Official Theme Song of Octave of Stars:
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It had been raining all morning, so the backyard was thoroughly soaked. The earthworms coming up for air would have been prey to the robins nesting in the large maple tree, if it weren't for the two young children splashing around in their rain boots and coats. Most of their little bodies were covered by their gear, but their happy brown faces were visible. The slightly taller one wore a matching yellow set of equipment, while the other's was red.
"Adam!" Lydia called from the porch. "Don't let your brother eat the worms, alright?" The child in question gave his mother a thumbs up, then directed his younger sibling toward non-culinary pursuits with the hapless creatures. Rand admitted it made him somewhat worried his oldest son's favorite color was yellow, even more so because he shared his own dark brown eye color.
Rand and Lydia sat together on the covered rear porch of their home, her in a large, comfortable chair that allowed her to recline while also supporting her precious cargo. Now in the light, it could be seen she had short hair, brown and curly, and her skin was fair with prominent freckles. She had on a warm white coat and maternity pants, but was still cold enough that she had Rand put a blanket over her.
Outside of work, Rand still liked to dress well, with a yellow polo shirt and dark jeans. He also wore a light waterproof jacket for when he inevitably needed to go out into the steady drizzle and attend to the children.
"What a lovely morning," Lydia said softly. "I can tell she likes it, too." She had her hand on her belly. After a moment, she turned her head toward her husband. "Are you okay, honey? You've been awfully quiet since breakfast."
"Hm?" Rand came to where he was. Falling water and dirt underneath him was just like a certain scenario that had played out not many hours earlier. "Sorry, I'm fine. Just thinking about some hard things."
She tilted her head invitingly. "Do you want some help?"
He nodded, then moved the light plastic chair he was sitting in closer to her. "I've just been trying to work out the future. What we're supposed to do. And what I'm supposed to do."
"Oh honey, you may be amazing, but I'm pretty sure you can't predict the future."
"I know, but I…" He stopped. Her meaning was clear. "We should do something special," he said. "Like… a vacation."
Lydia gave a thin smile. "We shouldn't be traveling for at least two more months, and even then, you remember how hard it was when we moved out here after Jackson was born."
"True," Rand replied. "Why don't we go up north then, to your parent's place? The boys love being on the farm, and you'll have your mother and your sister for help with the baby."
"That could work," she said thoughtfully, then called out toward the bushes and trees, waving. "Look at that, be sure to let your brother have a turn!" She lowered her voice again. "But where is this coming from? You usually just like staying put."
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I just feel like something big is happening, and I'm not sure what." He regretted not being able to tell her everything. It was so unlike the honesty they normally experienced.
Lydia watched him, blue eyes reflecting her concern. "I haven't seen you nervous like this since… Well, since we were still dating and you took me out to that old quarry to show me what I was really signing up for."
Rand started to speak, but stopped.
"Is this thing that important?" Lydia asked quietly.
"I think it is," he said just as quietly.
"Did something happen at work?" She quickly rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right, you can't talk about work 'cause it could be a breach of security."
Rand shrugged.
"Well then, let's talk about something we can," she said, shifting in her chair and sitting up straighter. "Whoa there sister, sorry I woke you up." She adjusted her position again. "Okay, that works. So, I was thinking we should start going to church again."
Rand sat back, considering. "Huh. What brought that on?"
"Well, I was talking to some of the ladies in my mom's group, and this big new church opened up on the other side of the freeway. The pastor there is supposed to be really good, and I thought we might give it a try."
"I suppose…" Rand said. "It would depend on their level of… acceptance."
Lydia smiled. "Well, I think if you keep all the lawn where it is, we shouldn't have any trouble. But I know what you mean." She let out a breath, her eyes out across the yard at her children. "I've been thinking about it, and what probably happened was, we just ended up with a few people that were less charitable, but also more vocal. I'm willing to try again."
Rand was quiet, watching the boys root around under a bush. It had been a while since he had thought about God in any capacity, but it was impossible for him to deny His existence. He was a kind of living proof, an advertisement for miracles and things beyond the normal workings of the world. He couldn't turn away from a Higher Power any more than he could stop being who he was. Or doing what he did. Or what he had done. He looked at Lydia, imagining what their daughter would be like. Would she have her mother's nose? Or, like her brother, her father's eyes?
Lydia waited a moment before speaking. "If you want, I can go there first and see what the… makeup of people is like."
"No," he said purposefully. "We'll all go together. Being honest is always important, right?"
She smiled. "That's right."
He smiled too, despite the pain in his heart that he couldn't be as honest as he wanted. But there was someone else who he could confide in, despite how shallow the relationship might be. He watched his two sons continue to muck around happily in the grass and dirt before finalizing the decision. "I need to make a phone call, do you need anything from inside?"
Lydia looked up at him. "No thanks, I'm alright."
Inside the house, Rand got his black stick phone from where it was charging on the kitchen counter. He went into the living room and dialed the number, envisioning the little bottom piece on Yin's phone that popped out whenever he answered a call.
"Hey, it's still Sunday," the snide voice answered. "Stop calling me and go be with your family or whatever."
"Hello to you too, Yin."
"I gave you an out, it's all on you now. Oh, if you're calling about that pizza you left in the fridge, don't worry about it. I already ate it!"
"I knew you would, that's why I didn't bring it home."
"How nice of you."
"Also, it was from last week's office party."
"What the? Aw, I knew it tasted funny. Now I'm gonna be sick…"
Rand chuckled. This was worth the phone call, if nothing else.
"So what did you want, anyway?"
"I'm just… calling to check in. To see if there's been any more trouble or anything."
"On your day off? Yeah right. You just wanna know what's going on with the girl, huh? You wanna know if she's comfortable and happy or if you need to beat up on yourself some more, is that right?"
Rand narrowed his eyes. "Did I call the right number? This is Yin, right?"
"Of course it is. I may not know what's going on all the time, but I know what's going on with you, big guy. We've been working together for a long time. What I wanna know is why this subject is so different. You haven't gotten all flipped out like this over any of the others."
Rand let out a breath, which was audible over the phone.
Yin continued: "I'm gonna pick my nails with a really sharp knife while you think about it."
Rand glanced around the room and listened, to make sure none of the rest of his family had come inside. "The others had all been… isolated, and alone. They seemed resigned to their fate and didn't struggle much. Well, except for that other Earth Star we found in Iran."
"Tell me about it! I had sand in my shoes for weeks!"
"Anyway, we didn't end up taking him at all, right? We avoid anyone who has a strong community. But her…"
"Definitely not that way. Why did the Boss have us get her in the first place then?"
"Because he doesn't know if he'll be able to find another Water Star anytime soon."
"That makes sense, I guess. But why is he in such a hurry? Like how he stopped all the oil project stuff all of a sudden. The board was so ticked off by that!"
Rand's eyes widened as he realized what would be the most likely reason for Mr. Frost speeding up all his project schedules so abruptly, pushing to achieve his goals in the shortest possible time. And, for the first time in countless years, Rand prayed. For Drake Frost's life, and for his soul.
The back door burst open. "Daddy!" a childish voice called. "We're making mud pies, come help please! You make them better than anybody!"
"I gotta go," Rand said, "see you tomorrow."
"Have fun!"
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It was already the afternoon, but that was difficult to tell through the large windows of Frost's primary office. They overlooked the western side of the city, far off into the distance, where he could welcome the setting of the sun and the ending of each bright day. Rainwater had been sliding down the panes for hours, which made most people feel downcast, but not Frost. He enjoyed the gloom, reveled in the darkness.
The imported leather, high-backed chair he sat in cost more than most of his employee's salaries, certainly more than Yin's, who had just come back into the office after taking a phone call in the hallway. Judging by his jocular tone at this end, it had probably been with Rand. He had never understood how they had ended up being friends, as their personalities were so different, but he supposed their adjacency connection did more for their friendship than their common interests.
Frost watched Yin through the reflection on the window, then smoothly turned in his chair to survey the rest of the room. An expensive fountain pen sat on the desk in its clear-topped case beside an equally expensive bottle of ink, next to the sleek, modern computer he did some of his work on. Official paperwork and contracts lay across the polished surface of the table, including the latest brief from Evergreen & Associates. He had set that purposefully on top of the stack, so he didn't have to see the sheet directly below it. The official diagnosis that had been taunting him for months now.
The walls of the room were decorated with classical paintings, some originals and some not, mostly of nighttime scenes and starry skies. The lights were turned down low, which afforded him the space he needed to think. Troublesome light always made it hard for him to concentrate. He had been concentrating now on what to do next. His attempt at diplomacy with the Water Star had failed, as had the very security of keeping her. First, she had tried to escape on her own, then her lovelorn boyfriend had tried to burn down his hotel to get her out. Her cooperation would not come easily, if at all. Even if he tried the traditional technique of wearing her down through imprisonment, it wouldn't be successful, as the opposition would simply liberate her, and he would be left with nothing again. Unless there was another way.
Frost looked up at the large mirror mounted against the upper part of the windows. The reflective surface was positioned outward, away from the room, leaving the ornately decorated back visible. Executives and other visitors always asked about it, and he always gave the same response. Only he knew the real reason it was there.
"Yin," Frost said sternly.
He started at the noise, then put away the blade he had been sharpening and uncrossed his legs, standing up from the chair by the door. "Yes, Mr. Frost?"
"Come here, please." He pointed to one of the less-comfortable but still luxurious chairs in front of his desk.
Yin was excited, he never got to sit in those chairs, but also felt a little afraid why he had the opportunity.
After Yin was settled, Frost continued, sighing. "Yin, what do you want most in the world?"
He sat up, considering this. "Well, Boss, money would be nice."
"Yes, that's why I'm paying you. But what else?"
Yin thought some more. This was the most mental exercise he had had in a while, so it took some time to get through it. "Well, if I had enough money, then I could have anything else I wanted, right? So I still pick money."
"I see." Frost drummed his fingers on the table. Then he stopped after seeing the smudges. "You don't have any family, do you?"
"Not in the country, no. My parents are still in Taiwan."
"I see," he said again. "I suppose I shouldn't beat around the mulberry bush any more. As I am sure you are aware, we are all going to die."
Yin gulped. "Of course Boss, but, hopefully not today?"
"Not if I can help it. But I am almost certainly first in line for that fate." He touched the grey hair of his beard and moustache as if to illustrate. "And when I am no longer, do you know what will happen first?"
"No Sir."
"Ownership of the company will pass to the board, and they will elect a new CEO. But he will only be in charge on paper. The ownership of the assets and resources of the company will pass to two other individuals. Two gentlemen with whom I have shared far more secrets over these past few years."
Yin fidgeted in his seat. "Oh, I'm one of those two, right? And Rand is the other?"
"That is correct," Frost said, nodding. "You two will continue the Prism Project as best you can. You'll need to find another Darkness Star, of course, but I have several leads you can pursue right away. And it also means you'll have more money than you could ever want."
"That sounds like a good deal to me, Boss!" Yin said. "Except, you know, for the part about you being dead."
Frost closed his dark blue eyes. "It is inevitable. No Star has the power to cheat death, and likely for good reason." He opened them again, and the room got darker for a moment. "But there is still much that can be done during the time I have left. And I see now I need to explore all viable avenues."
He stood up from his chair, prompting Yin to do the same. "Go to the containment units and bring Miss Dewlenser to the primary lab floor. I'll tell you more when I meet you there."
"Um, Boss, if I may," Yin said, squirming. "Since Rand is off duty today, I think it would be… prudent to have you there too. She isn't going to be complacent even if she is dried out."
Frost nodded. "Capital idea. It seems as though she's afraid of the dark, or at least mine." He reached for the phone on his desk. "I'm calling Dr Chaudhary, though, as we will need her."
"She's here," Yin said, and Frost stopped dialling. "I saw her getting coffee in the break room an hour ago."
"Working late, as usual," Frost said, setting down the receiver. "I hope she doesn't expect me to pay her more as a result. Oh well, less work for us, then. Let's be off."
Octave of Stars is currently airing on Substack for free, with two of the 45 total posts per week. It’ll be fully released at the end of April 2024. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can get the entire story right now, in either Ebook or paperback. Every purchase supports the ZMT Books mission of family-friendly entertainment.
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