It took like 4 days but I wrote a new chapter! Here it is. Chapter two of the Daughters of Ala'a

  Chapter Two

Siamak lay on the cliff above a Pale One camp with two other Sisters laying beside her. Three other Sisters were protecting them and writing down the information as it came. Siamak and her two Sisters were deep in the Sharing, looking through their Scale-Sister’s eyes as they slithered through the camp, gathering information. Nihani slithered through a flap in one of the tents. She was looking for the information runner who had arrived here to rest that day. She had been following his scent trail through the camp and it led here. She flicked her tongue out once more, tasting the air. His scent was concentrated here. She slithered through the tent sticking to the edges as she approached the bed and the figure laying in it. She made her way up one of the posts the bed was on, and slithered her way to the pillow. Laying on it was the runner.

Speaking through Siamak’s lips, “I have found him. He lays sleeping in the open. Defenseless. I would like to kill him now.”

“No, Scale-Sister we need him alive for now. Once we have what we need from him, you may kill him then. In the meantime, you may make him Sleep.” Jalina, the Sister in charge of keeping track of the information they collect, informed Nihani. She clicked her tongue while she looked at her notes, the small firelight floating beside her head providing light. 

“We have enough Sisters. It’s time we destroyed that camp. My Sisters, make your targets Sleep, while the rest of us spill blood.” 

Jalina packed her notes into the pouch on her hip and sealed it, she waved off her fire light, while her other Sisters left the Sharing. Each Sister made her way to their feet, and they began to scale down the cliff, their skin blending into the night. The Sisters split up once they reached camp, each one going to take out a patrol guard. Siamak reached her guard and quickly put her hand over his mouth, while reaching around with her dagger and slit his throat deep enough that all he could do was gurgle. She silently dropped him to the ground and made her way to the tent where Nihani silently waited. 

Siamak slipped into the tent and immediately made her way to kill the other man sleeping in the tent with the runner, but Nihani had already done that.

“You were supposed to wait for us Sister. What if he had awoken before he died?” Siamak whispered as she walked to the other bed where Nihani was curled on the runner’s chest, looking smug as only a Scale-Sister could.

“I was wrapped around his throat before he knew what was happening, and then my fangs were directly in his throat. He died quickly. Shame that. He did not deserve an easy death.” Nihani uncurled herself as she spoke, making her way up the hand Siamak held out, and made her way to Siamak’s head and settled herself in place.

“Grab this one so we can burn this place to the ground, and cleanse it of their taint.” Nihani said, flicking her tongue out again.

“I taste much blood in the air. I think our Sisters are nearly finished.”

Siamak grabbed the runner and flipped him over her shoulder with barely a grunt. She left the tent and walked to the middle of the camp where her Sister’s were waiting, with two other people slung over their shoulders.

“We have what we came for. Let’s burn this place to the ground,” Jalina, said nodding toward one of her SIster’s without a person on their shoulder. 

“ Malika, you have the strongest fire. Make sure nothing else burns but the camp. The plains do not deserve to be hurt. They’ve done nothing wrong.” Jalina and the other Sister’s make their way out of the decimated camp, while Malika and their Scale-Sister, closed their eyes, and raised their hands to the sky. Between Malika’s raised hands, sparks formed. Then small flames that got higher and hotter. Malika threw their hand wide, and the fire jumped to the nearest tent and began to eat it. Then it jumped to the next and the next, then it jumped to their carts and all other evidence that the Pale Ones were there. Once everything was ash, Malika opened their eyes and lowered their hands. They walked to where their Sisters were waiting.

“Solana. You should make it rain so the ash can mix with the earth, and new life can rise.” Malika bowed their head towards another SIster who repeated the gesture. Solana moved slightly away from the group, and raised her hands to the sky. Clouds began to form, wispy and white at first, then they gained volume, and darkened. Thunder boomed, a flash of lighting and then rain started to pummel the earth and drenched the ground and the SIsters. A few minutes later it started to taper off until it stopped altogether, Everything within a mile had gotten a good bit of rain. 

Solana walked back to the soaking wet group and together they bowed their heads, and made a prayer to the Goddess just to make sure the ground was properly cleansed of taint. They turned their backs to the site, and made their way back to one of the Tribe villages that were housing them on their mission. It would take them all night to reach it, but they had each other to make the time go faster, and with the hefty weight  of their captives, the knowledge that they were one step closer to their goal. Finding the leader of the Pales Ones, so that they could put an end to them and their brutality. 

Daughters of Ala'a

 Without further ado, meet Siamak and Nihani. Two of the Daughters of Ala'a

Chapter One

She knelt in front of her mirror and placed her braids into a warped bun on the crown of her head. She mixed the clay from her Tribe with water and painted it on her skin in the symbols of her Tribe, her mother, her line and her SIsters. She placed her armor on one piece at a time, her undershirt, then her thickened leathers, her hide boots. Then came her metal gauntlets, then the knives her Tribe made from the special metals in the mountains they nestled against. She rose to her feet, then made her way over to her companion, curled around herself nestled on her bed in a sunbeam. 

Her companion’s scales were a deep grey with its edges dipped in light copper. Her diamond shaped head gleamed with dark grey eyes, and when she opened her mouth her palate was as black as night. 

“Is it time my sister?,”  her companion asked her, with her forked tongue elongating the “s” sounds in her words. “Time for vengeance? To spill blood? To feast?”

“It is time Nihani. We will turn the clay red. We will breathe in their blood, drink it and feast on it.” she replied to her Scale-Sister. 

“Then let us be on our way Siamak. We have much blood to spill.” Nihani slithered up Siamak’s arm, up her neck, and wrapped herself around Siamak’s braided bun and neck, with her head resting on Siamak’s forehead right between her brows. Siamak made her way through her home and out the beaded door, she and her mother spent hours making. She gently caressed the beads on her way out. She made her way to the center of the Tribe, where the rest of her Sister’s were waiting with their Scale-Sisters positioned like Nihani. She took her place in the semi-circle around the Tribe Matriarch’s Meeting House. 

Siamak and her Sisters bow to the Tribe Matriarch as she exits the Meeting House. The Tribe Matriarch was a tall, round woman, with deep dark glowing skin, covered in the clay drawn symbols of their Tribe. Her hair was black peppered with silver, done up in a braided bun, with her Scale-Sister adorning her like others. The Tribe Matriarch was adorned in her ceremonial battle leathers, woven through with thin threads of their mountain metal. 

The Tribe Matriarch bows to them, “Daughters. It is good to see you all assembled here in front of me. The best warriors in our Tribe. I wish it were for better reasons. Unfortunately, you go forth to mere out vengeance. The Pale Ones have been raiding the Tribes at the edge of our lands. Killing, raping, and stealing our people. We have finally learned where they have been taking them, and where they have been raiding from. You will kill them all. You will make them regret ever stepping foot on Ala’a land. They think we are easy prey, because they raided our farming Tribes. They will find this prey has teeth. Spill their blood. Make the clay run red. Scale-Daughters feast. Leave only bones as warning. Let them know,  Ala’a is NOT theirs for the taking.” 

The Matriarch stepped further in the semi-circle of her Daughters and they formed a complete circle around her. She began to sing and dance and her Scale-Sister began to writhe to her beat, Her Daughters closed their eyes and began to move with her. Stepping out of the shadows of the buildings and encircling the Daughters, the other villagers joined in. They all moved in the Ceremonial War Dance, and each word spoken and sung by the Matriarch and Tribe was a spell. A spell that strengthened their Daughters both Scale and Skin. It thickened scales and skin, enhanced speed and skill and sight, it made them ready for anything. The Daughters of Ala’a were going to war.

Meanwhile...Where I've been

        Hi! So it's been nearly 5 years since I've actually posted anything on here. Or written any words at all. Um  in the last five years, I've been diagnosed with Major depression, and anxiety, and one of the things antidepressants take from you is your creativity, which for me was a sacrifice worth making, otherwise I wouldn't be here today. Because not only was I depressed, I'd also become disabled which made my depression worse. I suffer from Chronic migraines and Post-herpetic Neuralgia, and both leave me with indescribable amounts of pain daily. While they are both manageable with medication, dealing with that and work - Hey I'm a certified chef now - left me with little in the tank to write. Then 2020 happened.       

         Another blow to my, admittedly already fragile body. I contracted Covid -19, and while a relatively mild case, it's left me with a warped sense of smell and taste, both things you need to be a chef, and with no clear idea if I'll ever get them back to normal. Then not to mention the breathing problems and inability to stand for more than a few minutes because Covid has literally set my feet on fire - my doctors don't know how, or why that's happened or how long that gonna last so MORE fun - has forced me to resign from my job, since I physically can't do it anymore.

        I say all that to say, I actually had the urge to write today. So I sat down and wrote what was in my head and I'll post that in a minute. About the Watcher though, I hope I'll be able to go back to that, now that it seems my brain has room for words. It's gonna have to wait though, because Siamak and Nihani need their stories told. I'm not going to try to keep a schedule, because that would literally overwhelm me now, but I am going to try to write a few words a day though, even if it's just 30 words and I end up hating them at the end. Anyways thank you for reading my rambling words. 

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

                        At 8 am the next morning in the GSAs main conference room found most of the world leaders milling about, including John. Mura – Jie appeared in the room and cleared her throat. Most of the leaders shrank back from her, both surprised and terrified, after all the last time she was there she nearly destroyed the world.

            “Calm down. I am not here to destroy you. Yet. I just have a little present for all of you, something of a guide book slash rule book. Just to make sure there are no confusions, after all I don’t feel like having to interact with you more than I have to. I am sure you guys don’t want me here anymore than I want to be here,” Mura – Jie explained. She snapped her finger and a heavy bound book appeared in front of each chair in the conference room, in the main language of the leader it was meant for.

            “This is a contract between me and you, as long as those rules and guidelines are followed for the next thirteen years, I will not destroy you Humans. Look at this as a good thing, there is lots of leeway in my rules, and if it’s not mentioned in the rules you can do it. See I am not entirely heartless,” Mura – Jie giggled and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

            John and the other leaders went to their respective seats and picked up their book which was aptly named, “Things Humanity Can Do to Not Get Blown Up” by Watcher Mura – Jie. He opened the first page and the very first page had in bold block letters, “Follow these rules and guidelines and you are almost guaranteed to not get destroyed”. John shook his head then heard the conference room door open. He looked up to see Jane Anne with Carol and the other scientists entering the room. Jane Anne looked at the books being read by everyone inquisitively.

            “Did we miss something,” She looked at Carol, “Did you send the information ahead of us or something?”

            “No. I have no idea what they are reading.” Carol nodded towards John, “Do you mind filling us in?”

            “Mura – Jie dropped these off for us,” He turned the book around so they could read the title.

            “I think she thinks this is funny, and not terrifying which it really is. I can however see it has its uses. The very first chapter is in regards to how we deal with aliens, for want of a better name.” John handed the book over to Carol who had held her hands out as soon as he said the word aliens.

            Carol glanced through the first chapter quickly a smile spreading on her face. She handed the book to Jane Anne who quickly read it as well and laughed.

            “This is perfect. Absolutely perfect,” She out her fingers to her lips and whistled getting everyone’s attention. “Folks I’m going to need you to sit down. While this rule book is surprising and kind of terrifying, it is going to be extremely useful for the reason we called you here on such short notice.” Jane Anne jerked her head back quickly, “I just had a thought. We should distribute copies of this book to the general population at large, or at least a cliff notes version of it anyway. This would help alleviate some of the population fear if they had a guide book to work off of.

            “This is also a wonderful guide for us to work off of as well, but the reason we brought you here,” She looked at Carol, “Do you want to be the one to tell since it was your teams find?”

            Carol nodded and shut the lights off while the scientists that came with her along with Jane Anne went to their respective seats. She pulled a remote out of her pocket and turned a projector on. The projector showed a computer screen with scrolling ones and zeros. “This ladies and gentleman is a message, we received from the Da Vinci probe. The Da Vinci probe for those who don’t read their memos is the probe who started to send us messages two years ago. The probe that made our Watcher show herself.

            “The probe has been both a blessing and a curse, a blessing partly due to this but also all of the information we have gathered from it. A curse because of our Watchers disdain for us, but she has actually helped us with this guidebook, it amended one of the things she first said in such a way that this,” she pointed at the screen, “becomes something we can actually respond to. One of the rules in the guide book, is as follows, ‘You may only contact species that explicitly contact you first. You may not make the first move. They must come to you.’ This ladies and gentlemen means we can respond to this message because these aliens addressed their message, ‘To the lifeforms who sent this satellite’.

            “They addressed it directly to us, so the message the boys in the labs have been creating we can send back as a response. We actually have the technology to send the message back to them because they have been broadcasting what can only be described as a blueprint to build some sort of amplifying antennae. We might actually be able to make first contact with an alien race. Well and alien race that hasn’t been watching us since we first gained sentience.” Carol turned to the speechless room.

            “We were coming here to discuss whether or not to disregard our Watcher’s order and send this message before the guidebook showed up, but we no longer have to. The only thing we really need to decide is should we let the world know about the signal. I don’t think we should. Aliens have left a bad taste in the collective world’s mouth as it were. I will however leave this decision up to you fine folks.” Carol left the projector on and took her seat next Jane Anne.

            John looked around the room taking in the various degrees of awe, respect, confusion and fear on people’s faces. He made a snap decision, “We should send the signal, it will take years to get there and years to get a reply back. It will be something we can complete after our deadline is up. I don’t think we should tell people about it though. Let’s keep this strictly need to know for as long as we can. I do think we all need to take a day or two, read these rules and guideline and discuss them. We can also decide then whether or not to distribute them in part or in whole to the world’s population.

            “These are all things that need to be done, but they won’t be done now, this is just all too over whelming, and I know I can’t be tasked with making any major decisions until we have these books read. Everyone agree to just take a step back and breathe? We could all use a two day vacation, and I think we need to take it.” John looked around to see everyone agreeing with him. “It’s settled then, we’ll reconvene here Wednesday at 8 am to get stuff sorted. See you folks then.”

            John got up and went to Jane Anne and Carol and informed them he would make a copy of the rule book and get it to them later that day. He left the conference room and ordered mark to make a copy for them. He then ordered his Secret Service detail to take him to a small low key bar. He made sure to change out of his suit and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as well as a baseball cap, and he went out to get very, very drunk. He wasn’t sure how much more his brain could take of the stress and surprises life kept throwing at him. Oh he hated the day Mura – Jie appeared on that screen two years ago. 

Chapter Seven part two

                                                                        ***

            When Jane Anne reached the GSA building she was expecting one or two people to be there not what looked like an entire science department waiting for her. Carol stepped out of the crowd and hurried up to her. She took Jane Anne’s hand and began to drag her into the building and she began to talk rapidly.

            “We discovered a signal in the data we collected from the Da Vinci Satellite, a signal Jane Anne! We made sure that it wasn’t interference and that it wasn’t a signal we sent out. It’s completely alien! Do you know what that means? It means there is intelligent life out there! Actual intelligent life with the ability to send signals.

            “Well we knew there was intelligent life out there since we had a watcher and she basically proved that fact, but this is an intelligence that doesn’t hate us! Can you believe it? To make an amazing thing better the signal is ongoing, now that we know what we are looking for, it’s been showing up in other things we have received from space!” Carol was so excited she was practically vibrating.

By the time she finished talking they were in the basement of the GSA building where all the science was done. Carol dragged her right over to a giant computer which was emitting a series of beeps and tones. Carol tapped the shoulder of the man that was sitting in the chair in front of the computer and pushed Jane Anne into the seat he had vacated. She point to a section on the screen and Jane Anne immediately recognized it as computer code. She gasped.

“They are sending us a message in binary? Does this mean they have developed technology similar to our own? Have you translated what it means yet,” Jane Anne spat questions in rapid succession. She hadn’t been this excited for a part of her job in a long while. The last few months it had all been paper work, and things that people would should have been able to solve on their own. This however was amazing.

            “We have! And yes it is in binary, and we are hoping they did developed technology close tours. It’s a standard greeting basically, and best of all they’ve sent us coordinates. We are currently calibrating all of our satellites and telescopes toward those coordinates, and we desperately want to contact them. Send them a message to show them that we are here and we heard them, but therein lies our problem. Our Watcher said we weren’t to make any effort to contact any intelligent life we might find from our probe, but we haven’t heard anything from her in two years

            “This is why we need everyone here, we have to decide if we will disregard what she said, if it’s worth it to meet these aliens. While we are waiting for the other Heads of States, there is a question we wanted to ask you specifically. Can we formulate a response just in case we all decide to send a message? It’s just a hope, but we really want to,” Carol spoke with her hands gently bouncing on her feet, barely keeping herself in one spot.

            “I don’t see why not, just in case of course. You are right though, we haven’t heard anything from our Watcher in a while, and I personally think we should take the risk, because who knows when we will get another chance to meet another species, but it’s not up to me. It’s up to the Heads of State and they might not feel it’s worth her wrath,” Jane Anne spoke while still staring at the computer screen. She was enchanted, she wondered to herself if she could have the transmission sent to her, so she could listen to it again and again.

            “I don’t really want to get a cab or take the train home, is there any place near here  where I can get a good night’s sleep,” jane Anne Asked Carol who was even then on her way over to a group of scientist staring at Jane Anne with big puppy dog eyes filled with hope.

            “There are apartments on the top five floors of this building,” Carol pulled a key card out of her pocket and walked back over to Jane Anne an handed it to her, “ You can have this room for the night. I’m going to go make a few peoples day,” She smiled and turned back in the direction she was headed in the first place.

            Jane Anne nodded took the key and went to the elevator banks and head to the thirty-fifth floor where the apartment was. She took a quick bath took her night cloths out of her travel bag and went to lay down knowing she wouldn’t get to sleep anytime soon.

                                                            ***

            Mura – Jie blinked open her eyes and she was back in the Head Watchers office. It stood in front of her holding a document, waiting for her to take it. Mura – Jie knew not to speak until it asked her to. It looked like it was still angry at her. She took the document and read it. It was written in their language, and basically asked her to give the Humans the option to interact with any other species they found. She shook her head.

            “No, the humans have been searching for life in the universe for a long time. They can wait the thirteen years that are left. I do not want them interacting with any other species until I know they are ready, and they are not ready,” Mura – Jie was adamant that no other Watcher could see her failure. She had to keep some of her pride.

            “How about a compromise then,” The Head Watcher waved a tentacle over the document and its wording changed.

            “They can only communicate with other species that contact them directly,” Mura – Jie read out loud. She shook her head again.     

            “I don’t want them in contact with any other species, Head Watcher.”

            “You won’t be able to stop other species from contacting them Mura – Jie, you won’t know who you are when you are back on that planet, how will you inforce that mandate when you won’t know you were the one who placed it? How will the Humans know if something has happened the change your mind in the thirteen years you will be down there? You and I need to come up with a few ground rules you can announce to the Humans so they have a guide line and goals to work towards.” The head Watcher took the paper from her hands and slithered back towards its desk.

            “It’s time you though this thing through Mura – Jie,” it said as it pulled out a writing implement and more paper. Mura – Jie nodded and moved to sit in the chair in front of its desk, and began to think about what she really wanted from the Humans.

Chapter Seven part one

Chapter Seven

            Jane Anne stepped out of Air Force One onto the tarmac of John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City and she was glad to be home. She had missed her city with its bright lights and its energy. It helped revive her after two weeks spent in Bern, Switzerland for the conference. She was only supposed to be there a week but things kept coming up keeping all the heads there, but thankfully they did get a lot of things settled and a lot of plans set into motion.

            She walked towards the limo that was waiting to take her home. On the way to her home in Mount Vernon, New York she started checking emails and voice messages and all the things she had missed while she was away. She sighed, all it was, was more problems she needed to find solutions to. As the limo pulled into her drive way her cell phone rang. She tapped her wrist where it was located and answered it.

            “Hello Jane Anne Miller speaking, whom may I ask is calling?”

            “Hello Ms. Miller, this is Carol Raemous, Head of the American branch of the Global Space Agency, I need you to come into our New York Office immediately. Something has come up that we need you see. We already have the President coming in and the other Heads of Sates are coming in tomorrow, but I think it’s best you see first, seeing as you are basically the voice of reason to them,” Carol Raemous spoke quickly, and urgently.

            Jane Anne was surprised and dismayed at being asked to go anywhere this late at night, but she knew that it must be something very important for the Head of GSA to call.

            “I’ll be there as soon as I can, is there anything I need to bring with me?”

            “No just hurry, this is incredible,” Carol hung up without saying goodbye, but Jane Anne Didn’t take it personally. She had met Carol a handful of times while they were discussing things pertaining to the Global Space Agency, and Carol never said goodbye, she said she didn’t have the time that was two seconds she could be thinking about something important.

            Jane Anne knocked on the partition dividing her and the limo driver and instructed him to take her to the GSA building in Manhattan. The car backed out and she was on her way back into the city. It was going to be another long night.

Chapter six part two

            ***

John arrived at the conference at exactly 8 am. Neither late nor early exactly on time. He took his seat on the left side of the gigantic table that filled the football field sized room. He looked around the room noticing a few of the other heads milling around. One leader was noticeable missing from room though, as was Jane Anne.

He called his Advisor Mark over and pointed out that Jane Anne wasn’t there, they were due to start any minute. As Mark pulled his cell phone to call Jane Anne the door opened and the Japanese delegation came in along with Jane Anne. The Japanese Prime Minister looked down trodden and a bit sad. Jane Anne however looked excited. 

Jane Anne sat down at the very head of the table while the Japanese Prime Minister sat down across from John. Jane Anne cleared her throat, and the other heads began to settle in their seats, most people wanting to get things under way as they were going to be busy for the rest of the day.

“Hello everyone, good to see everyone here today,” Jane Anne began to speak addressing each head of state in turn.

“I want us all to spend today addressing our most looming problem. The Japanese population issue. Before we came in here today Mr. Takinaka, and I had a long talk about Japan’s unwillingness to accept help, and we have worked through that. Right now the Japanese population is at about half of the population they need to keep their infrastructure working.

“Scientists have speculated that the Japanese people will lose about 10 million people in the next 10 years which would cut their population by a third. Which would indeed crush the global economy. So I have convinced the Japanese Prime Minister to loosen their immigration policy, so what we need to discuss is how to get the Japanese people, for lack of a better phrase, to stop being racist and have children with foreigners. We also need to encourage countries with high populations, like those in Africa, and China, and also India to migrate to Japan to help boost their population even temporarily.”

Jane Anne looked around at the heads assembled after she finished but no one said a word. She sighed and pointed to the scientists that had come in after her.

“These guys have an idea about how to go about all of this the only thing they need is funding. I’ll let them explain and then we will go about deciding how much each country will contribute to the funding for their ideas and you will all be contributing because this all affects you,” Jane Anne stepped aside and a female scientist took her place.

That day they spent at least twelve hours talking about different ways to help Japan. John and the American people ended up pledging five hundred million dollars to the scientist ideas. By the time they finished their meeting that day it was 8pm, and John decided a massage was a good idea, since he was so stressed. He called up the hotel and requested a massage, there was only one spot left for the day so he took it.

John sighed and left the conference room heading towards the hotel spa. As he was turning the hall the get to the spa from the bank of elevators, he heard a voice calling his name out. He thought about ignoring the person, but he stopped and turned around and there was Jane Anne Miller walking towards him.

“Is there anything I can help you with Jane Anne,” he asked tilting his head.

“Not at all, it’s just that I see you are heading towards the spa, which is where I was headed, and I figured we might as well go together,” Jane Anne reached him and entwined her elbow with his. They both continued on towards the spa, when they reached the front desk the concierge informed them that they would be in the same room getting their massages, neither of them cared though. They were both too tired to even think about complaining, they just wanted to relax.