"Eve, unusual Thelarian activity detected around Yarkhzaer. Intelligence report," Sappherine announced to her as she entered the Nomad command center.
The intel came from ASC.
Eve paused. Mentioned of Yarkhzaer triggered memories of her dreams... visions.
'This cannot be incidental,' she thought. 'There was something about that planet, but why would the Thelarians be interested in a demon world?'
Mother Cetra had already foretold the importance of Yarkhzaer. Eve had explicitly instructed Nomad to keep close watch on Yarkhzaer after Cetra's premonitions.
"Prepare for warp jump. We are heading to Yarkhzaer."
Moments later, Nomad folded through hyperspace, crossing half the universe in seconds. Eve gazed at the reddish-hued planet through the command viewport.
"So this is Yarkhzaer," she murmured.
"Mira, keep Nomad in orbit. We are taking the Soul Drifter."
Meerkat greeted Eve in his palace yard.
"The prodigal queen! My savior! What honor do I have of having your acquaintance again?" He spread his arms toward her.
"I see kingship has gotten to you, poor boy," she whispered as he kissed her cheek.
He was no boy anymore. Battle scars, an aura of sober maturity, a commanding voice, and centuries of experience gave him a gravity that demanded respect.
He leaned toward her other cheek and whispered, "Yeah, king shit. I really miss me."
They walked toward the palace while their private conversation continued under the lips.
"What are you doing here? I am already freaked out."
"Chill out. It's probably nothing."
"With you it's never nothing."
He led them to his royal palace, where a small celebratory gathering had the squad members engaged.
Meerkat felt relieved after seeing an old friend after such a long time. Eve admired him, and the king he had become. They talked as friends before turning to business.
In the chief's palace meeting room, Eve explained the situation.
"So the Thelarians smell something here. I want to know what."
Meerkat's advisors whispered in his ear. He answered them; they seemed to disagree. Finally he grew angry and ordered them to leave, all except the chief advisor, the man Eve had seen with him back in Almira.
He explained, "for generations... centuries, we have guarded this secret: the essence. It flows through our planet, through nature, through every life form here. A sacred tree that branches everywhere. It is the hidden source of energy for all life on this planet."
"My father protected this secret before me. All the kings have, and now it is my turn. Only a few among the royal families know about it, and we are bound by oath to keep it that way."
Now it became clear why his advisors had argued with him, but Meerkat was not going to hide the truth from Eve. He respected and acknowledged her too much. Besides, the Thelarians were involved.
"Why would the Thelarians want it? How did they know?" Eve asked.
"I don't know how. They cannot, unless someone told them. Those who did not want me as chief sold us. Centuries later, they still do not want to see a hybrid as their king."
"That is one possibility. So can this essence be stolen? What does it do?"
"I cannot explain it with words, but I can show you."
The next day Meerkat took Eve to the said mountain behind the castle under full protocol. Hundreds of old royal-style carts and buggies ascended the mountain, which was actually an inert volcano. Its mouth was sealed by a massive concrete vault made by demons long ago.
Temples and pilgrims lined the path. Passing by the shrines, the party finally descended into a great cavern. A solitary tree with glowing branches stood at its center, and at its heart sat an alien artifact.
This was holy ground. The demon species prayed to the tree, offered gifts, and made pilgrimages for good fortune. Eve looked up at the concrete ceiling. Religious hieroglyphs etched all over it.
'This must be it,' she thought. 'This is the reason the Thelarians are here. It looks like a physical fragment of the key artifact from the Monobeacon.'
Eve had a similar fragment absorbed into her body, into her genes, a gift from Dr. Kyle Seraphis. She had learned of similar cases, like Razor, the Trebekh soldier. There must be many other instances.
This was one.
Meerkat said, "We do not know much about its history. It is thought this fragment is millennia old. Our elders even say it came before the birth of the universe."
'They were not entirely wrong,' Eve thought, 'but how was it powering the planet? "So this fragment is the Essence?"
"We call this the heart of the Essence. The Essence itself is the tree that extends throughout this planet below the crust. Trust me, we have dug as far down as we could."
"Has anyone ever touched this artifact?"
"No. It is forbidden. Those who touch it are cursed by the spirit of the Essence. They go mad. That is why the tree is heavily guarded."
That explained it. For the artifact to be absorbed, it takes at least a few minutes of contact. Even brushing against it can unhinge a person. Those who were labeled mad were not crazy; they were overwhelmed by its enormous force.
To absorb a key artifact, one must have sufficient power.
If the Thelarians are looking for the key artifact, do they know about the Monobeacon, or did they track its energy signature?
More importantly, does it have something to do with vestos?
Yarkhzaer had a strange grainy red soil that did a good job of cloaking energy signals. That is why it was special. Only a few planets had this rare soil and sand. The difference was that Yarkhzaer actually had something to conceal: a natural heritage.
"Meerkat, what if it is not safe here? What if we take it away?"
"I give it to you, I lose my throne, and whoever inherits might not allow you the liberty to move freely. So I would say with me we have more options."
"Got it. It stays in place. But you will need extra guardians."
"I will deploy the best of my warriors at once."
"That will not be enough. Trust me, if even five Thelarians land here, you will be more worried about protecting the planet and its people than the tree."
"I have allies. But if the Thelarians are as powerful as you say, as we have heard, then... it does not matter. We will fight to the death."
"I hope it never comes to that."
Everyone knew one thing about the Thelarians: when they were after something, entire planetary forces could not stand in their way. Virell-7 was one example.
Meerkat did not look afraid, only worried, probably about his people. "I hate this, feel so powerless. I cannot throw this piece of junk away to protect my people. They will call me an enemy for trying to help them."
From an I-don't-care emo teen to a king who was genuinely concerned for well being of his people, he had really matured as a man, as a demon.
Of course he did not know the full story. Handing over the artifact would not only mean the end of Yarkhzaer, but the entire universe.
She was almost certain the Thelarians wanted to unleash the Swarm.
"Hey, do not be like that. You are stronger than this. I promise I will return. Hold the ground for me long enough, okay?"
"Sorry you caught that. I really have a bad king face."
"Yep. You look ridiculous pretending to be one."
They laughed.
Back at the palace they talked further, and Eve explained the full gravity of the situation: the Swarm.
"Feels like the end of times to me, but you have saved the day many times before. How long has it been since you stopped all those mutants? We thought that was the end of times," Meerkat mused.
"I do not know how long I will keep doing this."
He sensed weariness and sadness in her voice. Lost in thought, she had let it show.
"Breaks my heart. Seems like it got to you too."
"I have had my good and bad days. This is not about that."
He held her shoulders. Half human-like and half demon, he was at least a foot taller and more muscular than Jax. "We cannot fill those spaces. I know the feeling, but if you ever feel homesick even when you are home, I am here for you."
"That is kind. Thanks."
"You saved me twice, now thrice. This is the least I can do for you."
"Now it feels romantic," she tried to smile fully, but even then her smile felt fractured. Looking at Meerkat in that moment, she wished all her friends could live as long as demons.
Their average lifespan was five hundred years.
Noora, Mario... Jax, Anya, Vayne, Kai, Salam, Nadia, Kinze, Elara... Mira I, Sauna... Ammara, Mira V — they were just human.
Beloved memories.