An Epic Space Opera by Mark Laporta
In this episode of Infinity Afterglow, the sole caretaker of an ancient Ootray fortress receives an unexpected visit from a mysterious, brooding stranger. Will she heed his call to arms? Read Infinity Afterglow from the beginning.
Ever since her last conversation with Yaldrint on Rayzhul Prime, Mlelodrur had been more out of sorts than at any time over the past five thousand years. That is, excepting the moment she finally realized that neither Challendrur nor any of the other Ootray she’d worked for would ever allow her to join them in the interstices.
“So unusual for a gynoid,” she muttered from time to time. Their conversations, on a range of political, social and ethical topics had awakened Mlelodrur’s long-slumbering curiosity about the universe outside her planet-ship. And yet, saddened a second time by the loss of such close companionship, she was still unwilling to venture out.
Too much has changed, she’d told herself.
Case in point, was the recent outbreak and unopposed resurgence of the Quishiks. Time was, the Ootray had attempted to contain the mutants’ rampages. Yet the dominant power of this era, the humans, were content to use the populations of lesser worlds as living shields. They hoped, apparently, to bide their time until the Quishiks succumbed to the bio-weapon created by the late Captain Enos, or until they could develop an effective counterstrategy of their own.
Now, however, according to the small blue orb that she carried with her everywhere, a heated battle was imminent. The data from the orb made her curious enough to consult the massive Probability Reader that took up an entire room in her complex. The results were astounding. A motley assemblage of humans, symbiotes, Dralein and, though it seemed incredible, Skryntali traders were about to engage the Quishiks in some yet undesignated quadrant of Time.
“That Krezovic boy finally built his androids, too, I see,” she said. “Funny. His Commander Android could take charge of my defensive forces. Still, I’d have to take them there myself. Not really my cup of tea.”
The next moment, she was startled nearly out of her chair by the soft blur that appeared to her right, accompanied by a gentle, yet commanding voice.
“And what flavor of ‘tea,’ ” said the voice, “would be brewed by the extinction of sentient life in the universe?”
The Pardalshik’s yellow eyes opened wide as a thin male Ootray in a gray hooded cloak took shape from the blur.
“I am Kolenthantrur,” he said. “You have a narrow window of opportunity to help your friend Yaldrint. I urge you to take it.”
“Must be hallucinating,” said Mlelodrur. “Probably overdue for my longevity treatments. How do you know so much?”
“The truth is evident to anyone with the courage to observe,” said Kolenthantrur. “Though my branch of the Ootray family — the original branch — has absented itself from this material life, we never lost our compassion for those forced to remain behind.”
“That’s pretty unusual for an Ootray,” said Mlelodrur. “The ones I knew….”
“They were deeply deluded,” said the cowled figure. “Do not allow their mistakes to become your own.”
“Vibrating strings,” said Mlelodrur. “You don’t fool me. You’re that pedantic old Grashardi in a cheap disguise, come to lecture me again. Didn’t we settle this arcs ago?”
“Again, you are mistaken,” said the Ootray. “Har Draaf pursues a path of this own choosing. His sacrifice will be great. We owe it to him to increase his odds for success.”
“Owe?” asked Mlelodrur. “My world was destroyed longer ago than I want to remember. If anyone is owed….”
“Your suffering has been great,” said Kolenthantrur. “Yet you have acted nobly, by maintaining this defensive station for so long. This is your opportunity to make that suffering and your hard work count for something. Is that not worth brewing a new pot of….”
“Stop it!” said Mlelodrur. “Stop throwing my words in my face. Maybe you’re right and I am a fool. Compared to the way I’ve been living, if I die in that battle I’m not even sure I’d know the difference.”
“Do what you must,” said Kolenthantrur. “And quickly. I will do what little I can to ensure your risk is minimized.”
Mlelodrur gasped as her mysterious visitor dissipated before her like a haze of steam. Flummoxed, she gazed at her orb, to find her defensive forces straining to power up, based on incoming data from parsecs away. Her round eyes misted over.
“I’d hate to see that lovely biomechanoid blown to bits,” she whimpered. Still undecided, she glanced back at her Probability Reader. Displayed on the largest, central screen was a video rendering of its latest calculations. A massive combined fleet of Quishik and Terran Protectorate ships heading straight for the Jericho. Below, in pearly white letters on a smaller text-only display she read a stark message:
COURAGE SHREDDING
HEARTS DREADING
THE AFTERGLOW
OF SENTIENCE TO
INFINITY SPREADING
Mlelodrur leapt out of the Probability Reader’s console, pulled herself up to her full height and shouted into her orb.“Bring my ship around!” she said. “Prepare for a long-range sortie. We’re going to war!”
^^^
This concludes Episode 38.: Call to Arms A new episode of Infinity Afterglow appears every Saturday.
Read Ungent Draaf’s earlier adventures in Mark Laporta’s novels Probability Shadow and Entropy Refraction, which are available at a bookstore near you, on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. Mark Laporta is also the author of Orbitals: Journeys to Future Worlds, a collection of short science fiction, which is available as an ebook.
His new novel, from which this episode is excerpted, will be published by Chickadee Prince Books. To pre-order, contact Orders@ChickadeePrince.com.
Image by Kalyee Srithnam.