In A Universe Without Stars 1: Skyeater (31 page)

The
Astron’s
cafeteria
is brimming with more people than
usual. The oak hardwood floors are filled with long rectangular tables that are
placed horizontally along the long room. The left wall
where
the entrance is, is the same bland design as the rest of the
Astron
ship but the rest is encased in a glass like dome.

The
glass is so clear that it seems like there is no glass at all. The blackness of
space and the stars covers them, while the blue haze of Earth slowly disappears
as the
Astron’s
ships make their way into the
thermosphere, leaving Earth.

Making
it a choice place for the remaining chosen to hang out, it doubles as a rec
room for most. Many lean on the metal railing at the edge of the walls just
looking out in the cosmos, lost in their thoughts, wondering what’s going to
happen to them next.

Some
sit at the table eating their favorite foods from the food compositors built
into the walls and some just lie shoe-less at the front of the room, an area
with Earth-like green grass and long chairs so they can stare into space to
watch the stars.

Noata
sits at a table, alone. He rummages through multiple tablets in front of him.
His empty tray next to him drying with caked-on food. He had to eat quickly. He
swipes through diagrams and Eliite ships. He got them from Jahum. He needs to
find a way to save the others on the Eliite mother ship. He’ll do anything to
save them, because he would want someone to do the same.

At
the window looking out Wilker leans on the rails, just staring out into the
darkness. Stars unseen as the sun peeks over the horizon, only the brightest of
them shine through.

What
now?
The war is over, humanity is lost except for them. When they get to the new
planet
the
evolutionary stages will be very
different, since they are chosen.

Serena
walks up next to him and stares out into the darkness. The rising sun darkening
the stars above.

“What
are you staring at?” she asks.

“Nothing
anymore,” he says. The stars in the sky disappear as the sun crest over the
horizon.
Fading into the blackness.

“Why
are the stars disappearing?”

Wilker’s
not really in the mood to talk. He needs to think. But maybe this can help ease
his mind.

“When
the sun peeks over the horizon, its light overpowers the stars.”

Serena
relaxes on the railing.

“Despite
there being no atmosphere or air to scatter the light in space. This little sun
of ours is still powerful enough to light our sky.”

“Even
though we are in space
?"

“The
stars are still out there, we just can’t see them. Something is always out
there.” He
stares
out into nothing. “Why me?”
Wilker asks himself.

“Why
what?”

“Why
us and not the others?” he asks.

“The
chosen?”

“Yes
why us?! The chosen, the titans,
the whatever
the
bloody hell people fucking call us. What are the Astrons to us, to decide who
lives or who dies?”

“You
can’t think that way! You just got to be glad that you got to live. You were
chosen to become something better and to live as the embodiment of the human
race.”

“No.
No I wasn’t like you and the rest. I wasn’t ‘chosen’. I was never supposed to
be here.” Serena knows his story about his wife.

“It
was supposed to be her, not me with these powers. I was going to be one of the
ones to die screaming like the rest,
to
get
wiped out with the rest of humanity. All those people who died down there
, they are not
going to be remembered, no one is
going to remember their names, what they contributed to society
, what they looked like, who they were
. I’m not like
the rest of you, I’m a nihility,
a nobody
. What makes
the Astrons the decision makers to decide who I am or not, with their choices
half of the chosen or so called titans are dead. How can I trust their leadership?”

“Humanity
can start again! That’s where we’re going! To fix the mistakes we made,” Serena
shouts.

“With
only the chosen it’s not really going to be humanity
who
continues
on, it’s going to be a whole new species. A species I’m not
supposed to be a part of. Humanity is dead.”

“Well,
you’re with us now, you are a chosen and since you are alive and not your wife
or any other human down there on Earth
!
You
can start anew
, you can make your own destiny
.”

Wilker
doesn’t answer, he waves his hands in front of the glass. A projection shows up
in front of them. It’s a planet that looks a lot like Earth, except its greener
and has half as many oceans.

This
is the planet they are going to.

“I’m
supposed to fade into nothing, like the rest of humanity, not to continue on
with you. I’m only a small minuscule spec of history in this universe. I don’t
like that Jahum made that choice for me and the rest of our race.”

Serena
stands next to him, shifting uncomfortably, not knowing really what to say, to
get him off the teetering edge.

“So
what? You sound like you aren’t afraid to die
,“
she
says in a whisper. 

“Everybody
fears death, in one way or the other. The ones who kills themselves just
couldn’t wait to learn of the inevitable, luckier than the ones who didn’t have
a choice,” Wilker teases.

Serena
looks up at Wilker’s faces. He continues to stare at the projection.

“Are…Are
you going to kill yourself?”

Wilker
lets out a soft chuckle.

“No,
no I’m not going to kill myself. Those who commit suicide are weak. No, I’m
going to change things, change things for the better, so that everybody has a
choice. A chance.” He turns the projection off and stares back into the
blackness.

…

The
gym is empty, except for one man, Lance Freeman. Lance works a punching bag
hard, fist hurling into it, he moves side to side to get his foot work down,
punching the thing into oblivion. He jumps back and leaps forward into a punch.
In a cling the damn thing breaks off its chains and hurls into the wall.

Even
though it was reinforced with a strong alien metal, he shouldn’t have been
going that hard, although it should not have broken. He walks toward the bag
and then drops on his knees. Sudden emotions rocks him.

Julio
is dead.

He’s
teammates are gone. He failed in his mission. And he can’t fulfill his promise.
Punching a bag couldn’t get rid of his thoughts.

His
brother is gone, the chance for him to make a family is gone.

Everything
is gone.

He
digs in his pocket and looks at the picture of Thora. He still has one promise
he hasn’t broken yet. He searched the computers and her status was updated to
alive on the Eliite mother ship.

Serena
walks in, she looks down. Then walks over and joins him on the ground and grips
him.

“What’s
wrong?” she asks.

“What
do you think?”  

“Besides
the obvious”

“What’s
the matter with
you
?”

He
places his hand on her face and rubs the wetness from her eyes.

“Nothing.”
she lays her head on his shoulder. “Just thinking on what’s going to happen
now. That we can’t go back to Earth.”

He
wants to say that it’s alright but—he looks at Thora’s picture.

“So
you’re already looking at other girls, I’m not dead yet,” Serena jokes. 

“I
have to go back, back to Earth.”

Serena
looks down.

“You
do know if we go back we won’t come back alive.”

“You’re
not coming with me, I’m going alone.”

“No
you’re not,” she states.

“You’re
staying here.”

“You
think I’m just going to quietly sit here while you go to your death to save the
last remains of our race? I’m not that selfish!” she almost yells.

“I’m
only going to save one person.”

“No,
you are going to save millions. With me. Noata is coming up with a plan to save
the humans on the Skyeater.”

“But—“

“That’s
the end of it. I’m going with you.” Before Lance can reply she plants her lips
on his and gives him a passionate kiss.

It
left him breathless.

She
gets up and sits with her legs wrapped around his waist. She wraps her arms
around him.

“You
think I’m going to let my husband go alone into danger you got another thing
coming.” She nuzzles on his ear.

He
doesn’t want it to end this way, he wants to protect her.

“We
won’t be returning to Jahum, we’ll probably die on Earth.”

“Well,
then at least we get to die together.
Til
death do us
apart,” she says with a chuckle. She pushes him onto his back. “You always
wanted a kid, we only have a little time before Noata finishes his plan.”

She
takes off his shirt and rips off hers. He wants to tell her to stop, not to do
it here where someone could walk in, but he always had a hard time saying no to
her.

…

Cole
sits alone in his room, just a bed bolted to the wall. He has nothing here, he
looks out his window, he wonders if he
can
breathe
in space or does he even need too, the ship is leaving too slowly, at this rate
it’s going to take them years to get to the planet.

He
doesn’t want to blow a hole in the ship so he should just tell Jahum that he
isn’t coming.

Jahum
walks in.
 

He
looks hundreds of years older, his skin is dry and flaky,
his
color is duller and muted. His eyes look extremely glassy.

He
doesn’t speak. Cole doesn’t know what happened to Jahum to cause him to look
like this, but he can guess and he doesn’t care enough to ask.

“Why
are we leaving so slowly? I’m sure the Eliite can catch us,” Cole says.

“Because
I already know your answer, to the question I’m about to ask you.”  

“What?”

“Will
you stay?” Jahum asks.

“No.
She’s alive. I don’t care for anything else. I’m going to save her. She’s the
only thing I have left.”

“Earth
is lost.”

“But
she isn’t, if I can’t save her, then…this power is useless.”

Cole
stares into his eyes. He can’t get
a
tell
on him.

“We
won’t have enough power to come back, once we are gone we are gone,” Jahum
states.

“What
is the answer? The real answer to all this? Can you at least give me that?”

Jahum
looks into his eyes, they look tired, like he’s ready to sleep all his troubles
away.

“The
answer is whatever you make it to be. But to
Lief
it’s that we are all on borrowed time, born into an imperfect universe that is
the least accommodating to us and the living species. We are in an imperfect
universe being eaten by a more perfect one. There is no stopping our fate and
Leif cannot accept that. He must find another reason for life.”

Cole
looks at his hands. What is it? To find a reason to live on? Jahum turns to
walk away.

“You
will never be alone. If you fail or succeed, the stars will always be there
watching you.” Jahum leaves. Cole can find a reason and he will with this
power.

…

“Serena.
Serena!” Noata’s voice echoes through the gym from Serena’s wedding ring.
Serena and Lance lie on top of each other naked, letting themselves air out.

“I
guess it’s time,” Serena says while resting on Lance’s bare chest.

“I
guess so.”

Lance
and Serena walk into the cafe area, Noata and Wilker sit across from each other
at a table,
there’s
only a single tablet in
front of them. Wilker flicks his fingers at the tablet, reading something. They
approach them and sit across from Noata.

Serena
glances at Wilker, he’s demeanor has changed, he looks contemplative.

“I’m
surprised to see you here,” Serena says to him.

“I’m
the only one who agreed, plus this is part of the change I’m going to bring.”
He looks at the chosen around the cafe. Some have their heads down in thought,
others glances at him and look away. He darts his eyes at each of them.