CHAPTER IV: THE AWAKENING

Bo’ had made it back home intact and was eager to take a look at what all that trouble was for. After a solid landing, the ISR powered down and Bo’ remotely opened the main cargo hold. The object, roughly fourteen feet long and only six feet wide, was a shade of gray Bo’ had never seen before; in fact, nothing about this object seemed familiar in all his ten years of scavenging. Bo’ could only wonder what the Junkers would make of this.

Summoning a levitator unit, Bo disengaged the field locks as the object gently floated on a soft electromagnetic field cushion. Bo pushed the levitator into his nearby work station and ran a full spectral analysis of the object- no response. He then tried taking a sample from the armor plating by introducing Graggots, metal-eating organisms whose digestive system reactions to various metals would produce a visible chemical trace color that would help identify the composition of the metal. No response again. Thermionic, photonic, and even nucleonic scans all proved useless.

Bo’ stepped back from the object and a brilliant thought entered his mind, “why not take this back to JunKar? This could save him criminal prosecution and gain him some respect by turning the object over to the Central Authorities. This was a technology they could not easily decipher and he would become a man of honor, possibly even rewarded for such technology”.

But Bo’ was in grave danger and didn’t even know it.

Already on its way was the Sith Evasor with Syrenia at the helm. The Evasor was a custom combat star fighter built by Deviant Alliance Systems (D.A.S.) of Hael and possessed one of the first hyperdrive units. It was covered in Sith obsidian armor hyper plating and heavily armed with self-actuating Nexia missiles possessing techtrallic self-homing systems as well as rapid fire turbo-pulse cannons called T-Packs. But Syrenia did not need to rely on Evasor’s weapons. She was clad in a Kyrie battle suit and her Fire Blades would finish any foe; male or female, any species.

Bo’ could still not believe his fortune but was disappointed that he could not open the object to see what was stored inside. He concluded that an object impossible to open from the outside must only open from the inside, at a time of its choosing.

But even as he thought on this, within the guardian shell life stirred. Lady Kaliah was in bio-stasis  when her Halo-chron suddenly lit up. Unconscious, her mind was still alert and the shadows of the future began to manifest themselves again. A great darkness was approaching with great speed and her life was in danger. She could see the image of a fierce Sith prepared for battle- a woman of great skill…and… a Dark Seer!

Although the Viktalen armor was impenetrable in the physical realm, it could not stop the images coming from the spiritual realm, nor the mysterious channel by which both Sith and Whill could perceive the future. Lady Kaliah knew it was a life force generated by all living things and that it held great power- the power to do good or evil. The Sith wanted it for evil, to cover the galaxy in a cloak of darkness while her people, the Whills, only wanted to share the light of good for all. “I must escape this machine before the Sith arrives”. 

Inside Evasor, Syrenia’s mind went blank for a moment and then images of Lady Kaliah filled her head. “So, the Whill Seer lives and now her thoughts will lead me directly to her”. Syrenia was overjoyed and her face lit up with a wicked smile underneath an obsidian winged battle helmet. Although Evasor was a fine fighter it was not equipped with communicators nor transponders of any kind. Syrenia preferred to arrive in silence and depart in silence. But she could communicate with another Seer nearby. Approaching the debris field Syrenia reached out to Lady Kaliah with contempt, “I have you now, and you will be mine- there is no escape, for your thoughts have betrayed you“.

Bo’ was about to retire for the second time tonight when a faint sound emanated from within the object. It was a warning alarm as Lady Kaliah’s heart rate shot up and her body began to shake. Life support quickly terminated bio-stasis and the biogen agents and sustainer fluids started to drain from the capsule. Bo’ jumped back as a steady flow of liquids poured from the container, flooding his work station.

Inside the capsule chemical oxygenators engaged and Lady Kaliah started breathing after force-injectors had induced her to vomit out the sustainer fluids and biogens. Consciousness was coming back and she could barely see inside the dimly lit inner cell liner even as the bio-restraints dissolved. “That’s right, my vision has awakened me and now the capsule was responding. But I sense I am not on Elysia and only there can the external locks be opened. I am entombed in this capsule. Help!”

By now Bo’ was worried. Something definitely was inside of there and alive. The fluid analysis was confirmed as life-sustaining biogens. Bo’ tried in vain to open the object but he could not.

Summoning all her inner strength and powers of concentration Lady Kaliah relaxed her body and with clarity of thought and spirit reached out to the mysterious life force that only once before had she merely touched. Everything within her cried out to the life force and as she concentrated, all her heart was filled with light. Her Halochron was glowing intensely; in fact it was overloading. All around her Lady Kaliah could feel a force around her swirling about like a tiny whirlwind, getting stronger and stronger. In her mind and spirit she cried out, “Darkness cannot prevail over light. I must live. I MUST!” And with that the capsule began to shudder, rocking side to side with a power unseen until it fell off the levitator and crashed to the floor.

Bo’ was startled and backed away from the object. The Viktalen armor plating started to crack and a strange bluish light radiated outwards from it. Inside, Lady Kaliah’s arms began to raise on their own and her hands reached palms upward. The power of the life force was strong . Lady Kaliah could feel it race through her body, spirit, and soul. She could hear her own voice within it saying, “Use the force”, and with one final great internal cry Lady Kaliah’s Halo-chron ceased to function along with the Viktalen armored shell which exploded outwards as she touched it, sending shrapnel crashing through Bo’s work station. Bo’ was knocked to the ground and raising himself up slowly… he approached the object as if his body were being drawn to it somehow. Either that or just intense JunKar curiosity…

When he peered into the casing his mouth dropped open. Inside was the body of  a woman- the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was soaked in fluids yet her beauty was surpassing. She was also breathing which meant she was alive. Bo’ gently reached into the cell and lifted this wet beauty out of it, carrying her into his home and laying her across his sleep riser in his private quarters. He had never encountered such beauty. She was tall, perhaps five foot eleven inches with amazing long blonde hair, gentle blue eyes, arched eyebrows, full red lips, and gleaming white teeth. Her wet pleated white lanium dress revealed perfect breasts, soft stomach, and long slender legs. Bo’ was overcome by her beauty. He never felt this way about a woman before… on JunKar, or anywhere else.

He wanted so badly to bend down and kiss her but then something seemed strangely out of place.