Purge of Prometheus

Captains, who responded with sheer disbelief that one of the newcomers had drawn a loaded weapon. They slowly took their seats, as though moving in a dream, and nudged the Captain next to them. Word was passed down the table and the Captains quieted, until only two remained arguing at the end of the table, oblivious to Keryn’s threat. Reaching down, she turned the barrel of the gun until it was facing the pair, then loudly cleared her throat. Irritated, they both turned. Their faces dropped as they noticed the loaded pistol pointed their direction, and they both quickly sat down. Yen, though awed by her straightforward techniques, frowned at the confident Wyndgaart sitting next to him. This was not the woman he remembered. Something had happened; something had changed her.

“You’re bickering amongst yourself like children deprived of your parents’ affection,” Keryn growled. “Grow up, every one of you, and get over yourselves! At the end of this war, I don’t care which one of you is promoted to Fleet Commander or Minister of whatever house. What I care about is that the sacrifices that have already been made by so many Alliance citizens are not in vain because we’re too busy arguing between ourselves to focus on the bigger issue.”

Keryn leaned forward, casting dark shadows around her face. The desired effect was instantaneous as the other Captains leaned away from her. “All we have is a few rockets with Deplitoxide and some scientific data that we still don’t know whether or not will work. I’m not about to entrust so important a task with people who are more interested in personal gain and less interested in the good of the Alliance. The bottom line is that you can argue amongst yourself all you want, but the Deplitoxide and the counteragent data stay with the Ballistae.”

She raised her hand, stopping any complaints. “Before any of you open your mouths to tell me why you don’t like my idea, realize that I will only harbor questions that are spoken with a significant level of respect. Whether Alcent and I look like Captains or not, we have done more for the Alliance than you will ever comprehend. If anyone has any issues with that…” She left the sentence hanging as she tapped her hand on the pistol that still sat on the table. “Now, let’s discuss why you think you’re better than me.”

This was not the romantic reunion Yen had imagined for so long. Yen had envisioned the return of the same affectionate lover who had left him months ago. He had imagined stolen glances while discussing tactics, leading to a quiet dinner alone, and passionate love making that night. So far, Keryn hadn’t stolen a single glance his direction. She was distant and cold, completely professional and seemingly unapproachable. Something had happened in the months away, something that changed her drastically. Yen wondered, not for the first time since she arrived on board, if Keryn was thinking about him at all.

“What do you offer in the way of scientific research?” one of the Captains asked from further down the table. “Why should you be granted all the research to keep.”

“I’m not asking anything be ‘granted’ to me,” Keryn replied. “I already own the research and the Deplitoxide. However, I also have some of the most talented scientists in the Fleet on board the Ballistae.”

“I find that hard to believe,” another Captain guffawed.

“Our crew managed to hack the Terran defensive network on Othus, hardwired a Terran Destroyer, stole the counteragent plans from a dilapidated facility on a forgotten world, and faked the Terran Fleet codes so that we could safely approach and destroy the Terran flagship,” Alcent added to the conversation. “I think that makes us more than capable of handling this little research project.”

The conversation droned on as both sides made counterarguments, but Yen was hardly paying attention anymore. He yearned to know what Keryn was thinking and if any of her thoughts strayed to their time together. Memories of their shared love haunted Yen; he found it impossible to believe that Keryn had so casually and callously pushed those thoughts aside. Though Yen hated the idea of invading her privacy, he couldn’t resist the temptation of stealing a glance at her thoughts.

Narrowing his vision, Yen reached out with his mind, trying to not just read her thoughts but also actually see her memories. Slowly, the first vision began to appear in his mind. The room melted to a pure white landscape. Straining to see as far as he could, Yen was unable to differentiate between the end of the white land and the beginning of the white sky. Looking all around, Yen saw that the horizonless landscape stretched on for eternity in all direction. Pushing the vision aside, he searched for the next memory but, instead, found himself back in the white landscape. Releasing himself from the visions, Yen was startled to realize that he had seen nothing. The white land had been an extension of a mental block within Keryn’s mind. Somehow, she had stopped his psychic probe. From her continued conversation, Yen assumed that she was blissfully unaware of his intrusion.

Now angry at her disinterest, Yen focused harder on penetrating her thoughts. Crowning around her head, a soft white halo appeared in his vision moments before he plummeted back into the white landscape. Startled, Yen leapt to his feet in the white world, searching wildly for something on which to take out his frustration. Feeling irritated at his inability to break into her memory, Yen close his eyes and released his probe. Opening his eyes again, he was stunned to find himself still trapped within the white realm.

“How?” Yen asked, unable to formulate the questions he really wanted to ask.

Yen shook with anger. He now knew the answer that had eluded him before. Something had happened while Keryn was gone: some other entity was in Keryn’s mind. It was not unheard of with exploration into the unknown space. Parasites existed that could share a person’s body and subtly alter their moods and interactions with others. Her behavior changes and seemingly distant attitude toward him now made more sense. It was now Yen’s mission to free Keryn of whatever entity had taken possession of her. In order to set her free, however, he needed to get free himself. That meant confronting whatever now shared her mind.

Manifesting his powers, Yen searched the ground and air for exits from his prison. The white world, however, held against his intrusions. Throwing his hands skyward, Yen yelled into the oblivion. “How are you keeping me here? Who is doing this to me?”

“I am,” came a familiar feminine voice.

The white landscape in front of Yen began to ripple as first a tanned leg, then a tanned arm, emerged from the nothing. The rest of her body quickly followed, pulling itself free from the ether. With a final shake, the white landscape reasserted itself. Before Yen, a personification of Keryn stood naked, her silver hair flowing freely over her shoulders. Yen’s eyes drifted over her body, which stood in sharp distinction to the white background. He quickly pulled his eyes away before he fell into the trap of thinking the figure before him was truly his lost love.

“You’re not Keryn,” he stated, matter-of-factly.

“Keryn is…,” she replied, pausing as she sought the right words, “unavailable right now.”

“What are you?” he asked threateningly. “Are you a parasite? An insect?”

“No, no,” she answered, shaking her head. “I’m very much a part of the whole. Consider me a vizier for Keryn’s decision making process.”

Yen turned away from her, not wanting the temptation of looking at her. “You’re talking in riddles!” he yelled. “You’re playing with my mind, showing me her body. I don’t even want to look at you.”

After a pause, she spoke. “Is this better?” she asked coyly. When Yen still refused to turn, she continued. “I promise I’m not naked anymore.”

Yen turned and, true to her word, she was no longer naked. A white robe clung to her body now, revealing only the plunging neckline, face, and hands. “Why do you keep me prisoner here? Why can’t I leave?”

“You’re here because you need to know the truth,” she answered. “No, more importantly, you need to accept the truth.”

“What would a succubus know about the truth?” he sneered.

“I know what lies in Keryn’s heart,” she said softly, before her voice took a hard edge, “and you’re no longer in it. You’ve been replaced.”

“I don’t believe you,” Yen said, stepping dangerously toward her. “What do you want from me? Answer me, damn you!”

“I want you to accept the fact that she has moved on with her life,” she said, not backing away from his threat. “It’s time you moved on with yours.”

“The only reason she would keep me from her heart is if you told her to forget about me. That’s what parasites do!”

“You silly, little man,” she said, tilting her head back as she laughed. “I didn’t tell her that she didn’t love you. She told me. And I could no sooner remove myself from her than I could remove her lungs. I’m very much a part of her.”

Yen lost the words of his sharp retort as the realization dawned on him. “You’re her Voice,” he said,