Nova's Yaara

  Nova’s Yaara

  by

  D. B. Meri

  Cover by Cori Huang

  Illustration by Cori Huang

  www.corihuang.com

  Text copyright © 2019

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission from the writer.

  ◆◆◆

  All characters are obviously fictional and any

  resemblance to anyone is purely coincidental.

  To Glenn,

  Without whom, Nova would not have seen the light

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 - First Response

  Chapter 2 - The PDF

  Chapter 3 - Orin

  Chapter 4 - Olehm Zeron

  Chapter 5 - The Waiting Game

  Chapter 6 - Puppet

  Chapter 7 - Narrithon

  Chapter 8 - The White City

  Chapter 9 - Reunion

  Chapter 10 - Home

  Chapter 11 - Lake Eupan

  Chapter 12 - Yovah Peak

  Chapter 13 - Oblivion

  Chapter 14 - Yirshaar

  Chapter 15 - Decisions

  Chapter 16 - Mount Vertin

  Chapter 17 - Messages

  Chapter 18 - Jorn

  Glossary

  Prologue

  Yaara could hear her quickening heartbeats in her ears. The room was by no means foreboding, but sitting on the couch, alone in the big vacant space and facing the foggy screen in front of her, made her feel vulnerable. She hated that sensation and has been working hard her entire life to avoid it. She took several deep, calming breaths, and focused on trying to lower her heart rate.

  [Excerpts from Yaara’s (no additional name) interrogation on Spin 113, Rotation 1029, 5th Age]

  - “Please state your full name?”

  - “Yaara”.

  - “Yaara what?”

  - “Just Yaara, we only have one name on Nova”.

  - “Were you born and raised on Nova?”

  - “Of course. We had no contact with anyone since my people left Earth almost 396 Earth years ago”.

  - “Why did you leave your home world?”

  - “Religious intolerance escalated to the point of armed conflicts. There were two worldwide wars, the Religious Wars. My people left Earth during the second. They were all irreligious, mostly scientists who did not feel loyalty or even connection to any of the various denominations. They wanted no part in it or in a world ravaged by it”.

  - “How was Nova able to get away from your sun’s gravitational pull with such great mass?”

  - “We didn't. We left on 32 ships, each shaped like half a sphere-segment, which joined together to form a full sphere after having left our solar system. We refer to Nova as a planetoid”.

  - “Are your people looking for a viable new home planet?”

  - “Not any longer. That was the original plan, hence the full name Nova Terra, but now we are happy to call Nova our permanent home.”

  - “How can you sustain life on what is essentially a giant spaceship for so many years?”

  - “The early years were very hard. Many perished. But as time went by, the ingenuity of those who came before us helped make Nova a comfortable, safe environment. One such example are the two kinds of remoleculizers, organic material into food, and the rest, the inorganic, as needed, clothes, tools and so on. Every single thing is recycled”.

  - “Would you consider yourselves a race of scientists?”

  - “The vast majority of Nova’s members are indeed scientists who learn and work with the more experienced. It is what enables us to thrive”.

  - “Do your people suffer from accelerated mutations due to radiation or other factors and how do they present themselves?”

  - “Since we left Earth, many advances were made on Nova to prevent such occurrences”.

  - “Please, explain”.

  - “Nowadays, our future is not left to chance. ProgDep, the Progeny Department, is responsible for making optimal selections of DNA from harvested eggs and sperm. The fetuses are brought to term in artificial uteri. All this takes place in the deep belly of Nova, as far away as possible from harmful radiation. It seems to be working…”

  The interview continued for quite some time, and eventually she had found her stride and felt that despite her lack of experience and young age, she was finally doing something to defeat the shadow.

  Chapter 1 - First Response

  395.4.22 NT

  Our small world is trembling violently. I instinctively nudge Jorn, who continues snoring softly by my side, and jump out of bed. As soon as my feet touch the floor, the general alarm goes off in a deafening cacophony, followed immediately by the accompanying red strobing lights. Our clothes are scattered on the floor, abandoned there late last night, when Jorn and I frantically started undressing each other. I grab the first garment I see which happens to be Jorn’s black boxers, throw them in frustration on his groggy face and dive for the next item on the floor - my new short golden dress. Fine, it'll have to do. I grab my kit and open the door while trying to pull the tiny strapped garment over my shoulders. I ignore Jorn’s confused questions and start running, not quite fully covered yet, to my designated post. Most UCs, that is Upper Classes - ages seventeen to twenty, are instructed to assemble in shelters when the general alarm is sounded. I, however, as part of my medical rotation, am designated as a first responder. My heart is racing, though surprisingly not with fear or empathy but rather with excitement. I’m not sure whether I should be proud or ashamed by that... I reach my post in zone 11 First School's recreation area, known as FS11 RecAr, and start crawling with my kit bag amid the crying children. There are toys and games scattered everywhere and my knee is stabbed by a small, three dimensional pointed star. I try to ignore the pain, but a curse escapes my mouth and I instinctively look around to make sure none of the educators heard me. I start examining the children methodically, marking each one I’ve finished checking with a special pen on their foreheads, indicating the urgency and severity of their injuries. Most have only superficial wounds, of which I can quickly take care with my portable cell regenerator. However I've marked as urgent three unconscious children, and from the corner of my eye, I notice that they are already being treated by one of the Force medic, clad in his midnight blue uniform. After making sure that everyone else has been scanned, treated, and marked, I run over to see if he needs my help. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I feel a ludicrous sense of relief, the reason being that my biggest irrational fear happens to be that Nova being overrun by hostile alien life forms, (thank you Jorn for that, by the way) but if that were the case, I doubt a Force medic would have been here treating children. As I kneel by the medic, a yelp escapes my mouth because I’d forgotten my injury, and a current of sharp pain shoots through me. I'm livid and try to hide it by striving to appear very focused. “How can I help?” I ask the medic, looking at his three small patients. He continues setting the little girl’s neck and back in special foam, making sure the evacuators will be able to move her to sickbay. She is unconscious, her face pale, and her hair strewn all over. My heart goes out to her and I gently stroke her copper colored curls away from her face as I wait for his instructions. “Can you inject 3/red with Traumex? Make it, ah, half a dose; he's suffering from trauma but probably nothing else. We need to raise his core temp and replenish fluids. That should be enough for now”. Whilst he's instructing me on 3/red, he deftly checks vitals on 2/red. This boy looks younger than the other two. His limp body having two broken legs and big gash near his right eye. The medic asks me to temporarily seal his lacera
tion with an adhesive cloth, while he sets his legs in foam. The evacuators, six UCs from my cluster, all two years younger than I am, are carrying stretchers. There is no time for us to talk, therefore we only acknowledge each other with nods, and they’re promptly off to sickbay11 with their precious cargo. The medic and I stand up to see if we’re needed elsewhere, but everything seems to be under control - most children have stopped crying and are being attended by their educators. The first thing that strikes me is how tall he is. I barely reach his shoulder. “Now let's look at that injured knee of yours” he orders. I try to mumble that it's nothing, however he ignores my objections and kneels in front of me to check it. I look down at his short dark hair and broad shoulders as he scans it, and the wobbly legs I suddenly experience have nothing to do with the injury. “There is a piece of broken material in there” he says, looking up at me. My heart skips a beat and I gasp involuntarily when I look down at his striking, impossibly light green eyes framed by beautiful dark long lashes. He stands up, then bends down to put his arm behind my knees and carries me to the nearest table as if I weigh nothing. His scent is so captivating that I can barely resist the urge to press my cheek to his broad chest. He sprays the area with a numbing agent, and with the aid of a pair of surgical tweezers, skilfully takes out the piece in no time. He again sprays my knee, this time with an antiseptic skin regenerator. Meanwhile, I'm daydreaming, hoping he would hold me again, take your time, handsome, no need to hurry on my account… Sadly, he takes off his sterile gloves after a few seconds and says “done”. I jump off the table unassisted, totally smitten, until he scolds me: “you know, this wouldn't have happened had you been wearing sensible clothes”. I feel as if I've been dropped into ice water. I brush my hair away from my forehead, tempted to explain, but you know what? Fuck you! I don’t owe you an explanation! Completely unaware that I am in the process of murdering him with my eyes, he adds “thanks for your assistance. I was surprised that you were so calm and collected”. Is this another jab?! I think furiously, but before I can form a retort, he's already gone. Jerk! I mutter and walk out, blowing my bangs from my eyes again. He's what? Two, maybe three, years older? Who does he think he is?!

  After spending most of the day in FS11, I see no point in joining my cluster mates in their shelter. There haven’t been any more quakes and the danger is probably over. I start walking back to my room, but as I often do when I need to sort out my thoughts or feelings when they ricochet around in my head, I find myself sliding down the corridor wall to sit on the immaculate floor and stare at nothing; Wow, that was amazing! It felt so good to be able to really help and calm the children, as opposed to observing Ayesha. I’m truly elated by the incredible experience, and if I had any doubt about choosing medicine as my future field, it has now vanished. I’m also vaguely worried about members who might have been hurt worse than what I have just witnessed, Fate, I hope no other names will be added to the Remembrance Day list! However, floating above all the havoc in my mind, is my curiously strong and immediate attraction to the Force medic. After all, he’s not the first handsome guy to lay eyes on me, though I must admit that his were the most bewitching eyes I’ve ever seen! Then he goes and ruins a perfectly good crush! After a few moments, I hear the All Clear sound and the Director’s announcement on the Public Address System: “My fellow Novans, please be advised that a small meteorite has hit section 27. Rescue efforts are underway and all other areas are now secure. I will keep you informed with any further developments. Please remain calm and return to your duties. I am certain that each and every one of you wants to assist in rescue activities, however the ones who are needed, will be summoned on their private comms. That is all. Thank you”. Fate, I think to myself, a meteorite?! I wonder how it got through the array of disruptors that were installed all around Nova, almost three hundred years ago. I remember reading about the first meteorite that struck our fleet, about fifty years prior to the construction of the array. It was before the fleet left Earth's Solar System. Ship number 8 was so badly damaged that the members had to be evacuated to other ships, and 8 itself was taken apart and salvaged for raw materials. That collision resulted in many casualties and is remembered every year on Remembrance Day.

  I shake off my reverie and finally get up and wander into UCPC11, where an early bird party has spontaneously erupted after everyone left the shelter. People are already huddled in groups, dancing, sharing hypotheses and gossip. Jorn sees me from across the room, waves, and beckons me with a smile. A rush of warm relief washes over me. It's not as if I'm in love with him, but we've been best friends since we were fourteen, and have been sleeping together for almost three years now - I do love him in my own way - he is my confidant and feels like home to me. His real name is Joraan, but somewhere along the way, the a’s dropped and his nickname stuck. He's of medium height, his soft, disheveled black hair is so shiny that it looks almost blue, and his eyes glimmer like black onyx. We've been practically inseparable since we first met in dorm5.

  ◆◆◆

  Jorn would never forget the day that he and Yaara first met - it was the most important day of his life. 390.9.1, the day they turned 14 and moved to the blended dorm in zone 5. She arrived from section 1 with her parents, Deelahn and Meenah, attempting to appear as if she had come on her own, because, as she later told him, fourteen was practically a member. Jorn himself grew up in zone 9, and was proud to be accompanied by his three fathers, Robbie, Manchet, and Kalil, two brothers, Yalon and Raf, and little sister, Sela; all laughing and talking at once, holding hands or hugging. Typically, most families consisted of two members and two children, though there were many familial units of a single parent and a child. The fact that three adults were allowed four children meant that another member gave them their allotted quota. Later that night, Yaara wondered aloud if perhaps it was one of her parents, in which case one of Jorn’s four siblings could, have been hers, theoretically speaking. At fourteen, Yaara was taller than him and already started exhibiting the signs of a budding femininity, which may have contributed to how hard he instantly fell for her. She was confident, with an athletic posture, bangs, and two long shiny honey colored braids. Their eyes locked as soon as they saw each other and they became inseparable from that day on. Their families couldn't have been more dissimilar; her parents loved her, of this he was sure, but were consumed by their professional interests as well as their adoration of one another. Yaara was fascinated by his large, warm family, and soon became an integral part of it. His fathers were all educators who devoted their lives to raising Nova’s new generations, and embraced her as warmly as Jorn did.

  Their dorm room had five beds - besides Yaara and him, there were also Secala, Yaara’s friend from zone 1, Manolo, and Florie, and they spent that first night whispering stories and giggling. Jorn wanted to make Yaara feel better about her small family, therefore he told her a little white lie; that he was glad to have some peace and quiet after nine years in a crowded pod. Yaara, on her part, confided that the fact that her parents were so in love with each other, made her feel comfortable leaving them behind. Over time, it became the fun room, the place that was always the center of activity. It wasn't big enough for dance parties, they had those at the dorm’s RecAr, but it was often crowded with four or five youngsters on each bed, others on the floor, trying to stifle their laughter, hoping that the educators won't hear them and send the kids back to their rooms. The fact that the other empty rooms have alerted the adults to their impromptu gatherings never crossed their minds. Only years later they learned that those meetings were encouraged and believed to benefit them, which they definitely did. On their third night at the dorm, Jorn showed his drawings to Yaara, who assured him that never in her life had she seen such beautiful works of art and made him feel warm all over. The fact that some time later, she confessed that his were the first works of art she had ever seen, because her parents found sciences much more fascinating, did nothing to erase the memory of that first magical moment of recognition.


  (From ‘Yaara and Jorn’ by Sela)

  ◆◆◆

  Jorn hugs me tight and says “I was worried. Are you alright? You look a mess”. “Jee, thanks” I smirk and kiss him “that's the look I was going for... you really know how to flatter a girl”. “What happened to your knee?” Not wanting to be reminded of the cold shoulder I received from the medic, I shrug it off by saying “Nah, it's nothing”. Of course I would never admit it, but I'm secretly proud of the fact that I had the good fortune to be outside, where the action was, while the rest of them had to wait it out in shelters. Edana, Leenar and Lorivahl smile at us, and raise invisible glasses towards me. In return, I walk over and kiss each one lightly on their lips. The party atmosphere picks up and I'm a bit torn, because I know that rescue efforts are still underway in section 27, and lives might be shattered this very minute, but hell, we're young, there is nothing we can do at the moment, and it could have been us! Edana and Leenar start swaying to the faint music, holding each other tight, their lips meeting passionately. Jorn pulls me into a tight hug as well, calling “what a fantastic idea… and what d’ya know - you're already dressed for dancing” referring to my wrinkled and bloodied short golden dress. He hugs my waist tightly, lightly kissing my temple, I hook my arms around his lithe, warm neck, and we start swaying and kissing. “Hey, what about me?” Lorivahl feigns jealousy. I smile and hold out my arm to include him in our hug, but Jorn pulls me back, kisses the inside of my wrist, and says “don't encourage him, love!” then throws over his shoulder to Lorivahl “I told you to find someone, but nooo. You wanted to remain a player… so now go play with yourself…” he jokes. “Hmm. Interesting notion. Not bad at all. See you mob later” Lorivahl disappears, presumably into his alcove.