“It’s Sergeant Tolpez.”
Skip immediately remembered Tolpez’s face. He was the Gnol that attacked another slave when he was processing slaves for their new Enforcer chips. He was also the Gnol that Belzar accused of being addicted to Skyler Green’s drugs.
“Tolpez? He can’t be trusted. He is the one Gnol in this camp that loves to torture any slave he can get his hands on.”
“Don’t worry; there is a reason to my madness.”
Skip looked at the giant Gnol with skepticism. “I know Commander Schaal wanted another guard with you when you took Green out of his mind lock. But, Tolpez?”
“Don’t worry. It w—”
Before Belzar could finish, they heard a rustling in the bushes. They turned around and saw two dark images emerge from the thick jungle brush into the clearing.
As the images drew near, Skip could make out the 6’5” frame of Sergeant Tolpez in his green fatigues. Tolpez was pulling on Skyler Green’s left arm. Skyler was dressed in his slave uniform, drenched from head to toe in sweat. His wrists were bound with plastic ties.
Skip glanced at Skyler’s face. His eyes were wide open and glazed over, indicating no emotion whatsoever. He was still under the control of the camp’s Enforcer.
Tolpez stopped within a few feet of them, still grasping Skyler’s arm. He looked at Skip and back up toward Belzar. “So, I see you still have your pet with you, Captain.”
Skip took a short step toward Tolpez and clenched his fists. Belzar held out his left arm to hold him back.
Narrowing his dark eyes, Tolpez looked down upon Skip. “Go for it, you human filth. I’d love to tear you apart.”
“Calm down, Tolpez. You know as well as I do that I need to supervise Skip,” Belzar said.
“So, you call it by its name. I don’t know, Captain. I think you’re getting a little too attached to your animal friend.”
Skip’s body stiffened. He wanted so badly to tear the Gnol apart with his bare hands.
“It’s okay, Skip,” Belzar said, looking at him. “Why don’t you wait over there by that tree?”
Skip didn’t respond and glared at Tolpez.
Tolpez smiled and followed him with his eyes as he made his way over to the tree. Skip folded his arms and leaned his right shoulder against the tree, still staring at Tolpez in distaste.
“So, Captain,” Tolpez said, turning back to Captain Belzar. “I cleared it with Commander Schaal, and you were right. Green was to be brought to you.” He stopped as he glanced back toward the camp. “But why up here?”
“We need to be away from any surveillance equipment.”
An evil smile spread across Sergeant Tolpez’s face. “I think I understand, Captain.”
Belzar narrowed his eyes and stared hard at the sergeant. “No, you don’t. You didn’t bring him up here for us to torture him. We’re disabling his chip and taking him out of his mind lock with the Enforcer.”
“What? Does Commander Schaal know about this?”
Belzar nodded. “He does.”
“I don’t understand. Green is probably the one slave that should not be taken out of his mind lock. He’s dangerous.”
“He is.”
“Why would Commander Schaal approve this?”
Belzar smiled. “Let me ask you, Sergeant. How have you been sleeping lately?”
Still confused, Tolpez answered, “You know as well as I do, not at all.”
“And how have the nightmares been, the night sweats, and the occasional loss of bladder control?”
Tolpez took a small step back and lowered his head in embarrassment. “H-how do you know about that?”
“There is a reason why Green has been ordered to be taken out of his mind lock. You, along with a handful of other guards, are addicted to those drugs that Skyler Green made and exchanged for preferential treatment before he was put under the control of the Enforcers.”
“S-so?” Tolpez stuttered.
“So, you imbecile, you and those other guards were going to be replaced, sent to Lord Chast for questioning, along with a possible torture and gruesome death.”
A look of fear graced along the sergeant’s face. He then looked at Skip, who was smiling. With fear in his eyes, he turned his attention back to Captain Belzar.
“You and your druggie buddies are addicted for life,” Belzar continued. “That’s why you and your friends can’t function normally. In fact, if you don’t get some of the drug within the next few days, you’ll be dead.”
A nervous laugh dribbled from Tolpez’s lips. “W-what?”
“Whatever drug Green concocted, it’s powerful. Our scientists have analyzed it and can’t replicate it. They have also concluded that the drug is especially addictive for Gnols. It affects our brain chemistry differently than humans. Without it, addicted Gnols will be dead within a few months. Green knew what he was doing when he created this drug. That’s why Schaal has agreed to take Green out of his mind lock with the Enforcer. He is the only one that can keep you and the other guards alive.”
Skip laughed. “Ironic isn’t it, Tolpez? A human who you loathe so much is the only person who can keep you alive.”
The fear on Tolpez’s face instantly changed to a look of pure rage, turning his attention from Belzar to Skip. Tolpez raised his right hand with his fingers extended and levitated Skip into the air and then slammed him against the tree, knocking the wind out of him. The Gnol then lunged his hand forward, causing Skip to be crushed between his telekinetic force and the tree.
Belzar reached out and grabbed Tolpez by the throat, lifting him in the air. “Let him go! Now!”
Tolpez immediately lowered his hand, and Skip fell to the ground, wheezing for air.
Belzar let go as well. Tolpez dropped to the jungle floor onto one knee. He stood, rubbing his throat. “W-why doesn’t Schaal just have us executed and replaced? I know he would rather have us dead and replaced than have Green out of his mind lock.”
“He would. But lucky for you, we don’t have enough Gnols with our forces spread so thin between Earth and Terrest. There are about fifty Gnols addicted to this drug, including you,” Belzar said, glaring.
Tolpez didn’t respond. He turned and looked at Skip, who was slowly standing. He looked back at the captain. “Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let’s get Green out of his mind lock.”
Belzar smiled and nodded in agreement. Tolpez turned around, grabbed Skyler by the arm, and pushed him into the captain. Belzar caught him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. By this time, Skip had made his way next to his hulking friend.
There was no emotional response whatsoever from Skyler. His eyes were bloodshot and wide open. Skip could tell that the Enforcer in the main computer terminal of the camp had not only complete control of Skyler, but also complete control of the entire slave force at Zikf.
Belzar reached up and clicked on the comlink in his ear. “Enforcer Rhyand, come in.”
Skip could hear the conversation as well through his own comlink.
The Enforcer replied through the communicator, with a small bit of audible static. “This is Rhyand.”
“It is time to take Skyler Green out of his mind lock. Have you received the order confirmation from Commander Schaal?”
“Yes, Captain, and I have been observing what has been going on through Green’s eyes. I am surprised Schaal is allowing this to happen.”
“You have your orders, Rhyand. Don’t question them.”
“Understood. Once I sever the link to Green’s chip, he will be unconscious for about an hour or so. The brains of these humans can’t handle being in a mind lock this long. He may be disoriented and confused when he wakes up.”
“Understood,” Belzar replied, holding Skyler in place by his shoulders.
Skip watched. After a couple of minutes, the retinas in Skyler’s eyes flickered. Suddenly, Skyler’s body went limp, and he fell into unconsciousness.
Belzar held Skyler in place. He turned him around and p
eered at the base of his skull. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a silver, metallic pen-like object with an LED light at the top.
“What’s that?” Tolpez asked.
“This will destroy the computer chip at the base of Green’s skull.”
Tolpez gave a nervous laugh. “Wait a minute. Don’t you want that chip intact in case the Enforcer needs to regain control of Green’s mind?”
Belzar placed the LED device on the base of Skyler’s skull and pressed the button on the other end. Flashes of red light began to emit from the LED. “That is exactly why I want this chip destroyed,” Belzar replied.
* * * * *
Koroan Chast’s Imperial Palace, City of Chast . . .
Colonel Merrok walked into the elevator located on the bottom floor of Koroan Chast’s imperial palace. He placed the silver metal chest containing the golden tablet that he had discovered hours earlier on the elevator floor. Just before the doors to the elevator closed, he noticed a few Gnol citizens bowing at the feet of the statues of the goddess mother and Lord Chast. Again, the questions came to him about who this Jehovah was, what information was inscribed on the gold plate, and what connection Koroan Chast had to all of this.
Pressing the button to the thirty-fourth floor, he whispered to himself, “Don’t question your god, Sage.”
He then took in a deep breath and felt his stomach turn with butterflies. He was nervous. After all, he was about to meet with the second most powerful Gnol alive. Even though Vlamer Kreuk now needed the assistance of a hover-chair for mobility because of his paralysis from the waist down, he could still perform astonishing feats with his telekinetic and telepathic abilities. It was rumored that Vlamer Kreuk, if he wanted, could control a dozen or more Gnol citizens with his telepathic prowess alone, not to mention his telekinetic ability to move objects weighing as much as five tons.
Of course, Sage did not know of anyone who had ever witnessed these godlike abilities from Vlamer Kreuk. However, at one time, he witnessed Koroan Chast move an entire building that easily weighed up to ten tons. So why would any Gnol question the capabilities of Koroan’s right hand Gnol?
Sage jerked to attention when he felt the elevator arrive at its destination. He felt nauseous now, and his mind searched for the words that he had rehearsed previously. With the chest clutched in his hands, he stepped into the foyer of the Gnol military operations. A few Gnol military personnel stood at attention and saluted. The colonel gave a half-hearted nod, acknowledging their presence, and made his way toward Vlamer Kreuk’s office, located at the other end of the foyer. When he reached the office door, one of the two guards guarding the entrance spoke into his collar. “Lord Kreuk … Colonel Merrok is here.”
The guard waited a few seconds for Vlamer’s response through his earpiece. The guard then looked at Sage, turned around, and entered his security clearance code located on the wall beside the office door.
“You may enter, sir,” the guard said as the office door slid open.
Sage remained silent as he walked into the office. The door silently slid shut. Vlamer Kreuk hung in the air in his hover-chair with his back to Sage, peering out the large window that overlooked the city of Chast. Vlamer wasn’t dressed in his usual religious ceremonial dress. Rather, he now was adorned his casual military uniform, black fatigues with a gold beret.
Vlamer failed to recognize Sage’s presence. Sage stood in awkward silence for a few moments, waiting for Vlamer to respond. While he waited, he looked around the spacious office. It was dimly lit with a large oak desk resting about five feet from the window that overlooked the city. The flooring consisted of solid oak as well, finished to sparkling perfection. On the wall to his left hung a painting about six feet in height. It was an image of Vlamer dressed in a crimson robe with a scarlet sash wrapped around his waist. His feet were bare, standing in a lush green field, staring into the blue sky. Behind him was a giant tree with fruit hanging from its branches. The fruit was large and radiated a bright gold light.
Sage began to turn his gaze away from the painting, but instantly jerked his head back. Something caught his eye. Something that the image of Vlamer held in the crook of his arm as he stared into the sky. There, resting in the representation of Vlamer’s right arm, were three gold tablets. Sage stood in astonishment. He looked back down at the chest clutched in his arms.
“You seem surprised, Colonel?”
Sage stood at attention and looked up. Hovering only two feet and slightly above him was Vlamer with a perceptive look on his face.
“Uh … I am sorry, your Eminence, I … uh. It is just that I have seen that painting before, but have never noticed the gold plates.”
Suddenly, the chest resting in Sage’s arms levitated into the air and began to move toward the large oak desk with Vlamer following. “Very good, Colonel. You have found it.”
Again, Sage’s stomach churned. Something didn’t sit well with him. How would Vlamer Kreuk know what he had discovered? When Sage contacted Vlamer in order to visit with him about what was found, he never told him about the item. Only that he needed to show him something. Moreover, Vlamer never asked.
Vlamer turned his hover chair and faced Sage. “You look concerned, Colonel.”
Sage acknowledged his bewilderment. “My Lord, I don’t understand. How would you know what I discovered?”
Vlamer, again, gave Sage a knowing smile and looked at the painting on the wall. He maneuvered his hover chair toward the painting. “I noticed you looking at this painting when you entered my office.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“You see, Colonel, I had this portrait painted soon after a revelation that I received from our goddess mother. Our mother revealed to me that I would be the keeper of those gold plates you see depicted in the painting. One of those gold plates now rests in that chest.”
Sage’s mind was reeling. Deep in his heart, he believed that Koroan Chast was his savior and Vlamer Kreuk his oracle. But the name he saw on the painting within the temple that he was commissioned to destroy would not leave his mind.
Sage looked at Vlamer. He seemed to notice the sliver of doubt that Sage was experiencing. He then hovered toward the chest.
“Well, Colonel. Let’s see what the inscriptions on this tablet say.”
Using his telekinetic ability, Vlamer unlocked the metal chest. The item within slowly elevated out of the box to within a few inches from Vlamer’s eyes.
“Beautiful. Is it not?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Vlamer then scanned the symbols. “Ah, there it is.”
Sage stepped toward Vlamer with curiosity. “My Lord?”
“The prophecy, Colonel,” Vlamer said, looking back at him. “The prophecy that reveals who is the true savior of Gnolom and Terrest.”
“You can read those inscriptions?” Sage asked as a sick feeling began to resonate from his bosom.
Vlamer gave him a stern look. “And why would I not be able to read them, Colonel? Am I not our savior’s messenger, chosen by our goddess mother?”
“Y-yes, my Lord,” Sage replied, backing away. “But I don’t understand. What does that tablet have to do with the Gnols?”
Vlamer narrowed his eyes, recognizing his lack of faith. “Come, Colonel. Come and see the prophecy that proves Koroan Chast is your god.”
He took a few steps toward the tablet, still hovering in midair and looked at the strange inscriptions etched into the gold. “I can’t read those symbols, your Eminence.”
“No, you cannot. But I can.”
Vlamer then moved his finger under one of the symbols. “This symbol represents the name of our savior, Koroan Chast. And it states, ‘Blessed is our lord and savior, known as Chast, he who will unite two worlds and two peoples.’”
Sage froze with astonishment. He didn’t know what to say. But the name that he read in the goddess mother’s language underneath the painting in the temple kept flashing into his mind. “Yes, my Lord. But I still have one question.
”
Vlamer lowered the tablet back into the chest and then looked at Sage. “Go on, Colonel.”
“I am curious. It seems that within the walls of the temple that I have been ordered to destroy, there are numerous inscriptions and writings of a name, written in the language of our goddess mother.”
“And what name would that be?”
Sage cleared his throat. “Jehovah.”
Vlamer’s body stiffened. He hovered his chair to within inches of Sage’s face. Sage stepped back.
Vlamer spoke softly. But his tone was fierce and deadly. “What name did you say?”
“J-Jehovah, my Lord.”
Without warning, Vlamer lifted his right arm. Sage’s body flew through the air. Vlamer pinned him against the wall, next to the office entrance. Sage tried to use his own telekinetic ability to free himself from his lordship’s invisible grip. It was no use. Vlamer was too powerful.
“Do not ever say that name in my presence again. Blasphemy!”
Sage didn’t respond. He didn’t want to offend the high priest of Koroan Chast again. He felt his body release from the wall, but Vlamer still had a powerful grasp. He couldn’t move.
The doors to the entrance opened. “Guards!” Vlamer shouted.
The two guards stepped in.
Vlamer looked at Sage with mistrust. “Take Colonel Merrok to the brig.”
Sage tried to intervene. “But—”
But he couldn’t get the words out. His mouth had been forced shut with Vlamer’s powers. “Take Colonel Merrok to the brig for blasphemy. He is no longer in command of the destruction of the Terrestrian temple. I will see to it personally.”
* * * * *
Rebel Base, Terrest . . .
At two o’clock in the morning on this part of Terrest, the mess hall within the rebel base was ghostly silent. Jake sat at one of the small wooden tables, punching keystrokes into the hologram keyboard that emitted from the computer pad in front of him. The only lights to illuminate the room were the two emergency lights located at each entrance and Jake’s own computer screen. He finished typing his plans into the computer and looked up across the small eatery. Across the way, maybe twenty feet, rested the serving area, a spotless assortment of serving trays and hotplates. The silver Omutx shined, even in the dimly lit cafeteria.
Worlds Without End: Aftermath (Book 2) Page 7
