The Circus

Obsidian Arrows

Time of our Lord Creatos 1539, Sunday the 20th of Manhuary

The Circus

The circus was moving forward with little to no effort on their part. It had so much momentum that they didn’t even have to show up and the whole thing would proceed without them. Or at least that's what Tarinnish told himself. He could not believe the predicament that he found himself in.  A wife, well soon to be. A child and now parents that were… Well that knew his God and worshiped him and not Creatos. What were the chances?  

Tarinnish was in his dressing room, that’s right three dressing rooms had been erected near the park so that the bride and groom could prepare for their walk down the isles right there at the park. There was a knock on the door. Tarinnish got up and answered it without thinking. It was Jack.

“Can I come in?” He asked.

Tarinnish left the door open and nodded yes.

“I just heard that the local media had been asked to put their feed on the main.” Jack said.  He was pondering something but held back.

Panic started crawling up Tarinnish’s spine. He looked at Jack, “This was supposed to be a simple private affair.” He didn’t finish.

“I know.” Jack said.

“I can’t go out there.” Tarinnish said as he stood. He looked at the door. It felt right to run.  To get away from all this. It was just too much exposure.   

“I have a plan.” Jack finally said.

Jacks words were like a lighthouse that Tarinnish was drawn to. It had an air of hope that Tarinnish needed. “What? What plan could… Why are they doing this?”

“We need to change your face.” Jack finally said.

“My face.” Tarinnish didn’t follow. His mind was set to run.

“Well if we change your face just a little.” Jack looked at the door then back at Tarinnish. “We need change it just enough that the facial recognition prodigals can’t pull up your father’s image... Well we just might pull this off.” 

If all the other stuff wasn’t enough, now he had to face the mainstream media and all its resources. All of Creatos’ resources would be brought to bear on him, here. It was only supposed to be a simple ceremony.  

There was another knock at the door. Tarinnish jumped up. He was looking for an escape. This was just too much.

Jack assured him, “It’s okay.  They’re friends and they can help.” Jack opened the door and two older women were standing at the there.  Jack quickly ushered them in. 

They set up a table next to the counter where the lit mirror was and went to work.  First, they removed Tarinnish’s shirt. He just sat there like a stone.  He needed to be someone else today.  Someone that wouldn’t bring the weight of the world down on their ceremony. Someone, that no one was looking for, but everyone was watching.  

The first lady addressed him. “I’m Charlet and this is my sister Winiford.” she took a scanner from her suitcase that was placed on the table. “I need to scan you and determine just how much work this is going to be.” Without waiting for permission, she pointed the scanner at him and started her work. Winiford was watching a screen.  She then took a stylist and started drawing on it.  With the scan done Charlet joined her sister and they talked quietly. Sometimes agreeing and sometimes not.  Then they both said in unison, “Okay.”

With that Charlet stepped back to Tarinnish’s side, “We have a plan and it will only take about thirty minutes to execute. You have a very distinct jaw line that we are going to disrupt, then pull your eye just a few millimeters forward and then that nose. Yes, we definitely need to make it bigger. 

Tarinnish was afraid that Marisa was not going to recognize him as the sisters administered their alterations. They did not let Tarinnish look in the mirror. They worked on this jawline and cheeks. It was a combination of adding stuff here and taping down skin there and then the nose. It looked like they were pasting a new layer of skin on him, but this new layer would have different features than his own.  

Then came the makeup. Foundation, ruse and flesh colored powders. It was a whirlwind of activity and then they stopped.

Charlet spoke first, “Oh, that’s perfect.” 

Winiford whispered, “scan him again.” 

Charlet picked up the scanner. She triggered it and Winiford waited for the results.  His new features sent the machine into a whirl of beeps and then went silent.  

Winiford announced, “He’s Folien.” 

“Which family?” Charlet asked,

“Indeterminate, a mix.” replied Winiford.

“Perfect.” Charlet whispered then looked at Tarinnish, “You’re a mutt, congratulations.” 

Tarinnish had a confused look on his face and then they turned him to the mirror. It was him, but not. He looked closely. His jaw had dropped just a few millimeters and his eyes looked closer together. How did they do that? His nose didn’t seem different, but as a whole, his face was different and yet he could still see enough of himself.  

They turned him back and Jack snapped a picture.

“What was that for?” Asked Tarinnish as spots darted here and there. 

“You don’t want Marisa to be too surprised at the alterations?” Jack asked.

Tarinnish shook his head, “Knowing her, she would ask what I did with her fiancé.” Tarinnish looked back at the mirror. His confidence was starting to rise, “Jack.”

Jack looked at him in the mirror and Tarinnish looked him in the eyes, “Thank you.” 

“Keep my daughter safe.” Jack said. Nothing more.

For a long moment Tarinnish said nothing. They just looked at each other. Finally, Tarinnish responded, “I’ll do my best.”

 When the two men broke their stares, they noticed that Charlet and Winiford were all packed up and waiting by the door. Jack walked over and shook Charlets hand. Thanked her and her sister and they left. Jack left too and Tarinnish put on the suit that he had selected for this moment. It was simple with long lines and a black that was so black that it swallowed light.  He wanted all the brilliance of this day, to come from Marisa. She was the star and he was in orbit around her.  

 Tarinnish looked at his chronometer. It was time and he put on his jacket and headed for the door. He opened it and Captain Trent was standing outside in full dress uniform.

 Tarinnish had forgotten all about the ship and his crew mates. Embarrassment filled his face.  In all this insanity he had not invited Trent and Stone to the wedding.

 Trent broke the ice immediately, “I thought you were eloping.” 

 “We tried.” was all Tarinnish offered.

 “Wow!” Trent looked around, “This…” He put his hand up and out at his side and made a slight rotation. The immensity of all that was their wedding was summed up in that one statement.

 “Yeah.” Tarinnish said in return, with a slight nod of his head and then shook it back and forth to indicated he had nothing to do with it. He then asked, “Is Ashley here?”

 “Oh yeah. She wasn’t going to miss this.” Trent grinned. He then shook his head again. “Oh the irony.” 

 Tarinnish looked at him with a puzzled look.

 “Yeah, Ashley wanted to do this.” He looked around then continued, “And we ended up at the Justice of the Peace for a civil union certificate for our son. Then you… The ever quiet ones get this.” He looked about again, “Irony.” 

 Tarinnish looked Trent in the eyes, “I would trade places with you in a heartbeat.”

 “I know.” Trent winked at him. “I know.” 

Changing the subject, Trent asked, “Who do you have standing with you?”  “Damn.” Tarinnish felt like a rag doll with no will of his own. He was so caught up with just coming to the planet, having Marias’ parents discover who he really was and the baby stuff, that a stand in at his wedding had never crossed his mind.  

Trent slapped Tarinnish on the back, “Don’t worry lieutenant. Your captain has your six.” 

With that they walked towards the ceremony. Once at the ceremony a short sprite of a woman dressed in ping from show to hat, with a headset on, approached him. “You two need to be on the stage.” She then turned away and spoke into the mic, “They’re here. I’m sending them up now.” She then looked at them as if to say, “Your still here, go!” 

They went.  

“Who was that?” Trent asked.

 “I don’t know. I’m just a pawn.” Tarinnish admitted.

 They arrived at their appointed position and stood to look at the isle where Marisa would be walking up.  At the far end of the isle, Ashley was standing in the arch. She was looking to her right.  Tarinnish followed her gaze to the sprite dressed in pink.  The one that had directed them to the stage.  She was in charge now.

Music started to play from the live band just to the south of the sage.  In those moments Tarinnish looked around.  There were flowers everywhere, with colorful ribbons and white tablecloths on every horizontal surface.  The arch that Ashley was standing in, was arranged with flowers from the floor up.  The chairs everyone was sitting in were white.  The grass looked intensely green and there were hundreds of people in the seats and standing on the side.  There were lights shining from poles and then there were the drones hovering with their cameras pointed at him.  Four of these annoying machines hovered at various heights.  They would record every detail. 

Ashley started to walk towards them.  She had a small bunch of flowers in her hand.  She walked up to Tarinnish and then turned to the other side of the stage.  Everything stopped.  Tarinnish looked at Ashley, but she was staring at the back.  Tarinnish looked back and saw a vision.  Marisa was standing there.  The most beautiful person he had ever seen.  Her dress was so white it dazzled.  Her face beaming. Her eyes fixed on him.  Everyone else vanished.

The ceremony was a blur.  The Mayor said some things and they exchanged vows.  Then it was over.  Months of planning and days of panic... Over.  Tarinnish and Clarish were married and now.  There was a brief reception, where they greeted hundreds of people they did not know and ate some food that didn’t even seem real.  Now they were in a hotel that was given to them for the remaining two night of their stay.  

It was too early to transfer the baby, so they would have the procedure done in two alunars.  They would also have a few more eggs removed from Marisa and I would provide more semen just in case something went wrong.  The surrogate agreed to carry a baby to term whether it was from this pregnancy of another.  

Tarinnish was sitting up in bed aboard the Hōkūle‘a.  It was two hours before first watch and he couldn’t sleep. There was nothing on the schedule for another two sevenths.  So, it was time to bone up on the latest surveys and a new Astro charts with two more sectors added to it.  One was from an unmanned probe and the second was from a gate that just came online.  The good thing was, the crew survived.  The bad thing was, besides some asteroids the system, they jumped to, had six gas giants and little else to offer.  The crew had to wait for six years for their gate to sync with little to nothing to do.  They did visit each of the planets to make sure that they were indeed nothing but gas.  And sure enough, each one checked out as gas only.  With one known as a Hot Jupiter.  They spent little to no time at this planet as it was just a few degrees from an ignition of its hydrogen.  They left a probe to transmit data and then moved away at all possible speed.  The only bright spot was that the crew survived and was headed home as soon as they circled back to get enough speed to make the jump.  Three alunars and they will be back at the quiver.  The hardest decision they will have to make is what to have for dinner.  Once back, however, they will have to decide whether to go out again or disband.  If they disband, some will join other ships, and some will opt to take their bonus and move on with their lives.  As for the ship, it will get another crew and prepare to take another stab at the universe.

Just then a vision filled his eyes.  Marisa was lying on a pile of what use to be the forward bulkhead.  A large shard of mettle was sticking out of her abdomen.  She was dead and by the look on her face the ship had decompressed.  Tarinnish snapped back.  Was he dreaming?  Was it a vision? Or just a fear of what could happen that managed to surface in his subconscious.  He quickly looked over at this new wife as she peacefully rested in the bed next to him.  Tarinnish dismissed it as a fear he had failed to subdue.  He then said a quick prayer his mother had taught him. A prayer of hope and protection.  That’s when a question came to him.  Why are you here?  Why didn’t you stick to the plan?  Be alone, be an island. One that can’t get hurt again.  But no.  You have a wife and a kid, well will have a kid.  That makes a family.  And that was not a part of the plan.  

Tarinnish got up and went to the common room.  He needed to clear his head, get some coffee and try to bury this fear that had put its tendrils into his heart.  Marisa was not going anywhere, and they were going to love each other and their child for a very long time.  Just where they are going to do this family thing, he did not know. 

End of Chapter 7
Next Chapter 8

This blog contains two books of the Remnant Series If you want to start at the beginning of Book 6, click the link below.

1st Chapter of Obsidian Arrows

If you want to read more about the Remnant Series see the links below.

            Book 1-3: Graham Heights available on Amazon.com

            Book 4: The Grey Abyss available on Amazon.com

            Bood 5: Chaos coming soon to Amazon.com

Book 6: Obsidian Arrows

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R. A. Legg

    
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