55(DSV Nautica) Past Demons
It was deep in the night, many were asleep, but their night was just starting. Flare and Aa'zac had slept a fair amount, and were now getting ready for the trip on foot to the sacred icon obelisk. The camp was quieter, but there was still much activity. Yellow globes and fires illuminated it as bright as day, even in the black night. This would be the moon tribes pinnacle, Aa'zac thought to himself, pulling his suit back on, the polymers molding to his figure until it finally sealed around his neck. Flare had taken a light nap, and he had intended to as well, but couldn't sleep. Thoughts plagued his mind, stuck in a recursive loop. Irony, considering those thoughts would be cleared by sleep.The silence was sweet. The earlier noises of the camp were a bit much to his ears, but now it was peaceful. Those that were up had business. The rest were 'sleeping'. More like meditating for an extended time.He hadn't noticed it before, but at the opposite end of the camp from the arc was a trail lit by small yellow globes, invisible in the day, but very bright in the night. Both of them began their small trek up toward the obelisk. They were not the only ones. Aa'zac was surprised by the number of people heading up along with them.
"Flare...why so many?" He communicated with her telepathically. The silence had a forbidden taste to it, as if speaking was not allowed."Night is when the sun is hidden from us, as such we strive to remain in contact with the sun. To be honest, this is perfectly normal." He sensed a kind of reverence emanating from her. Her head was slightly bowed, eyes on the trail ahead.Night air was all around them, cooling the entire valley with a gentle breeze, though it was odd. There was a kind of heat to it though. It was hard to explain. Actually, it seemed to be coming from the globes hovering along the path. He held his hand out toward one, and was surprised to feel a good amount of heat coming off the thing. As he grew closer, his skin started burning, causing him to pull back. He could only imagine what those things were actually made out of.
"Flare...are those....""Miniature stars? No. they are minute wormholes that lead to the systems sun. That is, quite literally, the sun you see in each of these globes. Including that one."She gestured up to the massive globe at the tip of the obelisk. They really went all out.He nodded in approval. They must have some kind of failsafe to prevent it from lighting the atmosphere on fire, among many other consequences.
They reached the base. The obelisk was even bigger than it had looked from a distance. It felt like it was an evening at the base. The warm glow from the wormhole was generating a warm breeze. There, at the base, was a series of steps and raised platforms made out of what looked like Auril. There was tens of Ayr'een sitting on them, heads bowed in complete silence. Flare took his hand and led him up to a platform for them, sitting across from each other. She exhaled and closed her eyes, regulating her breathing slowly and deeply. He followed her example. He knew what this was.He could see the sun; a single star among billions upon billions in the universe. Around it was their planet; their sanctuary, like an island for them in the infinite sea of space. Aa'zac, Flare, their brothers and sisters around them could feel the gentle turning of the great planet beneath them. They could feel the orbit of Cerebri around the planet and the orbit of them both around the sun. It was a natural cycle that was beautiful and simple, simultaneously.It was a refreshing change of thought. Current events had kept him and others so busy, that they forgot what was important for a while. It was always important to take a step back and remember what was very important. The simple things that you take for granted. Like his relationship with Flare.His stomach fluttered a little, and then steadied out as he took a deep breath. He did take things for granted. They all did. He had even had a reckless disregard for danger in the pursuit of science and knowledge. Mistakes had been made. He worried a lot too. Flare was a protector. She was the one dealing with the danger so they could do their jobs. He worried for her a lot.
Flare sighed and focused her thoughts back on the present. Aa'zac was very understanding of her situation, and she was grateful for it. Most everyone she met who knew about her family was. Flares family came from an old line, going many millennia back, even before New Ayr. They had been respected and the tops of their field. But that had all changed with Flare was a newborn. Her father had done the unthinkable. But it required some foreknowledge.It was the number one rule that no lesser race would be made aware of the Ayr'een unless absolutely necessary. It was adopted hundreds of thousands of years ago. In fact, she was sure the date was epochs ago. When they first left their solar system and found how far ahead they really were. Accidents could happen, sure. The damage could be cleaned up. But merely a couple thousand years ago, that had been broken. The Asura had risen.The best that they figured was that somewhere along the lines, was that an Ayr'een with some power, a ship captain, had gone to a lesser civilization and made contact. And not peaceful either. They demanded that they be worshiped as gods. The entire crew did the same. Multiple societies were contaminated from this event. It was also silent. False reports made. The captain would sneak off to play god on the planet, making the society slave away to build icons, worship, and change their very society in his name. And not only had he done this, but the race was pitted against other subgroups. The hostilities used technology artificially accelerated by the direct intervention of this Ayr'een. Rape, pillaging, murder, genocide were some of the crimes committed. Gross atrocities were committed in the name, by the command, of this captain. It didn't stop there. Once that had happened, the society became a cult of personality centered on him. Everything they did was in his name. And it wasn't benevolent. The smallest crime or act of defiance not only carried death, but death through extensive torture simply for his amusement. This was repeated everywhere. The sad truth behind this was that the captain was simply on a 'power trip'.The captain finally met his end when a crew member turned him in. He rationalized his behavior by explaining that they were the greater race. It was their right, as they had come first and been entrusted with such power. The argument held no ground in the empire. He was executed very quickly, one of the very few executions in their history. The rest whom had shared his visions, ambition, and ideals were banished to a far off, cold, lonely planet. They were the Asura; the banished ones. They were stripped of their will power and left to die or survive. But one thing was for sure. They would never amount to anything godlike again.
This story was where Flares father came in. He was one of them. He had felt the same way the fallen captain felt, and as a result, was exiled with them. This all happened just after she was born. Her family changed their name and scattered out of shame for their name. She was the last one who held it. The Ne'er family was tainted forever. She learned this as a young adolescent, at the age of 40. From that point on she refused to be named after that family. She took the name Flare, sounding like the first part of her name, shedding the evil. It was fitting as well. She had a fiery disposition as a youth. Her crimson hue helped reinforce the name, and it was accepted. It was odd, a single syllable name, but no one really asked questions. When an Ayr'een took on a single syllable, it usually had a good reason. She had no reason to be known by her old name. She wasn't any part of that bloodline anymore. It was so bad enough, that every Ayr'een today knew the name. Those who knew didn't associate her with the Asura, but they associated her to a member of that despicable group. Her eyes remained closed, her expression calm. It had been a long time since she lost her temper, a long time since she had been that child. Flare was her name. And it was here to stay.
Aki considered the data that had been passed over to her by the council. These ships...the scouting team found no trace of organic life aboard them. They were automatons. That wasn't as concerning as the second part of the report."These creations are, without a doubt, Ayr'ese in design. The programming was fairly easy to disassemble. There was an exception written into the conduits: Kill all sentient life and technology found, except Ayr'een.""Zhi...can you explain this next part to me?" She sounded worried. She passed him the designs, letting him think in silence."Yeah. It seems to be a remote control system, similar to the fighters that the carrier-destroyers can launch, but much more advanced. It uses a kind of...encryption to secure the link. As well as something else...it's hard to explain." He sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his eye sockets.'It's hard to explain' was one of the favorite phrases in engineering circles. It was also true.
"Do they have any weak spots?" "No. The Auril is diamond hard, I assume through the same process we use for our ships. The best way, other than total annihilation, is to try and hit one of the primary conduits inside."Of course that was going to be hard. She didn't even ask."And what of the fighters?""Remotely controlled by the command ship." He closed his eyes again, meditating on the design. "Incredible. The command ship is essentially a basic entity whose mind takes on the programming. It can assess threats objectively, as well as its directives and prioritize them. Kill threats first, and then complete the objectives. And many times that would be accomplishing both goals at once. "She sighed and reached to the satchel she had with her, drawing out the long silver tube. Zhi looked alarmed, ears standing up. "Aki, what-""Shield yourself." She pulled the scroll open.