“We have arrived at Trappist-1 Aunt Enid.”
Enid looked at the 360 holo-HUD in the direction that she would find the third planet from the star. It was there, all turquoise on one side and dark on the other. Enid tapped the command that would initiate the wormhole beacon deployment. She watched the small box blow off the bottom of Apollo.
“Is it active?”
“Yes. It is reporting all systems are online.”
“Okay, where do we need to deploy the comm unit?”
Apollo wordlessly pinged a set of coordinates that were solidly on the shadowy equator of the planet.
“If we’re on this side of the planet we’re good, other side no comms, right?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Enid flew the starfighter to the indicated coordinates and pressed the command to start the script that would deploy it properly. She watched as the antimatter from the FTL containment was transferred through magnetically sealed conduits to the micro wormhole generator and eventually it launched.
“Establish a link with Pluto Station.”
Enid waited as Apollo ran through the process of powering the comm unit on and then generating a worm hole to the matching box orbiting Pluto. She was rewarded for her patience with an image of her sister’s face.
“Hey zombie girl.”
“Hey carrots.”
“Wormhole beacon should be transmitting through the comm link. Both were successfully deployed and the antimatter transfer to the comm unit did not result in my untimely death.”
“Good, that will keep it active for several centuries.”
“Heading down now.”
“Be careful the beacons and comm units are heavy and that will disturb handling.”
“And how many times have you told me that?”
“I know how you fly, it will never be enough times.”
“I love you too, sis. Princess out.”
Enid had used her old callsign from her Navy days. She winged over and flipped on the energy shield and started her descent. She took it easy, no flying ten times the speed of sound today. The fact she knew exactly where she wanted to land made things easier than the last time anyway.
“Aunt Enid?”
“Yes Apollo.”
“I’m detecting a mass of bipedal lifeforms moving towards our destination.”
“Define ‘mass’.”
“Density is making sensor readings…unreliable. I estimate anywhere between ten to twenty thousand.”
“Stealth mode.
“Full stealth mode engaged.”
Enid swooped down. She got a good few of what appeared to be an army. A very large army. Big enough it outnumbered the civilians in Lrrl’s city. The scales on these ones were dark, grey and white. Lrrl’s group of them were all multi-colored.
“They are similar to the Lrrl group, these are genetically distinct. However, I cannot provide specifics without samples.”
Enid sighed.
“I have a feeling you’re going to have access to a ready supply.”
“Lrrl and her people have insufficient forces to handle an army of this size. As she also indicated they have flyers, that seem to be carrying some form of volatile liquid. We should engage them now.”
“Apollo even if you had the weaponry to deal with an army of this size, I am not willing to make the dark side dinosaurs think this side has advanced technology I’m going to have to pretend to be a really powerful mind mage... to use their terminology.”
“But you are mortal.”
“Not if I put my helmet on.”
Enid pulled the starfighter up and rolled and started heading towards the stronghold.
“On my signal, do a roll and open the cockpit.”
“You have just removed your harness.”
“I am well aware of that.”
Enid closed her eyes and the helmet formed around. Gloves grew over her hands and the armor formed plates.
“We are at two thousand feet, your armor will not prevent all damage from that height.”
“I will be fine.”
“Should I play ‘Silver is for Monsters’ now?”
Enid blinked.
“Where did that come from?”
“Your past behavior indicates you like listening to music when you fight. You seemed unhappy with your selection in your last fight.”
Enid heard a recording of her voice play: ‘Damn it, should have picked ‘Silver is for Monsters.’ Enid shook her head
“Just play something with a good beat.”
“How will you be fine, Aunt Enid?”
“My armor has wings, and besides that I can fly. Roll and open now!”
Apollo followed her instructions and soon Enid ended her forward motion and was in a drop towards the ground she spun in the air and used her armor’s wings to slow the descent. A few seconds later she was on the ground with her Katana in hand about three hundred feet in front of the army. Behind her she could see the light side dinosaurs. She pointed her sword at the army of the dark side and used her armor to amplify her voice, she spoke in their language.
“Return to whence you came, and no harm will befall you. Try to pass me and you will regret your choice.”
The army kept advancing. She hadn’t expected her words to do much, but she had to give them a chance. She closed her eyes and focused her telekinesis into her open hand, and she dropped to her knees and punched the ground. A visible shockwave knocked trees down as the cone of force rippled out from the point of impact. This caused the dark army to pause. The light army were about two hundred feet behind her. They were not even half as strong as the one the invaders had mustered. The biggest of the dark side dinosaurs stepped forward. Enid thought he looked somewhat more predatory than the light side dinosaurs.
“You have no tail; Yet you dare speak to us?”
He waved his hand and horns that probably once belonged to real dinosaurs were blown. Arrows started to black out the sky. Enid raised her free hand and the arrows stopped in their forward momentum. As more were launched the joined the ones already stopped. Enid could feel blood dripping from her nose. This was further than she’d ever pushed her powers. So many individual objects was taxing. She flicked her wrists and the arrows turned and started raining back down on the owners. The screams of injured dinosaurs echoed in her ears
“Aunt Enid, I am detecting damage to your brain. You should cease this course of action immediately.”
Enid was starting see the world in a hazy blurry. But what she could see was the Dark Side dinosaurs in complete disarray. They were fleeing in all different directions and the large one she had apparently pissed off was charging at her. He telegraphed his intended attack, and Enid’s gift was already showing her his attack pattern. She stepped aside and with a swift strike she sent his head flying. His body continued running for several feet and then finally collapsed and slide down the hill. Enid was getting wobbly on her feet. Her head felt like she had split it open. Six more of the Dark Side dinosaurs were coming towards her. She altered time and sliced them all down. She finished with her last spinning strike and stumbled. She held the side of her head and felt her eyes closing.
“Fuck.”
*****
Enid woke and had to hold her hand over her eyes. The sun was really bright where they had put her. She was in some form of robe soft robe. She squinted. Her head was throbbing. She tried to sit up but immediately regrated it as she started to dry heave. She felt real tears on her cheeks. Natural physical reaction to dry heaves. She let her head fall back and regrated it instantly. She was laying on solid stone. Because of course she was the dinosaurs had scales. She also realized she was bereft of her holo-phone. But her wrists weren’t empty, blue metallic bracelets adorned them. She felt a strange energy vibration emanating from them. She but her arm over her eyes and lay there for a while. She heard footsteps rushing towards her. She peaked out from under her arm and saw several of the richly colored dinosaurs, most were males, but there were a couple of females among their number. They had robes of varying colors on. The one in the brightest colored robes approached the closest and kneeled.
“Enid of the Aurelius Clutch, Born of the Earth Sphere, you awaken.”
“I need…someplace dark, really dark, no light.”
A murmur went through the assembled dinosaurs.
“You have performed a feat of legend, the strain of such a thing is said to be terrible you must soak up the power of the life giver, lest the power of the mind leave you. All who done such things…were without the gift afterwards, if they survived.”
“I’m not like you. I need darkness.”
Enid heard a whispered debate. Eventually a female voice seemed to win out. Enid kept her arm over her eyes but felt herself be lifted by several taloned hands and moved. A door slammed shut and she opened her eyes to the comforting darkness of some form of cell. There were manacles on the walls. One set was occupied by a dour looking female dinosaur.
“A mind mage, here. What crime have you committed?”
Enid stood up and stretched she felt the damaged pathways in her brain mend themselves and within seconds the headache was a distant memory, and she was at full strength. Enid dusted her robes off.
“None I just needed to heal.”
“You sound…strange.”
“I am strange. I’m…Enid of the Aurelius Clutch? Earth Sphere?”
“I was at your sharing. You called yourself the Dark Mother. A boundarywalker, one who performed two feats of legend, and survived or so the guards whispered.
“Yes. So, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?”
“I was caught in the boundary with my lover.”
“From one of the dark Clutchs?”
“Yes.”
“And that is a crime?”
“Depends on who you ask.”
“Why do they keep you in darkness?”
“Because I am a mind mage, and it drains our power. Yet I sense you grow stronger with every second you spend here.”
“That… actually makes a great deal of sense then. I’m guessing the Dark Side peoples do not have mind mages?”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“You are correct. Though why someone of your strength and experience would need to ask such a question confuses me.”
“I’m not from your world. I might have a solution to your predicament though you will never see sunlight again. Let me ponder this. Uh… one last question… if you don’t mind… did you mention me to your lover?”
“Yes, of course, you’re the most interesting thing to happen here in many turnings of the Red sphere.”
Enid sighed and pounded on the door, and it was opened. She was greeted by the two women from the grouped of robed figures. Enid walked out their tongues were twitching in a way that she knew meant they were confused.
“Where’s Lrrl?”
The two acolytes looked at each other.
“She is in war council.”
“Can I see her? I need to speak with the Dull Ones.”
“We, can…we are not meant to make those decisions we are lowly acolytes to the mind mages.”
The pair of acolytes closed the door behind Enid hurriedly and fearfully. Enid finally took time to look down at the robes they had given her. They were overly large so were dragging on the ground. The dinosaurs one and all were at a minimum six feet tall. Some were in the order of ten feet. Enid was barely five. They were full of strange runes and had squares of blue metal woven in. Red, orange, gold fabric made up the bulk of them. They looked quite impressive. Unfortunately, she was completely naked under them.
“Where are my armor, my clothes, my pack and my weapons?”
“Oh, right this way Archsorceress.”
Enid followed them around what seemed to be a temple. She could see the runes from the robes repeated everywhere. Her gift of understanding did not extend to reading apparently. Because she had no clue what any of it said.
“Why did you call me Archsorceress?”
“It is what you are, you are the most powerful mind mage our world has ever seen. Two feats of legend in one battle and you still live. The last Archsorcerer was Knnqir in the year of the worm he died performing the feat of legend that saved our city. The title was granted after his death as a sign of respect for his power.”
“What feet of legend did he perform?”
“He stopped a great tree from smashing our gates. The Dark ones felled it to breach them.”
“That’s it, just stopped a tree?”
“No one has ever lifted something so heavy before.”
“Oh. About these robes…what do they mean?”
“They are the robes of an Archsorceress. They have been crafted and and preserved for many cycles of the Red sphere. In preparation for the next mind mage to make perform a feat of legend.”
“Their burial robes then?”
The acolytes looked at each other then back to Enid their tongues twitching.
“No, they are built to harness the energy of the life giver.”
“What about the bracelets?”
“They are made of azinium and are also meant to focus the energy of the life giver.”
“I think I see. You build up a charge from something provided by the life giver and deplete… I understand.”
“You do not?”
“No, I use blood.”
Their tongues started twitching again. Eventually the trio reached a door. One of the acolytes pulled out a key and unlocked it and opened the door. Enid saw her belongings arranged neatly. She decided to just get to it and pulled the robes off and started tugging on her armor and sealed it up. She attached her holo-phone to it and tapped it. She started to attach her pistols and survival kit to the armor as she spoke.
“Apollo?”
“Aunt Enid, you are awake!”
“Yes. Where are you?”
“Following the mission guidelines. In the four days you were out I have been able to scan most of the planet and identify other settlements. It seems the only tribe on the day side is the one we’ve made contact. There are several desperate tribes on the dark side. Their numbers are much higher. They seem to…fish for sustenance and water is plentiful. Water is an issue on the day side. It is probably what is keeping the light side numbers down. There is some form of pathogen afflicting the night side sauroids.”
“Sauroids?”
“That is the term the xenobiologists used.”
“Whatever, they’re dinosaur people why make a new word up? Any trace of that infection in the light side?”
“No, it appears their diet provides effective immunity.”
“Starting to get a better picture here. Dark Side breed faster, die faster. Light side live a lot longer, but with limited water resources are limited in their breeding. Dark side knows the light side lives longer keeps trying to fight wars, but the light side are healthier and have mind mages. Balance.”
“One wonders how the defeat armies of such sizes.”
“I’ll ask Lrrl for a history lesson. So, what do you think, is the egghead’s water solution going to be viable?”
“Quite. There is an aquafer underneath the city. If the wormhole works, they could have a ready supply of water within a week. Provided you can convince them to make an agreement.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Talk to you in a bit kiddo.”
Enid tapped her wrist and slipped her pack over her shoulders.
“Could you two give me directions to the War Council chambers now? I have a tight timeline.”
They looked at each other, their tongues and tails twitching. Enid was apparently pushing them to their breaking point with her questions. She guessed they were likely teenagers.
“Well girls its been fun.”
Enid shoved the robes and bracelets into one of the acolytes arms and walked towards the grand temple entrance they had passed while going to the storerooms. She heard them rushing to keep up their tails sliding along the ground.
“The tower master has not…did not give permission to leave.”
“If he has a problem tell him to take it up with me. See ya around.”
Enid walked out into the streets many eyes turned to her. She could hear several tails gently tapping the ground. A mother with her three young were coming towards on the walkway and she stepped back out of her way and the child all looked up at her. Shave gave a small wave. They giggled giddily their tails slapping the ground harder.
“Hey kids.”
The mother was doing her best to wrangle them, so they didn’t warm Enid.
“I am so sorry Archsorceress.”
“Don’t be, kids get excited. So…I got a bit turned around, I’m looking for the Dull Scales and the War council…”
“Oh, you can find them that way.”
The woman pointed. They children were all over Enid’s legs by now. All of them asking various versions if she would do another sharing while she was here.
“I will be, I am sure. Unfortunately, right now I have important business to attend to with the Dull Scales. In the meantime.”
Enid pulled out three Dark Mother pendants and four bottles of water. It had been the biggest request she had after her story. She handed them out and the last bottle she offered to the tired looking mother after opening the lid for her. The bottles had been specifically designed for the sauroid mouths.
“You look like you need this.”
The woman took a tentative drink, she looked at Enid.
“This is pure.”
“It is. Enjoy. Thank you for the directions.”
Enid waved and started heading towards the place the woman had indicated. Her destination ended up being the sharing amphitheater currently occupied by the Dull Ones, several older looking sauroids in ornate armor, and one in ornate robes, though nothing close to what Enid had been in. Lrrl seemed to be counted among them now. Though Enid knew her to be considered a…young adult and not fully mature. A few heads turned to her when Lrrl noticed a lull in the conversation she turned and her tail started twitching and before Enid knew it her friend had lifted her up in a tight hug.
“Enid!”
“Hello friend.”
The Dull Scales were starting to turn and see what the ruckus was about and Enid saw their tails start moving as well. Lrrl’s arm wrapped around Enid’s back and she started guiding her to the war table.
“Generals, this is Enid of the Aurelius Clutch, Born of the Earth Sphere.”
The robed sauroid’s body language was indicating quite clearly that he was shocked to see Enid alive at all. The generals all bowed their heads in what Enid had come to understand was a sign of respect. As did the robed sauroid and the council of Dull Scales. The general with the most ornate armor, spoke.
“You saved our people today Enid of the Aurelius Clutch. You proved yourself with deed and action. We are honored to know you. One woman against twenty thousand. Surely the tales of your victory will be spoken of in reverence by our descendants into infinity. My children and my children’s children honor you at this moment at the shrine to the Dark Mother.”
She bowed her head. Enid felt this sinking feeling in the bit of her stomach. Like she’d just doubled down on the whole Dark Mother thing today. She instantly regretted bring so many of the pendants. She had considered them trinkets she could pass out since so many wanted one and now she was pondering…if she’d just spread the religion she wasn’t quite so happy about to this planet now too. She swore internally. So all Enid could manage in response was a very weak:
“Shrine… to the Dark Mother?”
Lrrl’s tail swayed slightly. Enid glanced at her young friend.
“I erected because some of… us wanted to honor the sacrifice you made when you fought the dark one.”
Enid blinked.
“I could have been talking out of my ass.”
Lrrl quirked her head to the side and her tongue started to twitch.
“Not possible, the Dull Scales sensed only one mistruth and that was the place of your birth. It was a miracle. I saw what we faced I touched my pendant, I asked you to keep us safe, just like your friend said this pendant would, then you appeared in the sky and…”
Enid felt that sinking feeling intensify. If she had eaten anything she was pretty sure she’d be throwing up right now. The true scope of her fuck up was being apparent now. And then…when they were about to be overwhelmed, she just appeared out of nowhere, defeated an army. Oh, she was right proper fucked now. Enid leaned on the stone war table and took several deep breaths. Lrrl touched her back affectionately.
“Are you okay, your color changed your covering turned white.”
Enid nodded slowly trying to push down the rising bile. She was still having trouble forming words as she processed what she had done to this world…
“Just weak from the battle. So, if you won the battle, why the war council?”
The general who had spoken earlier nodded to Enid.
“Retaliation.”
Enid sighed.
“How many people did you lose?”
“None.”
“Then why retaliate? They lost thousands. I beheaded their leader and they’re going to be in disarray trying to make their way home in a hostile environment. Why kick them when they’re done?”
The general’s tail twitched. Enid knew that meant confusion/annoyance.
“To crush them once and for all, they army will return home to burnt out hovels and the water will be ours forever.”
Enid nodded.
“And you will deal with guerrilla attacks and rebellions until they get their numbers up and fight back for real and then you are the oppressed ones. This is a never-ending cycle. I watched my world do it for thousands of our years the only thing that brought any manner of lasting peace was the near destruction of our people due to an accident that turned our world into an ice ball always shrouded in twilight. Almost all life on it destroyed. Now where there once lush forests and vast oceans there is only ice…ice and death.”
Enid turned to the Dull Scales.
“My people have sent me back here with an offer, an almost endless supply of water. We found a way to send something here to help you.”
She had everyone’s attention now. She pulled out fifteen bottles of pure water and placed them down on the war table. It was enough for all in attendance.
“A gift from the leadership of our people.”
She opened the first one and offered it to Lrrl. Who sniffed and then drank, her tale started to pound the ground as she tasted it she swallowed and looked at the bottle.
“This is so pure.”
The rest started to take the bottles and opened them as Enid had shown. Seven were distributed to the Dull Scales. She waited for all to taste it. The dull thud of tails echoed into the near empty amphitheater.
“You have an ocean of pure water under your feet. My people know how to access it.”
The leader of the Dull Scales an older sauroid with scales and feather that had long faded with age stood up and looked at Enid.
“And Dark Mother, what will this…cost us? Do you wish us to fall to our knees in reverence of you, many here in this city would do that right now without water, but many would not even with water, what do you want from us?”
“I do not seek followers, I told you my story because you asked, not to convert you. The water will cost only one thing: Peace.”
“Peace?”
“I came here with an offer for the Dark Siders and the Light siders, the only thing my people ask is for you to consider peace with each other. This self-destructive cycle only ends one way, the loss of your lives. I wasn’t sure when I arrived how we could help the Dark Siders, but now I know. So, if I can solve your problem for the foreseeable future so that you can develop a healthy relationship with your brothers and sisters on the other side of your world, will you consider peace talks?”
There was a murmur of voices as the Dull Scales discussed her offer.
“We would speak to your leadership.”
Enid held up a finger and started pulling parts for the holo-comm unit from her pack. She attached them swiftly and tapped her wrist.
“Apollo, see if you can reach Amee please.”
“I will connect her with the comm unit once she is available. I take it you are with the council now?”
“You would be correct.”
Eventually Amee appeared in the holo-projector. Enid translated for her.
“I am Amee of the Jace Clutch, Born of the Earth Sphere.”
The leader of the Dull Scales swept his hand through the hologram and looked at Enid who shrugged.
“I am Gnnnrl of the Amber Clutch, Born of the Green Sphere. Why do you seek for us to make peace with our hated enemies?”
“We cannot take sides in your conflict. We wish to open peaceful dialogue with all the peoples of your world and to open trade when we are able to establish a permanent link with your world.”
“Yet Enid of the Aurelius Clutch defeated their army single-handedly.”
“As I understand it from the report of her…nephew, that was to prevent the loss of yourselves as possible trade partners.”
“Are all your mind mages and warriors as great her?”
“No, she is one of a kind. We do have strong armies, and ships capable of great destruction.”
“Yet you do not seek to conquer us.”
“Our people have a long history of taking that which does not belong to us by force, I have chosen a better way since we have suffered the cataclysm. Now I promote free trade and equity. Purchase and ownership. Battle through commerce. You have resources unique to your sphere. We would like access to those resources, in exchange we would provide resources unique to our many spheres. We have been forced to adapt and overcome many challenges to survive. We would like to assist you in adapting to your challenges.”
“You do not seek to take the light from us? Take our land so you may once again live in the lights warmth?”
“No, there are an infinite number of spheres. Most do not have life, and the ones that do, do not contain intelligent life. We will choose one of those to free our people from the ice.”
“How do you propose this peace be negotiated?”
“Through holo mediated by our negotiators.”
Enid pointed at the disk that was displaying Amee in way of explanation.
“But your people do not speak our language.”
“Enid will seek out volunteers to work with our people to learn to translate your language.”
“We will need to discuss this, but we are willing to consider meeting with the Dark Siders but expect betrayal Amee of the Jace Clutch
. They are devious and dangerous.”
Amee bowed slightly.
“I thank you for your consideration. As a gesture of good will we will be sending a transport through with much water mined from one of our outposts.”
“And the more permanent solution? What form will that take.”
“The details are very technical Honored Dull Scale. The simple answer is: you need only dig a hole of sufficient size and a device will be placed in it. The device will assemble itself utilizing the metal and minerals from its surroundings, it will then bring water from deep beneath the surface of your sphere.”
The Dull Scale leader bowed to Amee.
“Until we speak again Amee of the Jace Clutch.”
Amee’s form shimmered and vanished. Enid left the holo comm unit in place. The Dull Scale leader looked to her.
“You trust this one?”
“Yes. She is my friend her motives are pure. Though with many our people their motives are not pure. Handle negotiations with care if you are dealing with anyone but Amee, my sister Maria, or my daughter Eyre.”
“Then we will trust in you, Dark Mother.”
Enid felt like this was going to end with her getting a lecture. She hoped it wouldn’t end in religious wars. Gnnnrl looked to the assembled Dull Scales and military leadership.
“With these recent developments, I will not approve an attack.”
He glanced at the council and they all nodded in agreement.
“We commit these acts of violence for water, if it can be obtained without hardship, then why force our clutches to lose honored members?”
The generals bowed to the Dull Scales. Enid looked at Lrrl whose tail was slapping up a storm. Enid let the sauriod put her arm around her shoulders and the pair wandered out of the amphitheater.
“How did your… Christmas Eve party go?”
“Same as always. Except this time we had lofufa juice to drink.”
Lrrl’s tongue twitched with amusement. Enid tapped her wrist.
“Oh, I have a family picture would you like to see?”
“I want to hear and see everything my friend. I am so glad you returned.”