Calan - The Immortality Paradox

Chapter Seventeen: The Secrets of Castell, Part Five

Date: 408, OA19,655

Location: Castell, Canol System

Following his intense discussion with Prime Minister Serrano, Louis had been inundated with consultations from fellow dignitaries. The premier's way of keeping Louis in check. He had even been required to wear the new Aquarius Chapter uniform made by Arkanstar; a close-fitting, matching blue and white jacket and trousers. Supposedly designed to crack ribcages and squeeze all the air out of the wearer's lungs. Inscribed into the breast of the jacket, plain for all to see, was the motto of the Patriot Party: "Rise again, like the dawn!".

Representatives from across the galaxy were arriving in their groups, each with their own alien articulations. Louis shook hands, bowed to and kissed the symbolic equivalent of millions of people as cordialities were exchanged. Most of the visitors looked as though they'd rather be elsewhere, present only out of necessity rather than for the experience. Conversations were limited to descriptions of the long journey there, and the customary Calan insult. A couple of his contemporaries stood out among the rest.

Sir Elis Newman, for instance, of the Leonis Chapter. Around the same age as Carlos; handsome and emanating compassion. In their meeting, the Mayor of Crin offered sympathy for his brother's ailment and hoped his recovery was swift. His assistant placed two gifts before Louis; a container of clear water and an ice sculpture shaped like a golden-bear. 'Freshwater collected directly from the White North Sea,' Sir Elis said, 'and a personalised sculpture made out of ice sourced from the Blanc Glacier. The sculpture is coated in a resin that should maintain its form for a few days, but I would recommend putting it in a freezer for preservation.'

Louis accepted it gratefully, admiring the detail that had gone into the sculpture, down to the millimetre-sized claws. 'I'm sorry I haven't got anything to give you in return.'

Humble Sir Elis held his hand aloft. 'After everything that has happened to the Aquarius Chapter, there is nothing for you to apologise for. We are all here to work together and find common ground. Gift-giving is a sign of friendship, but it is not exclusive. Make sure to look out for Professor Steale while you're waiting for the Gathering to commence; he's a fascinating man, and a great mind!'

The young minister was also endeared by the representative from Akanoumi in Hanner Cylch. Tori Sakurai, a priestess of the Shinsetsu, greeted him in a full-body crimson cloak, carrying a handful of flowers. They were a dazzling lilac and cyan colour, thick-stemmed with a hexagonal bloom. Delightfully cheerful and pairing nicely with the interior of Castell.

'The planet on which I was born is known for its blooming of deep red grass - the colour of blood.' The priestess had a mature voice; perfect for telling a story. 'Everywhere you look, surrounding the cities and villages, the bushes and trees wear their dresses of beautiful red. It's the soil, rich with anthocyanins, abundant on Akanoumi. However,' she held up the flowers, almost triumphantly, 'a garnering of these flowers surround a small hamlet, striking amongst the ocean of red. Umarekawari. You can see the hill on which they reside for miles. It is said one of the first leaders of the Empire found solitude in this tiny hamlet; spending the rest of their days in their own company, perfectly alone. They never married, nor bore any children, but they are said to have been fulfilled by the peacefulness of this land of beauty. Every day, they water the flowers nearest to its home, tending to them as though they were the children they never had. Gradually, the flowers transformed their colours, in favour of the purples and blues. Only the ones who were cared for changed, exuding the love that their owner offered them.

'When the leader died, in that very same home, in the company of their watered plants, it is said that the flowers mourned. For a whole Sylfaenydd-year, they lost all life, returning to the undergrowth as blackened debris.' The priestess' eyes were sombre for a moment, as if reliving the event in her mind. 'When the time of mourning was finally complete, the flowers started to grow once more, continuing to wear their blues and purples. As tribute to the leader that cared for them the most.

'The Shinsetsu often make a pilgrimage to the house of the Lonely Gardener, and are allowed to pick flowers of their choosing - a selection if they so wished. But those picked must be offered to those in need of support. Emotional or otherwise.' She held them out to Louis, gently; the sleeves of her cloak concealing as far as her knuckles. 'For you, for your brother's safe recovery.' Without questioning the legitmacy of the story, for fear of grave insult, he accepted the flowers under obligation. Though, he had to admit, they were beautiful. Vegetation of any sort was scarce on Arena; it was unusually warm to the touch.

'Thank you, most kindly. If you don't mind me asking,' the priestess' eyes offered him their full attenton, 'how did they survive the journey?'

She smiled, mischievously. 'The Umarekawari represent the perpetual lifeforce of the Lonely Gardener. So long as their spirit persists, the flowers will never die. It is why we must harvest them, for our sea of red will be blue and purple in no time.'

Louis kept the blossom close at hand, passing on the other gifts to the Aquarius Chapter contingency. After all, they were offerings to the Chapter, not to him personally. On the way back to his chambers, carrying the offering of flowers, he found the place to be unusually quiet. Floor to ceiling windows displayed a few new spaceships docking the metalloid arms of Castell, like flies caught by a many-tentacled beast. The usual retinue of security guards, giving him their naturally truculent stares, were nowhere to be found. He gripped the stems a little tighter.

His appointed chamber was a circular pod at the centre of the Aquarian division. The young minister had always felt trapped in a lair of vipers, each one ready to bite him should he dare to tread out of line. The chamber was cold as he entered, but not because of the temperature. The first glance was strange; an imitation of reality. The second enticed his agonising scream. The delicate flowers fluttered to the ground.

Hanging from the ceiling of Louis' chamber was the mummified body of his former constant companion. An unmasked face revealed the sharp cheekbones and pruned eyebrows. Had she not been frozen in a silent scream, her chalk white teeth open to the elements, he might've missed the swaddled cocoon around her corpse. There was no sign of her accompanied black tablet. Somehow, that seemed the strangest thing.

As he collapsed to his knees, Louis realised he hadn't even clocked the laser projector that was flashing before him, giving the hanging mummy a faint cerulean hew, almost Calan-like. The outlined image of a canine head floated middair and a distant, menacing voice filled the room.

'The Calan are your enemy. Continue to collude with the enemy and you will suffer the wrath of Anubis and be taken to the Underworld for all eternity. We offer you a reminder of those who defy the wishes of Anubis' servants. Fear does not prevent death, it prevents life.'

As the message and projection disappeared, Louis kept going over and over in his head that he had never even known her name. A nameless body, hanging above his room like an eternal judgement of his mistakes. Carlos would be ashamed. There was no redemption for someone as pitiful as him.

It was only then that he realised he'd crushed the Umarekawari beneath his buckled knees.