Axalairian's Oracle: Digs: Axalairian's Oracle, #2

By Alex O. Knyght

Our continuing journey for the truth behind the mysterious Axalairians. With me, my best friend, Captain Jace Broker, a Via-an, and Paine, an orphan human in hiding from The Gekorlars.

I'm still considered the Vladi of the Athelian Empire, even with Vlady Caledon and the home world destroyed. That has kept me a target for MECA, the anti-alien faction of Humans from Earth. The very people that started the war with the Empire, in the first place.

There is no reason for them to be targeting me. Cal and our baby are dead. Cal has to be. I watched his world explode. So why do I still hear his voice? See him? Is it like with Aracne, my dead Axalairian teacher. If it is that I want it to stop.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pink Meanie Crafts
• Release date: Jun 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9781739015688

Book preview

Prologue

We were home. Amy had come with me to the funeral home. In my hands was My little Scott. He fought so hard, but the world was not ready for a baby a quarter Athelian. I didn’t know where Cal was going to be laid to rest. I would have to ask Henri about that. My mind was just not ready for him to be gone.

Amy stopped in the double wide driveway. Parking next to a forest green Bel Air. Why was Cal’s car here? My hands rested on the hood. It was still warm. Was he here? Was what happened a lie by MECA? I ran into the house. Dad sat with Mycha on the couch. Just as beat up as I had seen on the news sites. Seeing our best friend made it real. Cal was really gone. Mycha was safe, though.

Mycha stood, and I hugged him. I know. I know. We tried. Cal fought to the last Athelian. I lost it. I came to check on you.

How are you okay?

Cal sent me with Nero and Chi’t. We were in the underwater palace on Athelia 3.

Of course, Cal would stay behind. I sat on the couch. Jace was at my side with tissues. I get what he was doing to save his people, but did anyone ever think about how it would affect me and Scott?

Honey. Dad said, sitting next to me. Dad had carried me to the car, then sat with me at the hospital. Jace never left my side, as I was told that Scott wasn’t in me. I left a message with Mom’s answering service.

You are the only thing that he was thinking about. He wanted so much to be the one to see you.

It’s a little too late, Mycha. Amy went to the back of the house. Mycha glanced at the hospital bag, then fell to his knees next to me.

Oatha? What happened?

I lost Scott. Mycha paled. The stress of seeing the planet destroyed was too much. He didn’t survive. I closed my eyes, biting my lip. A deep breath later. I lost the ones I loved.

Chi’t wanted you to come to the palace on Athelia 3.

You can tell Her Majesty, I need time. It is unfair to Nero if I look at him and start crying. He was so much like Cal. He is what I wanted Scott to be. I let out a breath as my throat tightened. Can you tell our Little Man that I love him? I just need time.

Yeah, Oatha. I will explain as best I can.

Thanks Mycha.

Mycha was there to hand over things that Cal left in his will. Cal left the car for Dad. Mycha told me that as Vladi, an account was set up for me. To use as I saw fit. In it was the money for the lessons with Cal and Nero, two more years of school and then times that for the study of the mysterious Oracle Race. Chi’t sent a message. I was always welcome to the Empire. I didn’t see Mycha or step foot on an Empire populated planet for two years.

CHAPTER 1

We got a call a few days ago to come to the Observatory. Culca said he found something. When we got there, his private office looked as if a tornado of conspiracy theorists had been there. Star charts lined the walls, with flags and springs between the locations. I found it. He ran up, tore me from our little formation, and dragged me to a corner.

Last time we were here, ok. The last time that I was here, Culca’s boss tried to kill me for having visions. Cal had to kill her before she killed me. It didn’t set well that she had tried to kill me, so Calca does all the research in the Observatory’s massive archives for me. Which is why he is going into this mad explanation of how he found the lost planet. For someone so little, he was so fast, and I didn’t get everything. Culca, slow down. Jace stopped him. Breathe man. I sat on the edge of his desk. What did you find?

Tan-Lan. I stood up straight. He found her. It wasn’t called Tan-Lan until it was destroyed. Tan-Lan, dead land.

What was it called?

There really was no known name for it, but it is believed to be the home planet of the Oracles. He threw an image into the projector. There it was, a sand planet with 2 destroyed moons and one with the part missing. Most of the information about the Oracle’s home has been destroyed. Historical data from that time show the destruction of planets as the end of some great war.

The Great Culling.

What is that?

The thing that we are calling the murder of all the priestesses. I gave Jace a look. Okay, I call it that.

It would make sense. Their planets were destroyed by something, or someone. There are next to no people that know what the Axalairians even looked like. Any knowledge that survived is in the Library on Athelia 2.

I guess we are going back.

I groaned. I hate you’re right. That is going to be some fun. You get the coordinates. I will figure out a game plan.

Oatha? Paine Looked at me for directions. Paine, the daughter I had visions about, looked ever as scared as she as she has always had. Athelia 2 is where we found her. Athelia 2 is where I started seeing the ghost of Cal. We’re able to get on and off the planet without royal interference. I don’t know if that is because Chi’t doesn’t care anymore or if she is letting me have my time to mourn. It took her like 15 years to take another consort out of love. That didn’t stop the fact that the moment I step foot on that planet, all I want to do is cry. Paine sees that.

I will be fine, sweetie. Why don’t you help Jace?

Back on the ship, I was in my quarters staring at the urn that held Scott’s ashes. If I told Chi’t that I wanted to lay Scott to rest with his father and grandfather, would she allow it? Would she care? I’m just the human fiance to the dead heir, after all. I was also the one that brought that genocide on their heads. Mycha tells me Chi’t doesn’t blame me, but I blame myself. Cal was the man I love. I should have fought more to stay with him. Now he is dead, and was buried on Athelia 3.

Ok Paine, you get supper, I will set the course. From what Culca gave us, I think that it’s going to take us six hours to get there. Jace didn’t need to talk so loud. I know she was letting me know what was going on, but I was fine. Just too much going through my head.

Mycha answered in two rings. How is my favorite Dust Princess?

Good. You?

I missed you at the wedding.

Sorry about that. Did you get the gift? Mycha showed me the replica clay pot that I had made. It depicted Hera, Hestia and Aphrodite celebrating a marriage.

I’m guessing that is not why you called.

I tried to smile. It still hurts to talk to Mycha, and it has been five years since the battle. We think we found Aracne.

Tell me where, I will report to Chi’t and get you the funding you need. I gave him the coordinates of the planet that we were going to. How sure are you?

The vision headaches are getting more frequent lately. If this is not the planet, then we are damn close. We’ll stop by the library soon. I was wondering if it was safe to see your wife about them. We are about to find something big.

We will meet you there. Have you talked to Henri lately?

She is the next person I am going to call. She is going to want to have an Earth team there, too.

Something this big the Alliance is going to want some of everyone there. Chi’t will fight for your right to the site. This is your soul sister. You should be the one to deal with her remains.

That is something else I would like to talk to you about.

Do you want to put Scott to bed?

With his family, if I could. This is not helping me move on and if I have Aracne and Scott buried in the same place, I know she will look after the three of them.

Chi’t is taking Nero to the university where Henri teaches. He isn’t going to go as far as you and dig up the past, but he wants to teach his people about the secrets that you found. Nero doesn’t want misunderstandings.

He is going to be a great diplomat. Is Chi’t going to make him her heir?

The first, second and fourth sons all died in the battle, but there were two off-world already that are being trained. When they are fully taught, she will decide which one will be the next emperor. In the meantime, she has laid her last batch of eggs. Believe it or not but Matt is watching over a set of twins. Just announced today. It is too early to know, but there are two in there and all three are ecstatic.

That is freaking exciting. Nero must be over the moon. He has been the youngest for too long.

I know. He didn’t want to leave this morning when he visited Matt and saw the egg. Nero wants a pair of sisters. He is even thinking of names. I laughed. I love that child. The Breeding Pool is on 3 if you want to go see Matt.

Nero would be so mad that I didn’t stay to see him.

That boy knows the work you do is important.

Paige knocked on my door. Oatha, supper is ready.

Looks like I have to go eat.

I miss you, Oatha. We will see you on 2.

Bye Mycha. I hung up. Taking a deep breath, I tried not to cry before calling Henri. Paige, can you tell Jace to start the scans when we get there? I have to call Henri to put in the official notice and then I will be right up.

No problem, Oatha.

I sat up straight. Henri Jones should be done teaching her classes for the night, but since we three are not there, she is grading them now.

Henri looked exhausted, but she was teaching three classes this year. After the wedding, there was an influx of people wanting to do what we do. Not everyone of them will have the backing that Henri and I have, but we were tied to the royal family in a way most people won’t be. Oatha darling, How is my favorite student? Favorite? I was her only. She was smiling, but she kept looking at someone before looking back at me.

Great, all the good news today. I faked. First off, we think we found Tan-lan.

This is an official notice, then?

Yeah. I think Aracne is there.

Your headaches, getting bad?

Yeah, but I have an appointment with Mycha and his new bride soon.

Darling, I don’t want you to put it off. Not like the last time.

I won’t, Mom. That was a human doctor that didn’t believe that my visions were real. This is the Via-an royal doctor that saved me the first time that they got really bad. I think she knows what she is doing.

I heard someone sigh. Good.

I can let you go if you are busy.

No Darling. I don’t get to see you very often and he is just a noisy student trying to get extra credit. She glared at the man over her monitor. Now, how are you and the crew?

Paine finished her finals with flying colors. We should set up a time to talk about things with her. She really wants to get the current books that you are using. Other than that, Jace is Jace.

Same old book, but I have thrown newly published papers in there.

Who’s? I grabbed a tablet to write out the names.

Yours Darling. You are the leading expert in Alliance History. Never mind the peppers that you are writing just on the Axalairians themselves. Being your contact with the council has made me so busy that I hired two of my students to field the calls for interviews with you.

Those poor kids.

One I feel bad for. You will get to see her. She is just as excited as you were when you started. The other one is a pain in my ass and he knows it. If I didn’t know his father, I would have sent him out an airlock.

I laughed. You threatened me like that too and look where I am. Traveling space, digging up people that were just myths.

He will be good at teaching but Gods help him if he gets on my nerves one more time.

Oatha, suppertime. Jace called.

Go Darling, call me when you know what you found. Chi’t will be here in an hour with Nero. We will talk about what she wants to do before we tell The Alliance, but be prepared that the Empire will be there by tomorrow.

The more the merrier. I’ll try to keep Jace from murdering them.

Hey!

Hi Jace.

Hey, Professor. Just came to ask if you want to see the scans or if you know where the grave is?

I will know when I see the scans. Aracne only saw it from the ground.

Go find your soul sister, Darling. I will talk to you in a few hours.

See ya. Just as I hung up, I just saw a lilac hand reach for the screen. Could be anyone. I don’t know why my brain said that it was Cal. Cal is dead, and I know he is. He isn’t coming back to me.

CHAPTER 2

The topographical map showed something twenty feet by eight under the sand. Jace landed a ten-minute walk away from the structure. I’m coming, Aracne. I’ll bring you home. The closer we got, the more my head hurt. I could hear her crying. I was only a few feet away when the vision hit me.

A spider person as big as I was in silver and green robes. Her red-black hair fell down her back and onto the thorax between her bat-like wings. She looked back at me and she was in tears. All four purple eyes had lines down from them. She was terrifying and beautiful. On her chest was the symbol of the three moons. Her hands were bound as four spider-human looking men escorted her into the stone box.

The vision cleared. Only sand dunes lay between here and the horizon. This is it?

She is here. Paine handed me a cup of my tea. She had made it fresh as we entered the atmosphere. I tell you the people that did this to her were not supporters of the religion. Five minutes with them and I would be shooting.

It doesn’t sound like her branch of the wars into violence. That is why they had temple guards.

I would have trained them anyway for this kind of event. I started digging in the markers that Paine placed. My girl wouldn’t be laying here alone.

It took the better part of the day, but we got the structure dug out. There is nothing like a dusty, hundred thousand year old tomb to get the blood pumping. Not to mention the heat of the planet that used to be a colorful planet.

I expected traps, poisoned pits, giant stone balls rolling behind us. Nah, the truth is, Aracne has so few remaining disciples to protect her that the people that murdered her just used a storage shed as her tomb. She never got to lay-in-state for the public. The Last High Priestess of the Axalairians, murdered along with her order and we don’t even know why. I don’t know what her life was like, but I know she is my link to the theory that all galactic myth is structured like that of humans.

There is a hero. A mortal tasked by the gods to fulfill some insurmountable task. Some gods are there to hinder, some are there to help, but in the end, it is the hero’s wit and life experiences that help them succeed. I found this hero in Athelian myth, my first month after graduating, her name was Chi’tra. She swam the length of the sea for fifty years to find a daughter taken by villains. The Myanar has Balkera, a she-wolf who fought off an army of invading lizards while her mate was fighting on another front. Even the Via-an before they lost their forms had Albarts, a Via-an who saved a priestess from murder as a child, raised her and she became the person who gave them their new energy forms. There is no mention of her name other than The Child.

I am seventy-five percent sure that Aracne and this nameless priestess were the same person. I don’t know what I expected from a woman from myth, but it wasn’t this fourteen by nine-foot room that had no carvings, paintings or even a marker. No, Aracne was in a sand filled room on a sand covered planet in an unmarked system. A destroyed set of moons in the sky. Someone never wanted her to be found. Tan-lan, the planet, was said to be a living world of trees that touched the sky, oceans filled with life. The people here were peaceful.

I would have loved to see her world, her people. Now I stand at her grave with my best friend and my student. We are trying to piece together this race that is older than all of them. Whoever wanted them gone, wanted them GONE. The Via-an library on Athelia 2 was the first time I had even heard of this race. My teacher was calling me from there. Due to my age, I wasn’t allowed to go to an alien world. Seventeen and still needed my parents’ permission to travel, even though I had finished high school. Dad was just hurt by Mom leaving, he was scared I wouldn’t come back. That didn’t stop Dr. Henry Jones from calling me from the Library so we could discuss the old races.

Athelians were the youngest. Older than humans by twenty-five thousand years. The Myanars, Nylarians, and Gekorlars grew up together though on separate worlds. The Via-an took to space a hundred thousand years before that. They populated the ‘Zone of Avoidance’ on the Centaurus Arm with a race called the Axalairians. Oldest of all the races. The sibling we were too young to know. The Via-ans remember in myths the Axalairians as a builder, teaching race, then nothing but war.

Seventeen years since Dr. Jones introduced me to my white whale. I have found her. Aracne, the ghost of a people, long since dead but has the same abilities I have to see through time. My vision started off slowly, but the moment that I met Chi’t, everything went to FTL speed 4. I was having visions daily. Aracne and I are learning to read each other’s languages. She is telling me things about the Three Goddesses. The thing that has bugged me and has been the first thing that I see in the morning is this tomb. Aracne’s final resting spot. She wanted me to find something here. She is determined To make sure that she finds it.

Tell me we did this properly, Oatha. I glared at Jace.

Henri told me we could go ahead. I called Mycha, he said that the claim for research was as good as granted. The Via-an team will be here to mark the area for other researchers by tonight.

There any other researchers out there looking for the Axalairians? I smirked at Paine. She had a point. People say that it is useless to search for a race that has been missing for as long as they have been. I mean, who is as crazy as us?

Hey. I’m just the one that takes you from library to library, Jace objected.

Tell me you are not as excited as I am.

I would be more excited if we knew how to open this.

As I shoveled out the sand from around the sarcophagus, I placed the nodes for the anti-grav scale on the edges of the lid. Jace aligned the equipment while Paine took pics of everything I was doing. A requirement of the Athelian Empire who I report to. That report then goes to the Galactic Alliance.

Scales say that the stone is this planet’s sandstone and that it weighs 723 tons. Jace announced.

Shit, they really didn’t want her to be disturbed.

Paine! I frowned. There was something about casual swearing I didn’t allow. She would have to take a chore from the jar for that one. Since out here in the greater Galactic community didn’t really use physical money, a swear jar was pointless. So there is a chore jar. You swear you take the chore from the jar. Normally chores would be pointless, so these are chores like transcribing interviews or translating something for Dr. Jones, who started me on this.

When I was Paine’s age, I would swear up a