The Nihilist Party Read online

  Her reasoning and logic she was supposed to have as a Universal Journalist was corrupted by the similarities between the Sapthians and her own human species. She even thought about removing herself from this investigation and having another UJ species search for Aris. Then she thought they would never search for Aris like she would. The thought of Aris being stuck in one of those factories tormented her mind, and she couldn't leave him here. She had to find out if he is, or was, here.

  He could become extremely hairy if he didn't shave, she thought, and if so, he could easily pass as one of the Sapthians.

  She began to think of his hairy chest. That was one of her attractions to him. Most women would have viewed the hairiness as disgusting and too primal looking, but Quora didn't. She was attracted to the flaws of people, to people that have experienced pain, hurt. She wanted to be there for Aris, especially after all that they had been through together. Even if their relationship didn't work out at the end.

  They grew up together as teenagers and went to the University to become famous, justice fighting Universal Journalists together. Soon after the University, they got married. Aris was born into an elite, wealthy family. And most of the affluent families on Earth were all confident people and always sure of themselves even when they were wrong. Aris was the oddball of his family. He was never sure of himself or what he should do. He could not make cut-throat business decisions because of the effect it had on the social classes that were beneath his family's. This was seen as a weakness to his elite family members and his wealthy peers. He questioned everything, and his questions usually got him in trouble with his family and at the University. Quora was always there to encourage him in his curiosity and skepticism. She was also there to scale it back when she thought he was going to be in trouble or be in danger from his inquisitive nature.

  Quora felt proud when Aris graduated from the University because she thought it was her doing. He couldn't have made it through the University on his own. Because his parents didn't support his decision and placed obstacles in his path for him to fail, but with Quora, Aris overcame them. And when he graduated, she had never seen him so happy, it was the first thing he felt he did without his family, it was like a baby taking its first steps. The next time Quora saw Aris so happy was when they had their son.

  That moment was the turning point in both of their lives because they never loved something so much as they did their child. The birth and conception of their child were natural. This was rare on Earth because when one decided they wanted to have a child, they had to go to a government laboratory. One would be examined by government officials, and if they approved of the couple, they would implant the male sperm into the female's egg. The egg was kept in a gestation bubble at the factory, and once the baby was ready, the parents could pick it up. But to avoid this procedure, Quora gave birth on another planet, because she wanted to go through the full painful experience of giving birth to her child. Once they brought a life into the Universe together, Quora and Aris felt they could do anything, and that was probably why they loved the child soo much. Due to the end result of this love they had for their child, Quora believed it to be unsafe to love something too much. Because once the thing that one loved was taking away, the emotional-scale was equally tipped in another direction. That love was replaced with hate, disdain, hurt, pain, doubt.

  When they lost their child, Aris became a person that Quora could not recognize. She always encouraged him to cross the line and not settle on the norm, but the way their son died plagued the mind of Aris because it could have been avoided.

  Their son died on a planet that was just accepted into the GC, planet Orttin. A rebel militia attacked the planets Universal Space Stadium. Where space ships arrived and departed, numerous bombs exploded in the space station, and one of them exploded near Aris and their son. Aris survived the blast, but their son did not.

  Aris had close friends who were involved in the investigation of the attacks. From their research, they concluded that Orttin did not yet have a stable global government. And the planet should not have been allowed within the Galactic Council based on the Criterion. Then Aris posed the question, how did Orttin get accepted into the GC if it did not meet the proper qualifications?

  Once recovered, Aris launched his own investigation and brought his findings first to the Universal Journal and then to the GC. And nothing was done, that was when Aris discovered how flawed and corrupt the system actually was. A system Aris once believed in. He learned that the corruption led to head officials within the GC. They wanted to protect Orttin because of the unique resources they coveted from the planet. They made sure the planet would make it into the GC no matter how inept Orttin's government was. The GC members were willing to compromise the Galactic Council's integrity, the rule of law that our predecessors fought and died for: truth, justice, and righteousness, all for their personal gain.

  When head officials did nothing with the information Aris brought to them, this was when Aris went over the deep end. He and Quora begun to go their different directions in life, and she lost him. The Aris she once knew was gone, and Quora wasn't the same either. Mentally she was not capable of protecting and watching over Aris like she once did, so she let him go off into the Universe on his own.

  After their son's death, Aris joined an organization called the Nihilist Party. And in this Party, he would spend most of his time and energy investigating planets looking to enter the Galactic Council. Quora did the opposite. She dived into her work, and that helped her cope with the loss of her son, in some weird way. She was able to block the pain and integrate back into society.

  Aris got involved in cases that were not approved by the Universal Journal editors or, most importantly, by Galactic Council officials. He was hell-bent on finding the truth, no matter how cruel it was, or how many people prospered on the lie that was holding their system together. Editors put him on probation for not obeying their orders. So Aris ended up quitting the UJ and working directly with the Nihilist Party, who published their information straight to the people and, if necessary, to rebel forces against the GC.

  Five years after the death of their child Quora moved away from Aris, and they separated, but she still loved him, but his extremism drove her away. They were different people now. Aris understood, and he agreed with her, that they were headed in two different directions in life.

  Her messenger begun to blink and ring, it was Bolt.

  She pressed a button and threw the messenger on the floor, and Bolt appeared in front of her. The famous gold hunter sat in the captain's chair of his luxurious platinum and gold spaceship. A concerned look was on his face as he sat at the edge of his seat.

  "Quora, how are you?"

  "I'm fine." She said with a heavy breath.

  "I have something—" They both said simultaneously.

  "You go first." Bolt said and gestured for her to go first.

  Quora sent Bolt a file of her reports, data, and records at the factory on Crimson.

  "I have sent you some files. Tell me when you have received them?"

  "Quora, are you alright?" Bolt asked again but with more concern in his voice.

  She didn't answer. It looked like Bolt was about to ask another question until the high pitched sound that signified that Bolt had received the files got his attention.

  Bolt examined the files. "What are they? They, look like—"

  "Yea, humans. We don't know until one of them is biologically examined, but they definitely pass the eye test. This is their food source. The Damurians species survive on the blood of these Sapthians—that's what they call them."

  "Can you bring one of them to be examined?"

  "No, there was a section on the investigation paperwork that stated I could not confiscate anything from the planet, other than Aris. That was the only way they would approve of the investigation. It stats, 'I am only here to search for Aris, and not to investigate any matters regarding the Criterion.'"

  "Quora, you h
ave to get out of there. I heard disturbing things from a reliable source about the Damurians. They will do anything to get into the GC, and they have aid from within the Council. And who knows what they will be willing to do to get into our Galactic Council."

  "I am aware, but I have to try and help Aris. I have to."

  Bolt struggled to hide his disapproval with Quora's decision to stay, and he didn't want to say anything because he didn't want to cloud her mind with negativity. He knew Quora's mind, and how too much negative thoughts could stress her out, so he held back from speaking his mind.

  "What could I do to help?" Bolt asked.

  "Talk to your powerful friends and ask them if we could get Crimson re-investigated based on the Criterion. And a human should be apart of the investigation. No human was apart of Crimson's investigation, and that had to be done on purpose. With a species having such a similar-looking food source to the human species, a human should have been apart of the Criterion inspection of this planet."

  "Quora, they would never do—"

  "Then ask them if I could be in charge of a ten being investigation on Crimson to search for Aris. At this rate, who knows when I will find him."

  Bolt acquiesced and said, "I'll try my best." Bolt sat back in his chair. "Will you inspect more factories?"

  "Yes." She responded. "I will continue to inspect in the area of the ping Aris sent out. His locator was not upgraded, so the ping covers a vase amount of area."

  "This is just like the old days, Aris getting into trouble, and you rescuing him. Some things never change."

  They both lightly laughed.

  Bolt stayed up and talked to Quora throughout the night. She needed the company to avoid the stress her mind would produce if she was left alone.

  Chapter 14

  “On the day of the Bestowal of Blood. A day we honor our god Damai for blessing our species with the blood of the Saps.” The preacher said as she stood in front of a panel, inside of a temple full of Crimson’s most powerful government officials.

  The temple was large and luxurious. A sacred aura was in the design of the temple. Every seat, ornament, panel, and even the giant Sapthian skull was made out of Sapthian bones, and some decorations were covered with Sapthian skin.

  “We sacrifice a healthy Sap for our god.” The preacher continued, and she gestured to her assistants, and they brought out a tall and thick male Sap. The Sap was muzzled. His hands and feet were chained together, and the chain was connected all the way up to the ceiling. The Sap let out a few muted grunts and then quieted. “Without our god and his gift of the Sapthian blood to us, our species would cease to exist. We owe everything to Damai, who is with us in the flesh, in our leader Dorian.”

  The speaker left the panel and joined the others below the altar, and Dorian came from the mouth of the giant skull and took the stage.

  “My people, today you all honor me, and I accept your offer. For many years there have been rumors amongst my enemies. That there is a shortage of Saps on our planet, and if we consume the Saps at the rate we are now, in less than fifty years, millions of Damurians will die of starvation. And I am here to tell you all to trust, in me. Just like our ancestors did, and I will show you the way. As long as you trust in your god Damai, I will never forsake you. I will always provide a way out of no way. Consume! Consume! Consume the blood I have brought to you. You do not have to look for alternatives like the Activists once recommended. There are no alternatives. Remember, I will always provide a way for my believers. If we run out of Saps here, then I will provide you blood from somewhere else. But I need your faith, strong and never wavering. Blood in and always!”

  “Blood in and always.” The crowd echoed.

  The preacher retook the panel as Dorian sat in a seat in front of the giant skull.

  “Thank you, god Damai. Give Him Praise.” The crowd clamped. “Now let the Blood Bestowal begin. Let god pierce the blood of the Sap for us to drink.” The preacher gestured to her assistants, and they brought the Sap before Dorian. With the longhorn of his chin, Dorian poked a hole into the main artery in the neck of the Sap and drunk a small portion of the Sap’s blood. As it slowly gushed out. And with another gesture from the preacher, her assistants pulled the chains. They quickly raised the Sap into the air until he was high above the Damurian crowd. The Sap grunted and struggled the entire time.

  “Now, one by one, come to the altar and stand under and let the blood that god sent from heaven rain on you. Consume it. Let it bless you. And Honor our savior for our blessing.” The speaker said.

  The Damurian officials lined up in front of where the blood of the Sap was falling. Which was at the feet of Dorian. And one by one, they let the blood fall on them, and they opened their mouth towards the heavens to drink, and after they tasted the blood, they knelt down before Dorian and kissed his feet. This caused the feet of Dorian to be covered in blood, and this was a sign of Dorian’s victorious reign over the Damurians. Because Sapthian blood was such a precious commodity to the Damurians, and if one had enough blood to let it get on their feet, that signified their wealth and benevolence. “Look, our Leader is so prosperous that even his feet are covered in blood.” The preacher continued.

  Halfway through the ceremony, the Sathpian stopped moving and grunting. All the life of the Sap was at the feet of Dorian.

  One had to be a Domurian to admire the beauty of their tradition. The Sapthian blood was their life source, it was their air, their sun, their everything. It was their reason for existing.

  Chapter 15

  On the planet of Tekmia, a few members of the Galactic Council held a meeting in the Galactica Building, a building so high that it rose above the clouds in the sky.

  At the top of this building was where the Galactic Council members met to discuss matters regarding the Council and all the planets they controlled. In the lobby of this floor, Bolt waited for them to finish. He paced outside thinking about Quora and her safety, but also about his next mission. Bolt got mad at himself for thinking about his work. Bolt thought he should only be focusing on protecting Quora. As if thinking about his work diminished, the love Bolt had for Quora. He dreamed of fixing this Crimson situation for her and starting a life together. Bolt didn't care if he found Aris, or if he didn't find Aris. Bolt just wanted Quora to be over Aris and the entire Crimson situation so that he could start a new life with her.

  Bolt thought of handling this situation, with the GC member he was waiting for, through a holographic meeting, and physically going to Crimson to check on Quora. But Bolt knew the matter would seem more urgent if he met the Council member in person. Then the Council member he wanted to meet could physically comprehend the importance of Quora's matter.

  This GC member and Bolt had a history at one point in time. It was only sexual. Bolt liked the sex, but she was too much of a politician for him. Bolt wanted someone honest, someone he could trust. And to make matters worse, her species, the Calimer species, had an eyesore skin condition. When her species landed on other planets, tiny pox would develop all over their bodies. The bumps were not large, but Bolt did not like the look of them. If he was spotted in a romantic setting with her, the optics would hurt Bolt's image, so he ended their sexual relationship in a peaceful manner. He wanted to keep a good relationship with a member of one of the most powerful families within the GC.

  The doors slid open, and the members exited into the lobby. Bolt could tell by their reaction that they were surprised to see him waiting in the lobby. Some low-level members were star struck and asked Bolt for a virtual picture and for any exciting expedition stories he could tell them.

  Bolt was jovial with the members and quickly gave them what they requested, but once he saw Profolmia Aki, he made his way to her.

  Profolmia was a very influential GC member from the planet Tekmia. But she did not represent her home planet within the GC. Profolmia was a rare case because she was a representative of another planet, planet Xai. This unique case was a stipulation that
granted planet Xai's acceptance into the GC, so only planet Tekmia could choose planet Xai's GC representatives.

  "Member Profolmia." Bolt was surprised that her face was clear of the small bumps that plagued her species. She was radiant. "Wow, you look, amazing."

  She smiled and tried to hide her smugness, but it slightly came out in her smirk. "Thank you. And you look the same as usual." She looked Bolt up and down.

  "May I have a word with you for a second?" Bolt said.

  "Of course, anything for the famous Gold Hunter," Profolmia said with a bit of sarcasm. "But we have to walk and talk. I have another meeting to make." The other members trailed away until it was just Bolt and Profolmia, and her guards.

  "How is life on Xai? Have the citizens gotten used to a Calimer ruling over them?" Bolt casually said.

  "They have no choice. The question is, do I like them and their planet? And the answer is no. 'Why do we have so many homeless citizens on our planet?' They ask, and then I raise taxes and tell them it's for the poor, and they complain about that too. And then I have to deal with this Nihilist Party garbage infecting my planet." She shook her head in disgust.

  "I guess that's the price of being a GC leader." Bolt said.

  She lightly chuckled as she applied some shinny, purple cream over her hands and face.

  "I have a favor to ask you." Bolt continued.

  "Of course you do." Profolmia said, as she rolled her eyes. "What do you need? Another mission to be cleared by the GC? You want a planet cleared to drill in?"

  "No, this isn't Gold related. It's for a close friend."

  "Wow," Profolmia said with a little enthusiasm. "The Gold Hunter has feelings for someone other than himself."