Chapter Sixteen #2
Zephyron didn't look at me. "The word is correct, but there are no animals on Sudo. Not as they once were."
"Wait! None?"
"Beyond the dune beetles or other insects for food? No. For all intents and purposes, Zerlites consumed them before we arrived. What remains of avaruu exists only in controlled environments and genetic samples."
Now I knew why my implant never used that word. I would have to see one, and most likely I never would.
***
The hike continued, and I think I impressed him with my endurance.
We soon reached a vast canyon glowing with shifting lights.
"These are the Luminous Veins and are unique to Sudo.
The minerals themselves provide a faint glow, even in complete darkness.
They are said to be the planet's lifeblood.
The material is found even within Zerlites.
Refined, they become Simulacrum memory crystals. "
I stared at the gleaming fissures demanding my attention. Their soft light cast eerie pulsating patterns across the rocks, spires, and mountains. "It's beautiful," I admitted. "When I first came, I only saw sand and emptiness."
Zephyron's gaze softened. "This planet has its beauty, if one knows where to look."
We stood, the silence between us no longer as sharp. For the first time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, we were starting to understand each other.
He said nothing for over a minute.
"Zephyron?"
He smiled, but it was forced. "I had attempted to empty my mind to see if an ancestor would give me wisdom."
"Sorry for the interruption, Hon."
"Perhaps there is nothing more for them to say." He looked down. "You do not believe."
"I believe you believe, and I respect—"
"That is not what I asked."
I shook my head no. "Just because aliens are true doesn't mean..." My shoulders sank. "No, I don't think ancestor spirits or any spirits are real. Sorry."
He smiled. "Thank you for your honesty, but you do have ancestors. I have spoken to mine. You can do the same and contact your father."
***
I opened the comm interface and keyed in the code for Dad. The screen pulsed, once, twice, then several more times before 'Connection Refused' flashed. I knew he wasn't thrilled with me, but I saved his life. You'd think he would be over it by now.
Obviously not.
While not an ancestor, Brandon was a brother from another mother, but the thought of bothering him and Alen with all the trouble on Earth was selfish. Parker was busy with pre-footage for the Festival of the Gold Dust Woman. Solis and Axios needed quiet time to heal.
Well, here's the closest I got to ancestors.
The holographic projection blinked to life, and one by one, familiar faces materialized. Chase showed first; his analytical face lit with mild curiosity as a bit of Sudo rendered on Earth. His new artificial eye was no longer brown and matched his natural green. "Thomas!"
"Hey, Chase!" I smiled. "How's the new eyeball?"
He rarely grinned but did today. "It's incredible.
I can zoom in, adjust contrast, find my way in the dark, and even see faint heat signatures.
They upgraded my good eye too, with nanites, so now it's sharper than ever.
Watch!" Both colors changed from brown to green, yellow, and then to Volardi purple.
"Figures you'd make the most out of it," I chuckled.
Wyatt's face popped up next. "Bro! Got knocked up yet?"
"Wyatt!" Joel's voice boomed as he joined the call. "Can you not?"
"What?" Wyatt shrugged. "I'm just asking the important questions."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but laugh. "You're an idiot, Wyatt."
He smirked. "People say I'm your twin, so what does that make you?"
Joel's serious face turned toward me, the oldest of us and always the one to steady the ship. "How are you holding up, Tommy? Do anything exciting on Tatooine?"
I hesitated. "Well, let's see. I fought off these monster things called Zerlites with Parker.
We rigged a transport to explode and wore armor made from Sim nanites.
" I shared a still of the battle where I stabbed one in the chest with a clawed glove.
"Then Zephyron showed up and took out the rest with a rock.
He got hurt, but he's better now. Here, let me send you a short video highlight Parker put together. "
Once done, all three of them stared at me, gawking.
"You fought swarms of extraterrestrial fauna?" Chase asked, his tone skeptical even after seeing the video and still images.
"Yeah. These bloaty headcrabs inject poison, but the reptilian monkey-things are the worst because they're mean. Some are like muscled clay-reptile dogs. We barely made it out alive."
Wyatt let out a long whistle. "You're like an Eighties action hero."
Joel leaned forward. "Are you okay, though? I mean, really?"
I hesitated. "I'm managing, but there's more." Heat rose to my face. "I, uh... I inseminated myself." I then explained how I did it to save Zephyron and glossed over the insertion procedure.
The feed went silent for a beat.
Wyatt burst out laughing. "You knocked yourself up? That's wild."
"Wyatt!" Joel yelled again.
Chase's expression shifted to analytical curiosity. "Do you feel any symptoms?"
"No. Nothing yet, and Volardi tech on Sudo doesn't check for pregnancy until it's obvious. Other planets? Yes. Here? They're weirdly superstitious about it and other things."
Joel, ever the responsible one, tried to lighten the mood. "Well, uh, Hannah and I are trying too. So, I guess we're both, you know. Yeah..."
I cleared my throat to shift the conversation. "Anyway, I tried calling Dad earlier, but he was busy."
Joel's face darkened, and Chase used his new eye to avoid my gaze. Wyatt, of course, blurted it out. "He's not busy. He just doesn't want anything to do with you."
***