Chapter 48 A Tough Decision Zumi nods and smiles, motioning everyone to get up. Only now the meaning of everything the voice said starts making sense. These ederi are from the Northern Shores, they came to reclaim their prophet, or whatever they think Zumi is. The voice of Leot wants me to lure Kallitris in to Crumbling Rose, so he can get executed there for his crimes. I’m the one who will make this happen. Now, Zumi’s v...

A girl stared into my eyes, her face a familiar stranger. She looked worried, if a bit terrified. Wide blue eyes, long black hair and porcelain white skin, I somehow knew this girl. Her lips moved, but I couldn't hear a word she said. I walked up to her in case she was whispering the words. I still couldn't hear her. "What are you saying?" I asked worried. "They are coming, Akiko," the girl said ominously. She broke into...

Chapter 47 A Rescue or a Trap? A destroyer flies out of the sky, and sees us before we can hide. A ball of fire is already above us, advancing quickly. All I think about is that I can’t take a direct hit by that thing, whether I’m equipped by an energy-absorbing parasite, or not… Last time it hit me I was at least inside of a ship. But there is no time to ponder this. I push Zumi to the ground and fall on him, ordering my...

Chapter 46 Message for the Future When I come to, I’m on the floor with Yasen and Zumi over me. “Your heart has stopped!” My lover caresses my face, and looks into my eyes, not knowing what to think. I give in to his love and hold his hand. “I will restart it in a second. Is that kriber still chasing us?” “No.” Yasen answers. “Surprisingly, your ship does not require a qualified pilot to operate. It responded to me after...

VirtuaDyne made half a billion on their Virtual Dating platform inits first six months on the market, in turn, the arcades, like Jason’s, that purchased the machines, made a lot of money renting access by the half hour. Interest, and in turn, business, however, was starting to taper off. It had been over three months since I had gone on a Virtual Date. After the novelty wore off, I quickly grew bored of the 2D dates in th...

The morning was no different Still very much the same Nothing unusual Not a thing out of place I awoke with the buzzer Which gifted me an hour And trudged down the hallway To my usual morning shower The mirror displayed the very same face And those extra twenty pounds that would not go away The cereal was sweet And the milk was warm Not a thing about the day Seemed out of the norm The trek to work Was boring at best Traff...

Virtual date, coming soon to an arcade near you! It was a viral marketing campaign, one which Dave was very familiar with. It was only logical that with the advances in virtual reality, that virtual dating would soon be here. Until a year ago, virtual reality was a clumsy technology. You would put on a special suit, with gloves and a helmet, and enter the chamber. It worked fine for games, you could box with Ali, race aga...

The Earth Alliance explorer class ship EAS Apotheosis cruised through the endless void at speeds unimaginable only a decade ago. The mark III PNP drive (pumped neutrino propulsion) moved the ship almost one million two hundred thousand miles per second, or six point four times the speed of light. With the realization of the PNP drive, humankind had entered a completely new realm of exploration and discovery. Space is vast...

The carrier headed out past the edges of the solar system with its escort of six destroyer class ships. The entire carrier group was commanded by an admiral with the carrier as her flagship. The admiral liked to stay on the bridge so she could be in quick contact with any of the commanders of the destroyers. She knew her cargo was very precious and her mission was of the utmost importance. The cargo itself consisted of a...

Chapter 45 Love: Treasured and Forbidden “Because Gliese 581 e is not what it used to be when Ari flew there over the weekend and made the footage he later showed to Leozarit. It is now overrun by Kom kribers from Ashtarma, and took over the planet.” I listen to his voice, and it stirs everything inside of me. My lover’s closeness is inebriating. I study his face and know that I’m in love. This man is so serious, so conce...

Chapter 44 Destination: Gliese 581 Before I walk into the same dome I was forced to leave by Moro, I notice a tree, one of those “talking” ones. It keeps on showing me some symbols by protruding certain leaves and recessing the others. I stop by and shake my head. The tree is so smart, it recognizes it as “no”, and gives me several more combinations of symbols with its hard, dark-green leaves, until I read the word “Glies...

Chapter 43 The Secret to Keep The thought makes me smile, and I even let that smile light up my face. The imprint is within the reach. I can imagine their surprise when I interface with the ship and take them for a ride! Or should I leave them here? Hehehe! “I don’t understand what’s going on, but… The ship has disappeared…” Kamen looks at the screen, perplexed. Arileot14 is gone! There is nothing there anymore, but the a...

Chapter 42 A Trap or a Blessing? The cave opens up and the ship flies out into the dark-blue heavy skies. I can see on the other screen, that we’re leaving Crumbling Rose very quickly in a whirlwind of disturbed ragged clouds. Apparently Moro switches off the shield that prevents my own ship Arileot14 from leaving and anything else to get inside. This is my much-desired break! Oh, Gosh, I’m so happy. What is the chance, t...

Chapter 41 Escape into Waterfalls His eyes glow spectacular green ever so brightly, and I’m about to lose consciousness again, when I notice that the black stone lights up with a series of images. One image shows Ari, holding a small girl by her hand, walking up the ramp of his ship, followed by a dark-haired woman. The next one – Ari, that woman and the girl already inside of the ship, and Ari adjusts the screen to the g...

Chapter 40 The Forbidden Love “I brought you the diary, Demi. This is the only help I can render in the search for Leozarit,” Immaul says thoughtfully. “Then, after you passed out unexpectedly, we used that as a chance to put you by the black stone. They are known for enhancing one’s dreams and visions.” “Well… I mean, in a way, I think, it worked…” I stumble and look at Immaul. “So it was you who put the diary in my pock...