Shadow of the Blue Ring

by Jerome Kelly

  “Well, like I said, I did a bit of research,” said Julio, “I looked through Iyacs’s archives on alien species, focusing on races that marked the bodies of their victims once they had killed them. It wasn’t exactly pretty but I think I have something. May I use your terminal?”

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  James allowed Julio to log into Iyacs’s information storage from his personal console. He went through the files one by one before loading up some images.

  “Recognise these?”

  “Wow, how could I forget…” James remembered the very same markings on the face and upper body that he had seen on the Tolian officers on the derelict ship. The image on his screen showed a body marked in the very same way but from several hundred years ago.

  “Apparently there is only one race on record known to mutilate the bodies of their victims in this way, it’s these guys…” Julio switched the image to show a large, well built, pinkish-grey skinned alien race with distinctive, black forehead markings, “they’re called the Lataka. They’re a race from somewhere in the Damarran sector who caused a lot of problems for the Sikari back in the days of the Antalaea. Apparently, they were just a race of thugs and brawlers who never really had an empire, they just took technology from other races who came to their world to try to uplift them. They made a living from raiding and hijacking Sikari ships and they were notorious for the way they loved to torture and murder their victims before finally marking the bodies just like the ones we found. Eventually, the Sikari, with a bit of help from the Jaiytids, destroyed them and scattered their survivors, forcing them to flee to the far reaches of the sector where they ended up working as enforcers and mercenaries for the less savoury races in the galactic community.”

  “I guess it kind of makes sense,” said James, “the Lataka and the Al’cari, two races with a grudge against the Antalaea empire. They would certainly be out for revenge against us. Iyacs, what do you make of this?”

  “Young master Castellan’s assertions are sound,” said Iyacs, “while there is no evidence to suggest that the Lataka survived the war, they always proved to be a hardy race and they showed strong survival instincts when faced with annihilation. I would not be surprised to see a few of them still around. I have no idea as to why such a proud race like the Al’cari would work with them though. I can only imagine they are bitter and vengeful survivors united by a passion and a desire to avenge their people.”

  “Good work, Julio,” said James, “this will save us any unwanted surprises if we should run into these guys.”

  “It was nothing, just happy to help.”

  “So anyway, we haven’t really had much of a chance to talk since we’ve been out here,” said James.

  “Yeah, I guess the mission has kept us fairly busy,” Julio agreed, “but it would have been nice to find a moment to chat. I’ve heard so much about you from Karlo but I’d like to know the man behind the stories really.”

  “I doubt there is much more I could tell you that you haven’t heard a hundred times,” said James, “I think the story of the revolution will be told for decades to come, it’s up there in the great adventures of our time. I’m just the guy who found himself leading things and you know what? Half the time I had no idea what I was even doing.”

  “I guess I can understand the feeling,” said Julio, “life at the academy is not quite the same as being out there and doing it for real, you know?”

  “All too well,” said James, “so how are you finding your first mission then? Is it everything you expected it would be?”

  “Well, did I think my first mission would involve heading for an uncharted region of space, facing down an unknown enemy, digging up an ancient weapon of mass destruction and rediscovering the lost homeworld of our ancestral race? No, it’s not exactly what I expected. I was betting on getting a routine patrol or maybe an exploration mission to a recently discovered system. I’m glad I joined up though, even if I didn’t quite know what we were in for back then.”

  “Well you’ve handled yourself pretty well,” said James, “you’re no worse than I was at your age and you showed some pretty good intuition just then. There is definitely some great potential in you, that is for sure.”

  “Thanks,” Julio said awkwardly, looking as if there was something on his mind that was bothering him, “but I still think I have a long way to go. My father was a great man, very highly regarded back home and there is a lot of pressure on me as his son. I just wish he was here now… to see me as a part of the alliance’s best crew, fighting to save the alliance from it’s greatest ever threat. It’s not easy to live so much of your life without a father figure, you know what I mean?”

  “I know that feeling,” said James, “I was a similar age to you when my dad was killed. He died in the battle of Tanchanis, fighting with the rest of the alliance in a last stand against the Vulian fleet.”

  “Something we have in common I guess,” said Julio, “I do miss him though, I was only fourteen when he was taken from us and sent into exile on the useless rock, Dakora. I guess having Karlo, one of my dad’s closest friends, around has made it a little easier, he’s been the father figure in my life ever since he came back from your revolution. It’s still been hard though.”

  “Even though we both lost an important figure in our lives, at least we still have people who are there for us,” said James, “we both have families who care about us and that is all that should matter.”

  “Yeah, I guess your right,” said Julio, “and on that note, is it true that Isha is expecting a baby?”

  “It is indeed,” James said proudly, “in about seven months time we’ll be having a little boy or girl. It’s certainly going to make things interesting around here. We’ll have to make a few changes around the place but it’s going to be an exciting time for both of us.”

  “Well I wish you all the best of luck with that,” said Julio, “and I guess I should probably get back to the others, we’re only a few hours away now so we’ll need to have everything ready for when we arrive.”

  “Yeah, you go ahead,” said James, “oh and, Julio… I’m sure your father would be very pleased with how well you’ve taken to the mission, you’re doing a great job,” he added as Julio got up and headed for the door.

  “Thanks,” was all he could reply before he left James’s quarters behind. James wasn’t sure if Julio didn’t feel slightly intimidated being in his presence. The younger generations among the alliance races would have all grown up hearing about his famed revolution and he would almost be like a hero to many of them. James’s history with Julio’s father would only have made this worse. Regardless, he had proven himself to be a valuable member of the crew so far and he would have plenty more chances to prove himself further before it was all over.

  * * * * *

  Four days and nine hours it had taken to reach this point but finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Evening Star dropped from warp into the long forgotten Taitian system. There it was, right before their eyes… the ancestral world of every race in the Freedom alliance, the birthplace of the Jaiytids and the capital of the galaxy-spanning Antalaea empire… Alatennia. No longer a bustling capital world, it now stood silent, deserted and overgrown by nature.

  “Now this is something I never thought I would see,” Ansare said as he gazed out over the legendary world before them, “to think this is where galactic civilisation began eleven thousand years ago. We’ve come right back to where it all started.”

  “We’re the first alliance crew ever to see this place with our own eyes,” said James, “I only wish our reasons for having to come here had been better though. Iyacs, can you narrow down any possible locations that the Shadow Bringer might be hidden?”

  “I will attempt to do so now,” said Iyacs, “if a power source on backwater planets such as Raylia and Sharstrom could sustain power for five centuries, it is safe to s
ay that a power source on the Jaiytid homeworld would be able to last just as long, if not longer.”

  “Lets just hope,” said James, “Ivanov, any sign of any other ships in the system?”

  “Not that I can tell,” he replied, “long range sensors are not picking up any ships in the region. As far as I can tell, we’re alone out here.”

  “I would still advise caution though,” said Saavoy, “remember, the Al’cari were able to use the interference from a planet’s moon to hide their signatures from us and the rest of the alliance fleet. Who’s to say there isn’t one lying in wait for us now?”

  “If they show up, we’ll be ready for them,” said James, “there is no way they would have known to come here, not unless they’re actively tracking us, in which case, we would still have at least six or seven hours before they arrive.”

  “That’s not exactly time enough to search an entire planet,” said Ansare, “we need to find this thing quickly and get back to Tolis as soon as we possibly can. We have no idea how the Al’cari have decided to respond to our attack. If they retaliate, the casualties could be catastrophic.”

  “We just have to hope that we can get this done before they make a move,” said James, “Iyacs, any luck tracing the Shadow Bringer?”

  “Two possible locations,” said Iyacs, “the northern city of Anterrian, or the equatorial city of Cantorran. I have detected faint power signals in both cities similar to the one used in the facility on Raylia where I was housed.”

  “Any way to choose between them?”

  “In the days of the Jaiytid empire, Anterrian was a large industrial city, home to many factories and weapons developers. By my calculations it is by far the more likely destination of the Shadow Bringer. I recommend you begin your search there.”

  “Then lets suit up guys, we’re going on an expedition,” James said to his command crew, “I want everyone in on this, Lucy, Connolly, and executor Kyrakian, you’re all in too. Lets get to the flyer and lets find that weapon.”

  After loading up all of their gear onto the Mantis flyer, they were finally ready to begin the search for the final piece of the ancient Jaiytid weapon. Once all three missing pieces were in their possession it was all down to whether or not they could recover the final piece that was being held by the Al’cari. One way or another, it was going to require one side or the other completing the weapon and using it against the other. The only way this would end was if the Shadow Bringer was to be detonated in one place or another.

  With everyone aboard the flyer, Daniels opened the bay doors for them, allowing Melina to fly them out and make for the surface with all possible haste. From orbit, James could see many large craters and blackened areas of earth where the planet would likely have suffered severe orbital bombardment by the Xerions during the war. Most of the rest of the surface looked to have been swallowed up by nature, the faint hints of silver and grey that would have been the planet’s cities just specks in an ocean of green.

  The ruined city of Anterrian came into view. What looked to have once been a majestic city was now ruined and devastated with burned out and crumbling buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, overgrown by a massive jungle on top of it. The noise of the flyer passing overhead scared several flocks of birds from the top of the trees below them but as far as they could tell, that was the extent of the native life around them. The city looked, for all instances, totally deserted.

  “All these trees will make landing difficult,” said Melina, “I don’t seen any suitable landing spots anywhere around here.”

  “Just try and find a space somewhere on the ground that we can squeeze into,” said James, “look, there’s a clearing over to our right, think you can put us down there?”

  “It’ll be tight,” said Melina, “you might need to give this thing a new coat of paint afterwards.”

  “We’ll be fine, just put us down in there, a few tree branches are hardly going to kill us.”

  Melina moved the flyer over the small clearing and began to descend. It was tight fit but they were on the ground, knocking a few branches out of the way as they landed. Gathering up all their equipment, the team disembarked down the flyer’s loading ramp and stepped out onto the surface of Alatennia, the first to set foot there in five hundred years. There was no time to enjoy the moment or admire the scenery though, they were in a hurry to get this done.

  “I’ve calibrated our scanning equipment to look for signals matching those from the facilities on Sharstrom and Raylia,” said Kalmar, “if it is here we should know when we’re within a mile or two. If it isn’t…”

  “Then you brought us all the way out here for nothing,” said Kyrakian, “I hope your instincts on this are correct. If the Shadow Bringer is not here…”

  “Jaiden knows what she’s doing, I trust her judgement,” James assured him, “her conclusions make sense, the Shadow Bringer is here, somewhere, we just have to find it.”

  Kyrakian was probably not used to being ‘one of the team’ given his usual role as a Vulian executor but he seemed prepared to go along with James’s plan. However, as one of the most important members of the Vulian fleet, being reduced to taking orders from a Human captain was hardly going to be his idea of fun.

  “all right then guys, lets fan out,” said James, “we’ll split into two groups. Isha, Kaydenne, Lucy, Kalmar and executor Kyrakian with me, the rest of you follow Kaldun and head in the opposite direction. Keep in radio contact at all times and let us know immediately if you find something or if there is any sign of trouble.”

  “Will do,” said Ansare, “we’ll find this thing, don’t you worry.”

  With the team divided up, James lead his group away from the flyer and into the ruined, jungle covered city. The air around them was very fresh and cool, the surroundings quiet and serene, save for the odd animal noise in the distance. One or two of the roads throughout the old city were still somewhat intact, giving them a few direct routes through the ruins without needing to climb over too much of the overgrowth. Throughout the jungle and the ruined buildings, there were also some old and broken Jaiytid war machines caught up in the growth. The remnants of a battle long in the past.

  “What do you reckon this city was like in it’s prime?” Lucy asked as the group made it’s way down the remains of what looked like one of the city’s main highways.

  “It must have been pretty impressive,” said James, “it would have been one of the major cities on the homeworld of the most widespread race in galactic history. No war, no disease, no famine, all kinds of new technologies every few months. Before the war, this would have been one of the finest places to live in the galaxy if you ask me.”

  “There is probably still a lot of old tech buried under the surface,” said Kalmar, “if we had more time, I’m sure we could unearth all kinds of things, new weapons, new medical technology, better and cleaner energy sources. This planet probably holds many more secrets than just the one we’re here to find.”

  “I imagine my people will definitely come back here once the Al’cari situation has been sorted,” said James, “they’ll take pretty much anything that they can to try and advance us alongside the rest of the major powers in the galaxy.”

  “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised to see future generations come back to live here one day,” said Isha, “if we have one alliance race each take a major city and rebuild it. It could be the new capital of the alliance, you could have people from every race in the alliance living here side by side.”

  “Maybe one day,” said James, “it would certainly be something the alliance should consider when all of this is resolved. Imagine… Alatennia rebuilt and all the scattered descendants of the Jaiytids returning here to live as one people again. I think it should be someone other than me who proposes the idea to the council though, Artennes wont have too much time for me once we get back.”

  It would be
quite something if they were to one day restore it to it’s former glory. It was an achievable goal too, the planet had everything needed to support a space-faring civilisation, it just needed an alliance-wide effort to restore the ruins to a habitable and majestic world. That day was still a long way off though as there was still work to finish from the Vulian occupation and there would be even more rebuilding needed after the fight against the Al’cari was over.

  “Sensors are showing something up ahead,” Kalmar quickly broke the silence, “I’m getting unusual life signs, unknown sentient beings.”

  “Could it be Al’cari?”

  “No, it doesn’t match their bio-signatures,” said Kalmar, “it doesn’t match up to any of your alliance races either, it’s something new entirely.”

  “I guess Julio was right,” said James, “we need to get a closer look, lets find some high ground and see what’s out there?”

  It appeared that James and his crew were not the first to arrive, someone had beaten them to it and James suspected that he knew who it was. The group made it’s way towards a collapsed building that reached just above the tree-line that was stable enough for them to climb on. Kalmar quickly took out his electronic binoculars and scanned the area.

  “I can’t see anything suspicious,” he said after a few seconds, “it could just be… wait a minute, I see them now.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Take a look for yourself,” Kalmar handed James the binoculars. A quick scan of the area confirmed his suspicions. There was a small group of very muscular sentient beings in black battle armour that had a recognisable pinkish-grey skin tone. They looked a lot more intimidating in the flesh than they had done on the screen back in his quarters.

  “It’s the Lataka,” James announced to the group, “I guess they are working with the Al’cari after all. Damn, this complicates things a bit. We have no idea how many of them could be here or how long they’ve been here.”