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.

I, Propitiator: "National Novel Writing Month"

November is the National Novel Writing Month, so alongside writing my novel, I will attempt to post each chapter I write daily. Basically, this will be a sci-fi novel, in which Seraphina, an alien, tells about how she and her brother, Oliver, became close friends of the Prime I. Below is a teaser, not canonical, but it does carry a similar setting and characters. Basically, I'm putting it here so you can get a taste of the kind of universe you are about to set foot into if you continue to read I, Propitiator.

Food4Thought: "What Have We Lost?"

Note: this isn't poetry, but it doesn't really fit into the other categories.
Should a mother get an abortion if they don't have the funds to raise the child?
if you answered yes... Well done, you just killed Benjamin Franklin.
Should a mother get an abortion if the child will become an orphan?
if you answered yes...Congratulations, you just killed Mohammed, Steve Jobs & Mark Schultz.
Should a mother get an abortion if the child has a high probability of dying of a deadly disease?
if you answered yes...Yay, no more Beethoven, you just killed him.
Should a mother get an abortion if she's not married?
if you answered yes...Well this is a shocker... You just killed Yeshua bar Yosef, aka Jesus Christ.
Should a mother get an abortion if she's not ready for children and the child might be born with deformities?
if you answered yes... This blog should not exist because that child was me.

Thirst-Quencer: "Who is Jesus?"

Does Jesus exist? If so, isn't He just another good man? Could He be more than a notable man in history?
For starters, 99% of historians will tell you that a man named Jesus of Nazareth lived and died. But if this man existed, how could he come back from the dead? No man that was simply "good," throughout all history resurrected.