Shattering of Peace

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say, but it seemed like all I could hear were the piercing shrieks of terror and agony rising out of the chaos below the palace. The acrid stench of burning flesh and combusted armaments filled the air, and the ground seemed to shake with each mighty impact. With their homes ablaze, people were running, scrambling to escape the death that surrounded them. Mothers and children were desperately making their way towards the palace as their sons, husbands, and fathers were heading towards the barracks that were stationed along the outer gates of the city. In the distance, trails of dust rose as those who were working in the fields sped towards sanctuary. The imperial fleet emerged from the darkness of the cosmic clouds, inching closer with each passing second. The time had finally come. We were under attack.

My father had received a hurried communication earlier in the day of an emergency meeting on Olympia. Emissaries from each of the planets in the Olympian galaxy were requested to HoloCom immediately to discuss a matter that was too sensitive to be shared over standard telecom messaging. My father, elected by the people of our planet to act as our emissary, would usually take the chariot to Olympia for these grand meetings, but whatever this was must’ve been of the utmost importance because HoloComs were only accessed during extreme emergencies. I was never allowed in the HoloCom room because Father didn’t want me exposed to matters that I wasn’t ready to face, but he didn’t know about the crack in the marble.

It happened during a game of hide and seek. I had bumped into one of the statues that lined the hallway and when it crashed to the ground it left a small chip in the marble in the corner that gave me a pinprick view of the HoloCom room. If I put my ear right against the hole I could hear the faint mumbling of the other emissaries, but every once in a while I would be able to pick out a clear word or phrase about what was going on. I could hear the garbled voices talking over one another. Each emissary was frantically trying to speak, but was always cut off by another.

The chairman, the emissary from Olympia, called for order. His voice rang clear and strong despite being broadcast over the HoloCom. “Silence!” he shouted. “We have much to discuss and it must be done with the utmost urgency. Many of you know that the emissary from Ares X has been creating discord throughout the galaxy for quite some time. Politically, economically, and socially, the emissary and the imperial council of that planet have violated the treaty of the Olympian galaxy, and they have declared war on those who do not bend to their might.”

There was silence as the gravity of what was said settled in the hearts and minds of the other emissaries. Ares X was the military capital of the galaxy. Unparalleled by any of the other planets, the imperial soldiers of Ares X lived and breathed military strategy. Sworn to be our protectors, the imperial soldiers were the galaxy’s greatest defense, but they were now our greatest threat. Emissaries began asking about defense procedures and planets preparing their own soldiers to help keep things at bay, but before a clear plan could be developed, the HoloCom system went blank. The visages of the emissaries vanished, and my father was left alone in the room. That was when we felt the first impact.

I stood just outside the door, and I waited for my father to step into the hall. As the door swung open, and my father emerged, I felt the rough, calloused skin of my father’s hands–hardened by years of work in the fields–against my shoulder. Though he now spent his days dealing with diplomatic matters instead of agricultural ones, the scars of his work remained upon his skin. For the first time in my life, there was a quick flash of fear behind his eyes; it was only present for a second, but long enough for me to know that he was scared. My father was never scared.

“Your Highness,” shouted one of the royal guards, rushing up the hallway, “we need to get you and The Queen to safety.” The guard, Elias, was one of my favorites. He would often play games and chase me throughout the palace, and he would always turn a blind eye when he would catch me sneaking treats out of the kitchens. He was always the one the mother trusted to be stationed outside of my room at night. Like my father, Elias seemed scared. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead from under his helmet, his spear was held at attention, and I could tell by the illuminated tip that it was fully charged and ready to fire.

“Elias, take Demi out of here and get her to safety.” My father spoke sternly, a tone of finality in his voice. “Alert Lysander to have my armor charged and ready down in the armory, and have him prepare the chariot. I want thrusters fully charged, weapons stocked, and the hover pads checked for damage.”

“Yes, Sir.” Elias saluted my father, grabbed me by the hand and began retreating down the hallway, relaying my father’s message to Lysander through his telecom.

“And Elias,” my father spoke with a tone of irritation, “check with Cora down in The Haven and see if someone can find my wife.”

“Of course, Sir.”

Elias’ grip on my hand was tight, and he was practically pulling me down the hallway. As I turned my head, I could see my father walking away towards the stairs down to the armory. I wrenched my hand free from Elias, which was no easy task, and ran back towards my father. “Papa!” I shouted down the hallway, an eerie echo reverberating off the walls. “Papa! Take me with you!”

“Demi, my darling, it isn’t safe for you out there. You need to go with Elias and find your mother.”

“I don’t want to go with Elias! I want to go with–”

“That’s enough, Demetria!” shouted my father. His voice was hard and stern, a tone that I had never heard before. Seeing the shift in my face and realizing that he had snapped, he knelt down onto one knee to look me in the eyes. “I just want you to be safe, my darling.” With a gentle touch, he pushed a fallen strand of hair off of my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. “I need you to go with Elias and be a good role model for all of the other little boys and girls who are making their way to The Haven. They are all scared and confused, and I need you to be their strength. Do you think you can do that for me?”

I didn’t like being separated from my father anymore now than I did moments ago, but I did feel a sense of newfound purpose. If there was one thing I was good at, it was being in charge. I would often lead the other palace children on adventures throughout the massive hallways and echoing chambers, ever careful not to be caught by the Dictator of Evil (a role that Elias usually filled when we needed a grown up to play with us). I rushed into my father’s arms and squeezed him tight, feeling the scratch of his unshaven cheek against mine as I kissed him. I took Elias’ hand and, with a final look towards my father, I made my way down the hall.

The palace shook as the blasters from the imperial fleet rained down, destroying the fields and disseminating the homes of thousands. We were one of the smaller planets within the Olympian galaxy, but Demeter V was the biggest agricultural producer for the galaxy. Our intergalactic agriculture trade supplied food to millions throughout each of the planets orbiting Olympia. We were an easy target for the opening attack. We lacked the military prowess of those on Athena VI, and we didn’t have the protection of Olympia itself like those on Hera IV, nor did we have the access to weaponry like the forgers and smiths on Hephaestus VIII. The destruction of Demeter V would be seen as an easy victory for the emissary of Ares X, yet it would send ripples of devastation throughout the galaxy.

As Elias and I got closer to the network of safety tunnels under the palace, the roar of chaos filled my ears. The clanging of metal armor being loaded into chariots, the buzzing and humming as weapons were charged to full power, the barking of orders from senior palace guards about where to send the most support. Above the noise of the guards, there was the steady rhythm of shuffling feet as women and children made their way past the armory and toward The Haven, deeper underneath the palace. Elias, caught by his senior commander and told to join the troop heading to the palace gates, was forced to leave me on my own. I kept walking, hurrying past the other palace guards, who were loading my father’s chariot with his battle gear, and joined the throng of people heading towards sanctuary.

The Haven was unlike any other part of the palace. A giant, almost cathedral-like room built deep underground, The Haven was considered to be the heart of Demeter V. In a wide ring around the room, magnificent marble statues of the former emissaries stood tall and proud. The center of the room was adorned with an ornamental statue of Demeter herself. The divine mother of agriculture and the nourisher of life, Demeter created this planet as a way to sustain life throughout the cosmos. Stores of food, medical tents, historical artifacts, and backup supplies of power were stored in The Haven as a safeguard against anything that may happen on the surface of the planet.

Pushing my way up through the crowd, I finally saw Cora, the lead healer, directing people where to go upon entering The Haven. Those who were injured were directed towards the medical tents, children accompanied by adults were ushered towards the back, and children who were alone were pointed towards the tents set up on the right, manned by some volunteers who were helping them get food and water while they waited for their mothers. “Cora! Cora!” I shouted, hoping to get her attention. I could see her head turn, eyes scanning the crowd for the voice who had just been calling her. I raised my arm and waved my hand, catching her gaze.

“Your Highness,” she said with a smile. Cora was the only one who referred to me using that silly title, but it became sort of an endearing joke between the two of us. “I was worried you wouldn’t make it. I figured you’d be sneaking into the back of a chariot or trying to find a plate of armor that would fit.” Cora and I had always joked about me becoming a soldier, mostly because of how much I idolized Elias. Elias and Cora were married in the palace, and they each dedicated themselves to the service of the Demeter V emissary, but I saw them more like family. Cora and my mother had become friends when my mother was working as a healer, and Elias quickly rose to become one of my father’s most trusted palace guards. Never having children of their own, both Cora and Elias had always seemed to look the other way or give a sly wink when I got caught doing things that were unbecoming of the emissary’s daughter.

“I was ordered to come down here and help,” I said with a smirk. “Where do you want me?”

“Your mother is over helping in the medical tents. Why don’t you go see if she has any use for you?”

The crowd was thinner now as many had dispersed to the different areas of The Haven, but I still had to make my way past quite a few people heading towards the tents. Many people were limping, and some were cradling broken limbs, but all were covered with soot, scrapes, and scratches. My mother was bent over an older man, wrapping a clean bandage over the salve that had been rubbed on the open wound on his leg. There was a group of healers working throughout the tents, but my mother was quickly floating around, working on those who needed the most help.

“Oh, thank Gods! I’ve been worried sick!” she said as she pulled me into a tight hug, her hand stroking my hair. “I was coming up to get you, but then people started making their way in needing help, and I knew that your father would send you down here eventually. Put this on and you can help me.” My mother handed me a smaller white apron, pockets heavy with rolls of bandage and bottles of salves and poultices. Mother and I fell into a rhythm. Each of us making our way around the tents, talking with the injured, soothing the injuries that we could and simply being a calming presence for those in pain.

“Power up the barrier! Power up the barrier!”

The shouts came just moments before The Haven itself quaked. Stones began to fall from the ceiling as the shocks of the impact rocked the entire structure.

“They’ve breached the palace! Power up the barrier!”

Chaos ensued as the people in The Haven became frantic, scrambling. Some began shoving and pushing to get in, and Cora lost all sense of order at the door. The tunnels were still filled with people desperate for safety.

My mother ran towards the statue of Demeter in the center of the room and she placed her hand on the small control panel at the base. Only a member of the emissary’s family can activate the barrier panel and it costs the ultimate sacrifice. Light began to appear, illuminating every curve and line of the statue. Another impact rocked The Haven. The crowd erupted into a frenzy. More and more palace guards came running to protect those still in the tunnels. The sounds of war rose above the crowd and the screams became deafening.

As the power levels rose in the Demeter statue, light began to illuminate from her eyes. Tendrils of light traveled along the ancient symbols carved into the floor and up the walls and began illuminating the emissary statues around the room. As the power began growing greater and greater, a small force emanated from the open hands of statues, slowly growing, slowly encapsulating The Haven in a protective barrier. I looked over at my mother, the lines deeper on her face, her eyes sunken, her back arched. The power required to charge the barrier was the power of life.

People were scrambling to make it inside The Haven before the barrier became complete. I caught a glimpse of the red armor of the imperial soldiers at the end of the tunnel, fighting hard against the palace guards. The barrier was almost complete. That’s when I noticed him. Standing at the back of the wave of imperial soldiers was the emissary of Ares X himself.

It happened in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he raised his massive spear, buzzing and sparking with raw energy. With one swift movement he threw the spear. I followed its arc through the air, traveling almost too fast to see. With a sickening thud the spear met its mark. I screamed and ran forward. The Haven went dark. Lit by nothing but the faint glow of the celestial braziers. The barrier disintegrated. The clashing of weapons was nothing compared to the stomach-wrenching gurgles of the blood that spilled from my mother.

The massive spear left her pinned against the statue of Demeter. I ran to her side, desperate to save her, but I knew that it was too late. I saw a flash of red armor out of the corner of my eye, and there was a sickening crack as I went limp and toppled to the ground. The hazy image of blood stained boots was the last thing I saw before my world slipped into darkness.