Mane-of-Night And The Watcher From Beyond - Epilogue

I wake up in my own time, but find I've slept a good nine hours - a lot more than I usually allow myself. Still weak, but definitely refreshed to some extent, I venture outside my room, and into one of the gently-curving corridors of Talona's spider-like citadel, at the heart of Shadow City. Before long, I encounter one of my host's Shadowfolk companions, the silver-and-black clad adventuress known as Stormbird, and she informs me that Talona has been called to a meeting with the City's Supreme Assembly, the "official" governing body of Yafornis - it looks as though others are seeking answers, but I doubt they'll be issuing any reprimands, or calling Talona "insane" for doing what she did.

My head is still rather fuzzy from channelling Sygarem's power, and so I don't feel ready to employ any of my psionic abilities, let alone fly across the City by telekinesis. Talona's personal strike-force, the "Wraiths" - of which Stormbird is a member - are well-equipped, and another of their number, a lively little thing called Blaze, is quite happy to take me to the Assembly Chambers in one of their customised air-cruisers. During the flight, my pilot gives me a not entirely unwelcome commentary on what has transpired in the last half-day - it seems that Talona has chosen to let her people know at least some of what has been happening out in space.

"The celebrations went on all night", Blaze tells me, "and the streets are still full of people having a good time - not that we got to enjoy much of that, being on stand-by alert. The Assembly weren't very happy that Talona told the City about the battle out there, amongst the stars, and about Sygarem..."

At least Talona is giving credit were it is rightfully due - that revelation allows me to feel at least a little more comfortable about relaxing.

"...so she's been at the Chambers all morning, explaining the whole thing to the City Elders", continues Blaze, cheerily. "What an unearthly hour to wake someone up, let alone drag them all this way across the city, just to be asked silly questions..."

What was previously informative chatter quickly becomes an adventure in banality as the girl starts to assail me with tales of one "amusing" incident in a night-club after another, increasingly unrelated to the events that transpired yesterday. I quickly become so very grateful that I don't need to be at all telepathic to just screen her out, lose myself in my own thoughts - for a moment or two, I reach the surprising conclusion that my duties back on Sentinel Station would be preferable to any more of this girl's empty-headed wittering.

The air-cruiser lands on the edge of a wide public concourse at the foot of the Assembly's tower, and I try not to make it too obvious that I'm desperate to get away from Blaze and her mind-numbing nonsense as I leap out of the vehicle. "Don't have too much fun!", the girl calls out as I stride purposefully towards the tower, but she's too far away to hear my rather scathing response: "The chances of that increase exponentially, the further I get away from you..."

The meeting of The Supreme Assembly is understandably in closed session, but the security staff allow me in without question, treating me as a mixture of popular heroine and visiting off-world dignitary as they guide me to a balcony seat overlooking the auditorium, and the main stage where the Assembly are seated in a semi-circle, around the raised pedestal on which Talona stands, without the luxury of a seat of her own. My arrival appears to have been perfectly timed, for after an exchange intended to clarify the criteria for the deployment of The One-Thirteen, the Assembly ask Talona exactly what she did to thwart The Watcher's attack - and, hopefully, just how permanent that defeat will be.

"From the moment it was discovered that an alien power had an interest in our people, our world", Talona explains, "steps were taken to develop countermeasures, mundane and exotic, to ensure the defence of our brothers and sister, our city, our whole planet. To that end, the concept of the device codenamed 'Rage of Freedom' was proposed and its construction carried out when the necessary materials became available..."

...those materials being a sizable amount of mystic minerals, saturated with magic, wrapped around the salvaged main drive core of the first Giparrac ship, it transpires. Talona deftly skirts around exactly what happened to the aliens, on both occasions that they were encountered, and none of the Assembly press the planet's saviour on the matter, or on any matter, truth be told.

The Mistress of Shadow City sleepwalks through the whole thing, giving only the responses she needs to give, but she does give a glowing report on Sygarem and his contribution - I don't object to her playing down my part in those events in order to strengthen the case for the proper commemoration of his sacrifice, and a subsequent vote of the Assembly gives unanimous support for a heroic monument.

The rest of the meeting is all about tedious bookkeeping and matters of procedure, and so I return to the outer reception hall to wait for Talona, who graces me with her presence after only a few more minutes, and invites me to walk with her through the gallery circling the base pf the Assembly's tower. I accept, and surrounded by a quite impressive collection of Yafornian art, I wait for the right moment to speak - only for Talona to abruptly stop at a particular painting, and make an unexpected revelation about it.

"I'd forgotten about this", she declares, turning to face a rather lurid depiction of a black-skinned woman with wild white hair - in white, crotch-length boots and nothing else - kneeling on the throat of a dragon-like creature that lies on its back, its legs in the air, trussed together with chains. "I painted that about a hundred years ago - somewhat prophetic, don't you think?"

"It shows some talent, and certainly plenty of imagination", I reply. "More self-indulgent than prophetic, I'd say."

Talona knows me too well to be offended. "This is what Sygarem died to protect", she tells me. "This, and the creativity, the potential, of my people that is still to be explored..."

"Yet you had the perfect weapon all along", I observe coldly. "Your 'Rage of Freedom'. You may look down on 'Tall Ones', but the solution to your problems are all the same. You, the Gara-Morsa - you just throw a big bomb at it."

"As I said to the Assembly, several options were explored, and developed", responds Talona. "That particular project was a final option, for use only when all other means had failed - but I decided that the time was right..."

"...and you set off a makeshift, untested device that ripped open reality, dangerously close to your home world", I interrupt. "You were blessed with luck to which you had no right."

"Luck is an illusion, an excuse for the weak", snorts the half-demoness. "Fortune does not just fall into one's lap. One must reach out and take it. I have lived my whole life by that principle, and you either learn the lesson, or have it taught to you - I hope innocent, oblivious lives are not hanging in the balance when that time comes for you."

I'm not going to rise to her bait. She's hoping I will, but she's going to be disappointed. "Will the creature remain imprisoned?", I ask her. "You let the Assembly believe that The Watcher had been destroyed - but you could never guarantee that, could you?"

"The creature is contained, locked away, isolated from us", Talona responds icily. "That is as much of a victory as we could hope for. The situation will be closely monitored, a permanent solution investigated - but I do not expect our adversary will be troubling us any time soon. I called upon very old magic to complete the Rage of Freedom - older than even the very first of my demonic ancestors - and whilst the universe-of-now might not remember it, the universe-of-then doesn't completely forget that kind of ancient power..."

"A power that could prove even more dangerous than the creature", I warn her, sighing. "This reality is already damaged, scarred by the passing of one of the Lost Gods...!"

"I know", my host hisses sourly. "I wake up to that truth every day. It is the absolute fulcrum of my existence, that duty I dedicate my every breath to..."

I'm sick of lectures - and I know I can never change how Talona deals with her world's predicament; only experience and misadventure can do that. All I can do is leave her to it, and be ready to offer my services should the need arise - but Talona isn't finished.

"...and you, you can just come and go, walk away when you get bored. Oh, how I wish I could just turn my back on all this, go back to dancing, painting...!"

"You're right", I declare, glaring back at her. "I do walk away when I get bored, and I am so very bored with this. If you'll excuse me, I'll start walking..."

Talona says nothing as I turn my back on her, and walk out of the Assembly building on my own. I'd very much like to be on my own for a while, but the Shadowfolk are in full "party mode", and maybe what's best for me now is to lose myself amongst them. I need to remind myself what this world is really all about - what Sygarem really died for.

Almost nobody acknowledges my presence as I walk the streets of Shadow City, one amongst many as the population gathers in celebration, not truly knowing how close they came to extinction, how temporary their salvation might still be - not knowing the price one man paid to save them...

Still, it's nice to see the Yafornians out in the sun, Shadowfolk and "Tall Ones" together. They sing, they dance, they "make merry", unified in joy, and I'm glad for them - would it be too much to hope for that this marks the end of the distrust, the futile hatred of one race for another. Such an absurdity when one considers the fact that Shadowfolk and Tall Ones share a common origin - a million years ago, they were bred, engineered, to serve the mysterious interdimensional travellers known as the Var...

I'm not really in a partying mood, and it's not long before my wanderings lead me away from the noise and crowds, until I start to cross paths with people who don't seem particularly interested in the festivities. The general current of their movements leads along one of the city's main avenues, to the steps of a large conical building bearing the insignia of the organisation responsible for handling all matters to do with ShadowPets, and out of sheer curiosity, and a desire to immerse myself in anything other than Talona's obsession with defending her world, I allow myself to be carried along.

The closer I get to the north-east corner of Unity Square, and the headquarters of the "ShadowPets Federation", the more I see of Yafornis's most remarkable creations - a young woman has a squirrel-like Mireet on each shoulder, one the standard golden colour, the other pure white; several are riding either feline Nyarheen, huge dark creatures like horse-sized panthers, or an occasional unicorn-like Sabrall... it's all rather exciting, another joyous expression of the lively spirit that's the true heart of this city, and it's so refreshing...

***Mane-of-Night...?***

Now that's something not exactly refreshing, but still most welcome to hear. ***You took your time, Myr'aa***, I respond to the ecstatic telepathic voice calling my name. ***You're two planets late.***

***The equipment involved with Turah's emergency dimension-jumpers got scrambled, after the Huntress went down***, says my friend - my telepathy places her inside the Yafornis system, minutes from Yafornis orbit. ***We went to Asor's world, and he told us you left with Talona...***

***And before you ask, no, I have not been enjoying the company of "The Lady" Talona***, I tell her. ***This was... strictly business - business I have just concluded.***

***So we'll be heading home right away?***

***Not just yet***, I answer. ***I'd like to squeeze at least some pleasure out of this expedition before we make our way back to Sentinel - I may even give myself a reason to bother coming back.***

***Understood***, says Myr'aa. ***I'll park Dominion Two in orbit, and await your call. There's no hurry - if you find any fun, take your time and enjoy it.***

***Fun? I'm pretty much hip-deep in it right now***, I say with the telepathic equivalent of a smile as a young female of the Shadowfolk, who clearly recognises me, "accidentally" brushes past me, her hands lingering on the shiny surface of my boots, which are almost as tall as she is.

Inside, there are more Shadowfolk, more ShadowPets, either with their owners or putting on displays of various kinds; some promotional, advertising all manners of ShadowPets merchandise, others demonstrating training techniques or innovative ways to make use of the artificial creatures' various inherent abilities and special powers - I'm surprised to learn that Sabralls can store waste energy in special internal batteries, charged as they gallop, and project that energy through their horns, and that the very popular avian Aeriane can now "grow" into a "phoenix-like" form that can directly absorb and channel solar energy for a variety of purposes.

I pause at the lip of one of the "challenge pits", where owners and ShadowPets engage in friendly competition, and chuckle to myself as a curious thought strikes me. "What's next?", I murmur to myself. "An animated vid-show...?"

I glance down into the pit, and for a while, I watch a sleek and agile Nyarheen race round and around a slow-moving yet powerful dragon-like Grantorla, causing the massive android-creature to become dizzy, then my eyes are drawn over to an area, just beyond the challenge pit, where owners - or should that be "trainers" - meet with the technicians and imagineers responsible for developing the ShadowPets. Several Shadowfolk are gathered around one of these inventors, and another individual, taller than the rest, but not as big as a "Tall One" - it could be a robotic Mechanical, enhanced with Shadowpet technology to make it more like a person, or maybe it's a Shadowpet in Yafornian form...

It's not the novelty of this being, or the mystery of its nature, that draws me away from the pit-side, and towards the gathering. There is something about this curious entity that... feels familiar, a feeling that grows stronger when it looks round and catches sight of me. In those strange, light blue on dark blue eyes, there is a spark of recognition, a spark that suddenly "flashes over" into words. "M...Mane-of-Night...!"

This is not the voice of a stranger, yet I can't immediately place it, not without a face to associate with it, and this being's features seem unnatural, unfinished. Intrigued, but staying on the defensive, I take one of my customary precautions, and make a scan for mental impressions or psionic capabilities. I'm not sure what to expect, but a most unusual result is forthcoming; the shallow, preliminary sweep comes up almost empty, as though I was trying to read the mind of an inanimate object, not a person, but a deeper scan reveals a proper, fully-formed mind, and it's one I recognise.

"The Grand Tichandryx...?"

"Yes!", exclaims the mysterious entity. "I'm glad at least you recognise me - I suspect you recognised my thoughts, not my features. Good, good - my new body isn't blocking my mental patterns. I seem to be more... alive than I anticipated. Marvellous!"

"What do you mean?", I ask... "him".

"Oh, you wouldn't know, would you?", the strange being replies. "I had been... having dealings with The Lady Talona. An experiment I suggested, involving her rather intriguing ShadowPets technology. I was able to use it - under license, of course - to design and build a new physical form. A complete body to house my intellect, my mental essence. I no longer have to rely on bulky, immobile support equipment, or harvesting replacement organs. Thanks to Lady Talona, the legacy of the Tichandri has been made secure, my immortality ensured, as all the tests that these fine people here have been carrying out have just proved - I will be quite literally eternally grateful to her, and Miss Da Silva."

...what did he just say? I'm not entirely sure if that question makes it into words - maybe The Grand Tichandryx picks up on stray psychic echoes or something, but I get my answer all the same.

"Yes, Miss Da Silva - your most unfortunate associate, Mariella", says the ancient alien. "It wasn't cheap, but I was able to arrange for her mental essence to be... retroactively recovered from the moment of her death. I was then able to... test the adapted ShadowPet technology, and most successfully."

He... he can't possibly mean that - that... "What did you do...?"

"I restored her", he responds, smiling gleefully. "Not to full life, as you know it and as I once knew it, but she's not aware of that, nor does she need to be..."

Grabbing the alien by the front of his loose grey body-suit, I push him back against the nearest column, and as my face completely fills his field of view, I can only utter a single word. "Where...?"

"I had to test my escape route", whimpers The Grand Tichandryx. "I... I sent her home..."

I release him, and storm away, one all-consuming thought in my mind. If Mariella has gone back to the world she called home, they I have to get there, fast...

***Myr'aa? Don't bother establishing orbit. I'll be coming aboard immediately - and then we'll be leaving. I need to find The Traveller, as quickly as possible...***

...to be continued, in Mane-of-Night And The Wayward Child...

"...this doesn't look good", growled Kappael. "Inform the ShadowShield that we appear to have an unidentified alien craft operating within our atmosphere, and we didn't even detect their approach to Yafornis."

"I... I don't think this is a hostile, Commander", said Tarapree anxiously, looking up from her communications console. "I've identified the language the intruder is transmitting, and we have it on record - it's one of the languages used by Mane-of-Night and Darkhawk. I can make some of it out, and it doesn't sound like they're about to attack. If anything, I think they may be in trouble."

"Run it through the interpretation matrix", ordered the Commander. "At least let's find out who they are before we blow them out of our skies..."

"Interpretation matrix is online", announced Tarapree. "I have a live translation on-channel; feeding it through now..."

The voices of otherworlders, thought Kappael as the comm-channel crackled, and the curious burblings started to change into proper words. What wonders might they be bringing us...?

"...repeat, this is Transglobal Airlines Flight One-Zero-Two, from Paris via London, calling Boston Tower - mayday, mayday. We've lost two engines, and our navigation systems are inoperative. We don't know where we are, and we are going down - estimate we'll reach zero altitude in about nine minutes."

A second voice interrupted from the background, in bewildered tones. "Is... is that desert down there? That can't be possible... what - what happened to the Atlantic...?"

Kappael turned to the main operations console. "Amares, do we have a ship in our orbital sector?"

"Affirmative, Commander - Skylance-X just entered our sector", replied the station's tactical officer.

"Get Commander Symmarae on the alert channel", ordered Kappael. "We have a potentially critical situation developing here, and we're going to need as many of our people on the surface as we can spare..."

He had no idea what kind of creatures came from "Paris" or "Boston", but Kappael prayed for the Ancestor-Spirits to look kindly upon the crew of the mysterious air-cruiser, hurtling to its imminent destruction. He would not have wished their predicament on his worst enemy...

Posted at 17:10 on 10.07.2009


~ o O o ~


Previously...
Mane-of-Night And The Wayward Child - Chapter 5 - 25.10.2009
Mane-of-Night And The Wayward Child - Chapter 4 - 23.10.2009
Mane-of-Night And The Wayward Child - Chapter 3 - 21.10.2009
Mane-of-Night And The Wayward Child - Chapter 2 - 19.10.2009
Mane-of-Night And The Wayward Child - Chapter 1 - 16.10.2009