Cassidy (A Color of Water and Sky Novel)

by Andrew Gates

  The thought was almost impossible to accept. Tracey, Sara, all his friends and family, were erased from the station by an army of alien beasts. They never stood a chance.

  Damien sat alone in his cold, bright cell. The walls shined like the core of an LED, blinding him when he stared at it for too long. Damien learned to keep his head down or eyes closed, lest he lose his sight. His solitude in such small confinement brought him little comfort. There was nothing to distract him from the haunting thoughts of his slain people. He found himself tearing up, worrying, even feeling guilty for their deaths.

  He took a deep breath as he stared down at the floor. There was nothing left to live for. Nothing at all.

  Damien wanted nothing more than to take his own life, but the means simply weren't there. It was as if the aliens had created the safest cell in the universe. There were no sharp edges, no dangling ropes or wires, not even blunt objects to hit himself with. His toilet breaks were well monitored and his food was mushy like mashed potatoes, providing him with no opportunity to drown or choke. No matter how hard he planned, he came up with nothing. This cell was suicide-proof.

  There was nothing he could do now but rot and live out the remainder of his miserable existence.

  Damien had been interrogated a few times by various aliens. He saw the one called Kal Likus the most. She would escort him from place to place, even check in with him sometimes as he sat in his cell. Most of the creatures looked the same to him, but Kal Likus was one of the few that he could identify off sight alone.

  Sometimes she would explain things to him in a hushed voice when no one was listening, as if she were secretly trying to help him. She told him things about the guards, about the researchers, about the ship and about the government, or "hierarchs", as they called them. He welcomed these moments between them. At times Damien wondered if Kal Likus was developing an affinity for him.

  The regal alien with the scepter, Under Chieftain Kho Veznek, was supposedly rife with disdain for Damien and his people. Kal Likus warned him of the Under Chieftain's wrath, though Damien had not seen him since the day he first awoke, which now seemed like ages ago.

  Knock, knock, knock!

  Damien sat up straight and faced the door, keeping his eyes closed to prevent from going blind. He heard it slide open. Loud footsteps followed.

  "Kho Damien Saljov," a deep voice greeted. It was not the voice of any speaker he recognized.

  "Yes?"

  "You have been summoned. Rise at once," the voice ordered.

  Damien slowly opened his eyes and stood up from the cold floor. The hall outside the cell was nowhere near as bright. It added a bit of darkness to the room, enough for him to see.

  An ornately dressed creature stood before him grasping a tall spear. Kal Likus stood behind, watching.

  "Who are you?" Damien asked, rubbing his eyes.

  "My name is Kho Kozakh," he explained. "I am the personal guard to her Majesty, Supreme Chieftess Kal Khtallia."

  Kal Khtallia, the Supreme Chieftess. Damien had heard about her from Kal Likus. She was in command of the Chiefdom, basically as powerful as a king. Kho Veznek was her Under Chieftain, which, as far as he could tell, was like a second in command. Damien hoped the Supreme Chieftess did not hold the same disdain for humans as Kho Veznek.

  "Are you taking me to another interrogation?" Damien wondered. He hoped the answer was "no", but rather doubted it.

  "I am," the ornately dressed male responded.

  "With Kho Veznek?"

  "Kho Veznek? No, Kho Damien Saljov, you are to meet with the Supreme Chieftess herself, ruler of Kholvaria, her Majesty, Kal Khtallia."

  Damien gulped nervously. Shit, he thought.

  "I can see that you are nervous, evolved-one. You need not worry. Her Majesty is kind. To meet with her is an honor. There are many in the Chiefdom who would die for such an opportunity," the ornately dressed alien said, trying to reassure him.

  Those words did little to calm his nerves. I'll believe it when I see it, he thought.

  "Come," Kal Likus said, motioning for him to follow.

  Damien nodded his head and stepped out of the cell. He could feel his heart beating.

  The hall outside was wide and long. It took time for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer lighting here. The air was cold against his naked body. He felt himself shiver.

  "How is your recovery coming along?" Kal Likus asked as Damien joined the two creatures in the hallway.

  Damien took a deep breath.

  "Good," he said. He pointed to his bare feet. "I can walk normally now. My muscles are coming back to me."

  "I am glad to see such improvement," Kal Likus added. Damien sensed sincerity in her voice.

  "Please, follow me to her Majesty," the guard said.

  He turned and began walking away. Damien followed behind. It felt good to move his legs again.

  "Will we be going to her office?" he asked, wondering if he would get to see any part of the royal quarters.

  "Her office? No, evolved-one. That would take us across the ship, too far a distance to transport a prisoner. We will be meeting in one of the administration rooms here in the prison."

  "How big is the ship?" Damien asked. It couldn't have been that far to get from one side to the other.

  "Larger than your hidden city, Kho Damien Saljov," the guard replied.

  Those words nearly caused him to stop in his tracks. Larger than the Atlantic Station? Damien could hardly believe it. This ship must have been practically a city of its own. He blinked his eyes in disbelief as he continued to follow the escorts.

  "There were millions in the station," Damien said.

  "And there are millions more aboard this ship. Your underwater city was an impressive feat to be sure, Kho Damien Saljov, but nothing can rival Vigilant Behemoth."

  "Vigilant Behemoth?"

  "The name of this ship, evolved-one. It's where you are," he explained.

  "Oh."

  He was learning so much in such a short time. None of the others ever spoke to him so candidly. Even when Kal Likus told him things about the ship, she would say it quietly and secretly. Unlike the others, this creature did not seem inclined to hide anything from Damien.

  "We are nearly there," Kal Likus said as they continued down the hall.

  Damien spotted a room to the right guarded by two sentries wielding similar spears to the one held by his escort. It did not take long for them to reach the door. The two sentries bowed and stepped aside without question or hesitation.

  The door rose up automatically. Damien gulped nervously again.

  "When you meet the Supreme Chieftess, you must bow," the guard explained.

  "How will I know who she is?"

  "You will know," he replied.

  The door opened completely and Damien followed his escorts inside. The room was about the size of a residence. A rectangular table stood in the center, surrounded by backless chairs. A regal creature sat at the head of the table and stood up when they entered. Just as the guard had said, Damien could immediately tell that this was the Supreme Chieftess. She wore a long red cape and carried a scepter, not unlike the one carried by the Under Chieftain. A crown rested atop her head, gleaming even in this dim light.

  Damien bowed, as did Kal Likus.

  "May I present her Majesty, Supreme Chieftess Kal Khtallia of the Kholvari Chiefdom," the guard said.

  Even as a prisoner, Damien could not help but feel honored to be here.

  "You may rise," she said. Her tone was direct and powerful.

  Damien stood straight, as did Kal Likus.

  "I understand a translator chip has been installed in this one?" the Supreme Chieftess said, walking around the table.

  "Yes, your Majesty," the guard replied.

  The Supreme Chieftess eyed Damien up as she neared him. Her nostrils flared as if she were taking a sniff.

  "Well then, speak, creature," the Supreme Chieftess ordered.

  Damien instinctively stammer
ed back and gulped. He felt his heart pound again.

  "Uhm... yes, hello, your Majesty. It is an honor to meet you," he said, not knowing what else to say. He felt sweat drip down from his forehead.

  "You are nervous. This much is plain to see. Rest assured, evolved-one, I do not come with hostile intent as your people did."

  Hostile intent?

  "My people?" Damien asked.

  "Indeed. Surely you must have been told that your people attacked mine," she elaborated.

  The Supreme Chieftess stopped mere centimeters from his face and peered into his eyes. Damien looked back at her, not sure if he was supposed to do that or not. They held this position for a few seconds before she eventually nodded and began pacing around the room. Her cape lifted and fell with each step.

  "In case you have not heard the story, two of our scouts discovered your city. They desired to explore and meet your people, but we lost communication with them in a matter of mere minutes. Last we heard, your race attacked them." Her tone was still direct and powerful, but not hostile.

  "The attack probably wasn't meant to start a war," Damien replied. He hoped such a comment was not out of line.

  "Probably?"

  Damien shrugged.

  "Well... I don't know because I wasn't there, but I bet my people were just scared," Damien explained. He motioned to her. "Look at you. You're big and tall, your fingers are like claws, your feet like spears, your shells are thick like a crab's. When I first saw your race, I was terrified."

  The Supreme Chieftess stopped in her tracks and looked down to the floor as if she were lost in thought. She slowly bobbed her head and turned to face Damien again.

  "Fear, you say?"

  Damien nodded.

  "I think so. I don't know why my people would attack otherwise. We are not aggressors."

  The Supreme Chieftess stared blankly into his eyes.

  "This is a significant claim, evolved-one. If what you say is true, our people may be at war for the wrong reasons."

  Damien felt his eyes open wide. He did not expect the Supreme Chieftess to make such a candid comment like that.

  "I would certainly hope I am right," Damien said.

  She nodded and let out a deep sigh.

  "As do I, evolved-one."

  "If I may, your Majesty, I hope I'm not speaking out of place, but since we are talking so openly, I hope you can answer a few questions of mine," Damien said. He did not know if it was appropriate to ask questions or not, but he figured it was at least worth trying.

  The Supreme Chieftess took a step back and tilted her head, as if intrigued by his request. She paused for a moment but then bobbed her head.

  "Of course, evolved-one. I will answer any questions you have about my people. In return, I ask that you answer any questions of mine."

  Damien nodded.

  "That sounds fair," he responded.

  The Supreme Chieftess quickly glanced over to her personal guard, as if she were seeking his approval. He subtly nodded back to her.

  "Very well. You may begin with your questions," she said, motioning to Damien.

  He gulped. Here it goes.

  "Well..." he started, "where to begin?"

  He cleared his throat and looked around the room.

  "This spaceship," he continued, "it's orbiting Earth, right?"

  "Vigilant Behemoth is this vessel's name. It is the largest in the system and the capital of the Chiefdom. It hovers above the terrestrial city of T'Dakho, everlasting."

  "There is a city on the surface?" he asked. They must have constructed it within the last 200 years.

  "There are many."

  Interesting.

  "So this ship, this... Vigilant Behemoth... it's in geosynchronous orbit?"

  "It is, evolved-one," she answered.

  Damien shifted his body.

  "And you... your species, you're from space, right?"

  "Many of our kind lives aboard this vessel, but our people originated on the planet's surface," she explained.

  The surface. That did not seem possible. Humanity had only been beneath the ocean for two centuries. A new species could not have evolved so quickly.

  "Are you sure of this?" he asked.

  "All in the Chiefdom know this to be true," the Supreme Chieftess replied with confidence.

  "But... but how can that be possible?" Damien wondered. "When my people lived on the surface, they never spoke of you or your kind."

  "Your people lived on the surface?" she asked, intrigued. She straightened her posture.

  Damien nodded.

  "We did. It was long ago, before we retreated beneath the sea."

  The Supreme Chieftess paused for a moment before taking a few steps back. She lowered her head and shook it. Then she looked up to her guard again. It seemed she did not know how to respond to this news. The guard raised his shoulders as if suggesting he had no answer either.

  "Well," she said with a deep exhale, "it seems there is something larger going on here. Perhaps our understanding of the world is..." She searched for the right word for a moment. "... not without error," she eventually finished. There was a strange tone of insecurity to her voice.

  Have I said something to make her question her people’s own origins? Damien wondered. The Supreme Chieftess appeared genuinely surprised to learn that humanity had been around longer than they had.

  "This Chiefdom you keep talking about, the one you rule... are there more like it?" he wondered, changing the subject.

  The Supreme Chieftess nodded to him and started pacing around once more.

  "This is the Kholvari Chiefdom, which encompasses the entire western continent. The Empire controls the east."

  "Western continent? You mean North America and South America?"

  "I know not these words, evolved-one. I know only of Kholvaria."

  The continents may have changed shape while we were underwater, he thought, though 200 years was not a lot of time. Any major tectonic movement would have taken thousands of years, not hundreds.

  "Evolved-one. Why do you keep calling me this?" Damien wondered.

  "We call you this as you remind us of another species," she responded, "one that exists on the surface. We call them ruors. They are like you in many ways and unlike you in others."

  "How are we alike?" he asked.

  "The way you look, the way you walk and move. Even your DNA is almost a perfect match."

  "Almost? In what ways do we not match?"

  "Ruors cannot die, evolved-one. When they reach a certain age, their bodies freeze. They do not get older. They do not get sick. They do not shrivel and weaken. They simply persist for eternity."

  Damien could hardly believe it. An immortal species. It was like something from a fantasy story.

  "But they can be killed, right?" he asked.

  "Not from natural causes. There are only two ways a ruor can die: hunger or injury."

  "So if you were to stab one in the heart?"

  "The beast would perish."

  Lord Beyond Both Seas, they're like fucking vampires.

  "That seems pretty evolved to me," Damien noted.

  The Supreme Chieftess shook her head.

  "The ruors are more likened to animals than to your own race. They cannot talk, use tools, think abstract thoughts."

  "So they are like savages?"

  "Indeed, evolved-one, they are like savages," she replied.

  Somehow that title made him feel uncomfortable now.

  "Please," he said, "call me Damien Saljov."

  The Supreme Chieftess stopped walking and stared at him with a curious expression.

  "Very well, Kho Damien Saljov, I shall address you as such."

  "Just Damien Saljov. I don't need the Kho."

  "It is customary among our people to bestow such a title to all males."

  Damien nodded. That made sense. The last thing he wanted to do was offend them.

  "I understand," he said. "Kho Damien Saljov it is."
<
br />   The Supreme Chieftess continued to eye him up.

  "In time, you shall learn the ways of our people."

  "I hope so, your Majesty. This is all very new to me. There are so many things I'm not used to yet," he said as he looked down, "like not wearing clothes."

  "You speak your mind, Kho Damien Saljov. I do not see such boldness often."

  "I am not trying to speak any bolder than normal, your Majesty. I don't have any agenda. I am just trying to be polite."

  "No agenda, you say? All who come before me come with an agenda."

  "Not me. I just want to know how we can have peace between our peoples."

  "Peace?" she repeated, curiously. "And here I was expecting you to hold nothing but hatred for my people." She rubbed the tip of her scepter. "Fascinating."

  She turned to face Kal Likus, who had been quietly standing by the door. Damien had almost forgotten she was there.

  "Tell the Under Chieftain he is not to touch this one. Henceforth I am the only one to meet with this prisoner," she ordered.

  "Understood," Kal Likus replied.

  The Supreme Chieftess turned to Damien again.

  "You are to be congratulated, Kho Damien Saljov. As Supreme Chieftess, I meet with many a day from across all corners of the Chiefdom. Few make such a strong first impression on me."

  "I am glad to hear it," Damien responded with a smile.

  "Please," she continued, "I have answered many questions about our people. Now, allow me to ask questions of my own."

  "Yes, of course," Damien replied. "Ask whatever you would like."

  He was excited to hear her questions. He hoped he could help her. For the first time since he awoke, Damien felt like life was worth living again.

  SARA CHECKED THE CLOCK ON her pod: 09:14. The professor was running late again. She moaned and placed her head on the cold, hard desk. She could not believe she had to wake up early to be here.

  Intro to Philosophy, a pre-requisite class required for her major. It was awful. She had no interest in the subject and could hardly follow the lessons. Class discussions went right over her head every day as if they were speaking a foreign language. If it were up to her, she would have skipped the course altogether. But alas, if she didn’t pass, she would not graduate.

  The door swung open. Sara raised her head as the professor hastily made his way inside. The hefty man panted as he walked to the front of the room. Even from the back row, Sara could tell he was sweating through his shirt. As always, he wore a bow tie with a white shirt and black blazer. Today his tie was red, a change from his usual yellow.