“I would imagine that this call to flock to the city has started this sudden flood of information and knowledge?”
“Yes.”
“I'm glad things are looking up for your people, Sworda. At least that's some good news.” He folded his arms and sighed.
“It has not been all good. We have our own battles here and I don't mean the . . .ahh. . .political. Several attempts were made on my life after I moved here. Which is I why I wear armor under my robes when I'm in the city. Sometimes when I walk the streets of Ophir I wear a personal shield. I hate to wear such things. I feel like a. . . how do you say? Hypocrite? Yes.”
“Someone tried to kill you? What's going on?”
“Well, after it was known that I had knowledge of making a new gristone sword people were full of joy. For most it was a wondrous but perhaps outdated, uh, how do you say? Antiquated thing of the past. I think that cavalier attitude is changing as there seems to be an awakening among the people. But there are some for whom this is dangerous power. When gruwdal introduced me to this master metallugist I swore everyone that was chosen to work under him to secrecy. But eventually it got out to a few people. The ancient one who was training the metal workers at this temple warned me. I did not take the warning seriously until he died under mysterious circumstances. If you had seen what had been done to him Robert.” Sworda's face turned dark. “He was butchered. His belly cut open, his guts torn out. A special sign. To this day I feel that I should have done more to protect him.”
“What in the black suns! What sign was this? Who would do that kind of thing?” I felt fear growing in the pit of my stomach.
“Someone who didn't want this knowledge to get out. Someone who wanted it for themselves. Someone who worships at the altar of Ancus, the great warlord deity of Eraut. He comes in different names depending upon the land, tribe or culture but Ancus was his first and original name. Long ago in history when a person was convicted of a crime under his reign that was the form of execution they used against the guilty. I was on my way here in a speeder when my attacker last assailed me.” He lifted the top half of his robe and showed me his injury, a deep and what looked like a severe burn injury from a close graze of a laser shot.
“Sworda! You were almost killed!” I said, dumbstruck. He nodded slowly. “It was the third time he'd tried to kill me.”
“ A lone person? Not a group?”
“I hope not a group! Only one attacker as far as I know. A Suwudi like myself named Furat. Fortunately we were well armed and alert. We fought back. We later sought him out and banished him from Ophir. He was run out of the city. He had an accomplice working with him who was hunted down and killed by security personnel. This Furat did manage to kill several young acolytes traveling with me, innocent ones,” he sad sadly. “Anyway, all that is done. There have been no more attempts, so far.”
“I see the armor is not there.”
“I wear it when I'm in the city. Here I feel safe. One thing I can sense about this place is that one with a dark heart and dark intentions cannot come here and feel comfortable or at peace. People like that usually flee from places of the true elementary ways of the Jannisii because their own hearts are bad.”
“But what about the sword? Who wanted the knowledge about the making of those swords?”
“The same ones who wanted to kill me. They cannot use a gristone sword as it is in its pure state if darkness rules them but they can twist it into something for their own purposes. Even if they don't manage that, a gristone sword can inspire holy fervor in many people. That, in and of itself, is a very powerful and dangerous weapon.”
“Well I don't understand everything but I'm glad he didn't get it. And I'm glad you're safe here with friends.”
“Yes. Pemanu was a big help in protecting me and it was he who first alerted me to Furat's dangerous nature. Though I never trusted Furat anyway. No one did. He was a strange one and a single-minded fanatic, devoted to the ways of Ancus in secret. Why he joined the Order of Jannis baffled me. Do you know of him?”
“No.”
“He would rail on about the blevdas's of Yiral being tainted by alien hands and feet. Of those unworthy knowing our ways as blasphemy. I said to him it is us who have entered into a domain not our own. “We are the intruders in this solar system!” I told him, but it made no difference.” I sat back, wondering at all of this. His mention of the word blevdas spurred my deepest thoughts.
“Do you have a blevdas here in Ophir?”
“We do. There is one here for Jannis but only those who are high initiates are allowed in. A human who walks the path long enough qualifies. I never agreed with Furat's supremacist ravings.”
“Does Pemanu come to this temple?” I asked out of curiosity.
“He used to come quite often when I was first getting things started here but we both agreed that it was better for him to remain at the temple in Syzygy. He is a good friend and vigilant to things I cannot see.”
“I'd heard he was a rogue priest. Perhaps I was wrong about him.”
“Quite common. I wasn't too sure of him myself when I first met him but it is easy to misjudge people. And now, enough about my plight. What about you?” I related my own tales of the mission we were planning, of what I'd found near Langrenus and what I'd experienced, to his shock and dismay. I left out my encounter with the Mother Fiorjah as I was still trying to process what exactly had happened to me and I wasn't sure how it would affect him hearing about a race of beings still thought extinct among his people.
“We are hurdling toward something serious, something portentous,” he said finally.
“But we are preparing for when things clash in the future,” I said. He grinned.
“Come Robert! You must see my new home and meet my family.”
“Is your brother here?”
“Gruwdal? He is at the family home also. But I mean the rest of them. I have uncles, my mate and her sisters and their husbands and my mother and father. And her parents.”
“A big family then.”
“Not as big as some. We believe in family duty, family honor and closeness. It is part of what will get us through these times.”
“I agree.” I said, feeling guilty. I hadn't seen my family in so long now. I wondered what reception I would receive when I got back. If I got back.
“How long can you stay?” He asked. I wanted to stay much longer and just relax and talk with an old friend. But I had no more time.
“I want to but I can't stay long this time, Sworda. We have the issue with Europa, you know. There are lots of preparations to make. And we have to leave within a few days. I have to be there.”
“Yes, yes, of course.” He seemed disappointed. But we sat and talked as the sun went down and the night came and then dawn came again. Then it was time for Tulos and me to leave. We embraced as Tulos had reappeared again, smiling broadly.
“So, this Furat, he's still out there?” I asked Sworda. He gave a deep sigh.
“Perhaps. Most likely in some dusty hideout.”
“You could employ bounty hunters to find him and finish the matter,” said Tulos.
“I could but there is the path I have sworn to walk now. I'm a new person. Not the old Sworda who would have sworn swift vengeance. You walk the path of Jannissi too, Tulos,” He chided.
“I know. There is much I have to change within myself.”
“In any case, there is one universal law that holds out no matter what: what one gathers together is what one deserves in the end. Or you reap what you sow. I have seen this borne out many times,” he said.
“Very true,” I agreed and so did Tulos.
“There is much work to be done. You must come and visit with my family Robert, and you also, Tulos. There is so much to tell and to show you of the new temple and city. One day Opir will be known far and wide as the city of dreams.”
“I'd like that very much,” I said. “And if I come back from this mission, I will certainly come to visit you and
your family, my friend.”
. . .
When we arrived back in Syzygy the air was full of nervous energy among those who knew of the mission, which was only days away now. Diamond and Genevieve had been testing the fighter ships we'd brought and were satisfied with their performance, with a few enhancements, of course, that would need to be made. One of those enhancements was ghosting technology that Diamond had on his own ship and shared with the captains of the Allied Martian Powers.
Ghosting was a way of cloaking a thing from natural eye sight, cameras and scanners. Ghosting was not as stable nor did it work to completely render an object invisible. It was one of those technologies that ran along the cloaking spectrum, where true cloaking made something completely invisible and was obscenely expensive, ghosting was far less so but it was not an official sort of tech used. Ghosting rendered an object nearly invisible but certain signatures could still be picked up if anyone seeking you knew what they were looking for. Ghosting made an object seem to seep in and out of sight, like a ghostly object and if used skillfully enough could work as well as actual cloaking, temporarily. Smugglers and other less upstanding folk used it for obvious reasons. It was created and expanded upon by the open source community of Dappa and other Hidden Web groups and the information to create the technology made its way to others who couldn't get access to true cloaking technology. Few ships had more effective ghosting tech than Diamond Dog's ship and he was more than happy to share. In fact, he'd been working with Genevieve and other alliance captains to extend it to other ships in the fleet.
I'd also noticed that they, Genevieve and Diamond, were both were becoming more friendly than usual. Not that it surprised me. Out here companionship was no guarantee. So one found it where they could if there was an attraction. Had I not been happily married well. . . I was happily married and wishing my wife was here right now.
I found Will sitting up on an old hospital bed. He had a strange expression on his face, something in between a silly grin and wonder.
“What is it?” I asked. I was still in awe of what I'd seen and experienced in Ophir, after having visited Sworda and all that he was planning for the future. I went to the galley and rummaged around for something to drink. I was getting extremely thirsty from the bone dryness of the air and all my exertions. I found a bottle of ice water, popped the cap and drank it down.
“The hive wire, Bob. It stopped humming.”
“What does that mean?” I asked slowly, watching him closely. My excitement was piqued.
“The static is gone. I can't hear anything at all anymore. My hearing and other brain processes have gone back to normal.” I felt something in me slowly begin to drop. I scratched my chin, which was showing signs of stubble.
“Do you think it stopped working?” I asked. Perhaps Sworda's gift to me was worthless after all. Not that I held it against him. Quite the contrary.
“I'm not sure. I don't think so. Don't give up yet, Bob. We're not near any loyalist ships or bases. I'm sure we'll find out once we leave here.”
“Does Genevieve know this?” Will nodded. “Of course.”
“Don't tell anyone else that it's not working Will.”
“I didn't say it wasn't working. I just said I don't feel and hear the static anymore. Whether it works or not we'll know once we get in range of a first level mech.” That was Will, always rational. I hoped he was right. I went back to the galley and got another bottle of water and came back to the lab. I sat down.
“How do you feel? Are all systems operational?” I asked, taking a large drink. I felt it go down as if it dissipated as soon as the water touched my lips.
“I feel fine. Other than the fact that some of my recent memory processes are firing slightly more slowly than before since the work that was done.”
“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”
“It's just a natural process my brain goes through after any change, adjustment or download of information. Most readjustments are miniscule in time length. This was a major one I sense because it had taken a few minutes. Twenty, to be exact.” I was highly intrigued and a little worried. Perhaps Will had now been altered in some unknown way that made him an unknown quantity. Like me. I was an unknown quantity and I'd told no one except Diamond about my alteration. But even I could feel the miniscule changes in my senses and perception. I was always a highly sensitive person, though I pretended not to be. I could sense or feel things even more strongly before as it related to aliens and their hidden presences. I knew it was there and growing. There were other things too that had changed. I had no idea what this would mean once we got out there on Europa. I hoped it wouldn't be to the benefit of the enemy.
“If you detect any major shifts in your programming or body anywhere, please let me know about it.”
“I will.”
“We're kindred spirits now, in a way.” I said. Will cocked his head to one side. He had that expression a little boy might have looking at his father who'd just said something strange.
“What do you mean?”
“Don't tell anyone but you're not the only one whose undergone a change. That's a secret.” I whispered.
“I am the soul of discretion,” he said.
Later that night when we were all sitting around the table eating, laughing, planning and talking, the call we were all waiting for crackled through the comlink. It was Admiral Suttu.
“Prepare for departure with your team, Genevieve, and bring the extra ships. The fleet meets at Scar Point and leaves for the Jovial system in three days. Sunrise.” Some of the other fighter ships we'd brought were now assigned to other teams. We'd retained four of them. We fell silent after the call. This was going to be a defining moment for the rebel aliens and humans out here on Mars. The first real battle since the alien battle fought on the hive ship. We would either be victorious or die in fire.
Later that night I dreamed. A dream I was floating in space. I was being pulled towards a gaping void. I saw it eating away at an old star, its gases slipping away into the black well as if its very life essence were bleeding out. I fell toward the event horizon. This hole in the universe was drawing me in like some Great Attractor from beyond the boundaries of known space. And something appeared out of the void, peering into my soul. I felt something touch my mind. And right before I woke, I saw it: it was the Mother Fiorjah. Then her features morphed and shifted and it was my face in the void.
13
It was right before dawn. Fifty Allied ships, small fighters, battle carriers called star cruisers and old barges outfitted with laser canons and other artillery lifted off from Scar Point, just east of Syzygy from a crop of hills at the beginning edge of the Elysium Planitia. The ships here were all capable of far faster speeds than the Phoenix. The roar and howl of battle ship engines filled my ears as we boarded the flagship star cruiser called the Dyra, after Admiral Suttu's long dead mate.
I caught a glimpse of the proto-ships in the hangar of the massive carrier. We were due to reach the Jovian system in six days. The fleet was traveling slowly because of the cloaking systems the captains in the fleet were using as well as implementing the ghosting tech, courtesy of Diamond. The ghosting technology layered with the alien cloaking systems which would limit our visibility to the enemy, which would be a distinct advantage, also came with a downside. This required the fleet to travel more slowly than anyone was comfortable with. I peered through the wide doorway into the port side crew pit. Crew members were deftly looking through and studying and monitoring the newly implemented systems against plasma trails and other engine activity that might still be detected throughout the fleet. They were working to find a fine balance so that our only real advantage would not be blown.
I went to a console table examining overlay maps and the layout of the base we were going to attack. Genevieve's team's last meeting with Admiral Suttu and Captain Tagor over the comlink established where our roles would be in the battle and what equipment we would need to carry it out.
<
br /> Our tactical plan was this: there would be a three-pronged attack. The loyalist base sat right on top of a thick, island-sized ice shelf right off one of the moon's largest lakes. One team would be on the ground on Europa some miles off from the base at the northern lake shore nearest the base. This team would drill and tunnel a hole down below the ice shelf on the opposite shore into the water beneath and lower the micro-sub full of nuclear detonators, some of which were donated by our team through Diamond. This would be programed by remote to find its way to the military base, we hoped, and then detonate. It would be tracked and set by timer. This was the job of Unit One.
Unit Two, which was where I and Tulos were a part of, would knock out the power from the electrical plant or tower a few miles from the base. We were to knock out the power before the bomb detonated under the base. Unit Three, or the Allied assault fleet, where Genevieve, Rychik and Diamond and the other hundreds of alien and human warriors would be a part of, would be waiting in space readying for and engaging loyalist fighter attacks there.
How we would pull it off was a very delicate matter. It all came down to timing and that timing would be set by Unit Two. We had to take the electrical tower out before anything else could happen. Unit Two team leader, Tenar, was discussing the plan on the ground for our unit.
“I will get you thrrrough it and wait forrr yourrr rrreturn by the enerrrgy barrrierrr. I have a device that can create an opening forrr one and a half seconds. It is this device herrre.” She showed us a slim, black metal remote device with a long small screen on its top.
“Therrre is a long electrrrical field orrr fence arrround the plant. This will help you get thrrrough. Once inside the field, you won't have much time to get the job done.”
“Can't we just fly over it?” A sentinel warrior asked.
“No. The barrrierrr extends too farrr above. It's miles high. Ourrr ship will attrrract too much attention if it lands too close to the plant. Besides that, you will face an alarrrm system that does perrriodic thrrree hundrrred-sixty degrrree sweeps of the arrrea between the barrrierr and the plant.”
Mission: Attack on Europa Page 13
