Jack’s face hardened. “No,” he said. “I refuse to believe that! After all we’ve just been through, we can’t have made it this far just to give up now! There’s got to be a way to get to her!”
“There is,” said Shanks, his voice quiet and calm.
The group turned to the monk, who stood stoically gripping his staff. “Okay, monk,” said Scallywag. “What’s yer plan?”
“We journey through the chambers,” Shanks said simply.
The group quietly stared at him, as though waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, Scallywag finally spoke. “Yeah… did you not hear the part about them rooms killin’ everyone but those with Royal Blood?” he asked. “Because that was loud n’ clear ta me.”
“The Ancients did not create their wonders only for those with a genetic link to them,” Shanks said. “To do so would be to hoard their knowledge. It would be too closed-minded. They would want their wonders to be discovered. They would want those worthy of finding them to have access to them.”
“Rolling tha dice on whether or not we’re worthy ta waltz through their little chambers o’ horrors ain’t something I care to stake me life on,” said Scallywag.
“Nor I,” chimed in Heckubus.
“It is a rather, shall we say… delicate situation,” said Green. “The details of the Great Seal of the portgate network have been closely guarded by Legacy Prime for generations. Only a select few people know what awaits us down there, and I fear we are not one of those select few.”
“It makes no matter what awaits us,” Shanks replied. “I believe we will pass, and, therefore, we shall.”
“You’ll forgive me if the power o’ yer beliefs ain’t enough ta convince me,” said Scallywag. “I don’t know what ya monks do with yerselves all day, but out here in tha real world, simply believing in something don’t make it true.”
Shanks looked at Scallywag calmly. “The Paragons have a creed, my friend,” Shanks said. “They believe anything is possible. This was the creed of the Ancients who came before us. And the only thing that separates those who can achieve anything, and those who cannot, is their belief in their ability to do so. For whether you think you can or you cannot, you are always right. Looking at you all – here and now – I believe we have everything we need to brave the trials that lie before us. I simply need you to believe, as well.”
“I want to believe you, dear fellow,” said Green. “I’m sure we all do. But what makes you think we can survive this?”
Shanks smiled. “The Ancients built the foundation of their advancements upon three pillars. In my order, we call this the Trinity. Though it is widely believed the Royal Bloodline is strictly genetic, this is not entirely true. The Royal Bloodline is actually a system by which one is trained to strengthen this foundation to the point of being able to interact with the creations of the Ancients just as they did. Being genetic descendants makes this process easier, but for anyone who is able to master the Trinity, they, too, will be able to access the secrets of the Ancients.”
“Well, I sure ain’t no master of this Trinity o’ yours,” said Scallywag. “And I think I speak fer everyone here when I say that.”
“No single one of you has mastered such a thing, this is true,” said Shanks. “But I believe the entire Trinity is present, nonetheless. When I look at you as a group, and I see what you have all been able to accomplish together, it becomes clear to me that we have everything we need to succeed in our mission to save Princess Glorianna and the Empire.” Shanks gestured toward Scallywag and Grohm. “Body,” he said, before gesturing to Heckubus and Green. “Mind,” he said, before finally resting his hand on Jack’s shoulder and placing his hand on his own chest. “Spirit,” he said. “All three legs of the Trinity are here. This is why you have all succeeded against the impossible. And this is why we will succeed in this endeavor, as well. Alone, you would all surely die in this attempt. But together? Together, I believe we will succeed. Just as you have before, so shall you again.”
Jack pondered Shanks words before turning to the rest of the group. “Paragon Shepherd used to tell me that we’re in charge of our own destinies,” said Jack. “All of us… we’ve been through a lot together. More than I think any of us ever expected. Scally, Heckubus, Grohm, Professor… I believe in all of you. I always have. I know it seems crazy, and dangerous, and stupid to ask you all to do something like this. But I’m asking you to take a chance and believe in me now. It may seem silly to you, but Anna is my destiny. She’s what I’ve chosen, and she needs my help. And me? I need your help. We do this together or not at all. So I’m asking you… no, I’m begging you… please, believe me when I tell you – we can do this.”
The Professor nodded. “I told you before I’d be with you ‘till the end, my boy,” he said. “I meant that. If this is what you feel you need to do… then I shall be by your side when you do it.”
“Grohm, as well,” the Rognok said.
The group turned and looked at Scallywag and Heckubus who glanced at one another. “Ya really think we can survive this?” asked Scallywag.
“No,” replied Heckubus. “You?”
“Not a chance,” the pirate muttered.
“The very fact that you and I have managed to agree on something just proves that anything is possible, I suppose,” Heckubus admitted.
Scallywag sighed. “Good point,” he said, looking at Jack’s pleading eyes. “I’m not typically known fer always bein’ true to me word. But I told ya you could count on me. I guess I’m in.”
“As am I!” Heckubus announced. “But just so we’re clear, if I die, I’ll be taking all of you with me!”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure we all make it back alive,” said Jack with a smile. “Now let’s go save the day.”
Chapter 60
The group was gathered in the cargo bay where the Earthship had manifested its armory. Each member was in the process of donning armor and appropriating weapons for the mission to the sunshell. As he was strapping the holster for his blaster to his leg, Jack mused how odd it was to see the Professor wearing armor, especially since he appeared to be keeping his bowtie on.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever had to choose a weapon before,” the Professor commented, looking at the racks of blasters the Earthship had manifested. “Is there any science behind doing so?”
While holstering his own blaster pistols, Scallywag eyed Green, giving the Professor the once over. He grabbed a blaster off the rack and tossed it to the Trundel. “Use this one,” he said.
Green studied the blaster with interest. “Why this one?” Green asked.
“I remember how ya handled a blaster back on the Ghost Planet,” Scallywag said. “That there is prolly the least likely ta have ya shoot yerself in the bloody foot.”
“Sound logic, dear fellow,” replied Green as he holstered the weapon. “Sound logic, indeed.”
Jack glanced at Shanks, who was observing Grohm as the massive alien put on his armor. The monk was still just in his robes and didn’t seem interested in carrying a blaster of his own. “Aren’t you going to get suited up?” Jack asked.
“I am afraid I am forbidden to engage in violence,” Shanks stated. “My order has very strict tenants concerning our involvement in combat.”
“Thought ya said you were givin’ up yer vows,” Scallywag said.
“I am simply breaking a few rules,” Shanks replied. “Please do not misunderstand me. I am a Luminadric Monk through and through. I am here with you because it is my duty to protect and safeguard Legacy Prime. I still believe in my order, but I feel it is my responsibility to ignore any vows which might impede that sacred duty. Barring that, I shall attempt to observe them as best I can.”
Scallywag shrugged. “Not like I imagine a monk would be much use in a fight anyway,” the pirate said.
“You are probably correct in that assumption,” Shanks stated.
As the others were finishing getting ready, Heckubus pulled Dan off to the sid
e. “Come, henchman,” he said. “I have an important assignment for you.”
“I was hoping I might be of some assistance,” Dan said. “Am I to accompany you all on your latest adventure?”
“No, I need you to stay here on the ship,” Heckubus said. “Normally, I would not be placing myself in harm’s way like this, but I fear I must thanks to this Armonto Virtuoso fellow. The rest of these dolts are painfully ill-equipped to deal with him and his robots. Therefore, you are to monitor our progress from here and ensure nothing goes wrong that could impede our escape.”
“Very good, sir,” Dan said. “I shall attempt to perform this assignment to the best of my ability!”
“While I appreciate your rather irritating enthusiasm, that is not the task I was speaking of assigning you,” Heckubus said, handing Dan a datastick. “If something should happen and I do not make it back from this excursion, you are to download the information on this datastick before destroying it. Do not access the information on there unless you are absolutely certain I have been destroyed. Do you understand?”
Dan looked at the datastick curiously. “Yes, sir,” he replied. “Might I inquire as to its contents?”
“No you may not,” Heckubus said. “Normally I would not entrust this to the likes of anyone but myself, but there is an extremely important task that must be carried out no matter what. And if I am unable to do it, then someone else must.”
“Understood, sir,” Dan replied. “Am I to assume these are instructions on how to avenge your death should it occur?”
Heckubus twiddled his fingers. “No,” he said. “But now that you mention it, that’s not a half-bad idea. I like how you’re thinking, henchman.”
“Thank you, sir,” Dan said. “While you are away I shall attempt to formulate methods by which those who might kill you are to be severely punished.”
“Excellent,” said Heckubus, moving to join the others before abruptly stopping and turning back toward Dan. “Make sure whatever you come up with is extremely agonizing and painful. Oooo! And if you can make them regret the role they played in my demise before killing them, that would be marvelous.”
“I shall do my best, sir.”
Once Green had finished putting on his armor, he grabbed a foot-long metal cylinder off the weapons rack and strapped it to his leg. Jack looked at the device with curiosity. “What’s that?” Jack asked.
“This is a nifty little gadget I had the pleasure of being exposed to during my time at the Maguffyn Corporation,” Green said. “It is a matter transference amplification beacon. I had your ship recreate it for me based on the designs it downloaded while we were snooping around inside the Maguffyn database.”
“Um… a matter transference whatsit?”
“Think of it like a signal booster for teleporters,” Green said. “Without the use of a teleportation platform, a teleporter must have something to lock onto if it is going to successfully teleport a target. The signal this beacon produces should be strong enough for the Earthship to target past the shielding of the sunshell. The only drawback is that it has a very limited range, so we will need to be close to the Princess if it is to be effective in allowing the ship to get a lock on her.”
“How close?”
Green shrugged. “Fifty feet. It’s hard to say. I’ve never actually used one of these before.”
“Nothin’ like basing an entire plan around an untested piece o’ tech,” Scallywag grumbled.
“Well, I mean to say I’ve never used it personally,” said Green. “According to the notes in the Maguffyn database, it works perfectly fine.”
“As long as it works enough so that we can snatch Anna without having to deal with the Vanguard, we’ll be okay,” said Jack. “Getting out will be the easy part. It’s getting there that we need to be focusing on. Is everyone good to go?”
Everyone nodded and gathered together.
“Okay, so it looks like the only place close to Anna we can teleport to that isn’t shielded enough to block us is the portgate chamber,” Jack said. “From there we have to work our way to the Great Seal. According to the Professor, we have three chambers we’ll need to pass through before we can reach it. We don’t know what to expect once we’re down there, so it’s important we all stick together, watch each other’s backs, and work as a team. Understand?”
“Understood,” everyone replied.
Jack nodded and took a deep breath. “Teleport!” he commanded.
In a flash of light, the group appeared in a large, circular chamber, a light blue portgate platform below their feet. They all glanced at their surroundings. The room was made of a refined, gleaming metal with extravagant glowing golden symbols etched into the walls. To their left was a long, curved window, granting a view of the star around which the structure was built. They all approached it and gazed at the sight before them. The star’s surface was so close and clear, it was mesmerizing.
“Amazing…” Green uttered, a large smile on his face.
“I ain’t never been this close to a star,” Scallywag said. “How are we not all melted?”
“How are we not all blind?” Jack asked as he gazed at the roiling, chaotic view before him.
“Did you lot learn nothing from the Ghost Planet?” Heckubus asked. “When it comes to the wonders of the Ancients, don’t bother asking how. It will just make your feeble minds explode.”
“Still…” said Green. “To actually bear witness to what can be achieved in this universe… it is glorious.”
“Indeed it is,” said Shanks. “And if we wish to preserve it, we must reach the Princess before the Deathlords can undo all that the Ancients created. Come, my friends. Let us waste no more time.”
Shanks led the group toward the exit. When the door opened, they entered a hallway that led directly to another door with a stone kiosk in front of it, a glowing access orb hovering above the small stand. The door was a solid silver block of metal with writing ornately etched into its surface. “This must be the first chamber,” commented Green. “The writing on the door appears to be Old Solar.”
“What’s it say, lad?” asked Scallywag.
Jack read the inscription, the languages download from the access orb on Earth coming in handy once again. “It says ‘The Chamber of Infinity,’” replied Jack.
“Chamber o’ Infinity?” asked Scallywag. “I don’t know whether that’s supposed ta sound ominous or fancy.”
“Let us find out which,” Shanks said as he touched the access orb. The orb disappeared and the kiosk lowered into the ground. The door before them slowly lifted up, revealing a dark room behind it. Jack and the others stepped forward, and as soon as they approached the threshold, a fire raged to life before them.
The group recoiled from the sudden burst of flame. It crackled in the center of the room, emanating from a four-sided stone pillar about four feet tall. The light from the large fire lit the room, revealing it to be made entirely of simple grey stone bricks. On its left and right sides were metal doors much like the entrance. The wall facing them was empty.
Jack tentatively stepped inside, looking around with caution. The rest of the group followed him in. There appeared to be unlit torches mounted in sconces by the doors. As Jack got closer to the stone pillar which hosted the flame, he noticed it had etchings on each of its sides. They appeared to be drawings of a door, each one containing an eye within it. After they’d all entered, the door to the chamber closed behind them, rumbling shut. The group all looked around, unsure of how to proceed.
“Um… what now?” asked Jack.
“Best guess?” replied Scallywag. “We choose a door.”
Green approached the door to the left. He touched it, and it rose up, revealing an identical room to the one they were in, with a door to the right and left, a stone pillar with a flame, and nothing on the wall facing them. “Fascinating,” the Professor muttered.
Scallywag opened the door to the right and saw that there was another copy of the room there, a
s well. “Not exactly an obvious choice as ta where ta go, eh?”
Shanks turned and looked at the door through which they’d just entered. He touched it, and it lifted back up. This time, however, there was no hallway, but there was another identical room. The group looked at the revelation with concern.
“Well, I guess there ain’t no turnin’ back, neither,” grumbled Scallywag.
“What is this place?” Jack asked.
“Is it not obvious?” Heckubus replied. “It is a maze.”
“A maze?” asked Green. “How do you know?”
“What else could it be?” Heckubus responded. “It’s called the Chamber of Infinity, is it not? I’d venture to guess there are an infinite number of rooms, but only one way out. Seems like an appropriate challenge to safeguard a Great Seal, wouldn’t you say?”
“When it comes to the Ancients, things are not always as they first appear,” Shanks said. “But for now, we have no better theory.”
“So which way do we go?” Scallywag asked.
Heckubus moved to Scallywag’s side. His ocular orbs lit up, shining their bright lights into the room Scallywag was facing. The robot slowly scanned the room, before repeating the process with the two others. “I’m not picking up any unusual readings from any of the rooms,” Heckubus stated. “They appear to be identical in every way.”
“Okay then,” said Jack. “If they’re all the same… let’s go to the right.”
“Why the right?” asked Green.
Jack shrugged. “Better right than wrong,” he muttered, heading toward the door. The group followed him in, and the door to the previous room lowered behind them. They once more opened both new doors to find identical copies of the room they were in.
“This is… most confusing,” complained Green.
“Oy, what are the odds this is just some big trap with no way out and we’re gonna be wanderin’ around in here ‘till we die?” asked Scallywag.
“I’d put the odds of that at 83.7%,” replied Heckubus.
Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2) Page 71
