Page 1 of Whispers of the Void (Voidborn Chronicles #1)
CHAPTER 1
NEEV
* * *
D ust motes dance in the air around me, illuminated by the last rays of light from the sun at the center of the Esos system as Oculus Nine orbits Calindrea. I gently close the ancient tome in front of me and slip it into its protective film and hand it back to the librarian who stands sentry at the door of my office.
“Good night, Sister Junis.” I close the door quietly behind me and follow her back to the front of the library.
“Sleep well, Sister Neev.” She slips quietly back to her post while I walk out onto the main concourse.
A mischievous grin stretches across Torre’s face as I fall in step beside her. My sometimes lover and closest friend in the galaxy bumps her shoulder against mine. “Want to go down to the surface with me tonight?”
I gaze at her out the side of my eyes. “I haven’t been granted leave since the last time we went down there.” And she nearly started a brawl with a band of Calindrean patrols.
She huffs, her golden skin rippling with annoyance. “They deserved every bit of my ire. Besides, you don’t need leave when I’m with you.”
I consider the fun and trouble we could get in for a moment. A reprieve from the mundane daily routine I’ve found myself in. At the age of twenty-two, I am technically allowed to come and go as I please had I not been taken into custody briefly.
Unfortunately, a dull ache has already started building behind my eyes. Even if I wanted to go with her, with a headache beginning to take root, I know I can’t.
“Maybe another time.” I reach down and squeeze her hand, softening the rejection I know she’ll feel. “I spent half a rotation translating ancient Zunarian into Universal Standard. I need dinner and a long night of sleep.”
She grimaces at the mention of my job. As a member of Oculoun Guard, she prefers physical activity to sitting surrounded by texts all day. It’s a wonder we became as close as we are when we couldn’t be more different.
Her booted feet tap against the bridge linking the living quarters to the rest of the station. The juxtaposition of her fitted pants and the weapons hanging from the belt around her slim waist next to the flowing dress and silent slippers of my uniform serves as a physical manifestation of our differences.
“If you won’t go down to the surface with me, I could come back to your quarters after my shift.” Her voice takes on a husky purr. “It’s been too long since we’ve shared a bed.”
“As much as I’m sure we’d both thoroughly enjoy that, I’m not feeling well. I’d like to just eat dinner, take a relaxing bath, and go to sleep.” I give her a wry smile. “I’m sure you can find someone’s bed to slip into if you need release.”
Her species isn’t monogamous, which is fine by me. I’ve never been interested in being tied to another. I often wonder if I’d feel differently if I wasn’t the only human on the station. Would being around my own species change things?
I have no idea what to do. I was dropped off here by my father after my mother died in childbirth. All he said was that he was a merchant and that was no life for a child. He left nothing with me, aside from a name, and then disappeared into the vacuum of space.
There’s always been a gnawing need to know where I’m from, to have some idea of the family I have left out there somewhere in the galaxy. Some days it hits me harder than others, the urge to leave this place and find my history. But inevitably I just continue to find myself too comfortable in my routine.
Then a new text will come in, the challenge of translating it, of adding more knowledge of the galaxy to our library is too great to walk away from. I’ll lose myself to the task and forget the ennui.
Torre walks me right to my door and cups my cheek. Her deep brown eyes lock onto mine as I look back at her. I rise on my toes and press a light kiss against her bronze-tinted lips to soften the rejection I see swimming in her eyes.
“Be safe, wherever you end up tonight. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
She laughs. “Unlikely.” She lightly taps on the communicator pinned to the shoulder of her uniform. “I’m only a call away if you change your mind.”
“Good night,” I say with a smile as my front door slides open with gentle hiss.
My body relaxes as soon as the doors close behind me, the tension of the day melting away with the warmth of my personal space. All the quarters are identical, regardless of what your position on Oculus is. An open living space with a small kitchenette for those who prefer to dine alone instead of in the large dining hall at the center of the station. Then a modest bedroom and bathroom. Each space is designed for the comforts and needs of your species.
Thankfully my bathroom has both a shower and bathtub. I’ve added candles and bath salts with exotic scents from around the galaxy to every spare corner. A few plants hang from the ceiling, their growth encouraged by the humidity from my frequent hot showers and baths.
I actually have plants all over my quarters. It’s nice to feel like I’m not floating in space, even if it only takes one look out of my window to be reminded. I’ve spent hours down on the surface of Calindrea looking for rugs and blankets to bring a soft and cozy aesthetic into my space.
I pull my robe off and hang it beside my door as the light sensors activate and the home system comes online. I make my selection for dinner and walk into the bedroom to shower while I wait for it. My feet ache as I take off my slippers and set them inside my small closet.
Steam immediately fills the bathroom as I turn on the shower and disrobe. I toss my clothes into the laundry shoot and step under the hot spray. The floral scent of the soap Torre gave me for my birthday instantly relaxes me. My headache lessens just a bit, although I know without my medication it’ll only get worse.
By the time I finish in the shower and dry off, my dinner is waiting in the warming drawer. I take my dinner to the small table set up by the windows. The lights of Calindrea sparkle like millions of jewels covering the surface of the planet. It’s always beautiful, but at times I wish I had done more traveling.
There’s always time for that though, I guess. I pick up the small cup with my medication and supplements and knock the pills back, swallowing them with several large gulps of water. A transport leaves from the docking station heading down to the surface, and I smile to myself thinking about Torre going down there for a night of raucous fun.
She deserves it. We’ve been on the station for the same amount of time, although she was about ten years older than me when her parents sent her for schooling and discipline. Little did they know that she’d grow to love it so much she’d release her citizenship to her home planet in lieu of becoming an Oculoun Order guard.
After eating and cleaning my dishes, I sit down in front of the entertainment screen in my living room. Scrolling through an endless library of media from Earth, I finally settle on a nature documentary. Being in a star system so far from Earth means I’ll likely never see the planet of my origin with my own eyes. This is the best I can do.
I lose myself to hours of footage about the planet’s vast oceans and the centuries it took to right all the wrongs humanity wrought on the ecosystem. Sometimes I wish Calindrea had an ocean. What would it be like to walk along a sandy shore? Would the sound of waves crashing on rocks lull me to sleep at night? Perhaps someday I’ll find the answers, just not any time soon.
I watch until I can barely keep my eyes open and then turn off all the lights and walk into my bedroom. Once I’ve brushed my teeth and put my hair in a loose plait, I roll out my meditation mat with the intention of taking ten minutes for some quiet reflection. But as I sit, I find it difficult to silence my brain. Whispered thoughts echo in the back of my mind.
The older I get the more common this occurrence has become. It’s unsettling when it happens because I don’t know what the thoughts are, it’s like a scratch inside my skull that I can never itch. With a deep sigh, I push to my feet and set my mat aside for the morning. Maybe I just need a good night of sleep.
* * *
The sound of glass shattering jolts me from my sleep. I blink bleary, sleep-ridden eyes as I try to see what’s going on. Three huge figures move quickly through my room, two coming toward me, and one rifling through my belongings.
“Take whatever you want,” I cry out, voice wobbling. “There’s not much, but I won’t stop you.”
The one closest to me lunges, and while I try to roll out of their grasp, I’m nowhere near fast enough. They move with incredible speed and stealth. I can’t see a single glimpse of their flesh or features. Every inch of them is covered in black clothing and large helmets.
I open my mouth to scream, but one of them slams their hand over my mouth. It’s a huge hand. I try to bite it, but the glove is too thick. So I begin to thrash underneath the intruder as they lift me into their arms.
My instinct to fight only becomes stronger as I see where he’s carrying me. Toward the window that’s broken. There’s no screaming wind or suction out into space, though, and that’s when I see it. A small transport ship sits attached to my apartment.
They’re taking me away.
My thrashing becomes even more intense as I fight for my life. My elbow smacks into the helmet of whoever is carrying me. They nearly drop me when I land a kick to their thigh.
I feel a hard pressure on my neck just below my ear, and everything goes black.