The Legend of Suu’chadak

In the depth of the oceans of the planet of Skiutera, legend would have it that an odd aquatic creature lives a solitary life, unbeknownst to terrestrial citizens above.

The stories began when one morning, a fisherman noticed an odd creature with ocean-like features gently drop an unconscious man onto the beach of Mandocorel, only to disappear right back into to the sea foam. The fisherman approached the man, who told him that he had come to the beach the day before, critically ill, hoping to die. He had awoken this morning mysteriously healed of his ailment, and with no memory of what had happened. And so the legend was born. From then on, many brought their sick and injured to this beach at sunset, always to find them returned in perfect health the following day.

Suu’chadak was a modest creature, preferring a draping of seashells, algae, and bits of shipwrecked wood to more traditional clothes. His big and shining eyes were always seeking creatures of the ocean that could need his help. Round and jovial, he was happy to converse with every creature, large or small, that he encountered. He was gifted with extraordinary powers of healing and protection, which he used to devote himself to serving all living beings.

According to Suu’chadak’s philosophy, all living things deserved to be saved, regardless of their origin, nature, or behavior. Any vessel of life was sacrosanct to Suu’chadak.

Suu’chadak had rarely ever ventured onto solid land. He had very few encounters with the strange, alien-like species that inhabited this seemingly distant world, besides healing the occasional injured strangers who wandered into his oceanic domain. The years passed calmly this way, ebbing and flowing at a steady rhythm. Suu’chadaks powers continued to grow stronger, along with ability to ensure peace and prosperity in the ocean’s depths.

One day, while Suu’chadak was cultivating pearls for one of his remedies, he heard a great rumbling in the distance. It was quickly followed by faraway shouts, crossing the windswept waves to reach Suu’chadaks adapted alien ears. Overwhelmed by the cries, he swam as quickly as could in their direction.

As he headed towards the shore, large objects crashed into the waters around him, provoking fiery explosions and enormous plumes of smoke. But, with the screams for help getting louder, Suu’chadak’s resolve strengthened, and he continued to swim even faster despite the danger. Lives were at stake.

When he arrived at the beach, Suu’chadak found himself in the middle of raging battle. He had never seen a battle before, had never even encountered the concept of war and the terror that it could inflict.

He had never seen so many people assembled in the same place, nor had he seen the sky crowded with so many ships.

In this moment, Suu’chadak discovered the terrestrial world of his home planet, and he also discovered war. Through the thick sounds of the battlefield, Suu’chadak see an impressive line of gold-and-red tunic-bearing soldiers, and could hear them roaring out “For the Synarch!”. Meanwhile, a smaller, more ragtag opposing band of fighters chorused back: “For Skiutera!”

Hundreds of soldiers, of all different species, hurtled towards one another at breakneck speed, shooting a wide array of weapons, each one more destructive than the next. Laser machine guns instantaneously turning moving bodies to motionless ones; giant flamethrowers incinerated entire squadrons.

Suu’chadak, paralysed by fear, returned to his senses when a large ship crashed down just a few meters from him. He ran straight towards the first injured creatures he could see. Almost all of them were Skiuterans. They had suffered numerous losses, all due to their feeble number and comparatively weak arsenal, especially when compared to the imperialist military might of the Synarch’s own army.

Suu’chadak kneeled next to an injured man, whose chest had been perforated by a laser shot. He concentrated his powers on healing the man’s injuries. The wound closed up with prodigious speed. In just a few seconds, the man’s vitality was restored.  He got up, anxious to return to the fight. Suu’chadak restrained him with one arm, telling him:

“Do not return to the battlefield to take another life — whether it be your own or another’s”

The man struggled for some time without success to escape from the grasp of this strange creature who had just saved his life. Another determined look from Suu’chadak finally persuaded the man, who defeatedly slunk away.

Suucha’dak went on to save several more Skiuterans from death. He was able to use his powers to emit powerful shields around himself and his patients that would deflect incoming projectiles and debris from the surrounding explosions.

One Skiuteran soldier saw the miracles taking place on the battlefield and made the connection with the legends that he had heard as a child about the legendary creature of the beach of Mandocorel, the very beach on which they found themselves fighting now. Soon, all of the soldiers were watching him rush through the battlefield, tending to the countless injured soldiers. The white beaches had become scarlet. The creature seemed to the soldiers like a legendary apparition, giving them renewed courage. They charged at the Synarchy’s soldiers with new vigor, launching a murderous new wave of counter-attack.

Suu’chadak did not realize that he was the source of this new wave of momentum and bravery among the Skiuterans. As he continued to make his way across the battlefield, he finally stumbled upon one of the Synarch’s soldiers who was gravely injured. Mistaking the creature for an enemy fighter, the soldier cried out in terror. Suu’chadak used his powers to heal the man’s skin and and soothe his pain. The soldier looked up at him with a mixture of terror, surprise, and relief.

Suu’chadak was once again the center of attention in the battle. The Skiuterans could not understand his act towards the enemy. Their newfound courage left them as quickly as it had come, and the Synarch’s forces quickly regained control over the battlefield.

As he continued to heal all of the creatures that he could, Suu’chadak began to realize that so many lives were being lost, there would be nothing he could do that would stem the tide of destruction and stop the battle. During these few seconds of realization, he let his guard down and his shield dropped, just as an orbital strike slammed into the beach. Suu’chadak was launched high into the air and came crashing back down onto the beach, unconscious.

This proved to be the final blow to the Skiuterans. The Synarch’s forces celebrated, victorious.

Not far away, the waves washed over Suu’chadak’s immobile body, half-submerged in the sea foam. Several official looking Skiuteran men approached him. A heavy set man, who appeared to be the leader, spoke out first:

“Is this the creature you were telling me about?”

“Yes Mr. Governor. He healed numerous soldiers, Skiuterans as well as subjects of the Synarch”

“He doesn’t look as I pictured him. Who would have imagined a legendary healer looking like some strange cross between a humanoid and a manta ray? Strange.

In any case, get some samples of his blood. I will offer it to the Synarch as a sign of good faith following our surrender. After all, he was wise to become the friend of our invaders, this will cause less problems for us. Oh, and be sure that his actions towards the Synarch’s troops do not become known to the other Skiuterans. I would hate for him to become unpopular…”

A wide grin flashed across the Governor’s face. Despite the defeat, he would be able to preserve his post as governor, and even solidify some favor with the powerful Synarch. He silently congratulated himself for his skills as savvy diplomat.

Suu’chadak awoke a day and a half after the end of the hostilities. Plumes of smoke still rose from the embers of debris littered along the beach. A deafening silence had settled in. When he raised his head, he took score of the disaster. Countless lives had been lost, despite the prodigious healing that he had provided. Tears stung his eyes. He decided to drown them in the sea, and to leave this destructive part of the world, where lives purposefully extinguished other lives.

And so he returned to his reclusive life for many years, continuing to do what he had always done: healing those that needed his help.

But despite the brutality and the violence that he had witnessed on the beaches of Mandocorel, he curiosity pushed him to return and observe the strange species of dry land. So, he swam to the edge of the beaches and snuck onshore, wearing a large cape to cover his odd body. He walked across the vegetation until he stumbled upon a village built from wood and violet bamboo. He scuttled through the streets quickly hoping to avoid drawing attention, but soon realized that the village was empty of its inhabitants.

A faraway clamor of noise attracted his attention, and he decided to head towards. Surely, it would lead him to find villagers.

Suu’chadak followed the noise until he came upon a large, open-aired circular construction, once again built entirely of violet bamboo. All of the villagers were there, sitting on bleachers. Many different species were present, but all seemed unified and captivated by the gigantic holoscreen that occupied the space.

A commentator was animatedly narrating the action on the screen:

“Ladies, Gentlemen, I present to you the Clone of one of the most powerful healers of Skiutera, arguably the most powerful of the Games of Glory themselves… Suu’chadak!”

“Suu’chadak ! Suu’chadak ! Suu’chadak !” chanted the Skiuteran villagers.

Suu’chadak did not understand why a random group of strangers was shouting his name. More importantly, he did not understand why he now saw a strange duplicate of himself on the holoscreen. How he could possibly be in two places at once?!

His holoscreen self was inside the arena, repeatedly healing warriors who insisted on continuing to fight, despite the demise of their teammates around them. After several minutes, he saw his own twin become gravely injured, falling to the ground only to be finished off by some sort of large and strange insect.

“Looks like Grendel has gotten the best of our champion!” Cried out the commentator

“Ohhh” cried the audience, visibly saddened by the lost, with the most fanatic of the spectators even brought to tears.

It was at this moment that Suu’chadak saw ANOTHER double of himself materialize in the base of the arena, provoking wild excitement from the crowd.

The real Suu’chadak shuddered with disgust at the site of so much violence, and especially to see doubles of himself participating against his will.

He turned and fled as quickly as he could from the arena, the village, and back into the ocean depths that he knew and loved. There, at least, he knew the marine mammals were his friends and would not seek to harm other, whether for fun or glory.

Today, the Clones of Suu’chadak are prized in the Games of Glory for their powerful protective and healing capabilities. The legend of the beaches of Mandocorel, however, has all but disappeared…