But I was already back on Ye~. I popped in as everyone watched a holo of Pas’ Chambers, a purple nine-sided building that had a flat top, like a faceted jewel. A ship in orbit trained a weapon on it and facets began to melt. I felt the panic of everyone in that building! 2500 Yeff mentally screamed—
I channeled all my anger through my Collective and they added theirs. The ship blew up in blue and purple fire! Vaporized. That explosion lit up the entire lavender sky!
All of us ported to Pas’ Chambers. I didn’t mean to do that, but our people went to upset Zheien to calm them. I sang.
No time to build up my orchestration as usual. I sang “Dido’s Lament” from Dido and Aeneas. People calmed down. Without a full healing? Angel came in to duet with me. When she joined in, a lot of Zheien lost the pained expressions. She has a gift for people with headaches.
Ten looked really worried. As we finished the song, he touched my wrist. “I thought we could not enter this building without dying, but it helps our people and the Zheien! What was that?”
“<mark>Harast</mark> warriors.” I shuddered. There’s no negotiating with them! Their race was created as a weapon to fight wars with civilizations that wiped each other out, in the Padrisa. Didn’t I think our forces and <mark>Dromie’s</mark> killed them all? How many ships did we miss?
Sara looked up. Her guilt that she fell asleep got to me. But I have to leave! She can’t help me. I can’t stay. Every person in this building is porting underground to where the others have been staying, all of the colonists. But, I can’t stay.
I didn’t want to let go of Ir’s hand, but the purple walls and sea of nine-sided beds faded. I sat harshly on a rock floor covered in red dust. Wore a metal long tunic like slaves wear.
“Who told you to sit? Get up and work!” An Elshar jerked me to my feet. “Oh, a Biehshah. Master will reward me for you!” He dragged me up a ramp. My boots were loose and rubbed my feet raw. I acted compliant and <mark>starey</mark>. There’s a Councillor here and I have to find them.
As I passed slaves, one looked at me. A goblin! His mind touched me. He’s a Councillor? A glowing drop came from my hand towards him.
“None of that!” My slaver tried to grab, and it passed through his hand. He followed and tried to stop it, but it went into the goblin’s hand. The chain on his leg fell off.
“Now I will release all of these slaves!” We fought. All of the guards had Cubes, but we had Lenses. Each Lens has thousands of worlds of members. They fell.
How could <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people just meekly submit to these bullies, when they have that kind of power? But, during World War II there was a fella who let himself be captured so he could observe things in the concentration camps and tell people about them. Jews and other political prisoners didn’t fight back when they saw the trench filled with bodies. They meekly laid down on bodies and waited to be shot. He escaped and tried to get the Allies to send help, but they said it was hopeless. Those poor prisoners gave up hope, even <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people did that. Seeing me gave that goblin courage to fight!
But I left for another battle. Novas! This place had a field with armies. Instead of hand weapons, they held Cubes! As far as the eye could see, one person squared off with another, and effort showed in their faces as they shot a beam of light at each other! Deadly rainbows lit up the entire sky!
The ground was rocky beneath my feet, still wearing those torture boots! My Cube found one target and another. The Lens hidden inside it made it look like I was just another fighter with a Cube.
Then a leader came in black robes. What species is he? Everyone trembled, like a wave!
I used up the rest of the xerthus in the vial. Hid what I was doing. Every Councillor here came out of hiding and made Lenses for each holder of a Cube on our side!
That man came for me! “I am <mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark>, and you will know my name! You think xerthus will save you?”
Another being materialized. Like the fella in black robes, his features glowed and changed constantly. “This woman is Kia, and you will know her name! Xerthus will give them strength, but she will show them that you can lose. Rules we established are not to be broken!”
They glared at each other, but a green beam came from my Lens and <mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark> turned into an Earthan! His expression of shock made me laugh.
But I became Earthan, too. That being, Yamotenanten, read me like a book. He judged Earth by me! “Tell Tanirpahadachan we will speak after this conflict is over. I also wish to speak with you. Your species is interesting.”Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Thank you. But, can’t you do something about Rentappenen?”
I felt his sadness. “We cannot. Civilizations must know struggle, to grow.”
“Okay, but can you get rid of the rogues so <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people and the Earthans with him don’t have to be exiled?”
“You must ask Wslarc for that. He is Ye~‘s Councillor. I am the <mark>Padrisa’s</mark> Councillor. When this conflict is over, I will give my opinions for your judgment.” His voice was sad, and his light dimmed. Then, he vanished.
<mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark> laughed. “I am more powerful than you! Bow to me!”
Oh, he made me mad. But, the thought came to me, he’s new at this. Even though he’s older than the Biehshah and the <mark>Ty’nirrhans</mark>, he’s new to this kind of war. My Collective quit cowering and listened to me. So did every Collective on this battlefield. “You think fear is a more powerful force than love, but you’re wrong! I love my planet, my galaxy, the Thirteen and the Padrisa! We will fight for our peoples, because we love them!”
Green light made him glow green, too! That emerald shade that my Cube and Lens is! I channeled all the love these people had for their homes and the species all of them represented.
<mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark> wasn’t expecting it. He relied on their fear. Courage is acts despite fear! Ry’nao said that.
People got courage because they remembered why they’re here, because they love their people and don’t want them to die again! A lot of ‘em are new to this kind of war, too. We all are.
<mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark> fell to his knees. “No! I love my people—”
“You’re lying! You never loved anyone, and that’s your weakness! All you do is hate, without getting to know anyone but your twisted mind and desire for power! You are like Rentappenen, but you’re jealous of him and his power, and you want to use these people to take over. Feel his anger?”
I drew the attention of Rentappenen, all his generals, his armies. They all got mad.
A flash of black light, all the light of all the Lenses, converged on him! He screamed as the black light spread. It shot him into the sun, which exploded!
But, all these armies, that I thought would fight Rentappenen, went into stasis deep within <mark>Dromie’s</mark> Planet!
I saw a Hub, that’s where worlds of them went. They weren’t meant to come back. That’s why <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people are to be judged! He brought them back to fight <mark>Rentappenen’s</mark> upper level armies from the Padrisa, and now that part of the battle is over.
We’re even now.
The Padrisa is out of the picture, for now. Even they are scared of those armies, if they turned on The Padrisa!
But now, <mark>Rentappenen’s</mark> on his own. <mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark> is dead. Even as upper level as The Padrisa is, they can’t bring him back. That’s how Rentappenen took over. He drove his people’s Councillor, <mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark>, mad, by setting his Collectives against each other, with lies about what each side planned.
Even Collectives of Lenses can be corrupted. That feeling came over me, that sadness I felt from Yamotenanten, I felt it. <mark>Ferfresshannanan</mark> was a good man, before <mark>Rentappennen</mark> corrupted him. He was so corrupted, even all the Councillors of the Padrisa couldn’t save him.
Are we corrupted, too?
There’s nobody to ask. I ported back to Ye~ and fell into Ir’s arms. “Kia! What happened? You’re Earthan again?”
“I saw Yamotenanten!”
“Novas!” It sounded really funny to hear that word from <mark>Ir’s father</mark>! “Who can heal you?”
“He killed that fella from The Padrisa who was helping Rentappenen. It’s just our level, now. But, he took all those Lens armies away, too.”
“Peoples Of The <mark>Harast</mark>?” Father shuddered and Ir held him. Ten ran over with tray after tray of drinks for us! Mine was just a butterscotch milkshake, and I choked when I tried to down it! That went everywhere! Cold made me shiver. He ran hygiene and that warmed me up.
Ten laughed. “Novas, Kia, just drink it!” He tried to heal me, but lost the merry expression. “Pas, I can’t heal her!”
Pas came running and touched my head. Brought his ennead.
I hugged him. “My mind’s too strong for you, Pas. I’m okay.”
“You need healing! If only Pirad was here!”
“He can’t come! He’s on Alb Seer—” And the flow of information stopped. My Collective can’t see them. They only know he’s working.
“I can sing and heal myself.” I sang “Dona <mark>Nobis</mark> <mark>Pacem</mark>”, a piece by Ralph Vaughan Williams from 1936, which repeats Latin words for “Give us peace.” Angel and Molly sang along in the round, and even though she sounds more childlike than operatic, I enjoyed it and felt stronger.
That battle affected me. So many people died there! Yamotenanten won’t allow them to get healing or come out of stasis. They are exiled, just as much as <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people are. But, they were created to make war. Just because I taught them to feel love, doesn’t change that they love to kill, too. All of them only felt more justified in their killing because they did it in the name of love.
I want to believe that <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people are different, because they just acted on lies they heard. Do they enjoy killing? But, since they brought back all the people they killed, they still committed sins, to kill innocent people.
“Kia, are you tired?” Ir pulled my head down on his shoulder.
“I’m tired, but it’s just a lot to think about.”
He smiled. “Careful, you’re becoming an Old Soul like me.”
I kissed his forehead and put my head back down. Felt the weight of the ages pressing on me.