Chapter 37: Summoning Stars

Zatore Thrindale woke up with a start, his grayish-green eyes still stinging from the deep sleep he had subjected himself to. The world was blurry and dark, and his room was stuffy, or else the sheets he had been sleeping in were too warm. He sighed wearily, and ran his hand over his forehead. He felt a bit of dampness there, a curious bit of sweat that must’ve come from his dream.

He unexpectedly felt something stirring at his side, and heard a small moan. Startled, he turned around and prayed for the darkness to lift so he could see what it was, but wheezed out in relief as he saw his former client-turned love interest Diana Jade laying there. She woke up uneasily, and tried to smile as their eyes met.

“Lady Diana, when was it that you came into my room?”

“In the middle of the night, somewhere around one,” she answered in a dull, lazy voice. “I had the most unusual dream, you know ... about this silvery fox, with nine flaming tails ... And he was talking about Mother Sayrah, and how you and I had to go see her!” Zet sat there for awhile thinking, and slowly nodded his head as he pieced things together.

“We must have been sharing the same dream,” he said. “I had a similar vision. You had no reason to be concerned, my dear. That fox you saw was Lord Shadi, a Kitsune from my parallel universe. I was acquainted with him for a few years, but I found it a surprise that he could speak with me across the void. Those Kitsunes are an unusual breed...”

“So you know what’s going on?” she asked wearily. He nodded his head, and slipped out of the sheets and blankets. He donned a robe in the darkness, and warned Diana that he was turning on a light. It was a blinding sight at first, but soon the two adjusted to the bright glare.

“I feel as if we should move with some haste,” said Zet as he prepared for the day. He began organizing clothes, toiletries, traveling gear, even weapons, and spoke quickly but calmly. “Shadi does not often come to me, and when he does, it is a matter of some importance. My dear, I suggest you ready yourself for something.” Diana understood, and threw the covers off as she rose up out of bed. She was scantily dressed in a tank top and shorts, and Zet tried not to blush as he stole a glance at her figure. Demi-human or no, Diana was certainly a gorgeous woman.

“By the way,” he said in a low voice, “what were you doing in my bed? I am not exactly used to other people sleeping in the same space as I, and there was hardly a need for the extra warmth.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled with a smile. “I guess it’s just the child in me. You love me, Zet, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“And I love you too,” she sighed as she put her arms around him and held him from behind. “I guess ... I was just ... wanting a bit of comfort. Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything unusual.” Zet smiled, and kissed her wrists gently, before excusing himself to the shower. No matter what unusual circumstances the day provided, he knew he had to wash up at the least.

Sahn Runtharee’s Kobrian culture did not believe in the existence of dreams, yet when one occurred to him some lonely night, he instantly woke up and growled at the bizarre message that had played before him. He saw a fox, flaming with silver light, and this fox told him to take up his arms and fly a reliable ship into the deepest wastelands that Earth had to boast of. It was the most ludicrous and insane thing he had ever known ... and yet, some strange force drove him to venture into the wasteland, and into what would most certainly be his destiny...

“It’s not unusual, it’s downright madness!”

“Do try to be silent for more than a few seconds, Sir Woolyford,” sighed Dustin wearily as he tightened his sword-belt. The rugged woodsman gave his talkative partner a bland look, and double-checked his gear.

“Look, going on the Earth is one thing,” stated the goat. “Those scientists are still after me, remember? But get this--I had a dream!! I’m not supposed to have dreams! Animals just don’t experience them--at least not my species! But I saw a dream, all right, and what a weird dream it was!”

“Do tell,” muttered Dustin. “But now that you mention it, we might have had the same vision. Did you see a fox in your dream, Sir Wooly?”

“Well ... yes, I did, actually.”

“A silvery fox? A Kitsune?”

“Yeah...”

“And they told you to go into that wasteland on Earth, that’s rumored to contain a sacred forest full of living tree-people?” Woolyford could only gape as his partner explained his dream for him, and numbly nodded his head. Dustin half-smiled, tightened his leather gloves, and casually left the inn that he had stayed at for the night. Woolyford trotted along, still curious.

“But Lance, I don’t understand...”

“It’s quite simple, kid: this may be the end-all and be-all of everything we’ve ever known. Those forests on Earth hold Eternenenites, or so I’ve been told. If a Kitsune is telling us both that we should venture into an Eter’s forest, then do you know what will happen?”

“No.” Dustin smiled emptily, and slipped inside his small ship with Woolyford following.

“That it is either time for ‘The Summoning’, ‘The End’, or something beyond my own reasoning. Either way, let us not be late.”

Somewhere off in the heart of the galaxy, where few ventured, was a planet where only the most powerful creatures lived. A Kai’thug named Malecanthrite lived on that world, and though it was always barbaric, he remained one of the most powerful and respected soldiers on that world. Little could tear him away from his planet or his duty ... unless that little was a peculiar dream he had had one night...

In another corner of the universe, two master assassins had teamed up to put an end to a dreadful terrorist group. Using only their teamwork, Cedro Fontano and Sean Gilliam easily wiped out what many considered an unstoppable army. They slept soundly and wonderfully that night, but were startled to the waking world with images of a silvery fox on fire...

A creature of the cold, who bore no dreams, suddenly found a burning urge to visit Earth, a planet he had never even heard of. Frost was doubtful, but the force was too strong to ignore ... And in a completely different sector of the same galaxy, a fierce warrior creature known as a Sepren also had a similar vision. Not knowing what the future portended, Klarana quickly left everything behind and hooked a passageway to Earth...

Deep in meditation, Melena Fara’dellyn was both fully aware of everything around her, yet unaware of anything. She both existed and did not existed; she could see and yet could not; she was there yet not there, all at once. It would take something great and terrible to disturb her deep trance, or perhaps the gentlest whisper of wind...

Wind...

“HA!!” She jerked around, blocking the vicious kick that would have broken her skull if it had connected. She launched a counterattack, but the attacker had already vanished. Melena quickly dove back into her concentrated state, closing her eyes and regulating her body for the next move. She was the universe, and was with it, and without it, and knew not what it was, and knew everything, and...

“CHYAA!!” Another ferocious blow was blocked, then another, then the opponent dove in for a hundred deadly moves. Melena countered and swept through them smoothly, like water running through the grasses, but did not score many blows, since her opponent was just as quick and lethal. She once again entered into another trance, where all her focus was now put into the fight: protecting herself, striking back, watching where she was going...

BANG! She backed up against the metallic wall of her rental ship, and quickly jumped to the side so as to avoid the punch. It barely grazed up against the wall, and the attacker turned to refocus her efforts. Melena charged in for an attack...

Melena Fara’dellyn, hear my voice!

“D’GYAAHHH!!!” The woman suddenly tripped, narrowly missing a fist to the face. She fell to the floor and moaned out in agony, and her opponent stood over her impatiently.

“Distracted?”

“I dunno WHAT that was!!” screamed the hyperactive fighter. Melena got back to her feet and brushed herself off, and gave her sparring partner a questioning look. “Ketra, did you just feel something? Like somebody was talking to you?”

“Voices? Head?”

“I’m not going crazy!” snapped Melena. “I swear, I heard somebody talking to me while we were fighting! He even knew my name! At least ... I think it was a he...”

“Fantasizing?” smirked Gauntlet wryly. Melena made a sour face.

“NOO! I just heard somebody talking to me, like--”

Please, Melena, I need to speak to you!

“Like that!” she screamed, flailing her arm in the air. “Don’t deny that you didn’t hear that voice!”

“Heard!” stated Ketra as she looked up attentively. “Voice! Speak! Listening!”

I am glad that you are listening, Melena and Ketra. My name is Shadi, and although you have many questions to ask, I must beg you to listen first. Everything will be revealed to you in time...

Marshal Abigail Wither stood pacing in her private chambers, slowly going back and forth as her impatience and concern grew. She still looked young, and would look young for many more decades, but the things she had recently seen would have weathered away all that youth from her body. Her room was small and practical, barely big enough to hold a pacing woman and her collected possessions, let alone her worries. Suddenly, as she turned around and began to walk the other way, Marshal Withers heard a knock on her metallic door.

“It’s open!” The door slid open, and she sighed with relief at the person on the other end. “Brokolov ... you made it. Good. Do you know why I asked for you?”

“I admit that I do not,” he murmured. Marshal Withers withdrew into her room, and sat down at the chair near her personal computer. She bade the General to be seated, and she drew in his deep stare as she informed him of the details.

“ ... General Brokolov, I am a woman who can rarely afford to rely on rumor, or superstition, or else anything that is not a fact. As the co-leader of the Doves, I know I’m contradicting myself--I take chances every day--but I tend to avoid anything that is not completely known outside of duty. This time, though, I must become a complete hypocrite.”

“I still do not fully understand, Withers. Would you care to explain for me?” She nodded her head.

“I had a dream the other night, where a creature called a Kitsune came to me and told me to go to Earth, to a sacred forest where an old friend of mine was living. I don’t usually trust my dreams, but this time, I felt obligated to fulfill this request. Mock me if you want, and say whatever you will, but--”

“Actually, I believe I had the same dream,” he said quietly. Marshal Withers gazed at the tough old cuss, slightly taken aback that he had shared her nightly visitor. “Yes...” he hissed, “it sounded unbelievable until you just now told me. I must admit, Withers, this is indeed an unusual circumstance. Do you know what this could possibly signify?”

“I’d rather not reveal that now,” she said numbly. “Even you might not be able to understand it ... or even swallow it down. I will say that I think you should come with me. Believe it or not, Brokolov, but you and I won’t be the only ones involved with this.”

“What does that mean?” he asked. She paused just briefly.

“You’ll see when we get there. Let’s just say that we’re all in for one really big reunion...”

Tania woke up to find herself asleep in her big sister’s arms. Cattia had probably been dreaming of something, most likely a fantastic but false romantic interest, and had put her arms around her little sister instead. Tania didn’t mind--it was a warm and soft embrace, and always full of love--but somewhere deep in her robotic psyche, she felt that there was just something ... amiss.

Still, she smiled. Cattia really did care for her, more than she ever let on, and would have done anything to see her safe and happy. Tania gently brushed the long blonde strands of hair away from her sister’s beautiful scarred face, and leaned in to kiss her nose daintily. She stirred, moaned, and held Tania a little closer. She wished that she had the ability to dream. She didn’t know what one was, except that all humans that did not have bionic implants experienced them at random intervals...

I wish that, for just one night, I could dream of something ... anything!

Young lady ... Helpful Star ... your wish has been granted. I hope you enjoy this dream, though there will be little to cheer about...

Dana Withers gently tossed in her bed. She had slept rather well--probably one of the few really good nights she had had while staying on Saturn Space Station 02--and would have called it her best night ever if she hadn’t been suddenly interrupted by an unusual vision. During her sleep, she saw the image of the Kitsune known as Shadi, who had paid her a previous visit just before the incident involving her original home world. She had learned to trust the words of the Oracle Fox, but the dream he gave her this time was more haunting, more eerie, more ambiguous.

She woke up groggily, and through the darkness, found that she was not alone in her room. Sitting up, she saw her partner and friend Greg Rodriguez standing there, fully awake and aware.