More draft work...

The Nowrimo’s Revenge sped through the vacuum of space, unhindered in its approach to the Shalothan system. Three massive vessels of Shalothan design flanked the smaller frigate in a rough triangle pattern, creating a protective ring around the smaller vessel. Neither time nor space filtered into the mind of Reaz Apxlus as he prayed in the makeshift reflection chamber aboard the Revenge.

When the Revenge had touched down on the surface of Jethl’s moon, Apxlus had expected Naoh and Anacen, the warriors who had accompanied their Lord on the surface, to be jubilant about their extended time with Him. Surprisingly, Apxlus noticed that both warriors boarded the ship quietly, and quickly separated themselves from the others by withdrawing deeper into the ship while their comrades greeted their guests.

It had been several hours since their departure from the Fe-Ruq system and the orbit around Jethl, and neither of the warriors that had accompanied their Lord on the surface had spoken to any of the other warriors. Apxlus at first dismissed it as the warriors being overwhelmed to be in the presence of their Lord. But as the time passed, and their guests locked themselves within the cargo hold, Apxlus started to suspect that something was amiss. He had retreated to his reflection chamber to pray for guidance, when, much to his chagrin, he realized he was praying to the heavenly father of the holy man that now accompanied them on their flight back to Shalotha.

Stopping in mid-prayer, Apxlus stood up and quietly stepped out of the room into the cramped corridor beyond. He started towards the ladder to the cockpit, then thought better of it and turned towards the corridor that led to the cargo hold.

“Apxlus,” a voice whispered from above. Apxlus turned towards the voice, twisting to look back at the ladder to the cockpit. The legs of a warrior were already visible as a warrior descended the ladder. Apxlus waited until the warrior became fully visible before approaching him. Stepping lightly onto the deck floor, Naoh turned and faced his commander.

“I need to speak with you commander,” he whispered. “In private,” he added, nodding upwards towards the other warriors that were in the cockpit. Apxlus motioned back towards the reflection chamber and followed the warrior into the room. Looking back to see if any other warriors were around, Apxlus stepped inside and hit the button to close the door behind him.

“What is troubling you, my brother,” Apxlus asked, settling into one of the seats that had been moved against the wall. Noah squatted down and leaned forward on his haunches, clasping his claws before him.

“Commander, have you spoken with our Lord since he was brought back from the surface?”

Apxlus indicated that he hadn’t, and waited for the warrior to continue.

“I have found it very difficult to speak with our Lord,” Naoh said. He bowed his head as if ashamed to admit it. “He does not seem inclined to speak with us.”

“Perhaps you forget that we are merely his loyal servants. He shall speak with us when he deems it necessary.”

Naoh raised his head and looked at Apxlus. “My brother, that is what bothers me. He spoke to Anacen and I only when we were needed to act as escorts. He sat in silence the entire time we were there, up until he sent us away and–”

“Our Lord sent you away?” Apxlus interrupted, clearly surprised by the warrior’s admission.

“Yes, commander. He ordered us to remove ourselves from His presence, and directed us towards the approaching USN officers. He ordered us to allow ourselves to be seen so that we could ‘bring the humans into His glory’. That was the only interaction we had with him until he directed us to escort the USN officer to our ship.”

“Did He speak with the officer?”

Naoh paused for a moment, and thoughtfully rubbed the keratin ridge on the back of his hand. “He did, but we do not know how long he conversed with him, nor what was said before we returned. Once we saw the officers approaching, we allowed ourselves to be seen, and then retreated back to Him to report. He ordered us away from Him again, this time in a different direction. He said that He would call us back when He needed us. We heard a weapon discharge shortly thereafter, and began to make our way back towards Him. By the time we arrived, the male officer was standing before Him, and it appeared that our Lord was laying hands on him and giving a blessing. But as we got closer, we both could hear what He was saying.”

Apxlus waited expectantly for Naoh, who visibly struggled with what he was about to say.

“He ordered the officer to ‘go forth and wage war’ on His behalf. The officer fell to the ground, and our Lord commanded him to do His bidding.” Naoh stopped and adjusted his position, dropping to one knee and balancing himself with a claw on the floor. Apxlus watched silently, not sure that he believed what Naoh was saying.

“Perhaps you misheard our Lord,” Apxlus suggested. Naoh shook his head.

“Commander, if you seek out Anacen at this very moment, and ask him what our Lord said, a thousand times over he will repeat to you what I have just said. Our Lord was very clear in His statement.”

Apxlus thought about this for a moment, waiting for Naoh to add anything to his statement. The warrior bowed his head and stared at the floor, waiting for his commander to speak.

“Sinners,” Apxlus stated. Naoh looked up, slightly confused. “That must be whom He was speaking of. Sinners. He wants us to wage war on sinners, Naoh.”

“There is more, Apxlus. Once we returned, He prayed in a foreign tongue over the body of the officer, and commanded him to wake. The officer woke up, and our Lord commanded him to rise by referring to him as ‘Asreh, Archlord of His Legion’. He commanded us silently to bow before this human.”

“Explain, Naoh,” Apxlus said tersely.

“Both Anacen and I heard His voice in our minds commanding us to kneel before Asreh, but He never actually spoke the words.”

“He was speaking to your souls, then,” Apxlus reasoned.

“Commander, why would He have us bow to a human? Are we to be treated as an inferior species in the eyes of God?”

“Do not question the motives of our Lord, Naoh. Your faith is failing you. He will do what is right for His kingdom. Which is more important – that we are able to serve Him, or how we serve Him? If He chooses for us to perform the roles of soldiers in His glorious army, then we shall do so with grace in our hearts and prayers on our tongues. If He decides that this human warrants reverence, than we shall obey and bow at the feet of whomever He tells us to.”

“What if this is a deception by the Fe-Ruq military, Apxlus? What if this being is not really our Lord? Isn’t it conceivable that they would go to great lengths to deceive us in order to gain an advantage in an attack on Shalotha?” Naoh abruptly stood and was matched in action by Apxlus.

“I have given our situation much thought. Yes, the possibility that His return is a ruse orchestrated by the Fe-Ruqians has presented itself to me. However, I believe our Lord has a reason for everything He does, and we have no right to doubt Him. Where He chooses to appear, whom He orders to serve – none of that is subject to our scrutiny. We are merely His humble servants, and should act as such. Do not forget that this is our long awaited Christ, Naoh. He has returned to our galaxy to bring His glory to us. We need merely to follow and obey, and He will guide us.”

Noah bowed his head again, and stared at the floor. Apxlus reached over and clasped the warrior’s shoulder, pulling him closer. Apxlus began to speak so low that Naoh could barely hear his commander.

“Do not lose your faith, brother. He shall guide us, even if we do not understand. Go and pray, for our return trip shall be over soon.” Naoh nodded, turned, and walked out of the room.

Apxlus stood staring at the door for a moment, waiting to see if the troubled warrior returned. After a few minutes, Apxlus stepped into the corridor and walked towards the cargo hold entrance. Something about the way their Lord had spoken to him when he first laid eyes upon Him in the cell on Je-Fin had bothered Apxlus. It had been an undefined thought, something he couldn’t quite understand. He remembered their meeting quite clearly, and he recalled how his Lord’s response to what Apxlus now realized was a vengeful statement had taken him by surprise. Apxlus’ inference that the Fe-Ruqians would be repaid with revenge for imprisoning their Lord had not been met with an admonishment and pleas for forgiveness as one might expect, but rather with encouragement in agreement of his statement. The brief interaction had been replayed several times in his mind over the past few days, and each time the words spoken by his Lord didn’t match the forgiving spirit that Apxlus had expected Him to be. Perhaps Shalothans didn’t truly understand their God as much as they thought they did.

Apxlus stopped in front of the cargo hold door, debating with himself on whether he should enter. He wasn’t sure if his Lord was resting, or in private conversation with the USN officer. Reluctantly he reached towards the control pad and pressed the button that opened the door.

*****

Marshall sat with his Lord silently, taking in everything He was saying. It wasn’t difficult to pay attention, unlike when he had been in religious studies in his youth. For some reason, he felt compelled to listen to this man. Everything the man seemed to say made perfect sense to Marshall. Or rather, it made perfect sense to Asreh. Marshall chastised himself silently. I’ve got to remember who I am now. My name isn’t Marshall anymore. Asreh. Asreh. Dammit.

The time since the Shalothans had rescued them off the moon of the Jethl had gone by quickly. Upon boarding the Nowrimo’s Revenge, Marshall was introduced to a large Shalothan named Apxlus. He was escorted to the cargo hold, and allowed some privacy with his Lord for a short time. It hadn’t been an hour before his Lord laid hands upon Marshall again, saying a prayer over him.

“Asreh,” his master called out. Marshall bowed his head.

“Yes, my Lord,” he answered in a low voice.

“The captain of this vessel goes by the name of Apxlus. He is not a being to be trusted. Within the hour he will approach us with intentions to speak. Do not let him approach me, for he carries in his heart the spirit of my greatest nemesis.” He looked down at Marshall without emotion while speaking, and turned away when he was finished. He closed his eyes and laid down on the floor of the cargo hold.

Marshall didn’t necessarily doubt his master, but he couldn’t be sure that Apxlus would visit them within the hour. He had waited forty minutes, and was just about to fall asleep himself when the cargo hold door opened. One of the Shalothan warriors stood in the doorway, but at first glance Marshall couldn’t tell which one.

Bowing his head slightly, the Shalothan stepped into the hold and began to approach. Marshall jumped up quickly, moving to intercept the warrior.

“I wish to speak to our Lord,” Apxlus stated, looking beyond Marshall to the still body on the floor behind him.

“Our Lord wishes not to be disturbed, Apxlus,” Marshall answered back sternly, putting emphasis on the warrior’s name. Apxlus took a step back, looking down at Marshall. Several inches separated the two in height. I have no fear of this Shalothan. The Lord is truly with me, he thought as he faced Apxlus. Marshall’s heart leapt at the unexpected absence of fear.

“Commander Tennison, please step aside and let me speak with our Lord. It is an urgent matter in regard to our arrival on Shalotha.”

“There is no Commander Tennison here. I am Asreh, Archlord of His Legion, as so appointed by Him on Jethl. I speak for our Lord while He rests. He wishes not to be disturbed.” The words flowed out of Marshall’s mouth, even before he could form them in his mind. Is He speaking through me, Marshall wondered.

Movement caught Apxlus’ eye, and he glanced down at Marshall’s hand. In it he held his rifle, loosely gripped, but armed nonetheless.

“Please inform our Lord that I need to relay information to Him at His convenience,” Apxlus countered, moving his gaze back to Marshall’s face.

“You can give the information to me.”

Apxlus clicked in his throat, but said nothing. He stared at Marshall for a handful of heartbeats, then looked past him to the man laying on the floor.

“Forgive me, Asreh, but the conversation is of a private nature. I will return later.” He turned to leave. Marshall called after him.

“I thought it was something about our return to Shalotha. Now it’s private?” Marshall could sense the change in his own speech pattern, almost as if his master had chosen not to speak through him anymore.

Apxlus stopped, but did not look back.

“It is both. They are one in the same. I will return later to speak with our Lord privately.” He paused for a moment, and then continued walking out of the cargo hold. Marshall stared after him, not quite sure what to do now.

“Very good Asreh,” a voice from behind him said. Marshall turned and saw that his master was speaking to him with his eyes still closed. Marshall bowed his head.

“My Lord, did you hear his request?”

“Of course I did. I hear all Asreh.” He smiled slightly, but kept his eyes closed. “Do not let him or any other warriors meet with me privately. All of them have tainted souls, and I am not yet strong enough in this life to sway them. I must trust in you to protect me from my enemies until I have gained all of my strength back.”

“You can rely on me, master,” Marshall heard himself say, and realized he didn’t recognize the words as his own. Each time his master spoke through him, he found himself surprised or in awe. He wasn’t quite sure if he was comfortable with it yet, but he resigned himself to the assumption that it must be how his Lord chose to communicate.

“Very good Asreh. Come, let me tell you of our path to be taken.”

--END DRAFT--