Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price
Page 40
Eventually the drummers filled the area and many believed the ceremony was about to end in the usual crescendo that such ceremonies did. Instead, the drummers quieted their beat until it could barely be heard. Then people abruptly began looking about, as they heard the sounds of distant drums. Those who stood within the valley couldn’t see what was happening, but those on the hilltop looked behind them and to the opposite hillside, where thousands of drummers from across the galaxy had come together as a second squad to participate in the ceremony. First, they repeated the percussive refrain played earlier and the sound rolled into the valley like a pulsing thunder. Then the refrain was answered by the drummers at the central platform and this dialog went back and forth, growing in intensity, as the people began to realize that what they were hearing was the representation of war and conflict. Then suddenly, both sides stopped and there was a period of absolute silence. Finally, a lone drummer at the central platform began to hit his drum hard. Slowly, more joined in, but not in a unified rhythm or beat; rather in a growing roar of chaos that grew to an unbearable tumult that had people covering their ears. Then they stopped abruptly and froze in an awesome, heart-rending silence.
Finally, every drummer broke their drumsticks and threw them to the ground, raising their arms to the sky and shouting in unison, “Hoye’ Aah!” (Forever peace).
*****
The silence was broken only by the sound of an occasional sob or sniff as the lights slowly brightened in the large auditorium. A beautiful woman dressed completely in black with long silver-white hair worn in a single braid that hung down her back rose slowly from a seat in the front row and walked onto the stage. Her grace and beauty belied her age, as it was known she was many years older than she appeared. When she reached the center of the stage, she turned to face the audience and cast her gaze admiringly across the thousands of young faces before she began to speak.
“For the past nine days you have come to this hall to hear Tibby’s story in his own words as he related it to his children many years ago. Originally, he left this history at the request of Reidecor and Luinella, but later they realized the story needed to be told to all of you, because you are as much his children as they are. This vast estate here on Earth is modeled after the one he owned on Megelleon. In his will, which he’d left with the people of Weccies, he dedicated much of his wealth to helping orphans like you across the universe. Tibby wanted this estate to be your home, a place for you to live and grow in safety, a place where you could not only be educated in the subjects that would provide you with the necessary skills to acquire jobs and support yourselves and your families later on, but also where you could learn to embrace the values and principles that instill in you a strong sense of worth and the understanding that every one of you has a right to survive and thrive and that no individual or group has the right to take these things from you.
“None of you children here today ever met or knew First Citizens Tibby, Kalana or A’Lappe, but among the Sisters here, also known as the Women with Swords, there are many who did. They will all tell you that the three of them were even greater than what you have learned from the stories of the past nine days. A’Lappe shunned fame and power and money. He found wealth in his companions and in the work he did to help Tibby protect the innocent and the weak. Likewise, Tibby and Kalana could have left everything behind that came with the reward for recovering the solbidyum. In fact, Tibby said more than once that he was happiest when he and Kalana were subsisting with the twins on Desolation, living a difficult but loving and peaceful life.
“Tibby and Kalana could have given their immense wealth only to their children, Reidecor and Lunnie, but they didn’t. Instead, their embrace of family extended much farther, including you as their children for all time, and they arranged for half of their assets to be set aside for orphans like you with the instructions that we, the Women with Swords, should become your caretakers, to see to your safety and your futures and instill in you that you are loved. So, once each year, we set aside nine days to retell Tibby’s stories and to revere his memory and the memory of Kalana, A’Lappe, Padaran, and all the heroes who gave of themselves to preserve our liberty, safety and hope for a bright future.
“When we leave this hall we will go to the Great Dining Hall, where we will enjoy a great feast and celebration in memory of Tibby, Kalana, A’Lappe and all their fallen comrades. Many of Tibby’s friends and shipmates will be in attendance. Rear Admiral Marranalis, Rebadat Tonclin and Rebadat Pheosa will be there, as will Captain Kerabac and Doctor Danjuma. As a special treat, Rory will be entertaining us with his piano music. Of course, Cantolla, Lunnie and Senator Reidecor and his bondmate, Volydalle, will also be in attendance at the head table to represent our three honored heroes. They have said that it will be alright for you to come and talk with them if you wish. Even Andy the android will be in attendance. Please do not be afraid of him, children. He doesn’t smile like most people do, but he is very friendly and he is one of my most valued companions. I would not be here today if it weren’t for Andy. He saved my life.
“Now does anyone have any questions before we head to the dining hall?”
A boy who appeared to be about fourteen stood up and asked, “Mother Jenira, did you really kill Shydak and Sisopan like Tibby said?”
“Yes, I did,” Jenira stated flatly.
“Why don’t you wear your swords anymore?” he asked. “The Sisters… uh, I mean the other Women with Swords still wear theirs.”
Jenira turned her eyes down for a moment, as though gathering her thoughts before she answered. “My swords hang on the walls of my office. If ever the need arises again, I will not hesitate to put them on. But now is not that time. It is not a good thing to always be fighting or be at war. With the death of Ming and the Brotherhood, my swords are no longer needed. As to why the Women with Swords still wear theirs and why they remain ready to fight, it is to serve as a reminder to you that freedom comes at a great price and that to preserve peace, there will always be a need for those who are prepared to defend it.
“Now, I see one of the Sisters at the back of the auditorium is signaling that it’s time for the meal to begin. So if you will kindly leave in an orderly fashion, I believe Piesew, Piebar and their team of chefs have prepared us an extraordinary meal this evening, including a special desert in memory of Piesew and Piebars cousin, Pieamar Mecarta, who died on the GLOMAR ROSA.”
Jenira watched as the children began to leave the auditorium under the direction of the Women with Swords. She was about to leave the platform when she noticed a young girl, still seated, alone and crying in one of the front auditorium rows. Jenira recognized her as one of the new arrivals who, along with several hundred other children, had been orphaned when a tidal wave swept ashore on their home world, killing thousands.
“What’s the matter, little one?” asked Jenira as she walked over to the girl and took a seat next to her.
“I’m frightened the Brotherhood will come and get me and take me away like they did you,” sobbed the young girl.
“There, there… that’s not going to happen. The Brotherhood is gone now. No one will come and take you away.”
“Mother Jenira, were you really a slave?” asked the girl.
“Yes I was, until Tibby and Marranalis came and rescued me. Back then, Marranalis wasn’t an admiral and neither was Tibby.”
“When you were a slave, was the Brotherhood mean to you?”
“Yes, they were mean.”
“Why didn’t you take your swords and kill them then?”
“Back then I didn’t know how to use swords. It took me a long time and a lot of practice to become strong enough and skilled enough to defend myself.”
“Will you teach me to defend myself with swords?”
Jenira looked at the girl and smiled. “Yes, I will teach you to be the best swordswoman in all the universe. I am getting old now and soon someone will need to take my place.”
Jenira took the young gir
l’s hand and began to lead her from the auditorium, when suddenly the young girl stopped.
“Mother Jenira, do you believe Tibby, Kalana and A’Lappe are alive in the stars?”
Jenira smiled. “I’m certain that they are. And in a few thousand years when they’re older, I’ll bet that the portion of the universe where they live now will be the most wonderful place in the universe to be alive. Now come on, before our food gets cold.”
*****
Deep in the heart and warmth of a star he awoke, as if from a long sleep, unsure of who he was or even where. He had no memory then, as he basked in the energy around him, content and at peace. Millennia went by, as he learned to manipulate the nearby energies, ever exploring and reaching out. Finally, a time came when he discovered something unique and alive, a force that felt familiar and comfortable. Soon after, he found something similar – again, alive and familiar, but distinct from the first force he discovered. For a time, he investigated both these energies and could sense that they were investigating him, but he was always drawn to one more than the other for reasons he could not understand.
As he probed deeper, he began to realize that the more familiar of the two forces had once shared some intimate part of his existence. Over time, familiarity grew into recognition, and recognition gave way to memory, until finally he asked,
“Kala, is that you?”
THE END
OF
THE SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA
Books by Dale C. Musser
THE SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA
Book 1 – BATTLE OF THE NEW ORLEANS
Book 2 – SWEET HOME ALLE BAMMA
Book 3 – THE PIRATES OF GOO’ WADDLE CANALS
Book 4 – TOO LATE FOR EARTH
Book 5 – DESOLATION
Book.6 – DEFEAT OF THE TOTTALAX
Book 7 – HUNT FOR THE REDUVIIDS
Book 8 – NO TIME FOR GLORY
Book 9 – AT WHAT PRICE
Poetry
THE POETRY OF WINDWALKER
COMING SOON:
A new saga by Dale Musser
THE HEGIRA TRILOGY
What if there were only two stars in the sky and all else was blackness and the world you lived on orbited both those stars and was the only world that existed? What if the conditions created by your world’s orbit around these two suns created such an extreme environment that any people living there would need to be in a constant state of migration to survive? What kind of culture and civilization could exist and what would their lives be like?
This is the world where Mecot finds himself after being exiled to the farthest reaches of the universe – Mecot, who was once the number one centurion and most trusted guard of the Master Programmer, the cloned puppet leader of a cluster of civilized worlds in the Milky Way Galaxy. This group of worlds functions under the supervision of the Prime Controller, a computer system set up by the original Master Programmer eons earlier, a system which maintains society according to strictly enforced statutes and punishments that are based solely on the letter of the law without consideration to intent, interpretation or circumstances.
Mecot is found guilty of breaking one of these laws, when he needs to violate it in order to save the Master Programmer’s life. As punishment, he is sentenced to permanent exile and is sent into the deepest voids of space, where he eventually finds this mysterious world orbiting this solitary pair of stars. Strange events ensue that cause him to become trapped on the unforgiving planet, where he must fight for survival and find his place among a strange group of nomadic peoples.
But all is not that simple, as the Prime Controller has sent along a clone of itself with Mecot, and though it continues to be restricted by the programming of the original Master Programmer, it has, over time, evolved into a sentient being with desires and ideas of its own, ideas which involve not only Mecot but the inhabitants of this new world, as well.
Coming soon:
THE HEGIRA TRILOGY
BOOK 1
THE CENTURION
About the Author
Dale Musser was born in 1944 in a small rural community of Pennsylvania. From 1967 until 2012 he was employed as a structural and piping designer in the industries of marine and offshore resources, cogeneration power. His work at three shipyards and assignments with several engineering and naval architectural firms during his careers in Virginia, Texas, and Maine, took him to such places as London, U.K., Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., Scotland and Mexico. During this time, he was responsible for the design of reactor compartments for nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy and the structural designs of numerous offshore semi-submersible oil rigs, tanker ships, supply boats, and other vessels and equipment used in the offshore industry. After the death of his wife in 1999, Mr. Musser changed careers and went to work in Arizona and Utah in the hard rock mining industry. He retired in Fall of 2012 and currently resides in Mesa, Arizona.
Dale enjoys rock hunting and lapidary work, gourmet cooking, writing, poetry, art, music, religions and philosophy in small doses, astronomy and the sciences in general, hiking, camping, the outdoors and the gifts that nature provides. Mr. Musser is a member of Mensa and remains an avid reader, having lost count of all the books he has read after 3,000.
The greatest joy in his life is his daughter, Heather. Affectionately they call each other “BUBBY.”
Contact Information:
Those wishing to write to Mr. Musser may do so at dalemusser1944@yahoo.com. Although he attempts to answer all correspondence, heavy emails may prevent him from responding to everyone.
Update information on future books can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Solbidyumwars