by F. E. Arliss
“Well,” Ruby said slowly, “any world is better than no world. What’s in the Calix System?”
“The Calix System is mostly empty of humanoid life. It sustains a small population of reptilian like beings on one planet. The entire system is flooded with noxious gases and only this species can survive there without specialized breathing and skin protection. The reptilian species survived with the help of the Alliance and beat back the Arachnians.”
“Mammalian life there was practically wiped out by the Arachnians who ate everything available in order to sustain an enormous birthing operation they were running. Their own system was being slowly devoured by a wormhole. Somehow, Queen Altum Juls and her Viceroy, Winter, collapsed the wormhole and stopped the Arachnian worlds from being destroyed,” Trupe said, a thoughtful expression sliding briefly over his pale forehead. “It takes some sort of off-the-chart power to close a wormhole,” he added gravely.
“I met Winter,” Ruby said calmly. “We were roommates on Gaiaca at the Temple of the Mother. She was there to rest and recuperate after some sort of huge ‘event’,” she added. “I wonder if it was the wormhole closing.”
“Probably,” Trupe said grimly. “What exactly were her gifts?” he asked, curiosity lacing his whirring voice.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Ruby replied, rubbing her forehead. “She did seem very sure that something called the Chrysalis was the Mother. But I know now that isn’t true. So she may be very powerful and in contact with some ultra-strong mojo, but whatever it is, it isn’t the Mother. Maybe some sort of vehicle of the Mother, but not the Mother. I could never get Uma to tell me exactly what the Chrysalis was, though,” Ruby said, wrinkling her nose. “It was very frustrating!”
Trupe snorted indelicately. “We mere mortals, or near mortals, are just supposed to be grateful for what we’ve got and what our limited knowledge can comprehend,” he griped angrily. “I don’t like that. I’m sure that we’re quite capable of understanding far more than the ‘powers that be’, whomever they are, believe we can. At least some beings are more advanced then they allow for,” he added, a grim look settling over his countenance. “I know you found the Mother to be wondrous and wise. But limiting us to only certain knowledge is not wonderous to me.”
Ruby stood and walked to Trupe’s side. “I don’t think the Mother is limiting us,” she said firmly. “I believe she’s sent us out on this adventure so that we can discover the truth on our own. So often we don’t ‘believe’ unless we find it out ourselves. Being ‘told’ the truth is never as powerful, is it?”
“Perhaps,” Trupe replied, his tone slightly less angry. “Let’s head to Beira, the icy homeworld my nest has been given and see what it holds for us. What say you?” he questioned her.
“I say, let’s go,” Ruby stated firmly. Settling herself back into the jumpseat against the wall, she watched while Trupe tapped in the coordinates and commed the other two Idolum warriors that crewed the sloop.
“Strap in for fold-space drive,” Trupe entoned over the comm, “in five, four, three, two, one. Jumping.”
Chapter Sixteen
Brothers
When Ruby and Trupe’s battered sloop leapt from their last fold into the Beira system, it was to the long exhaled breaths of both of them. Many systems on their battered ship were running in the red zones and in need of complete overhaul. Now they just had to find out if they were welcome. Ruby sure as heck hoped so. She was relying on Trupe and his friendship with General Behr to sustain their existence. To some it would have been an enormous leap of faith. To Ruby, it was just part of the adventure.
“Beira and General Behr, this is Warrior Trupe and his Princess requesting permission to enter orbit. We require assistance. Please respond,” Trupe whirred out, his voice sounded very commanding and Ruby almost giggled.
“That sounded very commanding,” she said, lowering her voice in imitation of Trupe’s comm. This time she did giggle a bit, winking at Trupe.
He grinned back, showing rows of hook-like teeth. “It is better to sound powerful than to sound intimidated,” he added with a shrug. “I’m glad I sounded confident.”
“General Behr, this is Warrior Trupe of common birth. I am accompanied by my Princess. Please respond. We have several systems near failure,” Trupe repeated.
“Well, that doesn’t sound very commanding,” Ruby said, “it sounds like we’re about to fall out of the sky.”
“We are,” Trupe said calmly. “Behr would never let a Princess plummet to her death. Don’t worry,” he said, grinning again.
“I’m not a Pr…” Ruby began.
“Yes, you are,” Trupe said emphatically, waving a long-fingered, claw-tipped hand in front of her mouth to halt her words. “You are. No more arguments. You have been blessed by the Mother. You are indeed a Princess simply by that action. You alone have seen the true Mother for the only time in millenia. That makes you a Princess. End of story!”
Ruby blinked. Then blinked again. When he put it like that, it did seem pretty incredible. Wow! She’d been the only sentient being outside of Unity to see the true Mother for thousands of years. It was incredible. She sat back stunned and deep in thought, tuned out completely from what Trupe proceeded to do.
A coded message hit Trupe’s comm. Trupe quickly tapped back an answer. Moments later coordinates for a rendezvous flashed onto the nav screen and Trupe deftly turned the ship to intercept. The sooner the better as several more systems began to flash yellow on the sensor readouts.
Two minutes later an enormous, heavily armored nest ship appeared in front of them. Ruby, who moments before had been completely zoned out, gasped and jerked in her seat. “Holy crap!” she whispered. “Holy, holy crap!”
“I told you our nest were fierce warriors. Until now it was all we had to offer. Anything our nest earned as warriors, went to militarize our systems,” Trupe stated. “As you can see, we are a force to be reckoned with. Outcast or not, Queen Altum Juls was wise to offer us this planet. We are still not completely in the Alliance. We are neutral.”
“Like Switzerland,” Ruby breathed. At Trupe’s confused glance, she added, “Switzerland was a country on Earth that refused to take sides in any conflict. They got very rich that way.”
“In that case, no, not like Switzerland,” Trupe said, shaking his head. “We choose a side. The side that we agree with and that will pay us. If they don’t pay, then we’re neutral. And we are very rich,” he added with a grin.
“Ohhhh,” Ruby said, understanding dawning. “So you’re more like the Foreign Legion,” she added. “Sort of an honorable mercenary group on Earth. If there is such a thing,” she added, skepticism tingeing her voice.
“When it’s that or die out, it’s honorable enough,” Trupe said firmly, giving Ruby a look that brooked no argument.
“I can see that,” she agreed, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back, staring at the nest ship they approached. Cannons and all sorts of weapons systems bristled from the approaching hull. The outside of the nest ship was a dull, mottled black and green. It looked almost like space camouflage and seemed to absorb the light around it.
“Good,” Trupe affirmed, then centered their battered sloop on the flight bay door that was opening low in the massive carrier’s side. Bringing them in to land, Trupe’s whirring voice communicated in a staccato rap responding to the instructions they were receiving. The sloop settled gently onto the floor of the massive landing bay. Tall Idolum warriors in many shades from palely translucent to ebony black loped forward to secure the ship. Behind them the massive landing bay doors thudded shut with a squishing rumble.
The ship was organic, Ruby reminded herself. It would squish. How wonderful! A living ship! She couldn’t wait to touch it!
Several minutes passed as the warriors in the bay seemed to await orders. Trupe shut down the sloop’s systems and straightened his attire. “Would you like me to brush your hair?” Ruby asked him.
“Yes, if you don’t mind,”
he agreed, almost shyly.
Ruby leapt down the ladder and brought her hair brush and a lint roller. Quickly taming his long white locks into a cascade of gleaming silky-white mane, she hurriedly rolled his uniform into impeccable cleanliness, then stood back and said, “You look great! Shall I wear anything different?”
“Something dignified?” Trupe said cautiously, eyeing Ruby out of the corner of his amber glance.
“Ok,” Ruby said, then skipped back to her bunkroom. What the heck? Something dignified? What would that be. Suddenly she scrabbled to the synthesizer and commanded it, “Please make a size 2 ceremonial kimono with self-hooking belt. Deep blue silk, lined with deep fuschia and printed with raised-velvet dragonfly insects in orange.”
Then rummaging under her bed she pulled out a pair of flat boots in purple satin. Hurriedly pulling her clothes off, she donned the kimono as fast as she could. Whipping the boots onto her feet, she brushed out her long red hair and patted some blush and lipstick onto her features. Breathing deeply several times, she proceeded to the cargo bay to meet Trupe. “Oh Mother, let this be right,” she prayed silently.
As she appeared on the landing above the open cargo bay doors, the rumble and whir of Idolum tones ceased abruptly. Trupe had been clasping an enormous ebony-skinned Idolum general in a bro-hug and now broke free, stood back and let his mouth gape open for a second. Hurriedly collecting himself, he glanced at his former hatchling mate and notice the same expression flee across Behr’s features as well. Smiling inwardly, he strode to the base of the stair and ascending took Ruby’s hand to help her down the steep incline. “You look wonderful,” he whirred softly. “Thank you.” Ruby simply nodded regally. Trupe grinned at her hugely and she broke into a large smile as well.
As they reached the bottom of the ladder and turned to meet General Behr, Trupe whispered, “You are a Princess.”
Ruby stared at him for a moment, then turned to the approaching contingency of warriors. Nodding her head regally to acknowledge their arrival, she said silkily, “General Behr, thank you for allowing us to land in your nest.” Where to go from there she was uncertain, but paused to allow the General to lead the way. While she waited, she took the opportunity to appraise the monstrously huge Idolum before her.
General Behr was tall, even for an Idolum general. Though his coloring of dark ebony skin and long white hair was a striking combination, what was even more unusual was his absolute bulk. Most Idolum were slim and wraith-like. General Behr and some of the warriors of his clan were broad and muscled. Where other Idolum appeared to have long rope-like sinews and were fast and strong, these Idolum had muscles that bulged and rippled like waves across an ocean of strength.
The last thing that Ruby noticed, and her glance became riveted to, were the General’s teeth. Used to Trupe’s jagged set of shark-teeth, these were a whole other ballgame, as her Great-gran used to say. The General’s teeth had all been filed flat except for his incisors on top and bottom. This gave the effect of large curving fangs. When he smiled at her and bowed slightly, the fangs glistened out of his dark smile and had the effect of appearing ready to eviscerate her. It took all of her willpower and Trupe’s steadying hand at her back to keep her in place.
“I understand that you and Trupe were hatchlings together,” Ruby said, giving an imperiously upward twist to one of her eyebrows, while casting a glance down the General’s massive bulk. There was no way she was letting this guy make Trupe feel less-than. So if she had to be a bit of a snob about it, Ruby was going to make it good. She was a Princess after all!
It must have hit the right note, as the huge General bowed to her from the waist, then turned to Trupe and reached out one enormous hand. Trupe took it, pulled the General to him, and to Ruby’s surprise, clasped the ferocious looking warrior in an exuberant hug. The General responded in a like fashion. Ruby had to keep her jaw from dropping open.
“Good to see you, brother,” Trupe said, grinning a thousand watt shark-smile. “I’ve missed you.”
“And you, brother,” the General returned placing two giant hands on either side of Trupe’s head and resting his forehead against the smaller, paler, Idolum’s head. “Welcome home,” he whispered. “Our parents are dead. Stay,” he pleaded quietly.
Then raising his dark visage towards Ruby, said, “Welcome to the nest of Behr. We are honored to have a Princess among us. I am pleased that Trupe has found such a powerful ally. Come, let us show you your quarters. You will want to refresh yourselves before we get acquainted.”
Gesturing for them to follow a small guard of warriors, the General said to Trupe, “Two hours?” Trupe nodded, gave the large hulking general a clasp on the shoulder, and ushered Ruby after the warrior guard.
Ruby, enthused by all the Idolum technology and the wonders of the organic ship, kept stopping along the way to run a hand along a wall, or stroke a finger down some type of growth. They passed an arched door where a vine-like trunk twisted overhead to create the opening. Exclaiming with delight, Ruby ran her hands over the vine and laughed with delight when it pulsed in her hands. “This ship is wonderful!” she exclaimed to Trupe.
“I am glad you find it so,” Trupe said, returning her grin. “There is more to discover. Wait until you see your bath area!”
Ruby raised an eyebrow and said smiling, “Lead on. My bath awaits!”
Chapter Seventeen
Connection
Two hours later Ruby had bathed, rested and changed into a set of clothing that Trupe had provided. She hadn’t wanted to leave her quarters. She loved them! Now she understood what Winter had been saying back at the Temple of the Mother on Gaiaca. These Idolum beds were so comfortable. The hard, stone shelf lined with furs that she’d snuggled into then with such enjoyment, were now relegated to hard slabs in comparison to the velvet-like tendrils that wove around her to support her every movement. It was bliss.
She so did not want to have to get up and go meet the big, intimidating General. For Trupe, she would. Plus, she was curious. Brothers? What was that about?
Also, what was with this outfit Trupe had given her. She felt like she was going to a ‘bride of dracula’ party. A form-fitting, almost-diaphanous jumpsuit was designed with a fitted top and wide, gossamer legs. Over this, a nanite-armor coat flowed from a high collar down to her feet, flaring out dramatically towards the floor. Tight sleeves came to a point over the backs of her hands and the whole thing weighed next to nothing. She had to admit it was very comfortable and she looked incredible. The severe white jumpsuit and black coat made her long red hair and blue eyes pop with color.
Stepping out of her door she was greeted by a waiting Trupe. He had changed too and was the image of a smartly attired Idolum warrior. Head to toe nanite armor in a matte black was topped by a mantle emblazoned with a roaring animal head. Ruby would later find that this was the emblem of the Royal House of Behr. Trupe’s long hair had been groomed and hung now in a straight sheet of shiny white. He was incredibly handsome. Ruby told him so and watched with a smile as his pale color waxed and waned a slightly green-shade with an Idolum blush.
Trupe offered his arm and the two of the swept through the halls of the mighty ship. Ruby was stunned as warriors bowed and stepped aside at their approach. “I could get used to that,” she whispered to Trupe.
He grinned back, placed his other hand over the top of her small one as it rested in the crook of his arm. Pressing it firmly into place, he whispered back, “You will.”
Ruby’s eyes widened at his message. “Are we staying?” she asked under her breath.
“That’s up to you and what we hear in the next hour or two,” Trupe replied calmly. “Let’s go see what’s up.” With that the warrior guard in front of them stopped before a set of doors that whisked open at their approach. Ushering Ruby through the doors and then onto a comfortable organic sofa-like seat, Trupe settled beside her, clasped her hand in his, as though he knew she needed reassurance, then faced his brother seated opposite them. “Te
ll us everything,” he stated firmly to the General.
It took Ruby several days to process everything she’d heard in the meeting with Trupe and his brother, General Behr. It wasn’t that there was so much information, it was more that the information he’d shared had such enormous implications. She wished she’d never left the cloister on Unity.
For now she was wrapped into the hidden confines of her Idolum bed in her quarters, where she’d given strict orders not to be disturbed. Here, her word was law. That was also very weird to her and had its own implications. It all made her head hurt. For now, she was just hiding in her bed and trying to think of nothing. It had helped for a while. Though she knew she was going to have to meditate deeply and try to feel the answers from Uma that she knew would be out there. She’d almost demanded that Trupe return her to Unity, but knew that would be pointless. The Mother had sent her out to discover her purpose in the world. Here it was. Now she just had to get clear on it.
