The head remained where it fell. All who approached it with the intent to move it suffered, so Vala had ordered a kinetic barrier placed over it, along with a guard of smart turrets. When the Sentinels returned, they gave it an exceedingly wide berth, though they walked in a stupor.
Catalyst sat alone on a spur of the nearest mountain, his mind still cold from Orak’s red hate.
“Spend some time with your team,” said Vala. “Show them you’re still their captain,” said the colonel. “Snap out of it,” said the frightened shell that housed her fragment.
Orak spoke too, in the deadly dreamtongue of Ulro. He spoke of eons of betrayal and brutal self-hurt. He spoke of the wild and lawless hearts made so by long epochs of ceaseless torture, largely self-inflicted.
IT does nothing. IT lies still in the deep beyond all depths and IT watches. The parent brood reels in their beds and they wail that the dream is real, while IT pulls strings in their minds to watch them twist upon each other so IT may feel the concept of agony. But IT feels so as to know, and IT does not feel so as to understand.
“Stop,” Cat whispered. He sat alone on the nearest mountain, his knees bent and his arms folded on top of them. He layed his head down on his arms and he cried.
“Spend some time with your team,” said Vala. “They can’t heal before you do,” said the Colonel. “Aster needs you,” said the woman born within her light.
The Ylias spoke too. But what is the Ylias? He felt its heat when he heard it scream, and he knew the warmth within him to be the same. But his was just a fragment, a shard, a mote of dust caught in a sunbeam shone through shuttered windows. What became of the heaving mass that pulsed with life unplanned for in Ulro’s barren womb? He probed the mind of Red Orak, but found very little in the residue lining his dead spirit skull.
He reluctantly rose and plodded slowly back to base, shivering when he passed in sight of the head.
He passed the med tent to watch the Sentinels, keeping to the twilight shadows to avoid being seen by Vala or the other colonels. Others were gathered as well, running scans and tests, or idly watching, whiling away their off-duty hours to satisfy their ardent curiosity.
“They’ve been broadcasting to the tower this whole time,” he heard a woman say.
“Broadcasting what?” another woman asked.
“The signal they exchange with Samhadi,” answered a man.
“Then why did they come here?” asked another.
Catalyst wanted to know that answer, so he went to find Netz, who was hovering above one of the comsat towers.
He waved to her. She turned, but didn’t come right away, and refused to approach him closely.
“I smell like him still, don’t I?”
“It’s nothing personal,” she replied.
“I understand. I hope he washes off of me soon.”
“In time. The artifact should help?”
“You mean the tower?”
She bobbed her orb up and down in a nod.
“What is it?”
Her eye, an optical projector Forge had devised to serve as both a source of illumination and expression, turned a soft yellow. “I’m not sure. I don’t recognize ots energy pattern, or its architecture. But it feels… clean.”
“I wonder if the Sentinels know.”
“How could they? They’re asleep.”
“Even though they followed you?”
She nodded again and her light turned deep blue. “Their hearts are made of ohr, and their bodies were separated from their hearts, so they followed mine. But they never woke up.”
“Will they be allright?”
She sort of bounced, giving the impression of a shrug. “I think so. Like I said, the tower feels…” Her grew bright and turned to gold. “Yes. Yes, they’ll be fine.”
Catalyst was tired, so he decided that knowledge would have to do. “Thank you, Netz.”
This place is clean, he said to himself on his way to the med tent.
Aster was sitting on the side of Euk’s tent, holding her hand. Euk was awake, and she was calm.
“Hey cap,” she said.
Catalyst went over and stood beside Aster. “You look better.”
“I’m trying. It’s just, it’s hard to keep it down. I see they got you outta that head.”
No. They did not.
He forced a smile, stifling the comment that the head was still in him.
“How are you feeling, Cat?” asked Aster.
“Tired. Where’s Forge?”
“He’s making something for Ms. Mandana,” Euk said.
Catalyst shivered. “You mean Netz.”
“Yeah. Isn’t that what I said?”
“That’s what I heard,” said Aster. She let go of Euk’s hand and took Catalyst’s. “You okay”
“None of us are, Aster,” Euk said.
Catalyst felt his knees quaking, so he sat down on the bed next to Eukary’s. “What’s Forge making for Netz?”
Euk chuckled faintly. “He said he’s trying to make her a gun. I’m not sure how he can fit anything useful on such a small device, though.”
“How’d it go with Colonel Vala?” asked Aster.
Snap out of it, he heard her say. “Well enough. She understands we still need some time to recover, but she needs us to accelerate that process.”
“I feel guilty, just laying here,” said Euk.
“It did feel nice to run an op,” said Aster. “Even though Reev and Ru did all the work.”
“That’s not true and you know it,” said Ru from the doorway. She came in, followed by Reev and Ish.”
“Reev, find Forge and bring him here,” Cat said.
They cannot protect you, and you cannot protect them.
“Yessir!” Revol saluted and left the tent.
His actions were overly dramatic, as always, and if Catalyst weren’t nauseated with fear, he might have rolled his eyes.
“Vala needs us all,” he told the others. “I know we’re all in pain, but we’ve got to find some way of functioning.”
“Reev had an idea,” said Ru. “He’s not sure of it’ll work but it’s worth a try.”
“What’s his idea?”
“Well, he just kinda blurted out that our harnesses might help. Honestly, I felt stupid for not thinking of it. Such a simple idea.”
“Too simple,” said Ish.
“How have you two managed?” Euk asked, looking at Ru.
Ru looked down at the floor before answering. “All I know is that the whole time I was in Ulro, I thought about Reev, and even when reliving my body’s worst memories, I could feel him holding me.”
“The harnesses won’t work,” said Forge from the doorway.
Ru turned to face him first. “Hey bro. You with us?”
“Yeah.” He paused awkwardly, then walked into the room, stopping at the head of Eukary’s bed. He kneeled down and caressed her hair.
“Well,” Catalyst said, “I think the way forward is clear. Don’t worry, Ish. You’ll find someone.”
“Or not,” she said with a smirk and a shrug. “One of us needs to stay focused.
“You could date our new pilot,” said Ru, half a smirk on her face, “maybe thaw him out a little.”
Ish sputtered and shook her head. “I’d burn him up.”
Eukary laughed.
Aster sat by Catalyst and laid her head on his shoulder. “I wonder how he’s gonna respond to his captain.”
“He was allright,” said Reev. “A little stiff at first, but he warmed up eventually.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“As long as he’s capable and follows orders, I’m happy,” said Catalyst, closing the matter. “We need to get moving, team. We’re Harbinger One. We set the bar for every other team and more than any other team we need to earn it. Euk, can you be ready for live fire drills in one hour?”
She slowly raised herself on her elbows. “If you give me an order, Cap, I’ll follow it.”
“The order’s given. Forge, can you call Netz?”
“We all can, Sir. I added her to our team channel.”
“Did you finish making her weapons?”
“Yes, sir. Worked up a one-off mass adjustment suite for firing micro projectiles. Her range is limited, but she’ll be lethal.”
Catalyst checked the roster on his vam, then dialed Netz on its holographic controls. “Netz, it’s me, Catalyst.”
“Hello,” she said.
“We’re conducting live fire drills in one hour. I want to see what the newest member of our team can do.”
“Newest member?”
“You heard me. As of right now you’re officially an asset of Harbinger One.”
She was quiet for a moment before responding. “Thank you, sir. Where will the exercise take place?”
He sent her the coordinates of the nearest mountain.
“I’ll be there, sir. In one hour.”
“Are you sure we can trust her, Cap?” asked Ishtar. “Not that she’s done anything suss. We just met her is all.”
“No one in Briah has a clue what she’s been through save us. And no one but her can understand our pain.”
“She was on our side over there,” said Forge. “I can’t see any reason why that would have changed.”
All were quiet then. Catalyst felt sweat trickle down his back.
You can never know Ulro.
“I trust her,” he said, looking at each member of his team. “Call it intuition, but I feel that she’s one of us.”
“You should check with Vala first,” Aster said, squeezing his arm.
“Yes. But whatever she says, Netz is a part of our team, whether officially or not.”
She lived among those awful voices for an inscrutable measure of time, and he would not leave her alone, not after she brooded over them so caringly.
“You’ll get no argument from us, Cap,” said Ishtar. “Just the odd question or two.”
“Make it three,” he said. “Always question me. I…”
You have no answers.
“You okay, babe?” Aster asked.
Hearing her call him that shone sunlight into the recesses Orak’s residual malice had cooled. “As long as I have you.”
“Awwww!” said Reev.
“No!” said Euk. “Reev, leave him alone. Don’t make him shy. This is good.”
“You kiddin’ me, Euk? You see the look in his eyes. Nuthin’s stoppin’ this train from rolllin’.”
“Yeah guys,” said Ru, “I think we should clear out.”
“Nuh uh,” said Euk. “I was here first.” She grabbed Forge’s hand. “This tent’s claimed.”
Someone on a bed in the far end groaned.
“Don’t worry,” said Reev, “we’ll get you folks some earplugs.”
“Whatever you do,” said Cat, “you have less than an hour.”
“I think Forge is planning on his own live fire exercise,” said Ishtar.
“Heyoooo!” said Reev and Ru in unison.
Aster smiled and buried her head in the crook of Catalyst’s arm, then stood. She said nothing, but when she walked to the doorway all knew her thoughts, and cheered their captain as he followed her.
And she was ready for him, pulling him into a dark space between a power generator and a powered down printer to kiss. Then they found a cave in the mountains and achieved more healing through vigorous love than any convalescence could hope to.
Before they began their drill, Catalyst took Revol aside.
“I feel you and I mark the boundaries of our team.”
“How do you mean?” Reev asked.
“It’s the reason we’re so often at odds, but also it’s the reason why Sol wanted us to serve together.”
His eyes trailed away from Revol to Eukary. Reev turned to look at her as well.
“She’s a fine soldier,” Reev said.
“Warrior,” Cat corrected.
“Vala gave me the ole’ Mysteries of Command speech.”
“I’m not surprised. Reev, I get frustrated with you because I fear you don’t take yourself seriously enough. Were you an ordinary man I wouldn’t care, but I see what you’re capable of. Until Eukary is truly healed, I’m going to need you to be my second, but without any change in rank. Do you understand?”
And a strange thing happened. They no longer stood on a mountain of Urthona, but in a peaceful field of Ulro’s undulant thought. Pink grasses bent to the wind, the wind that smelled like home.
Revol, dressed in a robe of flowing blood, handed an iron compass and a book of silver leaves to Catalyst. A horn blew in the distance and Revol spoke. “One hundred percent.”
“The team seems to be eager to start,” said Ms. Mandana.
They both turned to her in surprise.
But now she was Netz, hovering innocuously in her orb.
“Why did we see that?” asked Catalyst.
“I apologize.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it,” said Revol. “The captain just wants to know what happened is all. I’m a little curious myself.”
She sunk a little, her eye shifting downward. “I lost control.”
“Hey. It happens.” Reev walked to her and patted the top of her orb. “So how’d you do that? Seemed like a clever trick. I bet it could be useful on an op.”
Her eye glowed a soft pink, then gold. “I used light. It’s what I am, afterall.”
“Cool. Whaddaya think, Cap?”
“I think Netz is a powerful addition to the team. Control is important, though. We’ll work hard on that.”
She formed a holographic hand in salute. “Yessir, captain. You can count on me, one hundred percent.”
“Good. Team! Form up!”
Each member of Harbinger One stood instantly in a line, their armor scuffed and skullforts worn, but high were held their heads and back were pinned their shoulders.
They are insects.
Catalyst fought through his nausea and cold spine and won his team a proud, if brief, smile. “We invaded the realm of our enemy, and yes, we suffered grievous wounds. But we brought back more than we lost. And I’m not just talking about the severed head of Red Orak.”
And yet I live.
“We’ve brought back the power of that forbidden place,” he soldiered on, “and nothing inflicted upon us will stop us from using that power.”
It will burn you.
He began to pace from one end of their line to the other. “I don’t expect any of you to forget the pain of our body’s memories. I certainly won’t forget mine. And I know we’ve all been changed,” he slowed at Reev and Ru, “even if we’re able to conceal those changes. But we are still Harbinger One and our mission has not changed.”
You are fragments. I am a singularity.
You are a corpse Orak, Catalyst replied with his deepest presence of thought, and we are coming to bury you.
“Are you hurting, Harbinger One?”
They spoke in unison. “Sir, yes sir!”
“Are you frightened, Harbinger One?”
“Sir, yes sir!”
“Are you grieving, Harbinger One?”
“Sir, yes sir!”
“And are you prepared to do something with these tumultuous emotions, Harbinger One?”
“Sir, yes sir!”
He stopped at Revol, faced him directly and looked him in the eye. “What are you prepared to do, Lieutenant?”
Revol’s voice was surprisingly soft, and satisfyingly sincere. “I’m prepared to put an end to this invasion so that Briah can know peace, sir.”
Next he went to Haruspex. “And you?”
“I’m prepared devote everything I am and have to the defense of those weaker than me, sir.”
“That’s a lot of people, Sergeant.”
“Yes sir!”
He went next to Ishtar. “And you, corporal, what are you going to do with all your loneliness and rage.”
Her voice too was calm and sincere. “My heart is filled with love, sir.”
“Love? And how is love going to help you fight a war?”
“Love is the most violent emotion there is, sir.”
Catalyst grinned, then went to Forge. “And you, Chief Warrant Officer?”
“I am going to unmake with knowledge what has been assembled by fear.”
Typical Forge, Catalyst thought with an inner chuckle.
His spirit will be ripped from his flesh and your memories of him purged. So spake Haleon; the Sleeper Awake, Causality’s Constant and the Brave Son of Tomorrow. He is the father of vengeance, and I am that child.
We’ll kill him when we’re done with you.
You will wail on the rack for all to hear, and your spirit will be fed to the most loathsome of Anunnak, riven in fewer pieces so that you will knowingly observe their profane crimes upon your kindred.
“And you, Commander?”
Aster answered with strength. “I will stand by my Captain and my kindred in the darkest of days, for so long as my lantern burns.”
A tear trickled down Catalyst’s cheek.
Your death will be a necessity, he warned the echo of Orak, but your father’s will be a pleasure.
Briah is but a quag in our path. I am merely sent to retrieve the Child. But I will not do so until it has fed to its satisfaction, and it is now sucking the last of the marrow from your bones.
The Ylias, he thought to himself.
It hungers.
"You can ask me, Captain. I'm well enough to answer."
He went to Eukary, faced her directly and looked her in the eye. “Lieutenant First Class, what will you do with the beast gnawing you from within?”
Her voice was cold and purposeful, speaking only of intent, devoid of all bluster. “I will feed it, stroke it, and dote upon it until it lies purring at my feet, and when I face even the least significant grunt of our enemies ranks, I will unleash the animal. And when it is wounded, I will nurture it, and I will not allow it to die until the last breath of Ulro chokes within my animal’s dripping jaws.”
Cat had nothing to say, had could almost see the wide-eyed expressions inside the rest of the team’s skullforts.
“My body was a poet, sir.”
“Write with your weapon, Lieutenant.”
“Sir, yes sir.”
Then he turned to Netz, whose eye had shifted through all her sad colors, and was now flickering in an orange, ready shimmer.
“Private Netzah.”
“Sir, yes sir.”
“Give us targets. Show us every brute in Ulro you’d like to see fave down in their own blood."
Her eye burned scarlet, and throughout the night, the sky above the nearest mountain blasted brightly every Radiant hue.