The Cycles of Revelation Series

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

Episode 76: Ardyn and Jevan appear before the newly formed Council of Vestos.

Ardyn withdrew from Jevan after they found out the results in the lab. He felt foolish for pulling back, but he wasn’t ready to talk to Jevan about everything going on in his head right now. At least, not until he could make sense of it himself.

Jevan’s family was still there, and he let them have more time with him. It gave Ardyn the time he needed to think about everything, while Jevan continued to finish his recovery. Instead, Ardyn retreated to their quarters, spending most of his time alone.

When he couldn’t make sense of his own thoughts, Ardyn would spend hours watching the historical archives from Aria’naa. The videos ranged from interviews of the various Rahn’naa crew members and colonists to videos featuring life on Aria’naa twelve hundred years ago. They included public hearings, news clips, and even some fictional programs that were part of their popular entertainment. It was all fascinating and took Ardyn’s mind away from his own concerns, at least for a while.

Could life here on Med’nor look like this in the future? Ardyn wondered. I guess it depends on how many people will accept this technology.

Ardyn hadn’t realized how much time had passed when one afternoon someone knocked on the door. It surprised him to see Jevan standing in the corridor, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

“May I come in?”

Confused, Ardyn moved aside. “Of course you can come in. These are your quarters, too.”

“Thanks. I… wasn’t sure. You’ve stayed away for so long. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to share quarters with me again.”

As he watched Jevan move with his usual grace toward the living area, he realized Jevan must be fully recovered. “Did you finish all your treatments and physical therapy early?”

After Jevan sat down, he tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean, early?”

“I thought you still needed a few more days of sleep within that healing stasis field?”

“They said I only needed two weeks of that, along with my physical therapy,” Jevan replied. “I finished the last therapy session this afternoon.”

“How long has it been since we learned of our pair-bonding compatibility?”

“That was nearly a week ago,” Jevan replied. “Did you lose track of what day it is? Is that why you haven’t been by to visit me?”

Ardyn sat on the chair across from Jevan, staring at him, dumbfounded. “It has been that long?”

Nodding, Jevan looked bemused. “After you pulled away from me when I teased about planning our pair-bonding, I thought you were having second thoughts. Are you?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Ardyn began. “There are so many things to consider — ”

Suddenly, Cytra appeared on the wall display. “Jevan of Yanen and Ardyn of Maala’naa, you are being summoned to appear before the Council of Vestos.”

Cytra guided them to a section of the tower they hadn’t been to before. After exiting the elevator, they walked down a corridor lined with carpeting, the walls having warm, wooden accents instead of the more sterile metallic silver and whites of the rest of the Rahn’naa. In the middle of the corridor was a single set of doors, also made of highly polished wood. As they approached, the two doors slid to either side, admitting them into a large chamber.

Ardyn stared around the large room. On either side of them were rows of wooden benches, and more carpeting covered the floor. Before them was a raised dais with a long, curved table, behind which sat several familiar faces. Takyra, Mathias, and Taeglyn sat in the three central seats, while Andreesen and Keryth sat on either side. Aerys, Marta, Tomas, and Aron were also there, sitting on a bench facing the dais.

“Jevan and Ardyn, please, come forward,” Takyra welcomed them. “I’m sure you both have many questions. Let us answer the one that is probably the foremost in your minds.”

“Our people came together in the face of danger, and in the aftermath, we came to recognize that we must continue to work together, for the good of all the people in Vestos,” Taeglyn said.

“That is why we’ve formed this council,” Mathias continued. “Currently, we’re only interim council members until our various peoples can elect permanent ones. I’m representing the Medellans of Vestos, with the blessing of our leadership in Tafaran.”

After a pause, Taeglyn spoke next. “I am representing the Athla’naa who have occupied Vestos for the past twelve-hundred years. Because our people and needs will differ from those aboard the Rahn’naa, it made sense to give our people a unique name. We’re going to call ourselves the Athla’bhat.”

People of the trees. That’s… fitting.

Takyra spoke last. “And I am representing the Athla’naa from the Rahn’naa. As we’re technically the oldest among you, we are calling ourselves the Athla’dor.”

Ardyn saw Jevan try not to smirk, knowing that they could interpret the name as either The Wise Ones or simply The Old Ones. Looking over those assembled, it amazed Ardyn at how they had come together in this way, especially after the centuries of tension between his people and the Medellans. “What about Andreesen and Keryth?”

“They are serving as advisors to our council, as we work together toward a united Vestos,” Takyra replied. “Andreesen brings to us his experience as a past member of the Grand Council of Ateria, while Keryth brings wisdom from the Leadership Conclave on Aria’naa.”

“This is amazing,” Jevan said. “I never thought I’d see the day our people would work together, but now that you mentioned Aria’naa, the most pressing question I have is regarding the Maara’dahl. Are we still in danger?”

Keryth smiled. “We received news from Commander Aramys last night. Our operatives within the Maara’dahl finally eliminated their leadership, and the battalion captured the rest of their fleet. They are no longer a threat.”

The relief and joy that flooded through Ardyn left tears stinging his eyes, and he turned to give Jevan a hug. “Finally, we can hope for peace!”

Jevan hugged him back hesitantly, and it reminded Ardyn of how distant he’d been the last few days, lost within his own existential crisis. He reluctantly backed away from Jevan and turned back toward the council.

Shuffling his feet for a moment, Ardyn finally brought up the one other question he’d been hesitant to ask. “How… how many people did we lose during the battle? I’ve tried asking, but no one would tell me.”

A grave look crossed Takyra’s face. “We wanted to wait until Jevan was well and we could tell you both. The good news is that we didn’t lose any of the lives we sheltered. The shields on the Rahn’naa did their job. Other than the dozen techs that were working maintenance in the communications section of the observation tower, no one else was hurt.”

Mathias cleared his throat and added. “Thankfully, the Maara’dahl concentrated their attack on the Rahn’naa, so none of the unprotected populations were harmed. Everyone on Vestos and Ateria remained safe.”

That’s a relief.

After Takyra turned to Keryth, he continued. “Besides those techs in the tower, the only other casualties happened during the battle. Every ship in the battalion suffered some damage and at least a handful of casualties, and three ships were destroyed with all hands lost.”

Jevan wrapped an arm around Ardyn when he let out an unexpected gasp. Oh no! “There are hundreds of people on each of those ships, aren’t there?”

Nodding, Keryth confirmed. “Yes, anywhere from around one hundred in the smaller scout ships to over five hundred in a star cruiser.”

Ardyn took a deep breath before stepping away from Jevan, sliding out from under the man’s arm. With everything else weighing on him at that moment, he couldn’t bear the added weight. More deaths that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t found that stupid key.

Takyra had a fleeting look of concern. “You should know, after more deliberation and communication between the Grand Council of Ateria, the Leadership Conclave, and our Council, we have decided that all Athla’naa on Med’nor may choose where they wish to live. They may remain on Med’nor or return to Aria’naa. Since the population of Athla’bhat is so firmly established on Vestos, it makes little sense to relocate them to Maal’dak Five.”

“Also,” Andreesen spoke up, looking at Jevan. “All Medellans of Vestos are welcome to return to Ateria if they wish. Some of your people may still have distant relations on our continent and we can attempt to reunite those families.”

“What about my people? May we also visit Ateria?” Ardyn asked.

At that, Andreesen nervously cleared his throat. “We’re still discussing that. Not all Aterians will welcome an alien species. That’s not to say some couldn’t visit, especially in an official capacity. We just can’t ensure the safety of every Athla’naa that visits. Not yet anyway.”

Cannot ensure our safety? What does that mean?

Before Ardyn could ask for clarification, Takyra changed the subject. “That actually brings us to our final piece of business, and why we asked you both here today.”

The three council members rose, and Mathias spoke first. “Jevan of Yanen and Ardyn of Maala’naa, you have both helped set forth a series of events that have had far-reaching consequences.”

Suddenly, the feeling of safety and belonging that he had developed since they had discovered the Rahn’naa drained away, as Ardyn felt they were once again being put on trial for their incursion into the Aria’una all those months ago. Looking up at Jevan, he saw the Medellan also had a worried look on his face.

“Ardyn, you were the one who found the key, which led you to delve deeper into the Aria’una,” Taeglyn said. “What do you have to say regarding your role in everything that has happened since?”

Oh, great. Here we go again.