The Cycles of Revelation Series

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

Episode 56: Everyone takes a break after the recent harrowing events and Jevan spends some time with the visiting Aterians.

After the meeting with Keryth concluded, Jevan led an exhausted Ardyn back to their quarters. Yet, once there, Ardyn wasn’t ready to collapse as Jevan had expected he would. Instead, his friend began pacing and mumbling to himself.

“Hey, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” Jevan asked.

“I’m sorry. So much has happened over the past couple of days.” Ardyn made his way to the replicator. “I wanted to keep a clear head when we spoke to Keryth, but now I need a drink. Do you want anything?”

“Yeah, I could use one myself.”

Jevan plopped himself onto the couch and watched as Ardyn brought two drinks with him. Settling himself next to Jevan, Ardyn handed him a drink as he took a sip from his, before leaning back and letting Jevan wrap an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m so glad I didn’t lose you,” Jevan confessed. “When you and all your people just disappeared like that, I was beside myself with worry. I thought all of you had died!”

Next to him, Ardyn took a long, steadying breath. “It was so close. I was up there on the execution platform. They were about to turn me into a pile of ash. All I could think about was you when I was bracing myself for the end.”

An ache bloomed in Jevan’s heart, and he hugged Ardyn closer to him. “How did you escape from that?”

“The alarms rang, and those who captured us ran off as the ship began to rock and shudder. That must have been when Keryth arrived and attacked. He and his crew saved my life.” Ardyn turned in Jevan’s arms, looking at him, his eyes brimming with emotion. “I didn’t want to die. I wanted to see you again… to tell you…”

Jevan reached up and cupped his friend’s face in one hand, as Ardyn leaned into the touch. “What did you want to tell me?” Jevan prompted.

Leaning back, Ardyn looked away from him for a moment, taking a big gulp of his drink before setting the glass down on the table. “I wanted you to know… how much I care for you, Jevan. It made me sad to think I would die without you knowing that.”

The ache in his chest grew, now accompanied by a sense of pure joy. Jevan couldn’t hold back the bright smile that crossed his face. “I hadn’t dared hope, but a part of me knew you were beginning to… also care for me, in the way I’ve felt for you.”

Ardyn’s eyes grew wide, and his ears twitched. “We haven’t really spoken of it, but when? When did you know?”

“When you saved me from your settlement,” Jevan confessed. “That’s when I knew I would always care for you.”

“So many things are still uncertain. I don’t even know where our futures lie. I just know I don’t want to be separated from you. For the time being, that’s enough.”

Taking Ardyn’s hand in his, Jevan nodded. “Agreed. Until we sort this mess out, it’s enough for me as well.”

Ardyn snuggled back into Jevan’s embrace, his eyes closing, and ears drooping. They sat in companionable silence while Jevan finished his drink. When he looked down and saw Ardyn drool on his chest, Jevan chuckled.

“Alright, come on sleepy one,” Jevan said, putting down his glass and helping Ardyn up. “Let’s get you to bed.”

While Takyra was busy preparing for the Aterian delegation, and Aerys worked with Keryth’s engineers to upgrade the systems throughout the Rahn’naa, Jevan and Ardyn split up during the day. Ardyn worked with the Elder Triumvirate to calm the frazzled nerves of their people, while Jevan went to spend time with Mathias, Tomas, and Aron.

After what happened, Jevan didn’t like being apart from Ardyn for too long. However, with everything going on, they could not stay as attached at the hip as they had been. Today, Jevan was taking Mathias and the Aterians into the surrounding forest to show them the discoveries he and Ardyn had made before finding their way into the Rahn’naa.

“So, you both came back into this forbidden forest after escaping your village?” Tomas asked as they made their way through the trees. “Why would you risk such a thing?”

“Where else should we have gone?” Jevan asked. “The Athla’naa marked me for execution, and any Medellan village would have sent me back to Yanen for judgment. If we were to live out our lives in the wild, it was best to head to the only area where we were sure we’d not encounter anyone. Plus, we wanted to understand what it was about the Aria’una that made it worth a death sentence.”

“I would not let them execute you,” Mathias argued.

“You were going to send us to the mines,” Jevan reminded him. “A slow death is less merciful than a quick one, if you ask me.”

Mathias looked as if he were about to argue when Jevan changed the subject. “How did your trip back to Yanen with Keryth go yesterday?”

“You can imagine the shock on people’s faces when Keryth set his shuttle down in the middle of the village square,” Mathias said with a mirthful smile. “They were more surprised when I was the one walking out of that flying contraption!”

“Will the Aterian delegation be able to land there?” Jevan asked as the group of them continued to make their way through the forest.

“Yes,” Aron replied. “One of your fallow fields will work as a place to land. They just need to smooth the dirt, so the landing won’t be as bumpy.”

“I’ve tasked all the young folks in the village to create this runway. They didn’t understand the purpose of it, but seemed excited that another flying machine was going to land nearby. Oh, and your mother and sister send their regards,” Mathias said, patting Jevan on the shoulder. “I meant to tell you this morning, but you seemed a bit preoccupied with your little elven friend.”

“Athla’naa,” Jevan reminded him. “They aren’t the mythical elves from our fairy tales, so we shouldn’t keep calling them that. Especially if we expect them to stop calling us athla’maahk.”

“Yes, yes. You’re right, of course,” Mathias replied dismissively. “While I was there, I wrote several missives to be taken to nearby villages. I had messengers take them to other nearby villages, with the directive to copy them and spread the word until all Medellans on Vestos knew what was happening. I instructed them to prepare and take shelter in case those Maara’dahl decide to return.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Jevan said. “Keryth said they have reinforcements coming to help protect us.”

“None of our people are prepared to repel an attack from advanced alien spacecraft,” Tomas said. “So, I hope they send their entire fleet.”

A moment later, they turned into the small clearing where the large machine still stood, where Jevan and Ardyn had uncovered it.

“What is that?!” Aron asked, staring up at it, slack jawed.

“Takyra confirmed these machines were designed to move large quantities of dirt,” Jevan said as he walked toward the enormous machine and climbed up the ladder to the control cabin. Looking down at the three below, he continued his explanation. “We think Ardyn’s ancestors used them to bury as much of the Rahn’naa as they could. That’s why the only part of the ship still above ground is the tower.”

“That explains the strange shape of the valley,” Tomas said. “The ship must have carved it out when it crashed, making it easier for them to bury.”

“Yes, exactly,” Jevan agreed. “Ardyn and I were going to try to use this machine to dig under the forcefield. At the time we found it, it would only allow Ardyn to pass through. They configured it to keep any other lifeform out.”

Tomas climbed up after him and Jevan made room for the man to move past him into the control cabin. “I still marvel at how advanced this all looks, knowing how old it is,” he said as he looked over the controls. “Even a machine like this is far beyond what we’ve yet achieved.”

The tall man dwarfed the seat that was clearly designed for a smaller person, and Jevan couldn’t help smirking at the sight. “If you think this is impressive to you, can you imagine how it all looks to someone who didn’t grow up with anything more advanced than a water wheel?”

As Tomas made to exit the cabin, Jevan climbed back down to the ground. “Good point. How are you handling all this so well?” Tomas asked, after climbing down himself.

“It’s been a lot, I’ll admit, but so much has happened. I haven’t had a chance to really process it all. Ardyn has been struggling more than I have with it, as you can imagine. His people live even more primitively than ours do and to discover your own ancestors were this far advanced? Their entire society is going through a massive upheaval right now.”

“So will ours,” Mathias pointed out. “You don’t think our people will come away from all this unchanged, do you?”

“No, I guess none of us will,” Jevan agreed.