I'm sorry about the wait. This chapter contains alot of dialogue, and a seriously long speech by Y-Cah. I hope it doesn't bore you, it was the best way, I thought, to explain alot of important things.
Chapter 12: Back to the Battle
Sonilla awoke to find herself alone in a strange room. She emerged from the night of unconsciousness to something just as dark and unfamiliar. Except, this darkness was pierced by an orange light. A lamp was perched on a bedstand on her right. She sat up, the covers falling into her lap, and realized she was naked. Her skin was clean and smelled of bath oils; her hair had been washed and brushed. She suddenly felt very vulnerable, free to the unknown.
Sonilla snatched the covers back up and covered her breast. She stared into the black room with fear. She could not remember any of the dreams she had dreamt while asleep, but she remembered strong feelings of fear and despair. Something had attacked her.
When nothing rushed out at her from the darkness, she turned again to the lamp. It was a small lamp, covered in ornate figures she did not recognize. The metal base twisted up and created a bowl, which supported a glass sphere. Inside the sphere was a steadily burning flame. There was no wood or burner inside the sphere, only the flame. How can that be? Sonilla questioned.
Next to the bedstand was a wooden chair. Over the chair-back was a soft gown and on the seat was a pair of equally soft moccasins. They were obviously for her. She hesitated, and then got out of bed to dress herself.
When she had finished, she sat in the chair and studied the lamp for several minutes. She traced it over with her eyes and fingers, but could not find the lamp's source of energy or make sense of the strange characters.
She was tracing the markings with her right hand when she noticed that her ring was missing. The imprint remained on her ring finger, but the silver band was gone. The dark took it from me, she reasoned. Somehow, this did not surprise her, but another wave of despair came over her. That ring had symbolized all she had stood for, but the darkness had taken it from her, along with her clothes.
Where is everyone? Where am I? She suddenly asked. The vague and ancient feelings of fear and despair pounced on her. Samus and Maelos weren't here. Something had happened, something very important, and she had forgotten.
The memory was right on the tip of her tongue. What it is? she thought. The memory paused a moment longer, and then fell off her tongue into her consciousness. It hit her like a tidal wave.
Father!
She grabbed a pillow and buried her tears in it.
Maelos stroked his face, feeling how smooth his skin was just after shaving. It was a rare moment of self-complacency. He felt refreshed from his 21 hours of sleep. He had bathed and shaved, and was now clothed in a robe that the Luminoth had given him. It was sky blue, soft to the touch, and complemented his dark eyes.
Sliding into the wall on silent gears, the circular door to his room opened. A Luminoth with auburn markings stepped in.
"Good afternoon, Maelos the Ambassador," it said and bowed, "I am D-Nav, Senior Healer aboard this ship. I have come to bring you to Samus, the blessed Savior, so that, together, you may visit your friend."
"Sonilla?" asked Maelos, his eyes opened wide.
"Yes. Follow me."
D-Nav turned and walked out into the hallway, and Maelos hurried after him. The door slid shut behind them, and Maelos found himself in a different world.
He followed D-Nav down corridor A03 of the Luminoth battleship A-Kul, which was named after the legendary Champion of Aether. The corridor was shaped like a rectangle with rounded edges, and every surface was plated in a dark metal that resembled titanium. Maelos was used to the alloyed walls of standard Federation faculties, and, at first, the monotone reminded him of that and he felt a sick nostalgia. Then he noticed how the dome lights on the high ceiling brightened the hall and caused variations in the continuous plane of titanium.
He glanced behind him and could see down A03 to an intersection of corridors where several Luminoth walked past. All of them had different color markings. Are they for professions? Or seniority. Class? he wondered.
Maelos was still absorbing the angles of light and color markings when another wonder entered his vision. On the wall to his right, a message appeared. The message was orange in color and written in Luminoth figures. Maelos stopped walking. He looked at the script and watched as it scrolled on like a computer text, the oldest portion disappearing as new words were typed. Suddenly, the message began again in the Common Tongue- Maelos and D-Nav, the Hunter, blessed is she, is currently in B02, headed to the Patient Holding Room. Meet her there.
He stared at the wall while the message faded out completely.
"So, you have discovered the Rita Missatic," D-Nav chuckled from behind.
"What...?" Maelos muttered.
"Our technology is far above yours, my dear Ambassador. It is very difficult to explain to other species, and even I do not claim to understand it all. But, come, place your hand here."
D-Nav gently grasped Maelos's hand, placed it on the wall, and withdrew it. His handprint remained on the wall in light silver, as if he had touched a super sensitive computer screen. It slowly faded away.
"All the walls and ceilings, and the floors to a certain extent, are like this. They are Rita Missatic, a tablet that can be written on and read. That message you read was sent to our exact spot because the Readers in the Control Room can process the information coming from the ship's sensors and pinpoint our location. If one of us ever needs to receive information, the Readers can send it to us via Rita Missatic."
Maelos stood speechless. Then his brow furrowed and he turned to D-Nav.
"But can't you communicate using telepathy?" he asked. "I've seen you do it already."
"Well," D-Nav began to walk again and Maelos followed, "we should go and meet Samus, the blessed Savior. To answer your question, yes, but there are problems with telepathy that non-telepathic beings do not know. First, think of how large this ship is, and how many Luminoth are onboard. It is extremely difficult to locate an individual Luminoth. Unlike what you think, you cannot just send out a message and expect it to reach its destination. You must actually find that being's Pensare, its intangible, mental state of being, and they must be open to receiving a message. And with so many Luminoth searching for the correct Pensare, some messages can be lost or relayed to the wrong being. Second, telepathy is not a simple thing to do. It requires energy, concentration, and training. The message length and distance it must travel affect how much energy is needed. Many of our ancestors fell sick because they used their telepathy too freely. My Ambassador, it is more complicated then it seems, and, thus, we created the Rita Missatic."
"Oh," replied Maelos. He felt very small walking besides this creature, which was both physically and mentally more advanced.
"Also, in times of battle, the Rita Missatic can detect changes in temperature and pressure. If our enemies ever boarded this ship, we would know exactly where they were."
Maelos looked up at D-Nav with an expression which said 'you think there will be a battle?'.
D-Nav did not answer but turned right into corridor B01. Maelos followed after, having to take long strides to keep up with the tall Healer.
Minutes later, corridor B01 ended with another circular door. The Rita Missatic was in full gear as sky blue symbols flashed across the door and around its edge. Above the door was a Luminoth phrase that seemed permanent, and Maelos assumed it to be the room's title.
"This is the Patient Holding Room. Sonilla is inside," said D-Nav.
"How is she?" asked Maelos.
"I last attended her 3 hours ago, but by reading these statistics, I can tell you that she is awake and healthy," replied the Healer.
"You mean," Maelos pointed at the writing on the door, "that the Rita Missatic is telling you about Sonilla while she's inside that room?"
"Yes," D-Nav said, "she is awake, but it seems she had been crying because her seratonin levels have fallen. I can personally tell you, as Senior Healer, that she will be physically healthier than any human in the galaxy, with the exception of Samus, blessed is her name."
"What did you do to her?" asked Maelos, half in horror, half in amazement.
"Several of her organs were eaten by the poison. We reconstructed many of them and infused her with special antibodies to help them grow and function. These antibodies now make her immune to nearly all of your human diseases. Most likely, she will never be sick again in her natural life. Emotionally though, she will be, is, traumatized."
"Where is Samus?" Maelos asked.
"I do not know. The Savior should be--" D-Nav was cut off.
"I told you not to say that!" came a voice.
Maelos turned and saw Samus coming down the corridor. She was clad in full armor, and her boots clicked on the metal floor. When she reached them, D-Nav bowed, and Maelos could have sworn the sentinel grinned.
"My name is not blessed! I am not a savior!" Samus snarled at him.
Everytime a Luminoth greeted her, it was with a bow, Her name was always mentioned with a blessing; she was referred to as "the Savior", and it infuriated her to no end.
And it was not out of humility or modesty, not even because of true annoyance. She feared these titles, and she feared them because they made her aware of how much she was admired. That admiration made her responsible, not only for her past actions but for whatever she might do later in life. She feared letting them down. And if she let the Luminoth down, the Chozo would surely be shamed as well.
"You will always be honored by the Luminoth," D-Nav said. It was a statement and nothing more.
Samus's suit remained motionless, but Maelos could just envision her bristling beneath it. He stepped back, afraid that Samus might lose her temper and attack D-Nav, but the Hunter controlled herself, even though her next words were strained.
"May we go in?"
"Yes. Please remove your helmet and go first. Maelos, go next, " D-Nav said. He put his long-fingered hand on the door's control panel, and it opened for them.
Light flooded through the doorway, casting long shadows on the opposite wall. Sonilla sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed, clutching a pillow. She looked at them with tear-stained, apathetic eyes.
Pity and fear ripped through Maelos when he saw those eyes. Those eyes...
She has lost herself, Samus thought. The hope and drive to bring about righteousness, the strength she had possessed, they all were gone. What sat before them was Sonilla's body, but it was a shell, a shadow of the vibrant innocent they had known.
"Samus...Maelos..." Sonilla whispered, her mouth hidden by the pillow.
Slowly turning to face them, she regarded D-Nav with mild interest, as if he truly were just a moth. She placed the pillow at her side, and looked again at her human companions. Her mouth opened and then she choked on words that wouldn't come out. Maelos went to her.
"It's okay, Sonilla. We're here now," he said softly.
She reached for him and pulled him onto the bed, then she leaned on his shoulder and silently wept.
Samus stood still, not knowing how to react. Her normal reaction at such weakness would have been to let loose her sharp tongue, and possibly the back of her hand, but this was Sonilla, a woman that she had taken under her protection. This was her responsibly, but Maelos was the one comforting her.
Samus knew anguish; she knew pain and loss. But I had a hard enough time comforting myself, she told herself. Maelos can do a better job, she reasoned, but, still, that left her feeling useless.
"My blessed Samus," D-Nav whispered from behind, "Y-Cah requests your presence at ramp C."
Samus took the invitation and left the room. Sonilla and Maelos did not notice.
She marched down the hall, putting her helmet back on. The helmet clicked into place, and she felt safe again, away from the other orphan's agony. She was not a comforter, nor was she a healer. Meeting with U-Mos's herald was a better place for her, and she felt relieved.
On the walls beside her, a message rushed by. Her footfalls went click-clack on the titanium. She noticed for the first time that there was a steady hum permeating the halls. As a bounty hunter, she recognized the ship A-Kul to be the most impressive she had ever encountered. As a student of the enlightened, she recognized that the ship was inhaling and exhaling; the ship was alive.
She found Y-Cah on ramp C. He led her down the open ramp and outside into the clearing around the ship. They walked to the edge of the forest in silence and then stopped. Y-Cah settled himself onto a fallen tree trunk. Samus remained standing and looked back at the ship. Out of curiosity, she switched to the Echo Visor.
"Do you enjoy the visor we gave you?" Y-Cah asked politely.
"Yeah," Samus replied. She finished looking and then answered more formally, "yes. It is an interesting perspective."
"Many of our kind live within that perspective," Y-Cah commented, "when our conversation is finished, I will introduce you to one."
He motioned to the empty space on the trunk besides him, and Samus sat down next to the Luminoth. The sky above them was blue, and the trees sheltered them from the afternoon sun.
"What I have to tell you is of the utmost importance. Some of it is about the Luminoth, some of it is about the war at hand, and some of it pertains to you personally. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good then, I will start," Y-Cah said. He drew in a large breath and then began.
"After you destroyed Dark Aether and left our planet, we, the Luminoth, began the reconstruction of our planet. My parents were among the many Luminoth who perished in the war, and when I awoke from static sleep, my uncle, U-Mos, took me into his home. Under my uncle's instruction, we have reclaimed Sanctuary from the rogue robots. In the last eight years, we have begun to cultivate parts of Agon and have drained the Torvus temple. Things were going very well until one night when U-Mos detected a disturbance in the galaxy."
"There have been galactic wars before, and there has been genocide. Since leaving the stars for Aether, we have witnessed several of these, in times before and after the Federation was established. And everytime, we, the Luminoth, have remained silent. We did not raise a finger for either side. But after you saved us, we realized that even the enlightened can become arrogant. We are a blessed race, and we cannot allow the evils of the galaxy to devour the light. Also, because of you, Samus the Warrior, we are indebted to the human and Chozo races. And with this new enlightenment, we took up arms."
He gesticulated towards the A-Kul and continued.
"Nine battleships like this one are now mobilized. Collectively, we have responded to distress signals from 14 different planets, and on 12 of them we found complete ruin. The Space Pirates have spread Phazon corruption to all 14. On the other two, we found and engaged the enemy. Both times we have been victorious, but the loss was still unimaginable. And this, my Samus, has all been within the last two days. The Federation has given Medici Emergency Executive Control, and he has fed the galaxy lies about the war, saying that he is fighting the Space Pirates, who are controlled by you."
Samus was not surprised by this, but a heat rose up in her body.
"My ship last responded to a call from Tediw, a small planet mostly populated by the Levat-Human hybrids. The entire planet had been ravaged."
He paused and bowed his head in respect for the dead.
"When your ship is repaired, you may go wherever you wish, whether you wish to fight in or flee this war. But you have told me about your hopes to rescue your comrades and avenge your martyr, and I suppose you will pursue that course. I will say this though, the only way to end this war quickly will be to cut off the head of this monster."
"I have said many things. Do you have any questions?" he asked.
Samus was still digesting all that he had told her, but she did have a question.
"Do you know where the head is?" she asked.
"Not yet, but our best Searchers are working to find it," he answered.
"To pursue that course," Samus thought out loud, "I must find Medici and his commanders. If they have not killed Devajor or Geros yet, then they will have them detained nearby for interrogation. And to avenge Torim, I must kill Medici. So, I will stay with you until he is located."
"That is wise, but we shall plan later, I have one last thing to say before I release you from my company," Y-Cah said.
"My uncle has been meditating, searching the Cosmos for secrets and answers to this war. When he detected your presence here and sent me to you, he charged me with a message. It is this-- take hope Samus, last of the Chozo Warriors. The stars have given me hope, a hope to share with you. Samus, the Chozo are not dead."
There was silence after Y-Cah finished. The Chozo bio-suit didn't move, but a he heard Samus inhale sharply.
"I will not deny that I had expected this," she said after she regained her self, "the Chozo just vanished, and I know from experience that whole planets do not just disappear. My life has already been mapped out in prophecies I haven't heard or don't understand, and I've met enough wisemen to realize that one would eventually tell me what happened."
"What you have said shows that you indeed have grown wise in your travels; it also displays great hope," Y-Cah said thoughtfully.
Samus didn't respond and waited for him to continue. The Luminoth sighed and repositioned himself on the log. He peered up at the sky, saw it was late afternoon, nodded, and then continued.
"Few races ever achieve enlightenment. I could sing the praises of the Chozo for years and still not raech the end of such a list. It is enough for you to know that the Chozo are the first to ever reach enlightenment. They are the most ancient, the most powerful and wise. They, like the Luminoth, were born of the stars but left that metaphysical form for a body--"
"But why?" Samus interrupted. "I don't understand why you would leave the stars for this!"
Y-Cah smiled at the Hunter as a teacher smiles at a curious pupil.
"The physical realm is the gateway to the beyond. Those who are born in the stars live a life there, gathering in all the lore of the Cosmos until they achieve absolute knowledge. When such beings reach that knowledge, they then understand that there is an final dimension, a realm of true being. To get there, they must be born again as physical beings. Here, in this dimension they must reach enlightenment, and, when they do, the door to that dimension will be opened. My dear Savior Samus, the universe is not a single layer of matter; it is a weaving of thousands of levels of existence. When one becomes enlightened and leaves this form of existence, they transcend this weaving and become part of the Cosmos themselves."
"And," Samus said slowly, "you're telling me that the Chozo have done this? That they transcended life as I, we, know it?"
"Yes," answered Y-Cah.
"That's what happened to them? They disappeared into the fabric of existence?"
"Yes."
"And what about the planet Creto?" she questioned.
"Creto was not destroyed. It was moved."
"Where? How?" Samus was nearly shouting.
"Some of the Chozo were not ready to abandon their physical form, so the Grand Council used their powers to move the planet to a place where the layers are wearing thin, where those that stayed behind could still interact with those that had gone ahead," Y-Cah said. "Do you understand the prophecy of Leniox now?"
"I think I might," Samus said, "but where is---"
She was cut short by a shout from the A-Kul.
"Herald Y-Cah! Blessed Samus! Come inside! We are receiving an urgent message from Aether!"
"Come now, we shall speak again later," Y-Cah said and rose.
They went back to the ship, Samus having to take three strides for his every one. The sun was at the top of the trees now. It sent red rays that blanketed the entire forest in crimson.
Y-Cah led her to the Control Room where several Luminoth were waiting. The Senior Reader beckoned them to the Control Panel and a message that was displayed on a screen. Y-Cah read it and then turned to his comrades.
"Ready the ship for take-off," he commanded, "I must see the Savior to her friends."
He led Samus out of the room and down corridor B03.
"What's going on?" demanded Samus.
"We have received a distress message from Laidra; they are under attack from Space Pirates. We are going to their aid. Also, several reconnaissance units have reported to Aether about a severely high concentrationt of GF in the Temport Sector. They believe that Medici may be operating from there," he said.
"When will we reach Laidra?" Samus asked.
"In 5 hours," said the Luminoth.
"But Creto told me that any civilization was over 50 hours away," Samus said in disbelief.
"Your computer is correct; Laidra is not considered civilized. It is populated by the alien species Gnegnis. They are a peaceful, primitive species that Medici would not hesitate to wipe-out. Now, you must minister to your friends while I oversee the take-off," he told her.
"Where is my ship?" Samus asked.
"In the holding bay of this ship, being repaired by our finest craftsmen," Y-Cah replied.
They had reached the Patient Holding Room. Y-Cah left her, and Samus entered the room to find Maelos sitting in the chair besides the bed as Sonilla slept soundly.
"How is she?" Samus asked quietly.
"She's really troubled, but I managed to calm her down after you left. We talked about," he swallowed hard, "about, that night. Then D-Nav gave her a sleeping potion, and she's been out since."
"We're going to Laidra," Samus told him.
"Laidra?" he raised his eyebrows, "there's nothing there but the Gnegnis..." he trailed off as he realized what that meant.
"There will be absolutely nothing when we get there," Samus sighed.
"Sonilla was worried about where her ring went," said Maelos while Samus pulled up a chair, "but D-Nav had it. She calmed down a lot when he gave it back to her."
Samus sat down next to Maelos. She glanced at Sonilla. The girl was asleep, her arms clutching a pillow. Samus could just see a sliver of silver on her finger.
"That's good," she said.
Suddenly, she felt the ship take in a deep breath. It rumbled and let out a grunt as it lifted off the ground. Here we go, she thought, back to the battle.
