Overlap: The Other Side

<12/04/49,099 {Avion 53 (BF)} - 19:00 | Favika, Karnak, Genosis, Altiri Sector Space>

In the years that followed the slowly growing rebellion, our situation on Karnak only became worse with time. This invisible political war between Lady Q and Legasso only made the people of Karnak tense, but even so, the resistance gradually continued to grow, as the efforts and attacks made on various planetary hangars proved successful. By now, the resistance had more than fifty thousand Altiri, willing to fight and die for our new unity.

As for me, I did the only thing I could, keeping my head down and only helping out with transport missions when I felt an absolute need to do so. I was no fighter; I was no brave disciple of Lady Q. With each passing day I went without hearing a word from my mother, I only grew more afraid than ever before.

The resistance never stayed in one area for too long, so most of us inherited a nomadic life, moving from town to town, with most of us now in Favika, well-hidden from Legasso's disciples. I saw so much change occur in record time, as if someone had pressed fast-forward onto all of us, the new queen especially. Lady Q and her new movement were already far more popular and well-known by now than what was ever expected before, our collective allegiance to her growing far beyond the reaches of what we ever felt with the current tyrant in charge of both worlds.

All of us have forgotten her real name, and the woman who goes by Lady Q is now known to most of us as our new queen, elected by popularity, boosted by our faith in her ability to lead us to better prosperity. Even I am referring to her as our queen now, because I want to believe in her as well. It wasn't as easy or simple as I felt it to be half the time. I did everything alone, moving through these days without a single friend in the world, all by choice. Having friends just wasn't worth it anymore.

With the amount of us who go missing each year, taken and kidnapped by Legasso's out-of-control secret disciple army, knowing anybody too closely would come with a price, the risk of never seeing them again, and the sadness that would follow. Some embraced this risk anyway, but I was never as strong as many presumed me to be. In my mellowing silence, I gave my support and allegiance to the newly formed unity, a state of existence, a pact between our growing resistance and the new queen running the show herself.

No matter what I did to keep my face out of public view, or how hard I tried not to rock any boat, the swallowing darkness of depravity was already on our horizon again, with some big news dropping with a massive royal gathering in the city. Of the thousands that were excited to merely meet the queen in person yet again, I couldn't shake this horrible, threatening sensation consuming every sense I had, as if I could predict the doom that had been chasing us all. Sure enough, Lady Q, after gathering the attention of the masses and amplifying her voice to us telepathically, dropped the first of many bombshells we would now have to face.

Chapter Theme Shift: In Favi ~ Ignis Spiritus (In strict Confidence)

"To all new loyalists under our new unity, hear my call, and feel my desperation, for I have made grave discoveries in the past few cycles."

In the many years behind us after the resistance continued to grow, Lady Q and a few other high ranking disciples under her came to all of us, attempting to expand our psionic powers and further enhance our telepathic abilities. The expansion was no big deal, but for moments like now, it mattered most, as the queen could deliver her voice to every single one of us without any impediment to our chance to hear her word. "I should begin first with the positive news. Legasso and his army of disciples are becoming more aware of our large opposition, including where we primarily operate, though because of our current numbers, he has grown too fearful to face us head on in a direct confrontation. This would normally suggest we have the numbers needed to take a direct fight to his royal chamber door, however, there lies terrible news in what has been learned."

Without anyone speaking back to return comment or question, out of respect and expectation that all would be revealed, the queen continued her report unimpeded, her emotions gushing out of her heart at the same time, matching the fear she spoke of from within, as well as some form of preemptive guilt none of us understood yet. "Legasso and his top scientists have developed new experimental technology, combining an unknown elemental compound with destructive devices. We have currently referred to these devices as Elemental Bombs, or E-Bombs for short. Rumor has it, that a single detonation from just one of these devices carries a force destructive enough to bring about the end of our world, permanently so."

Several of us gasped through the silent winds blowing cold all around us, and with them, my mouth hung open too, unwilling to believe that such an invention were even possible. A single bomb that could destroy the whole world? Is she mistaken? Is Legasso out of his mind to think that the mere threat of such would even be worth it? What kind of ruler demands allegiance through such fear?

"We have confirmed that the design is no elaborate joke. While I do not believe Legasso would so easily use one of these devices, his mere possession and control of such will hamper any strong opposition made against his direction. If we take a physical fight to him now, while he is well-guarded, he may attempt to detonate one of these bombs. Legasso has taken our entire planet hostage using a new method, and guaranteed his immediate safety with threat of this device."

"What are we to do then?! If our unity cannot fight Legasso, then all of this was for nothing!" A nervous Altiri cried out in desperation, as I wanted to, though most of us remained calm, expecting some kind of adaption to the plan.

"The design specs of this bomb is not clear, and he has likely moved most of these devices to a separate hiding spot to reduce the chance of us raiding the main armory and cache. Legasso has made his intentions and tactics very simple and easy to understand. If we threaten his life or go after him directly, even if he resides on the same planet, he will remove all of us from the planet. His personal disciples probably have the same instruction in mind too, at least those closest to his false divinity. Our top scryers and I have been investigating the estimated destructive force of these bombs, and we have come up with a possible plan."

"With the payload force yet to be confirmed in strength, we have determined that both Karnak and Zinod will be safe if such a device were only to detonate in the depths of outer space, far away from the gravity well of either world. We have also concluded, that while our next course of action carries risk, it would be most wise to separate Legasso from as many of his disciples as possible. If we can single him out, and do so while his location exits from our planetary surface, we can move in to capture or eliminate him as a target, and simultaneously improve our odds of raiding the Empyrean Temple before news of his capture can spread to his closest loyalists."

"But how would we ever separate him from his disciples? He has too many working for him."

One of the civilians here made an excellent point. Our resistance now greatly outnumbers the amount of disciples Legasso has on his side, but there are still too many. If they become provoked into activating a single bomb, it will be game over. Still, the queen made sure to elaborate on her altered plan of action easily.

"In exactly two months, we will ensure that word of these bombs spreads far and wide, to as many as possible. I do not currently believe that Legasso's personal disciples know about the existence of these bombs, at least, no more than twelve of his closest elites. The other thousands of those loyal to Legasso may lose their will to follow a leader willing to add world destruction as a last resort possibility, and so by making them aware, we may reduce their numbers further. As for our plan to separate Legasso from his closest team, we need to increase his awareness of us as a strong threat, while removing ourselves from one particular location, so that he cannot merely take simplistic measures. He would never dare destroy Karnak and himself if the majority of his own enemy are safely away from the radius of such weapons."

It was then when she made it clear to all of us what it would take to catch this madman. "We must venture and keep ourselves in space, until the day comes where we can provoke Legasso to leave the safety net of Karnak. As such, we must be ready for any eventuality. Even this plan could take years to hatch, but I now see no other choice... As acting queen of our new unity, in order to protect the future of our society, and bring to justice those who dare threaten all of us, I must induce a mandate, the institution of a mandatory military draft, so that our numbers are instantly brought up to standard. I cannot possibly fit all fifty thousand of us into space, so some of you will have to remain operating here on the ground in our new meeting points, while the other lucky ones be collected and divided into teams. You will learn to pilot capital-class spacecraft, and from there, learn other military skills as well, such as advanced combat, advanced abilities of the body, and advanced abilities of the mind, through psionic expansion. Our fleet can only hold about 35,000, and we can continue the expansion with manufacturing operations continuing from support on the ground in our captured hangars, and in outer space, from the new manufacturing plant in our new Altiri Temple."

While it was clear that the queen was getting all serious, almost half of all of us threw our complaints loud into the air, while nervous murmurs and fearful debates cluttered our thought waves. I was among the same caliber, my heart now racing at the mere thought of being forced into some kind of new military that I didn't ask for. The queen was going all out, tuning a mere resistance into a full blown national military, a force that could fight on the ground and in space. The issue came with one specific phrase, mandatory.

"I have already made my selection, mostly random. Using the digital terminal and info station, you find a very long, though highly organized list of names. If your name is on the first list, you have been selected for this draft, and your choice to opt out is null and void. We need all the help we can get, and of everyone here, we will not lose a single soul to the enemy, who will undoubtedly have far worse in mind for your future if they learn of your involvement with us. List one will be our primary force, where list two will be reserved for a special, smaller taskforce to remain here on the surface, providing logistical updates and intelligence."

I refused to go anywhere near the terminal, with several of us in panic. I had a gut feeling my name would be on there somewhere. Though as I turned around to exit from the city, I learned that the exit was already being guarded by too many, people now adamant on ensuring nobody deserts this military before having the chance to run. I wasn't the only one too afraid to move in either direction, but my defiance and my fear were completely ignored. In only ten minutes, older Altiri officials found us, one by one, those of us who didn't want to move forward or backward, and wielded themselves as the queen's will.

"You are Lumina, yes? Your name is on the list for orbital defense fleet, designation team, Cy-Stars. Please come with us and do not struggle."

"No!" I shouted with desperation, turning around to try running anyway, though the woman behind me reached for my right arm, holding me firm and tight, no matter how much I squirmed. Through my own struggle, I saw the same happening to dozens of more people all around us, the crowd now dispersing in the chaos that was building.

"I am sorry about invoking force for this operation Lumina, but you must not dare resist. Our great queen has a plan for all of us, and I can personally assure your own safety."

"Let me go!" I cried once more. "Let me go! You can't do this to me!" I used as much force as I could, putting up a real struggle of brute force, but the two holding me down were much stronger. The queen chose very specific personnel to handle people like me, who would refuse to be part of the military and escape, so I could not escape them.

"We have to do this together Lumina! Do not force us to take drastic measures to put you into that ship. Even if you escaped from us, your fate against the enemy disciples would be far more dangerous than this."

Even in the new uproar of force and outcries, the queen continued preaching to all of us, delivering her calm reasoning to why everyone here should accept this fate. "Your resistance to our recruitment is unnecessary, as is your fear of the new life style. Keep in mind that this is only temporary. As soon as our enemy falls, our military will become a voluntary force; on this you have my ultimate promise. Our program will cycle you in and out of your new spacecraft roles, and in positions of the Altiri Temple. You will all learn how to conduct yourselves professionally and responsibly. It won't be easy, but you will be safe up there."

"I said let go of me!" No matter how much of a fight I put up, the guards holding me down wouldn't falter. Even in the queen's forced speech beamed through our collective minds, not a single one of us became pacified by her reasoning. However, what she went for next turned into a soothing promise of hope, one powerful enough to force us to question everything we were doing.

"Please, sisters of The Unity, remember and recall how this helps you reunite with the ones who were taken from you. Your mothers all reside on Planet Zinod, forced there by the same enemy we share. Our starships are not transports, so rescuing all of them so swiftly won't be a simple task, nor can we succeed with Legasso's forces standing by to capture and put them right back onto that moon. But should we come together and defeat this threat once and for all, you can be reunited with your true family. We can reverse the Exodus that was brought upon us all, and return to an era better than the last, where nobody is required due worship, where nobody is banished from a town or city for mere blasphemy, and to which our unity will grow with kindness and prosperity that we ourselves will deliver... You want to see your mothers again, right? I promise nothing in the term of haste, but I am no liar. Work with me; forge our new Altiri Military, embrace your new team with your lives, and that which has been lost, shall be recovered."

Her words, so potent and sharp brought a kind of calm within most of us, especially within myself. I still didn't want to do this, to join a dangerous military, or to be forced into it either, but at the mere mention of seeing my mother on Zinod again, I remembered my Avion-long mission to find her again. The queen speaks at least one valid truth in this madness. As long as I remain trapped here on Karnak, I cannot see my mother. Should I instead venture into outer space, even if they won't let me land on Zinod immediately, at the very least, I will be closer to her, and I can possibly defend her... I can wait until an opportunity to search for her on Zinod presents itself; this is an absolute fact. The hope of executing such a maneuver pacified my fears entirely, dropping my strength, so that the guards could show me to the special hangar, to a ship I would be forced to board. However, from the look around me, there were at least a select few Altiri in my position who ignored such hope and resisted anyway, only to be dragged from the place by force. Between the nature of her actions and the promise in her heart, I couldn't be sure if Lady Q was doing something incredible or horrible.

"Because we cannot win this war in a single, simple move, we shall take back control of our worlds, inch by inch, in similar manner by which it was taken from us. We shall grow our military in time, gather even more of us into space, and provoke Legasso to make an unwise move, one that will eliminate his protection, and his hostage status he currently claims on Karnak. Follow our guards to the designated hangars nearby, so that we can all start our new journey together, not as individuals divided, but as one collective force of hearts and minds, to our new unity!"

It was still highly unsettling for all of us, knowing we were not being given much choice in the matter of joining this crusade, and it also wasn't pretty watching how the few who remained defensive and resisting the process were treated for their dismay. Even so, I decided to take my chances today, making way to the hangar under supervision, until I was finally where I needed to be. The hangar I went to was massive in size, and stocked to the brim with space ships, more of which were apparently hiding in space, others at different temples or hangars.

I still wasn't certain of anything, and I moved without certainty or decisiveness, my fears of the unknown still prevalent in every manner. As soon as I reached the inner-depth of the FS Triag class starship, I was face-to-face with another young Altiri, around my age, and she too was unwilling to say or do much, her mind a mess of uncertainty, shaken apart by this life-change forced upon us all.

Something about sharing the same situation as her allowed me to trust her more than I normally would trust any stranger, but I didn't openly speak to her yet. I first had no idea what was going on or what I was supposed to do. The guards that escorted us onto this ship exited from the vehicle soon after, merely giving us the instruction to sit ourselves in the two seats within the cockpit room, and to not bother touching any of the controls. It turns out the navigation system was set to a pre-programmed operation, allowing the ship to virtually fly itself into space, and later dock with the Altiri Temple, the new one which the queen had built outside the reach of Legasso's forces.

I can't say I enjoyed most of the experience. Being launched into space for the very first time was terrifying enough on its own, and even though the ship did most of the work for us, some telepathic person from the space hangar had to guide us in with some level of manual control and on-the-spot training. Since any deviation from instructions was potentially lethal, none of us dared trying to make a move.

However, I would never forget this day, nor the experience I had with this other person. Before we had reached the Altiri Temple, I managed to get this stranger to speak to me, even though I was struggling to get over my own shines in retrospect. No matter how scared we both were for what would become of our shared future, the only thing we could do now was try to trust each other, and work through the difficulty together.

"I know this is scary for you and me both. But please control your fear. No matter what they decide to do with us, no matter what they want to put us through, all of it will be worth it. I will make sure it will be worth it."

"How can you be so sure? We're no longer able to decide our own fate! I can't believe they stuffed me onto this ship with no warning or training! I've never been away from Karnak before!" She was clearly upset as I was from earlier, but my only hope of sharing in her faith was to prove to her I knew what I was doing.

"We are all being forced into this. This is my first time in space too. I cannot take direct action that I need to quite yet, but since they want to teach us all how to fly a ship and fight, I will allow them to forge me into a more capable person. If I do that, if I allow them to push me into a capable warrior, I can then regain my free will, and fly this metal triangle right where we both belong, on the very planet where our mothers have been taken hostage."

My own resolve was stronger than the fear consuming so many of us right now, and my promise seemed to demand total attention from the stranger next to me, studying me like I was some kind of alien to be reckoned with. I wasn't kidding myself. Even if they force all of us into a military, once trained, they cannot keep us in that unit. So, I'll play their game for now. As much as I hate Legasso, I love my mother far more than anything or anyone, and so I will see her again. I have to do everything right though, time everything perfectly. I already know that if I land this ship on Zinod, I'm not going to just waltz out and meet my mother. She could be anywhere on that world, anywhere I would not know, a planet almost the same size of Karnak. If I desert the military even for a day, after having been trained, I'm certain the elite members of this new unity will come after us with everything they have. Given that, I need to make sure this new partner of mine knows of the same discipline. "Just trust me. You and I both must wait a while before making our move to reach Zinod and save our mothers. If we act too quickly, we won't succeed... I'm scared too, but I won't be slowed down by this feeling, not when I'm so close to having her back."

"You don't say..." Even now, she was still amazed, either by something I said or some other trait I wasn't aware of. Truth be told, it was now making me nervous. "I don't know if I should trust you yet... But I also seem to lack options right now. For now at least, I will go along with your plan. Before I say anymore, I must have your name if I'm to agree to anything."

"Of course," I allowed, observing all of the automated processes that the navigation HUD was handling. "My name is Lumina. I grew up a lot in Anncoya."

"Okay, Lumina. My name is Junko. The town I came from was overwhelmed recently, so nobody knows what to call it anymore. Legasso's disciples took it over and declared it an investigation zone. I got out of there before they knew I existed, but I've been bouncing between towns and cities ever since... I shouldn't have come to Favika though. Of all days, I didn't know this was going to happen to me!" Suddenly, the nervousness Junko abandoned seemed to be returning to her, and I could just as quickly identify her panic, something still within myself.

I swiftly held Junko by both shoulders, piercing my gaze into her nervous cyan-colored eyes with all the reassurance I had. "None of us knew this would happen Junko. Just focus on what's important and right in front of us. All we can do right now is deal with the current moment, not what happened before, not what mistakes we've already made."

Indeed, my journey to Favika was never made on the insane premise of a military draft either, but unlike Junko, my presence there was no accident. Even though a small amount of my support to the resistance was of genuine intention to help while I had time, my true purpose was to shadow those closest to Lady Q, so that I may one day learn what happened to my mother...

Against her own advice, I've been getting some members of her team to trust me, and following that trust with small moments of memory sharing, so that I could trace what has been going on around me, building a bigger picture. As dangerous as memory sharing is said to be, I won't let any threat of fear keep me from finding a ship to bring me to space. Ironically, all of that searching has brought me into outer space, but with a few twists in my intentions. The ship I'm currently on right now will soon be registered to me, but I do not control it; I don't even know how to fly one at this time.

No matter what happens, I will use what little thread I am given, grasp onto that string, and use it to climb to my ultimate destiny. If Junko wants to be reunited with her mother too, I will share this thin rope with her, so long as she avoids the same mistakes I must when getting the royal guards to trust us. Heck, I'll extend the same offer to the entire team of Cy-Stars, if they are proven to be trustworthy. This is my goal; this is my focus! I am only loyal to the people I care most about, so when that day of reckoning comes, I will leave the fighting to the true warriors, and remove any problem in my way, until I fully remember that comfort and happy feeling I got when I hung out with my mother... My memories of her are not as strong as they should be, now that I think on it, but I must focus on what is truly important for now.