Astral Legacy Book 1

24

Kershala had slept the soundest he had slept probably in his adult life; he was surrounded for the first time in a safe familiarity that he had mostly gone without for years. Being surrounded by his own people was welcoming and comfortable. Just being able to live easy even if only for a few hours was a welcome change. Even since he had met Kale he had never really felt as safe as he did now. The Daoran resistance seemed to have their affairs in order and with him not looking to take over as their leader they were helpful. The weapon cache that Eshalaron had left him would prove to be invaluable.

After seeing the children and holding Adeoye' and helping him with the implant Kershala felt a renewed sense of duty. Without question he knew what he was fighting for and his determination was stronger than ever. He had stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the wards of the city ship. A warm wind blew across his back as he stood there in his undergarments and even though it was artificial it reminded him of home. The artificial lighting and atmospheric system were mimicking a sun rise on Yaria and the sight of it almost brought Kershala to tears as he stood taking it in. The warmth hitting his skin triggering memories of his room that overlooked the capital city. He let out a sigh as he looked back at Kale who still lay sleeping in the bed, the bed was positioned in such a way that all Kershala could see was a leg hanging over the edge of the bed. Kale wasn't used to the warmer temperature yet and had to spend most of the night uncovered. Kershala took a last look at the vista from the balcony and walked back inside. He knew they had to start getting on the move or they would be late for the departure. Kershala didn't really feel nervous about the upcoming task itself but nervous that he would be officially responsible for others on a mission for the first time. He mostly preferred to work alone, most of the Daoran's on the mission likely wouldn't be able to keep pace with him in combat and Kershala didn't want any unnecessary loss of life. He walked over to Kale and touched his face to wake him, he opened his eyes and smiled before kissing the palm of Kershala's hand.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"Good morning to you." Kershala met his gentle eyes and leaned down and kissed him. "It is time to get ready to go." Kale sat up on the corner of the bed and stood up quickly. After last night Kershala wasn't sure how he'd be feeling or if there would be any lasting effects from their bond. Kershala was nervous at first that there may have been some damage, but Kale seemed to shrug it off. As Kale stood up, he got dressed in the body suit they had found as it was still the most protective thing they had for him to wear until Kershala had time to design some type of body armor for him. Something he hoped to get into during their trip to their destination as he would likely have the time. Kershala stood and walked through the bathroom and went into the main living area. He proceeded to the food synthesizer and used it to create an energy supplement that would keep his body fueled for the next two days. A full mixture or proteins, fats and amino acids that he had learned to make from his patriarch when food was scarce. It was much more efficient than anything they could eat, using very different specifications he created a scaled down version for Kale as well and took it from the synthesizer. "Here drink this, it will get your body ready for the mission and make sure you're well fed." He passed the sixteen-ounce cup to Kale and he looked it over.

"What's it made of?" he asked.

"Do not worry, I checked the database before I programmed it. It will taste like chocolate." Kershala smiled as Kale's expression turned to that of surprise.

"What? Really?" Kershala beckoned for him to try the drink and Kale reluctantly took a sip of the liquid. "That's surprisingly familiar. It's really good." Kale smacked his lips a bit after the first sip as if sampling the flavour profile. "And really thick." Kale laughed before taking another bit of it.

"Drink it slowly. It has a very dense nutrient profile. Just bring it with you." Kershala picked his own drink up from the synthesizer and took a sip of it. His personal favourite flavor was of a fruit that grew on the home world. He wasn't sure if it even existed anymore, but the synthesizer knew what it was, so he'd always be able to have it. They walked to the exit with their drinks in hand and Kershala deployed the nanites, he decided to change the color profile to be more discreet while he was on the city ship. He still hadn't revealed who he was to the general populace yet and decided it best not to in the meantime.