Adrian turned his sights to the fiery shape of Iris, which was about the size of his forearm and floating in front of his face.
“Are you alright Iris?” Adrian asked.
“Never better!” She said amusingly.
“But how are you…?” Adrian started to ask, but Seo-yun interjected and answered.
“The wrist unit contains Iris’s core, a processor, and a computer similar to the implants. But it is also a holographic projector. It can project any hologram in the two meter radius around you. Since you can no longer have an implant, and as it is almost essential to life in the Empire, that will serve as a replacement.”
Adrian turned his gaze to the unit on his arm, and then back at Seo-yun as she continued speaking.
“It won’t have a connection to your brain, but it can do everything that your implant could and more. But it will be Iris that will use it to help you in your day to day activities.” She then turned to Iris. “If you can please demonstrate for us Iris.”
“Of course!” Iris exclaimed happily. And then reports started popping up in the air in front of Adrian, then a list of Adrian’s comm contacts appeared, then images, the net search bar. And when the area around him was filled with holo windows it all cleared, and Iris stood there looking smug.
“That was amazing Iris.” Adrian said, then turned to Seo-yun. He stepped closer and embraced her tightly, catching the shorter woman off guard. “Thank you Seo-yun.” He whispered.
Seo-yun returned the embrace. “You’re welcome Adrian.”
After a few more moments Adrian released her and stepped back.
“Alright, now there are a few things that I need to teach you about the wrist unit, just let me get a data chip.” She said and turned to walk to her desk.
Adrian looked Iris relieved, he couldn’t have imagined a life without Iris. He might not have her voice in his head anymore, but she was still present in his life. Finally for the first time since he woke up, he allowed himself to relax completely. All the worry about what happened to him and about Iris eased out of him. He finally felt at peace.
Seo-yun turned from her desk and walked back with a data chip in her palm. As she was walking towards him, Adrian noticed a ringing in his head. Focusing on it he realized that it had been there for a while, since he entered the building perhaps. His thoughts were just preoccupied with Iris for him to notice. The ringing wasn’t painful, but it was annoying. And now that he was focused on it, the ringing seemed to grow in intensity.
Adrian looked and realized that Seo-yun was speaking, and looking at him strangely.
“Are you alright Adrian? You zoned out there for a few seconds.” She asked worried.
Adrian frowned, “Do you hear a ringing?”
“A ringing?” Seo-yun asked, her expression getting even more worried.
Adrian focused on it and realized that he could tell the direction it was coming from. “A ringing, it is coming from there.” He said pointing at the floor.
“I don’t hear anything Adrian. And there is nothing there.” She said glancing at the empty floor and then back at him. Iris too moved in front of Adrian’s face, her holographic expression worried.
“Maybe we should get you back to the hospital Adrian.” Iris said.
“No. I don’t mean the floor. Beneath it, there is something down there.” Adrian said, his mind going into overdrive. He was certain that he now had the exact direction of the source of the ringing. He looked back at Seo-yun. “Do you have something beneath us?” He asked.
“There is nothing Adrian, we really should get you back to the hosp—” She stopped mid-sentence, a look of realization came across her face, then her eyes glossed over in a way that they did when someone used their implant. “Point exactly at where you think the source of the ringing is.”
Adrian turned and pointed with his finger at a spot on the floor. Seo-yun watched the direction of his finger, and then looked at the floor. Her mouth opened wide, and she grabbed Adrian’s arm pulling him out of the room. “Follow me!” Sora and Akash followed closely behind.
She led him down a corridor and to a lift, taking them down to the last floor. Immediately after the doors opened, she rushed down a hallway with Adrian and his wolions following behind. They passed people who looked with surprised expressions at Adrian and the two beasts. With every step they took, Adrian felt the ringing grow just a bit stronger.
Finally they reached a locked door, and Seo-yun placed her hand on the display close to it. A few moments later the door opened and they entered another hallway. At the end of that long hallway was another locked door. Here Seo-yun placed her face in front of another display with a scanning light passing over her face. After a moment the display flashed green and letters appeared on the display, a moment later a series of symbols and numbers appeared and the door opened.
They entered into a well lit room, with a holo-table and a pedestal in the middle of the room. Immediately Adrian recognized the object on the pedestal, it was the sphere that Jusan brought from Nelus. Seo-yun stepped to the side as Adrian took a few steps to stand in front of the pedestal. Now when he was so close to the source of the ringing, Adrian could feel it like a tangible thing in his mind. Not really knowing what he was doing, he focused his thought on the ringing, and pushed.
The next moment blue lines of light appeared in the sphere and a hologram of Axull Darr appeared floating above it. The image of the ancient ancestor of the human and Nel race turned his gaze towards Adrian and spoke.
“Finally, the beacon has been heard and answered.”
Epilogue
Eighteen years later – Former Ra’a’zani space
Anessa – Dai Sha of the Shara Daim, walked the ground of her enemies’ world. The Ra’a’zani on this world had all been killed. Like the ones on every world they had encountered. The only ones who remained were the slaves that Ra’a’zani held. The Shara Daim didn’t take slaves, they abhorred weakness. And these weaklings had let themselves be enslaved, and so in the eyes of the Shara Daim they didn’t deserve to live. Anessa had ordered them killed along with the Ra’a’zani.
A soldier under Anessa’s command approached as she gazed at the ruins of the Ra’a’zani city, her helmet was retracted, revealing her obsidian colored skin, shaved head, and piercing black eyes with white iris surrounding a black pupil.
“Dai Sha.” The soldier said, bowing. Anessa was the first among the Dai Sha, a master of war, and the Shur Sha had entrusted her with the duty of eradicating the Ra’a’zani for the crime they committed against her people. No soldier under her command would dare not show her the respect she was due.
Anessa turned to the soldier. “Report Do Sun.”
“The slaves have been eradicated, Dai Sha.”
“Good. Ready the legion, we are leaving this world.” Anessa said. There were still more Ra’a’zani worlds left. Another three of their clans still lived. But the Shara Daim would reach them in time, there was nowhere that they could run that Anessa couldn’t follow.
“There was one more thing Dai Sha.” Do Sun said.
Anessa turned her face to look at him, and a shift occurred in her eyes. They changed from a single iris/pupil, to pure black with several white pupils that shifted constantly.
“What is it Do Sun?” Anessa asked.
“Our data mining of the Ra’a’zani computers uncovered something. A mention of a slave race from the clan Ooruvan. The images of these slaves are very similar to us.” Do Sun said.
Upon hearing that, Anessa felt her entire body stiffen. “How much similar?” She asked slowly.
“Their body structure is exactly the same Dai Sha. Except that their skin has a wider range of color, from a dark color close to ours, to very pale.” Do Sun said.