by Kyle Larson
“And they are!” Eleyn snapped. “If you want to debate them on this, you should have been in the council chambers months ago. If you’re the great king and decider, then what would you have us do? I proposed strengthening our fleet and reestablishing old alliances with Mars, Neptune, and Pluto. Our alliance with Mercury is renewed, and the Jovians have also reached out to us. The Uranian Corsairs fly for Venus. Whether we like it or not, this war is beginning. Though I disagree with the timing of launching our navy, mostly because Venus has specifically asked us not to, I don’t pretend that we can hide on Earth forever. Your son, your daughter, and now your navy are all out there while you wallow in the darkness! This planet needs Erelm Sellwood, the hero of the Nine Kingdoms. That person is the only reason we are still here. Your children need him.”
“And what about the queen?”
“What about the queen?” Eleyn snapped back. “I’m tired Erelm. I’ve carried this house for the last ten years. I’ve watched the same terrible things happen that you have, but for some reason, I’m the one who has to press on. You gave up, but I didn’t even get a choice. The queen would like help, is the simple answer to your question. But, at this point, do you even remember yourself? Do you even remember the man I married? Because we are all starting to forget him? If there were ever a time, Erelm, it’s now. Your children need you, your people need you, and as much as I hate to admit it, I need you.”
“You are stronger than you know,” Erelm offered, as some sort of compliment.
“This isn’t about strength. This is about the responsibilities this family swore to the people of Earth. Protecting our children isn’t about strength, it’s about love. Try to remember love, and maybe you’ll come back to us someday. Until that day, you can keep your thoughts to yourself.”
Eleyn walked out of the projection room before Erelm could respond. In his throne room, the king turned off the comm system and turned to the Tube broadcast on his screen. The news program displayed coincidentally had a split screen image of both Aren and Kelvin, as two pundits discussed the Wanderers moves on Venus, and Earth’s recent launch of its navy. Eleyn’s words had sparked something, but as soon as he saw the faces of his children, both in grave danger, sadness came over him.
Erelm hoped one day he would find himself again. No one needed his old self-more than him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KELVIN AWOKE TO a loud knock on his door. The knock was loud enough that it didn’t need repeating. In the seconds from his head snapping up, Kelvin was positive who was on the other side of the door. Amelia would have called him on his phone. This was a knock from Teve. He’d come to recognize when he’d overslept in the three weeks he’d been on Venus, and a personal visit from Teve to wake him was usually the first sign.
“Wow, Kelvin, that’s a new record. Nine straight hours of sleep. I don’t think you’ve slept like that since I came online,” Mara said. After a few weeks of training with Teve, his body was finally starting to feel tired. Teve had warned it would happen. The abilities the Venusian gravity gave humans were extraordinary, but they were taxing on the body. Despite the ability to fly and feeling light as a feather, the gravity took its toll.
Teve had been pushing both Kelvin and Amelia hard, and they made rapid progress. Teve was actually impressed by how quickly they mastered flight. Once Kelvin learned how to position his body, all his previous training in the zero-gravity simulator of the Monarch had paid off. Amelia was even more impressive, as she’d never had any kind of zero-gravity training. Kelvin was even better than Teve had been when he’d first trained to fly, though the teacher wouldn’t admit it.
They knew the Wanderers were getting closer, but there was no word from anyone about if they’d engaged Venus. All communication had been cut off, but Teve assured Kelvin and Amelia that they would be safe, no matter if the Wanderers attacked. No invading force had ever made it into the canyons. No Archive had ever been breached. And on top of that, the gravity shield was impenetrable.
Kelvin and Amelia wanted to know more about the Gravity Warriors defenses against the Wanderers. Teve told them not to concern themselves with it and only focus on their training. Today would be the first day they trained in hand-to-hand combat.
“I’m coming,” Kelvin said, as he jumped from his bed and ran into the kitchen.
After a couple of pieces of fruit and a glass of water, Kelvin dressed in his training gear; which consisted of black canvas pants, boots, and a long-sleeved black shirt. Neither he nor Amelia expected to get the same ornamental suits of the Gravity Warriors. The elaborate gold and black designs of the Gravity Warriors clothing were distinct to each one. Teve wore the same design everyday, which displayed an emblem shaped like a star dragon of the Antioch Belt. They’d noticed it on paintings of Queen Tendai and King Etho displayed around the Archive, so they figured it was a family crest.
Amelia had a lot of questions for Teve about his family. She and Kelvin both spent their free time speculating and discussing the Dubak family. In many of the paintings, another person stood with Tendai, Etho, and Teve. The person looked like he could be Teve’s brother. He was slightly taller, but the facial resemblance was uncanny, and he also wore the same emblem. It was mysterious to them because they’d not seen this person since they’d been on Venus and in many of the more recent paintings or photos, it was just the the royal family who’d greeted them weeks ago. This person was nowhere to be seen and Kelvin hadn’t come across another member of the Dubak family when he studied Venus months earlier aboard the Monarch. Each time Amelia came close to asking him about the person, she remembered the haunted expression on Teve’s face when she’d first asked if he had any siblings. There was a story there, but Amelia didn’t know if she should ask or just hope that Teve would tell them eventually.
The door parted, where Teve and Amelia waited for him. Amelia was almost always ready before Kelvin. Kelvin could tell she was just as tired as he was, though. As they walked down the hall to the edge of the canyon, the fresh air that blasted through the corridor from outside hit them both hard and woke them up. They walked down the corridor until they came to the opening and looked out into the Archive, lit up beautifully. It was still unreal to them how many books covered the walls of the Archive and they wondered what they contained. It was a long way to the bottom of the Archive, but they could still hear the trickling of the Sanctuary Spring echo off the stone walls.
“Today, we go back to the bottom of the Archive, and that’s where we’ll remain until it’s time to return to the Royal Palace,” Teve said, as they got to the edge of a thousand-foot drop-off. Kelvin and Amelia could both tell that Teve was distracted, as his face dropped, it was as if he’d rehearsed what he was going to say and then decided to abandon it. “There’s something you both should know. The Wanderers have arrived in orbit, and word is they’ve engaged the Monarch as well, not far from here. The battle will come to Venus eventually and we will no longer be able to hide in this canyon. My people will need our help and it will be time to use what I teach you. You have excelled at flight, but today you will learn the Thalosi. It’s our way of defense, but first, you must find a staff.”
Their teacher wasn’t going to allow them to ask questions about the Wanderers. Teve had prepared them for this day. Kelvin knew that his sister may very well be in orbit above the planet, but that concern wasn’t going to matter if she attacked. All he could hope for would be a chance to talk to her again and possibly convince her to stop what she was doing. Kelvin still believed there was a possibility Aren would wake up to war not being the answer. Amelia wished the Monarch was with them, with the friends and officers she trained to fight against the Wanderers. She was just grateful that she would get the chance to stand against them again.
Whatever was about to become of the state of the Nine Kingdoms was about to begin. Teve, Amelia, and kelvin all knew that whatever happened on Venus would determine which planet joined the fight next. They would actually have a chance to captur
e a large part of the Gravity Warriors fleet.
Teve leaped off the ledge and plunged deeper into the Archive. For the past weeks, they’d been flying almost exclusively in the canyon, so it felt confined to them to potentially fly inside the Archive, even if it was still massive. Amelia and Kelvin followed Teve in the free fall toward the bottom. Their stomachs no longer turned during a free fall, which was the biggest obstacle of flying. The fall felt as comfortable to Amelia and Kelvin as walking down a sidewalk, though the feeling of flight was still amazing. Teve lead them down to the bottom, the first place they had seen when they arrived. It had only been a few weeks since they saw their shuttle, but it felt like years.
Their past looked pretty different for Kelvin and Amelia when they considered the abilities they had now. They landed gently on the ground and quickly remembered the first time they’d stumbled after flying. Kelvin laughed to himself quietly. Teve said nothing and kept walking. The chamber was brightly lit when they came in, much more than when they’d first arrived. In the center of the chamber was a rack with stone staffs. Teve picked up a staff and flipped it like a windmill in his hand. The speed of his movements were incredible.
“One of these will be your staff. These were forged by my mother and her people when they hid in this Archive from the Saturn Conquerors. It is a great honor to be given one of these. You must each choose one.”
Kelvin and Amelia walked to the rack and examined the stone staffs. They were perfectly smoothed and rounded. They were hung vertically and were almost as tall as Amelia and Kelvin, who were both the same height and considered slightly taller for their age. They reached out to pick up a staff but could barely lift them. It was the first time they’d had to use that much strength since they’d been in the Sanctuary Spring. They managed to lift them off the rack, but the staffs slammed to the ground in the grips. Both of them gasped for air due to how much strength it took.
“The staff will be heavy for you. The first part of training will just be building up your muscle to carry these. Eventually, your hold on gravity will adapt to its weight, and it will feel as light as everything else. What I want you to do today is simply pick it up and walk up the stairs. It will be hard, but it’s quite simple compared to what I’m going to require of you later. Only concern yourselves with building strength.”
“How many stairs?” Amelia said.
“To the top, of course. Take as long as you need. If you can think of a faster way, be my guest. I’ll be waiting at the top.”
“I thought you said we were doing the rest of our training down here?” Kelvin said.
Teve smiled. “Oops.”
He flew away quickly, holding his staff comfortably. Teve made everything look much easier, but he constantly reminded them it was because of years of training. The real lesson was to constantly keep in practice. He knew Kelvin and Amelia would be at a disadvantage when they left Venus. Teve wanted to make sure they knew they would have to keep practicing Thalosi, even if they didn’t have the luxury of Venusian gravity.
Teve didn’t necessarily like Kelvin and Amelia, but he had grown to respect them. They had come along in their training much better than he expected. Teve expected Amelia to do great, but he didn’t think Kelvin was cut out for it. They both still surprised him.
“He’s trying to tell us we should fly up there,” Amelia said.
“Well, good luck with that. I guess I’ll see you in a couple weeks,” Kelvin said, as he started to drag his staff and slowly lumber toward the stairway. He was grateful he remembered a flask of water, strapped to the backpack he had on. Food would be a problem though.
Amelia ignored him and slowly started to rise. She could feel the staff was locked in place with the gravity. Gravity had almost become another sense for both of them, especially Amelia. She could sense that she wasn’t yet ready to carry this heavy staff. Amelia rose a few feet and then stopped. The weight was too much. The pull was starting to hurt, so Amelia lowered herself back to the ground and followed Kelvin. It was going to be a long haul to the top of the Archive.
Aren looked out over Venus. The Empress was in the lead of the other nine ships. None of them had entered orbit yet. They didn’t want to immediately engage in hostilities. It was not expected that the Gravity Warriors would join the Wanderers, but if they did, Aren would welcome that as an even greater victory. Their forces, along with the Gravity Warriors, would easily be able to take Earth. No one thought that had any chance of happening.
The Wanderers were prepared to go to battle, but Aren decided to remain outside of firing range. She would give Queen Tendai the chance to join them. If Tendai joined her, it would be another ally for Aren against the Colonel. There is no way the Gravity Warriors would take orders from him.
“Queen Tendai is attempting a projection communication,” the communications officer said.
Aren turned and walked quickly for her office, where the proper projector and privacy was.
“Put it through to my office,” Aren said, as she walked in and the doors slid shut behind her.
Tendai appeared immediately, with King Etho by her side. They both looked at her with contempt. There was nothing friendly about them.
“Tendai and Etho Dubak, I am Aren Sellwood, of the Wanderers. We have come to request you join our cause to liberate the people of the Nine Kingdoms from the rule of kings and queens. The monarchy should be a thing of the past. The people should rule the Nine Kingdoms, not a handful of dignitaries. We offer you the chance to fight for the future of humanity with us,” Aren said, extending her hand as an offering.
Tendai looked at her hand, and then to Etho, with an amused look on her face.
“Are you done, child?” Tendai said.
“That depends on you,” Aren snapped right back. She was prepared for the hostility.
“You think of yourselves as liberators, but we know what conquerors look like. They look like your Colonel, and they look like spoiled children who betray their own people. You are lost, child. Go home to your family before it’s too late. I know your father. I know your mother. They are good people and you are turning your back on them. You have no business here on Venus,” Tendai said in a very calm voice. “You will turn your ships around now and leave our space. We want nothing to do with you. If you attack our planet, we will defend it, and we will win.”
Aren shook her head and started to bite her lip. Tendai pushed every button she had. Aren hated being talked down to and hated having people use her Earth heritage against her. She felt demeaned by Tendai’s words, but that just meant each one of them worked on her.
“Just remember, queen, that when this starts, you have the power to end it. Your husband too, if you let him do anything,” Aren said.
Etho just laughed at the petty insult.
“All you have to do is surrender and join us, and it will all stop. We will try to show mercy on your people, but people may get hurt.” Aren waiter for Tendai to respond, but it felt more and more like she was speaking only to herself.
“Yes, they will. I cannot guarantee we will do the same in regards to your suggestion of mercy. When a Gravity Warrior defends their family, it is not done lightly. If you start this, we will finish it, child,” Tendai said.
Tendai vanished. She had no time to waste talking with Aren. Aren felt the same way. It was a futile conversation and Aren wondered why she’d bothered. She walked to her comm and patched into the piloting station.
“Put us into a high-battle orbit of Venus. Try to stay just outside their gravity well. As soon as we’re in firing range, all electro cannons can fire. Target their crops, just outside of Judur,” Aren said. Judur was the capitol city and largest city on Venus. It was surrounded by sprawling farmland, growing endless fields of vegetables and grains. The crops were Venusians primary food supply. Any scorching from electro-blasts would have a big impact on the planet’s population.
“Yes, ma’am,” the officer said. “Transmitting flight plan to the rest of the fl
eet.”
Aren stepped out of her office and moved back into her position at the largest window on the bridge. Venus got bigger and bigger, and soon, electro blasts hurtled toward the planet. They splashed along the surface of the gravity field and lit up the darkness of space. The gravity field that protected Venus was the planet’s only defense, but it was impenetrable. It was established after the Gravity Warriors vanquished the Saturn Conquerors.
The fleet stopped just short of the planet and continued to pummel it with electro blasts. The gravity shield was just as strong as Aren predicted. She thought Queen Tendai was probably laughing at her –– and Aren didn’t blame her. The electro-blasts, in short bursts, were not nearly powerful enough to disrupt the gravity field around the planet. They would have to be hundreds of times more powerful to have any effect. That was why Aren was willing to sit in orbit of Venus until Corporal Woad finished construction of a weapon that would do exactly that.
The super-cannon would concentrate all the power of one-hundred electro-blasts and bring down the gravity field –– or at least temporarily disable it. As long as it got Aren’s fleet enough time to get into the atmosphere of Venus. Aren was ready for a fight, and now it was time to prepare.
Then she remembered it wasn’t just the Gravity Warriors that would be waiting for her. Kelvin would be down there. She still intended to bring him over to the Wanderers. Kelvin had become an inspiration to many people around the Nine Kingdoms. He didn’t know it, but Kelvin already had political clout. If Kelvin joined the Wanderers, many people would follow him. Earth would certainly be divided by it, making it an easy victory for the Wanderers. Aren stopped her mind from getting too far ahead and decided to focus on the task at hand.
“Corporal,” Aren said, as she lifted her mobile to her head. “What’s the progress?”
