Domel Arcturus

I always said that my true adventure started when I got off of Earth and found out about the mystery of our sealed planet. But in the end, I got myself a problem in the form of a rather...clingy creature.

It was still hard for me to grasp anything that I experienced back on Ijuri. Ever since I woke up from what dad and George called a seizure, I had been seeing a draconic-looking creature wherever I looked. This creature did not look like any dragons I had met on Earth, or even any Vyrnians. It looked so alien. It had four glowing green eyes on its side and one on the top of its forehead. Its body kept changing forms and I could not even describe one form. It looked like a four-legged dragon one moment, then a snake in another. Its tails were many, with some of them looking more like tentacles than a proper draconic tail and some of them seemed to have teeth. It was hard to determine how many tails it had since it kept changing. It had wings, but the wing was...ethereal. It looked more like a vague energy than a proper wing.

I was aware of it when I woke up back on Ijuri. I thought it was just my mind acting up due to the earlier shock, until it spoke. To be honest, it was more annoying than outright menacing, but I knew it was only playing around, especially when it laughed when I finally snapped and grabbed it by its throat. Just then, I heard an otherworldly snarl, and as I turned, I saw its tails baring their teeth towards me, as if they were going to eat me.

"Oops, I suppose I should warn you about them," it said mockingly. "They're a little wild. They don't know I can't be killed merely by choking."

I was angry, but in the end I gave up. There was no sense in being angry and end up killing yourself.

"At least you understand that," said the creature. It sat near me as its size shrunk into that of a dog. Then, to my surprise, it sighed and said, "It's a hassle to be imprisoned like this. To be reduced to nothing more than an annoyance."

What? What was it trying to imply? Curious, I asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"What?"

It sighed again. "You're such a creature of limited sense. No wonder our knowledge drove you insane. Well, you're just lucky your little trip through our realm protected you from it. If it wasn't for you, I might lose most of my powers and trapped in this limited realm."

"You mean...that trip through time..."

"Was for something else. Nothing to do with me. Still, I've seen that you're going to be a good host in the future. One of those possibilities, at least. Can't make the future permanent, I'm afraid."

"Look," I said. "I don't know what your game is, but if the Trikelians are your fault, then..."

"Then what? Kill yourself to kill me? I suggest you don't, Domel Arcturus," it said. "All I'm going to do is simply find another host and they won't get the same luck as you are. The moment they linked with me, their brain will be mush and I end up only having 5 minutes."

"Are you seriously going to do that?" I asked.

"I will if it means a chance for revenge. I will find another visitor like you even if takes more than a century to do so."

"You're fucking sick."

The creature then laughed. "Oh, I've been called so many things by those who put me in chains and threw me into this realm of yours. And no, it wasn't those Vyrnians. They simply have no power to do this."

"But I could."

"Ah, no," it said. "You're the only one who could because of the energy of my realm. Lose that, and you'll share their fate. Let's say it's a symbiosis, alright?"

I wanted to say that it wasn't and he was nothing more like those Trikelians: parasites. However, before I could even say it, he said, "I only hitch a ride, not eating your essence or anything."

Annoyed that it read my mind, I said, "Stop that."

"Then try and stop me," it said. "Maybe you will someday, but I'll enjoy myself until then. And oh, you might want to dial down the conversation. Someone might think you've lost your mind or something."

Just then, I saw George. He had been staring at me along with Kilkaja and Sel as dad and Zarya flew the ship. Realizing that talking to the creature also meant I was talking to myself, I became embarrassed and said, "I, uh..."

"No, we understand," said Kilkaja. "It's just...weird."

I sighed. I guess Kilkaja was right. I wanted to stay silent and ignore the creature, but what could I do? I might want to try and learn how to control it, but until then, I needed to bear its chatty mouth and that annoying smug draconic face.

We quickly knew that going to Arkari now would be a mistake. What could we do to help without proper backup? While everyone knew how to fight, our enemies would be, too. We all decided that Orlonel would be our best bet. Xilna might be able to help us.

As we got there, we already saw some ships leaving the planet. I realized that these ships were battleships, so I assumed that Orlonel already knew Arkari was attacked. We needed confirmation, so we called Xilna using a personal comm she gave us in case anything came out of her research. Given that she never got to call us, I guess she still needed more time to research the Trikelian creature we got from the ruins.

Xilna answered our call. I could see she was rather busy coordinating the attack groups along with several other Vyrnians who I could assume to be strategists and commanders.

"Andrates?" asked Xilna. "I thought you are in Lekan."

"We got a job," said dad. "What's the fleet for?"

"For Arkari," she said. "You heard, didn't you?"

"Yes," he said.

"We really hope that it's going to be enough. We couldn't contact Lekan. Also, we need to talk about the captive Trikelian."

"What happened to it?"

"We'll show you."

Those ominous short answers made me felt uncomfortable. I already knew that she would tell us that the Trikelian escaped and was the reason why this happened, so I was ready for it. However, that creature did not make things easier with its comment.

"What can you even do when you can't even control one Trikelian?" it taunted.

"You're not helping," I said.

"I would if you beg me for it."

"Never," I said with quite a conviction.

"Your loss," I said with a shrug.

We landed on the landing pad a couple of minutes later. Xilna was already standing near the hangar as we opened the ship's door. She told us to follow her. As we paced towards her office, she told us everything.

"That Trikelian you found in the ruins escaped by taking over a researcher assigned to study it," said Xilna to me. "It killed everyone in the room it was held in and sounded the alarm to distract us as it flew away on a ship."

"Was the researcher alive?" I asked.

"Yes, and he was actively trying to fight back, but the Trikelian's control was too strong. The Trikelian turned off the ship's tracker and we tried to find it. A couple of days later, we heard about Arkari and its emergency broadcast. We quickly send reinforcement which I hoped was enough."

"I don't even know you have a space fleet at your disposal," I said.

"A little precaution due to the threat that slipped through us," said Xilna with a sigh. "I still don't know how the Trikelian managed to contact pirates and marauders frequenting this area in just under a week. How did they manage to do that? It's not like they have personal comms so anyone can call them, right? I don't even know how that thing even know how to contact them."

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"Actually...they do have one," said Sel, who overheard our conversation. "It's called the Conference. Pirates can't go around plundering and raiding without getting the attention of other pirates. The Conference is a communication system used as an agreement so that one pirate can stay out of other's way. It is a leftover system from an earlier era of space piracy where there was actually a council of pirates or something like that. Nowadays, it's just something to access the black market or fencers."

"How do you know all this?" asked Xilna.

"I...was part of that life before," said Sel while looking away. "I am a former pirate."

Xilna's silence after that felt like she was silently judging the Felinian. It was normal in a sense, of course. Space pirates were very notorious, even in my time. However, Xilna just smiled, approached Sel, and said, "I'm impressed. People don't go around announcing themselves as former pirates."

"It's a fact from my past, and it's no use denying it," said Sel. "In fact, you need that information."

"Which helps explains things, so thank you. I...didn't quite get your name on your first visit."

"It's Sel Kylas."

"Sel Kylas," repeated Xilna. "Nice to meet you."

"Anyway," said Astha. "This...Conference thing. Given that it's a communication system, it is hackable, then?"

"The system's old and poorly implemented in the first place," said Sel. "I tried using it to buy something in the black market, but the interface is total shit."

"Black market, eh? Someone's a bad girl," teased Astha.

"But not too bad, right?" said Sel with a wink.

It sounded like Astha was hitting on Sel, and she went with it. I looked at Kilkaja, thinking that he might felt something. I guessed he felt something it wasn't what I thought it would be. He looked at the two and chuckled. Guess he saw that as nothing more than a friendly banter, I suppose. I hope.

Xilna took us into her office and locked the door behind her. She then said, "We don't have much time. I am supposed to depart to Arkari to coordinate retaliation and rescue operations, so let me explain why I took you here. Andrates, I want you to coordinate this whole operation."

This came as a surprise for me, and especially, dad. I thought she would not trust my dad that much, especially since he only came to prominence almost a month ago and he clearly did not show them what he was capable of. I knew it sounded like I did not trust my father, but this was a bit...well, fast.

"Me?" said dad in confusion. "But I...well, I slept for 350 years. I mean, I can't just go and declare myself..."

Xilna shook her head and said, "I will keep the status of a commander. I have read the files you gave me, Domel Andrates, provided it's genuine. You're a strategist in your previous life, so now I must ask for your expertise once more."

"Why me?" asked dad. "Yes, I know I was a strategist, but that doesn't mean anyone will just listen to an old Vyrnian out of his time like me."

"Because I have no other alternative," said Xilna with a seriousness in her Vyrnian face that I had never seen before. "I have a fleet, but it won't matter if they all perish. It's all we got from three military colonies on this planet. I...just want to minimize the casualties if possible. I am no strategist, and I don't know how to tackle this. So...can I put my trust in you, Domel Andrates?"

Xilna seemed certain that dad would help her. I knew dad more than her and, unfortunately, while I knew he was well-versed in the Vyrnian art of war, he was never a wartime general. But then, dad being dad, he could not just refuse a job. He had held on for years trying to find help, and now, it was the chance for him to prove that the Trikelian threat was real and more apparent than the one that escaped custody. It was time to act.

With a resolve I had never seen from the old Vyrnian, he walked towards Xilna and said, "Tell me the condition of your fleet and what would we expect. We'll formulate a plan from what we know. Where can I meet your planners?"

"It's just you, unfortunately," said Xilna. "You and me."

"Then we must hurry. Communicate the plan with the fleet. Give me feedback and opinions if necessary. We need to prevent them getting the upper hand. Strike when they least expect it."

He then turned towards me and Zarya. "Arc, get on the Vyrkaya and follow our command ship. Then, use the cloaking device and report the position of the ships. You'll be our scout."

"Scout?" said Zarya. "B-but I..."

"No one can pilot that better than you, Zarya. Trust Arc. He will help you."

She turned to look at me and I comforted her. While we both had no experience in combat, I had been in several space combat simulations and I knew where to go and where to scout. The cloaking device meant that we would be among the ships and would be a huge risk, but I trust Zarya's flying. She was skilled enough to maneuver her small ship among them. My only hope was that our flying did not trigger any collision alarm among the ship, if they had any. Or...maybe that's what dad was trying to do: confuse them.

We knew we had no time for questions, so we simply agreed to this whole situation and returned to our ships. Dad went along with another ship and we went to warp together, getting out of warp a distance away from Arkari. As per the plan, dad told us to put on the cloaking device. However, to my surprise, the next moment he did...was unexpected.

He called us as we approached the ships and said, "Shoot one of the ships in the engines. I think the one with the big exterior warp engine will do. Don't shoot to destroy. Just cripple them."

I know I should've asked what this was about, but at this moment, just as when I was in the military, dad was my commanding officer. The only time I could question the order was if it endanger our position. So, I obliged.

The Vyrkaya's weapon system was basic and could not destroy a big ship in one shot. Nevertheless, it was enough to cripple them if you got the right shot. I was not an expert in warp engines. However, I was taught that an external warp engine's primary weakness was its connection to the main body, and I did just that.

We shot them once and changed position, as per dad's order. While the small damage of the ship would not cause too much damage, that ship's captain seemed to think that something shot her. To my realization, the position of the warp engine was directly in front of a nearby pirate ship.

The first who realized the strategy was Sel. After she saw what dad did, she said, "Oh, I see. Pirates don't usually get along. If one of them shot the other by accident, they might end up shooting each other instead."

"And your cloaked ship will do a good distraction while we get to the planet's surface and mount a rescue team," said dad. "Xilna is going to give you support after you made sure they've been completely disrupted. Good luck."

I knew dad was counting on me. With a smile, I returned to the co-pilot's seat and directed Zarya to fly as I made precise shots that would lead to them shooting each other. Part of me thought that maybe they suspected a cloaked ship, so to increase suspicions, I asked Zarya to fly us somewhere under a ship and shot them from an angle that suggested they were shooting at each other. In a cutthroat and backstabbing business like pirates, they had a fragile trust that we could exploit.

But the challenge was not find the ships to shoot. The challenge, especially for me, was the ghostly creature that was both annoying and disruptive. My shoots were not usually accurate due to the creature talking to me, and it annoyed me so much.

"Oh, well, your shot's a little off," it said after I shot another ship. "A couple of degrees to the left might cripple them and get the best results."

"Would you please," I said, finally had enough after he criticized my shooting. "Stop your stupid commentary and let me do my damn work?!"

"Work? You hardly convinced them. Your dad's idea's pretty good, but do you really think pirates are that dumb?"

"You want to do my job? Fine! Try it and tell me how hard it is to make it convincing enough!"

To our surprise, the ship over us suddenly shot its main cannon and completely crippled the other ship. We thought that our strategy worked, until the creature said it.

"Now that...is how you make a convincing shot. This is kinda fun."

"What the hell did you do?" I asked.

"A non-visitor's like a puppet. Move their strings and voila! A trigger-happy crewmember sparking a war with the other ship."

I was more surprised that this annoying creature who claimed to be from a higher dimension seemed rather involved with our little skirmish. So, I asked it.

"Why...are you helping us?"

It gave me a rather annoyed expression, but still could not contain its mischievous, slightly sociopathic, side. Then, it said, "I could just let them shoot each other and be done with it, but my freedom is limited to your will. They did not only seal my power. They also put a leash on me, and you're holding it. To make you understand it better, let's just say you're my master, I'm your dog, and your wish is my command. Simple?"

"How about if I tell you to go screw yourself?"

"Literally or figuratively?" it said with a smug smile.

"What do you...oh, never mind," I said, shaking my head. This ghost-like creature may have claimed to follow my bidding, but from what I could see, I had a feeling that it was just manipulating me. Still, if it was being honest and I had a degree of control over it, then I could test it.

So, the creature followed my will and it used his rather impressive power to control the gunner of the ships and shot the other, making it even more convincing than our ship's small gun. We did contribute a little to confuse them even more and make them wonder what shot them.

Seeing the creature's mischievous side made me wonder. What were the creatures beyond the crack of time did in their free time? Playing us like dolls? Manipulating our rather limited control of our lives? Controlling our fates? I hoped those were not the case because that would really changed our understanding of life. In fact...it might cause existential crisis, knowing that we were nothing more than the entity's play thing.

Even so, this creature...seemed to have that sense of life. It was curious, almost like a child or a scientist. It may think that the repercussions for its actions would be low, and latching onto me gave it some perspective. Or maybe not. I could just be thinking this too hard. Either way, the creature would be a disruptive element in my life from this point on, and its interference could be a good thing or a bad thing.

As expected, the pirates started shooting each other due to the misunderstanding we made. I felt that this was rather excessive, given that they killed each other instead of crippling them. Even when Xilna came answering our call and saw what we did, she said, "Never thought this plan worked."

"Yeah," I said, rather emphatically. "Yeah. I know."

Before we could relax, however, there was a call from the planet. We received it and dad was on the screen.

"Dad, we did it," I said. "The plan worked."

"Yeah, I can see it from here," he said. "Though I never thought they would start shooting at each other to kill. Anyway, there is something you need to know. The pirates have taken over the colony and we're trying to fight them, but we're outnumbered. I need you to go down here and assist me."

I obliged and relayed this message to the others to follow us. Xilna directed several of the ships under her command to go down with us among the crossfire between the pirates.

I hoped we could try and at least secure this colony because we needed allies. No, more than just allies. Hope. The Trikelians and those whose responsible for their invasion were no ordinary enemies, and thus we needed more than just allies.

This galaxy has to unite to have a fighting chance.