Chapter 16 - A Last Hope...
The boat rocks gently as a young teenager holds his little sister, her tears now dry, sticky upon her face and clinging to his shirt. They stopped moving about an hour ago, the energy of the moonstones that propelled them being fully consumed. Now all that was left was to wait for the ones that kept them afloat to die, dropping them into the infinite sky below. He knew the death that awaited them, of the pressure that would slowly rise and crush their bodies before they ever got the chance to see the surface of the planet. He didn't want that. Not for him, not for her. She didn't deserve this.
He held his sister closer to his chest. She was all that he had left now. She was everything. And soon that everything would be taken away from him.
"Where is your strength now." He whispered bitterly to the moons above, "You don't even have the strength to save a couple of kids."
The moons, however, looked at them from their vigil above and smiled upon them. Death was not the plan for these, the last two descendants of a warrior long forgotten by the peoples of Arcadia. They still had a role to play. Death would come only at their appointed time. . . when it would service them, the gods of this small planet.
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Ryne awoke in a cold sweat, shaking his head in a vain attempt to dispel the images that filled his head. The sweat beads, free from his face, gathered in the air in front of him, each one forming into a perfect sphere. His breath was shallow and ragged, a sharp contrast to the deep snores that filled the room. Ryne rubbed his face and ran his hands through his wet hair, pictures still fresh in his memory.
The same nightmare had haunted him every night since the first night they had spent in space, three days ago. He dreamt of his mother. She was touching his cheek and saying something that he couldn't hear, because there was no sound to the dream. but he could feel the tears wetting his cheeks, and see them on hers. Then he she pushed him away from her, her body erupting with a light so pure and so bright he had to shield his eyes. Then she was gone.
Ryne didn't know why this scared him so much. His mother had always taught him that dreams had a meaning and a purpose. He'd never really believed it, but if it were true, he didn't want to think about what this dream meant.
His breathing was regular now and he'd clamed down to a state where he could think logically and clearly. He looked over at the glowing red numbers that shining from an over-head information console, finding out that it was four thirty five, Valuan time. He tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but it was useless. He'd never been one to go back to sleep after he'd been awakened. Sighing deeply, he ripped open the velcro and pushed off of the wall he'd been strapped to, floating through the doorway to the bridge.
The Sliver Moon was the only thing he could see through the large viewport, its white light casting a soft glow throughout the darkened room. Ryne pulled himself through the seats, working his way to the pilot's seat, the one which afforded the best view. However, he was surprised to find it already occupied.
Jay sat in the large cushioned chair hugging her legs to her chest, the light from the moon casting a silver glow on her features, almost giving her the look of a living statue, her bright blue eyes offsetting the effect. It was in these moments that Ryne couldn't argue that she was undeniably beautiful. This was they way she'd looked when they'd first met; when she was washing his clothes in the belly of the Seventh Gigas; when he'd healed her in the wilds of Ixa'Taka; when she'd given him his first kiss.
Ryne didn't want to stop looking at her, but didn't want her to be uncomfortable if she noticed him watching her. He finally broke the silence.
"Hey.." He said softly, as he took a spot in the chair to her left. A faint smile grazed her lips as her eyes met his.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?..." She asked, even though she was glad for the company he provided.
"I cold say the same of you."
"I had a bad dream." She said, her voice trailing off and becoming distant as her hand went instinctively to her comfort object that hung around her neck. Ryne took that hand into his own, not letting her escape into her own little world as she was so prone to do at times like this.
"Me too." He said softly. Jay smiled again, faint but there.
"I dreamt I was ten again and huddled in the life raft. Only Leos wasn't there with me. He'd joined with the Black Pirates and shoved me out there alone.."
"Leos would never have done that." Ryne stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. "You were the most important thing in the world to him."
"How do you know that?..."
"You were the only thing he ever talked about."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He told me you were his anchor, keeping him on the right road. He told that without you he'd have lost all sense of right and wrong and probably become the people he hated the most."
Jay smiled and squeezed his hand.
"Thanks, Ry."
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Leos followed his Master through the dense foliage. While he had to dodge or move the branches and vines that got in his way, Vaulrik just had to walk while the vines and branches got out of his way. His mastery over the power of the moons allowed him to use the blue moon to create a wind shield around his body. Leos hoped that in time, he would learn this skill.
The past twenty days had gone by a whirlwind. Since he had awoken from the nutrient bath his world had been flipped inside out and upside down. He was a Silvite. The ancestor of the great Delasaris, the man these people worshiped almost like a God. Since this revelation he didn't really know what to think. He liked all the attention he was getting from these people, but didn't know how to react to it. All his life he'd been a nobody. The only reason he'd even gotten shipping jobs was because of the family name and pity. The only thing he'd ever been good at was sailing... and who wouldn't after six years of taking care of a cargo ship pretty much on your own? Now he was somebody... practically a god... or a God in training rather.
Finally the trees and foliage cleared and Leos could see the stars through the dome that separated them from the cold of space.
"Where's Arcadia?" He asked through ragged breaths. Vaulrik smiled at his naivety.
"We're on the dark side right now... a four and a half day night if you will. It takes the Silver moon nine days to do a full rotation."
Leos nodded, his eyes fixed on the stars above. The view from here was extraordinary. With no atmosphere to blur anything and no sun or other moon to vie for light he could see each and every star on this side of the galaxy. It was in this place that he could full appreciate how small he really was, and how little he could affect anything in the grand scheme of things... if there was a grand scheme of things.
"What are we doing here?" He asked finally, his curiosity getting the best of him. Vaulrik merely motioned to a sliver mass. His first impression was that it was water. Until he saw that it was moving... slithering. Then he noticed that in wasn't a body of anything... merely a mass of wholly separate creatures, huddling together into a seemingly larger whole. Vaulrik produced a small clear box from somewhere within the folds of his cloak and handed it to Leos. Leos took it, eyeing it suspiciously.
"What do you want me to do with this?"
"I want to catch one of those metamorphs and contain it in this."
"...Why?"
"Because these small creatures are the single most useful tool we Silvites have ever created. You're going to catch it to be your weapon, your armor, and even your ship."
Leos paused, letting this sink in. "You mean, this thing is just going to let me waltz up there and put it in this box so I can manipulate it."
"No, this thing is probably going to fight, and fight hard."
"I see... so... if it's fighting, why is it going to help me after I catch it."
"It'll be sent to our genetic engineering labs where its will be shaped to obey you and be loyal to you."
"Right, gotcha." Leos said, nodding his head and looking over at the teeming mass of gray with a look of apprehension. "So... any tips on how to do this?"
"Don't touch it. Capture one on the fringes and run... fast."
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Celeste woke with a light headache. Sighing, she dug her index and middle fingers into the crevasse between the two bones of her arm where a pressure point was that would relive her of the ache. Slowly it died down to a dull throb. Soon she realized that the lights were slowly getting brighter in a simulation of a sort of sunrise, which was a pathetic attempt and probably what woke her in the first place. Grunting, she ripped open the velcro sealed bag she was confined to and floated lazily in the air for a bit.
She'd never felt so at ease in all her life. Ever since she was child she'd been trained by her people to be a spy and a scout. She had no memory of her parents, and her only real friend had been Tylen her metamorph, whom she had caught when she was seven. Even then she knew that he was only loyal to her because he had to be... Silvite engineering saw to that. Now she had... companions... people who would look out for her, and miss her if she were gone. It was an odd feeling. She'd never had to depend on anyone but Tylen, someone who wasn't even human. Now Ty was gone, and the moons had sent her these people to care for her and look after her.
Now she was going home. No... not home, she decided. Home wasn't where she'd grown up. Home was here, with these people... people who'd accept her for what she was, not what she could do for them. Yes, this was where her home was. She was no longer loyal to the Silvites, of any faction. She was loyal to her.friends.
Casually she floated into the bridge of the ship, where she found Ryne and Jaycera playing a board game on the ceiling, whose magnetic monster shaped game pieces clung to the round metal playing board, staring down the opponent pieces. Ryne moved one of his loopers diagonally putting it in jeopardy of the fury of Jay's red Gigas piece. Jay called his bluff and moved elsewhere.
"Dang... I was hoping you wouldn't see that."
"You're about to get beaten... again."
"I know! I know!" Ryne exclaimed, exasperated. Deftly he swooped in with his Yeligar to take out two of her loopers. As if she'd seen it coming, Jaycera took his Yeilgar with her Recumen, sending it around the board to clean up the rest of his loopers, leaving his last piece, Zelos.
"Well, I guess that's it." Ryne sighed, resigning Zelos to it's fate, captured by none other than the two loopers Jay had managed to retrieved.
"You're not very good at this." Jay teased, making a show of sending his Zelos flying off the board and floating through the air. Ryne snatched his piece out of the air and glued it back down to the board.
"Sorry, I spent my free time studying and training. My parents didn't leave me much free time to play games." Ryne pouted, "This is only like the fifth time I've played other that the last ten..."
"And you'd think you'd learn something in those last ten." Jay shot back at him. Ryne gave up the verbal spar, knowing he couldn't win. He kicked against the ceiling, shooting down to the floor, doing a half back flip and landing on his feet, noticing for the first time that Celeste was up and about three inches from his face. Embarrassed, he took a couple steps back, scratching the back of his neck.
"Oh... Hey there, Celeste." He said, regaining his composure. "How long have you been standing there?"
Celeste allowed herself a sly smile. "Long enough to see your defeat."
Jay laughed from her perch on the ceiling, pushing off with her hands lightly, softly falling down to one of the padded seats, grabbing the back of it and sitting on the top of it.
"Good morning, ma'am. How was your beauty rest?"
"Acceptable." She said simply, never being one for small talk. Jay chuckled at her answer, winning a look of confusion from Celeste. "What do you find so amusing?"
"You," Jay said bluntly, "You're so proper about everything. Like life is one long status report or something."
Celeste shrugged and crossed her arms. "I've always felt that to some extent, it is."
"Whatever frenches your toast."
Celeste jumped as something impacted her from behind, the force pushing her forward and up. She shifted her weight quickly to turn herself around, steadying her hands on the ceiling. When she looked down she saw Wallin looking up at her with a huge smile on face, doing what appeared to be the backstroke.
"Morning, Ya'll" he drawled in a thick accent Ryne couldn't place. Celeste pushed herself softly down from the ceiling, hovering in midair. Rafe and Jerem soon joined them, making the room feel crowded to the people who'd been in it since the early hours of the morning.
"I think I'm going to take a 'shower'" Jay said, framing the words with her fingers, and pulling herself through the ship to the lav.
Ryne watched her go, the action warranting a smack on the back of the head from Wallin.
"Ouch!" He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head, "What was that for?"
"I was just listening for a rattle... thought I might have heard something in that empty brain of yours."
Ryne shoved his feet off the floor and tackled hi full on, catching him in the midsection and sending them both flailing into the ceiling and dangerously close to the instrument panels.
"Boys, knock that off in here." Jerem scolded, "You hit the wrong thing and we could all be dead in seconds."
"Eh, screw death." Sly sassed, "I can handle the old geezer."
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I
These were the exact words going through Leos' mind at the moment. In his arms was the small metamorph he'd managed to get a hold of, knocking itself violently off the walls of the box in an attempt to escape. Behind him was the rest of the swarm, chirping his eulogy.
Finally he saw his master on the knoll, standing nonchalantly with his arms crossed behind his inside of his great black cloak. Not thinking he could run much further, he jumped and rolled, landing at Vaulrik's feet. For a moment he lay there panting, the erratic vibrations of the box he clutched reminding him of his victory. Finally he opened eyes he hadn't realized were shut and looked up, the angry swarm of silver creatures locked in midair, trapped in a prison of wind.
Leos picked himself off of the ground, looking into the transparent box at the small creature who was currently trying to form itself into a blade to break its prison. He hadn't had time to really look at it before. He just grabbed, stuffed, and ran like the gates of hell had been opened behind him... which they just might have been. He hadn't looked back until a moment ago. Now he just stared at the angry little creature in the box with a child-like wonder.
"Good Job, young Delasaris." He heard his master say, breaking his eyes from the little metamorph. "You seem to have captured a youth. They're easier to shape and can be infinitely more powerful."
"Great." Leos said simply, handing over the box to Vaulrik who stashed it someone in the confines of his cloak.
"Let's get back to the complex." Vaulrik turned, his cloak whipping about him. "I've always hated the surface. The wilderness always seemed too artificial... which it is."
Leos nodded, not really understanding. These woods seemed real enough to him...
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Time was irrelevant. For this woman it neither raced nor crawled, it just was. She didn't know how long she'd been here, how long she'd be here, or how much of it she had left. She could feel herself dying. Not her body... but her mind. Her body was kept in working order, but her mind was slowly being bent and broken until there would be nothing left. No shred of humanity left in her shallow husk.
Her only hopes rested on her family. Her husband was here too, but he was probably going through worse tortures than she was, physically and emotionally. His body was dying. Every time they brought him in for her to watch his suffering she could see him deteriorating more and more. His eyes were what gave her hope... the light brown eyes that gleamed of defiance, daring them to do their worst. They would never break his spirit. They would kill him first.
Her son was where her real hope laid. She could feel him, always persevering , always pressing on, his mind becoming closer and closer to hers. She couldn't help but smile when she thought of him. He'd taken so much after his father. He'd never give up. He was coming here.
Fina tensed as nutrient fluid pumped into her veins through the tubes in her arms. No matter how many times it happened, it was always be new and horrible each time. She closed her eyes, dreaming of bright brown eyes and shimmering white hair. Without them she'd be dead. But maybe that was unavoidable anyway...
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Ryne stared vacantly out of the front viewport. He could feel the presence of his mother, an ever-flowing stream of hope and confidence for him. He could almost pinpoint her location, which might come in handy once they actually landed... which was supposed to be sometime tomorrow night.
In the past couple of days, the Silver moon had come so close that it was the only thing they could see through the viewport. From where they were now, Ryne could see the enormous semitransparent bubble that surrounded the Silvite colony. It was easy to spot because they were rounding the moon now and were currently on the dark side, the light from the colony being the only thing they could see. Ry had expected a grand city of some kind, but all he saw was what looked like a sprawling forest.
Celeste had explained to him that the plant life was needed in order for life to be possible on the moon. The plants supplied them with oxygen and food, as well as food for the animals that stocked the forests, which were hunted (or herded) and eaten. They'd needed all the room on the surface for this purpose, so most of the colony was actually underground, burrowed deep into the moonstone. He also asked her why the milky blue force bubble wasn't completely transparent, and she'd explained that since there was no ozone on the moon, they'd needed something to filter out the harmful ultraviolet radiation. He'd nodded as if he'd understood, but really he'd had no clue what she'd said. Some things just didn't warrant an explanation.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, breaking his silent reverie. He half expected it to be Jaycera, though she'd gone to bed two hours earlier. Ryne didn't want to sleep however, fearing the dream that haunted him again last night. He was surprised to see Jerem standing behind him. He grinned at the older man.
"What are you doing up, Old Man?" He asked, teasing him playfully.
"Telling you to get some rest." He said in a matter of fact tone that wanted no argument. Ryne tested the waters anyway.
"I'll be fine, I'll just sleep in tomorrow."
"No, you wont," his senior replied, "Every morning we've been on this ship, you've been the first one up. I want to go to bed, and go to bed now."
"Why are you so dead set on my going to bed?" Ryne asked testily, getting slightly annoyed.
"Because it's important that you're well rested..."
"What's so important about it?" Ryne snapped, his attitude surprising even him. He'd never been this way before. Why was he playing out a typical teenager now?
"It's important because the future of the people of Arcadia is at stake. We are their last hope. Are you willing to throw their lives away simply because you 'don't feel like it'?"
The remark hit home. A part of him had known how much was riding on him. But his main focus had been on one person... his mother. She was really the only thing that mattered to him, the only reason he was here now. He couldn't see the bigger picture... or didn't want to.
He sighed deeply, smiled at the older man and pushed himself out of his seat.
"You win, Mom. I'm going to bed."
The boat rocks gently as a young teenager holds his little sister, her tears now dry, sticky upon her face and clinging to his shirt. They stopped moving about an hour ago, the energy of the moonstones that propelled them being fully consumed. Now all that was left was to wait for the ones that kept them afloat to die, dropping them into the infinite sky below. He knew the death that awaited them, of the pressure that would slowly rise and crush their bodies before they ever got the chance to see the surface of the planet. He didn't want that. Not for him, not for her. She didn't deserve this.
He held his sister closer to his chest. She was all that he had left now. She was everything. And soon that everything would be taken away from him.
"Where is your strength now." He whispered bitterly to the moons above, "You don't even have the strength to save a couple of kids."
The moons, however, looked at them from their vigil above and smiled upon them. Death was not the plan for these, the last two descendants of a warrior long forgotten by the peoples of Arcadia. They still had a role to play. Death would come only at their appointed time. . . when it would service them, the gods of this small planet.
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Ryne awoke in a cold sweat, shaking his head in a vain attempt to dispel the images that filled his head. The sweat beads, free from his face, gathered in the air in front of him, each one forming into a perfect sphere. His breath was shallow and ragged, a sharp contrast to the deep snores that filled the room. Ryne rubbed his face and ran his hands through his wet hair, pictures still fresh in his memory.
The same nightmare had haunted him every night since the first night they had spent in space, three days ago. He dreamt of his mother. She was touching his cheek and saying something that he couldn't hear, because there was no sound to the dream. but he could feel the tears wetting his cheeks, and see them on hers. Then he she pushed him away from her, her body erupting with a light so pure and so bright he had to shield his eyes. Then she was gone.
Ryne didn't know why this scared him so much. His mother had always taught him that dreams had a meaning and a purpose. He'd never really believed it, but if it were true, he didn't want to think about what this dream meant.
His breathing was regular now and he'd clamed down to a state where he could think logically and clearly. He looked over at the glowing red numbers that shining from an over-head information console, finding out that it was four thirty five, Valuan time. He tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but it was useless. He'd never been one to go back to sleep after he'd been awakened. Sighing deeply, he ripped open the velcro and pushed off of the wall he'd been strapped to, floating through the doorway to the bridge.
The Sliver Moon was the only thing he could see through the large viewport, its white light casting a soft glow throughout the darkened room. Ryne pulled himself through the seats, working his way to the pilot's seat, the one which afforded the best view. However, he was surprised to find it already occupied.
Jay sat in the large cushioned chair hugging her legs to her chest, the light from the moon casting a silver glow on her features, almost giving her the look of a living statue, her bright blue eyes offsetting the effect. It was in these moments that Ryne couldn't argue that she was undeniably beautiful. This was they way she'd looked when they'd first met; when she was washing his clothes in the belly of the Seventh Gigas; when he'd healed her in the wilds of Ixa'Taka; when she'd given him his first kiss.
Ryne didn't want to stop looking at her, but didn't want her to be uncomfortable if she noticed him watching her. He finally broke the silence.
"Hey.." He said softly, as he took a spot in the chair to her left. A faint smile grazed her lips as her eyes met his.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?..." She asked, even though she was glad for the company he provided.
"I cold say the same of you."
"I had a bad dream." She said, her voice trailing off and becoming distant as her hand went instinctively to her comfort object that hung around her neck. Ryne took that hand into his own, not letting her escape into her own little world as she was so prone to do at times like this.
"Me too." He said softly. Jay smiled again, faint but there.
"I dreamt I was ten again and huddled in the life raft. Only Leos wasn't there with me. He'd joined with the Black Pirates and shoved me out there alone.."
"Leos would never have done that." Ryne stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. "You were the most important thing in the world to him."
"How do you know that?..."
"You were the only thing he ever talked about."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He told me you were his anchor, keeping him on the right road. He told that without you he'd have lost all sense of right and wrong and probably become the people he hated the most."
Jay smiled and squeezed his hand.
"Thanks, Ry."
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Leos followed his Master through the dense foliage. While he had to dodge or move the branches and vines that got in his way, Vaulrik just had to walk while the vines and branches got out of his way. His mastery over the power of the moons allowed him to use the blue moon to create a wind shield around his body. Leos hoped that in time, he would learn this skill.
The past twenty days had gone by a whirlwind. Since he had awoken from the nutrient bath his world had been flipped inside out and upside down. He was a Silvite. The ancestor of the great Delasaris, the man these people worshiped almost like a God. Since this revelation he didn't really know what to think. He liked all the attention he was getting from these people, but didn't know how to react to it. All his life he'd been a nobody. The only reason he'd even gotten shipping jobs was because of the family name and pity. The only thing he'd ever been good at was sailing... and who wouldn't after six years of taking care of a cargo ship pretty much on your own? Now he was somebody... practically a god... or a God in training rather.
Finally the trees and foliage cleared and Leos could see the stars through the dome that separated them from the cold of space.
"Where's Arcadia?" He asked through ragged breaths. Vaulrik smiled at his naivety.
"We're on the dark side right now... a four and a half day night if you will. It takes the Silver moon nine days to do a full rotation."
Leos nodded, his eyes fixed on the stars above. The view from here was extraordinary. With no atmosphere to blur anything and no sun or other moon to vie for light he could see each and every star on this side of the galaxy. It was in this place that he could full appreciate how small he really was, and how little he could affect anything in the grand scheme of things... if there was a grand scheme of things.
"What are we doing here?" He asked finally, his curiosity getting the best of him. Vaulrik merely motioned to a sliver mass. His first impression was that it was water. Until he saw that it was moving... slithering. Then he noticed that in wasn't a body of anything... merely a mass of wholly separate creatures, huddling together into a seemingly larger whole. Vaulrik produced a small clear box from somewhere within the folds of his cloak and handed it to Leos. Leos took it, eyeing it suspiciously.
"What do you want me to do with this?"
"I want to catch one of those metamorphs and contain it in this."
"...Why?"
"Because these small creatures are the single most useful tool we Silvites have ever created. You're going to catch it to be your weapon, your armor, and even your ship."
Leos paused, letting this sink in. "You mean, this thing is just going to let me waltz up there and put it in this box so I can manipulate it."
"No, this thing is probably going to fight, and fight hard."
"I see... so... if it's fighting, why is it going to help me after I catch it."
"It'll be sent to our genetic engineering labs where its will be shaped to obey you and be loyal to you."
"Right, gotcha." Leos said, nodding his head and looking over at the teeming mass of gray with a look of apprehension. "So... any tips on how to do this?"
"Don't touch it. Capture one on the fringes and run... fast."
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Celeste woke with a light headache. Sighing, she dug her index and middle fingers into the crevasse between the two bones of her arm where a pressure point was that would relive her of the ache. Slowly it died down to a dull throb. Soon she realized that the lights were slowly getting brighter in a simulation of a sort of sunrise, which was a pathetic attempt and probably what woke her in the first place. Grunting, she ripped open the velcro sealed bag she was confined to and floated lazily in the air for a bit.
She'd never felt so at ease in all her life. Ever since she was child she'd been trained by her people to be a spy and a scout. She had no memory of her parents, and her only real friend had been Tylen her metamorph, whom she had caught when she was seven. Even then she knew that he was only loyal to her because he had to be... Silvite engineering saw to that. Now she had... companions... people who would look out for her, and miss her if she were gone. It was an odd feeling. She'd never had to depend on anyone but Tylen, someone who wasn't even human. Now Ty was gone, and the moons had sent her these people to care for her and look after her.
Now she was going home. No... not home, she decided. Home wasn't where she'd grown up. Home was here, with these people... people who'd accept her for what she was, not what she could do for them. Yes, this was where her home was. She was no longer loyal to the Silvites, of any faction. She was loyal to her.friends.
Casually she floated into the bridge of the ship, where she found Ryne and Jaycera playing a board game on the ceiling, whose magnetic monster shaped game pieces clung to the round metal playing board, staring down the opponent pieces. Ryne moved one of his loopers diagonally putting it in jeopardy of the fury of Jay's red Gigas piece. Jay called his bluff and moved elsewhere.
"Dang... I was hoping you wouldn't see that."
"You're about to get beaten... again."
"I know! I know!" Ryne exclaimed, exasperated. Deftly he swooped in with his Yeligar to take out two of her loopers. As if she'd seen it coming, Jaycera took his Yeilgar with her Recumen, sending it around the board to clean up the rest of his loopers, leaving his last piece, Zelos.
"Well, I guess that's it." Ryne sighed, resigning Zelos to it's fate, captured by none other than the two loopers Jay had managed to retrieved.
"You're not very good at this." Jay teased, making a show of sending his Zelos flying off the board and floating through the air. Ryne snatched his piece out of the air and glued it back down to the board.
"Sorry, I spent my free time studying and training. My parents didn't leave me much free time to play games." Ryne pouted, "This is only like the fifth time I've played other that the last ten..."
"And you'd think you'd learn something in those last ten." Jay shot back at him. Ryne gave up the verbal spar, knowing he couldn't win. He kicked against the ceiling, shooting down to the floor, doing a half back flip and landing on his feet, noticing for the first time that Celeste was up and about three inches from his face. Embarrassed, he took a couple steps back, scratching the back of his neck.
"Oh... Hey there, Celeste." He said, regaining his composure. "How long have you been standing there?"
Celeste allowed herself a sly smile. "Long enough to see your defeat."
Jay laughed from her perch on the ceiling, pushing off with her hands lightly, softly falling down to one of the padded seats, grabbing the back of it and sitting on the top of it.
"Good morning, ma'am. How was your beauty rest?"
"Acceptable." She said simply, never being one for small talk. Jay chuckled at her answer, winning a look of confusion from Celeste. "What do you find so amusing?"
"You," Jay said bluntly, "You're so proper about everything. Like life is one long status report or something."
Celeste shrugged and crossed her arms. "I've always felt that to some extent, it is."
"Whatever frenches your toast."
Celeste jumped as something impacted her from behind, the force pushing her forward and up. She shifted her weight quickly to turn herself around, steadying her hands on the ceiling. When she looked down she saw Wallin looking up at her with a huge smile on face, doing what appeared to be the backstroke.
"Morning, Ya'll" he drawled in a thick accent Ryne couldn't place. Celeste pushed herself softly down from the ceiling, hovering in midair. Rafe and Jerem soon joined them, making the room feel crowded to the people who'd been in it since the early hours of the morning.
"I think I'm going to take a 'shower'" Jay said, framing the words with her fingers, and pulling herself through the ship to the lav.
Ryne watched her go, the action warranting a smack on the back of the head from Wallin.
"Ouch!" He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head, "What was that for?"
"I was just listening for a rattle... thought I might have heard something in that empty brain of yours."
Ryne shoved his feet off the floor and tackled hi full on, catching him in the midsection and sending them both flailing into the ceiling and dangerously close to the instrument panels.
"Boys, knock that off in here." Jerem scolded, "You hit the wrong thing and we could all be dead in seconds."
"Eh, screw death." Sly sassed, "I can handle the old geezer."
****************************************
I
These were the exact words going through Leos' mind at the moment. In his arms was the small metamorph he'd managed to get a hold of, knocking itself violently off the walls of the box in an attempt to escape. Behind him was the rest of the swarm, chirping his eulogy.
Finally he saw his master on the knoll, standing nonchalantly with his arms crossed behind his inside of his great black cloak. Not thinking he could run much further, he jumped and rolled, landing at Vaulrik's feet. For a moment he lay there panting, the erratic vibrations of the box he clutched reminding him of his victory. Finally he opened eyes he hadn't realized were shut and looked up, the angry swarm of silver creatures locked in midair, trapped in a prison of wind.
Leos picked himself off of the ground, looking into the transparent box at the small creature who was currently trying to form itself into a blade to break its prison. He hadn't had time to really look at it before. He just grabbed, stuffed, and ran like the gates of hell had been opened behind him... which they just might have been. He hadn't looked back until a moment ago. Now he just stared at the angry little creature in the box with a child-like wonder.
"Good Job, young Delasaris." He heard his master say, breaking his eyes from the little metamorph. "You seem to have captured a youth. They're easier to shape and can be infinitely more powerful."
"Great." Leos said simply, handing over the box to Vaulrik who stashed it someone in the confines of his cloak.
"Let's get back to the complex." Vaulrik turned, his cloak whipping about him. "I've always hated the surface. The wilderness always seemed too artificial... which it is."
Leos nodded, not really understanding. These woods seemed real enough to him...
*************************************************
Time was irrelevant. For this woman it neither raced nor crawled, it just was. She didn't know how long she'd been here, how long she'd be here, or how much of it she had left. She could feel herself dying. Not her body... but her mind. Her body was kept in working order, but her mind was slowly being bent and broken until there would be nothing left. No shred of humanity left in her shallow husk.
Her only hopes rested on her family. Her husband was here too, but he was probably going through worse tortures than she was, physically and emotionally. His body was dying. Every time they brought him in for her to watch his suffering she could see him deteriorating more and more. His eyes were what gave her hope... the light brown eyes that gleamed of defiance, daring them to do their worst. They would never break his spirit. They would kill him first.
Her son was where her real hope laid. She could feel him, always persevering , always pressing on, his mind becoming closer and closer to hers. She couldn't help but smile when she thought of him. He'd taken so much after his father. He'd never give up. He was coming here.
Fina tensed as nutrient fluid pumped into her veins through the tubes in her arms. No matter how many times it happened, it was always be new and horrible each time. She closed her eyes, dreaming of bright brown eyes and shimmering white hair. Without them she'd be dead. But maybe that was unavoidable anyway...
**********************************************
Ryne stared vacantly out of the front viewport. He could feel the presence of his mother, an ever-flowing stream of hope and confidence for him. He could almost pinpoint her location, which might come in handy once they actually landed... which was supposed to be sometime tomorrow night.
In the past couple of days, the Silver moon had come so close that it was the only thing they could see through the viewport. From where they were now, Ryne could see the enormous semitransparent bubble that surrounded the Silvite colony. It was easy to spot because they were rounding the moon now and were currently on the dark side, the light from the colony being the only thing they could see. Ry had expected a grand city of some kind, but all he saw was what looked like a sprawling forest.
Celeste had explained to him that the plant life was needed in order for life to be possible on the moon. The plants supplied them with oxygen and food, as well as food for the animals that stocked the forests, which were hunted (or herded) and eaten. They'd needed all the room on the surface for this purpose, so most of the colony was actually underground, burrowed deep into the moonstone. He also asked her why the milky blue force bubble wasn't completely transparent, and she'd explained that since there was no ozone on the moon, they'd needed something to filter out the harmful ultraviolet radiation. He'd nodded as if he'd understood, but really he'd had no clue what she'd said. Some things just didn't warrant an explanation.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, breaking his silent reverie. He half expected it to be Jaycera, though she'd gone to bed two hours earlier. Ryne didn't want to sleep however, fearing the dream that haunted him again last night. He was surprised to see Jerem standing behind him. He grinned at the older man.
"What are you doing up, Old Man?" He asked, teasing him playfully.
"Telling you to get some rest." He said in a matter of fact tone that wanted no argument. Ryne tested the waters anyway.
"I'll be fine, I'll just sleep in tomorrow."
"No, you wont," his senior replied, "Every morning we've been on this ship, you've been the first one up. I want to go to bed, and go to bed now."
"Why are you so dead set on my going to bed?" Ryne asked testily, getting slightly annoyed.
"Because it's important that you're well rested..."
"What's so important about it?" Ryne snapped, his attitude surprising even him. He'd never been this way before. Why was he playing out a typical teenager now?
"It's important because the future of the people of Arcadia is at stake. We are their last hope. Are you willing to throw their lives away simply because you 'don't feel like it'?"
The remark hit home. A part of him had known how much was riding on him. But his main focus had been on one person... his mother. She was really the only thing that mattered to him, the only reason he was here now. He couldn't see the bigger picture... or didn't want to.
He sighed deeply, smiled at the older man and pushed himself out of his seat.
"You win, Mom. I'm going to bed."