Inktober #30: Catch

"Catch the first light. Hold it. And release it back to God. At the end of time, at the final breath, God will grant us life again."

With eyes fixed on the sky, my grandmother N'arta uttered her last words, and went to join God. On a bed of mappa leaves which curled around her in the afternoon heat, and our tribe gathered in a ring eyes fixed towards the point where she had watched, we felt her final prophecy pin itself to us like a straga's sting. And we waited. And watched the sky. And we saw a blink of red, and knew it to be true.

----

"Alright kids...THREE...TWO...ONE...GO!" and the painted red ball was launched far far away across the field as thirty children went galloping as fast as they could, laughing, towards it. "GO, GO! CATCH THE FIRST LIGHT!"
They raced and raced though N'ota had a strong lead. She ran and ran, panting as her legs bent back and forth to speed her stride. She would win the festival's prize this year for sure, and be crowned the Life-Bringer. But D'lora had other plans and shoved her to the side. N'ota spun off into the matta trees but refused to give ground and used the momentum to spin around, pounce onto a tree, and push with all her might to leap through the air and regain the ground she had lost. A final turn, a quick glare back towards D'lora, and suddenly she was alongside the still careening First Light, braked hard in front of it, caught it in her mitts as the wind was pushed from her chest, taking her along with it. She struggled to maintain control over it before digging into the soil, spinning, and sending it back the way it had come.
D'lora skidded to a halt in front of her. "Come on, N'ota! This was my time to win!"
"So you cheat? God sees you D'lora. And they will never accept a cheater as the Life-Bringer!"
D'lora made a rude gesture to N'ota and loped back the way they had come. None of the others had even come close and were likely on their way back to the celebrations. A feast, to honor God...and, as she smiled thinking about it, her.

----

"Welcome esteemed colleagues. My name is Nara N'yosa and I'm a professor of cultural studies here at Cravea. Long ago my ancestors, the Light-Bringer tribe, heard a prophecy from one of their wise women that would change our world forever. Their empire would come to encompass most of the planet, touting their predestined charge to bring the First Light back to God so that they would grant us Eternal Life. And any who disagreed...ended up in the ground. They left a legacy that remains with us today, in surprising ways. The red balls our children play with. Our predilection for speed-based sport. Even from a biological standpoint, as players with those vestigial toes perform better and get better contracts.
But, as I have discovered, there was another part of their belief system. A secret sect. We found evidence carved into remnants of the now extinct Map'ta Tree that another group formed within the populace, with very different beliefs. And they wanted the Light for themselves.

----

"Thanks, J'im. I'm here at what promises to be a historic day. The team here at Promotoa have been working for years to build what can only be described as our best chance yet at meeting God. The shining beacon you see behind me will soon be launched into orbit and flown to the First Light sun, that which gave us all life, collect some of that light, and then go in search of God to fulfill our purpose. How many millennia have we waited for this? From the first prophecy of N'ata we have been guided by her hand and God's will to do what will be done today.
While we may not ever see the fruits of this journey, or the families or those who are launched today, our ancestors, generations from now, will finally meet God, and bring us eternal life. Praise! Praise! Praise!"

----

Nala cracks her head against the wall of the ship as it comes slamming back into real time. The green danger lights flicker with the pops and flashes in her vision as she reaches up and feels the blood begin to flow.
"Fucking fuck Dapla YOU FUCKER!"
She flops down on all limbs, braces against the swimming and jarring, and strides as fast as she can towards the bridge. Corner, bulkhead, corner, grazed by a ripped piece of metal shit there's a leak, run, run, hall, door. Shit. Bridge door. Try it. Try it. Won't open. SHIT.
"DAPLA!"
She looks through the porthole, sees Dapla regaining his feet. He's hurt worse.
"DAPLA YOU SHIT!"
He looks dazed, but in a moment he sees her at the door, looks panicked, and turns for the control panel. Two moments later, and all the lights are off.
"DAPLA IT'S NOT MEANT FOR YOU!"
"I'M SORRY NALA! I have to. If we want God to grant us life...we have to lose it first."
"THE FUCK, DAPLA?!"
"At the end of time! At the last breath! I will take the first light. And I will die. And God will see that we have done what they asked."
She hears the slight shifting of engines as the ship auto pilots them into position. Here, at the edge of the universe, where no light has yet gone.
They found it, years ago. The very first photon. The first piece of light to ever exist in the universe. It had had so long to travel away from them, so they worked, and they went faster, and faster, until they went faster than time. Faster than light. They knew the consequences. They knew their people and even their world would be long swallowed up by the black hole on its way before they could return. But they would do it. They would catch the first light and bring it back to its source so that God would bring them back and give them life again.
At least, that was supposed to be the plan.
"You die here, Dapla, and we all die. Everything...it's over!"
"No, no Nala, you don't understand. But you will. You will have life."
And the hiss of the air being released hit her ear.
No light.
No more sound.
She could move, and feel that she was no longer in the ship.
She could move, but couldn't breathe.
This is it.
He will be in the perfect position.
The First Light will hit him, and it will be over.
...
But calculations can be wrong.
Space can be unpredictable.
And maybe, just maybe, God hates Dapla too. Because in that instant there is a spark that hits Nala's right eye.
And she goes spinning.
The ship's lights suddenly fill the void as it calculates the First Light has passed, senses its pilot, and roars into life as it speeds past her, opening the hold as she jets inside, and she swears she sees an old woman catch her as she comes to rest on the floor, the hold door shuts, and air once again fills her chest.
She gasps, over, and over, and can swear things look a little brighter than before. No old woman. But fucking Dapla must still be on the bridge.
Nala hobbles up, trying to stabilize herself on every surface as she passes the corners, halls, and doors to finally reach the control room.
The door is open.
Dapla is nowhere.
Of course he turned off his tracker. He didn't want to be rescued.
Nala approaches the panel, sets course for the origin. Sets course for God.
It's finally going to happen.

----

"Good catch," they say. "That was fun. Let's do it again."

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