Chapter 9: Ghosts of the Past
Present Day
Location: Unknown
Her head was throbbing like someone was constantly hitting it with a hammer while her neck felt sore, like after a bad night in the gutter. All-in-all, it felt like a pretty bad hangover after an intense party-night and Chloe would've loved to just fall back into sleep.
However, something was very wrong and hindered her from going back to dreamland. At first, it was just some undefined noise, which grew into a ever louder getting voice, always repeating the same words.
'Wake up…wake up…wake up…wake up…wake…UUUUUP!'
Entirely startled, Chloe eyes shot open as she eventually woke up with a loud gasp.
Feeling confused by the sudden and harsh wake-up, Chloe let her gaze wander around the room, which looked pretty barren, cold and entirely build of metal. She actually sat on a chair, which was at a table on which's opposite side sat Rachel Amber, who seemed to be much older and was staring at her with a merciless glare.
"Who are you?" she spoke with an authoritarian voice that was echoing through the small room.
Still a bit confused and feeling like run over by a truck, Chloe just stammered "Uh…R-Rachel? I…um…I'm Chloe. Y'know…Maxi's girlfriend. What-…argh!"
A sudden hot, unbearable pain pierced through her head, making the poor girl groan in agony. And as she tried to squirm away, the bluenette realized that she couldn't move, hence being strapped to the chair she was sitting on. To her relieve, the pain abated after few seconds.
"Again! Who are you?"
Rachel's voice now sounded way more aggressive as her yellow-glowing eyes were throwing piercing daggers at the young girl.
"Wh-What?...I…AAAAAHH!"
This time, the pain was so intense that Chloe only could scream. Black spots were dancing in her sight while big tears were running down her face.
Rachel, however, simply gazed emotionlessly at the sobbing girl, showing no pity whatsoever.
"Tell me who you are or you will experience real agony!"
But everything the bluenette could muster to say, were whimpered words as the pain refused to vanish entirely. "Ch-Chloe…m-my…my fucking name…"
It felt like someone was drilling a hole in her skull and tried to suck out her life. Under intense screams, the young girl fought against this imaginary pull, but eventually, she lost the fight as her mind shut down…only to make place for the alien entity inside of her.
"STOP IT!" yelled Chloe with a distorted voice, her eyes and hair glowing brightly in deep-blue.
At first surprised by this sudden outbreak and the mental resistance she's facing, Rachel gazed at the other woman with a surprised demeanor, which, however, soon changed into a victorious smirk.
"So, your finally done hiding like a coward!" the golden-haired mocked, but only received a stern glare and plainly spoken words.
"I was not hiding, but merely unconscious, thanks to that Inhibitor you stuck into Chloe's neck. Let alone, that I am just a guest in Chloe's body and only in control if she allows it. So, leave her alone and face a worthy opponent!"
"Then tell me, who you are!" insisted Rachel with authority, trying to hide her anger upon the insult, however only achieved that both women kept staring at each other for some time until Juno'ka decided to break the silent tension.
"I thought you would recognize your sister's bond-mate, Ra'shek."
These words were echoing through the room like a thunder, and even after they had faded, they left Ra'shek in entire stupor until she jumped up, drew the sword from her back-sheath and pointed the tip right at Juno'ka, who didn't even flinch but simply tilted her head.
Slowly and with a threatening tone, the armed Neph'arim said "Where is my sister?" and activated her energy-blade.
"Interesting," replied the bluenette plainly. "It seems like you are more interested in the whereabouts of your sister than of your daughter."
"Spare me your snarky comments and answer my question or I will kill your host!" ordered the other Neph'arim, intensifying her glare. But once more, Juno stayed unimpressed, holding the gaze.
"You never had a problem with killing innocent. But if you want to know it that much: Amun shared the same fate like me and Tha'lia."
As the words seeped into her mind and hit her with reason, Ra gasped a quiet "No!" and lowered the sword a bit. But as soon as she had overcome the first shock, denial took over, letting her get furious. "That is a lie! Tha'lia was still alive, before…"
"It ended?" completed Juno with a scoff and shook her head in amusement. "Yes, and with my help she even accomplished her mission. Sadly…victory took its toll."
Small, golden-glistening droplets were now emerging from Ra's eyes, running down her cheek, while she fought her sorrow. But Juno didn't care and kept on pushing without any mercy.
"You started this war, Ra. YOU sent her to do the dirty work. YOU drove your own sister into insanity. It were your doings that killed us all!"
"NO!" yelled Ra back, her lips trembling in fury. "You and Amun did this! I just tried to stop this madness. I wanted to safe our people!"
"Denial is such an easy way to ignore guilt. But taking orders and hiding behind old, obsolete traditions to protect yourself has always been your style. I think this is why you are working for the real enemy now, in order to safe your own life," said Juno, pointing at the emblem of the Galactic Alliance on Ra's armor.
"The Galactic Alliance has always been a potential ally, but you and…"
"Potential ally," scoffed Juno once more. "Is this why you are serving them now? Or are you just being your opportunistic self and thus safe your skin?"
Bringing the sword's tip close to her captive's throat, Ra's voice became cold as ice. "Remember your place, Commander! I kept resisting until the end!" But as always, Juno stayed calm and even smirked a bit.
"Neither am I a Commander nor are you a Princess anymore. But this has always been an issue for you: ranks and status. It was your only motivation to start a civil war. But instead of fighting it yourself, you sent others. You are a coward! Unworthy of being the heir for the imperial throne! A disgrace for our people."
Screaming out in anger, Ra'shek raised her sword for wide swing to severe Juno's head from the neck. Luckily, she stopped the blade an inch from the bluenette's neck. "I would love to kill you right now, but I will not." Swiftly, she put the blade back into the sheath and walked back to the door, which slid open instantly.
"The Council will decide over your fate," she said over her shoulder. "And believe me, they will not be as compassionate as I am."
"I am not afraid to die, Ra. I am just worried about Chloe's fate," answered Juno'ka sternly, but only received a shrug by Ra'shek before the door slid close.
Present day
Secret extraterrestrial facility, Olympus Mons, Planet Mars
The sunlight that went through the atmosphere of planet Mars, painted the room in a rusty-red color. A humanoid creature stood in front of the big panorama window and watched the lifeless, barren landscape behind it.
From the outside it looked like a man. But its pale, bluish skin was peppered with countless oozing eczema and wounds. And the stench that surrounded it smelled of death and decay.
Beside from an interactive chair, the room was mainly empty. Just as barren as the scenery outside. But what use would a creature like it have for arts or decoration anyway? It had its own way to see beauty.
Chaos, disorder, destruction and decay…these were things that brought it some satisfaction. And once its plan would blossom, it would become the most destructive force in this universe…except that almighty entity, which it served.
The room's door hissed and slid open, and another humanoid creature entered with elegant steps. It was female, evident by the round breasts and wide pelvis. Actually, from the outside it seemed to be a normal woman in a tight, black Nano-jumpsuit, if it wasn't for the sparkling-white pointy teeth that could be seen in her grin, and the long, black claws at the end of her fingers.
"You called for me, my dear?" spoke the female creature, approaching the other one with slow steps, and let her hands glide over its decaying body, peeling off some chunks of skin and flesh.
"Sheesha," chimed its guttural voice, which sounded like it didn't belong into this universe. "Report! What happened to my research base?"
"Well," Sheesha said nonchalantly, licking the rotten flesh from her claws with her long tongue, like this topic wasn't that much of importance but rather a boring inconvenience. "Simply said, it's not existent anymore. A crater in the Earth's surface."
"Survivors?" the creature kept on asking, its jaw cracking and teeth breaking as he clenched it in impatience.
"Oh yes! Quite a few…and some of them are…very deliciousssss."
With a loud angry groan, the creature turned quickly around, took Sheesha in a chocking-hold and pinned her against the closest wall with inhuman strength.
"Are you even aware of the severity that this loss causes?!" it yelled right into her face, carrying the sickening stench of decomposing flesh with it.
But Sheesha, however, didn't get intimidated by this outbreak, no. On the contrary, she even found it rather amusing and started to chuckle.
"Oh my dear, don't you worry! Most of the data could be saved and I'm proud to tell you that we know where she is."
"Where?" it asked, chocking Sheesha even stronger, which eventually wiped the grin and joy off her face as she was fighting for air.
"Th-the Galactic Alliance…th-they got her," she pressed forth with the bit of remaining air that was able to rush through her tightened throat.
Finally, the creature let her drop like a bag of potatoes and the female alien had to take some deep breaths to fill her lungs again, whereas her master retook its position in front of the window, speaking calmly "The time of hiding is over. Gather all necessary troops and get me that Neph'arim!"
After regaining her strength and getting on her feet again, Sheesha approached the creature seductively, turned its head and slid her long tongue into its mouth for a long kiss, before breaking it after some time, saying "Yes, my dear!"
Once more, their lips collided, but this time, the squishy sound of ripping flesh chimed in and Sheesha started to chew. A few seconds later, she gulped down that piece of rotten meat that once was the creature's tongue and said "Oh my! Looks like, we need to get you a new body. Come on, my dear! We've got plenty spare-hosts now."
Space station for Earth observation of the Galactic Alliance
Location: Unknown
Continuously, Max's fists were hammering against the metal door as she tried to get anyone's attention.
"HEEEY!" she yelled furiously. "Open this fucking door or I swear to dog that I'll tear you all a new one! HEEEEEY!"
But as hard as she tried, the door kept closed shut and she imprisoned. Now without any faith, the young girl walked to a plain bunk bed and slumped down onto the mattress, which – surprisingly – wasn't that uncomfortable.
Frustrated and bored at the same time, she huffed out deeply and let her gaze wander around the small, empty and metallic cold room, which had not much to offer than a bed and a toilet. Due to the lack of a window, Max did neither know how late it was nor how much time was flowing by.
Slowly, her eyelids got heavier and heavier and, despite her anger, she almost fell asleep, as – suddenly – the door slid open and Brooke took a step in the room. For a moment, both stared at each other until the Asian girl broke the silence and said "Follow me, Max!"
At first reluctant, Max eventually got up and followed her former friend in silence, her gaze scanning the scenery on their way.
Like her cell – or at least Max had considered it to be a cell rather than a normal room – the halls of the building consisted entirely of cold metal. Several times, she passed guards dressed in chunky, futuristic armor, their faces hidden behind martial helmets. In Max's thoughts they looked like futuristic knights, leaving out the fact that they were armed to the teeth with strange guns.
Once, a person in normal clothes and mediocre appearance crossed her way. And though he looked like a normal man, something was odd about him. Maybe the eyes?
"In here," spoke Brooke out of a sudden after she had stopped in front of door, which slid open on command.
Neither saying thanks nor any other polite word, Max quickly rushed into the next room and stopped right away as she stood in front of a giant panoramic window. In sight of it was a planet, which's surface was hidden under dense, yellow clouds. Immediately, her jaw dropped and as much as she wanted to say Wowser!, no syllable left her mouth.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" chimed Rachel's voice, and just now Max realized that she wasn't alone. The blond girl sat on one of numerous benches and watched the scenery outside. "You can have lived thousands of years and would still get amazed by the various beauties of this universe."
Mesmerized by the sight and her brain still rejecting the obvious, Max asked "A-are we in space?" and sat down beside Rachel.
"Venus orbit, to be exactly," she answered, gazing at the other girl with a soft smile.
Max, however, eventually snapped out of it and ripped her sight from the planet towards Rachel. Not a second later, a loud smack sounded through the room.
Though the petite girl had put a lot of strength into this slap, the effect on Rachel was rather minimal. It only had induced the blonde to slightly tilt her head.
"I guess, I deserved that," she scoffed and touched her wristband. At first, her entire exterior blurred, before it vanished and revealed the truth. Rachel still looked like Rachel, yet she seemed like thirty years older and her hair had turned into golden yellow than being simply blond, not to mention that she also seemed to be taller now.
Once more, she locked eyes with Max, who was now staring at her in unbelief. "Who the fuck are you?"
"I am sorry, but I had to fool you to keep up my cover. My real name is Ra'shek, Operative of the Galactic Alliance."
"My cover?! Galactic Alliance?! Are you cereal?! Is this some kind of a joke?" blurted Max back as she jumped up, being almost unable to keep her last bit of composure. However, Ra'shek still stayed calm and signed at the planet outside.
"Just look out of that window, Max! How much proof do you need? Humanity is not alone in this universe, but just another small piece of a big intergalactic picture. And though your race is not ready to join the Alliance, you have got great potential. But sometimes the big brother has to watch over his younger sibling while growing up. This is why I am here. This is why I was undercover. But nonetheless, be rest assured that I always cherished our friendship."
Furiously, Max stepped closer to Ra until she was nose-to-nose with her, hissing into her face. "I don't fucking care! Not about you and definitely not about this stupid biiig intergalactic picture. All I care about is Chloe and I wanna see her, right now!"
"I am sorry," spoke the alien woman with sadness as she stood up. "But like it or not, neither can you escape the truth nor being able to see Chloe."
The tall woman was just about to leave as she got violently turned around again to face the more than agitated freckled girl. "So that's it?! No apology. Not even a try to help me or save our friendship?"
But the golden-haired woman just answered plainly "My mission here is over. So, what sense would it make to…"
SLAP!
Once more, Max's flat hand connected with the other woman's cheek. Yet, this time it was so hard that even the Neph'arim couldn't take it stoically. Now being massively hurt, Max eyes began to leak tears while her lips trembled. "Just go to hell, you fucking asshole!"
Hastily, Max walked past Ra'shek, leaving the alien woman alone while loud sobs were fading in the distance as she ran away.
"That is not how you should treat a friend," chided Brooke as she gazed sternly at her girlfriend with crossed arms and a grim demeanor. But if she had hoped to give Ra a bad conscious, she was mistaken.
"She needs to face the truth! Soon, we will depart to another assignment and she has to learn that the universe is not spinning around her to fulfill her biddings."
"Neither does it tell you to behave like an asshole!" retorted the Asian girl angrily and turned to leave, only to glimpse one last time over her shoulder. "And besides, who said that I am going to leave Earth?"
Entirely befuddled, Ra'shek remained on the observation deck. She knew that she wasn't a good person, but now she realized that she was about to lose everyone she ever cared for. Maybe she should apologize to Max – and definitely to her girlfriend – but it had to wait until she finally got her vengeance on Juno'ka.
Max ran. Where to? She didn't know. All the hallways looked the same to her. She also ignored all the persons she was passing. Eventually, she stopped running and broke down on her knees.
The space. Aliens. Intergalactic politics. The shit that happened on Earth. Chloe having those incredible powers. It was just too much to bear.
Max simply didn't know what to do or how she should even respond to all this mess. Life had already been pretty edgy in Arcadia Bay. But now…? Now everything was even worse. She was alone again, without any friends to help her and this was filling her with desperation.
"I apologize for Ra's stupid behavior," suddenly chimed Brooke's voice beside her. Actually, Max would've loved to just send her away, but so far, the Asian girl seemed to be the only person who cared for her.
Slowly, the freckled girl raised her sight and looked at her friend – Or was she even her friend? She didn't know either. However, as Brooke picked her up and said "C'mon, let's go somewhere private and get you freshened up!" she somehow had the feeling that she at least cared.
Being her only hold, Max held tightly onto Brooke as they both walked along the hallways. Actually, the brunette didn't pay much attention to where they were heading. She only realized that they were soon entering a small room. It wasn't much to it. A bunk bed, a desk, a chair, some build-in shelves and a small booth with a shower.
"Here," said Brooke with a soft smile as she reached Max a pile of clothes and signed at the shower. "Take a shower! You'll feel better after it. And then we'll talk."
A bit befuddled, Max stayed behind while she watched the Asian girl leaving the room. It took her quite a few minutes to finally overcome this stupor and do what she had been told to do.
Slowly, she stripped off her dirty, sweaty clothes and as her bare foot touched the floor, she almost expected it to be cold, but got more than surprised to find it comforting warm. Entirely naked, the freckled girl entered the shower booth and got greeted by a female voice in a foreign language.
"Tsi'ko! ...Har si-o wanaka… Rish' to-ar sinai?"
With wide open, blinking eyes, Max just said "What?" and got more surprised a moment later.
"…New language detected: English…"
"…Welcome! …New user detected… Do you want to create a new profile?..."
"Uuuuh…yes?"
"…Entering profile-menu…"
"…Welcome and thank you for using a product of Eri-Tsuoki Cleaning Systems Corporation!..."
"…Please enter your name…"
"Um…M-Max Caulfield?"
"…Thank you, Um…M-Max Caulfield!"
"No! Just Max Caulfield!"
"…Correction computed…"
"…Welcome, Max Caulfield!...Now analyzing vital data…"
"…Species: Human…"
"…Origin: Earth…"
"…Gender: female…"
"…Please wait…"
A holographic display appeared in front of Max and was soon filled with a lot of data, concerning the brunette's health status. And if this wasn't overwhelming enough, the petite girl got entirely taken aback as even her menstruation cycle appeared on the screen.
"…Thank you, for your patience!..."
"…Optimal water temperature calculated…"
"…Initiating cleaning-sequence…"
The water didn't come as a stream, how Max was used to at home, but was softly sprayed onto her body as a warm mist.
As soon as the warm liquid hit her body, Max began to relax with a sigh and leaned her body against the wall. So much happened recently, since Chloe had entered her life, though she knew it wasn't the bluenette's fault.
'I need to find out where she is and then get the freakin' hell outta here!' she thought and already made up a basic plan, which included a lot of unknown variables. But that's all she could work with for now.
Having gathered some new optimism, Max wanted to wash with some soap, however found out that there was none.
"Crap! How should I wash without any soap?"
"…Eri-Tsuoki Cleaning Systems don't need any detergents for hygienic cleaning, thanks to the galaxy-wide patented aerosol technology…"
As on a signal, the water stopped and a strange humming occurred, which caused a ticklish feeling in Max's body until the computer voice chimed once more.
"…Cleaning completed!..."
"…Have a nice day and thank you for using Eri-Tsuoki Cleaning Systems!..."
In awe, Max checked her entire body, even almost every fold, and came out with the result that she was indeed entirely clean and already dry.
"Damn, I need to get me one of those!"
"…If you want to purchase your own Eri-Tsuoki Cleaning cell, please check our latest assortment of Eri-Tsuoki Cleaning Systems products!..."
"…Eri-Tsuoki, we care for your well-being!..."
The holographic display appeared again and soon showed an entire catalogue of different shower booths. But Max simply pushed the cancel-button and left the booth.
As she rummaged through the black clothes Brooke had brought her, she realized that they seemed a bit too small in size and missed any underwear. While she was still asking herself if Brooke had somehow pulled her leg, the door slid open and the Asian girl entered, two trays with food in her hands.
She froze, staring for a few moments at Max's backside, which was answered by the brunette with a stern glare over her shoulder, which ripped the Asian girl out of her stupor.
"It's intelligent Nano-fabric. Just put them on and they will adapt to your body," she said while putting down the trays on the small desk.
Shaking her head with a small sigh, Max simply put on the black garments, and to her surprise, they fit perfectly. They even mimicked that she wore underwear by making the fabric in the certain places thicker.
"Come, let's eat something! You must be starving."
With a demeanor of slight mistrust, Max sat down right opposite from Brooke and stared at the cream-colored mash on her tray.
"It's Belgian-waffle flavored. I hope I remembered it right that this was your favorite meal," spoke Brooke a bit timidly, eating her mash.
"Yeah," answered Max plainly and put a spoon full of the strange-looking food into her mouth, and – once more surprised – it tasted exactly like Belgian-waffles.
"I know, gulping this stuff down is very hard the first time, but that's sadly the common space-food of the Galactic Alliance. It contains everything the human body needs without any unnecessary ingredients. Actually, it's even personalized. But since we almost have the same size and figure, I just used my data."
"So, you're human?" asked Max out of sudden, gazing suspiciously at the other girl, who stopped chewing for a moment before she gulped down the bite and answered.
"Yes… Well, enhanced. But…"
With another sigh of annoyance, Max dropped the spoon and said "Brooke…"
"Himiko!"
Of course, the brunette was taken aback to hear that Brooke wasn't the Asian girl's real name, though she almost anticipated it.
Seeing the confusion in Max's demeanor, the raven-haired girl put down her spoon as well and began to explain.
"My real name is Himiko, former queen of the kingdom of Yamatai, and I'm sorry for this disguise."
This was simply too much for the 18 years old girl. Max jumped up and spoke furiously "Himiko? Himiko of Yamatai? Tomb Raider? Are you fucking shitting me?!"
"No," replied Himiko with a soft voice, and signed at Max's seat. "Max, I know it sounds unbelievable, but if you would let me explain, then you'd understand. So…"
Reluctantly, the brunette sat down again, huffing in frustration. "Fine!"
"Thank you!" spoke Himiko gratefully and then began to tell her story.
"I was born about 1,800 years ago in a small province, named Yama. War was raging throughout the country as even small towns struggled for more power.
My father, the elder of the province's council always tried to maintain peace by staying out of conflicts or holding up trade agreements with other provinces. Sadly, his kind heart became his weakness as several provinces fell under the influence of a warmongering realm.
War had eventually reached our doorstep and we were forced to make the following choices: stay and fight until our last drop of blood has soaked the soil, or leave our home in peace into an unknown future.
Of course, my father chose the peaceful way and our people followed. We were banned from our lands and had nowhere to stay. To our additional dismay, my father became very ill.
When he died, he stretched out his arm and pointed at a small island, a bit away from the coast. We sent scouts, who reported that said island was uninhabited and the soil fertile.
We found our new home, but my people also needed a new leader.
Having led and inspired my people through those difficult times since my father had fallen ill, they voted me to be their new leader, though I was only 16 years old at that time.
We had found our new home, Yamatai! Quickly, we built new houses, sow crops and build up a new economy. To thank our gods for this land we build a shrine. And soon, we also discovered rich ore deposits.
Within two years we had become wealthy society and started to establish new treaties with the close-by provinces on the mainland and even the Chinese empire.
Yamatai prospered and our peaceful and respectful way became an inspiration for the other provinces, whose wealth increased as well. Soon, they most of them decided to become a part of Yamatai under my leadership. A big burden for a 19-year-old, but I accepted and became Queen Himiko, the first queen of Japan.
Of course, where wealth is, envy spreads, and first attempts were brought on the way to disseminate mistrust among the kingdom. I knew that war was inevitable, sooner or later. And though it was against our beliefs I founded an army of well-trained elite-warriors, who had to swear a holy oath to protect Yamatai and its people.
Additionally, my council voted to build me a safe place – a palace – on the island's mountain.
It was during this time, that prospectors excavated a secret chamber, hidden deep inside the islands extinguished volcano. In it, they found a device of unknown design and origin.
Being interested in engineering and mechanics since I've been a child, it was brought to me. I studied it. Tried to find out its purpose. Meanwhile, first hostile notes reached the palace, threatening us with war if we don't pay tributes. We paid, and got even more threatened. War dawned on the horizon.
Not able to find any sleep in these desperate times, I kept on studying the strange device, somehow hoping it would be our salvation. This one rainy night, I managed to activate it and out of a sudden, rain became snow. And as I deactivated it, snow turned to rain again.
The device could influence the weather, a vast power, given into the hand of a now 25 years young woman. Learning how to control it was an easy task and not much time later, there weren't any droughts and catastrophes anymore. Enemy armies were simply eradicated and swiped away by a storm flood. Yamatai had become invincible!
But how little did we know about the consequences.
While I played god, the other end of the world got devastated by weather-anomalies. But how should I know? My world ended in China. Everything beyond was a mystery. But the device drew the attention of a greater power.
One day, a stranger arrived at our island and demanded to see me. She was unlike any human we had ever encountered. Golden-blond hair. Strange clothes. An unknown accent in her language.
Being a curious and hospitably character, I gave her an audience and was astonished by her beauty and elegance. Yet, her message for me was everything else than friendly.
She demanded to see the device or else she would annihilate my people on the spot. My personal guards hadn't even been able to draw their swords as their bodies hit the ground. Terrified yet with all my courage I told her that my people are everything for me and that I'd rather destroy the device than handing it over to someone else, who could use it against the people of Yamatai.
I don't know, if my courage in the face of death had impressed her or if she had just bluffed, but she then explained to me, who she really was, who had sent her and what the device was.
We talked. Hours. Days. I showed her my kingdom. What I had built from ashes. How a folk without home had become the most powerful kingdom in Japan. Without war. Without occupation.
Soon our relationship went further. We became closer and one night I shared my bed with her. This was the moment she confessed that the device, every evidence of it and everyone who knew about it had to be destroyed. This was the Galactic Alliance's demand: The total annihilation of thousands of people.
During my years of reign I learned to use an opponent's weakness in my favor. Ra's weakness was me. She had become fond of me and respected my words. So, I offered her my life as a sacrifice for my people. I was the only one who could control the device anyway. But what she offered me in return was far beyond anything I could've imagined.
An almost indefinite life among the stars, fighting for the greater good of the Galactic Alliance.
An offer, that sounded too good to be true, and I already knew that the greater good never was in favor for everybody.
Yet, the lives of my people were more precious to me than my own and maybe I could really change the fate of this galaxy with my doings.
I accepted the offer. My people were save, got resettled and the island together with the device was destroyed and sunken into ocean. The kingdom of Yamatai was no more. I had given it birth, I buried it. It was like I had lost a child and even after eighteen-hundred years it hurts me to remember it.
The reward for this sacrifice was a genetically enhancement that makes me almost immortal and boosts my body and brain, and my eternal loyalty towards the Galactic Alliance.
I was such a fool! The things I saw and did… The greater good… My love for Ra…
Everything was just a giant illusion.
"I'd rather died on that island or of old age with my people instead of experiencing those last 1,800 years!" completed Himiko her story with bitterness. "My feelings blinded me, until I was caught in a web of self-illusion and lies. For years I told myself that I was fighting for a peaceful Commonwealth, but instead, it was just a warmongering empire, built upon the ashes of thousands of extinguished civilizations. And Ra… She is walking on a path of redemption, doing the dirty work to make up for what her kind had done thousands of years ago. A path, I don't want to follow her anymore."
For the whole time, Himiko had told her story, Max had stayed quiet and listened, not knowing if she should believe any word. And, of course, Himiko noticed this.
"Max, what I just told you was nothing more but the truth. My culture… My people vanished literally over night from earth's history and only vague information and relics remained."
"I… Brooke…uh, H-Himiko, I… I believe you and I'm sorry, but…all I want, is to get Chloe and then go home. I don't wanna be part of this! I…" complained Max, feeling the need to just run away again. But somehow she also knew that only Himiko could help her. Sadly, the Asian woman only shook her head with a sorrowful demeanor.
"I'm sorry, Max! But neither one of them is possible. The Alliance won't let Chloe free and you… You're only alive because I and Ra put in a word for you."
"Oh, how grateful of you two!" blurted the young girl back and jumped up from her seat. "Now listen! I don't give a fuck about you, Ra or anybody else here. I want Chloe back and then leave this stupid place. You got that?!"
Slowly and without any anger, Himiko stood up as well and said "I know what you want and I fully understand. I want to leave, too! I want to leave this behind and live a normal life again. Since I came back to earth and met you, all I wanted was to be a normal human again. Max, you can't help Chloe. But how about we leave together and start a new life, far away from this?"
"What?!" scoffed Max in return, hysterically. "You think just because you told me the story of your life I wanna fuck you and forget about everything else?"
"No," negated Himiko, being a bit hurt, "I only want your friendship and give you the opportunity to leave without any trouble. Or do you really think they would let you go?"
Closing in on the other woman, Max only hissed "I don't fucking care! Bring me to Chloe and help us to get out of here!"
Sighing in defeat, Himiko answered "Alright," and led the way.
The council hall abort the Venus space station was vast, being able to hold 10,000 individuals.
Ra'shek stood on a high balcony, observing the ever-filling room with her stern glare. The access behind her slid open and Himiko and Max entered. But whereas the freckled girl walked further to the brim of this elevated position and let her awed glare wander over the entire hall, Himiko just took position beside the Neph'arim, in silence.
"You should not have brought her here!" mentioned Ra'shek, glimpsing at Max from the corner of her eye.
But Himiko commented snarky "I thought you wanted her to see the truth?" which got at first answered with silence, giving the Asian woman a reason to continue her rant. "You never should've got her involved! And you knew it. So, why did you do it? Why did you let her get so close to us?"
"Because she reminds me of my daughter!" shot the golden-haired woman back furiously, and received an also agitated answer right away.
"Your daughter is missing for over 10,000 years now! She vanished along with your sister, and Juno'ka already confirmed that she's dead. You're still hunting the ghosts of the past and got lost." With watery eyes, Himiko locked eyes with her partner and eventually said "I tried to follow. I tried to help you. But all you did, was to bury yourself in self-pity and the longing for revenge. And I can't do this anymore! I want peace. I want to live on Earth, my true home, and I don't care if you come with me or not!"
With these angry words spoken, Himiko walked over to Max and took in the view together with her while some droplets ran down her cheeks.
Ra'shek stayed behind, thinking about those harsh words. She understood what Himiko had told her, yet she also decided to don't let herself get cornered. She finally had caught Juno'ka, who was about to receive what she deserves, and wouldn't rest until she had also found her sister and bring her to justice as well.
A melody chimed through the hall and the entire audience raised, saluting as three subspace portals opened and three hooded, black-golden robed figures appeared in front of three throne-like chairs, whereas the middle one of them was bigger and more pompous then the rest.
With another melody the vast main door opened and Chloe – in shackles and guarded by two soldiers – walked in.
It was like she was entering an arena. Thousands of eyes were watching her as Chloe was guided into the vast room by two guards.
Her feet and hands in shackles and bound together by a string, the bluenette could only make small steps, making her feel pathetic and exposed.
'Fuckdammit! Look at this crowd!' spoke Chloe's voice to Juno'ka as she was making her way to a pedestal in the middle of the hall.
'Chloe,' replied the Neph'arim internally, 'whatever happens, please know that I am very sorry. I wish I never would have brought you into this situation.'
'It's okay, Juno! I wish I would've met you earlier and in person. Bet I would've made a crazy party-chick outta ya!'
Chuckling silently about Chloe's humor, Juno'ka hadn't realized that she had already reached her destination. Slowly, she raised her stern glare and gazed at the three robed figures in front of her.
"Juno'ka Tek Ta'hir Neph'arim, you have been brought before of this High-Council to get judged for the following crimes: genocide, warmongering, crimes against the members of the Galactic Alliance, and countless murders of innocent inhabitants of this galaxy. Do you confess to have committed those mentioned allegations?" spoke the left one of the robed persons. But Juno'ka didn't pay him any attention, but kept her glare on the middle one.
"No!" answered the Neph'arim plainly. "But I wonder to see the individual, who should actually answer for these crimes, tries to judge me, though he should stand in my place. Is not this right, Generalius Suomnosis?"
The humanoid alien in the middle pulled back the hood, revealing a bald, pale-blue skinned head. His eyes had a slight reddish color and his slim lips fit the almost not existing nose and ears. Emotionlessly, he gazed at Juno'ka, but didn't say anything.
"You are not allowed to speak with such disrespect to the High Councilor, Neph'arim!" chided the council-member to the right, but she just ignored him.
"High Councilor?" she spoke with fake awe, bobbing her head slight to the sight like a curious cat. "That is quite a career. Let me guess, you are High Councilor since you founded this joke of a council, and these two replaceable puppets at your side are nothing more than dummies to make it look like the people of your puny alliance have a vote in your saying."
The left council-member jumped up, yelling "That's enough!" But went silent and sat down again as High Council Suomnosis raised his hand and was now getting up as well. With his tall figure shadowing over everyone close-by, he spoke with a deep voice.
"I see you have lost nothing of your arrogance over those last millennia, Neph'arim. Are you really thinking that anyone here will believe your lies? I brought peace and balance to this galaxy. I raised this alliance from the ashes of the old order. I put an end to the reign of terror of the Neph'arim. The people of this galaxy want me to be their leader! And your kind needs finally be eradicated from existence, once and for all!"
"I see, so the victors are writing the history." answered Juno'ka with scoff, adding "I know your secret, Suomnosis. And soon, this alliance will fall apart, spiraling in an all-out war, because the people will find out who you really are."
"Your lies are going to die with you, Neph'arim. Because I witnessed your doings and find you to be guilty of all those mentioned crimes and will hereby sentence you to be executed right after this trial. The council is adjourned!"
Suomnosis and his council were already about to leave as a very loud yelled "NOOO!" caught their attention.
Max watched the heated conversation between her girlfriend and those three strange-looking, robed aliens suspiciously. She knew that something was wrong. Sadly, she wasn't able to understand just one word as they were speaking in a to her entirely unknown language.
Himiko realized this and began to, at first, summarize and then translate the ongoing conversation. Which didn't really help against the already build-up tension inside the freckled girl. And as the sentence has been announced, she couldn't hold back anymore and screamed "NOOOO!"
Every eye in this hall was now fixed on her, but Max didn't care at all, but grabbed Himiko by her collar and yelled into her face. "They can't do this. You need to get me down there!"
"Max…" she just said with sadness while shaking her head, yet didn't get any further as a small portal opened on the balcony and two heavily armed and armored guards emerged.
Without any words or further hesitation they grabbed Max by her arms and dragged her through the portal, where she ended up on the same pedestal as Chloe.
"Max?!" spoke the bluenette with a strange distorted voice and if the guards wouldn't have held her in place, the freckled girl would've loved to embrace her right away.
But right now, she had to face a bigger problem, as it was her now, who got the councils full attention.
"Who are you, that you dare to rise your word against this council?" spoke the right councilor with an authoritarian tone in perfect English, which was way worse than even Principal Wells' chidings. But Max was used by now to step up to authorities and defend hers and others demands, thanks of her job as student council. Besides that her deep feelings for Chloe plus her aura gave her an incredible amount of strength.
"Max, don't!" tried Juno'ka to intervene, but got ignored.
"My name is Max Caulfield and I object this council's decision to sentence my girlfriend to death without a fair trial!" she called out and right away a wave of murmur went through the audience, only to be silenced by High Councilor Suomnosis' loud voice.
"And what makes you little excuse for life think that this trial was not fair?"
"You said that these crimes happened 10,000 years ago. But where are the witnesses? Where are the evidence? You never even gave her the chance to tell her sight of the story. Let alone that Chloe wasn't even born back there. This trial is nothing more than a show, like it's also used on earth by dictators. So, maybe Juno'ka – or whatever you call her – was right and you…"
"Max, stop it!" suddenly chimed in Ra'shek, entered the pedestal and at first knelt down in honor before the council. "Your Honor, please excuse her rude behavior. Her understandings are very limited concerning intergalactic politics for she is just used to a simple life on a planetary scale."
"Earth is not yet a member of the Galactic Alliance without any reason," replied Suomnosis, and ordered "Operative, erase her memory and bring her back! And then take care that my sentence will be executed!"
To Max's shock, Ra'shek answered with a plain "Yes, your Honor!" before she got up again.
Now entirely infuriated, the petite girl yelled "You stupid asshole!" and wanted to jump at Ra, only to get her arm twisted painfully behind her back.
"I just saved your life, now move it!" she hissed into her ear and released the brunette.
The hall's entire crowd stood up again as the council left through their portals. The trial was over, decisions were made and every one of them were laying heavily on Max's soul. Desperately, she jumped at Chloe and embraced her tightly, shedding a lot of tears upon the fact that she was about the person that mattered everything to her.
"I'm so sorry, Maxi!" spoke Chloe in her normal voice, trying to press as close as possible to her girlfriend. But in a matter of seconds, both got separated again.
"Chloe!" screamed Max as she was held back by two guards while the bluenette was escorted out of the room by her guards and Ra'shek.
Gladly, Himiko immediately joined in and gave Max a comforting hug, while telling the guards to back off.
Max, however, was way too upset to welcome this gesture. So, she freed herself from the Asian woman's grasp and ran away again. She was hurt and wanted to be alone with her pain, because she didn't know who to trust anymore.
She ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore and then just kept on walking for a long time, aimlessly and without a destination. At some point an eerie cold aura and quietness began to surround her and she stopped walking. A shiver ran down her spine as she cautiously paced forwards.
Being very clumsy by nature, Max suddenly slipped, shrieked and landed with a groan in her butt. As she got up again and wanted to rub her behind, she realized that she had landed in a slippery liquid.
"Ugh, butterfingers!" she sighed and looked at her wet hand. With a loud gasp she stumbled a few steps back as she saw that her hand was stained with blood. As she also spied the puddle in which she had slipped and landed, she started to run again in panic.
The poor girl felt that something was following her. Panic was taking her tiny heart in a strong grasp and let her body get flooded with adrenaline. A foul smell of death and decay began to crawl up her nose, making her almost choke. Various times she turned her head, but saw nobody behind her. And, once again, she stumbled over something on the ground and fell.
As her head hit the floor, Max lost her consciousness for a few moments. Black spots were dancing in front of her blurry sight, and barely had she realized that someone was lying beside her.
"D-Dr. Marsh?" she spoke with a weak voice as she recognized the familiar face. But to her horror, the combat medic's hazel eyes were without any life and her demeanor grimaced in former indescribable pain.
Right away, Max tried to bring some distance between the dead woman by crawling away. But then she saw the real horror.
She had stumbled over Kate Marsh's – or whatever her real name had been – headless body and had landed beside her head.
This was too much for the young girl. Max just stayed seated on the ground, pulled her knees close to her body and began to cry in desperation. For her, it was like being trapped in a horrible nightmare, without any escape.
Sadly, she only realized that someone was standing behind her as she heard an eerily snickering, which let her blood turn to ice and made her breathing stop. But it was too late. A clawed hand grabbed her shoulder hurtfully and dragged her into a close-by dark room, her loud screams remaining unheard to those who could've helped her.