Planet Zar: Nexus

The world burned beneath the funeral pyre of its own blazing sky. A sun as red as hearts blood stared down at her, swollen and angry as an infected wound. No clouds marred its furious glare. They had burned up long ago.

The air reeked of smoldering ruin. Were it not for the knowledge of where that smoke came from, it might almost have been a pleasant smell. Reminiscent of a bonfire with the wind turned the wrong way.

Between the sun and the smoke, nothing welcoming remained of this once vibrant world. Were it not for her shields, the very air itself would have boiled in her lungs. The world was not simply dying. It was dead. It just didn't know it yet.

A subtle hiss disrupted the constant howling wind that raged beyond the golden dome she'd raised for her protection against the elements. She looked beyond the iridescent shell and spotted the faint outline of something large and looming settling on the cracked, barren earth just beyond her shelter.

Mystic raised a hand, motes of embers drifting from her fingertips as she extended a tunnel from the shell to connect with the lowering ramp of the barely visible ship. She felt her companion's presence before she saw him.

~Director Kutoth, thank you for joining me. I know you are a very busy individual, but I felt it important that you see this place for yourself,~ Mystic said to the towering figure that stepped down from the space shuttle. Even at a distance, she could see how he towered over his surroundings, tall and lean like a resolute tree. His four arms kept close to his sides as he ducked into the tunnel she'd raised and moved in her direction. Once out of the dust storm raging around his ship, she could see that not a single scrap of fabric covered his alabaster frame. Nothing save a full face mask wrapped around his head.

~I'll admit that your note piqued my interest. A rescue species in need of rescue? What does that mean?~ The murdon's mental voice was smooth as river pebbles as it glided across her thoughts.

~Come this way, if you would,~ Mystic said. She inclined her head toward the edge of the barrier. ~Mind, do not leave the bubble once I've raised it. The very air here is poison, and the sun will scorch you to ash in mere minutes.~

~How exciting,~ Kutoth replied with evident delight.

Mystic was grateful for the shelter of her hood as she twisted her hands and words through an arcane chant. It hid the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She hadn't spent much time in the director's presence since he'd reconnected the Refugium to the Nexus, but she had known a fondness for the man almost immediately. He had the same passion for discovery and preservation that she did.

Seconds later, the glittering golden dome collapsed around them, shrinking down into a bubble that encased them with less than a foot of space in any direction. Yet when Mystic stepped forward, the bubble followed. As did Kutoth.

~I am curious to know how you came across this place,~ Kutoth asked as they walked.

~I was exploring,~ Mystic answered, and prayed that Kutoth wasn't so curious as to dig beneath the surface of her thoughts.

Exploring, yes. In a sense. One could also call it hunting. Though if she had come across the new hiding spot of the Death Court, she would have called it sheer coincidence. Aaron couldn't be angry about that.

~What made you stop here? It does not have much of a view,~ Kutoth said, glancing up, beyond the bubble that encased them. The wind howled and beat at their barrier with an endless cloud of red dust. It was impossible to see more than two feet in front of them. Yet Mystic led on with unerring steps.

~I heard a cry where there shouldn't have been one. When I investigated, I found them.~

Mystic paused abruptly, bringing them up short on the edge of a cliff. She raised a hand to forestall Kutoth taking another step, then gestured below.

For several long seconds, they saw nothing but the impotent rage of the sandstorm. Then something green flashed amidst the sea of red. Then a flash of blue.

Mystic raised her hands, and in response to a series of whispered words dripped from her lips, the storm parted before them.

What lay before them seemed impossible to believe at first. A lush and verdant valley sat wedged into a canyon far below. A trickle of clear, crystalline water wended between trees and around grassy knolls. And there were dragons. Dozens upon dozens of them. They sat by the river or lounged on rocks or else took turns in the sky, beating back the storm with the power of their wings. Tall, regal sails rose along their backs and down to their fanned tails. Soft greens and browns and blues and blacks coloured their hides, hinting at other colours amidst their multitudes.

Mystic brought two fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle. Dozens of wedge-shaped heads turned in their direction, and dozens of voices rose in greeting growls and roars.

A large, black dragon detached himself from the cluster down by the river and rose into the air. With a few powerful sweeps of his wings, he soared up to their perch and landed with a resounding thud on the cliffside.

The black huffed out a deep breath as he pushed his muzzle into the shelter of the bubble that surrounded them. A translucent layer curled back from his eyes, and a thin layer of skin rolled back from his nostrils. Though he'd risen directly through the storm, he hadn't been bothered by the lashing sands. The black pressed his head up against Mystic's chest before turning to sniff curiously at Kutoth.

~They are non-verbal and they don't possess telepathy,~ Mystic explained as she stroked a hand lightly across the black's head. ~But they are intelligent and receptive enough to those that do have telepathy. They are still learning the common tongue, but they learn quick.~

~Hello,~ Kutoth said into the mind of the black.

~Hello hello,~ it mimicked back. Its voice had the deep, rumbling quality of distant thunder.

~Fascinating. And did I see a nictitating membrane?~

~You did,~ Mystic confirmed. ~They were a genetically engineered species created by the former denizens of this world. They were made to withstand the most brutal of environmental conditions. It would seem their creators knew the end was coming.~

Mystic trailed off and cast a pitying look at the black, who was by then enjoying attention from both of the humanoids.

The people of this world had known they were at an end. They had fought desperately to hold it off, but to no avail. Nothing remained alive on this rock save these dragons. She'd checked it thoroughly. Yet even being the dwindling last gasp of their homeland, these creatures did not despair. They were a surprisingly optimistic group. She couldn't stand by and watch them die as well.

~So you see why I called you for aid, Kutoth,~ Mystic said after a moment. ~Their world is dead. There are only a couple hundred of them left. Many of them wish for a new start. Many of them wish for a safe place for their eggs.~

~Do they bond?~ Kutoth hadn't taken his eyes from the black as he spoke. All four hands were at work, scratching beneath its chin and touching its head sail and running fingers along its rugged hide.

~From what I have learned, not in the traditional sense. Though they imprint strongly as hatchlings.~

~If nothing else, we can at least find them somewhere new to live.~

~So you will help?~

~Of course. I'll have a biome set up immediately. By the way, what are they called?~

It felt as if a knot had released in her chest. Mystic knew she would not have given up on these dragons if Kutoth hadn't agreed, but having his commitment put her at ease. There were only so many refugees that Aaron would allow before he reminded her of their supposed neutrality when it came to Nexus affairs.

~Ibidis,~ she replied. ~This one is Soa.~

~A pleasure to meet you, Soa,~ Kutoth said to the black with a short bow. ~Now let's get you a new home.~