FFA Part 5 - Beyond Terra...

[silentWitness]

Flames From Ashes - Beyond Terra...

The night was still... if it could be called night... For can the eternal night of space be even half as romantic as night. I had always preferred to feel the earth beneath my feet... the irony of my statement hit me, for the past week I had not stood upon the Earth! The shuttle journey was interesting, a window into a different life... huge glittering orbitals hung in the sky as if waiting for someone to shoo them away like some naughty child, Eleanor watched me constantly the whole trip, she had been very kind to me, she was obviously suspicious, I I honestly couldn't blame her... Over twenty years ago she jumped into an unknown universe to be with her closest friend, Kyle Brennan. Now this stranger from Earth had just appeared without a ship or way to get back with some crazy story about waking up in a field!

The 'Argon' were supposedly decedents from the Fleet lead be Nathan R Gunne which explained why they spoke Japanese but their culture was completely different, my grandmother insisted I learn Japanese despite growing up in a Eurasian city where no one spoke a work of it! Of course it ended up being the best thing for me, ending up working as a translator at a tech conglomerate but I fought it all the way though school I'm glad I didn't switch to Hispanic when I was a teen! Not being able to talk to people would alienate me more than I already feel. Don't help I'm sitting on an empty transport ship my only companion, the rice from breakfast I'd bagged up for the trip, the unbearable silence a sea of empty seats, my own personal purgatory.

The Transport juddered as the docking clamps clicked into place, I was ushered through the embarkation arm and into the elevator, Miska smiled politely "Miss Kho will see you shortly, she is currently engaged in a private meeting" just as the elevator doors open a man in a green jump suit pushes me aside knocking me onto the cold hard deck, "Hwoon dahn!" I screamed after him but he was gone. Miska scowls at me as she picks me up, damn pirate, I'll never know what Eleanor had to hire him, even if he is the bosses son. "Eleanor's?" Miska laughs "Oh no! Brennan's special little boy. Rumour is they've never even met what with Brennan being in a coma and all" "WHAT!?!?" I must have looked like I was about to pass out as Miska held on to my arm tighter "Yes Brennan has been on life support since he got rescued from the Khaak." "Wait... Ok which of the aliens is that I know there's like a whole bunch and this treaty and... I'm sorry I'm still new to all this..." Miska looked a little confused "The Khaak are our enemies, they destroyed presidents end" "Oh" I knew I couldn't admit not knowing what that meant. "If you're up to it, Miss Kho will see you now" Miska didn't leave my side until I was firmly sat in Eleanor's office, she whispered something to Eleanor and then left.

Eleanor sighed, she was tired and was in no mood to deal with me, the comm. went remarkably silent, the lights dimmed and she turned away from me, I felt like I might not be here. Then she spoke "You know what's hardest... Earth seems to unimportant here yet here I am spending my life trying to get back somewhere I don't even know I belong anymore." Eleanor's office was filled with objects from all over known space, probably mundane to anyone else but they were exotic curiosities to me. I laugh at myself "You know... The furthest away I've ever been from Earth is the Tokia-City Orbital! I've never even been to the colonies and then suddenly I find myself here... Alone." Eleanor turned to look at me "and you say you have no idea how you got here?" "None" she smiles "Then it seems we're a pair of opposites...". We sat and talked for hours... Drinking a purple bottle, become more intoxicated as the hours passed it was a good distraction from the emotions inside us, we were surrounded by people but desperately lonely, prisoners of the expectations of others.

I stared up at the stars, I lay in space, a shadowy figure stood nearby with an umbrella shielded my eyes from a bright blue pulsar, a soft breeze blew away my fears and left me with a feeling of contentment. I felt the warm leather of the chaise beneath me as I awoke, there were no voices, not even my own... The dim lights of Eleanor's office lowly seeped back into my consciousness, she sat sleeping peacefully in a chair a furry blanket wrapped around her knees. As I stirred the lights slowly came up bringing a warm morning glow... Ah! Too bright! I closed my eyes as my hangover kicked in, a scantily clad woman suddenly walked through the door, "Mother? MOTHER!" Eleanor jerked "wha?" "Oh so no Hello Saya? Glad you're not dead Saya?" Eleanor rubbed the sleep from her face "What's happened?" "You know that simple mission for the Goner! Well it almost got me killed!!!" "OH" "The Yaki attacked and blow up the freight-loader I was driving, then Julian almost got himself killed when they attacked with these new missiles... I've been trying to contact you for hours but it seems you had better things to do than talk to your own daughter" "Have you met our new guest Niko?" Saya looked me up and down "Your new drinking partner?" "She's a Terran" Saya looked at me again this time with inquisitiveness "From Earth?" Eleanor laughed "Saya!" Eleanor turned to me and spoke in English "This is my daughter Saya, she's everything I was at her age... If not worse!" We laughed "She really is from Earth isn't she!" Saya turned to me "H-E-L-L-O M-Y N-A-M-E I-S S-A-Y-A..." Eleanor and I begin the laugh hysterically "Right! Figures she would speak perfect Argon!" "Japanese!" "Whatever! I'm going to meet Julian in Antigone Memorial" "Fly safe", with Saya gone Eleanor turned her attentions back to me "She has no idea why Earth is so important, how it will change everything. The reunification is coming..." I suddenly realised she was a dreamer too. "Oh! If only I had more time for you, but I'm sure Terracorp would self-destruct if I take too much more time off! The war on the Khaak has caused so many problems..." Eleanor tapped a few keys on her desk "Oh if Julian knew of this he'd go crazy! I have a little gift for you... It's not much but it will get you from A to B" "Umm... There's something you should know... I don't know how to fly!" "I thought as much... But if you're anything like me you'll want to do some exploring before too long." She hands me a little credit chip "Go down to the main concourse and explore, Argon culture is reasonably easy to interact with, those of the other four races are... Different in their ways. Terracorp should be a safe place to explore I've created a Terracorp advisory position so I can at least put up a pretense that you work for Terracorp and will inform security to look after you, it's the least I can do! After all you're practically family" I tried to say something poignant "Thank you... Don't know what to say" Eleanor smiled "With Brennan like he is I haven't talked with another Terran in some time. It was... Nice. If you're willing, it would be nice to have someone to go with next time I go down to see him" I smiled "Yes of course!"

And with that I was ejected back out into the domain of the Aliens, stepping out onto the main concourse was like stepping out into the unknown, yet some things were vaguely familiar, the skewered meats... The coffee-like broth.. I had been somewhere like this before... A station that had been destroyed or maybe was going to be destroyed. Suddenly I noticed a strange creature, it looked like a sea horse flowing quietly across the deck toward me. Tiny glowing mechanical orbs glowed brighter as they manipulated the stations gravity system to allowing the creature to move effortlessly... Almost angelically, its suited tentacles were busy at work but it noticed that I was staring all the same. I turned away embarrassed as it flowed on by. Suddenly I heard shouts "Gala Bou! Gala Bou!" I turned to see two children running up to the creature, "Ahh! The Younglings! Have you been practising with your instruments?" The children speak in chorus "Yeeess!" "OH then you will soon be ready for the concert! Good You deserve a treat!" The creature plucks two bight green fruit from a stand "Now run along home! Your father will be waiting for you!" "Thanks Gala Bou". As they left, I walked over to the stand, the fruit had a soft furry skin, it swished as I picked it up, a sticky syrup leaking from a small gash in the side "And one for you too young lady" I turned suddenly realising that Gala Bou was behind me "Hello?" "Hello!" While its tentacles were covered by a blackish material the rest of the suit was actually translucent, it's bluish skin seemed to shimmer slightly, a small box near it's neck verbalised the noise, a soft almost while-like moan it made. "What are you?" The moment it came out of my mouth I felt desperately embarrassed "I am a Boron, young lady. Am I to understand this is your first meeting with my kind?" "Yes" "Oh! Then this is a joyful occasion! May I ask where you are from?" "Oh from E... Somewhere far away!" The creature bubbled slightly, could that have been a smile? "Oh! A colonial from the new Territories I suspect, all must be new for you?" "Yes very, it's all so... Different from where I'm from" "yes that would be so! Enjoy your stay and the skwish fruit". The fruit was messy syrup got everywhere, but the sweet flesh was like a cross between peach, cheese and chocolate, it wasn't until afterwards did I notice that other people were eating them with something that resembled a long serrated spoon and had been watching me for some time. I did my best to wipe as much of the fruit off me and headed for my newly assigned quarters. I had been assigned a plush managerial suite, the open plan living area could have swallowed my apartment whole and still had room for extra furniture... It had taken a long shower to get all the syrup off me, in the wardrobe there were a few select outfits... The bed was comfortable... It wasn't home but for now it would do for now.

The shuttle ride had been long but Eleanor had kept me company with her stories of life in the X universe and of its many races and cultures. The reptilian Teladi, caught in a cycle of perpetual profit motive... The Split, proud warriors but ultimately slaves to their aggressive nature... The Paranid... isolationists... they had recently closed their borders fearful of the outside world and its influences. We touched down at a large hospital complex, the elevator took us to a private ward, the lights were dim, Brennan lay upright in a tube, he looked peaceful as if sleeping. "Sometimes I think he got the better deal... Lazy bastu!" We both laughed, even in a comer Kyle was quite the character. The lights flickered slightly, I could hear and siren coming form the hall way. "What's happening?" Eleanor walked over to panel "I can't get an outside signal" I looked around the room to see if anything I could do, suddenly there was another power spike, the lights flickered slightly. I moved to check that the pod was all right, Brennan's eyes flashed open, he stared right into me through my skin and into my mind, a screaming pain spread throughout my mind... Suddenly blackness, my hands were held in place, the pain was unbearable, I screamed out but it didn't help, I felt someone standing behind me, whispering in my ear, telling me to concentrate on its voice. For a moment all life was frozen, it stood with me in the darkness... I could feel its mind it spread to fill everything, it was the room, it was the ship beyond the room, the stars and planets beyond that, and I was part of it too... Part of everything. Now I was standing in space... The blue pulsar spread before me, the shadow creature stood beside me, it had no form but I knew it was there. This place was significant... Like the field... But this was something I had to find. I awoke, I lay on the floor a Eleanor was by my side looking concerned, a physician standing over me, my head felt like it was burning, "Are you all right? You seemed to have had some sort of fit... You and Brennan both..." "I saw... Something. I was shown something..." "Did you see Kyle? Where he went?" "What?" I looked across to the pod, it was empty. The Physician spoke with Eleanor from behind the thick plate glass, while they weren't arguing they certainly weren't getting along either. Eleanor walked in closing the door firmly behind her. "Niko... Umm... Well the Physician has checked you over and discovered something odd... Apparently your brain is over active.. He told me he's seeing high activity in parts of your brain that he never thought possible... The Argon's do not know about the Waking Dreams... It seems to be a unique Terran problem... With the Khaak's influence over Kyle they think you might be involved... I can't stop them coming for you but I have some contacts within Pirate space, they should be able to hide you for as long as we need." "Why would do this" "Because I know you... I don't know how, or from where but I do..."

As soon as we hit space Eleanor hit the jump drive we slipped into a wormhole and out into... Somewhere I had been before... The stars look familiar... We were surrounded by wreckage... Something bad had happened here... As we neared a station near the centre of the sector I suddenly remembered... "Get closer to that station". The circular station had been burnt out by plasma fires but I recognised its shape, "There!" Eleanor flicked on the landing lights eliminating the blackened hull, we slowly edged our way though a gash in the side entering the main concourse... A mass grave... So familiar for somewhere I had never been. As I stared out the forward window I saw the station come back to life before my eyes... People still walking about... I wiped my eyes and things were back to normal... No. No they weren't... Because I was standing there... In front of myself... Floating. I looked and me... And I looked back... Time had stopped... Or Eleanor was being very still... Not even breathing. I stepped out of the airlock... The space suit seemed very heavy and bulky... I was glad it was sealed... The magnetic clamps made a clanking noise as I walked... I was back on the station... Or had I never left? She smiled at me and beckoned me closer... Suddenly we stood in a field of flowers, open to space yet there was a breeze... My space suit was gone yet I could breathe freely... Her clothes were flowing black, her lipstick a soft red, she was angelic... "I knew you would come here... It is very important that we speak. While I cannot tell you the future I can tell you what you need to hear to make the right choices in the coming days. Trust yourself and your instincts always... You have the power to change outcomes but know that when the time comes you are not alone." "Can I ask you a question?" She smiled at me "You already know your answer" "Are you me?" She shook her head her hair and clothes taking on a shade of crimson red, softly shifting to purple then blue "I am many things... I am nothing... I am everything..." I opened my mouth to speak... "You know I cannot answer that... Only you can". She softly embraced me and with a kiss I awoke back in the shuttle... I must have fallen asleep.

[jackhanna88]

That's really, really good.

[cezarip]

I love it!
Could you please also link or post the other chapters? Beside chapter 4 I could not find any other...

[silentWitness]

The First Four parts:

Flames from ashes: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=81586

Day like any other: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=85680

Dawn: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=86009

An Awakening: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=91593