Author: Okay, first, just...wow. I've only posted three chapters and already I've received over 280 hits! Makes me wish more of you would leave a review behind, but I ain't gonna complain. Oh yeah, before you start reading, I want you to know that I had planned on making this chapter long, though it turned out to be a bit too long so I decided to split it into two parts, only...well...an incident occured this morning and it may take me a while to upload the second part, and since the exams are still around the corner, my mom thinks its not a high priority. I'm not making any promises but I'll try to upload the second part sometime this week.
On a final note, I've just made a friend who is more then happy to go over my work and correct spellings. Special thanks to Neil. Hope this chapter has been worth the wait. Please review.
For a long time, Cain just stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to remember where he was and how he had got here.
And when he did remember, he wished he hadn't.
Biting back tears, Cain took a deep breath and raised himself up, but hissed when pain erupted in his back and front. He slumped back down and breathed deeply until the pain passed away, then slowly raised himself up in a sitting position. He was in the room the Aurelian had shown him, the one that reminded him of a barracks. Lying in one of the beds, Cain finally noticed that an odd looking blanket covered him, the material feeling oddly soft and almost silk like. When he pulled it away and exposed his chest, he almost cried out in surprise.
There were three ugly scars on his body. Two in the chest area and one where his stomach was. Each scar made it look like his skin was...ripping apart, fracturing, and when he gently touched one of them, it felt rough like a rope.
"You've got the same things on your back."
His heart nearly leaped into his throat at the unexpected voice. Looking to his left, Cain saw an occupant in the bed next to him. A fellow human, resting easy with his hands behind his head, though not just any human.
Flight Commander Ethan Wyeth. Hero of the Federation. The sole reason why they had won, as everyone said.
"S-sir!" Cain straightened his shoulders and saluted, ignoring the mild pain that came from his chest, but Commander Wyeth only waved his hand lazily.
"No need to be formal, kid, it's not like I can throw you in the brig for disrespect," Wyeth said, offering a relaxing smile. Cain hesitantly lowered his hand, feeling slightly uncertain in what to do next. As he shifted his legs, he felt the blanket touch his skin. Without thinking, Cain raised the blanket up, and to his horror, saw the only thing he was wearing were his boxers. But before he said anything, Wyeth spoke again.
"Yeah, about that. Well, since your clothes were all messed up, our new alien friends offered to clean 'em up. They returned it back about an hour ago, they're on the floor right next to you, along with all your stuff," and, true enough, his clothes were neatly folded on the floor, along with his sniper rifle, army knife and his two FAUST C-41. Cain slowly got out of a bed clearly made for someone much taller, and when he stood on the floor, he momenterily wobbled but managed to steady himself. He quickly went into his pants along with the socks and boots, and after he had put on his shirt and concealed his army knife in his right boot, he held the grey military jacket in front of him, carefully inspecting it.
Not a drop of blood was on it. It looked as clean as it was when he first got it. The only things that looked out of place were three small dark patches on it, front and back where the bullets had gone through. The fabric felt similiar to the blanket earlier, though he could feel these ones were tougher. He put it on but didn't zip it up or anything, instead letting it hang loose around his body.
As he bend down to pick up the two pistols, he noticed something lying between them.
When he realised what it was, his heart skipped a beat.
...no...can...can it be?It's still in one piece?
The object was small, round, easily fitted at the palm of his hand. Carefully picking it up as if it was made out of glass, he felt its familiar weight as he stared at it.
Could it still be working after...after all this? After all that has happened?
It still had power. All he needed to do was to press the small button and he would see...
...no...no, I can't...not now. I don't think I can handle it, must wait...untill...
Cain's thoughts were interrupted by familiar watery sound as someone walked into the room, "I see you're up."
"Sir," Cain said, quickly putting the Holo-Projector in his pocket and stood at attention as Captain Wyeth entered the room, along with the woman Cain had seen in the alien hangar before passing out. Still lying in the bed, Ethan rolled his eyes but made no comment.
"We don't need to be formal. Cain, was it? How are you feeling?"
"I'm...a bit disoriented, sir, but otherwise I'm fine," Cain replied, allowing himself to relax just a bit, as he studied Gideon. He was young, probably couple of years older then himself. And even though his older brother was a war hero, he too had managed to pull a few stunts before the Colony War had ended. A part of Cain wondered what kind of person's the Wyeths were, considering the history of their family, of their father, Logan Wyeth, the famed miner turned pilot, turned Admiral. Did they try to live up to the family name, did they take it seriously or were they spoiled brats because of it, as Cain had heard many marines say so?
"Yeah, I can imagine. You were quite the sight, all...covered in blood and all," said the woman. Even though she was dressed as civilian, Cain could tell from her stance that she was military trained as well. A pilot, no doubt, considering her figure, "The name's Marin by the way. Captain Marin Steel."
Marin offered her hand Cain somewhat hesitandly shook it, opening his mouth to speak but Marin beat him to it, "And no sir or ma'am. Kinda pointless right now, if you know what I mean," Cain just nodded and turned to Gideon.
"How long was I out, sir?"
"Well, we were pretty beat ourselves and after taking you here we took some rest, so I'd say...around twelve hours."
Twelve hours? And I still feel tired? Then again, I did manage to give Death the finger...
"Yeah, and while we're on that subject," Ethan said as he sat up in the bed, eager to join the conversation, "mind telling us how the hell you managed to get shot? I mean, as far as I know, the weapons those aliens were using were all energy based and your wounds were made by bullets."
Cain simply shrugged and said, "Got shot by my own kind, sir."
Ethan blinked, waited a few seconds and blinked again, "Ookay...I think I'm gonna need to hear the long version on this one."
And so Cain told them.
Unsurprisingly, after he had told them, they all said nothing. But their silence wasin't because of shock or surprise. In fact, Ethan half-nodded to himself, no doubt having seen many soldiers crack under pressure during the war, including Gideon, though his face betrayed some sadness. Marin looked like she wanted to say something, but either couldn't come up with anything or simply decided not to.
"Sir, you and Commander Wyeth were the pilots of the ambasador's ship to the first aliens. Can you tell what happened, sir?"
They did.
"...wait...someone onboard their ship, one of their own...told the second aliens, the, the...Seekers, the location of our planet?" Cain slowly said, not even believing his own words, even less what he had been told.
"Yeah," replied Gideon. How else could he have answered?
"...but..." Surprise. Shock. Anger. Hate. All flying around inside him, trying to be in control, but the battle of the emotions only made Cain feel dumbfound. But his brain was active enough to remember something else they had told him, "...wait, you said that the Aurelians said something about us being...survivors?"
"Yeah, they did. Our contact with them was a bit short, but they said something about us, that we are...I'm not really sure what they meant, but they said something about us having...powers. Divine powers, if I heard it right," Gideon said, half shrugging. Marin blinked with a surprised expression, clearly hearing this for the first time, while Ethan just snorted and shook his head.
"Divine...powers? What did they mean, sir?" Cain asked, with no idea just how he could react to such...nonsense.
"Well, I was planning on asking Kelehm, uh, an Aurelian that looks like to be in charge here," Kelehm...I remember him, "but decided first to see how you were."
"Yeah, well, feel free to do that without me," Marin said, heading back towards the watery door, "I'm gonna head back to my ship, see if the scanners have picked up any transmissions on our channels."
"Mind if I tag along? As much as I enjoy having some well deserved beauty sleep, even I can find that to be a bit boring," Ethan said, half-limbing with Marin out of the room, leaving Cain alone with Gideon, who looked like to be leaving as well.
"Permission to come with you, sir?" Cain quickly asked, putting his body into ready position out of pure reflex.
"Sure. Any particular reason?"
"No, sir, I just want to find out why we all of a sudden have become just a step away from total extinction."
As they walked away, Cain glanced behind him to make sure the guard was out of sight before turning to Gideon.
"Sir, did he just call us "Exalted Ones"?"
"He did. Why?"
"N-no reason, sir, but its just that...ever since I placed that translator in my ear, that's what I've been hearing them call me. I was kinda hoping I had placed it upside/down or something, since its all...just..."
"Weird? Freaky?" Gideon offered as they made a turn.
"That's...one way to put it, sir. I mean, to have our first alien contact and then to be told that we're...special, that have these...powers. Its all just...just..." Cain paused, then started over again, "I saw and did...many things during the war, sir, but I've never seen something that would describe us to be...mystical. If we have any special ability or powers, then it is that we are very good at killing."
Gideon looked at Cain with a raised eyebrow, "That's a rather glum view on us, though I really can't argue against it. But that's not all that's bothering you, is it? I mean," he quickly added, "with the Aurelians and what they've told us so far."
For a few moments, Cain said nothing as they walked. But just after they had passed three more Aurelians who bowed in their special way, offering condolances for their loss, he finally voiced what had been bothering him and had refused to leave him alone, "...what if they made a mistake, sir?"
"What do you mean?"
"This, them, the Aurelians," he said, gesturing around them, "they look on us as if we are their gods made flesh, speaking of divine powers and yet...in our entire recorded history, there have been made no mentions of such things and...we've just barely started exploring the space, the plans on creating a hyperdrive are...were still on the drawing boards, so its imposible that we went around and showed our powers to the Aurelians, or any other alien species out there."
"What are you getting at?" Asked Gideon, his expression telling that whatever Cain was about say, he wasin't going to like it.
"What if the Aurelians made a mistake? What if we are not what they say we are?" That only made Gideon raise an eyebrow and looking like he was thinking of what he had just said, but Cain still had the worst question left, "What if this attack from the Seekers, of them butchering civilians before destroying Edumea, is nothing more then a mistaken identity?"
That made Gideon stop dead in his tracks, the expression on his face clearly stating that the thought had never occured to him, and a certain fear was in it, the fear of what if Cain had just said was true.
"...no, I...I don't, I refuse to belive that all those deaths were for nothing!" Gideon hissed, now steel in his eyes though they were not pointed at Cain personelly, "I have no idea just what the hell is going on, why those aliens destroyd our home, k-killed my...our loved ones, but I'm gonna find out. I don't know why, or how, but I got this...feeling, deep in my gut, that this, all this, is part of something big. Huge. I know, I know," Gideon said before Cain could ask, rubbing his temple in frustration, "I don't know how I know, I just do. Which, by the way, is the reason why we're going to Kelehm. For answers. Let's go," he started walking again, this time slightly faster, and with determination.
"Yes, sir," replied Cain as he walked with the Captain. A part of him shared with what Gideon had said, that whatever was happening it was a part of something huge. And yet, the doubt still lingered.
"I already told you, Cain, you don't have to go by the ranks. We're all in this together now," spoke Gideon, but Cain just shrugged.
"Force of habit, sir," Gideon looked at Cain, a small smile on his face as if he had just told a joke, and for a moment, Cain felt like smiling too.
But the moment had already passed.
Cain opened his eyes again as they passed through the water-door, and the room they had now entered looked like some sort of a small lounge room for only one occupant. The room was narrow shaped, with a small pool of water left and right with plants in them, and at the end of the room was what looked like to be a chair, the occupant facing the big windows that showed the red haze of hyperdrive travel.
"I had a feeling you two would seek me out, eventually," Kelehm said as Cain and Gideon walked up to his chair and stood before him, Cain on his right and Gideon on the left. His gaze was first on Gideon, then at Cain, "How are you feeling, Cain?"
For just a moment, Cain was a bit surprised at the first name basis and what looked like to be genuine concern in the Aurelian's eyes, but then again, the owner of those eyes was of an entirily different species so maybe he had just misread them or something, "I am better now, sir, thank you for asking."
Kelehm nodded and Gideon chosed that moment to cut right down to the chase, "Earlier, you said something about hidden powers?"
"I am a remnant of the Ancient Religion, Humans. All civilizations in the galaxy have individuals with the seed of such power. Our prophecies tells us that the Humans were the originators, and the masters of that power and through them, our own shall blossom."
"Do you have this gift?" Gideon asked, his curiosity clearly peeked.
"I do. And it is my hope that with it, I may be able to kindle something inside both of you," Kelehm said, gesturing at Gideon and Cain. For a second the both humans exhanged a look, a slight skepticims in Cain's expression.
"Well, I've never really been any good at magic tricks," Gideon finally said, while Cain kept his silence.
"Oh no, Human, this is no mere magic trick. This is your purpose. And it courses through every cell of your body," Kelehm was more and more sounding like a priest, and Cain momenterily wondered what status the Aurelian had among his people.
"Okay...but what can you do? With this power, I mean?" Gideon finally asked the question.
"Gideon, Cain," Kelehm said as he stood up, placing a hand on the Captain's shoulder, but Cain was a bit out of reach, "this is the sum total of a being's undeniable confidence, and if harnessed, can bend all the energy of the stars to your disposal."
Gideon and Cain glanced at each other as they both had the same thought, "So this power is a weapon," Gideon said, and only now was Cain's interest peeked.
A weapon...something to have so we can strike back at those Seekers, make them pay for what they have done, hurt them as they have hurt us...
Kelehm, on the other hand, blinked in slight surprise and noticed that both Humans were having the same thought, "Interesting that you would infer that," Kelehm said half to himself, with a hint of saddness in his voice, "So, the Humans will have me teach them?"
"Hold on, I'm not a believer yet," Gideon stated, while Cain silendly nodded.
"Very well, then. See the shell on the table?" Kelehm pointed at a table Cain only now noticed. It had couple of shells on it along with what looked like to be fruits, "Watch!"
Kelehm reached out as if he meant to pick up the shell, but his hand didn't go down, instead it just stayed up, slowly moving in a small circle. For a few seconds Cain thought the Aurelian had lost it, when he felt his hair at the back of his neck rise, quickly followed by an odd, yet very familiar sensation in his brain. This one also lasted for a split second, but it was more then enough to instandly recognise that it was the same feeling Cain had experienced when he had been brought aboard this ship, when he was slowly bleeding to death. It had happened when...
...when Kelehm touched me...I...I thought I had imagined that...
But Cain's mild shock and puzzlemend was replaced by even greater shock when a blue aura encircled around the shell, and it slowly rose all by itself and just floated there in midair. Gideon's jaw dropped as both Humans watch the imposible happen, untill the shell suddenly shook and fell back down on the table, and Kelehm stumbled to his seat.
"I...have never been able to sustain it for so long, " he said, sounding quite exhausted and yet...excited, "Are the saying's true, then?"
"Sayings? What...hey, how were you..." Gideon lost his tounge as he looked back and forth at Kelehm and the shell, while Cain slowly walked up to the table and picket it up, not hearing a word of what was beeing said behind him as an odd buzzing sound filled his head.
"And through their presence, shall all be made strong."
Gideon was silend, but you could see it in his eyes that whatever he had just witnessed, it had made him believe. But before he could ask Kelehm anything, a soft chuckle suddenly came from Cain, who slowly turned around, still holding the shell in his right hand.
"This...is it? This is why these Seekers did it? The destruction of Edumea, all because of...lifting shells?" His expression and tone of voice was calm, but the bad type of calm, a wave of storm and fury was brewing behind it, and both Kelehm and Gideon saw it.
"This is but a drop of a near endless ocean of potential, Cain," Kelehm explained in a gentle tone, as he tried to calm the Human's anger, "There are ancient scriptures, tablets that describe the power of Humans of such scale that many simply dismiss them as exaggerations or plain madness. But the Seekers believe every word, and the sad loss of your world only proves that-"
The shell exploded in Cain's hand as it curled into a fist. Still having that deadly calm look in his face, Cain slowly leaned into Kelehm's face, "Our world is dead, thanks to you."
There was no malice in his voice, no anger or hate. No accusation. It sounded like just a simple statement, but Kelehm flinched as if slapped and Cain walked passed the alien and headed towards the door, throwing away what remained of the shell into one of the pools.
"H-hey! Cain, stop!" Gideon finally yelled, after finding his tongue again, but Cain kept walking away, "Sergeant! Get back here!"
And for the first time in his life, Cain disobeyed an order.
He didn't know where he was going.
Back to their room? To the hangar where Marin's ship was?
He didn't know. But what he did know was that he needed to get away. Needed to be by himself, or he would do something he'd regret later. By sheer luck, no Aurelians crossed his path as he stormed down the corridors. Berhaps it was nightime for them or something, or berhaps they could somehow sense the anger boiling inside him and wisely stayed away from him?
Cain had been angry many times before in his life, oh yes, but this, the sheer rage itself was so much he couldn't even stop and wonder or be shocked at how great it was. It had come out of nowhere, right after watching Kelehm lift that damn shell. As he had held it in his hand, hearing Kelehm say something to Gideon, all he saw was the destruction of Edumea, the faces of his parents and...and his little brother.
It was just too much.
Cain suddenly stopped and breathed hard, like he had just been running, sweat splattered across his face. He suddenly snarled and kicked the wall next to him. It felt good, and even though his foot now hurt big-time, the blow had helped him clear his head a bit. He was still angry, but at least now he could think straight.
First, I need to go somewhere where I can calm down. Second, I need to decide what to do, and thirtly, I need to figure out where the hell I am.
He had no idea where he was. He hadn't been paying the slightest attention in where he had gone to in his rage, and he saw no markings or signs anywhere, nor anyone to ask for directions.
Which, now that I think about it, is a good thing, Cain thought, as he felt his anger slowly rising again. With no idea where to go, he simply decided to continue walking towards wherever the corridor lead to. How long he had been walking untill he passed by the intersection, he didn't know. But it was there that someone crossed paths with him.
"How are you feeling, Exalted One?" asked an armored Aurelian as Cain passed by him.
"I'm fine!" Snapped Cain, a bit more forcefull then he had intended, but the word was spoken and he didn't feel like apologizing as he continued walking.
"...that is good to hear," the alien said, before he started walking towards where Cain had come from. Meanwhile, Cain continued to walk, until something occured to him, or, to be more precise, he realised something. Quickly turning, he could still see the Aurelian walking away. He opened his mouth to say something, hesitated, then decided.
"W-wait!" he shouted down the hall and walked fast towards the Aurelian, who had stopped and turned around.
"Yes? Is there anything I can be of assistance with, Exalted One?" The Aurelian spoke like nothing had happened less then a minute ago, and Cain resisted the urge to ask him to stop calling him Exaulted One, and instead asked his intended question.
"Do...do I know you?" Even as he asked he realised just how stupid he sounded, but that was what Cain wanted to ask. He honestly couldn't put his finger on it, but he just knew he had met that Aurelian before.
The Aurelian in question slightly tilted his head a bit, then removed his helmet and Cain was met with a familiar face of dark-bronze skin and bright gold colored eyes.
"You..." he breathed, feeling oddly surprised.
The Aurelian nodded, "While my relief of seeing you well is great, Exalted One, it pales in comparison to the honor of you remembering me."
Cain blinked in confusing at hearing those words, even more so when he realised just how seriously the alient meant them, "...er, o-okay...w-what's your name?" he blurted out, not coming up with any reply of such words.
The Aurelian blinked and the face suddenly held an odd expression that Cain couldn't read, and for a moment he feared asking for a name was an insult or something in Aurelian culture, but that quickly didn't seem to be the case, "I am Daggoth of the Raggar family, who are proud members of the Tenspur Clan."
"And I'm Cain...of the Duncan family," the only one left... The Aurelian, Daggoth, bowed his head, and Cain felt that there was something else he wanted to say to Daggoth, "Ah, listen, I...want to...want to thank you for..." damnit, just say it, it shouldn't be this hard!
"Saving your life, Exalted One?" Daggoth offered.
"Well, that too," I suppose, "but...I wanted to thank you for n-not...leaving me alone aboard the transport back there," Cain finally blurted out. Daggoth blinked and had an expression Cain couldn't read, and for a dreadfull moment, a nasty voice inside him suggested that his plea back when he was wounded had made him look weak and pathetic, "I mean, I-I was in a bit of a shock and-"
"Cain," Daggoth replied and placed his large hand on Cain's shoulder, "no one wants to die alone," he said, sinceritiy in his eyes and not for the first time this day, Cain had no clue what to say.
...is it me, or is Daggoth a bit taller then the other Aurelians?
"Would you like a tour of this fine ship, Exalted One?" Daggoth suddenly asked. Cain almost said yes, but he felt imidiatly that his anger had not yet gone, it had merely paused but he could feel it now reaching out for him like tentacles. He needed to go somewhere to get it out of his system.
"Ah, actually, I was planning on-"
"There is one part of the ship I am sure you will find interesting," Daggoth went on, as if he hadn't heard Cain, "which is the Hologram Training Room. Holographic technology is still somewhat new to our culture and even though most of our Teachers do not believe it provides true battle experience, it has become rather popular among our younger generation. I myself was heading there for some exercise when I met you, Exalted One. Would you like to join me?"
"...yeah...I'd like that."