Titan Race

by Edentu D Oroso

  "Ramune, it's about time," Hemse said, giving Ramune a cryptic look.

  Instead of striking out with his wings, Ramune swept his right hand in an arc and a strong energy-field surged forth toward Finia. It hit Finia like a heavy ball of lead and sent him spinning downward.

  "Let's do it now!" ordered Ramune.

  For a moment Ramune and Hemse were suspended in space; no longer flying or attacking Finia with their wings. An indescribable force-field ensued from their eyes, overwhelming whatever residual defence Finia thought he had. His strength weakened, and he belly flopped listlessly into the Sagol Sea.

  When he broke out of the sea surface gasping, the salty taste of sea water blending with the repulsive odour of marine offal assailed his nostrils.

  "Gosh, what a crazy thing to do! This Guardian thing sure stinks," he cursed in fury.

  The waves of the sea stirred a bit, but he had to dive low in order to escape their successive crushing impact. Finia's rage seemed palpable as he re-emerged after a huge wave.

  "Is this another damn script of Blackhole?" His yelp fell on deaf ears.

  Ramune and Hemse smiled, watching and mocking Netu's struggles from a considerable altitude from the sea level.

  Finia knew that getting angry with the Guardians amounted to a waste of energy. He contemplated what he could do about his situation, while a gnawing fear ran through his spine.

  Would he make it to shore as safely as he desired? A great distance lay ahead and he did not know if the sea creatures would permit such a move. What if his strength failed him?

  With such thoughts tearing his mind apart, he began to swim towards the shoreline, hoping against hope.

  Finia noticed with each stroke of his hands that the waves of the sea ceased to tower above him. From his reckoning, an unusual calm had returned to the sea.

  Above his form, however, Hemse and Ramune kept a keen watch of his antics. When Netu’s strokes were no longer forceful enough to get him to the shore, and that he might drown, Ramune descended in haste to sea level to make sure everything went well as planned. Ramune’s next move was enshrouded in mystery. He stepped onto the sea surface and walked with confidence as if on solid ground, parallel to Finia.

  Finia floated on his back for a while, shocked by Ramune's sense of dominion over the elements. The sudden calm of the once raging sea all around him showed he could make it to the shore if he strove a little.

  Ramune's way of walking on the sea appeared the only alternative, but how? Finia lacked the right answer. His exasperation was visible. "Get me out of here! Get me out!" he hollered. 'I can't imagine you doing this to me.”

  Hemse joined Ramune at the sea level, both walking on its surface and looking out under the light of the night sky for creatures of the sea that could pose a threat to Finia.

  "You'll do well to conserve your energy rather than shout," Hemse urged him.

  "This is some kind of game to both of you, isn't it?" said Finia in palpable anger. "Well, I don't think I share in the fun. Just get me out."

  "In your shoes, I'd keep my mouth shut," Ramune mocked. "Now, get up and walk on the thing that stifles you."

  Finia did not quite place Ramune's joke. "On the sea?"

  "On what else do you imagine?"

  "I suppose you'll also tell me how?" Finia wondered sarcastically. With his head above the waves, he swam a few more meters towards the shore and then stopped to exhale. He felt nauseated due to the scent of fish and salt carried in the blustery wind of the now simmering sea.

  "As you can see, I've done it," Ramune said, keeping pace with Finia's form. "So will you, Finia."

  "Listen to the sound of your words, Ramune. You're certainly not in my shoes. Remember I'm at the receiving end of the spectrum."

  "Meaning?"

  "Just get me out."

  Ramune's bewildered gaze fell on Hemse. "This is what happens when you get holed up in this retrograde playhouse of ours as its Guardian. The tendency is to forget you ever had higher faculties than most of the species in our numerous playhouses."

  Hemse laughed at Ramune's sense of humor. "Not really the fault of any Guardian, though," he said. "It's just the way it is. The grossness of the PlayToy seems to numb whatever consciousness there is. Finia is a good example. Here we are trying to put him through the drill again even as a Guardian."

  "Ok. Let's do what we came here to do," Ramune said. "Now, Finia, move your body out of the sea. Be fast about it."

  "You haven't told me how?" Finia insisted, taking a couple of breast-strokes toward shore.

  "If you can't remember the how, at least, you must remember the where," Hemse said. "If you can't remember the where, then, don't forget who you are."

  "I don't understand."

  "Why? You're what you seek. Don't look further than you should." Hemse's laughter echoed with a mocking hint, infuriating Finia further.

  "Hmmnn. Now I know what this is about."

  "Not until you find the answers to the questions you've asked," Ramune corrected him. "On the inside of you, you'll find the right answers. But swimming is a far greater risk, and you know this, Finia."

  "But why?"

  "Sharks. Whales. Dolphins - all manner of sea creatures – the Merganisa, and the Vazeninas. The sea is certainly not safe for you with these. So, up you go now."

  A stream of consciousness coursed through Finia. "I know where I came from: Blackhole."

  "Well, a good start!" Hemse glowered. "But it isn't enough. Come to terms with your essence."

  "My essence?"

  "Blackhole's priming."

  "It's rather simple, Ramune," gasped Finia, suppressing a choke from the swallowed salt water. "Light. The source of all life. Got it?"

  "Good," Ramune responded, walking on the sea beside Finia's swimming form. "What would you do with the ether in this sea if you could control them with your imagination?"

  Finia thought for a while, floating on his back, his form bobbing with the gentle waves. "Everything, I suppose."

  "Bring it then to bear in your circumstance."

  "Should I?"

  "I think we've wasted enough time already. You ought to be out of there by now, Finia." Hemse's furrowed brow betrayed his impatience with Finia. He took a few steps backward, and gave him an enigmatic, warning stare, having sensed danger offshore. "Ramune, the tide's here."

  Ramune looked in Hemse's direction and beyond, through the veil of night. He too felt the warning signal. "The choice, I guess, is yours, Finia," he said matter-of-factly. "Join us when you think you're ready."

  The sea stirred again. Ramune and Hemse flew back to a considerable height above sea level where they observed the high splash and squealing of a whale less than a hundred meters away from Finia. Then the maneuvering of a shark towards a prey in the opposite direction of the whale drew their attention.

  "Finia, look, a shark - on your right flank," Hemse screamed. "It's heading for you."

  "A whale and a Merganisa at the opposite end too, Finia," Ramune enjoined mischievously. "What are you going to do now?"

  Finia's eyes dilated with fear as he turned in both directions to gauge his double jeopardy. His gaze to the right coincided with another splash of the dolphin.

  "Hey, you can't leave me here! I've got to get out!" Finia called out as a huge wave splashed over him and he resurfaced in the trough, gasping. "Do something."

  "Like what?" Ramune said.

  "Get me out of this bind," Finia shrieked. By this time, the shark was barely fifty meters away.

  Perceiving the ether of the sphere as solid elements he could grasp, Finia desired above all to stay alive. So came the will to explore the unexplored. Although tired now, he stretched forth his hands above the sea waves and clutched at the air currents as if they were solid objects. To his greatest surprise, his grasp held. He
forcefully pulled downwards at those vague strings and sensed an upward lift of his body. His heart pumped faster with excitement at the prospect of escape. With his inner power working again, he kept pulling at the space above his head and found his upper body rising out of the sea. The sight of the approaching shark increased the adrenalin surge in his heart. Fear became his companion. Yet he knew he had to live.

  The shark dashed at Finia, though he was inundated with fear, the desire to stay alive, outweighed any of the pandemonia that rattled his heart. In one desperate pull at the vague strings he had imagined in the airwaves, Finia managed to rise above the sea before the shark struck in vain at the spot he had been moments before. He heaved a sigh of relief, having achieved the incredible at the nick of time. He felt lucky seeing the shark's restless maneuvers.

  He wondered why a shark’s attack in a non-material domain, and why it took him such a long time to reckon with what he should have done much earlier. This thought haunted him as the shark swam away southwards.

  "Wow! A pretty dicey escape," exclaimed Ramune, grinning.

  Finia turned towards Ramune and Hemse, both suspended in the sky. He felt uneasy at Ramune's remark, which he considered rather scornful. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

  "There are just no odds which the will cannot surmount," Ramune said.

  "Spare me the riddles," Finia replied, angered by the turn of events, especially his escape.

  "Riddles? Who's talking about riddles?" probed Hemse.

  "Riddles," Finia reiterated.

  "Well, Finia, as you know, you proffered your own answers to your own questions," Ramune quipped, laughing.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I certainly don't know why it took you so much time to get out of trouble zone. But it's to your credit you got out when it really mattered. That's what counts."

  "You still haven't explained a damn thing about the rationale for all this, Ramune?" argued Finia for the sake of it.

  "You'll find out soon enough," said Hemse. "However, it would be in your interest to note that you wasted so much time in there for not reckoning with one thing."

  Hemse's words kept Finia's curiosity astir. "Which is?"

  "The mind travels faster than the body. Do you realise this?" Hemse asked. "The mind is what you refer to as the energy forge. Your feelings represent the energies you need to stir it into positive action. Remember this, Finia."

  Hemse's postulate interested Finia. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

  "Well, let's look at it this way. A light year of travel with the body is like a micro-swirl of travel with the mind,” Hemse explained. “The mind transcends all barriers. You only need to know how to situate it to make it count. Your emotions trigger all manner of outcomes. Some of these are desirable, some are not. To set the matrix in motion is to set your mind right. Period."

  "I suppose you're referring to my earlier encounter with the shark?"

  "Maybe," Hemse admitted. "Mastery of the spheres entails proper control of the reins of your mind."

  "And apply it in whichever direction I choose?"

  "Right," Hemse concurred. "Now, we're done with the Sagol Sea. We are moving on - to yet another sphere. To Mars!"

  "Not until I'm done with what you've started."

  Not the kind of response Ramune expected from Finia. "What are you toying with in your mind?"

  "Read my lips instead," Finia said with a triumphant air. "Time to play the game of suspense to the hilt! You started it. You might as well finish it."

  Finia descended to sea level. In the realm of his mind, the fluid surface of the sea became a solid embankment. With positive imagination, he walked with an air of pride on the sea as would someone who had done it a couple of times before.

  "What do you all say to this?" Finia said, with a smirk.

  He appeared to be enjoying his walk. His strides were inspired by a feeling of conquest. He realised he had unlocked the vaults of time and had availed himself of its hidden treasures. It dawned on him too he would never be afraid of sharks, whales, or other sea creatures such as the Merganisas for whatever reason if he had to confront them again in the future or even at the moment. Besides, he had learned the hard way the lesson the Guardians wanted him to learn through the metaphors of sharks and whales; to be a master of his mind - to control the elements as surely as his breath.

  Chapter Three

  PlayToy, Xamuder, Mars.

  Mikuthi, the Martian warlord, led a select team of Martians to welcome Finia, Hemse, and Ramune as they arrived in Mars after their escapade in the Sagol Sea.

  "It's an honour to have you in the PlayToy, fellow Guardians," Mikuthi said, ushering them to the main base, an intricate network of military installations that sprawled in the heart of Mars’ second largest city, Xamuder.

  "As you can see, this hub is the centre of real Martian action. I presume we are exploring its frontiers right away?"

  "Of course," responded Hemse. "The Fiery Furnace is our first port of call."

  "Consider it my pleasure to lead the way," Mikuthi said, grinning.

  PlayToy reminded Finia of an indescribable phantom. The expanse consisted of a huge crystal dome, with skewed peaks, like a mountain range. Each structure appeared like an artistic masterpiece. The designs were linked by a glazy network of space-strips, serving as roads. During previous visits, Finia had gained knowledge about them. The structures represented some of the holding sections of the Martian war fleet.

  Beyond the area of the dome, a gigantic spacecraft took up a massive space-strip, near an adjoining structure to the operational base. Its globe-artichoke shape protruded with weird flanks that would frighten an observer from another clime.

  Finia had prior knowledge of this Martian chest of flying saucers, the variant of the Guardians' Lightship. He gazed at the metallic grey, against the reddish haze. A thin layer of frost formed around the atmosphere of Mars and he was lost for words. The sharp blend surrounding the spouts became an immaculate portrait, as it reared on both sides of the space-strip. They were approaching the spacecraft, Lightship-2.

  "This is not just another courier craft in our fleet," Mikuthi said, as the vessel's doors slid open.

  They halted beside its huge trunk.

  "This is the Fiery Furnace, the melting pot of our war instincts."

  "Take us to the cache of saucers, Mikuthi,” Hemse said.

  "Come on board. They are in the belly of the ship," Mikuthi answered, with a sense of duty.

  Hemse wore a mercurial expression on his face. He had non-negotiable orders to carry out.

  "Prepare one of the saucers for action," he said.

  "Will do,” Mikuthi replied, as he climbed up Lightship-2, followed by Hemse and the rest.

  Hidden behind a panel adjacent to the cockpit, the flight of stairs led to the centre of the spaceship. They reached it in a couple of strides through the door. Mikuthi placed his palm on a small identification console and the panel gave way, revealing a spiralling staircase. They descended in single file, with Mikuthi taking the lead.

  "Here we are," he grinned, excitement causing him to become short of breath, as they entered the expansive belly of the spaceship.

  Over thirty flying saucers of different molds and colours were berthed in specific holdings.

  "We are up to date on our fleet."

  "Which one is prepped for action?" Hemse asked.

  The whir of the side-lights of a saucer on the eastern wing of the spaceship alerted them.

  "Over there," Mikuthi said, pointing.

  "Keep the simulations ready, Mikuthi,” Hemse said, an authoritative edge, creeping into his voice. He walked towards the clam-like saucer with two quaint antennae on both sides.

  "Ramune and I are going on board with Finia. The rest of you know what to do."

  Finia saw the lower
base of the saucer flip into a graduated pad upon which the Guardians climbed up. He followed suit. The lid recoiled to its original position. The Guardians on the belly of Lightship-2 looked on with great expectation.

  The saucer's design accommodated six people; three at the controls and three for support. It could be used for ballistic purposes without the crew.

  "Get on the controls," Hemse said, with a wan smile at Finia. "You're piloting affairs."

  "Tell me you don't mean it," Finia said, his heart pounding with apprehension.

  "I mean every word of it. Get cracking."

  "Everyone’s waiting. Don’t you understand?" Ramune said.

  Finia did not answer. He turned away from them and took his seat in front of the controls.

  Ramune took the next one followed by Hemse.

  "Now what?" he asked, without expecting a reply.

  Hemse volunteered one. "Fly this damn thing, Finia."

  Finia considered his next action. He had flown some other versions of Blackhole saucers before but this craft was unfamiliar to him. Yet, the Guardians would not budge until he did their bidding.

  His mind reeled, while he heard the hum of the saucer. It gave him a start. Micro-swirls passed and the saucer wobbled. It elevated a few feet about the ground and he realized he did not touch the control panels. The next moment, it meandered past three other saucers, which were stationed in their holdings.

  Finia thought the saucer would crash along with them. It got close enough to the wall of the spacecraft and slid through a large door on its own accord. They came out to open space and incurred more speed as they made the ascent. Mikuthi and his crew scurried, into the simulation room in the Lightship, to observe the ensuing drama. Each one taking charge of their designated responsibilities.

  The saucer rose away from Lightship-2 and into the reddish haze of Mars' sphere. Finia did not comprehend the control basics. Other saucers of similar designs, spewed forth from Lightship-2. They took strategic positions, besides Finia's saucer. His dilemma began with this realization. How would he avoid colliding with other saucers within his flight path?