Unipsi, lovely entity
chapter 81c: return
More than 3 years had passed since Scilla’s “death”. Years of frightening silence on the Esterian’s front. Their disappearance left behind a never-ending paranoia. From their perspective so little time had passed since their disappearance. Most firmly believed that Esterians had been enraged and were just preparing a full-scale invasion. Billions over billions spent on weapons that even if a war started would end up being totally useless. The Lean Federation was not foreign to such spending increase.
Csuicha was in her office, examining one of many proposals to strengthen their fleet. Then an unexpected knock at her door.
“get in soldier” said Csuicha without looking away from her computer. One of her guards entered. She was agitated, a mix of fear anxiety and maybe joy.
“speak soldier. Don’t waste my time”
“my… my Liin. Someone presenting as Scilla Lis is here”
“what?”
“we have yet to fully confirm her identity, but her facial features correspond and so do all her 10 fingerprints. She also possesses Scilla’s official identification tags. What do we do?”
“let her in. Make sure she has no weapon and lead her into a detainment cell. We will see if she is truly who she tells to be”
The soldiers did exactly as instructed. Scilla didn’t oppose. She was guided into a glass cell to prevent her from harming the Liin. They also took a sample of her blood and immediately started the automatic analysis which would take a few minutes. In those minutes Csuicha entered the room and observed from the other side of the glass. Scilla was wearing clearly Esterian's clothes. Long almost to the ground and fairly resembling those of mystical magicians. She had no hood and didn’t conceal her face. On her left end, at the base of her ring finger, she had indeed a ring. It was a shiny metallic structure with a full band of some orange crystal. The metallic part was filled with composite Estir incisions.
“hello my friend. Long time no see” started Scilla. She was cold.
“hello to you too. About the friend part we have to wait and see”
“I’m waiting as well. The machine takes 67 seconds to return a match. They will run 3 tests on 2 different machines. But worry not. I have more to say, just to make sure that you can trust me. After all I’m back from the dead, am I not?”
“knowing our technology won’t help you”
“me, you and Dhalia Hakavor are in on several secrets aren’t we.”
“too generic. We all have secrets.”
a guard arrived with the results showing that the prisoner Lean was 100% Scilla.
“and you have your blood confirmation. But I also know something else. Your secret. A bit twisted for the occasion. We found a room on… Droxi soil… a room full of blood… blood shaped like creatures… blood drawing combat scenes. Who knows what the Droxi did in there right?”
Csuicha walked to the cell, opened it and the first thing she say was
“you cunt where the fuck have you been?” then she hugged her friend.
“I missed you too dickhead. It’s a long story, would you have time to listen to it?”
“not only I have time, I order you to tell me everything”
“everything? Girl you are in for a long tale”
a tale that was going to be twisted to fit a more convenient series of events. One that would not damage Scilla or Iris. A purely egoistical tale.
“I figured it was long. 3 damn fucking years. What happened Scilla?”
“frankly I don’t know much about the start. I was taken by surprise like everybody else...”
“don’t speak here. Let’s go to my office. One of you guards, make sure to have the kitchen prepare us some tea.”
“Csuicha, you don’t have to”
“did you forget my name”
“no. just thought you would not like being informal between your guards”
“you have a pass. Follow me”
Reached the office they sat on the couches. 8 guards were with them inside the room. Always ready to act.
“well let’s start from the beginning. But first Serafia. what do you know about the incident?”
“not much. Never found much. Just some sort of immense black monster that ate everything”
“oh… well then we are basically on the same level”
“you can’t be serious?”
“I mean. We got the worst timing ever. The structure we assaulted was a containment structure. You can guess it was for that… thing. Apparently, we went in as that… was it even a creature? Well who cares. That thing was breaking out. We got caught in the crossfire of both ruin’s automatons and the monster. I don’t know what happened but at some point it just invaded everything. I would love to say that I survived thanks to my amazing skills, but I didn’t. In fact I should have died.”
“then how are you here”
“because I lied to you before. And I found out something that maybe should remain only between us.”
“my guards will remain. Unless I said otherwise”
Csuicha remained calm. She wanted all the truth from Scilla. Not some half-baked sob story. For her it was a test to see if Scilla could still be trusted.
“fair enough. I was in a relationship with Idra. I lied about being held hostage. About being sort of enslaved. It was never the case. Me and Idra started as friends. I was already allowed on her spaceship but I couldn’t report about it. Then gradually we sort of developed feelings for each other. My desire brought me to lie. But I don’t regret it nor I found it completely wrong. Siding with the Esterians was the best bet even if I was not going out with Idra. I lied to avoid exposing our people to two enemies at once”
“you thought I would?”
“I don’t know. But I couldn’t risk it. The technology we returned home was invaluable. Enough to give us an edge against Humans and Xoraxtas. So it was worth it. I’m fairly sure that the Esterians didn’t stick around much since my death. But still between being left out completely without allies or being alone but with some technological edge. I preferred to push for that edge”
“so you schemed behind my back. You bypassed my authority. And you think you can walk away scot-free?”
“I had doubts about your resolution and foresight. You were too busy with reconstruction and our people too weak for conflict, even political conflict. I did what I should have done. I knew then and I know now that I could be executed for treason. But I don’t care.”
“god fucking dammit Scilla. I could execute you right now for fuck’s sake”
“but you will not. You no longer have absolute power, you are more akin to a prime minister now”
“with 84% of the support. So I can still have your head”
“as said, you will not. Otherwise, you would not get the rest of the story.”
Csuicha was just in disbelief yet reassured that Scilla was still loyal to her. She was not sugarcoating her story.
“it must be a hell of an interesting story…”
“it’s. And our story starts with my death. Or so I believed. You know that we believed that Idra could see the red mist…”
“STOP! Guards, out”
“told you.”
the guards left.
“Idra was an occultist”
“what was her power?”
“nano machines. Her sisters had them physically stored in their bodies, she didn’t. She could just spawn them. It was such magical capability that saved my ass. You can call back your guards as I have no more knowledge on it and I can just answer your question in a different moment.”
Csuicha brought back her guards and Scilla continued.
“she died to protect me and I was just there. I was sealed away until the creature disappeared. Once free nothing was left. I believed that Idra had also protected herself, yet she didn’t. I suppose she couldn’t. So she chose me. I was left with a partially destroyed head. And then her robots came. They kidnapped me while in shock and brought me away. Far far way...”
The tea arrived alongside biscuits. Scilla immediately took a sip.
“man I missed it. Terran tea.”
“so where did they carry you?”
“to a hell hole called Weeping sky. Home of all Idras.”
“no.”
“yes. I also came from there.”
“then go on. What happened?”
“I was forced out of the ship with a half-missing head in a preserving jar. The NDU cut both me and Idra out. Why? I have no clue. But I was stranded there inside an endless dead base at the beginning of winter. I spent days aimlessly wandering around. Looking for food and a way to bring Idra back to me.”
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“you are fucking insane if you want me to believe that they have a way to regenerate people from fragments of their skulls”
“nah they don’t.”
“yeah I figured”
“I made a new one” said Scilla smiling.
“HUH?” was the only reply coming from Serafia. She was completely confused. Mostly on how and why? Why bring back a demon in humanoid form.
“would love to tell you how, but frankly I have no fucking clue myself. I somehow used some unknown machine. It was inhumanly big. It almost killed me as well. Yet It ate the head, don’t ask me how, and a new fully grown Idra popped out.”
“what the fuck…”
“I said the exact same thing, or I would have said so. But you know I was in a bad place. All I cared was having the woman I loved back. But it didn’t really work. Not exactly. She had no recollection of me, nor us. She knew basically nothing. Really similar in behavior but no memory. She also couldn’t use her NDU so I was still stuck there. But with time let’s say that I healed and loved found its way again.”
“you got to be kidding me?”
“no. it’s only thanks to her genius that I’m here. I spent those years with her, learning and making the ship that brought me here. I came to you first because I knew you would be the hardest target...”
As those words left her mouth, the guards took position to defend the Liin.
“wait wait wait. Not assassination target. Why the fuck would I do that? As we finished the ship, me and Iris decided on something important. We wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I came here because I want to officially resign from my duties. I also came here because I want my friend with me at my wedding.”
“who is Iris?”
“oh that’s Idra’s first name”
“so let me be clear, duties aside. You came here because you want me, the head of the Leans, to be present at your wedding?”
“yep, more or less.” Scilla smiled while the Liin and her guards just stared at her in disbelief.
Confused by the lack of reply Scilla thought that she needed to prove her engagement to Iris.
“look. This is our engagement ring. I mean mine because they had a different culture around rings, but you got the point”
Scilla showed her hand but never took off the ring.
“I… I… will need time.”
“if you are worried about the journey…”
“not just that. I, I have a nation to rule Scilla. I may no longer be an absolute monarch but I’m still the prime minister. I can’t just disappear for months. And then you. You came back out of nowhere 3 years later as if nothing ever happened. Completely unfazed by time. You are not even wondering what happened to your crew aren’t you?”
“hey, I never said that. But I’m not stupid. If Idra didn’t make it, I can assume neither did my crew”
“indeed only 23 survived. Or so did their bodies. They are mentally gone. Completely insane. Sometimes I wonder if we are even doing the right thing to keep them alive.”
“I was hoping for survivors. I doubt speaking with them would make a difference, but I want to try once I get to Icar”
Csuicha stopped for a moment. She breathed deeply and with a calm voice asked.
“I just don’t understand how can you be so insane. I knew you were crazy, not this much”
“you should have noticed my insanity long ago. How many suicide missions did I take?”
Csuicha smirked.
“far too many.”
“Each time you expose yourself to insanity, you grow more insane. There is no shield against the horrors of our actions. But as Iris and the Founder taught me. You can either deny in despair or acknowledge who you truly have become.”
“don’t tell me that their Founder is alive as well or…”
“no he is been dead for a while. It’s just full of his recordings. Now tell me something. What happened in those years without me. Are we allied with the Esterians? How is the commercial route? New scavenging teams?”
“you said it yourself. They didn’t stick around.”
“what? I meant as scavengers, direct support and all that jazz”
“the Esterians withdraw all their forces, but not before marching an infinite fleet to Xeroling and phasing it out of existence”
“nah…”
“yeeh”
“nah”
“oh yeah. Wanna see the video and reports?”
“you mean that all I did was useless?”
“yes and no. A fleet of basically 5000 ships escorting a planet destroyed instilled the fear of Esterians in everybody. They also vanished in thin air. 3 fucking years without even a trace. Fortunately, it played in our favor, at least for now.”
Scilla stopped to think. Her brain cogs slowly turned to produce yet another insane idea. An idea built on promises and pure faith in Iris.
“how about this? You come to the wedding and I’ll have you speak with the ETU supreme council the one that rules all the ETU.”
“stop joking. You don’t have that power, and by your questions, you knew nothing of what happened in those years. So you must have never landed on Esterians’ territory”
“Indeed I don’t possess such power. I have never visited one of their planets. But I know I can help.”
“how?”
“Iris. I mean Idra”
“they may like the old her because she was a brilliant medic or something. Yes your sister told me. But it will never be enough”
“… I suppose you will find out at the wedding. Which will not take us so much time. I can promise you that in 3 weeks we will pick up the other guests, get to my wedding, make you speak with the ETU and bring you back home. At worst 4 weeks no more than that.”
“Scilla. With all respect what you are saying is just impossible”
“it isn’t. Just trust me. When did I ever break one of my promises?”
“3 years ago.”
“I promised I would return and I did. We could say I’m fairly late. But I returned.”
Csuicha was still not convinced.
“plus, my friend Sera. You will meet an old acquaintance of ours. One you would like to speak to”
“who?”
“Remnant Nixie. She allegedly was a friend of Idra so I’ll go pick her up”
“what makes you think she will accept to be part of your wedding without proof of Idra existing?”
“The Innocenti (innocents). The Ship that brought me here. It’s even more unique than the NDU. She would immediately understand that only an Idra could have built it. But I guess I’ll give you some time. Just to let you know, your guards can come as well. All of them. They will have to sleep in really small beds, but the ship doesn’t have enough big beds for all of them. Now if you want to excuse me I’ll fly home to find my sister”
“and you think you can just appear. ‘look I’m back. How is it going sis’?”
“more or less. I suppose the news of my return will spread around, but I don’t think much will happen. Not until it’s official. But by that time I hope to be married.”
After about half an hour Scilla left Csuicha to herself and gave her 2 weeks to think. In those weeks she was going to Icar to stay with Wiola. So just like she appeared, Scilla returned to the forest near Csuicha’s mansion where she landed. Scilla got to Icar around 11 in the morning. First she looked at her old house. It was still inhabited and her fingerprints were never removed. However, Wiola was not there. Without wasting time she looked for clues and found documents from a university. In those Wiola was addressed as professor. Scilla immediately knew where she had to go. Yet without money it took a while to get there. She arrived around 14, fortunately Wiola had just become a professor so she had no classes to keep. Wiola was in her newly acquired office when the building secretary called at her phone.
“Lis speaking”
“Professor Lis. There is a woman here asking for you. Do I send her up?”
“is she not part of the university?”
“not really. She showed me some papers with the government sigil on.”
“tell her to wait. I’m coming down”
Wiola, believing it was someone sent by the Liin, was not happy. Yet once down at the building reception, everything changed. In front of her. The long lost beloved sister.
“hey kid. No wait. Hey professor”
Said Scilla smiling. Wiola, overcome by emotions, rushed to her and jumped on Scilla just like she always used to do upon her return. She was crying saying gibberish while Scilla patted her head.
“I know. 3 years. Do you have time to hear my story and tell me yours Wiola?”
“are you really Scilla?”
“who the fuck else? And before I forget. Congrats professor. Mnh! The first professor of the family. I knew I was doing the right thing forcing you to study.”
“I had lost hope to see you again”
“I figured. 3 years is a lot. But I came as soon as I could. I… came to see you but also for a different reason…”
“Which is?”
Scilla showed the ring on her finger.
“I am getting married”
“to who?”
“Idra. It’s thanks to her that I survived and thanks to her that I could get here. Just like I can’t imagine my life without you. I can no longer see a future where she is not with me. I know it’s sudden and… everything else.”
“it’s sudden… you just got back…”
“I know. But unfortunately, I have no time.”
“is she threatening you?”
“of course not. But I invited the Liin.”
“that cunt!?”
“hey. Watch your language. I’m the one who swears like a sailor in the family. But in the end, she is a good friend. My failure wasn’t her fault nor Dhalia’s fault. Will you come?”
“you can bet your ass I will. But why the rush?”
“I kinda had to convince Sera to participate. You know being the prime minister and all. She can’t really take 3 weeks off for a friend's wedding”
“neither can I. I just got this position”
“That's why I have this magic stamped paper”
Scilla gave a piece of paper to Wiola. It was an official order from the Liin herself that allowed for her to take 3 weeks of time off as she was needed as a diplomat.
“see I’m not that stupid… or so I would like to say but it was actually Iris’s idea”
“who’s Iris?”
“oh, I meant Idra. I’m just used to call her by name”
“isn’t her name Idra?”
“nope. It’s Iris. Kinda ironic that we are both named after flowers”
“yeah… kinda ironic”
Wiola’s excitement was rapidly fading and Scilla noticed.
“something wrong?”
“I just thought you would… well stay”
“I will. I will spend here 2 weeks. Do a couple of things. Get the Ibarras and Dhalia. Even if we kinda had a falloff she is still a friend. I will also go visit the graves of my crew and the few who survived.”
“why about the crew’s family”
“I will probably visit in the future. It’s kinda strange to just pop out after being dead for years.”
“then what? You will disappear to never be seen again?”
“why should I?”
“because no Lean has ever come back or allowed back from the ETU”
“I’ll fix that. And you don’t have to worry about me. I have Idra on my side.”
“what if she stops you?”
“I’m here. Next time she will be here with me. She has changed a lot. Mostly because she is technically completely different but it’s a long story. You will see when you meet her. Just believe in me sis”
“ok. So where’s the wedding list?”
“what wedding list?”
“yours”
“we don’t have one. Iris owns an entire solar system. It’s kinda pointless to ask for gifts or money. What we ask for is for our families and friends to be there with us”
“fine. I’ll find something on my own”