Chezniukunik & the StarQueen Phoebe
Celestial Codex » Phoebe
Chazzie: Part 1
A ripple opens in space, and a luminous blue sheet of velvety starlight lets through a compact metallic vessel, screaming through as its thrusters burst to slow its motion. Chazzie's orbital cruiser, "The Enchanter" comes to a calm and steady pace, drifting as a seabird does over water. Peering to his right, he double-checks that he's arrived at his intended destination, "Here we are, Ux’shual." he declares to his bird-like companion.
Ux’shual [pronounced 'ook-shoo-all'] has been said to look strongly akin to Earth's ancient bird species, the Archaeopteryx. With a feathered array of vivid colour, and an aggressive toothed beak, many have questioned how such a creature could be celebrated as an amiable pet. Chazzie would disagree, of course.
In the old days, he was a warrior: a formidable one. This was before he teleported into where he now dwells within the Goddess Grid. The universe he lived in didn’t have a particular name, just as you might only know your own as “The Universe”. So, it’s hard for him to explain to others exactly where he came from. What he does know, is that, while he did find a purposeful role in his original home, he had always felt like a bit of a stranger. When the 33-Year War had ended, he was stationed at an outpost as a type of reprieve from his duties as both warrior and general. Unlike some rumours, he was not put into exile, or under punishment for a hidden crime… quite the opposite, in fact. Considering his rank, and the economics of the military, it was a practical way to provide him an early retirement without dismissal. This way, he could find solace and respite from the many years of physical and psychological trauma he had endured. His peers seldom spoke of it, but they had always felt a deep respect for him. It was collectively felt that he deserved a special rank, a unique position of honour of some kind. Yet, they were often at a loss to pinpoint what exactly made him such a powerful member of the Astro Force. His track record, of course, was stellar, but there was something else about the quality of his character…
In his solemn outpost, situated on a tiny asteroid on the outer rims, he began to delve deeply into a spiritual practice which had been calling out to him from his subconscious mind for decades. There was, first, the insightful research which took years of study through reading and personal practice. From ancient tomes, to modern documents, they paraded before the eye of his awareness; like when clouds pass on a windy summer’s day, the rays of illumination peaked through providing moments of perfect clarity. Then, came the dream work. He had heard about the art of the waking dream, and was compelled by its possibilities. Enthralled with the available time he now had, it was time to wrangle the beast of his awareness and to become one with the Quiet Mind.
One day, as he drifted to sleep, something novel occurred: it was as though he didn’t ‘fall’ asleep at all… he had lifted into it.
What he saw in the dream, was a large rock formation, a monolith comprised of 3 stones, chiselled into rectangular shapes which interlocked to form a standing triangle. At the base of one of the standing edges, it stopped just short of reaching the ground, and abruptly turned inward to its enclosed area with a short terminating block. This segment appeared to defy gravity, as it had nothing to stand on, technically speaking. As Chazzie marvelled at its workmanship, he was taken suddenly by a bright cobalt blue light source emanating from his chest; he looked up to see that it connected like a crack of lightning to a stormy sky. The sensation was of a warm opening beginning in his heart and expanding upward through his throat, and, like an ancient treasure box bursting open, a gold dust began to escape his body, fanning upward. The clouds began to swell, converging into a gravity well, mimicking the swirling of a galaxy. The pillar of light was narrowing, into a dense, bright cord. With each moment, he felt more rooted: solidly anchored as this shimmering line tethered him to the vortex above. Just then, it tensioned, and hauled him upward with incredible force, and everything went blank.
Life Epilogue
“Well, hello there… nice to have you drop in today!”, a sweet female voice called out.
Chazzie wasn’t yet ready to respond, he felt as though he had been stretched over millions of miles and wasn’t quite back together yet.
The voice continued:
“We’ve been watching you blipping in and out, here and there. Is there someone you’ve been trying to reach? Anyway, just relax a minute, and we’ll get you all sorted out, ‘mkay?”
He drifted off again. What felt like hours passed, and he found himself floating in space, amidst a cluster of nearby stars. He noticed 10 which were particularly bright. Taking stock of his situation, he was fairly sure he hadn’t yet exited the astral realms, since, well, he didn’t have a spacesuit on, nor was he dying of suffocation. Just then, a glimmer from the corner of his left eye caught his attention; at first small, but increasing rapidly in size, this giant silver bullet was suddenly upon him. He was then, inside the cabin, looking at a semicircular console, and a swivelling captain’s chair of a rose burgundy colour: it sat empty. Just as quickly, a jolt slammed him back into his body, and it was dark again. Only, now, he felt like he was lying in bed.
Barely conscious, the voice re-emerged: “Sorry, if that hit you a bit hard, but we needed to get you back in as soon as we could…. It’s not easy when you’re made of bone and flesh, so I’m told.” she indicated with a playful giggle.
Chazzie mustered himself, enough to utter something: “Who…. are you?”
“Ahh, how rude of me! My stellar sisters call me Phoebe, I’m an astral form comprised of the 10 stars you noticed earlier… I caught wind of you when my sisters mentioned you were showing up more often than not, and well… your little home on that asteroid — yeah, bout to go ‘POOF!’, sorry to say. There has been a disruption to the regular cycle of the orbit where you were situated, a crosswind from another shower is about to slam that cluster you were living in really hard. We would rather not see you go so quickly because, well, one of our Mothers wanted to get to know you in your current form. So, she motioned for us to see if we might yank you from where you are, and send you along.”
Chazzie thought: “Who in the universe is this fast-speaking, hyper-excited entity who’s addressing me like she knows me, and talking about … I don’t even know what? Send me along? To where exactly?”
He spoke up: “Along to where, might I ask? …and thank you for the save.”
She chuckled, almost as a squirrel would chirp: “Oh… sorry. The Goddess Xypaetia, she’s digging your vibe. Honestly, it’s a big deal when you have her attention, she is SUCH a babe.”
Chazzie released an involuntary belly laugh, and Phoebe did so along with him. With some tension broken, a welcomed pause followed.
“Okay, so you’ve yanked me from my home, and now you’re sending me off to some kind of matronly boss figure?”
“Huh, yeah, that’s it!”
“Haha, hrmm, ok. So where’s my body right now because I feel like I’m here but not actually able to move myself around, and it’s dark.”
“Oh yeah, don’t worry bout that, we have you in a bit of a suspended animation state: it’s alright, you’re here, all in one piece, body included. However, you have a little ways to go so we would rather not wake you completely… also, the two of us wouldn’t be able to chat like this if you weren’t still partially in the dream, right?”
“That’s a lot to take in, but yeah, I get it, I suppose that’s true about the dream state, I certainly haven’t ever witnessed you in the flesh, as they say.”
“Well, we can actually sort of fix that, though…”
In that moment, the darkness was lit by a dusty pink colour, a sort of nebula pattern appeared, moving like smoke. A stark white line of light began to trace the shape of the 10 stars he had seen earlier, igniting each of them successively. When the last one was reached, a definitive constellation held its shape and each of the stars seemed to release a swirl of curved lines which assembled into the outlines of a figure. With a short, slender, yet, curvy frame, Phoebe’s hair glowed in her signature Amaranth pink, along with various geometric patterns across her celestial body. It was akin to some kind of tribal body paint, but instead appeared to serve a function, perhaps an energy conduit, or identifying markers? Similarly, Her eyes glowed with the same hue as she fully manifested, her gaze fixed upon him. She had a radiant grace about her, and the most powerful essence of appreciation, and admiration as she studied him, throughout.
She continued: “Well, I already know what you look like, but it’s always nice to look upon your magnificent form when the chance arrives. I hear they call you Chazzie, on the other side. I think that’s a great name, it suits you. You have this air of sincerity, and gratitude for being alive, it’s really apparent in your aura.”
He responded: “You’re quite beautiful, Pheobe, and thanks for saying so. Cutting close to death will give you such an appreciation.”
“I can only imagine, and I thank you for your compliment." - she smiled warmly.
“Yes, appearing to me makes knowing you a bit less mysterious, and more like a friend.”
“Friends are good, yeah. Listen: I’m around if you need me. Like, anytime, ever… you can reach me easily. My mother, Artemyxis is the Goddess of Cosmic Communication, so I have an extra powerful range of reachability through the Cosmic Weave. All of us StarQueens are connected in a collective constellation, thanks to Her energies.”
Chazzie replied almost bewildered, yet charmed: “Where in the world have you brought me to, Phoebe?”
“Hahah, you’re on the Goddess Grid now, my good man. And you’re going to LOVE IT!”
He chuckled once more, like he was being teased into knowing something he already knew but didn’t really believe.
“She’s going to fix you all up, my friend. Just think about your art: that thing you’ve been wanting to do for a while, can you remember it?”
Chazzie, fumbled a bit to find words: and thoughts. “Um, not quite sure what you mean, honestly.”
“It’s okay, it’ll come.”
“Sounds good to me, I guess. Presently, this is enough. I’m not even sure I’m fully with what’s going on here.”
Quieting her voice, she replied: “I know, it’s fine.”
“I’m tired… I need to either fully wake up or sleep now.”
“You're already awake, so definitely sleep, I’ll see you later.”
“Ok…” and he drifted off.
