The Rise to Godhood
Chapter 18: The Expedition

When Areela arrived at the Pustinja Outpost, she noticed many people had gathered in the main square. Tensions seemed high, and many of the locals were holding guns. There was a small group in the centre of the square, which consisted of Zelinko and the surviving members of Jasper’s enforcers. Areela rushed towards Zelinko, but the local militia held her away.

Governor Arish Kisherom spoke from the balcony of the Pustinja Palace. “Citizens of the Pustinja Outpost. Today we are witnessing a remarkable milestone. For the first time in history, we will visit other planets with sentient species. We will grant these former enemies from Zetani the chance to travel to the world of Grashdung, where the fearsome orcs live.”

Arish’s statement broke Areela’s heart. Why did he insist on separating her and Zelinko? This separation wasn’t meant to be, as the True Maker had tasked them with colonising Zetani Nova together. She needed to reach Arish before it was too late!

Areela sent a weak psionic blast towards Arish, which he deflected easily. When he searched for the perpetrator, she gave away her mental signature and telepathed, “Governor Kisherom. You cannot send Zelinko away. We need him.”

“I am sorry, but I cannot oblige to your request. Zelinko belongs to the Master Caste, which has spent millennia oppressing the lower-caste-Zetans on Zetani. He will try to usurp power if we bring him to Zetani Nova.” Arish replied.

“Yet, if you don’t bring him along, you will not know how to charge sapphires with the force of the Zeto Crystal. That will end your expedition before it begins.” Areela replied.

There was a moment of silence. Eventually, Arish contacted one of his militiamen, who led Zelinko away from the others. There was a moment of protest before Zelinko understood why they took him away. Then, as he understood their purpose, he smiled at Areela as the militiamen led him away.

Podixa gave Lieutenant Hadib Nabilom a charged sapphire and inserted another sapphire into a large-scale scaffolding. After that, the Zetans directed a ray of concentrated sunlight into the Zeto-charged gemstone, which opened a dimensional rift. Hadib and the other enforcers entered a hovercraft, and they flew into the portal. They were gone in the blink of an eye, to the gathered onlookers’ amazement.

***

Areela felt strange as she was alone with Zelinko for the first time since their passionate night almost two years earlier. She felt conflicted, and she didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, Zelinko was the only man she had ever been with, and he was the father of her child. He had also abandoned his child and wife to save her. Yet, he had left her in the prison cell and allowed Jasper to sentence her to death for killing Xialiab. Areela had spent a year in prison because of Zelinko’s cowardice. How would she be able to forgive him?

“Thank you for saving me from going to Grashdung. I owe you my life.” Zelinko said.

“Well, I guess that makes us even….” Areela said and looked at Zelinko with a cold gaze. As much as she wanted to love him, she couldn’t. The worst part was that she couldn’t stop loving him either.

“I should have been there for you. If I had protected you from the start, Xialiab wouldn’t have dared to hurt you, and none of this would have happened.” Zelinko stated.

“So, why didn’t you?” Areela asked.

“Because I was betrothed to Shauwana, and her pregnancy complicated things. Before Xialiab snapped and disfigured Thorax with his experiment, I hoped to make a deal with him to protect everyone.” Zelinko revealed.

Areela turned her gaze to the toddler, who was munching on some maggots while growling and babbling in exhilaration. He seemed happy to eat the disgusting food on the outpost, and he was the only one who felt that way. Areela had an insight. What if Xialiab’s experiments enabled Thorax to be a host for the True Maker, to become the Chosen One? If everything had happened the way she wanted, Thorax would have become an unremarkable baby.

Areela smiled at Zelinko and spoke, “As crazy as it sounds, everything worked out as it was destined to be. Thorax is special, and we are fulfilling our destinies.”

“I guess you are right. Everything happens for a reason.” Zelinko pondered.

“As is this,” Areela said, pulled Zelinko closer, and kissed him under the moonless night sky.

***

Areela was walking the streets of the Pustinja Outpost when she saw Podixa argue with a local Disyerto-2 woman. They argued in a local language, which had diverged from the Zetani language as the planets were 50 lightyears apart. At the end of the argument, the woman handed Podixa a tiny sapphire and stormed off in anger.

Areela approached Podixa and spoke, “What did you argue about?”

“She didn’t want to give up her sapphires as they were her only memory of her mother. Yet, we need to gather all our sapphires before our trip to Zetani Nova. How else will we have enough sapphires to charge once we get there?”

Areela nodded with an afterthought. She had never considered how to replace the necessary sapphires or how many they needed. However, if they aimed to charge sapphires and travel forth, Podixa’s plan made sense.

“So, how is everything coming along?” Areela asked.

“Good, we have set up 100 hovercrafts and gathered enough supplies to feed 500 people for two months. If your claims are correct, we will have enough supplies to travel to Zetani Nova and back.”

“That won’t be possible. We don’t have enough energy to power the portals for that many people.” Areela replied.

“So, what do you suggest?” Podixa asked.

“Come with me and bring only your closest allies. Then, if we replace the Zeto Crystal on Zetani Nova, we can charge our sapphires and bring the rest of the population. If not, we might perish.” Areela stated.

Podixa pondered on Areela’s words. She didn’t like going to an alien planet with only a small group. What if the locals were hostile?

Yet, Areela was correct. Podixa had seen how the portal had closed after they sent the Zetani enforcers to Grashdung. They had only six charged sapphires left, and they would not be able to get their whole group through the dimensional rift twice with that limited energy.

“You are right. I will speak to my husband. We’ll come with you to explore this new world together. We’ll replace a way to bring the rest of the population later.” Podixa said.

“Thank you,” Areela replied.

Podixa pointed in the direction of a small tea shop and chirped, “Come with me. I know you don’t like our food, but you’ll love this tea.”

Areela nodded, and as she tasted the spiced tea that consisted of fermented sand bacteria, her mind transcended time and space. While the tea wasn’t as potent as the Zeto Crystal, Areela imagined how this tea could have a similar effect on another species in the future. Finally, her vision faded, and her mind felt at peace as she closed her eyes and passed into blissful sleep.

***

“May the True Maker keep you safe and reunite us before a long time has passed.”

It was early in the morning, and Arish Kisherom looked at his assistant Amela Andelan, who would lead the Pustinja Outpost in his absence. It was an emotional moment. In the search for a better world, he would have to leave the planet that had been his home for the last 30 years. Arish and Podixa had left their youngest two children in Amela’s ward. They had only brought the 31-year-old Besim Arishom, whose birth was why Judge Jasper had deported them to the Pustinja Outpost.

Podixa picked up Besim and strapped him to a seat in the hovercraft. The young boy was both excited and nervous over the adventure ahead, and he couldn’t keep his eyes away from his younger siblings, who were staying with Amela.

When the time was right, Amela placed a charged sapphire in the portal frame and directed a beam of concentrated sunlight into it. As the interdimensional portal opened, Areela and Podixa looked at each other. Who would be the first to set forth on the perilous journey?

Areela drove through the portal first, relieved she wasn’t running from something this time. Instead, a higher purpose motivated her. She was on the way to her destiny.

Podixa stared as the hovercraft that held Areela’s entourage evaporated into thin air. She hesitated for a bit but pushed herself to press down the accelerator. She and her husband were the leaders of their people, leading them to a better future.