Chapter 15

The Hermes shook with the impact, rattling like they just got blasted. It jounced side to side, Inari desperately trying to keep the ship aloft. Several of the Artucian started panicking, wanting off the ship immediately, but they were calmed quickly by Korsa. Another shot hit them, frightening everyone further, before Alex demanded to know what was happening.

“We’re getting hit by something, but I don’t know what!” Inari screamed in response. “I’m picking up zero contacts across the surface and nothing in the system, aside from the Perseus!”

“Are you saying we’re being attacked by nothing?!?” Alex growled.

“Seems like it, sir! I have no idea where these attacks are coming from!”

“If I may, Commodore?” Stanley said, his image quickly materializing on the holocomms.

“Anything you know would be helpful Stan!” Alex shouted as another blast rocked the Hermes.

“There is a single life sign below. Scans indicate that it is bipedal and possibly Artucian in origin. It’s holding something that appears to be responsible for the attacks on the Hermes,” the VI explained.

“Inari?”

“Scanning!” the Iranian woman huffed as she focused on flying. “There is a life sign below as Stanley has said, but I’m not picking up any energy signatures! Whatever it’s using is something we can’t pick up!”

“Take us down, Commander!” Alex ordered.

“Sir?!?”

“Bring us down and power down the engines. Whatever this threat is, we will have to deal with it on foot. Staying up here, getting shot at by God only knows what, we’ll be dead for sure. Get us on the ground and we may have a fighting chance!” he explained hurriedly.

Nodding, Inari dove, taking them to the Landing Zone next to the Columbus. Her sudden change of flightpath must have tricked their assailant, because the Hermes only suffered a few glancing hits. They set down and the Sentries, the crew, the Chiefs and the honor guard readied themselves, cocking their weapons.

They landed with a gentle thump, the rear loading ramp opening almost instantly. Nearly as quickly, the honor guard, Sentries and crew of the Perseus were out like a flood. Keeping their weapons held at the ready, they all fanned out, searching for the life form that had taken shots at the Hermes.

“Sir, over here!” Kasumi called out. Everyone turned their focus to the human woman and moved quickly to her location. What they found mystified and stumped them beyond all belief. Standing there, calm and cool as ice, was an elderly Artucian male, who looked like a hermit.

His face was cracked and wrinkled, like he’d been out in the snows for too long and he had no facial hair. He was dressed in a collection of old rags and blankets, as though he’d salvaged these items from the surrounding ships. His hands were spidery and gnarled and they clutched a staff that was adorned with doodads and trinkets of various make.

The man looked very much alive and if anyone was doubting that he was, his flickering and shifting eyes said otherwise. The eerie glow of his yellowish green eyes gave several people chills and the Artucian present looked uneasy at seeing him there. It was almost like they feared this man but could not understand or fathom why.

The old man walked towards them, using his staff as a walking stick, closing the distance to the group. Even with their weapons leveled at him, he walked as though he was the one in charge and not them. His gait was slow, but strong, as though he possessed a strength that went beyond his age. Considering the deep impressions in the snow, it seemed a logical explanation.

“The Ghost of the Ages!” one of the honor guard exclaimed. Every Artucian then shuffled back, away from the approaching man, as though he was death itself. Alex was flummoxed as to why and disregarded their caution, stepping forward.

“Who are you and why did you attack our craft?” he asked, the translator spitting out his response in Artucian as well. The old man turned to regard him and after a quick look, smiled. He then started jabbering at Alex, almost like he was trying to explain something, Alex didn’t know what the hell he was saying. The old man continued talking, until he saw the puzzled look on the Commodore’s face.

His excited look quickly turned to one of rage and almost immediately, he swung his staff at Alex. Though the old man was nowhere near enough to hit him, bolts of energy flew out of his staff and surged towards the big man. Alex dove and dodged around these blasts, barely getting out of their way.

These direct assaults on Alex triggered the Sentries and other crew members to open fire on the old man. Before anyone could level their weapons, the old man drove his staff into the ground, causing more of this grey energy to burst outwards. It ensnared everyone present, Sentries and Alex included. The old man laughed at their struggles to free themselves, as they all strained to break the hold this energy had on them.

The old man continued to talk, but now in a berating manner, speaking as though he was mocking them all. No one knew why he was doing this, but he continued on with his rant, moving about the immobilized people. He scoffed at the Sentries, dismissing them, but yammered at his fellow Artucian, almost like they should understand him.

He then came to the crew of the Perseus, his eyes roving over each one of them. He took a particular interest in Natalya and Shazza, but also making his interest in Korsa and Kasumi known. Alex could feel a powerful rage rising within him but was powerless to do anything with it. The old man caressed Nats’ face and Alex just lost it, his rage ascending to another level entirely.

He strained and struggled against the bonds of energy, trying to free himself. It was then that he noted a small spark of purple light dance out of his hand. Before he thought about it, the energy holding him dissipated, vanishing into thin air! Not knowing how it had happened, but not caring, he roared as he charged the old man.

The elderly Artucian turned and his face lit up with surprise at Alex being freed. His surprise turned to a smug supremacy and he waved his hand once more, entrapping Alex. Only this time, the bonds held the big Croat back for all of four seconds, before they too fell away. Alex continued his charge as the old man executed a series of complex gestures, drawing on more power than he had from before.

The energy coalesced into a large ball of energy and he turned it loose. The energy sought the Commodore out, like a seeker missile, slamming into him. Though it should have trapped Alex in a more permanent fashion, it hit him and fell apart almost instantly. Shock and awe now dominated the old man’s face, as he could see luminescent, violet energy setting Alex aglow.

He tried another sequence of gestures but ran out of time as Alex closed the distance, decking the brittle man across the jaw. The blow was powerful enough to where it sent the old man flying away from Alex, knocking his staff out of his hands. Purple blood stained the snow in a long trail from where Alex hit him, to where the old man landed. He looked up, somewhat dazed, but wearing a creepy smile as he stood.

Others nearby from where Alex was held, started to come out of their bonds as well. First Shazza, then Korsa and Natalya and Kasumi soon afterwards. The old man cackled wildly, as though he had lost his mind. Maybe he had, as Alex’s hits were not lovetaps, but hard enough to knock the unprepared, out cold.

It was then that the old man reached out and like it had a mind of its own, his staff flew into his hands. He started chanting in that weird language he was speaking, his voice quickly rising to a crescendo. Before anyone could react to him, the old man drove his staff into the ground. A burst of grey light flooded the Dead Snows, before his staff ruptured and fell apart, clattering to the ground in pieces.

As quickly as it had arrived, the light cleared, the surrounding area returning to normal daylight. Alex and the crew women with him watched as the old man aged even more rapidly that was thought possible. He was literally turning into dust before their very eyes, crumbling into nothing. Before he was completely gone, he raised one of his hands to wave at everyone, his laugh carrying on the wind.

He soon vanished, having left behind no evidence that he was even there, save for his broken staff and a pile of empty clothes. The moment the old man was no more, the energy that held everyone in place, disappeared. With that, everyone stood up and looked around, to make sure that the old man was truly gone.

Alex turned around, to check on his crew and after seeing them relatively unharmed, he looked down at his hands. His face a mask of confusion, he turned them over several times, as though looking for something. He finally found what he was looking for, a small spark of violet light, dancing across his palm, before it faded. Before he could say or do anything, his world spun and his mind went black.

Alexander floated along in the same black void that he often would see when he dreamt. There was no real need to do anything or go anywhere, but he felt something pulling him. It was almost as though something was calling to him, but he didn’t know what. For the first time since he dreamt it all those weeks ago, he saw the light that led to that place again.

Sensing that this was where he was supposed to go, Alex headed right to it, allowing himself to be led. The light washed over him and he saw the land once more. The floating spires with their waterfalls, the mist shrouded ground, the mountains in the distance, everything. He felt the tug even more this time, drawing him towards the city that lie just ahead.

He put all his focus on the city, willing himself to go there. He couldn’t explain how or why, but it just ... felt like it was the right thing to do. Alex felt and saw himself fly towards the golden city, coming close to where it stood. He drew nearer and saw that it was perched right on the edge of the waterfall. It almost appeared that it would fall over and into the river below, but it stayed firm, never wavering.

As he drew closer, Alex could see a series of walkways and platforms that stood right by the city. While it was attached to it, they were separate from it, sticking out over the open air, almost like a tongue. He landed on one of the circular platforms, touching down softly, like a feather. Seeing the path before him, he moved along the walkway, headed for the large gate-like structure, that led into the city.

As he proceeded along the path, Alex noticed a series of figures, occupying seven small daises by the gate. They stood in front of the stone and crystalline archway, like gatekeepers. All seven of them wore elaborate armor, each one tailor made for them alone. From what Alex could tell, all of these people were women, judging from the feminine cast of their figures and how the armor was constructed.

It didn’t take him long to reach this meeting place and each woman turned to regard him. Each woman that stood before him was different, in height, stature and facial features. One looked like a barbarian warrior, with long red hair and a battle hardened look about her. Another was a beautiful East Indian woman, with the air of an arbiter. The third was a black woman, who was curvier than the rest and piercing green eyes.

Three of the others wore elaborate masks, hiding their features from sight. The seventh and final woman, wore her black hair short, with dusky skin, brown eyes and held a staff in her right hand. Her armor was more ornate and exotic than the rest and the aura of command that radiated off her, pointed to her being the leader of this group. She looked down on Alex as though expecting him and at the same time, surprised to see him there.

“Well, it took you long enough, didn’t it?” she asked, trying not to sound exasperated.

“What? Took me long enough? I don’t understand!” Alex replied as he replied to her.

“Your kind rarely do. Though to be fair, it has been centuries since one of your kind has found their way to our domain,” she said, her alto voice carrying around him.

“My kind?”

“Yes. Humans don’t often find their way here but seeing one so gifted is rare. Despite what other races may think about humanity, your kind is more ... flexible. Hence why some are able to find their way here,” the barbarian woman told him, her deeper voice catching Alex’s attention.

“Where exactly is here? Who are you women?” he asked, bewildered and slightly worried.

“This is the realm between worlds and dreams. We could tell you, but it is likely that your mind would melt if you were to try to understand where exactly we are,” the East Indian woman told him, sounding slightly amused.

“Um ... OK,” Alex responded, now concerned for his well being.

“As to your other question, we are the guardians of our city and this domain in which we exist. We have had many names through the ages, but you may call us the Violet Ladies,” the black woman said, a smile flicking her lips.

“Worry not, as we have no intention to harm you,” the leader told him. “If we had such ideas, you would not be speaking to us just now.”

“All right. So, why am I here? How did I get here?” Alex wondered.

“You are here because you are supposed to be here. No one reaches our realm without an invitation, though it took you some time before you responded. I imagine something prevented you from reaching out to us sooner?”

“Yes. How did you know?” Alex asked, mildly suspicious of them.

“We can see your mind and know that this ... event, whatever it is, has been weighing on you heavily. No matter how long it took, you are currently still alive and able to reach us. As to how you got here, I would surmise that someone or something sent you here. What do you remember of your last conscious moments?” the redhead asked.

“My last conscious moments? I am still alive?” he asked, his mind reeling with the implications of what had happened.

“Yes. Only the living may come here. Now, if you will answer our question?” the black woman asked him, her tone conveying her impatience.

“I was on the planet called Talemkha, talking to an elderly man who was wielding some kind of energy...” Alex began.

“Elderly man? What did he look like? What was this energy he used?” the East Indian woman demanded. More questions followed and he answered them as best as he could. After several minutes of this, the ladies were silent, almost as though they were thinking to each other. A few more minutes passed before they spoke.

“It would seem that this Artucian man, was able to tap into the very energies of the universe. But it was limited, and he was only capable of sending one of you back to this plane,” the leader responded.

“One of me? You mean that others could come here? For what?” Alex wondered, now curious. Just then he felt a twinge in his heart, pulling at him. The women noticed this, and worried looks creased their beautiful faces.

“He has been here too long! He isn’t strong enough!” the barbarian cried out.

“Not yet, but he will be. Ladies let us help him!” the black woman called out. Each one of them looked to their leader, who contemplated this action, before nodding. Called to action, all seven of them stepped down from their perches and approached Alex. The twinges were getting progressively worse, but they reached him quickly. Linking hands, they began chanting in an unknown language.

They continued this chant, speaking in perfect unison, a subtle but definite power growing from it. They then began to glow with a violet light. It emanated in the core of their beings, before radiating outwards, encompassing the group. A similar light emanated from Alex, his hands sparking with the energy.

In front of them, a small sphere of violet light grew, until it was nearly the size of a bowling ball. Each woman then opened her eyes, looking at him as the sparks traveled through the man. They all smiled as one, as though they were pleased with the turn of events. Their eyes glowed the same shade of violet that the energy and the ball was.

“You were right Eldea. He will be strong, once he is trained and taught,” the redheaded woman said.

“Your body is calling you home. Before you leave, take this with you. It will help you, both there and here. Go now, Alexander Tomisic and bring light and life to those around you,” the leader said, before taking hold of the ball of light and pushing it into him.

The moment the light was buried in his chest, Alex surged backwards. He moved so fast away from the city and the Violet Ladies, that his head spun. He left the light and beauty of their world behind, sinking back into the inky blackness of the void. Alex didn’t stay there long, as he soon was thrust towards another source of light. He then breathed and opened his eyes.

Alex blinked awake, groaning as he did so. He opened his mouth and felt the jaw muscles creak as he yawned. He sat up, or at least tried to, using his arms to prop him up. He found that his arms ached, along with the rest of his body, feeling like he did a full body workout and pushed himself too hard. Growling, he kept trying to force himself upwards, but was interrupted by a shout and the weight of someone on him.

Looking down, he saw that the body in question was Natalya, followed soon by Kasumi. Shazza was there as well, not too far behind the women, alongside Korsa, who enveloped everyone in a group hug. Feeling that he was being propped up by everyone’s arms, Alex let his arms drop and hugged them back, strength slowly returning to his limbs.

“OK ladies. Mind letting me up?” he asked gently.

“We’re so glad that you’re OK! After that crazyhead vanished in the blast of light and you fell, we were worried that he’d done something to you!” Nats blubbered, laughing and crying at the same time.

“Was it that bad?” Alex wondered.

“Yes! You were unresponsive and your heartbeat had dipped dangerously low! We hoped that you would be OK, but you were out like a light!!” Kas cried, sniffling into his shoulder.

“But I’m all right now. See?” he told them, showing them that he was regaining use of his body.

“Mama, are you OK with performing those tests now?” Nats asked.

“Tests? What tests?”

“Doctor Korsa wanted to run some tests on you, to be sure that you would be all right. Also, to glean some knowledge of what happened to you,” Shazza replied, standing next to the big woman. Alex looked at the Xuul’khani woman and saw that even though she wasn’t crying like Nats and Kas were, she sounded concerned. If he didn’t know better, he thought her eyes were slightly dull in their sheen, like she had been crying.

“What prevented you from running those tests?” the big man asked as the ladies backed away, after helping him up.

“Well, Natalya and myself were against it. We wanted you to be conscious so we could run the tests, knowing that we wouldn’t do anything to aggravate whatever had been done to you,” Korsa told him.

“I wanted those tests run on you, just to find out something, anything, about why you collapsed like that!” Kas admitted a bit shamefaced.

“Well, you had every right to demand it. No harm in trying to see if anything could come of it,” Alex replied. His response brightened Kas’ face with a small smile. “Doctor, what sorts of invasive tests were you going to run?”

“Biopsies mostly. Also, taking samples of blood and bone marrow would be a big help. I already have your medical file here and have been going over it, so I’m familiar with your personal biology. Would you consent to these biopsies and samples sir?” the big woman asked.

“Absolutely Doctor! Anything you can find on what’s going on with me would be a big help,” Alex said, nodding.

“Very good sir! If you will lie back down on the bed please, so that the tests can proceed? I will also need you to strip down to your underwear, sir,” she responded.

Smirking, Alex stripped down as requested and got back on the bed, lying on the flat of his back. Every woman present had their eyes on him, and he chuckled inwardly. He had no doubts that his lovers were getting an eyeful. He was also sure that both Shazza and the doctor were looking him over as well, considering how much attention he lavished on his body.

Alex lay as still as he could, as robotic arms and probes descended on him, each one holding some sort of sampling device. Blood and bone marrow samples were taken, along with as many organ biopsies and tissue samples as well. The doctor was thorough and left nothing to chance, checking and rechecking her list.

“You done with all the poking and prodding doctor? Or do I need to be a pincushion for a bit longer?” Alex asked.

“Smart ass! But I am done and have everything I need to run all the tests I want and need. You can put your clothes back on,” she told him. The last statement was met with pouts from Nats and Kas, who weren’t shy about getting an eyeful of their man.

“We at least settled on some non-invasive scans and checks, to be sure that you were stable and still with us. Most of them turned up nothing unusual, but, one scan was ... interesting,” Korsa told him.

“What scan yielded results?” Alex asked, as he finished belting his tunic.

“The scan of your brain. The signals that were emitting from your head are the ones that are responsible for dreaming. But the results were off the charts! Whatever kind of dream you were having, it must have been a vivid one! I’ve never seen results like this!” Korsa enthused, but the look on her face spoke of worry.

“Do you remember anything of the dream?” Nats asked, worry also creasing her beautiful face.

“I saw ... I don’t know what I saw,” Alex started, then looked up and saw that Shazza was still there. “Sergeant, if you please, this is a conversation I’d like to have with my ladies and the doctor.”

“Oh! Yes, sir! I’ll head back to my post!” she replied with a salute, before turning on her heel and leaving.

“Sir, she stays. I believe she might have some valuable insight into what may have happened,” Korsa stated, barring the Xuul’khan from leaving.

“Are you certain Doctor?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

For the briefest moment, Alex thought he saw ... hurt? ... in Shazza’s eyes but chalked it up to his head still trying to focus. Once he nodded his assent, Alex turned his focus to the women remaining and spoke his mind. He told them of everything he witnessed and heard, remembering it easily. The looks on their faces were bewildered, but Alex was unsure if they believed him.

“Look, I know it sounds crazy, but...” he started before he was cut off.

“These ‘Violet Ladies’ they said that you were invited to go there?” Korsa asked him.

“Yeah. Told me that it took me long enough to get there. I don’t now what’s going on and given everything that’s happened, I have more questions than answers,” the Commodore stated.

“As do I, but I think we have a clue of at least what may have happened,” Korsa stated, before heading back to a nearby console.

“What kind of a clue are you taking about Mama?” Natalya asked.

“This kind of clue.”

Everyone present was weirded out when Korsa brought up a holorecord of the event. She focused it more on Alex, the angle decent enough from the Sentry that recorded it. She then activated the slow motion part of it and everyone saw how Alex had broken the bonds that held him. A brief flash of violet energy came from him, dissolving the energy that imprisoned him.

Korsa continued the recording, slowing down again when the old man tried to entrap Alex once more. Again, a flash of violet energy burst out of Alex, driving back the grey. When he hit the old man, his fist was wreathed in the same energy as before. It flashed the moment he hit the old man, sending him flying a considerable distance.

“You see, I knew that something else had to be at play there. I know that you’re strong, but not strong enough to send a man flying almost fifty feet, with one punch,” Korsa told him. Alex was wide eyed and speechless at this, unable to comprehend what exactly had happened.

“Whatever happened to you in that ‘realm’ you visited and what happened before you went there, are connected somehow. In some unknown way, you were able to tap into energies that were superior to what the old man had. I don’t know the how or why, but the footage and evidence is there, plain as day,” Korsa told the three lovers.

“I don’t know what the hell this is, but it definitely bears investigating!” Kasumi stated.

“Shazza, why don’t you tell them what you know?” Korsa asked the black-skinned woman gently.

“When we went to check on you ... that energy you used!” Kasumi snapped her fingers, the pieces falling into place.

“Is it the same energy that the old man used?” Natalya asked, her voice filled with concern. A deluge of questions followed immediately, everyone curious and worried about what this could mean. Korsa raised her arms for silence and soon got it, before encouraging the green-eyed woman to share what she knew.

“Since Korsa freed me, those memories of that power are ... fragmented, but I will tell you what I can. Among my people, there is a power source, an energy, that we can use, but only if you are trained for it. Training to use such energy requires being connected to it in some way. Almost every noble Lord and Lady could use it, but there were those who could use it, who were not nobles,” Shazza began.

“Often, such individuals are taken the moment these ... energies, manifest themselves. Mostly it shows in children at a young age, but it does sometime delay in revealing itself. It almost never shows in gown adults, but it does happen. When they are taken, a ritual is performed, to bind their energies, forcing a level of control. They are then ... trained, to use these abilities. Such training is ... brutal ... and not everyone survives,” Shazza went on, shivering involuntarily.

“Wouldn’t they try to up their survivability or lighten the training?” Kasumi asked, bewildered and disgusted at the callous disregard for life.

“Such ... softness ... is frowned upon. My ... the Xuul’khani people are a hard people. Only the strong and the hard survive, as it is their belief that only the strong and hard are fit to survive and rule. Weakness is ... expunged so that it is culled from any who seek it,” Shazza responded.

“I cannot recall much of my training, but I do remember that emotion is a key factor. A trigger point, if you will. The stronger the emotion, the more powerful your energy and how effective it is when you use it,” Shazza finished.

“So, powerful emotion is what draws it out? That makes a lot of sense,” Alex mused as he crossed his arms, head bowing in thought.

“You have something to add Commodore sir?” Korsa asked, catching what he said.

“Yeah. When that old bastard had us all trapped, I was first paralyzed with fear. Mostly about how I was going to everyone out of that situation. It was when he started moving around Kas and Nats, giving them untoward looks, something in me just snapped,” he let on.

“I saw those looks and I didn’t like them either. Someone looking like that at these two triggered it?” Korsa asked dubiously.

“It was more than that. Something, I don’t know what, was telling me that his intent with them was, for lack of a better word, evil. I also saw how he was looking at you, Shazza and the others present. That’s when a fury just dropped in on me and I just ... I don’t know what I did, but it helped me get free,” Alex explained.

“When he laughed after I got loose, it got even worse. The first thought in my head was, ‘No one laughs at me asshole! And no one fucks with my ladies!’ When he tried to hit me with ... whatever he was conjuring ... I knew that I had to lay him out. It was after I hit the son of a bitch that, the scale of what I did started to sink in,” Alex finished.

“Those are some serious emotions! Whatever you were channeling, it must have been strong enough to weaken his hold on everyone. His bonds fell away from us seconds after you pulverized his face!” Korsa joked.

“I hit him that hard??”

In response, Korsa brought up the video again, showcasing the old man’s face when he stared at Alex. She then let it play, giving everyone a clear view of what happened. Korsa put the video in slow motion when Alex hit the elderly Artucian, purple blood spraying in a wide arc. Slowing it again when the old man picked himself up, Korsa paused the vid and zoomed in on his face. The man’s lips were split open, he was missing quite a few teeth and his jaw hung lopsidedly.

“Still think you didn’t mash his face pretty good?” Korsa asked with a chuckle.

Everyone was in disbelief at the display of raw power that Alex had summoned to beat the old man. Both Natalya and Kasumi though, were looking at Alex with smoldering bedroom eyes, which promised to blaze in full when they had him alone. Shazza looked at Alex with a ... hunger ... that she wanted to satiate. Even Korsa gave the big man a look that spoke of ... more than one kind of approval.