Dark Matter Ascension-Chapter 47B2 - : Truth and comfort

Jace led the way out of the General Logistics facility and back to the front entrance. The mercenary forces were gone.

“You want to talk?” Priam asked.

“Not now,” Jace replied as he led the group to the side of the room. “Seems like one of those Aspirants or Ascendants didn’t die,” he stated, observing the lack of bodies.

Greg cursed, “Damnit! They took our Stardust! I used so many rockets.”

Dee pouted as well, crossing her arms, “That’s just not fair!”

Jace ignored them and went to the farthest wall. A vehicle storage solution of some type, where rows of transport trucks were stacked atop each other on platforms with integrated elevators. He walked up to one of the boxes standing in front of the elevators, “Quinn, can you do anything with this?”

“Not with their network down. Just go to the vehicle, and I’ll walk you through hotwiring it.”

Jace nodded and went over to the truck, gripping the bumper and pulling it out of the small storage bay it was couched inside. The tires squealed against their brakes, and Jace was glad for the chance to exert energy and vent his frustration into a simple, physical task.

Greg walked over after Jace had pulled the vehicle all the way out of the bay and hopped up into the driver’s seat. Quinn began talking him through the process of hijacking the vehicle. Dee looked at Jace, “You’re strong. That thing must weigh a ton.”

“Two tons,” Jace replied as he turned and looked for Ollie. “Ollie? Where are you?”

Xera’s voice came into his earpiece, “He’s in the Starlit Sea.”

“…Tell him I’m sorry.”

“Tell him yourself.” Her voice was terse and curt.

There was a pop and Ollie appeared next to Jace. Ollie had a very bittersweet expression. A mix of sorrow and elation. “I’m sorry,” Jace whispered. “I wouldn’t ever hurt you.”

“I know,” Ollie replied. “You did not mean it. It was the anger talking.”

Jace nodded and looked over at Priam, who was listening in intently, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. “Doesn’t excuse what I did,” Jace muttered.

Ollie put his paw on Jace’s knee and met his gaze. “You thought she abandoned you because she did not want you. It turns out that was not the case. I cannot imagine how that feels, or the level of confusion you felt. Anger, rage, remorse, realization…it was a lot at once, I am sure.”

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Jace nodded and reached down, slowly, petting Ollie’s fur. “It doesn’t excuse what I did,” Jace said softly. “I never want to think about her again. She’s as good as dead to me.”

Priam frowned, “I don’t support your choice. You should try and rekindle your family relationship. Think about it: when you bring Chroma back, wouldn’t she benefit from having a loving mother?”

That struck Jace like a slap to the face. I’m being selfish, he thought. When Chroma comes back…she deserves a parent, not just a big brother. Someone who will always be there for her.

He remembered the feeling of his mother running her fingers through his hair as a child, and almost immediately that memory was overshadowed by the kindness and the same type of motherly, unconditional love that Xera had been showing him. Jace knew, he knew he could trust Xera.

“Ollie, ask Quinn if she can do research into who my dad was based on what Felicity told me. Chroma will need a parent, and I doubt I’ll be able to stick around all the time when I’m working for the Dark Between Stars.” Maybe if whoever my father was is back, I can go rescue him like I will rescue Chroma.

Ollie nodded, his eyes went black, and a few moments passed before they lit up their starlight blue once more. “She will work on it.”

Jace nodded and looked at Priam, “You are a good friend, Priam.”

The bunny-boy nodded as the vehicle’s engine revved up, and Greg shouted out, “Got it!”

Jace stood up and helped Priam up, then glanced at Dee who was staring at the two. “Ready to go?” he asked her.

She nodded and went to the truck, “Let’s head back! All this talk of family: I have to see my sister.”

Travel down the highway was uneventful, but Jace marveled at the enormous field of glass. “What caused it?” he asked.

“Star Father,” Greg replied. “He practically nuked the whole battlefield.”

Quinn’s voice came over the comms, “The Star Council thanks you: and us: for our service. They are sending over 10,000 Stardust for each of us. For our services in clearing the way for their rule of this world.”

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[Stardust Acquired: 10,000]

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Priam and Dee looked at each other and high-fived. “That puts us at level 100!” Dee shouted with excitement.

“And then it is 2,500 Stardust for your first level of an Advanced Class, which includes selection of your Ascended Power.” Ollie floated just above Jace, and he left streaks of glittering-blue nebula behind him as they traveled.

“What are the Ascended Powers?” Greg asked.

Ollie quickly rattled them off. Gigastar, which was an upgraded version of Star. Flux, upgrade of Nebula. Magnetar, upgrade of Pulsar. Supermassive, upgrade of Black Hole. And Exoplanet, which was the upgraded version of Planet.

Xera’s voice popped into Jace’s: and only his: comm link, “And for you, my Signer, a special Ascended Power. One that is exclusive to you, and only you. We’ll talk more when you enter the Starlit Sea.”

Greg nodded at Ollie’s words, “Is there any benefit to us sticking with the Ascended version of our existing Cosmic Power?”

Darrin, Greg’s Wayfinder, crawled out of the armor and floated up next to Ollie, “Nope! There is no penalty.”

Priam nodded, “I’ll probably go more versatile with Gigastar. What about you?” He looked at Dee.

“Flux,” she replied. “The trickier thing for me is what Advanced Class I’m going to pick.”

Jace tuned out their conversation, still thinking about the encounter with the woman that forsook him. Replaying the words in his head. That she had just been trying to improve his life by working her way up the corpo ranks.

Then, the words of his mentor came back to him. “Don’t trust the megacorps, ever,” the heavily scarred and hoarse-sounding man would mutter. “I should know, they let this happen to me during the more recent corpo war. Left me for dead. Marked me as KIA.”

Jace leaned his head back and shut his eyes, trying his best to follow the breathing exercises he was taught. I want to talk to Shhiv. No, I need to talk to her.

Shhiv had just finished onboarding their newest employee for Missy’s business. A very bubbly Plorp named Reasyl Luna. But she insisted they call her Ree. It’s great that Jace is making new friends out there, Shhiv thought as she bid the two other ladies good night and ascended the elevator.

She had talked to Sera and used some of her Stardust from Jace’s present to convert one of the empty floors to a workshop for their business, which had taken off. Customization of cosmopanel covers was tried before, but they were inevitably bought up by the Nebula Alliance and turned into a mass-produced concept.

Missy’s business, on the other hand, was all about personalization. Quality over quantity, and every cover was unique. Shhiv grinned as she looked at the back of her cosmopanel. It depicted an image of her and Jace, laying in bed together, staring up at the Starlit Sea. The device pinged, and she flipped it over.

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[Hey, Shhiv.]

[We’re on our way back. Maybe thirty minutes?]

[I…I need you. To talk to you. Something big happened, and I just need someone to…I don’t know, vent to.]

[See you soon.]

[Jace.]

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Well, if he’s going to get here soon, I should get things ready for him. Maybe a meal? He seemed to like that pizza stuff. She went into her apartment on the top floor, and was shocked to see Sera was standing there. “Oh, hi. Didn’t know you were visiting.”

Sera frowned and crossed her arms under her ample chest, and the other two clasped behind her back. “Jace met his estranged mother.”

“That explains it,” Shhiv replied as she walked past Sera and began working on setting up the dinner options so they could fabricate a fresh, hot meal as soon as Jace got there. “You staying for dinner?”

Sera shook her head, “No. You two need some time together.” She sighed and sat down, adjusting her spectacles. “I am going to be completely open and honest with you: but we have to sign a contract. What I’m going to be telling you, you will not be able to tell Jace. The reason you should know what I want you to know is that you are so involved with Jace, and I need him stable. The more aligned we are in our goals, the more stable he will be.”

A glowing, black screen with purple lettering appeared in front of Shhiv. She scanned through it, “Standard non-disclosure? Sure.” Shhiv tapped a few buttons and saw a notification pop up on her cosmopanel.

Sera waved her hand and the screen vanished. “My real name is Xera’tal Pen’arkon. I am the faction leader of the Dark Between Stars, and the last of The Architects.”

Shhiv just blinked, “I’ve heard of the DBS, but not The Architects.”

“Just call me Xera going forward. Sera if in mixed company: such as with Missy and Reasyl.” Xera/Sera stood up and walked over to Shhiv, gently grabbing her hand and squeezing it very tenderly. “I’ve put together a team of physicians and psychologists to make sure Jace is taken care of, in body and mind. But emotions are a whole different ball game. I have a therapist who will be working with him: and I’d like to have you present for some of those sessions.”

“Makes sense. Not couples therapy, though. Things are perfect so far in that regard.”

Xera/Sera shook her head, “No…Just be there for him, is all I ask. He needs an emotional rock, especially given the revelations of his mother.” She sighed. “Now for the part that must stay the most secret, hence the NDA’s more interesting provisos. I have been inserting myself as a surrogate maternal figure for Jace. And it has worked well in keeping him…well, for lack of a better term, under my thumb.”

Shhiv narrowed her gaze and pulled her hand away, “I knew it! First night we met, that game night? I knew that you were going for that whole ‘motherly love’ thing. Called it!” She frowned slightly, “Under your thumb? So, you’re using the whole ‘surrogate mom’ thing to control him?”

“This is why we signed the contract,” Xera/Sera said as she resumed her more serious posture once more. “Yes. He is the best chance for keeping the entirety of The Cosmic System from falling to bits. And he is integral in completing my long-term mission which will benefit every single life form in this universe. I believe that some subterfuge and manipulation is acceptable given those stakes, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You’re not wrong,” Shhiv replied as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Well even if I could tell him, I won’t tell him.” She held up her finger, “But, he is my man, got it? I don’t mind you playing up the motherly affection role: but don’t you dare get in my territory. Got it?”

Xera/Sera smirked and nodded, “Of course. I have no interest in that aspect of Jace’s persona or life.” Her face softened and she smiled gently, “He is a good man. He might have to do some amoral actions in the name of keeping the System stable and our universe intact…but he deserves an understanding partner like yourself. Thank you, Shhiv-zal.”

“Sure. Just tell me one thing. Is this all a façade? Or is there actually a bond of some type there? Do you even care about him beyond him being your Signer?”

Xera/Sera frowned, “…Sometimes I ask myself that question.” She vanished, just as someone warping through Khrox would.

There was a knock on Shhiv’s door, and she quickly hit the meal-manifest button before going over and sliding it open. Jace was standing there; his skin was back to its usual hue minus the silver and gold nebula under the skin. And he looked tired. “Hungry?” she asked softly.

Jace smiled and just stepped forward, embracing her in a hug. She held him tight.