Chapter 1: Impending Doom

Her light feet trickled the poppy fields she walked across. The white sundress beamed as the birds chirped their sweet song, she smiled as she watched the sun slowly fade into the horizon. She was reminded of how as child, she often wondered if the moon would put the sun to bed.

“HEY BEBE”

Off in the distance she could see NomX3. She pursed her lips and she started walking towards him with a devilish grin. The distaste for that nickname had turned to a unique affection.

She pulled her hair to the side and started stroking it over and over as her bare feet kissed the dirt walking towards him. The subtle breeze blew her white sundress back as she inched closer.

Her light steps became strides. And her strides grew into a full sprint towards him as the sun found its grave. She leaped into his arms and wrapped her legs around him. She clung to him as they embraced in a lovers kiss while the moon rose to shine highest in the sky, finally defeating the sun in its glory.

He plopped her down. His sweet, gentle eyes suddenly grew a sense of urgency. He grabbed her by the shoulders with a sudden grasp.

“Bebe.. a storm is coming. You need to look to the northern sky where the collision began..” He trailed off. His face and voice started to glitch.

“Nom…NOM…what’s going on??!”, she frantically began to hug him and hold his embrace but his body began to dissipate into a myriad of electrical sparks which disintegrated before her very eyes.

“The….Ner…the northh..the key is the… BEBE” …His body vanished into thin air as she made one last attempt to grab the remains of his hands.

“What about the north? I don’t understand?” She screamed out his name. But his presence no longer lingered. She looked to the sky where he had pointed. Suddenly a hole in the sky appeared and it began to rain. She fell to her knees as she looked up at the sky. She brought her fore finger to her face and wiped the first drop off her cheek. Surprised by the viscosity of the rain, she wiped it off on her dress only to see a bright smear of red. Her heart began to pound as the sky began to pour blood down like a storm. She looked in every direction, but she could not go anywhere. She began to scream.

She gasped for air as she sprung forth out of bed from her turbulent nightmare. Sasha suffered nightmares often from the past horrors she had seen. She clutched her heavy sunken chest as she calmed her breathing. She wondered how long it had been since she had a real sleep. Her feet slipped out of bed as she placed her hands at her side to compose herself.

Emotions had always been a struggle for Sasha.

“Razbot” she announced.

Greetings Sasha. How are you doing today?

“Time” she responded as she rubbed the back of her head with her right hand as if she was searching for something.

Thank you for asking. Today is The 16th of September 3445. It is 10:30am. [INSERT WEATHER PATTERNS] Would you like me to go over your schedule?

“Fuck that”

Sasha, I do not understand when you speak in such a way.

“No thanks dude”. She smiled for a brief moment as she got out of her bed. It had been years since the black hole collision. 

Sasha. Why must you insist on calling me dude? I am Razbot

“Sometimes, when you are friends with someone... you call them dude”, she replied.

Oh…that is, not something I have studied in the works of humans. I have studied the literature of..

“Yea, yea I know, the literature of the ancients and the text of the originals. But if you call someone dude, it means...you know, you’re chill…”

Ok Sasha.. I mean dude. Are we chill?

She chuckled a little as she got ready for her day ahead.

“Yes Razzzzzzz…. We are super chill”.

She threw on her council jacket. She felt like today would be a big meeting. Today was the day they discussed the division of resources in the northern territory.

She sauntered down the corridors as she passed her comrades chambers. It had been a rough year for Sasha since she had banished NomX3. She quickly stopped in the food quarters where everyone was finishing their breakfast. She noticed the time on the screen read 11:102am. Realizing she had slept in – she opted for the quickest snack she could. She swiped her wrist brand over the touch screen menu and tapped a few buttons. She grabbed the nutrient bar and stuffed an oversized bit it in her mouth. She swallowed 1/3 of the bar with a large gulp of her throat. She swiped her coffee and began to exit.

Her saunter evolved to brisk walk as she neared the council hall. The door swiftly opened. She observed that many had already been seated chatting prior to her arrival. She quickly sat next to Malsi. He turned to her with a wide grin.

“How nice of you to join us Sasha. Late night?” He began to tease.

“Something like that.” She forced herself to smile at the members and greeted everyone in the room as they awaited for Bablo$. The meeting was supposed to begin at 11:30. It was unlike Bablo$ to be the last one to enter the room. He had taken a long time to recover from the brutal war of galaxy collision. Sasha had felt a subtle distance from her father lately. The past year had been filled with dark memories that lingered. Ever since CVR split into two nations – she had been riddled with pressure. She leaned over to Malsi.

“Have you spoken with Otets lately?” She was curious to see if Malsi had better luck in reaching out. Malsi jolted his head to her as he gave her a stern and disapproving look.

Sasha would tend to forget that it was forbidden to mention their family relationship in any political meeting the northern federation held. Bablo$ had always preferred his privacy as he let his two rightful heirs reign to carry on his legacy. He felt that although it was common knowledge that they were potentially related, it was absolutely unnecessary to reveal their bond as it could potentially be used to dispute their authority within in the council meeting. Malsi leaned in closely and put his hand on her shoulder as he whispered lightly in her ear.

“We grab a drink tonight and catch up, sestra”. She looked forward and let out a deep breath. He leaned back and sat straight with posture that demanded respect with his hands on the table. She nodded with her head still looking forward then mirrored his body language to evoke the confidence she felt she lacked.

The Northern Federation had struggled to align itself due to internal power struggles. Kotori had been eloquently seated with two generals standing behind him that she did not recognize. She turned her head eagerly towards the doors as they opened only to be disappointed to see the absence of Bablo$. A messenger guard entered the room and walked directly towards the round table. He placed his wrist on the table screen as a virtual decoder scanned his eye. Sasha jerked her head towards Malsi, yet he remained completely still and calm. A virtual hologram began a pre-recorded message.

He couldn’t even come to this meeting…… She thought to herself. Could he really be this upset with her. She had always tried to work on her emotions but sometimes they would just get the best of her. She remembered their last conversation had not been the most productive.

“Good morning my fellow Northern Federation council. It is with my sincerest apologies and regrets that I am unable to attend this meeting. I am wishing a productive and forward thinking outcome. Malsi, please represent the round table on my behalf. Good day”. The message finished but her head began to spin. She withheld the sadness she could feel brewing in her face.

Cold as the great CVR winters….be cold as the great CVR winters…. She thought as she composed herself.

“The meeting has been called to order by the new galactic federation in 102” Malsi began. “Sasha of TDZ, present. Kotori of N13, present. GunnerBlack of IBL, present. Malsi of GFN, present”.