Mystery of the Voiceless Poet

Willow walked up to the front porch after a brisk jog. On the porch, giant muddy footprints. The visitor walked around the porch, knocking over the recycling bin and then going to the door. Willow drew the screen door open. All her precaution to go unnoticed, was all for not. Willow’s entrance, announced, by the screech of the door.

“Hello?” Willow cried out hoping to flush out any unwanted guests. “Anyone there?” The air stood silent. The wind blew through the house rustling the windchimes. Willow jumped at the sound. The strange events of the morning left her shaken and jumpy. After finishing her search of the house. Willow decided to shower and then head to the local coffee shop.

Willow forgot her anxiety as the warm water hit her sore muscles. She breathed a deep breath in and out. She always felt amazing after a good run and a shower. Willow hummed as she cleaned up, lost in the rapture of the moment. Here moment of euphoria came to an end. The bathroom door squeaked open followed by what sounded to be foot fall in the hall.

Willow slammed the faucet to the off position and snatched her towel, from where it hung on the wall. Wrapping the towel around her she ventured into the hall with trepidation. Willow cried out “Who is there?” to which silence replied. A fog of confusion came over Willow. She dressed and grabbed the flashlight out of her nightstand. She always said she never knew when she might need it.

She clicked the flashlight on and began to search the house. Determined, Willow set out to find and evacuate the interloper.

Willow was an independent and ambitious poet who had several books published. She was the definition of tough and a can-do attitude. If anyone one could flush out an intruder and force them out it was going to be her.

She headed to the basement after a complete search of the rest of the house. Each step she took, the darker it became. Even the flashlight seemed to fail against the darkness. Willow took a deep breath in and out, trying to bolster courage against the dark.

She stepped off the last step landing on a dirt floor. The basement went on for miles. It was a maze of walls, paths that twist and turned. Willow questioned if she had ever come down here in the years she had lived here. She did not remember any of this.

She looked at each path, taking in and analyzing all the information she could about each path. With a brave foot forward, she headed down the path that was off to the right. It appeared to be the straighter of the paths. It was wider and more straightforward. Which gave Willow the false sense of safety and security.

She stepped on to the path and began to follow it. As the doorway faded from sight the path took a dramatic turn. It began to wind around crisscrossing and turning back on itself. Each turn the path became narrower and harder to navigate. Willow considered turning around. She no longer cared about whatever made the sound. If whatever or whomever was following her was down here, there was a good chance they would never find the way out.

She began to turn around, but the path had changed from what it was when she first walked it. Now the curves went the opposite direction leading further from the stairs. Willow stood in the middle of the path shaking. The adrenaline of the moment had worn off and now Willow stood paralyzed with fear. Tears instinctively ran down her face. Part in frustration but more than that it was out of fear. She shivered and shook. She fell to the ground and cried. The situation was beyond hopeless.

A piercing through the darkness, a light came from up ahead. Willow wiped her tears away and jumped to standing. Her hope renewed. She raced down the path at a steady pace towards the light. She followed every turn. Winding deeper into the dark. She quickened her pace, as rustling sounds came from somewhere in the dark.

Hot breath blew across the back of her neck, making the hair on her body stand straight up. She ran as fast as her legs could take her. No longer minding the path. She didn’t think, she fled, tripping over old garbage and items that needed recycled years ago. The garbage made the trek treacherous and almost impossible.

Willow tripped over a large tote and flew across the floor skidding into the dirt. She choked and coughed as she spit a mouthful of dirt out. Her flashlight fell into the dirt and went out. She groped in the dark for the flashlight to no avail. She was completely helpless. She had no way to get back and could not see her hand in front of her.

From the dark a hand reached out and grabbed Willow. She looked back to see what had grabbed her only to end up staring deep into bright yellow eyes. The fear overtook Willow. She screamed a high pitched but short scream and fell to the floor.

Willow woke up to find she was in a hospital bed. “Good morning sunshine!” A chipper nurse sang out. “How are you feeling?” Willow found that when she went to answer, her voice was gone. She wrote help me on the paper. The nursed look at the paper and got a confused expression upon her face. “I am sorry Hun I don’t understand?” she said in a gentle and kind voice. Willow looked back at the paper confused, could she not read? But as she looked at the paper it no longer said help me, it was a jumble of letter that did not form a word. Willow realized that she was unable to communicate. Willow retreated into her head. Never to speak again.

Upon The Tide of the Celestial Sea

 The two moons rose to their thrones. As the bombs burst in the Cappellian sky Captain, Philomena Lucian paced the deck, her hands clasped tight behind her back, impatience in every step. The moment arrived to launch the anticipated attack on The Sarcoids. Cheers erupted for each fatal blow landed.

 Captain Lucian, too anxious to join in the revelries. The fate of Auraelia and the course of Captain Philomena’s Life hung in the balance of the outcome of the battle. Determining if the terror of the Sarcoids are allowed to continue and for Philomena, it could mean the beginning to answers to questions regarding the technomancer’s and their connection to her and her family. 

Nestled in the heart of the  Delta Dioscuri Galaxy, Auraelia, home to the Uulli people, quietly resides, led by the Chieftain Animus and the Auraelian Counsel. The Uulli are a unique blend of humanoid DNA and Artificial intelligence; sentience that evolved and continues to evolve to a higher status than most living creatures. They are of high intelligence and kind hearts, both their strength and weakness. Used by their enemies The Scarcoids in their efforts to destroy the Uulli and obtain their electricity energy source, their vast technology.

Legends of the technomancers circulated around for eons. Growing to larger than life status. The myths did not interest Captain Lucian, who instead took a keen interest in the facts surrounding the technomancers. A Faction of Uulli people imbued with magic created when life began, as a result of the excess energy in the big bang. Such powerful magic created an exceptional people, with the power to manipulate the electricity and energy  present in nature and technology. Only the universe herself knows why some receive the gift and others do not, but not everyone was as gracious about these differences. Breeding greed and jealousy in hearts and minds of those left wanting power they did not possess.

She remembered as a little girl she would sit around on lazy afternoons listening to Nonie’s tales of a time when technomancers and magic lived side by side with technology with the Uulli in peace and harmony.  Mother and Father brought quick silence to Nonie and her “tales of fancy” as they referred to them; however, the tales stuck in Philomena’’s heart and mind. Resonating deep within her, filling her dreams in the night and thoughts during the day, in those days of innocence and passion she pledged to learn the truth of the technomancer’s.

The counsel of Elder’s and Chieftain Animus outlawed Technomancy many years ago after war ravaged the land; the legend mentions conflict surrounding technomancy because of differences between the technomancers and the common Uulli citizen. Nonie tells a different tale; one of sabotage and greed and to this day, Captain Lucien still remembers the glimmer in Nonie’s eyes and the gut wrenching instinct. The sense tugging at her inquisitive mind telling her that Nonie’s speaks of more than a fairytale or growing senile; the stories, resonates truth and dark secrets, hidden protect the rich and powerful.

Late at night under the covers with Nonie. Philomena, lovingly referred to as Phil  first by Nonie, would listen to the stories of the ancients, rolling off of Nonie’s withered lips. Paining wild pictures of magic unlike Phil’s wildest dreams. She conjured pictures of riding through galaxies on dragons with the rush of electricity glowing, pulsing, beneath its skin. A melding of machines and biology soaring through the night sky. Nonie’s stories filled Philomena with bravery, when fear overtook her, or she felt longing for her parents who spent many long nights away.

Uullians were quite pale, but Phil was translucent, and upon closer inspection her veins appeared as tiny networks of wiring running electricity coursing through Philomena’s body, even her retinas hinted at tiny pixels glimmering in the bright sunlight. Philomena was stunning but an oddity to her people and the center of much speculation.

Weeks prior, Davies walked into the flight hanger. He strode in with his long legs and his air of arrogance and leaned on the ship as Captain Lucien was signing off on for takeoff in the exercises. 

“I have information that I am pretty sure you will love me for.” Davies convinced himself that Philomena was secretly in love with him, but this was just one of his many strange delusions of grandeur that he entertained on a regular basis. “That is Captain Lucien to you and what is it Davies I am kind of busy here.”

“I just heard that centaury is planning an ambush of the Sarcoid fleet just outside Cappella in a few days when they are doing some deep space exercises.” 

“Great Davies and this will be useful information if you can provide any other details beside that hypothetical and vague teaser.”

 “You and your details, lucky for you I come prepared this time.” Philomena rolled her eyes already exhausted with this exchange. “Ah Here it is Lummensday midafternoon, four Scarcoid ships will be present attacked by Centaury, should be a total knockout of all comms and no backup, you hit it hard and fast you will be able to at least capture one if not more for a more thorough search, I hear they have the coordinates to the Unknown Galaxy, isn’t that the one you have been looking for, forever.” 

His condescending tone sent Philomena over the edge “Get out! Now before I have you thrown out! As the guards closed in, escorting Davies out, Philomena plucked the paper from Davies’ hands “Thanks, this is now property of the Uulli United Forced, we appreciate your cooperation.” He frowned, pouting as a spoiled child. She looked down at the scrap of paper as she waved the guard away, with Davies in tow.

With Davies information in hand Philomena could launch Phase one of the plan; lead a fleet of fighter planes to wait for the ambush, wait in stealth mode, cloaking the ship blending in with the blackness, a wolf waiting for the weak and injured ship to attempt its journey to Cappella for repairs. Ambushing them and forcing their surrender, which would bring them to step two. Boarding the ship and searching and seizing anything of value including the coordinates to the Unknown Galaxy.

The engines of the battleships rumbled, shaking the ground as they fired up one at a time, the roar quivered Philomena’s bones and synchronizing with the beat of her heart. The sound never failed to lift her spirit into the sky. She felt the wind scoop the ship up from the ground, suspending it on its haunches, Philomena’s heart skipped a beat and in that moment the ship launched forward and took off, leading the fleet into battle. Determination filled the hearts of the crew, and the song of heroes played in their ears, a war song, raising the energy in the ship, electrifying the air. The fleet broke free of Auraelia’s atmosphere and coasted out into the void, chartering their way out to the edge of the Delt Dioscuri Galaxy, and immediately slipped into stealth mode unannounced.

Static came over the comms system, Battleship Alpha 17998 do you read me” “I hear you, battleship Alpha19887”

 “We have an incoming Sarcoid fleet” 

“Copy that let’s sit back and enjoy the show boys and soon we will be headed home, heroes Alpha 17998 out.” Silence and whispers of static once again filled the air with the anticipation of the battle to come.

One by one The Sarcoids appeared propelling their streamline ships into deep space twisting and turning with grace and accuracy, a galactic ballet, a thing of beauty and magnificence produced by creatures filled with malevolence and evil baffled Philomena. Flashes of light speckled the void as Centaury ships materialized in front of the Scarcoid fleet, without warning launching into a hail of gunfire, before disappearing again into the dark sky. It was over as soon as it began, leaving Philomena and the others stunned. 

“That was it! Freaking A Phil that was not worth getting out of bed for” Donny shouted the collective thoughts from the passenger side. 

Struck silent from what she witnessed, Philomena shook her head “it’s now or never, strap in boys, we are going to do what we came here to do.” 

“What, you cannot be serious about this Phil, think about this before you do it, I am begging you.” Once again Donny the voice of reason as he has been since he was seven, Phil pondered if Donny ever tired of his sensibility.

 She flipped on the forward thrusters and grabbed the comms radio “Here we go Boys let’s go get them!” 

“From the other side Phil heard Mike yell “YAYAYA YEEEEEE” as his ship launched forward full force gunning down anything that moved, close behind came Phil pulling alongside Mike. Flipping him off with a smile as she pulled away laser guns blasting full force and Donny manning the missiles under much protest.

Sarcoid ships dipped and swirled over and under the lasers of the Uuli ships, out maneuvering their missiles and lasers, landing hit after hit to the Uullian ships. Knocking out most comms of their ships, leaving them in silence, attempting to use hand signals to coordinate what remained of their attack, but the plan was deteriorating rapidly. Phil made a judgment call in a snap. Flying past Mike signaling to head for home, Mike signaled to the next ship and so on till the fleet was jumping into hyperdrive one after another headed back to Auraelia for repairs and recovery. 

Entering the atmosphere, a dark cloud of war tailed behind them as the Sarcoid fleet hovered over Auraelia. Firing down upon the innocents, exacting their revenge for the attempted taking over of their fleet; Phil turned the Battleship around facing the Sarcoid fleet and began firing at the fuel tanks. One good shot could at least buy time for the others to make it back, slowing the progression of the Sarcoids. Philomena could not bear the thought of bringing destruction upon her planet, especially not for her selfish reasons.

The battleship launched a missile of their own, sending Philomena plummeting for the ground crashing into the harbor, what was left of Auraelia’s capital, Tult, was burning and her fleet was sinking to the bottom of the sea. The world faded from view as Philomena began to drift off, her mind filled with the dark water of the depths of the sea and thoughts of the Unknown Galaxy. 

Seven miles off the shore Philomena’s body was found by a local band of traders and rogues out on their rounds of odd jobs, pickups, deliveries, and the occasional bounty or two. They brought her on board as an act of mercy as they had heard the news of what had taken place and came to pillage what was left of the planet. They made a place for her in a small spare cabin, wrapping her wounds with silk gauze from Cappella. “What do you think we should do with her?” A gruff gravelly voice spoke up first. “We will have to wait until she wakes up, and assess her condition before making any plans, Jameson, we cannot throw her back without making sure she gets proper medical care.” An assertive female voice replied “Uffdah” Jameson grunted the opinion that their mediocre care was more than enough care. “We will check on her in the morning and go from there, how about that.” Everyone agreed and headed down the hall toward the dining hall, “I do hope the girl is okay.” Jameson said relenting that he had a heart after all. “Watch out, you might start to believe you care.” This was the beginning of an unlikely adventure with the most unlikely of friends.

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