“So this is Star City,” Iarion said, his tone mild though
his expression seemed to dictate other wise. “Is it on a star?”
Retinea scowled at him. “You have so much to learn.
Come one. I’ll find someone who can explain things to you. This way!” she said
cheerfully and trotted off into the ship with the smaller phoenix gryphon
behind her.
They were passing a window that looked down on to the planet
Atu spread out before him. Iarion froze, suddenly feeling very light headed.
Everything around him became a blur and he stepped closer to the window – only
to smack his nose on the glass. He shook his head slightly and looked out at it
again.
“Amazing, isn’t it,” Retinea said, appearing beside him.
“That’s the planet of Atu. Star City is in space, orbiting around the planet.
Cool, huh?”
“Strange,” Iarion murmured. “Are all worlds in the Nexus
like this?”
“No,” she said glancing over her shoulders as they slipped
through a crowd. Iarion was unaware of the glances he was getting. “Just most
of them. Alskyr, Pern, Danach, Icarus…just to name a few are nothing more then
big balls floating in space.”
“I wonder if Ansul is like that? Or Rerir…”
They passed under an archway labeled Draconic Relations
Ministry where others were talking to each other or going back and forth.
Retina nosed her way over to a board and peered at the flashing lights and scrolling
text. “Ah! It’s still open and I knew it had something to do with phoenix.
Iarion, come over here!”
Almost shyly, Iarion crept over to where she was standing.
He kept his amazement to himself now. Nothing in Star City was making sense to
him so he simply decided he would accept it until he had time to figure it out.
Titling his head at the text he read through the lists and found the clutch
listings of the Abstract Destiny. “Biosynth 13,” he mused. “Phoenix Chiami
and a Sira shifter called Haaji’hashmel?”
“Yep!”
He flexed his shoulders. “What is a biosynth, Retina?”
“Basically, this guy named Schroeder takes genes from
different parents and meshes them together. It’s breeding on a different level.
I have a hard time explaining it.”
Iarion sighed. “I’ll think about it, Retinea, but not until
I understand this.”
He was slightly angry now, his manner stiff as he turned and
walked out of the Ministry and back to the hallway. His tail flicked angrily as
he looked down each way before turning right and disappearing into the hallway.
The Asandae dragoness poked her head around the door and looked for him but he
was already gone.
If someone was to ask him for directions now, Iarion would
not have been able to help them. Somehow, he had made his way to the flight
deck. He ignored all of the other dragons around him, feeling a bit intimidated
even though he knew these dragons could not hurt him. Perhaps that was what was
bothering him. He watched a young dragoness land, receiving praise from her
bond before they walked away. The dragon had looked at him, blinked then
trotted hastily to her rider’s side with a fearful expression. Iarion sighed,
spread his wings and took to the air.
Here flying was weird, almost as if he was floating though
for a second he tried that and began to fall. Space, biosynths, genetics –
everything was out of place and didn’t seem real. If he had known this was what
he was going to enter he would have stayed on Anar. There was a ledge of sorts
of which he landed on, looking down as others flew about.
He was upset at this Schroeder.
And he hadn’t even met the guy.
Growling in frustration he knew why he was so angry at the
Dr. It went against Iarion’s morals to create life – that was left to the gods.
It should be left to the gods.
“Retinea said we could find you here,” Kesukiath said,
landing next to the gryphon. Aenon dismounted after flicking some of the straps
off. “You’re upset.”
“Nope. I’m overjoyed,” Iarion muttered, not looking at the
wraith dragon.
The man sat down next to him, leaning against Iarion’s
shoulder and wings as if they were a back rest and propping his feet on
Kesukiath’s foreleg. “She said she explained biosynths to you and you seemed to
get upset. It is because on the Abstract Destiny new life is created in
a way other then…”
“Other then the gods dictated is should be?” Iarion asked,
turning to look at the Sentran necromancer. “Yes. You can not create
souls! Only the gods can do that!”
At that, no one spoke for Aenon was unable to find a way to
explain it to a creature that had lived for so many years, seen so much, and
was capable of so much more then him in the spiritual realm that he said
nothing. Kesukiath’s mouth opened, then snapped closed as he turned away. “You
know,” the wraith finally said. “You are right about that. Come to think of
it…”
Aenon took a breath. “Iarion, I know not of how to explain
this to you but I will try. My only other offer is to talk to this Schroeder yourself
and ask him. And you are not alone in your confusion. There have been a few
that have bonded here and there souls are no different then those of any other
natural born creature.”
The phoenix snorted and lay his head down in clear
annoyance. “That explains nothing, Aenon.” He watched a young dragoness take to
the air, his magic touching her spirit instinctively before pulling back. It
was habit to check the souls of the young for they were the most fragile. The
dragoness hovered a moment, uncertain at the chill that had gone through her
before seeing a friend and taking off – the moment forgotten. Iarion sighed.
Aenon sat up and pulled his legs close to his chest. “They
call it science,” he said. “I call it magic.”
“Magic cannot create a soul.”
“This science magic can,” Kesukiath said softly. “Do you see
that white-red kit below? The one at the door.”
“Yes,” Iarion said, never raising his head. “What about
her?”
“That is one of the most recent of Schroeder’s clutches.”
The kit turned just before Iarion could Touch her. “She is as much alive as any
natural born creature.”
Iarion turned, pinned his ears back and growled at the other
two. “No,” he snapped and spread his feathery wings and leapt into the air, agilely
missing collision with two dragons before dropping to the ground and leaving
the flight deck.
He spent the next few hours walking through the halls of Star
City. He passed many types of dragon species and flinched at some – stared at
others. The Abstract Destiny was a very strange place. Iarion was use to
dragons living together like this. He had visited a few places around the Nexus
that Treval Dragonry was connected to. Still, he was amazed that a place
existed where dragons lived peacefully together. Ansulian dragons were very
different. They were solitary predators that would kill there own kind if
provoked. Ansulian dragons would fight each other when a female came into heat;
only the last dragon alive would mate with her. Females would sometimes fight
the males! Sure, it allowed the strongest to mate but Iarion saw it pointless
if the female died. Still, a single female could produce ten to fifty eggs from
a single mating. Iarion smirked – stealing dragon eggs was rather fun even if
it was dangerous. He had done it numerous times just to piss them off. He knew
there were others of his kind that did such things. His scars were gone now,
vanished with the rebirth of his new body. Unlike humans, he could shed his
scars and his past, so to speak. Or any proof of it.
Sitting in front of a window he watched the wide expanse of
space and suddenly felt alone and afraid. Many times had he looked out into the
night sky and felt like this but never had he been in the sky as he was
now. Was this magic, too? This ability to put people and other creatures into
space? Iarion’s body sagged, his head falling to the metal cross bar that acted
like a railing. He felt terrible. He never should have come here, never should
have listened to the dragoness. Yet, hadn’t she said there was a phoenix on
this ship? This Dr. Schroeder had her and was probably going to do something
horrible to her. The fact that she was not like him in physicality was not the
problem. A phoenix was a phoenix – creatures of rebirth and even healing, in
some legends. He just had do warn her that this was wrong.
Taking a deep breath, Iarion stood up and began to look
around for something to help him. A map! Wonderful! Slipping through a group of
humans (at least, they looked human), Iarion made his way to the illuminated
map, found the docking bay that had the ship attached to it and found his
bearings. With determination he began his way to the bay.
A phoenix gryphon is not large, in fact they are quite small
for there abilities and respect that many give them when they learn of what
they can do. Only a bit smaller then a Terran tiger they are lithe and agile.
Iarion was thankful of this as he slipped passed staff and visitors alike, his
mind set on his goal. He was either going to rescue this other phoenix or he
was going to have a talk to this Dr. Schroeder. First, he had to get onto the Abstract
Destiny.
The Docking Bay wasn’t very busy and once Iarion told the
guards that he was going to see Dr. Schroeder he was permitted on board. From
there he was directed to the Security Dock and found a large, brown-gray dragon
there. The dragon, Samurnde, blinked at him (which Iarion was quite use to by
now) but said nothing until Iarion went up to him and asked him where the
doctor was.
… to speak with the doctor?
“Yes,” Iarion said once he realized his mind was being
touched for mental speech. “Yes, I have. I am Iarion Shadowwatcher and request
his audience.”
Samurnde, nodded. I will tell them that you are here.
Iarion sighed and nodded as the dragon turned to announce
his arrival. He sat down under one of the archways and waited – grooming
himself to pass the time.
A dark dragon wearing human-like clothing came into the bay
and went to talk with the Yautjadragon for a moment. Iarion coughed to cover
his laugh – a dragon in human clothing. Interesting. Well, he sighed, it could
be worse. After all the other was wearing armor. Shaking his head he decided to
bear it and get his tail back to the school – where he belonged.
“Come with me,” the dragon said. “Valentine is my name. I
will escort you to the doctor’s office. He will meet us there.”
Iarion stood and began to follow the dragon into the
corridors, his paws making little noise on the cold floor. There were fewer
people and dragons in the hallways here; in fact they only met one crew member
the entire way.
Valentine stopped outside a door, told him to wait the
entered with the touch of a button. He caught a glimpse of a cozy looking room
before the door slide shut. Iarion sighed and sat down against the wall to
wait. Inside, the phoenix was already beginning to grow angry. So, he was
finally going to met this Schroeder. If Retinea had said there was a
clutch already…created, then he wasn’t going to be able to stop her. He could,
however, give this human a piece of his mind. Humans…he growled softly and felt
a tremor of power ripple beneath his skin along his spirit. Yes, he had agreed
to live among them once again but sometimes there habits and tasks were
annoying and cruel.
“You may enter, Mr. Shadowwatcher,” Valentine said, coming
out of the room and looking down at him with a cold, hardened expression.
Iarion raised an eyebrow at him, scowling. Why, aren’t we
smug, he thought before stepping through the human sized door. He paused
next to the dark dragon. “I would kindly ask you not use a human title to my
name,” he said, glancing sideways at the body guard. “It is an insult. Iarion
will do.” He walked by without looking back. He felt exposed and annoyed –
dragons and humans. Not a good predicament.
“Ah, Mr. Sha…”
“It’s Iarion,” the phoenix nearly growled, causing the
middle-aged man to halt in his tracks as he stepped around his desk to greet
his guest. “I have no title so don’t bother adding one.”
Schroeder blinked, a bit uncertain until Iarion sighed and
sat down, his black body sagging with a loud exhale. The golden eyes looked up
to gaze at the doctor but said nothing until he noticed his actions had been
effective. “Sorry, not the most human-friendly creature. Especially since I
came here to talk to you about your…biosynths,” he said, his tone disgusted
with using the word.
“I see,” Schroeder said, relaxing slightly. “Applications
are full, I’m afraid. Did you have questions or are you here to add to the Biopool?”
“Questions.” Iarion’s ears flicked and his tail glided
across the floor in slow, thoughtful movements, his golden feathers rustling
slightly on the red carpet. “I…I am confused as to what you do here and what a biosynth
is,” he finally said, then rose to his full height. “Also, how can you create
something with a soul when you are not a god? Souls cannot be created, only a
body.” His eyes flattened now and his eyes grew hard. He waited.
“For all that it is strange and
unusual,” the doctor began, “Biosynthesis is nothing more than a service I
provide to offer the gift of children to those who cannot have them. Take Chiami
and Haaji'hashmel. Chiami cannot bear children but wants them dearly, so I will
do what nature has denied her and give her the child she so wants. There is as
much magic as there is science in what I do, so I take a bit of her, and then I
take a bit from Haaji'hashmel, and from those pieces I make their children.
“But while there may be magic in my
work, I won't claim that I can create a soul, though I do believe in them –
very strongly, in fact. I can't say where they come from, but they come from somewhere
and I have never Synthed a soulless creature. I make the body and the mind, and
perhaps the soul makes itself along the way. There are powers that work in very
mysterious ways, and I do not call my ship the Abstract Destiny just
because I like the sound of it. Who knows? Perhaps there's a power out there
that approves of my work and sends the souls into the children I gift with
life. Wherever the souls come from, when I see the children's smiles and their
parents' joy, I know they are there.”
Iarion was quite. “Then…how do you
create a living creature?” he asked, still confused.
The doctor shrugged and smiled. “Science
is a form of magic, I guess one could say. It seeks to understand the way
things in nature work. I simply take that and simulate what nature does.”
“So it is magic…”
Iarion looked around the office, at the
painting on the wall and the other furniture and objects until he came back to
the doctor. Retinea had a soul and she had been from the Abstract Destiny.
Never had he sensed anything wrong with her. He sighed and looked back at
Schroeder. “Forgive me, I just didn’t understand.”
“You’re not the only one,” the doctor
said, again smiling at him. “It’s quite alright.”
He could not sympathize with this other
phoenix. Iarion’s kind could reproduce and bear young, though only one
at a time or perhaps two. Kits were rare and precious gifts and not yet had
Iarion been able to sire offspring. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I see. I am
sorry to bother you,” he said and stood up, looking at the man. “I protect life
and help souls pass beyond the Sea in the Netherworld. It is my duty to know
and understand such thing. I may not understand but I understand why those that
cannot have children would wish to do this.” He smiled, tilting his head to the
side. “After all, even my kind have a low reproduction rate.”
“You know,” Schroeder said, “I may not
have any applications open for Synths but the Biopool is always open.”
For a moment, Iarion said a flat out no
but then he realized that it would be like having his own young. Of course, he
was still going to try to court a female should one ever come into heat and he
was around as many were spread around the Nexus, but this…what could it hurt?
“Okay,” he said softly. It might help him understand this, after all, if he was
a part of it. “You will let me know if you use…me?”
“Your DNA,” Schroeder said. “Yes, of
course.”
Iarion was given a form to fill out.
After a quick glance at the information fields he simply blinked and the form
was filled out – in his own blood. It was an ability used to create Blood
Spells and since he couldn’t actually write…He looked a bit sheepishly up at
the Doctor who took it. “Very good,” the Doctor said, blinking at the way the
form was filled in. “This actually won’t take very long…”
Back on Star City,
Iarion returned to the Draconic Relations Ministry and stared at the board of
available clutches. Biosynth 13: sira Haaji’hashmel and phoenix Chiami.
Taking a deep breath the phoenix
gryphon turned and walked to the desk, requesting yet another form that was
also signed in his own blood as if it was seal to what he had just agreed to
do. He left Star City and returned to Treval Magic School , quietly pleased with himself. He would see where it all lead
to. Even an immortal couldn’t sit around forever waiting to do something with
there lives! |
