Author's Note: CONTINUATION OF "THE SOULMATE CHRONICLES"

R-RATING, M/M,

PG-rated


The Forbidden

by

Tristain vanDial


Part One

Ka'len laughed quietly to himself while watching Sylvan ineptly trying to repair the broken food processing unit on their ship. Sylvan was trying carefully to reassemble the machine he had wrecklessly torn apart. The front access panel of the unit rested haphazardly on the floor where Sylvan had tossed it. Assorted tools littered the floor area of the ship's galley. Exposed wires dangled dangerously from the unit. Realistically this machine would not be fixed quickly or easily if Sylvan attempted the repairing.

"Damn!" bellowed Sylvan as he touched one of the exposed live wires. Sparks and acrid smoke rose from the wire he had just touched.

"Are you all right?" asked Ka'len trying his best not to laugh.

Noticing the grin on Ka'len's face, Sylvan sarcastically shot back, "You think this is funny, do you?" Reaching inside the machine again, Sylvan let out an ear piercing curse as he scraped his knuckles on a sharp piece of metal inside the unit. Ka'len could see that Sylvan was becoming more agitated with each little accident. Undaunted by his latest encounter with the machine, Sylvan kept up his assault. It became obvious to Ka'len that Sylvan couldn't fix the unit. It really didn't matter since they had plenty of dehydrated food rations stored.

Sylvan mumbled under his breath, "You worthless piece of blasted diodes and wiring!" Reaching his hand into the machine again, Sylvan touched a live power coupler. The next thing Ka'len knew, Sylvan lay sprawled helpless on the floor spitting insults into the air.

Ka'len couldn't help himself. He began to laugh uncontrollably. "Are you O.K.?" he finally managed ask.

Sylvan got up off the floor and walked towards Ka'len. "Having a good time at my expense, are you!" Sylvan then grabbed Ka'len and pulled him down onto the floor. Ka'len quickly gained the advantage and rolled on top or Sylvan pinning him down. He began to tickle Sylvan. Sylvan managed to free himself from Ka'len's grasp. Both men continued to playfully wrestle with one another. Finally, Sylvan managed to get on top of Ka'len again and keep him pinned down.

"Now that you've got me, what are you gong to do with me?" Ka'len asked.

Sylvan just stared at Ka'len. Moments like these made words unnecessary. Sylvan lowered his lips onto Ka'len's. One thing led to another, and suffice it to say little time was left for fixing anything.

Three years had passed since the two had been joined in the Temple of the Oracles back on the Homeworld. Neither man had envisioned the pleasure and communion the joining would bring. Having Ka'len as his life's mate made Sylvan complete. These two, whom the priests of the Oracles had joined, were destined to always remain soulmates.

When Sylvan thought Ka'len had been killed in battle during the Aurillian war, he vowed never again to let himself feel so utterly alone and exposed. When Ka'len returned safe, Sylvan decided that no matter what it took he would never become separated from his lover again. When Ka'len had come up with the idea to buy an interstellar ship and travel the wide expanses of universe, Sylvan jumped at the opportunity. Confined in a small ship with his lover was exactly what he needed and wanted.

Now in the deep reaches of space, Sylvan and Ka'len headed towards their destination. They traveled to this small moon at the request of one of their old friends from the Homeworld. Sparsely populated by Homeworld colonists, Zabon 7 remained largely underdeveloped and primitive. The moon's major drawback seemed to be its less than hospitable climate. Daytime temperatures exceeded well over 120 degrees which made the moon unattractive for colonists.

Given these harsh living conditions, a small, hardy contingent of Homeworlders called the place home. Their old friend Venar had found this place of inhospitable isolation and settled here. Venar's soulmate and his two children had been killed in the Aurrillian War over two years ago. He had come to this place to be alone and to heal from the pain of losing his family. Sylvan and Ka'len had come to this desert moon at his invitation. Neither knew why Venar wanted them to come.

As their ship came into orbit around the moon, Ka'len sent a message informing Venar of their arrival. They waited for the return message welcoming them; however, no message came. He sent the same message again. Still no reply.

Some time after sending the second message, a reply arrived. This message had been sent from the Zabon 7 security office. The communique was brief and to the point. "We have no record of a Venar da'Ni residing on this planet."

"Doesn't exist," interjected Ka'len. "Funny just three days ago he existed enough to send us a visual communication of himself."

"What's going on here?" Sylvan asked. "It appears that someone down on Zabon 7 is confused."

Part Two

Seated in the control seat of the small ship, Ka'len prepared the craft for a landing on Zabon 7. This ship, designed to be flown by only one, responded quickly to Ka'len's expert touch. As the craft began to enter the stratosphere of the moon, it began to vibrate slightly; however, Ka'len's calm and skilled hands kept the ship under complete control. Sylvan just sat back and allowed his mate to focus on the landing while he looked out the view port.

The deep vibrant blue of the atmosphere immediately attracted Sylvan's attention as he looked out. The stark difference between the blackness of space and the brightness of the air they entered became phenomenal. As the craft continued its descent, whispy pearl white clouds began to pass by. The complaining whine of the landing thrusters became louder as they labored to slow the ship. Ka'len focused all his attention on landing the ship. Content with letting Ka'len pilot the craft, Sylvan sat back and essentially did nothing.

The ship glided to a smooth, uneventful touchdown. Sylvan only felt the slightest bump as the craft contacted the surface of the moon. The expert way Ka'len piloted the craft always left Sylvan impressed.

As the engines shut down, both men readied themselves to search for their friend. As the entry portal of the ship opened, intense, blinding light from the moon's sun began to pour in. Each man shrank back from the sheer brilliance of the light which caused their eyes to shut in rebellion. Traveling in space meant that the only light they had came from artificial means. That type of illumination could never duplicate the light of a real sun. The incoming blast of hot air took their breath away. Having breathed nothing but the stale, recycled air of the ship for weeks, this hot air proved extremely uncomfortable.

As they stepped out onto Zabon 7, the oppressiveness of the climate became all to uncomfortably real. Although this moon reminded them of the Homeworld, its climate did not duplicate the temperate weather of their world. Sylvan understood why colonists avoided this place.

The extreme heat began to bother them as soon as they emerged from their ship. Relentless high heat seemed to embrace everything. Relief from this furnace could not be found. Ka'len wondered why anyone would want to live on this moon when there existed countless numbers of more hospitalbe planets to settle on.

"Why would Venar want to live here?" wondered Sylvan to Ka'len. "I can't think of a worse place to live."

After they had secured the ship, Ka'len went in search of ground transportation. The heat precluded them from going anywhere on foot. The high temperatures of this place prevented most inhabitants from traveling unprotected. Sylvan only hoped that Ka'len could find someplace to procure a transport.

After searching the space port for some time, Ka'len found a place that rented hover crafts. The price for this luxury was exorbitant. The cost of the conveyance paled in significance when one considered the unpleasant possibility of having to survive in the heat without any means of cooling.

When Ka'len returned with the rented ground transport, he had a perplexed look on his face. Sylvan wondered what had put that look on his mate. He didn't have to wait long for Ka'len to reveal the reason behind his puzzled expression.

"You'll never guess what I just found out from the woman who rented me the transport." Ka'len hurredily started. "What?" Sylvan wanted to know.

Ka'len continued, "While in the process of renting the hover craft, the rental clerk casually wanted to know what I needed it for. Informing her that we were going in search of our friend, she raised her eyebrows. 'What do you mean search for?' she asked me. I explained why we had come here and how we had tried to contact Venar. Then I told here how we had received that odd reply from the security office. The strangest thing happened next. She started to laugh. I don't mean she just politely laughed; I mean she laughed so hard her faced turned red and I thought she'd faint. When she noiticed the look of confusion on my face she stopped and patted my arm. "You don't know do you?' she sympathetically asked. Know what? I asked her. She continued, 'The official sounding Zabon 7 Security Office,' she started chuckling again, 'sends out that same message to anyone who tries to contact a resident of this place. You see, most of the people living here value their privacy for one reason or another, and to insure complete privacy a routine--does not reside here message--is sent as the official reply from the security office when a resident doesn't answer an incoming message for one reason or another. It means nothing.' She then proceeded to type Venar's name into her computer and in less than a second she handed me his location with the coordinates on how best to get there."

"I knew that message sounded odd. When Venar first settled on this moon, he told us that it provided complete seclusion. Apparently, he wasn't kidding. At least we know Venar does live on this moon. Now let's go and talk to him." Sylvan offered.

As the two men jumped into the seats of the machine, Ka'len punched Venar's name into the hover craft's navigational computer. Within seconds, the powerful engines lifted them off the ground and proceeded to ferry them to their destination.

The ride to Venar's home took less than twenty minutes. Sylvan wished it would have taken longer--he didn't want to go back out into the furnace. As the hover craft came to a gentle stop in front of Venar's house, two men were exiting from it trailing a medical transport unit laden with a zippered body bag.

Quickly, Ka'len jumped out of the transport, followed by Sylvan. They hurriedly approached the men. "Excuse me," interrupted Ka'len, "is this the home of Venar da'Ni?"

One of the men grunted an almost unintelligible, "Yes."

"Is he inside?" asked Sylvan sweat drenching every square inch of his body. The heat began to become intolerable.

"No," offered one of the heavily perspiring men. The insignia on his shirt indicated that he worked for the medical office.

The other man called them over. As they approached the gurney, he opened the body back and revealed the rapidly decomposing body of their friend. The nauseating stench coming from the corpse indicated an advanced state of decay.

Backing away from the offensive odor, Ka'len demanded to know what had happened. With vacant expressions on their faces, the two medics guessed it was the heat that had caused the death. On this moon the oppressive climate could easily kill the unwary.

Stupified Sylvan mumbled under his breath, "The heat, you've got to be kidding. Right?"

Showing no reaction to Sylvan's question, the lead medic reiterated, "Yes, the heat."

The second medic offered a more detailed explanation. "Inside the house the temperature must be well above one hundred and fifty degrees. The climate control unit had apparently been turned off. On this moon without climate control, disaster strikes. The corpse had been dead for days. In this heat, well you can tell from the smell."

"Anything unusual about the death?" Ka'len asked.

"The only thing unusual appeared to be the purplish blisters that covered the chest and back of the deceased. It is the weirdest rash I've ever seen." one of the medics said.

To the medics the cause of death could be blamed on the oppressive heat. Unfortunately this type of death happened a lot on this hell hole; mainly it happened to the aged or the sick. This heat, if one was physically well, could be tolerated for short amounts of time. If a person's system was already compromised, severe problems--even death--could result.

Getting little useful information about the strange death of Venar they got back into the hover craft and returned to their ship. They spent the ride back to the ship in deep discussion. There didn't seem to be any logical reason for their friend's death. Each tried making sense out of the trajedy. Neither man could come up with any reassuring answers.

As the hover craft approached their ship, a figure could be seen exiting from it. Quickly the shape ran over to a transport and sped away. Ka'len brought their craft to a jolting halt. Jumping from the conveyance, each man raced to the ship. Hopefully the ship hadn't been damaged, or worse yet ransacked for parts.

Once inside the ship, they began to assess the damage. To their surprise no discernible damage could be found; nothing had been disturbed or taken. What did the figure want inside their ship? Puzzlement replaced their unease.

"I'll check the internal sensor logs and see if they can shed some light on this," Ka'len proposed. As he began to read the sensor logs he let out a whistle. Calling for Sylvan, he held up a data crystal that had been placed on the computer console. This data crystal didn't come from our computer. It must have been left behind by the intruder, but why?

Sylvan understood the significance of the find; someone had left them a message. Only one thing needed to be done now, insert the crystal into the computer and extract the its information.

Part Three

Waiting apprehensively for the computer to extract the information the crystal possessed, Ka'len and Sylvan kept a silent vigil in front of the view screen. Still the question of why the crystal had been left puzzled them both. The atmosphere on board the ship filled with anticipation.

The view screen blinked to life, and before them appeared the visage of their now dead friend Venar. Strange that on the same day his body was found, they should see him on the screen before them looking very healthy.

The computer generated face of their friend began to speak. "Greetings," it started. "If you are viewing this, then I must be dead. Your sympathies are appreciated but won't do me any good now. I have a favor to ask from both of you. Go to the Herodian Star System and look for the Forbidden." With that the cryptic message began to fade. The face gave a last wink and disappeared. Immediately, a string of numbers flickered to life on the screen.

"What did the message mean?" Sylvan ventured.

Ka'len didn't know himself. The message certainly didn't make much sense. One thing could be salvaged from it, and that wwas the string of numbers. Ka'len seemed to recognize them, or thought he did as being astro-location coordinates. Where too he didn't, but he was egar to find out.

Hurriedly, Ka'len entered the string of numbers into the ship's computer. As quickly as he typed the numbers, the they were formatted. In a matter of seconds, a star chart appeared before them on the navigational screen. On the chart flashed the location. According to the program the coordinates triangulated on a sparsely inhabited planet in the Herodian Star System sixteen light years from here.

Since their dead friend seemed to be pointing them to those coordinates, they decided to go. The planet, known simply as 3219HS, seemed to be where their friend wanted them to go. Whatever this planet had to do with Venar's death, hopefully would be easily revealed once they got there.

The two men didn't take long to prepare the ship for departure. Sixteen light years would take time to traverse, but then the two mates had plenty of time and a burning desire to discover the truth. Just as easily as he had landed the craft, Ka'len maneuvered it off the moon and into the cold black of space. As the ship began to accelerate towards light speed--heading for the Heroidian Star System--Sylvan began to have a feeling of foreboding. About what, he couldn't ascertain. All he could discern was that something waited for them--something ancient. Hoping to reassure himself, Sylvan clasped his Ka'len's hand. Somehow Sylvan knew that something waited for them on 3219HS.

Part 4

Sylvan tried to forget his feeling of foreboding. Deep in his mind he tried to make sense of this feeling by rationalizing it away. The unexpected death of their friend caused him to have this dark apprehension he tried telling himself. Ka'len, sensing that his mate seemed bothered by something, tried to cajole him into a better mood. All attempts to bring Sylvan out of his depression ended in failure. Sylvan seemed utterly consumed by his own thoughts. One night, as the two were sleeping, Ka'len was awakened by Sylvan's restlessness. "What's the matter; can't sleep?" a sleepy Ka'len asked.

Not answering, Sylvan got out of bed and stood at the view port looking out at the glittering stars rushing by. His naked body, silhouetted in the dim light coming from the stars, gave him a ghostly appearance. He turned around to face Ka'len and allowed a long, anguished sigh to escape.

Ka'len got up, walked over to his lover, and pulled him into his arms. "What's the matter?" he gently probed.

Putting his head on Ka'len's shoulder, Sylvan made no reply. Ka'len could sense that something terrible gnawed at his mate's soul. He seemed worried and confused. It was unlike Sylvan to act this way. Only once before had Ka'len seen Sylvan become so disturbed and restless, and that time had occurred when Sylvan had dreamed of Ka'len's death.

"Are you having dreams again; dreams of death?" Ka'len softly asked his lover.

"No," Sylvan replied softly.

Holding tightly onto Ka'len, Sylvan finally looked deeply into his lover's eyes and began to tell him about what he was feeling. Ka'len listened intently while gently massaging Sylvan's tense neck. After Sylvan had finished talking, Ka'len touched his face and reassuringly kissed him.

"It will be all right." Ka'len offered now delicately rubbing Sylvan's back. He added as an after thought, "I love you."

Sylvan pulled Ka'len so tightly against himself that both men could feel the other's heart beating. He began kissing Ka'len with urgency. Ka'len returned kiss for passionate kiss. The sensation of his lover's naked body pressed against his own, sent waves of desire over him. Ka'len loved this man; gods, how he loved this man!

After they had made love, Sylvan rolled over onto his side. Ka'len pressed his body next to Sylvan's and placed his arm protectively over him. A deep sense of safety enveloped Sylvan. Pulling Ka'len's hand to his mouth, he kissed it.

In his mind Sylvan knew that they had to continue this quest--the Oracles themselves seemed to will it. He knew that there was something waiting for them. However, this time, instead of a sense of foreboding, a different feeling surfaced. A sense of strength in knowing that Ka'len would always be at his side made him strong enough to overcome any feeling of foreboding that lurked in his mind.

PART 5

As the ship neared the Herodian Star System, Sylvan decided to find out as much as he could about this planet which had no name. Since not much information existed about this world, caution needed to be exercised before landing a ship on its surface. The feeling of foreboding still fresh in his mind made Sylvan think it prudent to be prepared for all eventualities. The Oracles watched over their people, but they expected their followers not to be fools.

The computer screen displayed the small amount of data that could be found on planet 3219HS. Its characteristic climate was temperate and its atmosphere contained the necessary gasses needed to support life. A contingent of hardy inhabitants lived in an underground complex. The Homeworld strongly discouraged any form of colonization. The hostile environment elicited that official response. More specifically the planet's penchant for deadly plasma storms, that formed without advance warning, appeared to be the major reason for this warning. Not a nice place to live thought Sylvan to himself.

According to an offical report, a severe plasma storm had been responsible for obliterating the first colonization attempt. The second undertaking at colonizing the planet proved just as disastrous. With these deadly events on record, the planet was classified as "Category 4" which meant enviornment hostile to life.

"What a great place to live." Ka'len sarcastically offered and then added, "Why would anyone want to come here knowing the danger involved?"

Agreeing with Ka'len, Sylvan thought that this place sounded dangerous. So why did their friend direct them here? How could this desolate planet have anything to do with their friend's death? Each man knew that the answers to their questions could only be found on the planet's surface. This was a prospect neither relished.

Guiding the ship into orbit around the planet, Ka'len's attention became riveted on a plasma storm that raged on the planet below. The storm swirled and churned underneath the ship. To Ka'len it resembled the contents of a rapidly boiling pot. Oddly enough, it looked truly beautiful. The storm's vibrant reds, bright yellows, and mottled purples which were punctuated by random flashes of plasmatic energy made it look like a work of art. Mesmerized by what he saw, Ka'len wondered how anything so beautiful could be so deadly. The storm looked inviting particularly so from the safety of their orbiting ship.

What looked so magnificent from their current perch was completely different on the ravaged world below. The indiscriminate streaks of plasma pulsating from the tumult of the storm destroyed almost everything they touched. Nothing diminished the violent power of the storm and nothing appeared to be safe from it. Anything caught in its grip would simply cease to exist if it couldn't somehow escape quickly.

Continuing to watch the powerful storm, Sylvan and Ka'len developed a deep respect for its pure and unbridled power. Suddenly it vanished. As quickly as it had formed, it had dissipated. A storm so huge as to be visible from orbit had simply disappeared. They would have to be prepared in case they got caught in one of those deadly displays of energy.

"I think I understand now why the few inhabitants of this planet live underground," Ka'len stated. "At least they are offered some protection from the catastrophic force of the storms."

"We can't risk landing our ship. What if one of those storms decides to materialize?" Sylvan nervously offered.

"You're right," Ka'len agreeed. "So what we have to do now is contact the inhabitants and ask them what we should do."

It took both men several attempts at searching the ship's computer in order to find any information about the settlers on 3219HS. No information could easily be acessed. Frustrated, Sylvan then keyed in one word. In the blink of an eye, the location and communication frequency for the colony settlers appeared on the screen.

"How did you manage to pull that off." Ka'len wanted to know.

Sporting a sheepish grin, Sylvan acknowledged that he entered just one word, Forbidden, into the computer's search engine. That one odd word unlocked the doors and released the information they needed in order to find out about the colonists. Ka'len hurriedly read the information. In a matter of seconds, the colonists responded with the needed data.

Ka'len preceded to follow the directions given for the landing. Only one detail bothered him now, what if a plasma storm developed as he attempted to land the ship. If a storm did happen, and they were caught in it there would be nothing left of the ship or of them.

With Ka'len at the helm, the small ship entered the alien world's atmosphere and began its descent. Sylvan watched Ka'len at the controls. This time he felt scared. What if a storm should develop then what would they do? Ka'len felt uneasy himself. He didn't know if he could contol the ship in such a powerful storm.

As the descent to the surface neared its end, the whine of the landing thrusters roared to life slowing the ship down. The craft began to vibrate roughly, and the alarms began to go off.

"By the Oracles!" yelled Ka'len. A plasma storm had formed, and the ship seemed headed right into it. "Hold on!" cried Ka'len trying to keep the ship steady. "We're about to be sucked into the middle of a plasma storm."

With every fiber of his soul impregnated with fear, Sylvan could feel the ship beginning to vibrate severely. Feeling the craft being tossed like a child's toy by the force of the storm, he feared the ship would be ripped apart. Ka'len's hands worked feverishly at the controls trying to keep that from happening.

"Only about a minute to touch down!" yelled Ka'len.

The sound of the tempest became deafening. The bright light from a bolt of plasma arched by the front view port. The ship felt the fury of the powerful streak as it touched the hull of the ship. Warning lights began blinking and alarms blared.

"Hull integrity at danger level. Hull collapse in one minute." the unemotional voice of the onboard computer spit out.

Neither man needed to be reminded of the grim reality that in less then sixty seconds they would be crushed. "May the Oracles save us," Sylvan prayed softly to himself.>br>

Ka'len's hands feverishly danced over the guidance panel tring to keep control of the ship. The sound of re-enforced metal being strained to its breaking point became ear piercing. The shrill cry of seperating hull plating signaled approaching disaster.

"Warning, hull collapsing," the computer informed them.

Just as the full force of the storm struck the ship, the doors of the colonists subterranean landing bay opened and swallowed the ship plunging them into blackness and safety. The soulmates had expected the ship to be destroyed by the force of the storm. However, silence now replaced the savage sounds of the storm. Sounds of metal separating from the ships frame stopped. The roaring noise of the plasma storm had been replaced by a welcoming silence. They had been spared.

"We've landed!" whispered Ka'len before both Sylvan and he blacked out.

PART 6
Sylvan regained consciousness first. Confused he tried to remember what had just happened to them. Peering at Ka'len, he noticed his mate slumped over the control console. Sylvan attempted to get to his feet so that he could make sure Ka'len was O.K. Each time he tried getting up his legs rebelled and offered him no support. It felt as if his legs had lost all their srength. Frustrated, Sylvan began to massage his legs hoping to bring them back to life. At a painfully slow pace, he could feel the strength ebbing back into them. What had happened to them to cause this?

Sylvan noticed Ka'len begining to stir. Ka'len raised his head slowly. Rubbing his temples, Ka'len felt as though he had been kicked in the head. He had a throbbing headache and felt sick to his stomach, but otherwise he seemed to be fine.

"What happened?" a dazed Ka'len questioningly asked Sylvan. "The last thing I remember is the storm and then everything went black.

Sylvan saw the bewilderment in Ka'len's eyes. He couldn't be of much help to Ka'len because he didn't understand himself what had just happened to them. One thing seemed clear; they were alive.

"A bolt of plasmatic energy hit the ship and penetrated the hull." Sylvan offered. "Thank the Oracles that we weren't vaporized. We could have just as easily been . . . " Sylvan trailed off allowing the seriousness of what had just happened to sink in.

The silence of the moment abruptly ended when the ship's exterior sensors began to beep. Ka'len peered at the screen and saw that it indicated the presence of life forms outside the ship. To be exact there were three life forms outside the entry portal waiting to be admitted. Ka'len informed Sylvan that the welcoming committee had arrived.

"I suppose that we had better let them in," Sylvan remarked.

"Yes, of course," Ka'len replied his mind still foggy from the after effects of the storm.

Ka'len tried lifting himself up from his seat but couldn't. His body wouldn't respond. Sylvan motioned to Ka'len to keep seated. Having recovered, Sylvan got up and walked over to the entry portal. Once there he deactivated the servo locks. The door hissed open slowly. When the entry hatch was fully retracted, three residents of the underground sanctuary stood at the entrance smiling.

The first thing Sylvan noticed about the trio was their complexion. Each had a milky white appearance. This strange colorization gave each of the three a startling appearance. They should have had the complexion of Homeworlders. Instead of the translucent paleness, their complexion should have been a golden bronze. Sylvan remembered that these people lived underground removed from an source of sun light. So this skin color was as natural to them as was Sylvan's to him.

When Ka'len noticed them, he also was startled by their appearance. After the initial shock caused by their skin pigmentation passed, one could notice how delicately beautiful the pale complexion made the three appear. Except for the color of their skin, the colonists looked no different otherwise.

"Welcome!" one of the colonists robustly offered.

Acknowledging the greeting, Sylvan and Ka'len invited the colonists nto the ship. The trio consisted of two females and one male. The skin of each of them resembled alabaster. Their piercing dark eyes stood in stark contrast to the ghostly paleness of their complexions. The overall effect of this combination gave them an alien beauty. The female in the middle apparently was the leader of the group. Taking a couple of steps towards Sylvan and Ka'len she began to speak.

"I bet you had one hell of a ride down to the surface," she said with a big grin on her face. "You're both two lucky bastards. When your ship got caught in the plasma storm, we never thought you'd survive"

Taken aback by the by the remark she made, Sylvan and Ka'len icily stared at the female. They were alive, but luck had nothing to do with it. Rather both men felt that the Oracles in their wisdom had spared the two for a reason.

Not bothered by the cold stares on the faces of the two men, she continued on, "You both blacked out, didn't you? Don't worry, that's normal. Whenever you're that close to a plasma storm, the effect is always the same--you black out. Oh, by the way, my name is Rysa and this is Vor and Myle'a. "Welcome."

Noticing the two men staring at her she added, "Living underground with no sun means that you lose that healthy Homeworld glow." When she had spoken that remark all three of the colonists laughed. Ka'len and Sylvan relaxed.

As they left the ship, the lack of light in the cave made seeing anything difficult. The only illumination in this huge cavern came from a few lights placed carelessly about. Walking anywhere in this semi-darkness could prove to be a challenge. Sensing their apprehension, Rysa told them not to worry that little down here could harm them. Then turning and facing the two men she whispered, "Just be careful of the cavern rats; they're always hungary."

Sylvan stumbled when he heard the word rat. He hated rats! Being down here in the dark was bad enough, but the possibility of encountering a rat was more than he had bargained for. Rats of any kind filled him with terror. Rats scared Sylvan and always had. He had felt this way ever since his older brother had locked him in the basement of their grandparent's house and proceeded to torment him with tales of flesh eating rats.

Seeing Rysa and her companions giggling and winking at one another, Ka'len suspiciously asked, "There are no cave rats down here are there?"

In response to Ka'len's question the trio burst out laughing. Sylvan's face reddened; he had been duped! He felt anger welling up inside him. Just as he prepared a good tongue lashing for the three, he noticed the innocent childlike expressions on each of the faces and decided against any retaliation.

The group started to make its way towards a tunnel opening. "Where are you taking us?" Sylvan wanted to know.
,

"To the central living area, where else?" Myle'a off handedly replied. "Let's get moving," she added pointing in the direction she wanted them to proceed.

It took about fifteen minutes of traversing through the serpentine tunnel system before arriving at the main living area of the colony. This place had plenty of light; a stark contrast to what they had just left behind. The habitat area felt comfortable and safe.

Noticing that the place was deserted except for the five of them, Sylvan asked, "Where are the rest of the settlers?"

Rysa looked at Vor and Myle'a sadly and answered, "You're looking at colony."

The meaning of what she had just said took the soulmates by surpise. "What happened to the others?" Sylvan asked without thinking.

Hesitating before beginning, Rysa began telling about the days when the colony had been over eight hundred strong. The stress of living underground coupled with the constant threat of plasma storms had taken its tole. Many of the colonists had left. Of those that remained, many had been killed as a result of the sickness brought about by the discovery of the Forbidden. The only living members of a once thriving community were the three that stood in front of them.

"We are all that remain," painfully echoed Vor.

Sylvan felt deep sorrow for the three. How long had they lived like this and why? Did these three have any connection with their dead friend? What was this Forbidden who first Venar and now the colonists mentioned? These questions begged to be somehow answered. Sylvan determined that he would find those answers.

Ka'len asked the trio if they had known Venar. Before any answer could be given the ground beneath them began to shake. The lights blinked off and on several times and finally stayed off plunging them into a terrifying blackness. Ka'len lost his footing in the black and reached out to Sylvan for support. Sounds of things falling and crashing reverberated all around them. The force of the quake sent both Ka'len and Sylvan collapsing onto the floor of the living area.

The ground underneath them continued to buck violently. In the blackness the habitat area sounded as though it would collapse on top of them at any minute. Ka'len reached over to Sylvan and pulled him closer. This quake induced chaotic dance seemed endless. In the black it sounded like a war raging. Both men lay rolled up together hoping to protect the other. A piece of the cave roof broke lose and came crashing down. Ka'len felt a severe stabbing pain as the rock glanced off his head. He yelled out in pain. He could feel the warm trickle of blood oozing down his face.

PART 7
When the quake ended, it took several agonizing moments to comprehend what had just happened. The inky blackness around them revealed nothing. Sylvan tightened his arms around Ka'len. In the terrifying darkness, Sylvan could feel dust and dirt covering them like a blanket. The sound of everyone's labored breathing echoed hauntingly. With every breath Sylvan took, his lungs labored to repel the irritating dust with sharp painful coughs. Sylvan feared that they all would choke to death.

The emergency lights of the habitat area came on. The dim illumination revealed the damage that had been caused. Strewn across the floor were pieces of ceiling and other debris. The dust churned up by the earthquake floated in the air like a heavey fog.

Sylvan sat up slowly. He placed his hand over his mouth and nose to keep from breathing in too much of the suspended dust. Scattered all around him were the others, each covered in a fine layer of dirt. He looked over at Ka'len and saw blood coming out from a gash on the side of his face.

"Are you all right?" Sylvan choked, the dust making it nearly impossible to speak. He touched Ka'len to make sure he had heard him. Moaning, Ka'len sat up. Placing his hand to his head, Ka'len touched the bleeding wound. He felt a sharp pain as his fingers passed over the spot. Wincing he quickly removed the hand. He noticed that blood and dirt were smeared on it.

Trying to make sense out of what had just transpired, Ka'len hoarsely asked, "What happened?"

Getting up and dusting the dirt off her body non-chalantly, Rysa replied, "Oh that? Earthquake." She then looked at everyone and focused her attention on Ka'len. Noticing the blood and dirt matted on the side of his face, she let out a low whistle. "That will have to be cleaned up," she bluntly stated gently touching the wound. She disappeared into one of the habitats and reappeared carrying a med. kit. "Here, let me clean and dress that cut before it gets infected." she brusquely said. It took her expert hands little time to clean the wound and place a stasis band on it. "Good as new!" she hurriedly said and then proceeded to rush about making sure that everyone was O.K.

None of the others suffered injury. Minor damage to the living area appeared to be all that had happened as a result of the quake. When everything had been checked and a superficial clean-up of the immediate habitatt area performed, they were all exhausted.

Looking around at the destruction caused by the quake, Ka'len wondered why they had come here. If it hadn't been for Venar directing to this place, they would not be here. Instead of being injured and covered in dirt, they could be safely back on their ship.

Rysa approached the two men and without looking at either one of them tentatively asked, "How is Venar?"

Sylvan replied softly to Rysa's question, "Dead."

The life in Rysa's face melted away. Her ebony eyes clouded over. Rysa began to cry. Feeling her pain, Sylvan placed his arms around her and held securely. Rysa buried her face in Sylvan's chest and sobbed. This had been the first time that Venar's name had come up. So these three had known him. Perhaps now some light would be shed on Venar's connection with these people and this place.

As tears rolled down her face, Rysa whispered softly, "Everyone dies that gets near the Forbidden." When these words had been spoken, she abruptly quit crying and wiped her eyes. "Venar knew that death could be the result of contact with the Forbidden. He had seen first hand what could happened to those foolish enough to touch it. When we first found the artifact, we thought that we had stumbled onto something mystical certainly we never suspected that the object would harm us. No one ever suspected that finding the Forbidden would prove to be our destruction. It became apparent that what we had really discovered appeared to be something that was intent on killing us. Our own ignorance brought about our ruin. Venar happened upon the colony as many of our people lay dying. A slow, painful death brought about by microbes had infected most of us. These microbes proved so deadly that they caused death quickly and painfully. Bodies of our dead lay everywhere. The only outward sign of the illness were the blisters on their bodies--purplish, oozing sores. Venar saw how helpless we were against the disease. He went to where the Forbidden was located determined to stop it. Knowing that he could be contaminated, he was resolute in helping us no matter what the cost to himself. After he had gone into the cavern where the Forbidden rested, he returned and sealed the entrance to the cave. Thanks to his sealing of the cave, the sickness stopped. Only we three remained alive."

When Rysa had finished speaking, everyone sat motionless. Nothing could be said or done to lift the deep saddness from their souls. After what seemed like an eternity, the lights in the habitat area dimmed indicating the beginning of a much needed sleep cycle.

PART 9

The events of the last few hours only served to escalate the two men's desire to know more--much more. An urgency to dig deeper and unlock this mystery permeated their thoughts. An alien artifact that supposedly killed innocent people certainly demanded investigation. The bits of information they did possess acted only to frame the mystery. The picture inside the frame seemed fuzzy and needed fine tuning. More pieces of the puzzle needed to be uncovered before the Forbidden and its connection to what had happened here could fully be comprehended.

The pensive mood that both men were in ended sharply when Myle'a apprised everyone that it was time to sleep. It had been a long day, and sleep would be welcomed.

"We'll be going back to our ship," Ka'len announced. "In the morning we'll return."

Rysa held up her hand in protest. No need necessitated their going back. After all plenty of unoccupied sleeping chambers could be used by the two. Both men were exhausted so neither relished the idea of a trip back through the tunnel system in the dark. Both needed little persuasion to stay the night here. Rysa led them to a collection of rooms that served as guest sleeping quarters.

Closing the door to their sleeping habitat, neither man wasted any time peeling off their clothing. In no time their garments formed an unceremonious heap on the floor. Both men crawled exhausted into bed. After the grueling events of the day , each craved sleep. Ka'len curled his body around Sylvan's. The warmth and nearness of Sylvan reassured him. With his arms draped over his lover, Ka'len nuzzled Sylvan's neck and kissed him good night. Sleep, however, did not come peacefully; his mind was flooded with the events of this day and apprehension about what tomorrow would bring.

After a restless night, morning dawned all too quickly. Arising slowly, each awoke tired but determined to find the answers that would explain the Forbidden. Answers to what had happened here rested with the alien artifact, therefore, to the Forbidden they needed to go.

"No!" yelled Vor when Ka'len asked that they be taken to the artifact. "I won't take you to the Forbidden. Do you want to risk killing yourselves and us? Besides the entrance to the Forbidden is sealed with tons of rock and dirt; there's no way for anyone to get to it."

Trying to reassure Vor and the other two colonists, Sylvan acknowledged that he didn't want to die; of course he would use every precaution he could to prevent harm to Ka'len or himself. He also made it clear that if the Forbidden was as strong as they believed then nothing could prevent it from harming any of them. Besides no other way had presented itself to unlock this mystery. Vor's face contorted in deep thought as he digested what Sylvan had just said. Then reluctantly he agreed to lead them to the cavern that kept the artifact entombed.

A few minutes later they found themselves deep underground walking slowly and carefully in the semi-darkness. The small band made no sound. Abruptly the tunnel stopped. There in front of them stood an entrance to a dark cavern. Vor, Rysa, and Myle'a looked scared. No entrance should be here--tons of rock had covered the opening the last time the three had been here. Terror errupted across their faces.

"What happened to the rocks that sealed this chamber?" Myle'a, her voice shaking with fear inquired. "This entrance is supposed to be sealed!"

Rysa and Vor had no answers for her questions. All three assumed that the Forbidden had somehow managed to free itself by utilizing the quakes. No one was safe from the artifact any longer.

The narrow entrance to the Forbidden beckoned to them. The three colonists refused to enter the chamber that contained the alien artifact. The fear of death froze them into place. Nothing could persuade them to to advance into the cave.

Understanding the fear that gripped the three, Ka'len looked at Sylvan. Sylvan knew they had to enter the cave if they wanted to uncover the answers they were seeking. In order for the mystery to be solved, they had no chose except to enter the lair of the Forbidden. Taking a deep breath, the two men strode into the black cavity not knowing what awaited them.

PART 10

Ka'len and Sylvan slowly became accustomed to the murky dimness that enveloped them. Sylvan kept sence of somekind. He often had these feelings when he felt fear. As a child his mother had told him that the members of his clan had been seers to the Oracles. The ability to sense what was not visible or to know the thoughts of others was but one of the mystical things his ancestors had been capable of doing. He knew that only one other person was inside the dark crypt with him; why did he sense others? With just Ka'len and himself in the cave, who was he sensing and why?

Advancing ever so carefully, both men inched their way into the chamber that held the Forbidden. Neither knew what to expect. Ka'len led and Sylvan followed directly behind. In the liquid gloom, nothing could be distinguished. As they rounded a corner of the cave, Ka'len came to sudden halt. Sylvan with no time to react to Ka'len's stop slammed into him. The collision sent both men sprawling to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Sylvan offered. "It's hard to see anything in here." In the eerie stillness no response came from Ka'len.

Sylvan lifted himself up and rubbed his knees. Squinting in order to see better in the gloom, he noticed that Ka'len still laid on the ground. In the dimness he could barely make out Ka'len's form. Peering at him, Sylvan noticed that Ka'len seemed transfixed; his gaze was directed at something in front of him. Turning his own head in the same direction, Sylvan raised his eyes and focused them. His eyes zeroed in on an image. He exhaled slowly; his heart began to beat forcefully and sweat began to form on his brow. There in the gloom stood an object that surely was the Forbidden.

Feeling a knot forming in the pit of his stomach, Sylvan helped Ka'len to his feet. Both men stood and stared at the object trying to make sense out of what they were seeing. The object appeared to be an obelisk. If this was the Forbidden neither man had envisioned it looking like this. A killing machine needed to look menacing; this object evoked no fear in either man.

With excitement creeping into his voice, Sylvan whispered, "We've got to get closer to it."

Wary of the alien object, Ka'len didn't know if they should get any closer. From where they stood, the Forbidden didn't look menacing, but Ka'len had learned from bitter experience that appearances often could be deceiving. Turning to Ka'len, Sylvan asked, "What did you say? I couldn't quite understand what you were saying."

"I didn't say anything," Ka'len replied.

Sylvan had been sure he had heard Ka'len say something. Someone had spoken to him. It had to have been Ka'len. Was the pressure getting to him? Again he heard the voice.

Looking at Ka'len, Sylvan knew it hadn't come from him. Only Sylvan apparently heard the soft whisperings. Again, the words of his mother flooded his mind. The Oracles blessed our clan with their power. We see what isn't. We hear what isn't. We believe in what isn't. Removing his mother's words from his mind, he tried to assure himself of his sanity. Sylvan blamed the odd event on the stress he was under.

The two men continued to make their way towards the Forbidden. Each step closer to the object revealed more details about it. The obelisk appeared to be made of a shiny substance--glass thought Ka'len. Its surface looked highly polished; but it seemed not to reflect light or images.

When they were standing directly in front of the Forbidden, its size became obvious. It stood slightly over twice the height of either man. It had a conical look. On the smooth glass surface symbols had been written in a language that neither man could comprehend.

Again, Sylvan heard soft whisperings. It must be his imagination; what else could it be. Perhaps the air blowing around the cave made the noise. Maybe he was losing his mind. Just let your soul open and the power will flow around you. Fear not child of the Oracles. Remember what you are. Why were his mother's words haunthing him? Sylvan did his best to block out the soft pleading voices inside his mind.

Not succeeding, Sylvan cursed, "Damn! Why do I keep hearing voices?"

"It's your mind playing tricks." Ka'len hastened to reassure his mate. Ka'len knew that Sylvan's clan had been blessed with the gift of the Oracles and therefore he was more sensitive to many things others weren't. Hopefully the voices were nothing more than tension playing with Sylvan's mind.

"Well, here goes nothing," Ka'len nervously said as he walked up and touched the Forbidden. As his hand contacted the smooth surface of the alien obelisk, he expected something to happen. When nothing happened, he felt relief. There was only one strange thing about the surface of the Forbidden, it seemed to be pulsating warmth.

Holding his breath, Sylvan watched as his mate allowed his hand to flow over the smooth surface of the object. Seeing that nothing happened to Ka'len, he placed his own hands on the object.

When his fingertips touched the surface something entered them and traveled slowly up his arms. Sylvan thought he should feel alarm, but instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of peace. The warmth enveloped his whole body and finally it reached into his very soul. As it did, Sylvan felt himself being pulled into the obelisk--not with his body, but with his spirit.

When he became aware of where he was, Sylvan found himself in the place of the whispering voices. Here inside the alien obelisk he felt no fear; instead of panic a gentle all encompassing peace caressed him. This peace flowed all around him touching ever fiber of his being. This feeling of serenity took the form of hands that began to lead him onward; whereto Sylvan didn't know and didn't care. Only one thing he understood for sure, the Forbidden meant no harm.

Ka'len looked at Sylvan and noticed that he seemed fixated on the obelisk. "Hey, you all right?" he asked. Getting no response from his mate, he touched Sylvan. Still no response. Ka'len tried to remove Sylvan's hand from the Forbidden but couldn't. No matter how he tried, he simply couldn't detach Sylvan's hand from the obelisk. Blind terror gripped Ka'len. The Forbidden had his mate.

A chorus comprised of thousands of voices kept gently calling to Sylvan. Welcome child of the Oracles. He looked all around in the soft light that bathed him, but the only thing he saw were the swirling mists that encircled him. The voices urged him onward; Follow us and learn.

Sylvan felt no fear. Rather, he felt peace. A serene sense of well being that defied logic. Deep in the recesses of his soul, he somehow knew that the Forbidden needed him. Sylvan walked forward through the mists. He knew no matter what that he had to follow the voices calling to him.

He found himself on an alien world. Sylvan could feel its breezes and touch the soil of this place. The intense warmth of the unfamiliar sun's rays felt good on his skin. All around him were structures that resembled the shape of the Forbidden only much bigger. In the bright light of this world, the obelisks looked graceful--even beautiful. These structures towered above him. Their sheer size dwarfed everything. Entering and leaving the structures were exotic looking beings. He had never seen such creatures. The voices whispered to him, This is who we are and where we lived. The structures must be their homes, Sylvan thought to himself.

The faces of these beings looked gentle. He relaxed because he knew that these beings posed no threat to him. No outward communication passed between the creatures. Somehow Sylvan knew they had no need to speak. These creatures communicated with their minds. The voices that Sylvan heard were their voices reaching out to him.

Abruptly, the feeling of peace coming from these beings stopped and was replaced with a sense of resigned acceptance. Sylvan noticed the beings looking up towards their sun. The look on each face now was one of accepting doom. Sylvan turned his faced heavenward towards their sun. In horror he saw the star explode. Moments after their sun's death, he saw the creatures being consumed by fire. Engulfed in flames, their peaceful world was horribly incinerated. Sylvan felt the screams of millions as life was ripped from them. With their existence so brutally ended, he felt tears running down his face as he became a witness to the death of an entire race. Why had these beings not saved themselves? The voices provided him with the answer, Our time in this universe had ended. Now was the time to jouney on. Why fight the will of the gods.

Trying to overcome the horror of what he had just seen, Sylvan realized that the images had changed and now he he found himself in the deep of space. Traveling faster than light, Sylvan beheld the mysterious serenity of the cosmos. Never before had Sylvan ever witnessed such beauty. The ship he traveled in was the obelisk,the Forbidden. Voices of the dead beings swirled all around him. They had known of their fate and had time to prepare. Thousands of ships, like the Forbidden, were built. Inside these ships the combined memories of all their race had been placed. Just before the annihilation of their world had occurred, these obelisks were sent out into the vast regions of the universe in hopes that contact would be made with other races. In this way they would not die forgotten. All that they were and had ever been would not be lost. The hopes, fears, and history of an entire race were sent racing out into the cold black of interstellar space.

Sylvan found himself traveling through the vast regions of the galaxy. He witnessed the birth of stars and the death of planets. His senses were over come with the spectacular magnificence of things he had only imagined but had never seen. The Forbidden passed through the icy tails of comets and sailed on the solar winds of a thousand stars. At every new sight, the voices whispered to him, encouraging him to drink in all that he saw and to remember.

The obelisk ended its journey on this planet. Over twenty thousand years would pass before it would be discovered. During that time the Forbidden waited alone hoping for the day it would be discovered and its voices set free. It patiently waited to fulfill the mission it had been built for.

The swirling mists became heavier and the voices more emphatic. Finally unearthed the time had come for the voices to be set free. The colonists had discovered the alien structure. However, they didn't listen to the voices inside the of it. Fear spread its tentacles into their souls. With suspicion they viewed the obelisk, and in their ignorance they named it the Forbidden. They were afraid to approach the ship. The combined voices of millions could not break the fear of a few hundred. Paranoia replaced reason.

Then the sickness attacked the people. A sickness that had come from the planet itself and not from the obelisk. Microbes, that had lain dormant since the creation of this world, had found life in the weak bodies of these life forms. Their bodies burned with fever and purplish pustules erupted on their skin. They blamed the sickness on the Forbidden. As they died painful deaths; the voices cried for them. Listen to us; let us help you. If only the creatures would listen. No one listened. Blind fear led to hatred of the Forbidden which in turn resulted in their destruction.

With sadness at the needless death of these creatures, the voices told of the day when one of the beings came to the Forbidden and stood before it. The voices sang their song to him and he responded. Overjoyed the voices filled the soul of this creature. They came to know the being as Venar. The voices shared the memories of their world with him and he understood. Knowing that his own kind--out of ignorance-- would destroy the obelisk; he caused a cave-in sealing the entrance to the Forbidden. He did this to save the obelisk from the remaining settlers who were bent on destroying it. The voices saw the wisdom of this man. They knew that somehow this man would be the gateway to their release.

The memories in the obelisk were the memories of a long dead race. The voices of the Forbidden would gladly have saved these people, but the colonists feared what they did not understand. Their own ignorance and fear led them to their deaths.

Sylvan felt sadness. The horrible death of the creators and the meaningless deaths of the colonists became too much for him to bear. The voices, sensing his distress began to flood him with their warmth. They caressed him and comforted him. Sylvan knew what needed to be done. All that he had just witnessed must be shared. The wisdom of the dead beings must no longer be kept hidden. The voices of the millions needed peace; they needed to complete the mission that the creators had ordained. Sylvan determined to do just that, give release. Unspeakable joy filled the mists inside the Forbidden. This child of the Oracles will unlock the door to our prison. The time of awakening was approaching.

PART 11
"It's not what it seems," Sylvan weakly offered.

"What happened to you?" Ka'len asked his soulmate. "What's not as it seems?"

Releasing his connection with the Forbidden, Sylvan began to tell Ka'len about the voices inside the obelisk. He assured Ka'len that the obelisk was not an alien weapon of destruction. The obelisk was merely an interstellar ship in which the memories of a long, dead race had been transported in hopes that some day they would be discovered. The Forbidden had not been programmed by its creators to harm life. Its purpose directed it to share the wealth of knowledge stored within it.

Sylvan took several minutes to recount in detail his mystical experience. Telling Ka'len about the voices and what they had shared with him saddened him. Remembering the tragic death of the beings caused him to be flooded with grief. He became determined to make sure that the memories of the dead beings would not be forgotten. They would finally achieve the peace they had been searching for.

Listening intently to Sylvan, Ka'len gazed at his mate and saw determination and hope in his eyes. As Sylvan continued to talk about the beings that had touched his soul, Ka'len opened his own soul to the Forbidden. As soon as he allowed himself to relax, he felt the welcoming embrace of mllions.

The voices, entered him and began their song. They filled him with an overwhelming feeling of hope which quickly dispelled any concern of danger. Acceptance of the voices gave way to tranquillity. The stored memories of the dead beings did need release. Ka'len felt their urgency.

The soulmates walked out of the cavern with resolve etched on their faces. The three colonists, who had been waiting at the entrance for the two, stared in relief at the returning men. Obviously, since Ka'len and Sylvan were alive, it meant that the Forbidden hadn't harmed them.

"Is it gone?" Did you destroy it?" Rysa breathlessly quizzed both Sylvan and Ka'len.

Looking at Rysa, Sylvan replied slowly to her questions with a soft, "No."

Rysa, Vor, and Myle'a didn't quite know what to make of this answer. Exactly what had happened in the cave they wanted to know? No visible signs on either of the two men indicated injury or harm. No oozing, purple blisters were erupting on their skin; therefore, they weren't contaminated with its killing microbes.

Seeing fear in their eyes, Sylvan began to tell them about the voices and the experiences he had shared with them. After he had finished telling them of his encounter with the Forbidden, Ka'len told them he too had communed with the voices. Each man tried to assuage the trio and convince them that no danger existed.

Their world turning inside out, the three colonists were completly confused. What was the truth concerning the obelisk? Were the two men lying? Perhaps Sylvan and Ka'len had lost their minds. Maybe all of this was a ruse on the part of the Forbidden to lull them into a false sense of security in order to get at them.

"What about the sickness? Why did the Forbidden unleash that horror on us if it truly meant no harm to us?" asked Vor.

Sylvan explained about the microbes and how the Forbidden had wanted to help save the dying colonists. Not until Venar had made contact with the voices did they have an opportunity to provide the answer to nullifying the microbes. Venar had been given that knowledge and somehow had managed to use it on the remaining settlers. He hadn't used it on himself because Venar wished to be with his dead soulmate and children.

Ka'len urged Rysa and her fellow colonists to open themselves up to the Forbidden. The soulmates tried to reassure the three that the only thing the voices wanted was to share the stored memories of a long dead civilization.

Myle'a looked into Ka'len's eyes and sensed he spoke the truth. She felt what he said could be trusted. Slowly she began to will her inward self to open to the voices. As she relaxed the warmth of the voices began to fill her. "I feel them! Oh Gods, They're inside me!" Myle'a gasped. Panic was quickly replaced with calm. "It's just as they said. The voices mean no harm."

Seeing that Myle'a was all right, the remaining two colonists began to open themselves up to the caressing embrace of the millions. Fear became replaced with understanding and finally with peace.

Unspeakable joy, mingled with feelings of completion filled the three. Welcome our children. Join with us. The voices of the millions had found release. The alien obelisk's journey had come to an end. Contentment and peace filled the mists. The trek that had started over thousands of years ago on a distant exploding planet had now found completion. The voices of the dead beings could be at rest; their memories would continue to exist.

EPILOGUE
The soulmate's ship was once again in the black ocean of space traveling to the Homeworld. Sylvan and Ka'len were still trying to come to terms with what they had just experienced. Sylvan needed to learn more about the gifts the Oracles had given to his clan. He needed to learn their purpose and how to use them. The experience with the Forbidden and its voices had opened a new dimension for both men. What had been a journey fraught with danger and mystery had ended as one of discovery.

Ka'len looked at his lover sprawled on the lounge and felt a deep and abiding satisfaction. Together they had triumphed! Walking over to Sylvan, he took his hand, pulled him up, and led him to their sleeping quarters. Later that night, Ka'len awoke. He looked over at his peacefully sleeping lover and smiled. How lucky they both were! He placed a kiss on Sylvan's lips and curled up next to him. They would always be together was his last thought before he fell into a deep and satisfying sleep.

The End - The next installment of THE SOULMATE CHRONICLES will be entitled "Ghost Song of the Oracles"

© Tristain vanDial 1998
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