Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “The pillars are positioned and their sapphire tips are all configured for the project. Now, I need the control crystal to start the constructor and build the city,” Erlend said.

  “The architect is fully cooperating, Admiral. What he said is true,” Lieutenant Skender said.

  “I’ve recorded all the details into my book, Admiral,” Lieutenant Delfina said.

  “The details you can see, Lieutenant Delfina. I know that you cannot see low-level crystal structure. Whether your notes will be of any use is doubtful,” Admiral Erisinni said.

  “I am acting under General Tiglath’s orders, Admiral. He insisted that I document each step in detail. He knows my waterbinding and the limits of my abilities,” Lieutenant Delfina said.

  “If there is a flaw in this crystal work, we won’t know until it’s too late,” Admiral Erisinni said.

  “It will not be a deliberate flaw, Admiral. I have been carefully monitoring the architect’s thoughts. He is confident this design will work,” Lieutenant Skender said.

  “General Tiglath expects results. He will be the judge if you fail,” Admiral Erisinni said. He steered the Coherent through the air and back toward its earlier location. He docked the vessel onto the ground and then lowered the boarding ramp. Erisinni then led Lieutenant Skender, Lieutenant Delfina and Erlend off of the ship, onto the shore and back to General Tiglath.

  “The constructor pillars are positioned and the sapphires at their tips have been modified, General. The architect says he needs the control crystal now to build the city,” Admiral Erisinni said.

  “Lieutenant Delfina, have you documented the process?” General Tiglath asked.

  “Yes, General. All that I could see, I recorded,” Lieutenant Delfina said.

  “The architect is confident in his design, General,” Lieutenant Skender said.

  “Now it is time for the architect to give me proof,” General Tiglath said. He gestured toward his special operations troops and five (5) of them approached, carrying a box. They placed it onto the ground in front of the general and opened it, revealing two hundred sixty (260) large sapphires.

  “Take any of them, Erlend, and alter its low-level structure to become a control crystal,” General Tiglath said.

  Erlend reached into the box and took hold of a large sapphire. He drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial and was energized yet again with the power to alter crystals and stones. He then manipulated the low-level structure of this sapphire and held it up above his head, allowing it to absorb energy from the many suns.

  Lieutenant Skender probed Erlend’s mind to learn of why he was doing this, and found the answer soon enough. “All of the sapphires need to be charged with sunlight. He estimates that it will take at least thirty (30) hours the first time,” Skender said.

  “And then?” General Tiglath asked.

  “It should be much quicker on each subsequent use,” Lieutenant Skender said.

  “Very well. We can wait,” General Tiglath said.

  ~~~

  In the continent of Ihalik, in Northern District Eleven (11), Commissioner Wallace stood on a pier extending into the Kazofen Ocean and watched the arrival of a large cargo ship. The vessel was three hundred ninety (390) feet in length and had four (4) sets of double-masted pivoting sails. The boarding ramp was lowered and the crew members immediately busied themselves with unloading crates from the vessel and onto the docks.

  The chubby, broad-shouldered commissioner was surrounded by twenty (20) armed guards, sixteen (16) of whom carried long swords and four (4) of whom carried crossbows.

  The sixty-four (64) year old commissioner drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to manipulate crystals and stones. He personally audited some of the crates as he walked by, opening their lids and inspecting the quality of the gemstones within. When he peered into their low-level structures, he was immediately upset. Out of six hundred twenty-one (621) crates, he audited eleven (11) and found them all to contain at least a few defective crystals, which was intolerable.

  Commissioner Wallace turned to his guards and said: “This is an outrage! Be ready! This situation could become dangerous very quickly!”

  The sixteen (16) swordfighters accompanying the commissioner each drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from their vials to be energized with the powers of strength and speed. The four (4) crossbow archers each drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from their vials to be energized with powers of light, which gave them far sight and good aim.

  The twenty (20) armed guards surrounded Commissioner Wallace as he marched up the boarding ramp and said: “Captain! Captain! Where is the Captain? I demand to speak to the captain of this vessel immediately!”

  A gruff woman in her late forties approached him and said: “I’m Captain Roz. What’s all the shouting about? What’s your problem? Once this galleon is unloaded, I have to get out of here and pick up my next shipment.”

  “Who certified these diamonds and other gemstones? They are not within the specifications in the supply contract! They are least thirty (30) percent – some even forty (40) percent – below the required level of quality! This is completely unacceptable!” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “The central bank certified them. That’s all I know. I deliver them as I receive them. I don’t answer to you. Who are you, anyway?” Captain Roz said.

  “I’m Commissioner Wallace, of Northern District Eleven (11). I am responsible for regulating imports and exports in these shipping lanes. When the quality of the precious gems or building stones is even slightly below standards – or in quantities less than contractually specified – I have something to say about it,” Wallace said.

  “I don’t have a contract with you, Commissioner. I work for the central bank, and they have a contract with the Imperial Financial Council in Ihalik. If you have a problem, take it up with them,” Captain Roz said.

  “In all matters of shipping to and from all ports in this district, I have complete authority to ensure that business dealings are according to the laws and contracts in place. I routinely audit the shipping containers myself so I know what’s going on. I don’t just depend on my subordinate officers. My own eyes see what’s happening, and I don’t like any of it. So I’m going to take action, and use my authority, right now. I order this vessel to be impounded and I am placing you under arrest for attempting to defraud this port authority,” Wallace said.

  “Listen to me, you pompous old fool! You have no authority to arrest me!” Captain Roz said.

  Two (2) of the armed guards took hold of Captain Roz and placed her hands behind her back.

  “Oh yes I do, Captain,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  Commissioner Wallace then turned to his guards and said: “Bring her with us. We’re going to my ship, and then we’re traveling to Havinalka City, to the Bureau of Imperial Trade, Finance and Construction. We’re going to get this straightened out soon enough. I plan to receive the proper shipment of acceptable quality gemstones. We’ll even collect interest and penalties for this infraction. You’ll see.” He then led his twenty (20) armed guards – with Captain Roz in captivity – off of the vessel and into the port town. From there, they boarded an airship in Wallace’s authority.

  The captain of that airship – a woman in her sixties – pulled levers to pivot the masts and sails and elevate the vessel to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude. She steered the ship above the port town and then brought it down to water level in a river five (5) miles away. From that point, she sailed south toward Havinalka City in the center of the continent of Ihalik.

  ~~~

  Under the supervision of General Tiglath, Admiral Erisinni, Lieutenant Delfina and Lieutenant Skender, the special operations forces assisted Erlend with holding the control sapphire up to the sunlight and charging it.

  After a day had passed, Erlend examined the low-level structure of the control sapphire and said: “It’s re
ady.”

  Lieutenant Skender drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial and was energized again with the powers of telepathy and empathy. He probed Erlend’s mind to be certain the man was not trying to defraud them in some way, or to sabotage the process with a false report that would lead to failure. Skender found that the architect was giving an honest report, however. Whether it was correct was another matter, but he could not judge that.

  “Watch closely, Lieutenant Delfina,” General Tiglath ordered.

  Lieutenant Delfina drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to slow time so that she could perceive fast moving events and notice all of their details. As always, she dedicated a portion of the power to slowing her own aging process and extending her life. She exerted the remainder to focus her attention on the constructor pillars and on Erlend.

  Erlend drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to manipulate crystals and stones. He made the necessary alterations to the low-level structure of the control sapphire to release the control signal and a blue beam of light emanated from it toward the sapphires at the tips of the thirty-four (34) constructor pillars. Those thirty-four (34) sapphires lit up and then each of them emanated a beam of blue light toward the others, forming all five hundred twenty-seven (527) geometric diagonals. The beams began to rotate and then the mists of the Zovvin Ocean were drawn up into the air and began swirling around. The mists took the form of the city as previously specified, having hundreds of buildings, extending two (2) miles from east to west and one (1) mile northward inland, and (1) mile southward, into the Zovvin Ocean. The structures in the city all glimmered light blue, and the entire process required only seven (7) minutes.

  Lieutenant Delfina captured the details of the constructed city as it was being formed and carefully sketched these into her book.

  “Impressive. Now, Admiral Erisinni will verify the city’s suitability for use. Lieutenant Delfina will accompany you. Erlend and Lieutenant Skender will go, as well, to check for errors. First, however, return the control crystal to me, for my safekeeping and examination,” General Tiglath said.

  Erlend handed the control sapphire back to General Tiglath, who studied it with his unassisted vision to learn as much as he could, despite not being able to examine the low-level structure.

  Admiral Erisinni, Lieutenant Delfina, Lieutenant Skender and Erlend entered the newly constructed city and began to examine it closely.

  ~~~

  Commissioner Hannah disembarked from her riverboat after it dropped anchor at the western port in Havinalka City. She stepped onto the shore and approached the imposing building that served as the headquarters of the Bureau of Imperial Trade, Finance and Construction. The beige granite structure had the shape of a pyramidal frustum and stood two hundred fifty (250) feet in height and measured fifteen hundred (1500) feet on each side of its square base, tapering to seven hundred fifty (750) feet wide at the top. Numerous diamond windows – rhombus shapes eight (8) feet on a side – dotted its exterior. Light passed into the diamond windows, but not out, so they did not reveal the building’s interior to anyone standing outside.

  Hannah approached the building and the front gateway slid to the side to admit her into a waiting area. The room was vast – eight hundred (800) feet on each side, twenty-two (22) feet from floor to ceiling – and filled with thousands of desks and busy clerks. Many thousands of visitors – merchants, bankers, labor union bosses, guild leaders, cargo captains, farmers, doctors, architects, navigators and members of other professions less than honorable – were lined up near those desks, lobbying for political influence and trading contracts. She only came here when there was no other way to get things done, because the politics and bureaucracy disgusted her. This was where government operated, regardless of who was in charge. Whoever occupied the thrones of the various palaces – whether it was the senile Emperor Brennius, the scheming former advisor Lycaon, or the belligerent warlord Lavakara – Ihalik was truly governed here. Hannah despised everything about Havinalka City, but most especially this building and the corruption within. It was all the little things, thousands of times over, that troubled her. She could hear it in the chatter: some farmers from southern district five (5) wanted a decrease on the tax on rice but wanted inter-district tariffs on rice, corn and potatoes to be increased; ruby miners in northern districts seven (7), nine (9) and ten (10) wanted working hour restrictions and more stringent licensing requirements for new employees; and there were other complaints and demands she didn’t want to think about.

  Commissioner Hannah put business first and regarded family as something to never again consider. Her husband – a fairly wealthy diamond dealer – had cheated on her just two (2) years into their marriage with an exceptionally beautiful Trerada water drinking woman from Eastern District Three (3). The little homewrecker was unmatched in her looks – owing to that same water – but was also unfaithful in her own right. The affair didn’t last because the scheming beauty just wanted his money. When his business failed, she left him for another fool. Hannah never pitied the cheater, but she did occasionally listen for word of him. Eastern District Three (3) was filled with women like that, and she despised every single one of them without knowing them. Hannah wasn’t an ugly woman by any means, but she could not possibly hope to compete with a Trerada water drinker on looks: it was an unwinnable competition.

  Hannah wasn’t here to bemoan her failed marriage, however. She wanted an audience with someone powerful – someone who could help her deal with the incompetence of the construction project manager in her district.

  ~~~

  The riverboat transporting Commissioner Wallace, his twenty (20) armed guards and his prisoner, Captain Roz, arrived in the northern port of Havinalka City and dropped anchor. The commissioner and his entourage disembarked from the vessel and walked into town. They approached the headquarters of the Bureau of Imperial Trade, Finance and Construction and were admitted through its sliding front gateway.

  Commissioner Wallace was eager to gain the attention of someone powerful, but became quickly frustrated at the sight of the political lobbyists standing around the desks of the clerks. He pushed his way through the crowd saying: “By my authority as commissioner of northern district eleven (11), I demand to speak to the senators immediately! I have an urgent matter to report – a breach of contract by the central bank! It is financial fraud at the highest levels! I cannot wait behind these conniving political lobbyists with all their petty concerns. This is an emergency!”

  One of the clerks – a handsome man in his thirties – sat at a desk that was surrounded by a dozen people chattering about their own financial and political demands. The clerk looked up at the screaming commissioner and asked: “I’m sorry, sir. Who are you?”

  “I am Commissioner Wallace, of Northern District Eleven (11). I am here to report a breach of contract by the central bank. Financial fraud has been committed. In fact, I had to place a central bank employee under arrest. Do you understand me? I have arrested an agent of the central bank! I demand to speak to the senators immediately about this urgent matter!”

  “Yes, Commissioner, I will deliver this message to the senators at once,” the clerk said. He stood up from his desk and walked across the room to the eastern wall. There, he unlocked and opened a door, went in and closed and locked it behind him. Several minutes later, the clerk returned to his desk and said: “Commissioner Wallace, the senators would like to speak with you.”

  ~~~

  Commissioner Hannah watched and listened as the portly Commissioner Wallace screamed and yelled and managed to actually get the attention he craved. Whether his claims were true, exaggerated or outright lies, they worked. She marched right up to the clerk and said: “I am Commissioner Hannah from Western District Nineteen (19). I’m here to report serious fraud and malpractice in the construction industry. It’s threatening the farming and fishing in
dustries. This is a very real and urgent threat to our food supply. I need to speak with the senators immediately!”

  Commissioner Wallace looked at her and said: “I had to make an arrest! That’s how serious this matter is. The senators will be seeing me first. Then, if they have time, they will see you and hear your claims.”

  “I have just as much authority as you, Commissioner Wallace. There’s no need to be condescending,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “That’s not condescending at all, Commissioner Hannah. My matters are simply more urgent,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “I will escort you both to see the senators. They can sort this matter out and decide on priorities,” the clerk said.

  Commissioner Wallace turned to his armed guards and said: “You wait here with her – with that thief from the central bank that we had to arrest. I will be speaking to the senators.”

  Commissioner Hannah looked to see that the arrest was real. Whether it was legitimate or not was another matter. Apparently, this man meant business.

  ~~~

  The young clerk escorted both commissioners to the eastern wall of the room. There, he unlocked and opened a door, guided them through and then closed and locked it behind them. “The senators are waiting upstairs,” he said.

  The young clerk led Commissioners Hannah and Wallace up ten (10) flights of stairs, which left them both winded. After they rested in the lobby on that floor, the clerk unlocked and opened an office door – which had a rhombus-shaped window similar to those on the building’s exterior – and escorted the commissioners through.

  “I am Senator Paion,” a well-dressed man in his sixties said as they entered. His gold and lavender colored tunic was covered in gemstones of every known variety.

  “I am Senator Nova,” a well-dressed older woman in her sixties said. She was likewise attired.

  “Thank you for seeing me, Senator Paion and Senator Nova. I am Commissioner Wallace from Northern District Eleven (11). I am here to report financial fraud – fraud, nothing less – committed by the central bank. They delivered a shipment of precious gems with quality thirty (30) percent less than contractually mandated. That is no error, Senators. That is fraud. I had to arrest the cargo captain for this, and impound the vessel,” Wallace said.