The Cycles of Revelation Series

Artifact of the Dawn: Foresight (A Queer Sci-Fi Adventure)

Episode 88: Ardyn and Jevan return to the Rahn’naa and prepare for their next adventure.

The trek back to the Rahn’naa was uneventful, with thankfully no signs of the sar’ora pack they had encountered a few weeks earlier. They were thankful for the tent on their first night, when it rained not long after they’d set up camp.

Originally, they had planned to hunt some paal’dak and roast them over a campfire. Because of the rain, they were stuck eating some rations they had brought with them instead. Still, merely being together helped to keep up their spirits. “I’m so glad we did this,” Jevan said, as they huddled together under their combined bedrolls for warmth. “It’s been good to see everyone and reconnect with our past before moving on.”

“It also gave us some time for us to get used to this new bond,” Ardyn said. “Although, I still can’t decide if I prefer speaking or thinking to you. What do you prefer?”

“Thinking feels more intimate,” Jevan replied aloud before switching to mere thoughts. “I enjoy the mix of words and emotions that are conveyed. It tells more than when we just speak, but I also love the sound of your voice. I’d miss it if I didn’t hear it occasionally.”

Ardyn conveyed his agreement. “I know what you mean. You have such a wonderfully deep tone to your voice. It vibrates right through me when we’re snuggled like this. I’m sure we’ll find the right balance, and the telepathic communication will always be useful when we want to speak privately around others.”

“That’s true. We need to test how far away we can get and still communicate,” Jevan remembered. “Let’s talk to Keryth about that when we get back.”

It was late afternoon when they arrived back at the Rahn’naa, both tired but happy. The first thing they did once they were back in their quarters was to take a hot shower together, and they both laughed at how much living on the Rahn’naa had spoiled them.

“I used to spend months ranging the forests around Maala’naa, and only bathed in icy streams,” Ardyn laughed as he enjoyed the hot spray on his back while Jevan lathered himself with soap. “Now I can barely stand hiking through them for a few days before I’m longing to return to the comfort of these quarters.”

“We have been spoiled, but I wonder how different living in Donarvon will be? They aren’t as advanced as the Athla’dor, but from what we’ve seen, they are more advanced than either of our people.”

“Marta assured me that the apartment we’ll be living in will have hot running water and a shower,” Ardyn said as they switched sides, so Jevan could rinse off. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

That evening, they joined Takyra in her favorite restaurant, so everyone could make their farewells and hear about their adventures in Maala’naa and Yanen.

After being teased for lapsing into telepathic communication a few times, Amyra remarked. “That connection you’ve formed with each other is fascinating. It’s far more complex than we originally anticipated, and it may take months to analyze what’s really happening. As soon as Tamaryn and I have a better understanding of it, we’ll let you know, so please keep those communicators of yours handy.”

That reminded Ardyn of something. “Keryth, before you transport us to Donarvon tomorrow, can you help us with something?”

“Of course. What do you need?”

Jevan knew what Ardyn was about to ask and turned his attention to the conversation.

“Would you transport only one of us to the Wah’kah’ria? We’d like to test how far apart our telepathic communication works.”

“That’s an excellent idea!” Tamaryn said. “Could we take some scans of your brains while you’re testing this? That data could help us understand what’s happening.”

Once they agreed on how to conduct the experiment, they returned to the conversation at hand, and stayed up talking late into the night. That meant Jevan and Ardyn got a later start the next morning than they had planned. When they finally woke, they were both reluctant to get out of bed. This time it was Jevan who finally got them moving. “We should get up,” he said as he kissed the top of Ardyn’s head.

“I know,” Ardyn replied reluctantly.

“Come on, sleepy head,” Jevan teased, disentangling himself from Ardyn and pulling the covers off his bondmate.

“Hey!” Ardyn cried out in mock annoyance, even as he threw a pillow at Jevan and laughed.

They showered and dressed quickly. Since they had already packed and transported all their belongings, there was little else to do. So, they went to meet Marta for a last meal before running through their experiment, and then heading to Donarvon.

They were on their way to the dining hall when they ran into Marta. “There you two are! After how late of a night we had, I had a feeling I’d have to come after you both today.”

As they headed toward the dining hall, Jevan asked Marta. “Are you looking forward to going home?”

“Part of me is, yes. Part of me will miss this place,” Marta admitted. “I know I can always come back, but leaving always makes me a little sad.”

“I’m also sad to leave this place behind, but I’m excited for the next adventure,” Ardyn admitted. “Hopefully, everyone in Donarvon is as nice as you and Andreesen have been.”

“Everyone back in Ateria will love you both, I’m sure,” Marta said as they entered the dining hall. “How could they not?”

After they finished a quick meal, they headed outside, where they met Amyra. She was holding a scanner to Ardyn while they beamed Jevan aboard the Wah’kah’ria. Tamaryn was waiting for Jevan there with his scanner.

Before giving Keryth the signal, Jevan gave Ardyn a hug. “I’ll see you soon, dear heart.”

When they separated, Jevan tapped the communicator in his ear and let Keryth know he was ready a moment before he faded out of existence. As often as they had traveled that way, it still left Ardyn with a sense of unease.

At first, Ardyn thought he felt nothing from Jevan, but he’d forgotten it took a moment for them to rematerialize. As soon as Ardyn began to worry, Jevan’s thoughts came through loud and clear. “Are you worried about me already?”

“It works!” Ardyn said aloud, letting Amyra know to start scanning. “Does it feel any different to you from this distance?”

“No, not at all. I can sense you as if you were standing right next to me.”

Ardyn agreed. “That’s exactly what I’m experiencing. If I didn’t know you were so far away from me right now, I would swear you were right here.”

Ardyn informed Amyra of this as she kept scanning his head. They spoke and shared emotions for another moment before it satisfied them that distance would not be a problem. “Do you have enough data?” Ardyn asked Amyra.

“More than enough, thank you,” Amyra replied. “Thank you so much for suggesting this. Hopefully, this will aid in our research.”

Turning to Marta, Ardyn was about to tell the Wah’kah’ria they were ready to leave, when he saw Takyra running toward them. “Wait, you forgot something!”

Puzzled, it surprised Ardyn when Takyra handed him the old artifact that had started him on all their adventures. He’d left the control access key behind in their quarters because he didn’t think it would be of any use in Donarvon.

“I would like you to keep it, as a small memento, to remind you of what led you to where you are. Also, as a thank you for following your instincts and saving us. Those of us from the Rahn’naa will forever be grateful for that.”

Stepping closer to her, he gave Takyra a hug. “Thank you for everything. You’ve opened a whole new world of possibilities for us.”

“I’m sure I’ll see you again, but until then, take care of yourselves,” Takyra said.

After he stepped back, Ardyn blinked back tears as he waved to Takyra and Amyra as the transmat beam dematerialized them. A moment later he stood in the transmat room of the Wah’kah’ria and ran into Jevan’s arms.

“Are you okay?” Jevan asked.

Nodding, Ardyn took a deep breath and turned to Marta. “Ready to go home?”

The three of them climbed back onto the transmat platform and waved goodbye to Keryth. A mix of excitement and uncertainty filled him as the tingling sensation of the transmat beam engulfed him once again.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for the continued adventures of Ardyn and Jevan in the next part of “The Cycles of Revelation Series,” The Medellan Conspiracy.