Through the Ghost

The other supply crates were retrieved with much less difficulty than the first, and it wasn’t long after that they arrived at the Souri homestead. The sight of the massive building was a surprise, seeing as most Souri generally lived in the destitute neighborhoods of more civilized planets.

“How did you build this?” Tal asked, a large door slid open as they approached to reveal a darkened tunnel.

“We didn’t,” Shyara replied candidly. “We had a small village nearby. I was very young at the time, but from what I remember it was a fairly rough life.”

Beirn snorted indignantly. “That’s only because you never experienced life on our home world.” The resentful tone of Beirn’s words conflicted with the musical inclination of her voice.

Shyara ignored the woman’s harsh critique as she continued her story. “One day a man arrived, claiming he needed help running his facility and in return he offered us shelter from the dangers of this planet. Our elders agreed, and we’ve lived there ever since.”

They continued down the winding tunnel that led to the garage. Sparse white lights guided their way deeper into the garage.

“People aren’t normally so generous,” Anna mentioned coldly.

“Nonetheless, my people have been grateful for the shelter from the dangers of this world, and as a result we owe whoever is behind it a debt of gratitude,” Shyara argued.

As they reached the bottom of the tunnel, they passed a few older models of speeder bikes, as well as the similar grey and white transports they rode in. Once the vehicle came to a stop they exited into the cavernous motor pool. The dim, grey location seemed colder than the icy world above them.

They crossed the garage towards a pair of sliding glass doors that opened up to reveal a cozy elevator. They stepped inside and no sooner had the doors closed than a cheerful ring signaled they arrived at the next floor. They quickly traveled down a sterile hallway and through a second set of doors that revealed a great tree in the center of a courtyard.

Children played carelessly in the snow beneath its massive branches. Red flowers remained in bloom, contrasting beautifully with the gentle snow falling down on them. Shyara and Beirn proceeded to lead them towards the cafeteria where the two operatives were served a warm bowl of what appeared to be some kind of soup.

“What’s in this?” Tal inquired between spoonfuls. “It’s good, the meat is salty yet chewy.”

“Guba,” Beirn commented shortly.

Tal looked at her in hopes the silver haired woman would elaborate.

Shyara laughed.

“The fat ones, the ones with the beaks,” Anna clarified.

Tal choked a little on his spoonful. All three of them looked in surprise at Anna.

“How did you know that?” Tal asked once he was sure he wouldn’t choke.

“I might have done some research on this place before coming here,” Anna replied with a shrug.

Both Souri turned away, satisfied with her answer. Tal kept his gaze on his former partner, sensing there was more to her arrival here than she’d let on.

“So, what’s this place used for?” Tal inquired, slowly tearing himself momentarily away from Anna.

“The doctors run tests and trials for various kinds of medicines, we simply maintain the facility.”

“So, you’re janitors?” Tal asked.

“I guess, in the same way that you’re soldiers. Some of us assist the doctors, some just happen to live here, but we all work together make the most of this place,” Shyara retorted.

The rest of the time passed slowly. Once the two Souri left, things seemed to screech to a halt. Shyara went to work on repairing their vehicle, while Beirn went back to her family.

“Any word from Jaya?” Anna asked.

The repair team is making progress, Allie informed him. Tal relayed the information to Anna.

“That’s…good,” she commented with an anxious glance at her bracer.

“Why do you keep looking at that thing as if it’s going to fall off?” Tal asked impatiently.

“What?” she replied.

“I asked why do you keep looking at your bracer?”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m just anxious to leave.”

“So am I, but I don’t have to check mine every minute.”

She stared stone-faced at him for a moment. Her brow arches inward and her jaw set tight. Then, just as quickly, life returns to her features.

“Sorry,” she added with an apologetic smile. Her fingers run over the top of her dark-blonde hair “I’m just hoping to hear from a friend.”

“Who could you possibly be wanting to hear from? Maya? I didn’t know you two were so close.”

She grinned half-heartedly. “Unlike you, I know how to actually make friends.”

“I have tons of friends,” he argued.

“You’ve had Reis, and various people you’re friendly with. Not the same,” she teased.

Tal leaned back, balancing his chair on it back legs. “Fine, I’ll stop asking about it.”

She sighed. “I promise I’m not trying to be secretive, it’s just personal. We can talk about it later.”

Sensing they were at an impasse, he decided to change topics, “I’m going to look around. Care to join me?” he asked.

She glanced down at her bracer once more. Then, with a forced smile, she stood up to join him. They both dropped their bowls off at the automated wash station. Robotic arms grasped the dishes and passed them down the line in a series of disinfecting routines.

“So, tell me,” Anna said as they walked down another bleached white corridor with the intent on aimlessly exploring the oasis that the Souri had come to call home. “How did Jaya become an operative? I thought she was working with the engineering corp.”

Tal laughed as the memory came to him. Jaya had told him the news, and he’d responded at first with surprise, spilling the cup of coffee he’d been drinking. That had quickly been replaced by a mild frustration that she’d thrown away a chance at a normal life so frivolously.

“I’d like to say it was because she wanted to be just like her dear old brother. Truth is, I have you to blame for her change of occupation.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, she idolized you. The moment the news headlines titled you The Avenger of Azariah, she knew she wanted to join up.”

“The way you talked about her, I never figured she’d be the type to be sucked in by propaganda.”

“It wasn’t so much who you were, as it was what you did. She began looking into all your missions she could find and saw all the good you did; the people you’d saved.”

Anna looked down guiltily.

“Does she likes being an operative?”

“As far as I can tell she’s adjusted to it pretty well. Rahn’s really cracked down on keeping us separate from The Council’s interest, and focused on helping protect humanity as a whole.”

“What about you? How are you holding up?” she asked

He paused, taking a moment to compose himself. “It’s kind of a haze. I remember being angry, spending a few too many nights on the training field until I couldn’t stand. Then when Jaya became a member of Orothros, I poured myself into the job. I didn’t trust anyone else to watch out for her.”

“You’ve always been good to her. I’m glad you had each other.”

“What about you? Where’ve you been this entire time?”

“Around,” she stated curtly. “Doing odd jobs here and there, mostly just trying to keep my head down as best as I could.”

Silence settled back in and soon her mind had wandered off again. He surmised it pertained to the unknown individual who she anxiously hoped would contact her. Tal fought down the urge to ask about her mystery friend, when a man dressed in scrubs, with a five o’clock shadow and unkempt hair began walking their way.

As the three humans converged, the man’s tired expression and weary eyes became clearer. He on the other hand, barely noticed them as he briskly walked by only to stop and turn on his heel with a quizzical expression on his face. As he got closer, his eyes blinked furiously.

“Tell me you’re real, and that the lack of sleep and increased stress haven’t made me go mad.”

“Wouldn’t a hallucination tell you what you wanted to hear?” Tal responded to the frazzled man.

The attempt at humor failed to connect with the man, as his only reply was to continue staring at the two operatives.

“Sorry, bad joke. I’m Tal, this is Anna. We’re from Orothros.”

“Oro…? Oh right, right, Beirn mentioned she’d brought you two to our humble facility. Are you finding your way around alright?”

“As well as can be expected,” Tal confirmed.

“Good, good. Well, if you excuse me I’m a bit busy so I must get back to it,” the doctor apologized.

“Actually, doctor…” Anna began.

“Reed. Martin Reed.”

“Doctor Reed, I was hoping I could ask you something.”

“We can talk on the way if you’d like.”

“That’s fine.”

Tal moved to follow them when a beep emitted from his bracer. Jaya was attempting to contact him.

“You two go on ahead, I’ll catch up later,” he announced when Anna looked back curiously. She nodded and instantly picked up her pace to match the doctor’s.

“Hey, how’s everything going?” Jaya’s voice asked over the speaker of his bracer.

“We’re doing okay. Is everything alright?” he inquired.

“Yeah. Repair crew’s still toiling away, just a little bored. Lanie’s not feeling talkative.”

Lanie was the name she’d given the Artificial Companion program assigned to her. Like Allie, she ran all her equipment, and most importantly controlled the nanites in her bloodstream. Without the A.C. Orothros operatives wouldn’t be able to heal as quickly, nor be as capable of the superhuman feats for which they were known. While a “retired” operative could still outperform other humans with ease, she’d struggle against more physiologically advanced races.

“Sorry, we’ll start heading back soon.”

“Alright, but you two owe me some stories.”

He began to sign off when a thought occurred to him. “Hey, J, did you notice Anna acting strangely?”

“Not really, but I’d think you’d know her better than I would?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing, see you soon,” he assured her before setting off to find Anna.

After a quick message to informing Anna he was heading towards the garage, he continued to wander the halls. Lengthy Souri occasionally walked past him, their long hair flowed behind them like angelic wings. They walked with a grace he was unaccustomed to seeing in their species. Souri in the inner worlds seemed broken, shorter almost. Normally dressed in dusty rags, and begging for scraps, their presence was barely tolerated by the majority of the intergalactic populace. Here they had power and majesty, they wore bright colors, and freshly cleaned clothes.

He stopped at the glass offering a view into the courtyard. The whole scene was so serene he almost couldn’t believe he was still on the same planet. Up until that point he’d felt like everything had been trying to kill him.

Souri children, their hair barely poking out from beneath the caps covering their heads, played unperturbed beneath the lone tree. Thick coats insulated their thin frames, they were completely unconcerned as they slung snow balls at each other. One child began to climb the tree, vibrant petals lazily floated to the floor with each branch they pulled themselves onto. Then, with arms splayed outwards, they dropped down into the thick snow beneath.

When he got to the garage he found Shyara placing a new windshield into their vehicle that was damaged on the supply run. She was a bit more dressed down than their previous encounter. Her long heavy coat and gloves were set lazily atop stacked spare parts.

She was dressed in a grey tank top and black sweats. Her clothes were covered in blue and black vehicular fluids. She squeezed an adhesive into the empty grooves, then carefully set the new windshield into place.

Upon seeing her lift the heavy glass paneling as if it was made of cardboard, Tal realized how glad he was that the Souri didn’t have a military presence. For all their beauty and elegance, they were deceptively strong. Hence why so many Souri refugees found jobs doing manual labor.

“You do this all by yourself?” he asked once she climbed off the hood of the vehicle.

“Sometimes. My partner was part of the group that got wounded by the Sabear. So, for the moment, it’s just me.”

“Sounds rough. I thought Beirn was your partner?”

She shook her head. “I was actually just helping her out. I’m better as a mechanic than a hunter.”

Anna will be here shortly, Allie notified him.

The echo of footsteps rapidly approaching signaled Tal to Anna’s arrival. She looks flushed, her breaths came quickly as if she’d run the entire way here.

“Anxious to leave?” he teased.

“Hells yes,” she answered with a relieved smile between breaths.

“Is it okay if we leave now?” he asked the Souri mechanic.

“No problem, I’ll let the repair team know we’re heading back, just give me a moment to get one of the other vehicles and we’ll head out.”

A minute later an engine roared to life, and they were back out amongst the ice and the wind.