The ambient etherium kept shifting, and he felt like he was in the center of a fast-flowing river. This one would be bigger than the other ones had been. If he didn’t warn the bridge in time, they might underestimate it. He did not know how accurate the etheric sensors on the ship were, and he didn’t want to risk crewmen dying because they couldn’t get enough people to the shield in time.
He kept running until he found a crewman, who lead him to his superior officer. Hunter showed him the insignia on his arm, symbolizing his status as a V.I.P. The officer’s eyes widened when he recognized who Hunter was. He asked the officer for his radio, and he almost fumbled before he could to activate it.
“This is Hunter Koar to the bridge. A large ether storm is about to erupt. You need more people in the shield room—”
“Hunter,” he heard the flat, deep voice of Captain Abraham Gregor come through the radio, “may I remind you that there are official channels for V.I.P. communication. I assure you, we have everything under control—”
“This is Trey Oberon. I recommend we take the young man’s recommendation into serious consideration,” Trey’s voice interrupted the Captain’s. Hunter winced, knowing how Trey felt about interfering with his high-level staff and their decision making. He also felt some embarrassment; with his haste to inform the bridge about the impending ether storm, he hadn’t even considered the fact that Trey might have his own personal connection to the bridge.
“Very well, sir,” the Captain replied curtly. A few seconds later, a klaxon sounded through the ship.
“Alert, ship’s status is set to Condition Yellow. All non-essential personnel are to return to their quarters and follow safety protocols. I repeat, ship’s status is set to Condition Yellow. All non-essential personnel will return to quarters and follow safety protocols.”
Hunter nodded in relief and thanked the officer when he handed the radio back. The officer gave Hunter a strange look, probably wondering if the newest Oberon heir was out of his mind.
Hunter jogged back to Trey’s personal quarters, dodging hurrying crewmen who were prepping themselves for the condition yellow, and nodding to other non-essentials who were rushing back to their quarters.
When he reached the room, he found Aera sitting at the table with her arms crossed and a brow raised.
“Well, we’re stuck in this room together until we pass through the ether storm. I think you’ve got some explaining to do.”
“Fret not!” Trey called. The man carried with him another bottle of wine and carefully balanced a large charcuterie board in his free hand. “I come with good spirits!”
Trey started to trip and Hunter reacted instantly, lunging forward and grabbing the board before it leaned over too much.
Trey recovered, and he tsk’d at himself. Placing the bottle on the table, he smirked at Hunter.
“This bottle is three decades old. Next time, go for the bottle, not the assortment of snacks.”
Aera whistled. Trey nodded at her and smiled like a proud father.
“It’s time we taught you how to appreciate a wine beyond the obvious benefits,” Trey said, “but first; my daughter is correct, you have some explaining to do.”
Hunter was about to respond, but before he could, he felt the world exhale. The ship rocked for a second, then two, then three. Something in one of Trey’s cabinets topped over, something else shattered. The lights flickered.
Hunter stumbled a bit before catching himself. The wine bottle tipped over and rolled, and Trey actually yelped before placing both hands on it, securing it in a death grip.
The shaking passed as fast as it began.
“That’s like no ether storm I’ve ever felt before,” Aera said, seemingly unfazed by the impact as she looked at Hunter with curiosity, “the shield must be holding stable, or we’d be at condition: Red by now,” Aera said. Trey breathed with relief as he inspected the wine bottle. He popped off the cork.
“Sit down, Hunter. You can explain it all once you’re good and ready.”
Hunter sat down and inhaled deeply, his breath trembling. There was no backing out now. He took a sip of wine after Trey poured him another glass.
He wondered, where should he start?
"I believe you mentioned wanting a mind like my father’s during these challenging times, correct?” Hunter asked, deciding to get straight to the point.
“You said you could assist, and I responded by saying that you’ve already gone above and beyond.”
Hunter held up a hand to interrupt Trey. Trey rose his eyebrows in curiosity, but didn’t seem offended.
“I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about my father,” Hunter said, feeling a tightening in his stomach. He was nervous about telling them about his father’s journals, but he couldn’t suppress the excitement that was bubbling up behind the nerves.
He’d been holding onto this for so long.
He wondered how much he should say. He nixed the idea of sharing the Internal Arts. The potential cost of the method remained unclear to him. And besides that, no one else could practice it. To his knowledge, only he and his father possessed a sensitivity to etherium strong enough to practice the method.
“Go on,” Trey said, leaning forward. Aera followed suit. All of her attention was on Hunter.
“My father was always very meticulous about his work. He would always record very detailed notes. He would also jot down his speculations about his work, his ideas about etherium, and how it could be used. After he died,” Hunter said.
He took another sip of wine. Trey and Aera waited patiently.
“My father’s death left me with only memories, especially after the Council confiscated everything. Until a briefcase showed up at my door, the door to the house you sheltered me in,” Hunter said, glancing at Trey.
“Yes, I remember you mentioning something about that. But if I recall correctly, you said there was nothing special about it,” Trey said, smirking over his wineglass.
“Spit it out, Hunter. Were your father’s notes in the briefcase or not?” Aera asked.
“She gets cranky when she’s inebriated,” Trey said.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“I do not! I’m just wondering when we can get to the interesting part,” Aera said, folding her arms across her chest and pouting.
“Fine, yes. It took years to open the suitcase, by the way, and I wouldn’t have been able to without going to the museum the day it was attacked,” he said, glancing again at Trey who seemed interested in hearing more.
“I was visiting the Asutnahem section before the attack began. I saw a series of paintings—”
“Yes! The Journeyer. A classic,” Trey sighed, and he glanced at his daughter with a smirk. She rolled her eyes, but seemed to accept that Hunter was taking the scenic route towards the point.
“Well, I remember seeing an inferno behind the Journeyer, and there was a symbol inside of it which meant revelation. After years of trying to open the damn thing, revelation worked. It popped open, and inside was all of my father’s research from the last few decades.”
“You know, I’d suspected that he’d left something behind for you, but I had wondered about its scope. You say it was all of his research?” Trey asked.
Hunter nodded.
“He also left behind some more personal documents written to me. But apart from those, I’m willing to let Oberon have access to whatever research he left behind.” Hunter said.
“I get it, this is important,” Aera said, leaning forward over the table, “but it doesn’t explain what happened just before the ether storm. It’s like you could sense it was forming. What was that about?”
Hunter shrugged.
“That’s exactly what happened. I sensed it forming.”
Aera shook her head and Trey laughed softly.
“You are a mystery which continues to unfold, Hunter,” Trey said.
“You’re saying that you feel etherium somehow?” Aera asked.
Hunter nodded.
“My father could too, but I suspect it wasn’t to the same degree that I can.”
Trey’s eyes widened, and his eyebrows shot up.
“A mutation?” he asked. Hunter nodded.
“We suspect so, yes.”
“No wonder you’re such a whizz with constructs,” Aera said, frowning. “You’ve got an advantage.”
“You have no idea,” Hunter said, laughing. Now that he was finally talking about it, he felt liberated. The wine was probably helping, but he suddenly could stop himself from talking.
“What’s the biggest obstacle to progress in the science of etherium artisanship?”
Aera furrowed her brows, but Trey answered immediately.
“It’s pitch black,” he said, his eyes widening as he realized what Hunter was implying. “There’s much we don’t know. Etherium’s enigmatic nature makes it impossible to study like a regular material, assuming ‘substance’ even applies, which is itself a point of contention. So you mean you comprehend what etherium is?”
“This leads to the second part of what I wanted to share. Aera, earlier I asked you how much you knew from my time before I joined the family.”
“That’s right,” she said, a bit more interested in the conversation.
“Well, when I wasn’t struggling to put food on the table and pay rent, I was researching. I was using my sensitivity to understand etherium, and find ways to use it that no one else could.”
“Hold on, you paid rent?” Aera asked, “I thought dad had you covered during that time.”
Trey cleared his throat.
“That’s besides the point. Please continue, Hunter. If I’m reading between the lines correctly, you’re about to tell us you discovered something significant about etherium?” he asked.
Hunter would have laughed if the estimation wasn’t spot on.
“Actually, yes,” Hunter said, “Sort of. I’ll spare the details, but my insight led me to finding certain ways to approach my work that differ from the mainstream. New network syntax that works with the natural inclinations embedded within etherium rather than against them. I also found new uses for old Glyphs. I’m talking about the ability to optimize constructs by as much 50 percent, sometimes.”
“And your criss-cross batteries,” Trey said.
“Crosshatch, yes,” Hunter corrected, “that too. It was actually my father’s idea. I just improved it.”
Trey snorted. Then he giggled. Then he laughed.
“Hunter, I know so many very intelligent people who would feel nothing but burning envy and rage at hearing you speak. You’ll meet some of them at the outpost, in fact, after the first group of colonists arrives. Tell me, as grateful as I am for your revelation—”
Aera sighed and rolled her eyes.
“—what do you want to do with this information? I appreciate the research you’re willing to share, but what about this other research? Our previous agreement is important to me, so I’ll follow your lead on what we do next.
Hunter realized he hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. He’d assumed that after he’d given it to Trey, he’d know what to do with it.
“Uh, I’m open to suggestions?”
“If only we’d known about this sooner,” Trey said, leaning back slightly and rubbing his hair. “We could have had the engineering and fabrication teams combing through the research already. We do have some artisans on board, and I’m sure they’d love to get their hands on those journals—once they’ve been copied and safely secured.”
Trey rubbed his chin and for a moment his eyes stared off into some unseeable distance. Then he shook his head.
“I’m not sure that there’s much we can do with this information in the near future. Once we have the foundation of the colony set up and the first wave has arrived, we can revisit this. What’s your opinion on that?” Trey asked, looking at both Hunter and Aera.
Aera shrugged.
“It’s as good a plan as any, I guess,” Hunter said.
A chime rang over the intercom.
“Alert, the ship’s condition has been reset to Green. I repeat, condition: Green. All personnel are to resume normal duties.”
The intercom clicked, and a second later, Trey’s radio trilled.
“Mr. Oberon, the shield is holding steady and we’ve probably saved a lot of lives and limbs by having the extra personnel on the shield. Please relay my gratitude to Mr. Koar,” the Captain’s voice then sounded thin and tinny over Trey’s personal radio.
“I’ll pass it on, Captain. Thank you,” Trey said, smirking at Hunter.
“Yes, sir,” the Captain said, ending the call.
“Hunter, my boy, I believe you are officially in Captain Gregor’s good graces. It’s quite an exclusive list to be on. How does it feel?”
“About as good as keeping the ship safe,” Hunter mumbled over the rim of his cup. He felt conflicted. Not about revealing his secrets, but that he’d taken so long to do so.
Although he felt some relief, he also felt a bit disappointed. He wondered if moments like these were supposed to feel more cathartic. Did the guilt indicate some sort of psychological complex?
“This is Captain Gregor. Sorry for interrupting again, sir,” the captain’s voice came through Trey’s personal radio again. “We’ve received the ping from Guard Captain Bell’s beacon. They made it to the transition point without issue.”
“Thank you for keeping me informed, Captain. Proceed as planned.”
“Yes, sir. After so long, it’ll be nice to stand on solid ground for a while. I’ll leave you to your evening, sir.”
“Thank you, Captain. Happy landing,” Trey said, and put down the radio when he was done. He stretched in his seat and then stood, finishing the charcuterie board.
“Alright, my dears. This has been fun and I regret that this is the only time we’ve found for a get-together. Hunter, thank you for trusting us. Can we do this again next week? It really aught to be a regular thing,” Trey muttered.
Hunter and Aera stood in tandem. She walked with him after they left Trey’s room.
“So, how do you feel?” She asked him. Hunter smiled.
“I feel good. You were right. I needed that.”
“Me too,” Aera said, pursing her lips and then looking at him with a complicated gaze, “Hunter, I don’t feel like I ever apologized for how I treated you before.”
Hunter’s eyebrows rose.
“Where’s this coming from?” he asked.
“It’s coming from looking back at how unfair I was. I judged you before I understood who you were, and who you could be.”
Hunter scoffed. They were friends now. He felt comfortable around her. But that didn’t mean he had unconditional approval for her personality quirks.
“You and I had very different upbringings,” he said. “I accept your apology, because if you could have seen beyond your ideas of me, you would have.”
“You’re right,” she sighed, like she just dropped a heavy weight from her shoulders, “thank you, Hunter.”
Hunter and Aera went their separate ways. Once he was in his quarters, he sat on the edge of his bed, fiddling with the black onyx signet ring hanging off of the necklace around his neck. He took it off and considered the Oberon emblem etched into the ring’s glossy exterior.
He remembered when Trey gave it to him, and how his fingers had been too thin to hold the ring in place. He removed the ring from the necklace and slowly placed it on his right forefinger. Over the last year, he’d gained 90 pounds. Most of that was solid muscle. There was more meat on his bones, and more healthy body fat to round out his once-gaunt features.
The ring held securely to his skin.
He clenched his fist and lifted it to the light, watching the specular dance across the ring’s glossy surface.
He frowned. Something felt off.
The hand with the ring felt unfamiliar, almost like it belonged to another person.
He chuckled to himself. It was probably just the wine. Pushing the feeling away, Hunter laid down to sleep. A new chapter would begin for everyone the next day. He refused to meet its challenges without a good night’s rest.