The Cycles of Revelation Series

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

Episode 61: The Maara’dahl unexpectedly return, and one life is sacrificed for another.

Takyra turned toward Keryth. “Commander, we need to return to the Rahn’naa immediately!”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible,” Keryth said as he ran to the main control panel and shouted more orders to his crew.

“Why not?” Takyra demanded.

“When we are under attack, we have to divert all auxiliary power to the shields,” Keryth explained.

Takyra made a frustrated sound. “Can we at least communicate with our crew?”

“You can use the secondary communications station over here,” one of the crew shouted, pointing out the unmanned station to his right.

As the ship rocked again, Keryth shouted. “Everyone, brace yourselves! This is going to get bumpy.”

Ardyn crouched near the entryway, pulling Jevan down with him. The rest of the group followed their lead, crouching low against the walls as best they could while energy blasts continuously rocked the ship. Ardyn didn’t understand the commands Keryth was shouting at his crew, so he focused on what he could see out of the forward viewport.

There were two spacecraft facing them and firing their weapons in an unending barrage. “How many are there?” Keryth asked.

“Six of them, Commander,” a crew member replied. “They outnumber us two-to-one.”

“Forward shields are down to twenty percent, Commander!” another crew member announced.

“Return fire!” Keryth ordered. “Try to take out their weapons systems.”

A moment later, the entire ship shuddered harder than before, throwing Ardyn into Jevan’s arms, before everything was still. Looking at the viewport, the two spacecraft had stopped firing. “They breached our shields, Commander. Our main weapons are offline.”

Keryth looked back at them. “Get in the elevator and take it down to the lowest deck. Now!”

They all scrambled to their feet, but before they could make it to the elevator doors, several Athla’naa beamed onto the bridge, with weapons aimed at them.

“Don’t move!” one of them ordered.

“Who are you?” Keryth demanded.

“I’m Commander Galaeron, and I’m here to finish what Commander Denyra started,” said the one pointing a rahn’ora directly at Keryth. He looked at them all with a sneer. “We’re here to execute every Aria’asharra and their sympathizers.”

“You are violating Aria’naa law,” Keryth said with a frustrated snarl.

“The Maara’dahl do not recognize Aria’naa law,” Galaeron said, waving over a couple of his people. “Cover him.”

Galaeron stalked over toward the elevator doors. “Who are you?” he asked, approaching them. “You stink like Aria’asharra.”

Aelrynd was about to say something when he gave her a hard, back-handed slap to the face, making her stumble backward. “I didn’t give you permission to speak, athla’maahk.”

Hearing that insult used against Aelrynd had Ardyn seeing red. He was about to lunge at the disrespectful brute when Jevan held him back and whispered in his ear. “Don’t. He has a weapon.”

Trying to calm himself down, Ardyn nodded.

“Look here, what’s the meaning of all this?” Andreesen asked, stepping forward, straightening to his full height.

“What are you? You’re not Athla’naa,” Galaeron said. “But you stink worse than the Aria’asharra.”

“My name is Andreesen, from the continent of Ateria of the planet Medellus,” he introduced himself. “Why are you attacking our world? We have no quarrel with your people.”

“Your world harbors the last fugitives from justice,” Galaeron said, pointing his rahn’ora directly at Andreesen. “All Aria’asharra must die, along with anyone giving them shelter.”

“We aren’t giving them shelter!” Andreesen argued. “We only found out about their existence recently ourselves.”

“Enough prattling,” Galaeron said. “Your world has been polluted by their kind, and we will not tolerate it.”

When Galaeron raised his weapon and aimed it at Andreesen, Elder Aelrynd pushed the Medellan out of the way, and took the full blast. She screamed and crumpled to the ground, dead. It all happened so fast that Ardyn looked at Jevan, confused for a moment before he cried out. “No! You murdered Elder Aelrynd!”

Before he even knew what he was doing, Ardyn leapt at Galaeron, tackling him to the ground and knocking the weapon out of his hand. Jevan grabbed the rahn’ora and pointed it at the fallen attacker, even as Ardyn kept him pinned down.

The rest of the Maara’dahl were in shock and turned to each other, not knowing what to do, so Jevan spoke to them in their tongue. “Drop your weapons and leave, or your commander is dead.”

A moment later, they all disappeared, including Galaeron, causing Ardyn to fall a short distance to the floor beneath him. Jevan was by his side immediately. “Are you okay?”

Kneeling up and seeing Aelrynd’s remains next to him, smoke still rising from the corpse, Ardyn shook his head. “No. I’m not.”

Ardyn let Jevan help him stand, as he heard Keryth hail the other star cruisers. “Status report.”

“We disabled the weapons of those attacking us and were about to do the same to the two that had attacked you when they all turned and fled. Should we pursue?”

“Yes, and send word to the fleet from Aria’naa that’s on its way,” Keryth replied. “They might intercept them.”

“Yes, Commander.”

There was a collective sigh of relief from the control center crew.

“We have a casualty on the bridge,” Keryth said into his communicator. “Send medical techs up here immediately.”

Everyone was still in shock over what had happened when Andreesen asked. “Why did she do that?”

“Aelrynd acted on instinct,” Taeglyn replied. “She was a mother to many in our community. While she was often strict, she cared for all. When she saw someone threatened, she would always do what she could to protect them. That was her nature.”

“I would like to help prepare the body,” Ardyn offered.

Stepping forward, Andreesen seemed mournful. “May I also assist? She gave her life for mine and… I need to do… something.”

Taeglyn nodded. “Thank you. We would appreciate your assistance. You would also be welcome to speak a few words before her funeral pyre, if you wish.”

“Yes, I would. Thank you.”

The elevator doors opened and two Athla’naa with what looked like a floating bed stepped out. Gently, they placed Aelrynd upon it and the entire group returned to the Rahn’naa. The day ended far different from how it began, with everyone in a somber mood.

They held the funeral rites that evening before a small pyre. Afterward, Takyra gathered everyone together briefly. “I suggest we take time to grieve. Aerys and I need time to prepare in case there are any more attacks. I think we were lucky this time.”

While everyone else returned to their quarters, Ardyn took Jevan’s hand and led him to the hillcrest, where they had first spotted the observation tower. He sat down and looked over the valley, softly illuminated by the light of their two moons. “After days like this, I just want to run back into the woods and disappear.”

Jevan wrapped an arm around him and made a small nod in agreement. “I know exactly how you feel, but I don’t think we can run away from this.”

“Do you think the Aterians would really force all my people to leave Baaru’nor… Medellus…? Ugh. This planet, whatever we call it.”

Chuckling, Jevan shrugged. “I hope not. The sacrifice Aelrynd made seemed to really move Andreesen. Maybe it will change his mind?”

“I hope so. I would hate to see my people uprooted from the only home they have ever known.” With a sigh, Ardyn leaned his head against Jevan’s shoulder and just stared up at the night sky, trying to calm his mind.