Shadows of Atlantis: Emergence of the Engi

by Hatch, Donsha

  “I come bearing a great and rare gift from my Lord Demeroth. A token of his gratitude and a symbol of his hope for a future friendship.” nodded Commander Lorien, stepping aside to reveal the gift as the soldiers removed its cover with a flourish.

  “My stars…. I can’t believe it.” gasped Dex.

  “Ditto that.” nodded Azonei in disbelief.

  “I present to you the last remaining masterpiece of its kind.” announced Commander Lorien as he gestured to the all-black Hammerhead GT.

  Eiris smiled and locked forearms with Commander Lorien in gratitude as Dex and the others ran over to check it out. He watched on in joy, savoring the moment, as the bridge between their people was solidified. Hope broke over him like the dawn of a new day as he watched Turans, Darkren and Slyphs celebrating their hard fought victory together.

  Soon after, a ceremony was held by Eiris and the Atlantian Council to express their deep gratitude for the assistance of the Undarian Fleets. It was a grand affair, complete with trumpets and fanfare, speeches and medals. The best part of it all however, wasn't the pomp and circumstance. It was the little things between the races that left the lasting impression. The Slyph commander hugging the Turan soldier as they laughed together. The Darkren company sharing battle stories with the Atlantian Guardsmen and locking forearms in mutual respect. Those were the best moments that were never to be forgotten. They were the beginning of a fragile new peace between their disparate worlds. A true bridge between them. Unfortunately, the ceremony could not last forever. It wasn’t long before they all had to begin departing back to their home worlds. After the ceremony, Eiris held hands with Dahlia as they walked over to the ruins of the Undarian academy.

  “What do we do now?” asked Dahlia as she looked up at Eiris.

  “Now?” Eiris responded. “Now we rebuild.” he smiled as he looked at the academy ruins with renewed hope.

  Thousands of students began pouring into the brand new grand auditorium as the fresh starts of 2018 got ready for an epic speech. Everyone in the auditorium began to settle down as various conversations began to turn into whispers and people hushing each other. Then, a well-dressed man with silver eyes shining through a set of smart glasses, slowly walked onto the stage. The sleeves on his buttoned shirt were rolled up, revealing black markings on his forearms. The anticipation was astonishing. One could hear a pin drop with the silence of everyone in the auditorium.

  “XENOGEEK!” shouted Masters.

  “What’s a Xenogeek?” whispered a young man with blonde hair.

  “The three B’s. You know, brains, beauty, and brawn? Never mind, you’ll see.” replied the young kid with blue hair sitting next to him.

  “Xeno!” yelled Authore Masterson. “Alien! Strange! And by definition, is synonymous with the word different! Geek! And…. I…. quote! Someone who is intelligent, single-minded, and accomplished in either mathematics or science. But! Is often unfashionable and socially inept! Does that sound like you?” he asked.

  Then Authore Masterson paused and paced the stage closely, scanning the crowd with his hand on his chin.

  “From the looks of it, yes. Up until now you all have lived up to the stereotypes the galaxy has about you! BUT NO MORE!!!” Masters yelled. “Here at the Xenogeek Academy of Science, Medicine, and Technology, you will break the stereotypes! Defy the odds! Social skills, wit, humor, and combat are but a fraction of what you will learn here. You won’t just be doctors, scientists, and engineers, but you will also be athletes and soldiers. So take courage and apply yourselves. And in time, you will be different. You will…….be…. xeno.” he smiled.

  The crowd then erupted in a standing ovation with applause and cheers as Authore Masterson walked off of the stage.

  “Oh, like a nerd/jock hybrid?” said the blonde kid.

  “Yes. Exactly.” smiled the kid with the blue hair.

  As the students began sitting down again, a screen less display appeared on the back of the seats in front of everyone. It showed the message: Please select your guild. Listed, were the names of the various academy guilds, including the Black Horde Guild and the Blue Storm Guild.

  “I read a little about this but I still don’t know which one to choose.” said the kid with the blonde hair.

  “Oh. You can choose any one. There’s no real difference. Every guild is pretty diverse and xeno.” informed the one with the blue hair.

  “I see. Which one are you going to?” asked the kid with the blonde hair.

  “Me? I already had my mind made up before I applied to this academy.” smirked the kid with blue hair. “I’m joining the Blue Storm Guild with the big six.” he nodded.

  “Who are the big six?” asked the blonde kid.

  “Ha. That’s pretty funny.” laughed the kid with blue hair.

  But as he saw the bewildered look on the blonde kid's face, he realized that he wasn’t joking.

  “Wow. You’re serious.” said the kid with the blue hair.

  “Yeah. Pretty much.” said the blonde haired kid nonchalantly.

  “Well then, I guess you’ll just have to find out by joining like me.” smiled the blue haired kid.

  “Deal.” smiled the blonde haired kid.

  As he pressed the Blue Storm Guild button, two pairs of smart glasses slowly ejected from the back of the chairs in front of them. Then, a tiny holographic marker then appeared in the lens and began pointing in several directions as they walked the grand halls, guiding them to their Guild Zone. As they walked, they passed by three intimidating figures in Black Horde uniforms. The one with the red hair slightly smiled and nodded as they passed by each other.

  “He seems like a cool guy. Who was he?” asked the blonde haired kid.

  “That was Reizen Demeroth and the two shadows, Reina and Drozen. They’re pretty cool xenos.” informed the blue haired kid. “Oh. I just realized that I haven’t introduced myself, how rude of me. My name is Navale Poros. You must be one of the new transfers from earth.” he said.

  “Yeah, I am. It’s pretty cool to think that just a year ago on earth, we were getting hints about the existence of your people. Now we’re going to school together. My name is Aran by the way. Aran Tanner.” said Aran.

  “It’s a pleasure.” nodded Navale. “I must tell you, I am quite looking forward to meeting Prince Eirisidae himself. He’s young like us, but he’s already a living legend.” he smiled.

  “Man, that’s a pretty cool name. He sounds awesome.” smiled Aran. “It’s pretty weird, but I used to know someone named Eiris back on earth. He was a pretty cool guy. I sometimes wonder what happened to him.” he said.

  “Well Prince Eirisidae………” started Navale before they came upon the grand statue of white gold in front of the Blue Storm building.

  “Wow. What a masterpiece.” remarked Aran in awe. “Who is he?” he asked.

  “Glover Nhore.” said a beautiful girl with green hair from behind them. “He was a friend and true hero to this planet.” she smiled.

  “Oh! It’s an honor meeting you Captain Keznah.” nodded Navale as he saw who it was.

  “At ease fresh start.” Kezzy smiled. “You both better hurry to the conclave room before orientation begins.” she nodded.

  “Right.” replied Navale as he dragged Aran away, who was staring in awe of her beauty.

  “Who was she?” asked a wide-eyed Aran.

  “She, is one of the big six. And she’s taken.” advised Navale. “Trust me, you don’t want to mess with her boyfriend, he’s a ruthless machine.” he joked.

  “Haha, sure.” laughed Aran as they walked in the room.

  As all of the fresh starts got settled in, the Guild Captains took to the front of the room. Aran was frozen in disbelief as the one with purple-eyes began speaking.

  “Welcome to the Blue Storm, fresh starts. My name is Eirisidae Penatia and I’m one of the Guild Leaders here. Next to me are the other Guild Leaders. Their names are Dextrius Tesla, Keznah Genoran, Azonei Masterson, Dahlia Arabella, an
d last but not least Paseo Odius. Most of you will be normal members, helping the guild in various ways. But some of you will be chosen to play on our war sport teams in the gauntlet games. The Gauntlet Games are the yearly games that help measure the aptitude and advancement of each student here at the Undarian Academy. The games consist of three different war sports: Electroball, The Lunar Rally, and one-on-one combat in the Gauntlet Arena. The guild with the most team and individual wins in each game is awarded the coveted Luridium Trophy at the end of the year. And if you’re wondering, yes that is our Luridium Trophy from last year encased in Nhore Hall. I think we’re due for a repeat, don’t you?!” exclaimed Eiris.

  “Yeah!!!” shouted all of the new guild members in unison.

  “Good. Now here at the academy, things won’t always be easy. So it’s important you always remember that adversity reveals our true character. We can either see it as an obstacle or an opportunity. With that said, let’s all welcome the opportunities coming our way! Besides people, we’re xenogeeks. We’re just………. better.” beamed Eiris.

  The End.

  First, I want to thank the brave and inspiring people that are no longer on this earth but still remind me every day to live life to the fullest and use whatever resources I have to give something beautiful back to the earth, no matter how big or small. So here’s to you Keziah Moore, Pamela Moore, Caleb Moore (Professional snowmobile racer), Lauren Hill (the basketball player), and Welles Remy Crowther (The red bandana).

  I also want to thank my middle and high school teachers who truly saw how different I was and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you Mrs. Gilpin, Mrs. Locke, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Bostick, and Ms. Coleman. To Ms. Coleman, although I was very young, I never forgot what you told me, “sometimes the best thing to do is to keep quiet.” To Mrs. Jones, I never forgot how many times you told me you thought I was a genius and if I just stopped assimilating, I could do great things. To Mrs. Gilpin, I never stopped persevering. To Mrs. Bostick, I’ve always kept in mind that if I always do what I’ve always done, I’ll always get what I’ve always gotten. Thank you all for being excellent educators.

  To finish things off, I want to thank everyone by name that has had an effect on my life, good or bad, because either way it’s resulted in the person I am today. So to Larry Wilmore; one of the coolest nerds I’ve ever seen, thanks. Thanks Orson Scott Card; a brilliant writer and someone whom I also consider to be among my greatest teachers. A special thanks to my immensely talented book cover designer, Karen Ronan. Thanks to my favorite YouTube star, the super sincere and inspiring Yousef from Fouseytube.

  A very special thanks to Abby Moore, this book wouldn’t be what it is without you. Thanks to my fellow underdogs, Kevin White from the Chicago bears and Victor Cruz from the New York Giants and Tyler Perry. Also Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt, Odell Beckham Jr., Richard Sherman, Eric berry, and Cam Newton from the Carolina Panthers; my favorite football players. Thanks to Elon Musk the incredible visionary and technologist, Yogi Berra, the incredible David Bowie, the amazing Felix Baumgartner and the incredible Alan Eustace, Tommy Carroll and Brett Devloo; two blind skateboarders who are truly inspiring and amazing, Albert Einstein, Laken Tomlinson, Ahmed Mohamed, J. Michael Straczynski, The inspiring Hollywood Anderson, Raury the rapper, Stephen Piscotty, Torrence Hatch aka Lil Boosie, Prince Amukamara, the talented Justin Bieber, LAHWF YouTube channel, AngryPicnic YouTube channel, One Republic the amazing band, the originator Stanley Martin Lieber aka Stan Lee, Malala Yousafzai, Coldplay the band, My darling fury the band and my buddy Joel (the drummer), Ed Sheeran, Marshawn Lynch aka beastmode, The immensely talented and inspiring Jared Leto and the Thirty Seconds of Mars band, Antonio Brown from the Steelers, Patrick Willis, the inspiring Nick Vujicic, Rob Dyrdek one of the coolest skaters and entrepreneurs, Ryan Fitzpatrick the QB, the amazing Nikola Tesla, Jeremy Lin, the awesome Kevin Hart, Austynn and Josh Samarco, Bill Gates, James Cameron, Chris Gardner, Leroy Sanchez the singer, Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, J.J Abrams, Tianne and Heaven King, Silento the rapper, Bea Miller, Chip & Joanna Gaines, George Lucas, X Ambassadors my favorite band, Steven Spielberg, Paul Allen, Machine Gun Kelly, Trevor Noah, Steve Urkel aka Jaleel White, Mark Zuckerberg, Kevin Durant, Steve Jobs, the incredible Colton Satterfield, Colten Moore and Caleb Moore, Michael Jordan, M. Night Shyamalan, Orson Scott Card, J.K Rowling, J.R.R Tolkien, Michael DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and John Paul Dejoria. Eric Wallenberg, C. Rosario, Cinnabon; who’s always been my biggest supporter, helping me to believe in myself when no one else did. Thanks S. Taylor, G. Crawford and the entire Crawford family, Sasha & Nico, J. Bellucci, D. “Sully” Sullivan, P. Sullivan, both Wilson families, A. Delahanty & the Delahanty family, the Sylvia family, K. A., Nessa, the Battle family, the amazing Amber Terrell, Malachi my broski, K. Qazolli, Amber, A. Thomas, E. Vasquez, T. Sawyer and the Sawyer family, J.Lowe & the Lowe family, T. Lowe, C. Blaisdell, Ashia, thanks to the awesome Maddy aka “Giggles”, Ryan and Kirsten, my wonderful brothers and sisters I miss all seven of you, my beautiful mother Latisha, J. Washington, Pops Washington, the incredible Jaden, Jared for being a great person to Sam, my broski Johnny Washington, the super awesome Kaitlyn and Dashawn, the awesome Mia and Rachel, the prodigious Hongpha, My broski Steele, my broski Sam Moore, Jim “Pop” Moore, Devorah, “Mom” Moore, the super awesome Tori; one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met and an amazing nurse, J. Saunders, Jamel Davis my broski, Deche, Terrence, Del, Ronnie, Corey, the awesome Kara and Mark, Netta, my broski Tyree keep your head up, my little brother Domo keep your head up, Reggie keep your head up, Shak body keep your head up, Lacy Towles, Kyla Towles, and the astronomically cool Towles family, Jules and Alexandra, A. Lightfoot, A. Calhoun, R. Kerney and the Kerney family, Sheridan, Adriann, and to my fellow HSP people. I also want to give a special thanks to the syfy channel phone operator who laughed at me when I called to talk about this cool story idea I had.

  Thanks to everyone who’s ever given up on me over the years, without you all I wouldn’t be fighting for my dreams today. Thanks to all the underdogs and everyone who’s ever had to overcome impossible odds, to the dreamers, to those trying to change their stars, to the bookworms, the nerds, the geeks, the students, the jocks, the fighters and never giver-uppers, to the skaters, the freedom writers, the warrior poets, the romantics, the optimists, and last but not least, thanks to YOU the readers. You’re the ones who are making my dreams come true every day. Thank you all.

  The only way I can really show you all how much I appreciate you is to give you wonderful stories with great lessons, which is ultimately what I hope to do. As another token of my gratitude for your support, I’m including six bonus poems from one of my upcoming novels. So please always be true to yourself, stay xeno, and once again NEVER EVER give up on your dreams. :-)

  Areolus: Also known as the celestial planet, Areolus was the home world for the Areolian race and was renowned throughout Undaria for its legendary floating landmarks and unique flying creatures. Its floating cities are also a staple in Areolian tradition.

  Atlantis: Known for its endless oceans and torrential rains, Atlantis is the original home world of the Undarian race. It is known throughout Undaria as the Rainfall Capital because the central building of the Atlantian Republic is based there.

  Beast Guardian: An animal that lives to watch over and protect its master.

  Bond: The ability of Turans and Darkren to become one with nature, allowing them to manipulate various elements at will.

  Darkren: The type of Undarian that draws their power from what is perceived as the unnatural element of dark matter.

  Edixe: The word for ruler in Undaria. All royals eventually go on to become Edixes as they assume full monarchical duties.

  Electroball: The most popular sport in all of Undaria, Electroball is a unique sport played with a plasmaball that combines elements from other popular sports like hockey, football, soccer, action sports, and paintball.

&nb
sp; Electrobike: A sport bike powered by electricity.

  Engi: Also known as the world enders, the Engi are a biorobotic predatory race from an unknown section of the universe.

  Eternite: Called the Moonlight Capital, Eternite is the name of the Darkren home world. Unlike any other planets in the Milky Way galaxy, Eternite has no sun. It is lit only by the three moons that orbit it, thus making it a place of eternal night. The planet is heated internally by thermal energy, thus preventing its inhabitants from freezing on its surface.

  Etwilion: Home to beautiful giant forests like no other, the planet of Etwilion is the home world of the Etwilonian race.

  Hive Mind: A computer-based biorobotic predatory alpha species that is known throughout the galaxy to destroy whole races and planets.

  HTD: The acronym for harvested tangible dark matter. HTD technology marks a breakthrough in the use of a virtually endless source of energy.

  Hydrocycle: A sport bike powered by water.

  Interplanetary Arc: A portal that exists within planets, serving as bridge between them.

  Interstellar Arc: A quasar that functions as a wormhole or portal, allowing for speedy travel between solar systems and galaxies.

  Luridium: The most powerful metal known to sentient life to date.

  Lysia: The home world of the Slyphs, Lysia is known as the technological Capital of Undaria.

  Mattercycle: A sport bike powered by dark matter.

  Moonwolf: The alpha species of wolf. Moonwolves are rarely seen and from the moment they are born they remain solitary until they find a pack to lead. Leading a pack is their sole purpose in life.