I still can’t shake the feeling that the ship is going to dock, and that Juron has something to do with it. I have no clue how we are going to stop The Destroyer. I was hoping we could figure that out as we go along.”
“That feeling is called letting Ray fill your head with nonsense.” Pandora looked into Selené’s sad eyes. Her demeanor softened, then she added, “Situations are never easy with you, are they? You’ve always got to be surrounded by chaos, making it virtually impossible for anyone to help you. You better have a plan. So, what do you need, or have in mind?” Pandora’s unnatural green eyes were fixed on Selené.
“I was hoping Seth would help us. He knows the port well enough to get us safely inside, or at least give us a layout, so we can maneuver around in the dark tonight.”
“Just great! You want me to help you sneak into the port, go aboard this ship that’s not even scheduled to arrive, to do what exactly?” She asked in an edgy tone.
“I’m not sure yet. I’m hoping I’ll know what to do when the time comes.”
“Oh, I see! It’s a suicide mission from the start. It’s one of those plans that is doomed just by its very exsistance.” Pandora rolled her eyes and shook her head at the crazy notion, but when she met Selené’s gaze again, that’s when she saw how much this meant to her. Selené was serious. Pandora grudgingly decided she needed to help her friend. “Okay, I’ll go,” said Pandora unenthusiastically, trying to muster a smile on her face.
Selené looked at Pandora, knowing her friend well enough to know she couldn’t resist the challenge, regardless of her uneasiness and no matter how much risk may be involved. “I guess we should start by talking with Seth.”
Pandora blushed, but there was something in her eyes that Selené saw as clear as day. It was pain, anger, and a little bit of resentment. Selené didn’t know what that was about. Everyone knew that sooner or later Seth and Pandora would be together. There really was no other competition. Seth was captivated by her. They just needed to get their act together.
Pandora finally spoke, though Selené wasn’t quite sure if that’s all that was on her mind. “I wonder how Seth will take the news about his people—the ones you sa
w in the marketplace.”
Selené hadn’t thought about it, but Pandora was right, Seth was the only member of the Ackrid race to have been on Atlantis when the war started. He was such a dependable soldier that his command had posted him here by himself at the Atlantean Command Center, which was built beneath the marketplace, and it was speculated that it had multiple hidden access points all over the island. Seth wasn’t the only soldier there at the Command Center, of course, but he was the only Ackrid. And while Seth enjoyed training the different brigades: the palace guards, the terran guards who patrolled the city streets, and those who stood guard at Guardian’s Gate; he still missed home. Now he could never go back, unless he wanted the same fate as the others. Their atmosphere was completely contaminated by the war and it wasn’t purified yet. It would take a long time before it was neutral again. His command had basically forgotten him on Atlantis due to the raging war. Selené didn’t think Seth had any family on his home world, even before the war broke out; so there was no good reason for him to ever go back.
Her thoughts turned toward the girls chained and cloaked in the marketplace. Were they cloaked because the Ackrids didn’t want to attract attention, or were the girls hiding their bodies because they had mutated from living on the radioactive planet? This made her feel even worse, to think that their father didn’t care about what happened to them. Just wondering how it would be, to go from what you were born looking like, to something grotesque and deformed, made Selené cringe. To have to look in the mirror, knowing what you used to look like, but forced to live with a new distorted face, day in and day out. Pain filled her heart when she realized she couldn’t help them—at least, not yet.
The pain and sadness soon turned into determination. Selené focused her mind once again on the situation at hand, which meant she had to find Seth and try to discover what Pandora didn’t want to say. Then, if she had enough brainpower, she would think about the ship. Selené sighed when she realized how full her day was becoming.
