The Topaz Operation

by Jared Sizemore

  “Mitch, you old battle axe,” said Bao. “I knew the Archon couldn’t break you.”

  “They came close,” said Mitchett.

  “You look like crap, though,” said Bao with a smirk.

  “Thanks, bud.”

  Qusam and Sienna approached Farash, whose head rested on Lygalia’s lap. “Greetings, Lieutenant. There must be a story here,” said Qusam.

  “Good to finally see you, Qusam. This is Farash, former Qesem of Aqtal.”

  Qusam’s eyebrows raised. “Former? Hmmm.”

  A detachment of Sardonyx troops, led by Rusthill, approached from the command ship. Rusthill stood tall, asserting his military presence. “Who here knows where the mines are located?”

  Aphiemi introduced him to everyone. “This is Field Marshall Rusthill of the Sardonyx Coalition.”

  Lygalia stood. “Field Marshall, I’m Lieutenant Lygalia of Chrysolite. I’ve seen an Archon map of the mines.”

  “Excellent, Lieutenant. Accompany us if you would, please,” said Rusthill. “Now let’s quit standing around here and move out! Wizards, come with us!”

  Lygalia followed Rusthill and Aphiemi back to his ship. The wizards formed groups and scattered to various red and black ships. Several rejoined their respective Orca ships under the cajoling of Bao and Rik. Jyssa, Mitchett, Semo, Rostov, Tara, and the kids returned to the Wild Boar.

  Qusam and Sienna helped Farash onto the Boar. “I want to hear your story,” Qusam said to Farash.

  “Me too,” said Sienna.

  Farash weakly nodded. Izil and Neyla, with great curiosity as well, followed them.

  * * *

  The Wild Boar and the Onyx ships scattered over the region, racing to all the mines. Groups of wizards sang and broke the entrances free of their obstacles. The wizards first had to convince Rusthill to not just blast open the entrances which might collapse the mines. Not an unreasonable man, he listened.

  Children—dirty, hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, poured out of the mines. Some could barely move because of exhaustion. The wizards sang them out, causing strong winds to gently pick them up and float them over to the waiting ships. Because the Wild Boar had lots of cargo space, most of the kids went there. Many squeezed onto Onyx ships, and still others made it onto the surviving transport ship donated from the Kyanite.

  In between stops, Farash filled in Qusam, Sienna, Izil, and Neyla on his story. The Deathblood aspect of Farash’s experience fascinated Qusam. Qusam’s turn from darkness to light did not involve Deathblood as such, and so he was amazed at the variances of each person’s journey.

  Jyssa comm’ed Rusthill. “How many do we have, Marshall?”

  “Sergeant, nearly all have been freed,” said Rusthill over the comm.

  Jyssa breathed a sigh of relief.

  “However...,” Rusthill continued. “Only about half have been boarded. We just don’t have enough ships for these large numbers. We’ll have to make a second trip, I’m afraid.”

  “That may not be possible.”

  “Why?”

  “The planet might not be here when you get back.”

  “What was that, Sergeant? Repeat.”

  “I’ll have to explain later. What about help from Topaz civilians or rebel groups?”

  “No response. We’ve tried calling them. They don’t like us,” said Rusthill.

  Jyssa glanced at Semo. “Semo?”

  “Same here. Can’t reach anyone.”

  Jyssa shook her head. “Marshall, we’ll see if we can fit more with us. Gelibor out.” Jyssa turned to Semo. “Where’s the largest group of kids without a ship?”

  Semo frowned. “This is the weirdest screen I’ve ever seen. I hate these Archon ships.”

  “Come on!”

  “Okay, okay. Here it is...four miles, east!”

  Jyssa blasted the Boar’s boosters in that direction. In short order they reached the area and she set the ship down amidst a swirling but mild dust storm. Jyssa and Qusam exited the ship which was already packed to the brim with kids.

  They walked into the midst of about three hundred children in various stages of distress. Only two Onyx ships remained behind and they were bursting at the seams with people. Most of the kids outside were huddled up together in the midst of the storm. Many were crying.

  Jyssa put her head down and almost cried as well. Through the swirling storm, three figures approached—Rajaan, Seilah and Aphiemi.

  “Aph!” said Jyssa. “You stayed.”

  “I’m keeping my promise to these kids and to their parents.”

  “Jyssa, good to see you, though I wish it was under better circumstances,” said Rajaan.

  Jyssa wiped away tears.

  Seilah gingerly hugged her. “All hope is not lost yet.”

  Jyssa sniffed and nodded.

  “Many of them have been saved,” said Seilah.

  “But not all. It’s not good enough,” said Jyssa. “What do we do?”

  “We believe as wizards that our music comes from the Source, and that it is by nature harmonious. Everything that happens somehow fits into the great song that’s being written,” said Rajaan.

  “I could not have said it better, Raj,” said Qusam.

  “That’s great, but what do we do right now?” said Jyssa.

  “We’ll wait here, and sing, and do our best. That’s all we can do,” said Rajaan.

  Sienna approached. “I found an escape craft on the Boar. I have to take it.”

  “To where?” said Qusam.

  “Remember the singers Ryle reported? I sense now is the time to find them,” said Sienna.

  “Oh, of course. I’ll come with you!” said Qusam.

  “There’s room for only one on the craft.”

  “But—”

  “Q, you have plenty to do here. I’ll be back, I promise,” she said with a smile and a caress of Qusam’s cheek. She ran back onto the Wild Boar.

  They watched her craft shoot out from the ship and speed away over the horizon. Qusam’s gaze followed her until her ship was completely out of sight.

  “She’ll be fine,” said Rajaan. “She’s lived alone for decades you know.”

  “Right again you are, my friend.”

  “We may have bigger things to worry about now. Uh oh,” said Rajaan, looking the other direction. A new worry creased Qusam’s face.

  A long, black ship appeared approaching like a dragon gliding with its wings extended. Its unique—and menacing—design seized everyone’s attention. Jyssa couldn’t place it, but it looked animalistic...lizard like. Could it be another transport sent to help?

  The ship set down. Multiple ramps lowered. Ten purple wizards and about seventy brown wizards poured down the ramps and formed a wide semi-circle facing those gathered. Aphiemi pulled out a pistol blaster. Qusam held up his staff, but even he stood no chance against such a force.

  Jyssa’s handheld comm buzzed. “Sergeant, it’s Marshall Rusthill. We can’t leave! The deflector shield has been reversed, blocking our escape.” Jyssa dropped her comm into the dirt. It was over. She fell to the ground, gripping Aphiemi’s left leg. She was done.

  Chapter 58

  The Chironex hurtled into Topaz’s atmosphere. The explosion from the cruise missile rolled the Chironex a few times, but amazingly the ship stayed on course. One significant change—the drill’s tip had become dislodged.

  Utilizing the missing slots in the diamond, Ryle held on with all his might as heat engulfed the ship around him. He kept an eye on the forward tip of the drill as it rattled around inside the chamber—and then came the rotation.

  Through an automated setting, the drill tip began spinning. The tip broke through the chamber’s outer casing, causing the entire drill to drift out of the chamber away from the ship, accelerating its slice through the atmosphere.

  * * *

  Chaos reigned in the command center. The best Rez and Jez could do was hang on and watch the carnage. Most of the ship’s systems had failed. The force field
protecting the spot where Ryle escaped failed letting pieces of the command center get sucked out of the ship and incinerated in the planet’s mesosphere.

  Jez crawled over to the nav console, punched a few buttons, but met only red flashing lights and frustration.

  “Forget it. We’re crashing,” shouted Rez.

  * * *

  Qusam had been in tense situations before but nothing quite like this. He, Rajaan, and Seilah marched to the front of the hundreds of distressed and hungry children and stared down the eighty dark wizards facing them.

  Aqtal’s face, in a twenty-foot hologram, materialized in the air between Qusam and the dark wizards. Qusam assumed this was his declaration of victory over them and to offer terms of surrender. There would be no surrender, though Qusam would do whatever it took to protect the children.

  Aqtal spoke. “My followers, you must go to the mountain summit immediately and use all of your powers to guide the diamond warhead into the cavern. Go now!” His face disappeared.

  With great haste, all of the dark wizards, in a flurry of purple and brown robes flapping in the wind, rushed back onboard their lizard-like starship. The ship rose up and blasted toward Mount Trizo.

  Jyssa breathed easier as she watched them take off.

  Qusam, astonished, rushed back onto the Wild Boar and found Farash, sitting up against a wall.

  “I too got the message,” said Farash.

  “What will you do?” asked Qusam.

  A slight grin creased his mouth. “Go, of course.”

  “I’ll take you,” said Qusam.

  Izil and Neyla joined them. “Take him where?” said Izil.

  “To the mountain,” said Qusam.

  “Q, we’re coming with you. We’re not missing out on the mountain this time,” said Neyla.

  “A request, Qusam,” said Farash. “Please sing. Sing over me.”

  “Certainly.”

  Semo helped them locate Heedin’s personal shuttle. With Izil piloting, the shuttle exited the Boar’s hangar and raced toward Mount Trizo. On the way, the wizards sang a soft melody over Farash. His strength increased moment by moment, note by note. Even faint color materialized in his cheeks.

  Their shuttle came upon the mountain summit and set down just outside of the massive upper ring, formerly a spout for frequent volcanic eruptions. Heedin’s shuttle would have aroused little suspicion as the Qesem were unaware he had been buried alive.

  Qusam, Izil, Neyla, and Farash stepped out of the shuttle, approached the edge of the ring, and peered over. The eighty dark wizards stood in a grand circle with their staffs raised and a mighty chant rising into the sky. A dim shine glistened off the dense collections of ancient topaz gemstones resting on the summit, still lodged into the rock. Mostly orange and grey, with some clear gems, the topaz stones had endured through the centuries.

  Neyla pointed into the sky. “Look! I see a bright glint up there, no question.”

  “My love, you’ve always had the best eyes,” said Izil, straining to see.

  “She’s right,” said Qusam. “It’s the diamond, and it’s wildly off course.”

  “For the moment,” said Farash.

  The chanting of the Qesem launched a wave of wind and energy upward like a whirlwind. The whirlwind of energy ascended through low-hanging clouds, forming into a cone. The cone enveloped the diamond and steered it back on course.

  The glint moved across the sky. “It’s coming back this way!” said Neyla.

  * * *

  Just when Ryle thought he had a good grip, the diamond jerked in a different direction. Whoa! That’s not normal. What’s happening? Through the blinding wind and spotty clouds, he saw Mount Trizo far below, now approaching dead on.

  * * *

  “My time has come,” said Farash. “Farewell, my new friends, for now.” He rose and, with newfound energy, bounded over the edge of the ring and ran toward the center of the circle of wizards. Qusam, Izil, and Neyla silently watched him go. Farash cut through the line and ran into the center of the ring.

  One of the purple wizards called out, “Farash! Where have you been? The Master has been calling.”

  Farash did not respond. He held up his hands and closed his eyes. A tune formed in his throat, from deep within, and poured out of his mouth. The music, not in harmony with the dark noise around him, swirled around him, picking up volcanic ash, dirt, and rocks. A whirlwind swept up around him.

  The other wizards, unsure of what was happening, lessened their chanting. Farash’s magic did not seem to align with theirs, and to them his music was abysmal. The same purple wizard halted his chanting and asked, “Farash...what is this you are doing?”

  A column of orange lava broke through the crusty surface of the summit around Farash, erupting like a geyser, followed by more lava columns one after another. Lava spewed out and swirled through the air around Farash in a fast-moving loop. The lava formed into a thick wall and, with a final bellowing song from Farash’s lips, the entire wall of lava converged on Farash, morphing into a churning sphere of scorching molten rock which grew larger and larger until it burst.

  The explosive burst blew the entire circle of Qesem backward, showering them with patches of lava. Many were blown off the summit and tumbled down the side of the mountain, breaking into pieces as they went. The remaining wizards cried in agony as they became melted through with lava. The spot where Farash stood became a pile of black and grey ashes, but his goal was achieved: the Qesem’s hold on the diamond was broken. The diamond drill still plummeted toward the mountain but its course was again altered.

  Qusam and the others dived for cover under a rocky outcropping and whipped up songs of protection.

  * * *

  Ryle closed his eyes as he sped toward impact.

  The diamond struck the mountain summit’s outer rim, sliced through like a sword cutting through clay, and slid down the side of the mountain. The still-spinning drill tip threw tons of rock into the air and triggered avalanches all around the mountainside, burying anything or anyone left.

  The diamond hit a slight incline bumping it into a horizontal position and it continued through the forest, churning through trees. It slid into the city of Laylon, rapidly turning buildings into piles of rubble. The drill sliced through one of the Archon’s main shield generators, demolishing its power grid and knocking out a sizable portion of the planetary shielding. After sliding to the city’s west side, the diamond finally lurched to a halt with Ryle Gelibor still clutching on. The spinning tip slowly grinded to a stop.

  Arms aching, his body covered with dust and bits of debris, Ryle finally released his grip. He removed his helmet, flipped over, laid flat on his back, and passed out.

  * * *

  Jez, clutching onto his command chair—which had not been sucked out the hole yet—decided to seize his last opportunity. He let go and ran toward the hole in the wall and leapt out. Rez followed.

  The Chironex, spinning wildly out of control, crashed into the side of Mount Trizo. Upon impact, the ship buckled with the rear engines crunching up against the ship’s bow, exploding in a fiery burst of overheated gas, plasma, and sparks, the rear booster tentacles flailing like a wrenching octopus.

  Jez, using built-in air flaps in his suit, steered himself toward the mountain summit and, dodging patches of lava, skidded to a halt across the dusty, rocky surface. His metal artificial foot aided such landings. Rez fell toward the summit, spun head to toe, and powered his anti-grav boots to cushion his landing. He set foot on the mountain top about fifty yards from Jez.

  Jez ran toward the ancient abyss, the descent into darkness—the path into the cavern. The uppermost hole stood thirty feet above the entrance into the cavern proper. Down below, just before the entrance, was a precipice for those who turned back, who didn’t have the courage to enter. A ladder carved out of the rock led back to the top. Under Aqtal’s regime, no one had ever turned back.

  Rez sprinted toward Jez and stopped at the sight of Jez hol
ding up his arm in firing position. “Jez, I beg you, brother. Don’t do this. This is not the only way.”

  “This is the only way to kill the creature who killed our father.” Jez gazed down the hole. Misty smoke rose from the entrance, teeming with dark secrets and foul apparitions. Jez took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He approached the edge and, hesitating, his boot slipped. He quickly regained his footing just as a sharp pain struck his chest, driving him to his knees.

  Rez crept closer but refrained from interfering. “Darkness will break you, my brother. It will break you.”

  Jez, clutching his chest and sweat pouring from his forehead, rose up and jumped in feet first.

  “No!” shouted Rez.

  Jez descended through the hole. At the last second, he reached out and grabbed the precipice with one hand. He swung his other hand up onto it. He pulled himself up to his elbows and held on, panting for breath while his feet dangled over the entrance.

  Something grabbed his left foot. He struggled to hold on. Something grabbed his other foot, but Jez saw nothing. Something gripped his arm, and an invisible hand covered his mouth. Jez was pulled in.

  Rez kneeled and—for the first time in recent memory—tears flowed.

  The mountain peak convulsed and then exploded with light.

  The blast flung Rez backward over the side of the mountain where he slid down and took cover between rocky crags. Hundreds of tons of rocks, boulders, dust, and dirt were flung off the mountain, revealing a huge Topaz gemstone. Lava dissipated under it.

  The third Light of Zoain was lit.

  Chapter 59

  The Light burst into the gloomy red skies over Laylon like the birth of a new star. Jyssa shielded her eyes, assuming some horrible explosion had rocked the capital. But when it became clear this new source of light was emanating from the mountain, she knew. She gripped Aphiemi’s arms and they kneeled, holding each other, in awe of the spectacle. Rajaan and Seilah kneeled beside them, taking in the view.