1. NEVEN KENK
80123 FA (Present Day)
Foundra Ascension orbiting the Paradise Planet Genmatha, Huzien Alliance space
The steady, monotone beeping of the heart monitor blared across the medical deck.
Zun Shan’s unmoving body was suspended in a complex surgical station and cordoned off behind a stasis field. Her neck was at an odd angle, and her hazelnut brown, angular eyes were lifeless and hollow. Her chest wasn’t rising or falling in the universal life-signaling act of breathing known to most species across the galaxy. Instead, a drone was busy at work rapidly rebuilding the fist-sized hole in her chest.
The one where her heart should have been.
Jenshi Runso, chief medical officer aboard the Foundra Ascension, was methodically commanding the army of drones. His face was hard. Emotionless. Jenshi was known for his intense focus—that uncanny ability to shut everything out.
Neven Kenk, a Human pressed against the field surrounding Zun, wished Jenshi wasn’t quite so skilled at ignoring him.
Neven’s jade-green eyes trailed over Zun’s tanned form, slowly tracing the light black esha marks running the length of her body. He remembered her touch and the warmth of her skin as they held hands on the beach, both finding the mix of her tanned skin tone and his dark olive a thing of beauty. He recalled how her smile lit up his life every time she ran her fingers across his muscular chest molded to perfection over two years of grueling sparring sessions with merciless combat trainers.
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe. But behind his lids, the cold blue eyes and wicked grin of Zun’s attacker stared back at him.
Entradis.
Neven, move! Ellipse, his personal synaptic systems intelligence, or SSI, shouted in his mind. He’s going to kill you!
Neven was frozen, his body numb. His eyes hung on Zun’s lifeless form as her blood changed the white sand to a dark shade of red. The soft hues of the setting sun were replaced by blinding lights all around him, and the intensity of it caused him to shield his eyes. The light was replaced by a wall of power armors jutting up out of the white sand of the beach, many of them closing instantly upon materializing, except for one directly in front of him.
Get in! Ellipse urged Neven forward. Acting without conscious thought, he lunged, pulling himself into the back of the power armor.
As it sealed around him, unseen forces knocked many of the other power armors away. It was the unmistakable work of Enesmic weaving—the powerful ability only usable by Cihphists. It was a power Neven had never had.
The freshly cleared path established a line of sight between Neven and Entradis.
“Beginning spinal realignment and neurological repair.” Jenshi’s words snapped Neven back to reality.
He watched as another drone finished connecting a series of tiny thin nanotubes along the back of her skull, down her neck, and most of her back. A loud crack echoed throughout the deck as her head shifted, becoming less macabre in angle. Many of the tubes exited her body, while the remaining ones moved rapidly in and out of her skin around the central part of her neck and across her skull, quickly working to rebuild the tendons, nerve endings, and grey matter. Another drone moved to assist, rebuilding the tissue in tandem with the other machines.
“Sweet irony.” Entradis reached out and clenched his fist. The area around them trembled at the terrible swirling of Enesmic energy.
A hum sounded from the primary power core as Neven’s power armor flared to life, and its innate defenses held the crushing Enesmic force at bay. Neven’s power armor glowed bright blue, and the cooling system let off a hiss as Entradis ceased his attack.
“Not this time, monster,” Neven broadcasted from his armor. “The Yuvan System I created will prevent you from killing any more Secnics in their power armors.”
A neural interface link slapped against the back of Neven’s neck, locking in place. He winced; the emergency link was less comfortable than his standard interface suit. A tingling sensation ran down his spine, signaling that his nervous system was syncing with the control interface.
Neven growled, rage blurring his vision. The power armor lunged forward with incredible speed.
Entradis shifted out of the way, using Enesmic forces to accelerate his body to inhuman speeds. Even with the boost, he only narrowly avoided a crazed Neven.
No! Neven, we must flee! Ellipse shouted.
“He just killed Zun, Ellipse.” Neven’s tone was cold.
Then we fight to the end, Ellipse said.
There was sadness in her voice. The other power armors came to life under her control. Dual Feponic shoulder cannons emerged from their dens, unleashing blasts of energized plasma at Entradis.
Entradis was knocked to the ground. The blasts impacted his barrier with devastating effectiveness. Scrambling up, Entradis shaped some Enesmic power into a rope and pulled it taut. “Let’s dance.” He grinned.
“Cardiovascular system reconstruction complete,” intoned the soft SI voice of the medical deck.
Jenshi didn’t respond, his eyes glued to one of the many holodisplays around him. A holographic representation of Zun’s spinal system appeared outside of her body. He walked over to the display and tapped a series of sections, immediately sending drones to work on those portions of her body.
He examined another holodisplay, briefly meeting Neven’s gaze along the way. Without acknowledgment, he tapped the screen and sent more drones into action.
Entradis ripped one of the power armors apart, using the powerful Enesmic force to peel back sections of the armor. Once he detected no soft Human center, he abandoned the target and pursued another.
Neven worked with the power armors, each attacking with their entire arsenal as he hid in plain sight, each armor a replica, mimicking his actions.
Entradis lunged into one of the power armors, his hands angled forward like claws as he dug into the machine in a frenzy. He ripped off the chest plate and roared, sending a torrent of Enesmic energy into the armor so it would expand as if hornets were swarming inside. It exploded in a rain of debris as Entradis lunged at the next power armor, tackling it to the ground. He raised his hands, formed fists, and brought them down, releasing a wave of Enesmic energy like a hammer. He repeated that action with inhuman speed.
Neven could hardly discern the movements, even as the power armor flattened under the assault.
Entradis turned his gaze on Neven. The look terrified him.
He smothered that part of himself with burning rage. Raising his arms, Neven pointed them at Entradis as shock blasters rose from his wrists. Each of the remaining power armors around him mirrored the action, all of them firing at the same time.
The intense blasts ripped through Entradis’s barrier. He gasped and flipped backward, quickly dropping behind cover. The continued assault left a trail of molten sand in its wake. Entradis reached out and grabbed a large boulder from the water, and launched it into the nearest power armor. The sheer force of the impact punched through the shield, destroying the armor.
Only Neven’s power armor and a final dummy armor remained. Entradis stalked toward them. Neven roared as he and the other armor charged at Entradis in tandem.
A series of small drones appeared and aligned down Zun’s spine, while others came to rest on her new heart and at various points on her head.
“Ready to begin nervous system restart,” the SI voice prompted.
“Initialize,” Jenshi said.
A series of electromagnetic pulses emanated from each of the mini drones. Zun’s body convulsed in the air, and the pulses stopped abruptly.
Nothing.
Jenshi narrowed his eyes, his gaze going to a nearby holodisplay as he analyzed the results. He tapped a few more places on the holodisplay, sending the larger drones quickly back to work.
“I haven’t had this much fun in some time.” Entradis peeled back Neven’s power armor. He grabbed Neven by the neck, lifting him out of the broken shell.
Neven spat in his face as Entradis grinned.
Entradis summoned an energy blade and plunged it forward, but a familiar blade intercepted the Enesmic weapon. A kick to Entradis’s chest quickly separated them.
Neven rolled to his feet, glancing at his savior.
Founder Lanrete of the Huzien Empire stood with his sword, Divinebreath, in his light-brown hand. There was murder in his eyes, his long, white mane of hair wild with fury. Jessica Olic was at his side, her silver gaze catching on Zun’s body.
Entradis let out a low whistle. “Wondered when you’d show up.”
Lanrete charged him, their weapons connecting in a flash. Their movements became a blur as Entradis kept up with Lanrete’s speed. Lanrete sought to push Entradis back with his raw strength, but Entradis matched the founder with the same intensity.
Shifting backward, Entradis lifted a few pieces of debris with Enesmic forces and hurled them at Neven.
Jessica Olic tackled Neven out of the way; the debris missed his head by a split second.
Lanrete charged forward, but Entradis clenched his fist, uttering a word of power as he vanished.
Cursing, Lanrete glanced around, but to no avail. There was no trace of Entradis.
His eyes caught Zun Shan’s body in the sand, Jenshi already by her side. Lanrete’s gaze went back to meet Neven’s. The profound sadness in Neven’s gaze was mirrored in Lanrete’s weathered expression.
Jenshi initiated another pulse, making Zun’s body convulse again in the air.
The pulse stopped, but her body remained limp.
Jenshi repeated the process six more times before slamming both fists on a nearby table, causing the holodisplay within to flicker.
Neven slumped to the ground, tears in his eyes as he stared helplessly at Jenshi.
2. SERAH’ELAX REZ ASHFALEN
Foundra Ascension orbiting the Paradise Planet Genmatha, Huzien Alliance space
The full presence of the Founder’s Elites had collected in the medical bay, with Tashanira and Jessica hovering around Neven next to Zun’s bed.
Tashanira was a Uri—the catlike woman’s fine fur was a mix of black and white, and she had yellow eyes. Jessica was a Huzien like Lanrete and Jenshi, with light-brown hair and orange highlights, dark-honey skin a shade lighter than Serah’Elax’s own, and dark-brown esha marks that started at her temples.
Many small devices were all over Zun’s body, each regulating some standard bodily function.
Serah’Elax Rez Ashfalen was sitting on one of the nearby empty medical beds, and Dexter Pinsten—the pale-skinned and red-haired Sentinel—leaned against it beside her. Serah’Elax’s red hair hung down to her shoulders, and she kept her large, almond-colored eyes locked on Zun’s body. Depending on how she moved, silver specks sometimes sparkled in Serah’Elax’s skin when hit by the light. She was a Das’Vin and still new to the team now around her. Even though she’d only been with the Founder’s Elites for a short time, she felt deep connections forming with them.
Jenshi cleared his throat. “I repaired the damage to her neck, and she has a new functional heart, but the brain damage from the blood loss and oxygen deprivation was severe. I reversed ninety-eight percent of the brain damage by rebuilding the most severely damaged parts of her brain.” Jenshi clenched his fists, his gaze hardening. “However, I couldn’t fully repair the damage, and there is no brain activity.”
Neven stared at Zun. His posture was defeated.
“I’m sorry, Neven. I’ve failed Zun.”
Neven shuddered. Jessica and Tashanira embraced him as he broke down, sobs wracking his body. Dexter crossed his arms, his gaze stuck on the floor as Lanrete stood near the entrance to the medical bay, far away from the rest of the group. Erbubuc Tamn, the four-armed Ken’Tar—massive in size with golden-brown fur covering his body—moved to join in the embrace with Neven. His strong arms surrounded the group of three now sitting on the floor.
Serah’Elax looked from Zun to Lanrete. She could see a hint of restrained rage in the immortal’s eyes, but it was so subtle that she would have missed it had she not been raised by the Ashna Maidens. She had been trained to detect the emotions of people around her, always looking for the next ambush.
Lanrete turned away and exited the medical bay.
“We’re going to hunt Entradis down,” Dexter whispered. The former assassin’s green eyes were hard as he looked directly at her. “Nothing else matters now.”
Serah’Elax nodded.
Serah’Elax walked into her expansive quarters aboard the Foundra Ascension. The new room was still an adjustment from her small quarters in the Ashna Maidens. She had split her time between bunks on spaceships and her small quarters on Ashnali. In comparison, her new life seemed extravagant. Wasteful.
The Ashna Maidens focused on efficiency and doing more with less. From their long history of being surrounded by enemies on all sides, the Ashna Maidens had learned to optimize ruthlessly. From what she had seen so far of the Huziens and the Alliance, it was the opposite. Everything was wasteful, and the people seemed oblivious to their ridiculous wealth and privilege. It sickened her.
“What’s wrong?” a voice asked from near the floor-to-ceiling window across the room.
Serah’Elax looked up at her mother, Dera’Liv. Her face softened. “The scientist, Zun, is dead,” Serah’Elax said. “Her life partner, Neven, is struggling with the loss.”
“He is lucky that they do not share a ha’ishi,” Dera’Liv said. There was a profound sadness in her voice. She returned her gaze out of the window.
“He is still in pain, yu’shae. I can see it. Just because others do not share the permanent connection from joining that we Das’Vin do, it should not diminish the pain they feel at the loss of those they love.”
“I did not say that.” Dera’Liv glanced back at Serah’Elax with annoyance. “I am sure that he is feeling pain. It may even be deep and soul-crushing. But his pain will heal, his heart will mend, and he will be able to join again with another should he choose to do so.” Her face hardened. “I will never again experience that joy. I will never have the hole in my heart filled. My ha’ishi will forever cause me pain at the loss of my beloved dru’sha.” Tears began to well up in her eyes.
An image of Ovah’Hal Velexi Rez flashed in Serah’Elax’s mind, standing defiant before the pirate scum who unloaded a barrage of weaponsfire into her chest. That was one of the few memories Serah’Elax still had of her uma’shae. The more peaceful memories faded more and more each day.
“I can only ever get hints of that connection—that pleasure and joy—through sharing my body with others who would have me,” Dera’Liv continued.
Serah’Elax grimaced.
Dera’Liv threw a hand up in anger. “Yes, you may view the idea that other people bring me carnal pleasure as an abomination, but I have nothing else. I have no other respite.” Sobs suddenly overtook her as she leaned against the window, almost like she was in physical pain.
Serah’Elax rushed to her side, embracing her yu’shae. After a few moments, Dera’ Liv’s sobs subsided. She silently looked out into the empty void at the stars speeding by.
Serah’Elax released her and moved to her room; this scenario was all too familiar since they had left Ashna Maiden space. Serah’Elax returned from her room, changed into her typical relaxed attire, keeping her upper body nude and pairing that choice with form-fitting leggings down to her calves.
“I simply do not wish you to continue to live as a fra’sha,” Serah’Elax said. She moved to the kitchen as the Omnfridge dispenser stirred to life and produced a bowl of red grapes and cheese. “Of all the things I’ve learned of our culture, that is the one that brings the most shame in our society, is it not?” She held up the bowl to Dera’Liv as she reclined on one of the nearby sofas.
Dera’Liv watched her daughter and slowly got up from the floor. “Not shame. Pity,” Dera’Liv corrected. Sighing, she moved to join her daughter on the sofa. “It is only you who experiences shame at her yu’shae’s choices.” Dera’Liv side-eyed her daughter with hints of a smile.
Serah’Elax smiled back as the two silently ate grapes and looked out the window.
