The Entean Saga - The Complete Saga

by C B Williams

  Aiko peered closer. “Will he awaken?”

  “Don’t know, but I’ve got a couple of months to see what I can do to prod him awake, now, don’t I?”

  “Yes, Genji, you do.” She glanced at him in amusement. “Shall I leave you to it?”

  He was already reaching for his instruments.

  He lived and marveled that he did.

  He sat weakly in a chair, wrapped in a white robe with a bowl of broth on his knees, and savored the astringent smells of medicine, the rich flavor of the broth he’d been given, the drone of the engines, and the star fields out the porthole. Savored it all because yet he lived.

  The one who woke him, Genji his name, told him he had been in a coma for nearly a year. To him, his body felt like it had been in hibernation rather than a coma. He had not been ill. Although weakened and thin, he did not feel unhealthy. The bowl warmed his hands, reminding him to eat. He lifted a shaky spoonful to his lips and sipped, feeling the warmth and salty goodness trickle down his throat and explode into hunger in his stomach. He smiled, enjoying the feeling of hunger, and took another sip. And another, until he had drained the bowl.

  “More?” Genji asked. He had been sitting quietly off to the side of the Champion, taking notes.

  Eloch nodded and handed him the empty bowl. “Please,” he said. His voice sounded rusty.

  Genji set his tablet aside and reached for the bowl. “Keep the spoon,” he said as he handed it back to Eloch. “When I return, I will bring visitors.” He paused at the doorway and then his head whipped around to look at Eloch again. “You don’t need a translator.” He sounded surprised.

  Eloch shook his head. “No, I do not.” He was equally surprised.

  What had happened to him?

  He searched his memories, cobbling together what he could remember from before his hibernation. He ate a seed, he recalled. Entean’s gift. A seed filled with knowledge. It had sprouted and grown. He remembered the pain and was grateful for the pain’s absence. It had been extreme, he recalled. It was what had sent him into the hibernation.

  And now? What of now? What had he become? And what was to become of him? Genji had told him they were near the invading planet. Entean had sent him there to champion Her, to tell them to stay away from Her. But without Entean, he was helpless and weak. Weak in limb. Weak in power.

  As if in response, deep within his lower abdomen, something fluttered, a tightening, like a fist preparing to strike a terrible blow.

  The seed making itself known.

  Eloch relaxed. Perhaps he could not wield Entean’s power, but She was still a part of him. “I can speak and understand without translation,” he reminded himself out loud. Inwardly, he reminded himself how, before becoming Entean’s Champion, he had been a proud warrior, an expert with the staff. She had purposely selected Eloch for his stature and strength.

  He knew with time he would regain that strength. He had been wounded before, this weak before. He would become strong again, with time. With time, too, he would understand everything Entean’s seed had planted within him. He’d learned and adapted before. He would learn and adapt again.

  Eloch stood shakily and crossed over to the window, touching the bulkhead to keep his balance. Transfixed, he watched the stars outside, losing himself in the wonder of traveling in a small craft through stars, planets, galaxies, and solar systems that glimmered against the black. He ached with the beauty of it.

  Perhaps this invading planet, this Spur, would not be as dreadful as he had anticipated. Perhaps the Ring Colonizers were reasonable individuals.

  Chapter 4

  Spur

  They were laughing at him. All five of the men and women on the Board of Colonizers were laughing at him. One woman in particular actually sobbed with glee.

  It was extremely irritating, but Eloch stood quietly, shoulders squared, staff in hand. With effort, he loosened his grip.

  When the laughter died down, Eloch repeated what he said. “You do not belong on Entean. You are not a part of Her. She does not want you.”

  The sobbing woman, blew her nose in a kerchief. “Is he mad?” she asked her neighbor, a grin tugging at her lips. She started to giggle again.

  Her neighbor barked out a laugh. “Not mad. Delusional perhaps?”

  “Let’s not forget who we are,” the Chairman said, with a light tap of his gavel. “We’ve had our fun. Let the man speak.”

  “I am the Champion of Entean,” Eloch began again. “Entean has sent me to tell you that you may not live upon Her, and to keep you from attempting to do so.”

  “And how do you propose to stop us?” the Chairman snickered, his eyes wandering up and down Eloch’s gaunt form. Although much stronger, Eloch still had not regained his natural weight.

  Before he could answer, Aiko, who had brought him to meet the Board, stepped forward and stood beside him.

  “I have seen this man do some amazing things,” she began. “Our weapons disintegrated in our hands. Just fell apart. He needed a translator and it appeared. He imprisoned us in a high fence that grew instantly from the earth. So we could not fly, our shuttle was encased in vines.”

  As she spoke, the Board members stopped their chuckling and leaned forward with interest.

  “You say your weapons disintegrated?” the laughing woman asked, suddenly quite serious.

  Aiko nodded. “We were helpless,” she said. “We are only here because he allowed us to return so he could come as well. Please, I think we should take this man very seriously. He’s filled with knack.”

  “Can you show us something?” the Chairman asked. “Perhaps make my gavel disintegrate?” He held it up.

  Eloch shook his head. “I cannot. I am not on Entean. I need Her power. I am Her Champion,” he explained.

  Someone started to snicker again.

  The Chairman smiled the smile of a predator. “Well, then,” he said slowly. “I think we should keep you here on Spur. Problem solved.”

  “Unacceptable! I do not belong here. Return me,” Eloch commanded, thumping his staff.

  Ignoring Eloch’s outburst, the Chairman turned to Aiko. “And how did you find planet A349?”

  Eloch groaned, and Aiko peeked worriedly at him before addressing the Chairman. “It is a remarkable place,” she answered, a small smile playing about the corners of her mouth. “Beautiful. One large landmass, laced with lakes and rivers. Life is abundant.”

  “And inhabitants?”

  Aiko glanced again at Eloch, who looked as if he was made of marble, pale and expressionless. “It’s lightly populated. We were not on planet long enough to read them,” she answered quietly. “You see, we had barely touched down when,” she tilted her head at Eloch, “he arrived.”

  “I see,” the Chairman murmured, idly toying with his gavel. “Apparently our greatest kerfuffle with regard to colonization stands before us,” he said with a snort. “I will put a vote to the Board. Do we or do we not wish to send a second scouting mission?”

  “You shall not colonize Entean!” Eloch roared. He took his staff in both hands, preparing himself.

  Aiko’s hand darted out and grasped his arm. “Psssst,” she hissed and gave his arm a little shake. “Now’s not the time. Think.”

  Eloch glanced down at her, surprised she would offer any advice. He listened though, and lowered his staff.

  “We will conduct our meeting in private,” the Chairman declared. “Leave us.”

  “But what of him?” Aiko asked. “What of the Champion?”

  The Chairman barely hesitated. “I care not. He looks too used up to be of any use to the Service. Since you brought him here, he is your responsibility. Use him as you wish, send him to Sub-City, dispatch him, whatever you wish.” He gave Aiko a dismissive wave with his gavel. “Take this bone puppet away.”

  Aiko looked up at Eloch. “Come,” she said under cover of the renewed laughter.

  Head high and back ramrod straight, Entean’s Champion exited the Boardroom of Ring Coloni
zation, determined to return.

  Back aboard her ship, Aiko held her own meeting. With the exception of Etsuo and Genji, her crew was on leave. The corridors were eerily quiet as she and Eloch made their way to the bridge. Aiko liked it that way. The empty vessel was her asylum from Spur’s endless crowds.

  Etsuo and Genji had been playing cards while they waited. When the door whooshed open, Etsuo quickly bunched the cards and his winnings together and tucked them into his tunic pocket. Both stood at attention.

  “And because we are docked and between assignments, this means you can bend my rules to please yourselves?” Aiko asked, scooping up a card that had fluttered to the bridge deck. By their expressions she knew she had made her point, so she returned the card to Etsuo.

  It disappeared into his pocket to join the others.

  “Take a seat,” Aiko said. “You, too,” she added, glancing up at Eloch.

  “What’d the Chairman say?” Etsuo asked. It was the reason he and Genji had remained behind. They had also witnessed Eloch’s powers.

  “Told us to get out while they voted on whether to send another scouting mission to A349.”

  Genji glanced at Eloch and back at Aiko. “That’s all?”

  She nodded. “That’s all. Oh, and they laughed at the Champion.”

  “You let them laugh at you?” Genji asked, eyes wide.

  Eloch shrugged. “I am not at my peak,” he said hesitantly.

  “Of course you aren’t,” Genji soothed. “You’ve only been out of your coma for six weeks. It takes time to regain your strength.”

  Etsuo glanced at Genji. “When did you decide to champion the Champion?”

  “Since Aiko made me responsible for his health and his indoctrination into Spur’s regulations,” he huffed, glancing at his commanding officer.

  “It’s fine,” she told Etsuo. “The Chairman made him my responsibility anyway.”

  “This is not what I expected to hear,” Etsuo said. He squinted at Eloch. “No vines? No food suddenly appearing? Weapons disappearing?”

  “Nothing like that,” Aiko replied. “They just laughed at him.”

  Eloch rested his staff across his lap. “It does not work that way,” he explained. “Only on Entean can I do those things.”

  “Then why did you come?” asked Etsuo.

  Eloch grinned ruefully. “I wish to Entean I had not. But She asked me to, and so I came. I did not know Her power would withdraw from me,” he added.

  Aiko studied him while they talked. “But you still have the knack. I can feel it. Powerful knack.” She shook her head. “Just as much as before. I don’t understand.”

  Eloch was silent.

  “Maybe his knack works differently here. Maybe he just hasn’t harnessed it yet,” Genji offered.

  Eloch glanced at him. “That is possible, but I don’t know where I would begin.”

  “What are you going to do with him?” Etsuo asked suddenly.

  Aiko shrugged. “Turn him loose, I suppose.”

  “You can’t do that!” Genji said. “Where would he go?”

  “Is there someplace quiet?” Eloch asked. “Someplace with trees?”

  Aiko snorted. “Why do you think the Ring wants to colonize? There’s nothing but rubble. City and Rubble Above, death and violence in Sub-City. Hasn’t Genji told you anything?”

  “I hadn’t gotten that far,” Genji mumbled in self-defense.

  “Then drop me off in the Rubble,” Eloch said.

  “And what will you do?” asked Aiko, suddenly afraid for the tall, gaunt man who was light-years away from everything he knew.

  “I will endure,” he replied.

  “I can’t in good conscience just leave you in Rubble,” Aiko said, flinging up her hands.

  “It’s my wish,” Eloch said.

  “At least let me supply you with food and water. At least allow me to look in on you from time to time, bring you more supplies,” she said.

  “And me,” said Genji, “to make sure you stay well and all.”

  “You will keep me informed of the Colonization plans?”

  “Better than that,” she replied. “If there’s another scouting mission, I’ll make sure you come with us.”

  “You can’t promise him that,” Etsuo said. “There’s no guarantee you’ll be assigned. We’ve been gone two years. We’re entitled to some R&R.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Even if there is another scouting mission, I cannot go back until I have at least tried to stop them,” Eloch said.

  “But your planet is without you, her Champion,” Aiko argued. “What of that?”

  “Entean is safe enough. I would not leave Her vulnerable,” Eloch replied.

  His look told her the discussion was over.

  Aiko sighed and smoothed her dark green uniform. “Okay, then. Tomorrow morning Genji and I will take you to Rubble. We will leave you with enough supplies to last for a couple of months.” She surveyed him. “We can provide something for you to wear as well.”

  “I will wear what I brought,” Eloch said, “but I gratefully accept the supplies.”

  “Are you sure I can’t fit you with a uniform?” Aiko asked. “You look…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Like a bone puppet?” Eloch supplied.

  Etsuo laughed.

  “Not funny, Etsuo,” Aiko said with a glare.

  “It is a little funny,” Eloch said. “It’s what I look like. But not for long. I will rest and regain my strength. I just need the time.”

  “Which we can easily supply,” Aiko said.

  In the morning the ship’s shuttle flew over the planet’s surface, carrying Aiko, Genji, and Eloch. No one said much, each preferring his or her own thoughts to conversation. Occasionally Aiko and Genji glanced over at their taciturn passenger, who gazed fixedly out the shuttle, his face a mask.

  “There!” Eloch said suddenly, causing the shuttle to tilt when Aiko jumped.

  She righted the craft and aimed it where Eloch was pointing.

  “Why here?” Genji asked when they had landed. “It looks like all the other places in Rubble.”

  Eloch glanced around. “It feels right,” he answered. “It feels like what I need.”

  “Okay, then,” Aiko said, tossing three duffle bags down to the men as soon as they reached the ground.

  She watched while Genji showed Eloch how to operate the radio, whose signal was tuned to her ship. She wondered why she felt so protective of the Champion. She noted how quickly he grasped new concepts. He seemed to adapt to their technology much faster than she would have expected. All in all, Eloch seemed quite capable of taking care of himself.

  “Let’s go, Genj,” she called when he continued to dawdle over details, and she fired up the shuttle to encourage him to hurry. It shook a little when the engines activated, and she made a note to have it overhauled. “Time for our R&R.”

  As Genji scrambled in and sealed the door, she watched Eloch. He stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the supplies. He glanced up. Their gazes locked. A tremor of power pulsed through her. Had she not been born with a considerable gift of knack, she might not have known what it was. She shivered, then slowly returned his wave.

  “You told him we’d check in on him in a month?” she asked as the craft took off and banked sharply.

  “I did,” Genji replied. He watched the lone figure fade into the Rubble as the shuttle climbed higher. “I feel sorry for him. He looked lost.”

  Aiko shook her head. “Don’t feel sorry for him. That man’s so full of knack he’s like a volcano ready to explode. He said he would endure. Hell, he’ll be doing way more than that. I need a drink, Genji. I’m heading for the nearest bar as soon as I dock the shuttle.”

  For the first time since he had stepped on the shuttle for his voyage to Spur, Eloch relaxed. He was alone, and would be left alone, which provided him with the time he needed to understand what Entean had done to him. For him? Perhaps. Entean had Her agendas, some hidden, some not. Her Ch
ampion was not privy to them unless he was a necessary part of Her plans.

  And apparently, Eloch thought as he unpacked his supplies, he was a necessary factor in this case. He might have failed with his first task, but he had not begun the second.

  For his second task, Entean wanted him to learn why a planet would allow its creatures to colonize other planets. She wanted him to ask Spur and then return to Her with the answer. Hence the seed, packed with both knowledge of Spur’s inhabitants, all she could glean from Her minute examination of the shuttle, and the ability to communicate with Spur in the same way Entean spoke to Her creatures.

  “Assuming all planets talk with their creatures as you do,” Eloch said out loud. His voice echoed slightly around the broken-down walls and resounded in his ears.

  Eloch marshaled his thoughts. It was time to make his encampment. He had already emptied and organized all his supplies according to their various functions, now spread in a semicircle in front of him. He squatted down and filled two of the duffle bags with his food, making a mental note to find somewhere close to stash one of them. He always felt better having a cache of food hidden nearby. The other food duffle he tossed in the corner, leaving the rest of the supplies spread out.

  He had a tarp and a bedroll, as well as some basic survival equipment. He had made a list, worrying that some of the things would not be available, but Aiko assured him with a snicker that scouting ships were well stocked with a variety of supplies, even the antiquated ones on his list.

  As he walked around surveying his surroundings, the gravel crunched under his feet. As far as he could see were dilapidated and abandoned buildings, some just shells. He glanced up and shielded his face. Not a cloud in the sky. Nor a bird. What kind of planet was this?