I, Propitiator: "Chapter 17"

Chapter 17

Love changes you. It takes what was old and rebuilds it into something beautiful.

Gabriela sent a transmission to the Prime I, saying:

::: this is Ensign Gabriela Alora at the Sol System Space Station, we wish to inform you that there are currently four Terrans on the A.R.S. Victory. At the present moment, Commander Avner is attempting to help them realize that they are actually Ies. If you have any orders concerning this new development, someone will be standing by waiting for them. :::

While she was waiting for a response to come back, Mom sat on the edge of her bed listening to Cassandra rant about how Mom was clearly lying to her and this was all some cover-up for some government operation which Mom was apparently part of. Mom didn’t really know how to reason with this level of senselessness, so she kept quiet, not giving much answer to anything my crazy aunt said in attempt to cope with the obscurity of the situation.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 16"

Chapter 16

“Love does not take into account a wrong suffered… [Love] rejoices with the truth… Love never fails.” –Paul of Tarsus

In all my days seeing Oliver and David interact, my eyes have never beheld such rapid succession of accidental mistakes that David performed which should cause Oliver grief. As soon as Oliver had evaded Zurui by hiding at the safe house, in less than a month’s time, Oliver now had to deal with our Terran cousins that were on his new spaceship. If we failed here, Terra Lapsa could be lost as a result of some simple mistake. However Gabriela’s words came back to Oliver as David entered the room. In that moment, my ears then heard the most endearing words between the two of them spoken, “David, no longer worry about the Terran infiltration. You don’t have to prove yourself to me. Nothing you do could weaken the love my heart pours over you, my brother.”

David stood there, confused, and then seemed to relax and shrug off what Oliver said all in one motion. After David had explained what had happened and what was taking place as they spoke, Oliver said, “It seems most sensible to me to take try to maximize the situation. If they don’t become Ies, they can’t leave this ship anyways, so we minus well tell them what’s really happening so they can have the best shot at becoming an I an leaving their Terran state behind.”

David’s sense seemed to return to him as he offered, “Perhaps we should break up who’s talking to who dependent on the level of connection previously established.”

Oliver nodded in agreement, and then said, “Mom can talk to Auntie, Seraphina can talk to Cheyenne, and you can talk to Brooke, leaving me with Tamara.”

“Um… ok…”

By this time, Daedalus had dropped me off back at the safe house, so with that Oliver teleported each I to their room with the Terran they were supposed to attempt to bring to actualization. If this could be done, it would greatly increase the strength of the Ies in this region of Terra Lapsa, yet if it was met with failure, we could reach a lot of problems in the long run.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 15"

Chapter 15

Love does not hide, but it does wait.

While my body was in that altered state of consciousness we call sleep, the Prime I teleported by my bedside took my hand kissed it and returned to the A.R.S. Zoelight. Captain Lee, Captain Dalton, and the Prime I were taking the A.R.S. Zoelight and the A.R.S. Lightning out to capture a few freighter ships of the regime that were carrying military supplies. Just after he left, my eyes opened, yet what had just happened was completely unknown to me at the time. From there, the two resistance ships flew on an intercept course to secure the military supplies for the resistance.

In the early morning, the whole house arose to welcome our extended family. Daedalus had taken me out for coffee and a walk in the park, so when Auntie Cassandra arrived Oliver greeted them. Her eyes looked so tired Oliver’s first assumption was that she was a zombie. Of course there’s no such thing as a zombie even in outer space, but the thought had crossed his mind. Oliver said hello to everyone on our behalf, but Cheyenne and Brooke ran through house before Oliver had finished speaking. Tamara didn’t seem to be listening, but you couldn’t really tell for sure; after all, she was a teenager and her mind was in all probability on her boyfriend and if not, in some book she was reading. Now don’t get me wrong, my Terran cousins are nice enough, but when they are together it’s like a Terran illness better known as “mob mentality” ails them all. They go from calm, lovable people to insanely loquacious monsters that have lost all sense of peace and quiet. After everyone had gotten into the house, David inquired, “So we were expecting you guys to get here last night, what happened?”

“We hit really bad traffic about half of the way through then I got too tired so we checked in at a motel for the night.” Cassandra answered.

Then as Mom was making breakfast for everyone, Tamara sat down at the dining table to read her book. Seeing that she was sitting there, Cheyenne and Brooke also sat at the table, shouting across it. Then Cheyenne tilted her head as she saw Oliver’s commander certificate. She picked it up, waved it in the air and shouted, “My cousin is a soldier!”

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 14"

Chapter 14

“I would rather have eyes that cannot see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love.” –Robert Tizon

Gabriela had rallied an enormous welcoming party together for the Prime I which became quite clear to me as we walked behind him entering the plaza of the Sol System Space Station. Never in my life had my eyes beheld such a spectacular display of reception. Every eye was on him as the whole station was in a tremendous array of jubilee. If you ever thought you’ve seen Terrans act crazy around a celebrity, remember that this station held no Terrans, but instead Ies, Vytor and Cyafs, all of which can act with far more energy than a Terran. So in this entry “wild” did not begin to describe how joyous everyone acted around us. Trying to further explain what was happening in English would be an exercise in futility because the words for such simply do not exist among Terrans.

After the celebration of the Prime I’s arrival came to a close, Oliver moved the A.R.S. Victory to the midpoint orbital path to facilitate teleportation between the planet and the station. After doing this, he telepathically asked Kanda to come with him back to the safe house. Having no reason to refuse his offer, Mom teleported them down. Oliver inhaled deeply after they rematerialized in dining room. Then he began to sing:

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 13"

Chapter 13

Without love, evil grows.

Over the next week, we rapidly repaired the A.R.S. Zoelight and raced toward the Sol System Space Station. However, like in chapter 4, it seems to me that explaining more of the things behind-the-scenes would help illustrate what we were up against, what had to be destroyed, but more importantly, what there was to redeem.

Zurui called Kakios and Vidya to the base headquarters. They entered to room to see a holographic projection of a man they all knew as King Mammoth. Now he wasn’t called that because he was physically large, but rather because his ideas were large and so economically ahead of what most thought possible that he looked like a giant. King Mammoth was the leader of the entire Arashad Regime and had been for about twenty years now. The senseless expansion began shortly afterwards. King Mammoth continued, “Now I have called you two here because your efforts to stop the resistance have not gone unnoticed. Kakios, you will be promoted within Zurui’s staff to his second-in-command. Vidya, you will be promoted within this base to be the chief science officer and I’m counting on the two of you to aid Zurui to the best of your ability. Zurui, for your actions, I am sending you a legion of 15’s and a fleet of our newest ships from Gliese IV, they’ll be coming through the Elliptical Cross Wormhole and should reach your base in a matter of days. Please send and escort to the wormhole and prepare to attack on the Sol System Space Station. I expect an update from the base every 72 hours until otherwise stated. Dismissed.”

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 12"

Chapter 12

Darkness cannot consume love because love itself generates that light which pierces darkness.

The Prime I awoke and telepathically reached Captain Lee. ‘Do not be dismayed. Commander Lewis died the way he wanted to, defending Itxaro from the explosion. He was still barely alive when the explosion when off and it was his telepathic call for help that told me what had happened, he knew you wanted to thank him. He was at peace when he swallowed what would have destroyed the ship.’

Captain Lee froze in the middle of the hallway as he had been walking back to his own room. The news of how his best friend had died was both so tragic and so beautiful that the captain finally allowed himself to cry openly. As he did, a crewman Cyaf came out of the ship comm. pad and played a soothing song which sounded much like what you’d imagine a water lily to sound like. The captain sat there in the middle of the hallway, sobbing and finally being able to grieve the loss of his dearest friend. Yet because he was able to, time would be able to heal his wounds from this and the captain would be able to lead the A.R.S. Zoelight into her most dangerous battle yet.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 11"

Chapter 11

In the arms of Love, safety, shelter and serenity are found. Without Love, these things fade into a mist ever fleeing and vanishing from one’s presence.

The A.R.S. Victory raced toward a place on the edge of the Sol System called the Great Elliptical Cross. The A.R.S. Lightning was already there; Itxaro was busy repairing it while they waited for Commander Anver’s team to arrive. She brushed out a ton of ash from the control room so she could see what she was doing better. Meanwhile, the Prime I was surprisingly sleeping. Like any other person, he had to slip into that altered state of consciousness to repair his natural functions of the body. She marveled at how such a powerful being was still so natural, so much like everyone else. However, Itxaro put this out of her mind as she then proceeded to realign the targeting system that was currently off-line, also a result of Decion. That stupid android caused so much damage to the ship she almost wondered if it would make more sense to just harvest the supplies for a half a ship, tear this one down, and build a new one from the combination of parts. This of course was a joke, yet it was an easy way for her to keep her mind off of the pressing situation that both the resistance’s flagship and the A.R.S. Lighting were severely damaged at the moment and if it weren’t for the fact that the assailing party had not come prepared for a ship battle, only a initial entry and onboard attack, the resistance would have lost some of its finest ships as a result of a single ambush. Zurui had to be stopped. He was tearing up the resistance’s efforts in the Sol System and they simply couldn’t keep up with him at this rate.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 10"

Chapter 10

May the sweet fragrance of love carry you on the winds, may it give you a blessed assurance that you have worth and may it revive that hope you thought was lost.

Captain Lee shouted at Ensign Kasana, “Go to red alert! We’re under attack!”

The ship blared with an obnoxiously loud siren declaring the level of distress the ship was in. The Prime I walked out of his room into the control room. He inquired, “Where were we hit?”

Captain Lee quickly responded, “2^nd deck, starboard… What did you have in mind, sir?”

However, by the time the captain had finished his inquiry, the Prime I had already taken the tunnels to the place where the ship was vulnerable.

After sending a transmission explaining what had happened back to the A.R.S. Zoelight, Itxaro teleported the commander’s body back onto the A.R.S. Lightning. However, as he arrived, she also heard a strange noise. Searching for the source, she found it in his mouth… 3…2… With barely any time to react Itxaro instinctively covered herself in hopes to survive the explosion.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 9"

Chapter 9

Love blesses those upon whom it befalls. Apart from love, there is no such thing as a gift.

Commander Lewis and Itxaro flew the A.R.S. Lightning out to a nearby planet to investigate a strange reading they had picked up on long-range sensors. As they neared the frozen rock, it became clear that the signal was coming from within a cave on the surface of the planet. Flying to the mouth, Commander Lewis set down as Itxaro began taking detailed scans. Eventually she stated, “It doesn’t seem to match anything we’re familiar with, but if hunches held any weight, mine would lead me to believe that this signal is not naturally occurring. It seems to be far too thermal to match anything here and there’s something about this place that feels wrong.”

Commander Lewis nodded, “You’re right about the strangeness about the place, however it seems silly to me that we’ve come all the way out here just to take some scans. Why not investigate further?”

“You’re the commander, don’t look to me…”

“Of course, just wondering what you were thinking.”

They got out on foot and walking into the cave; Decion awaited them.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 8"

Chapter 8

Love fights with a fire that cannot be quenched. It blazes in such a way that those watching are captivated by the beauty of its flame.

“3… 2… 1…” Oliver concluded.

The next moment, without a word spoken, Lieutenant Tam rose is hand and sprang his fingers forward, sending his tipir straight forward. Oliver clearly was not expecting this as he had to dive to the right. Then realizing what he was really up against, he stated, “Love’s light blinds!”

In a whirl of red and green, his tipir formed multiple copies and lit up the whole field so bright that no one but Oliver and Lieutenant Tam could see to any degree whatsoever…. Oh wait, the other except would be the Prime I, but you get the point, it was far too bright for cameras to register what was going on.  In the blinding light, Oliver ran straight for Lieutenant Tam. The crafty lieutenant closed his hand, causing the tipir to retract. Then Oliver called his tipir to himself and they locked energy staffs for a moment. Oliver used a sweep kick to knock the lieutenant off his feet; however, Lieutenant Tam didn’t just fall, but also rolled so that he created some distance between Oliver and himself. Tam then fired his tipir, forcing Oliver to have to block a few shots of raw energy. By the time he had deflected the shots, Tam was a good 50 yards away. From there, Tam then turned his tipir into a shield and fired another array of bolts at Oliver. However, this time, he telepathically controlled the shots as well, thus making it so that Oliver couldn’t just deflect the shots, he had to neutralize them. So he stated, “The sword in my hands will break the arrows of my challenger.”

At these words, beams of light reached out to quench the fiery arrow like energy shots that were coming at Oliver. This continued for hours until eventually Admiral Fitzdaniels dined the bell, signifying that they were to take a break.

Back at the A.R.S. Zoelight, Captain Lee and Commander Lewis were busy sorting through the things they had collected from the outpost. Itxaro stayed up at the control center to oversee all ship operations during this time. Ensign Kasana simply watched from the viewscreen. However, to her, this all seemed like nothing entertaining compared to the urge she had to sing at that present point in time. You see, Cyafs loved the arts; they just seemed to be captivated by such things and could not possibly be torn away from such things whenever they were interested in. So realizing that this would interfere with her work, she requested to be relieved of duty for a few hours.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 7"

Chapter 7

Love conquers all things; let us too surrender to Love.” –Virgil

The toxic gas from the Centarian Serpents was starting to make Oliver and Kanda drowsy. As the snakes drew near, Oliver looked into Kanda’s beautiful brown eyes and with a voice so soft and soothing he said, “Kanda, because I love you, everything will be alright.”

Then they both were overcome by sleep as the breath of the monsters was the only air that filled their chamber.

Ensign Kasana moved through the control panel, repairing all the damage the 15 had done, then as Captain Lee was about to faint, she emerged from the panel and with her energy staff struck the mass of goo that was atop him. This was just enough for Captain Lee to finish off the 15 and start to get his bearings. They were no longer in any immediate danger, however seeing as Ensign Kasana had sounded an alarm earlier yet no help had come from the outpost, it was now crystal clear that it was overrun by the enemy.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 6"

Chapter 6

When one truly loves, they become willing to sacrifice everything, even their own life, for the one whom they love.

Daedalus paced outside the house, waiting for me to finish getting ready for the night. We were going swing dancing at the local dancing studio. My sympathetic side had convinced Mom that it was necessary to make it up to Daedalus for ditching him at the theater by letting him take me out dancing. Not eager for argument, she allowed me to go. Upon entering the car, Daedalus waved good bye to my mom and we were off. Along the way to the dance studio, we passed a black sedan. For a moment it appeared that Kanda was in that car, yet there wasn’t time to confirm. If my eyes didn’t deceive me, she was in the passenger seat, perhaps being coerced into doing whatever she was doing. Not wanting to loose the opportunity, yet also not wanting to alert Daedalus, reason dictated that the best course of action was to telepathically inform Oliver of everything and continue to the dance as if nothing happened.

Lieutenant Avner and Lieutenant Tam were training together, getting ready for the next competition. However, when Lieutenant Avner heard my telepathic message, he excused himself and went to Captain Dalton. When he found his commanding officer, he requested, “Sir, please allow me to return to Terra Lapsa, a friend of mine has gone missing and my sister has just reported that she thought she saw my friend but was unable to pursue the matter due to Terran presence.”

Captain Dalton did not look pleased with the request, however his words still held a sense that he might allow it, “You are aware that this tournament is the opportunity of a lifetime?”

“Yes, that has crossed my mind, sir.”

Captain Dalton hesitated, but finally said, “Very well then, you may go, but know that this will be on record, open for review by the judges.”

Oliver nodded and then darted down the hallway to get to the space-dinghy. When he got back to the safe house, he parked the ship and got on his bike, riding out to the place Kanda, or at least someone who looked like her, had been spotted. Throughout this process, Mom appeared to be quite confused over what all the fuss was, yet helped out by hiding the space-dinghy so Oliver wouldn’t have to spend extra time doing so. Upon his arrival, Oliver got off his bike and then while standing on the sidewalk, telepathically reached out, ‘Kanda! Where are you?’

Nearly a minute later, he heard her response, ‘In a dark room, we passed a Mobil gas station on the way here. Beyond that my memory fails to recall anything…’

Oliver pulled out his phone, given to him by the Ies, and traced the telepathic location. Confirming that it was near a gas station, he rode off in that direction, tipir in hand. Eventually he arrived at an abandoned lot. Getting off his bike, he walked through the property until he found a strange hatch that looked like it had been recently used. Finding it locked, he sliced it open with his tipir and lowered himself in. The moment he landed on the ground, Kakios cackled, “You really came for her?!? How stupid are you?”

“To me, the words of the Prime I bring life, but for some foolishness is all they can hear.”

At these words, the tipir leapt at Kakios. He did nothing as the tipir went through him; Oliver realized it was merely a hologram. The hologram then said, “Well I’ll tell you that she is here… somewhere, the trick is finding her exact location, before my pet finds one of you.”

“Your pet?”

The hologram faded out, but then as Oliver headed down a corridor, a loud roar was heard throughout the complex. Oliver decided that since he knew not where Kanda was, but at least knew the general direction the “pet” was, he’d move away from it. What he didn’t realize was that there were actually two of these monsters in this underground maze.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 5"

Chapter 5

Distance cannot separate the love of one so true from reaching their beloved. The very spirit of their love resides with the beloved.

It had been about ten days since we had been living comfortably in the safe-house; Mom was back, having landed in what you might call a dinghy. The purpose of these uncomfortable vessels of space travel was concealability among the Terran population. It was simple, just put a bunch of boxes around the side of the garage you parked the darn thing and no one would ever guess you were hiding a spaceship under it all. However, we didn’t actually hide it, because the same night Mom landed, Oliver took the space-dinghy back up to the Sol System Space Station. As it sounded to me, his commanding officer, Captain Dalton had signed him up in a tipirship competition that was to last the next few days. Now having purposed in his mind that he would inform Kanda of his temporary departure, he searched for an hour attempting to find her, but she would not see him. At the time, it appeared to me that she was too hurt from their last notable encounter; however, this wasn’t quite the case. Since Kanda was off making a mental map of the surrounding area at Zurui’s demand, Oliver eventually informed me that he could not find Kanda and having run out of time, reported to Captain Dalton.

Oliver was given a streamlined crimson spacesuit as he then proceeded to the outer level of the station for the competition. He blinked a few times in the blinding light that usually wasn’t there. Soon he realized this was being televised in the station as well as on all nearby resistance ships. An admiral stood on a platform as the competing lieutenants were being directed to line up so the cameras could get a good shot of all the contestants. Admiral Fitzdaniels then explained, “Welcome skilled tipir wielders. We have asked each captain stationed in this section of space to submit their three most skilled lieutenants for this tourney. Therefore, you have been placed here by someone who knows of your accomplishments. This is more than an event testing your tipir abilities, but one that challenges your aptitude to use it under difficult circumstance, as a team, individually, and with respectable character. The winner of these events will be promoted to commander as well as receive another prize that will be told only to the champion. You will be evaluated by three judges, Admiral Johnson, who will be focusing on your endurance, myself who will have special interest in effectiveness, and lastly yet certainly most importantly, the Prime I, as he’ll evaluate things you wouldn’t consider. May the strength of the Ies be with you all.”

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 4"

Chapter 4

The sea can be very still before the storm. So always be certain you know where that anchor of love is so that you will not be tossed about by the waves.

Over the next week it seemed like nothing much happened. Daedalus took me out for dinner one night, and though it was very enjoyable, there isn’t much to say about it. Kanda stayed in the house while my brother kept accompanying me to school and other functions we often participated in to make it look like we were normal people with no real changes in our lives. Yet, in this week of seeming normality, many things behind-the-scenes were unraveling.

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 3"

Chapter 3

“There is no love without forgiveness and no forgiveness without love.” –Bryant H. McGill

Mom had sent Oliver, Kanda and me to the safe-house on the edge of Convala while she flew the ship back to the Sol System Space Station. We each took a separate room, yet sleep would not come to me as the fact that my tongue had used such disgraceful language haunted me. It was like in the silence, the only words that could come back to memory were “I must leave.” No reasoning, no logic, not even an inkling of self-respect. What was wrong with me?

Meanwhile, Mom docked the ship at the space station and walked through the central ring. It was busy as usual, with various resistance members going about their day as if her presence was of no consequence. Then, an all too familiar voice called from behind, “What brings you here Ms. Avner?”

Mom became rigid; her thoughts raced on how to answer the man whose foolish actions nearly killed her son many years ago. It wasn’t his fault; they were all in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet if only Oliver and Mason had been more careful… perhaps things would be easier on all of them… turning to face him, she answered, “The Arashad Regime intercepted my nephew’s letter to you. It contained a series of potential upgrades you could provide for us on our specific ship.”

Mason looked shocked as he said, “David really should have delivered such information to me directly… is it safe to assume everyone else is well looked after for now?”

Now more relaxed, Mom continued, “For now, but we recently freed a Ms. Kanda Tamwong from some guy named Zurui so he mi-”

Mason’s eyes widened as he cut her off, “Zurui? He just reached first on the resistance’s most wanted list this morning. Apparently, he almost single-handedly took down a hundred of our ships stationed at the Neptunian outpost. If he’s after you guys, you will need more help than this whole station.”

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 2"

Chapter 2

“Love will come to save us, if only we’ll call. He will ask nothing of us, but demand we give our all.” –Warren Barfield

Kanda stretched out her hands to break her fall as Zurui threw her violently out of his room. She never thought she would have to sell herself as a slave and certainly not to a master that would take anything she valued from her. You see Kanda was an I and the Arashad Regime had sent Zurui, one of their most treacherous operatives, to her region. He had basically made it so that unless she sold herself to him, Zurui would have revealed the Ies and all hope of protecting Terra Lapsa would have been lost. Zurui flexed his right bicep as if to show off his tattoo. In a ghoulish font the words on his arm “you are mine” moved to haunt her. Kanda knew she had to escape, but she was stuck on a spaceship with a large crew and tight security. She wasn’t trained in flying them, as if the feat of getting through all the security wasn’t enough of a challenge. The best she could hope for was an I to hear her final telepathic plea for help as her spirit could no longer hold her away from the assailing Zurui.

Oliver shot straight up with a sharp ringing sound in his ear. Telepathically he alerted me, ‘Don’t wake Mom just yet, but do start flying us to these coordinates.’

‘Why are we venturing there? Isn’t it close to the Arashad Regime’s new base?’

Oliver reached my room and whispered, “An I is in trouble and we must save her.”

He must have figured that saying it verbally would help me just trust that he knew what he was doing, even though he really didn’t. From there, my mind kinda avoided actual logic or reasoning and just accepted that we were going to save whoever this I was. Perhaps it was the word “her” that got my attention. As he grabbed his tipir and got to the teleporter, he telepathically reminded me, ‘Keep the ship in stealth unless otherwise instructed. Wake Mom in half an hour if we haven’t left this place yet.’

I, Propitiator: "Chapter 1"

Chapter 1

Of all the regal ways that love can come, there is that protection unseen so that you are overwhelmed by its power when you finally realize its existence.

Saluton Terran,

My name is Seraphina Atarah Avner, but most people just call me Sarah. My purpose in writing this book for you to read is so that you will be aware of how the Prime I looks out for even you, who knows not of him. My means of dispensing such proof is primarily to show you how he has provided for my brother Oliver and me.

    Now since you Terrans are simply unaware of us Ies, allow me to first explain to you that Oliver is now the captain of the Sol System Space Station, which primarily oversees the protection of Terra Lapsa. Most Ies, actually do not realize that they are one until they reach adulthood, but in my case as well as my brother’s, we realized who we were at about the age of four. This gave us a significant advantage in getting involved with the Ies in this sector and getting closer to the Prime I. However, that alone would not be enough for such an important figure to take notice in Oliver or me. Reasonable speculation implies that things really started to change on 31002 MST. It was early morning when Oliver nearly sprayed my face with the yogurt in his mouth.