Dalian Crystals

by Barbara Robertson

  The people in the apartment started openly discussing their dilemma, and then Petrov told them to be quiet. “He is a spy, Petrov. He knows our cabin location,” another man said. “And he knows about this apartment. What can we do?”

  “This is your doing, D’Anna. Perhaps you should have given him to those men,” a woman suggested bitterly. “They will keep looking for him.”

  “It is not our way to harm innocents! He is young; he is naive; and he never fought against us!” D’Anna cried. “The Creator showed him to our cabin. How else could he have found it, injured as he is, not knowing anything about us? We were meant to help him, Petrov,” she protested. “He is an innocent. We help innocents!”

  Dan’L listened to the Rebels argue his fate. Petrov watched Dan’L with a deep scowl on his face. It was obvious Dan’L was not an innocent to him. He finally announced, “We will find these men and check out your story. If you are telling the truth, the Emperor’s Rangers will be out in droves, searching for their youngest. Your Mother will never stop searching for you. You will stay here tonight, young Ranger, and enjoy our meager hospitality, such as it is,” Petrov said. He pulled Dan’L out of his chair, contorted his hard face, and scowled at the young Novice.

  “Wait, sir. I am no freeloader. I can pay for my stay,” Dan’L said. He took out a 100-credit gold coin from his pocket and handed it to D’Anna. “From Mother, her gift for my graduation. Buy us all some food with it,” Dan’L instructed. D’Anna hesitated, but then took the 100-credit gold coin, and left. The older woman led Dan’L to a closet in the back room with a narrow air mattress. He thanked her and took off his boots, laid down, and slept for two days.

  VII

  Somewhere on K’Halon Prime

  Dan’L opened his eyes late in the afternoon and shook his head, trying to awaken fully. He carefully stood; his ankle felt better than it did when he laid down. There was a proper splint and bandage on it, not the chair plank splint, as before. The swelling had gone down a lot. But he still had to hop and not put pressure on his ankle. He hobbled into the kitchen. D’Anna was sitting at the table, watching him enter the room.

  “Thank you, D’Anna. I am in your debt,” Dan’L said, and a little smile found its way onto his face. “What time is it? Or, should I ask: what day is it?”

  She quietly answered, “It is Wednesday, Dan’L. You slept nearly two days. Are you hungry or thirsty?”

  “Famished, D’Anna,” he answered. She served him a big bowl of beef stew with bread and butter, and gave him a pitcher of water. He tried to eat slowly, to not upset his distraught stomach. The food was delicious. She watched him in silence.

  “I brought you clean clothes, and put new toiletries in the shower for you, Dan’L, if you want to clean up. You smell awful,” she said. “Sorry, but it’s true.”

  Dan’L asked her forgiveness for his present state. He hobbled to the bathroom, showered twice, shaved with the new razor, and brushed his teeth with the new toothbrush. He emerged from the bathroom fresh and clean, feeling and looking like a new man.

  Using lots of paper towels and water, Dan’L cleaned the smelly gunk off his green leather jacket while she watched, and talked with him about Centralia, the capital of K’Halon Prime. She’d never been there. D’Anna told him about being an orphan, and how Petrov rescued her, and raised her as his own daughter. They spent hours together, and enjoyed being with each other. She had no one her own age to talk with in the apartment. It was evident D’Anna felt like a servant for the others.

  “You can come back with me, D’Anna. My Mother would love to meet the girl who rescued me, I’m sure,” Dan’L offered. “There are several guest quarters available. I have lots of friends, and we could show you around Centralia. It’d be a fun visit for you.”

  “She’s not going to Centralia, Ranger,” Petrov said gruffly, walking into the room. “But you’re leaving today. We’ll take you to a way station near the northern shuttle field. You can make your own way from there. Your Mother has promised not to pursue us—today, at least,” he added sarcastically. “She gave me her word.”

  “The word of a Shi’Lon Ranger is always true, sir.” Dan’L struck his left breast with his right fist to salute him.

  Petrov scowled and said, “Save your salutes for your Emperor P’Lau, young Novice Ranger. Pray we never meet again. Take him now, D’Anna,” he ordered. “And make certain he wears suede boots, not his own. He should look like a Northern forest man, not a Centralia boy,” he cautioned. “Those mercenaries are still looking for him.” He tossed a ratty old backpack to Dan’L and said, “Put your fancy jacket and boots in here. Go now, before your Mother comes here looking for you,” he smirked. “I have no desire to meet her in person.”

  D’Anna and Dan’L left the apartment in ten minutes, and kept to the back streets. After a few kilometers, they approached a brightly-lit shuttle field. They entered the busy “Nord” way station, crowded with travelers awaiting the next shuttle. Dan’L went to the vid comm link and called his Mother, Javette. She kept the call short, staying on just long enough to lock in his position. Dan’L bought meals for D’Anna and him with some wine. He remarked, “Your cooking is much better, D’Anna.” They had just finished eating when the sound of a shuttle landing close to the way station was heard.

  The way station main door opened and a tall woman in a long, hooded black cloak entered. Dan’L stood and tapped his knuckles on the table to get her attention. “It’s my Mother,” he told D’Anna quietly. D’Anna cautiously watched the woman approach.

  The Shi’Lon Ranger came to their table and held her smiling Son’s hand against her cheek with both hands, and returned his smile. She touched the red wound on his neck where his ID chip was cut out, and then they sat. No wonder she lost track of him. She pushed her hood back and looked at the young, blonde girl with her Son. “So, you’re D’Anna. I am Javette. Thank you for helping my Son. Was he much trouble for you, D’Anna? Dan’L can be a handful, at times,” she remarked with a smile.

  “No, Ma’am. He was no trouble at all,” D’Anna shyly answered. “Dan’L was hurt, but very polite and gentlemanly. Nothing like the Northern men,” she added. Javette had dark hair, and looked beautiful, but intense. She gently smiled at D’Anna, and studied the girl’s face.

  Dan’L said in a whisper, “D’Anna and her family were kind to me, a complete stranger, Mother. I was filthy, lost, and injured, and D’Anna rescued me. She helped me heal.”

  M.C. Javette stood and said they had to leave now. She knew Petrov’s Rebel spies were somewhere inside the way station, watching them. They walked out together to her Imperial shuttle, and D’Anna said, “I’ve never seen a shuttle like this. So new! Not a scratch on it!” Javette offered to give her a ride home, but D’Anna refused. “Petrov will think I’m complicit. Not a good idea, Ma’am, but thank you anyway.”

  Javette held her gloved hand out to D’Anna and placed two 5000-credit gold bars in her hand. Javette said, “Give one to Petrov, with my regards. He asked for 5000 credits for the safe return of my Son. The other gold bar is for you, D’Anna. You may need to get away someday,” the Shi’Lon Ranger advised. “A woman should always have her own money in case of an emergency. Thank you again, and good luck.” She stepped into the shuttle. Dan’L hugged D’Anna, and then boarded. They flew off quickly, and he sighed heavily, from relief.

  “She’s a very pretty girl, Dan’L. Did you sleep with her?” His Mother asked pointedly.

  “No, Mother. She was kind to help me, and very brave. Her friends were angry she took me in and brought me to their apartment. She took a significant risk to help me,” Dan’L said, and told his Mother what happened to him. He told every detail he could recall, and described his kidnappers. He said, “They would not tell me why I was kidnapped, or who their Client was. All I heard was they had a large contract to kidnap me, and deliver me to their Client. Why would anyone want me? I don’t know anything about anyone, Mother.”

  Javette shook
her head and answered, “We will find out, eventually. Rest tonight, and tomorrow we’ll meet with your Commander Superior G’Rosk, to update him about this situation, Dan’L. It is most unusual for anything like this to happen to a Novice,” she said.

  Bright and early at 6:30a.m., Novice Ranger Dan’L and M.C. Javette met with C.S. G’Rosk. Dan’L articulated the whole story of his graduation party and his kidnapping. In as much detail as possible, Dan’L shared his getaway, injuries, and rescue by D’Anna. When he spoke of her family and said the name “Petrov,” his Commander Superior’s face changed.

  “Are you certain his name was Petrov?” G’Rosk asked.

  “Yes, sir. His name was Petrov. Everyone called him by that name. D’Anna said she was an orphan, and Petrov rescued her, raising her as his own daughter. Her family was angry she brought me through the underground tunnel, and into their apartment. But we had to get away from those mercenaries,” Dan’L explained.

  “How did Petrov know you were a Ranger?” G’Rosk asked, now staring intently at his Novice.

  “I told D’Anna, and them, sir. I told her the truth about being kidnapped, and escaping when she found me. She helped me heal, sir,” Dan’L said innocently.

  Javette said, “My Son has no idea who Petrov is, Commander Superior G’Rosk. Petrov called me and offered to give my Son back to me, if I promised not to attack them to rescue Dan’L,” she explained.

  “What bounty did Petrov demand?”

  “5000 credits. I gave the girl D’Anna another 5000 credits and told her to keep it, in case she ever needed to escape. She seemed young and innocent, Commander Superior. And she helped my Son. My Commander Superior Bette approved it, in advance,” Javette said.

  “Sir, if I may ask: why would mercenaries want to kidnap me? I don’t know anyone important or any aristocrat. I have no information they could use,” Dan’L said. “Why me, sir?”

  G’Rosk answered, “The answer to your question is presently unknown, but it will be discovered in due time. Could you find that cabin again, Dan’L?”

  He thought for a moment and replied, “It’s a dry cabin in a clearing in the Northern forest of K’Halon Prime, somewhere near Nord, sir. I honestly could not pinpoint its location.”

  G’Rosk tapped off his com tablet recorder, and said, “Pity. The Rebels probably smuggle men and weapons through there. You say the tunnel led into Petrov’s apartment?”

  “Yes, sir. Several family members lived there. It was a large flat,” the Novice answered.

  “They are Rebels, Novice Dan’L. They are criminals, thieves, murderers, and traitors. They are not your friends. I doubt they are living there now,” G’Rosk said flatly. “Nevertheless; you will report here in two days for fitting of your breastplate and backplate. Be sure to wear the special garment we gave you, as regular clothing will melt and burn your skin when the nano-titanium armor is fitted to your torso and chest. Report after our meeting to the Royal Physician for a complete physical. You cannot begin full duty and transport to Home World until he clears you.” Dan’L acknowledged his orders.

  G’Rosk took a new com tablet out of a storage cabinet and handed it to Dan’L, saying, “Write a full report in as much detail as possible and send it to me by end of today. Upon receipt, I will download some of our files on the Rebel Petrov. It is important you know who this Rebel is, what he is capable of, and some of the things he did. Petrov killed your Father, Dan’L,” G’Rosk revealed. “Petrov led the Rebel attack against Master Commander K’Ser on SB5.”

  Dan’L’s eyes instantly grew as big as a deer in headlights. “Petrov knew who I was?”

  Javette answered, “He did when you told him my name, Dan’L. I swore a blood oath to find and kill Petrov. And my Son was delivered to the bastard hurt and weakened, by an innocent girl! The Creator has intervened directly with your life, my Son,” she said decidedly. Dan’L saluted his Mother and C.S. G’Rosk, and limped to the Palace hospital. The past three days’ events took on new meaning for him, consuming him in thought.

  G'Rosk asked Javette, “Will you still carry out your threat to skin Petrov alive before slicing him to death with your plasma sword, then?”

  She laughed with him, and replied, “He spared my Son because of his innocence. Maybe I will only skin one side of Petrov before carving him into pieces.” Javette saluted him and left.

  G’Rosk went to his window and watched Dan’L limping across the walkway to the Palace hospital. K’Ser had been his best friend for many years, even before Dan’L was born. He silently swore to find out who ordered the kidnapping of K’Ser and Javette’s son. Novices had little exposure to the Rebellion. They were only seventeen or eighteen years of age, without any field experience, and knew little of the real world. G’Rosk walked to his desk, took out his personal tablet, and began contacting his private informants. He had to discover who did this. Javette had suffered enough.

  VIII

  Royal Palace, Home World

  The final Confirmation Ceremony for the newly-graduated Borgund and Shi’Lon Ranger Novices was in two hours. Dan’L looked at himself in the full-length mirror, dressed in his formal uniform for the first time. He lightly touched his new armor, the breastplate and backplate, fitted to his body and encoded to his DNA. Only he could touch it, or wear it. The armor was filled with concealed, deadly weapons front and back: gas pellets, several knives, piano wire garrote, and more. Two plasma pulser pistols were hidden in the backplate. His new plasma sword rested in his backplate, its handle also coded to his DNA. His armor kept him cool or warm, whatever his torso required. It was black, with a bold pattern on the front.

  “Don’t fry your hair when you draw your plasma sword to salute the Emperor, Dan’L,” another Novice teased. Every Novice had a few scars from the fiery, deadly plasma sword. Dan’L had a scar on the back of his head from practicing returning his sword to its sheath inside the backplate. The Novices’ hair was short now; but a Ranger could let his hair grow any length, unlike the military officers. Most of the Rangers had long hair, tied with leather ties, hanging in loose ponytails. Having long hair was a statement, a rite of passage, really. It meant they were genuine Rangers, and could draw and sheathe their plasma swords without setting their hair on fire—beware.

  The young Novices would live together in the Royal Palace basement dormitories for their first year, Borgunds separate from the Shi’Lon Rangers. Three bells sounded, and the Novices removed their full-length black cloaks from their lockers and put them on. Then they donned their shiny black helmets with the short black feathers. They wore knee-high boots, and long gloves with a DNA recognition chip in the center, designed to transmit their DNA code to the handle of their plasma sword. The young men spent a few minutes admiring themselves.

  “Rank and file. Fall in!” Commander Bok ordered. “Fall in love with yourselves on your own time. Any Novice who embarrasses me today will be scrubbing latrines for six months!” He threatened, a stern look on his face. Bok marched the ten Borgund Novices to the Palace Courtyard, positioning them in parade formation next to the two Shi’Lon Ranger Novices Kayla and L’Mun.

  Dan’L chanced a wink at his friend Kayla, and they checked each other out in their formal uniforms. The Shi’Lon formal uniform was a long red dress, split front and back for ease of movement. It featured a beautiful black, gold, and white-patterned, red panel from their waist down the front length of their skirt, for modesty. Their long cloak was red, and so were the feathers in their gleaming gold helmets. High-heeled boots up to their knees in red leather completed their uniform. They certainly looked like the Emperor’s Emissaries, now. Their breastplate and backplate were dark red. It was a dramatic change from their daily uniforms of black trousers and blouse, and black boots, worn by both the Borgund and Shi’Lon Rangers.

  Courtiers, military officers, and VIPs were lined up on the sides of the Main Court, watching the Borgund and Shi’Lon Novices march in. The Novices were all sons and daughters of proud Warrior Class parents
, most of them Rangers themselves, watching the Novices take their Confirmation. Every military officer and Ranger wore their formal uniform for this occasion. This was a solemn, very important day for the Warrior Class and the new Novices.

  Emperor P’Lau wore fine robes and his crown today for the Confirmation Ceremony. He was escorted in by his Imperial Guards, and took his throne. Shi’Lon C.S. Bette announced: “The Great Emperor P’Lau, Ruler over all Known Worlds and Conqueror over the Unknown Domain. Your Novice Shi’Lon and Borgund Rangers appear before you, to confirm their lives and service to you.” Every Ranger Novice knelt on their right knee, and bowed their head.

  C.S. G’Rosk and Bette stood at either side of the Novice Rangers. A loud bell chimed, and the Novices put their right hand over their heart, and said in unison: “I swear my service, my loyalty, my will, and my life to the Great Emperor P’Lau, and to our Creator.” Each Novice removed their left-hand glove, took a knife from their backplate, cut their left palm, and held their bleeding left palm high for all to see; their blood oath. Then they put their gloves on again.

  “Draw swords!” Bette commanded. Each Novice drew their plasma sword, and the fiery white-hot swords gleamed and crackled pure energy, as they held them high above their heads with both hands. “Salute!” She cried. They sharply pulled their swords down to their left breastplate with both hands, in the Royal Salute.

  “Sheathe swords!” G’Rosk ordered, and they returned their swords to their backplates properly. No one set their hair or helmet feathers on fire, to the satisfaction of Commanders Superior G’Rosk and Bette. The Novices stood, and the large audience in the Main Court applauded and cheered for them. It was done. They officially belonged to Emperor P’Lau, now.

  When the crowd quieted, Emperor P’Lau said, “My newest Faithful Sons and Beloved Daughters: you have made your Emperor very proud today. You represent the highest tier of your Warrior Class, and follow in the footsteps of the great Borgund and Shi’Lon Rangers who came before you, serving the Empire for over 2,500 years. Be proud of your calling and Confirmation today, and know this: We all serve the Empire, and the Creator of us all.”