The Venerate Redemption

by Troy Dukart

  The Venerate Redemption

  Troy Dukart

  Copyright (C) 2017 Troy Dukart

  Layout design and Copyright (C) 2018 by Creativia

  Published 2018 by Creativia

  Cover art by Cover Mint

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Out of the night that covers me

  Black as the pit from pole to pole

  I thank whatever gods may be

  For my unconquerable soul.

  In the fell clutch of circumstance,

  I have not winced nor cried aloud.

  Under the bludgeoning of chance,

  My head is bloody, but unbowed.

  Beyond this place of wrath and tears,

  Looms but the Horror of the shade.

  And yet the menace of the years

  Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

  It matters not how strait the gate

  How charged with punishments the scroll

  I am the master of my fate:

  I am the captain of my soul.

  Invictus

  W.E. Henley

  Chapter 1

  Roya

  Gazing out my window to the setting sun, I looked deep into my soul for answers to our problems. I have faced many challenges through-out my life, but none like this before. I tried to take in the warm beauty of the setting sunlight cascading on the fluffy clouds to take my mind off the negativity.

  There was a somber feeling throughout the cabin, and we all kept to ourselves for most of the voyage. The Rodin Pirates had managed to outrun the Yuwherian Air Fleet; I was quite impressed.

  I held my locket with the picture of Falco. Even though he died a year ago, my heart still ached for him. I needed to stretch my legs every once and a while; I was never one to stay seated for long periods of time. Whenever I passed by Rousseau's room, I no longer saw the same zeal, but rather chagrin and sadness. When he wasn't with his cousin Commander Vero in the medical room, he just sat in his quarters looking out the window. He looked at a small trinket he carried with him of his family and meandered between places when he did so. I wondered why he hadn't told us about his royal relations, but I was sure it was to protect us.

  Everyone has secrets, I have many.

  After passing by his room, I decided to go talk to the others to see how they felt about what had happened.

  Zon was mediating in a room with a rounded glass floor; when I looked at the top of the foyer, it read, “Relaxation Cabin.” It was bright and warm, and he was sitting in the middle of the room with his eyes closed, legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees. There were nice leather seats on the sides and beige colored walls. Nobody else was with him.

  Quietly I walked in and took a seat, he noticed me and nodded. Zon hadn't taken all this news lightly about Rousseau's relation to the royal family. Every time they walked by each other, Zon would gaze adamantly at him, to which Rousseau would turn his face to avoid confrontation.

  “Is this a bad time to talk?” I whispered.

  “No,” he shook his head, “I was just finishing up.” Zon took in a deep breath, but stayed seated with his eyes closed.

  “What happened in Yuwheria, I wonder what you make of it?” I asked.

  He was holding a wooden meditation beaded necklace. He spun it around a few times and looked like he was half awake, half in a dream, looking for answers.

  “All I can conclude is the Senti have mastered the art of deception. Soon they will claim everything,” Zon calmly replied while dangling his necklace.

  “You are unhappy with Rousseau-Sah, aren't you?” I speculated.

  He shook his head “no” when I asked him, but a slight cringe of his eyebrows told a different story.

  “The reason I embarked on this journey was to find those responsible for the incursion of my village. Now that I found out that the Yuwherians weren't responsible, this leads me to believe that something more sinister is at hand. I must continue looking for the answer so that those who died may find peace in the closure,” Zon reasoned.

  “My heart aches for you,” I touched him on the shoulder as I knelt down next to him.

  Zon opened his eyes and ran his fingers through the light pouring in through the glassed floor. He looked up at the ceiling to where the light landed, “I do not fault Rousseau with causing this problem, but we cannot keep things from each other. My grandfather used to tell me, a big secret is one-hundred times stronger than one-thousand small ones. Before today, I looked at the Yuwherians with guile, but now I vacillate between pity and distrust. They are now ruled by an authoritarian King, but are also allied with the Senti. Rousseau surely knew this, and he put all our lives in danger when he took us in there.”

  “There had to be a reason we were brought there after the battle in Dhenfen'Ce; Rousseau is alive and his people now know! Maybe the kingdom will coalesce and cast King Othen out,” I theorized.

  “That is one way of looking at it, but a king is not a president. They rule until they die or pass on the title. One thing is for sure, this matter can only be decided from the inside. No outside force can push their hand,” Zon explained as he stashed his meditation necklace.

  “This journey has taken its toll of all of us. In all my life, this struggle has been the most complicated,” I languished.

  Zon looked at me with a calm demeanor, ”Please call me Yoichi. It is what my clan called me. I only wish to possess the same strength as you one day Roya. You are stronger than all of us. We will help free you from your pain.”

  I looked down at my stomach and rubbed my scar where I was stabbed, “Thank you Yoichi-Sah.”

  “The others need you, I need you, to help guide the way. You know this part of the world, better than anyone else. Roya, how will this end?” Zon asked humbly.

  “All I can say is that we are either changing or dying Yoichi-Sah. War will be around until we are all one. It begins by dispelling Guardian. As long as His power is here, we will not be together,” I looked down at the ocean and blinked.

  “We will make it so Roya, we just need to find a way to make an accord with the world,” Zon held his hand out to help me up.

  Captain Cali's voi
ce came in on the intercom and reported all of us to the bridge. We left the room and walked down a circular hallway. Strafe and Brutus were talking with the crew and Rousseau was next to Captain Cali. Some of the Brave-Ball players we won the championship with manned the navigation and radar positions.

  The bridge was surrounded in see-through glass with a slight reddish tint to it. There were lines that separated the glass hull and also acted as heads-up-displays for ship use.

  In the center where Captain Cali was stationed lied a table that projected a hologram of the world. Captain Cali was using it to help navigate as well as plan out the itinerary. After all of the crew had entered, we began to discuss our next course of action.

  “So mateys, with all that 'as happened, we be not going back to Yuwheria anytime soon. Burns me wit' shame that ye all was treated so and almost killed, which is why I've decided to step down as Cap'n,” Captain Cali confessed.

  “No way Cap'n!”

  “Sir, it not be ye fault!”

  “T'was nutton ye could've known sir!” the crew comforted.

  Captain Cali waved his arms up and down to get their attention and then put his index finger on his lips to signal to be quiet, “Usually the ex-Cap'n would walk the plank, ahahahaha, but we need every man we got! Only reason we got out of there intact was due to me Power of Ecstasy. I'm a good-luck charm. I will still serve me old ship, the Bullrose, but under new rank of scurvy dog like the rest of ye! Call me Tom, or Flint! Arg, Tom Flint!”

  “Who's the new Cap'n then?” one pirate asked.

  Flint walked over to me and said, “You can call Roya Cap'n now boys.”

  They cheered and a few crew members clanked some beer glasses together; having them drink on the deck made me a little nervous but what the heck right?

  “Well, who be the first mate?” one pirate asked.

  “For the time being, that will be Strafe since he be a pilot. Rousseau also wished to be relieved of his command. If we all leave the ship, the command falls to you Smitty,” Tom Flint explained.

  “Oh, ah, gotcha Cap'n, er, Tommy!” Smitty said with shock; he saluted him and then sat down.

  Tom Flint then turned to the four of us and asked, “To the World's Nation I take it?”

  “No,” I replied. I walked over to the hologram and punched in some coordinates, “There is something we must procure and protect. Something the Senti want but we cannot allow them to find.”

  “What's that?” Strafe asked.

  “A Guardian Key. My island has been protecting one with their lives for centuries. They are in danger. Plus, I had a dream, that, we'd find what you're looking for there Strafe,” I told him.

  “These dreams we're all having, they aren't just coincident. Someone is sending them,” Strafe said as he scratched his chin.

  “What is their objective?” Zon pondered as he paced back and forth.

  “I know not Yoichi-Sah, but remember when I told you that they are the keys to heaven. Maybe they are trying to rate the prophecy. That is why I hope we can visit my island in Zindaqe and warn my people of what may come,” I said with calm fervor.

  Rousseau got out of his chair and put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes, “After all that you have done for us, how could we not Roya?”

  “This is dangerous. Like a spider casting a web, they are just waiting for us to fall into their trap,” Zon chimed in.

  “I will take the fall if it means to keep my people safe. Would you not do the same Yoichi-Sah?” I said.

  Zon crossed his arms, but nodded in agreement.

  I looked over to Strafe, “What do you think Strafe?”

  He leaned up against a wall and folded his arms and looked up into the sky; he was thinking about saving his friends I could tell. Brutus came over and put his head on Strafe's hand, asking to be pet. He knelt down and gave him a big hug. He sighed and pressed his lips together, “If my friends are in Zindaqe, I have to go find them.”

  “You must follow your heart Strafe and nobody can think you selfish for that,” I assuaged, “We head to Zindaqe.”

  Chapter 2

  Strafe

  Zindaqe was over 1000 miles away. The voyage would take us across the Metagean Sea to the Dream Islands and then afterwards 600 miles to the World's Nation in another country, Crotona.

  I was worried if we could make it or not but I'd come to learn that the Bullrose's engines were powered by renewable energy. No fuel needed. That worked out for us, because being public-enemy number-one didn't allow us the luxury of stopping at any port we wished so. It also allowed the Bullrose to be quiet as the night when she needed to be.

  Zindaqe was a desert nation that resided on the coast of the continent of Rendata. It was south-west of Yuwheria. Geographically, it was similar from traveling to Africa from Europe.

  When I got knocked down in the castle, I dropped my sword and didn't have a chance to recover it. Even without my weapon, I would find a way to save my friends, no matter what the cost. Throughout the journey, I'd been trying to become the warrior I was “chosen” to be, but it wasn't as easy as one could think.

  To become a warrior means fighting for more than yourself, and sometimes I found myself being selfish. Being a warrior takes leadership, and the art of leadership is a never-ending learning experience. It's taking the responsibility you've been given and acting in the correct authority to execute the mission. Sometimes I would remember that all I could do is try to be a better person than yesterday. Living a good example is a great way to develop leadership skills.

  I changed into my old get-up. The pirates had managed somehow to find our clothes through all the madness and brought them to the Bullrose. I threw the prison outfit in the trash.

  I went to find Roya to see if she knew if this key related to the one from New Santa Barbara. She was in her room praying. I went to get something to eat so she could finish in peace.

  Upon return, she was looking out the window from her bed; I was going to leave her alone but she saw me in her peripheral vision and motioned me in. There was a chair near her bed that I turned around and folded my arms over the back as I sat down. “No sleeping on the plane,” I teased as I tapped her shoulder.

  “Ah, you're right Strafe, but I am afraid the sun calls me to my dreams,” Roya yawned as she stretched.

  “How come you don't call me 'Strafe-Sah' anymore?” I wondered.

  “Because the 'Sah' is reserved for those we aren't as close with. It is more formal,” Roya explained.

  “Makes sense. How long has it been since you've been home?” I asked.

  Roya rubbed her eyes before she answered, “Ahhh, It must be now, about a year. I wonder what they will think about me?”

  “You're too goofy to forget,” I teased again, “It's because of what happened with Falco huh?”

  “You are funny Strafe, but you are also lucky I am too tired to punch you,” she said as we laughed together, “I hope they will understand why I fled.”

  “Haven't you explained to them what had happened to you?”

  “Like I said, this was a very sensitive issue. When a girl gets selected to become a Lady, she has to put the tribe before anything she wants. I was too selfish for the role,” Roya lamented with her eyes closed.

  “Will they ever forgive you?” I asked.

  “I think so. We are all family,” Roya smiled.

  “What will you do if they won't forgive you?” I said as I looked out the window.

  “Let me ask you Strafe, that no matter what you did, do you think your mother would say no to meet you?” Roya retorted.

  “She will always be there for me,” I said.

  “This is my feeling too Strafe. Sometimes it is the only feeling that keeps me happy, to come home. To see my family again,” she sniffled as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  “I'm sorry Roya, I'll let you sleep,” I assuaged. I got up, but she grabbed my wrist,

  “You have a question in your eyes Strafe, I saw it when you looke
d in here. I have a few more blinks before my eyelids become too heavy to keep open.”

  I sat back down, “If you say so; I was wondering what you could tell me about the Guardian Keys?”

  “What would you like to know?” she replied.

  I asked her about the appearance, size, shape, and anything that made it special. She told me that her people had been guarding one for hundreds of years.

  She went on to describe it as very similar to what I saw in the cave back in New Santa Barbara and that it was considered a sacred artifact on her island. Her people would get married in front of it, study near it and gather around it for good luck.

  “I wish to see your dreams Strafe, please sleep by me tonight,” she said as she lied down on her bed.

  “See my dreams?” I repeated.

  Brutus walked in, “Don't you see what is happening Strafe. We are all connected spiritually. That is how we know where each other are at all times. That is why our dreams are guiding us to where we need to go. Each of our missions here are merging into one. That mission is to stop the Senti and bring order back to this world.”

  “You and I aren't from this planet! What about our world!?” I countered.

  “Maybe there is something here we need to find in order to help Earth. Maybe your brother is meant to return home. Maybe this world will help us out one day,” Brutus reasoned, “Let's go dream together Strafe.”

  “You really are one smart cookie Brutus,” I smiled as I rubbed his face.

  Brutus managed to fit in her bed and she curled up next to him. I wasn't sleepy yet, so I decided to walk around a bit.

  The ship was quiet; everyone except the flight crew had returned to their quarters. Flying at night was so peaceful. What I saw outside my window was unlike anything I had ever seen before. With no light pollution from the ship or nearby cities, there were thousands upon thousands of stars in the sky, and the ocean mirrored them. The three moons orbiting Eternia were casting a different color down on the water.

  While walking around, I found the door to the engine room. The pilot in me was curious to see what was under the hood, so I walked inside. The room was dimly lit with an orange and yellowish light, along with a few LEDs on the control panel.