Story Snippet: "Sihmarán"

**Here is a small extract from the prologue of the science fiction piece Sihmarán I've spent the last few years working on. I hope you enjoy it!**

The vessel—shaped like a gaunt faced grinning tadpole—bucked and turned on its side as tendrils of fire uncurled themselves and reached out towards it. Scorched cries of frustration vibrated out amongst the stars as the battered ship evaded one searing grasp after another, pushing itself to its straining point, it’s hull rattling as it raced for freedom.

She gritted her teeth, her bruised forearm shaking under the fierce grip she had on the side-stick control column as the vessel bucked and rolled again from the gravitational pull of the consuming planet below. The warning klaxons echoed around her as the ship’s systems struggled to hold up under the weight of the fight. But she held on, her eyes focused on the perimeter of space just beyond the planet’s threshold. They were almost there and she refused to fall at the feet of oblivion—not after all that they had been through.

“Captain, we don’t have enough thrust to make it through the barrier! We’re going to break apart,” yelled her CS Officer over the chaos engulfing them from her tactical console behind her.

“Like hell we are,” She yelled back, her teeth rattling in her skull as the racing stars in front of her began to form solid lines while she pushed all of her weight into the joystick and throttle, forcing the tiny vessel to go even faster.

“Exterior plating destabilization in 10, 9, 8,” counted off the other woman as the vessel began to give its own cry of agony under the strain.

“Come on baby, just hold on for me. Just hold on,” she ground out, the tiny ship pushing like a white hot arrow through the barrier separating them from the rest of space with all it had. She closed her eyes as pieces of its outer plating began to crack and break free like shards of glass—dissolving into particles.

Come on, we’re almost there!

Just.

Hold.

On...

♓♓♓

The stars shall fade away, the sun himself grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, but thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, unhurt amidst the wars of elements, the wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds.

-Joseph Addison

The sun glittered into the vast sandstone room as it rose, its spectrals of light casting themselves upon the solid throne, illuminating the lone figure that held sanctuary on it. A soft warm breeze rustled in from an open pane, gently tousling lush dark curls against tanned skin as sharp features studied the small computer pad in hand. Faint whispers of nature and people moving about their morning activities within the Palace grounds tickled her senses and she finally set the pad aside with a heavy sigh.

She was never going to finish her morning reports.

Sitting back, resting in stately fashion upon her throne, she swept her eyes around the cavernous solitude and frowned. It was too quiet. Where were her guards? Her council? Surely her children were somewhere near by wanting to visit with her. Why was she alone? She had risen before the stars had fully faded behind the growing horizon to get ahead of the work awaiting her attention since her return from the battle lines, but she had not managed to get very far. The intruding silence that enveloped from dawn had distracted her—a stark contrast to the sounds of warriors preparing to run into glory that she had become accustomed to the past several months—and she did not like it.

Strong fingers and toned arms flexing, she pushed up out of her seat, gliding smoothly down the two black stone dais at the base of her throne, and strided towards the door nestled in the chamber walls ahead of her. She reached the marble like barrier between her and the rest of the palace in no time—her white sarong billowing soft fabric in her wake—and yanked the massive structure open with careless ease.

A cacophony of life and a wave of dry heat rushed her as she stepped out into the divided hallway of the Palace’s main level, eyes searching the open foray while waving off the baton armed guards standing post in mud colored tunics outside her throne door. She gazed over familiar faces, hoping to spot one of her sons or wives enjoying the bustle of the market between the stronghold and its gated surrounding wall.

Finding neither, she furrowed her brows in thought and turned, crossing past the steps leading in and out of the Palace and into its right wing. The walls were currently being cleaned by servants—from the red marble baseboards up the white stone walls carved with Imperial history to the arched sandstone ceiling—and they all bowed in revere as she passed between them. She inclined her head in turn out of habit, but focused her attention into peering in every open door along the corridor, looking for her family.

Eventually she found herself in one of the open kitchen areas. As she swept past cooks preparing for midday meals, their gentle smiles tugging out one of her own in greeting, she finally caught the familiar sound of laughter coming from a door leading out into the inner courtyard.

Standing within its frame, she watched intently as two of her wives and their children ran in circles around a couple of her submits sitting on soft blue grass. Her smile expanded across her face as a wave of peace settled over her at the sight. With a chuckle, she left the interior of the palace behind and stepped out into the morning sun.

Spotting her as she made her way towards them, one of her sons redirected his running path and launched himself at her like a sleek predator.

“Sa-Sahé, mommy,” he giggled as she caught him easily.

“Hello my fierce one,” she laughed, tossing him squealing over her shoulder—his flowing white hair swaying with her dark curls as they walked over to the others who greeted her with a slight bow of the head and their own warm smiles.

“Have you snuck away from your morning reports, my Empress,” asked one of her wives standing in the semi circle with the children, her cerulean eyes lit with amusement as she picked the littlest of them up and rested him on the right curve of her full hips.

“A ruler does not ‘sneak’ away from their duties, my lovely wife,” she retorted, handing over the giggling boy still resting on her shoulder to her other wife who tickled him playfully before settling him back on his feet and shooing him off with the others to play nearby.

“They do, however, take necessary breaks when they find themselves dying of boredom alone in the throne room,” she continued as she reached out and stroked the soft white hair, much like his brothers, of the toddler in her arms.

The women laughed as she moved over to a glider a few feet away and rested herself in the middle, patting the seats on either side for her wives to join her. The submits gathered themselves and moved over to continue playing with the children as the other women sat down with easing sighs, the toddler gurgling happily in his mother’s lap as the swing moved with another gentle breeze.

This is what she needed, what mattered the most to her. Yes, there was work to be done, to catch up on since her return, but it would always be there, a never ending necessity of her rule. These moments, however, spent in the presence of her loved ones, were rare. Children grow up, mothers grow old and submits depart to start their own families over time—she could not bring herself to waste them for something as trivial as reports.

But as she watched their children play, the sun caressing their skin with warmth, she sensed a change in the air around them. The others, oblivious to the sudden departure of the breeze that had been moving them about, continued their playful banter before her arrival. The hairs rose, however, on her arms and she felt a current of energy crackling to life. A sensation of something approaching drew her attention to the open skies above and she watched, in dawning horror, as a small dark spot in the pale green began to expand, rapidly descending their way.

She could not move.

Every muscle in her body screamed for her to stand, but she could only stare on as the quickly approaching darkness consumed the sky above them. A moment later it parted like smoke surrounding a roaring fire and she finally saw the single gleaming flame dropping from its body.
This, she knew...was the end.

A sob broke from her as the light suddenly exploded with a deafening roar and, as if broken from bonds, she finally pushed to her feet and screamed at the faces around her to run. But it was too late. The light fell like flowing gold upon them and she felt her soul tear as she watched the ones she loved begin to melt away in its rain. Their eyes wide, their mouths open in agony, they turned towards her, begging for answers, asking why she had done nothing as their bodies crumbled into evaporating decay...

** Sa-Sahé - Means "Hello"**