X-Calibur: The Descent

by Jackson-Lawrence, R.

  Arthur directed the others to keep low and advance slowly towards the end of the tunnel. His eyes slowly adjusted as he got closer, allowing him to pick out details ahead of him. The tracks looked the same as any other, though ending at a solid white wall instead of another tunnel, and the platform edge was similarly waist height ahead of him.

  He edged closer, raising his head slowly at the edge of the tunnel. The noise he’d heard didn’t sound like people, a group of Teleri waiting to attack him. It was almost mechanical, similar to the noise the large doors had made when they’d sealed. As he raised his head slightly, the hiss came louder and he barely moved back before the tunnel mouth was engulfed in weapon fire.

  “Turret!” the Commander yelled, holding himself flat against the wall. His soldiers darted across the tunnel to his side, making themselves as flat as possible.

  “What’s that?” Arthur asked. “What’s a turret?”

  “Autonomous firing platform,” the Commander replied. “Heavily armoured and with considerable firepower. There’s no way we’re getting past it!”

  “I have another grenade,” Arthur offered.

  “No,” the Commander continued. “Its shielding is designed to deflect a concussive blast. You might do some damage, but not enough to take it down.”

  “We need to head back along the tunnel,” Gwen replied. “Make our way from there.”

  “And fight our way through endless corridors?” Arthur said. “No, there has to be another way.”

  “Our weapons won’t even scratch it,” the Commander remarked. “Get mov-”

  “Wait,” Lance interrupted. “If we can reach it, can you disable it?”

  “Of course,” the Commander said angrily. “But it’ll tear us apart before we even get close.”

  “You got a plan?” Arthur asked.

  “More of an idea,” Lance said with a smile. “You got another one of those foam grenades?”

  Lance and one of the soldiers crept towards the platform, keeping low beneath the edge. They could hear the faint hiss as the turret moved left and right, searching for targets. “As soon as it goes off, you’ll need to move,” Lance said.

  The soldier looked towards his Commander, who nodded once. “Ready,” the soldier said.

  Lance took a deep breath and readied the foam grenade, testing its weight. Once he felt confident, he squeezed it gently and lifted his arm up in one quick motion, throwing the grenade in an arc over the edge of the platform. The turret began firing immediately, destroying the grenade in an explosion of foam that expanded in all directions. The turret moved wildly, attempting to lock onto a single target, as the soldier vaulted over the edge of the platform dived forward, sliding to a stop at the turret’s base.

  A moment later, the turret stopped firing and the soldier called out, “All clear!” Lance peeked over the edge of the platform, the patches of foam covering the walls, floor and ceiling as well as forming a stringy web across the space in front of him.

  “How did you know that would work?” Arthur asked in amazement.

  “Since when do we ever think our plans are going to work?” Lance replied.

  “Well, that’s true,” Arthur agreed with a smile.

  “And besides,” Lance continued, “I was aiming for the barrel. I thought the foam might coat the whole thing, like it did in the corridor.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that your plan didn’t work?” Arthur asked him.

  Lance laughed. “Yes, I guess so!” he said. “Please don’t tell the Teleri who climbed onto the platform?”

  “No way,” Arthur replied. “He might want to kill you.”

  “There’s no might about it,” Lance said. “Come on, we’re falling behind.”

  They climbed up after the others, picking their way around the foam. The turret looked similar to one of the Teleri rifles, only much larger and with two barrels. The Commander had been right about the armour, it was arranged in layers over the legs and body of the turret, protecting the firing mechanism from harm.

  A single corridor led from the platform, curving to the right. Arthur went first, advancing slowly with his plasma pistol raised. As he followed the curve around, he could see a crossroads ahead, the opposite path rising slowly towards the bridge. It looked similar to the entrance on the Ardent Dawn, though slightly smaller. He called the soldiers forwards to the crossroads and they cautiously checked left and right.

  “No one,” Arthur said.

  “She probably has her soldiers further inside the ship,” the Commander remarked. “She wouldn’t have expected us to get past the turret, so they’ll be covering the other platforms.”

  “Either that, or it’s a trap,” Lance suggested.

  “Or it’s a trap,” Arthur agreed.

  “Either way,” Gwen said, “we’re here now and there’s nowhere to go but up.”

  “And there’s no other access to the bridge?” Arthur clarified.

  “No,” the Commander replied.

  “Great,” Arthur replied. “One door in or out, and it’s probably a trap. Follow me.”

  Arthur went first, moving slowly towards the door, Lance and Gwen by his side. Triltan was just behind them, while the soldiers formed two tight lines and guarded the rear. The door was white and similar in design to the one leading to the platform, the console to the right flashing red to show it had been sealed.

  “Triltan?” Arthur asked, looking towards the console.

  “Let me try,” Triltan replied, tapping at icons as she had done before.

  The door opened more quickly this time, Triltan remembering the sequence she had used to override the locking mechanism. As soon as the door began to open, Arthur advanced through, weapon raised and yelling at everyone to surrender.

  The bridge was spread out over two levels, with the door leading to the second level where a walkway had stairs down on either side. Elder Joleen stood at the end of the walkway, hands resting alongside a panel while guards stood around the crew, guns to the heads of many of them. To his right, the bodies of Elders were sprawled about the floor, including some from the left of the Assembly he noted.

  “It’s over,” Arthur demanded. “Stand down.”

  The soldiers filed in behind him, selecting targets, while Elder Joleen’s guards had turned and trained their weapons on Arthur’s group. Elder Joleen turned slowly to look at them, her hand still hovering over the console.

  “No,” Elder Joleen replied defiantly.

  “You’ve lost,” Arthur continued. “There’s no way you’re getting out of here.”

  “Getting out?” Elder Joleen said with incredulity. “I am the voice of Ajoch, and I will bring about his utopia. There is no getting out. You will stand down and surrender your weapons, or you will be responsible for the deaths of thousands!”

  “Please,” Triltan said, stepping forwards. “Elder Joleen, you know me. I’ve worked by your side in the Assembly. We’ve lost so much, please, just stop.”

  “Stupid child,” Elder Joleen snapped.

  “Enough talk,” Arthur hissed. “Surrender now or we open fire.”

  “Lower your weapons,” Elder Joleen retorted, “or I open fire on the evacuation ships.”

  Arthur looked to Gwen and Lance, appalled that she would threaten such a thing. “You wouldn’t dare!” Triltan exclaimed.

  “You think I surrounded myself out of cowardice?” Elder Joleen said, her hand moving closer to the console beside her. “Stand down or I activate every weapon platform on this ship.”

  “Triltan?” Arthur said, looking at the large display screen at the front of the bridge. The display showed the evacuation ships surrounding the Lambent Twilight. Each of them had a targeting reticle floating over their image as a constant lock was maintained.

  “This ship has weapon platforms across its surface, just like the Ardent Dawn,” Triltan replied quietly. “They’d decimate the evacuation ships within seconds.”

  “Why would you slaughter your own people
?” Lance asked.

  “Nothing matters but the will of Ajoch!” Elder Joleen replied. “If they must be sacrificed, so be it. We shall realise his utopia!”

  “Arthur?” Lance asked, his weapon wavering.

  Arthur listened to her ranting, the twisted ideology that had taken an idea and turned it into a reason to hate and kill. There was no doubt in his mind that she believed every word she said, and that she wouldn’t hesitate to open fire on the civilians inside the evacuation ships. If he surrendered, how many more would die at her hand?

  The guard on the train platform had said it best. The Followers of Ajoch were good people, and nothing about their beliefs agreed with the ravings of a lunatic. They had turned away from technology, not morality, and the future of the Teleri was dependent on learning from the past.

  “In Ajoch’s name,” Arthur said quietly to himself, and fired.

  It all happened quickly. Arthur’s plasma blast hit Elder Joleen in the chest, knocking her backwards over the rail before she was able to activate the weapons. Her guards attempted to return fire, but Caran Doc’s soldiers were ready, picking their targets and taking them down without hesitation. Triltan darted forwards, disabling the target lock on the evacuation ships, while Gwen and Lance stared at Arthur with a mixture of astonishment and horror.

  “Arthur?” Gwen asked, her voice breaking.

  “Not now, Gwen,” Arthur replied. “Contact Caran Doc, let him know what happened. Make sure everyone knows what she was going to do, and give them the option to stand down. I can’t believe they all signed up to this.”

  Gwen stood before him bewildered. “Now, Gwen!” Arthur cried. “So no one else has to die!”

  That broke her trance, and she ran forwards to join Triltan at the console, relaying Arthur’s orders. The soldiers moved through the bridge, ensuring that the Followers were dead or disabled. Lance turned to Arthur and looked down at him, their eyes meeting.

  “That’s going to hurt later,” Lance said. “We’re here for you.”

  Arthur nodded, felt his body go numb, and dropped to his knees.

  *****

  Caran Doc spoke to the fleet, broadcasting a recording of Elder Joleen’s voice as she threatened to destroy the evacuation ships. While three of the ships in Elder Joleen’s fled to the edge of the system, the remainder stood down, recalling their fighters. The Followers on board who had taken part in the attack surrendered to the remaining crew, turning over their weapons. None of them had imagined that Elder Joleen would go so far. They had only wanted to build a new home, free from the technology that had wreaked havoc on Teela, but not for the price Elder Joleen had been willing to pay.

  Sporadic fighting continued aboard the Lambent Twilight as the remaining extremists fought against the rest of the crew. It was slowly brought under control with Caran Doc’s soldiers coordinating the assaults. Two hours after they had retaken the bridge, the Lambent Twilight was slowly approaching the Ardent Dawn, the extremists either in custody or the morgue.

  Arthur followed Lance, Gwen and Triltan as they returned to the hangar bay, moving in weary silence. Gwen kept looking over at Arthur, a worried look on her face, though Arthur looked only at the floor, his head down and his shoulders slumped.

  “Finally,” Merlin said, as they rode the small lift to the bridge of Silan Daltas’ ship. “I’ve been stuck here this whole time. Is everything okay?”

  “Just get us back to the Ardent Dawn,” Arthur said, struggling to hold back tears.

  “Arthur?” Merlin replied.

  “It’s okay,” Gwen added, leaving her seat and wrapping her arms around him. “Let it out.”

  “I killed her,” Arthur said quietly. “Murdered her. She was unarmed, what was I thinking?”

  “You made the difficult choice,” Lance said. “It was the right call.”

  “No, I should have waited,” Arthur continued. “Another solution would have presented itself. We don’t know that she’d have gone through with it.”

  “I believe she would have,” Gwen said.

  “She wasn’t herself,” Triltan added.

  “My King,” Merlin said. “I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure you made the right decision.”

  “No!” Arthur yelled. “No! You don’t get to make that assumption. Being King doesn’t make me right all the time. I killed someone, Merlin, me. I murdered her, and now I have to live with it. That’s not the same as it being right.”

  “Arthur,” Gwen said, kissing his forehead. “We’ll get through this, all of us. You did what you had to do. It was the right call, just as Lance said. You’ll see, it’ll all be worth it. We’ll speak to Caran Doc, and you’ll see what happened was what had to happen.”

  Arthur bowed his head and cried.

  Chapter 12

  Conditions and Requests

  Earth Year 6239

  As they left the hangar of the Lambent Twilight, Triltan and the others were able to see the damage to the Ardent Dawn. Many of the weapon platforms were nothing but smoking husks, while scorch marks peppered the side of the enormous vessel. Triltan guided Silan Daltas’ ship in slowly and touched down on the bright white floor of the hangar.

  Caran Doc requested that they join him in his office, but Gwen requested that they be allowed to rest before speaking with him. Caran Doc reluctantly agreed, instead meeting with Triltan and learning first-hand what had occurred on the Lambent Twilight.

  Arthur returned with Lance and Gwen to his ship, the overwhelming nausea negating his desire for food. He crawled onto his bed and lay down, knees drawn up to his chest. Gwen curled up behind him, wrapping her arms around him until they both fell asleep.

  “What happened?” Merlin whispered to Lance as he picked away at a bowl of gelatinous gloop. Lance told Merlin everything, from stepping off of Silan Daltas’ ship, battling through the train tunnels and then the bridge itself. Merlin’s hologram nodded patiently as Lance recounted his story.

  “Whatever he did, people were going to die,” Merlin said ponderously. “I suspect his actions cost the least amount of lives, but that won’t be of any consolation to him at the moment.”

  “Do you think he’ll be okay?” Lance asked.

  “I do,” Merlin said confidently. “It just pains me to think this won’t be the last difficult decision he’ll have to make.”

  “How do we help him?” Lance continued.

  “Give him time, space,” Merlin replied. “It’s one thing to kill in battle, when your life is in imminent danger, but to look into the eyes of another, see their vulnerabilities before you kill them? I’d be more concerned if it hadn’t bothered him.”

  “Thanks, Merlin,” Lance remarked. “I’m sorry, for what he said to you.”

  “Don’t be,” Merlin said with a comforting smile. “We’ll get over it, I’m not going anywhere.”

  *****

  They joined Caran Doc later that day, meeting him in his office with the large, circular table in its centre. “Well done!” he said triumphantly, shaking their hands as Triltan had shown him. “What you did on the Lambent Twilight, you saved thousands of lives.”

  “Thank you,” Lance said, though Arthur only took his seat.

  “Well, a lot has happened while you were resting,” Caran Doc continued, looking to Lance and Gwen to acknowledge the short but uncomfortable silence. “The Followers have stood down and surrendered their ships to the surviving crew. There’s still a lot of work to be done, repairs to be made, relations to rebuild, but I don’t believe the Followers as a whole can be held accountable for this.”

  “What have you learnt, about Elder Joleen?” Gwen asked.

  “A lot, as it happens,” Caran Doc told them. “Many of her supporters had no idea of her intentions, and were more than happy to talk when asked. It would appear she’s been placing her people throughout the TDF for years, placing them in positions of power and authority. She wanted to disband the Assembly and use the fleet to force us to follow her will.

>   “Of course, once Teela began to suffer the quakes, her plans changed. She twisted the Teachings of Ajoch to suit her purpose, used them as a justification for war and to subjugate all Teleri under her doctrine.”

  “He was right though, wasn’t he, in a way?” Arthur said glumly. “Ajoch? He said technology would be the end of the Teleri?”

  Caran Doc smiled. “He said dependence upon technology would be the downfall of the Teleri,” Caran Doc corrected. “Not the technology itself. Like a great many ideas, time twists them and they take on new meaning. I don’t believe Ajoch would have supported Elder Joleen, and nor would anyone who truly follows his teachings.

  “Joleen was a zealot, as your AI described her, and was not representative of the Followers or their beliefs.”

  “You seem to know a lot about it?” Gwen said curiously.

  “Triltan?” Caran Doc said with a smile.

  “My mother was one of the Followers,” Triltan explained. “She met my father when she joined the TDF. That I came from both sides was partly why I joined the Assembly, to help unify our people, just as my parents had come together in love and respect.”

  “That’s beautiful,” Gwen said with a smile.

  “And I still believe that we’re better together than apart,” Caran Doc added. “We can’t let this divide us further.”

  “What will you do now?” Lance asked. “Where will you go?”

  “That was what I wished to discuss,” Caran Doc said. “It seems like a lifetime ago now, but you once said Earth would always welcome us. Triltan speaks highly of you and your code, and I believe we have a great deal to offer each other. I understand that recent events may have changed your opinion of us, but I’d ask you to consider granting us a place within your home.”

  “We’ll need to discuss it,” Gwen replied, though her smile betrayed her thoughts on the matter.