368. Flash Forward: The Transcript

Two days have passed since Tom boarded Tranquility. Kyra sits alone in her quarters listening again to an audio transcript from two days earlier; a recording of Tom and John’s conversation prior to “the event.”



John, remember the visit of the agents to Duckhead, the one to tell you there would be no rescue mission?

Yes.

The military wanted that rescue mission. They were overruled. The political powers wanted nothing of Kyra, until they realized what she represented.

How?

They had a c-ship in the area. Monitoring all communication.

So they could have saved Bravo, Kyra?

Yes. (pause) They wanted her dead.

But the A screwed that up.

Yes.

Then the fear that they would/could use her.

Yes.

And so they had to do something.

How do you think you received that communication from Bravo?

What do you mean?

Bravo didn’t have the power to send a communication that far. They tried. The communication was real. But it was blocked and transmitted later via messenging, only after “the c-ship” realized the A’s had rescued Kyra. Then fear set in. And a plan was schemed.

(a pause) So I didn't miss the call?

Nope. If the A's hadn't rescued her, you would have, I'm guessing, received the message a few days later, once Kyra was confirmed dead. Of course then, the mission would have been quite different. A one-way ticket. Would have been a nice and clean package for them.

I see. I suppose I was the only one who was ever going.

It was believed, you were the only one that had the ability to get close enough to her, to kill her. They had your chip and knew she would let you near, not suspect. If you had refused the mission they were prepared to blackmail you. They were prepared to give it to Cait. To make it public. To destroy you. Emasculate your perceived political ambitions. But you played. So Cait was spared the public disgrace.

I had no political ambitions. You know that Tom. None. I loath politics.

But you could have. Don't you see. Exactly because you loathed, you were a threat. The public always wants what it can't have, especially in time of war. They want the non-political politician. You were that figure. Good looking. Understood the military situation and the pain of sacrifice. Beautiful wife. Neuro-surgeon. Decorated combat officer. A Discovery man. John, you were everything they feared. Everything. And, you knew the alien, you had an "in" in what came to be perceived as a force multiplier. With Kyra at your side, Kulmyk was yours for the taking.

Absurd.

Perception John. I know you hate it when I say it, but perception is reality. Death by perception.

My epithet.

Your albatross.

(very long pause)

(John resumes) I never suspected at the time they had concocted the "stolen property" story. Of course, it never occurred to me how far their plans reached. It never occurred to me I was a threat. Maybe an outspoken pain in the arse, but a threat?

Stranger than fiction as they say. They knew you couldn’t get a ship on your own. But they could get you one. However, for obvious reasons, that you were to assassinate Kyra, they couldn’t just give it to you, you had to “steal it.” Which gave them their out if you frailed up their plans. They wanted to cover their backside. In case you did what you did. The public had become aware of the aliens. The assassination had to be kept secret. You accepted the orders but they had the chip and they feared you would not be able to do your duty and they were right. They feared you would use Kyra against them. Politicians always act from fear. It is the nature of power. Power doesn’t corrupt. The fear of losing power does. They feared you. They feared what you could achieve if Kyra was what they believed her to be. So they sought to ensnare you, to cover all their bases. They knew you wanted to go rescue her. They needed her out of A hands and out of your hands. They thought they could use you, willingly, to fix the A issue. They suspected you would fail at the Deleo orders, thus the cover of you stealing the ship and the option to resurrect the Infidelity law to have you “disappear.” What they didn’t anticipate was the commander helping you.

What has happened to the commander?

Dead. An accident, so reported.

(another long pause) And why would they trust you to fulfill your obligation?

They don’t. I’m being watched. Everything said on screen. All show, most of it. Are you sure that Null is working?

(John looked at Mairi.) I guess we will find out soon enough. Why did they let me return?

Public pressure of the announcement of your return. You made life very difficult for them. The public had developed a fascination with the aliens and rumor of Kyra grew exponentially, as rumor in time of war does. Otherwise, they would have killed you both on arrival. The situation had become delicate. Politics is a bastard. Nothing is ever as it seems. Agenda a façade. So, you were welcomed back, not because they weren’t prepared with the Infidelity case, but because they had no real idea of what to do with Kyra. They still have no idea how she escaped their surveillance. Equipment that worked, just stopped. One moment she was there and the next gone.

You know I was playing them.

Yes, and they were playing you.

Yes, I know.

You were a political threat John. You with Kyra—that was too much. So they thought that perhaps they could use you to eliminate both. You see, the plan was, if you killed Kyra, to label you rogue, bring you to trial. That way, they solve two problems. You kill Kyra and they eliminate you.

Let me ask you this: Why did you accept the Deleo order? (T to J)

I suppose I could ask you the same question.

I have a plan.

So did I.

(Shots fired, heard.)

Tom?

Crap. Arm yourself.

Kyra powered down the audio. The lights dimmed. Perhaps sleep would bring understanding.

367. Deleo per Extremus

“Full screen,” toned John, his hard lean back straight, his soft expectant eyes unblinking. Parted left to right, each hair combed in place as if order meant something, as if ritual and discipline could sway fortune. His practiced hands as empty as the cards he held.

Kyra nodded. Von acceded. Tom flickered larger than life, a reflection of fear and power, of fate knocking on wood exposed to the universal fire of might. His command carrier stood locked on Tranquility as hammer to nail. Only a nod remained between his view holding metal and life or stars and memories.

“Hello John.”

“Hello Tom.”

“How’s Cait?”

“Good. She’s good Tom.”

“And Ariel? How is she?”

“Good as gold, as always. And Tom Jr.?”

Tom shrugged. “More like his mom than his old man. Still time.”

“And how are you Tom?”

Tom sighed, his eyes bright in a face of chiseled stone. “I’ve got a boarding party. Lower your defenses.”

John looked at Krya. She shook her head with hands clasped behind her back. “Can’t do that Tom.”

“I’m asking you to reconsider. This is the best way John. Trust me.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you Tom. It’s actually that I trust you implicitly.”

“You give me too much credit. However, this time you wouldn’t be wrong. Now I’m asking you one last time. Lower your defenses.”

“And if I don’t—”

“Execute my orders. Duty bound. I have no choice.”

John looked toward Von. “Cut the screen.”

“John!”

“What!”

“Don’t do this. There is a better way.”

“You have your orders—“

“My orders are Deleo per Extremus.”

John held his hand to Von.


Tom held the glowing seal before the screen. “Deleo per Extremus, John. Potentatus. I think you understand the gravity of the situation. I have no choice.

John stood mute as stone. Kyra glanced Von, which was the same as looking at the wall.

“John?” queried Kyra.

“Tell her John. You owe her the truth.”

John felt vised between past and present, between letter and law, heaven and earth.

“The truth John. Tell her.”

“Tell me what? asked Kyra.

“Tell her John.” Hesitation. “Or I will.”

“He has plenipotentiary orders for our complete and utter annihilation.”

“Tell her how you know this?”

“What?”

“Tell her John. Tell her how you know this.”

“Don’t do this Tom.”

“On your "rescue mission" of the fair Hynerian, what were your orders?”

Kyra stared at John. John stared into oblivion, bitterness rising as wisps above the rank brew.

“Orders?” asked Kyra.

“Deleo per Extremus.”

366. Von's Journal #6

I will always believe that people can change, not because they do, but because I have to believe that I can.

There are only a few stories in the world and none of them are important.

What, How, Why: Of the three you can have the first two, I’ll take the third.*

Plot hides and deceives. A red flag in the face of our bullheadedness.

You have to believe to see. The heart has its own eyes.

Burden is not of pack but of thought (burden of pack ache shoulders nein as thoughts heavy smart the mind).

I was not cold until someone said it was cold.

I miss my son.

* Here Von is rationalizing two questions that haunt him: (1) The last day: when, where, what, how?; (2) Did Ceru die alone, did he suffer?

365. Who's Who

Story Synopsis:

“The Story” begins when the author, while on vacation in the Caribbean, stumbles upon a few survivors of an alien race (Hynerians). Everything that follows is a retelling, or a recreating as some might say, of who and why and how. The story follows a mosaic format, not a linear one. Each chapter, or post, stands on its own, giving reflection to a small piece of the whole. We learn that eight Hynerians were forced to vacate their dying planet. The story showcases their external (adventures) and internal (pyschological) search for home and meaning in a universe dark and bleak. The relationship between Kyra and Papa (her grandfather) form the centerpiece of the story, a light unto the darkness, which is recounted episodically in remembrances.

Main Characters:

(Each character's name is hyperlinked to their original sketch or painting)

Kyra: a young female Hynerian raised by her Zing Tao Grandfather at Valla, she assumed leadership of Bravo.* Kyra is gifted with the rare ability to play in the field of “Love,” and thus influence events in extraordinary ways. Her parents, both marine-biologists and obsessed with the climate changes and their careers, were almost non-existent in her life; she carries within her both great joy and great sadness. Physically, she can best be imagined as a cross between Aeryn Sun (Farscape) and Aki Ross (Final Fantasy). There is more “me” in Kyra’s personality than any of the other characters. She is the literary love of my life, with her coal black hair and brilliant sapphire eyes, tight and taut, forever dressed in form-fitting melanic venuisan leather.

*Bravo-Four-Zero was the original vessel assigned to Kyra and the others. On a mission to rescue another Hynerian vessel, Bravo was attacked, incapacitated and abandoned (although still extant). Their second vessel, of Kulmykian make, is called Tranquility.

Papa (Zeke): Kyra’s grandfather. Papa entered the Zing Tao Order as a young Hynerian and eventually became the only Hynerian to achieve Ninth Order rank. Although we learn of some of his adventures in the early part of the story, Papa is mainly seen after retirement interacting with a young Kyra. He discovers early that her gifts far exceed his own and he pours his heart into cultivating love and wisdom within Kyra. He secures passage for her on Bravo, while he stays behind on Hyneria. A present day Paul Newman would play Papa. When I think of Papa, I most often think of my maternal grandfather.

Rog: Raised on a ranch in the southern reaches, Rog is a happy-go-lucky, good-looking, fun-loving, optimistic rustic cowboyish type with a killer smile. A younger Dennis Quaid would be a perfect fit for Rog. Rog has a heart of gold, falls in love with Yul, loves to pilot the ship, drink snoot with Von and dream of the next adventure. Rog sometimes talks before he thinks but would give you the shirt off his back if you asked. Rog is modeled in part after my uncle Calvin, who served two tours in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot.

Yul: She is the “Ginger” (with a rough edge) in this story. She exudes sexuality and most of the gratuitous sex in the story involves her. She was a twin and not the chosen one. Her father abused her emotionally. She could do no right and her sister could do no wrong. In fact, her sister was supposed to be on Bravo, not Yul. Yul is an emotional rollercoaster and sees the world through the thick filters of her upbringing, which is to say she needs love desperately but has trouble trusting anyone and is quick to blame herself for all that goes wrong. She loves Rog dearly, although their relationship has had its share of ups and downs. Not sure who would play Yul in the movie.

Von: Von is the oldest member of the Bravo crew, a contemporary of Papa and a Zing Tao. In service with Papa and the Zing Tao in the great Dauculus campaign he incurred a debt to Papa. In repayment of that debt, Von agreed to accompany Kyra on Bravo and watch over her. He had to leave his only son behind to fulfill this debt, a choice that has left him bittersweet. Von would be played by Max Von Sydow.

Trev: Trev is one of the youngest members of the crew. Boyishly handsome but somewhat immature and shy, Trev was in medical school at the time of evacuation. In the early part of the story, he was the medic. We still don’t know a lot about Trev and know almost nothing about his life on Hyneria. He appears to have a somewhat repressed personality.

Emy: Em’s father was a great sea captain on Hyneria and she spend a lot of time with him on the open sea. She is the Mary Ann to Yul’s Ginger so to speak. She has no airs, salt of the earth heart and personality and had a very good and strong relationship with both her mother, who died and whose essence she carries in a brooch, and her loving father. Em spends a lot of time writing letters back to her father and frets at the very real prospect she will never have children. In a recent accident, Em was blinded. She also is an artist. Em, in summary, is the girl next door.

Mairi: Mairi is a Châtelaine, which, although not developed yet in the story is a cross between a Geisha and a Companion (Inara’s character in the Firefly series). To be fair to Châtelaines, they are rather more sophisticated in their training and skills than either of the two examples above. One day, the story will take us into more detail. Mairi comes from a posh background, is rather soft-spoken but has a backbone of steel; in other words, she is tough as nails, although you'd never guess from her beautiful external appearance. She is extremely intelligent and, of all the females onboard, has the most classically attractive features. Unlike Rog and Em, Mairi is used to the finer things in life and has an appreciation for subtle details and nuances. To date, other than the fact that she is a “child of the shells” and her deformity is not physical but of the “mind” (she is a Null, which means she has the ability to blank out all telepathic communication in her vicinity), we know very little about her. Her nullness introduced her to Dr X, who raped and tortured her and who is now acting as her mentor. The relationship is complex and difficult to understand.

Kieran: Kieran is the only crew member to have passed away. He contracted the deadly Animus virus early in the story, and although the crew did everything in their power to save him, he slipped into the next life. He has, however, remained as a cameo figure present in spirit and sometimes manifests himself in times of trouble. Kyra was falling in love with Kieran, the one member of the crew she saw as her equal or at least close enough. She struggled to recover from her attempt to save him (which forced her into the next realm and back again) and spent upwards of two weeks in a coma. Kieran was also a "child of the shells." His deformity: two hearts. Kyra and Mairi are the only two crew members Kieran converses with, although he once encouraged Yul to return to the heart that beat for her.

John: John Discovery, aka Johnny Disco, is Kulmykian. Married to Cait with one daughter (Ariel), John was a senior level military commander who also happens to also be a neuro-surgeon. He is attracted to Kyra and walks the fine line between what he knows is right and the emotions just underneath. We tend to see a good bit of ambiguity in his relationship with her. John was the golden boy on Kulmyk until somewhere along the line he angered someone very high up in the political realm. He and Rog were railroaded on trumped up “Infidelity” charges and were to be summarily executed before they were rescued. In fleeing his home planet, he joined “the crew” upon their new ship, the Tranquility (Bravo was incapacitated in an earlier mission). Cait and Ariel are with him. George Clooney plays John in the movie.

Goldie and Pinkie: Mechanical valets to Kyra and Em respectively.

Taren and Dr X: Arc’teryxian, which is to say, part of a civilization at war with Kulmyk. It is still unclear who the good guys are and who are the bad guys. The story has not resolved that fact currently. Suffice it to say, Taren is now a member of Tranquility and it looks as if Dr X may be joining them.

364. Outtake #4: The Witch's Tit

“So here’s the plan. See that blue area, that’s where we land,” said John.

“Okay, but why do they call it the witch’s tit?” asked Rog.

“Because it be frailing cold. I don’t mean cold, cold, I mean frailing fraillity cold.”

“Whatever dude. So the plan is stealth. We slip in a backdoor so to speak.” Rog points to one of the dark lines on the holomap.

“Yep.”

“And this is going to work because?”

“Because no one knows we’re coming. No one. Complete surprise. We hit them before they know they’ve been hit.”

“I see.”

John folds his arms, leans back and smiles. “Damn right.”

Kyra sticks her head in the war room. “John, we’ve got an incoming message.”

Rog looks at John who looks a little less sure.

“It’s Tom. For you,” added Kyra.

Rog tries to withhold his signature quaidesque grin. “Steath, huh. No one knows we’re coming.”

John scrunches up his face.

“Just slip in and slip out. Hit them before they know they’ve been hit.”

“Alright, so we go to plan B.”

“What’s plan B?”

“That’s where I put my foot up your jackassary.”

363. Purification

John looked like a quarterback in the huddle as he kneeled to examine Trev, the rest of the crew standing and leaning and waiting. “He’s alive. Not sure how exactly, considering the toxic levels of purification he’s inhaled. Hynerian physiology still eludes me,” said John as he looked over his shoulder directly at Kyra. “All I’m saying is, if he were Kulmykian, he’d be dead.”

“What the heck did you just say? And what the heck is that?” asked Rog, pointing to the posy.

With a gloved hand, John held the flower upside down as one might hold a rabid bat. “This is a thorn flower, native to Kulmyk. They’re quite rare. First time I’ve ever seen one outside of a book.”

“What exactly is a thorn flower?” asked Von. “And how and why does Trev have one?”

“I was about to explain the former. Someone else is going to have to shed some light on the latter.”

“Sorry to interrupt. Carry on.”

“Thorn flowers, when bled from the stem, or torso as it is called, exude a crimson sap that, upon contact with air, evaporates into a plume of rose colored mist. If used in the right way, which is to say inhaled in the proper dose, the user experiences clarity of thought, a purification, so to speak.”

“Explain what you mean by purification?” asked Kyra.

Before John could answer, Mairi blurted out, “It was suppose to bring clarity of thought, a cleansing she said, of all the abuse he suffered at the hands of Sal.”

Everyone turned toward Mairi. Kyra spoke: “Go on.”

“Trev got himself in over his head with the wrong crowd back on Kulmyk. What was suppose to teach him a lesson got out of hand and he was sexually and psychologically abused to within an inch of his life by a woman named Sal, who worked for Lil’ Twilight. Lil’ was horrified. BC, her boss, wanted Trev dead, something to do with the credit chip they had stolen from him, you know, the one John gave each of us. Lil’ intervened with the muscle, bought them off, or so she said. Still, they beat him to a pulp and left him to die, although they did knock on my door before leaving.”

No one moved. No one said anything. Mairi took a breath and continued.

“Anyway, before we left, I had a visit, from Lil’. She asked about Trev, said she was sorry about what happened, that he didn’t deserve it, and then gave me a box. Said, I should give this to Trev, that there would be instructions inside. She wanted me to make sure he understood it came from her.”

“So you knew?” queried Rog. “You knew.”

“Frail you.”

“Rog, that’s enough,” said Kyra.

“She knows more that she’s telling.“

“This is neither the time nor the place. Mairi, please continue.”

“So I gave the box to Trev, told him it was from Lil’, that it might help, if he needed help.

Several blank stares appeared like judges.

"What? I didn’t know.”

“I believe you Mairi,” said Em, breaking the awkward silence with a tone of voice best described as clean. “Trev shared the same story with me. He told me about the flower and asked what I thought. I told him I thought it was a crutch, that he didn’t need it, but at no time did I know, nor did Trev imply, that using the flower could be dangerous in any way. I had the impression when he left that he wasn’t going to use it.”

Mairi glowered at Rog. He made faces back.

“Okay,” said Kyra, “let’s get him into sickbay.”

“Ms Kyra,” commed Goldie.

“What is it Goldie?”

“We have an incoming message. Says his name is Tom.”

Rog looked at John. “I thought you said we were stealth?”

“Thought we were.”

“Well, obviously we’re not?”

“You think?”

“John, join me on the bridge,” commanded Kyra. “Rog, get Trev to sickbay.” Looking at John she said, “This is not good is it?”

John sighed. “Hard to say. Does kinda change our plans though.”

Kyra put her hand on John’s shoulder as they quickly walked to the bridge. “I never expected that plan to survive first contact. Was a nice thought. Do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Keep an eye on Rog. He’s been acting very strange lately and I’m not sure why. We’re going to need him and need him focused.”

“I think I know why,” said John.

“Well? You gonna share?”

“It appears Yul may no longer be in remission.”

“You’re shiotting me?”

“I was just examining her when we got the call about Trev, so I can’t be certain, but Rog seemed quite agitated during the exam.”

“This is good news.”

John stopped in the corridor. “Come again?”

“The law of averages. The way I see it, we’re due for a stroke of luck. I mean, what else could go wrong?”

362. Thorn Flower

Trev locked the door and turned off his comm. He took off his shirt and neatly folded it upon the bed. In unshod feet, clean and pedicured as always, he walked to the picture window and placed a single thorn flower before the silent unjudging cosmos. Kneeling, he bowed his head, and with blurry eyes unblinking and chest broad, plunged a scalpel into this torso. He thought he would cry out. He thought he would have regrets. Instead, as if he had performed the act daily, he removed the silver instrument, and carefully placing it on one side of the flower, gently laid his head on the other. As a river at night reflects the stars above, a sparkling ribbon of crimson snaked around the flower and kissed his still lips. The stars blinked as they did before.