CHAPTER 531: THE FAVOUR OF A GOD

"Hmmm." I vocalised as I looked down into the box of valuables. "I probably should have labelled these." I thought as I looked down at the two communication crystals in my possession.

One was purple with a slightly purple hue and the other was purple with a slightly purple hue... "Hmmm." I became indecisive for a moment before remembering that one had multiple numbers within and I just tell which is which with a simple investigation.

Picking up the crystal on the right. I suddenly realised, I had no idea how to activate it. It was nothing like phones from my past life. No convenient buttons or anything like that, but my clumsy appraisal did something and before I knew it, the thing began humming and chiming.

...

"Speak." A voice full of authority spoke through the communicator. I was familiar with the tone. It was not baseless authority. IT was authority that came with age and wisdom. This didn’t affect me however.

"Oh shoot, Sorry. I picked up the wrong communicator. Um, how do I turn this thing off? Stupid technology with its lack of buttons..." I began muttering as I looked at the communicator again and began fiddling with it.

The speaker on the other line seemed taken aback. "You have this number and yet you picked up the wrong communicator? I don’t think you understand how rare this line is. Who are you, you sound... Wait!... Archon Apollo?"

The voice lost authority and was replaced with shock. "Um yes, hi. Do you know Rekosh? Sorry, I know I was not supposed to use this crystal for a while, like I said, I picked up the wrong one."

Aeletha sat back on her chair, her blind eyes looking up towards the ceiling. "Archon Apollo, this is the Seer, Aeletha."

...

"Hello?" She asked as the line went silent. I suddenly realised I was being rude and spoke up. "Oh, sorry. I was just surprised that Rekosh gave me the personal line to a fucking god is all. I was expecting, like, a middle person from the context he gave when he handed me the communicator."

Aeletha blinked in surprise. ’Did the man just curse?’ She hadn’t expected that, she was feared as much as she was revered here. People of the coalition tend to watch their mouth around her.

"It is fine Apollo. Truly. How are you faring since our brief meeting on bastion? Are you well? If I am not mistaken, you should be enrolling into the inferior Psionic college of your species right now, correct?"

I raised my eyes in surprise. ’How did she know?’ But speaking to this god made me remember my conversation with Rekosh slightly and I did mention that I was enrolling as my excuse not to go there. And I am sure something with the title of ’Seer’ had no issue finding out when that was.

I walked over to the bed and sat down on its edge. "Yeah, we had the welcome ceremony earlier today. The place is kind of cool. It’s nice to see so many kin, you know? Like we all share this rare gift that makes us unique within the galaxy."

Aeletha crossed her legs and smiled. "That is quite the optimistic outlook Apollo, I recall a time in Spartari history where your kind were ostracised and hunted, but that would be forgotten and most likely, wiped information from your empire."

"Well, no point living in the past right? We should learn from mistakes, not dwell on them. Speaking of mistakes, can I have your help with something?" I asked. I had a problem that someone I assumed as smart as the Seer of an entire coalition could help with.

Aeletha hummed in amusement before biting her lip. The vision had started before her once again and this time, hearing the Archon’s voice, the sounds of his grunts of pleasure began to play throughout the vision.

She shook her head, clearing the thought, somewhat. This was a unique opportunity. If she could do a favour for the Archon, perhaps she could understand more why this future was playing out before her? Why she would choose this mayfly as her possible partner?

"What would you ask of me, Archon Apollo? You did save my life after all, I must surely repay that debt in some way. However, I must remind you that we are technically speaking, enemies. So I cannot do anything too grand."

I smiled, jubilant. "Great! Can you help me put some numbers into my other communicator? I am basically stumped, I might as well be saying ’unga bunga’ and hitting the thing with my stick. I am totally lost."

As a woman who is constantly seeing the future before her. There was not much that left Aeletha stumped. There wasn’t much she couldn’t predict, but this? She couldn’t have fathomed this if you gave her centuries.

"Y-You want me, a ’god’ as you have proclaimed, A prominent figure in the coalition of species with near limitless resources and manpower at my whim, A being older than your entire civilization, to be your tech support?"

A pause passed between us. Lingering uncomfortably. "Is-Is that a no?" I asked. The silence continued for a short moment before I heard a sigh on the other end. "Do you have the other crystal with you?"

...

"-Ok, now type in the digits that were provided to you on the holographic projector . Since you’re using a crystal and not a standard communicator, you won’t need the secure link number, your crystal is already incredibly secure."

"Oh, ok. I see. That was much easier than I expected. Though, I suppose you were a great guide. Thank you, I will be able to do the other later on my own."

Aeletha’s smile grew upon her face, a tingle shot down her spine. She was used to thanks and praise from literally every single individual she encountered, but that was always laid thick with layers and layers of obligation, political currying and other asinine reasons.

But this, it was simple. Simple praise for something so mundane. She had not experienced something like this in a very long time. "Honestly Archon, you humour me. But it was the least I could do. Are you sure there isn’t anything else I could help you with? As helping you with adding a bunch of numbers to your communicator really isn’t much."

I shook my head, despite there being no visuality to this call. "No thats ok, I don’t really need- Oh actually. I have a small favour to ask if that’s ok? Don’t worry, it’s nothing big again." Aeletha smiled. "I’m not helping you change the definition of your holoprojectors if that is what you are going to ask."

"Ha!" I chuckled loudly, amused by the quip. "No, nothing so trivial. This is more of an impulse. So I have this Royal Sepiida friend, and she mentioned about the Sepuudu and how they suddenly vanished in one generation after your coalition found her species. Can I ask what happened to them?"

My train of thought wasn’t that astray, I was adding Sepiida communication numbers to my crystal, that had me thinking about the Sepiidae I knew, one of them being Talia. Then what she had told me about her species etc.

Aeletha’s milky glowing eyes opened in surprise. "The Sepuudu? Now there is a species I thought I never would hear about again. Forgive me Archon, I cannot remember the details exactly, but perhaps we could converse again tomorrow by your empire’s calendar? I will have to go to the Archive of lost species to jog my memory, it has been more than a few centuries after all."

I waved my hands in front of me, once again forgetting about the lack of visual component during this communication. "Sure, that works with me, it was just a passing thought is all. If it causes you any problems, you don’t have to. Now, once again, thank you, but I have a minimum of six burgers calling my name and my stomach is growling at me to get into gear."

Aeletha giggled softly. "Very well, my Archon. I bid you a good day and hope to hear from you tomorrow."

"Ok, goodbye." I said cheerfully.

...

...

...

"Um, I don’t know how to end the call?" I said awkwardly, causing Aeletha to laugh hysterically. After a good minute, she finally stopped with heavy breaths and informed me what to do, which I then did after another farewell.

After putting the communicator down, I looked around the room for a box... ’Now where are. Aha!’ I declared, my eyes going wide before I ran over quickly and began rummaging through the box with a fervour until I pulled out what I needed. A sock.

I will wrap the ’Illegal’ Crystal in the sock and keep the other one out, that way I know which is... Which.

On the bed, directly next to each other were two crystals. One was purple with a slightly purple hue while the other was purple with a slightly purple hue...

"Shit."