by Ivan Kal
He was brought out of his thoughts when the doors on the far side of the room opened. Sestar Tavaar of house Nor Ral entered, followed by two servants of his house. He wore a great red and white flowing robe – the colors of his house – embroidered in glyphs of his house. He made way to his place at the house Nor Ral platform and turned to the rest.
“Thank you all for coming at such short notice.” Tavaar started, “I apologize for the wait, important matters required my attention.”
Soft grumblings could be heard among the other Sestar’s. None of them truly believed that he was detained by anything other than his desire to make them wait, remind them that he was the one with power.
“Tell us what this is about, and why it couldn’t wait for the scheduled session.” Sestar Nimuse head of house Jar Tel said.
Tavaar brought his left hand to chest level and bent two fingers signifying grave importance.
“Few hours ago three ships entered our system.” Tavaar said and immediately the room exploded with questions. Words Sowir and Attack were thrown out more than once. Jusan chose to keep his cool.
Tavaar brought his hands up, putting them in front of himself, palms turned towards his chest in a placating gesture. The room quieted and Tavaar continued.
“No. We have a patrol close by, and they have concluded that the ships do not belong to the Sowir Dominion, nor to any other race of the Consortium.” Stunned silence met Tavaar’s words, and he kept talking. “We have received a message from the lead ship. And I must say that it came as a great surprise, as one of our own kind appeared in it. But I will let you see it for yourselves.” With that Tavaar turned to one of the servants who brought up his wrist unit. An instant later the screen on the other side of the room turned on. Immediately Jusan recognized the Nel standing there as Retsar Isani, he had been in charge of the small task force guarding the Nuva colony. He disobeyed orders and chose to remain there when he was ordered back to Nelus, and was presumed lost along with Nuva. But it was the being that stood beside him with its arms crossed behind its back that immediately caught Jusan’s attention. It was obviously not Nel, just as it was obviously similar. Its skin color was strange, sickly yellow, its eyes had only a single pupil, and it had hair above its eyes. If its anatomy was anything similar to Nel, it was male. Just looking at the alien, Jusan could feel a shiver of fear run up through his body, he could feel himself sweating. Then Retsar Isani started speaking.
“I greet the council.” Isani started with the traditional opening words, when someone addresses the council. “I am Retsar Isani, and I come to you aboard the ship of friends, bringing to you news of Nuva. More than a year ago, Nuva had an unexpected visit from a ship belonging to an unknown race. They came in peace, looking to learn more about an unfamiliar part of space. We made contact with the race of people that called themselves humans, and sent a diplomatic team to meet with the newcomers. Both we and they were shocked, much as I presume you are now, at their appearance which was so similar to ours. But as you all know our position was desperate, and we had no time to get to know them properly. We told them of our plight, of the war with the Sowir and everything that has happened to the Consortium. And soon after, a Sowir task force entered our system on a course for Nuva. The Humans decided to help us, and sent ships to defend Nuva. Together with my ships, we succeeded, but not without a price to both people of Nuva and humans. I tell you all this, so that you know that the humans can be trusted. And I urge you to hear what they have to say.” With that Retsar Isani took a step back. And then the human started to speak.
“I greet the council.” He said in near flawless Nel, immediately whispers could be heard across the room. Jusan felt another shiver. No, no, no, no! This can’t be happening! It can’t be happening during my lifetime! It was supposed to die with Nelus and me! Jusan screamed in his head.
The human continued speaking. “I am Fleet Commander Adrian Farkas, and I come to you with an offer of friendship and perhaps more. I know that the war with the Sowir has crippled your people severely, and I know that the Sowir Dominion is a great threat not only to your people, but mine as well. They will eventually spread and reach human territory. And by that time they might be too great to stop. But they must be stopped. Towards that end, I bring you an offer. If you are interested, I require that you send people to meet with me on my ship, which will remain here at the edge of your system. Send them quickly as I cannot stay long, Nuva is still in danger and my people have placed it under our protection.” With that the human bowed his head deeply and the message ended.
Immediately after the room erupted. Some voicing their disbelief, others requiring more proof. Jusan put his head in his arms as chaos reigned around him. Tavaar called out for order a few times before the room finally quieted.
“There is more!” Tavaar said. “They have also sent a full record of the battle that occurred in Nuva system. Along with an outline of a written proposal for an Alliance between us.”
“What do they offer?” Someone called out.
“According to them, they possess technology that allows them to build ships at a much faster rate than what we are able to. They propose to build ships for us.” Tavaar said.
Whispering broke out throughout the room, but before anyone could say something Tavaar continued speaking. “I must tell you that my team has analyzed the records of the battle, and coupled with the sensory data from our patrol ships, they came to a preliminary report concerning these human ships.” Tavaar waited until he had the room’s attention before continuing. “The conclusion is that their ships are primitive in make. Constructed from metal alloys, using primitive weapons. They have powerful drives, they have to in order to move those massive things at anything faster than a crawl. But other than that my people assure me they have nothing that will aid us against the Sowir.” Tavaar said.
“But what of the battle? They won didn’t they?” A voice asked.
“Yes, but as my people tell me, the nature of their primitive technology caught the Sowir off guard. And then Retsar Isani’s ships alongside the human ships took advantage of their confusion.”
“And their claim that they can build ships for us much faster than we can?”
“I have no idea why they would deceive us, and perhaps they can build their primitive metal ships much quicker than we can. But those will not help us much against the Sowir. Of course we will be sending a team to negotiate with them. I was thinking that with the nature of the situation, we send three of our council members to meet with the aliens.” Tavaar said. The room then started the discussion on who will go to negotiate. Tavaar pushed for Sestar Niraas of house Sav Ral, for his military expertise. As he would have the knowledge to see if the humans have anything to offer that Nelus could use against the Sowir. No one argued, even though they knew a push for more power when they saw one. House Sav Ral started as the branch house of Nor Ral, Tavaar’s house. The next one was Sestar Nimuse head of house Jar Tel, clearly another move to increase Tavaar’s standing. Then, as they were to decide the third, Jusan raised his head and spoke.
“I should go.” The room turned towards him. And Tavaar moved his hand in a sign of confusion.
“Why should you go Jusan? You have no expertise to offer the team.”
“On the contrary Tavaar. My expertise might be the most valid. My family has spent generations accumulating wealth from trade. Even if these aliens can’t help us technologically, there is no reasons why they can’t help us through trade. There are many resources that we lack in our systems. And who better to negotiate a trade agreement than house Dai Ven?” Jusan said.
Tavaar looked at him for a moment and then turned his palm sideways agreeing. “Yes. A trade agreement might suit our needs. Then it is decided. Jusan will be the last member of the team.” Tavaar said, and Jusan could feel a shudder working through his body.
Chapter Eight
Nelus – House Dai Ven
Jusan exited the transport car as soon as it landed
on top of his family house. The house itself stretched far above the ground, it was more of a city contained in one large building. Jusan walked over the landing pad and entered the building proper. As he entered the guards inside acknowledge him, and let him pass. He walked through a corridor painted in his house colors, green and black, and then reached the elevator and entered, telling the servants following him to stop. Alone he chose the first floor as his destination and waited. Soon the elevator started moving, but Jusan could barely feel it. The field generators nullified the effects that the elevator’s great speed had on the inside. Otherwise Jusan would have been nothing but the splatter on the ceiling. Still, it took several minutes for him to reach his first destination. As he exited, the guards all around the room noticed him and snapped to their feet. The first floor was security headquarters for the entire building. Jusan walked pass them not bothering to acknowledge them. He moved to a restricted area that only he and a handful of his guards had access to. The guards looked at each other as he passed, Jusan visited the place only four times in his life, and one was when he was barely an adult. After walking through a long hallway, Jusan reached another elevator, there he was required to enter a code before it opened. He entered the code and went into the elevator. As soon as he was in, the door closed and it started moving. There was only one place it led to.
It led him deep underground, to the part of his building that no one outside of his family has ever seen. Finally it stopped and the door opened. Jusan entered a dimly lit corridor. He walked until he reached the doors at the end, on the side was a terminal with a small screen and a needle. Jusan reached and pricked his finger on the needle, letting his blood flow a bit before he raised his arm. The screen showed the scan of his blood and then said that it was a match. Then part of the wall opened and another checkpoint became visible. Jusan approached and placed his eyes in front of it. A scanning light shined on his eyes. A few moments later the scanner retreated into the wall. Another part opened and a screen with symbols on it appeared. Jusan entered the correct sequence and the door started to open.
Slowly, Jusan entered the room. A light source shone from the ceiling directly on the object on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Jusan turned to the terminal inside and closed the doors. Then he walked around the pedestal and the perfect silver sphere displayed on it. After he walked one full circle around it, Jusan dropped to the floor, all strength leaving him. Tears flowed freely down his face.
“They were right. All this time and they were right.” He said.
After some time he managed to compose himself enough to rise to his feet.
“Why now? Why not a hundred years before me, or a hundred years after I died?” He asked the sphere, pleadingly. He looked at it willing it to answer, even though he knew it couldn’t.
“Do you have any idea how many people died to keep you safe? And how much my family had to do to keep you hidden? My ancestors had to lie and slaughter those who shared the same beliefs!” But there was no answer. Jusan knew that the sphere was no more than a message in the bottle. Jusan hated the sphere, not because it did anything to him, but because of what it represented. It made a mockery of his people, of what they thought was true. And it made the darkest point in Nel history all the more heinous. All because the sphere was the ultimate proof. The proof that the Order was right all along. And they were slaughtered anyway. And any doubt that Jusan held onto evaporated the moment he saw the alien, the human.
He reached over and took the sphere in his hand, gazing at it. It was small enough that it could fit in his palm. Its surface was flawless, there were no protrusions, buttons or anything else that suggested its true nature. But Jusan’s father told him, as each father told his son back for generations to the founding of their house. Jusan simply thought it on, and the sphere activated. He returned it to the pedestal as bluish lines started to appear in it. Soon a soft light emanated from it and then a being appeared in front of Jusan. If he didn’t know that it was a hologram, he would have jumped back, it looked so real that even knowing that it wasn’t he was tempted to reach out and check.
The being floated above the ground with its legs crossed. It wore loose gray blue robe, its ends slowly swaying behind it. Every part other than its face and hands was covered. The hands had five fingers like Nel only without any talons. Its skin was smooth, with color somewhere between light blue and gray. It had no hair on its head. The face looked like that of the Nel, only with smaller nose and more flattened. Its lips thinner and a bit smaller. The eyes were the strangest with them being all white, with no hint of an iris or a pupil. They looked blind, but somehow gave the impression of sight. Jusan always thought that it was just the effect of the hologram.
Then the hologram started to speak its message as it always did when it was turned on.
“Greetings my children. My name is Axull Darr.” It said in Nel, Jusan’s family held the records from the time it was discovered, and they knew that the language the hologram spoke changed with time. It learned the language as it changed.
“If you have found this message, heard its beacon. Then you have reached the level where you are ready to hear my words.” “We were not ready.” Jusan whispered. “By now you would have realized that your kind didn’t originate on what you believe to be your home world, although in a way it is. I did everything in my power to shape the world around you, to hide the fact that you are not from there, and to provide an environment for you to grow and learn. I created you, using my own race as a template, gathering what was the best of us, and discarding our flaws. And you are not the only ones. I shaped two more worlds and on them put your siblings. Both are different from you, just as the worlds I shaped for them are, but the core still remains the same.
I did so out of desperation, as a last act of salvation for my kind. We are dying. And by the time you find this message there will be none of us left. My people were the first ones in our galaxy to reach the stars. We learned the secrets of the universe, and we could bend to our will the energies that spread throughout our reality. The galaxy was ours to rule, and we waited for others to join us amongst the stars. But life was rare at that time, and those few that did evolve enough, took too long to reach anywhere near our level. So we reached down and guided them up, shared our secrets. None, it seemed were worthy. They misused our gifts, and we were forced to punish them by taking our gifts back. But loneliness was my peoples greatest failing. We learned to shape worlds, and indeed, the life force itself bowed to our will. We seeded life across the galaxy. Not creating it, but simply helping it along the way. And soon the galaxy was filled with intelligent life, and this time we did not interfere. Letting life take its course. Soon after, my people started dying. And even with our great knowledge, we did not know the reason why. Some said that it was simply our time, we had lived to see births and deaths of countless stars. And nothing lasts forever. But others, others like me were not content to let ourselves die without a fight. We were the masters of life, and so we did that which we never dared to do before. We created new life in hope of finding a cure for our demise. The life we created was not intelligent, its only purpose was to serve as a way for our salvation. But an accident changed everything. The new life form gained intelligence and its fast evolving nature that was supposed to serve as our salvation, proved our damnation. The life form became an abomination, it’s only purpose to feed on other life. It escaped the world it was created on and started spreading amongst the stars. By then there were very few of my people left, a handful only. Seeing what we unleashed we immediately moved to destroy it, but even our power proved insufficient, our numbers too few. At most we managed to contain it. But we were dying, and since we couldn’t destroy it, there was the risk of it coming loose after we were gone from the galaxy. My people devised a plan to make sure the abominations never spread among the stars again, a plan I did not agree on. And so as they went forward with their plan, I went forward with mine. I created you and your siblings. Three worlds
in hope that someday you will become great enough to correct our mistake. But also that when we are gone, at least something remains of us. Your path will be your own, I only chose your beginning. I hope that different experiences and paths you take as you evolve will give you the wisdom that my people lacked.
You are my children, the successors of the People.”
With that the hologram slowly faded away, and the sphere’s light dimmed, until it was the same silver color it was before. Jusan looked at it, knowing that it was the main reason for the state the Nel society was in now. It was discovered at a time when Nel were primitive, still building structures with stone. At a time when they have just explored the entirety of their world. It was not discovered because they heard its beacon, as Axull Darr said. But because an earthquake unearthed the artifact. The people that found it immediately brought it to the head of their family. Somehow he and his advisors managed to activate it, and the message played. But Nel of that period had little understanding of the things Axull Darr spoke of. And the sphere was forced to use the words that best translated its meaning. Jusan had read the record of the first playing of the message. As the Nel language of that time had no words for the things the message spoke of, its meaning was very different.
The people that listened interpreted it as a message from a Creator, telling a tale of Nel origin. How they were the children of God, separated from their siblings by evil. Sent by their Father to Nelus to be safe until they found a way to reunite with their siblings in heaven. Soon a religious movement was formed, the Order of Truth. The most spread out religion of that time was Inatuus – the rule of blood. The religion that said that the blood of some was better than that of the others. In fact that religion was the basis for the class and family system.
