by Viola Grace
Champions of Terra
Avari Nyx
Festival of the Night
By
Viola Grace
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Champions of Terra
Avari Nyx - Festival of the Night
Copyright © 2006 Viola Grace
SERIES ISBN: 1-55410-732-6
Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books
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To the hard-writing authors of Extasy books. May they all get a vacation on a remote and tech free planet.
Chapter 1
Annabelle Maddox floated gently in the tank, swaying as the liquid moved around her. A soft rapping on the glass echoed in her ears and she opened her eyes to those of her visitor. Well, she would have if her visitor had eyes. A face-plate framed by a cloak embroidered with marks of the Imperial house of Haldis looked in at her.
“You planning on coming out of there anytime soon, Anna?” The speakers reverberated the sound through the tank.
Anna nodded and swam to the surface, hauling herself out of the top of the tank. Then, removing the breathing apparatus she tugged on a robe. Her chestnut hair dripped onto the fabric as she stepped down the ladder and greeted her visitor.
“Hey, Negotiator Tyrell. What brings you to the silence and serenity of Kya Ghada?” Anna nodded for her companion to follow her as she led her through the temple halls and into the open meditation quarters. Her feet padded wetly on the cobbled stones.
A serene garden flowing with fountains and streams, stone benches, and statuary greeted them as they wandered through the pathways. They took a seat in one of the unoccupied benches and Anna waited for her companion to speak. She waited quite a while with her hands folded in her lap.
“You know, you are the only other human I know who can stay still for so long.” Tyrell was compelled to admit that she was impressed.
“Well, you are the only human I know who has chosen to live in a can. When do you get out by the way?” Anna was curious. The negotiator had already been in the armor much longer than Alliance standard. Three years was the limit for negotiator service, Tyrell was closing in on her fourth.
“Enough about me. That’s not why I’m here.” The metallic voice was impatient. Anna smiled, after four years in a pilot’s harness and she could understand the subtle tones better than anyone.
“Okay. Then am I to imagine that this is not just a visit to an old friend?”
“No.” A sigh shook the speakers on the faceplate. “You know by now, that after the blast you took, you are no longer fit for service.”
Anna’s face clouded, “I know. I was hoping that I could be repaired, but I know.” That part of her life had ended when they had to pry her from the seared circuitry of the Alliance battle cruiser that she had been part of. It was a career-ending injury.
“I’m sorry. I know how much you love flying.” A gauntleted hand reached out to take one of the small human ones in a gentle grip. “I’m here to give you information regarding your new assignment.”
“It’s ok. So, where am I off to?” A falsely chipper tone took over.
Anna pasted a bright smile on her face, practicing an expression that the link to her ship had made unnecessary. She had to force her face to take on expressions since she was decanted after the attack. When you looked through the eyes of cameras and monitors, smiling was unnecessary.
“You are being sent to the planet Avari. It is tech restricted, and nothing should irritate your nerve endings there. They don’t have anything beyond Iron Age allowed on the surface.” Tyrell was all business once again. “With, of course, an exception for a communication’s center.”
“So you’re throwing me alone into the wild? Isn’t that a little harsh?” Annabelle’s mouth twisted in amusement. She did appreciate the lengths that the Alliance, and Tyrell had gone too, to insure her comfort. Being around any electrical impulses after the Arena Station attack was intensely painful.
Annabelle had been a pilot. She had been hard-wired into the service systems and navigation controls of the ship. The ship had felt like her own body, each system was a corresponding match to her own flesh.
When the Alliance ships, including her battle cruiser, attacked the Arena Station the defense systems had kicked in automatically. It had caught her by surprise. An electronic pulse had been sent into her hull and then through her. She had kept herself conscious as her body felt like it had been dipped in acid, her nerves on fire, and brought her ship around to defend the attack fleet. They had destroyed the defense systems in short order and set about freeing the kidnapped members of the Alliance.
This included Anna’s friend Kyra. They had been in basic orientation together with Tyrell and a few others and had formed a bond that stretched across time and through space.
Anna frantically sought more information. “Ok, so, am I on my own there or is it inhabited?”
“It’s inhabited. A race called the Avari, oddly enough. They are an Alliance founding race. A village elder named Tarun Bien will meet you. He will help you adjust to your new surroundings.”
“When do I leave?” Anna sat up a little straighter, and began to look forward to the journey ahead of her.
“Your ship is waiting right now. I have taken the liberty of having personal items packed for you, suitable to the tech regulations of course.” Tyrell stood, the cloak flowing around her form. The armor concealed every trace of humanity, and left only an impenetrable shell. “The Imperial shuttle is waiting to take me back to Haldis for a treaty with the Selna. They get cranky when they have to wait and start sleeping with Imperial Guardsmen.”
Annabelle reached over and gave the cold metal a hug, smiling as the armored limbs closed around her shoulders.
She straightened against the icy shell that encased her friend and gave a wistful smile. “Take care Tyrell, and stay in touch. If it’s even possible.”
“There’s a tiny communication station there. How else do you think I could have made the arrangements?” With a laugh, Tyrell turned and strode off to the landing pad that contained her private shuttle.
Anna shook her head as she watched her friend disappear and then headed off to Medical for a shot of painkillers before she went off to the main launch pad and the shuttle that would take her to the battle cruiser Stalix, her old ship.
Painkillers numbed her nerves as the shuttle left the planet’s surface. Anna could only pray that they docked in time to get her into a shielded area, away from the electronic ‘noise‘ that would burn along her neural pathways. The tiny craft was locked into place with a docking clamp and when the hatch opened her escort was ready to take her on board.
“This way please, pilot Maddox. We’re going to get you into a shielded area as quickly as possible.” The ensign escorted her rapidly through the halls, and into a cargo bay with a large chamber in the center.
“There is a tank inside?” Her v
oice was loud in the empty room, echoing off the metal walls.
“Yes, as the Negotiator specified. All of your possessions are inside, as well as food, a sanitary stall and clothing for the trip. I wish you safe journey, pilot.” He stood aside and smartly saluted her as she went into the chamber, all noise and electrical impulses stopped the instant she shut the door.
Chapter 2
She viewed her accommodations and then laughed. Tyrell had had them put up posters of the Terran Champions. While wired to her ship, she had kept abreast of the promotions of the Terran candidates. Five champions had been declared to date. Humans in general were adapting well, but the women seemed to be blending seamlessly into the Alliance society. Out of the two thousand humans from all walks of life and different social backgrounds, the sixty-five percent that were female were all still alive, compared to the two hundred males that had died in various parts of the Alliance.
She viewed the familiar faces, grimaced at her own and then took a look around what was to be her home for the next few weeks. There was a desk and plenty of paper, along with writing utensils. She had everything she might need, including a manicure set.
“Where the heck did she find all of this?” Anna shook her head and had a seat then picked up a paperback that had been published the year before and started to read. The monograph on the Avari that was sitting next to it could wait, it wasn’t going anywhere.
She made it through ten paperbacks, the Avari monograph, wrote seven eight-page letters, and did her nails seventeen times before the klaxon went off to indicate that they had reached their destination, the planet Avari. They were there. She was at her new home.
The ship went silent beneath her feet. They must have made land-fall. Odd, normally a shuttle would have been the best means of transport. It would have been uncomfortable for her to run through the starship with all of the electric devices on, then onto the shuttle for the torturous trip to the surface. It would have been painful, but she was prepared for it.
“What the heck are they doing?” The silence continued to tick by.
When close to an hour went by she started to pace, her bags had already been packed when the brassy alarm went off. It had been a daily ritual for the last five days to pack all of her things and take them out only as she needed them.
A polite knock on her locked door echoed in the chamber.
“Come on in.” She disengaged her locks and the door slowly swung in.
She blinked a few times and let her eyes adjust to the difference in light levels. A hand reached through the door and took her arm to escort her out of her erstwhile quarters.
“Pilot, in honor of your service, these few members of the crew would like to show their respect.” Captain Lathrop took her arm in his and began a slow pace through the phalanx of crewmembers who had come out to wish her luck in her new life.
“How many members of the crew, Captain?” She gave him an arch look from under her perfectly tweezed brows. Another gift from Tyrell, all the grooming accessories she could want.
“All of them pilot Maddox. During the Arena attack we are all aware that it was only your quick thinking that saved the entire ship from complete annihilation.” The Captain had a grim tightness around his mouth.
“No, the fail safes would have kicked in quickly. I only rushed the process. It was an honor to serve on this ship.” She gave him a wistful smile. “Your current pilot does not know how lucky it is.”
“Shall we go?” Lathrop began to move through the crowd.
“Yes, I need to start adapting as soon as I can.” She left his arm for a moment, then lifted her duffels onto her shoulders and nodded to the astonished Tival captain that she was ready to go.
He shook his head and then began to lead the way to the hatch on the outer hull.
Passing her ex-crew mates, tears came to her eyes as she remembered her years as pilot on the ship. One by one a wave of the Alliance salute swept through the ranks, until all of the members of the crew had one hand, or appendage pressed against their hearts, wherever they happened to be located.
She wandered out into the sunlight and walked away from the ship. When she was a few hundred meters away she turned to look at her old home. The captain gave her a salute and sealed the hatch. Anna broke into a run and kept going as she felt the power switch back on within the great ship. The bulk of it had begun rising into the tree line as she struggled to get outside of its electromagnetic radius. She collapsed onto the ground and watched the silvery-blue expanse of the Stalix rise higher in the sky, the half-kilometer expanse casting shadows on the verdant greenery below.
Tears tracked down her face, partially from the pain searing her nerves, and partially from the pain searing her heart as the ship, her home, slowly disappeared into the bright diamond of the sun.
The scent of pine was strong, her hands had crushed leaves beneath her and the acrid herbal aroma reminded her of home. The leaves were broad but the memories of camping in the woods triggered as the oils released their signatures into the air made her smile. She could almost hear hawks screaming and her friends laughing if she closed her eyes.
The silence finally began to unnerve her. She looked around her carefully. The trees were thick and there did not seem to be anyone in the vicinity. Anna wondered briefly if this was the correct planet after all. If not, she would probably starve to death or die of exposure.
The Stalix had left a large scorched mass on the meadow below, and she felt regret that her arrival had caused the damage to the local flora.
An hour passed. Finally, she saw what she thought was movement in the tree line.
A figure appeared on the edge of the wooded area, it saw her, and began a course directly toward her. As he got close, she was able to take in the features that she had been led to expect. Based on the species specifications that she had read about he was a typical Avari, deep brown skin, dark brown hair and eyes of swirling rainbow. He had the physique of a college athlete, all lean muscle and sinew. By human standards, he seemed to be in his early twenties, very early.
His clothing was simple but appeared to be made up of various types of leather. Tight trousers outlined the contours of his thighs and a wide vest covered a large portion of his chest. His arms were bare with the exception of black tattoos circling his biceps in a thorn pattern, drawing her eyes to the bulging muscles contained by the bands, and a wristband of scored leather.
In a voice that was surprisingly deep he said, “Greetings. My name is Tarun Bien, an elder of the Zenas clan. You are Annabelle Maddox?”
She smiled and nodded. “You, are a clan elder? You seem terribly young for being an elder anything.”
“Things on Avari are not always what they seem. You will get used to it.” He held out his arm and a large bird of prey landed on the wrist pad. It was obviously there for exactly that purpose.
“This is Hesper, she’s my eyes and ears. A better friend could not be found.” He stroked the feathers of the bird with his knuckles and with a flick of his wrist sent her airborne.
“Wow. If that is an example of local wildlife I am definitely going to like it here.” She watched the silhouette of the bird disappear into the sky, and then blinked to clear her vision.
Tarun gestured to her bags, “Is that everything you have brought with you?”
“Yep, everything that I can comfortably use. They should not cause any problems with the tech restrictions here. You can go through them if you wish, but am I imagining, or is the sun going down?” The light was taking on a reddish cast.
“Of course, how rude of me. We’d better get going to your cottage. A meal has been arranged.” With one hand he swept her duffle bags together and gestured for her to precede him on the path that led into the depths of the forest.
It was a relatively clear track, and Anna was able to navigate it easily. Suddenly, the path ended and she found herself in a marketplace. She stopped in her tracks.
“Wow, neat.” The quiet bustle of com
merce was occurring before her, colors everywhere and trade goods she could not even name were displayed. She tried to look everywhere at once and her head swam with the plethora of items that were available.
A laugh sounded from behind her, enjoying her amazement. “You’ll get used to it. The market is the main social hub for the entire village.” He tugged her arm and turned her around. “Your meal is over here.”
Tarun walked over to a woman who was watching Anna with an extremely focused intensity. She held out a basket to him with a smile and he took it in the hand that was not occupied with her luggage. How he was managing to carry it all with one hand boggled her mind. She guessed that things were really not as they seemed here.
“This is Ilyssa, wife of Nayef Tay. She is a jeweler by trade but can occasionally be persuaded to bake a few things for special guests. Like you.” He shot her a beaming grin and Anna walked forward to introduce herself.
“Hello, Ilyssa. I am Anna. Thank you for your hospitality.” She extended her hand and was profoundly grateful when the woman took it in return.
“You are welcome here, Anna, although I doubt that everyone will think so.” Ilyssa chuckled at her own wit and Tarun steered her off onto another path leading away from the market.
When Anna glanced at Tarun she noted a distinct flush on his cheeks, and wondered who the comment had been aimed at.
“What did she mean by that? Is my presence here going to cause a problem?” Annabelle was genuinely curious. She did not want to cause any difficulties in the village, but her options as to accommodations were severely limited by her condition.
“Nothing of consequence. I will deal with any trouble as it arises. If it does.” His voice was firm and she had to follow him as he strode ahead of her on the path.
It was only a matter of minutes, walking through the leaves painted red in the setting sun, until they reached a small cottage. It reminded Anna of a pacific yurt, a large single room dwelling, circular, with a hole in the roof. Walking inside the cottage, she noted the Spartan surroundings. A bed, a stove and a table took up most of the space. There was a small craft area to one side with some supplies, but nothing that she could make out in the failing light.
