FALAHA'S JOURNEY 2: Graveyard of the Gods

Episode #11

"Beren, perhaps you would consider my question strange and not very tactful in your situation... but how exactly do your people dispose of the dead?" I, Tagai, and Orewen were accompanying General to their underground city. I actually wanted to see it with my own eyes. Two of his officers also joined us - Colonel Yagra and Captain Silvain. The rest of the Surani returned to their duties and were getting ready to seal the city, gathering their belongings and preparing to leave with us.

"That... we encase the deceased in a transparent casket and store them in the Burial Gardens, large chambers that have all necessary conditions to preserve the corpses as they were in life. Perhaps, not a very effective way for spacefarers, considering the amount of space and facilities required, but that's how we do it. Always did. Most families then can visit the deceased to meditate... some even say to commune with the dead. But that is a very personal spiritual practice. Why are you asking?"

I nodded, accepting his answer. "Tagai, as far as I know, the Baali eat their dead. Not something that happens often, considering the long lifespans, but that's common practice, am I right?"

The Baal nodded. "You are correct. But we do it for a very pragmatic purpose, not spiritual or anything of the sort. This is done to consume the remaining sangaru, which is not something that actually dies. It expires if the person dies, yes, but it remains alive. The computing power of consumed sangaru is what we're after. It makes us stronger. Smarter. Deadlier."

I nodded again and said, "The same practice our ancestors had long ago and something that can happen today among the Danna, though now more often our dead are disintegrated in the Cores of our ships to increases the power with each soma consumed by the energy Core. People die, but soma does not. You can't destroy something like that so easily. It requires immense energies which are not found lying at every turn. To destroy the twin of Somg required the destruction of an entire Jainaa, and even then, we have no data on what exactly happened there." I looked at the General who was waiting for my answer. "General, may we inspect your dead? The ones who died shortly after your... fateful contact with Shaamta."

"Of course," Beren replied, leading us through a labyrinth of underground tunnels. "Though I still don't understand..."

"I actually want to see the corpses myself," Orewen said. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking, love..."

"It's just my suspicion, Ore. But we'll see," I replied, taking him under the arm. "The rest of the city can wait."

We entered a vast hall, dimly lit, with tiny alcoves dotting the walls and going up to the very ceiling, which was so high I had to lift my head to see it in full.

"This is an empty Burial Garden," Captain Silvain said, while the Colonel proceeded to unlock the nearby gates. He was shorter and rounder than the General, and somewhere the same age. The Colonel was older, his black hair having grey streaks. But I still didn't know how long they had lived. Maybe they were designed to last thousands of years.

"Impressive," I said. "But I'm actually interested in the residents of this place."

When the gates were opened, we stepped into another vast hall, only this time I could see the caskets in the alcoves.

"My daughter is interred here," Beren said. "Perhaps it's good to see her for the last time before we depart."

"Did she die from Shaamta's machinations?"

"Yes. Was one of the first."

"Let's start with her then."

When the casket was retrieved from its alcove by special mechanisms, I could see the body inside. The corpse of a woman looked like it was mummified. Certainly no living tissues at this point. "Is that normal?" I asked Beren. "I expected they would look alive, more or less."

"Everyone who died after Shaamta's meddling with our sangaru became like this," the General replied. Colonel and Captain nodded, confirming his words.

I sighed. "Oh well, the hope is not lost yet. Can we open the casket?"

General and his men looked at each other, uneasy. But they weren't in a hurry to approve.

"General," Orewen said. "There's still a chance your people can be saved. We suspect they aren't actually dead. Do you want to see your loved ones again, living and healthy?"

"What?" Beren could not believe his ears. "Is that even possible?"

"This little redheaded woman is Yajur Sangu, a being of a higher level than Shaamta when it comes to sangaru. She knows her business. She might be young but trust her. Your people still have hope."

The General, Colonel and Captain looked at each other again, but this time the General approached the casket and entered a release code into a small display on the side. The lid opened. Now I could see the woman better. Her pale skin had a texture of a dry parchment, eyes sunken, cheeks fallen in. I touched her hand with the tips of my fingers. It was just as I had expected. The woman was still alive. Her soma was active. Similar to our Cold Sleep cases. So her heart was still beating.

I looked at Beren. "General, how in the world did you inter her with a pulse?"

His eyes widened; he was shaking. "That's impossible! Her heart stopped, her brain died, her organs failed..."

I shook my head. "No. But her condition worries me. We need to resuscitate her as soon as possible. She is starved to this point, but soma keeps her in a stasis."

"How do you plan to do it?" Orewen asked.

Without a reply I bit my thumb, letting drops of blood condensing on the skin's surface and smeared my blood on the dead woman's lips, shoving it into her mouth. I noticed how the eyes of the present Surani lit up with a deep hunger seeing my blood. When they noticed that I have noticed, the men averted their eyes with embarrassment. As soon as the precious ruby liquid entered the woman's mouth, her skin began to change shade from pale to pinkish, healthier and livelier, her tissues on the skeletal frame filling up with life. In a matter of moments she no longer resembled a mummy, but was a breath away from opening her eyes, embracing life once again.

And then she opened her eyes. "Dad..." she whispered form under her breath, as if that word was the last she wanted to say before she had died.

The General and his officers were in a state of deep shock. When Beren heard her speak, he approached the casket, weak in the knees, and took her by the hand. "Alani..."

She turned her head and her light-blue eyes finally focused on the General's face. "Dad... what happened?"