Prominence

Part 11 - Coming Home

Del walked along the narrow dirt road under the intense heat of three suns. The two fading red dwarf stars, Vaz and Jadx sat low on the horizon and gave the sky its purple hue while the main star Hez blazed away brightly and with harsh intensity.

With three stars to contend with it was never truly dark on his home world. Something he was going to have to get used to again, after so many years travelling through the big black. It was a strange sensation to be back home on Hebra after so long, fighting on every godforsaken planetoid and inhabitable rock halfway across the galaxy. Returning to Hebra alive had seemed like a forlorn fantasy at times. Just some dream he clung onto to keep him calm when facing death.

He came to the bottom of a small hill. His home was not far beyond its crest. Nerves suddenly struck him hard and he stopped for a few moments. He had no idea what the first thing he was going to say to his Tata would be. What do you say to someone you love when you have just spent a life time apart?

When Ezva and he entered the Tata together they were both in their twenties, a young age to enter such an irreversible bond. They didn't care, they were both certain they wanted to be joined forever, but then he was drafted. Having entered the Tata so young he could probably have petitioned against the draft, but the war was a total war and word had already reached Hebra about the genocide on other colony worlds. What good was it to stay safe with her when at any time the Orlak could come? He left to do his duty not just for his people, but for the future generations of his family. It was the Vaslusian way to think in terms of generations instead of just self.

He took off his shaded goggles for the first time since being back on planet. The light was so intense that it hurt to keep his eyes open, but he forced himself to endure and after a few seconds his inner eyelids kicked into action. The army doctors had advised him to keep the goggles on for at least a week, but he was determined to look at her with his own eyes. He wanted to see every color in her multicolored hair and every sparkle of ultra violet light that was reflected by her smooth metallic skin.

Looking through the filters in his natural eye lids he was able to finally see all of the intense reflective colors of the vegetation either side of the little road. He had forgotten how beautiful home was and how much he had missed it or rather how much he had missed living in this tropical paradise with her.

Since leaving home he had only used his full vision one other time, back on the Prominence when we was interrogating Alpha. His thoughts briefly flicked back to that moment and of the brave Orlak who gave his life willingly in the hope for peace. He took off his backpack and checked inside to make sure the canister was still secure. He tapped the side and a small holographic readout showed the temperature and humidity inside were still ok. The readings were all green so he carefully placed it back into the backpack.

The canister contained a seed organ taken from Alpha by the other Orlak after the battle on Plorus. Just before he died apparently Alpha had communicated telepathically to the elder one and asked him to give it to Del. When planted there was a chance it would grow into a new Orlak and become Alpha's offspring. Returning Alpha to his home was another promise he still had to keep, but not until he kept his promise to Ezva. He closed the back pack, shouldered it again and kept walking.

All he wanted to do was see his Tata again yet the war, even though it was now over, still invaded his mind. He had seen too much carnage and lost too many men to ever sleep soundly again. The lack of combat action to focus his mind had only exacerbated the demons in his head and served to heighten his distress at being separated from Ezva. The only one who did not appear surprised when he requested an immediate military discharge right in the middle of the peace talks was Relv. He could not take a minute longer away from Ezva knowing that each minute he spent meant more years for her that they would be apart before he returned.