The Last Preistess Part 1

 The Last of the Priestesses: Part 1.

For over 10,000 years, the Priestesses of Junizeth have been known to be the greatest mystics in the galaxy, being known on different worlds as angels, shapeshifters, sprites, demons and of course witches. They never travel alone on their journeys through the neutral zone always sticking to the same pathways between their sacred moons, ancient temples and ruins long forgotten by species who may have once worshiped these witches as gods. The priestesses were feared, known for their sorcerous ways and talent for foresight, telekinesis and healing abilities that made them feared by the factions who existed beyond their borders. The United Systems at a time sought out the priestesses to join them in their plight against the Empire, and the Emperor himself once sought council from one of these witches the treacherous Oolani who was outcasted from the coven due to her ineptitude for neutrality that the witches maintained to prevent war from destroying their homes across the galaxy. However what they once thought was a sacred banishment from the order would be their undoing.

On the Junizeth home to the covens grand temple was a jungle world, which was highly regarded for its bioluminescent nature, as Junizeth itself lacked a sun but circled four moons, making day time only occur on Junizeth every two thousand years, when the sun of a near by system aligned with their planet for a single rotation before it drifted back away. Rather than orbiting a sun the Junizeth system orbited a large gas giant, known to the priestesses as Calliope, named for their matron goddess of ancient times. The jungles of this world were known as the most fearsome of bogs, “their plant life as wicked as the witches who live their” rumored spice traders and pirates, the superstitious sort who had fear of the Priestesses powers that they regarded as witchcraft. 

The priestesses were regarded as gaunt tall women beings of different skin tones of colors ranging from dark green to pale enough that they seemed to glow with the planet's flora. The older priestesses' skins were marked by tribal tattoos that were obtained in their thirteenth year when the priestesses would generally begin to show their powers. The leader of the coven was known as the grandmother, and she was deemed with keeping balance between the sisters and leading them through times of war and peace. The grandmother would be elected as a small child from many of the clans spread throughout the galaxy, who had developed her powers much earlier on than the age of thirteen, and they would be pronounced Oracle. The current Grandmother was Bertoni, a powerful priestess who had been born on Farcova IV, deep within the jungles, she had spent her childhood traveling with her predecessor the Grandmother Duchar from system to system as the oracle and upon Duchars death over 290 years ago Bertoni succeeded her only being around 103 years old, a relatively young age for a priestess to asume the role of Grandmother of the coven. 

This of course is what incited the rebellion of Oolani who fled the priestesses seeking the power of the Emperor and soon gaining enough favor with him to be nicknamed the “Rival Empress” by the people of the empire, due to the fact that many rumors had started about her and his majesty being romantically inclined. Hence why she was banished from the coven, for she did not only have influence over the empire, disrupting the priestesses' neutrality but due to these unconfirmed rumors of her and the emperor's affair. The males born to the priestesses were deemed too dangerous by their dogma and were exiled to a single world within the priestesses domain, where all except the Grandmother would generally travel to mate and reproduce once every year. The reason i say generally is because the first ever Grandmother to ever travel to the male world of Kahnin was Bertoni, spawning herself both a son and daughter twins, whom she was proud of no matter that her son was forced to be raised by his father, Mer, far from her on Khanin. 

Bertoni’s daughter Septi was an adequate magent after her 13th birthday when she was pronounced herald to Bertoni, giving her status amongst the witches despite her young age, the same went for Bertoni’s son Thawn who had been blessed with strength greater than any of his kin on Khanin, his prowess in hunting, wrestling and dueling naming him Beta-Cheiftain amongst his tribe,or rather the one who would replace the male chieftain,Bhadad when his leadership has ended. Bertoni’s Children would be allowed to be familiar with one an other due to their direct lineage within the clan spread across the galaxy, to prevent inbreeding between brothers and sisters, as well as mothers and their children, but in the case of Bertoni’s children this was special. Mer was one of few men who was able to leave their world as a deliverer of resources to the priestess clans across the galaxy, he of course was entitled to train his son, as per the laws of their tribe and Bertoni as Grandmother would travel with her Heralds between planetary bodies completing missions for the tribe. It was through her power of foresight that Bertoni knew which worlds Mer would be on with Thawn and with her Septi would travel to meet her father and brother in person.

Thawn despite his strength was slender pale male, his ribs showing through his skin under his tightly knit armor that he wore when leaving his homeworld with his father. Septi was similar in looks to her mother, as both had the raven black hair and bright green eyes, but she also shared her father and brother’s jaw line which was strong making their cheeks gaunt. On the occasions they met Thawn and Septi would go on walks and speak on the needs of his tribe, while Mer would do business with the Local Priestess Garrison, and Bertoni would watch over her children from a distance. Now being almost the breeding age of eighteen,being seventeen, the two walk through the gardens of the Preistess Temple on Varun II,  Thawn and Septi stand a distance apart, a mature distance that allowed males and females to talk without unauthorized contact. “How have you been brother” asks Septi as she walks with him through the gardens. “I am under much stress sister, Chieftain Bhada’s condition has been deteriorating, he will soon need to face death and if he does i will need to become chieftain of Khanin”states a worried Thawn. “Isn’t it wonderful though, you will soon be chief and rule your people” states Septi. “ is it wonderful though, i know our mother has dictated that we meet to prevent imbreeding and my father plays along due to our servitude to the females of our kind, but my main concern is the fact that i will soon be chief and unable to leave my tribe on Khanin” explains Thawn. “You will miss me?” asks Septi, her eyes obviously wandering through her brothers mind. “ i will miss this family aspect, i have been questioning why our order doesn’t confide to the familial beliefs of the rest of the galaxy outside of our order, i have been questioning my place as chief” states Thawn. “You will make a great chief brother, and while i agree with you on why we are unfairly allowed to see eachother while others cannot, i am also concerned that your feelings are that of treason” states Septi. “I didn’t mean to sound treasonous sister, i just question why their are families allowed to love across the galaxy and those who mate for life and why our order forbids inbreeding but doesn’t bring in others of different species from other worlds into the order” explains Thawn. “I see your dilemma, mother once told me a story of her childhood before the order, she was infant on the planet of Farcova IV, when Grandmother Duchar and her heralds arrived in her village, she wasn’t of the tribe but she watched as the Grandmother used her mystical energies to find her oracle, unlike the rest of the order you and i are of a different species, meaning we wouldn’t be capable of inbreeding with the others unless it was with each other” explains Septi. “But rationally thinking our fathers family is in the clan, and since the priestesses never mate with the same male twice their are bound to be children of insest within our ranks” states Thawn. Septi pauses and thinks for a moment and then looks back to her brother “i believe you to be correct brother, i shall bring this to mother, she will know what to do” states Septi. Thawn nods to his sister at an almost bow as they part ways and Septi walks up the temple steps towards her mother who was watching them from a nearby balcony, her red ceremonial robes and headdress flowing in the wind. “how was your talks with your brother,my dear?” asks Bertoni turning around revealing her tattoos. “Insightful mother” states Septi. “Insightful?” asks Bertoni. “ Thawn, seems to be under the impression that although inbreeding is forbidden it is bound to happen in our culture, i could sense his fears for something greater though under his words” explains Septi. “ do you agree with his concerns daughter?” asks Bertoni. “In a way yes, without a family aspect in our culture, without the familial bond, are we to mate with third and fourth cousins?” asks Septi. “ There is a proposition then to be made to change our bylaws, for the betterment and longer term existence of our order” states Bertoni. “You knew, this would happen, why then have you never said anything about this before?” asks Septi. “I am unallowed to propose changes i am merely only allowed to approve or veto them, by the means of our cultural beliefs that i have been trained with by the Grandmothers of the past, a herald however can propose to change our order to change our rules allowing us to remedy and fix what is broken within our system” explains Bertoni. “Then i am allowed to propose a family system to our kin?” asks Septi. “ i have summoned the leaders of the coven and their heralds to meet me on Farcova IV, my home world at our sanctuary there, you will come with me to this meeting and propose this system” explains Bertoni. “Yes, mother” states Septi. “When we have a vote approved and i am certain we will succeed, a new monogamous family system will be put in place allowing males and females to coexist together” explains Bertoni.

The two leave together aboard their private shuttle to the nearby Temple world of Kaliath and then take a starliner from the terminal on Kaliath across the galaxy to the Farcova system. Rarely did the Preistesses leave their suite while aboard a civilian star liner, but this time they were able to explore the ship. Septi found the length of the ship to be quite exhilarating being almost 770,000 Squarefeet long with guests aboard it having access to all quarters aboard the ship. Septi found the cantina’s that served alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to be quite exciting sitting in the corner of the cantina alone enjoying a tea from Seanis Prime, by recommendation of the Bartender. She watched as two men argued over a game of cards, that she didn’t quite understand nor wanted to understand, as a fellow in a black naval uniform approached her and sat across from her, a cape strung over his shoulder and a brown leather glove over his right hand with a matching bandolier running across his waist and chest. “Mind if i join you?” asks the man a smile across his neatly trimmed bearded face. “Of course” states Septi. “So what is a lovely young lady of your age doing alone in a place like this?” asks the man. “I am on a journey with my clan to Farcova IV” states Septi. “ clan? Your one of the Priestesses?” asks the man excitedly. “ indeed, and you are?” asks Septi curiously. “My name is Brando Carlile, I was a former diplomat of the Empire enroute to Farcova IV to take another Starliner to Moshni to rendezvous with the United Systems, i’m a refugee you see, the empire is out to kill me” states the obviously worried man. Septi grabs Brando’s hand and stares into his future seeing his past as well the terrors he’s witnessed and the peace he seeks. “You will make it to the United Systems, and will be welcomed with open arms” states Septi. The man looks at her and grins his mind now being put at ease by her comments, feeling much more secure now than he was before. “ how can you be certain?” he asks. “ i have seen your past, the terrors you witnessed on Ju’Jiim, and the murder of several Senators and diplomats friends of yours from other worlds, but i have also seen your past, your meeting with the United Systems Leadership, the amnesty they provide you with and your home on a farm on the other side of the galaxy far from imperial law” states Septi. “ remarkable, are you the oracle?” asks Brando. “ I am but a herald, daughter though to the Grandmother” states Septi. “Is she aboard?” quivvers the man sort of afraid. “She is?” states Septi in an inquisitive way. “Can you bring me before her?” asks Brando. Septi taps his hand again trying to see his intentions, this time she only sees a Priestess, she does not recognize, her eyes red and sullen and facial tattoos more terrifying than any other, her clothing,robes that of an elite individual of the Empire. She stares at Brando and nods.

The two stand up from the table and Septi ushers him to the Hub D elevator, they take the elevator to the ships observation deck, a large hall where diplomats are talking politics and Bertoni is staring out a window into space, two of her handmaidens standing behind her like guards. Septi and Brando approach the Grandmother, her new robes black with a long veil concealing her face from the people outside the order. “ mother this is Brando Carlile, he is a Imperial refugee, he asked for an audience with you” states Septi. Bertoni turns around as if floating and stares down at the man still much taller than him and he is only 6 feet tall. “Grandmother Bertoni of the Preistesses of Junizeth, i am humbled to meet your acquaintance” bows Brando. “ a diplomat of the empire from the mining world of Ghian?” states Bertoni recognizing him as if someone had whispered everything about him into his ear. “ yes, how did-” he then paused remembering whom he was in the presence of. “I see your clairvoyance is more than myth, Grandmother” states Brando. “You come to bring me a warning, of the traitor Madame Oolani?” asks the Grandmother. “Yes’m, she has been most vocal in the Emperor’s Ear. she has become his most trusted vizier, and i fear the worst for those of your faith” states Brando. “She intends to destroy us?” inquires Bertoni. “Yes, she intends to do far worse things, than i once thought the Empire Capable of, there were even talks of hiring the Firenze Butcher of Va, to destroy you” explains Brando. “Occi, will not move against us, i have a long lasting relationship with the Firenze, he knows what we are capable of when we are threatened” states Bertoni. “ you mustn’t worry for me and my order, my new friend, your loyalty however must be rewarded” states Bertoni, removing a large sack from her waist and pulling from it a single pebble. She places the sack back on her waist and holds the pebble tightly in her grips. She then begins to chant in the ancient language of the Priestesses, a green mist and flashes of light appearing in her clenched fist where the pebble is, she then proceeds to open her hand and hand Brando a small crystalline stone with glowing runes engraved upon it. “This is a mystical item for you, my friend it will bring you luck,protection and good fortune from Oolani’s dark magic” states The Grandmother handing the crystal to Brando, as he grips it moves up to his finger and transforms into a ring upon his middle finger. “Thank you madame” states Brando. “You are a kind man, Brando Carlile, i foresee a time when you yourself will be an asset to not only my order but to the galaxy at large. Now go in peace” she states. Brando once again bows and leaves the Priestesses. “Mother, who is this Oolani?” asks Septi, curious as to whom she was. “ she is of no concern to you, but her promotion within the Empire is news that must be delivered to the council” states Bertoni, as the ship drops out of lightspeed ahead of the window.

The witches disembarked using the Stargate to the surface and as they did on the day they retrieved Bertoni from Farcova IV, they traveled by foot deep into the swamps leaving behind the spaceport and outpost. The swamps of Farcova IV were unforgiving to many as they had been known to swallow starships whole that landed in their bogs, for thousands of years the planet was thought to be unsettleable until a pioneer landed on the world and founded a space port. The priestesses believed the planet to possess ancient magic, calling it what would roughly be translated as “the grand consumer” in their ancient scrolls and texts. The temple ruins on this world were of the most ghastly sort. Large stone monoliths toppled over next to massive marble heads of their people's ancient gods. The main temple exists deep under the bog itself which once housed its pyramid. The Priestesses only came to this world to reflect on dark times of the past as they had first come to Farcova IV hundreds of thousands of years earlier to unify against the oppressive sect that once ruled them. Farcova was an essential part of their culture and history and for that reason they keep their constitution locked away at this site that is only accessible to the Grandmother and the oracle of the time. Bertoni lead them to the sacred site, where the other heralds and their handmaidens as well as some other key figures of their order were already awaiting the arrival of the Grandmother. The Eldersister, Yir was of them, Septi hadn’t seen the hagged woman in ages,since the death of Sister Zinice who was once an apprentice to ancient Yir who hobbled on her staff atop one of the stone heads. Bertoni was bowed to by the fellow priestesses as she approached the secret entrance to their meeting chamber. She placed her hand on the eye of one of the sunken heads, pushing it in, and then stepped back three steps. The Colossal Sunken head's mouth opened revealing a doorway down into the ancient pyramid below the Swamps.

The catacombs that lead into the dark pyramid below the swamps were lined with vines overtaken completely by the swamps that surrounded it. The lime stone bricks of the temple untouched as they approached the grand meeting hall at the temples center, a massive cathedral surrounding the tomb of Mesopia, the Warrior Grandmother of the Priestesses who lead them during the dark times, the coven leaders took their positions around the tomb as the Grandmother stood atop the central platform in which Mesopia’s stone coffin was centered around. “Why have you called this meeting GrandMother Bertoni!” shouts a haglike voice from one of the priestess leaders. “ sisters i have called because an issue has been raised to my attention, we must amend our constitution to prevent our peoples extinction and allow us to maintain a balance of power. I Call on Sister Septi, Herald of Junizeth” explains Bertoni looking at Septi. “I am Septi, Daughter of Grandmother Bertoni and nineteenth Herald of the Junizeth temple. I stand before this council of Coven Mothers, Leaders and Heralds like myself to convey this disturbing discovery. For years our clan has existed on sacred traditions and has forbidden the practice of insest, but we are flawed as our polygamous ways have left us blind to the truth that by eliminating our ability to create families and only breeding within our own tribe we have been tainting our bloodline with the scourge of insest. I come before this council today to petition that we end the banishment of our men on Khanin and establish a monogamous family system that aids us in our detection of insest, and expand our reaches of welcoming new members to the order from outside to prevent insestuous mutations and deformities to persist” states Septi. The coven begins to chatter as Yir steps forward through the crowd “the Herald speaks truth, i have visited the men as the elder, they are not the monsters they once were all those years ago, they are civilized warriors. I have seen first hand what monogamy has allowed the many in the galaxy to pursue and the scourges brought along by inbreeding, it is about time this changes!” she reassures. The preistesses begin to one by one state their opinions before Bertoni calls them to a vote, that passes unanimously amongst the priestesses. Bertoni steps forward “ i hereby decree then that the tribes of our clan all be welcoming to men and women alike, and we begin forming families and attachments within our clan!” shouts Bertoni. The constitution is unveiled from the coffin of Mesopia, and then amended by the coven’s leadership before being locked back up. The meeting is soon dismissed and priestesses file out of the temple back to the surface.

As the meeting dismisses, Bertoni meets with the leaders of the other covens in the swamps outside the tomb, Septi has a conversation with some of the other younger heralds who were relieved by her discovery, finding it disturbing and disgusting that they almost mated with their cousins to prolong the tribe some of them even excited to finally live under the same roof as their fathers and brothers who had been outcasted to Khanin for their entire lives. Septi is soon approached by Yir, who dismisses the other girls. “You have done well, Septi, i see i was right when i told your mother her daughter would bring greatness to our clan, i even recommended she consider making you her oracle at one point, but she wished to stick with tradition” cackles Yir. “ I am honored by your Blessing Eldersister, but my mother is correct, i am not fit to be her oracle, the tradition must pass on to another being in another family, this would better our chances at eliminating incest if any other tradition in our past has been, we are just to great in number now to continue the inbreeding would only create chaos if we didn’t eliminate it now” states Septi. “Your brother came to me with similar ideas, on my last visit with the men on Khanin, you wouldn’t have gotten this idea from him?” asks Yir. “my brother is a wise beta-cheif, he must be similarly minded” states Septi concealing it as her brothers idea before her mother approached them. “ Eldersister” states Bertoni as she approaches them, dismissing the mischievous old woman. “Grandmother, i assume since we are returning to the old ways, we will begin creating new jobs within our villages for the men, including your son the Cheif of Khanin?” asks Yir. “I intend to create a civil diplomatic hierarchy of course Eldersister, my plan for my families positions in which are none of your concern” explains Bertoni. The Eldersister hobbles away slowly in to the mists of the swamp disappearing. “We should be leaving to Khanin, to break the news to your father and brother, that the men and women will now be living together” states Bertoni, Septi looks at her mother and nods as they leave back through the swamp towards the space port.