Ivan Kal - Out of the Ashes

“What?” Adrian asked.

“Uh… Look who is in command.” Paul responded.

Adrian frowned and then used his imp to access the c-boards now updated files. Quickly he found and read the name.

“Bethany.” Adrian said to Iris.

“Well, you knew that you would be seeing her again.” Iris responded.

“We are getting a message from the Home Fleet.” Comm Handler said.

Adrian swallowed hard, “Put it on.”

A hologram of Bethany appeared on the main holo-platform in the middle of the Command Center. Immediately after seeing her Adrian felt his chest tighten, grief and hurt coming back up. He loved her, and she broke his heart. Looking at her now he realized that he didn’t really think about her after the way they parted ways.

“Fleet Commander Farkas, I would like to inform you that by the order of the Fleet, my ships are now under your command. My ships carry upgrades for your ships, mainly the updates for the command board and the new FTL comm systems that allows two way real time communication. My ships can meet yours and transfer the update, I have on board teams that will conduct their installation. I await your orders. Fleet Commander Bethany Jones end.” The hologram shut off. All the hurt that Adrian hadn’t felt since Paul and Iris managed to get him out of his room after their get-together came rushing back. He realized that it was heartbreak. Somehow he had managed to push down all the feelings he had then, and now they were all coming back. Adrian struggled to push them down again, but he didn’t know how, he didn’t even realize that he had done it before. Then he felt something on his knee. He looked down to see Sora’s snout on his leg, looking up at him with her four gorgeous sliver eyes. Adrian reached down with his hand and scratched her behind the ears. He felt a soft pressure behind his eyes, and then he managed to push all the emotions back down.

“Are you alright Adrian?” Iris asked panicked.

“Yes, it just all came back to me.” Adrian answered.

“Oh… Okay then.” Iris said, but Adrian spent most of his life with her in his head, he could sense something else in her voice.

“What is it Iris?” He asked her.

“It’s nothing, it must have been a glitch. It looked like there was a sudden spike in your brain activity, but everything is normal now.” Iris said.

Adrian frowned again, A sudden brain activity? He lowered his eyes to Sora, who was still keeping her snout on his knee, still looking at him. Understanding forming in his mind Adrian got up.

“Adrian?” Paul asked as Adrian stood up and started walking off the platform his command chair was placed on.

Adrian paused. “Send a message back, we will meet the Home Fleet at their current position. Also contact the rest of our fleet and tell them to meet us at the Home Fleet’s location.” Adrian said, then he turned to his chair.

“Sora, Akash! Come!” He said firmly, and started walking towards his quarters.

“What is it Adrian.” Iris asked alarmed.

“I just figured out something.” Adrian said.

“Figured out what?” Iris asked, but Adrian didn’t answer, he kept walking until he reached his quarters. He entered and went straight to his small library. He approached his reading chair, beside it were two big cushions. He remembered a time when the two wolions were small enough that he could keep them on his lap while he read.

Adrian sat in the chair looking straight at the two wolions. Without prompting they came to stand in front of him, then they sat on their hind legs gazing at him. With them sitting their eyes were on the same level as Adrian’s.

“It was you wasn’t it? All this time.” Adrian said. The only reaction he got from both of them was a slight tilt of the head, perfectly coordinated between them.

“Once I learned about Beth’s engagement I was a wreck. Paul and Iris had to drag me out of my room. Afterwards I tried to make myself busy with work, to not think about it. But the hurt was still there, raw. And then I found you in the forest. And since then the hurt stopped, it felt as if it was something that happened long ago.” Adrian said, looking at the two.

“What are you talking about Adrian?” Iris asked.

“You have records of my brain activity, don’t you?”

“Yes, why?”

“Search for a brain activity spike, like the one you detected earlier.” Adrian said.

“Well, okay… I found a match, how did you know?” Iris asked.

“When did it happen?”

“Twenty two months ago, it was… It was when we found the dying wolion.” Iris said.

“That confirms it. I don’t know why you didn’t detect it then bu—”

“I wasn’t monitoring your brain activity then, you were depressed, and I was mad at you for pitying yourself.” Iris said. Adrian smiled, it was just like Iris to do something like that.

“Maybe we would have figured it out before if you did.” Adrian said.

“Figured out what? You are making no sense Adrian.”

“When we found their mother dying in the forest I felt something, just for a moment it was like I was feeling what she was feeling, her pain, and then I felt a pressure behind my eyes. The same feeling I felt after the message from Beth ended. The message brought back all the hurt, and then Sora came close and I felt the same pressure again. Immediately after I felt all the pain lessen, it was still there it just seemed far away.” Adrian said he kept his sight looked on the two wolions that were looking at him. “She did something to me.”

“Sora?” Iris asked.

“Yes, and their mother before. It explains a lot, why I couldn’t bring myself to part with them, how I brought them on the ship that was going into battle. Their mother made me bond with them. And she probably took all my pain of what happened with Beth and softened it, made it feel as if it happened years ago. That’s how I dealt with the pain so quickly.” Adrian had wondered about it, how he could let Beth go so quickly, he half convinced himself that what he felt for her wasn’t as strong as he thought it was, if he could have moved on so fast.

“Well, the depth of human emotion is still a mystery to me, but are you sure? You are suggesting that Sora and Akash somehow influenced your emotions, that seems a bit farfetched.” Iris said.

“Think about it. The scientists on Sanctuary have been stumped by the wolions. They are the only land predators that have survived, all the prey animals have developed in such a way that no predator could get near them. And yet wolions have no problem hunting and catching their prey. If they can feel the emotions of their prey, and if they can influence it, then that would explain how their species alone survived while all the other predator species died out. Their abilities must have evolved as the direct need for survival.” Adrian said.

“I guess…” Iris said.

“I’m right, you can feel emotions.” Adrian said to the two wolions. “I’ve always known that you were much more intelligent than any regular animal, you always seemed to understand what I was telling you, more than just a few words. If you can feel the emotions of others that would explain so much.” Then he felt it, just like he did with their mother as she lay dying in the forest. He felt their emotions, just for a split second he felt shame and something else, it went by too fast for him to understand it completely.

“There! I felt that. You do know what I am talking about.” Adrian exclaimed.