by Brad Stucki
True, Suaros had been there a couple of times before and the workers were familiar with him, but none had seen such as Darzeen. Perhaps Kokos had instructed them to continue with their work and leave them alone to do what was necessary. Such was good because they did need privacy as they discussed moving forward. Besides, they wouldn’t be able to understand Darzeen’s language.
Darzeen sat, staring around the room while Sauros went to the far side cabinets and dispenser, retrieving several cups, filling them with water, setting them on a tray he found in one of the cabinets then returned.
Sauros had finally realized how thirsty he was. Kokos and Rolla must be as well, given the pace they had all been keeping. In any case, he didn’t want to drink alone.
He reached out with his mental touch seeking for Javin, who was still there, following all that was happening.
“I’m still here,” Javin echoed in his mind. “Waiting on the Dark Guardian’s return with his answer as to whether or not he will Share. It’s good you were able to do your part so well, my friend,” Javin continued. “At least we’ll have one side of the equation covered in this civil war.”
Sauros hesitated. “Equation?” Then the meaning surfaced in his mind from the memories and knowledge they Shared. He knew what an equation was, and then the context slid into his mind on a gut level, and Sauros shook his head wryly. Along with it came the sense of the hidden memories and additional context just out of Javin’s reach – and now just out of 'his' mental reach. He was starting to better understand Javin’s frustration at the mental block.
Sauros set the cups on the table for Kokos and Rolla just as they entered the Archive room. Rolla quickly came forward, and to Suaros’ surprise, embraced him while speaking in his mind, “You have been successful. I’m so proud of you.”
Sauros was taken aback. He had merely done his assigned part. That’s what they all were doing.
Then Rolla moved over to Darzeen who stood to greet her. She held out both hands, palm up. Darzeen, understanding the gesture, placed his hands in hers and as Rolla inclined her head Darzeen followed suit till their foreheads touched gently. She didn't recoil at the odd sensation of Darzeen's touch.
Sauros was surprised over the greeting. He had not been greeted as such when they first met, however, he realized Rolla’s people had been prejudiced against he and Javin by Nemesis. They had been greeted with suspicion. In his mind, Sauros ‘heard’ Rolla’s greeting.
“I am pleased to meet you Honored Guardian.”
“I am Darzeen,” he answered. “But I’m afraid I no longer hold any standing with my people. As you will see from my memories and knowledge I am now an outcast.”
Kokos then came forward and took his hands in hers, inclining her head and touching foreheads too. “Welcome to my world,” Kokos spoke mentally, while broadcasting broadly so all were included. “You will never be an outcast among my people,” Kokos continued.
“Nor mine,” Rolla echoed.
“Nor mine,” Sauros said aloud in the language of the Guardians which he found he could speak since he had passed through the Portal into the Guardian’s realm – or at least a portion of it, remembering the comments Darzeen had made.
“Come, let us sit,” Sauros continued. “We’ve had the Sharing, all of us. We’ve found it helps to organize the new information in minds more quickly if we review it soon after. It gives faster context, meaning and a timeframe for the memories and knowledge.”
“Yes. I see,” Darzeen said. “You wish me to summarize and answer questions to help the assimilation. I have questions as well.”
“And we shall answer them,” Javin said mentally so all would remember he was still there.
Sauros noted Darzeen cocked his head to one side. “I heard the other,” Darzeen spoke aloud and echoed it mentally for those who could not understand his language. “Yet I cannot understand him any longer. His ‘voice’ is too quiet. It is fading past recognition. I can only ‘hear’ those,” and he touched his finger to his temple, indicating mentally, “who are in the same room, or in the near vicinity. Javin is too far away, and the effects of the Sharing are nearly gone.”
“I have an idea,” Rolla spoke mentally while taking hold of Darzeen’s hand. “My people have this talent inborn. We can speak over long distances naturally. It is part of the reason we were set to Stand Watch. And since I also have the Gift, perhaps if we are connected by touch I can be conduit for you to hear Javin as well.”
Sauros sensed Javin immediately understood and ‘felt’ what Rolla was doing through her touch. Javin reached through, again, speaking to them all but focusing in on Rolla and Darzeen. “Can you hear me now?”
For some reason, Sauros could hear a chuckle in Javin’s mind. Something about that phrase seemed funny to Javin, though not even Javin recognized why.
Others didn’t seem to notice. Rolla smiled as Darzeen answered, “Yes! I can hear you. It is wonderful! We are now all connected. That is good. I sense time is short on Javin’s end.”
Chapter 31
Kokos and Rolla picked up their water cups and drank, nodding their thanks to Sauros as they sat.
Darzeen sat next to Rolla, keeping hold of her hand. Sauros could sense everyone was ready and nodded to Darzeen.
“It will help if I speak aloud in my own tongue,” Darzeen said. They all nodded. They would understand it mentally.
“I’m getting it,” Javin said from the far end of the galaxy, sounding within their minds as if he were sitting in the same room, so close was their bond. And because of Rolla holding Darzeen’s hand the circle was totally complete.
“My people are older than your races,” Darzeen began. “Your people were young, uncivilized and in some ways barbaric, especially Javin’s people. And yes, we knew of each of your races, and were observing them as a kindly father watches out for children. We had access to all the records you have, with the Chronicles, and all those you’ve used to find the Articles of Power. In fact, our race originally found those Articles through all the years of our study and research into the civilization you refer to as the Ancients. We referred to them as the Progenitors.
“What you call their Pyramids, or Temples, we called Citadels or Way Stations as we came to understand at least part of their purpose.”
Each in the group nodded their understanding and Sauros ‘felt’ Javin following along closely. Each was also ‘seeing’ in their minds the memories, the knowledge being assimilated from the Sharing as Darzeen summarized and helped categorize what they had learned.
“We did intense study of each of your races after we discovered the Portals in the Citadels and learned how to use them. We traveled through and found each of your races but kept our existence secret – at least in the beginning.
“The Portals were discovered by accident. It was my brother, actually, who stumbled into the first chamber and found a Portal room similar to those you all know about. It was huge, three levels, the large slabs of stone that move when you ‘think’ of your destination.
“And yes, Javin, they do form a circuit or a matrix, adjusting the coordinates for the surge of power that propels one through the Portal to their destination.”
At this point, Javin broke in. “His name was Fallon. He’s the one I’m waiting for!”
“Yes,” Darzeen said. “That is my brother.”
They all attuned closely. This was important, if not shocking.
“So this is a family thing?” Javin asked.
“At its core, yes,” Darzeen agreed. “But also much larger, as you already surmise. Based on our Shared memories, I now realize it is absolutely essential we unify again. Brother to brother. People to people. Including all our races.”
There was silence for a time. Finally, Darzeen spoke again.
“I’ll continue,” Darzeen said, closing his eyes and lifting his head a bit to organize his thoughts.
“As I said, my brother, Fallon, had discovered a way into the hidden chambers of the Citadels
on our world. He was also the Keeper for our people,” he nodded to Rolla and to Kokos who were both Keepers for their people. They nodded back.
“He had the History and Chronicles which you all have . . . except for Javin’s people, it seems.” He hesitated there. “Javin, you never were given the memories passed from Keeper to Keeper. Nor did you ever receive a set of the Chronicles.” This wasn’t a question but an observation. It was clear Darzeen was also pulling up memories from Javin while recounting the history of his people. Sauros knew it was hard to stay on track with one’s thoughts after a Sharing.
“Of course, these things must be hidden in your blocked memories,” Darzeen continued. “Oh. Sorry.” Darzeen realized he was wandering.
“Fallon saw the Portal in the large chamber and started researching in the oldest of records and also delving into his memories from being Keeper.
“I was also a scientist for my people and we worked together to unravel the mysteries of the Portals, the Citadels and the Progenitors. We were both very curious and our people wanted to know more, so they encouraged our research.
“We continued to delve deeper until we learned in the oldest records, and the earliest memories Fallon could dredge up from his ‘Gift’ of the 3 Articles of Power.
“We didn’t really know what they were for . . . And from the memories . . . knowledge I’ve received in the sharing . . . you seem to know more about them than us, but not all.”
Darzeen shook his head. “Again, my apologies. It is hard to concentrate with all these related snippets of knowledge flowing into my mind when I simply think about them.”
“You’ll learn to control it in time,” Kokos soothed. Then she fell silent, a gentle prodding for Darzeen to continue.
“Yes, well,” Darzeen closed his eyes again, forcing himself to focus, willing himself to stay on task. “We started our search for the Articles of Power. I won’t go into detail as to how we found them, or how long it took because you already have that information.” Darzeen chuckled.
“Suffice it to say, we found them. The question then was how did they relate to the Portals? What purpose did they serve? Fallon, with his ‘Gift,’ the Gestalt Stone, recognized the tremendous power they each contained, and because of the clues we used to find them realized they each had a specific purpose and power.
“At the time, we knew nothing of the coming Dark. We knew what was stated in the Chronicles, that there would come a Time of Trouble, and that the Promised Ones would be called upon to exercise their power to save all the races from extinction. But it never said anything about the Articles of Power, nor how, or if, they would be used for this purpose.
“My brother also realized that the Articles could be put together, and he realized that when done so, a tremendous power would be unleashed.
“The reports we were giving to our government detailing all our findings started to cause ripples. Our society was quite advanced, and we were always looking for new sources of energy. Those reports detailed the amazing power the Articles possessed and how they seemed to be able to draw energy from the ‘essence’ of space and time. We knew that power had to come from somewhere. We couldn’t figure out where. Yet the Articles created and focused a power for one who had a ‘Gift.’
“That power was quite a heady thing for Fallon. He struggled not to use it. Only to study it, and occasionally experimenting in small ways.
“Over time, however, he grew obsessed with that power, as did a faction of our government. They wanted to accelerate the study and to see if the power could be harnessed. They encouraged the joining of the Articles to see if that tremendous surge of power suspected would occur. Could it be another source of cheap, unlimited power we could harness and use in our society to further our growth and ambitions?
“During this time, we had also discovered how to use the Portals. Several explorers and I started to travel the Portal network. We discovered each of your races. We even came to this Archive room, though we couldn’t get anything but the lights and the food dispenser to work. It’s obvious you figured out how to use the work stations.” Darzeen looked over his shoulder at Kokos’ people who had ceased their work and had surreptitiously been watching and listening, though they certainly couldn’t understand a word Darzeen had been saying. They quickly turned back to their work when they realized they had been noticed. Darzeen smiled and turned back to his story.
"Time was passing and the argument between my people grew more heated and intense. It was surprising how violent it was getting, though I didn’t realize because I was spending all my time traveling the Portal network, leaving my brother to deal with the factions on his own.
“Finally, the faction wanting to experiment more aggressively with the Articles came into power in my government. Those urging caution were shrugged aside and marginalized. The lure of having such a power source was too enticing for my people. We needed energy to continue to grow, to expand, and with the prospect of being able to travel between worlds which the Portals offered, our future as a people seemed bright indeed.
“I must confess, my brother was on the side of those wanting to move forward more aggressively. He was a scientist, yes, but he was also being slowly seduced by the tremendous power that only he could wield. With the Articles of Power and the Gestalt Stone, he would be like a god to my people. He would solely control the greatest source of power my people had ever discovered.
“Outwardly he still acted subservient to our leaders. Inwardly, he was harboring dreams of leadership, of power for himself.
“It was when I got back from my last trip through the Portal, which, by the way, took me to an ancient Earth where the people were just beginning to use tools and develop a written language.”
Sauros sensed Javin bristle at this. Then Javin’s confusion. Darzeen caught this as well.
“Yes, Javin,” Darzeen responded. “You come from Earth. I know your people, and I know you. I’ll tell you about them . . . and about you . . . once I’m done with the history of my people. It will fill in some gaps for all of us, and then, perhaps I can help you, my new friend, get some of the answers you need. Though I admit to being pretty confused by it all myself.”
Sauros sensed something underlying all this. Something Darzeen was trying not to think about. Something he was very troubled by. Then he remembered the thoughts he’d shut off before they all sat and started rehearsing the history Darzeen had been relating. Well, Sauros thought. They’d learn it in time, and in context. Because of the Sharing, Sauros ‘knew’ Darzeen and realized he could trust he was here for all their benefit.
Before anyone could question his words, Darzeen continued.
“Upon returning from my last foray through the Portals, Fallon called me to his laboratory. A decision had been reached and Fallon had been instructed to join the Three Articles of Power under strict quarantine conditions. Fallon wanted me to be there as we had worked on this project together, even though I was opposed to their joining without knowing what would happen. I do, however, admit to being curious.
“Fallon’s laboratory was in a remote area of our planet, far away from any population centers and actually near the largest of the Citadels on our planet where I had been using the Portals.
“I didn’t see the point in arguing further and merely acquiesced. I had to be with my brother during this momentous event.
“We vacated all personnel from the laboratory and send them back to the main capital of my people which was far distant. Remote sensors had been set so government officials and scientists could observe from what we mistakenly had determined a safe distance. It proved the whole of our planet was not safe.
“At the appointed time, I stood next to my brother and held one of the Articles in place while Fallon reached out with the other two and placed them all together at one time.
“A tremendous surge of energy exploded outward in a gigantic wave, quickly spreading and enveloping our world. It happened so quickly we surmised it must have spread
at nearly the speed of light.
"Standing at the epicenter of the effect, we felt the jolt, the powerful surge of energy, but weren’t harmed. It blasted through us and around us and circumnavigated our entire planet leaving no part untouched, yet it only affected us, the higher order of life upon our planet. The stone, metals, plants and lower animals were left unaffected. We still don't understand how it differentiated us in this way.
“It took a few minutes to recover from the jolt our bodies had taken. And then when we realized what had happened, we were aghast. Something totally unexpected had occurred. We, all of my people, my entire race, had been blasted by the power of the combined Three Articles into a different dimension. A different 'frequency,' a resonance of existence where we could no longer interact with our previous physical plane. We were still alive, still breathing, yet we were no longer compatible with the physical reality where we had previously lived.
"I first noticed this when the joined Articles of Power we’d been holding slipped from our grasp, fell to the ground and fell apart. They began glowing brightly, individually, and faded from sight. They were gone! Where, we didn’t know. Later we surmised they must have been transported back to where they’d been originally hidden, waiting for you, apparently, to find them again. But for my people the damage had been done. My brother tried to grasp their power again, even at such long distances, but he could no longer feel them or use them.
“I reached out to steady myself against a chair and found that my hand sank into the metal before it found purchase. I quickly snatched it back. I then looked around and noticed the laboratory had a fuzzy sense to it, like it was a blurred vision. I rubbed my eyes and looked at Fallon. He looked crystal clear to me, but all around him was blurred, as if only partly substantial. Only he was whole and real.