by Jeremy Dwyer
“Yes, and we will, General. Make preparations at once,” King Xander said.
General Povaximus walked down the steps from the throne to the floor of the throne room, and left there through the door leading out to a long hallway containing the emblem of the king – the key surrounded by ten (10) coins – following it to the main entrance to the palace. From there, he went to prepare the fleet of ships.
Gisella recorded all of this into her book, knowing that she had once again come to a point where a Chronicler knew of an impending attack by a king against a territory, but was forbidden by the Oath from giving a warning. This particular situation was interesting to her, however, because she did not find herself feeling great sympathy for the target of the attacks – the banks were corrupt and set, what she often felt, were unfairly high rates. They were not her problem, because Chronicler’s lived largely at the expense of others, so as not to influence their judgment or require them to attend to other work which would distract from their duties to record under the Oath. Yet, as a careful observer, she realized that the high costs of doing business with these central banks led to hardships for many people: either directly, because of loans to purchase ships or homes, or indirectly, because their kingdoms owed money to the banks and taxed the people heavily in order to pay for the interest on the loans.
Having seen the ledger sheets of the banks and of many kingdoms – the Chronicler’s Oath gave Gisella the privilege of inspecting financial records in detail – she considered her opinions well-informed. She even felt a tinge of guilt at dating numerous men who tended to be wealthier, despite the fact that many of them were bankers who enacted much of this social injustice: they were more available with their modest working hours; they were also more interesting and educated, because the poorer men had little or no opportunity to visit Emeth or otherwise study. If the banks met commercial competition, and found themselves faltering, or even if many of the bankers had been arrested for usury, she would not have minded. King Xander, however, was a monster, and Gisella wanted to see him fail against nearly any adversary. Hence, she felt some concern for the wellbeing of the merchants and bankers who would be caught up in his warpath, only because they were not as cruel as King Xander.
Still, Gisella could do nothing, so she merely paid attention to the words and actions of King Xander and his entourage, recording all that she could into her book.
~~~
Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin and Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano were inspecting and repairing the interior of the cargo shuttle while it was grounded on a small island in a southern ocean.
“Even after these latest repairs, this liquid still appears to be slowly corroding these three (3) tanks, but not the others. These same liquids are damaging the interior casing of the ship and seeping through toward the hull,” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano said.
“We’re going to need to drain these tanks to properly repair them, and determine a better containment material, if possible. Still, this is not a research and development mission, so we may have to leave here with only the non-corrosive liquids,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
“Didn’t the scout bring back the liquids from each of these oceans? Do we have the same material lining these tanks as he did?” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano asked.
“We have the same containment material as found in our mineral research laboratories. The only difference is that the scout brought back smaller quantities,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
“What if we drain the tanks only halfway? To measure the corrosion and see if the rate slows,” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano asked.
“Yes, good thinking, Second Lieutenant. Do that at once,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said. He then hypothesized that it might have been the weight of the liquid in the tanks causing a pressure reaction on the liquid in the lower portions. He did not know why only three (3) of them would have that problem, however, as he did not have a chemistry lab of his own in which to experiment, and the researchers who did have such a lab lacked the quantities of the liquid they needed, which was the reason for this procurement operation in the first place.
Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano then opened up compartments in the hull of the ship, extended tubes from each of the three (3) corroded tanks and ran the liquid loading process in reverse, draining the contents out onto the ground of the island around the cargo shuttle.
As the three (3) tanks were drained down toward the halfway point, Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin watched the instrument panels and noticed that the cargo ship’s critical condition indicators moved away from their high danger readings and toward – but not all the way to – their safe operating parameters.
Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano halted the draining process when the halfway point was reached for each of the three (3) tanks and said: “The three (3) selected tanks are drained to the halfway point, captain.”
“Continue draining the tanks, Second Lieutenant. We’re getting there,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano then resumed the drainage operation, unloading more of the liquids from the three (3) tanks, slower than before, awaiting an instruction from the captain to halt.
Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin continued watching the instrument panels and saw that the critical conditions ended, and the ship returned to normal operating parameters – meaning that the excess heat signatures were gone: they still had a breach in the floor and the hull of the ship, but now they could fix it.
“Halt. That’s enough drainage, Second Lieutenant. Operating parameters have returned to normal – the excess heat signatures are gone,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano halted the drainage process again and retracted the tubes, and closed the panels in the cargo shuttle. He then said: “We have only twenty-three (23) percent of our previous liquid levels in each of those three (3) tanks.”
“That will have to suffice. We still need to repair the breach in the ship’s hull and floor. I’ll go outside and do that. You remain in here and watch for any additional signs of corrosion. Warn me immediately, Second Lieutenant. I don’t want to patch one breach only to have another one open up. If we have to drain every tank and start over, we will. We can’t bring anything back if the ship is destroyed,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
The captain then picked up a metal box containing materials and tools for the repair. He walked over to the control panel and touched a portion of it; in response, the boarding ramp to the cargo shuttle was lowered. He touched another area of the control panel and lights were lit around the ship. The captain then walked down the ramp and stepped onto the hard dirt of the island, seeing his way under a twilight sky largely with the help of the lights mounted on the sides of the cargo shuttle. He walked around the ship looking for signs of the breach and soon found them, being careful not to step in the various puddles and miniature lakes of liquid left from the drainage operation.
On board the cargo shuttle, a voice spoke over the communication device, saying: “This is Commander Doriv’Natix of company seventeen fifty-four (1754). Do you copy?”
“This is Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano of shuttle two nine seven (297). We copy,” the second lieutenant said.
“What is your status, Second Lieutenant?” Commander Doriv’Natix asked over the communicator.
“We have loaded liquids from all thirteen (13) oceans. Corrosion was detected in three (3) of the tanks, breaching the ship’s floor and hull and raising heat signatures to critical levels. Repairs are underway and those tanks were drained to twenty-three (23) percent, normalizing the heat signatures. Currently monitoring the situation,” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano said.
“We have our navigational instruments, lantern lights and a seaworthy vessel with limited air travel capability. Give us your coordinates and we will come to assist as soon as possible, Seco
nd Lieutenant,” Commander Doriv’Natix said over the communicator.
“Sending coordinates, commander,” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano said as he pressed an area on the cargo shuttle’s control panel to transmit their coordinates over the communicator.
“We have your coordinates, Second Lieutenant. We’ll be there in approximately four (4) days,” Commander Doriv’Natix said over the communicator.
Outside the cargo shuttle, Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin used the tools and materials in the metal box he carried to fuse shut the breaches in the ship’s hull. They were fortunately small enough to treat thoroughly, so he was able to completely cover them and restore the ship to airworthiness and, hopefully, burnpath-worthiness.
On the ground around him, the waters that had been drained from the liquid storage tanks trickled over the narrow channels in the dirt and met. Where they connected, powerful sparks lit up around the captain, catching his attention.
Inside the cargo shuttle, Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano heard many brief alert signals sounded out by the shipboard critical heat sensors. He looked on a screen to see where they were coming from, and it indicated that there was a heat source nearby, but outside the ship. He switched the view to what was outside the ship and he saw the sparks, and they were getting larger and brighter. Soon, the critical heat alerts became more frequent to the point of being continuous.
The ship began to slightly tilt and rock, and this motion coincided with a large ring of fire appearing around and underneath the cargo shuttle, and a screaming Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin running up the boarding ramp. The captain slammed his hands on the control panel to begin to close the ramp and slammed again on another area of the control panel, causing the ship to rise to fifty (50) feet of altitude while the boarding ramp was still being raised.
“Up and out of here! Now! Second Lieutenant,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin ordered. The second lieutenant then took the controls of the ship and increased the altitude again up to one hundred (100) feet and then up to two hundred (200) feet.
“Captain! Commander Doriv’Natix made contact with me earlier. His company is headed this way to offer help with repairs,” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano said.
“Tell him to abort the mission! He is to return to the arrival point and then to home base!” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin ordered.
The second lieutenant turned to the communication device and said: “Commander Doriv’Natix, this is Shuttle two nine seven (297). Do you copy?”
A voice came over the communication device and said: “This is Commander Doriv’Natix of company seventeen fifty-four (1754). We copy.”
“I have orders from Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin. You are to abort the mission, return to the arrival point and then to home base,” the second lieutenant said.
“Abort? You said you had procured the liquids and were repairing the ship,” the voice of Commander Doriv’Natix asked over the communication device.
“Commander, this is Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin. The cargo shuttle was repaired but then damaged again by a fire. Our landing gear was melted and the outside of the ship was damaged by fire. These liquids are volatile when mixed – the drainage operation we were forced to conduct left the liquid deposits too close together,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said before anyone could respond.
“It sounds like the liquids are dangerous by themselves, if you were forced to drain them in the first place,” the voice of Commander Doriv’Natix said over the communication device.
“Yes, commander, that is also a hazard, for our analysts to understand, when – and if – we get back. We need to leave with whatever quantities of the liquids we have already procured, while the cargo shuttle still has hull integrity. For the moment, our critical heat sensors are back to normal, so we have to initialize the burnpath generator,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
~~~
In her private room in the Trading Center One building on Haza’Kedro’Maral Island in the Pirovalen Ocean, Duchess Uliana held in her arms the small boy that she recently delivered. She was surrounded by the Torches of Majesty – Blazer Endrit, Blazer Luken and Blazer Darakizar – who were there to protect her. Additionally, her singer – Nehexalor – was also present.
“We are nearly ready. The child appears to be healthy, the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings is complete and I have a song prepared, my lady,” Nehexalor said.
“Therefore, we can begin the sun worship ritual, can we not?” Duchess Uliana asked.
“Not until the suns are restored, My Lady. They must be present and brilliantly shining at the beginning of the ritual, or it is of no use,” Nehexalor said.
“It is not a matter of time before that happens, but a matter of action. Blazer Endrit, you know the man who collected the candles that bring darkness. Find him, quickly, and extinguish those luminaries he holds, so that the suns shine down upon us again,” Duchess Uliana said.
“I will pursue him relentlessly, but I do not know where to begin looking,” Blazer Endrit said.
“Then look for a place to look. You must rise to the challenge of the task because of its great importance. This world must become ours once again – the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings must return to their thrones infernal,” Duchess Uliana said.
Blazer Endrit left the room and then exited the Trading Center One building to seek out clues to the location of the luminaries. He truly had no idea of where to look and was desperate. Preparing himself for conflict, however, he drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial, which energized him. These would allow him to turn water into fire, as before.
“Blazer Luken, you are to watch over the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings and guard Nehexalor, so that the ritual can be performed at a moment’s notice,” Duchess Uliana said.
“Yes, Duchess. I will guard the temple as well as our protecting our singer,” Blazer Luken said.
“Blazer Darakizar, you are to watch for King Xander, because he may yet try to strike at us. His greed and arrogance are boundless,” Duchess Uliana said.
“Yes, Duchess. I will watch for and defend against the king,” Blazer Darakizar said.
Blazer Luken and Nehexalor left the room and exited the building, standing near to the large towers of the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings. Nehexalor drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power of music, so that he could perform the sun worship ritual at any moment. Blazer Luken drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized so that he could turn water into fire.
Blazer Darakizar left the room, exited the building and stood guard on the coast, near the docks, listening to the lookouts who watched for incoming ships. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. Though neither he nor anyone else could hear the sounds of the darkened stars, he could still turn water into fire, and by this, he could fight an adversary and illuminate the air around him.
~~~
In the same room as Duchess Uliana, but under a cloak of darkness, Halina waited and watched along with Roxanne and Marzia. They were planning to bring the luminaries back to Tanith Orenda when they were found.
Halina did not have any desire to assist sun worshippers in their rituals, so the thought of extinguishing the luminaries and causing the suns to return to their former brightness seemed to be a particularly dangerous course of action because of what the duchess planned on doing next. However, a world under this sort of darkness was not natural, either – the darkness that Halina provided by drinking the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean was quite different, and beneficial, unlike what the luminaries brought.
Roxanne understood what they were up against, and it occurred to her that the proper course of action was to capture and extinguish the luminaries, but also to kill the child of the Duchess in order to prevent the sun worship ritual. It would be a simple matter for Roxanne to smother the child in a deadly wav
e of heat and light by using the powers of the Lujladia Ocean water that she drank.
Marzia was monitoring both of their thoughts and suggested that killing the child was not the most useful tactic – he only needed to be taken as a slave, and his captivity could be used to manipulate the Duchess.
Danielle – who was in another room and communicating with Marzia telepathically – was in agreement. Danielle suggested to Marzia that Halina should be told to remain here to help her capture the child from the Duchess, while Roxanne and Marzia should stay near Blazer Endrit.
Danielle and Marzia had both read Endrit’s mind and knew that he had one (1) luminary in his possession, taken during a conflict with the man who was gathering them. They agreed that the same man might just come here looking to reclaim it and add it to his collection. If Roxanne and Marzia remained vigilant, they might actually be able to find these luminaries using their powers of light and telepathy, respectively, and follow the man back to where the other luminaries were being kept.
Marzia communicated this strategy to Halina, who – while still under the cover of darkness – escorted her and Roxanne out of the room and the building. Halina then worked her way back into the room when the moment presented itself, so that she could watch Duchess Uliana.
Danielle then telepathically reached out to Halina and monitored her thoughts so that she would know immediately the plans of the Duchess as Halina observed them.
Marzia and Roxanne remained outside, watching Blazer Endrit and monitoring his thoughts, and looking for signs of the man who was gathering the luminaries.
~~~
Pandaros made his way through Haza’Kedro’Maral Island, carefully searching for the man with blue skin who had taken the luminary.
He drank frequently of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial to maintain his powers over spirits. He summoned a spirit of sickness to dispatch against his adversaries – this was a better choice than other spirits, because it required less energy to control.
