Project: Sols
Chapter Seven
Duty
Lyca materialized on the transporter pad at the end of the hallway
outside her and Trys’ apartment. Lyca immediately looked to their
apartment’s front door down at the far end of the hallway, and
noticed two men in military uniforms standing outside the door.
The events of the past few minutes still playing through her mind,
Lyca approached the apartment with apprehension. The guards outside
were very friendly.
“Excuse me ma’am”, the short guard inquired, “but are you miss
Lyca?” Lyca looked at the guards, one was a short man, the other
was tall, other than that, they appeared to be identical twins.
Assigned births to fill the ranks of the Army, Lyca assumed the
men to be betas.
“I am.”
“Please enter, your sister will explain everything to you.”
Lyca placed her palm on the DNA scanner door lock, and the door
slid to the right into the wall. Lyca entered the apartment. Trys’
minimalist approach to interior decorating had always irked Lyca,
she preferred to be surrounded by lots of stuff. Trys was the
exact opposite. The sparsely decorated apartment was a series
of large rooms subdivided by portable walls into various training
studios for Trys, and Lyca’s large room. A large kitchen with
a table in the middle was the only room remaining as the apartment
had been once they moved in. Trys was in her meditation room,
sitting on the floor.
“Lyca, is that you?” Trys yelled across the apartment.
“It’s me sis, I’m back.” Lyca yelled back. Trys stood up and
walked out of her meditation room to the kitchen. She sat down
at the table. Lyca was already sitting, waiting.
“You want to know why there are armed guards outside right?”
“Yeah.”
“Earlier today, there was an incident at the Bluefull Guild.
Someone faked my DNA signature, and teleported down to Ragol.
I had a... meeting... with Principal Tyrell, he ordered you and
I to remain under house arrest until they can fix the situation...”
“I don’t understand... what are you talking about? How can someone
just fake a DNA signature?”
“Lyca... There are things I have kept from you, certain... facts...
about our origins. You were too young to remember much, so I didn't
want to burden you with the truth. I wanted you to live a happy
life...”
“Sis... ?” Lyca opened her eyes wide and stared at Trys. A look
of nervous uncertianty slowly appeared on her face as Trys spoke.
“We were created years ago, before Pioneer’s launch. For years,
all I knew was that we were part of something called ‘Project
Sols’. When I was young, there were... experiments, conducted
on me. I never knew why you weren’t part of the tests, until today
anyway. But what you really need to know now, is that we’re not
the only ones they created. We have two other sisters, one was
born between you and I, her name is Iris. She was the one who
faked my ID today.” Trys withdrew several printed photographs
from her null space item storage, and placed them on the table.
Lyca began to look them over, they were of two young Numan girls,
one bearing a striking similarity to Trys, albeit with darker
skin and orange hair. A caption under the girls picture read:
“Project: Sols-Experrimental Type 02-Iris”. The other picture
was of a much younger girl, who was dressed in a medical gown,
and looked profoundly sad, the caption under the picture read:
“Project: Sols-Experrimental Type 04-Tear” Lyca gasped, the girl
in the picture was the same girl she had met on Ragol earlier,
Tear.
“I... I... I know her! I met this girl earlier today in the
forest!”, Lyca quickly spoke.
“What!? When was this?”
“I just left her about half an hour ago...”. Lyca looked at
her datalink. “I did get her guild file!” Trys stared blankly
at the wall for several seconds.
“It’s no good, those guards are out there, even if I could get
past them, they’d call in for assistance. I’d never make it to
the surface before they found me.” Lyca and trys both sat silent.
Lyca stared at the picture of Tear, and thought back to earlier
that afternoon when they had been together in the forest. “...Sister”
Lyca thought to herself. “She called me ‘sister’...did she know?”
The doorbell rang, Trys stood up and walked to the door. She
pressed the open button on the wall next to the door, the the
door slid open. A blue android carrying a rectangular box two
meters long stood in the doorway. The guards appeared to have
already inspected his ID.
“Solstrys?” the android asked. Trys looked at the android, and
at the box he was carrying. It was made of finely polished wood,
and bore the family crest of her master, Zoke.
“I am she...”
“I was left with implicit instructions to relinquish this into
your direct care.” The android bowed his head and handed the box
to Trys. He then turned and walked down the hallway towards the
teleporter. The front door shut at Trys walked back into the apartment.
Trys inspected the box closely, she could find no apparent way
to open it. As she examined the box, the crest of Zoke began to
faintly glow.
“Who was it?” Lyca asked.
“Android... he gave me this and walked off. But I can’t seem
to open it...”
“What’s that symbol? It’s glowing...”
“It’s the crest of Master Zoke’s family, I think he may have
had this sent to me.”
“What is it?”
“Well... it looks like a sword box. But there’s no way to open
it...” As Trys spoke the crest suddenly glowed brighter, and a
from the crest a hologram of Zoke appeared. Trys placed the box
on the floor as the hologram began to speak.
“Trys”, the hologram began, “I am about to leave on what I am
sure will be my last journey in this life. I regret that I will
not be able to witness your growth as a master of the arts. I
know you will some day surpass even myself, and I hope this, my
final gift to you, will help you achieve your goals. I am also
certain, that my master Anze has by now expelled you from my school.
I must apologize for his actions. Please know that he means no
ill will, it simply is his way. You and BWS are my brightest pupils,
and I hope you can understand why I have done what I have done.
If I fail in my task, it will fall to you and he to finish my
work. A great darkness stirs beneath Ragol. Our people will never
find solace upon this world unless it is removed. I know you are
deeply troubled by your visions, but you must learn to see them
for what they are. May you walk the path of honor and righteousness.”
With it’s final words the hologram faded slowly. The crest on
the box ceased glowing, and the box made a clicking noise. Trys
knelt and slowly lifted the now released lid from the box. Inside
the box sat a simple looking sword. Trys looked at her reflection
in the sword’s finely polished blade. A simple paper card in the
box read: “Orotiagito, AUW 1975, Dousetsu”. A look of total shock
drew across Trys’ face.
“What is it?” Lyca asked.
“It’s... Agito. The final sword of the heavens...”
“The what?”
“Master Zoke...”, Trys whispered to herself. Lyca and Trys remained
silent for several minutes. A sudden loud thumping noise from
outside the front door caught their attention. The door slid open
seconds later, and in the doorway stood BWS-1. A glimmering silver
Agito in his hand.
“Trys”, BWS-1 said silently, “we have a job to do.”
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