The Index -|-

The huge door to the Predominant’s chamber was perfectly silent as it rotated, and colored light glinted on its intricately patterned surface. Zara stepped into the chamber behind her Da, and the weight of three, solemn gazes settled on her skin like physical pressure.

The Predominant sat on a raised, marble platform that was lined in gold and purple, and she saw them clearly for the first time, not as legends, but as living creatures. They were dressed in the armor that resembled that which she had seen in the murals on Yefrtil, and they looked almost identical. Same gray-green skin, same elongated features, same piercing blue eyes that caught the light like polished stone. Their heights definitely gave them away. The one on the left stood a full head taller than the others, shoulders squared, spine straight. It commanded the space without even trying. The one in the center was taller than Zara, as most people were; limbs lithe and purposeful, nothing wasted in their posture. The one on the right was slightly shorter and carried a softness that was almost intangible.

The chamber was round and bathed in a pastel hue. A sky was portrayed in stunning detail on the domed ceiling, and there Zara could see the sun beginning to set. The triad of thrones, for demonstrating the hubris of emperors, were the furniture of pure arrogance,. They were set on varicolored foundations inlaid with a multitude of precious stones. Pure white cushions with gold embroidered trim and tassels adorned them, and in front, wooden footstools invisibly hovered at just the right height.

Everyone stared at the others for a long moment until finally, the tall one moved first. A single gesture, finger flicking toward Tiirw, and Zara’s Xi shipmate collapsed mid-step. No words. No hesitation. The authority of the motion made Zara’s breath catch.

Viinox saw it and ran.

[Smart,] Zara thought, watching Viinox vanish down the corridor from whence they had come. Tiirw’s body quickly turned into a pile of riiat.

The Ganix warriors were smart too, and they were adept at group tactics. All twelve of them silently spread out, lightning spears peppering the Predominant with crackling bolts of electricity. The bolts died against the Predominant’s shields without so much as a flicker of strain. The warriors, to their credit did not hesitate, and they died before they had finished two strides. The Predominant hadn’t even risen from their seats. The Predominant hadn’t even risen from their seats.

“We welcome you home, child.” Three voices spoke, perfectly synchronized. The tall one’s mouth moved a fraction before the others, setting the pace. The center one’s hands stayed folded, practical and still. The third smiled widest, teeth sharp and white, something almost maternal in the expression that made Zara’s stomach turn.

She checked her Qon shield instinctively. Invisible golden Qon flared around her and her Da. Threads of aji wrapped everything in this place. She’d never seen so much, never felt the air itself thrumming with invisible power. The Predominant’s shields dwarfed hers, thick bands of golden energy that moved when they moved, breathing with them. It was awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

Watching the aji play over the Predominant sent a cold shiver through her psyche. For the first time, she realized that she was outmatched. “Da,” she whispered. “They’re so strong!” Her father stepped forward anyway, placing himself between her and the Predominant. She wanted to pull him back. She wanted to tell him that the tall one decided who lived, that the center one calculated every angle, that the soft one looked at her like she was property. But the words stuck in her throat.

“Is this the great Predominant then?” Kpleeb said, voice steady despite everything. He looped his thumbs under his notched, kerflk vest and pushed his chest out. “Which one of you is the Ka, the leader who will speak for your galactic band of kidnappers and murderers? Huh?! You have taken me from my home. You killed my wife and kidnapped my daughter. My name is Kpleeb of the canyon river tribe. I’ve come here for vengeance!”

The center one leaned backward nonchalantly, displaying a sincere lack of concern. “We did none of these things. We only exist here on Nidix, and we never leave.” Its hands gestured towards its mates. “We serve the Xi and support them with our strength and commitment. We do not capture or kill unless attacked.” It tilted its head in question. “Are you attacking us, Builder?”

The soft one turned to the others, hand still resting on their stomach. Its bioluminescence shifted, spiraling faster, patterns of anxiety or excitement playing across their skin. “Is this really the Builder? It seems so small.”

Kpleeb scoffed and waved a dismissal with his hand. “You pathetic three, the Ja, Na, and the Ka, the embodiment of your murderous diety, Janaka. It all seems a bit redundant, no?!”

The tall one laughed expansively, and the sound carried authority even in mockery. “You must have studied us and if you did, you know us to be impervious, especially to you. Maybe you should stick to your rocks caves. Build something for us, please. Maybe a toy house! Yes, do it now!”

The center one raised a finger to point at Kpleeb, and the others fell silent. “You will not discover vengeance here, Builder. Only your demise.” A sharp whistle came from its mouth. Zara felt it in her teeth, in her bones, in the golden energy that had lived with her since before she had known its name.

Qon quivered and fled. Zara screamed. The golden light seemingly tearing itself from her soul, flowing toward the triad like water rushing to find the sea. For one heartbeat, she was able to resist, but Qon was strong. It twisted, fighting to leave, a caught animal desperate to escape its lifelong bond. In a moment it was integrated into the golden shield surrounding the Predominant.

Zara’s muscles hitched and she fell. The spongy floor absorbed her impact, and she lay there gasping, empty, hollowed out. Years of Qon’s constant presence, gone. The silence in her skull was deafening. “Da,” she choked out. “It’s gone. They took Qon away from me.”

Her Da didn’t hesitate. She heard the lightning spear activate, the whine of her own creation powering up, the cracking thunder of discharged energy. She saw the golden shield absorb it without effort or interest as it did with those of the Ganix that were now scattered on the floor. “Get up,” Kpleeb said. “Get up and fight!”

Zara tried. She pushed herself to her knees, but her body felt wrong. Heavy and slow. She’d never thrown a punch without Qon guiding her fist, never dodged dipped, ducked, dived, or dodged without the beautiful energy whispering where the blow would land. She was blind. She was helpless. “I can’t,” she breathed.

“You are more than Qon.” Her father’s voice, steady despite the fact that Ka, the tall one, the leader, was rising to meet him. “You are strong. You are smart. You know how to fight. Your reflexes are amazing even without the power. You are my amazing daughter, and you are not helpless.” He leveled his spear and swung with all his strength.

Ka moved to intercept with a physical blow.

“Fight!” Kpleeb shouted, dodging a second crushing blow.

Zara pushed herself up. She watched the soft one, the Na. She remembered it as the one who carried life, she watched it circle toward her father’s blind side. The center one stayed still, unconcerned and unassuming, its calculating gaze tracking every motion. The tall one pressed the attack, commanding the space, forcing Kpleeb back as he desperately dodged the attacks.

Zara moved. No Qon to guide her, just muscle memory and desperation. She rolled under a sweep of bioluminescent force, came up inside the perimeter, drove her fist into the soft belly. Something cracked. The Na shrieked, stumbling back, hands clutching their stomach. But there were three of them. The center one gestured, efficient and precise, and Qon threads wrapped Zara’s limbs. The tall one struck her Da with the back of its hand and sent him sprawling. The Na recovered, bioluminescence shifting toward the red, wounds already healing.

Zara struggled against the threads. She could feel them now, invisible golden lines burning where they touched. Though the power that had always surrounded her was gone, she could finally see what it had hidden.

“You will submit, Ixant.” The center one’s voice addressed her, practical and cold. “You are a great success, one of our own creation, and you will fulfill your destiny.”

The tall one raised their hand, and the threads tightened. Zara felt herself lifted, her father beside her, both of them hanging in golden chains.

The ceiling wheeled overhead, moon shifting, stars pointing toward mountains she would never see. The threads bit deeper. Her Da’s scream tore through the chamber, raw and broken. Zara hung beside him, fingers twitching, unable to reach, unable to help, the absence of Qon a hollow void inside her skull.

“Da,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I can’t… hold on.” The triad’s bioluminescence flared in unison: utilitarian, commanding, nurturing, three aspects of a greater whole, something she didn’t understand. The threads drew tighter, and the night sky spun on, indifferent to their struggle.”