《The War Revealed - 3rd Novel in the Shadow Series》


 Chapter 1 .

    Vai


    "Let''s go home, Vai," my dad said. "We have a lot to talk about."


    "Wait," Owen said as I took a step towards the door.


    My dad turned to look at my friend.


    "I mean, yes, it''s okay to go home and talk," Owen said. Then tentatively he added, "but I was hoping Vai would go somewhere with me tonight. This real Vai. I never would have invited Other Vai."


    "Where?" my dad asked.


    Owen hesitated before he said, "So we aren''t keeping any kind of secrets between us now, right?"


    All of us teenagers nodded. The adults in the room didn''t move.


    "Spencer asked if I could get back my confiscated chocolate and sell it to him," Owen said rapidly, "so I made a deal with Security Officer Pereira. I''m going to meet her tonight at midnight to get the chocolate and then meet with Spencer. I don''t think too many of us should be there because that might scare Spencer away and we killed his mother the least we can do is get him chocolate for his business. I wanted Vai to be there with me at least. I don''t want to go alone."


    I looked at my dad and waited. My dad swallowed hard before he said, "You can pick him up just before midnight. Honestly, I''m not sure how I feel about this deal, but I appreciate that you told me the truth. I don''t want any of you to lie to me any longer." He turned and left without another word.


    I smiled at Owen and then rushed after my father. We didn''t speak until we got back to our quarters. He sat heavily in one of the chairs. I sat on the couch next to him. Warpaint stood by the arm of the couch.


    "You know everything then?" my dad asked. "Everything that is in my room? About your mom?"


    "Yes," I said. "And I think I agree with her. I think you should have let the original Vai and my mom remain dead. Her essence is stuck as the ship''s computer and I''m not a complete version of the original Vai. Although, I''m more complete than Other Vai, I''m still not complete. I don''t know where I fit. I''m not even a real person."


    My dad sat forward. "You are the original Vai, even if your body isn''t. Your mom is the original too. She just doesn''t have her body. You are both my family." I heard the desperation in his voice that he needed it to be so even if he knew differently.


    I probably should have let it rest there, but I didn''t. "How many clone Vais were there before me? I overheard that I was the closest to the original Vai. That meant you experimented before you got me."


    He sat back in his chair and studied me before he answered. "There were other Vai clones before you, but they all fell short in some way. They all had the original Vai''s essence, but for whatever reason - maybe there was an issue with the Laumalie preserver - none of them were quite right. You are. That''s why I know you are the original Vai."


    I shook my head. "The original Vai''s essence? How did you originally get it? When he died did you already have your Laumalie preserver?"


    "Yes," my dad said. "I was prepared before he died. I was working on it when your mom died. That was how I was able to get her essence. I originally tried to work with A.I.s - a perfect body that wouldn''t get sick and die. That is why she works as the ship''s computer. You wouldn''t. When I learned you were sick - I couldn''t lose you. That was when I got permission to start cloning."


    "How do you know it captured all of his essence?"


    "It had to," he said with that same desperation. "Look at you. You are him. Your essence is the original Vai. You are the same."


    "The clones that didn''t work before me had the same essence? When it didn''t work in one you just put me in the next? Or did you split the essence so each of us just had a bit of the original?"


    My dad paused. It was enough for me to know.


    "Then I didn''t have his complete essence either."


    "You do though," my dad said. "I put it all back together and in you when the other clones didn''t work. You were my last shot. It was all or nothing."


    "Why didn''t I go into the Laumalie preserver when I died on Doussix?"


    "I don''t know. It always worked before."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "I remember when I died on Doussix. I had control of my spirit. Maybe it was the light that made the difference because I don''t have any memories of the clones before me. You don''t really know that each time the essence went back into the Laumalie preserver it was complete. Pieces of it could have been lost each time."


    "You are my son," he said quietly.


    "Yes," I said, "but not the original."


    He opened his mouth to disagree, but I interrupted him because I knew I was right and there was no use arguing over it anymore. He wasn''t quite in his right mind about this. He would go crazy if he thought I wasn''t the original Vai and what the Gathering needed at the moment was my brilliant dad with his full faculties. I''d leave it alone.


    "Now that I know she is my mother, can I speak with her? Like you do?"


    "Did you tell your friends about her too?" His body tightened.


    "No."


    He relaxed. "Good. Don''t. We can be honest with them about everything else, but not this. There are a handful of people that know you are a clone and that I''ve been working on taking one''s essence and passing it to a new body. No one but three people on the Gathering Council know about your mom. The computer A.I. of the Shadow was old and going crazy. It killed an entire work crew while it was being retrofitted. No one knows that so don''t tell about that either. That was when the council asked me to fix the A.I. It wasn''t fixable. Your mother isn''t an A.I. She won''t see the Gathering citizens as fallible and need correction like A.I.''s sometimes do.


    "I know making clones that you can transfer your essence to could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but can you imagine how incredible the damage would be if they learned instead of 1 body that can get sick, injured and die, they could put themselves inside a Gathering ship fully stocked with weapons of mass destruction and an Aether Shield that would make injuries difficult? No. This must be kept secret at all costs."


    "I won''t tell anyone," I reassured my dad. "I just want to speak with my mom sometimes in the privacy of my room."


    My dad nodded. "I will allow it. Now tell me about the light, how it sustained you, how you have been as you watched all of this."


    I had always thought it was strange that I could see Esther''s pink light before I had the light. According to Esther, that wasn''t supposed to be possible. And even when we had the light, we weren''t able to see what color of light others had unless it had already been opened in them. But now that I had more control over my green light, I could see what color my dad''s light was - orange and hiding inside him just waiting to come out.


    "Do you want me to bring out your light?" I asked him.


    He thought about it a moment. "I don''t know," he finally said.


    I didn''t know why he wouldn''t want it. "It can keep the Corruption out. It can give you a defense against them."


    My dad smiled. "I have my own way of keeping them out. I''m very old, Vai. I''ve been preparing myself to die for a long time, I just want to see you grown and happy first. I''ve already lived much longer than I was supposed to. If I let you open the light, I might get greedy and want more time. I will think on it."


    I nodded. It wasn''t until then that I realized something poked me inside my pocket. I reached in and brought out the model ship and the fake, orange petal. I placed them quickly on the little table in front of me.


    "These belonged to the K''thaktra Other Vai killed," I said quietly.


    My dad scooped them up quickly and hid them from my view. "I''ll take care of them. You don''t need to worry about it."


    "He was turning into a serial killer. You know that right? We had to kill him."


    My dad looked down at his large hands and nodded. "I know." He looked up at me. "You are my real son anyway."


    I wasn''t the original, but I nodded and told him all about my light and its abilities and my time hanging out in Warpaint''s head. We spoke until Owen knocked on the door. I had no idea it was so late.


    "Are you okay missing this much work this afternoon?" I asked as I walked to the door. I didn''t open it yet.


    "I should probably take off more afternoons than I do. You might not realize it as you aren''t crew and you''ve been busy with the Corruption and the light, but this is an exploration expedition. We''ve gathered many resources on different planets, gathered data on different stars and different space phenomenon that I must go over. And between you and me there is a problem with the Remembrance''s A.I. You remember the day you - died - I was working on it."


    I nodded. The door knocked again, but I waited for my dad to finish.


    "That is still not fixed. I''m actually not sure it is fixable, but myself and a few of my team are working on it."


    "The A.I. hasn''t killed anyone yet has it?"


    My father shook his head and stood from his chair. "No, but it is showing all the warning signs. Maybe I shouldn''t have told you. You have enough to worry about than one of the G.E.F.''s A.I.''s going crazy. I''m working on it."


    "I believe in you," I said and I meant it. He smiled a true genuine smile that I hadn''t seen on him in a very long time.


    The door knocked again.


    "You''d better go," my dad said.


    I nodded and opened the door.


    "Finally," Owen greeted me from the other side. "You ready?"


    "Yes." Warpaint and I stepped out beside them. The door closed behind us and we went to elevators.


    "Have a good heart to heart with your father, friend?"


    "Yes," I said. "I have a new understanding now that I know I''m just a clone."


    Owen stopped walking and looked at me strangely.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    He shook his head and continued on without saying anything.


    We got off at deck 4. The corridors were empty, quiet and dim. He knocked on a door. It was answered almost immediately by a human. She was dressed casually - not in her uniform.


    She barely glanced at me and Warpaint. Most of her focus was on Owen. "I''ve got some of the chocolate," she said. "There are 50 pieces here." She handed him a smallish, black bag. "You sure you can get me the Silva doll?"


    "It''s already been arranged," Owen said.


    She nodded. "This is a small price for that. Let me know when you need more."


    Owen stepped back and the door closed between them. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It will be my first time facing Spencer face to face since we killed his mother."


    I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"


    "I need to. It''s the least I can do for him."

 Chapter 2 .

    Owen


    I would be lying if I said I wasn''t anxious about meeting up with Spencer.  We had once been friends - not friends like Vai, Esther and the others, but friends.  Then we became enemies - not by my choice. I helped kill his mother who tried to strangle me.  His mother had always been kind and bright before the Corruption became a part of her. And now I was meeting him again to make a business deal.


    My hand gripped the bag tighter - so tight my fingernails began to cut into my skin.  It wasn''t hard enough to bleed - or maybe it was. I didn''t check.


    Vai put a large hand on my shoulder as we stepped out of the elevator on deck 2 as if he knew I was feeling anxious.  He probably did. I wondered how much his green light showed him. How did anxiety look in the eyes of one who could heal?  Did my adrenaline levels jump? Did my heart beat rapidly? Could Vai see all that?


    I looked up into his dark eyes, but didn''t see any sign of his green light.  He smiled down at me. "It''s going to be all right," he said. "I''m here and Warpaint is here."


    "Yes.  I am here, sir," Warpaint stated matter-of-factly.


    "It''s not too late to call the deal off if you are really worried about it," Vai said.  "I don''t want to see you in trouble with security again."


    "I''m already in trouble," I said.  "As soon as they figure out I killed people, it won''t matter that I''m a minor."


    "I''ve killed too," Vai said.  "And what''s worse, Other Vai killed innocents.  Security isn''t going to know that was an incomplete clone and now I''ve taken over his body."


    Vai mentioned the clone thing again.  He said it like it didn''t bother him, but he wouldn''t keep bringing it up if it didn''t.  I didn''t care that he was a clone. The original Vai meant nothing to me. This Vai was my friend.  He was a complete person. I wondered if I should say something.


    "What?" Vai asked.


    I shook my head.  Now wasn''t the time to deal with his identity issues.  I needed to see this deal through with Spencer. I had to.  I knew it wouldn''t bring his mother back, but it would help him in some small way.


    "Let''s go," I said.


    I led the way down the corridor towards the Starrise.  The restaurant was closed.  The lights were out. All was quiet.  We continued on through the dim corridor passed the Starrise.  I came around the curve first and stopped.


    Spencer wasn''t alone.  Hani and Nathan leaned up against the corridor wall.  Spencer stood in front of them. They spoke in whispers.  Nathan noticed us first and nodded in our direction. Spencer turned to look at me.  His blue eyes drifted to Vai and then Warpaint before settling back to me. He approached me.  Hani and Nathan came behind him.


    "You''re not alone," I said quietly.


    "Neither are you," he said.


    That was true.


    "I have 50 chocolates."  I held up the black bag. "I''ll arrange to get more when these are gone."


    Spencer took the bag and opened it.  He took out one chocolate wrapped in gold foil.  He unwrapped it and took a small bite. He let it linger in his mouth for a few moments before he handed the rest to Hani.  She smiled brightly and bit half of the remaining chocolate and handed the rest to Nathan. He popped the rest into his mouth.


    "I''ll want the wrappers back if possible," I said.  He handed me the empty gold foil and I tucked it away into a pocket.


    "That was the same as our old deal," Spencer said.  "That won''t be a problem. I''ll pay you for the 50 pieces now.  When you bring more I''ll pay you more."


    I nodded.


    Spencer navigated through his Okulus.  "I just sent you the money with twenty percent more than my mom used to pay you as agreed upon."  He looked down at me. And waited.


    It was my fault his mom was dead and the only thing I could do for him was a business deal for chocolate?  Really? That was it?


    "Don''t you want to check to make sure the money went through?" Spencer asked.  He handed the bag of chocolate to Hani. She squeezed it tightly as if it were the most precious thing in the world.


    "No," I said and my voice cracked with the emotion I was trying to keep hidden.


    "It''s okay if you do," Spencer said.  "I won''t be offended. This is a business deal after all."


    "No," I said again.  I grabbed his wrist.


    He looked down at me confused.  I tugged on his arm until he crouched down so he was eye level.


    "Your mom is dead," I whispered.  Spencer''s body tightened and he tried to pull away, but I wouldn''t let him.  My vision became blurry as stinging tears welled in my eyes. I blinked and the tears spilled onto my cheeks.  "The Corruption took her over. A parasitic alien species that uses us as hosts to do whatever they want. There isn''t a way to fight them.  She choked me. She tried to kill me."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Owen!  What are you doing?"


    I ignored Vai.  Spencer tried to pull away again, but I held on tighter and with the light he was no longer stronger than me.  Spencer''s legs gave out on him and he collapsed in front of me.


    "You can recognize the Corruption from the pink glint in the eyes," I went on.


    Spencer pinched his eyes shut tight.  Not to try and hide any pink glint, but to try and deal with what I was telling him.  I knew then that he had seen the pink in his mother''s eyes.


    "This isn''t funny, Owen," Hani said from behind Spencer.


    "Really what are you doing?" Nathan asked me.


    "Owen, stop," Vai said.  "They''ll be in danger you can''t - "


    I put one hand on Spencer''s forehead and the other to the back of his neck.


    "Owen!"  I heard Vai''s steps as he rushed up behind me.


    I put up my yellow shield around myself and Spencer before Vai reached me.  His hand hovered over my shoulder.


    "Please, Owen, you are putting them in danger."


    But Vai was wrong.  They were already in danger at least this way they knew it.


    "There is only one way to stop them from getting in to take you over," I said quietly as tears continued to spill onto my cheek.  "I will give it to you. I know it can''t make amends to what I''ve done, but it''s something."


    "Owen, we have to at least discuss this with the others," Vai said.  "Drop your shield. Owen. Listen to me."


    Hani reached out to Spencer, but her hand stopped inches away from his shoulder.


    "What is this?  Why can''t I touch him?''


    Nathan reached out, but he was stopped by my shield too.  "What is this, Vai?"


    Spencer''s eyes were opened.  Great tears spilled out. He didn''t know exactly what I spoke of, but an understanding passed between us at that moment.  He gave me permission even if he didn''t know what he gave me permission to do.


    I closed my eyes and reached for his light.  I tugged and pulled. It resisted like taffy and then suddenly sprang forth in a mustard yellow.


    I opened my eyes to see him staring down at the palm of his hand.  Yellow blazed all around him. I dropped my shield.


    "Owen, what have you done?" Vai asked from behind me.


    "I couldn''t protect Adi Pines, I can protect her son."


    Vai dropped to his knees beside us.  "This isn''t protecting him."


    I looked at Vai.  "He was in danger.  They are all in danger whether they have the light or not.  At least with the light he can keep them out so he has his own mind."


    "But if the Corruption finds out they''ll target him and try to kill him," Vai said.  "They just tried to kill you. They''ve already ki - " he glanced at Hani and Nathan, "tried to kill me on Doussix."


    "What are you talking about?" Nathan demanded.


    Hani kneeled next to Spencer and placed a hand on his shoulder.  "Are you all right?" she asked.


    "I don''t know," he said as he stared down at his yellow light.


    "My light is yellow too," I told him, "but brighter."  I surrounded myself with the light. He looked up from his hand to study the light around me.  Then he looked at Vai.


    Vai closed his eyes and breathed out heavily.  "I can''t believe you did this, Owen." He opened his eyes and his green light surrounded him.  "My light is green," he said.


    "You still aren''t explaining to me," Nathan said.  He stood in front of Hani and Spencer as if to protect them from me and Vai.


    "Everything Owen said about the alien species - the Corruption is true," Vai said.  "They call themselves the miasmids. They''ve infiltrated different facets of the government.  Captain Axa has the Corruption inside her."


    "All the disappearances on the ship," Hani said, "was that you?  Did they all have the Corruption."


    "We''re not responsible for all the disappearances," Vai said, "but yes, those we were responsible for had the Corruption.  There is no way to separate the Corruption from you completely once they have bonded. We had no choice."


    "What proof do you have that this is real and you aren''t crazy?" Nathan asked.  "Because to me it sounds like you are just crazy and tormenting an already tormented Spencer."


    "The power of my light is fire," I said.  I brought the flames to the palm of my hand.  Nathan and Hani drew back from me. They couldn''t see my yellow light, but they could see the flames.


    "How?" Nathan asked.


    Spencer blinked at the fire in my hand unsurprised before he turned back to the light in his hand.  "I don''t think mine is fire."


    "All of ours has been different so far," I said.  "Esther said even if the light is the same color the powers can be vastly different."


    "Esther?  Shel''s new foster sister?  She''s involved in this?" Hani asked.  "Does that mean Shel and Minmin are too?"


    "Yes," I said.  "Esther was on a colony that discovered an ancient alien who brought out their light.  They called him the Awakened One, but the Corruption found them and killed all of them.  Esther managed to escape mainly because of the Awakened One. We found another Awakened One on Doussix, but he had to retreat when the Corruption attacked us there.  Am I giving them too much information?" I asked Vai.


    "We''re way passed that," Vai said.


    "I had to give him some way to protect himself," I said to Vai in the hopes that he would understand.


    Vai sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder.


    "I can''t see any light," Hani said.


    "You can''t until it''s been opened in you," I said.  "Do you want me to open it in you? As Vai said, once the Corruption knows you have it, they''ll try to kill you, but it is the only real way to keep them from taking control of you."


    "I want it," Hani said without taking the time to think about it.


    I stepped towards her, but Vai held me back.  "Maybe she should take a day to think on it," he said.


    "She said she wanted it," I said.  I moved out of his grasp and went to Hani.  I placed a hand on her forehead and the other behind her neck.  Her light was pink.


    "Like Esther''s," I said out loud.  It was a little darker pink than Esther''s, but a similar shade.


    Hani smiled at her pink hands.  "It''s so pretty," she said.


    "I guess we might as well give it to you too," Vai said to Nathan.  Nathan didn''t protest as Vai approached him. Nathan''s light was gray.


    "This seems a little - dull," Nathan said as he looked down at his light.


    "It is the same color as the Awakened One''s on Doussix," I said.


    Nathan brightened at this.  "Really?"


    Vai nodded in agreement.


    "What could his do?" Nathan asked.


    "We weren''t really around him long enough to know," Vai said, "but I think it might have to do with dirt or rocks.  He was hiding deep underground when we found him."


    "So, should we start hanging out with you and your friends?" Hani asked.  "Start learning more about the light?"


    I was about to say yes, but Vai said, "No."


    All of us looked at him in surprise.


    "The Corruption don''t know you have it yet.  Learn as much as you can on your own first. Hopefully they won''t know you have the light.  Just send us messages and we''ll help you discover what we can that way. If you ever think the Corruption is targeting you, let us know.  I think you are safer on your own as long as the Corruption doesn''t know you have the light. If that changes, then you should train with us."


    Vai looked at me and shook his head.  "Next time discuss with the rest of us first."


    I smiled up at him.  "Of course, my friend."

 Chapter 3 .

    Vai


    It was good to sit in class again.  I couldn''t follow Other Vai into the ansible.  I was even happy to see Teacher Miller and listened to every word as she explained about current political leaders and their stances on the current issues - the importance of voting as some of us would be turning 18 soon.


    Not much had changed in the classroom.  Spencer spent his time with Hani and Nathan now instead of Mark and Viko.  Shel was of course absent now, but Esther occupied his seat. Even just watching her back I could tell she was happy and content to be in school as she listened intensely to Teacher Miller''s every word.  I knew how she felt. I didn''t think much of school when I had attended regularly, but not being able to go at all was a kind of torture in itself.


    Owen had sent a group message to everyone right before class started.  It stated that he had opened the light in Spencer, Hani and Nathan. Before Esther or Minmin could ask about it - they had both looked at their ansible okuli so I knew they had seen the message - Teacher Miller had started the class.  Neither Shel nor the adults had replied to it yet.


    My okulus beeped with an incoming message from Shel five minutes before class ended.


    ?Meet me in my sanctuary immediately after class.


    I almost closed the message without noticing it wasn''t the normal group he sent it to.  Spencer, Hani and Nathan had been added. I looked across the fake school room in their direction.


    The three of them looked at each other.  Hani whispered something that I couldn''t hear across the distance.  Spencer shook his head. Their three heads swiveled to my direction.  Owen squirmed in his seat next to me, but didn''t look at the others. Minmin and Esther acted like they hadn''t just read the message, but I knew they had.  I didn''t want to give a clue to any of the Corruption that might be watching that anything was happening between Spencer''s little group and our little group.  Could the Corruption follow their host into the ansible? They were connected through the mind so I supposed it was possible. I turned my attention back to Teacher Miller.


    Class ended.  I tightened as I feared Spencer or one of the others would approach us, but all three of them logged off quickly.


    "Will they come?" Owen whispered even though it was a generic enough question that the Corruption wouldn''t know.


    "I don''t know," Esther said.  "Let''s go find out." She logged out of the school program first.  Owen followed her. Minmin and I lingered a moment longer.


    "You should have discussed it with us first - what happened last night," Minmin said.


    "I know," I said.  "It wasn''t my choice and it happened so quickly.  I tried to stop it."


    She nodded and her long, floppy ears bobbed from side to side.  "Do you think it will be okay? Can they be trusted?"


    "I don''t think they have a choice now.  I don''t think we have a choice now."


    We were the only ones left in the classroom.


    "Let''s go find out."  Minmin logged out of the school program.


    I logged out of the program and immediately logged into Shel''s sanctuary.  I adjusted my clothing appropriately for the beach setting. Shel sat in the green tree.  He wore swimming trunks after his people''s fashion. His large bird sat on his shoulder. Shel''s bare, blue toes curled around a branch as his legs stretched out before him.


    Owen, Esther and Minmin were already there.  The three of them stood around the base of the tree.  They wore their normal clothing except they were all barefoot.


    "It was the right thing to do," Owen said.


    I stood on the beach by the shore.  A tranquil wave came in and caressed my bare feet.


    "You should have discussed it with us first," Esther said.  "First your parents, now this. How many people are you going to open the light in without at least talking to us."


    "Okay.  I''m sorry.  I should have talked with everyone first.  But we killed his mom. Don''t you feel guilty - " Owen stopped mid sentence when he saw the sudden pain that flashed over Esther''s face.  We all saw it.


    "I''m sorry," Owen said quietly.


    Esther shook her head and turned away from all of us to look out over the ocean.


    "This place is beautiful," Hani said as she logged in.  She turned completely around to take it all in. She touched the petals of one of the large blue flowers.  The petals folded into themselves. "I always wanted to go to the beaches of Bundu IV."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "You recognize it?" Minmin asked.


    "I''ve looked at vids of Bundu IV almost every day since I was ten," Hani said.  Her attire changed so she was barefoot and in a red one piece swimsuit. She ran to the shore, but stopped as the waves lapped around her ankles.  Spencer and Nathan logged in at that moment. They looked at Hani first and then at the beautiful scenery. They stood side by side in silence as they waited for us to speak first.


    Hani spoke again.  "Can I go in the water?  Is it safe?"


    "Of course it''s safe," Shel said.  "It''s just a program. Nothing is going to attack you though if that''s what you mean."


    Hani smiled and clasped her hands in front of her in excitement.  She ran in a few steps and then made a beautiful dive into the water.


    "Let''s start talking," Spencer said.  He crossed his arms over his chest. It was more of a defensive posture than a threatening one.


    "Maybe we should wait for Hani to come out," Nathan said.


    Shel jumped out of the tree and landed lightly on the green grass.  "She can hear everything we say," Shel said. "We can start."


    "Is it possible to train with the light in the ansible?" Nathan asked.  He looked down at his open palm, but there was no gray light.


    "No," Minmin said.


    "Then why are we here?" Spencer asked.  "No offense, but - " He sighed instead of finishing his sentence.


    "We killed your mom," Owen said quietly.


    Spencer didn''t look at any of us, but he nodded.


    "She had the Corruption," Shel said.  "There is no other way once the Corruption has bonded with them."


    "She tried to choke Owen," Esther said.  "Your mom would not do that if she was herself I''m sure."


    "No.  She wouldn''t," Spencer said.  He stared down at the silver sand.  "Is there really no other way to stop the Corruption?"


    "I wish there was," Minmin said quietly.


    "But you still killed her," Spencer said.  "How am I supposed to deal with that?"


    "My entire colony was wiped out by the Corruption," Esther said.


    "People you loved weren''t killed by your supposed ally," Spencer said.


    "Yes, they were," Esther said.


    Spencer''s head shot up from the fixed spot on the sand to finally look at Esther.


    "The first Awakened One was found by the Lion of Judah Research Station.  He was the one who told us about the Corruption although we had already suspected the presence of an unknown alien species.  He was the one who opened our light, but he wouldn''t do it until he ate some of us - in front of me - just to prove he was more powerful."  Esther''s voice cracked and she turned away from all us to stare at the sand like Spencer had just done.


    "It''s dangerous for you to train with us now," Shel said.  "The Corruption know about us and are trying to kill us. Practice on your own.  Try to figure out what you can do with your light. I will leave this place open to all of you.  If you ever have questions or want to discuss what you''ve learned about your light, you can come here.  It is safe."


    "Can we come here if we just want to visit?"  Hani was sprawled out on the silver sand. Waves washed over her, but she seemed content as she stared up into the blue, cloudless sky.


    "Of course," Shel said.


    "Do you have any questions?" Minmin asked.  "Have any of you figured out what your light can do yet?"


    Hani sat up in the water.  "I have. Tiny pink explosions.  They don''t really do much damage.  They kind of just look like exploding pink fireflies."


    I left the rest of them to talk and went to stand next to Esther.


    "Are you all right?" I asked her quietly.


    She glanced at Owen who sat on the grass near the others, but not really participating with them.  Their eyes met for a brief moment before they both looked away.


    "I''m fine," she lied.


    "Owen knows you saved his life when you killed Adi Pines," I said quietly.


    She nodded.  "I don''t like killing anyone, Vai.  It stays with me. Each of them." Tears welled up in her eyes, but they were suddenly gone.  She must have quickly told the program to not show the tears in her avatar, but that meant she was crying in real life.  "I thought the first Awakened One was a monster, but he gave us the light and by doing so possibly saved the entire Gathering.  Am I any better than him? I don''t know. I think I might be a monster too."


    "You''re not!"  I hadn''t seen Owen approach us, but he was suddenly there.  Everyone else looked at us. Owen waved at them to continue their own conversation.


    "You''re not," Owen said quieter.  "I''m sorry if I ever made you feel that way.  The Awakened One did it to show off his power.  You killed because there was no other choice. He killed innocent people.  You only killed those who had been taken over by the Corruption. They had no control over their lives anymore.  Esther, you are the bravest, kindest person I know. I lo - we love you."


    I noticed that almost slip of the tongue and suddenly felt uncomfortable standing there next to them.  It felt like a private moment I was intruding on. Owen hugged Esther around the waist. She returned the hug.  I was sure she had noticed Owen''s slip of the tongue, but she didn''t say anything about it either. I hadn''t realized until then, but it seemed so obvious now that the two of them loved each other.  I took a step away from them. A step back towards the others.


    "Vai."  Relief flooded through me as Shel called my name.  I turned to him and the others. He waved in the direction of the horizon above the ocean.  There was an enlarged image of a male Bundu-Jo reporter.


    " - two missing vessels from the Gathering Exploration Fleet," the reporter said.


    Owen and Esther broke from their hug to watch with the rest of us.


    "In addition," the reporter went on, "there are unconfirmed reports that two K''thaktra warships are also missing.  Communication with the Brist homeworld is spotty without any reason. There are also unconfirmed reports that the Brist homeworld is gathering their warships in an unprecedented move.  The local Mars government is denying a break in at the military storage facility, but there are many reports to counter their claims.


    "There are whispers that an alien species no one has heard about is making a move to take over.  The Gathering Council denies these rumors, but they do not answer the questions regarding the missing vessels from the Gathering Exploration Fleet, the K''thaktra warships or the lack of communication from the Brist homeworld.  Several Gathering colonies have also gone silent."


    The broadcast got cut off.  We all looked at Shel.


    "I didn''t cut that off," Shel said.  "It got cut off direct from the station."


    "Is it true?" Hani asked.


    "I think the Corruption is readying to attack," Minmin said.  "Maybe Owen was right and we should be opening the light in as many people as we can.  We can''t win this war by ourselves."

 Chapter 4 .

    Vai


    "Wake up, son."


    For a brief, horrid moment, I thought this was the time when I first woke up on Mars after my 79 years of sleep.  The waves of panic tingled through my limbs and I didn''t want to open my eyes to see my old room.


    "Wake up, sir," Warpaint said.


    Warpaint wasn''t there when I first woke up.  And I hadn''t really been asleep. I was a clone.  That brought me back to reality and my heartbeat calmed, but also left me hollow.  My eyes fluttered open.


    "What time is it?" I muttered.  It could be hard to tell the time on the ship.  It wasn''t like I could just look out the window to see the sun.  The ship did dim it''s light during the night hours of Gathering time, but you could fix your own room lights to go completely out or stay lit all the time.  I had turned mine off.


    "About 2 a.m.  The miasmids are making their move," my dad said.  He stood by my bed. Warpaint stood behind him.


    I sat up straight and threw the covers off.  "They are attacking? In the open? How is the government responding."


    "No," my dad said.  "You misunderstand. They are moving against your friends."


    I swung my legs out over the side of the bed and stood.  "I''ve got to help them."


    My dad nodded.  "That''s why I woke you.  Owen and his parents are the most vulnerable.  We''ll go to them first and then down to deck 7 to help El and the others.  I already called and warned them."


    "What about Lieutenant Tanpo?"


    "I called her too.  I don''t know if she can get out of her quarters before they come for her.  We will see to her too, but first, Owen. My information came in just now."


    I put on my shoes, but didn''t bother to change out of my pajamas.  I led the way out of my room.


    "Who gave you the information?" I asked.


    "Your mom."


    I stopped.  My dad continued on passed me.  I scrambled after him.


    "They''ve found a way to keep the computer from eavesdropping on them.  I''m not sure how," my dad continued as he walked into the corridor. "But if they communicate through the miasmids and not directly with each other, that might be how."


    We turned into the corridor that led to Owen''s quarters.  Six security officers in uniforms were at the door. The door slid open to reveal Owen''s father.


    "Officers," Mr. Morgan said, "it''s late.  How can we help you?"


    "Close your door, Miles," my dad called from down the corridor.


    Mr. Morgan stepped back further into the room.  The door began to slide shut. Two security officers scowled at my dad and angled themselves towards us.  The other four rushed into Owen''s quarters. The door slid back open. They were programmed not to shut on anyone for safety reasons.


    I heard Mrs. Morgan say, "What is your business here?" just as we reached the two officers who blocked us from entering.


    "Stand aside," my dad said in that voice that demanded obedience.


    The two officers looked at each other unsure.  "He outranks us," one of the officers said just as someone inside said, "Your son is under arrest."


    "I am?" Owen''s voice said from inside.


    A few heads poked out from the nearby quarters.


    "Stay inside," both my dad and one of the officers said.


    "Stand aside," my dad said again but this time with even more command in his voice.  The two officers split apart and my dad stepped through them. I quickly followed. Warpaint followed me.  I dismissed the officers behind me as I knew Warpaint could take care of them if it came to it.


    In the living quarters, 3 of the officers and Owen''s parents stood nearby as the tallest human placed restraints on Owen''s tiny wrists.


    "Don''t let them take him," my father said to Mrs. Morgan.  "They are being controlled by miasmids."


    Every pair of the officer''s eyes turned to glare at my father with a pink glint.


    The two officers that we had just left outside in the corridor tried to grab me from behind.  Warpaint knocked them both out back into the corridor. I put my green shield up just in case.


    A male human officer rushed my dad.  My dad punched him in the nose and the man collapsed at my dad''s feet.  He was very old - long passed the age a human should live, but he was still strong.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The two female security officers went after Owen''s parents.  I had momentarily forgotten they had the light too. Mrs. Morgan''s blue shield went up as did Mr. Morgan''s yellow shield.  Both of Mrs. Morgan''s hands shot forward and I saw the blue power - much like Esther''s pink power - push the two security officers back until they hit the wall.  They hit the wall hard and crumpled to the ground. Like Esther''s, Mrs. Morgan''s power wasn''t wind, but actual power that pushed them back.


    Owen''s entire body lit up in flames.  The security officer behind him backed away, took a look at his downed officers and ran out the door.  The two officers Warpaint pushed into the corridor followed him. The other 3 were still dazed and slumped on the floor.  Owen let his flames die out before the fire alarm could sound.


    "Are you all right?" Mrs. Morgan asked as she and her husband rushed to Owen''s side.


    "I''m fine," he said, "but - " he held up his hands to show the restraints still around his wrists.


    My dad took three long strides to reach Owen and punched in the code to remove the restraints.  No one questioned how he knew the code.


    "Lieutenant Tanpo''s power is her shield," I said.  "She is going to have a hard time fighting them off if six security officers go after her."


    My father nodded.  "We''ll go to her next."  He started to the door. I followed.


    "What about these other officers?" Mr. Morgan asked as he and his family followed us.


    "Leave them for now," my father said.


    Owen and Mrs. Morgan''s legs worked triple time to keep up the pace with me and my father.  Mr. Morgan had to work to keep up with us too. His legs were longer than Owen and Mrs. Morgan''s, but not as long as mine and my father''s.


    It didn''t take us long to reach the corridor that led to Lieutenant Tanpo''s quarters.  Six guards were outside her door. Her door was open and she stood calmly in the door frame.  Her orange shield bubbled around her and the door frame. The six guards - 2 Bundu-Jo, 1 human and 3 Starwatchers - pounded on the shield they couldn''t see with their batons.


    "Whatever your using," one of the Starwatchers said, "stop it now.  You are under arrest."


    Lieutenant Tanpo nodded towards us over the Starwatchers''s heads in greeting.


    My father stopped in the middle of the dim corridor.  He couldn''t see her orange shield either.


    A loud, high pitched screech filled the corridor.  It vibrated in my skull and sharp pain rang through my ears.  I stopped and covered my ears with my hands. I grinded my palms into my ears hoping that would stop the sound and pain.  It didn''t.


    I wasn''t the only one who stopped.  Only Warpaint and Mr. Morgan continued forward.  All of the officers stopped pounding on Lieutenant Tanpo''s shield to cover their ears.  The 3 Starwatchers were actually writhing in pain on the corridor floor, holding their long, furry ears tightly against their small faces.


    Warpaint and Mr. Morgan reached Lieutenant Tanpo - who also had her hands covering her ears.  She didn''t drop her shield, but she allowed Warpaint and Mr. Morgan in. Mr. Morgan grabbed the lieutenant by her elbow and pulled her out of her room.  Mr. Morgan led her back to us. Warpaint stopped a moment and tilted his head to the side as he stared at us all holding our heads. I had been in his head long enough to know he was trying to figure out what we were doing.  The sound didn''t hurt him like it hurt us. It was kind of cute actually, the way he tilted his head - like a puppy. An extremely large, metallic puppy that could kill you. Then he caught up to Mr. Morgan and the rest of us.


    The sound died away and I could breathe again.  I hadn''t realized I was holding my breath. My hands dropped back to my sides.


    "Sorry," Mr. Morgan said.  "I''m still trying to learn how to control it."


    He pulled Lieutenant Tanpo passed us and continued on down the corridor away from the officers.  That awful, painful sound was Mr. Morgan''s power? We followed them as we left the officers to help their 3 Starwatchers.


    "Where to now?" Mr. Morgan asked in the lead.


    "El''s," my dad said.


    Mr. Morgan nodded and led the way to the elevators.


    The corridor to Shel''s quarters was quiet.  We didn''t see any security officers. My dad knocked on the door.  It immediately slid open. El stood on the other side with her red light gathered in the palm of her hand which was stretched out in front of her.  She saw it was us and her hand dropped.


    "You missed all the fun," she said.  She stepped aside and we all filed passed her into the living quarters which were now really crowded.  It wasn''t just us and Shel''s family - including Minmin and Esther - Hani, her mother and little sister were also in the room.


    El waited until we were all standing inside and the door shut before she began speaking.


    "What''s going on?  Why did we just have to chase off ten security officers with pink in their eyes?" El asked.


    "The miasmids decided to move against you," my dad said.


    "Wait," I said, "I have the light too.  Why didn''t they come after me?"


    "Because they know Warpaint and I have Aether fields.  They also know this ship''s computer is special and that I was the one who programmed it.  They don''t want to risk killing me and not know how to control the ship''s computer if they need to," my dad said.


    "This ship''s computer is special?" Hani asked.  Her dark brown eyes shined with excitement. "How is it special?"


    "Why is she here?" my dad asked.  "The miasmids don''t know - or at least they didn''t know - that she has - " he stopped and looked pointedly at Hani''s mom.


    "I know about the light," Hani''s mom said, "and the Corruption and everything.  Hani told me."


    "I opened her light and Nayoung''s light," Hani said proudly.


    We all looked at Owen.  "I didn''t know she was going to do that," Owen said defensively.  Then to Hani he said, "Next time, tell us before you do that. How did you know how to open their light anyway?"


    Hani shrugged a thin shoulder.  "I just did what you did and found it and pulled it out," she said equally as proud as before.


    "Did they attack you too?" my dad asked Hani.


    "No.  We heard the commotion down the corridor and saw them chasing off the security officers," Hani said.


    "They''ll probably come back with reinforcements," my dad said.  "They really want to stop the light now before it''s opened in others."


    "What do we do?" Esther asked.  "We can''t let the light die out.  And I think I just found which planet the Awakened One is hiding on."


    "They''ll come at night hoping to draw less attention," Shel said.  "Is there somewhere we can all hide for the night?"


    "The Starrise," Hani volunteered.  "Spencer won''t mind. It''s closed at this hour so no one will know.  And the Corruption doesn''t know he has the light. Should we warn Nathan?"


    "Maybe it''s more dangerous for us all to be separated now," I said.  "Even if they don''t know Nathan and Spencer have the light yet, it''s only a matter of time before they find out.  Maybe it would be better if we just claimed a space in the gym and trained all together."


    "Call Spencer and make sure it''s all right," my father told Hani.  "If it is, we will go to the Starrise for now."

 Chapter 5 .

    Vai


    Spencer and his father greeted us in the Starrise.  We all filed in. Teal light surrounded Spencer''s dad.


    "Did you two plan this out?" El asked Hani.  "Open the light without informing us?" Her voice had a subtle, dangerous tinge to it.


    "No," Hani said.  "We never discussed it with each other."


    "I didn''t know she opened the light in her family," Spencer said.  "And I lost my mom to the Corruption. Of course I would protect my dad."


    "What about Nathan?" my dad asked.  "Did he open it in his family too?"


    "I don''t know," Hani said.  "I didn''t know Spencer had until just now."


    "I don''t know either," Spencer said.


    "Should we call him and tell him to come here?" Minmin asked.


    El exchanged a glance with my dad.  El slowly nodded her head. "Call him," she said to Hani.  "I guess if his family doesn''t have it yet, we shouldn''t leave them out."


    Hani called Nathan.  While we waited, I watched Waters Reaching with Minmin.  She was ecstatic to have a friend who actually wanted to watch it.  We sat at one of the tables with our chairs together and her okulus shaped in a screen in front of us.  I didn''t really find it scary like it was supposed to be, but part of me felt guilty over the way Other Vai had been so dismissive of it.  It was silly to feel guilty over something I hadn''t done, but he was a clone of the Original Vai just like I was so didn''t mean that part of him was part of me?


    I also found it fascinating the way her face and eyes would change whenever Bars came on screen.  If she ever met him in real life, she might be one of those fans that faint.


    The others talked about the Bundu-Jo broadcast that got cut off.  We all hoped that more people knew about the Corruption and had a way to fight them.  There was always the first way - the way the Shadow had won the war - the Aether field, but were the Corruption too incorporated into our populace and government that it would be impossible now?


    Nathan, his parents, and his two younger brothers arrived.


    "What is going on?" Nathan''s dad addressed the other adults.  "Nathan said you were attacked by aliens and that we were all in danger."


    "So he hasn''t opened your light," El stated.


    "What is the light?" Nathan''s dad asked.


    "Was I supposed to?" Nathan asked.  "I thought we were keeping that secret."


    "Your family is the only one in the dark at the moment," El said.  "We might as well enlighten them."


    El told them all about the Corruption and the Awakened One and the light.  Nathan and El opened the light in them.


    Nathan''s little brothers went around the Starrise tables waving their lights - white and gray - all around.  They didn''t know what their powers were yet, so they didn''t damage anything.


    "So that Bundu-Jo reporter was correct?" Nathan''s mom asked.  "The station hasn''t said anymore, but others have picked up the report and it has been spreading rapidly.  I honestly thought they were a crazy conspiracy faction and there wasn''t anything to the reports."


    "There is," my dad said.


    "People need to be warned," Nathan''s dad said.  "We need to spread the light to everyone we can and they need to spread it and so forth."


    "The Corruption will stop us," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  "They''ve already undermined those reports. Only a small portion of the population believes them."


    "We could show them," I said.


    Everyone turned to look at me - except Nathan''s two little brothers and Hani''s little sister who had joined the brothers in running around the restaurant.


    "In the morning," I said, "Gathering morning, we''ll go to the bridge and expose the captain or first officer - whichever one is on duty."


    "It would be the captain," my dad said, "but how are you going to expose them?  Fight them? The rest of the bridge crew will try to stop you. Some have the Corruption and those that don''t - they don''t know any better."


    "We have to make the Corruption think we are trying to kill the captain," I said.  "Make them desperate enough that they will try to escape. If we record and broadcast it on social forums, the government - the Corruption - won''t be able to cut off the feed fast enough.  They will be exposed."


    "But we have seen the Corruption before and mistaken it for a frenzied drug concocted by the K''thaktra," El said.


    "We tell the bridge crew why we are there first while we are broadcasting," I said.  "We''ll make sure they know it is aliens. And the K''thaktra were always surrounded by the zek fog in the war.  The fog didn''t come out of them - out of their brain - like we''ll show it do with the captain."


    "That means we kill the captain of the ship and first officer," my dad said.  "It could be seen as mutiny. Are you sure that''s what you want to do?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Does the second officer have the corruption?" I asked.


    "Not that I''ve noticed," my dad said.


    "That would be a no," El said.  "Your dad isn''t wrong about such matters."


    "The Corruption is readying for their big move," I said.  "We are the only ones in the entire Gathering with the light.  We must warn everyone about the threat whether they believe us or not and I think Owen is right.  I think we need to open the light in as many people as possible. First with everyone on the Shadow, then the entire G.E.F. and then to colonies and planets."


    "And I know where the Awakened One is hiding," Esther said.  "If everyone on the Shadow and G.E.F. know of him, we wouldn''t have to hide him.  He could board and help train all of us with the light."


    My dad looked to El for her opinion.  They stared at each other a long time without saying anything.


    Finally El spoke, "I think if the Corruption are readying for a big attack - which it sounds like they are - we should reveal them and strike first in what way we can.  The G.E.F. should be ours. Not theirs."


    My dad nodded.  "I can hack into the 9:00 Gathering news programs as well as various social medias to show your volo feeds.  I''ll need permission to access all of your volos. I think Spencer, Hani and Nathan and their families should stay here.  You are all new to your light and there are children involved. The Corruption don''t know about you yet. If something goes wrong you will need to be responsible for spreading the light.  Spencer, go ahead and open the Starrise as planned, but the rest of you stay here. Don''t go into work. Call in sick or something."


    Everyone agreed.


    We all tried to sleep on the benches and floor of the Starrise for the few hours left to us, but it was difficult with how wound up the younger kids were and the fact that we were going to confront the captain in a few hours.


    When the time came, we - myself, Owen, Esther, Minmin, Shel, El, Lieutenant Tanpo, my dad and of course Warpaint - loaded onto the elevators and headed to the bridge.  I knew my mom was watching even if she had to act like the ship''s computer and couldn''t say anything to us.


    We exited the elevators.  The officers standing guard outside the bridge doors looked at my dad confused.  My dad waved them aside using his grim set, commanding, no room for no, expression.  They stepped aside and didn''t stop any of us from entering.


    Every head - 10 of them - turned to us.  The captain stood up from her chair.


    "Lieutenant Commander," the captain said, "this is highly irregular.  What are you doing here with these - " She stopped when she saw Lieutenant Tanpo.


    "Lieutenant," Captain Axa said, "aren''t you supposed to be on duty?"


    "Captain," my dad said in that commanding tone.  Captain Axa scowled and for a brief moment the pink glinted in her eyes.  "You are to step down from your position immediately due to your conspiracy with a hostile alien race."


    She scoffed.  Everyone working on the bridge stood up and turned fully to us.


    "You don''t have the authority," Captain Axa said.  "If this were true, it should be the first officer standing where you are."


    "Except he has also been consorting with hostile aliens."


    Pink glinted in some of the eyes around us, but not all.  The ones with clear eyes were confused.


    "This is ridiculous," Captain Axa said.  "Leave, Lieutenant Commander. And take your children with you."


    "We can prove it," my dad said.  "The hostile aliens - the miasmids - look like zek.  No they are zek. Watch."


    Captain Axa''s blue eyes narrowed with sudden suspicion.  "Watch? Who are you speaking to?"


    El attacked her.


    All of us put our light shields around us.  Warpaint''s red lines spread across his white body until he was mostly red.  The crew members attacked with their stun batons.


    Two went for Shel.  He kicked one using his purple light to enhance the kick and the human he just kicked flew backwards.  The second person - a Starwatcher - tried to hit Shel with his stun baton. Shel grabbed the stun baton, but didn''t try to pull it away.  Instead, he focused his purple light around it and the place he touched collapsed into itself. The baton kept folding into itself until there was nothing left.  The Starwatcher stepped back in surprise - pink glinted in his green eyes. He jumped high - high enough so that his feet were to Shel''s eye level and then he kicked out several times before he dropped back to the ground.  Shel''s purple shield kept the kicks from reaching his face.


    A Bundu-Jo tried to stun Minmin, but her white shield kept out the baton.  Minmin did something similar to what the other Starwatcher just tried with Shel.  She jumped eye level to the Bundu-Jo and kicked him in the face. A tooth fell to the floor alongside the Bundu-Jo.


    A human with the pink glint in his eyes thrust his baton in Owen''s side, but Owen''s yellow shield kept it out.  Owen lit his entire body in flames and the human fell backwards stumbling over his own feet to get away from Owen.


    A K''thaktra female went after Esther.  The K''thaktra''s eyes remained red. There was no hint of pink.  Esther used her pink light to push the K''thaktra away from her. The K''thaktra''s face twisted in confusion.


    Two went after Lieutenant Tanpo.  A K''thaktra male and a human female.  The lieutenant pushed out with her orange shield until they were pushed back to their seats.  I didn''t see pink in the K''thaktra''s orange eyes, but I did see it in the human''s.


    A human went after Warpaint and the last human went after me.  Warpaint stepped in front of me. He blasted both of the humans in the chest with Aether.  I was worried he killed them. The Corruption hadn''t come out of any of their hosts yet and we needed them to in order to prove their existence.


    I stretched forth my green light to make sure they were alive.  They were, but they were both hurt and unconscious. I started to heal them.  Neither of them had the Corruption in them. I was tempted to heal all that were hurt.  I could see all of their injuries, knew what to do to heal them, how to mend the bones and tissues and cells.  I resisted and turned my attention to El and Captain Axa. We needed the Corruption to reveal themselves and it would be best if that was revealed through Axa as she was the most notable.


    Captain Axa had several cuts on her arms and hands.  The uniform over her arms was sliced in several places showing her blue skin and red blood underneath.  El''s red light allowed her to cut. El''s shield kept out all of Captain Axa''s attempts to hurt her. I knew before they had the light or the Corruption the two of them would have been on par with each other in terms of fighting.  I honestly thought Captain Axa might have been a little better than El, but El used her red light to enhance her speed and strength.


    With El''s enhancements with her light, she should have been better than Captain Axa, but Captain Axa - aside from the cuts - still seemed on par with El.  Did the Corruption enhance her strength and speed as well? I remembered the old vids from the K''thaktra war and the killing frenzy of the K''thkatra in the zek cloud.  They had been stronger and faster, almost impossible to beat. I had always thought that was because of the drug only zek wasn''t a drug. I knew that now. It was the Corruption.


    I stretched out with my green light to Captain Axa.  I saw them. All of them. Each tiny Corruption inside her - centered around her brain.  Controlling her with pain and pleasure. They did enhance her speed and strength. I saw how they connected to her.


    I knew how to tear them away from her.


    "Stop!" I shouted.  Everyone stopped I think more out of surprise than my actual words.  "I know what to do," I said as I stared at Captain Axa. I took a step towards her.  El took a step back to allow me to get closer.


    "I can force them out," I said.

 Chapter 6 .

    Vai


    I spread my green light towards Captain Axa.  My power wasn''t obvious like Owen''s fire. The Corruption did not know what I could do - well I guess I had just announced it, but they didn''t know how I was going to disconnect them from Axa.  They didn''t realize I could do it without touching Axa.


    My green light filtered into the Captain.  Neither she nor the Corruption knew it. The Corruption''s anatomy was different from anything I had studied.  Their tiny bodies were covered in pink microfibers. They weren''t exactly nerves, but maybe something similar.  They used them to connect to the brain - to communicate their wishes, to distribute pain or pleasure. They were not a hive mind, they were individuals, but their minds were so in sync it was almost like a hive mind.  There was no arguments or disagreements between them. There wasn''t a set leader or leadership. They just were and they were altogether in similar thought.


    My light pulled on them and they clung tighter to the brain.  Captain Axa dropped to her knees and grabbed her head. Her scream pierced through the bridge.


    The two officers that stood outside came rushing in.  Lieutenant Tanpo''s light shield kept them away from me.  Those on the bridge with the Corruption tried to get to me to stop me, but my friends kept them away. The other bridge crew didn''t move.  They didn''t understand what was happening.


    I used Captain Axa''s own body system to help me push the Corruption away from her brain and force them outside her through her nose and ears.  The pink cloud grew larger above her head. Captain Axa collapsed unconscious to the floor. It had not been an easy separation and I was clumsy as it was my first time trying.  My green light was already healing the microscopic tears inside her.


    The bridge crew that didn''t have the Corruption gasped when they saw the pink cloud.  The remaining crew that did have the Corruption rushed out the bridge and away from us.


    Minmin and Shel started to follow, but El said, "Let them go for now.  They won''t get away."


    "Zek," my dad said.  "Miasmids, the Corruption.  An invasive alien species that have permeated the highest ranks of the government.  They tried to win with the K''thaktra war, but weren''t expecting our new technology at the time - Aether fields.  The Aether field on the Shadow is what allowed us to defeat them the first time.  Now they are trying again by taking us over quietly until it''s too late.  We have a new weapon again that they weren''t expecting - the light."


    The pink, shimmering zek cloud began to float away.  Owen stepped up.


    "I''ll take care of them."  Fire formed in his palm. He brought his arm back as if he was going to throw a baseball.


    "Wait," I said.  Owen paused. The Corruption continued on their path away from us.  I closed my eyes and took a breath. I admitted something I didn''t want to admit since I discovered I could heal.  I knew how to heal, mend, put flesh back together, but I also knew how to take it apart - to destroy it.


    I opened my eyes and stretched my green light to the group of Corruption.  They tried to scatter, but it didn''t matter. My green light stretched until it reached all of them.  I took them apart at the molecular level. I heard their combined scream. It cut to my core. I looked to the others, but it was clear no one but me could hear them.  The pink cloud fizzled away until there was nothing left.


    "What did you do?" Shel asked.


    Was my dad still broadcasting all of this?


    "Vai."  Owen placed a hand on my shoulder.  I didn''t realize I had dropped to my knees until then.


    I took a steadying breath.  I clenched my hands into fists to hide the fact they were shaking.


    "I took them apart," I said quietly.  "Piece by piece."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Minmin nodded her furry head.  "Good," she said.


    Yes, I told myself.  They are the enemy.  They will kill or enslave all of us if we don''t stop them.  But still - their scream had pierced into my soul.  And how many souls did they pierce? How many free wills did they capture and hold?  My shaking hands stilled. I would defend the Gathering citizens. I wouldn''t let the horrors of the K''thaktra war repeat itself.


    El moved so she stood above Captain Axa.  "Once they have bonded with the Corruption," El said, "the bond cannot be broken even if the Corruption is no longer inside them.  They will do anything to get the Corruption back." Her hand glowed red. She knelt beside the captain. She brought down her hand in a chopping motion over the Captain''s neck.


    "Wait!"


    Her hand stopped centimeters away from Captain Axa''s neck.  A small line of blood had already began to form on Axa''s blue skin under El''s red hand.


    "Wait," I said to her again.  I stood and went to Axa. El stood up and grabbed my arm with her blue hand.  Her fingers dug into my arm causing sharp pain. I ignored it.


    "What are you doing?" she asked.


    "Let me try to heal her," I said.  "Let me try to break the bond - permanently."


    "It might not be possible," El said.


    "I need to try," I said.


    Her eyes darted to Owen and Esther who stood side by side as they watched us.  Then she turned away from them - from everyone except me - and whispered quietly, "If you succeed after I told them there was no other way but to kill them, it might affect them.  They might think they are murderers instead of soldiers in a war."


    I looked at Owen and Esther.  Truly looked. I searched their eyes for the pain and trepidation that might be, but I only saw hope.


    "I think they want me to succeed," I whispered back.


    El''s lips tightened into a frown.  She sighed and said even quieter, "If you succeed, no one will want to kill their loved ones with the Corruption.  They will all seek you out and ask you to heal them. You can''t heal all of them. It''s too much. It would take more time than your lifetime.  What toll will it take on you?"


    It was something I hadn''t thought of.  But still, if I could save them, if I could rejoin them with their families as a whole being, didn''t I have to try even if it took an entire lifetime?


    "I have to do this," I whispered to her.


    She looked into my eyes.  I didn''t look away. She dropped my arm and took a step back.  I knelt next to Captain Axa and put her head in my lap. I didn''t need to touch to heal, but I wasn''t sure what the process was to break the bond with the Corruption.  Touch might help me find it faster and it might help give her comfort if she woke up during the process.


    The brain was complicated.  Of course in school we had learned how the bodies of the different aliens in the Gathering worked, but the brain was still not completely understood.  I went on instinct and what the light told me more than my knowledge. It wasn''t the dopamine release that I needed to fix. It was the memories that had been ingrained with that - the memories of the pleasure from the Corruption.  I had to stop her cravings for it. I had to stop the drive to be willing to do anything for it.


    Was it right for me to stop it?  If I stopped it would it cause other problems?  Well, it was either to stop it or to kill her. She didn''t wake with my touch and probing of the light.  In fact, it seemed to comfort her and she settled into it as if wrapping herself in a warm, safe blanket.


    The memories weren''t in one part of her brain.  There were several factors. I didn''t cut the memories of pleasure completely.  Although the pleasure from the Corruption was the most intense and addictive, I couldn''t cut the memory of pleasure completely as that might affect her enjoyment of eating for example, but I greatly dulled it.  She wouldn''t be the same as she was before the Corruption bonded with her, but at least she would still be herself. She wouldn''t have the intense cravings for pleasure that the Corruption had given her.


    I was going to leave it at that and wake her, but it was there calling to be opened - her blue light - a sky blue.  I hesitated. Was it wise to open the light in one that used to be bonded with the Corruption? I was confident that bond had been severed.  Her light wanted to be brought out. It pulsed. I barely gave it a tug before it flooded out of her. Her eyes flashed open at the same time.  She looked up at me. Her hard, military expression broke for the first time as I saw tears well in her eyes. She swallowed hard and blinked the tears away.  She sat up slowly and tried to put the mask of captain up, but there was a softness to her that wasn''t there before.


    "You opened her light?" El asked in that dangerous tone.


    I ignored her.  So did Captain Axa.  The captain stood up, straightened her uniform and then reached a hand down to me.  I grasped it and let her help me up. I was surprised when she hugged me and buried her face in my chest.


    "Thank you," she said.  "I never thought I would be rid of them.  I thought they would always be there even when they weren''t there.  You''ve done the impossible."


    She took a step away and was the captain again.  "Open the light in the rest of the bridge crew," she ordered.


    I smiled at El''s annoyed face.  It had worked. The Shadow and the captain would now be ours in the fight against the Corruption.

 Chapter 7 .

    Vai


    "You broadcasted that?" Captain Axa sat in the captain''s chair on the bridge.  My dad and I - and Warpaint - stood next to her. El stood nearby, but did not interfere with the conversation.  The others were opening the light in the rest of the bridge crew - including the two officers that had stood guard outside before Captain Axa''s scream had brought them inside.  "I don''t think that was wise," she said.


    "It might not have been," my dad said, "but the Miasmids are making their move faster than those who know about them can stop them.  The people have a right to be warned."


    "It might initiate a panic among the people," Captain Axa said.  "They might start killing people without the Miasmids because they think they are infected."


    "I will do more broadcasts," my dad said, "to explain how to identify them, what they are, about the light, etc."


    "The Gathering Council might cut off all communications with the G.E.F.," Captain Axa said.


    "I can bypass that," my dad said easily.


    "I need to know everything," Captain Axa said, "about the light, how you all came to have it - ."  She paused and looked at my dad. "You don''t have it. Why don''t you have it?"


    Other eyes in the room turned to look at us with her words.


    "He doesn''t need it," I said.  I hadn''t shared with my friends that my dad didn''t want the light and why he didn''t want it.  It seemed too personal and I wasn''t sure the others would understand. "He''s been able to protect himself all these years without it."


    "But still," Captain Axa said.


    "I don''t need it," my dad repeated my words.  The other eyes turned away from us to go back to releasing the light in the others and explaining to each of them individually about the light.


    "So what''s the next step?" Captain Axa asked.  "I think the G.E.F.''s task just changed from exploration.  Are you the only ones in the Gathering with the light? I haven''t heard of it before you and your friends started giving them trouble," she said directly to me.


    "We are the only ones in the Gathering," I said.  "Esther brought it to us after the Corruption killed everyone on the Lion of Judah Research Station.  They found an ancient alien who had the light."


    "That seems familiar," Captain Axa said, "but I can''t quite grasp it.  I''ve been trying to recollect the Miasmids plans, but it''s a haze I can''t get through."


    "There is another Awakened One," I said.  "Esther thinks she found his coordinates. He can help us.  We will get rid of the Corruption onboard the Gathering Exploration Vessels.  We will open the light in everyone on the ships and then find the Awakened One.   That''s the first step."


    The captain nodded.  "Right now, you and your friends are the only experts on the light.  I know Shel took the test and graduated early. I think you should all take the test and graduate early.  I think your time will be better spent as experts in the light and advisors in this fight against the Miasmids."


    I looked over at Esther.  Owen was next to her. They smiled at each other.  The people in front of them experimented with their newly acquired light.


    "Esther just started going back to school," I said quietly.  "She likes it and still has a year of school to go." I sighed.  My dad and the captain waited. "I''ll ask the others," I said, "and leave the choice up to them.  I''ll take the test though to graduate early."


    The captain barely smiled and nodded.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Do you know where those with the Corruption might be hiding out now?" I asked.  "I doubt after the broadcast they will wait quietly in their quarters for us to come."


    The captain thought about it.  "There was somewhere we were supposed to meet - I can''t remember."


    "She might not have the Miasmids inside her anymore," El said and finally stepped closer to us, "but that doesn''t mean she won''t be their spy."


    "I severed their connection," I said.


    "I know," El said.  "I know her need for them is gone, but that doesn''t mean she is trustworthy.  She''s worked for them for too long."


    "She''s not - ," I started to say, but Captain Axa stood up.  She changed from the calm she just was to the intimidating commander that made people scurry to do her commands - very much like my dad.  My voice caught in the back of my throat and died away.


    "I would never choose a race that invade the thoughts - that give pain until they are obeyed - that take your free will so completely," her voice was quiet, but terrifying with how much venom it held as she faced El.


    "Well received, sister," El said in Bundu-Jo.


    Every Gathering alien language was taught in school so I understood.  El didn''t speak her native language to keep the rest of us in the dark, but to let the captain know she understood on a deeper level.


    "We will go find those with the Corruption," El said.  "We''ll deal with them." She looked at me with her last statement.  "You can heal them if we get the chance, but it might not be possible.  They will fight to not let that happen. We may have to kill them."


    I nodded to let her know I understood, but really I would do anything to heal them first.  I didn''t think killing was an option now.


    "Can you use your light to find them?" Shel asked me.  I hadn''t realized he and Minmin had come back to stand by my side.  When Owen saw them, he brought Esther back. Everyone on the bridge now had their light opened.  They went back to their stations. The ship still had to be run after all.


    "Maybe," I said.  "If they were right in front of me I would be able to see the Corruption inside them, but I don''t know if I can find them through multiple decks of people."


    "You''ve already done a lot today," Owen said.  "A miracle really." He looked at the captain. "Don''t push yourself too hard," he said to me.  "We''ll find them."


    "If I can find them faster, I should try," I said.


    "You''d better sit down then," Owen said.


    "Sit in my chair," the captain said.


    I was sure I heard wrong.  She grabbed my arm and guided me to the captain''s chair.


    "Sit," she said.


    It seemed wrong to sit in the captain''s chair.  I would rather have used a crew member''s chair. My dad waved a hand towards the captain''s chair.  He was probably imagining me as a captain from the little smile at the corner of his lips. I sat.


    The bridge and it''s crew stretched out in front of me so I had the perfect view of what was happening.  I closed my eyes. I used my green light to lift out of myself. A wave of panic washed over me. This was the first time I had done this since before I had died.  I had been without a body for so long. My heart calmed when I saw I was safely tethered to my new body.


    I left the bridge and stretched my green light out to touch those on deck 1.  There weren''t too many people on this deck. I moved on to deck 2. There were a lot of people on this deck.  I stretched my light out to touch the people - to find any signs of the Corruption. There was a child who had fallen and bruised their knees.  Someone else who had diabetes. There was a heart murmur. Asthma. More bruises. Small burns. Scrapes. Arthritis.


    I couldn''t differentiate people or ailments.  They seeped into me wanting to be healed. For a brief moment, I got lost in the need to heal.  I forgot who I was. It was too much. Too many people. Too many ailments to heal from small bruises to blood clots.  My light stretched out in all directions until I was too thin. My tether to my body told me my body had fallen out of the captain''s chair in convulsions.  It wasn''t a conscious decision when I snapped back into my body. My heart calmed. My shaking stopped. My rapid breath stilled to a steady one. I opened my eyes.


    "Are you all right?" Owen asked me.


    They all bent over me, but closest was my dad who had a large hand on my chest.


    I sat up.  "It is too much," I said.  "I want to heal everyone and I got lost in the need.  I couldn''t get passed deck 2."


    "Don''t push yourself," Shel said.  "We''ll find them the old fashion way."


    A couple of them helped me up, I wasn''t sure which ones.  I was disappointed that I wasn''t able to help. It was probably because I was a clone.  I was lacking. Original Vai would have been able to do it.


    "Do you need to rest?" Esther asked me.


    "No."  I stood up to my full height.  "I''ll go with you to help you find them."


    "I''ll keep you updated if we learn their location from here," the captain said.


    We left the bridge and got into the elevator.


    "Should we split up?" Shel asked.


    "Let''s go in two groups," El said.  "I''ll take Shel, Minmin and Lieutenant Tanpo and we''ll start at the bottom.  Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa can take Vai, Owen and Esther and start on deck 3.  If you hear anything let the other group know."


    The elevator stopped at deck 3 and my group stepped off.  I was tempted to stretch out with my light again, but my dad must have sensed it because he shook his head at me.


    "Let''s go," he said.

 Chapter 8 .

    Minmin


    I wondered if Bars had seen the transmission.  I wondered if he had seen me. What was his schedule for the day?  It was morning Gathering time, but on the Starwatcher homeworld it was mid afternoon.  I used my okulus to click on his official fan page.


    "Do you really have to do that now?" Shel asked.  "We''re on our way to find the Corruption."


    "It''s not like I can do much while in the elevator anyway," I said.  El and Lieutenant Tanpo exchanged a glance, but didn''t say anything. It only occured to me then that I was the only one in that elevator who wasn''t a Bundu-Jo.


    Bars schedule said he was free at the moment.  He had a filming schedule in a couple of hours, but it was possible he had just seen me.  My heart began to beat too rapidly at the thought.


    Shel put a hand on my shoulder as if he knew.  Right. We needed to find those with the Corruption.  I put the schedule away. I knew it was a little silly to be so enamoured by Bars, but it helped keep my thoughts away from my parents.  It gave me some happiness in my time of loneliness and despair. My mom was dead. My dad had the Corruption.


    Actually, after what I had just seen Vai do, it was okay to have a little hope now wasn''t it?  It was possible that my dad wouldn''t have to die. It was possible to be able to heal him from the Corruption.  Since the Armstar had disappeared, I hadn''t dared thought of being reunited with my family as I knew they would have the Corruption.  But now - now I could hope. That thought brought be some peace and terrified me all at once.


    The elevator doors opened and we stepped into the corridor.  People stopped to stare at us. That never happened before. They must have seen the broadcast.  One of them pointed towards the docking bay. Then more pointed that way.


    El immediately called the captain and Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa.  "I think they might be in the docking bay," she said.


    "They can''t pass through the Aether field without the Corruption dying," Vai''s father said.  "They won''t leave."


    "They might," the captain said.  "The miasmids know their hosts can be free from their effects now with Vai around.  I think they''d rather kill some of themselves off and get their hosts away to have more miasmids put in them later than risk not having influence over them at all.  I''ll call you back. The captain of the Remembrance is calling me."  The call with the captain and Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa ended.


    "Mom," Shel said, "if we wait too long, those with the Corruption will get away."


    "They need a pilot to use a shuttle.  Even if the first officer knows how to pilot a shuttle - which he does - the shuttles will only start with the pilot''s handprint for security reasons," El said.  "And if they have managed to get a willing pilot, where are they planning on going? We are not currently near any civilization. Not near enough for a shuttle to make it.  And the captain can fire on them and destroy them."


    "She won''t though," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  "She won''t waste resources - not the shuttle nor a captive pilot.  Nor her first officer and whoever else has the Corruption. Not now that we know Vai can heal them."


    El''s lips pinched tight at the last part.  "He can''t save everyone. It''s impossible. We can''t ask him to."


    "What about my dad?" I blurted out before I could think about it.


    El''s face softened slightly.  She placed her motherly hand on the top of my head.  "We''ll do everything we can to save your dad." She looked at Shel and paused for a long time before she said quietly, "And your dad."


    Shel swallowed hard, but other than that his expression didn''t change.  I had forgot he also lost his dad to the Corruption.


    "We can talk about this later," El said.  "We have to stop those with the Corruption from escaping if that is what they are trying to do.  Go in ready with your light shields up."


    Mine automatically went up at her words.  So did the others. El nodded. "Good. We''ll try to avoid a fight, but be ready for one if we need to."


    She led the way to the docking bay.  No one tried to stop us and several more people pointed in the direction we should go.  "They might not know we are coming yet," El said when we arrived. "Be stealthy until we know what is happening."


    The doors slid open and we crept inside.  We sneaked behind the nearest shuttle.


    "Are you all ignoring a direct order?" the first officer''s voice filled the large bay.  His voice was loud, but everything else was quiet. Usually the pilots would talk to each other as they waited on duty.  There would be mechanical sounds as the mechanics worked on the ships. Now there was nothing. The mechanics and pilots lined up in front of the first officer and the other twenty people behind him - some in uniform, some in civilian clothes.  I wasn''t sure if that was because they weren''t on duty or if they actually were civilians.


    "None of you have left the ship - even refused to leave the ship," a human male in a pilot uniform said, "and now you all want to leave at once?"


    "Lieutenant Marco," Lieutenant Tanpo whispered next to me.


    "It''s a direct order."  The first officer''s voice was deadly.  Pink shimmered in his brown eyes.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Lieutenant Marco swallowed hard, but didn''t back down.  "I''d like to hear that order come directly from the captain," he said.


    "They must have seen our broadcast," I whispered.


    "Or the captain was already able to relay orders to them," El whispered back.  "Either way, we can''t let those with the Corruption leave."


    "There''s over twenty of them," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  "How do you want to handle it?"


    "Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa and the others are on their way," El said as she looked down at her okulus.  She must have received a message from him. "We''ll wait for them to arrive and if for whatever reason, we can''t wait, we''ll attack.  Lieutenant Tanpo can shield the pilots and mechanics. Shel, do you have to touch to use your power?"


    "I haven''t figured out how to do it without touch," Shel said.


    El nodded.  "I have to touch too.  Which means, Minmin, you might have to do most of the attacking with your lightning.  Try to get as many as possible if it comes to it."


    I nodded.


    The first officer took a step towards Lieutenant Marco.  "Lieutenant, you will be our pilot. Let''s go."


    "Let me just confirm with the captain first," Lieutenant Marco said.


    Faster than should be possible for a human, the first officer closed the distance between him and the Lieutenant and picked him up off his feet.


    That instigated a lot of movement from every direction.  The pilots and mechanics moved forward to try and grab Lieutenant Marco away from the first officer, but some of those behind the first officer raised plasma pistols at the rushing pilots.


    Lieutenant Tanpo ran from behind the shuttle to the pilots and mechanics while at the same time stretching her orange shield all around them.  The plasma from the pistols hit her shield in several places and dispersed harmlessly. "Stay back," Lieutenant Tanpo commanded the pilots and mechanics.  Most obeyed her on instinct, a few still tried to go after the retreating first officer who held a struggling Lieutenant Marco over his shoulder.


    El and Shel sprang out from behind the shuttle and ran with enhanced speed towards the group with the Corruption.  El''s hands were red with her light. Shel''s hands were purple with his light. Those with the plasma pistols changed their targets to the two rushing at them.


    I came out from behind the shuttle and threw out my hands towards the group with the Corruption.  White lightening snaked from my fingertips. I aimed it to hit the pistols. The white lightening wrapped around each pistol and then up the holder''s hands and arms.


    "Forget about them," the first officer ordered loudly.  He was already boarding the nearest shuttle with the pilot.  "Get on board."


    The twenty plus with the Corruption immediately turned and started to run towards the shuttle.  I threw out my lightening a second time aiming at the feet of those trailing behind the others. Five of them tripped over my lightening and fell.  Before they could get back up Shel and El were on them.


    Shel''s purple hands came down on the back of two of their necks.  He hesitated. El did not. She sliced the back of the neck on one.  Red blood oozed out.


    She was about to kill the other two - Shel still hesitated - when Lieutenant Tanpo called out, "The shuttle."


    The shuttle lifted up and towards the Aether field - towards space.


    "Minmin," El said, "hit it with your lightening."


    "No!" Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa''s voice boomed across the bay.  "We don''t know if her lightening will have adverse effects with the Aether field."


    Vai moved towards El and Shel and the 5 people they held.  Well, I was pretty certain the one with the slice on the back of his neck was dead.  "I can heal them," he said.


    The purple began to die away in Shel''s hands.  His body visibly relaxed. But El - she cut two of them just as she had the first.


    Vai stopped where he stood stunned at what she had just done.  And honestly, I was pretty stunned too. I knew she was tougher than most - she was a former Jo-Dinun, but to just kill them when Vai was right there.


    Warpaint barreled passed Vai, grabbed El by the back of her neck and tossed her to the side.  It wasn''t hard and she wasn''t hurt, but it was the first time I had seen El looked shocked.


    "Why would you do that?" Warpaint asked her.  "Why would you interfere with Vai''s most powerful power?  Are you jealous of him? He is pretty incredible, but that is no reason to be jealous.  Well, maybe it is reason to be jealous, but still just let him heal. He is amazing when he does it."


    Vai closed the remaining distance between him and the 5 with the Corruption.  I didn''t think 3 of them were alive - although the Corruption hadn''t come out of them yet, so maybe they were still alive.


    Vai sat down between the 5 of them - next to Shel.


    "You can''t save them all," El said to Vai.  "You''re going to have to start choosing who you can save with the Corruption and who you can''t."


    Vai didn''t answer her, but I had never seen such defiance in his eyes before - not even against his dad.  It was fiery red. Vai closed his eyes and his green light stretched out - not in tendrils but like a fog.  It wrapped around the 3 unmoving people. The two that Shel held began to struggle. They hadn''t really fought with him before.  They were afraid of the purple circle that pulsed in the palm of his hand. They wouldn''t be able to see his light, but they could see what the light manifested into - my lightening, Owen''s fire, and Shel''s purple circle black hole thing.  I actually wasn''t sure exactly what Shel''s power was other than it seemed to crush or fold into itself.


    "Can I get some help?" Shel asked with his teeth clenched tight together.  Lieutenant Tanpo dropped her orange shield and rushed to Shel''s side. Together they were able to hold down the two who were struggling.


    Vai''s eyes had closed at some point.  I had missed when while I watched Shel struggle.  When his green fog settled over the two Shel and Tanpo held, they stopped struggling.


    Pink came out of the ears and nose of those who El had cut.  The wounds on the back of their necks were already healed. The two that Shel and Tanpo held began to scream much like the captain had on the bridge.  It only lasted as long as it took for the pink Corruption to come out of them. A large, shimmering, pink cloud formed over their heads. It rushed towards the pilots and mechanics.


    Lieutenant Tanpo dropped the man she had been holding - he had stopped struggling anyway - and threw her shield around the pilots and mechanics.  They couldn''t see her shield as it was just her light so they didn''t know they were safe. They huddled together and some screamed. How could they fight a pink cloud?  They couldn''t, but I could.


    My white lightening arched through the distance and hit the cloud just as Owen''s fire did the same.  The pink shimmer changed to a yellow fire with white lightening darting all through it until there was nothing left of the pink shimmer.  I let my lightening die away and Owen let his fire die.


    Vai''s eyes were open, but it was clear he was tired.


    "Are you all right?" Shel asked next to him.  He placed his hand on Vai''s forehead like mothers do to see if their child has a fever.


    Vai nodded.  "Just tired," he said.  Shel''s hand dropped back to his side.


    The 5 lying at their feet woke up at the same time.  Like the captain had on the bridge - they instinctively knew who saved them.  All of them crawled to Vai''s side - pushed Shel slightly to the side - and hugged Vai in a large group hug.


    I heard thank yous being muttered from across the distance.


    "Looks like I''m going to have to reprogram Warpaint," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said next to me.


    "For what?" I asked.


    "For protection against group hugs," he said.  The corner of his mouth twitched up into an almost smile.

 Chapter 9 .

    Minmin


    Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa made a signal to Warpaint.  Warpaint immediately began to pull the people off Vai.


    "I know you are all grateful," Warpaint said, "and you should be.  My master Vai is pretty amazing, but give him some space now."


    Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa started to make his way over to Vai.  Shel was still sitting on the floor close to Vai. He scooted over to him and tried to help him up, but Vai''s eyes drooped heavily and his head fell onto Shel''s shoulder.  Shel let out a long sigh and looked to me as if to ask what he should do. I shrugged my shoulders. Vai was exhausted. He needed to rest after all that healing. El had been too extreme, but she was correct that Vai couldn''t heal everyone.  Healing six people had made him this exhausted.


    El stood from the spot where Warpaint had thrown her earlier.  She didn''t seem hurt or even bothered. She gathered around Vai, Shel and Warpaint just as Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa also reached them.


    "Sir," Warpaint said, "you shouldn''t sleep on your friend.  If you are that tired, I will carry you." He lifted Vai up as if he weighed nothing and tossed him over his shoulder.  Shel quickly stood now that he was free.


    Vai struggled against Warpaint''s grip and said, "Put me down, Warpaint.  I''m awake now." Warpaint put Vai back on his feet, but despite Vai''s words, his eyes were still heavy.  He needed sleep.


    The rest of us gathered around them as El said to Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa, "I can''t get through to the captain.  She needs to destroy that shuttle."


    Lieutenant Tanpo frowned at this, but didn''t say anything.


    Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa placed a call to the captain, but it wasn''t answered.


    "They are getting away," El said impatiently.


    "Computer," Vai''s dad said.


    "Yes," the computer answered immediately.  Not a lot of people spoke directly with the computer, but he was the chief science officer and I heard he had worked on the programming for the computer.


    "I need a direct connection with Captain Axa.  Now."


    And there were even less people who could demand a direct connection with the captain.


    "Yes," the computer said.


    There was a momentary wait, but it wasn''t long before the captain''s voice said, "I''m busy, Lieutenant Commander.  Didn''t you understand that the first time I didn''t answer your call?"


    "You need to destroy that shuttle," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said.  "They are getting away."


    "No," the captain said.


    All of us tensed except Vai.  His eyes drooped again and he partially leaned against Warpaint''s white, metal frame.


    "What do you mean ''no''?" Vai''s dad demanded.


    "Bring the light specialists to the bridge and I will tell you all what is happening," the captain said.


    The computer ended the connection.  All of us looked back and forth between each other before Owen finally said, "Light specialists?"


    Vai''s eyes flashed open and he stood up straight.  "That''s us," he said. "She wants us to graduate early like Shel and be specialists in the light as we are the first to have it.  We are the only ones to have met the Awakened One."


    "Let''s go to the bridge," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said.


    He led the way.  Vai stumbled over his own feet.  He was too tired to walk straight.  His mechatronic swept him off his feet and carried him princess style.


    Vai frowned at this, but didn''t try to wiggle away.  He did say, "I can walk, Warpaint."


    "Just sleep for now, sir," Warpaint said.  "You can wake when we reach the bridge.


    Vai''s head dropped awkwardly on Warpaint.  He was already asleep. I hoped that awkward position didn''t give him neck pain.  Vai was tall which meant in Warpaint''s arms he was also long. None of us stood next to Warpaint as he and Vai took up too much space.


    When we stepped out of the shuttle bay into the corridor, the corridor was filled with people.


    "Did you get them?" someone asked.


    "No," El said.  "They got away."


    "What''s the light?" Someone else asked.


    "Does everyone have it?" a third person asked before we could answer the other question.


    "Open mine," someone demanded.


    Soon we were surrounded by people demanding us to open their light.


    "Later," El said as she and Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa pushed their way through and made a path for the rest of us.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Please," someone said with so much emotion it made me stop.  I wasn''t the only one. Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint dutifully followed behind El and Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa, but the four of us teenagers stopped.


    Esther was the first to move again, but it wasn''t to follow El and Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa.  She went to the person who said please. She placed one hand on their forehead and the other swung around to the back of their head.  Owen moved slightly before Shel and I did to do the same with the people around us.


    I placed my hands on a fellow Starwatcher.  His eyes looked on me with such hope that something strange stirred within me.  I didn''t contemplate what the feeling was. I closed my eyes and focused on pulling.  I couldn''t see his light - none of us could until it came out. None of us as far as I knew anyway.  I had a strange suspicion of Vai. He wasn''t like the rest of us in many ways, but I didn''t think he knew how special he was.  The fact that he stayed when he died was proof he was different. I didn''t think it had anything to do with his dad''s Laumalie preserver.  When he pulled the light from someone, it seemed to open much quicker than when any of the rest of us did it.


    I felt the Starwatcher''s light, but still couldn''t see it.  I pulled it - stretched it. It tugged back momentarily until it finally burst free into a beautiful lilac.


    "Thank you," the Starwatcher said.  I heard similar thank yous from those around Esther, Owen and Shel.


    "What are you doing?!" El''s voice boomed in the crowded corridor.  People shrinked back from her as she stormed towards the four of us.  "We don''t have time for this and neither I nor Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa gave you permission to open their light."


    Esther opened her mouth to retort, but Shel beat her to it.


    "Permission?" he asked quietly.  He sighed out and placed his hand on the back of his mother''s neck as he guided her forward towards the elevators.  "Mom," he said gently, "we''re going to have to talk about this."


    El didn''t seem comfortable with this.  The rest of us filed in line with them.


    "Wait," someone in the crowd called out to us.  "What about the rest of us?"


    "These four can open your light," Esther said.


    "How?" the Starwatcher with the lilac light asked.


    "You just place your hands like we did," Ether said, "and pull with your light.  You won''t see their light, but you will feel it pull and stretch like taffy before their light opens."


    We reached the elevators.  The people no longer surrounded us, but now went to the four people who just had their lights opened.  They were already placing their hands on people as the elevator door slid closed in front of us blocking our view to see if they succeeded or not.  I was sure they would succeed though. It hadn''t failed yet.


    I watched the sleeping Vai as we continued passed the various decks up to the bridge.  I pictured him spreading his green light to surround my dad, the pink Corruption leaving my dad, and my dad throwing his arms around me once again.


    He saves.  A savior.  And that thought startled me and frightened me.  Vai wouldn''t want me thinking of him as anything other than a friend.  I looked around at my other friends afraid they could read my thoughts.  Esther and Owen weren''t paying attention to me, but Shel studied me closely.  Of course he did. The ridge above his right eye raised in question. I swallowed and looked away.  I couldn''t let my thoughts towards Vai go down that direction.


    I thought back on how those 5 with the Corruption back in the docking bay had hugged him when he saved them - even the captain had hugged him.  He did save people, but he was a person - my friend - he wouldn''t want to be idolized. Especially not by me.


    The elevator door slid open and we stepped into the corridor that would lead us to the bridge.  We weren''t stopped or questioned this time, but ushered through. There were more people on duty on the bridge now than there was before.


    Vai''s dad placed a hand on the top of Vai''s head and said quietly, "Wake up, son."


    Vai''s dark brown eyes flashed open.  He looked around the bridge - saw all the people looking at him in Warpaint''s arms - and he squirmed until Warpaint put him on his feet.


    "Why didn''t you shoot that shuttle?" El demanded of the captain.


    The captain''s cold eyes settled on El before dismissing her.  When the captain spoke, she spoke to us five teenagers. The adults were completely left out of the equation.  Which answered who she thought the light specialists were and it didn''t include El or Lieutenant Tanpo.


    "Those with the Corruption on the other exploration vessels - including some captains - decided to hold their ships hostage if we did not let the shuttle pass safely.  Everyone in the G.E.F. with the Corruption will board the Remembrance - "


    "But if they leave their ships the Corruption inside them will die," Vai interrupted.


    "Yes," the captain said, "but without your healing light, Vai, they will still do anything the Corruption wants of them.  They know more Corruption await them on the Remembrance to fill that empty void and they will do anything to get it back."


    Vai looked down at his feet and sighed.


    "So what do you want from us?" Shel asked the captain.


    "We will let the Corruption and the Remembrance go.  In exchange, they will let all those on the Remembrance who do not have the Corruption leave the Remembrance unfettered and they will be dispersed to the remaining G.E. vessels."


    "That is a terrible idea," El said.  "You are just going to let the enemy go?  With a Gathering Exploration Vessel at that?"


    "To save the entire Gathering Exploration Fleet - yes," the captain said.  "They will fire on the other ships in the fleet if we don''t do this. They will murder those without the Corruption if we don''t do this."


    Captain Axa stared down El before she turned to the five of us again.


    "Lieutenant Tanpo will take you five to the other ships to start opening their lights."


    "My son is too tired," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amalo said just as El said, "Others can do it."


    The captain looked at the two parents with a hard expression on her face.  "I''m establishing these 5 as the light specialists. They may be young, but they are the only experts right now in the entire Gathering.  We need them to be established as such. They''ve proven themselves."


    "I want to do this," Vai volunteered.


    "Me too," Esther and Owen quickly said.


    "We''re with them," I said to indicate Shel and I stood beside our friends.  I wasn''t sure how I felt about being a specialist. I had been thinking of graduating early anyway.  The only reason I hadn''t yet was because Esther liked being in school again and I wanted to support her.  I didn''t think I was against being known as an expert. In fact, I kind of liked the idea.


    "You only have to open the light in the command staff of each vessel," Captain Axa said.  "They can then take care of the rest of their ships."


    "Let''s get going," Vai said.  He was willing, but his eyes still seemed heavy.


    "You can have an hour to rest and recoup," Captain Axa said.  "Then meet Lieutenant Tanpo in the docking bay."


    "I''m going with them," El said.


    "I am as well," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said.


    "No, you''re not," Captain Axa said.


    That didn''t sit well with either parent.


    "Do you want to know why I am not including you as an expert, El?" Captain Axa asked.


    I was curious.


    El didn''t say anything.


    "You will try to order and impose your will on these younger ones," Captain Axa said.


    And it was true.  It was already happening.


    "They should not be stifled," Captain Axa said.  "They''ve survived and proven their worth without us.  I want them to be as they are. They are new and that might be what we need to win this war."  Captain Axa looked to Lieutenant Tanpo. "You, Lieutenant already have a job you are good at. I need you as a pilot."


    "Understood," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  Her voice actually sounded relieved.


    "You are all dismissed then," Captain Axa said.  "Meet at the docking bay in an hour."

 Interlude 9 .

    Thrissko


    "You called for me," I said as I entered the captain''s quarters.  Sally and Skis trailed behind me as always.


    Igwe and the Starwatcher whose wife had died defiant against the miasmids stood on either side of the captain.  Svolun didn''t answer me. He just waved an arm towards the image being projected through his volo.


    I didn''t realize what I was seeing at first.  I thought it was a show and I was confused as to why Svolun wanted me to watch it.  People fought with each other on board the bridge of a ship. There was a Bundu-Jo my age who looked an awful lot like Captain Svolun.  His white stripes were wider than most Bundu-Jo''s just like the captain''s. There was a Starwatcher with the same cream colored fur as the Starwatcher that stood by the captain.


    It wasn''t until I saw Vai that I realized this wasn''t a show and those teenagers were probably the children of those next to me.  It was hard for me to tear my eyes away from Vai, but I did just long enough to see the expression on Svolun''s and the Starwatcher''s faces.  Their expressions convinced me that those were indeed their children.


    "What is this?" I whispered turning my attention back to Vai.  Vai stood in front of a Bundu-Jo captain. I didn''t know what he did to her - he wasn''t even touching her - but the miasmids came out of her as she screamed.  I wasn''t sure why I knew - maybe it was the expression on Vai''s face - but I knew the miasmids came out because of him. I also knew when he destroyed the miasmids.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "It''s being broadcasted live," Igwe answered when Svolun couldn''t find his voice.


    "Why hasn''t the feed been cut off yet?" I asked as I took a step closer to the projection.  Neither those in the government with miasmids nor those without would want this broadcasted.


    "It must be Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa," Svolun said under his breath.  "He is the only one I know capable of keeping the stream going."


    Something strange stirred within me.  I had been prepared to deal with Vai. I had beat him up pretty badly on Mars and it had felt really good.  I thought I even wanted to kill my former friend, but actually seeing him again -


    The miasmids sent me a warning that my thoughts were going in a dangerous direction.  I didn''t want to feel the incredible pain they could inflict.


    Vai knelt next to the Bundu-Jo captain who was now unconscious.  He placed her head in his lap and closed his eyes. It didn''t take long until she opened her eyes again - all the cuts she had on her were now healed.  She hugged Vai. And I knew. I knew he healed her. Not just of her cuts. He had healed her from the miasmids control. Permanently.


    I knew this because the miasmids inside me panicked as they were the ones who realized what Vai had done.  I thought I was content with the miasmids inside me. I thought I would do anything for the pleasure they gave and do anything to avoid the pain they would inflict, but knowing what Vai had done - hope.  I had hope that I didn''t even know I lacked. Vai could heal me. He could make my mind my own again. He could make my free will mine.


    Pain writhed through my entire being.  My head shattered into millions of pieces.  Every nerve in my body lit with sharp, hot, unbearable pain.  I dropped to my knees and grasped my head as the pain spasmed throughout my body.


    I wasn''t the only one.  Everyone in that room - Svolun, Igwe, the Starwatcher, Sally and Skis all dropped to their knees at the same time as I did.  I knew then that they all had the same thought I did. A thought the miasmids would do everything in their power to make sure we never had again.


    Vai could save us.

 Chapter 10 .

    Vai


    "Wake up my most precious son."


    My eyes fluttered open.  I expected to see my mom hovering over me as she had when I was a child.  Her long black hair would spill over her shoulders and her dark, brown eyes would smile.  It had been her voice that called to me. It was warmth and love and safety.


    When she wasn''t there, I remembered I was a clone of the original Vai and had never actually seen my mother - even if I still had the memories and feelings.  The warmth, love and safety fled from me and I was left with emptiness.


    "Get up my lovely child," my mom''s voice said.


    My dad had given the okay for my computer mom to speak to me as a son only when I was alone in my room.


    "I wish I could give you a hug," I said out loud.  I had a strange sense of happiness and loneliness all rolled into one.  I was happy that I could hear my mom''s voice once again - and know it was her voice.  But it also left me empty that it was only her voice.


    "Me too," she said, "but at least you know who I am and I can speak with you as something other than a computer A.I."


    I sat up on my bed and looked around my room.  Warpaint stood by my bed with an algae bar ready in his hand.


    "How did I get back to my quarters?" I asked Warpaint.  The last thing I remembered was being on the bridge.


    "You fell asleep so I carried you, sir," Warpaint said.


    A part of me wanted to feel embarrassed at the thought of my large mechatronic carrying me through the corridors for everyone to see, but I didn''t.  I was grateful. "Thank you, Warpaint."


    "Just one of my many great purposes, sir."


    I took the algae bar from him and took a bite.


    "We need to meet the others in the docking bay," Warpaint said.


    "I remember," I said quietly.  I finished the algae bar and got off my bed.  "Let''s go open the light on other ships."


    "I can''t open the light, sir," Warpaint said.  "I am great, but that is beyond my capabilities."


    "I know, Warpaint.  When I said ''us'' I meant - never mind.  You are great in protecting me, Warpaint."


    "Really sir?  Did you forget the times I let you die?  It happened twice."


    "Once," I corrected.  "Other Vai wasn''t me and he was incomplete.  And the time I really died wasn''t your fault.  You''ve protected me many times and I know you will many times more."


    "Thank you, sir," Warpaint said.  I stepped into the living quarters.  Warpaint followed. I thought my dad would be waiting for me beyond my bedroom door, but the quarters were empty.


    "He is on the bridge, sir," Warpaint said.  "He is very busy right now."


    "Of course he is," I said.  His absences hadn''t bothered me before I realized I was clone.  Now it was different. I had consciously made the choice to make him my dad.  Now I missed him.


    I stepped out into the corridor - Warpaint close by my side.


    This morning - before the incident on the bridge - before we broadcasted to the entire Gathering - people didn''t notice me when I walked through the corridors.  Now people stopped and stared. Some came up and shook my hand and said ''thank you''. It made me a little uncomfortable, but I was cordial to all of them.


    Owen was at the elevators as if he were waiting for me.  He smiled when he saw me and jogged up to me and Warpaint. "You look better than before," he said.


    "Sorry," I said.  "I was so tired. I couldn''t control it."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Owen placed a small hand on my back.  "Don''t worry about it. Your power is incredible.  It''s opened up an alternative to death. If the end result is that you get tired, I can handle that, friend."  He smirked at me.


    "Thanks."  We got in the elevator, but before the door shut, I noticed the looks from those in the corridors.  "Just don''t ever look at me the way they do."


    Owen looked, but the elevator door was already closed.  "What way?"


    "Like I''m something - greater than they are."


    Owen chuckled.  "Don''t worry, friend.  I don''t think anyone is greater than me.  Except maybe - " His expression suddenly went blank.  He realized what he was about to reveal to me and went quiet.


    "Except maybe Esther?"


    He bit his bottom lip as he looked up at me.  "You noticed?"


    "I think she might feel the same," I said.


    "Really?"  His face brightened.  "Should I say something to her or - no.  Now is not the time. We have the entire Gathering to save first.  And don''t worry. You will always remain my friend Vai who will help me with my current and future business ventures."


    "I am?"


    "Of course," Owen said.


    And how could I say no.  Warpaint would say no for me though if Owen wanted to do anything illegal.


    The elevator door opened and we made our way to the docking bay.  Owen received some of the stares from people in the corridors, but most of the stares were reserved for me.  It made me uncomfortable.


    The others waited for us next to Lieutenant Tanpo''s shuttle.


    "Vai," Minmin said with a small smile on her face.  "Are you feeling alright?"


    "Much better," I replied.


    "Let''s go," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  "Even though we are only opening the light in the command staff, there are many ships to get through.  This is going to take us all day."


    "I gave the stellar navigator on duty the coordinates to the Awakened One," Esther said as we stepped on board the shuttle.  "The captain said we will go there next. Now that everyone knows about him, he can come on board the Shadow.  Captain Axa said he will probably have to stay on the docking bay if he is as big as we say he is, which of course he is, but that''s okay.  I don''t think he will mind."


    We sat and Lieutenant Tanpo piloted the shuttle to lift up and away from the Shadow.


    Minmin''s okulus chirped as she received a message.  I hardly paid her any attention as she read the message.  But I did notice when after a few minutes, she still stared at her okulus.  She was expressionless. Her eyes hardly blinked. As if she was in shock.


    "What is going on with you?" Shel asked.  He was next to her. When she didn''t answer, he lifted her wrist and tilted it so he could read the open message on her okulus.  She didn''t protest. Didn''t move. Just blinked once.


    His blue eyes widened.  Then he scoffed and shook his head.  "I don''t believe it," he muttered.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    Shel moved Minmin''s furry wrist so the okulus was pointed my way.  I leaned across the aisle to read it.


    ?I saw the broadcast from a few hours ago and just realized you are in my official fandom.  I can''t tell you how honored I am that someone as great and as brave as you chose to be my fan.  I will work harder to be worthy of your interest. I really hope that the travels of the G.E.F. will bring you back home to Minidtin.  If you by chance do get back here, it would be my greatest honor if you were the one to open the light inside me. From your number one fan, Bars.


    I dropped Minmin''s wrist.  Owen was quick to pick it up to read the message himself as Minmin continued to sit there in a daze.


    "Wow, Minmin," Owen said.  "You must be so excited."


    "What is it?" Esther asked.  She sat next to Owen in the row in front of me and Warpaint.


    "Bars just sent her a message saying he was her number one fan," Owen said.


    That broke Minmin from her trance.  A high pitched squeal came from her throat.  She grabbed Shel''s shoulders.


    "He messaged me," she said.


    "I know," Shel said with a slight smile on his blue lips.


    "He messaged ME," she said again.  "Can you believe it?" She shook Shel''s shoulders.  "He knows me." She collapsed back into her seat as if all her strength was gone.  "He knows me," she repeated quietly.


    I didn''t realize we had docked on the RedNova until Lieutenant Tanpo said, "We''re here.  Let''s go."


    We filed off the shuttle.  Lieutenant Tanpo was the last one off.  A group of security officers waited for us.


    "We will take you to the command staff," they said.


    They asked us questions as they led us there.  They probably weren''t supposed to, but it was understandable.  The Gathering populace learned two great things a few hours ago that changed their existence.  One, there was an enemy alien that could take over them and control their minds. And two, there was a way to fight them.  They looked at all of us as if we were something greater than we were. Especially me. I tried not to show the discomfort on my face.


    They took us to the captain''s quarters.  The captain was a small Starwatcher with sepia colored fur and green eyes.  He was surrounded by the second officer and a handful of other ranking officers.  I didn''t see anyone wearing the rank of first officer.


    "The first officer . . .?" Esther let the incomplete question hang in the air.


    "Left with the others who had the miasmids," the captain said.


    Esther gave a brief explanation of the light and how they could open it in others once they had it.  We then each moved to the officers to open their light. I ended up in front of the second officer. He was a red K''thaktra with yellow eyes.  It was good I was me again and not Other Vai. His light came out as a vibrant red.


    We left with many repeated ''thank yous''.  Then we were on to the next ship and the next.  By the time we got back to the Shadow it was late and I was exhausted.  I wasted no time going back to my quarters and crawling underneath my blanket with my head on my pillow.


    By the next morning, everyone remaining in the G.E.F. had the light with the exception of my dad.

 Chapter 11 .

    Vai


    Our many jumps through F.T.L. took us to a foreign moon.  It appeared craggy on the surface, but underneath the surface was underwater rivers and caves that held vegetation, insects and fish.


    It wasn''t just our little group this time.  We were accompanied by security officers in case more Corruption showed up.  In reality, they couldn''t do anymore against the Corruption than we could. If thousands of Corruption attacked one person, they would die - like I did.  Our light shields were not enough to keep them out. Except for Lieutenant Tanpo''s. Her shield was the only one I trusted against the Corruption.


    My dad was there with a team of scientists to collect samples, specimens and readings.  The captain was eager to accompany the surface team as she hadn''t been off the ship since we first began this journey.


    There was something new we discovered about our shields.  It could keep the air around us at the correct pressure and with the correct gases we needed to survive.  That meant we didn''t need suits and masks on this moon when otherwise we would need to. That also explained why the Awakened One could survive in space.


    It had been a few weeks since our revelation to the rest of the Gathering.  I had thought the Corruption would retaliate immediately in some way, but they were quiet.  It was assumed they had taken over Brist and certain colonies as the Gathering had not been able to communicate with them.


    There were science and security teams from the other G.E. vessels as well.  Our small team had been the only ones designated to find the Awakened One. They were concerned he might be overwhelmed by all the new faces.  I didn''t think that would be the case, but our time with him had been brief so maybe it was best to keep it to just those of us who he was familiar with and a small security team.


    We were inside one of the many caves mostly going by Esther''s instinct as we had on the other planet to find the Awakened One.  Esther stopped and tilted her head. I felt it this time too. The Awakened One was near. Below us actually just like last time.  The stone beneath us began to vibrate.


    "Sir, stay close to me," Warpaint said.  He stepped up so he was practically bumping into my back.  The red began to spread all over his body. He put the Aether shield up.  I noticed Owen stepped into the shield''s small proximity before it went up completely.


    Stone bits exploded up in the air and the Awakened One floated out of the large hole.  The stone bits gathered together and closed over the hole. The Awakened One looked at our little group and then at the security officers who were with us.  The security officers fidgeted. A few took a step back. We had prepared them for what he looked like, but they thought we had been exaggerating his height and girth.  We weren''t.


    "You have been busy," his low voice grumbled.  Even though we were in a large cavern, the Awakened One still had to hunch a little so his head wouldn''t hit the ceiling.  "I see you''ve opened the light in more of the Gatherish. Your entire armada now has the light. That isn''t enough though. The Corruption prepare to make their move.  As it is now, they will win."


    "The others like you should wake up and help us now," Esther said.


    The Awakened One ignored her and faced me.  "You are yourself again," he said.


    "Yes," I said.


    "What happened to the fake one?"


    "We killed him and I reclaimed my body."


    The security officers looked to each other with confusion.  Of course no one except our little group knew that I was a clone and that we had killed the other clone so I could take his body when mine died.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The Awakened One smiled.  I tried not to shudder at his large canines and his many rows of teeth.  He was a friend. The security officers gripped their plasma pistols a little tighter even though they knew the Awakened One was an ally.  I couldn''t blame them. He was terrifying.


    The Awakened One pointed one large finger towards me.  It passed through Warpaint''s Aether shield with ease. Warpaint tried to step in front of me, but I pushed him back and he complied.  The Awakened One''s finger landed lightly on my forehead.


    "You found the purpose of your light," he rumbled.


    "Yes," I said.  "How did you know what it did before I knew?"


    "With practice all of you should be able to see what power other people''s lights hold," he said.  "I see you''ve learned to regulate your air and pressure within your shields. I thought that would be something I need to teach you."


    "You knew that my light could heal before I did," I said.  "Could you see what else it can do?"


    He blinked his enormous owl-like yellow eyes.  "It can do more than heal?" he asked.


    "He can remove the Corruption from someone who has been infected by them and heal them so they won''t crave them any more," Minmin said.


    The Awakened One''s furry, gray eyebrows raised in surprise.  "Really?" he asked me.


    I nodded.


    "I can do more than heal," I said quietly.  "I can also destroy."


    The Awakened One smiled showing off those rows of sharp teeth again.  "Then my people would have been wrong to destroy you," he said.


    "They would have been wrong to destroy him even if he could only heal," Esther said as she walked up to the Awakened One to force him to notice her.


    "The war against the Corruption has no room for those too weak to protect themselves," the Awakened One said.


    "That thinking is why you lost and went into hiding," Esther said.  "We are stronger as a group protecting each other and those weaker than us.  Now wake up the others of your kind and tell them to join our war."


    He stared down at her for a long moment.  Then his eyes glazed over and he stopped moving.  I wasn''t sure if he was even still breathing. We waited and waited for several minutes before his eyes focused down at Esther again.


    "They refuse," he said.


    "What?!" she yelled.


    "There are not enough of you with the light," he said.  "They believe you will lose. They will wait until stronger races come along to give them the light and defeat the Corruption."


    "Cowards," Esther said.  Owen moved out from his spot by Warpaint''s side to place a calming hand on Esther''s back.


    She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.  When she opened her eyes, they still burned with anger but more so with determination.  "We will win without them. They can sleep forever for all I care."


    She turned away from the Awakened One.  "Let''s get back to the ship," she said and started to walk towards the surface.


    "You are still willing to help us train others?" El asked the Awakened One.  He nodded his enormous head. "Good, then come meet the captain of our ship. Arrangements have already been made so you will have a space on our ship, Shadow."


    He nodded again and followed us to the surface.  Captain Axa and the science team - including my dad - waited for us.  None of them were prepared when the Awakened One stepped out behind us.  It was clear on their expressions and how they seemed to collectively take one step back.


    "Captain Axa," El said, "the Awakened One."


    Captain Axa stepped forward with no hint of the fear that had just been in her eyes.


    "Thank you for your help," she said.


    "No need to thank me," the Awakened One said.  "Just win against the Corruption. My people still think I''m foolish and weak to help the Gatherish.  Prove them wrong."


    Captain Axa smiled.  "We will."


    "More and more and more of you will need to have the light opened," the Awakened One rumbled.  "The Corruption are many."


    "Everyone on board the current Gathering Exploration Fleet have had the light opened in them," Captain Axa said.  "We will go to colonies and home worlds to open the light in everyone in the Gathering. That will take time. I''ve been debating splitting up the fleet to make the process go faster, but I''m afraid the Corruption will use the opportunity to attack us if we split up.  Do you have any advice on the matter?"


    "They will attack if you split up," the Awakened One said.  "You just need to be stronger and defeat them. They are preparing their move.  It won''t be long now. I don''t think you have time to waste. Better to split up.  If they attack, be stronger."


    "Not really the answer I was hoping for.  It''s not as simple as just saying be stronger.  But I''m afraid you are correct. If we lose one ship, but open the light on an entire world first, it might be worth the risk."


    "It is," the Awakened One said.


    "I had thought we might broadcast you to the Gathering," Captain Axa said as she looked the Awakened One up and down, "but you are more - intimidating than I thought."


    "Thank you," the Awakened One said.


    "None of our shuttles are big enough to bring you back to the Shadow."


    "I will fly next to your shuttles to your Shadow," he said.


    The Gathering now had an ancient alien knowledgeable in the light and the Corruption to help us.  That was another small edge we had in our battle.

 Chapter 12 .

    Owen


    "No eating anyone," Esther told the Awakened One.  The Awakened One sat in a large space in the docking bay.  "There is plenty on board to eat so you can just let someone know and we''ll get you something."


    "My people don''t need to eat," the Awakened One said.  "Eventually you won''t either. You will learn to let the light sustain you."


    "I don''t think so," Esther said.  "I like eating."


    "I won''t eat the Gatherish," the Awakened One reassured her.  "I wouldn''t eat you small ones with the light anyway."


    The captain didn''t stay to listen to the exchange.  She let Esther handle the Awakened One.


    I followed the captain.  "So, Captain Axa," I said.


    The pilots and mechanics gathered to look at the Awakened One with a mix of fear and awe.


    "What is it?" she asked.  She didn''t slow down and I had to pump my legs twice as fast to keep up with her.


    "Now that I''m a hero of the Gathering - "


    She stopped to look at me.  The ridge above her right eye arched.  "Hero?"


    "Yes, hero.  Me, Vai, Esther, Minmin and Shel.  We''re the light specialists."


    She continued towards the elevators.  "Light specialists does not equal heroes."


    "Sure it does," I said.


    I ignored it when she rolled her blue eyes.


    "So," I said, "can I get my chocolate unconfiscated please?"


    "What?  No," she said without even looking my way.


    "But I deserve it and the Starrise is out.  Couldn''t we all use a pick me up in these trying times?"


    "You smuggled it on board.  It''s against the law. And it''s not even your first offense."


    I waved at the people who stopped to watch us in the corridor and gave them a grand smile.  One had to be nice to one''s admirers after all. Something had changed in me since we had let the entire Gathering know of the Corruption and opened the light in all the others.  The guilt, secrecy, and pain that had been weighing on my heart was lifted. I was more like my old self and it felt great.


    Captain Axa got on the elevator.  I quickly followed before the door could close.


    "Captain, I know and you know that we are about to have an all out war with the Corruption.  Let''s concentrate all our efforts on that and not to stopping the people from having a little bit of happiness with chocolate."


    "Let this go.  You didn''t bring the chocolate on through proper channels.  You brought it on to save until the two restaurants on board ran out so you could sell it to them at outrageous prices which in turn they would charge to their customers."


    "Captain, what can I do for you to make this happen?  Name it. Whatever it is, I can do it or get it."


    The elevator stopped at the bridge level.  The captain stepped out. I followed her.


    "Nothing is going to change my mind," she said.  "There is nothing I want except for you to leave me alone."  She started towards the bridge.


    "Sorry, captain, but that''s not going to happen."


    She stopped walking, looked around to make sure we were alone in the corridor and then said, "What do you expect me to do?  You broke the law."


    "We''re in the middle of space, in a war against aliens that can control one''s mind.  The fleet has lost 3 ships already. Many of those who remain in the fleet lost family or friends.  All I''m asking is for a little bit of chocolate to be dispersed to give the people a small amount of happiness, my fri - captain."  I probably shouldn''t call the captain ''friend''. "I''m not going to stop pestering you until you allow it."The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It would be better - and legal - if the captain gave the go ahead instead of Security Officer Pereira continuing to sneak out the chocolate.  I was grateful to Pereira and I would keep my deal to get her the Silva doll, but if the captain allowed it I wouldn''t have to keep this secret.  And I had learned it was better not to have too many secrets.


    "If you really wanted their happiness you would give it to them for free," the captain countered.


    "But then I would be at a loss," I said.  "I paid for them with my own money."


    Captain Axa sighed and paused.  She was giving in. This was the moment the captain would give me what I wanted.


    "Here''s the deal," she said.  "You can sell what is left in equal amounts to the Starrise and the Museum Delectables.  You will sell it to them at the price you bought them.  You won''t make a profit, but you won''t take a loss. And I''ll be sure to let the Starrise and the Museum Delectables not to overcharge their customers."


    "Deal."  No one knew that I got a big discount on the chocolates.  If I sold them at their normal price, I''d still get a profit, just not as big of a one as I was planning.


    The captain turned away and made her way to the bridge.  I followed. She stopped at the doors to look pointedly at me.  I waved my arms to indicate for her to go first. She rolled her eyes, but went first through the doors.  I followed her on to the bridge.


    She stopped to look at me.  The others on the bridge stopped to look at me.


    "What?" I asked.  "You said all of the light specialists now had access to the bridge."


    The captain turned away from me and sat in the captain''s chair.  "Connect me with the other the captains," she said to the communications officer.


    It only took a few moments before the other captains were projected on the bridge.  El, Shel, Vai and Warpaint walked onto the bridge as the captains finished greeting each other.  Captain Axa looked at my friends, but didn''t address them. She turned back to the captains.


    "I spoke with the Awakened One.  He thinks it would be wise if we split the G.E.F. as we had discussed.  I still think we should only split into 2 groups. Anymore than that will put us in greater danger."


    "You should split up the light specialists then," one of the captains said.


    "No," El said.  All the captains turned to her.  She must have realized her tone was harsh because she said, "I would advise splitting them up.  They are strongest together. And even though they all passed the test to graduate early, they are still underage."


    "Shel and Minmin will officially become adults within the month," Captain Axa said.  "We can send them to the RedNova."


    "I volunteer to go in their stead," El said.  The muscles in Shel''s cheek twitched, but other than that he gave no reaction.


    "You are not a light specialist," one of the captains said.


    "I''ve had the light almost as long as they have and I was training them.  I think I''m more than adequate," she said.


    "That is true," Captain Axa said.  "She was a Jo-Dinun. She has taught us all much about the light."


    "Fine," one of the captains said.  "Send her over." He must have been the captain for the RedNova.  "I will take my group and start with the K''thaktra and human colonies as we planned."


    Captain Axa nodded.  "And my group will take care of the Bundu-Jo and Starwatcher colonies.  I''ll send El over now." She looked over at El who nodded her consent. Captain Axa turned her attention back to the captains.  "Stay in touch and stay safe." The captains repeated the goodbye and then they were all gone.


    Captain Axa stood and approached El.  "Thank you for volunteering," she said.  "I didn''t want to split up the light specialists yet."


    El nodded.  "I will go pack," she said.  She took Shel''s hand in hers in a rare show of physical affection and the two of them left the bridge.


    Vai and I exchanged one quick glance before we followed them.  Warpaint followed Vai.


    "Mom," Shel stopped as soon as we were off the bridge.


    He didn''t say anymore, but El let go of his hand and touched his cheek instead.  "I''m proud of you," she said quietly. "You will be fine."


    "I''m proud of you too," Warpaint said and he placed a large mechanical hand on Shel''s shoulder.  "And you too, sir," he said doing the same to Vai.


    "And me?" I asked.


    "And you."  Warpaint placed his third hand on my shoulder.


    "But dad''s already gone," Shel said quietly ignoring all of us except his mom.  "All I have is you."


    "You have us, friend," I said, but even as I said it I knew it wasn''t the same.  I couldn''t imagine if both of my parents left me. As the children, we were supposed to leave first not the other way around.


    "Yes, and Vai is the greatest friend one could have," Warpaint nicely interjected.


    El smiled kindly at me.  "Yes," she said, "you have your friends and a younger foster sister."


    Shel nodded and seemed to stand a little straighter.


    "I''ll contact you everyday," El said.  "Come and help me pack." That invitation wasn''t extended to Vai or myself of course.  We lingered behind as El took Shel''s hand again. They entered the elevator. We waved to them as the door closed and the elevator slid away.


    "He''ll be fine," I said.


    "It''s hard to be away from your mom," Vai said quietly.


    It would be harder for Vai as he couldn''t speak to his mom anymore.  She was dead. I placed a hand on his lower back in what I hoped was in a comforting manner.


    "Shel will be okay," I said again, but I thought of Esther and how she had not only lost her parents, but her entire family and her colony.  "He can talk to her everyday. And really, the other half of the armada do need someone more knowledgeable with the light and she is knowledgeable.  And I don''t want to be split from any of you. You''re my friends. My true friends. Like family."


    We started to walk to the elevator.


    "Especially Esther," Vai said with a knowing smile and I couldn''t deny it.  "Do you know the first time I ever saw you, you were flirting with the captain.  I''ve never seen you do it since."


    "I used to do it all the time," I said.  "I am quite handsome. The ladies love me.  But I haven''t done it for a long time."


    We got on the elevator.  "Why haven''t you tried it with Esther?"


    I paused as a warmth engulfed my heart as it did whenever I thought of Esther.  "She is special," I said quietly.

 Chapter 13 .

    Vai


    It was the first time since the Shadow left Earth that the ship landed on another planet instead of orbiting and letting the shuttles land on it.  Now that no one on board had the Corruption, there was no stopping any of us from exiting through the Aether field.


    It was also Shel''s eighteenth birthday.  We planned a small celebration later with just the few of us.  He seemed a little somber as we waited to land in the docking bay.  I was sure he was missing both his parents. Minmin stayed close to him.  Her expression was similar to Shel''s. Her birthday was only a few days away and she would spend it without her parents too.  And we knew her mom was dead.


    "Do you have your list?" Hani asked Spencer.  Hani, Spencer and Nathan stood near us. They were going planetside to restock for the Starrise.


    "Yes," he said as he fiddled with his okulus.  "There won''t be any good chocolate on this colony, but there are other supplies I can find and we can change up the menu a little bit to provide traditional Bundu-Jo meals instead of Earth meals."  He looked down at Owen. "I still can''t believe you got the captain to release the chocolate and give me such a low price."


    "I am amazing, friend," Owen said easily.  "It''s what I do."


    "Although," Spencer said, "I do wish the supplies didn''t have to be split with the Museum Delectables."


    Owen shrugged his small shoulders.  "Fair is fair," he said. "And it was the captain''s orders."


    The light specialists - including me - were the first to exit the ship.  We were now the most recognized faces in the Gathering. I knew my knowledge of the light was not adequate enough to be considered a light specialist, but we were the first in the entire Gathering to have and learn about the light so I guessed we were the closest thing to a light specialist the Gathering had.  The Awakened One would stay behind on the ship until we could gauge how the colony would react to him. He was frightening to look upon, but he was the only true one who could be called a light specialist.


    He had told all of us in the G.E.F. that we should have our light shields up constantly whether we thought we were safe or not until it became as second nature as breathing.  The first of us - my friends and Lieutenant Tanpo - now could keep our light shields up even while we slept. As far as I knew, we were the only ones able to achieve this so far.


    Outside the ship we were met with a clear blue sky, a white sun, a cool breeze, the smell of grass and flowers and tens of thousands of Bundu-Jos cheering for us as we stepped from the ship and were ushered onto a platform.


    Owen loved it of course.  He waved both his hands to the crowd with a huge smile on his face.  Minmin followed his lead when the crowd''s cheers grew louder. Esther waved almost immediately after Minmin.  Shel and I looked at each other. He sighed not wanting to join in. I knew how he felt, but we had to. We represented something bigger than us now whether we wanted to or not.  We both waved to the crowd at the same time.


    "Why are we waving, sir?"  I looked behind me to see Warpaint waving all three of his arms vigorously.  I couldn''t stop the smile that came to me at the sight.


    "I''m not sure," I replied, "but the crowd seems happy with us."


    "I would be happy if you waved at me too, sir."


    I was about to turn back to the crowd, but I saw Lieutenant Tanpo, my dad and Owen''s parents standing not too far behind us, just observing us and the crowds.  Mr. Morgan said something to my dad. My dad nodded in turn and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly. Behind them the rest of those on the ship were being ushered down a separate ramp.


    "I guess we have to get used to this," Shel said to me.  His eyes trailed the exiting crew members. Then his eyes met mine.  "I think we will always be lead to the spotlight now."


    I didn''t like the sound of that, but Shel was right.  I had to accept that this was the way it was going to be.


    "As governor of Bundu-Turelno, let me welcome you, the light specialists, to our humble colony."  A tall male Bundu-Jo said as stepped up onto the platform next to us. His image and ours was projected and magnified above us across the sky.  His voice boomed over the crowds.


    "Thank you, thank you, my friends."  Owen stepped forward as if he was made for this.  His voice was projected across the expanse. "We are humbled and grateful to be here.  Soon you all will have the greatest weapon against our enemy. You will personally be able to keep their mind stealing selves out of your brains.  Your children will be able to protect themselves. Your grandparents will be able to protect themselves. We will win this war and take back the Gathering as ours."


    The crowd roared and clapped.  Their hands flew up in the air in cheers that drowned out everything else.  Owen smiled quite pleased with himself. Owen and the governor shook hands and the cacophony became even louder.  Owen and the governor paused with their hands held together for photo opportunities and any news stations wanting to pick this up and I was sure there were plenty of news crews there.  Probably just local ones, but their stories would be picked up by the bigger Gathering stations.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I couldn''t have been prouder of Owen and happier that he was there.  None of the rest of us could have handled that like he did. I, quite frankly, didn''t want to be in the spotlight.


    Owen released the governor''s hand and raised both of his own to quiet the crowd.  It was immediately quiet.


    "Today, we will open the light in you and you in turn can open it in your families and friends and so on and so forth and let the light spread wider than the ocean.  Let it spread until every single Bundu-Jo, human, Starwatcher and K''thaktra have it."


    "No!" someone near the front of the crowd shouted.


    That silenced Owen and confused us all.


    I stretched out with my green light.


    "You are all being fooled," the Bundu-Jo continued.  "The miasmids aren''t something to be feared."


    My light touched him and I saw them - hundreds of them - in his brain.  Controlling him. I spread my light out further and let it touch random people in the crowds.


    "They are to be revered," the Bundu-Jo said.  Those around him were beginning to get angry or embarrassed.  A few tried to shush him.


    "He has the Corruption inside him," I said.  I had only meant for my friends to hear it, but it boomed across the crowds.  "And he has the Corruption." I pointed to someone further back on the left side.  "And her," I pointed to a woman in the middle on the right. "And her." I pointed to a child.  The crowd began to murmur and move. They didn''t go anywhere, just moved to get a good look at those I was pointing out.  And I continued to point out more.


    I didn''t really have a plan in pointing them out.  They were there and I wanted to expose the Corruption.  They were small in number. They couldn''t win with us there.  I wasn''t sure why they even came. They had to have known that they would be exposed.  Then again, maybe they didn''t. Maybe I had just revealed to the Corruption and everyone else in the Gathering that I could see who had the Corruption in them and who didn''t without waiting to see the pink glint in their eyes.


    "You can''t win."  I hadn''t noticed the first male Bundu-Jo had scrambled onto the platform with us.  Bundu-Jo peacekeepers moved to intercept him, but they were slow. "The miasmids always win."


    And then the first bomb went off.  And then immediately a second. Everything happened so quickly.  I knew what happened because my light still touched them. A few of those I had just pointed to exploded.  Fire rose from the crowds and rushed to engulf all the Bundu-Jo. I stood there helpless. People screamed.  People pushed to get out of the way. People ran.


    Lieutenant Tanpo screamed and her shield burst from her in two orange orbs that flew over the crowds and settled over the explosions keeping them contained.  I didn''t know she could do that. It must have been taking a toll on her though because she collapsed to her knees as she focused her two orb shields over the fire and the continuing explosions.


    "Stay behind me, sir."


    Warpaint moved in front of us.  The red lines on his metallic body spread over the white.  The Bundu-Jo that had stepped onto the platform rushed us. I saw the detonator in his hand I hadn''t noticed before.  The governor screamed and ran behind us towards the Shadow.  The Bundu-Jo with the Corruption pushed the detonator and a third bomb centered around him went off.


    Warpaint''s Aether shield surrounded the Bundu-Jo and he did no real damage other than kill himself and damage the part of the platform he was on, but the other two bombs in the crowds -


    Lieutenant Tanpo''s two shields narrowed in on themselves limiting the fire and damage further.  But the damage had been done. It could have been worse. Much worse without Tanpo''s and Warpaint''s shields, but the three Bundu-Jo who set off the explosions were dead.  Those nearest the two Bundu-Jo''s in the crowds were dead. Many near the explosions were lying on the ground and dying.


    I spread out my light to those two areas and began to heal.  I didn''t heal one at a time. I healed all injuries. I couldn''t differentiate whose injury belonged to who.  They were all blended in to one mass of injuries. I closed veins, mended bones, regulated heart beats, expanded collapsed lungs, healed burns, fixed bruises and cuts.


    "Vai."


    My vision went.  I could no longer see anything around me. Only the injuries encompassed me.


    "Vai!"


    Something slapped my cheek.  Hard. My eyes fluttered opened and bent over me were my friends and Warpaint.  Beyond them was blue sky and wisps of black smoke. I had no idea when I had collapsed to the ground or when I had closed my eyes.


    Did someone slap me?  I thought I asked it out loud, but no one answered and on an internal inspection, I hadn''t actually moved my mouth.  I couldn''t move my mouth. Or anything else. It wasn''t enough. They were still dying. Still injured.


    My eyes closed.


    "Vai!"


    This time I knew someone shook my shoulders.  My eyes fluttered open again. It was incredibly difficult to keep them open.


    Esther bent over me.  Her hands were on my shoulders.  Was she the one who slapped me? Their calls to me all blended into one voice and I couldn''t differentiate them.


    "You can''t save them all," she said.  "Stop," she pleaded quietly. "We need you.  Don''t lose yourself in the light."


    I had to save them.  My mouth didn''t move to tell her so.  I closed my eyes instead.


    "Vai!" she screamed or maybe it was Owen.  Funny how I couldn''t tell them apart when they sounded nothing alike.


    "Vai."  Someone gripped my chin.


    I managed to open my eyes again.  It was Shel bending over me this time - forcing my face to turn to his.


    "Don''t try to heal every injury," he said.  "Just stop the life threatening injuries. Leave the rest to the doctors.  Dr. Rags is already tending to the wounded and there are more doctors and nurses here.  Let them do their jobs."


    Esther ripped his hand away from my face.  "What are you telling him? Look at him. He needs to stop."


    "He won''t stop no matter what we say," Shel said and he was right.  I couldn''t let those people die.


    My eyes closed again.


    "Vai, only heal the life threatening injuries, please," Shel begged before I tuned them all out completely.


    Shel was right.  I wouldn''t last at this pace.  It was difficult. At first I still only saw one mass of injuries and couldn''t differentiate the seriousness of one from the other.  I focused everything I had to find only the bigger injuries. I closed tears in the lungs and heart. I mended a brain and closed the skull, but not the skin around the skull.  I stopped the bleeding in the person whose leg had been severed and moved on. I went from person to person skipping those who only had broken bones, bruises or cuts until I fell into darkness and stillness and knew nothing more.

 Chapter 14 .

    Shel


    "Is he dead?" the governor asked.  I didn''t realize he was right beside us.


    "No," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said.  We gave him room to be next to his son. He bent and picked him up as if Vai weighed nothing and as if the Lieutenant Commander wasn''t over 100 years old.  "He tried to heal all those people and passed out. I''ll take him back to the ship to rest." Warpaint followed him as he took Vai back to the ship.


    "Are you all right, son?" Owen''s dad asked him.  Both of his parents and Lieutenant Tanpo joined us.


    "I''m not injured," he said.  "It''s just - " He looked over the destruction.  His dad placed a hand on his shoulder.


    "Are you injured?" Lieutenant Tanpo asked the remaining of us. Myself, Minmin and Esther.


    "Not injured," Esther said.  "Just not expecting this."


    "When did you know you could split your shield like that?" Minmin asked Lieutenant Tanpo.


    "Just now when I did it," she said.  "My power seems to evolve the more desperate I am."


    "Corruption!" someone from the crowd yelled.  We looked. When Lieutenant Tanpo''s shields died away there was Corruption coming from the dead bodies that had exploded.


    Owen immediately arched out with his fire.  The Corruption tried to float away, but weren''t fast enough.  They were consumed by his flames and died into nothing but smoke.


    My okulus beeped with an incoming call.  My mother. I stepped away from everyone and answered it for voice only.  I also directed the sound so only I would be able to hear what she said.


    "Son," she said.  "Are you all right?  I heard there were explosions."


    "I''m fine," I said.  "It was the Corruption.  They planned this. Two bombs were set off in the crowds.  I don''t know how many are dead. Vai passed out trying to heal the injured.  I told him to only heal the life threatening injuries. I hope he listened to me."


    "The Corruption only went after the crowds?"


    "No.  One came after us, but Warpaint stopped him.  None of us were injured."


    "I warned the captains this might happen," she said.


    The thought hadn''t even occurred to me that the Corruption would retaliate in this way.  It should have. I needed to expand my way of thinking.


    "There is no real way to stop the Corruption from coming to these events," I said.  "Our technology does not read them. We can''t detect them inside someone even with our light.  Except for Vai. Vai can see them. Most of these colonies are not setup with Aether field technology."


    "No, but they can scan for bombs and weapons.  This wouldn''t have happened if they had listened to me," my mom said.  "They thought after nothing happened on the K''thaktra colony we just visited, that the Corruption wasn''t going to do anything."


    "Why didn''t they try anything on that K''thaktra colony?  Maybe there was no Corruption there yet."


    "I doubt that.  Son, the Corruption are not trying to stop the colonies from receiving the light.  That was why my group was not targeted. They are targeting you and your friends specifically.  The light specialists. I don''t think you''ve realized how much of a symbol you''ve become. You need to watch out for each other, but especially Vai.  He was already targeted more when he showed he could heal people of the Corruption permanently. Now that they know he can expose them to everyone else, he will become even more of a target.  The Corruption might even try to sneak on board assassins."


    "Everyone on board the Shadow now has the light.  We should be able to detect assassins."


    "Tell the Awakened One he can eat any assassins that might try to sneak on board."


    "Mom," I sighed.  "The Awakened One is terrifying enough as it is.  We are trying to appeal him to the rest of the Gathering not make him more frightening."


    "Why do you argue with everything I say lately?  I know I didn''t raise you to argue with your mother."


    "I''m not - " I sighed.  "I''m not purposely trying to argue with you.  I don''t see it as arguing, just as a light specialist giving his opinion and thoughts to a Jo-Dinun."


    "Former Jo-Dinun," she corrected.


    "I don''t think the former matters much in these circumstances," I said.


    "Shel.  I''m proud of you.  Even if it does make me a little sad you don''t need your mother anymore."


    "I''ll always need you," I said.


    "No you don''t," she said.  Her tone wasn''t sad. I could hear the pride as she quietly corrected me.


    "I''ll always love you," I amended.


    "And I love you," she said.  "I don''t say it much, but the happiest day of my life was 18 years ago."


    I made the traditional Bundu-Jo sign children did on their birthdays to show their mothers their appreciation.  Then I realized I hadn''t allowed the vid feed so she couldn''t see me. I changed the call settings to allow the projection.  My mother''s projection now stood in front of me and I repeated the sign. She smiled.


    Minmin and the others stepped down from the platform and were now opening the light in those colonists who weren''t injured or who were lightly injured.


    "I should go help them open the light," I said.


    My mom nodded.  "Shel. Remember even if he can''t contact you today - he loves you too."  I knew she spoke of my dad. "He was there the day you were born and I can honestly say that was the happiest day of his life too."


    I nodded and ended the call.  I blinked away the moisture that had burned in my eyes.  When I turned to the crowd, there was no evidence of the sadness that I felt because neither of my parents were there on the day I officially became an adult.


    *


    VaiThis story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    I woke again in my room without any recollection of how I got there.  This time though, my dad sat on my bedside. Warpaint stood quietly behind him.


    "The colonists," I said.  I hadn''t finished healing before I passed out.  I should go back and finish. I tried to sit up, but my dad pushed my shoulder back down.  I was secretly grateful that he did. My temples pounded like crazy. I thought briefly about healing myself, but using my light so much was what had caused the headache in the first place.


    "Commander Ragear said you saved a lot of lives today," my dad said.  "In fact, no one died except for those few were in the immediate vicinity of the explosions.  Lieutenant Tanpo saved many lives by splitting her shields and centering them over the blasts - Mr. Morgan told me she did that.  And those outside her shields all lived because of you. Commander Ragear told me many had life threatening injuries that you healed before he and the other medical staff could get to them."


    "Shel told me to do that," I said.  "I couldn''t differentiate injuries or people.  I was getting lost in the healing. Shel told me to heal only the life threatening injuries.  He told me Dr. Rags was there."


    "I''m grateful for him then," my dad said.  "I will have to be sure to let him know later.  It scares me sometimes - a lot of times - how lost you can get in your light.  The others don''t seem to have that problem."


    No.  They didn''t.  I hadn''t thought about it before.  "Dad."


    "What is it?"


    "There is something I haven''t told anyone."


    He waited for me to continue.


    "I could always see Esther''s light," I said.  "She and the Awakened One both said you wouldn''t be able to see the light until it was opened in you, but I always saw it.  Esther also said you wouldn''t be able to see what color of light people have until you opened it up, but I have always been able to see people''s light before it''s opened.  I know what color your light is."


    "I still don''t want my light opened," he said.


    I nodded.


    "And Vai, when the time comes, I don''t want you to heal me."


    "But - "


    "I''ve lived longer than I should have.  You are almost grown and you have exceeded my expectations.  Let me die when the time comes."


    I wasn''t sure I could overcome the temptation to heal when the time came so I decided not to focus on those words.


    "Are you sure I''ve exceeded your expectations?  I''m not going to be a scientist. Isn''t that what you always wanted?"


    "No.  I just want you to be the best you and that is greater than I imagined."


    My okulus beeped with an incoming call from Owen.  I answered it.


    "Hey, you''re awake, my friend.  Everything has settled down out here, but there are a few we caught that have the Corruption inside them.  Including that little girl you pointed out. Do you have enough energy to heal them from the Corruption?"


    "I''ll be down shortly," I said.  We ended he call.


    "You can wait a little longer," my dad said, but he stood to give me room to get off my bed.


    I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood.  "I''m okay. I''ll take a break if I need to," I said. "I can take a break as long as I know I can finish the job."


    My dad nodded.  "I''ll make sure we don''t leave until you are ready."


    "Warpaint, can I have an algae shake first?"


    "Of course, sir.  Wait a moment." He came back moments later with the dark green shake.  I drank it on my way down to the docking bay. My dad was by my side and Warpaint followed closely behind.


    The Awakened One sat in the docking bay with his elbows propped on his knees and his chin in his hands.  His large yellow eyes turned our way, but he didn''t move.


    "I thought they were going to introduce you to the colony," I said to him.


    "The captain is worried I appear too frightening," his low voice grumbled.


    "Do the colonists know I healed them?" I asked my dad.


    "Yes," he said.  "And they know you can heal them of the Corruption.  They are waiting for your appearance."


    I held my hand out to the Awakened One.  "I''ll introduce you," I said. It wouldn''t just be introducing him to the colony - it would be introducing him to the entire Gathering.  I knew that.


    The Awakened One stood.  He took my hand in his large, furry one.  I led him outside. Everyone - my friends, people from the G.E.F., and the colonists - looked at us.  Only those from the Shadow had seen him before.  Those from the other ships looked on him much the same as the colonists - a mix of fear and awe.


    I let go of the Awakened One''s hand and reshaped my okulus.  I used it to enhance the volume of my voice so everyone there would be able to hear me.


    I saw Captain Axa moving to intercept me, but I spoke first.  "This is the Awakened One. He belongs to a race of ancient beings that first opened the light to us of the Gathering.  It all began on the Lion of Judah Research Station. Unfortunately, the Corruption learned of the Lion of Judah and killed everyone including their Awakened One.  Only Esther escaped to open the light in us and others. This Awakened One will help us win this war against the Corruption."


    I reshaped my okulus and put it back on my wrist.  Esther and Captain Axa moved quickly to stand in front of me.


    "What are you doing?" they both demanded of me at the same time.  They looked at each other briefly before turning their attention back to me.


    "You made the first Awakened One sound like a hero," Esther said.  "He wasn''t. I''m glad he''s dead."


    "I only told the truth," I said.


    "When you bring him out hand in hand with you - a hero - you are giving the people a false impression," Captain Axa said.  "They will think his people will come to help us. They will think they are kind. I didn''t want them frightened of him, but they should be frightened of others of his kind."


    "This is true," the Awakened One said easily.  "Your kind should be frightened of my kind. I give a false impression.  I am the weakest. Your people should know I am the weakest."


    "You''re not helping me," I said to the Awakened One.


    "Are your people going to come help now?" Esther asked the Awakened One.  "If they see you helping us, and us winning against the Corruption, will they come?"


    "I haven''t seen you winning against the Corruption yet," the Awakened One said.


    "Your people will die if they stay in hiding," Esther said without any doubt in her voice.


    "Perhaps," the Awakened One said.  "The Corruption have already found some of us and killed us.  My brothers and sisters will still wait."


    "They are foolish," Esther said.


    "If they do decide to help," Captain Axa said, "will they find our fleet or will they go to the planets?"


    "They will most likely go to planets," the Awakened One said.  "I am already with your fleet. Why would they come here when I am already here?"


    "Will they eat some of us like the first Awakened One did?" Esther asked.


    "If their light hasn''t been opened up then yes," the Awakened One said easily.


    "No, they won''t," Esther said, "because you will tell them we will find them and kill them if they hurt any of us."


    "Why would you hurt us?  If they don''t have the light yet, they are useless."


    "No," Esther said.  Her hands were clenched tightly at her sides.  "Light or not, they are part of the Gathering. I will end your people if they hurt mine."


    The Awakened One paused for a long time.  "I will tell them you said so," he finally said, "but I don''t think your words will mean much to them."


    "Not yet," she said, "but when they see how we win time and time again when your people failed, they will reevaluate.  Remind them to reevaluate."


    He nodded his large head.


    "There are people for me to heal?" I asked Captain Axa.


    "They are gathered over there."  She pointed to a pavilion. I started to move in that direction with my father and Warpaint.  Captain Axa grabbed my arm as I passed her. "Only heal them. Don''t try to destroy the Corruption.  Let Owen or one of the others do that for you."


    I nodded and continued on my way.  Owen caught up to us halfway there.


    "I''m confused," he said.


    "About what?" I asked.


    "The explosions and fires didn''t kill the Corruption," he said.  "You didn''t notice?"


    I shook my head.  "I guess you were too busy healing.  When the fires died down in Lieutenant Tanpo''s shields, the bodies were dead, but the Corruption weren''t.  Warpaint''s shield kills them because it''s Aether. I don''t understand though why my fire kills them when regular fire doesn''t."


    "I have a hypothesis on that," my dad said.  "Fire, explosions, poisons, cold, heat, they''ve all been used to try and kill the miasmids before and none of them worked.  Only the Aether field worked. Your light mimics fire, has the same properties as fire, but I think it has properties similar to the Aether field as well.  I think the Aether field is an artificial replica of the light - a weapon we can use against the miasmids before we even knew about the miasmids."


    We reached the pavilion.


    "I will study it further," my dad said.  "The important thing is that the light works against the Corruption when our other weapons don''t."


    I spent the rest of the time healing people from the Corruption.  I let Owen and the others destroy the Corruption that came out of the people I healed.  My dad stopped me before I passed out again. The next morning when I woke, there were more people with the Corruption to heal.  I healed them until noon and then Captain Axa ordered us off planet. We had more colonies to go to open the light.


    My dad told the remaining people if they could hold those with the Corruption until we returned, I would heal them then.  I didn''t know when that would be though. Months probably. If ever.

 Chapter 15 .

    Esther


    I jumped into a different part of space and jumped again.  It was similar how the shipped jumped through F.T.L., but faster.  It only took a thought and I was there. The Awakened One had been teaching me after I asked him how he could get around in space so easily.


    I was surrounded by familiar constellations.  I was here. The Lion of Judah Research Station.  My heart spasmed for many reasons and I double checked that my pink light was still tethered to my body.  I didn''t want to face what was in the station so instead I looked around space for signs of pink and red spirits.


    Knowing that Vai had survived when he was dead - I had to come back and check.  I couldn''t stand the thought that my parents and little brother were just drifting out there somewhere.  I searched outside the station, but didn''t see any traces of spirits - my family or otherwise.


    There was one place left to look.  I didn''t want to. I didn''t want to go back to the place I once called home.  There were happy memories, sad memories and horror. But I had to know. I had to know if my family still existed in some form.  They shouldn''t be alone.


    I let my pink spirit drift inside the station.  I was prepared for dead bodies. There wasn''t any.  Had El sent someone to clean up when she found out about me?  Or had it been the miasmids?


    I wasn''t in my physical body to touch the nearest terminal, but I centered my pink power and used the power as if it were a finger.  Usually when I used my light, I used it as a weapon of force. That was easy. It was more difficult to focus it into a smaller point.  I played back the station logs until I found what I wanted. It was close to the day of the attack. The bodies were strewn all about on the playback - including the first Awakened One''s.  He was near the docking bay where he stood his ground and held the miasmids back to let me escape with the light.


    My parents were there.  Together. Near my aunts and uncles.  All dead. My little brother was further back.  He died in front of my younger cousins trying to protect them.  They were all dead behind him.


    I was connected enough to my body that I felt it when tears spilled from my closed eyes onto my cheeks.  It was a strange sensation as it wasn''t quite a physical sensation. I hurt. My spirit hurt.


    On the playback, a small group of people came to the station.  They took the bodies and burned them together - including the Awakened One.  Pink glinted from their eyes. Then they left and the station was unattended all this time.


    I focused my power one last time to shut off the terminal.  My spirit drifted to the spot on the playback where they had burned the bodies.


    "I''m sorry," I said to my family and friends.  "I''m sorry I couldn''t stay behind and be with you.  Forgive me. I took the light to the Gathering. I''ve meet great people who have become a second family.  It would be great if I could introduce you to them. Especially Owen. You would really like Owen." I said that last part specifically to my brother, Levi.  "Owen always believed in me."


    It was probably my wishful thinking, but I felt them.  For a brief moment, I felt them with me. It was warm and nice.  And fleeting. There was no visual sign of their spirit forms.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "The Gathering will win war against the Corruption.  I promise we will. Your deaths are not in vain. The entire G.E.F. now have the light and we are opening it in colonies.  Are you here with me? Please don''t be out there wandering aimless. Please be in a place of peace. If you are watching over me, I hope you are proud of me.  I''m trying my best. I have a foster brother now. He''s older, Levi, so you don''t have to worry about him taking your place. No one will ever take your places.  But it''s nice not being alone. I was alone for too long.


    "I should go back.  The fleet will be at Minidtin tomorrow.  My friend, my sister, Minmin, is especially looking forward to it.  She had her birthday a few days ago and is now officially an adult. She''s exchanged a few messages with her idol, Bars.  She''s been ecstatic which is nice to see after she lost both her parents to the Corruption. Her mother died because she refused to let the Corruption control her.  Her father is with the Corruption. So is my foster father for that matter. I''ve never met him. Shel tells me he was different though before the Corruption took him.


    "And one of my friends can do the most amazing thing.  He can heal people from the Corruption permanently. It is his light''s power.  A few people we have opened the light in can heal too, but none except Vai have been able to see the Corruption inside people, force them out and then heal the people.  It gives me hope that Minmin and Shel will get their fathers back.


    "I''ve spoken too long.  Said more than I intended.  I need to go back."


    I turned away from the ashes, but paused.  "I love you all." And then I blinked away back to my body.


    My spirit self squealed in surprise when I saw Vai''s green spirit near my body.  I had left my body sitting next to the window in mine and Minmin''s room.


    "I didn''t mean to startle you," he said.


    "It''s okay," I replied.  "I just wasn''t expecting to see you here."


    There was a moment of silence while I wondered why he was there.


    "They aren''t out there," he finally said.


    "Who?"


    "Your family.  It''s not the first time you''ve gone out to look for their spirits."


    Why did all my friends have an uncanny way of seeing through me?


    "You were there," I said.


    "I''m different," he said and there was sadness in his voice that I didn''t understand.


    "Why are you different?  Why can''t their spirits be there too?  What if we are all wrong and when we die we don''t go anywhere?  We just drift - lost. In pain."


    "But they weren''t there were they?"


    "No," I said.


    "I''m a clone, Esther," Vai said.  "My spirit is not mine."


    I wanted to refute him, but he continued on.


    "The real Vai Ma''amaloa is with the real Langi Ma''amaloa.  Together. Waiting for my father to join them. My spirit was divided and put into many different clones before my dad rejoined them and put them in me.  My spirit has been in and out of bodies - in and out of the Laumalie preserver many times.  I''ve spoken with my dad about it.  We''ve spoken several times about it actually.  We both agree. My spirit is used to being outside my body - switching bodies.  That is why I am different. My spirit survived outside myself because it was already used to doing so.  Don''t go looking for your family anymore, Esther. They are where they are supposed to be. And your new family needs you.  Shel and Minmin. And me. And Owen."


    It might have been my imagination or my silly hope, but I thought he emphasized Owen a little differently than the others.  I nodded. "Thank you, Vai. You didn''t need to come to me and explain why you are different. Honestly, I know I should be relieved that my family isn''t out there, and for the most part I am, but a small part of me wanted to see them again."


    Vai nodded.  "I know that feeling all too well.  Rest now. Move forward and help us destroy the Corruption.  None of this would have been possible without you."


    His green spirit smiled kindly at me and then he was gone.  I highly doubted I would ever go back to the Lion of Judah research station.  I said goodbye to my family and that was enough for me. Vai was right. It was time to stop looking back.  Time to stop the Corruption.

 Chapter 16 .

    Minmin


    My homeworld.  I hadn''t been here much.  Only sometimes when my parents were on leave did we come here.  We used to come to visit my grandparents on both sides, but my mom''s parents had died when I was small and my father''s parents died a few years ago.


    I stepped out of the Shadow with my friends.  The Awakened One was with us.  His shadow lumbered over all of us.  The sun was shining overhead, but it was dulled slightly like it did before the rain season started.  The air was cool and still.


    G.E.F. ships were all around us, either already landed or just landing.  The Shadow was docked in the closest spot to the open field that had been designated for today''s events.  My fellow Starwatchers filled the field in furry colors of reds, creams, whites, browns, blacks and merle.


    As there were on the last several colonies, security checkpoints were setup all around and the incoming Starwatchers had to pass through a large Aether field and be checked for bombs and weapons.  Most colonies were not setup with Aether field capabilities and those that were, they were limited to the docks. The Starwatcher homeworld had more options, but it was still quickest and easiest to setup the Aether field near the docks since they already had the equipment at the docking bays.  The Aether fields were only setup at the security checkpoints, but since no one could get in except through the checkpoints, it was fine.


    There was a large platform set up in the grassy field.  We were being ushered onto it. Several Starwatchers waited for us on the platform including the President and  - . I stopped moving. My mind couldn''t process what my eyes were showing me. Shel put his hand on my back and guided me forward.  My feet moved with Shel''s guidance. It certainly wasn''t at my brain''s command as my brain had shut down. Only Shel seemed to notice.  My other friends continued on.


    Not even Shel could compel me forward when he reached us.  Bars. The love of my life.  I had thought when he first started sending me messages that my infatuation with him would wane a little when I saw that he wasn''t perfect.  The opposite happened. The more he shared with me and became a real person instead of an idol, the warmth in my heart for him grew. The messages for his part were completely friendly and innocent and I had matched my messages to be the same, but that hadn''t stopped my heart''s growth of affection.


    And now he stood in front of me.  In all his handsome magnificence. He walked right passed my friends with his sky blue eyes solely fixed on me.  He extended a hand out to me.


    "Minmin, it is a great pleasure to finally meet you.  You''ve made our people incredibly proud."


    I blinked at him.  I heard his voice in person.  He was truly in front of me. My heart beat too fast in my chest while my head went completely blank.  My hands and feet tingled. It was suddenly extremely hot for this time of year on Minidtin. Now the rest of my friends noticed.  I swallowed. I should say something. Anything.


    Silence as Bars stood in front of me with his hand stretched out in my direction.  The enthusiasm on his face changed slowly to confusion and he looked up at Shel. He didn''t retract his hand.


    Shel nudged me.  My hand shot out and took Bars''s.  Bars smiled at me and my insides burst hotly as a sun just formed inside my heart.


    "I''m glad to meet you too," I managed to say.


    I was in a daze as we continued walking to the President and the others on the Starwatcher council.  I tried not to stare too obviously at Bars as the President addressed the crowd. It was difficult to concentrate on the President''s words.  Something about being proud of us maybe. He said something about the miasmids, but who cared when Bars was next to me?


    Except Bars''s expression changed as he looked at the President.  He seemed angry. And my friends - Shel, Esther, Vai and Owen - all stepped forward.  Vai even grabbed the Starwatcher President and pulled him away from the old fashion microphone that Starwatchers used mostly for show.


    What did the President say?  What had I missed?


    "Does he have the Corruption?" Shel asked Vai.


    Owen stepped up to the mic.  "My friends," his voice boomed over the Starwatcher crowd.  My fellow Starwatchers were close to mayhem. They drowned out Owen''s voice.


    "Not currently," Vai said to Shel.  "But he did until very recently."


    "No!" the President screamed out and kicked at Vai''s leg.  Vai easily sidestepped the kick.


    One of the Starwatchers from the council pushed Owen away and said to the crowd, "They are deceiving you.  The miasmids offer peace. Peace of mind, peace of spirit, peace of the body. There is nothing to fear from them.  We should welcome them. Let yourselves be open to - "


    Owen pushed him out of the way.  "The Corruption take control of your mind," he said to the crowd.  "They take away your free will. They offer pain and slavery."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The crowd was in chaos.  Vai held the President''s head between his hands.  I knew what he was doing. He was healing him of the Corruption.  The council members tried to attack us. A ring of fire immediately formed around Owen and they couldn''t touch him.  Shel, Esther, Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint easily fought off the others as more from the G.E.F. joined us and held the council at bay.


    I looked at Bars.  His head whipped from the crowds to the council and my friends and back again.  His fists were clenched at his sides. Did the Corruption have him to? My heart split and split again.  He had been the main thing to keep me from falling apart when the Corruption took my parents. He didn''t know it, and it was wrong of me to put so much of my happiness on someone I hadn''t even met, but I had and now I was beginning to crumble at the thought that the Corruption had him too.


    Bars turned to me.  His sky blue eyes bore into me.  The dull sunlight glinted on his cinnamon fur.


    "Open my light," he said to me.


    Relief flooded through me.  It would be impossible to open his light if the Corruption had him.  He wouldn''t ask me to. He was still my Bars. I meant Bars. He was still himself.


    I quickly placed one hand on his soft forehead and the other to the back of his neck.  I closed my eyes and reached out. I couldn''t see his light, but I could sense it. I pulled.  It was stubborn. I pulled harder with my white light. His light - I still couldn''t see it - stretched as my light pulled.  And then it came loose in a sudden rush and his purple light surrounded him. The purple color reminded me of the purple lightning that would sometimes streak the skies during the rainy season.


    "If you don''t comply," one of the council members screamed as security from the Shadow dragged him away, "you will all die!"


    It was the first time any of us noticed them - the enormous pink cloud that drifted towards the crowd.  It was high enough in the sky that it would simply saunter over the Aether fields that had been setup.


    They were too far away still for mine and Owen''s powers to have effect.  All of us could only watch on in horror as the cloud settled on the back of the crowd.  The Corruption didn''t even try to take over the people. They just killed them.


    "Not again," Esther whispered.  Her voice was filled with anguish and terror.


    "Vai," Shel said, "it''s too many to heal.  Stop trying."


    I looked over at Vai.  His eyes were closed and his face had taken on that familiar calm that indicated he was healing.  But Shel was correct. The Corruption moved to fast - killed too many. There was no way Vai could keep up.  Vai collapsed to the ground.


    The people in the crowd were defenseless.


    "Not again," Esther said, but this time with resolve.  She jumped down into the crowd and sprinted towards the back.  The Starwatchers in the crowd quickly got out of her way. They were trying to get as far away from the pink cloud as possible so it wasn''t that difficult for a path to form.


    I remembered what happened to Vai on Doussix.  The Corruption had ripped through his shield as if it was nothing.  Esther was headed into a similar situation. Alone.


    Owen didn''t hesitate as he jumped off the platform and ran after Esther.  Lieutenant Tanpo tried to push her shield out towards the people like she had before, but the Corruption was too far away and now too spread out.  She gave up trying and instead she jumped down and followed Esther and Owen.


    "Warpaint, stay with Vai," Shel called out as he jumped down after Lieutenant Tanpo.


    "Of course, sir," Warpaint said.  The red had already spread over his white, metallic frame.  "It goes without saying."


    I stepped towards the edge of the platform to follow Shel, but someone grabbed my wrist.


    I turned slightly to see Bars.  "It''s too dangerous," he told me.


    Should I be offended or flattered?  I wasn''t sure. "I know what I''m doing," I said.  "I won''t leave my friends and my people to die."


    He let go of my wrist.  There was no hesitation as I jumped down into the crowds and rushed after Shel.  I caught up and passed him. I passed Lieutenant Tanpo and Owen and arrived at the back at the same time as Esther.


    She released her pink power into the Corruption.  The pink cloud thinned where she hit it with her light.  It wasn''t enough. Not nearly enough. I called on my light and released my white lightning.  It zagged into the cloud and jumped from one Corruption to the next and so on until hundreds were dead, but it wasn''t enough.


    And now they knew we were there.


    Thousands upon thousands of Corruption rushed at us.  My shield was up, but I felt the little tears as they tried to cut through.  It took all my concentration to mend those tears before any Corruption could get inside.


    Yellow fire blasted over us, passed us as Owen reached us.  With our shields up the fire didn''t harm us. It wasn''t enough and the Corruption - so many of them - now surrounded Owen as well.  And then Lieutenant Tanpo and Shel arrived. Lieutenant Tanpo''s shield encompassed all of us. The Corruption could no longer reach us.


    They turned away from us and back to the crowds.  I hesitated knowing if I used my power on the Corruption now, I would also be hurting my fellow Starwatchers who were defenseless.  I wasn''t the only one who hesitated. We all hesitated. And in that hesitation the Corruption cut their way into my people. Blood spread out over fur.  Screams cut through the space. Starwatchers died.


    "Don''t hesitate," Bars said.  I wasn''t sure when he had arrived.  His hand shot out towards the Corruption that had settled over the crowds, but nothing happened.  He looked at his hand in frustration.


    "He''s right," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  "Your hesitation is killing more Starwatchers than saving them."


    Others from the G.E.F. were nearby.  Captain Axa didn''t hesitate as her power knocked into the Corruption and Starwatchers.


    Esther released her power again and the Corruption and Starwatchers were knocked away from her.  Owen''s fire burst into the crowds as tears streamed down his pale cheeks.


    I released my lightning.  My heart ripped open as my electricity caught and killed the Corruption, but also the Starwatchers caught in the pink cloud.


    Purple lightning arched with mine.  Bars''s power was the same as mine. The white and purple lightning danced and intertwined - and killed.


    The pink cloud was shrinking dramatically as more of us with the light joined the fight against them.  Those that were left lifted in the air and tried to speed away.


    They were encompassed in purple.  The purple light crushed into itself again and again.  The Corruption couldn''t escape it. They folded into themselves over and over again until there was nothing left of the pink.


    I looked at Shel.  It was the first time he had ever successfully used his power without physical touch.  And it took its toll. He passed out like Vai who was still passed out on the platform.


    The remaining living Starwatchers cheered.


    But I saw the dead Starwatchers the Corruption killed.  The Starwatchers we killed along with the Corruption.

 Chapter 17 .

    Vai


    I came awake in one quick moment with only one thought on my mind - I had to save them.  My temples pounded painfully when I sat up, but I didn''t care. They were dying.


    My dad''s large hand gently guided my shoulder back down to my bed.  "Rest," he said.


    "No.  They are dying.  I have to save them."


    I sat up again and pushed him roughly out of the way as I stood.  Dizziness washed over me and my legs gave out, but Warpaint was there to hold me up.


    "Sir, you need to be careful.  Rest some more." He tried to take me back to the bed, but I tore away from his grasp and stepped away from the two of them.  I blinked several times until I no longer saw double of everything.


    "They are dying," I repeated.  It had been horrible. The Corruption had cut into them, swam in their veins, ripped their hearts, collapsed their lungs, tore at their brains.  I couldn''t heal them quickly enough. By the time I repaired the heart, the brain was already gone. I wasn''t capable enough. I wasn''t enough.


    I couldn''t stop the next thought that came to me - Original Vai would have been enough.


    "It''s too late," my dad said.  "It''s over."


    My knees shook as they threatened to give out on me again. I leaned up against the far wall instead.  "What happened after I passed out?"


    "Your friends and the rest of the ship''s crew took care of the Corruption," my dad said.


    "Your young friend, Shel, was finally able to use his power without touch," Warpaint said.  "He killed the final Corruption."


    "And then he passed out too," my dad said.  "I''m glad the light exists and we can use it as a weapon against the miasmids, but I think you and your friends are pushing yourselves too far.  You are not the only ones with the light anymore."


    "But we have become a symbol," I said quietly.  "And I''m still the only one who can heal people from the Corruption''s influences.  Unless," sudden hope rose within me and made me feel lighter. I was no longer dizzy, no longer shakey in the knees, "someone else can heal now too.  Were the Starwatchers light opened? Was there anyone else who can do what I can?" Please.


    "The lights in the Starwatchers were open," my dad said, "and there were some who could heal and some who could destroy, but none that can do both and none that can heal the Corruption''s damage."


    My hope sunk.  "It''s still early," I said with what little hope I had left, "maybe eventually they will learn they can."


    My dad nodded.  "Maybe," he said, but I could tell he didn''t mean it.


    "Then are there Starwatchers I need to heal of the Corruption?  The president and council members?"


    "Yes," my dad said.  "Warpaint, take him to the docking bay."


    "You''re not coming with us?" I asked.


    "I''m needed in a meeting with Captain Axa and the rest of the captains," he said.  "It has technically already started, but I couldn''t leave you while you were still like that.  Son," he said quieter, "please be more aware of yourself. It frightens me that you will go too far with the light and die from overuse or not be able to come back from it."


    I nodded, but didn''t mean it.  I couldn''t not heal. It wasn''t that I chose to ignore my dad''s words, but something inside me just could not ignore the need to heal.


    My dad sighed as if he knew what I was thinking, but he nodded and stepped out.


    Warpaint and I followed him, but we separated at the elevators.  Warpaint took me down to the docking bay of the Shadow.  The Awakened One sat inside, but near the bay.  I was surprised to see my friends and several of the Shadow''s security officers waiting inside the docking bay as well.  Behind them in restraints were the president of Minidtin and the council members.  I went to them.


    "Are you all right?" Esther asked me.


    "Fine," I said.  "Are you all right?" I asked Shel.  He showed no sign that he had passed out too.  "I heard you can finally use your power without touch."


    "Yes," he said.  "Hopefully I''ll be able to do it again in the future without fainting."


    I looked passed them to the restrained Starwatchers.  "This can''t be everyone on Minidtin who had the Corruption."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "It''s not," Lieutenant Tanpo said, "but Captain Axa said we can''t linger here.  There are unconfirmed reports of the missing K''thaktran ships moving to intercept us.  You are only to heal these ones and then we''ll move on."


    "But the others - "


    "Will have to wait until we can come back here," Lieutenant Tanpo interrupted me.


    I was forced to leave more behind that I had the capability to heal.  Realistically I knew it would take too long to heal everyone on the colonies and the homeworlds of the Corruption, but it tore at my core to leave them.


    I stepped passed my friends and the Shadow security officers until I stood in front of the president of Minidtin.  He tried to step away from me, but there was nowhere he could go. I placed my hands on either side of his head and closed my eyes.  I knew how to heal the Corruption''s influences and I did it quickly and then moved onto the next Starwatcher. It didn''t take long as there weren''t too many that needed to be healed.


    I looked at the large entrance that separated the Shadow from the docks of Minidtin.  Could I make it out before anyone could stop me?  Wouldn''t it be better for me to stay and heal more people?


    Minmin''s small hand took my large one.  I hadn''t realized she was next to me. She slightly shook her head from side to side telling me not to go.  And she was right. There were more worlds and more colonies we needed to go to. The Corruption was on the move.  I was needed on the Shadow.


    I said a brief goodbye to my friends, gave small nods to the healed Starwatchers who thanked me and headed back to my quarters.  Original Vai would have been a better fit for this power, for this fight and better for my friends.


    Warpaint followed me silently.  I went back into my room and took my okulus off my wrist.  Shel had said we could use his sanctuary whenever we wanted and I had never taken him up on his offer.  I wasn''t sure if anyone else had either. But right now, in this moment of my despair that I wasn''t the original, I just wanted to get away from everything.


    I reshaped my okulus, placed it over my head and entered the ansible.  I quickly accessed Shel''s sanctuary. The cool breeze from over the ocean settled over me.  Shel''s pet bird cocked it''s head at me from its tree. I didn''t change my usual clothes except to remove everything from my feet.  I walked barefoot in the silver sand. The little granules shifted under my feet, squished between my toes. I stepped into the gentle waves that lapped around my ankles.  The sand shifted underneath me as I sat with my arms placed on my knees and my head on my arms.


    I had convinced my friends to kill Other Vai because I thought I was the better clone.  I still felt that way, but in the end I was just a clone. There was a sadness deep in my heart that my childhood memories - especially of my mom - weren''t mine.  Every time I had been angry at my dad after I woke up because he destroyed my relationships with my friends and girlfriend - that was all fake. Nothing was mine. It all belonged to Original Vai.


    Time passed.  I didn''t know how much time.  I slowly became aware that I wasn''t alone.  I had no idea when he came into the program and sat by me at the water''s edge.  It was difficult to get any sound passed my throat to start a conversation so eventually I gave up and we continued to sit in silence.


    The sky changed from a clear blue to purples and reds when there was a sudden sunset.  I turned my head to look at Shel, but I still had my head on my folded arms.


    "Do you want to talk about what''s bothering you?" he asked.


    I swallowed.  My voice hadn''t returned to me so instead of answering I sat back with my hands in the sand behind me.  I focused on the sunset. The sun didn''t descend any more. It just stayed in its spot in the sky. The sunset was beautiful at first, but the purples and reds never shifted.  The sunset was fake. Like me.


    "You all would have been better off if it had been Original Vai here instead of me," I whispered.


    "What?"  His voice was low, rough, quiet.  Angry. I ignored it.


    "Original Vai would have discovered his light''s power earlier.  He would have been more proficient. He could have saved all those people today."


    Shel clenched his blue jaw tightly.  It made his white stripes contrast even more against the blue.


    "Or," he said in that same low voice, "maybe Original Vai''s light would be something completely different and the Gathering wouldn''t have anyway to heal from the Corruption."


    "Maybe," I conceded, "but that doesn''t change the fact that I''m a fake Vai."


    Shel shifted in the sand so he sat facing me instead of beside me.  He remained quiet, but I could see it there beneath his eyes. He was furious and I wasn''t sure why.  "Then what does that make us?"


    "What do you mean?  You''re not clones."


    "Vai," his voice softened slightly.  He swallowed and his eyes changed as if he had just swallowed his anger.  "We knew something wasn''t quite right with Other Vai. We never once thought that with you.  Even when we knew you were a clone. I never knew Original Vai. I don''t ever want to know Original Vai.  I know you. If you say you''re fake then what does that make of our friendship? What does that make your friendship with all of us?  Are we all fake then too? Is our friendship?"


    I hadn''t ever thought of it quite like that.  I sat in silence. There wasn''t a clear way to answer him.


    "I''m telling you right now, Vai, you may be a clone, but you are not fake.  You are ours. You are Our Vai. We wouldn''t trade you for anything. Especially not for Original Vai or anymore Other Vais.  You are a complete being - clone or not. Your ability with the light is one of a kind and it is incredible. It is literally the main thing giving hope to the Gathering right now.  Don''t try to make yourself be less than you are. You are not less."


    Something inside my being shifted.  Because I believed him.


    "So what if your memories of your past aren''t yours?" Shel went on as if he had read my mind.  "The memories you have of us are yours. Don''t lessen us by lessening yourself."


    The sky changed to twinkling stars.  I wasn''t sure if the sunset had continued and I had missed it or if Shel had just changed the program to night.  Did it matter? Each one had been beautiful, the blue sky, the purples and reds of sunset, the dark sky with the blinking lights that reflected off the water.


    "Don''t try to be the Original Vai," Shel said.  "Just be Our Vai."


    My heart lifted in my chest.  It was as if a fog had been in my brain and it suddenly cleared.  A small smile came to my lips. "Okay," I simply said.


    He smiled.  He settled back on the sand so he could look fully up into the night sky.  His bird flew from the tree and landed on the sand on the other side of him.  He reached out without looking at it and stroked the top of it''s head.


    I settled down next to him and watched the stars.

 Chapter 18 .

    Vai


    The corridor was slightly cool as Warpaint and I exited the elevator.  The two security officers didn''t hinder us as we entered the bridge. Owen sat in the new chair that had been set up near the captain''s chair.  His short legs didn''t reach the floor. He looked more like a child instead of the 18 year old he would soon be. Especially since he kept pushing the command button on the arm of the chair that caused the chair to swivel back and forth.


    Captain Axa was doing her best to ignore him.  I was surprised she hadn''t told him to stop. The other people on the bridge would sneak glances at my friend, but no one said anything.


    Owen saw me and jumped from the chair landing lightly on his feet.  "My friend," he said. "I relinquish the next shift to you." He swept his arm out grandly to the new chair.


    "Thanks," I said.


    He drew closer to me and motioned for me to lean in closer so I did.


    "Remind me why we have to take shifts on the bridge again," he whispered.


    He knew.  We had been over it many times, but instead of explaining it all again, I just whispered back, "Because the captain ordered us too."


    Owen frowned at Captain Axa.  She in turn lifted the ridge above her right eye, but didn''t say anything.


    "It''s pointless," Owen whispered as he turned his attention back to me.  "The Corruption is not stupid enough to attack the G.E.F. Especially now that they don''t have any spies in the fleet."


    "Maybe," I whispered back, "but the G.E.F. hasn''t been hiding it''s schedule.  The Corruption has already tried to attack us on some of the colonies and the Starwatcher homeworld.  And the Gathering council is paying us now as official Light Specialists."


    "Yeah, but - "


    "Gentlemen," Captain Axa interrupted our whispering.  "You can talk later, when Vai isn''t on duty."


    "Of course, friends.  No problem," Owen said.  He gave me a look and then left the bridge.


    I sat on the seat Owen had just vacated.  I wouldn''t admit it out loud, but secretly I agreed with Owen.  At least partially. I thought it was good that we be included in meetings discussing the Corruption and colony safety, etc.  But I wasn''t sure why we had to take shifts on the bridge. It allowed us less time altogether and less time to train. And if the Corruption attacked the fleet, what could we do?  Shel and Minmin knew the internal workings of the ships and commands, but the rest of us didn''t. We didn''t have the authority to order the ship to attack if we thought the Corruption were attacking.


    In the middle of the bridge was a projected image of the Shadow and the space around it.  It showed the nearest G.E. ships.  Space was quiet around the G.E. ships.  The ships jumped into a new section of space led by the Shadow.  Two officers currently worked at the F.T.L. stations.  There was one person at the science station. I recognized her as one of my dad''s people.  I supposed all the science officers were my dad''s people. She was a Starwatcher with dark gray fur.  I couldn''t remember her name.


    There were of course other stations.  The pilots for example worked closely with those at the F.T.L. stations.  Then there were those at the Aether field station and the weapons and shields stations and the engineering station.  I didn''t recognize any of them. They didn''t say much to us when we came on our shifts. If anyone thought we shouldn''t be there, I never heard it.


    The good thing about having a shift on the bridge, is that I finally got paid.  It wasn''t much, but it was my own money and not my dad''s. We were officially on the Gathering payroll.


    We jumped to another part of space.


    "Sensors are picking up other ships in the area, Captain," someone said.


    "They just jumped in after we did," one of them stationed at the F.T.L. said.


    Captain Axa stood.  "Show me," she said.


    The projection of the Shadow zoomed out to a wider area.  It revealed more of the G.E.F. and below us - if you can say below in space - were several K''thaktran ships.


    "These ships are the missing K''thaktran ships," someone told the captain.


    Warpaint stepped closer to the chair I sat in.


    "Sound the high alert to the rest of the ship," Captain Axa said.  She turned to me. "Do you think the miasmids are onboard."


    "Undoubtedly," I said.


    "Can you confirm?" she said.  "I don''t want to attack if they are coming to us for help."


    "We have not been able to open communications with them," someone else said.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The captain watched me.  Other heads turned to me.  It was obvious the Corruption was involved, but I closed my eyes and lifted out of my body.  My spirit spanned the distance in a blink. I didn''t have to get too close for my light to tell me the K''thaktra inside the ships were filled with the Corruption.  I jumped back into my body and opened my eyes.


    "It is the Corruption," I said.


    The captain turned to her bridge crew, "Inform the rest of the G.E.F. captains that we will wait for them to make the first move.  The miasmids are already trying to paint themselves into something good and us as something bad to the citizens of the Gathering. We cannot give them a reason to discredit us."  The captain turned to me. "Tell the Awakened One and the other light specialists to be ready. They are the only ones I will allow at this time to fight in space."


    I nodded.


    "This time, light specialists include Lieutenant Tanpo," Captain Axa said.


    There was a reason she only included Lieutenant Tanpo and the light specialists to fight in space.  Although everyone on the G.E.F. had been practicing in space, we were still the best at it. We had been able to strengthen our shields more than anyone else and we were the only ones who could hear each other now through the light without actually having to leave our bodies.  Communication was fast on the G.E.F. ships, but not as fast as direct mind to mind communication.


    I stretched out with the light and almost immediately connected with the others to relay the captain''s instructions.  When I focused back on the bridge, the K''thaktran ships were much closer to the G.E.F. ships than they had been moments before.


    "They are still not answering us," the communications officers said.


    It was at that time that red streaked from the K''thaktra''s lead vessel and struck the Eternity.  The Eternity''s Aether shield managed to keep out most of the damage, but several red streaks followed the first from different K''thaktran ships.  They all targeted the Eternity.


    "Vai, send your group out into space," Captain Axa demanded.  "Make sure they stay within Lieutenant Tanpo''s shield."


    I only half listened to her as she gave commands to the others.  I didn''t close my eyes because I wanted to relay what I saw on the projection to my fellow light specialists.


    Move out, I told them.  Stay in Lieutenant Tanpo''s shield.  That includes you too, Awakened One.  He would like us to believe otherwise - but his shield could not keep the miasmids out like Lieutenant Tanpo''s could.  He didn''t say anything to that, but he wasn''t rebellious. At least, he hadn''t been with us. I didn''t think his own people were too pleased with him for getting involved.


    I followed them with my green light as they exited the Shadow.  In the next moment they were near the Eternity.  They attacked the first ship that had damaged the Eternity.  Minmin''s white lightning rolled off the metal of the K''thaktran ship, but didn''t do any damage.  Same with Owen''s fire and Esther''s power.


    Shel on the other hand was able to get his purple light passed the enemy shields.  Ever since Minidtin he had been able to use his power without touch, but not on as great a scale or he would faint again.  But wherever his purple light touched on the red K''thaktra ship, that small area would crush into itself over and over again leaving a small hole in the ship.  It wasn''t a lot of damage, but in space, a little bit of damage could cause deaths.


    The Awakened One''s light did the most damage.  His gray light touched the metal of the K''thaktra ship and the metal was ripped away in great heaps.  I pretended I didn''t see the K''thaktra that were sucked out into space, but it was difficult. The need to heal them as they died in space was strong, but even if I had attempted it, we couldn''t get them back into safety before the effects of space hit them again.


    I let them die.


    Through the projection on the bridge, I saw the K''thaktran ships had got through the Eternity''s shield and were now doing real damage to it.  Their attention was soon divided now as the other G.E.F. ships joined the fray.


    Red zapped from the K''thaktra ships my friends attacked.  It split a hole through Lieutenant Tanpo''s shield. The Awakened One grabbed her and pulled her behind him just as the red blast hit him.  His gray shield managed to keep it out.


    Why can''t I stop the beam? Lieutenant Tanpo asked.


    Its composition is different from that of the Corruption, the Awakened One said.  My shield can keep it out, but yours can''t.


    I felt the Corruption more than saw them even though I was on the bridge of the Shadow and my friends were closer to them.  The enormous pink cloud did not show up on the image being projected on the bridge of the Shadow.


    Above you, I warned my friends.  The mass of Corruption streaked towards my friends.  Lieutenant Tanpo refocused her shield around them and kept the Corruption out.  A second red streak from the K''thaktran ship cut through her shield. The Corruption rushed through the opening.  Many got in before Lieutenant Tanpo could close it.


    Minmin''s lightning and Owen''s fire took care of the ones that managed to get inside.  Esther used her power to push the Corruption outside the shield away. A third red streak cut through Lieutenant Tanpo''s shield.  More Corruption rushed inside. Esther managed to push some back outside the shield, but not all of them. Minmin and Owen continued to take care of the ones that managed to break through Lieutenant Tanpo''s shield.


    The Awakened One and Shel continued their destruction on the ship.  Shel continued to crush smaller holes into the ship while the Awakened One''s power tore the metal free.  The Awakened One not only tore the metal away, but used that metal as artillery to cut through nearby K''thaktran ships.


    Something was off.  I studied the projection on the bridge, but didn''t see anything other than the obvious to make me feel this way.  I centered on my light and my friends, but I already knew the Corruption was there. I wished I was out there with them.  But on second thought, my power was to heal and that wasn''t much help to my friends at the moment, so maybe I was better where I was.


    What was it that I was missing?  The urgency tightened around my chest.  There was something.


    The Shadow rocked.  I lost all focus of my friends in that moment and was squarely back on the bridge.


    "There is a hull breach on deck 2.  The science labs."


    And that was it.  That was what I missed.  I was already off my seat and moving to the door.


    "What caused it?" Captain Axa asked.  "Where are you going?"


    I reached the door.  I paused and looked back at her.  Now that I knew where to look, I knew what I had missed.  "There is a small camouflaged ship just outside the science labs," I said.  "There are ten K''thaktra, 3 humans and 3 Brist on board."


    "Tell security," Captain Axa said to one of the people on the bridge, but I didn''t stay to listen.


    Now that I knew they were there, that they blew a hole in the ship directly in the science labs, I knew what they were after.  It was the same reason the Corruption had targeted me all along. But they had never really been after me. They were after my father.

 Intterlude 10 .

    El


    My heart wrung in a strange twist of love and anger when the missing G.E.F. ships jumped in next to us.  The Armstar, my husband''s ship.  It had been my home for years.  Svolun was on board. I knew he was.


    In one moment, I remembered our first kiss under the moonlight on the beach.  His eyes had looked on me with such tenderness. It had been the beginning of our lives as if nothing before that had mattered.  The next moment, I remembered the pink in his eyes as he tried to rip out the top stud in my ear. I reached up and touched that ear.


    "They refuse to respond," the communications officer said to Captain Les.


    And then the Armstar fired on us.  Their weapon systems had been modified.  It was no longer the standard Gathering Exploration ship.


    "They are only three ships," Captain Les said.  "They can''t expect to win."


    Just as the captain ordered the ship to fire back, ten Brist ships jumped in below the Armstar.  The Brist ships moved to intercept the rest of the G.E.F. ships while the opposing G.E.F. ships targeted the RedNova.


    Don''t do this.  I sent the thought across the expanse and hoped my husband would somehow hear and when he heard that he would somehow be able to resist the miasmids.


    The Armstar fired on us again.  The other two ships joined in.


    "Captain, our shields are failing."


    Captain Les turned to me.  "Take a crew out into space and battle with the light."


    I nodded.  I had been training several officers for this very thing.  Before I could call to them to gather someone said, "There is a hole breach in engineering!"


    I didn''t wait any longer as I rushed to the door.  The final words I heard before I left the bridge were, "The Aether field is down!"


    When I called my crew, I was pleased to see they had already gathered at the docking bay.  It didn''t take me long to reach the docking bay. The Aether field was down, but the backup system - the old system - was on.  We all had our light shields up so even if there had been a breach in the bay, we wouldn''t have been bothered by space.


    I opened my mouth to order them to move out, but I froze with my mouth open.  From space came the largest pink cloud of the miasmids I had seen yet. They came in the bay.  They didn''t bother with me and my people.


    The cloud flew passed us and we heard screams come from the corridors beyond.  Our light shields were not strong enough to keep out so many of the miasmids.


    "Jo-Dinun, what do we do?"


    I wasn''t officially a Jo-Dinun anymore, but the people on board felt I needed a title so that''s what they called me.


    Sorry, Shel.  This may be the day I die.


    "We need to help our people," I said.  I started to lead them in a charge back into the corridor when several shuttles entered and landed.


    And he stepped out of the first shuttle.  My husband. Svolun. Our eyes locked.  His were blue for a brief moment before the pink glinted from them.  He swallowed. A young K''thaktra stepped out beside him momentarily drawing my gaze away from Svolun.  He was about Shel''s age. He smiled as he looked between my husband and me. It wasn''t a pleasant smile.  A little human girl and a Brist stepped out behind the K''thaktra. Others stepped out behind them and from the other shuttles.


    "Jo-Dinun," one of my people said behind me.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "We must stop them," I said as my eyes met my husband''s again.


    My husband didn''t say anything as he stared at me across the distance.  The young K''thaktra next to him led the charge.


    The K''thaktra was in front of me now.  He punched at my face with the barbs on the back of his hand leading the way.  I dodged, grabbed his arm and used his momentum to throw him forward. Svolun smiled when he saw and then his face contorted in pain.


    The young K''thaktra regained his footing and charged at me again.  I called on my light and when I grabbed his forearm after he tried to punch me a second time, I sliced with my red light.  It cut through his exoskeleton. He pulled away from me before I could slice his arm completely off. Orange blood trickled from the wound where my slice hadn''t cauterized the wound.


    The little human girl came to stand beside him.  She looked at the wound and frowned harshly at me.  Then she charged me with her knife leading the way. Pink in her big brown eyes.  The K''thaktra grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her back beside him.  She turned that frown at him, but he shook his head at her.


    He pushed her gently towards the Brist that had exited the shuttle with him.  The Brist was in battle with one of my people. He was being held at bay by a wall of wind, but my person wouldn''t be able to keep that up for too much longer.


    The K''thaktra looked me over with new respect.  His feet shifted as he prepared another attack against me.  Svolun had moved and now stood next to the K''thaktra. He placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.


    "Help Sally with that one," my husband told him and nodded his head toward the little human girl and the Brist.  "I will handle her." He looked at me.


    "How many times must I tell you you aren''t in charge anymore?" the K''thaktra said to him.


    "Why must you argue every single time, Thrissko?  I''m not going against the miasmids this time."


    They looked at each other both with pink in their eyes as if the miasmids were communicating through them without words.


    "Fine," the K''thaktra said.  He took a step away, but stopped to say, "but I don''t think the miasmids will be pleased with you when you fail to kill your wife."


    Then it was only my husband and I.  There was fighting all around us, screams from the corridor, but I only saw Svolun.  I hated him. I loved him. I was angry with him. I pitied him.


    How did we come to this?  But I couldn''t voice it.


    He rushed me.  I blocked a kick.  He blocked an elbow.  It was just like when we used to spar.  We continued that way with neither of us truly serious about hurting the other.  I let him push me back away from the others as we continued to fight. He fought harder when he realized he couldn''t really hurt me because I had my light shield up.  I called the light several times to my hands, but stopped before I cut through his flesh - the flesh I had caressed and kissed - the flesh of the person I missed more than anything.  When Bundu-Jo bonded it was for life. There would never be anyone else for me but him.


    "Svolun," I whispered before I could stop myself.


    He stopped and took a step away from me.  He grabbed his head as the miasmids hurt him.


    "Vai can help you," I said quietly.  I knew it was hypocritical of me. I had told Vai and the others that he couldn''t heal everyone and that he shouldn''t try.  But I wanted my husband back. I wanted Shel''s father back. I wanted to be a family.


    A strange sound escaped his throat as he bent forward.  I could no longer see his face.


    The sounds of fighting around the docking bay grew quieter.  I couldn''t look away from my husband to see who was winning.


    "Svolun," I pleaded.


    His hand shot up with such force and strength that it broke through my shield and closed around my neck.  Pink was in his eyes, but so were tears.


    He squeezed, but not with enough force to block my air completely.  And to choke a Bundu-Jo, he would have needed to keep this up for an hour.  We both knew that.


    "Hurry and finish her off and let''s move on," the young K''thaktra said behind him.


    Svolun''s hand tightened around my throat not because he was obeying the K''thaktra, but because he was suddenly angry.


    There was fresh blood on the K''thaktra''s hands that wasn''t his own.  The little human girl stood beside the K''thaktra. Fresh blood was on her knife.


    I closed my eyes trying to deny the truth.  I didn''t want to see what had happened to my crew.  When I opened my eyes, the tears were no longer in my husband''s eyes.  A pink haze of miasmids was in the air above where the fighting had taken place earlier.


    "I''ll do it for you if you can''t," the K''thaktra said.


    Svolun kissed me.  It was warm and welcomed and familiar and needed.


    Then he pushed me through the field and out into space.  I hadn''t realized our fighting had taken us so close to the bay opening.


    The K''thaktra smirked and he walked away with the human girl and Brist close on his heels.  Svolun watched me as I drifted away from the ship. The ship jumped away along with the other 3 opposing G.E.F. ships and the 10 Brist ships.


    The SingingStar approached me.  I used the light to close the distance and enter the SingingStar''s bay.  I was the lone survivor from the RedNova.  The miasmids wouldn''t leave the rest of the crew alive.  With the light opened in them, the miasmids couldn''t enter and control them.  The only option left was to kill them. Another ship lost. An entire crew dead.


    And I couldn''t shake the feeling that I just saw my husband for the last time.

 Chapter 19 .

    Vai


    The elevator opened on deck 2 and Warpaint and I ran through the corridor towards the labs.  I stretched out with my light. Everyone in the labs was down, but that wasn''t because of the blast.  The labs had filled with a gas that caused everyone - including my dad - to fall unconscious. The 3 humans and 3 Brist were now in the science labs near my father, but they didn''t have him yet.


    We reached the doors to the labs, but they wouldn''t slide open.  I looked to Warpaint. "They are closed because of the hole breach," he said.  Most of the unconscious scientists had lost focus of their light shields when they went unconscious, but they weren''t dying from the effects of space.  As far as I could tell as my light touched them, there was still oxygen in the labs and the cold vacuum of space had not touched them.


    "Can you override the doors?" I asked my mechatronic.


    "I know the code," he said, "but your father said - "


    "They will take my father if we are not quick enough," I interrupted.  "The enemy is already in there trying to get to him."


    Warpaint stepped up to the door control panel and quickly punched in a number.  The door slid open. Warpaint and I stepped through and the door slid shut behind us.


    There was a white haze throughout the labs.  It permeated my shield and I began to feel the effects - hard to focus, hard to keep my eyes open.  I used my green light to heal myself as the effects kept breaking through. Warpaint was fine. He led the way to my father''s lab at the back.


    When the door to my father''s lab slid open, the 3 humans and 3 Brist crowded the room.  They had not touched my father yet because even though he was unconscious there was an Aether field around him.  One of the rings on his fingers was glowing red and that is where the Aether field spread out from.


    There was a hole in the wall, but it didn''t lead to space.  The foreign ship had used it to connect the two ships. A K''thaktra stood at the entrance inside their ship.


    All of their heads turned my way when Warpaint and I entered.  Pink was in their eyes. They didn''t say anything to each other, but the 3 humans stepped into my dad''s Aether field.  The Corruption was so desperate to get my dad they were willing to kill themselves before I could stop them. And with my light I knew the moment that they died.


    The humans grabbed onto my father and lifted him between them.  One of them took of my dad''s glowing ring and the Aether field turned off.  Now that the Corruption was gone from the humans, I touched them with my green light and began to heal them from the effects of the Corruption.  They faltered and almost dropped my dad.


    "Stop him!" the K''thaktra at the entrance yelled. He pointed directly at me.


    The 3 Brist charged us distracting me from the humans.  Warpaint stepped in front of me and knocked one of the Brist away as the other two brought out electric batons and began to beat his chrome legs.


    "My dad," I said as I maneuvered around Warpaint and the Brist.  The humans had carried my father to the hole and were about to board the other ship.  "Stop!" I cried out.


    I moved to intercept them, but the K''thaktra charged me.  My shield kept his barbs away from me. I punched him in the face using my light for extra force.  It cracked the exoskeleton on his cheek. He took a step back from the impact.


    The humans were now onboard the other ship with my dad.  I began to heal my dad with my light. I pushed out the chemicals that had caused him to fall unconscious.  He could fight them off if he was awake. He was old, but he was still stronger than any other human I had met.


    The K''thaktra recovered and kicked out at me with a hard, barbed knee.  I tried to spring out of the way, but just as I went to move, his hand grabbed my cape and pulled me hard to the ground.  My shield kept out any damage, but it distracted me from healing my father.


    Vai!


    I knew from the way Owen yelled at me through the light that he must have been calling me for awhile.


    They are taking my dad.  Stop them.


    I didn''t have a moment to check and see if Owen and the others had finished their own fight.  I doubted it. I couldn''t shake the feeling that this entire episode had been a distraction so that the Corruption could steal my father away.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Where? Owen asked.


    The science labs.


    Esther and I are coming.


    The K''thaktra was on top of me now.  He smashed again and again at my shield with his barbs.  Some of the Corruption came out of him to help the onslaught against my shield.


    I glanced at Warpaint.  He had two Brists in each of his hands and he smashed them together so hard they collapsed in his hands.  He flung them away as the third Brist hit him again with an electric baton. Warpaint''s legs had been damaged, but he could still walk and it wasn''t anything too serious.


    I looked up at the K''thaktra over me.  I turned my light against him. I did the opposite of healing.  I used my light to cut off the air to his lungs. He fell away from me grasping at his chest.  My light touched the Corruption. I pulled apart their molecules until there was nothing left of them.


    The enemy ship closed itself off from the Shadow and drifted away.  The hole in the labs was now open to space.  The vacuum of space began to suck out the equipment in the lab.  Warpaint opened his chest and enclosed himself and the hole with his Aether shield effectively shutting out space.


    I used my okulus to call the captain as I walked into Warpaint''s shield.


    "Status," she said as she answered.


    "They have my father," I said.  "Owen, Esther and I are going after them."  Warpaint shook his head even as I said the words.  I put a hand on his chrome shoulder.


    "There is a hole breach in his lab," I said to the captain.  "Warpaint has closed it off for now, but a repair crew needs to be here ASAP."


    "Noted," the captain said.  "Get your father back. The Corruption cannot have him."


    I ended the call and picked up the ring they had taken off my father.


    "Stay here, Warpaint."


    He shook his metal head before I had even finished speaking.  "No, sir. I must always be by your side."


    "You''re the only thing stopping this hole breach at the moment.  When the repair crew gets here and has it under control, you can come to me."


    "But, sir, everyone on board now has the light.  Space won''t kill them."


    I moved passed him and stood at the lip of the hole.


    "The scientists in there have lost consciousness and don''t have their shields up.  They will die. I don''t have time to heal them. I have to save my dad."


    Warpaint''s head swiveled to look behind him to the labs outside my dad''s door.  I stepped out and floated in space. Owen and Esther arrived at my side.


    "I''m not alone, Warpaint.  Trust me and my friends."


    "Sir," Warpaint pleaded, but he didn''t follow as I floated away with Owen and Esther.


    "Was this all a trap?" Esther asked as we chased the ship.  "Just to get your father?"


    "Looks that way," I said.


    "How did that small ship get passed the Shadow''s sensors?" Owen asked.


    "I don''t know," I replied.


    My light surrounded my dad once again.  He was about to come awake when the Corruption touched him.  They tried to get inside him and he didn''t have the light - or his ring with the Aether field - to keep them out.  He came awake screaming from the pain.


    I pushed the Corruption out of him, but there was so many of them that more quickly filled the space.  It was a never ending cycle.


    We arrived at the small ship before it could reach one of the bigger K''thaktran ships.  Esther used her pink power to push the doors open. For the briefest of moments everything inside the ship that wasn''t bolted down moved toward the opening before their backup field went up.


    Owen stepped onto the small ship first.  He used his fire to burn the small pink cloud above my dad''s head.  That destroyed enough of the Corruption that I could push out the rest that were in my dad and healed him as Owen took care of the rest of the Corruption.


    The humans and the K''thaktra that wasn''t piloting rushed at us as I picked up my father and lifted him onto my shoulder.  Esther used her pink light to push them back. I made sure my green shield surrounded my father as I led the way back into space and back towards the Shadow.


    The small ship turned around to chase us, but Owen filled the inside with fire as we left and Esther used her pink light to push the small ship far away from us.


    I felt it as those inside the small ship burned, but I didn''t heal them.  Instead, I stretched my light back to the Shadow and used my light to heal those inside the labs just enough to come awake.


    Warpaint met us in space as we neared the Shadow.


    "The repair crew arrived," he simply said.


    I nodded and we changed directions to enter at the docking bay as the hole in the labs was already covered.  The K''thaktran ships jumped away.


    I waited to wake up my dad until we were all safely back inside the docking bay.  His dark eyes fluttered open. I handed him his ring as he sat back up. "What happened?" he asked.


    "The Corruption tried to steal you away from me," I said.  "I realize now that every time they came after me they were really after you."


    "Yes," my dad simply acknowledged without looking at me.  "Partially."


    "They had a small ship that the Shadow''s sensors couldn''t detect," I said.


    My dad finally looked at me.  He didn''t seem surprised.


    "You know of a ship that can do that?" I asked.


    He nodded.  "There are many things I was working on.  I''ve been afraid what might turn up after I heard the miasmids raided the Mars military storage.  I had many inventions there."


    "The ship was one of your inventions?" Shel asked.


    "Not the ship itself, but its ability to be undetected, yes."


    "What other inventions might they have?" Minmin asked.


    My dad looked at me.  "They were hoping for my Laumalie preserver and more clones, but I never had those there.  Those are too precious and are always near me. Always."


    "Why would they want those?" Esther asked.


    "If they know my process, they can make a never ending army of clones that will have the miasmids in them from the very beginning.  There will never be a battle of wills. There will never be a battle for control."


    "That can never happen," the Awakened One said in his rumbling voice.  "We must never let that happen. I will contact my people again with this new information.  Maybe they will finally agree to help."

 Chapter 20 .

    Vai


    The Awakened One went away from us, sat down among the shuttles and closed his eyes.


    "I don''t know why he thinks his people will help now," Esther muttered.  "They are cowards."


    Owen nudged her gently.


    "What?" she said a little louder.  "I didn''t say anything that wasn''t true."


    My okulus beeped with an incoming call from Captain Axa.  I answered. Her image was projected through my volo. She was still on the bridge.


    "Status," she said.


    "We are back inside the ship.  My dad is safe."


    She nodded.  "The other half of the G.E.F was also attacked," she said.


    Shel straightened slightly at this.


    "What is their status?" my father asked.


    "Their flagship, the RedNova was taken."


    Shel couldn''t hide it then.  His expression changed from its normal stoicism.  His breath, though quiet, began to come in rapid succession.


    "El is the only known survivor," the captain quickly supplied.  Shel let out an audible sigh of relief. "I don''t yet have a full report of what exactly happened," Captain Axa went on.  "El was in space after the RedNova was attacked and it jumped away with the other 3 missing G.E. ships.  She is now on the SingingStar.  The miasmids won''t leave anyone alive on the RedNova, not now that they all have the light.  The miasmids can''t take over them so they will kill any remaining survivors.  The first officer of the SingingStar did say that the missing G.E. ships had retrofitted war weapons.  They took down the RedNova''s Aether field and then a large cloud of miasmids entered the ship as well as crew from the Armstar."


    Shel stiffened at the captain''s last words.  His father. But the captain of the Armstar wouldn''t leave his ship just to board another ship.  Then again, the miasmids were in control now, why would they follow standard Gathering protocol?


    "Captain," someone on the bridge called for her, "the Gathering council wishes to speak with you."


    "Let me know if you have any further updates," Captain Axa said to us and then she ended the call.


    "I should call my mom," Shel said, but as soon as he finished saying that, his okulus beeped with an incoming call.  He answered immediately. El''s image was projected through Shel''s volo. Her expression was the same as usual, but there was something lacking in her eyes as if she had been hollowed out.  She didn''t seem injured except for the fingerprint bruises forming on her neck. Shel took one look at her and then stepped away from all of us retreating to a vacant corner of the shuttle bay.  I wanted to hear her recounting of what happened, but couldn''t blame Shel for wanting a quiet moment alone with his mom. Especially after seeing the strange emptiness she exuded. Minmin shifted on her little feet as if she wanted to go after him, but she didn''t leave her spot next to us.


    "Excuse me, Vai," I turned to see five security officer.  In between them were the 3 Brists that had tried to take my father.  "Can you heal them from the miasmids effects?" the security officer asked.


    "And open their light while you''re at it," Esther said.


    I stepped up to the first Brist and crouched so I was eye level with him.  He tried to squirm out of the security officer''s hold, but wasn''t successful.  He rapidly said a string of words in his language that I didn''t understand. I looked up to Warpaint.


    "He says not to touch him and return him to his people.  He says there is no way to win over the miasmids. He says we should stop fighting them and give in to the happiness they can give."


    My light touched the Brist.  It was the first time to heal a Brist.  Their anatomy was a little different as were all the alien races in the Gathering, but at least I had learned in school about the other races.  We had only minimal lessons about the Brist. They weren''t so different that I couldn''t figure out how to heal them. The miasmids affected them as they affected the rest of the races.  I could heal them once I saw where the miasmids had affected them.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    When I was finished, the Brist seemed happy with the results.  He grabbed my large hand with both of his small hands and brought it up to his cheek where he proceeded to rub his cheek all over my hand.  When the other 2 Brist saw this, they tried to get away with more fervency, but to no avail.


    The Brist said another rapid string of words I didn''t understand.  Warpaint translated, "He thanks you, sir, for freeing him and allowing him his own thoughts and free will again."


    I nodded, but couldn''t quite smile.  I hadn''t seen his light. There was nothing to indicate there was light hidden inside him anywhere.  I hadn''t encountered this before. I hadn''t actually tried to reach out for his light yet, so it was possible it was still there.  Maybe it manifested itself differently in the Brist. That was my hope, but instead of reaching out for his light, I moved on to the next Brist.


    It didn''t take me long to heal the two Brist.  They both reacted much like the first one had. But also like the first one, I didn''t see the light in these two either.  As far as I knew, I was the only who could actually see the light in others before it was opened in them so maybe I just couldn''t see it in the Brist.  That didn''t mean it wasn''t there.


    I stood up straight and stretched out my back before trying to open their light.  Mainly this was to delay opening their light. I was afraid I wouldn''t find anything.  How would I be able to explain that to them? Everyone in the Gathering has the light except you.  You won''t be able to defend yourselves if the miasmids try to enter you again. I really hoped I was wrong.


    Shel was finished with his call, but he didn''t return to us.  Instead, he sat on the floor with his knees up and his chin resting on his knees.  He faced the wall so I had no idea what his expression was like.


    "I''ll go see to him," Minmin said quietly.  She left us to sit next to Shel. She faced the wall as well.


    "Let''s open their light," Esther said.  But when she said ''us'' she really meant me.


    I placed one hand on the first Brist''s small forehead and the other curved around to the back of his neck.  I closed my eyes and searched and pulled with my light, but there was nothing. I tried again. And then again, but nothing happened.  I felt it when the Brist opened his eyes and stared at me. I kept my eyes closed and tried again, but still nothing.


    I finally opened my eyes and took a step back.


    "What''s wrong?" Esther asked.


    "I can''t find his light," I said.


    She stepped passed me and went to the second Brist.  She placed one hand on his forehead and the other at the back of his neck.  We waited. Finally, she opened her eyes, took a step back and looked up at me with a small panic in her eyes.  "How can it not be there?" she asked.


    "I''ll find it," Owen said with his usual bravado.  He went to the third Brist and did the same process, but when he stepped back it was with the same results.


    "Do none of the Brist have the light?" Esther asked.  "How can this be?"


    "Some beings just don''t have it."  The Awakened One''s low voice rumbled from behind us.  We all turned to him as he slowly stood from his spot.


    "We have waited a long time for other beings who have the light," he went on.  "Many intelligent life have come and gone without the light. Honestly, I find it a sort of miracle that the races in the Gathering have the light.  When I first met you, I thought you were all related as a species somehow, but you are not. 4 different species coming together who all possess the light is no small matter.  It''s as if the universes have brought you 4 species together to say now is the time to finally defeat the Corruption. They have destroyed many lives over many millennias."


    "How will they protect themselves," Esther said as she looked down at the 3 Brists.


    "We''ll have to advance our Aether field technology," my father said.  "Maybe something like my ring, although it is difficult and expensive to make.  Shel''s and El''s ear studs only work with Bundu-Jo and not even every Bundu-Jo. I will have my scientists work on it."


    "In the meantime," one of the security officers said, "the Gathering will just have to protect them."


    "What did your people say?" Esther asked the Awakened One.  "Are they coming to help?"


    The Awakened One did not immediately answer.


    Esther rolled her eyes.  "Worthless," she murmured.  "Your people are cowards."


    The Awakened One''s yellow eyes blazed with anger.  "I let you get away with that the first time. I shouldn''t let you get away with it a second time.  My people fought the miasmids for countless ages. We were their only enemy. We kept them away from you and your lesser species for years upon countless years and you dare to insult us?"


    "Lesser species?" Esther bristled.  "You lost and now your people hide. Even when the Corruption find one of you and kill you, you hide."


    The Awakened One towered over Esther showing her his rows of sharp teeth, but she didn''t back down.  She didn''t show any fear at all, only anger.


    "We must," the Awakened One said.  "We are the last with the light. The light must be passed on."


    "The light has been passed on," Esther said.  "I hated the first Awakened One, but at least he took up the courage to pass on the light and protect it when he could.  Your people hide even when the light is out here fighting their enemy. They hide and they die alone without power, without meaning, instead of standing by us to rid the universe of the Corruption for good."


    The Awakened One turned away from her.  "I don''t know if my people will come," he said quietly.  "There was much arguing among them. If your people fail here, that is it.  The Corruption will have free reign over what is left of the universe."


    "We won''t fail," Shel said.  I hadn''t realized he and Minmin had rejoined us.


    "We won''t," Esther echoed his words.

 Chapter 21 .

    Shel


    I hadn''t told anyone what my mother had told me.  Not even Minmin. It wasn''t that I was trying to hide it, I just couldn''t voice it.  Not yet anyway. The six of us - including Warpaint - walked through the corridor to the elevator.  Vai''s father had left us hours earlier to attend to other things. The Awakened One was still on the shuttle bay mainly because he was too big to go anywhere else, but also to try and reach out to his people again.  Despite his protests and arguments with Esther, deep down I thought the Awakened One agreed with everything Esther said but couldn''t admit it as he would be betraying his own people.


    The captain had called us moments before and requested our presence on the bridge.  So many things went through my mind. What had the Gathering Council said to Captain Axa?  Had they only wanted a status report or had there been more to it? My father''s ship and the other missing G.E. ships had been retrofitted with war weaponry.  Would the K''thaktra ships and Brist ships the Corruption had also be retrofitted? Would the Gathering Council decide all the G.E.F. should be retrofitted with such weapons?


    We got on the elevator in silence each of us lost in our own thoughts.


    "We did well out there," Owen broke the silence.


    We all looked at him a little stunned at the enthusiasm in his voice after all we had learned today.  My father had attacked the ship my mother was on. The RedNova was captured and her crew dead.  Vai''s father had almost been taken by the enemy.  We found out Brist didn''t have the light and would have no real way to defend themselves against the Corruption.


    "You did," Warpaint said proudly.  "You all did well."


    "Don''t encourage him, Warpaint," Vai said.


    "I thought you wanted me to encourage him more, sir."


    "Yes.  You should encourage me more," Owen said.  "Look. I know many things happened today, but we fought them off.  We kept them from destroying our ships and stopped Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa''s kidnapping.  It''s true we lost the RedNova, but that wasn''t us.  Us in this elevator - we did well today."


    A small smile came to Esther''s lips.  "We did do well today," she said quietly.


    "We did," Minmin said more enthusiastically.


    "I guess," Vai said.


    "You especially did excellent, sir," Warpaint said.  He placed one of his metal hands on Vai''s shoulder.


    "Well," Owen said, "let''s not single anyone out.  We all did excellent."


    I couldn''t join in their self praise.  Today I found out my father choked my mother.  My heart tore and tumbled down and down. My stomach churned in violent torrents.  My eyes stung as moisture welled up in them. I turned away from all of them before they could see.  I clenched my jaws tight until the moisture went away. The elevator doors opened. I followed everyone else as we stepped out onto the bridge deck.


    "Vai," I said.  It was the first word I had said for at least an hour.  They all turned to look at me as the elevator door slid shut behind me.  "What was the name of the K''thaktra that beat you on Mars and tried to put the Corruption inside you?"


    Vai stiffened.  "Why do you ask?"


    But I didn''t answer.  Mainly because I was having a difficult time keeping my face clear of emotion and if I spoke I was afraid the emotion would come through on my face.  My mother had mentioned a name to me. A name we had both thought sounded familiar. I needed Vai to confirm it.


    "Thrissko," Vai said.  "Now tell me why you ask."


    "He was there," I said, "with my father when they invaded the RedNova."  I tried to step away.  I didn''t want to say more.  If I said more, my tears might show.


    Vai grabbed my arm.  "Thrissko was there? With Captain Svolun?  On the RedNova?  Your dad didn''t stay on the Armstar?"


    "Now isn''t the time," I tried to divert him.  "The captain is expecting us." But he wouldn''t let go of my arm.


    "Shel," he said.


    Vai had no idea that he sometimes exuded the same commanding air that his father did.  Now was one of those times.


    "My mom said they argued.  Thrissko told my dad that he wasn''t in charge anymore."


    "If the captain isn''t in charge, then who is?" Minmin asked.


    "The Gathering chain of command wouldn''t really matter to the Corruption would it?" I said.


    "I never thought about it," Minmin said quietly.


    "You''re not telling me that Thrissko is in charge?" Vai asked.  "He''s our age."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "I don''t know," I said.  "Ultimately he listened to my dad, but I suspect that isn''t always the case."


    There was silence as Vai looked down at the floor.  The rest of our friends looked from me to Vai expectantly.


    "What will you do if you see him again?" I asked Vai.


    "I don''t know," Vai said.  He looked up from the floor to each of our faces.  "I never thought he''d leave Mars. Never would I have thought he would be on the same ship as your dad.  I wasn''t sure he was a friend when I was still on Mars. He was just someone to spend my time with. That was what I thought at that the time, but having time to reflect, he was my friend.  He was my only friend on Mars. And I think I was his only friend."


    "But he beat you until you were almost dead," Owen protested.


    "He wouldn''t have done that before the Corruption took him," Vai said.  "It isn''t easy for K''thaktra to make friends on human colonies. I will try to heal him.  I will give him his life back."


    "What if he doesn''t want it?" Esther asked.


    "The people that Vai have healed from the Corruption have only been grateful," Owen said.


    "Yes," Esther said, "but there might be anomalies.  You''ve seen the new propaganda vids the Corruption have been sending out.  They are trying to convince people that we are the enemies and they are the allies.  They promise peace and happiness. They don''t tell people they will lose their free will to obtain that faux happiness."


    "The council have their own vids countering the Corruption," Owen said.  "And they hype us up really well."


    I wasn''t sure how I felt about being a symbol against the Corruption.  Minmin and Owen were the only ones out of us 5 that really seemed to embrace that position.


    "There was a little human girl with Thrissko," I said.


    Vai''s dark brows furrowed together and he shook his head.  "I don''t know of a little - " His brown eyes widened. "Did she have a knife?"


    I nodded.


    "I don''t know who she is," Vai said, "but she was there at the tailor shop when Thrissko beat me.  The Corruption really have a little child fighting for them?"


    "So my mom tells me," I said.


    "Sick bastards," Owen muttered under his breath.


    We stood in silence before Vai finally said, "We should continue to the bridge.  We are late now."


    They all stepped away, but I found it impossible to move my feet.  "He choked my mom," I whispered. I hadn''t consciously meant to say it.  It just came out.


    They turned around to face me.  Vai''s face looked angrier than I had ever seen it.  "Thrissko? I''ll kill him."


    "No," I said.  "My dad."


    The anger washed away from Vai''s face as they all looked at me with surprise.


    "It would be almost impossible for him to kill her that way," Esther said quietly in a way that was supposed to be comforting but wasn''t.


    "He wasn''t trying to kill her," I said.  It didn''t change the fact that she had bruises on her neck as a result of my dad''s actions.  I hated him. But I still loved him. If it was possible, I wanted my old dad back.


    "But she got away and she is all right," Owen said in that same tone that was supposed to be comforting.


    "He kissed her and pushed her out to space before the ship jumped away," I said.  They stood there staring at me. A tear finally spilled onto my cheek. "I don''t know if I should hate him for hurting her or love him for saving her."


    Minmin was the first to move as she came and wrapped her small, furry arms around me.  Owen quickly did the same. Then Esther. Vai came beside me and wrapped all of us in a hug with his long arms.  This wasn''t what I had expected, but I welcomed it. Warpaint approached Vai from behind and wrapped all of us in an even bigger hug.  My tear quickly dried. At least I wasn''t alone.


    I noticed the guards at the door of the bridge for the first time.  They stared right at us until they caught me looking at them, then they both quickly looked away as if something else held their attention.


    "We should go in," I said.  They unwrapped themselves from me.  Owen led the way onto the bridge.


    Minmin received a call right as we entered the bridge.  It was surprising that she answered it in front of the captain and everyone until Bars''s image was projected through her volo.  Apparently she would drop everything for him.


    "What a relief.  You''re all right," Bars said.


    "I''m fine," Minmin said in that sweet voice that I only heard her use when speaking with Bars.


    "I can''t talk long," he said.  "We were in the middle of filming when I heard. I just had to make sure you are all right.  I''ll message you later." He ended the call.


    "So are you and Bars dating?" a female Starwatcher at the science station asked.


    A male Starwatcher at the communications station frowned at her.


    "Oh no," Minmin said quickly.  "He has kept it strictly friendly."  The disappointment was clear in her voice.


    "Well," the female Starwatcher said, "as a member of his official fanclub, I''d just like to say I would approve if you did start dating.  Although, I would be a little jealous if I''m being completely honest. But there would be no one else worthy of him than our very own light specialist."


    "Jealous?" the male Starwatcher asked.  "Of what? You''re dating me."


    "So," the female Starwatcher replied, "what does that have to do with anything?"


    His furry eyebrows raised at her in disbelief.


    "This is not the time or place to be discussing your dating life or anyone''s dating life," Captain Axa''s voice reprimanded.


    The two Starwatchers mumbled, "Sorry, Captain," and turned back to their stations.


    "Sorry," Minmin said quietly.


    "Next time, don''t answer calls when you are supposed to be in an official meeting with me," the captain said.  Minmin nodded. "Good work today. All of you," the captain addressed us. "You have certainly proven your titles once again as light specialists.  The Gathering Council has requested changes in our schedules and I''ve agreed. It seems that the human and K''thaktra colonies are not pleased that Vai isn''t visiting them to heal their families of the Corruption.  Especially the human colonies seeing as you are one of their own. We have agreed to change our schedules to accommodate them."


    Vai nodded when the captain paused for his response.


    "Good," she said.  "The Lieutenant Commander has told me that the Brist don''t seem to have the light.  The three Brist will remain on board and we will protect them - and any other Brist you may heal in the future.  The Gathering Council is now convinced that the entire Brist homeworld has been taken over by the Corruption. It is safe to assume any Brist or Brist ship is now with the enemy.


    "The council has also decided we must try to go on the offense instead of always on the defense.  We need to find the miasmids homeworld - if they even have a homeworld. We will strike them at their center."


    "Can we win with such an attack?" Esther asked.  "Those of us with the light are still highly outnumbered by the Corruption."


    "The light is not our only weapon," Captain Axa said.  "We won the war against the K''thaktra because of our newly developed system at the time - the Aether field.  We have since learned even more about the Aether field, have made weapons from it as well as shields. We will use all at our disposal.  Find out from the Awakened One if he knows their homeworld. If he doesn''t, you are now tasked - in addition to your other duties - of finding their home."

 Chapter 22 .

    Vai


    My body and the Shadow jumped further away.  My spirit spread across space as I searched.  I wasn''t sure searching out the Corruption in this form was a good idea, but the Awakened One had been in his trance for days now and wouldn''t answer us when we tried to reach him.  We had been tasked with finding the Corruption''s homeworld and so we figured this was our best option at the moment. It would be so much easier if the Awakened one would just return to his body and tell us the location.


    We didn''t know enough about the Corruption or the light to know if they could harm us when we were in this form.  Did they have some way to sever us from our body? The Awakened One had warned Esther before that the Corruption could find them in this form, but he didn''t say if they could harm us in this form or if they could just follow us back to our physical bodies.  The Corruption knew where we were, there was no point hiding at this point.


    The broken wall Esther had stolen from the Museum of the I.A. Shadow was taken from a K''thaktran colony.  That wall had belonged to the Awakened Ones not the Corruption so it was no use searching there, but the Corruption had targeted the K''thaktra first.  That was how the whole K''thaktran war had started, so were they near the K''thaktra? Maybe near their homeworld?


    My spirit crossed the dark expanse in less than a blink.  If only physical travel could be as quick. I didn''t sense any mass congregations of the Corruption.  The others had a difficult time even now sensing the Corruption. And if what happened on Doussix was any indication, the Awakened One had a difficult time sensing them too.  My light recognized them now. I could sense them in individual K''thaktra. I didn''t spend too much time with that as I was worried I would get lost in the need to heal. It was only a cursory glance.  Then I moved on to the first K''thaktran colony.


    I was greeted with a similar situation, individuals with the Corruption, but no mass Corruption hiding.


    "Vai."  It was quiet and sounded far away.  It made sense. My body was far away from me.  I blinked back into my body and opened my eyes.  Warpaint and Owen stood by my bed. It had been Warpaint who spoke to me.


    "Any luck?" Owen asked.


    I shook my head.  "You?"


    "No," Owen said.  "I''ve got to be honest with you, friend.  I don''t see how it''s possible to find their homeworld this way.  The universe is endless. How are we randomly going to find their homeworld?"


    I sat up on my bed.  "I don''t know," I said.  "I thought I''d check the K''thaktra homeworld and some of their colonies seeing as how the Corruption first invaded the K''thaktra, but I didn''t come across anything."


    "I can''t even sense the Corruption," Owen said.  "I can''t help but feel this is a waste of time. Although, Minmin had the idea that we might be able to narrow it down by examining the ancient ruins found on different colonies.  She and Esther are doing that now. Esther has eliminated a lot of the ancient ruins already saying they belonged to the Awakened Ones."


    "The Corruption wouldn''t have ancient ruins like we are familiar with, would they?" I asked.  "They are small. They aren''t going to build buildings like we do."


    "Well, at some point they''d have to evolve into what they are now," Owen said.  "There has to be some trace of them somewhere."


    "Where''s Shel while they are doing this?" I asked.  I stood and stretched my back. My stomach took that opportunity to growl loudly.


    "Sir," Warpaint said aghast, "you are starving.  I never should have let you take a nap for hours?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "It wasn''t a nap, Warpaint, it was...wait.  Hours?"


    "Yes, sir.  Four hours."


    It hadn''t felt that long.  I took a mental note to be more aware of the time when I was in that state.  Warpaint got me an algae bar without asking if that was what I wanted. I supposed it didn''t really matter.  In the end it was all algae anyway. Did it matter what it tasted like?


    "Shel is on duty on the bridge," Owen answered my earlier question.


    "I don''t think we can find the Corruption without the Awakened One''s help," I said.  I took a bite of the algae bar.


    "Do you want to go down and try to wake him again?" Owen said.


    Was it really waking if the Awakened One really wasn''t sleeping?  Owen led the way down to the shuttle bay. The Awakened One was in the exact same position as I had last seen him.  Owen and I sat next to his enormous form while Warpaint stood protectively behind me. The pilots and mechanics were used to us by now and ignored us, barely even glanced at us.


    "Hey, overly large friend," Owen said, "wake up already.  We need your help." The Awakened One didn''t stir.


    "Are you arguing with your people?" I asked not expecting an answer.  "Trying to convince them to join us? If you can hear us, tell them we want to strike at the Corruption first.  We want to destroy their homeworld."


    The Awakened One''s large, yellow eyes fluttered open for the first time in days.  Owen and I looked at each other in surprise.


    "Sir, you woke him," Warpaint said with glee in his voice.  "You truly are amazing, sir."


    "You are going to try to strike them directly?" the Awakened One asked.  "Can you find them?"


    "It seems pretty much impossible at this point, my friend," Owen said.  "Which is why you need to tell us where their homeworld is."


    "Little One," the Awakened One said, "their homeworld was destroyed long ago.  They survive and thrive hidden in the vastness of space. We lost because we could not pinpoint them.  We could not strike all at once and they whittled us away until there was almost nothing left of us."


    Owen groaned.  "Then what are we supposed to do?  Let them keep attacking us and slowly destroy them bit by bit?  I don''t think that''s going to work out in our favor."


    "Spreading the light to the others like you is a good step," the Awakened One said.  "You Gatherish are larger in numbers than we were. You might have a chance of outlasting them."


    "Outlasting?" I asked.  "For how long? That''s likely to drag on for generations."


    "Possibly," the Awakened One said, "at least until you learn how to sustain yourselves like we do."


    "How did it go with your people?" Owen asked.  "Any possibility of them joining us?"


    "Possibility, yes," the Awakened One said.  "Likely? I don''t know."


    "So, what, we just wait and see?" Owen asked.


    "What more is there?" the Awakened One said.


    My okulus beeped with an incoming call.  It was Shel. I answered. Esther and Minmin were connected on the call from the quarters.


    "The Awakened One is awake?" Esther asked.  "Why didn''t you inform us immediately?"


    "Because it just happened," Owen said.


    "Did you get a chance to ask him about the Corruption''s homeworld?" Minmin asked.


    We relayed the Awakened One''s words to them.  When we finished, Shel finally spoke. "That''s actually why I''m calling," he said.  "The Gathering Council just called Captain Axa to tell her they think the Corruption might be making Brist their base of operations.  They don''t have a way to confirm it though since the Corruption don''t show up on our sensors and the Brist have cut off all communication."  He looked at me and I knew what I had to do.


    "I''ll go look," I said.


    "We can''t destroy all the Brist," Esther said.  "They are an entire people."


    "If it can destroy the Corruption, you must," the Awakened One said.  "Do not be weak."


    "It''s not weakness," Esther said.


    I closed my eyes not needing to hear another argument between the two of them.  It didn''t take me long for my spirit to drift in space as the Shadow and my body jumped through F.T.L.  I blinked towards the homeworld.


    They were there.  Everywhere. From a distance I could sense them.  Everyone - to the youngest of babies, to those old and near death - everyone was infected with the Corruption.  There were too many of the Corruption to inhabit every body on that planet. All across the planet the skies were filled with a pink cloud of Corruption.


    I returned to my body and opened my eyes.  The Awakened One and Esther stopped arguing when they saw me.  I didn''t know what expression was on my face, but all of them - even the Awakened One - looked on me with despair.


    "I''ll tell the captain then," Shel said knowing what I had seen without me even needing to say a word.  He ended the call.


    "We can''t destroy an entire people," Esther said quietly.


    "You must do whatever you need to do destroy the Corruption," the Awakened One said gently.

 Chapter 23 .

    Vai


    "But not enough people have the light yet," Esther said.  "If we move on the Brist homeworld now, there is a possibility we will fail.  And if we fail - if the entire G.E.F. fails, then what happens to everyone else?  We should continue spreading the light to the other homeworlds and colonies as soon as we can."


    Esther, Shel and I sat in the bay next to the Awakened One.  Minmin was absent as it was her shift on the bridge. Owen was with his family.  The ambient noise of the mechanics working on the shuttles, pilots testing the shuttles, etc., rose all around us.


    "But as of this moment, the Corruption don''t realize we know about Brist," Shel said.  "Now is the time to strike before they can fortify Brist even more."


    "I don''t know," Esther said.


    Owen''s father and mother came into view beyond the Aether field until they used their light to push further out into space.  The fleet had stopped for a short time to allow different groups to practice their light out in space. At the moment, it was Owen''s, Hani''s and Nathan''s families.


    "It''s not up to us anyway," Shel said.  "The Gathering Council has already made the decision."


    "But if we as light specialists recommend something else, wouldn''t they have to listen?" Esther insisted.


    "I don''t want to recommend something else," Shel said.  "I believe this is the best course of action at this time."


    "You just want the fleet to be reunited so you can see your mom again," Esther said.


    Shel drew quiet.  I looked up at the Awakened One, but he stayed as quiet as I did.


    Owen flew passed the bay opening with Hani''s little sister using her light to chase after him.


    "Can''t we drop off the children somewhere safe at least?" I asked.  "Before we head to Brist."


    Esther and Shel turned their attention to the opening, but Owen and the little girl had already gone out of view.


    "The little little ones aren''t safe anywhere," the Awakened One finally spoke.  And he was right though I didn''t want to admit it. The Corruption''s reach permeated everything.  Even the colonies and homeworlds we had already given the light to weren''t free yet from the Corruption.


    "Foster sister," Shel said.  Esther''s eyes flashed to him.  "I don''t want the fleet to be reunited just so I can see my mom again.  She has decided to stay on the SingingStar regardless.  I truly do believe taking the offensive now is the best course of action for the Gathering.  The colonies we have passed the light onto have sent out emissaries to pass on the light to other colonies and they in turn will pass it on to more colonies until all of the Gathering have the light.  But right now at this moment, we have an opportunity to strike the Corruption and cause them real damage that we didn''t have only weeks before."


    It grew silent before Esther finally said, "I''m sorry I implied you had selfish reasons for wanting the fleet to reunite.  I know you have the Gathering''s best interest in mind. I''m just not sure this is the correct course of action."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "But you''re not sure it''s not the right course either," Shel said.


    "That''s true too," Esther said.


    "So for now, put your all into this as we all will," Shel said.


    Esther nodded.


    "I hope enough of the Brist will survive this," I said quietly.  There was no possible way I could heal every single Brist of the Corruption all at once.  And even if I could, there were so many Corruption on Brist that they would just refill the Brist as soon as I pushed them out.


    "Do you think we will run into the missing G.E.F. ships?" Esther asked Shel.  "Do you think we will have the opportunity for Vai to heal your father?"


    "Even though we can''t track them now, we will run into the missing ships eventually," Shel said as he looked out into space.  "And when we do I hope Vai will have the opportunity to heal my dad. And Minmin''s dad."


    "Do you think when your dad is healed he will accept me as a foster daughter?" Esther asked quietly.  I had no idea that was something she had even thought about.


    "Once he is healed, yes," Shel said.


    Esther''s shoulders relaxed slightly.  I hadn''t realized she was tensed until then.  It must have been bothering her.


    The ship''s computer announced throughout the ship, "The F.T.L. jumps will commence in 10 minutes.  Please prepare for travel."


    Owen''s, Hani''s and Nathan''s families entered the shuttle bay through the Aether field.  Owen, Hani and Nathan made their way over to us, but their families continued on through the bay.


    "How has Spencer been doing?" I asked Hani.


    "Much better since Owen opened his light," Hani said as she sat next to me.  Nathan sat next to her. "That was the right decision," she said pointedly to Owen as he sat next to Esther.


    "I know, friends.  I''m glad I did." He looked up at Warpaint who stood behind me.  "Aren''t you going to praise me, Warpaint?"


    Warpaint looked down at me as if asking for permission.  I smiled and gave a slight head tilt towards Owen.


    "Yes," Warpaint said.  "That was great of you, friend who is way too young for sir Vai."


    I sighed.


    "Why does he always do that?" Nathan asked.  "It''s weird."


    "It is a little strange that he keeps calling you old," Hani said.


    I tried to shrug it off.  "My father programmed him that way to better protect me I guess."


    "Yes," Warpaint said.  "I am the greatest of protectors."


    "Yes, you are Warpaint," I said.


    "I want my very own mechatronic," Owen mumbled.


    The ship''s computer made another announcement.  "The light specialists are to report to the bridge."  I ignored the impulse to go back to my quarters alone so I could speak to my computer mother in private.  Now was not the time. I stood with Owen, Esther and Shel and we made our way to the bridge. The ship began its many F.T.L. jumps that would take us to the rendezvous spot where we would meet the other ships of the G.E.F.


    When we arrived on the bridge, Minmin sat in her designated chair with her feet dangling above the floor.  Captain Axa sat in the captain''s seat. Her face remained as stoic as ever when she saw us.


    "Good, you are all here," she said.  "I don''t expect any trouble when we meet up with the other ships in the fleet, but we lost track of the ships that the Corruption has been controlling.  Be prepared for anything."


    We nodded and stood behind Minmin.  It was several more jumps before we reached the rendezvous spot.  It was empty. The other ships had yet to arrive.


    "Captain," Esther said, "the missing G.E.F. ships have been retrofitted with weapons more fit for war.  Will our G.E.F. ships be retrofitted as well?"


    Captain Axa looked Esther up and down with her lips barely turned down. "No," she said simply.  "We already possess the best weapons against the miasmids - the Aether field, which can be used as a weapon, and the light."


    More ships jumped in beside us.  The SingingStar led them.  Shel smiled slightly.  His mother was onboard.  I had to admit, even though she wasn''t my mom and even though she wouldn''t be rejoining us on the Shadow I was relieved to know she was close by.


    "Contact the SingingStar," Captain Axa said.


    The communications officer - a Bundu-Jo this time - moved to comply.  In moments, the captain of the SingingStar was projected onto the bridge of the Shadow and standing next to him looking well was El.


    But before the captains could speak with each other, the missing G.E.F. ships as well as the K''thaktra and Brist ships jumped in next to us.  The Armstar was the first to fire on us.

 Chapter 24 .

    Vai


    More ships jumped in around us, above us, below us.  More K''thaktran ships, a handful of Starwatcher ships, many more Brist ships and a few Gathering warships that I thought might be on our side until they fired on the Nebula.  I hadn''t heard of any Gathering warships go missing, but they must have for them to be with the Corruption.


    The connection with the SingingStar was broken.  Captain Axa immediately made a ship wide announcement.  "All non-essential personnel are to enter space and use their light to defend the G.E.F.  All children 14 and under are to gather in the Starrise. The Starrise staff will stay on hand to protect the children."


    I wondered if Spencer had been informed of this before hand or if Captain Axa had made a spur of the moment decision.  Captain Axa ended the ship wide transmission and turned to us. Minmin hopped off her chair and stood beside us.


    "Stay close to Lieutenant Tanpo.  Let her shield protect you if the Corruption show up.  Vai, if anyone from our side is injured heal them as soon as possible.  That is your main objective out there. Keep our people fighting for as long as possible."


    I nodded.


    "Remember," she addressed all of us light specialists, "everyone out there fighting on our side will be watching you.  You must be their example. You must be their hope. You must succeed and you must survive."


    "They will be everyone''s shining beacon," Warpaint exclaimed enthusiastically.


    A smile barely touched the corner of Captain Axa''s blue lips.  "And if you find the opportunity," she added, "destroy as many of their ships as you can."


    She dismissed us and we quickly made our way to the shuttle bay.  Owen''s dad as well as Hani''s and Nathan''s families minus the littlest ones passed through the Aether field and out into space as we arrived.  Mrs. Morgan would have been one of the essential personnel to stay on board. The Awakened One and Lieutenant Tanpo waited for us near the Aether field.


    "You''ll need to shield me from the K''thaktran ships''s beams," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  "I don''t know why my shield won''t deflect them while yours will."


    "Why can yours keep out the Corruption in vast numbers while ours cannot?" the Awakened One said.  "It is your light''s power. All of our powers have weaknesses."


    "We''ll protect you and you''ll protect us," Owen said with ease.


    We drifted from the ship out to space.  All around us ships fired on other ships.  There were many of us in space using our light against the enemy ships.  The nearest ship was a Brist ship.


    "Stay close to me, sir," Warpaint said.  The red lines on his white, chrome body spread until most of him was red.


    The Awakened One didn''t waste any time as he used his gray light to rip off a large sheet of metal and sent it back hurtling towards the Brist ship.  It stuck in the side, but didn''t seem to cause much damage. Another sheet of metal ripped off the ship as the ship turned its weapons to us. We split apart as a green beam sparked through the area we had just been in.


    Shel''s purple light centered around the weapon.  The weapon crushed into itself over and over again until it was useless.  It had a second weapon, however, that it quickly fired towards Shel. I wasn''t sure where he came from, but Owen''s dad was suddenly there next to Shel.  He pulled him away just as the green beam hit that space.


    "Our shields don''t keep out the Brist weapons," Mr. Morgan warned.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Be sure to stay away from the green beam, sir," Warpaint said pointedly to me.  He was so close to me, his shoulder touched mine. He stretched a hand out towards the vessel and an Aether beam shot a small hole into the side of the ship.


    I wondered briefly how Mr. Morgan knew about the green beams until I saw Nathan''s father.  His light shield was weak, but it still surrounded him. The sleeve on his left arm had been completely burned away and his arm was red and black - scorched.  He was in pain, but he hid it as he continued to fight with his one good arm. Anyone with the light who looked on him would see that his shield was weakening though.  Nathan and his mother looked on his father more than once with concern as they battled another nearby Brist ship.


    The green tendrils of my light stretched out over Nathan''s father.  I mended tissue and muscle. Repaired and renewed nerves. This was when he looked over at me.  The pain eased slightly on his brow. Finally, I repaired the layers of skin until all the black and red had been peeled away and fresh skin took its place.  Nathan caught my attention. He nodded his thanks. Then he, his dad and mom moved back to the other Brist ship and continued their attacks on it.


    I turned my attention briefly back to my companions.  They were all safe at the moment. Owen and Minmin had drawn closer to the Brist ship.  Warpaint continued to fire Aether at it, but he always kept a watchful eye on me. From the looks of the other crushed weapon on the Brist ship, Shel''s power had done its work.  Esther used her power to help propel the metal the Awakened One used to further damage the ship. There were many holes now in the Brist ship. Some of the tiny Brist had been sucked through them and were dying in space.  The Corruption quickly abandoned the dying Brist, but instead of joining the fray the Corruption were retreating into space.


    Owen and Minmin were near the holes that the Awakened One had caused in the ship.  Owen''s fire and Minmin''s lightning swirled together and damaged the already damaged ship.  And as aware as I was of the dying Brist at that moment, I knew more died inside the ship by Owen''s fire and Minmin''s lightning.


    My first instinct was to heal the Brist floating in space even though that would have been a never ending process.  They were in space, they wouldn''t have reprieve from its affects and I wouldn''t be able to heal them forever. My light stretched out for them anyway.  I couldn''t help it. Lieutenant Tanpo was suddenly in front of me blocking my view of the dying Brists. I could still feel them though.


    "Stop," she ordered, but not unkindly.  "You can''t save all of them and our people need you."


    "This is true, sir," Warpaint said.  He stopped his Aether attacks so he could focus on me and Lieutenant Tanpo.  Tanpo turned me so I faced more of those fighting for the G.E.F. I hadn''t noticed, but there were several of those with burns similar to Nathan''s father.  Even as I watched, someone I didn''t know - a female Bundu-Jo - passed out and lost her light shield.


    I surrounded her with my light even as I went through the expanse to them.  Warpaint as always by my side. I healed her of space''s effects until I reached her and surrounded her with my shield.  I healed the effects of space first and then the burns. Her eyes opened and her own shield immediately went back up. I left her without a word.


    Instead of going to each individual that needed to be healed, I stretched out my light in all directions to heal them.


    "Don''t overdo it," Lieutenant Tanpo said by my side.  I hadn''t realized she had followed me.


    "Yes, sir," Warpaint said.  "Please be careful. I''ve had to move you twice now or the Brist''s beam would have hit you and you didn''t even notice."


    I hadn''t noticed.  "Thank you, Warpaint," I said.  I looked back to the ship my friends had been fighting.  Minmin and Owen were back beside Shel, Esther and the Awakened One.  The first Brist that had drifted out into space were long dead. Many Brist inside the ship were dead either do to the effects of space or Minmin''s lightning and Owen''s fire.


    Esther used her pink light to push the now incapacitated Brist ship away from the fighting.  It drifted away rolling over and over in space. It knocked into one Brist ship on its way out which changed its course slightly, but it still was away from the fighting.  The second Brist ship it hit lost part of a deck. More Brist floated out into space from the large hole in that second ship. My friends looked at me and Lieutenant Tanpo.


    A new presence touched us.  I looked around the many ships and people, but didn''t see anything that would cause it.


    Not yet.  The Awakened One''s thoughts touched all of us that held the light and as one we stopped fighting to stare at him.  It is too soon to reveal yourselves.  Soon. I will tell you when to come.


    The presence I felt moments before retreated.  More of us were injured in our distraction. I focused again on the task of healing.  I was beginning to grow weary.


    The Awakened One led my friends to the second damaged Brist ship and they continued their fight as I continued to heal.  And I knew that we were all growing weary.

 Chapter 25 .

    Esther


    I glanced to the area of space where Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint guarded Vai.  Vai''s eyes were closed as he concentrated on healing. So far none of our little group were harmed, but we were starting to grow weary.


    I had to admit, I was proud of us for destroying that first Brist ship.  Before we came out, there was a great part of me that doubted we could do it by ourselves.  I knew we were supposed to be an example to the rest of the Gathering and I did have the light longer than anyone else in the Gathering, but that didn''t make me an expert.  There was still much to learn and much the Awakened One continued to teach us. The Corruption knew more about the light than we did. I kept expecting them to thwart us somehow.  They had almost destroyed the Awakened Ones so long ago. But the Awakened Ones - despite their professing to be strong - hadn''t recognized real strength.


    Looking at Vai I wondered if the Awakened Ones could have won if they had someone who could heal instantly on the battlefield like Vai.  The Awakened One followed my gaze.


    "My people would have killed him when he was a child," the Awakened One said.


    "That''s why your people failed," I said.


    He didn''t reply.


    "Focus," Shel said to us.


    The second Brist ship we had damaged with the first fired on Hani and her mother.  The two of them dodged.


    "I''ll take care of the weapons again," Shel said.  "You two can destroy the outer hull."


    He drifted closer to the Brist ship.  His purple light rose from him and centered around one of the main weapons.  As the purple light engulfed it, the weapon crushed in on itself over and over again until it became useless.


    The Awakened One''s gray light tore of a large frame of metal from the hull of the ship.  He brought back the metal with his light for momentum. I focused my light on the end of it and with a nod from him I pushed the metal back towards the ship.  The sheet of metal rammed into the ship towards the bottom.


    We still weren''t sure where the vital parts of the ship were.  The layout of the Brist ships weren''t taught in the Gathering school unlike the alien ships of those that were part of the Gathering.  With the first Brist ship, we had just kept putting holes into it until it had so much damage that it was incapacitated.


    From the hole we just formed in the ship, a small group of Brist were sucked out into space.  The Corruption inside them quickly left them and flitted away through space until they disappeared.


    Minmin and Owen moved to the hole and filled it with their lightning and fire.  Fire would normally be difficult to produce in the area exposed to space as there was no oxygen, but Owen''s fire really wasn''t fire.  It was just how his light manifested itself. I worried briefly over Owen. I couldn''t deny there was a special place in my heart reserved just for him.  Whenever I thought back on how he first believed in me and cared for me, my heart grew warm.


    Another sheet of metal was torn free from the Brist ship.  I had to trust that Owen would keep himself safe through this battle.  He and the others had come to mean so much to me - a new family - but him especially.  I didn''t know how I would survive if he died. Vai wouldn''t let that happen though. He would heal us all before we could die if it came down to it.


    I surrounded my pink light at the back of the metal frame and pushed it with my force into the Brist ship again.  Owen and Minmin were quickly at that spot filling it with their light.


    Shel maneuvered himself so he was next to me.  "The weapons on this ship have been destroyed," he announced.  "Hani''s and Nathan''s families have moved on to the next ship. It''s a K''thaktran ship.  Our shields can keep out their weapons unlike with the Brist weapons. Owen''s dad has joined him and Minmin."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Mr. Morgan went in front of Owen and Minmin.  I couldn''t hear his power, but knew he had directed it inside the hole.


    "His power is best utilized like this," I said, "focused inside the ships where it can target living things.  It''s pretty much useless directed at the ships."


    Shel nodded in agreement.


    "Do you want to target the Armstar after this?" I asked.  "Maybe we can get Vai and sneak on board to heal yours and Minmin''s dads."


    "I''m not sure that''s a good idea at this moment or feasible," he replied.  "And we would need to pull Vai away from healing our people. That''s more important at the moment.  The Armstar can wait.  I''m going to the K''thaktra ship to destroy their weapons so they can''t at least damage our ships."


    He left us then.  The Awakened One pulled off more metal from the Brist ship.  I used my pink light to fling it back into the ship. Minmin, Owen and his father quickly went to the newly formed hole.


    The Remembrance streaked through space below us before it arched suddenly upwards only barely missing the Brist ship we battled.  The field that shielded it''s shuttle bay from the effects of space went off in a blink. I didn''t understand why. None of our ships or people attacked it.  People and shuttles were sucked out into space before the field went back up. The Remembrance did not try to save any of its people.  Instead it jumped out of this area of space.


    There was a moment when nothing happened and then the Armstar and Fallfrost jumped away followed quickly by the other enemy Gathering ships.  It caused both myself and the Awakened One to pause just after he tore off more metal.  The other Gathering alien ships jumped away next leaving behind the Brist ships. The Brist ships that hadn''t been damaged jumped away next.  I used my light to send the piece of metal speeding back to the Brist ship. It crashed in near the top of the ship. Minmin and others moved towards it.  The ship was still and I was sure if it could jump away it would have.


    I turned to look all around in space.  There were more damaged Brist ships than I had expected.  There were about a dozen Brist ships and one K''thaktran ship that had been incapacitated.  Our own ships had minimal surface damage. Nothing that would be a hindrance.


    My okulus beeped with an incoming message.  It was a G.E.F. wide announcement.


    ?Everyone is to board their respective ships immediately and await further instruction.


    "We need to get back on the Shadow," I said to the Awakened One.


    "But we haven''t finished destroying this ship," he replied.  Owen and the others were drawing away from the Brist ship and making their way towards us.  Shel, Hani''s and Nathan''s families were also headed our way.


    "It''s a command," I said.


    "Your commanders don''t make sense," he said.


    As we turned to go back to the Shadow, I saw both Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint holding Vai''s arms between them and dragging him back to the Shadow.  I could almost hear his voice arguing that he needed to heal the injured Brist.


    We met back up with all of them on the way and I was correct.  Vai was still arguing that he should heal as many Brist as he could.


    "There isn''t time for that," Lieutenant Tanpo said.


    "She is right, little one," the Awakened One said to Vai.


    "If time permits and we get the opportunity, I''ll convince the captain to let you come back and heal them," Lieutenant Tanpo pacified Vai.


    "What was that presence you sent away?" Vai asked the Awakened One.  It was clear Vai''s power had tired him, but it wasn''t to the point where he was close to fainting.


    "What presence?" Owen asked.  "Is that why you suddenly started saying strange things," he addressed the Awakened One.


    "I was too caught up in the moment," the Awakened One said.  "I shouldn''t have sent that to everyone. I should have focused it only on who I wanted to hear it.  I am still young."


    "Young?" Mr. Morgan said.  "Aren''t you thousands and thousands of years old?"


    "Technically," the Awakened One said, "but I''ve spent most of that in a form of stasis as I waited for those who we could open the light in.  I am actually much younger."


    "So who were you talking to?" Minmin asked.  "Your people?"


    The Awakened One''s large, furry head swiveled all the way around as if he expected the Corruption to overhear.  Maybe they could, although I didn''t think the Corruption had stayed close enough to hear. When they had abandoned those who were dying, they retreated as far away as they could.  I was sure of it.


    "We will speak of it later when I''m sure it is safe to do so," the Awakened One said.


    As soon as everyone was back in the Shadow and accounted for, Captain Axa made another ship wide announcement.  "Rest for now except for essential personnel. We are jumping into another area of space - hopefully a safer area - and we will contact the Gathering Council.  Be prepared to move at any moment."


    I watched as Owen and his father left the shuttle bay.  I was pretty sure Owen felt the same way about me as I felt about him so why was he waiting?  He was the older one, shouldn''t he make the first move? I didn''t want to wait too much longer.  Maybe I would have to make the first move.

 Chapter 26 .

    Owen


    We had moved to Esther''s, Minmin''s and Shel''s quarters hours earlier.  There was still no update from the captain. The G.E.F. had jumped several times to reach a different area of space - I wasn''t sure exactly where - but we hadn''t jumped in awhile.


    Vai slept on the couch.  Warpaint stood over him. Shel sat in one of the chairs.  Minmin sat in the other chair. Esther and I sat on the floor with our backs up against the couch.  She looked at me strangely for a moment before she turned her attention to Minmin.


    "Do you think we''ll move on Brist soon?" Minmin asked.


    "I don''t know," Shel replied.


    "What do you think all that about a presence was about?" I asked.  The Awakened One had sat in his usual spot in the shuttle bay and closed his eyes as soon as we got back.  He hadn''t spoken with us since and because Vai was tired we retired to let him sleep.


    "I don''t want to hope it is more Awakened Ones," Esther said.  "I don''t want to get my hopes up only to have them dashed."


    I had thought it might be more Awakened Ones, but they had been so stubborn about joining us before it was difficult to believe they would come now.


    The door opened.  I had expected it to be Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa or my mom or dad, but it wasn''t.  It was El. Shel immediately stood, but hesitated when he saw her. A small smile touched her blue lips and that was all Shel needed.  He rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. The rest of us stood and watched the mother and son reunited. Vai shifted behind us.  One brief look told me he had awaken. He swung his long legs over the side of the couch and stood beside Esther.


    "You all did well out there," El said as she and Shel broke their hug.  She came forward and sat in the seat Shel had just occupied.


    I had been busy out there and hadn''t given it much thought, but I didn''t remember seeing her out in the fighting.  She must have been though. El wouldn''t have sat on the sidelines for that.


    "You saw us?" Esther asked.


    El shook her head.  "No, but people were telling me that you destroyed an entire ship by yourselves."


    "Are you here to stay?" Esther asked.


    "No," El said.  Shel tried to hide it, but the disappointment was barely there on his face.  "I must return to the SingingStar," she said.  "I just wanted to stop in and see you all in person."  Her hand reached up and enclosed with Shel''s. "Accompany me back down," she said.


    "You''re leaving now?" Minmin asked.  "But you just got here."


    "I believe the captains''s meeting with the Gathering council is almost over.  We should be ready to move." El stood. Shel walked by her side while the rest of us walked behind her.  We moved through the almost empty corridors to the elevator and down to the shuttle bay.


    When we reached the shuttle bay, the Awakened One''s large eyes fluttered open and he stared at us.  El led us to his side.


    "I''ve only come to give my greetings," El said.  "I must go back to the other ship now."


    The Awakened One merely cocked his head in her direction.


    El turned to go to one of the shuttles, but Vai said to the Awakened One, "What about that presence?  Are you ready to explain it yet?"


    "What presence?" El asked.  I was glad I wasn''t the only one who hadn''t noticed it.  In fact, Vai seemed to be the only one who had noticed it.


    The Awakened One stood and towered over us.  "You shall see," he rumbled.


    "When?" Esther asked/demanded.  "When will we see? Is it someone to help?  Or will they only get in our way. Can I hope it is your people?  One of your people? Many of your people? Have they finally Awakened to help us?"


    The Awakened One turned away from all of us and faced the shuttle bay opening.


    "Are you really going to ignore me now?" Esther asked.  "I don''t know how it works with your people, but with my people you answer when you are spoken to."


    "You speak too much," the Awakened One said.


    I grabbed Esther''s hand as she took a step towards the Awakened One''s back.  The anger roiled off her. And then there was a large shadow at the shuttle bay opening.  I didn''t pay it much attention. I assumed it was a shuttle, but Esther''s breath suddenly caught in the back of her throat.  Coming in through the Aether field was not a shuttle, but two Awakened Ones. They were both taller than the Awakened One in front of us.  One - the one with brown fur - was larger than the other who had black fur. The one with brown fur had bright green eyes. The one with black fur had red eyes.


    I immediately looked behind them to see if any more Awakened Ones would be joining us, but these were the only two I saw.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "This is the presence I felt," Vai whispered behind me.


    "Brother," the two new Awakened Ones said to the old Awakened One.


    "Sister, brother," he replied.  I couldn''t tell which one was the sister.  There was nothing to differentiate their gender as far as I could tell.  Not even the voice.


    "Jo-Dinun," a Starwatcher came up to our group then - keeping a wide distance from the Awakened Ones - and addressed El.  "We must go back to the SingingStar now if we are to make it before the next jump."


    As far as I was aware, the announcement for the next jump hadn''t been made yet, but the Starwatcher pilot seemed to know.  El nodded and the Starwatcher bounced to the nearest shuttle and clambered on board. El looked at each of us and smiled warmly.


    "Stay safe," she said to us before she finally turned to Shel.  She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his. "Stay safe, my son," she whispered.  "Remember, whatever happens, your father and I love you." Shel''s eyes flashed at hers with this.  It seemed strange to me that she included Shel''s father in her statement as if she knew something we didn''t.  But of course, he was Shel''s father and would still love him no matter if the Corruption took over him. El withdrew her forehead and began to walk away.


    Shel stayed still a moment before he followed her.  He touched his forehead and said something to her that I couldn''t hear.  El nodded, patted his cheek and then got on the shuttle with the Starwatcher.  None of us said anything as her shuttle lifted up and out of the shuttle bay.


    "I don''t think these little ones can defeat the Corruption," the brown Awakened One said.  "We should have stayed asleep."


    "They are stronger than they appear," our Awakened One said.


    The brown one reached down and picked me up with one hand.  I didn''t realize I was in its reach. And I didn''t realize I still held Esther''s hand until it was torn away from me.


    "I will eat this one," the brown Awakened One said.  Sheer terror washed through me as I looked at its many rows and rows of teeth and its oversized canines.


    "No!" all of my friends screamed at once.  I prepared to call on my flames - my shield was already up as it always was - if it ate me, I would fill this one with fire.


    "No, sister," our Awakened One grabbed the brown one''s arm.  Sister? This one was the girl? Really, I couldn''t tell how they knew.  "We do not eat the ones with the light."


    The brown one put me back down beside Esther.  Her head swiveled all around the shuttle bay. "Then I will eat that one," she pointed to one of the 3 Brists that Vai had healed that day the Corruption tried to steal his father away.


    She took a step forward, but Vai was suddenly in her path.  "No," he said.


    She looked at our Awakened One, "Tell these little ones they do not give us orders."


    Our Awakened One was clearly uncomfortable with this and didn''t immediately answer her.  The black one moved to stand beside the brown one as they towered over Vai. Warpaint moved to put himself in front of Vai.  The red lines on his body covered the white so he was now mostly red. The rest of us moved to stand behind Vai. The mechanics and pilots now stopped to look at us.  Some of them even moved the little Brist behind them.


    "I did not heal them and free them of the Corruption just so you could eat them," Vai said.


    The brown one tilted her head to the side.  "Heal? That is a weak power." She looked to our Awakened One.  "You should have killed him." She took a step forward. We all tensed except for Vai.  Our Awakened One looked from his people to us and back again clearly unsure of what to do.


    The brown and black Awakened Ones suddenly grabbed at their ears and took a step back.  I didn''t hear my dad''s power - his power was usually the reason people grabbed their heads like that.  I even turned around to see if he was there with us, but he wasn''t.


    "I can heal," Vai said in a low voice, "but I can also destroy."


    "Yes," the brown Awakened One said as Vai released her and her companion.  "I see."


    "We don''t need to eat to survive," our Awakened One said.


    "That isn''t the purpose of our eating one of them," the brown Awakened One said.


    "I know," our Awakened One said quietly.


    Esther took a step forward.  My hand shot out to stop her, but I retracted it before she could see.  She wouldn''t want me to stop her.


    "The first Awakened One already ate some of us," Esther said.  "Despite my words of retribution to him. You don''t need to prove that you are stronger than us anymore.  The more I am around your people the more I believe we are stronger. That is why you failed against the Corruption and why we will succeed."


    I tensed as I expected the brown Awakened One to pick up Esther and try to eat her, but she didn''t move.


    "Your words are bold for a race so young," the brown Awakened One said.  "Our people fought them for much longer."


    "And you failed because you killed those you thought weaker than yourselves instead of seeing what unique strengths they offered," Esther said.


    "I have been among them," our Awakened One said.  "I have seen the benefits of healing on the battlefield.  This little one is right."


    The brown one scowled at our Awakened One.  "What do you know? You are the youngest and weakest."


    "He is not the weakest," Esther said.  "He and the first Awakened One brought the light to all of us while you hid away afraid.  He has courage."


    Before the brown Awakened One could argue further, our Awakened One said, "These little ones came up with a way to fight the Corruption before they ever had the light - before they even knew of the Corruption."  He pointed to the Aether field. "That field can kill the Corruption. They have evolved to fight them in their own way before we gave them the light. They already pushed the Corruption back once, they just didn''t realize it.  Now they do."


    The black Awakened One moved slightly towards our Awakened One as if to show he believed his words.  The brown one thought for a long time before she said, "Fine. We won''t eat these little ones and we will aid them as we can."


    "Your entire people?" I asked hopefully.


    "Us," the brown one indicated to the three of them.


    I couldn''t hide my disappointment.  "Well," I said, "then you are our friends now too."  Quieter I mumbled, "Even though you were going to eat me."  Louder I said, "We can''t keep addressing all of you as the Awakened One, though, it will get confusing.  Do you have names?"


    "Brother," our Awakened One said.


    "Brother," the black one said.


    "Sister," the brown one said.


    "That won''t do at all, friends," I said.  "From now on, you are Brownie, Blackie and Gray."


    They didn''t argue with that so I assumed it was okay to call them that from now on.


    Captain''s Axa voice echoed through the bay as she made a ship wide announcement.  "From this moment, all contact with anyone not in the G.E.F. will be prohibited. Secrecy is now of the utmost importance.  Be prepared to jump in 10 minutes and be prepared to fight in 30 minutes. We will switch the fighting in 2 hour shifts so you can rest and be prepared to fight again.  This is most likely going to be a long, continuous fight. And Vai, you are not the only healer in the G.E.F. You are required to switch every 2 hours as well. Don''t tire yourself out.  Let some of the other healers have the glory too." And with that the ship wide announcement ended.

 Chapter 27 .

    Vai


    I stayed in the shuttle bay with Minmin, Esther and Shel.  Owen went to find his mom and dad to say quick greetings before we arrived at our destination - wherever that was.  I thought about going to find my dad and to have a few quick words with my computer mom in the privacy of my room, but I didn''t want to leave the new 2 Awakened Ones alone.  There was still a possibility they would ignore our words and try to eat the 3 Brist that didn''t have the light.


    "Vai," came my father''s voice behind me as I sat in the shuttle bay next to Minmin.  I immediately stood and turned to face him. He wasn''t alone. Two of the scientists under him - one a Bundu-Jo and one a human - stood on either side of him.  At the doors to the shuttle bay stood Dr. Rags. He looked at me, then noticed my father and hid behind one of the shuttles. I wasn''t sure if he was hiding from me or my dad, but I decided not to focus on him.


    "Dad," I said.


    He nodded to the 2 scientist beside him before he pulled me away from them and my friends.  We stood between 2 shuttles which provided us with a little bit of privacy. Warpaint followed us, but stayed a few steps away.


    "I just want to be sure you know I''m proud of you and I love you," my dad said.  "Truly, I am incredibly proud of the young man you have turned out to be."


    I couldn''t quite explain the sudden trepidation that sneaked in with the warmth of his words.  Suddenly he seemed tired. Old. Not just old - ancient and not in the good way. Almost weak. My green light started to drift towards him.  I wanted to know that he was all right - that he didn''t suddenly have any physical ailments.


    "Vai," my dad said again and it broke my concentration.  The light fell back all around me.


    "Yes?"


    "I meant it when I said I don''t want you to heal me."


    Now I really didn''t feel good about this conversation.


    "Dad," I said quietly.  "It wasn''t that long ago I consciously accepted you as my dad.  I don''t want to lose you yet. Especially not after the way I treated you when I first woke up on Mars."


    My dad smiled slowly.  "I''ve told you before - you are Vai.  I have been with you all along. You are strong and independent and you will be fine without me when the time comes."


    "But I don''t want to be without you."


    "Vai, it''s not like I''m dying this instant.  I''m just telling you if I am dying - don''t heal me.  I''ve lived much longer than I should have. I was selfish.  I wanted to see you grown. I wanted my projects and experiments finished.  All of these things have come to pass. My scientist know how to continue my work without me now and you are a strong man.  In all ways. I believe you are the real Vai, but if by chance your mother and part of you have passed on beyond and are waiting for me, let me join them.  I will wait for you until you join me there."


    "I don''t know that I am capable of stopping myself from healing you."


    He placed a large hand on my shoulder.  "You must. For me."


    My light started to stretch out to touch him, but I called it back.  I didn''t want to know if there was something wrong with him. I didn''t think I''d stop myself from healing him if there was.


    "Stay safe during the fighting," my dad said as he embraced me.  I returned his hug. "Remember to heal our people. Don''t try to heal the Brist or anyone else of the miasmids.  That can come after the fighting."


    "Where are we going?  Did we find out where the enemy ships are?"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "You will find out soon," my dad said.  We pulled away from the embrace.


    "Can''t you just tell me?"


    "Secrecy is of the utmost importance," he said.


    "It''s not like I''m going to tell anyone," I said.


    "I know," my dad said, "but an announcement will be made in a few minutes anyway.  We are almost there. Be prepared. Remember to take the 2 hour breaks and remember to let the other healers have their turn."


    He turned and left.  I stood there watching him as he rejoined the scientists and they left.  I took a step to rejoin my friends, but a voice behind me said, "He stopped the longevity treatments."  I turned to see Dr. Rags. I didn''t need to ask who he spoke of.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "Your father doesn''t open up to me," Dr. Rags said.  "If you don''t convince him to continue the longevity treatments, his age will catch up to him."


    I wasn''t sure how to reply.  If I defended my father, then I needed to commit to myself that I also would adhere to his wishes and not heal him.  But I couldn''t outright defy my dad either.


    "I don''t see how I can convince him otherwise once he has made up his mind," I said.


    "Can you heal him?" Dr. Rags asked.  "Of his old age?"


    I was pretty sure I could, but also sure I shouldn''t. Ethically it didn''t seem right.  It was also a temptation I was worried I wouldn''t be able to refute.


    "I don''t know," I said instead.


    Dr. Rags nodded.  "I''ve got to go," he said.  "I just wanted you to know."


    I was also pretty sure he wasn''t supposed to have given me that information - patient confidentiality and all.  I wouldn''t turn him in for that though.


    Warpaint didn''t say anything as we walked back to my friends.  I wasn''t even sure he knew the seriousness of the conversation I had with my dad.  My friends weren''t alone. Owen had rejoined them, but also Captain Axa. She spoke to the new Awakened Ones.


    "I won''t command you on how to fight," she was saying, "but I will advise you not to get in the way of our ships''s weapons.  I hope you will fight alongside our people as - Gray - " she used Owen''s new name for the Awakened One, "does. No friendly fire.  Don''t mistake our people for theirs. And I don''t want to sound ungrateful for your presence. I am glad you are here. I just hope more of your people will follow your example and join us - soon.  Or there might not be anything left to fight."


    The 3 Awakened Ones tilted their heads at this statement.


    Captain Axa turned her attention to me once she saw me.  "Remember, Vai," she said, "concentrate on healing our people.  Don''t try to heal the enemy of the miasmids. At least not yet."


    "But," I said, "what if I see an opportunity to heal everyone on one ship of the Corruption.  Say for example, the Armstar."  Shel and Minmin stood a little straighter as they watched Captain Axa for her response.  "Wouldn''t it benefit us if another ship was on our side," I said.


    She didn''t reply right away.  She even looked at her okulus before finally replying.  "We are almost to our destination. A second ship wide announcement will be made briefly."  She turned her attention back to me. "If that opportunity presents itself - take it, but not at the expense of you passing out.  Understand?"


    I nodded.


    "I''ve got to get back to the bridge.  Fight well and stay safe. All of you."  And with those words she left us.


    As soon as she left the shuttle bridge, the newly appointed First Officer made the ship wide announcement.  "We will arrive at our destination with the next jump. Remember to take your break every 2 hours. Do not fight longer than you need to.  Healers, be diligent and heal as many of our people as you can. Remember to also take your break every 2 hours."


    How long did they expect this fight to last?  I assumed we had found the enemy fleet and were taking the initiative to attack first, but that hadn''t been confirmed.  How many hours would it take us to destroy them? I really hoped I could heal at least Shel''s and Minmin''s fathers on the Armstar, but in order to do that, I was pretty sure I would need to board the Armstar and heal as many as I could from the Corruption.  I couldn''t help but wonder if I would see Thrissko again.


    "Focus on killing the miasmids," the First Officer said.  "If they abandon their hosts as they did in the last battle, do not try to kill the hosts.  Kill the miasmids. At all costs. Do not let the miasmids get away. Stay out of the way of the Gathering warships."


    Warships?  I looked at my friends, they seemed just as stunned as I was at this news.


    "They will not stop their weapons if you get in the way," the First Officer said.  "I will reiterate the importance that no miasmids get away. The warships will do everything they need to do to kill as many miasmids as they can.  I repeat - do not get in their way. We will now make our jump to our final destination."


    The First Officer ended the transmission briefly as the ship made its last jump and then he quickly came back on.  "Those in the first wave are now authorized to exit the ship and fight. Good luck. Stay safe."


    We were some of the first to exit.  I had expected us to attack the enemy fleet, but that was not what was in front of us.  At least not the enemy fleet that we were used to. There was a fleet of Brist ships. A fleet that surrounded the Brist homeworld.  This was truly to be the last battle.


    We had to win.

 Interlude 11 .

    Awakened Ones


    The little ones moved.  More and more of the Gatherish had the light.  It spread rapidly. Faster than we could count.  Faster than we could follow. The Gatherish became many.  More, much more than we ever were. But the Corruption were still many more.


    It was difficult to ignore them - the Gatherish and Corruption.  Their fighting escalated faster than anything we imagined.  It was inevitable that the Gatherish would fail. Except every time we thought they would fail, they succeeded - or at least survived - and the light spread.


    The Corruption found more of us while we hid - while the Gatherish proceeded - they killed us.  But still we remained hidden.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    We argued with our youngest brother.  He joined the Gatherish. Admired them.  He couldn''t understand his folly, his weakness.


    Then our eldest sister and another young brother left their places of hiding to join the Gatherish.  Foolish. And yet we all wondered.


    Our brothers and sister relay to us that a small group of the Gatherish have gone to the Corruption to battle.  The largest congregation of Corruption we have seen. Their center. Their core. The Corruption thought they were safe.  Who would dare attack them when they are in such large number? Their enemy is fated to die if they try, right?


    So why is our brother so confident the Gatherish will win?


    Do we remain hidden?  Do we take this chance and join with the Gatherish to push the destruction of the Corruption once and for all?  Do we wait for the next aliens who can possess the light? Wait for ones who will listen to us and not argue with us?  Do we wait? Or do we move and take the chance that we can defeat the Corruption? If we move and fail there will be no one to pass on the light.


    We stir.  We move.


    We awaken.

 Chapter 28 .

    Thrissko


    Sally spun the knife nimbly through her fingers.  Skis sat in front of her on the floor of the quarters we had claimed.  He chittered on in that language I didn''t care to learn. I sat on the couch.  I stretched out my legs in front of me feeling every pull of muscle underneath my exoskeleton.


    Sally''s shoulders moved as if she laughed, but no sound came out.


    Skis said something else.


    Sally repeated the laughing movement.


    Skis turned and spoke directly to me.  I didn''t understand his words, but the miasmids relayed his meaning.  "I don''t know when we''ll fight again," I said.


    He said something else.


    Sally nodded as the miasmids relayed Skis''s words to me.  "It''s hardly fighting when we just stay onboard.  I wish we could fight out in space like the enemy do."


    "Me too," I said.


    "Zizs vlazh," Skis said.  I decided that meant ''me too''.


    The miasmids inside me panicked.  There was a sense of urgency that made me stand.  Sally and Skis immediately stood as well and I knew they felt the same thing I did.


    The enemy was attacking.  It had surprised the miasmids.  The planet was already surrounded and escape was not impossible, but difficult.  We were to return to Brist immediately. We weren''t that close. It would take several F.T.L. jumps.


    Captain Svolun made a ship wide announcement, "I''m sure you are all aware by now.  Prepare to jump back to Brist immediately. We will be engaged in battle as soon as we arrive.  All personnel are to be at their stations. The rest of you are to be prepared to fight if any of the enemy manage to get on board.  Be vigilant."


    The broadcast ended.


    I couldn''t help but wonder if I would finally see Vai.  The Gathering had used him and his new friends as a symbol in this fight.  I had to admit - the miasmids had to admit - that Vai and his friends had been a detriment to their plans.


    And my first thought was if I did see Vai again, he could heal me.  The pain started as sharp as tiny knives stabbing my brain over and over again.  Before the pain got any worse, I switched my thinking. I would kill Vai.


    The pain was immediately replaced with pleasure.  Great pleasure. The miasmids had changed their minds about me killing Vai at some point.  In the past whenever I thought of it, they had discouraged that way of thinking. But now that Vai had these powers - now that he could heal us of the miasmids - they wanted him dead.  Nothing else. Just dead. So I made sure my thoughts were filled with images of killing my former friend and I buried deep any thought or hope of seeing my friend and being free of the miasmids.


    *


    Vai


    Warpaint had his Aether shield spread around me and him even though I still had my light shield up.  All around me - below me - above me - everywhere - there was fighting. Green light would temporarily light up space as the Brist fired their weapons on our ships, on our people.  This was difficult. Impossible. This wasn''t the small enemy fleet that had occasionally attacked us. This was almost the entirety of the Brist armata.


    There were other healers in space with us.  There were 2 others at the moment, but they were from other ships and had spread themselves away from me so we could maximize our efforts to heal.


    A small group of 5 from the Shadow did not move away fast enough and got the full blast from the Brist weapon.  The 5 of them were immediately incinerated. There was no possible way that I could have healed them fast enough to prevent their deaths.  I felt it to my core. My hands began to shake. I turned my focus elsewhere before I could dwell on it.


    There was a small group of 3 from the BlackOcean who had been grazed by the green beam from a Brist ship.  I healed them quickly. They waved a ''thanks'' in my direction before they resumed their attack.


    I looked quickly for my friends when I had a small break.  They were below me and far to my left. Shel had already taken care of their weapons and had moved on to a neighboring enemy ship to do the same.  His localized power seemed especially effective against their weapons.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Esther and Gray had made a large hole in one of the Brist ships.  Many Brist had been sucked out into space and were dying. I let them.  It was a little easier to let them than it had been previously, but only because I needed to save as much energy as possible for my own people.


    The Corruption abandoned the Brist, but before they could head down to the planet, or away into space, Minmin and Owen directed their lightning and fire to engulf the pink cloud until there was nothing left.


    This was not the first time during the fight that the miasmids had abandoned those they controlled.  Every time it happened, I was tempted to reach out with my light and break down their molecules until there was nothing left.  But I remembered my main purpose was to heal our people. My people killed the Corruption every time. I needed to let them do their jobs while I concentrated on mine.


    "Sir!"  Warpaint grabbed my arm and pulled me from the area of space I had been in just as a streak of green went passed me and crashed into the shields of the Shadow.


    "Thank you, Warpaint," I said.


    "You need to be more careful, sir."


    "I need to concentrate on healing," I said.  I stretched my light out to find those who needed me.  "You need to continue to watch out for me."


    "I will, sir."


    The green beam that had almost hit me, had grazed 4 of my fellow companions from the Shadow.  I healed them, but didn''t spare them a glance to see if they would thank me.  The environment was too chaotic for that.


    Time passed in strange ways.  One moment I thought that 2 hours must have passed, but the next moment I thought that it hadn''t been that long since we exited the Shadow.


    I healed more and more.  There were others who didn''t move fast enough and got caught completely in the enemy''s beams.  There was nothing left of them to save except for their volos which were programmed to stay out of harm''s way.  We would need to remember to collect all the ownerless volos later to pass on their owner''s history and legacy.


    The other 2 healers were getting tired.  Everyone in the battle was getting tired.  My light started to stretch towards the healers.  I wanted to give them some energy back, but before my light touched them, I realized I was also weary.  2 hours hadn''t passed yet? And I wondered in the few moments in between healing people where was the rest of the Corruption''s fleet?


    I was startled when more ships jumped in.  Relief washed through me as I realized it was our own ships not the enemy ships.  The Gathering warships we had been told to watch out for. I had never seen them up close before.  They were massive and covered in weapons in all shapes and sizes.


    The Gathering exploration ships moved out of their way.  Those of us in space moved away from them.


    Now we would have a real chance of breaking through the Brist fleet.  The Brist shields could withstand the lesser weapons on the exploration ships, but they would not be able to withstand the Aether blasts from our Warships.


    The Warships front weapons - their biggest weapons - began to hum.  White light tipped their barrels. Some of the Brist ships moved to intercept the Gathering warships.  The warships fired.


    Not on the Brist ships, but on the planet itself.  I felt them die. So many of them - Brist and the Corruption as our weapons scorched and upended entire cities.  Millions of screams of terror of pain and dying. It scorched me. Burned into me. The screams. The dead. The dying.


    "Vai!"


    "Sir!"


    Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint grabbed me from either side.  I didn''t realize until then that I was shaking. The Brist ships completely ignored us and the exploration vessels now.  They moved directly into the path of the warships and their weapons to minimize the damage to the planet''s surface.


    "Vai!" Lieutenant Tanpo yelled at me again.  I finally focused on her. "You need to heal," she told me.


    "I can''t," my voice cracked. "There are too many dying.  Too many dead. Too many hurt." The planet drew me in.


    "Not the Brist," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  She let go of my arm and instead grabbed my head and turned it to look directly into her eyes.  "Our people. Hani and her mother."


    I saw Hani and her mother then, just behind Lieutenant Tanpo.  Their left sides were completely blackened from their heads down to their toes.  They were in pain. Injured. But it gave me something to focus on. My green light stretched out to them, encircled them, mended muscle, repaired nerves, revived the skin.


    As soon as I was finished my okulus beeped signaling the end of our 2 hour shift.  Warpaint pulled me back towards the ship. I was grateful to him because I wasn''t sure I could have made myself move away from all those that needed to be healed.


    We met up with my friends before we boarded the Shadow.  "Don''t think about what''s happening on Brist," Esther said to me gently.


    I didn''t want to think about it, but I felt them.


    "I didn''t know the Gatherish were capable of such destruction," Brownie said as she and the other two Awakened Ones followed us into the Shuttle Bay.  "I have never seen such weapons as on those big ships. If you had told us, all of our people would have awakened to join you."


    "Well, tell them now," Esther said.


    "No need," Gray said.  "Our people have already awakened."


    "They will join us?" Esther asked.  "Soon?"


    "We were spread out," Brownie said.  "They will be here when they can."


    Being inside the Shadow helped a little.  I could ignore the need to heal a little more.  The Awakened Ones stayed on the shuttle bay as the fresh fighters exited to battle.  The rest of us made our way to the elevators. Minmin, Esther and Shel got off at level 7.  Owen, Warpaint and I got off on our level. We parted ways with only a wave goodbye.


    I collapsed on my bed with the thought that it was going to be impossible to rest for 2 hours, but I must have been more tired than I thought because I fell asleep almost immediately.

 Chapter 29 .

    Vai


    Everyone was screaming.  Homes and roads across the city were destroyed.  People were dead. But the worst was that they had been abandoned.  They were alone inside their heads. There was no comforting presence to fill them with happiness and tell them they were doing the right thing.  When it got difficult, the miasmids left them.


    Waves and waves of pink clouds seeped down deep into the dirt, deeper and deeper into the world until the white destruction coming from the Gathering warships couldn''t touch them.


    The people sought shelter in their homes, in old bomb shelters, in underground tunnels that ran near the surface, but the white found and obliterated them everywhere they tried to hide.


    The children had been in school with their teachers - away from their parents.  Parents left their work or homes to find their children only to be killed by the white blasts.  Teachers tried to comfort the children, but what comfort was there to be had when they had been so completely abandoned?  The teachers couldn''t keep track of all the children in the panic. Many children now ran in the streets, among the rubble that had been blasted from other areas of the city.  They screamed and cried for their parents.


    A little girl saw her mother running towards her across the street.  She started forward only wanting to be in her mother''s arms, but the white light came down and completely destroyed the entire street for as far as the little girl could see.  Her mother was no longer there. The buildings were no longer there. A large crevice cut deep into the ground. The little girl almost tumbled in where she would have surely died, but an older boy grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.  But that touch made the little girl realize she was in pain. Her bodied hurt, burned, scorched, was overheated and she cried. And the tears hurt as they touched her raw, burnt skin.


    The miasmids could have taken her pain away if they had stayed inside her, but they had abandoned her long ago to hide deep within the planet - deep where the horrid weapons couldn''t kill them.  But she didn''t hate them. She missed them. She craved them. She needed them.


    I woke sitting straight up in my bed.  My cheeks were cold. I reached up and gingerly touched my cheeks with my fingers.  Wetness greeted my fingers. There were tears on my cheeks - in my heart. Then I realized my hands were shaking.


    Please just let that have been a horrid nightmare.


    "Son," my computer mom said.


    I closed my eyes and let her familiar, welcome voice wash through me.


    "Are you all right?" she asked.  "Do you need a doctor?"


    "No," I said.  "I''m all right."


    Had it just been a dream?  Or had I touched the planet in my sleep?  I knew I hadn''t healed anyone. I felt more refreshed than earlier, not weaker.  Had the Corruption truly abandoned the Brist? Did they hide away in the planet while the Brist died on the surface?  Had my dream only been a dream - a manifestation of my worries - or had a little girl truly just watched her mother die?


    I swallowed hard and pushed away the algae shake Warpaint forced in front of my face.


    "You need to eat, sir," Warpaint said.  "Your 2 hour break will be over soon and you''ll have to go back out there to heal.  You should drink this and get your nutrition." He shoved it back in front of my face.  I took it from him, but didn''t drink it immediately.


    "Drink," my computer mom encouraged.


    My bedroom door opened and my dad walked in.  "Good, you''re awake," he said.


    "Drink your algae shake," he said too.  "You need all the strength you can get. I heard you healed many of our people.  I''m proud of you."


    I nodded, but I couldn''t shake my dream.  "I couldn''t heal everyone," I said. "Some of our people died from the Brist weapons instantly.  I couldn''t heal them."


    "You are going to have a long life, son," my dad said.


    I looked at him unsure.  We were in the middle of a war after all.


    "You won''t be able to heal everyone," he went on.  "And sometimes you shouldn''t heal everyone. For example, the Brist are our enemy at the moment.  When you are out there, you need to heal our people so that we can win. Once we win, then you can heal the Brist of the Corruption.  When people die of natural causes, you should let them go. Don''t try to extend someone''s life just because you want to."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    And I knew he was speaking of himself.


    I brought the glass to my lips and drank the green sludge inside quickly.  I handed the glass back to Warpaint when I was finished.


    "I thought you would be on the bridge," I said to my dad.


    "I was," he replied.  "I wanted to see you before you went back out."


    I nodded, but the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn''t leave me.  I couldn''t shake my nightmare. It hadn''t felt like a nightmare.


    "I had a dream," I said, "that the Corruption had abandoned the Brist and were hiding deep in the planet where our weapons couldn''t reach them.  The Brist died on the surface while the Corruption remained hidden and safe. I''m not sure if it was just a dream. What if it is the reality?"


    My dad didn''t say anything as he contemplated.  "If it is reality," he finally said, "what we are doing out there at the moment is only wasting resources."


    "And killing innocent beings," I added.


    My dad nodded.


    "Do we have no way of monitoring the Corruption and where they are on the planet?" I asked.


    "In the past," my dad said, "we knew where the miasmids were from people who were infected by zek frenzy.  Or the pink haze. But the miasmids figured out we could follow them that way and grew more careful. Zek frenzy became more difficult to discern and we only knew when someone had the miasmids inside them when the pink would occasionally show in their eyes.  If they are congregated as a pink mass we can visibly see them, but they don''t show on our sensors."


    "So you don''t really have a way to discern if they''ve abandoned the Brist?"


    My dad shook his head.


    "But I can," I said.  He reached out for me, but I ignored him and closed my eyes.  I floated out of myself and used my light to blink down to the planet''s surface.  I hovered over a massive crevice. There was rubble all about me. But I didn''t see any Brist or Corruption.  I stretched out with my light. There were Brist still alive, but they were far away. There wasn''t any Corruption inside them.  Remembering my dream, I stretched my light down through the planet. Down and down and down. And there they were. The Corruption.  All together deep enough that our weapons couldn''t hurt them. I was tempted to use my light to destroy them, but there were too many.  It would have been futile.


    I blinked back into my body and opened my eyes.  "It''s true," I said. "The Corruption have abandoned the Brist.  They hide deep within the planet out of harm''s way while the Brist die on the surface."


    "Come on," my dad tugged on my arm until I was on my feet.  "We need to tell the captain," he said.


    I stood beside him as he placed a call through his okulus.  Captain Axa immediately answered. She stood on the bridge. The First Officer sat behind her in the captain''s chair.


    "I''m assuming this is something extremely important to interrupt me at a time like this, Lieutenant Commander," she said.


    My dad placed a large hand on my back and pushed me a little forward.


    "The Corruption have left the Brist," I said.  "They are hiding deep underneath the surface where our weapons can''t reach them.  We are only killing Brist. And their planet. And their homes. And their children."


    "All right," she interrupted me before I could go into panic mode.  Or more into panic mode than I already was. "There is no way for us to confirm - "


    "I just confirmed it," I interrupted her, "I sent my spirit self down to the surface and stretched out with my light.  The Corruption have abandoned every Brist on that planet. I saw the Corruption hiding deep underground, safe, waiting it out."


    The First Officer''s voice came on as he made a ship wide announcement just as my okulus beeped indicating the 2 hour break was over and the new 2 hour shift would begin.


    "I''ll take care of it," Captain Axa said when the ship wide announcement was over.  "Take your next shift, Vai and Lieutenant Commander, come back to the bridge."


    "Yes, Captain," we both said right before the call ended.


    "You might have just saved this war," my dad said.  He pulled me in for a brief hug and then left.


    I stood there a moment longer as I tried to shake off the remnants of my nightmare.  My okulus beeped with an incoming call from Owen.


    I immediately answered.  He, Shel, Minmin and Esther stood in the shuttle bay.  "Where are you?" Owen asked. "Everyone is already out there."


    "I''m on my way," I said.  I ran to the elevators and then again to the shuttle bay and my friends with Warpaint quick behind me.


    "What took you so long?" Esther asked.


    I told them quickly what I had discovered as we headed out into space.


    "That doesn''t change what we need to do in this moment," Shel said, "Destroy the Brist ships and all of the Corruption on those ships.  At least we know those Corruption haven''t hidden in the planet. We would have noticed a mass exodus from the ships."


    I nodded.  Warpaint and I found a spot a little ways from the fighting where I could concentrate on the healing.  Since everyone was so fresh, there wasn''t anyone to heal yet.


    The giant warships all stopped firing on the planet.  I held my breath and waited, but they didn''t fire again.  Captain Axa must have relayed my information. Now we needed to decide how we were going to get to the hidden Corruption.


    Ships jumped in near the warships.  It was the mix of ships the Corruption had formed as a fleet.  I immediately noticed the Armstar.  Shel and Minmin noticed it too.  The new ships moved and began to fire on the warships completely ignoring the rest of us.  The Brist fleet that had been protecting the planet also moved to engage the Warships directly.  The rest of us were ignored.


    That must have been the Corruption''s plan - to get rid of those deadly warships first.  If we didn''t have those, the war could turn to our detriment.

 Chapter 30 .

    Minmin


    I stared at the Armstar and felt a strange mix of dread and hope.  My mom was dead. She had died from the pain the Corruption gave her.  All this time of pushing away the thought of her - of pushing away my grief - it came back now in a torrent that encased my heart.  Burning tears sprang to my eyes. Though my shield regulated the area directly around me, tears in space probably were not a good idea so I blinked them away and chased away the grief for another day.


    My eyes flitted to Shel.  He also stared at the Armstar, but when he felt my gaze he turned to me.  An understanding passed between us reminding me again that even though we weren''t related - we weren''t even the same species - he was my brother.  In that moment, I pushed my grief away for something else. Hope. Hope that Shel and I - with a great deal of help from Vai - could save our fathers.


    There was a great distance between us and the Armstar.  There was a lot of black space and many ships between us.  And Shel and I couldn''t take on the entire Armstar by ourselves.  Even if the Corruption on Brist were in hiding, the Corruption on the ships were still there and they could tear through us and our shields even if we managed to fight off everyone on board the Armstar.


    Shel''s deep blue eyes turned away as they searched over the battle for what I assumed was an effort to find his mother.  I looked too, but I didn''t see her. I wasn''t even sure she was on this shift. Perhaps she was in the alternate shift.


    I searched for Vai.  He wasn''t too far away.  Warpaint stood by his side.  Vai''s dark brown eyes met mine.  I was going to ask for his help, but in that moment I hesitated.  It was selfish of me to ask him to hold off healing our people just so he could help me and Shel get our fathers back.


    All of the enemy ships moved away from us and now concentrated their fire power on the warships.  The fighting with those of us with the light outside the ships kind of stopped. There were a few that still attacked the Brist ships, but the rest of us waited.  We couldn''t compete with the warships'' weapons - even with the lesser weapons that they now used to attack the Brist ships. They had stopped using their mass weapons to reserve those for the planet.


    We couldn''t destroy the entire Brist planet just to get at the Corruption that was hiding inside it.  At least, I hoped the Gathering council wouldn''t order the destruction of an entire planet. That was unfathomable.


    I drew closer to Shel and Owen who had been beside me moved with me.  I looked at Shel. He looked at me. Neither of us wanted to actually voice the possibility of going to save our fathers on the Armstar.


    "Friends," Owen said to us after an unnaturally long pause.  We both looked to him. "I know you want to return to your original home and take back your dads, but we can''t take on the entire ship just by ourselves."


    "I''m willing to try," Esther said as she came up beside us.


    "I do not understand," Gray said.


    "He''s only going to be able to fit in the shuttle bay," Shel said.  "Sorry, Gray, but you''re really not going to be of help."


    "You need to make your ships bigger," Gray muttered.


    "I know what you are thinking," since when was Lieutenant Tanpo beside us, "but it''s too dangerous to go into the Armstar by ourselves."


    The Remembrance suddenly dropped below all the fighting before going still.  It just sat there not making any sort of move.


    "Is it just me, or is the Remembrance acting unusual," Owen said.


    The other enemy ships continued to fire on our warships.  Only the Remembrance remained alone and still.  Our exploration fleet were the only other unmoving ships, but that was because we were out here in space fighting.  I wondered if they would call us back onboard and then maneuver to fire on the enemy ships. Our weapons were not as strong as the warships, but we could still battle the enemy ships.


    "Do you want to go onboard the Armstar and I''ll heal your dads," Vai said.  I didn''t notice him and Warpaint come up beside us either.


    "It will be difficult to board with the way the warships are firing on them," Owen said.


    "And even if our small group manages to get on board, they will immediately know and attack us," Shel said.


    "I can create a diversion on the shuttle bay," Gray offered.  "I can draw all of the enemy to me and you can find your fathers and heal them."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "I appreciate the thought," I said, "but you won''t last long by yourself."


    "We can bring my brother and sister with us," Gray said.


    "But even then," Lieutenant Tanpo said, "how long can you last?  Especially if the Corruption decides to attack you directly? They killed Esther''s Awakened One."


    "But I''m sure that was after a great battle," Gray said.  "The Corruption will eventually tear through our shields, but we can hold out long enough."


    Our Okuli beeped all at once.  It was a message from the ship.  We answered and through each of our volos, the first officer''s image was projected.  "Everyone is to return to the ship immediately." Then the image cut. We weren''t the only one to receive the message.  Everyone from the exploration vessels made their way back to their respective ships.


    We were some of the last ones to board.  Mainly because Shel and I were hesitant to leave our dads.  As soon as we were onboard, we received a message from the captain.


    ?Head to the labs.  Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa has further instructions for you.


    The five us - 7 if you included Warpaint and Lieutenant Tanpo, which I should so - the seven of us left the shuttle bay leaving behind the 3 Awakened Ones and the rest of the people who had been on our 2 hour shift.  They waited there in case there was an opportunity for our fighting to resume.


    When we got to the labs, we were directed by the scientists to Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa''s lab.  He wasn''t alone. The 2 scientists that had come down to the shuttle bay with him earlier were there as well.  The 3 of them stood side by side as if they had been waiting for us. Projected in the middle of his lab was the battle scene.  As we entered, one of our warships destroyed a Brist ship, but there were many more to take its place.


    "What''s going on?" Vai asked.


    "We are waiting," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said in that frustrating way where he answered a question without really answering it.  I didn''t understand how Vai could stand it.


    "Waiting for what?" Vai asked.


    "Opportunity," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said.


    "Do you always have to be so frustrating," I mumbled under my breath.  I thought I had said it quietly enough that no one else would be able to hear it, but from the looks people were giving me, that hadn''t been the case.  "Sorry," I quickly said. I didn''t want to have to face Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa''s wrath. He was scary. But he smiled gently.


    "We have made a new device," Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa said as he indicated his 2 scientists.  "It will hopefully give us an advantage in this war which frankly," he looked at the projected battle.  Many of our warships were now damaged, but none were incapacitated or destroyed. The Remembrance hadn''t moved from its spot of immobility, "we need an advantage.  Especially since the miasmids - our real enemy - are hiding away."


    "Will your device reach them underneath the planet''s surface?" Vai asked hopefully.


    Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa shook his head.  "No, but if we find a chance to board the Armstar it should be of tremendous help."


    "If it works," the Bundu-Jo scientist said.


    "It will work," the human scientist said.


    "We haven''t had the opportunity to test it yet," the Bundu-Jo said.


    I wasn''t sure how I felt about that.  If it was something that could save my dad, I wanted to risk it.  But if it hadn''t been tested, how did we know it wouldn''t blow up in our faces.  Whatever it was.


    "That''s what we are waiting for?" Shel asked.  "To get on the Armstar?"


    Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa nodded.  Shel leaned in closer to the projection.  I noticed I was too, but I didn''t care. Everyone was now on board their ships.  The exploration ships began to move and fire on the Brist ships.


    We waited and watched the battle through the projection.  More Brist ships were destroyed. The Corruption that were on those ships drifted down to the planet now that we were no longer out there to destroy them and the warships were engaged in battle.  More of our warships took damage as the fleet with the Armstar and the Brist ships battled them from all sides.


    After at least an hour of watching, one of our warships finally lost their shields and with a few well-placed shots from several enemy ships, our ship blew up.  Whatever fire there was died away quickly. Shrapnel, large and small, was sent in all directions. Much of it bounced off the shields of other ships and was sent hurtling through space in a different direction.  There were bodies, but they were so tiny I could pretend they were something else even as they went drifting through space with the shrapnel.


    "No, Vai," Lieutenant Tanpo said.  "You can''t heal them. There is nowhere for them to go and no rescue for them.  Not in that battlefield. Let it go."


    I hadn''t noticed before, I was too engrossed in the projection, but Vai had that familiar look on his face as if it took everything he had inside him not to heal.


    Time passed and the battle showed no signs of slowing down.  More Brist ships were destroyed. More space shrapnel bumped into other ships or were burned as they entered the Brist atmosphere.  I wondered how much destruction there would be to Brist just from the shrapnel. The small pieces wouldn''t do any damage, but there were some large pieces of ships that hurtled toward the planet.


    Through all of it the Remembrance didn''t move.  The other ships ignored it.  Two more of our warships were destroyed.  The enemy focused all their attention on the warships so all of the exploration ships were still intact.


    Vai suddenly stiffened.  "They''re here," he whispered.


    "Who?" Esther asked.


    And Vai smiled.  The first smile I had seen on him for hours.  "The Awakened Ones. They are here."


    Gray, Brownie and Blackie were out in space.  I didn''t know when they had exited the Shadow.  I just noticed them so maybe just at that moment.  I didn''t think they were who Vai was referencing, but I didn''t see any other Awakened Ones.


    "There."  Vai pointed to the very edge of the projection.  There were the Awakened Ones. Maybe a hundred of them.


    "Is that it?" Esther asked.  "Is that all that is left of them?"


    An entire race and that was all that was left?  I understood why they had been so hesitant to join us before.


    They immediately began to attack a K''thaktran ship.  Gray, Blackie and Brownie disappeared and then reappeared by the other Awakened Ones.


    Captain Axa''s voice came on in Lieutenant Commander Ma''amaloa''s lab.  "Get ready," she said. "I think you''ll find your opportunity to board the Armstar soon."