by A. D. Nance
BEYOR TOWERS
My Stars and Other Highlights - Part 4
Copyright 2014 A. D. Nance
all rights reserved
CONTENTS
6: Beyor Towers
(Next: Unification)
BEYOR TOWERS
Stardate 7509.30
The next solar year after the SSDome event of 7307, Eldon was accepted for the SSD Academy. He was sent to Norrinyorii planet. The academy covered a large part of Beyori-del Province and was a model for the rest of the planet. The Singsords had long provided model provinces or cities for other worlds. Their organization and quality of work was outstanding due to special wisdom given them by the SS Domain. Their models were imitated by most civilizations whether they acknowledged the source or not. On the high mountain edge of the province was majestic and ancient Beyor Towers. This was a mountain stronghold built into the rock of the mountains during the time of the Broonors to defend their new colony. The SSD Academy had now acquired the rights to this long abandoned mountain fortress. They would now restore it to a livable and functional condition.
To Eldon it was like a dream to be there. He had heard stories about this place which were every bit as epic and grand as the place still looked. At the highest peaks of this range is where Beyor Towers stood. For centuries it was the rock of civilization here in this region of the planet’s surface. With 3 tall spire watchtowers at the highest points, this landmark could be seen for hundreds of kilometers. Casting their shadows across the landscape, it was a constant steady timekeeper. Many locals trusted in the timeless watch of the ‘Towers of Time’. Several smaller more rectangular shaped towers stood below the 3 tall ones. These lower ones were visible only on one side of the mountains. All of them rose from the rock of the mountains as if a natural and inseparable outgrowth. Lookout holes could be seen in several places on the side of the mountain with the tallest towers. So it was now known that the interior had rooms and many tunnels. This in no way weakened the mountain because of the way it was constructed. Beyor Towers had survived wars, meteor showers, and numerous flying objects impacting it in the past. It was hard to imagine a stronger more lasting structure.
Eldon particularly liked the story in the history of the Singsords on this planet, of Tazekon Samuel. He sought refuge in the towers after he crash landed right where the academy now stands. It was not there then in the middle time of the Broonors. That area was farmland. T-Sam as he was called, was being pursued by scorchers of EeNor. They scorched or drained dry all the energy from his single person craft. They emerged from the EeNor sun on rare occasions when the sun was more active. Some claimed that the scorchers were an intelligent life form because of their deliberate moves on life near the sun. However, it has never been proven that such life forms could live inside or on the surface of a sun or star. Further background to the story is that EeNor is the companion star to Sec Nori, the smaller of a double star system called the ENorS. The planet Norrinyorii where T-Sam landed, takes a full 125 earth years to make one orbit around the double star. The orbit is elliptical, coming closer to the large sun and stretching far out around the smaller sun. The planet accelerates near the larger one and comes around that end of the double star in 25 to 30 earth years. Then on the other end of the orbit it slows and takes nearly 100 earth years to make it around the smaller one and back to the larger. The part of the orbit near EeNor is the warm agricultural time. Then the other 4/5 of the orbit is moderate to extreme cold compared to the warm time. There are always two suns in the sky except for a 10 year period in the warm time.
It was in the middle of the warm or EeNor time that T-Sam hit the planet. The daytime temperature can get quite high in the middle of warm time. T-Sam could see no shelter around. All he saw was the towers in the distance. He made it to the base of the Beyor Towers mountain and passed out from heat exhaustion. Two residents of the mountain brought him inside and helped him to recover. While he resided in the mountain, T-Sam learned about the Broonors and their enemies from the lords of Beyor Towers. They told him the towers had been in existence nearly 4 times or orbits around ENorS. T-Sam obtained citizenship in Beyori-del Province and made it his home. During the rest of his life there he learned their farming methods and taught the locals about SSD. In time he was given a position in the Beyor Towers as a counselor and advisor. One of his achievements was the HiLight of Beyor. Special lenses at the top of the tall towers that focused sunrays where needed for heat, light and protection at times. These were also later adapted for communications for the entire planet. Another significant achievement was the making of peace with Feldor A Faction on the other side of the mountain range. T-Sam was the mediator of that long-hoped-for accord. In his later life as the planet approached the end of an ENorS year, he taught at a school where the SSD Academy now stands. One of the elders of Beyori-del and a longtime friend said of him, “He kept true to his core values. A model for us all.” His final wish was to be buried on the planet instead of his ashes being shot into space which was a popular custom at the time.
After T-Sam’s death came an intense civil war. The Broonors were finished as a power. The next ENorS revolution brought the worst sun flare disaster in the planet’s history. The majority of the population had to evacuate before the height of the warm time, or rather scorch time. A few survived underground somehow. It would be two more revolutions around ENorS before the Singsords came and built their academy. The location was chosen because of what Tazekon Samuel had done there. That is a brief history of the planet Norrinyorii and Beyor Towers from the time of T-Sam - all that Eldon knew of the place.
Now he was actually there and realizing what a grand privilege he had. The academy had been there for one revolution or ENorS around the double star before Eldon arrived. And Beyor Towers had been there for 9 ENorS, well over a thousand earth years. The towers had been uninhabited by any civilization for more than 3 ENorS. The last owners of the land were happy to have the Singsords take possession of it for the basic reason that they believed it was a haunt of weird spirits. The idea of evil spirits or demons was not widely accepted. So the terms ‘weird spirits’ or ‘uncanny phantoms’ were used for something like this. In any case it was not where the current people of the land wanted to be. It was considered too great a risk to live near Beyor Towers.
Although the residents of the academy were well aware of the fear of the people, they did not allow that to stifle or delay their project to restore Beyor Towers. The academy had been there in the shadow of the towers for an entire cycle around ENorS with no bad effects. It was now time finally to clean out the towers and restore them to some of their former glory.
After being at the academy for about 6 earth years, Eldon was assigned to restore team #3. This team would work the third watch period of night. The nights would now be cooler since the warm time had just past. The days on Norrinyorii were nearly twice as long as Earth, about 42 hours long. But Eldon had adjusted to that, due in part to the rich energy food provided there.
Work proceeded from the top down, and on the 3 tall towers first. In daylight the majority of the work was done on the outside of the towers. The dedicated work crews worked their magic as they slowly spiraled down the towers. They used the latest anti-grav lifts and D-R generators to restore the outside surface. The structural integrity was as sound as the mountain itself. After a few days the tops of all 3 of the tall towers were restored and shining brightly. The local people were amazed at the sight but still skeptical that it would all go well.
Eldon’s team would be doing most of the restoration on the inside of the towers. Their work schedule was at night to speed the process but also to show the people around there that they were not afraid of
the ‘spirits’ that reportedly come out at night. The fourth watch period, following their work period, was rest time. So they could still attend classes on a later daytime schedule. Eldon did not care when the shift was because just to be there and have a share in the work was a great thrill to him. Each night he looked up being awed and thankful as he entered the tower mountain. This event was historic for the planet. The hopes of the inhabitants centered around being put ‘on the map’ again so to speak, or getting a new lease on life. This was part of the Singsords reputation. Wherever they settled, there was renewal and progress made.
Eldon was assigned to work with Earl Flanger. Earl was taller than Eldon, crowned with dark hair combed straight back to make a high proud wave on top with long brown locks on the sides and thick eyebrows and moustache. He wore a sleeveless coat that showed off his muscular arms. His coat and pants were covered with pockets with various tools protruding out. His shoes were made from an unusual animal hyde with fringes all around the tops. His walk was with a
