(Photo by Engin Akyurt)

A new day began and Fas awoke with a start. The implant that allowed her access to the neural network also functioned as an alarm to wake her each morning as well as to signal when she needed to sleep. With Isarch having no discernible day/night cycle she’d found it difficult at first to fall asleep but as the days passed, so too did her difficulty sleeping. The problem now was waking up and still feeling tired.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching. A small panel on the far wall slid open to reveal her morning rations. The nondescript wafers, porridge, and vegetables lacked in the way of flavor but it had been so long since she’d had much else that she didn’t mind. Military food was nutrient dense and reliable if nothing else. As she ate, Fas began to send out the day’s orders via the neural network. Unlike her previous quarters, where she needed a computer terminal to access the neural network, these quarters weren’t shielded so she could send and receive information freely. She still preferred to minimize her time spent connected to the network but since Immolator Gres was taking such a keen interest in the progress being made, Fas tended to leave her connection open.

Fas sent Igniter Prin the order to meet at the Ka’Rak warehouse in half an hour. Following that, she sent out the order for the battalion to be gathered that afternoon for Ka’Rak training. There were other tasks her battalion saw to on the base but those duties were secondary.

It was raining when Fas stepped outside to begin making her way to the warehouse. Her translucent armor became more apparent as the water droplets splashed against it and ran down in tiny streams. The patter of the rain was audible for only a few moments before the sound was cancelled out, the magic in her suit recognizing what sounds were extraneous and then muting them. Sometimes Fas wondered if there was a way to prevent her armor from doing that since there were plenty of times when sounds, like the rain, weren’t an issue.

Igniter Prin was standing ready by the warehouse doors when Fas arrived. It was apparent from her posture that Igniter Prin was nervous. As usual, there was a good number of soldiers standing by, ready to intervene in case the Ka’Raks turned violent. The soldiers were also noticeably uncomfortable, though it wasn’t clear if they were just reacting to Igniter Prin’s nervousness or if it was the other way around. As Fas approached, Igniter Prin saluted.

“Observation is prepared and the soldiers stand ready,” Igniter Prin reported.

“Well done,” Fas said, placing her hand on Igniter Prin’s quivering hands. “Have you ever dealt with Ka’Raks?”

“No,” Igniter Prin replied. “At least, not this close up. I was part of a bombardment team a few years back but was never close enough to see any of them. From what I’ve heard they’re brutal.”

“Anyone fighting for their lives seems brutal,” Fas said. “The Ka’Raks here are mostly just bored from being locked up for so long.”

Igniter Prin seemed to relax somewhat, as did the soldiers.

Leaning in a bit closer and speaking more softly, Fas said, “Take a moment, steady your breathing. I’ve been going in there every day for the last month and the most exciting thing that’s ever happened was when I approved their request for more toilets and they cheered. Just remember what I’ve already taught you and you’ll be fine.”

“Is it really just enough to believe that they’ll…that they’ll be fine?” Igniter Prin asked.

“It really is,” Fas said. She’d been giving them all lessons on how to interact with the Ka’Raks, piecemealing the information so they could have time to take it in and, so far, the instruction seemed to be working.

Igniter Prin nodded and finally was able to calm herself down to a point where Fas was comfortable bringing Igniter Prin into the warehouse.

As usual, Fas led the way, the soldiers pulling open the large doors and then closing them back up once Fas and Igniter Prin were inside. The Ka’Raks were used to the schedule by now and were already waiting in their lines, standing at attention.

“Spark Ka’Rak Li’Ko welcomes you, Conflagrator Fas,” Li’Ko called out, no longer using the Ka’Rak language, and saluted. “I present the Kindling for inspection.”

Fas gave Li’Ko an approving nod, tapped their hands, and then began moving up and down the rows of Ka’Raks. Their uniforms, brought in on the autonomous supply barge a few days previous, were in good order. After walking through their ranks, Fas turned her attention to the room itself. The furnishings were still meager but better tailored to the Ka’Raks needs. The supply barge had brought thirty-one round, dish shaped beds, similar to the ones Fas had seen on Isarch. Ka’Raks, it turned out, could only sleep if they were fully curled on their sides. There were musings among the biologists at the base about why this was, but Fas was happy to leave such questions to them.

In addition to the beds, several shelves had been erected along the walls. Most held food, basic medical supplies, and hygiene products. A few, however, displayed effigies that hadn’t been there the day before.

Igniter Prin, who had been following Fas throughout the inspection, leaned over and whispered, “These are new.”

Fas generally avoided conversation with the Igniters while inside the warehouse but wanted to avoid Igniter Prin becoming nervous again.

“These effigies are found wherever Ka’Raks think of as their home,” Fas explained. “It means this is their home, not…anything else.”

As far as Fas knew, no one had ever seen the Ka’Raks actually make the effigies, and their construction was always intricate and complex. The ones on display in the warehouse were formed of a dark metal. Fine linework of a brighter metal was inlayed into the darker metal, standing out in stark contrast. Each effigy, there was one for each Ka’Rak, was unique. As she studied the effigies, she began to recognize which effigy was connected to which Ka’Rak. It wasn’t something that she could fully explain, not yet anyhow, but wanted to further explore and understand.

Now was not the time to stand and stare at the effigies, however, and so Fas turned away from them and strode back over to the Ka’Raks. There was more she had wanted to do this morning but Igniter Prin’s uneasiness was making Fas doubt the wisdom in prolonging their visit. Even with her assurance that the effigies were a good sign, Igniter Prin was beginning to lose her composure.

“Spark Li’Ko,” Fas said loud and clear so that her voice echoed slightly through the warehouse, “You and your soldiers are to be commended. Tomorrow you will be assigned to an Igniter and they will oversee additional training for you and your Kindling.”

Li’Ko saluted once more and the rest of the Ka’Raks stood just a little bit straighter, obvious pride in their eyes at having passed inspection.

Fas placed her hand on Li’Ko’s and then left, Igniter Prin in tow. The moment they were back outside and the doors were shut behind them, Igniter Prin’s knees buckled and she fell to the ground. Her face was pale and she was obviously struggling to keep from throwing up. That sort of thing wasn’t good for moral and Fas gritted her teeth as she watched the soldiers who had been standing guard begin shuffling their feet and looking around for some confirmation as to whether everything went alright inside.

“Igniter Prin has fallen ill,” Fas lied to the soldiers. “We left early once it became apparent that her illness was coming on rapidly. Fortunately,” Fas went on, holding the soldiers with her gaze “the Ka’Raks are doing wonderfully and have renounced their old ways and are now loyal members of our military.”

Igniter Prin lost the battle with her stomach. Fas allowed another few moments to pass before striding over and lifting Igniter Prin to her feet and dusting her off.

“Report to Medical,” Fas ordered. “You’ll have another opportunity soon to work with the Ka’Raks and I need you healthy.”

Igniter Prin saluted and, once Fas had placed a hand on hers, she left.

“Dismissed!” Fas declared and the assembled soldiers marched off to return to their barracks and prepare for their training that afternoon.

She waited until they were all gone from sight and then walked back to the warehouse doors. Observation would still be keeping an eye on things and they might recall the soldiers to stand guard at the door, but she doubted it. They would have seen her dismiss the soldiers and calling them back might be seen as acting against a superior’s orders. Of course, if Immolator Gres was in Observation again, that would change things quite a bit. However, it had been a while since Immolator Gres had been in Observation during one of Fas’ visits. It was a calculated risk, but one she was willing to take. Even if Immolator Gres was watching, it would be unlikely she would understand the significance of what Fas was about to do.

The door opened easily for Fas. Inside, Li’Ko and the others were just beginning to run some drills. When they saw her approaching, Li’Ko began ordering them all back into formation but Fas waved them off.

“Carry on,” she said, and the Ka’Raks resumed their drills.

She watched for a few minutes, truly impressed with the strength and endurance they exhibited. From time to time, Fas took a step off towards the shelves holding the effigies. Each step was taken as though she were just shifting her weight and she made sure to keep her mind clear of her intentions. The balance between belief and action was a delicate one and she had to make sure not to upset any of the progress she’d made with the Ka’Raks thus far.

At last, she was beside the effigies. Without taking her eyes off the Ka’Raks, she finally allowed the thought she’d been holding back to come forward in her mind. The instant it finished forming, she turned and looked towards the shelf. There, as expected, was a new effigy. She didn’t need to count them to know this effigy was new because it, like all the others, was distinct and she could feel the connection it had to the one it represented.

Fas returned to watching the Ka’Raks run their drills, sometimes stepping in and offering advice, coaching Li’Ko in their duties as well as instructing them on leadership. It wasn’t until she needed to leave to begin the training for her battalion that she finally left. There was no one outside the warehouse when she left and no one from Observation said anything about what they’d seen. Fas doubted any of them would have noticed the appearance of the new effigy, and even if they did, it was just as unlikely that they would connect it with anything Fas had done. Now all she had to do was wait and see if her plan worked.