The Decima, Enroute to Lo-Nine

Gideon

“Where is God?”

His question spoke of pain, disappointment, disillusionment, and hopelessness.

The terror of the unknown awaited him.

Aiofe walked up to him, gripping his hand.

“He’s here with us.”

“Here? That’s some funny definition you have!”

He couldn’t help it. Frustration boiled over with the Watcher in front of him, the mystery of the Lo-Nine journey, the hell he survived and a double dose that awaited him.

“Gideon,” Shindow replied, floating in front of him.

“Everything will be alright.”

He clenched his hands, leaving the room.

“I’m hungry! Let’s get food- Jsai!” Aoife added as the door shut behind him.

Shindow followed along, zipping past the door in time.

“Gid- Gideon! Please wait!”

He halted, turning to meet her concerned gaze.

“Remember what he told you, remember the vision we shared. God is here- Adonai is real and He’s here! So what I was wrong about it being the thousand year rule! Don’t you get it, we’re explorers, like your Father said you were! And we’re exploring this new universe with all of the old prophecies fulfilled! Think about it- we’re treading new ground in ways the old world could never dream of!”

“But why does God need us?”

“Oh, no, no- He doesn’t need us- He doesn’t need anything! He’s the everlasting fountain! Adonai desires a relationship with us and wants to include us! He got us off Karmmrak- remember that? With the Seal God gave you, we all survived the Skylon against demons, a fallen angel, Void, and a god! Yes- it’s been hard, but if you think about it, would your old life be any better? Gilded cage? Remember? We’re on adventure! The universe is hanging in the balance. We must fight on.”

His anger cooled at her words as his hands went limp.

“I don’t know, Shindow-”

“No more saying you don’t know- of course you know! Your identity is wanderer, explorer, and redeemer. With a little ‘r’, because Emmanual is the big ‘R’! A physical redeemer. Look at Saddiffer!

As if by queue, Baxter, Steak, Pat, and the Eudaemon exited the lab, with three looking intently at them, while the final’s scowl was evidently nonplussed.

“So? What are we to do with that thing?” the sad Gargoyle groused.

“She is scary!” Baxter whined, shaking the last sticky note free from his behind.

“I don’t like rump squishies and she likes rump squishy so this is very very bad!”

A blue glowing sphere materialized near Shindow. The orange AI perked up, rushing to sit atop it.

“Good Gideon, without your intervention with the demon, I calculated we would have stayed on Karmmrak to this day due to the impasse. You broke the deadlock with your Seal and thus changed fate itself. The demon Saddiffer is no more and in its place... Is an ally.”

Those last words oozed sarcasm.

“Without your leadership, we would be lost,” Steak added.

“Adonai has watched over us all. We’ve all grown, including you, Gideon.”

Baxter perked up, as if suddenly realizing what was going on. He scampered by his side, sitting attentively.

“Oh and Gid- you rescued Shindow from bad guys which makes you a really, really good boy!” Baxter added.

He knelt down, scratching the dog’s ears.

“Thanks Baxter.”

He traded glances with Saddiffer.

The Eudaemon’s muzzle pulled back to a sad parody of a smile. Or a grimace. Or snarl. It was difficult to tell.

“As long as we’re giving our dear leader compliments; you’ve lived longer than expected.”

Gideon did a double take.

“Did you… Actually compliment me?”

Saddiffer crossed his arms, enveloping himself in his wings like a cloak as he stewed.

“Believe me, you’ll know if I compliment you, boy.”

He shook his head. The former demon was trying his best to be aloof, but his new nature kept showing. He marched past the group towards the bridge.

“I just need to be alone.”

“We’ll be here when you need us, Gid!” Shindow implored.

He pushed past them, walking to the bridge as he stared at the wall reliefs and decorations.

Father knew this would happen. And he and Amelia are alive. Adonai said I’m being changed into a new cup or vessel. How will that help against beings like Void and Slate? How will this help protect everyone?

He passed by an alcove seeing out of the corner of his eye the standing figure of that demonic girl. Gideon snapped his head, hand at his side, ready to draw. But there was nothing. He tilted left and right, trying to see if she was in the peripherals. Still nothing. His frayed nerves settled as he continued his journey.

The large door slid open, revealing the majestic bridge. He stepped inside, halting to let the door shut as he listened to the quiet thrum of the ship’s nacelles. He gazed at the viewscreen, dazzled by the kaleidoscopic show of lights of faster than light travel. He robotically moved to the captain’s chair, sitting and sulking.

“I can’t do it- I can’t do this.”

But it’s not on your shoulders.

“I’m not strong enough.”

I am.

“God- what do I do?”

You already know what to do.

“Lo-Nine… Meet the others… Deliver the Tesseract- Aoife.”

He thought through the messages. They were simple, but at the same time very complex.

“But what ties them all together?”

My will.

“Those demons, gods, and angels… I can’t do it- you saw what happened.”

You’re not alone. Your crew is with you. Your allies are many. I am with you.

He felt the frisson run down his spine at the realization he had been speaking to someone this whole time.

“God?”

Yes?

He let out a hyperventilated gasp at the realization. God was speaking to him. It wasn’t a voice, more of a mixture of speech through thoughts and feelings. As if God spoke through the memory of one’s first ice cream as a child.

“Where are you?”

I am here with you as I am in all things.

“But why can’t I see you?”

You will see soon enough. Follow my servant Aoife to Lo-Nine. There you will meet the others. And have your answers- all in good time.

“But why are there demons? Chaos? Destruction and death?”

You were raised up for a time such as this. The universe will be set right once again. You have all of the clues.

He began piecing it together.

“A universe in apparent chaos. Demons and gods everywhere. Lucifer free. Adonai and Emmanuel are missing… The Seals, the Watchers, the dreams. My God- Void. Entropy and Void...”

Now you understand.

“Oh my God…”

It couldn’t be that. Anything but that.

“That’s why they’re all obsessed with the Seals… It’s why we're running. Oh God-”

Be not afraid. All will be revealed soon.

The ship shuddered as the front screen flashed white. He sat up, heart suddenly pounding as the new sector displayed on view.

“Oh. Oh no… Oh my God.”

Arrived to Lo-Nine

At long last, the months of flight had borne fruit. They were here. The battle and revelations on Karmmrak, the skirmish on the Skylon, the visions and dream, the injuries and wounds of body and soul all brought him to this. Alerts blared as he buckled in. His dreams were correct, albeit less accurate than the reality. For a long moment, he didn’t understand what he was gazing upon. The stars were gone. All outside light was gone. There was only this sector of space in existence. There was only the planet and moons ahead of him and behind all of that a blazing, gold rimmed, black sun beyond, far too close for the physics of reality to not break down into a complete matter collapse. It was all artificially created by minds he could not comprehend.

The fear of the immense size of the cosmos ran through his spine. His heart skipped, his stomach flipped, and his hands trembled. He was here. The Dusk- the Watchers were here. Lo-Nine completely changed as a system. He wasn’t even sure this was Lo-Nine anymore.

The largest planet was Lo-Nine, which wasn’t the key planet of the system, being a former gas giant. The keyword was former. The sphere now dazzled the eyes as moisture reflected light in a million colors. It swirled and danced with fog and mist alongside upward streams of rain into the planet’s albedo. It appeared habitable, a unique cut gem where there was none before. The two moons that had once been converted to forge planets were no more. In their stead were unrecognizable orbs of glinting color, each with a long cord running directly to Lo-Nine itself, thicker and larger than any structure Gideon had seen before. The moons appeared as clock hands, slowly orbiting the fulcrum planet. Both had no rotation of their own, completely trapped in the apogee of the former gas giant.

The bridge door opened, revealing the entire crew as they rushed in.

“Gideon- my God, this is Lo-Nine? I don’t even recognize it!” Shindow exclaimed as she floated onto his shoulder.

He spared them a glance before returning his attention to the planet.

“We’re here. We’re finally here.”

A gentle stoney hand grasped his shoulder. He glanced up to see Deborah’s veiled eyes and the mixture of excitement and wonder she displayed.

“I’ve never seen their excavated planet before.”

“But you were with them on Karmmrak?” he replied.

“Yes, for a time. They mostly kept to themselves. I learned much from them, but their ways are mysterious. Aoife appears to be the only Watcher I have met who is human-like in mannerisms.”

Prosine butted in hurriedly.

“Good Gideon, there are gravitational and dimensional anomalies present, we are being pulled in by the planet.”

“How? We should be way outside it’s gravitational well!”

He knew as soon as the words left his mouth the answer was obvious. The Empire of Dusk, or now known as The Watchers. Reality bent around their will.

“Calculating trajectory,” Prosine announced.

Gideon zoomed the screen onto the giant cable attached to the moon. He spent minutes zooming his vision onto the structure. It had its own atmosphere. He saw movement along the cable of black dots lined up in a slow procession. Watchers.

“There is no doubt about this sector,” Patricia interjected.

“We calculate a ninety-eight percent chance we will leave this vessel to explore the system. We shall arm up in the main hangar when you arrive,” Steak added before both Excertius were enveloped in blue light.

A chill ran down his spine at the idea of being the first human to explore Watcher space. Baxter let out a low whine at his feet.

“Are these... bad guys?”

Gideon glanced at his guardian angel, then back to the little corgi.

“They’re just like Deborah, see?”

“Oh!..” Baxter ears swiveled like radar dishes in an apparent thinking gesture.

“I hope they are not like this Aoife she is scary!”

Saddiffer scoffed from behind.

“We’re being drawn in- do you believe that’s the gesture of a friendly group?”

Gideon looked back at the Eudaemon’s demented smile.

“If anyone knows anything but hostility, it’s you, Sadiffer.”

The grin grew wider.

“We’ll have you shooting barbs of wit and will soon, boy,” Saddiffer replied with a hint of humor.

He glanced back to Deborah, seeing her barely contained hostility. He grasped the sleeve of her robe, getting her attention.

“I heard Patricia and Steak had new armaments for you, you should go try them out.”

She nodded before silently leaving.

“She has a temper,” Saddiffer chided with a crooked smirk.

Shindow rushed to his face, waving a finger at him, “Not as much as I do, you smooth brained, mongoloid savage! I try to be nice, but you’re making it impossible! I could go on about your lead-brained stupidity, but I’d be insulting all the idiots by comparing them to you!”

Saddiffer let out a low chuckle.

“And yet, here I am, having gotten what I wanted, free of Karmmrak and onto healthier planets.”

“You were beaten by Baxter.”

“Was I?” His smirk spread from ear to ear.

Baxter trotted up to the Eudaemon and proceeded to clamp down on his ankle. The Eudaemon’s face screwed up, dark blue pits of his eyes growing wide as he tried to keep his composure. Baxter let go, brow furrowed and ears back.

“No more hurting people with your words you be a good boy right now!”

Saddiffer’s face crumpled to a joyless, bitter thing as he looked down at his owner.

“Yes, master Baxter.”

“Come on! We are going outside!” Baxter demanded with a chuff.

The Eudaemon faded away, rushing back inside the speckled demon gem.

“If you are a good boy after this we can have steak and then a nap!”

The dog scurried out the bridge and down the hall at break-neck speeds, leaving him alone with Prosine and Shindow.

“This demon is certainly putting on a good show,” Prosine commented as he floated to the viewscreen to observe.

“A show?” Shindow adjusted her glasses with a wide eyed look.

“Correct. The demon is performing what would be called marionetting; when one tries to be something they are not. Their gestures are stiff and unnatural as they attempt to hide who they are and what they feel. in the demon’s case, through sarcasm and chiding remarks. If I were able to, I would feel immense satisfaction with his discomfort.”

“Because you changed him, Gideon,” Shindow replied slowly.

“How bad is this marionetting, do you think?” he asked.

“You’ve done something I have never witnessed before and I’ve lived eons in the old world and new. The redemption of demons is unheard of.”

Gideon got to his feet, his body stiff with tension.

“Let’s suit up, then. Let’s just hope the Watchers aren’t too mad that Aoife got free.”

“And we’ll get to see the others, remember?” Shindow

“I couldn’t forget,” he replied tiredly.

They made their way down to the hangar, having time to think on their upcoming adventure. No on ehad documented The Dusk or Watchers before. It was completely new untread ground. He was living out his identity in the here and now as Explorer. A chill ran down his spine at the unknown. He arrived to the hangar, spotting the others and Aoife. As he walked down the ramp, he noticed something had changed with her immediately. She was larger than before, surrounded by the discarded wrappings of precious rations. Deborah was sitting across from her, deep in discussion.

“What happened to her?”

Shindow adjusted her glasses.

“Oh wow, you’re right! Is that why she was so hungry?”

They made their way down to investigate.

“Aoife?” Gideon asked.

She looked up at him, far more mature than her former child-like self. Her face was slightly longer, her nose, brows, jawline and cheeks were made of sharp and fragile sapphire. Those alien eyes tracked him, weighing him. Measuring him.

“It is I,” a hint of a smile formed as her crystalline voice resounded.

“What happened?” he clumsily broached the topic at hand.

“It takes a large amount of energy to decompress from my Tesseract form. I may have eaten an entire ration crate. I… Will see about compensating you,” she showed a brief moment of sheepishness.

Gone was the immature child, in her place was an adult Watcher, serene as still water, majestic as mountain-sides. Indecipherable as space and time itself. A chill ran down his spine at the unfathomability of the Watchers. To have her store herself into an artifact and then inside his own QSD broke dozens of laws across time, space, physics and quantum engineering. To a watcher, these laws appeared to be mere suggestions and little else. This was an entirely different classification of life apart from Angels and Demons, Human and Anform.

“Aoife,” Deborah continued their conversation.

“I have never met a Watcher quite like you. I would like to learn more.”

The Watcher’s eyes snapped to Deborah, even the subtle movements were filled with disquieting tells that she was not human in any regard.

“Of course. We, the Watchers, are three in kind, j’srall. Oppressors; those of the future that restore order and maintain balance. Suppressors; those of the past that maintain prophecy and peace. Seekers; those who guide the present through knowledge and wisdom.”

He had little idea what any of that meant. She stood to her full height of five and half feet, shooter than the Watchers he had met.

“I am Aoife, the Seeker. Seventh of my kind, Royal Ri’dassa Seer, second in line of the millenia succession, Quantum Elderpath, and a bearer of the Seal of the Tetragrammaton.”

She pulled down the neck of her robe, revealing the middle of her collar bone. There was no mistaking that image dazzled by glinting sapphire flesh.

יהוה

His heart lept at the revelation. It was all too much. And they hadn’t even touched down on Lo-Nine yet.

Another Seal holder had been among them the entire time.

“How- What- What the hell is going on?”

“Ah, it is a unique story of- m’sral de’sijah- trials and tribulations that soften the heart and temper the soul. We have time. Sit.”

Gideon sat down next to her as she regaled her tail. The way she said ‘we have time’ implied the Watchers literally had the physical manifestation of time. Based on their abilities, it was difficult to say.

He sat and listened.