The Southern Calt pt. 10

The finale of Akashi's journey in The Southern Calt...

It had been months since the incident at the network tower. Since the truth came out. Akashi, Celie, and Rae-Lynd stood atop a platform in the Southern Calt, listening to a tall dark skinned woman with a fir voice and a bright smile speak. Akashi couldn’t remember what she was saying or why, but he knew it filled him with hope and when he looked at Rae-Lynd, he held his head high with a bright smile. His skin looked healthier in the light of the Calt. He looked more alive. More filled with joy. 

They had done it. They had survived. They stopped a war. They brought peace between the people of the collective and the tunnels. Their reward? The tunnel dwellers would join the collective and the collective would work together to pick up the pieces of destruction and disarray - Lady Lanoreth agreed begrudgingly that Cain would take the weight of the load as the city of Cain perpetuated the horrors. 

Everything seemed right - everything perfect. So as Akashi and Celie reached forth to help Rae-Lynd hold the orb of the collective high, signifying their unity, he knew that this was his happy ending. This was the peak of his joy. Akashi Pacè was one of the heroes of the Calt and he would go home, finally, to a hero’s welcome.

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“I’m sorry Mr. Pace, but I -”

“Pacè. Mr. Pacè if you’re gonna be formal.”

“Right. Apologies, Mr. Pacè, but we can’t hire you.”

“Come on…” Akashi said with a wide, but nervous smile. “I’m more than qualified to work for your firm. I can guard a caravan, guard warehouses, scare off the riff raff. I know my stuff. Plus, if things get dicey, I’m the best shot in the city of Cain - best shot in the entire collective.”

“I’m sure, sir.” The woman had interviewed him two weeks prior. When he finally stopped by the security firm to check on his application, he received the news. “Unfortunately, we are looking for people with different credentials.”

“What sort of credentials? Maybe I wasn’t clear about what I can offer you guys.” He replied. His mouth hurt from holding the smile. 

“Look, Mr. Pacè, I just want to make clear, I have the utmost respect for you and your crusade, but I -”

“Whoa there, crusade isn’t the word I’d use. Just a guy trying to do the right thing, you know? I hope that doesn’t count against me in trying to get a job.” The woman took a deep breath.

“Call it whatever you want. We’re looking for someone with…” She searched for the right words, then shook her head. “We’re looking for someone with tighter lips. Do you see what I mean here?” He could hear the irritation creeping into her voice.

“Ah.” He raised his hands in defeat. “I see. Well… I’ll be on my way then.” He resisted asking, What do you have to hide? but held in the question as he stood up.

“Thank you for your understanding. Good luck in your job search.”

Akashi walked out of the skyscraper’s heavy doors and breathed in the polluted air of Cain. The shimmering metal city reflected the sun from building to building, creating the daylight he remembered from his childhood. Traffic was congested both in the sky and on the ground, and the factories were working overtime with smoke pluming into the air, creating dark smog. Akashi sighed. The factories had gone into overtime as part of the reparations for the invasion. 

There were factory shifts around the clock shipping free supplies to the desert barrens. The Southern Calt had indeed become a flourishing trade route - though one-sided now. He had considered joining the rebuilding committee that sought to build the southwest of Astra in a new image, but after the first meeting, Akashi knew it wasn’t for him. He considered getting a factory job, but he thought he’d be more useful with a gun in his hand. 

Here he was instead, walking the streets of Cain trying to find a job. He struggled under the weight of having no finances, no stability, and no options but to keep looking. What few welfare programs available to the people of Cain were pulled to cover costs of the rebuilding project. The people took the blow for something they didn’t even know existed just a year ago. The more patriotic of Cain stuck by the city-state, working their shifts in the factory. Others left. Some… well -

“Hey! I know you!” An arm wrapped around Akashi’s shoulder as he walked through the city streets. An unfamiliar face caked in soot was bobbing along next to Akashi, keeping pace with him as he continued on.

“I’m sorry, have we met?” Akashi replied, looking the filthy man up and down.

“Well, I met you. On the old newsfeed, didn’t I?” The man continued along with Akashi, walking down the street through the crowds.

“Oh, geeze, yeah that was me. What can I do for you, uh…”

“My name’s not important, but…” The man began leading Akashi, veering him off the busy street and into an alley. Akashi tried to resist, but the point of a knife tickled his lower back and he gave in. “... I’ve got some friends dying to meet you.” The man’s voice became hard as steel and filled with rage.

“Look, guy, I don’t want any trouble.” From out of the darkness of the alley, two more figures shrouded in soot appeared.

“Funny. When we got put on the double because of you, Mr. Hero, you found trouble.”

“Wait…” Akashi looked at them in disbelief. “You think it’s my fault?” The three men all let out hoarse laughs.

“When’d Cain start falling apart? When Mr. Pace the hero came back and told the world how bad and evil we all are.”

He didn’t think it was time to correct them unless he wanted his skull cracked in. He put his hand up, trying to look innocent. “Look, guys, I have nothing but respect for what you’re doing. I’m sorry it’s fallen on you, but I -” Before he could finish, the man who had led him into the alley grabbed hold of him. Akashi tried to fight him off, but before he could shake him, the other two approached.

First, a punch to the gut.

A knee to the face when he doubled over.

Then, as he tried to fight back, his body was thrown to the ground.

Akashi was kicked over and over. 

Blood seeped from his nose.

His head throbbed.

Soon, he didn’t feel much of anything.

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“The actions of the two soldiers in The Southern Calt were admirable. They contributed to much murder and bloodshed over the years. Both of them were great war heroes to the collective city states in their battle against the people of the desert, but they came to realize that they were on the wrong side of this conflict. They became deserters at first, but as they stormed the gates of their own homes, they brought the horrors of the war to the people and showed them the truth. They made heroes of themselves outside of the war. They held onto their stories, what happened to them, and what happened to others. These soldiers are not one or two. Their stories are the tales of many who suffered on both sides. 

We cannot forget what happened in The Southern Calt. Whether in the paths that lead to the desert, or the tunnels beneath the sand itself. We can’t forget the greed, the horrors, and the hate that came of this… but we can learn from it. And that is what we’re here to do today. We’re here to learn, recognize, and try and make amends for the world we’ve created. The trauma for all involved, and the horrors that led to this. You are a collective, and with these words, the Desert Barren people join the collective of Cain and Sant. From their homes, they bring a new life.” 

The cameras cut to the crowd erupting in celebration. Then it cut back to three people standing in a triangle before a glowing orb - Akashi, Celie, and Rae-Lynd. Rae-Lynd - dressed in flowing golden robes - approached and accepted the glowing swirling orb of purple and green. As he brought his hands to it, the color ignited with a golden yellow. Akashi and Celie - in traditional tunics that represented their cities - both touched the orb on either side of Rae-Lynd, and the orb began to grow even brighter. A strong tall woman with deep rich mahogany skin in a blue and gold uniform continued her speech,

“As the outside mediator of these delegations, I would like to say that I saw the people of these city-states work together to try and find peace. I do not think this will be easy, but the hope I found in each and every one of your leaders tells me there is still hope in this world. Thank you everybody, and may peace, order, and prosperity reign over the collective of The Southern Calt.” The crowd erupted once more. 

Akashi pushed open the door to the apartment. Celie sat on the couch, the TV playing in the background as she messed around with a datapad and a glowing hologram protruding from a ring. 

“You check these new fancy things out? I’m trying to transfer data over from my datapad and it’s been such a smooth transition. Can you believe they call these things ‘slits’? What a ridiculous name. Rumor has it, the ghost file it was found on out east had that as the name. Weird right - oh. Oh, gods above, Akashi.” His nose was bloody and his eye was surrounded in a prickly purple bruise. His tan skin was caked in dirt and blood. He shut the door behind him and sighed.

“I’d say you should see the other guys but… there were three of them, and I didn’t stand a chance. They could’ve done worse though. Didn’t.” He threw himself down in his aunt’s living room chair perpendicular to Celie. He pinched his nose and leaned back, breathing heavily through his mouth. “Whole place is falling to the fiends, Celie.”

“Didn’t get that job, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Akashi, swallow your pride. Come work the factory lines with me. They’ll be hard on you at first, but it’s honest work. Gotta count for something.”

“Doesn’t count for much. With our experience we should be a rare commodity. Instead look at us. Stuck working in factories and getting our asses kicked in back alleys.” Celie resisted a snarky retort and nodded.

“You heard your aunt. You’ve gotta find a job or you're out.”

“What about you?”

“Well, I’ve got a job so… I’m still in.”

“I swear, she likes you more than she likes me.” Akashi shook his head. Celie got up and went to the kitchen. She grabbed an ice pack for Akashi and threw it to him. 

“Don’t take it personally. I’m like the daughter she always wanted.”

“And you’re like the sister I wish I didn’t need, but here we are.” Celie shook her head and plopped back down on the couch. Akashi looked at her and couldn't help but think about how much more alive she looked than when they were scrounging for survival in the Calt. She had gained enough weight to not look like she might collapse at any moment. He hoped anyone could say the same of him. Her cheeks were plump. She had a wry smile and her eyes looked alive. It turned out she did have emotions beyond the steely stare he knew so well from the war.

“Look, Akashi. We aren’t special anymore. Our moment of glory is over. Gone. We did a good thing, but good deeds aren’t rewarded, they’re forgotten. Praise Strala or Rayyan or whoever the hell you want. We did it. We’re done. Now, let’s settle down. Get square with society, and move on. Doesn’t that sound great?”

“What happened to the Celie who wanted a garden?” Akashi asked. He supposed it didn’t matter, but she was expressing a lot of acceptance for a job he thought little of when he thought she deserved more. That they deserved more.

“She’s on hold while this Celie gets her life together.” She replied.

Just then a firm knock came to the door. They shared a look, then Akashi went to the door. He pulled it open to reveal an impossibly tall woman with dark skin and a gray bodysuit laced with a lime green netting. It looked like the skintight suit one might wear under a high tech suit of armor, but it wasn’t connected to any city-state he recognized. Her features were stern. Her face was plump and soft with patterned freckles, but her hands looked rough and strong. She was at least a foot taller than Akashi and had the face of someone who had seen much, but didn’t let it get to her. She looked familiar, but Akashi couldn’t place it. He felt like he should’ve recognized her glowing jade eyes, but he wasn’t sure where or why. When he greeted her, she smiled.

“May I come in?” She asked.

“Is there something I can do for you, ma’am?” He replied, wariness in his voice. He wasn’t sure if he could take her in a fight, but at least Celie was here. Maybe they could survive this woman’s onslaught together if she decided to come after him like the men in the alley.

“I just have some questions for you and Miss Green.”

“Miss Green? Oh, right! Celie.”

“So may I?” She asked again. Akashi looked at Celie then back to the woman in the doorway. He shrugged and opened the door further, gesturing to her to come through. She nodded in thanks and walked into the room. She stood in front of the TV with her hands behind her back. She looked oddly official and out of place in the disheveled old apartment Akashi had grown up in. Celie looked up from her new ring and deactivated the interactive hologram. Akashi plopped back down in his aunt’s old chair. The woman paused, flexed her feet as she went up onto her toes then flattened herself out. She took a deep breath.

“What’s this about?” Celie asked before she could continue.

“Beats me. She came to the door and asked to talk.”

“You’re the mediator lady, aren’t you?” Celie asked again. It finally struck Akashi. She mediated all the peace negotiations. She was the one that united everyone, but she was also the one responsible for the reparations that Cain was paying for the lie perpetuated by their government. He tried not to react in a way that let on that he didn’t recognize her before.

“Yes, that'd be me.” She replied. “My name is Providence Monroe.” 

“Okay, Ms. Monroe, what do you want with us?” Celie asked. Monroe took in a deep breath then began,

“Whatever came of the legendary commander Saquoa?”

“Fates only know.” Celie replied. “Way I see it, she got what was coming to her. In a prison maybe. Or a grave. I never looked into it. Never asked.” Akashi did know what happened, but he kept it to himself. He didn’t want to upset Celie. “I hope you aren’t here for war stories, ma’am. I’d hate to ask you to leave.” 

“I’m not here for a story.” The woman said. “I’m here to offer you an opportunity.” Akashi perked up.

“Is that so?” He asked.

Providence Monroe nodded. She had an excited grin.

“Move. Along.” Celie announced, turning the slit hologram back on. Monroe sighed.

“Two war heroes - peace heroes if you ask me. I consider myself a woman of peace - of order. A woman who fights chaos. For the people, you see.”

“Tell us a peace story then.” Akashi replied. He was half mocking her, but also she had his attention. He couldn’t place it, but he was curious. He wanted to hear more about this woman.

“Why are you encouraging this woman?” Celie whispered. He shrugged,

“Ever heard of an answer to a prayer you never made?” Celie nodded along.

“You two ever hear of a place called Paradia?” The woman sat down next to Celie on the couch. The couch creaked under her weight. “No?” Celie shook her head. Akashi did too. “Formerly known as the Brooch of Thoughts Cradle. Was quite the philosopher’s town hundreds and hundreds of years ago… then it was a military fortress - Fort something or other. Then it was nothing, then it was something else. It was taken over again… and again… and again… and now? Well, now it’s Paradia. The newly founded city-state of the future. A city of peace. Fully self-sufficient. A true measure of peace and order. We’re taking care of those who already live there. Accepting those in need to come join us. Showing the world what we can do and being an example of how science, magic, and the gods above can come together in a place of peace.” 

“Cute dream you have there.” Celie mumbled as she inspected her new ring.

“It is a bit righteous.” Akashi added.

“You’re both right. It’s a righteous dream, and it may be my fool's errand, but… it means the world to me that I try. If I can create the order that Astra is starving for - dying for - begging to find - then I can say that Paradia is a success. The people of the realm call out to the cosmos for peace. For safety. For order. I want to answer those calls. It’s as if I was born to.” Celie inched away from Monroe on the couch.

“And what’s this have to do with us?” She asked.

“Well, I’m starting a group of constables… people who even in a war were able to do the right thing, and make the right choice. Heroes and the like. People who kept order when chaos was falling down upon them. You two could be the very first of my peacekeeper constables. Think about it.” Akashi met her gaze. She was only a few years older than the young veterans, but her features spoke to age. Her skin had a warm glow, though her face showed deep troubled wrinkles when he looked closely. Her eyes shimmered in the light of the living room. “I’m not here to waste your time. Just think about what’s out there. Think about this chance.” Monroe gave them both a polite smile before standing up and walking out. The two sat in silence for a few minutes. It felt odd. She came in and out so quickly that it felt like a dream. Could such an opportunity even be possible for them? Akashi turned to Celie,

“What do you think?” He asked.

“A pipedream. A joke.”

“But… it’s something to believe in. Something other than sitting on the couch waiting for your next shift to start.”

“You notice how she mixed keeping peace with order? That’s a trap. A trick.” Akashi nodded.

“Yeah maybe. I’m going to think on this. I’m just saying, this could be our chance.”

“Your chance, Akashi.”

“You don’t want to move to a new city, start a new life, and uphold a law that we help mold on the morals we hold close to us?”

“It’s idealistic. Idealism is where the truth goes to die.” Celie had disconnected from the discussion entirely and was reading a document that floated idly in the air, projecting from the ring’s slit.

“Conversations with you are where my hopes go to die.” Akashi grunted. He stood up and patted his dear friend on the shoulder. “I’m going to go lay down.”

“In the middle of the day?” 

“Yeah. I need to think a little.” 

“Whatever you say. I for one am going to enjoy my day off.”

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Two weeks after the visit from the strange Providence Monroe, Celie woke up at 5am for her shift at the factory. She forced herself out of bed and struggled to get ready. As she was preparing to leave, she noticed something strange: Akashi’s door was open. She peeked inside and found his room empty. She nudged in and looked around. All his clothes were packed, and most of his important personal belongings were gone. She looked under his bed: The revolver was gone too. She shook her head. She began to raise her voice, to call out to Gee, but before she could, she noticed a letter. Letters were a rare find in Cain, but it looked like Akashi went through the effort of writing her one. It was on an old Cain Police Department scratch pad that had begun to fray at the edges. She sat down on Akashi’s bed and read the letter.

Celie,

I’m leaving for Paradia tonight. You and Auntie Gee are the only people I’m telling and I hope maybe - if I’m lucky enough - you’ll meet me there one day. We could spend the rest of our lives working in a factory and drinking away our memories, forgetting everything we saw - everything we did - but I know we were meant for more. To do better. To be better. To make the world a better place. I think this is what we were meant for. To make a difference in even the smallest part of the world. Put our experience into caring for others instead of murdering them. I think Providence Monroe is our answer. I took the old gun, and some important things - I didn’t have much anyways. I’m starting a new life. I think Paradia is my new home. I think it’s our new home. I’ll be there. I hope I’ll see you when you’re ready.

May the Fates guide you to Paradia,

- Akashi - 

Celie dropped the note down and buried her head in her hands. She sighed.

“The boy never could give bad news.” Auntie Gee’s voice said from the doorway.

“Did he leave you a letter too?” Celie asked

“No. He wouldn’t dare. The boy came to me. Told me. He didn’t ask permission though. He was never good at that either. Now he’s off. He was never meant to follow orders. Never meant to fit in here.” Celie chuckled. She could feel herself beginning to choke back tears as it mixed with her laugh.

“I didn’t know what I was meant to do, Gee… I thought I was supposed to just fall in line. Get by, you know?” Panshin rubbed her arm as she nodded along.

“Celie, let me tell you the biggest secret in the world: The minute you fall in line, the minute you start just trying to get by, that’s the minute you lose everything. When you fall in line, you lose the part of you that dreams. Then the dreams become memories of what you could’ve been. Sounds like Akashi is going off to be a detective in a city-state in its infancy. That sounds like an accident waiting to happen, don’t you think? You know that boy almost as well as me. You and I both know, that sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. The punchline is going to be him coming home with his tail between his legs when he realizes the big new city isn’t all he thought it’d be.”

“What are you getting at, Gee?” Celie asked.

“The one thing that boy could never do to save his life is fall in line.” Panshin replied. Celie laughed and nodded in agreement. “You keep him centered. I haven’t seen him latch onto someone like that since…” Panshin sighed and shook her head. “You are both destined to do great things, Celie. Cain’s dying. You can’t do great things in a place that won’t be here in ten years.”

“What about you, Gee?”

“When Cain falls? I’ll just be happy to retire and relax. I can handle myself just fine. Always have. At your age, you need someone watching your back. You and Akashi? That’s what you two are meant for. This Paradia sounds like a longshot, but it doesn’t have to be if you do it together. And in a new city-state, maybe you can influence policy - get a community garden. Now, that boy is foolish. Working in a factory is honorable work. Good work. That doesn’t mean you have to do it. It means that you can. But is it what you want?”

Celie shook her head. She wasn’t sure. She could imagine a fresh new city. A fresh new life. It made her feel like she could do anything. A garden, sure. A fresh life with someone like family at her back - that could be all she’d ever want.

“Two people against a whole city-state… again.”

“Two people for a whole city-state.” Panshin corrected. “A common mistake officers and peacekeepers make.” Celie nodded. She found herself leaning on Panshin’s shoulder. She felt the woman stiffen under her head, but she didn’t move away or resist. Celie took a labored breath, then smiled.

“Thank you, auntie.”

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Paradia wasn’t like Cain. Cain was a city of metal skyscrapers as far as the eye could see with a single garden in the center. It loomed over the southwest of Astra, being a taller, greater marker than its sister city of Sant.

Paradia was far to the northeast, in the heart of Astra. It was a complex city with buildings of various heights with wondrous glass facades. The neon lights were dimmed by the sunlight that shone down the streets. A city rail system connected the entire city. Paradia was made up of districts, but the thing that connected them all was the neon lights and vibrant colors of the city’s buildings. Vines already began to grow up the skyscrapers, and small designated gardens and parks littered the city. 

As Akashi stepped off the newly made platform of the continent spanning railway, he took a sigh of relief. He made it. In the distance he saw the looming tower known as the Medullary. Monroe had told him in a message that the Medullary would one day be the cradle of Paradia’s government. For now she was the sole leader, but soon there would be a council as well as a leading secretary of the city-state. 

Akashi couldn’t believe his eyes. For such a young city-state, it was already alive and full of life. The buildings were few, but he could see construction crews working hard to catch up to the dense population projected to be there soon. Security personnel were milling about, but they had the insignia of a private corporation. Soon Monroe’s Peacekeeper Initiative would take over their job. That’s why he was there after all. He was the seed by which a whole city would begin. He breathed out.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” He announced. He leaned against his large traveling suitcase.

“You can.” Celie joined him as she stepped off the platform. She tightened the straps of her backpack and reached up on her toes, wrapping an arm around his neck and giving him a squeeze. “We can.”

---

And here we are.

The end.

I want to thank every single one of you for following this story. This became so much more than I thought it’d be. I’ll be discussing that in detail in a retrospective that will come out soon, but for right now I’m going to allow myself the time to feel joy at finishing this wonderful project.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for being part of this journey. And thank you for giving my nonsense a chance. This isn’t the end of Akashi and Celie’s story, but it is the end of this story. So let us sit in this ending for a while, and we will see them again soon.

I appreciate you all, and I hope you enjoyed The Southern Calt.