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2022-02-24 01:16:13Shayla walked over a teeny-tiny root, thinking she had cleared it. But, no. Her toe brushed up against the top, and she slid forward with a stifled oomph, collapsing to one knee. In the muck. Of course. With her luck, there was no better place for her.
She chuckled, thinking of the half-full part of the glass. At least Tejeda wasn't there to see her. After a few minutes, she pushed herself back to her feet and continued her march, feeling no pain from the mild scrape on the side of her knee. She even stepped on a few more roots, just to prove it.
As she wiped the filth off her uniform, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Pissed as hell, she clenched her fists, marching toward the Spreah camp. Tejeda would never let her in his little secrets, so she had to find other means to gather at least parts of the truth.
His grieving eyes before he left her on the riverside were a sight she had not expected from him. Her initial instinct was to reach out and caress his face, hoping to make him feel better and let him know she was there to comfort him.
But he departed before she could, which was a good thing. She craved his companionship more and more as she spent more time with him. Whatever ill-fated glamor enticed her to him could go into a black hole. She didn't want to have any feelings for that Nubilae.
Her thoughts were on the verge of becoming depressing. She had learned to anticipate their approach and to push them away. Shayla, likewise, refused to dwell on her past and failures. Remembering did not provide any positive outcomes. But her past wasn't the one coming to bite them in the ass.
Tejeda was well-known among the Spreahs. Even though he was now the stuff of legend for them, this tribal culture might be able to help her learn something about him. If only she could get them to share, hoping she would be able to tell the genuine bits from the falsehoods.
Spreahs sat along the river, some with fishing rods and lines dangling into the water. Green algae drifted over the top, and somewhere in the distance, a bird cooed timidly. Another kind of bird than the creatures who had nipped at her. She approached the Spreahs lounged in the shadow of a willow-like tree. The soft grass gave out a delicious scent.
She asked one of them, a young male with a silver mane, where she could find Rylus. The Spreah pointed toward a cave with his left hoof before returning to his fishing rod.
Another Spreah threw his catch out of the water as she moved toward the alcove. Shayla dodged out of the way in the nick of time. The thread entangled in the branches of the tree next to her.
She noticed dark blue algae dangling on a twig as she looked up. The unusual plant whirled lazily in the warm breeze. Those were the Spreahs' targets. They did say they didn't consume meat. She shrugged and walked away from the fishermen, who attempted to take down their next meal from the tree's crown.
Shayla entered the cavern on the right side of the cliff's wall. The chamber was wet and chilly, as the remnants of the melting snow. Mist streamed like dust through the crevices, seeping into the threads of her uniform. Light trickled down through a large fissure in the stone ceiling, creating a curtain of light around Rylus. Under the brilliant sunshine, his silver wool glistened.
“I'd hoped you'd come back,” he said right after he turned.
“Yeah? And why’s that?” Shayla leaned her back against the cold, slimy wall. The chilly touch startled her, but she didn’t let Rylus see it.
"I owe you and your companion an apology. What I did would not have been acceptable behavior from a decent host. You have to trust me when I say I had no idea he'd react like that. We would never do anything to endanger our guests." He dropped his head, inspecting his hooves.
“An excuse right after an apology renders both useless.” Shayla crossed her arms over her chest as she sighed. A cold sound similar to that of the wind hitting a dried leaf. “You’ll be happy to know that Tejeda will be fine.”
Rylus hunched his shoulders and flapped his grey mane. He panted and choked like a wild beast. "So, he is the supreme deity. Why did that man lie to us? He didn't warn us that stuff was going to hurt him."
“If Tejeda were here, he would say that omission isn’t a lie.” Shayla gave a sad smile, thinking how much she had come to know him while knowing so little about him. “What can you tell me about that man?”
"Not much." Rylus clenched his jaws and stretched his scarlet scar in wider zigzags. "All visitors appear the same to us. And Tejeda showed us that appearances don't matter."
“Then tell me the whole story about your supreme deity. I want to hear all of it.”
"I’m surprised Tejeda has never told you our history.”
Shayla shrugged and averted her gaze, attempting to find a suitable explanation for her ignorance. She said the first thing that sprang to her mind. "Tejeda has never been one to dwell on the past. You know how he's not like the others, right?"
Rylus nodded with grim acceptance. “Telling this story is the least I can do for his follower. But I should warn you that it’s a long one.”
"Don't be concerned. I have around 20 days before we leave this planet." Shayla crouched on the chilly floor, a placid expression on her face, trying to forget that he uttered the term 'follower.' She wanted to punch him. "I'm listening."
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The Space Spoon 41. Rylus’ Story
For the story to make any sense, I first must go further back in time, when the Spreahs weren’t the only race on Yacleemb. There were others. They called themselves the Yala. Nowadays, we don’t remember much about them. You should ask the supreme deity if you want to know more about the Yala since he’s the last one standing from that time.The only thing I can say for certain is that the Yala were a warrior race. They wanted Yacleemb all to themselves, and we were in their way. Back in the days, we used to have warriors as well, but ten of us were no match for one Yala.One day, a visitor came. He had no qualms with either of us. In exchange for food and shelter, he offered to be a neutral liaison between us and the Yala. The details are lost in time, but the thing is, he ended up not being too neutral after all.Tejeda uncovered their wicked methods when he went to the Yala's camp, for the guest was Tejeda Hajar. They thought our meat was what
The Space Spoon 42. Reenactment
A well of pain exploded across Tejeda’s chest as he fell onto the sand. He got to the other side. A familiar crimson sun hung high above his head, bringing back lost, unwanted memories. The air was so hot that it was barely breathable.Dunes extended as far as the eye could reach. Blazing heat blanketed a desolate wilderness. He stood up and brushed the fine sand off his clothing. It adhered to the tips of his fingers and hair strands as he wiped his face, his tearful eyes piercing through to the horizon. Everything felt incredibly familiar. This was a replica of his homeworld.The humming of an engine disrupted the silence. Finally, something Tejeda wasn’t familiar with appeared. He crawled on all fours to the top of a dune. Watching in the distance, with a hand above his eyes to protect his sight, his heart sank. This was a case of deja vu. Now he was back in that moment, a twisted, pain-wracked form, writhing and gibbering like a shaken child with a feve
The Space Spoon 43. Sleeping Beauty
Tejeda fell back, limbs flailing into the air, desperate to hold onto the desk. Writhing, he fell flat. He didn’t even feel pain when his ass hit the floor. That was how numb he had become. The coolness inside the room felt quite refreshing after Nubilonia’s scorching heat.A glance around the chamber showed him that no one was around. A relieved "ouch" escaped his lips. He carefully removed the suckers from his leg and stroked his kneecaps. They were sore as hell. His muscles needed some rubbing before they were able to hold his weight. Even his neck ached, as if he had been sleeping in an awkward position.Fixed around his waist, a stasis band covered his belly. Why did they put something like that on him? No need for stasis for an hour or so, geez. He yanked it open and threw it on the floor.“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”Of course, there was always someone watching everything, including his butt rubbing pain. “E00, how lo
The Space Spoon 44. The Transcendents
The red giant clawed at E00 as a solar flare whizzed by. He needed to thank Hanga for the new sheet of paneling that protected his fuselage from the extreme heat. The sub-light engines stuttered as his hull moved onward, snared by the stellar pull as the disintegrating star drew him closer. Several agonizing SDMU (spatial distance measurement units) later, he released the drone.E00 had to thank Hanga for this as well. Developing a drone with a magnetic field strong enough to retain the energy beings inside of it was no easy task. Such a device would allow them to protect the Space Spoon and maintain energy life forms until they reached the drop-off location. Getting too close to the Sun was dangerous for any spaceship.Releasing the cord one unit at a time, E00 could feel the others like him. Feeding on a Sun was the dream for every Psionic Transcendent. But the moment when a red giant burns all of its fuel, and there is no more pressure to keep gravity pushing toward
The Space Spoon 45. Blocked Memories
E00 reached out to the Transcendents. “Bring them back! Bring my crew back!”“I can not bring them back,” Memory Bliss replied. “They’ll awake all by themselves the moment they accept their past. Don’t worry, E00. I’ve placed them in the moments of their greatest happiness.”“The people I know aren’t happy.” E00 refrained from screaming inside the other’s mind. He didn’t want to show how much this affected him. “That means something destroyed their happiness one way or another. If they get to have their hearts and minds broken all over again, that’s punishment, torture, not a gift of gratitude.”“This is the only way they can ever attain an Apex.”"Transcendence isn’t everything." E00 was too vehement about it, but he couldn’t help it. "I agree with Tejeda. It’s boring, and sometimes one forgets what it truly means to be aliv
The Space Spoon 46. Little Shayla
Dressed in one of her favorite dresses, Shayla danced on a checkered floor. Men and women crowded the stage as she glided upon it. Even though the top of her head barely reached their waists, little Shayla touched the targeted areas for quick, painless kills. Holding the folds of her garment with one hand, she slashed and dashed between the dancers with a dagger in the other. Only when she was the last one standing did she stop.Looking upon the carnage she had painted, little Shayla smiled."Great performance, sweety." Her father drew closer, applauding. "Your show has been perfect lately."Her smile widened at her father’s praise. Nothing made her happier than these rare moments when she had all his attention on her. She blushed, her cheeks now as red as her garment woven with golden threads and shiny ruffles."In the last month, I've gotten perfect scores on every simulation." She beamed at her father. "Would it be possible to reset the computer
The Space Spoon 47. A Jerk Knows Best
Shayla felt an unseen string tethered around her waist. It nudged her ever so slightly, like the Spreahs’ fishing rods having snared algae. The invisible thread carried her to the surface, to reality. All the way up to the moment she finally opened her eyes, she glimpsed the faces of the people she had killed. They all stared at her, accusingly. She had no words to defend herself, and her limbs felt heavy and stiff. Sadness, regret, sorrow. She had them all.When she finally managed to move, she found herself sitting in a weird-looking room. Metallic panels covered the walls and floor of the room, with no windows in sight. A spherical object stood in the middle of the room inside an energy grid.Her legs and back ached, and she rubbed her temples. Three men and a woman seemed frozen in place while another tall, blonde woman paced around the hangar bay. She stopped and outright glared at Shayla now as if she thought she would never wake up again.Even thoug
The Space Spoon 48. Matters of the Heart
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104. Meat Suit Part 2
The door closes after the last man leaves the pub. Tejeda resumes his previous position and finishes his drink. By now, we are both soaking wet, but neither of us seems to care. My reason is the seven beers. I wonder what his is."Apparently, you're not leaving, and we've run out of time," he says as he turns to face me. His purple eyes sparkle. A chill goes down my spine. "These guys aren't going down without a fight. I might have to die to quench their hunger for vengeance. But the crystal I took is far more significant. It must be safeguarded."Tejeda leans forward, his hand reaching over the bar for the knife the bartender uses for the lemons. He sits again in his chair, gripping the handle with both of his hands, the pointy tip toward his stomach. I have seen this stance before in movies when someone performs seppuku.Filling his lungs with air, his chest expands, and he thrusts the knife right into his belly. I cover my mouth with a hand but not my eyes. I need to see what happe
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103. Meat Suit Part 1
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102. Monster Within Part 2
Rayna followed him through dark alleys, avoiding the city's main thoroughfares and heading for the city's outskirts. There weren't many other people around since it was late and freezing. The two veiled shadows of the night were easy to miss. Illuminated figures appeared randomly through the windows of dimly lit houses.He stopped in front of a derelict house. The sculpted archway stood crooked above the entrance, but he went beneath it without a second thought.Rayna stared at the white structure enveloped in moss to make sure it wouldn’t fall on her head. When the Bralxoid disappeared inside, she swallowed hard and followed him.Doctor Iadfoc invited her into a small, dark room with a single goose-neck lamp illuminating the top of a large table filled with glass vials. He gestured toward a threadbare sofa against the wall. He grabbed a simple wooden chair and sat facing her. For once, someone wasn't looking at her with meaningless pity, for which she was grateful.Iadfoc had a scann
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101. Monster Within Part 1
A/N: Monster Within is a side story taking place about a thousand years or more before the action in the novel. Enjoy!***Rayna sat in front of the mirror, removing her makeup. Who would she discover underneath? Foundation applied in triple layers, contact lenses, even a wig to make certain no one would see her change.Skin patches of different complexions stretched across her face like puzzle pieces jammed together into a chaotic pattern. Some parts of the jigsaw had wrinkles, while others were as smooth as a baby’s skin.Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the mirror. Her heterochromatic eyes were both different colors than before she wore contact lenses. And her hair... Well, the hair looked more like a wig than the one she threw on the floor. Honey-blonde hair tumbled in waves over her right shoulder. Ruby-red hair, spikey like a hedgehog’s, pointed toward the ceiling from the top of her head. Black, curly strands went down to her chin from her left.She was a mo
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100. Sunsetrise Part 4
Time passes differently on Yacleemb. I can’t say it’s the 56 hours days, the peacefulness of the Spreahs, or Lyam’s company. What I do know is that I’ve lost track of time. Every day, he builds things for the village; he’s happy, full of smiles, and I’m drunk with his genuine blissfulness.Unfortunately, I still have memories and can’t help but feel guilty for not contacting our friends. Wanting to know how things are working out for our crew, I stroll through the forest to the shuttle. After it powers up, a small blinking red light appears on the console. A message from E00.“Shayla, I hope you’ve found Tejeda by now. More than two months have passed, and no news from you. In the time you've been gone, things got worse around here.“Since the day you left, Jackeye has been trapped inside his virtual reality. I can’t say if it’s a voluntary decision or not. He cut me off completely.“Cato took a shuttle and left the Space Spoon about a month ago. The Interplanetary Police files show t
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99. Sunsetrise Part 3
Shayla Bale's POVOnly Tejeda Hajar is capable of disappearing and leaving me with an ambassador’s corpse. Once again, I had to assume the role of acting captain and evade the Interplanetary Police. We are all renegades once more, as we were before Tejeda found us.The crew needs me to steer the ship in the right direction, but my thoughts are far away, following the faceless Nubilae who left us. I lean against the wall and stare at his empty chair, wishing he will appear there, smiling without giving me any explanation as he always does.“Thinking about him won’t bring him back,” E00’s voice echoes from the ceiling speakers. “If you want him here again, you must go after him.”“Don’t get me wrong, E00, I want to. But it was his choice. He left us. Even if I go after him, he may not come back.”“If there’s anyone who can shake him out of the state he’s in, you’re the one.”“Why must you torment me?” I slump in Tejeda’s chair, rubbing my eyes to forestall crying. The gesture is pointle
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98. Sunsetrise Part 2
Reaching out, Carmen’s hand brushes against mine. Even though I’m mad as hell, a rush of electrical discharges takes over my core. That happened every time she touched me since the moment we’d met. Every fiber of my body, carbon and silica alike, crave to have her again by my side.“I tested the spoon. All the results said the same thing: it’s Nubilae. Who was it?”“My sister, Celia.” For the first time, a vein throbs on Carmen’s forehead. But she regains the glazed look. “She died during Iadfoc’s experiment. Many did. The rest went insane. Only I, you, and Rahul remained true Nubilae. Well, now only you and I since you killed Rahul.”“He had multiple run-ins with me and my crew. If I let him continue, surely one of my men would have died. I had to do something.”“No,” Carmen shouts, showing the anger hidden behind her previous blank expression. “I sent him to see how you are and test you. Well, you failed. No Nubilae should value the life of a lesser being over one of his brethren.”
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97. Sunsetrise Part 1
A/N: Sunsetrise is a short story I've written before even starting the novel. It holds the ending of the first volume and is made up of 4 parts. The first 2 parts are from Tejeda's POV and the last 2 parts from Shayla's. Enjoy!***Tejeda Hajar's POV“Happy birthday, Shayla!” I invite her to sit on the blanket next to me with a pat.It took me about a week to create a perfect replica of Genoria Prime inside Jackeye's world.Once every two thousand years, Genoria Prime, a water planet with just a few stretches of land covered in sand, is perfectly aligned to get the ultimate romantic view. One of its suns sets while the other rises, a phenomenon called sunsetrise.To recreate it from my memories inside Jackeye's virtual world involved a few setbacks. But that isn't important anymore.Shayla takes one of the glasses of red wine and fixes her dark green eyes on me. “Whose body are you wearing now?”“You know bodies are just meat suits for me.” I give a sly smirk, looking her over. “Well,
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96. His Blade
Tejeda's lips moved as though they were not his own. “Who’s she?”Shayla placed a hand on his back, touching for the first time the sludgy skin he had in this form. “Tejeda, stop. He’s dead.”Tejeda lifted his head to look at the sky. He remained like that for a long while before murmuring, “Why did you kill him?”"Sorry! Next time," Shayla murmured, sheathing her scimitar, "I'll kill the other guy after he kills you."“How did you know which one was me?”“Really? Is there another idiot who would risk dying for a spoon?”She observed how he flinched but said nothing. There was something wrong with him. Nonetheless, Shayla didn't believe she had the authority to inquire. In any case, she didn't expect a fair answer from him."Did you bring any DNA for me?" Tejeda asked without turning around. "As you can see, I’m in bad shape."Shayla hurled a vial toward him, and he grabbed it with one of his two remaining tentacles.“This is the last one holding the blood of King Astin. Enjoy!”Tejed
