Stargazers

Victory at Canaan

Gabriel's Flight and the Victory at Canaan

Chastity isn't sure how long she follows the Lady in the darkness. She isn't sure where they have gone inside of the ship or where they are going. They've climbed staircases and descended others. They've turned a few times, though Chastity cannot remember how many times. Everything about the journey has been made in darkness, and they have been traveling so long that Chastity has little idea of her bearings.

They stop at a large door, visible to Chastity only through the dim glow of the Lady's eyes. Its presence is more inferred than directly seen, though, and she bumps into the Lady's back before coming to a stop. They stand together, staring ahead at the door and, in the darkness, the Lady says, "Here," before stepping back and touching the wall.

Light fills the interior. It appears in small diodes, forming a semi-circle around the door's frame. Lines of light run along the wall in opulent stripes. The interior glows with prismatic brilliance, pushing back the darkness and blinding Chastity in its appearance.

The Lady seems to glow, too, centered in rolling storm of light. The glow of the Lady's eyes brightens and changes color. Body still and unmoving, the light passes over the Lady and then, as quickly as the light appear, it disappeared. The ship goes inert, leaving the two of them in darkness.

The Lady turns to Chastity, eyes glowing brighter in the darkness. From this limited light to see by, Chastity can see the Lady frowning. "I'm sorry," the Lady says in a soft whisper. "I am so sorry for this, for everything."

"What do you mean? What are you sorry about?"

The Lady looks to the floor, to their feet, and the glow dims again. "I remembered," the Lady says, "I remembered everything. All of it. Who I am. What I am. What I should do." The glow returned as their eyes met again. "None of this was supposed to happen, what happened to you, what happened to us. It is my failure, and it is my weakness. For that, I am sorry."

"Lady, I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"No. Not Lady," the Lady says, head shaking. Chastity has her hand taken and watches the light fade from the Lady's eyes. They make eye contact, but Chastity watches the Lady fade. "I'm sorry, Chastity, but it will get worse before it gets better."

The Lady weakens and then falls. Chastity is pulled to the floor and lands heavily atop the sleeping form of the Guide. The light is nearly gone now, being nothing more than a soft glimmer behind the iris. "Lady? Lady! What is going on?"

Reaching up, the Lady touches Chastity's temple, where her implant is. "My purpose," says the Lady. "My burden. Metempsychosis."

"What?"

"Carry me for a while, will you," the Lady asks, and then her eyes go blank. Chastity stares into them and finds hollow beads staring back. The Lady is heavy, and Chastity struggles out of its grasp. Its bones, synthetic and weighted, are bound to the floor. Cupping the Lady's head, Chastity weeps over her.

"Lady? Lady. Lady!"

-Stargazers part 1-

High above the ruins, a battle rages in Canaan's orbit. Republic forces work hard to break the Federation line, but without Mercury serving as the spear point the Federation has regrouped and formed a defensive ring around the planet. The two sides meet head-on, creating a spreading swath of chaos just outside of the planet's atmosphere.