Celestial Galaxies

Chapter 2

A whimper answered me and I rushed to the terrestrial slumped into the leather seat. The pilot was stuck between a large piece of metal and cables and I shuddered when I recognised the pale skin.

"Please", she coughed. Her voice was thin.

"What happened? Can I help, Can I-"

She shook her head, visibly suffering from painful pressure of the ceiling pieces, caging her torso. She reached for my hand and her dry skin felt like soft silk.

"It is too late", she whispered, pronouncing every word carefully. I noticed how it wasn't the translation of my chip that made me understand her words, but her actually speaking my language.

"I have a bullet in my stomach and shoulder. The Hunters have shot at me."

I looked down, just now noticing that there was a dark blue stain, wet and sticking to her black shirt.

"What happened to Ykliz? Did he make it?"

I pieced that she probably meant the other pale terrestrial at the market. The one who had been shot.

I shook my head: "I'm afraid he didn't. They shot him."

Her hand squeezed mine closer now, like wanting to grab my full attention. My fingers pressed back in assurance. If these were the last words of this terrestrial woman, I would not let them be forgotten.

She breathed heavily continuing to talk English deliberately: "Listen to me. You have to keep something safe for me and my people. You can not lose it or give it away."

She closed her light eyes and under exertion she pulled something from underneath the heavy metal piece. When she opened her eyes again they were glowing.

In a soft voice, almost like she was in a sort of trance, she spoke: "Kea Tallas, I see your heart. Take the Anthalos Key and bring peace to the realms of the Celestial Galaxies."

I gasped at the cold thing she had placed into my open palm.

It was a heavy black cube. Shining lines, slowly filling with a bright pink light were carved all over it's surface. This could not be real.

I stared, unable to speak.

Every being in the universe knew the legend of the Anthalos Key, even if I did just vaguely, but I would never have guessed that it could be real, not to mention that I would ever hold it in my hand.

"I... I'm sorry, I can not take this", I said. My startled voice surprised me.

The terrestrial woman smiled, her eyes lost their glowing light. "I trust you. I have seen your future with it."

"But what am I supposed to do with this? I don't know how to use it and I can't fight. I have dance practice on four moons."

I noticed how my throat got dry. This might have been the stupidest reason my mind had come up with to not be given this unspeakable worth, but it had popped up first as an argument against it. This was serious and I wanted to stay alive long enough, childish as it now sounded.

The Anthalos Key was insanely powerful and there would be terrestrials of any kind coming for it. Apparently there already were, if this was the reason why the Hunters had chased the two terrestrials on Tarakkala today.

The cube began to weight heavier in my hand with every second that I held it, but the pale terrestrial squeezed my hand again.

"I know that you will have a lot of questions, but you must go. The Hunters will find me in a short while and you have to get far away, so they do not find you. You will find answers soon, Kea."

Shock kept up my body. I should just leave?

"But what happens to you? Can't I do anything to help you? Please let me help!", I pleaded and tried to get up to push the metal pieces aside.

I could make it, I could save her, maybe I could even get her to a medical and remove the bullets in her body. I could not just leave her here to die! But she shook her head weakly.

Her eyes met mine and she answered, as if she had seen my thoughts: "It has to be. And now I need you to leave me in peace, now that I know of you as the new holder. Promise me this."

"I promise", I said trying to contain my shaking hands, "I will keep it safe."

She let go of my hand and I immediately missed the soft calming touch of her.

She looked so small and weak, stuck in the pilots chair, pale skin against dusty black leather. But her face was content and peaceful, the four breathing slits slowly flaring for the thin air that was still left in the room.

"Goodbye."

My voice was raspy and I felt terrible sadness wash over me, even if I had just encountered this terrestrial several moments ago.

"What is your name?", I asked.

The terrestrial smiled softly, and with tired eyes she murmured: "Goodbye Kea Tallas."

I turned away after she had closed her eyes. It looked like she had simply fallen asleep.

-

I had reached the stellar route when I saw the explosion piercing the distant blackness. For a short second a bright light emerging from the Tarakkalan asteroid fields blinded me, before it kept shrinking back, till it was just a tiny speck of destruction amongst a bunch of glittery floating rocks.

I wiped the tears off my cheeks. I didn't know if I was angry, sad or simply confused and overwhelmed by so much death in one day, but I knew I couldn't cave in now. I had made a promise to the terrestrial woman to guard this Key and I could not break my word.

Not until I found someone else to handle it at least. Preferably someone, who actually knew how to work with it.

The cube sat in my cup holder next to the steering wheel. It was completely black now.

As soon as I had put it down, the pink light had disappeared from it and even when I had touched it again, nothing had changed.

I picked it up and turned it around, hoping to find a switch or something to turn it back on, but there was nothing on it. Maybe I needed to recharge it somehow. Was that how legendary items worked?

I shook it like a snow globe a few times, but that didn't do anything either. Finally I just put it back down.

Eventually I could go to the cyber library and search for records or literature on the legend of the Key. But what if they traced me through it? Could I trust the public spaces with such a sensitive topic?

The Hunters surely had hackers or spies monitoring the database on the topic in case anyone like me came about. No, I would have to improvise.

I crossed into high space and started the hyper engines. My ship and I sped through the galaxy and passed several outer space stations in a few seconds.

I liked going fast that way. Stars and distant solar systems merged and created unique colours and constellations that fascinated me every so often. It was a good side of my job as delivery flier, I had to use the high space quite often.

In the distance I could make out the sign announcing to get off the space to get to The Market, so I slowed down and took a turn.

The tower shaped outer space station was buzzing from afar with hundreds of ships leaving and arriving at the same time.

I brought my ship to slow speed and further down to my personal dock, I had been given as a regular delivery flier. I wouldn't have said I was the best flier to ever have been at The Market, but they didn't give out the floor docks to anyone, as well as keep one open for an individual terrestrial.

I put the Anthalos Key into my bag, before I got out the cockpit. Taking a deep breath I tried to shake off my nervousness as I stepped out of my ship.

It was only half day and work was calling.