Eman The Seeker

He always wondered what the purpose of everything was. Drifting through his days as a quiet observer. The life of a Seeker was one of solitude and infinite exploration for the Celestial Council. Eman wondered about each and every sector of the galaxy as the council required. He did his job, lazily seeking worlds that may have sentient life. For what purpose he did not yet know. His father, Elume, was also a Seeker, as was his father before him. Eman used to find joy in this exploration. Now, he simply does his duty until the council retires him.

This world was cataloged by the name of Smaragdus. Eman thought this was an odd name but his job was to seek, not to name. He landed his small starship in a clearing of lush green vegetation. Tall sturdy plants lined the clearing and thrashed in the ship's wake as it landed. His heavy boots crushed the plants as he heaved his way into the jungle, leaving his small encampment to survey the nearby point of interest the ship's computer identified while on entry to the planet's surface. One stood out as anomalous, that would be the first stop.

* * *

Eman traversed the thick jungle for hours, only stopping for water and to collect the occasional sample. He did not need to collect samples but most Seeker’s kept a hobby to keep their minds sharp. The Set of binary suns were beginning to set, the sky becoming a mix of purple and green. Eman emerged from the jungle, entering a short clearing. The edge of a cliff just a few meters past where he now stood. In the distance, deep in a valley between two plain mountains, a massive crater scared the surface. No large pieces of vegetation grew in the crater but Eman could tell it was not a new addition to the planet. Grasses and small ponds littered the inside of the crater. At the center of it all, Eman located the anomaly.

The structure was tall and slim. It stood at least a hundred meters tall, perfectly vertical. The structure was rectangular in shape and was as gray as silica dust. No markers were visible anywhere on its surface. It took Eman another three hours to maneuver down the cliff and into the crater valley. Night had finally taken hold of the planet. The stars cast just enough light to see the surrounding area, completely devoid of any creatures. The night stood silent. Eman would have to make camp next to the monolith. He did not have a flat enough clearing to call the ship to his location and land. His survival pack provided him a small lantern, his rations, and his inflatable sleep pod. Emans mother would often take him camping, pointing out constellations by the fire.

There, you see that star, just next to Sigma Sagittarii? Your father is there now. His mother would often point out star systems where Eman’s father was working, both of them waving at the faint specs of light. He thought of those nights often now. Especially on nights like these, where the sky was perfectly clear. Those memories were sour to him now. Not after what she did. Eman sighed, turning off his lamp, he pressed his eyes and pushed those memories back where they belonged.

* * *

The air was thick with dew in the early hours of the morning. The first of the suns illuminating the valley with a faded magenta light. Eman unzipped his pod and emerged with a yawn, his breath visible and ghostly. He was still hazy and somehow felt less rested than when he arrived. His mind had been clouded with dreams of before, dreams of his father. A breeze stirred up the surrounding flora, the rustling of their leaves the only sound in the valley.

Eman went about setting up his few pieces of equipment. Seismic monitoring, full spectrum electromagnetic analysis, and material analysis would have to be done via the ship. For now, Eman brandished his handheld scanner after setting up a recorder and atmospheric sensors. He meandered over to the structure after about forty minutes of walking around the near perimeter og the crater. The scanner buzzed in his hand as the blue display provided some basic numerical data of the structure. After Eman had confirmed this was indeed a rectangular prism and definitely alien to this planet, he reached his free hand out to touch the monolith's surface.

Y’enute, ckaemo Svlada! D’udu der Ay’umanadis.

The voice came into Emans mind like a violent hail storm. Defining the inside of his mind and causing him to fall to his knees in pain. Eman spent several moments catching his breath, his eyes blurred and hands shaking as he tried to compose himself. When his eyes finally focused, heart setting back, Eman realized it was now dusk. A low hum was growing from the base of the monument now. Slowly, it grew more intense causing Eman to stumble back as if something was pushing him backward. Eman’s eyes grew large as the sky became darker, too fast to be logical. The stars grew so bright he had to put a hand in front of his eyes. The monolith began to lume over him with nothing but the sense of malice behind it. What in god's name is going on. Eman thought, scrambling back to his sleep pod.

Eman gathered his basic kit and ran as fast as he could. Stumbling and bashing his way through the thick forest near the cliff face. Branches sliced at his arms and face, the sound of his heaving breath echoing through the wood.

K’ayuninad… K’ayuninad… K’ayuninad…

The voice found its way back into his mind. Tearing at the inside of his brain like an animal caught in a trap. He continued sprinting through the woods, a clearing making itself known just a few dozen meters in front of him now. When he breached the clearing he let out a scream of primal fear. The monolith was there. There are more? Eman thought, mind aching as the voice continued. He then squinted his eyes, his terror growing even more. His sleep pod was there, the same spot as before along with his smaller instruments.

K’ayuninad… K’ayuninad… K’ayuninad…

The voice was growing fainter, but more prevalent in its tone. It was no longer a horrifyingly frantic screech. The voice was now more feminine in nature. Eman did not understand the words. He left the safety of the treeline and dumped his pack next to the sleep pod as he approached the structure again. The hum was now a low and consistent pulse. The stars returned to their original luminosity.

Em'na xir sa'roym… Em'na xir sa'roym… Em'na xir sa'roym…

The voice was changing somehow. Eman still did not understand. Was the voice changing at all? Eman was now on his knees in front of the monolith. The sweat on his skin glistened in the night. He was spaying back and forth, barely aware of the woman who was peaking at him from behind the structure. Her hair was jet black, blending in almost perfectly with the night sky. She was short, only about a meter and a half tall. Her thin arms connected to tiny frail hands that rested by her side. She was completely nude, her long hair covering her breasts and face. The voice now came from her, “Em'an ir s'roy… Em'an ir s'roy… Em'an ir s'roy…” She repeated as she approached Eman. He knew she was there but he was unable to react, frozen in a trance. She knelt down in front of Eman, he could smell the scent of her skin. It reminded him of something, someone.

* * *

Eman was twelve when it happened. He had just come home from school. His father left for another expedition a day prior. They seemed so happy then. He opened the door to their habitat pod on Epsolus One to see shoes he did not recognize, womens shoes. He heard giggling from his parents room as he followed the trail of garments. He would never forget the look on his mothers face, the horror. The situation was firmly punctuated by a message from the council. Eman’s father had died on that expedition, never knowing his wife's betrayal.

Eman never forgave his mother for what she did. They hadn’t spoken since he left home a decade ago. He hated the fact that she tainted so many of his memories. He hated the fact that he still thought of her, even now. She tried everything to mend things between them. Each attempt falling into a disastrous argument. They would both say things they would come to regret. His mother would still try to reconcile, even though all her communications fell to deaf ears, she still tried. Eman was her only son.

When the council informed Eman that his mother had passed, her wife with her in her final moments, he did not react. He thought he would be more shocked, more upset, anything. He had all her messages saved in the ship's data storage. He never understood why he could not delete them, even though he had tried many times. The day he received word from the council he was on route to some backwater world, likely devoid of life. He sat at the ship's console staring at the display, the most recent message on the main display. The ship read it out to him in its usual cold tone, “Eman, I am sorry. I will always love you. My perfect, my only, my sun.”

* * *

When Eman awoke the woman was gone. The voice was silent and the hum from the monolith had vanished as if it never happened. It was midday now. He was splayed outside his sleeping pod, the morning dew making his clothes damp and cold. Eman was still hazy. Convinced last night was just a dream, he packed his instruments and sleep pod. Heaving his pack, he stared at the structure for a moment. A chill ran down his spine. An almost overwhelming guilt was weighing down on his chest now. Eman let his head drop as he turned to the forest, heading back to the ship. He could see broken branches and disturbed mud a few meters west of him as he entered the forest. Almost as if an animal had come through the treeline during the night.

Eman, I am sorry…

Hey Y'all! Thanks for reading. This is a proof of concept. Just trying to get more writing out there and practice a bit more. A lot of ideas from this I want to implement in my main work The Stellar Man(working title).

Please comment your thoughts I appreciate the feedback!

-Mas