Tuonis

The Cometgracer’s flight is steady and fast. The rusty landscape flies by in a blur. Great clouds of red dust trail after the Flare and crash together like ocean waves. The crew does everything they can to make sure they reach their destination soon and without any avoidable holdups. The engines are monitored, the systems regularly checked for any form of mishap. Everything runs smooth and without a problem.

Proud of his crew, Tuonis leans back in the captains chair and smiles. Yet, there is still something he has to do. Something neither dangerous nor tedious but strenuous nonetheless. It’s enough for his smile to fade once he thinks about it.

Yagari, who sits as the second in command in his designated place beside Tuonis, notices his captains frown and turns towards him.

„Is there something wrong, Captain?”, he asks concerned.

„No, all is as it should be,” he replies and stands up. „But I need to go and talk to Amaris.”

„Oh,“ he says, the tone of his voice showing that he knows how Tuonis feels.

„Is she still in the room?”

„Yes, Sir. You know, she doesn't leave it unless she does her medical checkup, or we need her… umm… abilities.“

„Yes. I… just wanted to be sure”, Tuonis says and takes a deep breath. „Call me if something important happens.”

„Yes, Sir!” Yagari replies eager and salutes him.

Nodding, Tuonis leaves the bridge and turn immediately down the stairs to the private rooms of his crew. Although he could use the elevator, he needs the additional time the stairs offer to steel his resolve.

Since everyone is busy doing their job to keep the gears moving — as Tuonis likes to call it — the bright metallic corridors are empty. The only sounds are the deep hum of the Flare's engines, reverberating through the whole ship, the low hiss of the life-support-system and the sound of Tuonis‘ claws as they click and scrape over the metal floor.

After he has the midpoint of the ship he slows down and stops in front of an inconspicuous door, which looks just like any other door in this part of the ship. Swallowing, Tuonis looks with instinctual fear at the door designated number 13. He can feel the presence behind it and knows that he is already in the focus of both Amaris and the one, who dwells within her. They might even already know what he wants to ask them. After a few seconds, he needs to collect himself, Tuonis knocks at the door, which slides open with a pneumatic hiss. A puff of dry air hits his face, accompanied by the smell of various medical salves and other remedies.

Come in, a voice says directly in his mind.

The sensation of this voice causes the eye spot on his tail to brighten up in an instinctual fight-or-flight reaction. Swinging his tail back and forth to keep calm, he clears his throat and enters the dark room. Once he is over the threshold the door shuts again and leaves him in complete darkness.

Something clicks and a dim lamp flickers to life. It illuminates the room barely enough for Tuonis’ eyes to be unable to see into the shadows, without him stumbling over his feet. Yet, it is enough to reveal Amaris' maimed face.

The right side of it is just bare darkened bone and exposed teeth, and the eye socket an empty hole. The ear on this side is missing as well as a large part of her downward curved horn. The left side on the other hand looks unnatural despite being unmarred. Her greenish grey skin seems too clean and perfect in comparison. It also doesn’t help that her mouth is fixed in a neutral expression, rendering her unable to show most emotions, let alone speak. Tuonis doesn’t know what exactly happened to her. He never dared to ask and, most likely, never will. Still, he can’t help but wonder how she manages to eat.

„Hello Amaris”, Tuonis greets her friendly but reluctant.

Welcome, Tuonis Junpid, she replies monotonous, her voice directly echoing within his mind as if they were both underwater. Please, sit down.

He swallows again and follows her request. With some difficulty, he plops down on a large round pillow in front of her. While he does so she doesn’t move her remaining eye away from him, the tapetum within it reflecting the light in an eerie red colour. She doesn’t even blink when a strand of her rare blond hair falls into it, which unsettles Tuonis as it always does.

You've come here to ask me about the being you witnessed entering the dreamworld, says Amaris and finally brushes the hair out of her face with her remaining left hand, which misses some fingers. The answer to what it is, is as clear as the answer to who it is, but the true questions is which one it is. A god of nothingness is a god of everything. In existence and spirit alike, yet in another state of mind. If thousands and thousands of worlds and possibilities exist from one god then this god itself exists in thousands of worlds and possibilities. It has originated here in this world. It broke into pieces and wandered countless millennia in others to come back with a purpose. Our void is stirred by its very own conscious returning to this cosmos. The parts it has lost become more aware again and stir within the Boundary. It watches and listens and waits. It whispers to me, Tuonis Junpid, and it wants to become whole again, to deal with the menace, which caused it so much trouble.

„I'm sorry, Amaris, but I'm not in the mood for riddles,” he replies avoiding to look at her while he tries to warp his mind around what she just told him. „Just tell me if it is dangerous.”

It is, she replies matter of fact. But it has no intention to harm us. All its hatred is concentrated on someone else, who shouldn't be here either. Still, be careful. For if beings of this magnitude clash than the fallout can be imense.

„Is it directly involved with our fates?”

It may or may not be involved with us, Tuonis Junpid, for every possibility has become as likely as the next.

„This is… a bit too uncertain.”

If you expect the unexpected, do you frown upon the expected?

„Now you're just confusing. And I’m… not in the mood for that either.”

At this, she lets out a dry huff through her fortunately intact nose — her unique way to smile. Tuonis returns the smile nervously while looking at at her forehead to avoid her eye and eye socket.

„Are you playing with me or… does… does your void-creature…” he asks reluctant as he can feel the other presence shift.

We both are, she replies in her default monotonous voice. It's the only thing we both derive joy from, which turns it into one of the few things I can still associate with this feeling.

„Yeah, right… But this thing — the god you mentioned — it seemed to want something from Vajira and me.“

A warning.

„It wants to warn us? About what?“

Do not trust those others may place their trust in.

„This isn’t a very clear answer.“

I cannot tell you more. The less you know at the moment, the safer you and Vajira are. But you will see soon enough for yourself.

„If you say so… If you don't mind, I want to go now.”

Indeed, you should, she says while watching him stand up and go to the door.

„See you later,” he says as the door slides open and the lights go out.

Tuonis Junpid, whispers Amaris' voice crisp and clear in his head, which makes him freeze on the other side of the door.

„Y-yes?” he asks and swallows hard.

Tell Yagari that his bet is off, she tells him, and before he can ask what it means, the door closes right in front of his face.

Somewhat frustrated, he doesn’t waste any time and returns to the bridge. All in all, this conversation hasn‘t been as bad as some others he had with her but the answers she has given him only open up more questions.

—

The moment Tuonis enters the bridge he almost walks into Yagari, who avoids the collision with a fast, and despite the situation, elegant step.

„I'm sorry, Captain,“ he apologises and lowers the communication device he was about to use. „But I've important news. We've got life signals ahead of us.“

„How many?” Tuonis asks and all of his thoughts turn from Amaris’ mysterious words towards the next steps.

„The sensors show two people,” he explains and returns to the bridge. There he enters a few things into the console before the big screen in front of the bridge shows the data and the local map. „One of them seems to be in bad conditions if the flickering readings are any indication. Shall we stop and take them in?“

„We should be close to the landing side of one of the life-ships,” he muses as he walks over to his seat. „Could it be that those two were on this ship?”

If you expect the unexpected, do you frown upon the expected?, whispers Amaris’ memory within his head and causes him to hiss involuntarily.

„Something wrong, Sir?”, Yagari asks confused.

„No, Yagari,” he replies and pulls down the microphone connected to the console in front of him, while pushing up his glasses. „Attention, Cometgracer, Captain Junpid here! I hereby order the Flare to stop at the coordinates displayed on the screens. Medical team, prepare everything for at least one if not two gravely injured. As for the rest: I want everyone to stand by on high alert. We might run into problems although the way even if everything seems calm at the moment. Captain Junpid, out.”

A few seconds after his call to action the whole Flare slows down considerably.

„Do you have any orders for me, Sir?”, Yagari asks after a moment.

„I want you to stay here and monitor everything,” he says thoughtful. „We are very likely not the only ones, who have seen the ships go down, and the Fleet isn’t known to waste a chance to get down on deserters and traitors.”

„Understood, Sir. And what will you do?”

„I'm going out with the rescue unite. I might need to use my psychic ability to pacify the injured.”

„Good luck, Tuonis. May the Void won’t swallow us today.”

With a smile on his face Tuonis goes to the exit but stops just a few feet away from the door.

„Hey, Yagari, I've got a message for you.”

„And that would be?” he asks relaxed without turning his eyes from the radar.

„Amaris wants you to know the bet is off, whatever that means,” Tuonis tells him and watches curious how Yagari flinches.

„The bet… I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the delivery.“

Although he’s curious and wants to know more about this mysterious bet, Tuonis turns around and leaves the bridge.

—

They soon arrive at the origins of the life signals. Once the Cometgracer has slowed down to a certain speed, a smaller rescue transporter launches from the body of the Flare. Next to Tuonis at the back of the transporter stand Tarrat and Urania. They carry their usual medical equipment and are ready to act as fast as possible. With them are two more members of the medical crew as well as the pilot of the transporter. No one speaks a word and the atmosphere is tense, despite there being no news of someone from the Fleet closing in on them.

The silence is shortly broken by the pilot over the intercom.

„I see two people ahead,” she says in a serious tone. „An alien, by the looks of it, and a Menkar. The Menkar is, as far as I can tell, unconscious. The alien on the other hand is apparently unharmed and seems to expect us. Your orders, Captain?”

„Get us as close as possible and don't shut the engine off once we're there,” he replies. „If something bad happens, you know what to do.”

„Understood, Captain.”

„An alien…”, Tarrat muses interested. „I wonder if this is the Empress' weapon. The reports seemed to indicate a living specimen.”

„It might be,” Tuonis says somber. „For all we know.”

„Let's hope that whatever it might be that it isn't aggressive,” Urania remarks with a serious expression.

„No matter what, I won't let anyone harm my crew”, Tuonis says, while a bad feeling about the whole situation washes over him. „If I can't pacify it in the case of an attack, you shoot to kill.”

„Your fighting spirit is showing, Tuo,” says Tarrat with a mischievous smile.

We'll see if we need it… Tuonis thinks and pulls his two curved blades out of his hyperspace bracelets.

—

The transporter stops and the rear door opens. A cloud of red dust gets blown into the transporter as the engines slows down. Tuonis takes a deep breath and steps out of the transporter, flanked by two of his crew members with their weapons at the ready — one bow and one gun. Behind them follow Tarrat and Urania with determined expressions.

A few feet in front of them, Tuonis sees the alien and the injured Menkar. At the same time the alien stands up from its crouched position. Without sparing a second glance at the injured, it walks towards Tuonis with an expression he can’t place. It looks almost like a Menkar… he muses, while Amaris‘ warning echoes through his head. I’ll better not let my guard down around it.

Tarrat and Urania run up to the injured Menkar and get to work while Tuonis stops and waits with his other two crew members for the alien. The pale white-haired creatures stops in a safe distance to him and bows in a manner a bit too dramatic for Tuonis‘ taste.

„The Pale God greets you,” the creature introduces itself. „Would you kindly bring me to your leader?“