Members of the Sol Commonwealth Council, it is time for truth.  Too long have the falsehoods spread, each more incredulous than the last.  The news media is only too happy to give them voice, the more sensational the better.  Story-tellers and bards I would allow artistic license, but countless would be heroes, ambitious politicians, and deluded clerics have claimed stake for only their own benefit.

I do not do this to bring down the false claimers, for there would always be more to take their place.  Nor do I do it for my own profit, I want nothing more than to wash my hands of this mess.  I even do this not for the true hero for she has no desire for fame.  I do this  as my duty to all of humanity. 

The Soul Blight began and ended on the seventh planet of the Sqia'lon system.  I know what transpired because I was there in the thick of it.  Allow me to enlighten you all...

The sunrise seemed to have no beauty, only a reveal of the sun as the planet rotated.  The fen tree fruit I ate was nourishing, but no longer savory.  Music was becoming little more than noise.  The friends I had left were becoming as random strangers devoid of intimacy.  I knew I was falling to the Soul Blight.  Soon it would take everything that defines me.

Many before me succumbed. They would become no more than zombies, alive but not living, until even that was taken.  Now most of the stricken take their own lives.  I will do the same, but I wanted just one more sunrise and one more dream of what might have been. 

I've had my share of grand adventures.  I was a security officer on one of the arkships that brought pioneers to this far off world, the seventh planet of the Sqia'lon system, after the terraform process was completed.  I had planned to settle down myself, perhaps become a husband and father.  The woman I would have chosen as mate was taken before me.  This was a lush and wonderful world that beckoned me, at least when I could perceive such things.

The Blight took away consciousness itself the experts said.  It started slowly and spread almost imperceptive at first.  By the time it was widely noticed it had already began to spread to other star systems.  All the resources of the Sol Commonwealth were made available to find a cure, but they could not even determine what caused the sickness.  There was no pathogen nor poison to explain it.  It spread to other worlds seemingly without a carrier.

As if that was not enough, the T'cal invaded, at least that was what they seemed to call themselves.  Our first contact with an alien space-faring civilization was not a pleasant one.  Being a security officer I was called to our defense.  We did not stand a chance.  Their technology was far more advanced than ours and even our mightiest battleships were no more than annoyances to them.  The T'cal established several outposts on the planet.  And then for the most part left us alone, excepting sometimes when we irritated them.  There still is a Resistance network, but they can do little more than watch and plot.

Why did the T'cal come here?  Why invade a system that is suffering from the Blight?  Some thought they introduced it as a pre-invasion strike, but we discovered that they are suffering from its effects even more than us.

The religious leaders pleaded for a resolution to a deity that would not answer.  Nonetheless I prayed that a cure will be found, but not for me.  The cliff before me was to be my answer, before even that choice faded away.  One more step and I will discover the nature of the afterlife; be it heaven, hell, or oblivion. 

As I lifted my leg for my last step a hand grasped my shoulder.  I turned to the hooded figure that countered what was to be my final decision.

A weak female voice spoke to me.  "Hold, friend.  Come with me."

I had hardly the will to resist and she led me to a nearby shelter and bid me to sit on a bench.

I asked without emotion, "What do you want?"

She answered cryptically.  "Listen to my song."

She kneeled and placed one hand on the ground and the other on me.  The song started with a faint hum that slowly grew loader.  It progressed to an aria accompanied by the wind.  It was soothing to what spirit I had left.  Her voice oscillated in pitch and volume as if searching for the right combination. 

Something miraculous began to happen.  I began to again experience my surroundings beyond mere sensing.  The wind was cool, but the sun Sqia'lon shown pleasantly warm on my face.  Colorful wildflowers blanketing distant hillsides drew my eye, their wafted scent pleasing.  My spirit was being returned to me.  Not all the sensations were pleasant, though.  Grief returned for the loss of my lover and friends, and I shuddered at the darkness that had nearly taken me.  I felt fear for the fate of all humanity.

The song ended and she collapsed to the ground, shivering as if chilled.  I pulled her up to a sitting position leaning against me.  She continued to tremble.  She felt so light and thin.  Her hood fell back to reveal an ashen and nearly emaciated face framed by tangled dark hair.  A prominent burn scar ran from one eye down her cheek.  I was glad she did not see my initial shocked expression.  This young woman has known suffering.

As my spirit returned so too did compassion.  I picked her up and carried her to my small house.  As I opened the door I saw with renewed eyes the objects of my life now scattered about.  The soulless me had not cared about orderliness.  I placed her as gently as I could on the couch and fluffed pillows under her head.

Her head was damp with sweat, but she had no fever.  She mumbled something, but was barely coherent.  She was able to drink some of the water I offered.

I had to bend down to hear the words she whispered.  "Take me outside and place me on the ground.  Please."

I did not know how this would help, but there was much of what happened that I did not understand, so I complied.  I lowered her onto a soft grassy patch and held on to her hand.  As she contacted the ground her eyes closed and her body began to relax.  She took a deep breath and a hint of a smile came to her face.  It was as if she was drawing life from the planet itself.  In a few moments she opened her eyes and rolled over to a kneeling position.  I helped her up and we went back inside.

"Could I get you something to eat?"

"Yes, I am so hungry.  I have walked a long ways."

A brothy soup and bread were prepared and placed before her.  She ate eagerly.  The bowl was emptied and refilled again.  Some color began to show in her face.

When finished she leaned back in her chair.  "Thank you so much."

She seemed puzzled as I shook my head.  "It is I who should thank you!  I only gave you food and drink, you gave me back my soul."

"You have a good soul."

"I have many questions for you when you are ready."

"May I rest first?  I will then tell you what I know."

"Just one question for now then:  what is your name?"

"Althea."

An old name that means 'healer'.  That seemed appropriate.

"I am called Tahn.  I am happy beyond words to have met you Althea.  My house is at your disposal.  Please take my bed and use my bath."

A smile brightened her face.  "That would be so wonderful."

After a bath she slept for nearly a full cycle.  I gathered up her clothes to mend a few tears and to wash them.  I retrieved her shoulder bag from the cliff edge where we met.  It contained a jacket, a light bed roll, and a jug nearly empty of water.

Has she found a cure to the Soul Blight?  If so, it changes everything.  She saved my soul and I am indebted to her.  Perhaps she is the answer to our prayers.

She awoke early in the morning of the next day.  I could tell immediately that she was stronger.  I prepared breakfast for us both. 

"Sleep well?"

She smiled.  "Yes.  Very well.  I hope I have not inconvenienced you too much."

I laughed out loud.  "The woman who saved my soul asks if I am inconvenienced?  You may inconvenience me anytime you wish."

She stifled a chuckle as I took a sip of tea.  Perhaps now she would address my questions.  "If I may ask, from where did you travel?"

"From the southern plains settlement.  My home was there."

She likely noticed the shocked look on my face.  The southern planes were ravaged during the T'cal invasion since much of the planetary defenses were located there.  She was in the middle of it all.

She anticipated my question and looked down.  "My family and most of those in my village were killed in the fighting, that what the Soul Blight had not already taken.  It had already begun to take me."  She paused.  "I know you see my scar.  It is my reminder of that day."

"I do see it, but your beautiful heart outshines it."

She smiled.  "Your words are kind.  I wonder, though, how skilled you are at charming the ladies?"

I laughed at the unexpected joke.  She seemed remarkably unbitter.  "Not as much as you might think.  My reputation hinders me."

She asked, "Do you have a mate?"

"There was one I had hoped to marry, but the Blight claimed her some time ago."

"I am sorry."

"All still alive here are burdened with grief.  What can we do?  We just carry on."

I continued.  "The southern plains are hundreds of kilometers away.  Did you walk that distance?"

"Much of it.  I did find transportation for part of the way and kind people that would help me.  But with the Blight, there were so few."

"You said you were stricken with the Blight, yet you seem not to have it now.  Are you cured?"

She paused in thought.  "I am, but not on my own.  Sqia'tor called me."

I was puzzled.  Sqia'tor was a name some used for this planet, although it is officially named by the Commonwealth as Sqia'lon Seven.  "How was that?"

She shook her head.  "I have no rational explanation.  I just felt the song and the Blight faded away.  Sqia'tor has a consciousness of its own, but not at all like ours."

"The planet is alive?"

"Not in the way we think of life, but yes.  And it too suffers the Blight."

"Did you cure me in the same way?"

"Indirectly.  I am able to channel Sqia'tor, but it drains me.  You saw that.  And I do not think it is a cure, rather a temporary reprieve, for how long I do not know."

"I remember you sang to me."

"Yes.  It is not the song per se, but it is through the auditory that I channel the healing.  I just had to find the right resonance to match your consciousness."

I bowed my head to her.  "I am truly grateful for every extra moment I have.  But why me?  Surely others are more worthy."

She looked me directly in the eye.  "Sqia'tor led me to you.  I need your help to complete the mission to which I am called ."

"What is that?"

"To save our universe."

Save our universe?  My questions led to so more questions.  I just sat there with my mouth open, not sure what to say. 

She asked, "Will you help me, Tahn?"

I snapped out of stillness.  "There is no more noble a cause, I will help you, but what help can I be?"

She answered.  "I need a guide and guardian."

"To guide you where?"

"To the T'cal.  Please trust me for now.  I will explain on the way.  I fear there is not much time."

Why would we go to our enemies?  But I owed her at very least the presumption of trust.

"The nearest T'cal base is more than a half day's journey by hovercar.  I will charge up the power cells and prepare for the journey.  We can be off in two hours."

I hooked up the charger to the hovercar and loaded supplies while Althea gathered food and water for the trip.  She said she needed a guardian, so I included some weapons as well.  Perhaps she chose me because I am a security officer, knowing the lay of the land.  I am skilled with combat tactics and weapons, but those would be insignificant against the T'cal.

As I predicted, in two hours we departed.  Althea soon fell asleep while questions bounced impatiently in my head.  Best to just let her rest for now.  Her long dark hair waved in the vented breeze.  Her slim face and copper skin tone were pleasant, defying the scar that marked her.  I meant what I said earlier about her heart, it is her most beautiful feature.  In another reality I might even try to woo her.  The mere fact that I can even appreciate her beauty was a gift from her.

After two hours she began to stir and lifted her arms to stretch stiff muscles.  Her eyes met mine and she smiled.  I wondered if she felt an attraction to me as I did for her, but then I swept the thought from my mind, there were more important things to consider.

She spoke.  "I am sure you have many questions.  Let me start by asking you one:  what do you know of consciousness?"

I shook my head.  "Hmm, philosophers and physicists has wrestled with this concept since humanity began.  From what I have read we can hardly define it, much less understand it.  As I discovered recently firsthand, it is essential to our very existence."

"It is so, but perhaps more so than you think.  It is also essential to the existence of the universe itself, as fundamental as the fabric of space.  This consciousness is what allows the universe to have form.  I perceived that in my connection to Sqia'tor."

"Do we tap into this universe consciousness?"

"Yes.  All things do to varying extent.  In a way, the universe was designed for beings like ourselves, otherwise it would not exist in any defined form.  It is a paradox, but only to our limited understanding."

I shook my head.  "Ohh, my mind hurts."

She laughed out loud.

I continued.  "So, you were called by Sqia'lon Seven, or rather Sqia'tor?  Why you?"

"Really it was by the universe itself, but through Sqia'tor.  As to why me, I do not know.  Perhaps the calling was random or perhaps I had some special affinity."

"What do you plan to do?"

"To repair the very fabric of existence.  The Soul Blight is but a symptom we observe.  The real damage is to the universe itself."

"How do the T'cal factor in to all this?"

"They are inflicted with the Blight too, even more than we are.  They are more like us than not."

She was right.  We found dead bodies of the T'cal, likely due to the blight.  Although evolved on alien worlds, they were remarkably like us.  Some outward appearances were different:  they were shorter, stockier, a dull green skin color, fewer fingers, no toes, and a flattened skull.  But like us they were bipedal, with two arms, two eyes, and similar mix of internal organs.  The kicker was that they had DNA like us.  How unlikely is that?  But not at all unlikely if what she said is true, that the universe was designed for beings like ourselves.

She continued.  "I am able to mend the rips in the fabric of the universe, if I may use that analogy, but not on my own.  I do not have the strength.  You saw what it did to me when I mended you.  I believe the T'cal were called here just as I was and they have knowledge or technology that may help.  I have to try."

Her speculation about the T'cal actually made sense.  Why else would the T'cal come all this way to a Blight infected world?  If they wanted resources, worlds to colonize, or even military outposts there are other planets much better suited.  Perhaps they are not so malevolent.

"You said the universe is damaged, what did this?"

Her sudden solemn expression sent a chill down my spine.  "I do not know for sure.  There is some kind of darkness.  It scares me, it is as close to pure evil as I can imagine."

We rode on in silence for several minutes as I banked the hovercar around a set of rocky hills.

I broke the silence.  "So let me get this straight:  called by a planet; going to the aliens who invaded us; asking them if they might help you mend the fabric of the universe; and perhaps facing some dark evil.  Did I miss anything?"

"Something like that."

"Oh good.  And I thought it might be weird."

She laughed.  "Thank you for that summary."

"Well here is our first test.  There is a Resistance checkpoint up ahead.  I was afraid of this."

I began to slow down.  "So what do we tell them?  That the T'cal are going to help us cure the Soul Blight?  The dark universe destroying monster part?  Talking to strange planets?  Somehow I don't think they will believe us."

"I don't know."

I sighed.  "When I shoot them duck down as low as you can."

"Wait.  What?"

Sometimes the best solution to a problem was the most direct.  I waved at the two guards as I slowed down and placed my stunner beside me on the seat.  If they followed standard protocols there also was a sniper somewhere hidden from view.  That was the one that most concerned me.  The two armed guards at the checkpoint made a mistake that I exploited, they were standing next to each other.  I smiled as I pulled up close to them and shot them both in quick succession with my stunner.  They will wake up later with bad headaches.

Althea slid down in her seat as I had instructed, her eyes wide as she tightly gripped the seat supports.  I accelerated ahead as fast as the car would go.  I hoped the sniper was taken by as much surprise as the two other guards.  I stayed low over sandy ground, kicking up dust that would confuse the automatic targeting devices that most sniper rifles had.  A bullet sliced thru the top of the back window and out thru the roof.  I was glad they weren't using explosive projectiles.  Soon I crested a ridge and we were out of sight of the checkpoint.

"You can get up now Althea."

She peered timidly behind us over the top of her seat back.  She turned to me.  "What happens next?"

"Well they will probably scramble some airships to pursue us, but we should make it to the barrier before they reach us."

"Should?"

"Most likely."

Her eyes were still wide.  "What do you mean by barrier?"

"I'll show you in about five minutes."

"I don't know how you can be so calm now."

"Training and experience.  Let me ask you something if I may.  You lost friends, your family, and your home to the T'cal invasion.  Why aren't you bitter and vengeful?"

"I was.  Then Sqia'tor came to me.  I will admit that I did not accept the calling at first, but I came to understand that I had a much greater purpose and that the T'cal are also victims."

"You are truly extraordinary, Althea.  The universe's just and brave cosmic seamstress."

She displayed the smile I liked so much.  "Thank you, but I do not feel so brave right now."

"Bravery is not lack of fear, but doing what is right despite it.  You have already demonstrated that much."

Suddenly the interior lights and displays in the hovercar darkened.  The car slowed and coasted down to the ground, sliding to a bumpy stop.

"Ah, we have arrived at the barrier.  It is some sort of energy damping field that surrounds the T'cal facility.  We will have to do the last kilometer on foot."

Althea stepped out and slung her pack over her shoulder.  I put my stunner in my belt, but then on second thought threw it back on the seat.  What good would it be?  It might even be worse than useless if it caused the T'cal to think our intentions hostile.  I grabbed a bottle of water and a hat instead.

I took hold of her hand.  "Ready?"

She nodded and we began walking.  The terrain was rocky with low hills.  A desert, but passable.  When we crested a small ridge the T'cal facility came in to view.  It wasn't as impressive as you would think for an advanced space-faring civilization.  A wall and berm made of local materials surrounded it.  Inside the walls we could make out several rounded structures and what looked like a transport ship.  We looked at each other and continued on, hand in hand.

It took us about 30 minutes to reach the walls as we had to weave around washes, rock outcroppings, and avoid the thorny bushes.  We climbed the berm and stopped at the wall.  And, nothing.  Were they ignoring us?

I turned to her.  "Well this is anticlimactic."

She kneeled down and placed her hands on the ground.  "I think I can get their attention."

She closed her eyes and began to hum softly, slowly becoming louder, and transitioning to a sweet song.  Again I felt it sooth my soul. 

Within a few minutes I heard activity within the walls.  Rounding the corner came three T'cal.  Two wore what looked like body armor and carried what looked like weapons.  The one in the middle wore a simple black robe, an officer or perhaps a diplomat?  They approached and stopped about a meter before us.  Their eyes scanned us as our eyes scanned them.

Althea nodded to me and approached the robed T'cal representative.  She held out her hand, fingers up and palm facing them.  The robed T'cal did the same until their palms connected.  Then they just stood there for what was for me an anxious minute.  They pulled back from the contact and she smiled.  The T'cal widened his mouth in what I believe was their version of a smile.  The two armed T'cal seemed to relax.  This looked like a good sign.

She came back to me glowing.  "He understands who I am and what I am to do!"

I was pleased with this outcome, but also sad that we now must part.  "Will I see you again?"

She rushed in and embraced me in a tight hug.  She whispered.  "I do not know.  I hope so.  Thank you for everything, Tahn."

I whispered back.  "It was my honor, my lady of the cosmos.  Now go save the universe."

As she walked away she looked back.  "I have one more request for you."

"Anything."

"Tell the Commonwealth of what happened here."

I walked back toward my hovercar with a feeling of satisfaction.  I just knew she was going to complete her calling and was proud to play a small part in it.  When I reached the car my heart sank.  The barrier had completely disabled it.  It was not going anywhere.  I would have to make the long walk back to the Resistance checkpoint.  And they are going to be so pissed at me.

And so, members of the Council, that is the full truth.  This has been an extraordinary period in the history of humanity.  And all due to one humble woman named Althea.  From her came the Song of Sqia'lon Seven.  It touched us all and brought the end of the Soul Blight.  She has essentially become our first ambassador to the T'cal, the first advanced alien civilization we have encountered.

We owe her our very existence.  At the very bare minimum we must accurately record the events as they transpired.  I leave that now to you.  My place is back on Sqia'lon Seven.  I pray to see her again.