7426

DEVON

An indigo sky greets me; the stars streak across my vision, blurring the night into a fantastic purple hue. The journal is clutched under my arm, its words running through my mind. Something needed to be done, and I wasn’t quite sure exactly what. There was another line added while you were gone, just a single sentence: Head to Gaos.

If I remembered correctly, Gaos was where Cardus and his team was planning to go back when we were setting out to go tackle our Dromedan problem. Of course, that was three years ago, so who knows what I’d find there now? I don’t even know what race primarily lives there, much less even where it is. I have a name, at the very least, and I think that’s all I need. I begin to slow down as I see a fire in the distance—a camp of some sorts. I approach and see the circular metal pod more clearly, its owner—a Garexian relaxing idly by the fire—relaxes no more as I approach. I stop completely and he lets out a breath of relief as he sees me fully. “Sorry, traveler, I thought you were someone else for a moment. Almost leapt out at you...or something.” I see he’s made no effort to move. “Want to come sit by the fire? It’s pretty cold out tonight.”

“Uh, sure.” I say, stepping out into the light of the fire. “What brings you out here?” I ask.

Now that I’m closer to him I can see that his mane is a dulled red-almost-pink color, and it’s mostly tied into a bun. He looks toward me and tosses a small meat portion into his mouth and begins chewing. “I’m just living, brother. It’s a rotten world and you gotta get warm where you can, know what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, I bet.” I rub my hands together as I begin to realize exactly how chilly it is outside. “It feels like I don’t even know what’s going on with the world anymore.”

He makes a small enough sound, swallows, and looks up to the sky. “Yeah, you got that right. It feels like it’s been forever since anything real exciting’s happened.”

“Yeah?” I fish for any information I can get.

“Of course. Since Tiburr’s duel with the new emperor things have been mostly calm.” New emperor? “That Dromedan dude ain’t too bad, you hear me? I know some people got a rough read on the guy, but life’s about compromise.”

“Dromedan...wait a second. Tiburr challenged Cross to a duel?”

“You okay? Lack of sleep roughin’ with your memory?”

“Something like that,” I say.

“Well...yeah. That’s obvious. Tiburr wasn’t strong enough and he had to give up his command. Ain’t you been around Garexians long enough?”

“I actually had very little idea what went on with Garexian politics...things have been so hectic with me I haven’t even been able to keep my head up I feel.”

The Garexian shakes his head, “Must be one of the few. Lots of folk don’t seem to be too well versed in our ways when we do what we can to learn about others. Birds of a different feather, I guess.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Well, I can’t blame you too much. Things have been admittedly crazy the first year after the change in power. I originally didn’t care much for Cross myself, but I learned that his way of thinking makes a certain sense. And here we are.”

“Must have affected you some sort of way if you’re camping out here, right?” His brows furrow at me in a way I’m not wholly comfortable with.

“I’d quit that kind of talk around here if I were you buddy. I don’t mind it too much, but others might not care for your rebellious tone.”

Rebellious...what? Is Cross leading a dictatorship over the stream of thought here?

“Oh...I didn’t mean any implications, I was just noticing.”

“I’m out here because I love the stars. I never had time to come out here back then, I was always so busy.”

“That sounds...nice.” Just what is going on?

“Yep, here on work, actually. The stars are just a nice bonus. Just gotta watch out for any straggling rebels and--” He stops himself and sits up, looking out past me.

“What is it?” I ask, turning around. Out in the darkness a figure is shuffling across the crest of a hill under the starlight.

The Garexian grumbles and shifts in his seat, standing up and stretching. “They always gotta try when the fire’s most comfortable,” he growls, leaping across the campsite in one pounce and dashing across the plains faster than I can keep up with. I lower my gravity and ramp up my speed, kicking off of the ground and soaring my way over toward the action. Up above I can almost see the creature speeding across, but it is much too dark still. Waves. I press my pinky to my palm and feel my waves extending out all around me like an all-encompassing hand. I feel the Garexian below me as he speeds toward the creature, and I feel it too. I sense its fear and exhaustion. If the Garexians are under Cross’ control now...I can’t consider them to be my allies. I’m not sure if every Garexian considers themselves one with the Dromedans, but to be safe I’m going to have to run with the assumption. Also...Tiburr lost a duel?! I...am not going to be naive and run with the hope that this duel was anything other than to the death. Cross had been working to eliminate the heroes, and Tiburr met his fate. Things are bad. I just have to hope that everyone else is okay. I see the Garexian leap out toward the creature and sink his teeth deep into its neck. I know enough about my situation to know I need to act. I angle downward and dive towards the two tangled up in each other.

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I increase my strength as I reach out my fist, slamming it hard on the ground next to them, shaking the ground and loosening the Garexian’s grip. I see that the other creature is a Fal' ZäAr. Blood pours openly from the gash in its long neck. He breathes faintly, “Th-Thank...you.”

The Garexian steadies himself up, “Wh...what are you doing?”

My suit glows a transcendent red as I feel the powerful energy flowing through my body. “I can’t abide by any killing ordered by Cross. You’re going to let them go, and you’re going to go back to your camp and enjoy the stars for the rest of your time here.”

An almost hurt look passes over his face, but it passes. “So, I wasn’t just losing my peepers, that is a military outfit. You know, I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you’d plucked that off of some scrubby rebel and were wearing it to spite them.”

“I don’t know everything that’s going on here, but that won’t last long. I’m going to learn, and I’m not going to be intimidated by bullies who push others around to get their way.”

He bares his fangs and jumps out toward me, I speed under him and let loose one punch to his ribcage, shattering multiple as he flies back. He’s not military trained...probably not even trained for combat at all. Just knows how to use his teeth enough for the job. He lands with a thud against a tree, nearly snapping it in half. He strains himself and stands back to his feet, falling over once and then shaking his head—giving up.

“Feh, screw you.” He says, hopping off back toward his camp at the other end of the prairie. The Fal' ZäAr makes its way to its feet and looks up toward the sky, and then down toward me. The blue of its feathers reflect in my eyes, they end in a black shine that masks him in the darkness—part of the reason why it was so hard to see him as he ran.

“I really cannot thank you enough. Can I get your name?” It asks in a deeper voice than you would have expected for his size. “I didn’t think there’d be any patrolmen out in this area so I was more careless than I usually am.”

“My name’s Devon.”

“Well thank you very much, Devon. It’s nice to see someone willing to lend a helping hand around here, the world could use some more of it.”

“I couldn’t stand by. I’ve done too much of that in my life.”

“Haven’t we all? Where are you headed to? Maybe we could journey together for a short while, it’d help keep my stupid self safe,” He laughs, his beak clacking together like pots and pans on New Years. “I’m Karrat, by the way.

“I was heading toward Gaos, actually, but I’m afraid that I don’t know quite where it is.”

“What luck. I’m heading there myself.”

“Really? That’s almost too good to be true,” I say.

“It’s one of my stops, I deliver messages between rebel camps. I’m hitting up Gaos and Abu Kheppi tonight before I head back out toward the Westerwinds tomorrow.”

“Well, I’d love to travel with you, Karrat. I’m afraid my memory isn’t what it used to be, so if it isn’t any trouble could I ask you about the conditions Sayar’s in...?”

“A spot of amnesia, huh? Drat, I guess so, as long as you can keep up with me I’ll talk about most anything.” Bingo.

I grin subconsciously as I stretch out my arms. “Looks like we’re going to be talking up a storm then. I’ll follow you?”

He nods, “Wait just one second...” he breathes in loudly, I can see the blood on his neck begin to slowly suck back into the gash. He makes a pained look as it all comes back in, the gash scabs over as he finishes. “Now I’m ready.”

“Huh, never seen that before.”

“Come on, let’s go, and ask away.” He says, starting into a jog which turns into a full sprint. He must be running at least forty to fifty miles an hour right out of the gate. I speed after him, catching up right next to him, the blades of grass below us scrape my legs as we run, but it doesn’t bother me too much.

“So, things start to get foggy for me about three years ago. General knowledge I know...like Cross taking over the Garexians...but most everything else is...a blank.”

“It all rammed in our throats when Pamen and Piscar were killed. Cross got them both in the same day—it was a terrible day for everyone here on Sayar. Our military pushed back, pulled it off until we heard we lost some soldiers. Messian Head of Archives was the only one of the Northern squadron to return. Jesse...or rather, Noah.

“Any word at all on the others? What about Cardus...Khap-Ar?” I ask.

“They’re camped out in the Westerwinds right now. Planning some sort of assault on a Dromedan lockship down in the Quarry there.”

Something inside me tells me to go and help, but I can’t help but think of Jesse’s journal. What could be in Gaos? Is it an obvious trap? Maybe, but it’s eating me alive that I don’t know. “The Dromedans got some momentum from their victories in Andem, the place exploded and left a huge chunk on Sayar where its crater used to be.”

“Damn, that’s crazy.”

That’s where Pamen’s final stand was. “Tiburr came about a year later. The balance was pretty even on both sides, no major losses on either side, but Tiburr had broken the silence and publicly challenged Cross to a battle to the death. Winner would control the loser’s territory—The Garexian way of course.”

“And he lost.”

“That he did. Garexians everywhere mourned their fallen king, but they’re a pride of pride. They quickly adjusted to their new king as their blood has worked for thousands of years. Several uneasy alliances turned into in-fights, and soon these outposts were planted all over the surface of Sayar—normal civilians paid handsomely to hunt down any old friends they see. Certainly you noticed how Jol back there gave up after one hit? He’s no warrior.”

“You know his name?” I ask.

“He was a friend. He hesitated...you know. Before you came down he hesitated, and I think that moment of hesitation saved me. If he bit down harder I certainly would have died before you came down.”

“He mentioned that he just loved to look at the stars.”

“Yeah, he was always a dreamer...wanting to go out to Helmnet to rediscover Garexian heritage.” Helmnet must be the origin planet of the Garexians.

“Well, I have a feeling that things will turn around,” I say.

“That sounds incredibly naive, but I’ll commend it over pessimism.” Just a feeling...no, it’s more than a feeling. It’s a mission. It’s a purpose.