XIX – An unexpected visitor
Da’an awoke in the medical bay. His senses and perceptions were partially back, but he did not waste a second in realizing it. His mind was still paralyzed in fear by the invasion of their Commonality by an intruder. He slowly turned the head for be able to fix his eyes on Mit’gai. The healer had a wild look on his features, he had collapsed on his knees and let his forehead against the cold metal of the table. He knew of Mit’gai’s mind being very fragile, as many of his fellows, the older Taelon had been greatly shocked. Da’an sighed longly, many of them would probably not survive to the mental attack they had been victim of.
Then the Kimeras were back. He could just think about what would be the reaction of their old ennemies when they would see that the Taelons now had the help of Humanity against their war with the Jaridians. The Companion closed his eyes with relief, the light seemed incredibly white and high to him. The only hope he could keep was that the Humans would not be victim of the Kimeras’ hatred as the Taelons would surely be.
He gathered all strenght he still had and passed his legs over the edge of the table, jumping on the ground, he was not sure how he managed to stay on his staggering feet. He stepped hesitantly toward his healer and friend. The stare in Mit’gai’s eyes was empty, empty by all the meanings of the words. Suddenly the scientist seemed to regain life, or conscience at least, and his eyes were bright and blue again, filled with the greatest fear Da’an had ever seen in Taelon’s eyes. The diplomat approached closer.
Mit’gai shook his head and raised a hand, motioning to Da’an to stop. "I… am well…" he murmured. His stare met Da’an’s as he raised the head, for look straight in the Companion’s eyes. The fear had been replaced by the usual seriousness and coldness of Mit’gai. "But you are injured Da’an and should stay in the energy stream for the moment," he added, a faint tendril of impatience visible in his blue orbs.
Da’an shook his head, the only move bringing a shot of pain burning through his chest. He felt weak, it was true, weak as he had never been before this day, but he could pass by if it was absolutly necessary. "I have felt a great fear, and many deaths, aboard the mothership, and I must know what happened," answered Da’an, his tone calm and soft, despite the fact that he was suffering extremely.
"I disapprove your decision, but I fear that you could be right. Go," said the healer, shaking his head. The American Companion bowed his head in a silenced thank and exited the medical bay at the slowest pace he had ever walked in during his long life. He heard Mit’gai’s words of anger and then the quiet steps of the taelon following him in the darkness of the Embassy corridors.
He understood what kind of situation it was at the second he entered the audience chamber. The Volunteers were agitating in every directions, so that he could hardly walk. Da’an sat with relief in his chair with the help of a Volunteer, he allowed himself to rest a second, eyes closed, then had an energy stream appear in front of his chair, revealing the most recently given informations.
Seeing his shocked look, Mit’gai climbed for stand just beside Da’an, as himself did with Zo’or on the bridge. "What is it Da’an?"
Da’an turned dark eyes on him. "We have lost any contacts with the mothership. And the humans’ scanners detected an enormous ship that is approching of this planet."
"The Kimeras?"
"It is more than possible. And if we have no more contacts with the mothership, it may has been destroyed, or worse…" They both knew what happened to the unfortunates who were prisonners and interrogated by the Kimeras.
Agitation was now filling the whole room. The members of the Embassy staff were nervous, more than visibly, and the tension and the fear could be perceived easily even by the Humans. Da’an took a long breath and, grasping the arms of his chair for not collapse, he raised and lifted up a hand, asking for silence and calm.
Mit’gai had always been impressed by this capacity of Da’an’s to be able of calming and soothing the nervous minds by the only power of one gesture or one word. Himself felt the calm that emanated from Da’an’s person litterally. Even injured of weakened, he was perfectly able to control the peoples and their minds. Before ten seconds passed, all Volunteers had turned the head toward him and ceased speaking, their attention caught by this calm being.
When Da’an spoke, the silence was already floating all over in the room. Only some rare murmurs could be heard. "I am asking you to calm. The situation is alarming but it is not a reason for make it harder." He turned toward a young Volunteer with short blond hair that was nervously moving on his feet. "Lieutnant Markov, contact all the others Embassies and see how many Taelons are stil on Earth. Then ask them to contact me as soon as they are able to do it." While the young man gathered a part of his fellow implants with him for execute the orders that Da’an had just give him, the Taelons turned to the others young Humans that were listening, trying to hide their anxiety. "The invadors are very dangerous and probably well-armed. It is not impossible that we will soon have to fight for our lives and sakes. We are not certain about their intentions, but a Human saying I have often heard tells that we are never too careful." He fell back in his seat with a long sigh and lost his Human facade during a long moment, tired by the energy loss he was suffering of.
Mit’gai was now behind him. The taelon healer slid a cool hand on Da’an’s shoulder, the diplomat knew that his body temperature was much too high as he felt Mit’gai’s hand as ice on him. Just with that contact the scientist sensed how great was Da’an’s weakness. From the Companinon’s shoulder, it slid down the lenght of his torso until it reached the center of his chest. The shakarava inside Mit’gai’s hand lit up during a short moment, sending energy in Da’an’s tired body. He sensed the sleeping organ become hot against his suit, giving him the energy he desperatly needed at the moment. He smiled and sighed, mentally sending to the healer his thanks for the compassion that Mit’gai so rarely showed. His friend gave Da’an’s hand a little squeeze before lowering the head for say, "I return in the medical bay. If they are Kimera, as you think, we will soon have many wounded to take care of," he murmured in his ear, in their natal language, Eunoia. Da’an nodded and stared as the healer disapeared in the corridors of the Embassy.
The blue particles of the energy stream appeared in front of Da’an, showing the reddish face of the President Thompson. The president seemed furious beyond words and did not even deign return the respectful bow with which Da’an saluted him. The Taelon could perceive the nervousness, the frustration and the fear of this Human even just by energy stream contact. "President Thompson, I regret but I have no time to give you for the-…" he began, just for being interrupted by his interlocutor.
"Do not start with your sweet talk Da’an!" he exclamed. The Taelon lost his human disguise, never he had been spoken to like that, even not Zo’or had had this kind of behavior toward him.
"I fear that I do not understand the meaning of your anger Mr. President," he responded the most calmly he could, trying hard to not lose his temper.
"You knew very well what is the cause of my anger Da’an! But as you seem to be playing your little ignorance game, then let me enlighten your mind: there’s a ship as big as our moon in orbit around our planet, and that we are not able to communicate with. We have no ideas of what could be their identity or what they want. Who are they? Taelons? Jaridians? What is it Da’an, a war declaration?"
"Have you been able to communicate with the taelon mothership Thompson?" asked Da’an, avoiding deliberatly the question that had been previously asked.
Thompson managed to regain his cold blood. "No. I intented to speak of that with Zo’or, but the communications are inoperative."
Da’an nodded and continued, "If you are able to come at the Washington Embassy immediatly I shall give you all informations that I possess at this point of the situation." This said, without waiting for the President’s reply, he cut the line and turned back to the energy stream on the other side of his chair.
Some minutes later only, the straight pace of Thompson’s shoes sounding vividly on the floor was heard and he entered the room, followed by his bodyguards and Joshua Doors as well. Da’an mentally noted the distrust that the President had in him as usually he came at the Embassy escorted only by a Volunteer. It was the moment which the Lieutnant Markov chose for enter in the room, ready to give Da’an his report. He ignored the fact that the United States President was in the room and about to have a talk with the Companion and walked over to Da’an, saluted him before reporting: "The half of the Companions that are assigned to Earth are currently on the planet Sir, I transferred to you the complete list of their name and locations." Brief look of Da’an to his energy stream. "All the Taelons Embassies on the planet are in the maximal alert. All the other taelon scientist are in sufficient security for the moment. The Compainons to India, Russia and United Kingdom are travelling to the Embassy right now." Da’an thanked him and returned him to his work with a graceful move of his hand, for, after, turn back his attention to President Thompson who was still waiting to be acknowledged at the other end of the room.
He slowly and carefully climbed down from his chair and walked toward the Human. "President Thompson, you had asked to be filled in the informations we had about the current situation," said Da’an, tracing complex signs in the air with his left hand.
"I want to know if Humanity is at war," he replied, dryly, his hand turning into fist as he spoke.
Da’an lost his human appearance during some long seconds and approached the man. "I fear that the answer to your question is yes," he murmured finally.
The young voice of Joshua Doors entered in their talking. Da’an gave him all his attention, since he liked much better to discuss with him than to argue endlessly with Thompson. "What we want to know Da’an is if the Taelons are our ennemies," he said, approaching the Companion.
Da’an turned slightly the head on the side and, responding to the graceful gesture he did in the air, an image, floating in the soft energy partciles, appeared. It was simply a view of the sky, the space in fact, and in the middles of the image a great part of the stars had… vanished, without better terms, they were occulted by something, an enormous mass if they judged by the number of stars that were missing. "It is all what our scanners have detected for the moment. We have lost all contacts with the mothership since a hour. We do not even know if the mothership is still orbiting Earth," declared Da’an, coldly.
Joshua walked toward the Taelon until they were side by side, staring wordlessly at the image. "And whom exactly are these invadors Da’an?" he asked, looking doubtful that if they were the ennemies of the Taelons, they were not ennemies of the Humans. "Jaridians?" he continued, as Da’an avoided his eyes.
"No, even the Jaridians do not possess this kind of technology," whispered Da’an.
"Then who?" questionned Thompson from the other end of the room, where he was still waiting.
Da’an seemed to hesitate, the informations the Humans asked for was confidential and accessible only to the high rakned Synod members. "I believe that you both recall Ha’gel?" he said finally, turning a stare of an exquisite coldness on the young Doors.
"The Taelon criminal that have killed Boone?" Da’an blushed and nodded.
Da’an paced on the ramp where he was. "Hundred of millenias ago, our race met a pacifist people named the Kimeras. They were, at this moment, much more evolved than us. Their technology was mostly based on the power of the mind. They were the ones that gave us our powerful psychic powers, as well as creating the Commonality, as now knwon. We were engaged in a terrible war against the jaridians, they helped us to win. But then, their intentions changed abruptly. They tried to assimilate us into their own race, for be more powerful. We have discovered what they planned to do, we have fought against them and we have destroyed them. But I fear that now, they are returning…" finished Da’an, in a murmur.
Joshua Doors advances, "Then if they are your ennemies, what do they want from Humanity?"
Da’an slowly raised his head for meet his interlocutor’s wide eyes. "If I knew that, then I would not have asked you to come-…"
He was interrupted by the alarmed scream of a Volunteer. "Sir, there is something very odd with the ship," he exclamed. All the eyes turned for stare attentively at the screen where had been the image of the stars occulted by this massive mass of the ship, where were now datas rolling before their eyes. "There is an abnormal accumulation of energy in the ship. It’s weak, but it’s there," continued the Volunteer, his pale blue eyes looking fixingly terrified at the screen.
Da’an was nervously typing his fingertips against the edge of a table made of the same purple material than all the other taelon furniture. "Is the energy frequency enough high to be the signal of an interdimentional portal?" he asked suddenly, seeming to come back from his thoughtful mood.
"Possible…" murmured the young man, grinning his teeth. "I isolate the energy frequency," he continued, seeing the curious look on the Thompson and Doors face. "With a little luck, we’ll be able to tell where they want to land."
Mit’gai, that nobody had seen enter, appeared at Da’an’s side. "You think they are attacking so soon?" he questionned the diplomat.
"No. As you said, it is too soon still. First they will weaken our forces and after they will send their troops," answered Da’an, even not turning his eyes away from the energy stream.
"What’s happening?" exclamed the President. Da’an, who started to look quite bored by the Human’s interruptions, did not bother to answer to the furious exclamation and continued to simply stare at the stream, moving continuously his fingers in little circle.
"Sir," the Volunteer turned toward the Companion, "The frequencies I have isolated show that they are coming here." Da’an’s eyes widened in fear and surprise. His face became more severe, and with a move of his hand he ordored to the Embassy to cover itself with shields, ignoring the anger of Thompson and Doors some steps behind.
"How do you dare hold us prisonner here Da’an?" said Doors, finally regaining his calm.
"Believe me Mr. Doors, for the moment, this Embassy is the safest place on Earth where you could wish to be," the alien whispered. All Volunteers slid their hands until it reached the weapons they were carrying on the left hip, as a heavy silence fell on the room.
Mit’gai approached him. "It is futile Da’an." Da’an tilted lightly the head on one side, just for that the healer could see the look in his eyes. "And you know it," realized Mit’gai.
The Companion nodded before return in his thoughts, all his aching body tensed, waiting for the shock that could happen at any seconds. The tension was higher and higher in the room, somewhere, someone let something fall on the ground with a flat noise.
A cry was heard, "The shields are weakening Sir. Their interdimentional rays pass trough our energy shields," exclamed the Volunteer. Da’an lost his Human facade and closed slowly his eyes, he could sense his legs tremble under him. His energy level was low and would inevitably go lower with the time passing.
He could sense a panic fear that started to grow in the young Volunteers’s minds, this fear was the exactly same that himself felt running in all pathways of his body, controlling all his moves and feelings.
He slowly turned the head for stare at his right, his attention caught by a murmur. He saw, horrified, the young woman that who only some meters away from him, she was crying, a long, single tear was rolling down her white cheek, her eyes reminded Da’an of the ones of a scared animal.
Interrupting the dizzying thoughts that were travelling in every minds, a bright emerald light filled the whole room, blinding the sight of everyone inside. Da’an finally opened his eyes, after many seconds of hesitations, not very sure of what he would find in front of him and even less of how many seconds would he stay alive after opening them. Forms that looked vaguely humanoid were beginning to materialize in the approximate center of the room. Not more than about ten of them.
The light that prevented them to see their visitors well enough disapeared and let the Humans and Taelons contemplate the aliens. They were twelve. Their leader, or at least the most high ranked, was placed in the center of the circle they were forming, surrounded on all sides by his guard. Strangly, there was no signs of any interdimentional portal nearby.
Da’an had not seen Kimeras in so long that he had almost forgotten what kind of power emanated form these beings. The shakarava was already pulsing in their palms, raedy to fire. Despite all they had all the same arm, a long sabre that apparently indicated the rank since the one in the middle had a sword, for not a better term, that was about one meter long. The Volunteers were already in less number than the assaillants and anyway the general state of chock, that even the implants could not hide, would not have allowed them to win if there would be a battle.
Da’an supressed the shiver that travelled in his spine when the circle broke for let the Kimera pass. This one walked toward the armchair of the American Companion in a deliberatly slow and steady pace. His little game was not fruitless if Da’an judged by the confuzed and almost panicked thoughts that he perceived from Mit’gai through the Commonality links. But more he looked at the being in front of him, and more he remembered. Da’an recalled to have seen this person, a long time ago, a very long time ago, but the souvenir was still present in his memory.
But the fact that the Kimera was becoming more and more curious about him was obvious now. He passed in front of Thompson and Doors without even looking at them, continuing toward Da’an. During a moment, the Taelon felt so drained, both by the terrible fear that floated in the room and by all the energy he had lost, that he resumed his human disguise for a moment, revealing by that gesture who he truly was under the Companion mask.
To everyone’s surprise, a small smile curled the alien’s lips, as he realized that the one he was sarching for was just in front of him.
XX ˆ The prisonners
Mazorha turned her back to the gathering of people in the center of the bridge that tried vainly to give the ship some power, for at least attempt to defense themselves when the time would come to fight. But she knew how so well that their efforts would be futile. Why waste their strenght in fighting against the truth? The Kimeras were superiors, both on the technological and on the evolutive plan, to the Taelons; and ven more compared to the Jaridians or Humans. They could not get any defense that would stop them. And the idea that the Kimeras could maybe show some mercy toward them did not even appear one second in her mind, not after all they had done to them.
An ironic smile curled her lips. Why fight? She was really the person to ask this question? She, who had fought during her whole life for survival, who had fought since she was born against the acceptation of the fact that her species was dying, that she was sterile, that if there was a responsible for their extinction to be, it would be she, that she had deceived all their hopes. Life was nothing but a series of deceptions each ones more bitter than the other before. It was like that she had always lived and it would be like that she would die in the following hours. A violent shiver made her tremble. No, not in the following hours, in the following days. They would force her agony to last, as long as possible, they had way to do that. She would be tortured, she was the most highest Synod member, the one who knew everything about the Taelon race, the one who kept all the secrets they might want to know, all the secrets of the Commonality. She did not dare to think what kind of manner they would employ for have her tell them all they wished to know.
Zo'or sensed the effect of the tranquillizer acheive to dissipate from her system. And Mit'gai was at the Embassy with Da'an. But what kind of importance did it hold? She would die. The only difference was that now the Kimeras would choose the moment of her death, not herself. She would die as a defeated. She would have survived long enough only for assist to the most ashaming end.
Hesitants steps sounded on the floor, some meters behind her. She turned slowly, knowing that her body would not stand any quick moves anymore. Liam Kincaid was there, nervously rubbing the center of his left hand with his fingers, something she had often remarked with him. He seemed to be waiting for something to be done or to be said, but seeing that she would not speak in first, he took another step toward her. "It cannot end that way," he whispered simply, his voice usually calm and assured was now sounding vaguely saddened, nervous a little maybe.
Mazorha did not even raise the head for look at him, her eyes fixed something beyond him, through the virtual glass in the space. "But it will," she answered, her tone so weak that it was almost covered by the murmurs in the room.
They were in a very dark corner of the bridge, it would have been the same even if the ship power were at its full functionning. All what Liam could distinguish of Zo'or was her silhouette shaped in the stars. He saw her profile, and for the first time, he remarked how her form was fine and fragile, how her hands were long and delicates, how their moving, which you could believe was perpetual, was graceful and fluid, drawing in the air signs that he would never understand. But her features showed a resignation and a fatality that he had seen only once with Zo'or — but that he had felt more than one time with Mazorha — when their shuttle had crashed in the wilderness. The Taelon had allowed him to see this fatalist part of herself for the first time. Perhaps it was since this time that he had started to see the little details that made of Zo'or someone with a wonderfully complex personality. And dark secrets and moments as well.
Liel approached her in quiet steps and stroked the back of her hands with his fingertips, just engouh for stop her musings, for tell her of his presence still. "Don‚t be so fatalist, if there's life, than there's hope. Hundred of people are ready to fight with their lives on this ship. We'll not surrender without fighting."
Mazorha turned completly to him. "What are you hoping? That the Kimeras will have mercy for us? If this is so, then you are better disillusion. We have destroyed them. They have the perfect occasion of doing the same and they shall not miss that chance," she said, locking eyes with him. She turned the eyes away again, not wanting to face the blind hope she knew was burning in his geen eyes. "And Humanity will not pass through their rage if you are not very careful," she added in a sigh, her eyes still keeping carefully away from his.
Liam felt something hurt him from inside his chest. Then this was what Augur spoke of when he talked about having the hurt broken perhaps. He sensed a lump forming in his throat. So much fatality, especially from a being proud like Zo'or had the habits to be, was somewhat shocking, scaring. What kind of enemies the Kimeras were for the Taelons, if even Zo'or feared them so much? But totally opposed feelings began to rise up in his mind. The Kimeras were not disapeared. It was for him the only chance to find this family that he had never really had, to know the ones that would maybe accept to help Humans. He could not believe that all of this was false.
Mazorha broke the contact between their hands and backed away from him. Liel made these steps that separated them. The young man lifted one hand up slowly. He knew that the Taelons was seeing him do, and was surprised that she actually did nothing for stop his gesture. His fingers slid under her chin, and he tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him in the eyes. She did not resist and let him do. Liam's other hand slid down the lenght of her arm for stroke than take her slender hand in his. To much of his surprise, the Taelon's white fingers tightened around his owns, returning the caress. He smiled when he remembered how all of this had begun. Behind a wall, when they knew not who each other was and they spoke of all and nothing, when they both ignored that this first touch would change their two lives in the most astonishing manner. "I know you since a so short time. It's certainly not for let you go now," he murmured, the most calmly he could. He heard that the whole staff on the bridge started to get less agitated, the calm before the storm. The stares would not stay away from them for much more time then.
Mazorha seemed somewhat surrpised by the risk he took in speaking that way to her in this place, and her human facade disapeared slightly, showing her energy paterns. Despite all, the tone was respectful still, there was something familiar in it, but too something so respectful, almost princely. "I would like it to be so simple," she responded, still not daring to free herself from his soft grip on her cheek. She raised her other free hand and let it slide longly on his cheek, permiting herself the pleasure to enjoy the contact of his soft and young skin on her fingers, knowing that it was the last time they would see each other. She surprised herself even more by returning the familiarity he had previously used with her, "You know me since a so short time, indeed. Then how can you pretend-" Liel did not let her finish.
"I've felt for no one, ever in my life, what I feel for you. I don't care who you are, or who you seem to be. We share a link now and never I shall forget it, Mazorha," he said. They were close enough so that he almost whispered that in her ear.
Somewhere, a Volunteer said that the scanners were perceiving an abnormal interdimentional activity near to the enemy ship and that the ID rays, a portal or whatever kind of transport it was, were directed precisely on the bridge of the ship. Zo'or exchanged a long lasting look with Liam and made a move for go with the group that had formed around the Volunteer. She sensed the usual sharp pain catching her in the abdomen and, totally overhelmed by the sensation, she lost her human disguise during many seconds. When she was able to get back the control of her mind, replacing the irrational fear and anger by her always logic reasonning, she found Liel's eyes staring at her, the desire and eager illuminating them.
Mazorha stopped all moves and raised her gaze for meet Liel's intense one. For nothing in the world she wanted to break what would possibly be their last time together.
Liam was not daring to kiss her, even if the desire of doing it was not missing, but Sandoval was only a couple of meters away, just a gesture out of normality and it would catch his attention instantly. He simply looked down at this being in front of him, only some inches away from his love. This being, this person he loved. He had seen through the mask. He had known how pass through the mask, he had found the reason for which Zo'or was acting and hiding herself under a shell of coldness as she did. And he knew how very well that Mazorha felt the same for him. Even if Zo'or would never admit it, he thought with a slight smile.
Neither of them remarked the emerald lightning that flashed in the room, blinding everyone for a moment. For them, nothing else existed in the world. Zo'or lifted a hand more than hesitant and pulled back some hair that fell on the young hybrid's forehead. Liel did not care of who could see them, of what could happen after, of what would happen to him. Right now, no one and nothing seemed more worthy of his attention than Mazorha. It was the first time they could see each others without anything for hide, without a wall to separate them, without masks to hide their faces.
Shapes started to appear in the room and all Volunteers on the bridge slid their hands down to their guns. If Liam and Zo'or had deigned pay any attention to it, they would have seen that the Taelons in the room seemed all in a state that came very close to a panic fear. The highest security was on and now all the doors that allowed people out of the bridge were closed, cealed. And they would be until the energy level would not have returned in the normal power. The silhouettes that appeared were placed in a circle, some of them occupied the central position, the highest ranked for sure. The emerald light was now slowly beginning to decrease its intensity.
Liam briefly turned his stare away from his beloved for look at the scene before his eyes, but despite the gravity of the current situation, his gaze came back toward Mazorha. The Taelon seemed to decide of something and advanced, closer to Liam. Their chests were nearly touching now. She caught his fingers and Liel gripped her small hand possessively in his. Mazorha felt an odd, but not unpleasant, warmth run in her whole body, starting in her hands then travelling through her arms and back in a way that made her shiver. She avoided even more than she already did the other members of the Commonality, they started to ask too much questions.
She stepped forward again, moving even closer to the humain who stood before her. They were so close that she could sense his hot breath on her cheeks. Their hands were still thightly linked, she could easily perceive his anxiety and his surprise as well. He did not believe that she was able to put the mask aside in such a way to commit this action. Mazorha simply moved of an inch forward. Their lips stroked each other‚s, Liel half-closed his eyes and avidly pressed his lips to hers. Hiw lips were warm, she could sense the blood and its soft little beats against her, now hyper-sensitive, skin.
Zo'or backed slowly. She had expected the feeling of intense deception that came to her through her link with Liam, she knew how important were such physical touches for the Humans, exactly how important were the psychics sharing for her kind. In the move, she longly rubbed her cheek against his and lost her human facade in the whole process. A shiver — she was not very sure if it was in pleasure or in anxiety or a mix of both — ran up her spine and in her neck until it reached her cheeks, and she sensed she was blushing a bright purple-pink color. She then accepted to be surrounded in his arms, and pressed her face against his shoulder, covered by the soft material of the shirt he wore.
The contact between their hands had been broken for an instant but Mazorha did not wait and clasped his hands in hers tightly. Liam needed a moment to realize what she was doing, then he sensed the gates of her mind open slowly. If he had wanted to, he could have entered since a long time, she was in a too weak state to oppose an mental defense to him and she would not have been able to hide anything from him. But he let her guide him. He tasted her sadness of all moments, her hatred, her despair, her pain. It was the first time ever that Liam saw a life completly joyless, colorless. He now understood why the choice of this mask had seemed natural to Mazorha. Never Zo'or had felt joy, never she had gone through the wonders that fill the life of a normal person. Zo'or was all Mazorha had been since the beginning of the Ka'atham's pains. There was still some souvenirs before that, but it was so vague, so hazy. One brief images, sounds that held no meanings. She had needed to give so much for be able to hide her pain, her memories, her mind strenght, the joy of living her childhood like all other taelon children had done. The first things that were clear were the violent talking she had had with Da'an, right after the exceptionally long time she had spent in the medical area. Da'an had found her so changed, she had answered that she had changed, that she had needed to change, and that she was not anymore under his guard. She had turned on her heels and they had not met before the mission on Earth, about three thousands of hah'ek later.
Liam felt distinctly Mazorha's fear, anger and sadness when he stroked those memories of her childhood with his own mind, memories that it was still very hard for her to live again. But she wanted him to see all, all of it, all of her, she wanted him to know all about her, before her death. She would be able to know if someone, if only one person could accept her, accept her as she was, accept all of her, her pain, her anger, her sadness, her hatred for so many things, and especially this shell, this hard shell she was surrounded by now. Zo'or. She had showed this to no one before, to no Taelons, none, only Liel had seen it all.
A certain heat was rapidly growing between them and a white aura was now brightening the space around them, showing the deepness and the intensity of their sharing. The emerald light that filled the whole room, fortunatly masked their exchange and caught everyone's attention in the same move.
The exchange — it was the closest term that could be found, but in this experience Mazorha had only given and had received nothing — had not last more than ten seconds, perhaps. Liam opened his eyes and discovered Zo'or, half conscious in his arms, theirs hands were holding so tightly together that he could sense the Taelon‚s nails and fingers dig in his palms. His cheek was resting against Mazorha's. He felt the tickling provacted by the proximity of her energy that warmed his face. He rubbed her cheek against hers and trailed small kisses over her neck and cheek in the move, bringing her fully conscious again. He had not remarked that she had lost her human appearance.
But the emerald glow started to vanish, letting its place to forms, now reals, not only silhouettes, materializing in the center of the room, in a circle. They seemed to be about thirty, Kimeras without doubts. The only sight of these beings had made everyone in the room freeze, like they had seen the Devil itself.
Liel tilted slightly his head on one side, catching up with the scene on the bridge. He looked down at Mazorha. They were still embracing and holding to each other. She stared at him and realized in what kind of risk they were now putting themselves into if Sandoval saw them like that. Kincaid stepped back making the space between them being just enough large for that it was orthodox and worthy of the respect he, as a simple Humans and subordinate, needed to give to the Taelon. Mazorha made the same move, but never theirs hands broke contact. She, too, seemed fascinated by these beings who, even compared to the Taelons, looked powerful, supernaturals. Superiors.
There is no need to say that Liam was totally captivated by the scene. He was not forgetting what they would probably do to the Taelons, in general, and to Mazorha, in particular. But the fact subsisted that it was the first time since his birth that he met people who were alike him, part of the same people than him, people who could understand him, like never a Taelon, a Human or anything else had understood him during his whole existence. It was a possiblity he had never dreamed of even in his most crazy hopes! He forced himself to stay calm and to reprimate the idea of running toward them, arms open. It was very possible that the intentions of these people were not what they wanted them to believe, as the Taelons had done so many times in the past. He had not forgotten the words that Mazorha had said only a few minutes ago, that Earth would probably be destroyed with all the Humans that lived on it. Zo'or could have lied, but Liam had felt the tone vaguely afraid in her voice when she had pronounced this as an affirmation. He kept watching at the moment, not wishing to take any risks.
They showed a kind of aristocratic, defined beauty. Theirs features were extremely fines and, while being differents, were never beautyless, even if spoken with human criterions. They wore no more Human looking masks — like most of the Taelons in the room still did despite the enormous shock and fear they were affected by — and they appeared to everyone in the room in their real translucent and crystal-looking forms. But their bodies were different than the Taelons‚ by the shape. They seemed stronger, while still being surprisingly thin, more powerful and less fragile. Their hands were doing no motions in the air, like the Companions had use to do, but stayed right an tight at their sides. They were forming a perfect circle surounding three highest officers in the middle of it, protected from all sides. They were already in a defensive position before materializing on the bridge's floor: placed in such a way that permitted them to turn their backs always to one of their companions, their legs tensed and a strange weapon, that reminded the few Humans present of a sword or a saber, pointed toward the exterior, in this case the people in the room, parallel to the ground. This sword, for no better term, appeared to be made of silver or iron, polished. The hilt was finely decorated and each soldier seemed sufficiently at ease with his arm. Its lenght was perhaps indicating some kind of hierarchy since the ones in the middles of the guards were having an excessively long sword that went from the waist to the shin. The ones of the others officers were somewhat shorter, but apparently, some inches could make the difference. But they did not look less dangerous.
Liel remembered this kind of arm, by the memories of his father Ha'gel. Skilfully handled, the wound it caused could be of a precision and a fearsome effectiveness. He turned the head toward Mazorha, despite herself impressed by the arrival of those enemies. He perceived easily the terror that emanated from her and filled the link she had formed with his mind. She did not even seem to see him. He looked on the other side of the bridge, a small group of young Volunteers were knelt beside one of their friends, gravely injured during the first attack. They were all pales like dead, the face covered of cold sweats and the hands desperatly shaking. Liam did not look at the other Taelons, but he knew already that the look on their face would be quite a perfect copy of Zo'or's.
Their hands were still clasped together. Mazorha was holding on him in an almost desperate looking way. Sandoval was well too occupied in trying to regain his composure for pay any attention to them anyway, as well as anybody else on the bridge right now. Everyone in the room, Taelons or Humans, felt their alien power. Some Taelons managed to recall it, but it had been so long ago. All the eyes were fixed on them, the feelings that Liam could sense in the room were a singular mix of fear and wonder, exactly like the reaction of the Humans at the first contact with the Taelons, years ago. Sandoval's moves were hesitants like Liel had never seen before, evidence that even him was still under the shock.
Himself needed to remind often that the only wise thing to do now was to keep an open mind and do not make any opinions before knowing what they wanted and what they were doing here. The seconds were slowly flowing. Never the time had seemed so long to him. Suddenly the circle broke, in a common move and without any order being heard or given. Instant mental comunication for sure, like the Taelons‚ Commonality but pushed at a deeper use. The circle moved and changed in an oval every soldier still perfectly protected. Then an officer in the center moved from his original place to one extremity of the ovoid guard.
His clear voice sounded in all the rooom where no one dared move one finger fearing to break the fragile balance that reigned there. All the Volunteers and implants in the room understood Eunoia and Liam knew enough of the language for be able to interpret it. "We are Kimeras. The Taelons thought they had destroyed all the reminder of our race. But today, we are here." He was visibly adressing the Humans and kept ignoring the Taelons. "All the members of this ship's crew are now taken to our mothership." Some worried murmurs ran in the Volunteers ranks. "You will all be interrogated for your knowledge in Taelon technology, then we shall free the ones who prefer so. But we will kill anybody who tries to resist us." At least, it was well-defined. Liam had still dificulties to understand why they were here. But another interrogation was rising up in his mind. How a race, that he remembered from Ha'gel's memories, being peaceful and diplomat, had managed to evolve toward this kind of mercyless warriors? Maybe the Taelons treatments, but he kept doubting. He would need to know very soon what was that all about, if he stayed alive sufficiently long for do so, evidently.
The Humans were still exchanging puzzled looks with their fellows. Should they believe those aliens, came from nowhere, claiming to be enemies of the people they had been programmed for serve? Or should they stay loyal to their imperative and accept to die for the Taelons? A thing appeared surprising to Liam: no Taelon said a word, even not daring to say something for defend themselves in the debate. He had never seen them looking so terrified by something. The Jaridians were somewhat scaring for some Taelons, but most of them were simply angry at them. But that he had never seen.
The Kimera was slowly circling the room with his eyes, waiting for the reactions to his offer. At the other end of the room, Sandoval raised his skrilled-arm the most softly he could, since the thing he wanted the least to get was attention, turned his hand into a tight fist and ready himself to fire at the Kimera enemy that was partly non-protected by his guard from his angle. The blast had already been fired before on of the armed soldier walked toward him, his sword lifted. Never the energy ball would touch the alien who had spoken. This one raised his hand in a motion that seemed so simple and effortless. His shakarava briefly lit up the center of his palm then it stopped the burning energy sent by the skrill without making any damage to the target or even less weaken him. With a quick movement, he returned the blast toward its sender and missed his own target of only some inches when Sandoval jumped on the side for avoid it. The blast went in the purple wall and made a huge hole in it which fastly closed when the taelon material reformed itself.
The guard that had first reacted to the implant's attack walked slowly toward this one, waiting perhaps for an order of his chief before commiting the decisive action. Sandoval took this time for quickly jump to his feet. The officer simply stared coldly at the man who had pitifully tried to kill him. As the soldier raised his saber in the air, the words everyone was waiting for came in a sharp order. "Lockell ordered that there was to be no injured," he said then. The Kimera nodded and letting an astonished Sandoval standing there, he returned at his palce in the circle that had taken back its primary form.
The high ranked officer spoke again, from the inside of the protective circle this time. "I have my orders to get back with us the leader of the Taelons. I know he is there, I sense his presence. Who is he?" he asked dryly.
Zo'or sadly undid Liam's grip on her hand, sending him a last thought of comfort while doing so.
The Kimera continued. "I strongly suggest you to obey and to show up now. Hiding him is of no use," he added, adressing the Taelons in general this time, and not specifically the leader. "Anyway all of you will deserve the same end." Even those words were of no use against the Taelons‚ silence. All of them, Synod members of not, were simply quiet, their eyes staring fixingly at their feet, wishing not to betray their leader even just by a look. Liel had to say that despite their faults, no one could say that the Taelons had no loyalty.
"I planned to use this only in the last moment but you force me to," said the officer again. Two soldiers left the circle and advanced toward a Taelon that was placed in front of a nearby console. Each of them took one of his arms in theirs hands. The Taelon was so much terrified that he coimpletly forgot his human form and returned to his natural appearance. An horrified look passed in Liam's eyes, never he had seen a Taelon fight so hard against something like this one was fighting against the Kimeras‚ grip on him. He could sense Zo'or's disgust at the view as he could feel his own, without the need to be in physical contact with the Taelon.
The Kimera officer stepped out of the circle and approached slowly the terrified Taelon. He placed a hand were the light of the shakarava was visible on the Taelon's temple. The reaction was not long to come. The two guards still needed to hold the Taelon that fought furiously against this pain that was inflicted to him, but Liel could see that he was becoming weaker and weaker the time passing. A mental fight, thought Liam. The Kimera attempted to pass through the shields of his victim's mind for enter it and take himself the information he needed to know. It seemed to be of no harm for the agressor while the Taelon was now screaming and twisting in pain under his hands. The guards did not have to hold him now, the Taelon had collapsed on his knees and tried vainly to resist the invasion of this alien mind in his own.
Mazorha was trembling too. It was always hard to feel one of their fellows leave the Commonality, but seeing one of them being tortured under her eyes was more than what she could stand. She shook her head. All the other Taelons in the room were in a kind of state of deep shock and a general feeling of terror filled the room. She could not avoid it now. She turned her head for meet Liel's gaze, a last time, and stepped toward the Kimera officer, still pressing on the Taelon‚s mind with his shakarava in the center of the room.
Never before this simple action had seemed so complex to do, and so long especially. "Stop." She wondered then, when everyone turned toward her, how the words had had enough strength for exit her throat. She felt herself quicker from the inside. But she should not show, at all cost she needed to hide it.
The Kimera released the Taelon who collapsed on the ground with a oong moaning. Liam could see that he was extremely suffering. The alien tried to get up but only managed to lift his head some inches off the purple floor. All the Commonality was pressing around him, trying to offer him their love and comfort, but it was not sufficient. His body started to become translucent, more than it was normal for a Taelon to be and soon his energy was swirling into the air, then finally disapeared. All Taelons on the bridge that still wore their human facade lost the control of it and many of them half collapsed, under this passage of an extreme violence they had not known since so much millenias.
Zo'or had never ceased to fix the Kimera that had approached only some inches away from her. "This was cruel, I admit. But it was necessary," said the stranger, a small wild smile forming on his lips.
Mazorha did the most she was able of for make her voice get some dignity, even if the thing she wished more in the world to do now was to turn around and to run as far away as possible from this being. "You will not be forced to exerce it again. I am the Synod leader," she said, locking her blue eyes in his vivid green ones.
The Kimera scanned Zo'or's form in a so suggestive manner that the Taelon turned her fine hands into small fists. For the first time in her life she was in the inferior position. She used to detail people that way when she had them brough before her. "You look very young," he said finally. He had well remarked how she appeared more thin and stronger than the other, but especially he had seen the unusual color of her energy paterns. In only response, she fixed on him a stare in which she put all the disdain and coldness she was able to find in herself.
The Kimera officer took his sword out of its sheath and slid the edge of it slowly down Zo'or's cheek for then place it on her neck. She closed her eyes when she sensed the pain that caused this blade against her skin. And then she understood that their swords were surrounded by an energy field that made them arms immensly dangerous for the Taelons as well as for the Humans. "I prefer to warn you that I received orders to not attempt against your life. For the moment. But another lack of respect of this kind and I will feel obligated to disobey to these orders," he murmured in a so low voice that only Zo'or heard him. She could do nothing but release the long breath she was holding and lower the eyes submissively when he put the sword back in its place. He looked satisfied by this change in her attitude and forced her to follow him, not too kindly, toward the center of the circle.
Liam shivered when he saw the long sword slid down his beloved's neck. Everyone in the room was holding his breath. He did not hear the worsd that the Kimera said to Mazorha, but he saw her lower the head after. He was still not daring to make one move. He refused to have to build his opinion about the Kimeras by what he had just seen, but he could now not doubt that they were not a pacifist people anymore.
The officer conducted Mazorha in the middle of the guards. The same emerald light came back then all vanished, replaced by black. The last thing she had seen was Liel's eyes locked in hers.
Liam was blinded by the burning light that surrounded Zo'or and the Kimera. He had just the time to attempt to defend himself when one of the soldiers approached him. Touched in the chest by the shakarava blast, he had only conscience of his own falling on the ground, then he felt like being in the Void.
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TBC
