The Noor is Lost

*One of my science fiction pieces as an entry into Kalindi College Creative Writing Competition.

 It won the first prize.

-The theme provided was that we had to begin with these particular lines...

“ The palace was in turmoil. Noorjahan, the power behind the emperor, had gone missing...”

image courtesy- wallpoper.com

The palace was in turmoil. Noorjahan, the power behind the emperor, had gone missing. Emperor Jehangi was looking out of his palace windows and at his kingdom. It all seemed so peaceful. Peaceful for now. He knew very well what this meant and he knew that his reign was taking its last breaths. Noorjahan was the only reason he rose to power eighty years ago and was able to keep the throne all this while. A man of almost a hundred years now, he felt young enough to rule another eighty. Yet he knew that that wasn’t a possibility anymore.

He fondly called her Noorjahan because the legend said that there once ruled a king whose name was much like his and he had beautiful wife called Noorjahan. His Noorjahan was no less than a wife to him.

He watched the airjets run across the sky amidst the tall buildings when he started to think of the first time he laid eyes upon her.

The year was 2114. He entered her dark chambers where a huge screen zoomed to life and soft, sweet voice greeted him, “Welcome, Master. I am NOR-342. I am a Type 3 mega-computer. I can assist you in gaining access to the plausible events of any action frame with my second degree beta permutators.  In simple words, I can tell you the outcome of an action in short or long runs. I can tell the future”, it said.

Jehangi was amazed at the beauty of the human mind. We were doing something that wasn't thought possible by anyone who ever lived. The feat was extraordinary.

 He asked her several things, she answered them all. With her by his side, he took control of the world, created an army and slew some. He was invincible. With her by their side, science and technology went on a hyper-drive. In just a matter of eighty years, medicine, infrastructure, space travel, information technology saw a thousand-fold development. People were living to an easy one-fifty years old. Tours were taken to the far ends of the galaxy, cars ran not just on the streets but also in the skies, on moon and even on Mars. The humans were able to restore ecological balance to the world as well. It was truly a golden period, the best that humanity had ever seen. But Jehangi knew how soon it will see its ruin.

He was removed from his moorings when he heard someone’s footsteps approaching. He knew who it was and didn't bother to turn around. “Yes, Kazal?” he asked.

“All praise to my lord, the Emperor! I am afraid, Your Majesty but the royal Guard has still not been able to trace the whereabouts of the core”, said the faithful servant.

Jehangi was hoping for better news.  He felt so broken that he couldn't even muster enough anger to throw at his servants.  “I thought so”, said the Emperor still looking at the jets flying in and out of the town. “Look how peaceful it is right now. It will be only a matter of days when this city will lie in its own ashes.”

“Forgive me, Your Grace but I think you are a little too disheartened. The humans used to work just as well even before Noorjahan. Not as good a life, I agree but it was a life nonetheless. You are a great king my Lord and you will be able to maintain peace with or without Noorjahan”, said Kazal.

“My dear Kazal, you don’t know how bad the situation is. We have no hope of survival. I will be the first one whose throat will be slit but that doesn't concern me in the slightest. What concerns me is the ruin of my kingdom. The kingdom that I built with my own blood and sweat”, said the melancholic Emperor.

“But master, who will bring the ruin? We had eliminated all of our enemies when we gained power over the throne eighty years ago. I fail to understand what worries you so”, said Kazal, visibly confused.

“Apparently we didn't. Noorjahan didn't die, she was taken away. They took the core, without which she is as good as dead. They are powerful enough to kill us all with the core matter by their side. It is just a matter of days my friend”, the Emperor’s words were soft and lifeless.

Kazal was petrified on hearing this. He cursed himself for ignoring a matter of such great importance and didn’t know what to say to the Emperor. “We are doomed then.”

“Indeed we are, Kazal. Indeed we are”, the Emperor murmured and without looking at Kazal, walked softly out of his chambers. He wanted to walk for a while. If only he could just walk away from this mess, he thought. He had no idea where his feet were taking him until they started to trace a familiar path. He knew that going there was of no use now but his heart could not be helped. His feet stopped in front of a dark screen which until some days ago would flash with the brightest colours as soon as he entered the room. It was dead as a stone now.

The Emperor fell to his knees and started to cry bitterly at the floor of the chamber. It was nothing more than her tomb now.

“I don’t know what to do! Please help me!” he knew it was pointless but kept sobbing and talking to her corpse.

“They are coming Noor! They are coming to get me! Please save us!” his words were followed by silence as he cried in her lap waiting for her to wake up and put her hand on the back of her lover and tell him that all will be well. Nothing could be heard except silence.