by Jeremy Dwyer
~~~
Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin stood in one (1) of the many docking bays – a tall and tapered building one hundred ninety (190) feet in height, three hundred fifty (350) feet wide and seventeen hundred (1700) feet in length, located two (2) miles away from the primary military headquarters from where Admiral Quin’Va’Pitar operated. While there, Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin continued to inspect the cargo shuttle which was three hundred seventeen (317) feet in length, eighty-three (83) feet in height and width, not counting the wingspan. The extended wings made the ship one hundred forty-seven (147) feet wide.
He had fully inspected the ship four (4) times already, from wing integrity to controls to software guidance tests to hull integrity. He did the same to the much smaller reserve shuttle that it contained, second guessing himself because of his wife’s warnings.
Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano stood by him and had assisted him in this endeavor.
“You appear to be more than usually concerned, Captain. Was any part of this ship damaged in some way recently that I should inspect it more closely?” Vy’Jaden’Rokano asked.
“No, second lieutenant. I want to be extra thorough, given that this mission is outside of our immediate recovery zone,” Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said. His meaning was that there was little hope of receiving assistance sufficiently quickly if something went wrong. His wife’s dream made him nervous, although her religion irked him, and that was no doubt the source of the dream.
The tablet computer that Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin held displayed a notification that his orders had arrived, along with his destination coordinates, and that he was to leave immediately.
“We have our orders, second lieutenant,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
The captain walked up the boarding ramp and took his position, seated at the controls of the cargo shuttle. Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano followed, taking up his position in another seat, beside the captain. He could see through the observation window, which was actually a solid wall with a video screen that showed the image from the cameras located outside the ship.
Being the last to board the vessel, Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano tapped on the controls of the cargo shuttle auxiliary control panel. A moment later, the boarding ramp was raised and the ship was sealed. “Boarding ramp raised, ship sealed, Captain,” he said.
“Preparing burnpath generator – trailblazer stage,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said, and he tapped on the controls of the cargo shuttle control panel. After this, he watched the report of its progress on the instruments on that panel until it was fully ready. He wondered during this time if this was a mistake, after all. His logic and experience told him that everything was right, but his intuition told him that everything was wrong.
Outside the cargo shuttle, a set of flexible walls extended from the floor and tapered walls and ceiling of the docking bay, so as to create a cylindrical compartment around the ship.
Eight (8) green beams of light appeared in the area above the ship, crossing the interior of the cylindrical compartment, and the beams then began rotating rapidly. Neither the captain nor the second lieutenant could see them directly, but the video screen observation window did show them what was occurring above the cargo shuttle in part of its display area.
Unseen by either of them – not even on the video screen – a powerful beam burned through the very fabric of space, crossing two hundred ten thousand (210000) light years, blazing a trail from the inside of this cylindrical room to another distant location.
They could see the appearance of a fiery tunnel ahead of the ship, leading into the distance.
“Burnpath generator – heat seeker stage,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said, pulling on a lever to accelerate the cargo shuttle to launch speed and lock on to the strongest heat source. Once the heat source lock was secured – which was only seconds later – the cargo shuttle passed through the fiery tunnel, and suddenly appeared in a darkened sky of a distant world, looking down on waters only fifty (50) feet below.
~~~
Inside the cavern that contained the ocean surrounding the island city known as Thalkalana, Claudia stood out of the way and telepathically sensed the approach of new people by their thoughts. She counted them – they were one hundred thirty-one (131) in total. They were armed and trained for combat, although around twenty (20) of them were primarily scouts with less combat training. One (1) was a leader – a commander by the name of Doriv’Natix – and his mission was to provide ground support for a cargo ship above. The mission of that ship was to draw samples of water of each of the oceans and return them to their military leader, Admiral Quin’Va’Pitar.
Claudia then drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and she was energized further. She was then even more attuned to their thoughts, and watched for signs of where and how they would move as precisely as possible.
~~~
Yared also telepathically sensed their approach, and learned the same details. In order to prevent the theft, he drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean and exercised his powers of the mind to actually interfere with the thoughts of the commanding officer, distracting and confusing him. Thus, Commander Doriv’Natix did not see Claudia or Yared, and was unsure where he was. He even found himself unusually interested in his surroundings, above and beyond the requirements of basic situational awareness.
~~~
Commander Doriv’Natix marveled at the tall and archaic structures around him – towers, fountains, domes and cylinders – as well as at the enormous cavern in which he found himself located, along with his troops. The source of illumination was unclear to him, but the entire cavern seemed to be lit evenly. He began walking toward some of the taller structures, thinking that he could reach a vantage point. However, his thoughts became confused, and he wasn’t sure of where to go. He knew that he wanted to understand these structures – and who built them – as well as why. His troops sensed that their commanding officer was confused – even distracted – but they said nothing at first, and would wait until he requested navigational assistance. They also found the exotic surroundings interesting, if only to be aware of their situation.
~~~
From the spirit world, Lavakara watched the new arrivals, looking for any sign that there was a viable warrior among them. Their body movements were carefully measured and coordinated, suggesting that they were militarily trained in combat using projectiles as well as hand to hand combat and close weapon combat. However, around twenty (20) of them moved in ways that made them seem less capable – they were scouts rather than warriors, with less combat capability. The commanding officer himself seemed to be even more competent than his subordinates – he was perhaps capable of outmatching three (3) or four (4) of them at once. Yet, Lavakara had ample experience judging, and knew that movement style alone was an insufficient indicator of combat prowess. Some athletes in decidedly noncombat sports could put on display their impressive physique along with graceful, swift movements, only to go down with a punch to the chin or to the back of the neck. He would have to wait for them to engage in combat. Better yet, he would have to lure them into it.
Through the spirit world, Lavakara followed the company of troops and scouts as they made their way across the island, and they hadn’t the slightest sense of his presence. He drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from the ornate vial, which imbued those waters with powers of spirit like those given by the Zovvin waters. Thus, he had both the powers of spirit and the powers of strength and speed.
~~~
When Doriv’Natix reached the surrounding ocean, he realized that he and his troops were on an island: the same one that had been reported by the earlier scout, he presumed. He also saw the sailing ships with tattered sails and approached one (1) of those vessels that was nearby, seeing that it had a boarding ramp.
From out of nowhere, Doriv’Natix felt a fist strike against his neck. In a moment, he was o
n the ground, and saw a man dressed in a lightweight form of body armor – the sort that an assassin from a more primitive culture might wear – standing above him.
Several of the troops under Commander Doriv’Natix raised their weapons and fired upon the man in the body armor. Bright beams of light came from their handheld weapons, but they were too late to strike, because the man had disappeared.
“He’s gone. They have cloaking powers,” one (1) of the troops said, and started firing the weapon, sending bursts of energy in various directions. Others did the same.
“Hold your fire! This conflict is not our mission! Keep moving. Don’t lose focus!” Commander Doriv’Natix said. He walked up the boarding ramp to the sailing ship, and his troops began to follow him. The conflict did have one (1) good effect – it awoke him from his earlier distraction.
~~~
Lavakara watched this and was disappointed by the retreat that he was witnessing, realizing that there was little actual desire within them to fight. Without a strong desire to fight, the body was not properly programmed to react and plan for combat, so these were an inferior lot in his estimation.
~~~
Claudia and Yared both trailed this commander and his company of troops, standing well out of the way of their line of fire and line of sight. Claudia knew where they would look by reading their thoughts, so she made sure not to be there. Yared continued his work of distracting their thoughts by sending telepathic suggestions to look elsewhere.
Claudia was annoyed that Lavakara had done so little when he could have done so much. Yared though that it was unwise to partially engage them, because now they knew that their presence had been detected, yet none of them had been incapacitated.
~~~
The ship with tattered sails began moving of its own accord – very quickly – and Commander Doriv’Natix looked to the sails and said: “Those sails are torn; yet, there is no breeze, so it doesn’t matter. How this ship moves is unclear.”
His troops looked down into the water but saw nothing.
“No propulsion mechanism is visible, commander. We would have to go underwater to investigate,” one (1) of the troops said.
“Not at these speeds. We’ll wait until the ship comes to a stop…assuming it does,” Commander Doriv’Natix said.
“It is not clear what lights the cavern, commander, but the lighting appears to be evenly distributed,” one (1) of the scouts among the troops said.
“If they have the power to cloak, they may be able to manipulate light in other ways. The ocean waters are the likely source of this power,” Commander Doriv’Natix said.
“The ocean waters below us are of interest then, are they not, commander?” the same scout asked.
“I am familiar with our orders. We will procure the required amount of this ocean water after first providing ground support to the cargo shuttle. Our presence has been detected, so more conflict may be necessary. That means we need to be nimble and not carry extra weight,” Commander Doriv’Natix said.
After three (3) hours, the sailing ship reached the edge of the cavern and came to a stop. Commander Doriv’Natix walked down the boarding ramp and saw that they were at a ledge and a cave mouth was visible in the cavern wall. He looked inside the cave and saw a boat – nowhere near as large as the vessel on which they had just traveled, though – and approached it. His troops followed, but there were far too many to all board the smaller ship together.
“Based on the scout’s report, a small ship such as this one will take us along a river to the surface. From there, we can locate the shuttle and give ground support,” Commander Doriv’Natix said.
“Only twenty (20) can fit in this smaller ship, commander,” one (1) of the troops said.
“I’ll go first, along with this group. Two (2) divisions will remain behind, until further notice, guarding the rear.” Commander Doriv’Natix said.
After Commander Doriv’Natix and nineteen (19) of his troops boarded the smaller ship, it began moving slowly up a river through a dark tunnel.
~~~
“They know how to find the path to the surface – that ship will take them there,” Yared said.
“There were too many to outright stop, they’re too well armed, and they didn’t seem interested in a fight down here,” Claudia said.
“Distracting them to conceal ourselves was effective. Perhaps we should have followed them,” Yared said.
“That would have turned into a bigger fight than we can handle. They’re guarding the cargo ship…ensuring that it can take the waters and escape is their first objective,” Claudia said.
“It’s not their only objective. After that, they plan to return and take the water from the ocean here – whatever it is,” Yared said.
“We need to get to the surface and spot their cargo ship. I want to focus on that,” Claudia said.
“If you think that finding the ship is going to be feasible, lead the way,” Yared said.
“I will,” Claudia said. She then approached another one of the ships with tattered sails at the coast of the island and walked up its boarding ramp. Yared followed her.
~~~
From the spirit world, Lavakara followed as well, unseen by either of them.
~~~
“They’re going to expect us. Lavakara gave our presence away,” Yared said.
“I know. Helping us isn’t exactly his mission. With him, it’s all about finding someone to fight – for the glory of becoming the greatest warrior. He won’t do us any favors unless there’s something in it for him,” Claudia said.
“I can’t follow him – there’s no sign of his thoughts nearby, and I have good range and clarity,” Yared said.
“He’s not exactly here. But I don’t exactly think he’s done annoying us or causing problems, either,” Claudia said.
The ship then began moving across the ocean of its own accord. After a voyage of three (3) hours, they found themselves at the edge of the cavern, where there was a ledge. They stepped out onto that ledge, entered a nearby cave mouth and found a small boat – also having tattered sails – on a river leading through a tunnel in the darkness.
Claudia and Yared both boarded the ship. Unseen by either, Lavakara followed from the spirit world, and the ship soon began to move up the river on a long, slow journey.
~~~
Both Danek and Caemgen had noticed the sudden arrival – by what means they did not know – of the troops in Thalkalana and recorded the event in their respective books. They were not noticed, because of where they stood among the tall structures within Thalkalana. The full reason they were not noticed was the protection of the Guardian Angel Ondothel, who oversaw the safety of all Chroniclers of the Oath, even though Danek was primarily a mentor now, and rarely traveled the world to record events.
“They appeared by a means that my eyes cannot discern. Should I follow them and chronicle the events around them?” Caemgen asked.
“No. We are not done studying the features of this city. This ancient architecture is still of great interest, and has been unavailable for far too long. A sufficient number of Chroniclers will be ready to meet with these visitors when they reach the surface. When we have documented enough, we will return to Emeth. We may not have another opportunity to explore this city,” Danek said.
CHAPTER 32: The Boundless Greed of the Unfailing King
“Bring me Rivka. Bring me Aura,” King Xander ordered to his guards while he was seated upon his throne in his palace in northern Ihalik.
Two (2) of the guards left the throne room by a side door and made their way down the hall. One (1) guard went to the door leading to Rivka’s quarters and knocked at the door. The other guard went to the door leading to Aura’s room and knocked at that door.
Rivka answered and asked: “Has His Majesty summoned me?”
“Yes, His Majesty, King Xander, has summoned you to appear before him,” the guard said.
Down the hall, the other guard could be heard knocking
at a different door. When there was no answer, he said: “Aura, His Majesty, King Xander, has summoned you to appear before him.”
“Aura is here with me,” Rivka said, and she gestured to her sister, who was in another part of the room and then came forward.
“We will come at once,” Rivka said.
The first guard called to the second and said: “I have found both of them.”
The second guard caught up with them and together they led Aura and Rivka through the hallway to the throne room.
When they entered, King Xander said: “You came quickly. Good. Now, approach the throne that I may give you instructions.”
Aura and Rivka walked up the stairs leading to King Xander’ throne and Aura asked: “How may we serve Your Majesty?”
They saw the Chronicler Gisella standing next to the king, writing events into her book.
“I look forward to serving Your Majesty in a matter so great that it requires both of us,” Rivka said.
“Guards, leave us be,” King Xander ordered.
At this, all the guards left the throne room by different doorways, closing the doors behind them, and standing at attention just outside the throne room.
“It is time to take a new land. Waderav is a continent that has existed in poverty since the second age. They are an oppressed people, forever under the rule of robber barons. Soon, we will lead them, and they will come into my kingdom,” King Xander said.
“That is a land of aggression, with ruthless mercenaries, is it not, Your Majesty? We will meet resistance unlike before,” Rivka said.
“They will be no match, so long as the bargain is upheld. You do remember that, don’t you, Rivka?” King Xander asked.
“Yes. I just don’t want Your Majesty to be caught unawares of the challenges that will appear. I have no doubt that the resistance will be quelled,” Rivka said.
“Just prepare yourselves, as before,” King Xander said.
“I will prepare a song to inspire them,” Aura said. She drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from her vial and was energized. Words came to her that would uplift and give inspiration. She was hoping, however, to inspire the king with her improved looks brought on by a song. She was bitterly disappointed that he did not react, or just did not notice. However, she had not surrendered her goal of arousing the king’s desire or the hope that she could achieve that goal by impressing the king with her usefulness to his purpose.
