The Terror of Cry's'ahn

The Terror of Cry's'ahn (2016)

I was gathered among some elders around an ethereal fire. The subject of discussion was the doomed constellation of Cry’s’ahn. 

We were honoring the dead.

                “How many do you think perished in the gate detonation?”      

 

                “Perhaps ten trillion, old friend… perhaps… ten trillion.”

                It was the most vicious act of terrorism the galaxy had ever seen. Twelve star systems wiped of all life… simultaneously. I exhaled from the ritual pipe and passed it clockwise around the circle. The smoke exited my lungs like a cosmic wisp, then it slowly rose above our ethereal fire and into the night sky. We could still see remnants of the gate detonation; its light was accelerated out to us by the anti-tachyonic wakes left by the terrorist explosions.

                “Their dead souls breathe new fire into our night…”

 I mused at the glistening cascades of dead stars above me.

                “Souls cannot die, young one… souls… cannot die… “

                Perhaps he was right.

                Souls cannot die.

                And yet, over ten trillion lives did.

                Why?