by M E Wise
Reign Eternal Chapter 13
Undying Devotion
“I know what it was. Is!” I said excitedly to Dae as the morning light traced her beautiful body in her thin gown. “Ok.” Dae yawned. We had been home from Sol for a few weeks now but the lag in time still made for restless nights. I couldn’t hide my completely enamored disposition. “What the hell Reign? You are creeping me out!” Dae rubbed her eyes and walked softly as I followed her movement in the well-lit room. “What?” She challenged annoyed.
“There was something in the link. Different. And I didn’t know what it was until now.” Dae stopped and glared at me. “And?” She questioned. “You’re pregnant!” I beamed.
Dae’s eyes grew enlarged and she suddenly dashed toward the next room and onto the elevator. I followed as quick as I could but she was very nimble for a woman in her condition. I stepped off the elevator to witness Dae jumping in circles while dragging Dalia along. Wan Sah was greatly concerned but hiding it well. Dae stopped and was sucking on her pricked finger. “We’re waiting!” She shouted at me as I came into the lab. Marta came down from the upper floor to join us. “Waiting for what?” I asked playing coy. “Results jackass!” Dae barked.
“Oh lord of all that’s holy!” Marta was cluing in on the situation. “Dae!”
The device whirled and dinged to a stop. Dae looked hard at the result. Dalia and Wan Sah swayed back and forth. Dae collapsed to the floor and sobbed. I joined her on the floor and Marta came in to complete the pile. “We’re having a baby!” Dae cried. “Don’t know what kind of baby yet!” She laughed. “But we’re having a baby!” She kissed me, then kissed her mom and then kissed me again. There wasn’t a better way to start a new day or new chapter in the world we fought to create.
Several months passed and with each day, Dae’s belly grew. She carried our son. There have been no complications of any kind. From the tests we have ran so far, confirm he is genetically like me. I wouldn’t be alone in the universe anymore. Not that I could ever claim that to be true now among so many of my people. But in the very clinical truth of it I would never be alone again. I decided to release Q’ua Z from his fate worse than death for a Mor’h and he was in his way grateful. He resumed a roll at Bhur’Anto Sit as envoy to the Rootworks under the careful watch of Gi’Ger. None of us believed he could do what he did again.
The Premiere contacted me with troubling news that Gorgon Pri was killed trying to escape before his trial. I linked with the system to try and search for the truth in her telling to find her repeating over and over a cookie recipe and random facts about Aboriginal eating habits. She had learned this technique from somewhere but I didn’t pursue it with any necessity. Alive or dead, Pri was broken and defeated. The consulate at the edge of the Kuiper belt was a retired Ku’Gel; the one Gi’Ger used to help find and capture Pri. A fitting retirement to that spacecraft’s role in the universe. It was also the first Ku’Gel I had ever set foot in.
I have decided to reestablish the twin moon arrays on To’Lumo and Vo’Luma to act as consulates here instead of bringing potential terrorists onto Mor’h. Visitors could come see us upon proper notice to visit families and surviving Halfer’s now called Nu’Mor’h. Citizenship to Mor’h would now be overseen by the sitting council. Mayor Taiyou is now Senator Taiyou, Ahleea is now Secretary to the Senator, Rasha is the community affairs appointee and Hermes, first self-appointed but now recognized as Ambassador to Species resides over the welcoming committee on Mor’h. Many, many more joined the ranks of democratically elected officiating here in Little Tengoku as the population has swelled with immigrants and new additions in the colony. Children were now born regularly on Mor’h.; Human, Nu’Mor’h, and my own.
Most surprising was an appointment Dae pushed for. Not for herself but for Faith; liaison to my office. Faith maintained a close but healthy distance to me. Dae looked to her as a pseudo replacement in her absence but only in the professional sense. Dae’s bed had only room for two, three only if the baby is counted. Brigs stayed Brigs. Even the Mor’h found need of his expertise when it came to making things safer. Meaning Brigs saw a need to protect something and decided it could be improved. He had a way of making people listen. He made an effort to allow for recruiting capable and socially responsible individuals to Mor’h, to monitor and fill responsible positions in the Ku’Gel Consulate and the presence between our solar systems and abroad.
Benjamin Edison Itou, father of son Kasai and new daughter Ayaka, husband to Rashana Boxill became the lone Representative of Mor’h besides myself to Sol Space. He fostered trade and built systems of exchange that required no currency. His second life as he said once was so much more than his first. We settled into our roles and grew more and more resolute in our union each day. The banners of the Tri-Utopia now were displayed proudly on Mor’h and the celestial bodies of our system, also on Mars, Luna and Earth.
These roots were strong. We changed with the seasons but never outgrew our gardens.
Dae pushed hard with each contraction. Wan Sah and Dalia always at her side, helped Dae maintain her focus as she brought new life into the world. Dalia made an incredible Mon’Mah. Dae crushed my hand in her grip; a feat of strength I wouldn’t normally find in her ability. “Don’t!” Dae raged at me. “Don’t link with me Reign Mor’h! You wouldn’t want to know what I’m thinking.” Dae’s face was red with wear and fatigue. So far there weren’t any complications from this unique birth.
“Push. Push my lady!” Dalia coached Dae with the new wave of contractions.
Dae strained against the leg stirrups in the raised medical tank. “He’s coming!” She squealed.
The crown of our baby’s head breeched his mother and a new sense of urgency fueled Dae’s work. She pushed and pushed again. Our son spilled into the water and Dalia worked to clean and clear his lungs as he cried against the brisk air outside of his mother’s womb. He had red hair like his mother and pale skin to match my own. I could feel his link join the sharing and I guided him in the telling with the sound of his parent’s heartbeats synched with his own. I did not spoil the sharing. Dae held him first and I could feel their love so healthy and strong.
“You’re beautiful!” Dae wept. “Like your father on fire! Look at that hair.” She laughed running her fingers through his thin hair.
I moved in close and weighed the possibilities of spoiling his telling with my own troubled beginning but my son’s sense was strong. Everything about his being was accepted in this apse of the Cresche, in the lab below our home. He would know a life completely different from my own and that was an immeasurable relief. Dae offered me a moment to hold him and I felt real fear at the idea of harming him. “Hold your son.” S’lei spoke gently from a near corner. I reached down and took him from his mother, measuring every muscle twitch, every emotion, every second guessing. His eyes were like mine with slightly more blue in them. I felt immense pride and closed my eyes to share this with him.
“Amaranth Joy of the Mor’h…” I returned him to Dae. “Welcome to your season.”
“Ajay!” Dae cooed at him. “Or Maran for short!” She played with his name and smiled so brightly. Marta joined her at bedside.
Visitors came and went. Our people commemorated the event with a celebration below. Maran was born on the cusp of April Fool’s day and April 2nd. There were excessive Earthen jokes made about this but I failed to grasp them. I kissed Dae’s face and hands as she slept. I walked with my son in the moonlit room and dreamt of the seasons we were going to share. There was no telling yet if he had inherited my longevity but any season shared would be a season cherished. It would be years before either of us would know for sure. The Cresche stood high in the Mor’h peninsula but none stood taller than me right now.
Rumors began circulating about lights in the distance being seen from stops in the Kyrios system. Ben told these stories around the serenity flame of witnessing strange
activity in the Kyrios system. He correlated the absence of the SPEAR debris in the system could be the Carnimor’h finding a way out. His elaborate ghost stories around the serenity flame were legendary if not thick with exaggeration from kernels of truth. Many argued it away, saying the binary system pulled the debris deeper into the nebula and that is where it disappeared too. Any Lo’Mor’h who heard the tale sighed universally, “Carnimor’h-weeded Sori.”
It was on the 3rd of December 2116 on a routine trip to the consulate that Ben and I really noticed anything to note when what looked like a Tekker barge hung in the nebula of the Kyrios system. We watched as the barge floated lifeless and still like a fly caught in soup. Until it changed course!
“Should we investigate?” Ben asked with an unusual passing of his new torch.
“That would be your decision Representative Itou and the one currently in the Captain’s seat.” I pointed out the obvious appointments and positions.
“Oh you!” Ben chortled with flattered gestures. “Faith, take us in the direction of that vessel.” Faith rarely had the opportunity to pilot the Castor anymore with our affairs being so tied to Mor’h life. On this rare visit to the Kuiper Consulate she always took up the honor. “Aye, aye.” She confirmed in old naval jargon, something Ben often instigated if not made protocol on his command of the Castor. Our stop in the jump sequence to the Consulate was proving interesting.
The nebula caused colors to transition strangely. Broken planetesimal bodies littered the harsh environment. There were four actual planets in the Kyrios system, many of the larger bodies couldn’t be classified as planets but they were massive. Drid being the home of the fabled Carnimor’h. That prehistoric world loomed like a shining marble in the distance. “Careful pilot.” I warned as asteroids collided. “Maybe it’s best we navigate around the nebula? Change course.” Ben addressed my concerns. “We should notify Galaxy Guard if we confirm Tekker’s this deep.” Ben stood anxiously to join me on the stage before the huge monitor of the Castor. “Troy.” Ben called on the COM. “Get us some sweeping probes into that mess.”
“Will do.” Troy confirmed via COM. He had greatly matured in service of the Castor and Mor’h since the days of our first meeting.
Two probes jettisoned into space and trailed out of site. Telemetry filled the lower half of the massive monitor like a News ticker on an affiliate channel. Multiple items were tagged with graphics on the real view of the nebula ahead. “That’s way too many bogeys.” Ben looked to me as I agreed and we both made for our panels. Hermes whirled as his lights cycled in the opal frame. Sal’Din’s systems also filtered some information as they shared information at speeds no mortal mind could match.
“Biological confirmation. Entity classification updated.” Sal’Din announced.
“Carnimor’h.” The Collective voices melded into a vibrating unison.
“Five years of peace.” I spoke without being aware. A habit I had gained comfortably numb in this new life. More information poured from the probes. One pursued the makeshift fleet and the other barreled toward Drid. These probes were designed to observe and record based on movement and pursued unnatural energy sources like magnets.
“This isn’t good Reign.” Faith had learned long ago to read me as well as anyone. “Do we make contact?”
“Ben?” I wanted his take.
Ben wasn’t committed to any decision over mine. “Observe. Record. And Consider.” He quoted my standing order for our mission at the Consulate.
One probe nearest the fleet suddenly went dark. “Probe down and the other is still approaching Drid.” Faith reported. We all sat on high alert. “Stations crew.” Ben hailed the COM. “This is not a drill.” Lines of bioluminescent light striped the floor and midway along the walls as instruments pulsed as dashes chased each other throughout the Castor. “We wait?” Ben asked for advice.
“Without confirmation of a threat we have to go with what we know. The Carnimor’h ate the last beings who came into contact with them. Human and Mor’h would make nice new additions to any prehistoric menu.” The joke was morbid but fitting. I didn’t have more to add until the probe returned with more reconnaissance. “Any video from the last probe yet?”
Faith worked her controls and Hermes processed what the Castor was receiving live. Hermes linked with a portion of the monitor and streamed some video. “Tekker barges for sure.” Ben blurted the obvious. “But those are old SPEAR fighters!” Ben looked to me as old mistakes once again boiled to the surface. “Doesn’t explain the Tekkers though?” I added.
“Of course it does! They made their way out for salvage. Some asshole turned himself into a fleshy pilot permanently and everything else was automated.” Ben corrected me. “If there was a crew left they could have lived out here if they happened to refit…” He paused as we both understood what happened. “The Ku’Gel Gi’Ger commanded lost several opal and bell craft in the SPEAR assault.”
“They were never recovered.” I stated as past misdeeds rehashed in my mind.
“Neither was the Cruiser. Or at least half of it.” Faith added grimly.
“We need array setup here before this bleeds into the galaxy like a cancer.” I was jolted into the reality of Carnimor’h having the ability to phase jump. “Maybe they’re like the Tekkers. They salvage and make it work for them.” The other probe began feeding images of the Drid surface from a good distance away. They were no signs of large cities, power producing facilities. Little more than constant volcanic activity. “How intelligent can they be?” I whispered.
One portion of the monitor continued to feed glimpses of the fleet from recordings. The other plodded to make a pass of Drid in a wide berth. The vessels in the nebula drifted slowly. “Something destroyed that probe!” Ben balked. “I want to know what did it.” Smaller probe ships moved too sporadically to be automated. The probe camera zoomed in on the rounded transparent shield. Faith gasped and shrieked. Ben sat down and I felt his stare come over me as I stared into the face of a predator. The video went blank. “Track back 15 seconds!” I called back the video using spoken commands. “Freeze.”
A gangly form fit neatly into the shadows of the one-man craft. The probe lit the occupant just before it was destroyed. Two massive eyes lit up in the light. The eyes were many times too large for its head and the feral appearance gave the homage of a wild tarsier but portions of the uncovered body were like gecko skin. The creature shifted color to dull itself in the probes bright light. “It wore a jumpsuit! Human jumpsuit.” Ben was in complete shock.
The other feed displayed a lit area of heavy population visible from orbit. Fires raged out of control and much of the planet was still under-developed. “Pre-golden age or post-apocalyptic conditions?” I suggested for input. “Take your pick.” Ben added distressed. The probe rounded at great speed. “Bring the probes trajectory around the nebula to meet us. We need that video and all of the readings we can get.”
“This system is off limits until we can make contact with more safety measures in place. Prepare for jump.” I ordered flatly. “Probe in.” Troy reported. “What we have seen here today is not something to keep to ourselves. We have to inform the Galaxy Coalition and make informed decisions on this dilemma.”
“We may have polluted a culture before it was ready to join the community at large.” Ben sat thoughtful and concerned. “Not just the Mor’h but Humankind too bears this mistake.”
The image of the creature hung in my mind and even thoughts of my faraway home didn’t console me. I once read that if you look deep into the void too long, something inevitably stares back at you. If those eyes were there in the dark, waiting to be seen, or worse not be seen; what else does the universe have to hide. I left the bridge for my quarters.
When I was a boy, it could be told I was raised by monsters. Those monsters had made many mistakes and caused many wrongs. I lived among them. Grew among them. I found myself trying to separate myself from them. Out in this evolving space we call the uni
verse I had seen what real monsters could do.
I was alone then. Now I have filled my life with more than I could fathom and I would become the monster to protect it. That creature was staring into the void and I was looking back. Any fear I had had left me when I thought of what kind of a threat that could be in my world, my galaxy and my universe. Not in my lifetime. Not in this season.
“In the beginning there was silence, it was the voice of the universe.
Amongst the chaos there were no tongues. No language was necessary. The only communication was existence. As eons passed by, the stars lived and died. The planets lived and died. Gas giants swelled on their own breath. And the debris from this community formed asteroid belts, moons and the celestial satellites like comets and meteors. The universe existed; constant and repetitive. All governed by the rules that none challenged.
After all there was no language, no voice of dissention. Only the silence. The quiet was patient and still. The universe was politely present. There was no need or necessity, no competition for resources. There was order and endless serenity.
In one act of defiance in the precession of perfection and order came the first communication-and then there was life.
