"The bard neither inherited his father's intimidating looks nor his mother's greed for power. He needed no battlefield carnage to teach him the value of peace and compassion. His heroes lie not dead underneath grand monuments but are nested within the style and breath of epic poems he spends restless nights translating."
"A cleric too frail to be a paladin. Ashan denounces the deeds of his bloodline though he is too cowardly to cast aside his birth-given privileges. He is driven by a divine voice to bring light into the darkest corners of the province. Blind zealot, doting father."
It was a sensation most uncomfortable that chased chills over the silk-clad skin of the sorcerer. The stings were competing with the dreadful wardrums in his chest -- what can keep him awake for longer? In the weeks preceding the arrival of the caravan, the sorcerer witnessed the red rims beyond the mountains that announced the arrival of the morning. Night after night. He was restless, consumed by an emotion that was far stronger than obsession or greed.
Neither the sonnets of most renowned bards nor the warmest skins of the pleasure palace could emulate what he felt on those faithful days he would part the rosy curtains and enter, facing that which he desired most. Though he would find traces of her in every pleasure he sought, nothing was able to bear her essence.
With that in mind, it was natural that there was only one cure for this desperate, tormenting condition. As he sat down before her, the layers of thick fabric pooling around him, he placed a familiar yet unusual rune before her.
He nodded subtly as if that would accelerate her decision into one of approval. But her expression was evidently hesitant and before she could even utter a word, he knew that rejection was imminent.
"So, what of it..." Sinitar spoke impatiently. "You know my future better than you know my past. But if you don't see yourself on my side, then I must say you're nothing but a cheap soothsayer, a charlatan."
"Sinitar..." Her soft voice flickered like a dyng candle. "Surely you don't think that our annual meetings..."
"There are seven Khashkas guarding your tent at this very moment. Their swords bear my enchantement. I suppose you are capable enough to predict what will happen in case you do not tie this around your neck."
---
Though months have passed since his proposal, Sinitar never forgot the feverish desperation. The greed that drove him to pursue her has been reincarnated into the gilded chains that hiss around her ankles each time she'd stir in her sleep, nuzzled against his chest.
The sorcerer was paradoxical in his insanity -- keeping her safe as a most fragile possession yet undoing this reverence each night he'd pull the leash onto his bed. The blotches of purple and green intertwined with runic inscriptions of protection soon drowned out the youthful sheen of her skin. He would cradle her cheeks, replying to her silent pleas by kissing away the tears that pooled around his thumbs. Even in the moments of greatest resistance and spite, he was enchanted by her.
"Once the last patch of snow thaws from Ur-Shiaryll," he stroked her hair as they lied on the bed in the late hour, "I am going to seal our bond. The envy of my brothers will be endless upon seeing you -- and I, I am going to make sure the wedding of all my ancestors pales in comparison to ours."
Her pale fingers curled around the soft en wrinkles of their sheets as she listened to his usual monologue. She focused on a few crimson droplets that ruined the impeccable silver tone of the fabric, wishing dearly her wounds were mortal.
"Captain? X-O Litvak?" Xin stood at the doorframe, peeking into the office that was entirely dark save for the cold light of the computer screen which illuminated the captain's face. His lavender eyes looked up to meet the young-er Tymalian and were it not for the gun at the desk, one would think the captain had an almost childlike innocence to him.
"Here she is." Xin stepped aside, allowing Blossom to enter the office. Litvak leaned forwards, as if he was ready to leap at her. "Should I stay here or?"
"No. You can leave." Litvak replied instantly. "You, sit down."
His leg slid underneath the desk, hitting against the guest chair. With a croak, the seat slid over to Blossom. All she had to do was take two steps and sit down, facing the captain at an almost ridiculous distance.
As the door shut, the Tymalian let out a heavy sigh and was still for a long moment.
"Blossom." He spoke at last. "Do you know why you are here?" His pale, veiny hands clutched to the edge of the desk as he pulled it closer to himself.
"Took you long enough." The end of the sentence was little more than a wheeze as he grabbed the inhaler and brought it to his lips. The condition of his lungs remained unaltered since his childhood, trumping his parent's promises that the disease would be conquered by a mature immune system. Each time he found himself relying on the primitive little apparatus, a pang of anger stirred within him.
"Fuck... fucking fuck." He coughed, blood returning to his cheeks. "Why do you work for such a maniac?"
---
"Of course." Yggrim nodded solemnly, turning off the tracking device with a deep frown. A thousand questions raced through his mind and though he was equally concerned for every crew member, what bothered him the most was the silence of his grandchildren. Not a single one had messaged him back.
"I'm just going to routinely notify the crew of our departure..." He mumbled more to himself than anyone else as he briefly typed a message onto the screen. "Safety precautions, as always." It was a gentle motion, the tracing of his fingertip over every name on the crewmate list, checking them as recipients before he hit send. It was wishful thinking, at best, that the recipient named 'Beth' would also receive the message despite the filters in place.
---
Enelden was much less intimidated by the Tymalian glare though he still did not wish to provoke it. He was about to leave as he noticed Thea's sudden change of demeanor but the sentence caught his attention.
"The what? What is it between them? Did they have a fight?"
"Captain? X-O Litvak?" Xin stood at the doorframe, peeking into the office that was entirely dark save for the cold light of the computer screen which illuminated the captain's face. His lavender eyes looked up to meet the young-er Tymalian and were it not for the gun at the desk, one would think the captain had an almost childlike innocence to him.
"Here she is." Xin stepped aside, allowing Blossom to enter the office. Litvak leaned forwards, as if he was ready to leap at her. "Should I stay here or?"
"No. You can leave." Litvak replied instantly. "You, sit down."
His leg slid underneath the desk, hitting against the guest chair. With a croak, the seat slid over to Blossom. All she had to do was take two steps and sit down, facing the captain at an almost ridiculous distance.
As the door shut, the Tymalian let out a heavy sigh and was still for a long moment.
"Blossom." He spoke at last. "Do you know why you are here?" His pale, veiny hands clutched to the edge of the desk as he pulled it closer to himself.
"I would use my damned inhaler if I could!" Ashan tugged against the restraints, his voice a loud and unpleasant growl. "If you passively observe the captain's insanity, you are going to get him killed. Us, too, by the way."
Another breath and his lung began to feel like an afterburner. "This drawer." He kicked the metal casing of a nightstand. "Jezebeth will have your corpses hung on Scorpio's Peak if you let me die."
---
"Oh, well, look." Yggrim spun his chair towards her, meeting her with a sincere and slightly concerned gaze. "I can bring us close to the border outpost of Sirius. There might be a soul or two keeping the flag of Pobeda erect at all times. However, I worry about the safety of the captain and the crew, dear Strahn. If we drive anywhere past the outpost, we are going to die of radiation poisoning or worse."
He stood up and walked over to the gamma-radar fixed on the wall beside her. "You must have probably overseen this. Sorry about that. But, look-..." He pinpointed Sirius, the radar beeping loudly as it is warning about the impossible to measure levels of radiation. "The sun collapsed on itself. I am sorry."
---
"That would explain much of this morning. I was wondering where everyone is." Enelden seemed little concerned, resembling his grandfather a lot at moments like these. "I will try to contact my mom-... Jezebeth. There's still the extranet connection on the bridge. I will try it the old fashioned way and send her an e-mail. By the way,"
He hesitated for a moment, looking at her with a shy smile. "I know Deon is quite busy recently. If you are feeling unsafe with Litvak, you can always sleep in my room."
"Captain? X-O Litvak?" Xin stood at the doorframe, peeking into the office that was entirely dark save for the cold light of the computer screen which illuminated the captain's face. His lavender eyes looked up to meet the young-er Tymalian and were it not for the gun at the desk, one would think the captain had an almost childlike innocence to him.
"Here she is." Xin stepped aside, allowing Blossom to enter the office. Litvak leaned forwards, as if he was ready to leap at her. "Should I stay here or?"
"No. You can leave." Litvak replied instantly. "You, sit down."
His leg slid underneath the desk, hitting against the guest chair. With a croak, the seat slid over to Blossom. All she had to do was take two steps and sit down, facing the captain at an almost ridiculous distance.
As the door shut, the Tymalian let out a heavy sigh and was still for a long moment.
"Blossom." He spoke at last. "Do you know why you are here?" His pale, veiny hands clutched to the edge of the desk as he pulled it closer to himself.
The miserable state he was in reflected the gravity of his words. Ashan spoke between hasty breaths, his chest feeling as if it was constricted by an invisible force. "Strahn... she thinks I am a traitor. Litvak humors her suspicions. The situation is getting out of hand and, if we continue with this insanity, we are going to get destroyed by radiation. Litvak wants to head to Sirius."
--
There seemed to be no shock apparant on the pilot's face. He had his usual, resting smile and warm eyes which seemed to be still full of youth. "Sirius? Very well." He set the coordinates onto the radar.
"Can you come and sit down with me for a second?"
---
Enelden had his hair folded into a neat bun. His face was shaved clean, making him seem much younger than he is. The joyful gaze danced from Thea's face to the objects in her arms and, before she could finish her sentence, he chuckled.
"Gods, Thea, you seem more excited than usually. We have nothing to fear." He picked up a bottle of pink perfume that bounced off his feet and handed it back to her. "There you go. Anyway, how are you holding up? I understand there was some commotion with the captain?"
"Captain? X-O Litvak?" Xin stood at the doorframe, peeking into the office that was entirely dark save for the cold light of the computer screen which illuminated the captain's face. His lavender eyes looked up to meet the young-er Tymalian and were it not for the gun at the desk, one would think the captain had an almost childlike innocence to him.
"Here she is." Xin stepped aside, allowing Blossom to enter the office. Litvak leaned forwards, as if he was ready to leap at her. "Should I stay here or?"
"No. You can leave." Litvak replied instantly. "You, sit down."
His leg slid underneath the desk, hitting against the guest chair. With a croak, the seat slid over to Blossom. All she had to do was take two steps and sit down, facing the captain at an almost ridiculous distance.
As the door shut, the Tymalian let out a heavy sigh and was still for a long moment.
"Blossom." He spoke at last. "Do you know why you are here?" His pale, veiny hands clutched to the edge of the desk as he pulled it closer to himself.
It was almost humiliating, the way he followed her without much protest. Ashan knew well that, if he ever wanted to see his brothers and his beloved one again, he would have to comply, no matter how bitter the taste of Tymalian cotton felt on his tongue.
The break from the seemingly eternal silence was welcomed with wide eyes and a hasty breath. Ashan called into the dark, trying to be as loud as he could as he called Kasya for help.
---
Yggrim was growing concerned due to the fact that no one was responding to his comms. He wanted to know a status update regarding the fuel but all he received was static.
"Hm. Must be a solar storm." He scratched his beard, wondering whether he should stand up and go to the bridge. Just as he was about to do so, he saw Strahn in the reflection of the glass panel.
"Ah. Any update on the fuel situation? I would love to check it myself but my leg is offline. Ha-ha."
"Captain? X-O Litvak?" Xin stood at the doorframe, peeking into the office that was entirely dark save for the cold light of the computer screen which illuminated the captain's face. His lavender eyes looked up to meet the young-er Tymalian and were it not for the gun at the desk, one would think the captain had an almost childlike innocence to him.
"Here she is." Xin stepped aside, allowing Blossom to enter the office. Litvak leaned forwards, as if he was ready to leap at her. "Should I stay here or?"
"No. You can leave." Litvak replied instantly. "You, sit down."
His leg slid underneath the desk, hitting against the guest chair. With a croak, the seat slid over to Blossom. All she had to do was take two steps and sit down, facing the captain at an almost ridiculous distance.
As the door shut, the Tymalian let out a heavy sigh and was still for a long moment.
"Blossom." He spoke at last. "Do you know why you are here?" His pale, veiny hands clutched to the edge of the desk as he pulled it closer to himself.
Daghirâs silken robe rustled as he walked over to her and knelt down. The light in the room was enough to make out her silhouette and a few tear-streaked features, the gentle ridges deepening on his cheeks as he smiled at her.
âLitvak growls a lot but he does not bite. Were he that insane he would have had us shot on the spot.â He wiped a tear with his thumb, thinking of how to comfort her. âAt we wonât have to listen to Viktorâs singing now.â
-
âStrahn-... no, what the fuck. What the fuck!â He tried to struggle against her iron grip. âDonât say that! Youâre insane!â
Litvakâs coat dropped from his shoulders as he shot up from his seat, wide eyes watching Ashan being dragged in.
âThe Nyctcimmerian associate.â He muttered as he opened his drawer. âDisappointing but expected. Donât put him with the others - lock him somewhere else. Good job, Strahn. I will make sure to reward you with something when weâre back on Pobeda.â
Ashanâs frown deepened as he heard the general, wondering whether he forgot or simply denied that the colony of Pobeda vanished in a nuclear blast several decades ago.
Blossom closed her eyes and leaned into him, taking comfort in his warmth and the nostalgia of his scent. She had not been this close to him since the brief time they were together, a few years ago. "He might be growling now, but how long until he snaps completely? He already shut down 03, who's to say something organic wont be next? And you know how much he hates Nyctcemmerians!" She pressed her face against his chest, trembling. "If you weren't detained who knows how long I would have been alone."
"What do you think his plan is?"
--
Strahn didn't have much to say, her expression was blank. "He's conniving. But he has no backbone. I know of a place for him." She paused restraining his arms behind his back with leather ties. "I thought we could trust the humans. But this? What if they are all against us? Think of his brothers, do you think they'd be a problem too? Should we cut our losses?"
âLitvak is a coward. You canât command with fear. A beggar on the streets could lead the ship better than he does.â Daghir embraced her gently, one hand sneaking up into her hair as he held her close to his chest.
âFurthermore, do you think he would risk killing one of Dalironâs sons? I think he is just manic from the power. The worst must be behind us.â
â
âWe will eliminate the traitors when we can afford to do so. Right now is not the moment.â He motioned her to take Ashan away. âMake sure the pilots set course towards Sirius. If they donât comply - let Viktor take over.â
"Captain? X-O Litvak?" Xin stood at the doorframe, peeking into the office that was entirely dark save for the cold light of the computer screen which illuminated the captain's face. His lavender eyes looked up to meet the young-er Tymalian and were it not for the gun at the desk, one would think the captain had an almost childlike innocence to him.
"Here she is." Xin stepped aside, allowing Blossom to enter the office. Litvak leaned forwards, as if he was ready to leap at her. "Should I stay here or?"
"No. You can leave." Litvak replied instantly. "You, sit down."
His leg slid underneath the desk, hitting against the guest chair. With a croak, the seat slid over to Blossom. All she had to do was take two steps and sit down, facing the captain at an almost ridiculous distance.
As the door shut, the Tymalian let out a heavy sigh and was still for a long moment.
"Blossom." He spoke at last. "Do you know why you are here?" His pale, veiny hands clutched to the edge of the desk as he pulled it closer to himself.
Daghirâs silken robe rustled as he walked over to her and knelt down. The light in the room was enough to make out her silhouette and a few tear-streaked features, the gentle ridges deepening on his cheeks as he smiled at her.
âLitvak growls a lot but he does not bite. Were he that insane he would have had us shot on the spot.â He wiped a tear with his thumb, thinking of how to comfort her. âAt we wonât have to listen to Viktorâs singing now.â
-
âStrahn-... no, what the fuck. What the fuck!â He tried to struggle against her iron grip. âDonât say that! Youâre insane!â
Litvakâs coat dropped from his shoulders as he shot up from his seat, wide eyes watching Ashan being dragged in.
âThe Nyctcimmerian associate.â He muttered as he opened his drawer. âDisappointing but expected. Donât put him with the others - lock him somewhere else. Good job, Strahn. I will make sure to reward you with something when weâre back on Pobeda.â
Ashanâs frown deepened as he heard the general, wondering whether he forgot or simply denied that the colony of Pobeda vanished in a nuclear blast several decades ago.
"Captain? X-O Litvak?" Xin stood at the doorframe, peeking into the office that was entirely dark save for the cold light of the computer screen which illuminated the captain's face. His lavender eyes looked up to meet the young-er Tymalian and were it not for the gun at the desk, one would think the captain had an almost childlike innocence to him.
"Here she is." Xin stepped aside, allowing Blossom to enter the office. Litvak leaned forwards, as if he was ready to leap at her. "Should I stay here or?"
"No. You can leave." Litvak replied instantly. "You, sit down."
His leg slid underneath the desk, hitting against the guest chair. With a croak, the seat slid over to Blossom. All she had to do was take two steps and sit down, facing the captain at an almost ridiculous distance.
As the door shut, the Tymalian let out a heavy sigh and was still for a long moment.
"Blossom." He spoke at last. "Do you know why you are here?" His pale, veiny hands clutched to the edge of the desk as he pulled it closer to himself.
Thea's joy was not shared by the others who stared at the screen with smiles frozen in shock.
"You-... what?" Deon stood up from the edge of the sofa, staring at the bunch of distorted pixels. "You what?! FERN, for fuck's sake, fix the damn thing!!"
"So who's going to be the one to tell Ashan?" Igrok tried to crack a joke but was himself far too upset to say anything. He felt sweat creep up on his forehead which he promptly wiped away with Ireden's shirt he found.
---
"No, there is nothing on fire." Ashan insisted, his wide blue eyes staring at her with a mixture of awe and fear. He made sure to be the first one to step into the room, turning his back to the toolbox set upon the drawer. One hit on the right spot would be enough to knock her out. The news of Litvak's recent meltdown did not go unnoticed by him.
Fern jolted, running through the transmission codes to troubleshoot the screen back into action. "Hold on, hold on.." she muttered, "I've nearly got it..."
Kasya interrupted, pulling the cords from the panel, disabling the system. "That is enough transmissions for today." The beauty mark on her cheek punctuated her frown, signaling the finality of her words.
--
Trynnak and Hithfaeril watched the screen turn to black.
"I think that went very well." Hithfaeril commented, returning to her seat with a weighted sigh. "Thank you for telling them. I was too nervous, yet again."
"You mean you didn't already tell them?" Tryn's golden eyes were wide. "I didn't mean to take that from you!"
"No it is better that way. Less stress on me." Hithfaeril reassured. "And I'm sure they will tell Ashan."
"You haven't told him?"
"I have been too nervous. Besides, no one in the ship is receiving our transmissions... Nor was this the plan for Ashan and I to have a child together."
"Well," Tryn straightened up, placing his hands on his hips. "There's no way that didn't go great, they're excited for you, I'm sure of it."
--
The true weight of her stature was always strikingly clear as she walked through the doorways. She looked at the machine. "How did this happen?" She placed her tablet on the desk, flipping through the pages of the manual. "I can fix. You go to the doctor and have your arm looked at."
âWhat the fuck is your problem?!â Igrok was ready to explode. âWhy do you have to act like such a cunt? This didnât concern you at all!â He made a rude gesture at her but his hand was lowered by Deon who didnât have the energy to say anything. The news still had him speechless, worried for his brother and feeling betrayed by his best friend.
â-
Ashan stood beside her with sweaty hands, fingers twitching as they clutched to a rather heavy wrench. He knew where he had to hit and cause a temporary blackout but he feared he may not hit hard enough.
âStrahn, I am so sorry. But your general is going too far.â He was about to hit her but he slipped both in courage and hand, the hard wrench falling down just beside her knees.
"So," Fern ran her hand through her off-white, neon orange tipped hair. "I think we are all agreeing that we don't tell Ashan about this? Maybe keep it a secret from Hithon too?" She winced, it felt like a necessary evil. "At least until we can ask them the full story? I don't know."
"I think the real concern here is keeping Thea from telling anyone." Drathus spoke apologetically.
"Uh yeah," Thea brushed her hand through her hair. "I'm pretty bad at keeping things secret... But I can just stay away from them, right?" She looked to the group.
--
Strahn sighed, straightening her posture. "I have been looking for a reason to disprove the General's ideology. But I believe you have proven the truth." She lashed out, griping his burned arm, twisting it behind his back and slamming him against the wall. "I think he would be interested in talking to another traitor. What have you to say?"
âFuckk...â Deon sighed and stood up, took a few steps to the window and then sighed. âFine. I will have to avoid him though. I just canât hide such things from him. You, Thea, better move to my room. That way I can keep an eye on you!â
â-
âI am not performing an aggression, I am simply keeping my hands raised.â The door to the solitary cell opened. âSee?â Daghir stepped in, keeping his head low and his expression calm.
âGood.â Artyom glanced at Blossom briefly. âI will see with the general if I can bring you food. Donât fuck my job up.â
He concluded his sentence by slamming the door shut. The Proto-Sapien sighed and lowered his hands, giving Blossom a small smile. âThe general found some private messages and thought I was smuggling weapons. What are you in for?â
â-
âNo-... agh.â His cheekbone was pressed against the cold surface, the only thing separating him from the endless void being a few centimetres of metal.
âI could not do it even if I tried my best. I cannot hurt you. I remembered when you helped me establish communications with my father. Come on, Strahn. You are way too good to be against us.â He tried to wiggle out of the grip as the empty feeling in his lungs urged him to heave.
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