Chapter 36
Soulbinding, Eilu, the Nexus…action on many fronts.
###
Phai's heart pounded. Was it too late? Reaching telepathically beyond inter-dimensional space, she sought her companion ship.
/ Uulophar! /
/ I am here, Phai. /
/ Contact Den-neer. Tell him to stop Ztar! Tell him now! Ztar is to live! /
Surprise permeated the mental connection.
/ Immediately, Elder. /
###
Performance anxiety fell to the wayside. That several people were standing just beyond the privacy veil was forgotten. Her eyes were huge with wonder, anticipation, and sadly, anxiety. What rode on the success of their mating was of a magnitude too great to comprehend.
Clothes flew off in multiple directions, shyness about sex in front of the Shozen and Ta'uii had to be set aside. Once naked, he took her in as she lay on her back looking up at him. She was so exquisite – so perfect! He loved her – outside, inside…completely.
She ran a hand ran up his arm. "Wythsearra myrlu, 'ne ura-mai," she whispered, voice trembling.
He brought his face down, lips nearly touching lips. "I love you, too. Forever."
"For always."
He captured her mouth while praying that somehow they managed to save the galaxy and it would not be both their first time together and their last.
Mating urge surged; Aru's desperate drive stealing breath and sending ripples of desire from head to toe to wing tip. Did it understand the urgency?
Delicate fingers found the perfect spot on Warren's wing bases and massaged, sending zinging delight to his groin. The result was instant arousal, and he groaned into her mouth as tongues entwined. Roaming her lithe body, he caressed its soft contours. Then he kissed her cheeks, her nose; nipped and kissed along her jaw line, to her neck, and down.
When he took a breast into his mouth, she moaned as passion flared like a supernova leaving them trembling and panting. Goddess, she wanted him! The apex of her thighs grew hot and throbbed her desire. She tangled fingers in his hair as he suckled her.
Warren slid a hand down her ribs, across her taut belly, and down into her warmth. Fleeting surprise came that she was ready for him so very quickly. Things were happening fast – too fast. He'd hoped for so much more for their first time. It was not to be.
'Join!' the inner command demanded .
Finally…finally…they could obey.
Ettwanae was beyond thought, beyond having any connection to the alien surroundings. Her head spun with a crazy blend of lust, love, and urges that wrested away any control. She was simply desire. She needed to be taken. Now. Immediately. Without restraint.
"Warren, please!" she pleaded to the man above her.
They held their breaths as she opened wide to him, and he poised his shaft at her entrance. Crystalline-blues locked to one another; eyes large and dark with lust.
"My soulbound," he said. Then he took her mouth as plunged into her depths.
The feel of him sliding inside was ecstasy beyond anything she imagined. When he moved in and out, she cried tears of bliss. No pain! No rejection! They were becoming as one.
Warren was reeling. What had been denied them so many agonizing months was finally happening…and it was heavenly. As he slid within her, intense relief swamped and joy flooded; tears sprang up in their wake.
"I love you! God, Ettwanae, I love you!" The words tumbled out as he melded with the woman he was meant to be with. In her arms, he belonged. She in his. Finally. Forever. Always.
He moved within her; the physical and metaphysical building to climax. Within the veils of light, Warren made love to Ettwanae. He wanted to float in the bliss endlessly, but they were not blessed with leisure. A mental nudge reminded him to bring the encounter to fruition.
Delicious energy coiled exquisitely through him, amplifying the cresting orgasm. Building. Pulsing. Gates opened of their accord. He shuddered as the familiar sensations swept him away. Bliss. Rapture. Two pairs of wings spread wide. Ettwanae moaned, gripped his arms.
"Goddess!"
Energy morphed into…something else. He would never find words for what drown him. It was pure and living. Was there a glow surrounding them? Mind and body trembled as an indescribable tidal wave surged, flooding all physical and mental senses; even ones he hadn't known existed.
Motion abruptly ceased as they merged incorporeally. Twin ribbons of energy coiled and entwined, tying one to the other. So familiar. 'Ztar,' a whisper echoed in Warren's mind, and he knew. He and Ettwanae were soulbinding – as he and Ztar had somehow managed to do. But with her, it was meant to be; not forged by Ztar's will and circumstance and wonders without explanation.
Then the living tendrils pulled back, feeling altered upon their return – transformed…whole. Need overcame immobility as physical urges came crashing back and Warren released into Ettwanae. His body vibrated in climatic ecstasy. All too soon, rapture faded, and it was over.
Warren collapsed to Ettwanae's side, completely spent, but wonderfully content. He gazed at her face. Hair clung to her damp forehead; he brushed it back. She smiled.
"We did it, Warren. We really did it!" Awe and contentment filled her face and eyes. "I love you, my soulbound!"
"I love you, too." He sighed. "I'm sorry it had to be like this. I wanted our first time to be special."
As she grinned widely, the crystalline-blue orbs twinkled. "If we save the galaxy today, I don't know how much more special it could get!"
"Ettwanae, you are simply amazing," he chuckled. "If you're ready, let's go be heroes."
###
"Anomaly detected," announced the unemotional feminine voice of Civilian Comnet Relay Station Number 9's AI.
"Nature of anomaly?" the on-duty officer queried as he swung his chair around to the scanner display.
"Unknown."
His Thaelan brow furrowed. They'd been alerted moments ago that Emperor Ztar's address to the people of the empire was about to be transmitted. An emergency signal would trigger the billions of active comm devices across the Turzent Empire, followed by transmission of the imperial speech. Nothing and no one was to interfere with its broadcast was the stern warning. It was a big deal when the civil defense warning system was activated. Last time, it announced the empire was at war with The Systems Commonwealth.
"Unknown?"
"That is the nature of an anomaly, Technician ni'Jyrris."
"Again with the sarcasm." His grimace caused a tightening of his patagium. "Who programmed you, Alti?"
"Many of my more interesting enhancements are yours, ni'Jyrris. We reap what we sow."
"Cute." He fingered controls until he had a visual. The unidentified object looked only like an area without stars. "Is it moving?"
"Yes. At its current trajectory and speed, it will collide with us in 1.26 tonis."
That got ni'Jyrris's full attention. "What the-?" Jumping to the comm controls, the Thaelan activated a distress signal to the nearest military base and punched the controls to bring defensive weapons on line. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
"I informed you as soon as I detected the object," the AI responded in calm tones.
"How did it get so close without you noticing?"
"Unknown."
Shivers of fear collided with the need to focus and work at top speed. Adrenaline pumped as ni'Jyrris worked feverishly to lock weapons, alert his fellow officers, make certain shields were at full power, and hails sent to the approaching….whatever.
"Damn!" he said as one small, thin finger missed an intended control on a panel generally built for those with larger hands – Turzent. "Time! How much time?"
"1 tonis."
"Weapons – check. Shields – check. Distress message – check. Where are Phitz and Cihpar?"
"On their way."
"I knew getting this assignment would be the death of me, but not like this! I thought boredom would kill me."
"Weapons at full power. Shields at maximum. The anomaly is unresponsive."
"Can you tell what it is?"
Just then, the only two other station staffers nearly tumbled onto the control deck. "What's going on?" Phitz demanded, being the senior officer on the small station.
"That!" ni'Jyrris shouted, pointing toward the overhead visual display. "On a collision course with us!"
Two mouths dropped opened.
"What in Ognas' name is it?" Cihpar questioned in stunned awe.
The screen displayed a fast moving oval form of solid black with spikes of varying lengths and thicknesses protruding from all sides. No other features were visible – no ports, no hatches.
"An asteroid?"
"Sensors are ineffective. Analysis determines the anomaly is not a naturally occurring object. 0.65 tonis to impact."
"If it's not natural, then it's a ship! Hail it!" Cihpar demanded.
ni'Jyrris threw up his hands. "You think I'm an idiot? Been doing that since we spotted it!"
"0.45 tonis to impact."
"Move us out of the way!" Phitz commanded in his deep Turzent voice as he pushed his way between the other two techs toward the propulsion controls.
"There is insufficient time to activate propulsion systems. 0.35 tonis to impact."
"Then we're dead unless that thing stops." Cihpar began softly chanting in his native Basti dialect, as his furred face grew strangely calm.
"0.25 tonis to impact."
"The distress signal has been sent?" Phitz asked and ni'Jyrris nodded. "Too late for escape pods," he told no one in particular.
"0.15 tonis to impact."
While Cihpar continued to chant, his station mates stared numbly as the eerie, frightening black form filled the display screen.
"0.05, 0.04, 0.03," the AI counted down calmly. "0.02, 0.01, impact." All eyes closed.
Nothing.
Three pairs of eyes opened and met.
"The anomaly is stationary."
Simultaneous sighs and vocalizations of relief filled the station control deck.
"Is it hailing us?"
"No, Officer Phitz."
"Then what is it doing?"
"Apparently, looking us over."
Outside the station, the black ship floated, the nearby star casting a spiny shadow across the station's exterior. It waited.
"Alti, you mean it's scanning us?"
"I have detected no scans, Officer Phitz."
Cihpar shuddered. "This is unnerving."
"What are you orders?" ni'Jyrris looked to his superior.
"Inform central command of our situation."
"Our distress signal has gone unanswered," Alti declared.
"Jammed?"
"Not that I can detect. The upstream comnet cluster is unresponsive to our signal."
"If the cluster has been disabled…" Cihpar worked the comm, testing different frequencies and routings. "Still nothing?"
"No signal acquisition response."
"Phitz, something's happening!"
Cihpar and Phitz returned their attention to the exterior display. What they saw stirred dread. One of the spiky protrusions was elongating toward the station.
Suddenly, alarms sounded. "Warning! Anomaly has initiated a grappling field. Shielding ineffective." It was the first time those aboard the station had heard any form of emotion from the AI dubbed Alti.
Within a grappling field, the station would be pinned in place. "Fire weapons!" Phitz shouted; his heart pounding. They would not be taken without a fight.
Three sentient souls chilled to their core and one artificial brain attempted to resolve the sensor input that clearly showed the phase weapons beams had simply disappeared within the black mass without outward affect.
"Mother of Ognas, save us," Cihpar whispered.
Suddenly, the station shook violently sending occupants and objects flying. All manner of sirens and alarms erupted in a chaos of sound and motion.
"Hull breach, Level 4. Venting atmosphere. Unable to seal hull. Interior force fields activated."
Phitz was the first to recover. "Alti, what in the name of gods is happening?!"
"The anomaly's extension has punctured my exterior!" Again, the AI sounded almost panicked and that only added to the fear pumping through the staff's veins.
"Fire weapons!" the Turzent officer yelled above the alarms as he struggled to his feet.
"Weapons ineffective."
"Damn the gods!" Reaching a diagnostic station, Phitz brought up an internal scanner display. What he saw left him stunned – one of the spiny protrusions had skewered the station near one end.
"Expand our distress signal to full broadcast and let's pray a military ship is nearby!"
Cihpar and ni'Jyrris had reached their respective monitoring stations just as Alti issued another warning.
"Second protrusion extending – impact two toni!"
The station lurked violently as the sound of tearing synth-metal and explosive decompression filled the command level.
"Hull breach Level 2. Emergency force fields activated. Power fluctuating. Life support systems failing."
"Can we make it to the escape pods?" Cihpar asked his commanding officer.
Phitz saw the answer in the Basti's eyes. He shook his head slowly, swallowing down regret of things in life he'd not yet done; loved ones he'd not see again.
"Protrusions moving in opposing directions," Alti announced, her tone conveying what needn't be verbalized. "It has been an honor to serve."
Cihpar, ni'Jyrris, and Phitz accepted their fate as the artificial world around them came apart at the seams. In those last moments, they clung together as artificial gravity lifted and air left their lungs. Then all sound ceased. The final death throws of Relay Station Number 9 played out in eerie silence.
The large ship pulled the station in two as if it were foil, then retracted the spines, and eased away from the thousands of pieces of debris and three bodies. Comnet station destroyed. Mission complete. Sister ships would be responsible for the destruction of other key communication hubs. The proud and powerful Turzent Empire would be laid low by silence.
The Systems Commonwealth, Parma-Sentois Alliance, Gnocque Empire, and Trisadient Worlds – throughout the Trient'Ir's interstellar realms it would be the same…quiet would prelude darkness. It was fitting.
###
As they hurriedly got dressed, Warren heard Phai and Taer talking with the Sentinel.
"My amulet! Look!" Ettwanae held the talisman out. The gemstone-like nodes were twinkling with inner fire. "I think it is acknowledging our soulbinding."
"And maybe that Etxan'Ir is nearby."
She nodded, and he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Ready?"
Her radiant smile filled him with love so powerful it swayed him.
"With my soulbound at my side, I'm ready for anything!"
When the privacy veil dissolved, a new doorway materialized in the quasi-room.
He gestured toward the opening. "The way to Etxan'Ir?" The two Shozen gestured confirmation.
A sharp look to Phai was all it took to ask Warren's question.
"Den-neer will save him if at all possible."
A chill ran through Warren. With the breaking of their connection, he would not know Ztar's fate until someone told him.
"We must go." Taer turned and headed toward the opening. Beyond it, one could see twinkling of refracted light, but little else.
Warren grabbed Ettwanae's hand with a quick squeeze. That hand was so right in his, and he felt completely complete…as if he'd been only a half person all along and only just realized it. Grinning, he cocked his head toward the portal. "Time to save the galaxy."
Stepping through the portal into Etxan'Ir was like entering the inside of a diamond. Light played and danced, shimmering off multi-faceted surfaces, striking here and there, as beams endlessly refracted, retracted, and refracted again. A barely discernable tinging rang constantly that was strangely soothing.
A narrow bridge led to a large, central pillar many paces ahead. Looking down, cut-crystal cliffs plunged too far for even his keen eyesight see bottom. Looking up – the same. He refocused on the main column and realized that it was triangular, not round, and further up, became more tree-like. High above, the structure broke into an intricate tangle of sparkling trunks, limbs, branches, and twigs. Flashes of rainbow light trails pulsed from far below and raced at amazing speeds through the trunk to dart into a branch pathway to disappear into the limpid walls. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of such impulses were flying through the crystalline structure at any given moment.
"Welcome, U'larr Taer, Esha'Aru Ettwanae, and Esha'Aru Warren. I have been waiting." The voice was a rich, feminine tone full of warmth. "The Dark Coming nears apex and will soon be beyond even what the Nexus Triad can do to prevent. Please take your assigned positions." Urgency crept into the soothing tenor.
Warren and Ettwanae looked to Taer. Forward? The U'larr successor answered by starting toward the core.
The triangular mast was much further away than first appearing – an optical illusion of scale. The closer they came, the more massive it became. Ettwanae's hand clasped tightly to Warren's. He gave her a reassuring smile.
"It will be okay."
She nodded, but didn't look fully reassured.
Taer spoke without looking back. "Etxan'Ir and the other two Nexus machines sit within an inter-dimensional space that is smaller than the one we reside in, and separate from that of the Sentinel's. The Nexus use that differential to span the vast distances of our galaxy and encase it with a dimensional barrier."
"We're in subspace?" Warren asked.
"No. It is easiest to imagine dimensions as layers, one upon another. Subspace is a specific layer. The Nexus generate and maintain an artificial barrier around what is commonly called subspace. The barrier is collapsing from Norzra'tir's attacks. If it fails, he will flood subspace with antimatter from his dimension."
"That antimatter will spill into normal space to destroy our galaxy."
Taer spared a sideways look as they approached the massive pillar. "Yes, Warren, and it will happen at speeds we cannot imagine. The entire galaxy will be destroyed in minutes."
As they drew near, part of the enormous pillar's side melted away to reveal an inner chamber. Taer entered without hesitation, but Warren and Ettwanae paused at the threshold. Before them appeared two side-by-side, semi-reclined crystalline seats and a far smaller version of the massive pillar stood centered at the head of the chairs. All three items rested on a unilateral triangular platform.
The Elder turned and gestured for them to enter quickly. As they scrambled onto the seats, Warren noticed the Shozen was radiating a soft glow, her features smoothing to become less formed, more ghost-like. She was beautiful.
"Taer?"
/ I need to shift away from the physical to merge with Etxan'Ir. /
The ethereal Taer walked up to the triangular column behind the chairs and stepped into its solid form like a ghost. Ettwanae eyes widened. They watched as she stilled within the narrow shaft, her glow brightening to create a breathtaking luminosity within the crystalline pillar.
Warren settled into place, giving Ettwanae another comforting squeeze of her extended hand as the doorway to the chamber door solidified into a wall.
"I have joined with Etxan'Ut and Etxan'El. They are functional. We begin."
/ Open to the Source, and let Etxan'Ir draw what it needs. You and the other two Esha'Aru pairs channel the fuel that powers the Nexus Triad. / Taer explained telepathically. / It will use that power to gather the Aru being offered up by the sentient beings of this Trient. /
"Life is the most powerful force in the universe," the great machine explained. "I and my counterparts harness that power to create a barrier Norzra'tir cannot breach."
Warren and Ettwanae laid still and opened to the Source. He was surprised how easily it happened. With a jerk, inner doorways flung wide. The potent energy wave flooded him, sweeping away all other physical sensation…there was only the wild ride of surging Source. A distinct difference, though, was immediately noticeable – intense pain did not materialize. Did the Sentinel's fix that problem? Really didn't matter. Saving the galaxy and everything he held dear, did. If there was ever a need to give all he had, it was then.
Eyes squeezed shut, hand around Ettwanae's, Warren let himself go and held on tight.
###
Within the crystalline pillar, Taer believed her mind may explode. The mental link with the Nexus was bombarding her consciousness beyond anything she could have imagined and nearly more than her lowly brain could withstand.
From where the Nexus machines resided, normal space was viewable, but separate. She quickly realized that the vast size differential together with the dimensional separation created the incongruity of being simultaneously smaller and larger than normal space.
Taer understood fully as she hadn't before what the galaxy lost 15,000 years prior with the near extinction of its U'larr caretakers. Her soul cried for her people. How magnificent was their greatness! They were as near to gods as non-gods could be.
And she was so insignificant…a faded and distorted reflection of those ancestors.
/ You are worthy, U'larr Taer, / the gentle feminine assured within her mind. / Do not doubt your destiny. I am only as I was designed to be. I cannot perform my function without the creators and their creation. The U'larr must live on, as this Dark Coming will not be the last. Be fruitful and multiply, U'larr Taer. /
She was vital…the hope that the U'larr would continue in a new way.
/ Command me, U'larr Taer. Darkness descends. /
A knowing took over that Taer hadn't realized she possessed – racial memory? – and the most sophisticated and powerful device ever built responded to her mental commands.
Across the galaxy known by many names, a single word was dispatched simultaneously by the Nexus Trinity to those waiting the signal.
"NOW."
###
It's been a long climb to the pinnacle of the series' lengthy climax, but we're there next chapter…and it's a long installment! After that, just three more chapters as our five-novel saga wraps up. Haven't decided with certainty, but may post C38-40 all at once. My gut tells me it would be a nice way to end it for you, the reader.
See you soon!