Light Glows, Flowers Abound

-Unkown Ycerri Poet

Kine rigged the one-rider Air-Trans to accommodate two. As they lifted off above the city, Lisi gasped and grabbed him around the waist. He realized this was Lisi's first time on an Air-Trans. They flew above the Reas Rivers that meandered through the city. They landed at Cerri Falls, near a cliff of seven small waterfalls at the edge of the city. The waterfalls streamed down from varying heights, creating a dazzling effect as the sunlight reflected off the cascades. Kine took out some food and provisions he had packed as they sat down near the water's edge to eat.

"It seems a lifetime ago since I last visited this place. When I was last here, I made the decision to enlist in the war. When I left here, I didn't know if I'd ever return." Kine said. "It's wonderful; there is so much of our planet I have not seen", Lisi said while caressing the grass beneath her. "It has been difficult to understand everything- everything as it used to be, having grown up during this time. Everything seems so… broken. It will be wonderful to see things new again". The heaviness of Kine's heart seemed to move from its place of stone as she spoke. He saw things through her eyes, the mystery, the wonder, and the hope for the future; a way in which things appeared new and exciting. For the first time since he’d left Ycerri, he felt the lightness of innocence. Lisi continued "God continually renews us all with his water of life". With these words, Kine remembered the blessing of his father and the innocence of peace. Kine looked into Lisi's eyes, and felt a spark of love flash in his heart.

They talked and walked by the riverside for hours. A little fatigued, Kine opened the camping pack. "I'm a lot stronger than I was a few weeks ago, but I still require rest during the day. When you are in space, you don't have the sun to tell you when to rest; you do it when you feel tired. The waters pools here are warm, calm and not very deep; you can take a swim and freshen up in the water while I nap". Lisi smiled, "That's just what I need, because I'm still dusty from the walk this morning". He opened the camping pack and set up camp, entered the tent, then instantly fell into a rare peaceful sleep.

When Kine woke, it was dark. The light from Ycerri's three moons lit up the sky with a cool pale blue light. He looked around for Lisi and heard her say, "Kine, come swim with me… the water is wonderful". Kine stood up and breathed in the freshness of the night air. He stripped down to his swimming clothes and tested the water. It was warm and refreshing. No wonder she had spent the entire time in the water while he was asleep. In the calm night the sounds of nature hummed quietly and the luminous insects buzzed around casting bits of color onto the tranquil water. When Kine reached Lisi her eyes glowed in the moonlight. They said nothing as they embraced and kissed. Slowly they made their way to the camping pack where the thermal generator sent air rushing from below them. Lisi's long amber hair waved upward with the warm air until they were dry in their embrace. They spent the night together in the camping unit. Lisi's gentle touch helped Kine surrender to the emotions his hatred, and hurt had kept from him since the night before he left Cerri. Her innocence was disarming; he lay content in her arms until the morning light.

As dawn broke Kine woke to the calming sound of the flowing water. Lisi lay next to him awake with the brightness of youth. "Kine, I see that you have been paired before, what happened to your mate? Like a reflex Kine touched his left arm and looked away through the camping unit to the water. "I don’t know, like so many, she disappeared after the first Nian Attack", sensing that she may have offended him "I apologize, maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it". Kine turn his eyes back to her "No, it is proper for you to ask and you should bare no shame, she is gone. I accept that now. With the passing of her life, her Life Mark was a constant reminder for me during the war of why I was fighting, why I did the things I did" he said while closing his eyes and slowly bowing his head. Lisi gently touched the lock on his arm and said, "She would be proud of you". Kine replied "Thank you" and kissed her forehead. Opening his eyes to look into hers "This all happened so suddenly". She cut him off "I apologize if I rushed you. It’s just that others have offered their Life Mark to me before but I did not accept them because, I didn’t feel for them the way I feel for you. I’ve never known this feeling, with you I feel so full… and naturally I accepted your Mark with pleasure". With that tears came to her eyes. Kine wiped her tears away and he felt his own emotional darkness dissipating. "My Life Mark is yours as you have so gently restored me from a shadow within my heart" Kine said. Lisi’s tears changed from tears of fear to tears of joy as she kissed him softly, "You are mine and my Mark is yours, we are one" she said beaming with delight. "When I last gave my Mark we did not have time to perform the Pairing Ceremony this time I plan to have a proper one" he said looking into her bright eyes. Lisi smiled and threw herself into his arms and hugged him. The embrace was cut short when Kine sensed something move. The proximity sensor implanted into his ear lobe for changed his eyesight in his right cybernetic eye to infrared. There was something mechanical and humanoid stationed on the waterfalls above them. Kine whispered into Lisi’s ear, "Stay here there is something watching us". He quickly dressed and slipped out of the camping unit and stretched his arms while looking in the direction of the thing above them. He could not see it with his naked eye, it had a camouflage field around it but it seemed to be malfunctioning and not compensating for its heat signature. Turning his back towards the thing he knelt down to open his pack and pulled out three tiny but devastating, Ynacker bugs. The bugs controlled by his cybernetic command implants acting like guided missiles from his eye. Kine released the small insect-like weapons from his hand as they silently flew away he turned toward the target. Within seconds the Ynackers exploded on the target. Lisi startled with the sound, "Kine, what was that?" "Stay here I’ll be back soon", as he jumped on the Air-Trans and quickly rose to the site of the Ynacker bugs impact. Laying there was an old purple reconnaissance robot, only used by the Nian High counsel and from the looks of it, it had been on the planet for awhile, it was in need of repair even before the Ynacker bugs knocked it out. Although the robot was disabled it was still able to communicate. Kine asked, "Who is your master?" it responded "My purpose has been compromised I will cease to function" Immediately the head of the robot began to fizzle and smoke from the inside as a black acid began to seep from it quickly dissolving it and the ground beneath.

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Stick with me through this story its my first crack at Sci-Fi. Constructive Criticism is always good.
For those who see it ; forgive the "was" and
the word sleep, the second sleep should read "rest". Didn't catch that in my last edit.

updated Jul 18 by Becktemba