Vai

The Awakened One went away from us, sat down among the shuttles and closed his eyes.

"I don't know why he thinks his people will help now," Esther muttered. "They are cowards."

Owen nudged her gently.

"What?" she said a little louder. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true."

My okulus beeped with an incoming call from Captain Axa. I answered. Her image was projected through my volo. She was still on the bridge.

"Status," she said.

"We are back inside the ship. My dad is safe."

She nodded. "The other half of the G.E.F was also attacked," she said.

Shel straightened slightly at this.

"What is their status?" my father asked.

"Their flagship, the RedNova was taken."

Shel couldn't hide it then. His expression changed from its normal stoicism. His breath, though quiet, began to come in rapid succession.

"El is the only known survivor," the captain quickly supplied. Shel let out an audible sigh of relief. "I don't yet have a full report of what exactly happened," Captain Axa went on. "El was in space after the RedNova was attacked and it jumped away with the other 3 missing G.E. ships. She is now on the SingingStar. The miasmids won't leave anyone alive on the RedNova, not now that they all have the light. The miasmids can't take over them so they will kill any remaining survivors. The first officer of the SingingStar did say that the missing G.E. ships had retrofitted war weapons. They took down the RedNova's Aether field and then a large cloud of miasmids entered the ship as well as crew from the Armstar."

Shel stiffened at the captain's last words. His father. But the captain of the Armstar wouldn't leave his ship just to board another ship. Then again, the miasmids were in control now, why would they follow standard Gathering protocol?

"Captain," someone on the bridge called for her, "the Gathering council wishes to speak with you."

"Let me know if you have any further updates," Captain Axa said to us and then she ended the call.

"I should call my mom," Shel said, but as soon as he finished saying that, his okulus beeped with an incoming call. He answered immediately. El's image was projected through Shel's volo. Her expression was the same as usual, but there was something lacking in her eyes as if she had been hollowed out. She didn't seem injured except for the fingerprint bruises forming on her neck. Shel took one look at her and then stepped away from all of us retreating to a vacant corner of the shuttle bay. I wanted to hear her recounting of what happened, but couldn't blame Shel for wanting a quiet moment alone with his mom. Especially after seeing the strange emptiness she exuded. Minmin shifted on her little feet as if she wanted to go after him, but she didn't leave her spot next to us.

"Excuse me, Vai," I turned to see five security officer. In between them were the 3 Brists that had tried to take my father. "Can you heal them from the miasmids effects?" the security officer asked.

"And open their light while you're at it," Esther said.

I stepped up to the first Brist and crouched so I was eye level with him. He tried to squirm out of the security officer's hold, but wasn't successful. He rapidly said a string of words in his language that I didn't understand. I looked up to Warpaint.

"He says not to touch him and return him to his people. He says there is no way to win over the miasmids. He says we should stop fighting them and give in to the happiness they can give."

My light touched the Brist. It was the first time to heal a Brist. Their anatomy was a little different as were all the alien races in the Gathering, but at least I had learned in school about the other races. We had only minimal lessons about the Brist. They weren't so different that I couldn't figure out how to heal them. The miasmids affected them as they affected the rest of the races. I could heal them once I saw where the miasmids had affected them.

When I was finished, the Brist seemed happy with the results. He grabbed my large hand with both of his small hands and brought it up to his cheek where he proceeded to rub his cheek all over my hand. When the other 2 Brist saw this, they tried to get away with more fervency, but to no avail.

The Brist said another rapid string of words I didn't understand. Warpaint translated, "He thanks you, sir, for freeing him and allowing him his own thoughts and free will again."

I nodded, but couldn't quite smile. I hadn't seen his light. There was nothing to indicate there was light hidden inside him anywhere. I hadn't encountered this before. I hadn't actually tried to reach out for his light yet, so it was possible it was still there. Maybe it manifested itself differently in the Brist. That was my hope, but instead of reaching out for his light, I moved on to the next Brist.

It didn't take me long to heal the two Brist. They both reacted much like the first one had. But also like the first one, I didn't see the light in these two either. As far as I knew, I was the only who could actually see the light in others before it was opened in them so maybe I just couldn't see it in the Brist. That didn't mean it wasn't there.

I stood up straight and stretched out my back before trying to open their light. Mainly this was to delay opening their light. I was afraid I wouldn't find anything. How would I be able to explain that to them? Everyone in the Gathering has the light except you. You won't be able to defend yourselves if the miasmids try to enter you again. I really hoped I was wrong.

Shel was finished with his call, but he didn't return to us. Instead, he sat on the floor with his knees up and his chin resting on his knees. He faced the wall so I had no idea what his expression was like.

"I'll go see to him," Minmin said quietly. She left us to sit next to Shel. She faced the wall as well.

"Let's open their light," Esther said. But when she said 'us' she really meant me.

I placed one hand on the first Brist's small forehead and the other curved around to the back of his neck. I closed my eyes and searched and pulled with my light, but there was nothing. I tried again. And then again, but nothing happened. I felt it when the Brist opened his eyes and stared at me. I kept my eyes closed and tried again, but still nothing.

I finally opened my eyes and took a step back.

"What's wrong?" Esther asked.

"I can't find his light," I said.

She stepped passed me and went to the second Brist. She placed one hand on his forehead and the other at the back of his neck. We waited. Finally, she opened her eyes, took a step back and looked up at me with a small panic in her eyes. "How can it not be there?" she asked.

"I'll find it," Owen said with his usual bravado. He went to the third Brist and did the same process, but when he stepped back it was with the same results.

"Do none of the Brist have the light?" Esther asked. "How can this be?"

"Some beings just don't have it." The Awakened One's low voice rumbled from behind us. We all turned to him as he slowly stood from his spot.

"We have waited a long time for other beings who have the light," he went on. "Many intelligent life have come and gone without the light. Honestly, I find it a sort of miracle that the races in the Gathering have the light. When I first met you, I thought you were all related as a species somehow, but you are not. 4 different species coming together who all possess the light is no small matter. It's as if the universes have brought you 4 species together to say now is the time to finally defeat the Corruption. They have destroyed many lives over many millennias."

"How will they protect themselves," Esther said as she looked down at the 3 Brists.

"We'll have to advance our Aether field technology," my father said. "Maybe something like my ring, although it is difficult and expensive to make. Shel's and El's ear studs only work with Bundu-Jo and not even every Bundu-Jo. I will have my scientists work on it."

"In the meantime," one of the security officers said, "the Gathering will just have to protect them."

"What did your people say?" Esther asked the Awakened One. "Are they coming to help?"

The Awakened One did not immediately answer.

Esther rolled her eyes. "Worthless," she murmured. "Your people are cowards."

The Awakened One's yellow eyes blazed with anger. "I let you get away with that the first time. I shouldn't let you get away with it a second time. My people fought the miasmids for countless ages. We were their only enemy. We kept them away from you and your lesser species for years upon countless years and you dare to insult us?"

"Lesser species?" Esther bristled. "You lost and now your people hide. Even when the Corruption find one of you and kill you, you hide."

The Awakened One towered over Esther showing her his rows of sharp teeth, but she didn't back down. She didn't show any fear at all, only anger.

"We must," the Awakened One said. "We are the last with the light. The light must be passed on."

"The light has been passed on," Esther said. "I hated the first Awakened One, but at least he took up the courage to pass on the light and protect it when he could. Your people hide even when the light is out here fighting their enemy. They hide and they die alone without power, without meaning, instead of standing by us to rid the universe of the Corruption for good."

The Awakened One turned away from her. "I don't know if my people will come," he said quietly. "There was much arguing among them. If your people fail here, that is it. The Corruption will have free reign over what is left of the universe."

"We won't fail," Shel said. I hadn't realized he and Minmin had rejoined us.

"We won't," Esther echoed his words.