First Admiral 01 First Admiral
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Billy shouted the time-honoured words, that he had learned by heart, to draw the attention of the Great Power to the spirit of Tega Digima Samarasa. He praised her as the bravest and the best of her race. He spoke the ancient Garmaurian words to honour her courage and fidelity to her duty; mentioning in his Litany that she had given her life, selflessly, for the glory and honour of Garmauria. Finally, he begged for the Great Power to allow the spirits of her ancestors to claim her soul from this place of fire, and take her to her much deserved eternal rest. He faltered only once, when a great rumbling and shaking of the ground struck which almost overbalanced and pitched him over the edge. Slightly shaken, he carried on with his Oration, nervously eyeing the distance to the safety of the Black Rose.
With his Lament spoken, as loudly as he could, he called her name to the sky three times as was the Garmaurian way. Then, drawing himself to attention at the edge of the plateau he saluted left handed and gently reduced the force shield around the Med-bed. By rights there should have been dozens of her friends and loved ones to shout her name, and draw the attention of her ancestors. Her children and grandchildren should have been there to do her the honour she deserved. That was not to be. Slowly, and gently, the Med-bed sank down towards the lava pool.
Holding the salute, Billy’s thoughts to gradually reduce the force shielding were magnified by the mechanism of his Personal Environment Suit to the field regulator mechanism on the Med-bed. Gradually the Med-bed and the body of Tega Digima Samarasa sank lower and lower towards the dimple in the lava created by the force shielding. It reminded Billy of a Viking funeral; the dead warrior, sword in hand, placed into his Dragon Ship, his favourite hunting dog at his feet, with all of his possessions, set afire, to be consumed by the flames. The spirit bound for its eternal rest in Valhalla.
When the Med-bed touched the surface of the lava, Billy cut the power to the force shielding. In a moment the Garmaurian flag ignited, and burned fiercely for a second, before being entirely devoured. The Med-bed and the body of Tega Samarasa also ignited for a few moments, burned brightly, and were then swallowed, whole, by the rapacious, hungry molten rock. Five seconds later, Billy stood at the salute, and looked down at the great red inferno of the lava. It was as if the Med-bed and the Garmaurian’s body had never existed, only the fiery red Hell of the bubbling lava remained.
“Good luck, Tega,” Billy said softly.
Standing down from the salute, Billy looked up into the orange sky of Clyon, towards Garmauria, and wished Samarasa a safe journey to her eternal rest. He hoped that she had found her final home, and now he must begin the journey to do the same. He turned and made his way the few brief steps back to the hatch of the Black Rose, a great sense of relief, sadness and accomplishment filled him. He had done honour to a brave warrior, as best he could in the circumstances, as was only right and proper, and as she herself had wished. As he was about to step into the hatch of the Black Rose, a strange uncomfortable and uneasy feeling came over him, like a feeling of being watched by someone hidden nearby.
Later, he would put the whole experience down to the stress and exhaustion of the situation. Quickly, he turned around. Although he did not expect to see anyone or anything, other than the hellish moonscape of rock and lava, just for the briefest of fleeting moments he thought he saw a bright light with a shadowy figure in a Garmaurian Fleet uniform being embraced by other shadowy Garmaurian figures. One of the figures, he could have sworn, an older, more maternal outline, had turned and raised an arm in acknowledgement to him, before turning again and disappearing. For that same brief moment, he also thought he heard the high keening wail of the Garmaurian death-song.
At that moment, an uncontrollable chill ran down his spine followed by a great feeling of unease, but mixed with calmness and contentment. Still slightly shaken, he climbed into the Black Rose, and a few moments later flew off from the plateau back down the gorge and up into the fiery orange sky. Tega Samarasa’s journey was finally over.
Billy Caudwell’s journey was just about to begin.
The End
Malachite Quills presents the apocalyptic dystopia of They're Watching Over You:
In the not-so-distant future, Earth is under the absolute control of ANGELS, an all-powerful organization that has been manipulating human history from behind the scenes for millenia. On the opposing side is SATAN, a small, impossibly outmatched army who fights to free humanity from ANGELS' tyranny.
Robert, a young man of no extraordinary talent, finds himself thrown into this war on the losing side after ANGELS murders his family for possessing forbidden literature. He now fights alongside the soldiers of SATAN, overseen by the implacable Commander Lucie. Each armed with their own personalized war mechs, they stand against the endless legions of ANGELS' army.
They're Watching Over You is a dramatic, fast-paced account of Robert's experiences in the war, and a glimpse into a world in which one of the most powerful forces known to man -religion- has been twisted and turned against him.
Malachite Quills presents the high fantasy story Stolen:
There are strange beings in the woods, and young Rioletta Eris has seen them. Many doubt her story, but Rioletta eventually realizes she has opened the door to a secret history.
When Rioletta is about to join the Council of Sorcerers, she is set an unusual task: solve the mystery of her childhood abduction. She’s forced to face facts that don’t fit with her strict traditional upbringing: animated leaves that seem to be stalking her, a creepy changeling made of twigs, and a best friend who turns out to have practised the Forbidden Skills. When a coup in a nearby village leaves an entire Council missing, Rioletta and her forbidden knowledge may be the only key to their rescue.
For a century, the Councils have relied on their charter to save them from the disaster that ruined their cities. Have they been on the wrong path all along?
William J. Benning Page 59