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41: The Imager
"Iscandar is in desperate need." Desslok said as he stood before the assembled council. "Deun is exiled and Gamilon is in need of repair, but those who live on our very doorstep are in more desperate need than we are." To emphasize his words he pointed at the blue planet that hung majestically in the glass above and to his left. "Just before we commenced our final wave of attacks on Deun's outposts I received word from Iscandar that, against the odds, the three Iscandari princesses survived Deun's plague."
There were a slew of disbelieving murmurs; even Raymond Talan looked surprised that such a thing could be true.
"Pardon my questions, Sire, but do you have proof that that one – or ones – who contacted you were indeed of the ruling family of Iscandar?" Baruch asked, backed by the inquisitive Shiyah's questioning groan.
"You were there when the Kohen* reviewed the evidence, Baruch," Desslok replied, "You saw the message I received. Do you doubt it was her?"
"I... have no real reason to believe otherwise, Sir, but we must consider that she might not have been telling us the whole tru – "
Desslok held up a silencing hand, "This was not the first time I spoke with her."
More murmurs spread through the council, but hushed when the new Leader continued, "We spoke twice before, years ago, when Masterson and I left Rapha'owr. During the ensuing journey I was... entrusted... with a piece of Iscandarian technology that allowed me to speak directly with Iscandar. It even circumvented Deun's communications barrier. It was with that device that she first contacted me."
There was silence in the council room as this revelation settled on them all.
"I received your message all those years ago..." Raymond suddenly said from his chair, "I did all I could to find the cure for what was killing them... but I –" the admiral took in a sharp breath, "I could not... and millions died."
"Do not blame yourself," the Leader said, "Deun began this murderous plan – and he will be the one to see it resolved. Though he is no longer a citizen of this world, there are things that we were able to find out from him before he was exiled."
All parties – except Masterson, who had been informed of this development as it was happening – stared at Desslok in disbelief.
"He has revealed the information we need to destroy any remnants of the plague on Iscandar, and..." Desslok turned away from the council to take a long look out over the dying city, "To heal our own world of her ailment."
"Then we must go immediately." Masterson said.
"Indeed." Desslok affirmed, turning again to survey his council of trusted friends, "Garen Krenshaw," he addressed the distracted man, "as the foremost authority on this particular type of calamity, you will accompany Masterson and I to Iscandar." Desslok smirked, "My brother sought you out to create this death-seed, but you came to me instead, and now you will be the one to administer its cure."
Krenshaw nodded respectfully.
"We leave as soon as possible." Desslok declared, "That would be... as soon as I have opportunity to exchange this rather poor excuse for a uniform," he gestured to the sad combination of clothes he had worn for the wilderness trek and palace attack, "for something a bit more suited to my title."
Masterson barely hid an amused laugh behind a cough before saying, "We'll be ready, Sir."
"This council stands dismissed." The Leader declared before gesturing for them all to adjourn and return to whatever duties they now had.
"Sire?"
Desslok heard the voice and turned to see Raymond Talan standing several feet away, a look of concern settling over him that Desslok had never seen before.
"Yes, Admiral." Desslok acknowledged, "What troubles you?"
"It – there is something dire that I must tell you about as soon as possible." Raymond said, "I do not know how long it can wait."
"Yes, there are many such things that must be seen to now that Deun is gone, but Iscandar is my first priority." Desslok replied. "I... made a promise that I intend to keep."
"But Sire, you don't – "
"I will see to it personally when we return from Iscandar, Admiral." Desslok interrupted, "You have my word."
Seeing that he would get nowhere with the Desslok he'd left as a teenager and who had returned a man, Raymond nodded and stepped away respectfully, resigned to temporary silence.
Less than half an hour later, Krenshaw, Talan, and Desslok were assembled on board the ship they would use to administer the much-needed cure to the planet of Iscandar. The antigen would need to be spread far and wide across the entire surface of the world to guarantee the eradication of the virus so that they themselves would not fall prey to it upon their exposure to Iscandar's atmosphere.
They bid farewell to those who had come to see them off – namely the Talans, Eliora, Dara, and Constance.
The ship launched and made its short journey to Iscandar in less than an hour.
Garen was tasked with administering the cure through thousands of tiny drones, each carrying a small bit of the antigen which they would release over their designated area. The ship, equipped with Galam HaDerech* technology would instantly transport the drone to their areas one group at a time.
In the space of two short hours, the antigen had been dispensed and was already beginning its work. After two more hours of waiting, Krenshaw deemed it safe for them to venture down to the planet.
Masterson, now piloting, slowly guided the ship down towards the capitol. He was about to land in the Sea of Iscandar, but he spied a landing pad just outside the palace, and, since his last water landing had been over eight years ago, he decided to go with the more promising, solid option.
The ship settled onto the landing platform easily and all three men prepared to exit the ship.
"You're sure the plague has been nullified." Masterson whispered to Garen before the boarding ramp opened.
"Yes." Garen replied in kind. "Now stop worrying."
Masterson chuckled, "Oh, you've no idea how much there is to worry about."
Garen gave him a puzzled look just before the ramp opened and all three men stepped out, only to be greeted by the last sight they'd expected.
Starsha's eyes widened as the three men disembarked. The planetary security system had notified her and her sister that there was a Gamilon ship in Iscandari space. When she'd seen it, Starsha had been alarmed, concerned that, for some reason Deun had discovered that she was still alive and wanted to exact his final vengeance on her.
But when the ship had not attacked, but rather spread a cure over her infected world, Starsha had known that it was surely not Deun who had ordered the ship's coming.
The first man to step out of the ship looked completely unfamiliar to her. He was tall, approaching six feet, and a number of years her senior. His brown hair was grown out a bit long. Well-kept facial hair made his monocle less conspicuous, and his face was friendly. He wore the uniform of the GRN.
The second man to disembark looked to be not much older than she was. He was a bit shorter than the first man, and his mustache seemed as though it needed a little bit of filling out. His eyes were bright and full of hope and he too wore a GRN uniform, though his bore the insignia of the Mossadi forces.
Then there was the third and final occupant of the ship. As soon as he stepped out of the ship Starsha felt as though the universe had just changed shape somehow. Before her eyes stood the very image she had seen all those years ago mirrored in that fateful ceiling painting. She knew it was not Deun who stood before her now. This man's face was entirely different; he wore a glove on one hand, and was adorned in the very same uniform as the one portrayed in the picture.
She must have been staring she knew, but she couldn't stop. The site was so startling – so liberating, and yet so terrifying that she felt all at once that she wanted to both run away and hide and go and speak to the man.
Now everything she had discovered before her parents' deaths made sense. There had indeed been another living family member that could take Deun's throne from him – his own brother. And he had, by the mercy of Yahweh, been given the chance to do it.
The man looked up at Starsha, and his emerald green eyes struck her. She was amazed at their depth, and the stories they told her in that instant – stories of pain and loss, and of victory over evil, war and death, life, and peace. But above all she saw what his eyes lacked... the light of eternal hope. In that instant she knew that he, like Deun, did not share her faith in Yeshua.
Finally her shock wore off just enough for her to greet the visitors, "I am honored, and relieved to see you." she bowed to the party, "I assume your historian relayed our situation to you. My sister Sasha is still in great need of your help. She worsens daily now. Please, we mustn't delay any long –"
"Queen Starsha of Iscandar," the voice stopped her mid-sentence and she stood in complete astonishment.
"You..." she said to the third man, the who'd just spoken her name, "You were the one I spoke with those three times." the realization dawned on her, "You are no historian; you never were."
"I should think not; not in the traditional sense at least." the man said, obviously amused.
"And your name isn't really 'Deuel,' is it." she said, intending it as a statement and not a question.
"No, my lady, it is not." he replied, "I am Desslok, second born of the royal house of Gamilon and now Leader of my world. Deun, my brother has been dethroned and exiled. He has been charged to never return, upon pain of death."
Relief swept through Starsha at this news. At least Deun would not be returning.
"But now, let us see to your sister." Desslok said, returning the young queen to her previous concern.
"Yes – yes, come this way." Starsha gestured for the three men to follow her. Instead of taking the lengthy stairs as she usually would, Starsha directed the three guests to one of the elevators.
The lifts were constructed so as to appear much like small balconies which docked outside the entrance to the desired floor. Each one was surrounded by a hard, clear, glass-like material which prevented anything from entering through the side or top of the lift during its ascent or descent.
Starsha and the three men boarded the elevator and quickly made it up to the floor on which the queen's ailing sister resided. They hurried to Sasha's room and, upon entering, were greeted by the eldest sister. She was introduced as Astra, and she bore a striking resemblance to Starsha. The only visible differences were that Astra wore violet tones as opposed to Starsha's azure ones. And Astra had an ethereal air to her which made the woman much harder to read than her sister.
"You've come." Astra said, with no discernible surprise in her voice. "Please," she indicated Garen, "Do what you can for her." She vacated the area next to Sasha's sick-bed.
Krenshaw shot a surprised look at Masterson, who returned an inconspicuous shrug.
"I will stay here," Astra announced. "The rest of you would be better served discussing other matters." she indicated the door through which they'd just come.
To Desslok's surprise, Starsha made no protest. She simply nodded, and turned to go as her sister had said. The two Gamilon's followed her without a word.
Krenshaw felt supremely awkward once his companions were gone. The Iscandarian woman's gaze seemed to pierce right through him. He knew he had nothing to hide from her, but it chilled him to think that she might know more about him than he could guess.
"You, um, seem to be well-informed." Garen ventured before taking a seat next to a sleeping Sasha.
"As it should be." Astra replied cryptically.
"I mean, we barely even know your name and you know things about us we've never told you." Krenshaw rambled nervously.
"You've no need to worry," Astra said calmly, "I don't know everything. For example, I do not know why you harbor such guilt in your heart, or what your Leader fears. Neither do I know what your other friend is so worried about."
Garen fought off panic. It had taken him years to bury the guilt of Rea Atid. He knew he would never be rid of it. He'd merely accepted the fact that it would always be with him, but he wasn't prepared to find out that a complete stranger could so easily see it.
"Don't worry too much; I do not reveal what I know to others, unless it means preventing the death of another or deterring serious harm." she said gently, "I also know that you are Garen Krenshaw, well-known for your genetic pursuits and highly acclaimed for them."
The last portion of her words calmed him a bit and Garen's fears abated enough for him to begin concentrating on his task.
The young woman looked to be no older than twenty, but when Garen tested some of her internal organs – as per Astra's suggestion – he discovered that the girl had aged far beyond her years and far more quickly than was healthy for her body.
"How has she survived this long...?" Garen breathed, disturbed by what he was seeing.
"I do not know..." Astra replied, then said with a sigh, "The only possibility that we know of is that she too was born with the same dormant gene that Starsha and I have. But when her's was finally activated, it was too little too late and the plague began to run its course."
"Hm..." Garen acknowledged the explanation and began a series of blood and genetic testing. Then he injected Sasha with a small amount of the antigen. When he had gotten everything he needed from Sasha he asked, "You have a laboratory where I can look at these in more detail?"
"Yes." Astra nodded and started to leave, then turned and motioned for Krenshaw to follow her.
She led him down several levels to the lab her mother Kara, and then her twin had used years before to study the virus Deun had unleashed.
"Here." they stopped in front of the closed door, "The equipment has not been used for some time, but it has been cared for in the event that it would be needed at some future time."
"Thank you." Garen nodded to Astra and stepped up to the door. Is circled open without hesitation.
Krenshaw stepped in. The room was dark and had no real windows to speak of – perhaps in the event of an explosion. But as he continued to walk through the darkness, several small lights flickered on here and there revealing a number of work areas. When he reached the center of the lab it was like a giant switch had been turned on. Suddenly a gigantic holographic interface materialized before Garen's eyes.
"Please present your hand for genetic verification." the computer stated.
Startled, but curious, Garen extended his hand towards the interface. Suddenly, the appendage was covered in holographic light, as though a million tiny, transparent insects had swarmed it.
"Identity confirmed. Permission to access Interface information is denied."
Suddenly Astra appeared beside Garen and held out her hand to the interface. "He is here under my authority." she said as the hologram reached out and swallowed her hand as well.
After a moment the computer released both individuals and said, "Credentials accepted. Welcome, Colonel Garen Krenshaw."
"Our world is dying." Desslok stated flatly from the seat he'd taken in the tiny council circle, conveniently located as far away from the single present Jeshurunian – Adrianna – as possible.
"I've watched its deterioration over the years..." Starsha sympathized. "It is still a beautiful world, despite its scars." she looked up at the green world, so close to her own and yet so distant.
"Indeed it is." Adrianna chimed in, her leaves rustling.
"The tsarebetim grow daily," Masterson added, addressing both the queen and Adrianna. "We have a potential cure based upon the one we released here, but the strain that infected Gamilon is different from the one that plagued Iscandar. It is more virulent somehow."
"Why did you come here first then?" Starsha asked, concerned, "Your home is clearly in danger."
"Our home-world will not die tomorrow." Desslok replied, looking up at the Iscandari queen. "Your sister might have."
Starsha nodded, "Thank you... I am so grateful that you remembered your promise to me, even though I know you must have had to go through so much to fulfill it."
"Deun's regime was at its end." Desslok replied, "It was not so difficult to overthrow him as you might guess."
"The favor of Yahweh was with you then." Starsha said.
The new Leader smirked, "If that is what you choose to think of it as, then yes."
"You do not believe in Yahweh – Adonai as you call Him." Starsha said, beginning to understand some of the concern she had seen in Masterson's face.
"I believe He exists." the Leader replied, "But He has yet to prove to me that I am in need of Him or His help."
Seeing that she would get nowhere with this stubborn man, she returned to the situation at hand, "Once Sasha has recovered from the virus, all of us – and I believe I speak for the Jeshurunians also – will do whatever we can to help you restore your world."
"Thank you, Queen Starsha." Masterson put in before Desslok could comment on the plant-like residents of Iscandar. "That is a most generous offer."
"Mistress!" Adrianna suddenly trilled, "Mistress, you sister requires your presence immediately!"
"Astra?" Starsha asked. "Has Sasha been restored?"
"No, no Mistress, it is Sasha who has summoned you." Adrianna replied, concern in her voice.
"She's awake then?!"
"Yes, but she is still not well." Adrianna cautioned.
"I must go." Starsha addressed the men, "If you wish to come, you are welcome to."
Desslok and Masterson nodded and Starsha stood, picked up the talking plant and carried it as quickly as she could back to Sasha's quarters.
The queen burst through the door to her little sister's room followed closely by the two men who had elected to come.
She flew through the living area and into her sister's bedroom. There stood Astra and Krenshaw, the Gamilon's face grim.
"Starsha?" Sasha'a weak voice caught the queen's attention immediately.
"Sasha!" Starsha went to her sister and knelt beside the bed, taking Sasha's hand. "Sasha, what is it? We're all here. Colonel Krenshaw's going to help you recover fro –"
"No, Starsha," Sasha wheezed, almost in a whisper, "No... there is but one thing left to do now... I must tell you the story of Yosef*."
"Yosef? But Sasha –"
"Shh." The younger girl insisted, "Yosef sought Yahweh with all his heart, and Yahweh was with him. Even when he was imprisoned in a land not his own, Yahweh was there, to bring to pass His plan for, not only Yosef, but also for every descendant of Israel. Even when they could not see what Yahweh intended, our fathers trusted. It is your turn now, Starsha. Yeshua will see you through the... days to... come..." Sasha'a eyes fell closed and she sank back into her bed.
"Sasha?" Starsha gripped her sister's hand, but felt no response. "Sasha?!" she shook the girl's shoulders, trying to wake her.
Garen came to Sasha's bedside and took the girl's limp wrist. After a moment, he laid Sasha's hand back down on the bed and stepped away, his head bowed. "I gave her the antigen earlier... but it appears that I was... too late... the damage was too extensive.
Holding in her grief, Starsha bowed her head and cried silently for the sister she would miss dearly, but knew she would one day see again.
Chapter 41 was Inspired by:
- "I Will Never Leave You" by Mac Lynch, found on the WILDS CD "To the Praise of His Glory"
Chapter 41 Notes:
* Kohen – priest
* Galam HaDerech – literally "fold the way"; technology that allows for instant transport of matter from one place to another
* Yosef – Joseph, a prominent figure in the Old Testament book of Genesis