Chapter 7.
Rules of War.
The first rule of warfare is to win, all other considerations are obsolete.
From the observations of Ivar-Anoon, first General of the combined forces of the Mac-Mar Alliance.
The battle fleet of the Mac-Mar Alliance was as large as any force in the Outer Rim, its engager ships were armored with triple fazic plating and had advanced molecular blaze cannons that could penetrate the repulse shielding of most oppositions. They were manned by highly trained mercenaries from all the different worlds of the Outer Rim, Bolec’s, Youngonrie, Sinorgans, and Corrans. They were well paid for their loyalty and equally well punished for any infractions of the rules of war, and the Alliance was always at war with someone.
Being the wealthiest consortium in the Outer Rim planets it had enemies at every turn, most of them well deserved for their commerce tactics were just as ruthless as their strategy in warfare. They would single out what they wanted and if they could not acquire it by negotiations or intimidation they took it by force. And leading this army was a man well suited for the task, Ivar-Anoon, or Red-Ivar as he was known throughout the Outer Rim. His father was Ivar the Merceless the highly decorated commander of the combined battle force of the First Republic. When that republic crumbled he took the title of General of the Mac-Mar Alliance. When he died he handed that formidable power to his son. And Ivar-Anoon proved to be a worthy successor to his father, he engaged the enemy and showed no mercy, but for all his ruthlessness he also knew how to gain what he wanted without bloodshed, he was a man who could look into another’s soul and see what could be offered to gain that persons trust and therefore their power. Now as the battle fleet made its way towards its objective Ivar sat in his command chair and thought about what was to come. Gorn should not be underestimated, he thought, all those who haven’t realized that have lost, I will not be one of them.
The General shifted his position in his chair and looked around the room at his officers, they all had been with him on other campaigns, they had been watched, molded and tested, like any good weapon. And if they did not they would be replaced, once again the word “replaced” had another meaning, in reality what would happen is that they would be taken to a punishment chamber and there they would experience pain like they had never known.
Pain is a good motivator, Ivar mused, it can make a coward a hero.
Ivar began thinking of all the times that he had seen this proven correct when the first officer came forward and addressed his commander. “Sir, we have reached the Outer Rim planet in the Gornogal section with a file number of one, one, nine, seven, six, upo, commonly known as Gorn”.
Ivar’s face showed a slight smile, “very well, contact the fleet and prepare for a standard orbit over the planets equator”. The first officer made a salute, “as you command” but as he was about to go he turned once more to his commander; “I should also report that we have detected slight variations in the orbits of several of the planets moons”.
“Do they pose any threat to us?”
“No commander, we can compensate for any anomalies”.
“Very well” Ivar said, “You may go”.
The first officer turned and hurried to carry out the orders. The instructions of the commander were quickly transferred to the many ships in the flotilla, and as the armada reached the correct orbit above the planet it formed itself into a formation that would allow it to invade. But all the Captains knew that Gorn was a forbidden place and should be given a wide birth, least they be caught in one of the irregular electromagnetic pulses that emanated from deep within the core. So, heeding this regulation they waited until the Commander gave the edict to send down the invader ships and the Pacifiers that manned them.
Ivar looked over the many reports on the planet below; he saw the data and readouts on gravity, air content, temperature and humidity, geological anomalies, atmospheric disturbances and all the other boring scientific information that was known to him, in the end he knew that it was all for show, he had been given an order and he would carry it out no matter what. But he was not a fool.
“What are the readouts on the electromagnetic pulses?” he asked.
A response was quick in coming, “As reported the pulses have weakened and the spacing between them has lengthen greatly”.
“Will the shielding on the invaders be sufficient to allow landings and liftoffs?
The officer in charged knew that if he gave the wrong answer he would spend many days and nights in a punishment chamber so he looked of his data very carefully, “Yes General, the shielding will hold”.
The General took a few moments to think things over, he already knew his answer but he also recognized that his officers would respect him more if it appeared that he was weighing every option. “Send down the first wave and report on their progress” he finally said.
And following his orders the first invader ships began their descent to the planet below.
The place that the Nomads called Del-Godar had once been a powerful city state of Gorn. The massive stone fortress was in the standard pyramid shape of the other ancient cities that ringed the planet, but its glory days had long since passed; now it was a broken and crumbling mountain of steel and rock and the home of monsters, and any Nomad would heed the words that were spoken about it.
“Do not walk in the shadow of Del-Godar.
For there live the demons of the dark.
Do not breathe the air of Del-Godar.
For it holds the vapor of death.
Do not speak the name of Del-Godar.
For it is shunned by the Gods.”
These were wise words and not to be taken lightly for reckless Nomads in the past had ventured to that dark place and never returned, it was said that those who dwelled there were eaters of man-flesh and all sorts of vile things. No Gods called that place home and Isarie’s love did not live in the hearts of those that called Del-Godar home.
The flashing beacon that once shown so brightly on its highest most top was broken and would never again show travelers the way home, around it base was only dead land, no trace of life could be seen only long forgotten Dropships and the remains of unlucky Scavengers who once ventured near the great mountain of stone. But although the doomed city was a place to be shunned by Outlanders others saw it as an opportunity.
Ivar had ordered a detailed diagram of the planet and after much consideration he decided that the ruins would be an ideal place for his first attack. And the reasons for this were plain, first it would have very little opposition to an invasion, who or whatever opposed them could be eliminated by his shock troops. Second it had raw materials that could be exploited for the core was made from Itarian steel and that would be needed for armaments and fortifications. And thirdly readouts showed that the electromagnetic pulses were weakest at that point so the standard fazic shielding would suffice well enough for this point in the conflict.
Now the General stood looking at the large view-screen on his command vessel and watched as the first of his reconnaissance ships made their way to the planet’s surface.
It has begun he heard his mind say, and knowing this made him smile for a true soldier is only content when they are at war.
Far from the crumbling city the Tribe of Many was enjoying the warming weather and all that it promised. The Eye of Isarie was a sacred place, there the different tribes of the Outlands would meet and discuss their grievances and hopefully do it without bloodshed, long ago a wise Star-gazer had written down a set of rules that all should follow, those rules were spoken around the Talk-Stone, a holy relic that some said was a direct link to the ear of Isarie and all who spoke there must tell the truth. And over the cycles it had proven to be a good thing and many wars had been averted by negotiations but still weapons remained sharp for a treaty is often trampled on by angry feet.
Some distance from the great circle of stone the Tribe of Many made their campsite, they did this out of reverence for the sacred place for the land aroun
d the marker was only used during the great Gathering and only then would Karracks be permitted to transverse the holy ground. The Outlanders tolerated the presence of the Sandjar and traveled with them but they found their odor far too pungent and therefor did not place their tents near them. For this reason, the Nomads and
Scavengers camped some distance from each other and allowed a space of free air between them.
The Blind Prince and the Handmaiden had pitched their tent besides a large outcropping of Eul so there would be plenty of fuel for their fires and now sat dressed in soft summer robes, near them lay the two great beasts Jumo and Dalgar sleeping soundly with their bellies full of roasted Rimar meat. “It is a good sky tonight” Kela said as she drew a ladle of warm Hagar soup from her Washa and poured it into a painted bowl for her hungry mate, she handed it to him and he immediately began spooning mouthfuls of the tasty concoction between his teeth, “the air smells of life and the Gods are content”. Anais swallowed then lifted his head upwards, “Yes, the Meadow cane is almost ripe and properly mixed with the right amount of Kasha wheat will make wonderful sweet cakes”. Kela knew that this was his way of saying that he would like her to bake up some of the confections for him. “Tomorrow I will gather the ripest cane and bake some treats for us both” she said as she ate her soup. This made Anais smile, “that would be wonderful but make sure you do not let the cakes bake to long, over cooking can make the wheat hard and the cane lose much of its flavor”. Now everyone knew that Kela prided herself on her cooking for she had prepared meals for the Holy Mother herself and hearing such words from a man who had never lifted a baking bowl in his life caused her to speak in an uncommonly harsh tone.
“Are you saying that my sweet cakes are not fit to be eaten?”
Anais shook his head as he ate another portion of hot soup, “Of course not, I am only saying that sweet cakes must be watched or they will burn”.
Hearing this only made the Handmaiden angrier, “So now I am as blind as you!”
Her loud voice made the two sleeping Drogs open their eyes and sit up.
The Prince put down his bowl and turned to his mate, “If you cannot see you can always smell when the time is right”.
This made Kela rise to her feet, “I am the one who reads to you so that you can put something into that empty head of yours and I am the one who drives the wagon so we do not end up in the belly of a Whiptail and I am the woman who shares your bed…..but not tonight!” And saying those words the young girl hurried into their tent and closed the flap.
Anais sat there for a time wondering what he had said that made the one he loved so angry?
“What words did I say that were so hard?” there was no one around to reply to this but the two Drogs drew near their master and put their large heads into his lap, “Are all women so…so unreasonable?”
But there was no reply from the huge creatures, instead they just sat there and made mewing sounds deep in their throats.
On the other side of the encampment Endo and Rawna were just finishing their evening food, but unlike Kela the Sandjar girl had little experience in food preparation but that did not matter to her mate for Endo did the cooking and this made them both content.
The Coraw or leader of the Scavengers put down his bowl and took at long gulp from his
drinking cup, satisfied he sat back on a blanket near the fire and watched as his mate came and lay beside him. Rawna put her arms around him and lay like a Burrow-baby in its subterranean home. “It is good to see the moons and stars” Endo said with a smile, “My father once said that there are more stars in the sky then grains of wheat in all the lands of this world”.
Hearing this made the young girl chuckle, “You told me that your father was a very wise man but I think that he knows very little about stars”. “And what do you know about the heavens and what lives under them?” he asked. “It was said by my people that the sky is a great rock cave and that the stars are torches high up and they light the way for those who die and are no longer slaves”.
This made Endo’s heart pain for he knew that his mate had spent all her life in the underground mines of the Forest People as their slave and it was only recently that she had come out into the world and breathed the free air.
She as suffered much in her young life he thought, but now I will care for her and no harm will find her.
The young Sandjar looked up at the stars once more and there he saw a streak of light burn its way across the blackness.
“My father once told me that there are some who think that falling stars can grant wishes”. Then he turned to look into the bright eyes of his mate, “make a wish for us both but do not tell me what you wished for”.
“What is a wish?” she asked.
“A wish is asking for the thing you want most”.
Rawna gazed at the bright light in the sky and made her wish, and then she closed her eyes and soon was fast asleep in her lover’s arms.
In the blackness of night, the city of Del-Godar seemed an even more evil place, strange sounds filled the air and eyes that knew no kindness peered out of hiding places in the broken rocks and steel, the very air hung heavy with death and decay and nowhere was the sound of contentment.
It was once one of the great pyramid cities of Gorn, the beacon atop its towering panicle flashed day and night guiding travelers to its safety, the Governor was a man of wisdom and its inhabitance content. Then things began to change for a creeping evil seemed to take hold of the massive structure and soon its people began to vanish, some said it was the will of the Gods while others said it was the work of some dark demon that had risen up from the lower depths, but whatever the reason the stone city became a forbidden place and no Outlander dared come near.
From a hiding place in the broken rocks emerged a strange creature, in appearance it resembled a man but its features were far to distorted to be called human, it had a large misshapen body with strong arms and legs but was covered in thick matted hair and plating that seemed reptilian, it had two small yellow eyes and a large mouth set with rows of sharp teeth and it stirred in a lumbering stride as it moved into the open. There it saw a group of Rockrunners, small creatures that move fast and feast on whatever they can find, and this time they found a nice rotting carcass to fill their tiny bellies, but the thing that had come out of the rocks sounded a loud roar and the small creatures scattered like fallen leaves in a windstorm. The large thing began to feed on the rotting flesh when a sound was heard from overhead and looking up with it beady eyes it saw a metal monster descending from the darkened sky, with a terrible roar it dropped its food and raced back into the rock and safety.
The thing from the sky was not a monster but how could such a lonesome creature know a scout ship of the Mac-Mar Alliance from a demon of the night?
There was a roaring of descent engines and flashing of landing lights as the armored recon craft touched down on the hard ground, it sat there for a time like some great metal bug then a hatch open and out raced a dozen or more well-trained troopers wearing survival suits and carrying heavy weapons, they quickly made a defense ring around their ship and waited for anything to challenge them.
Nothing did.
From the transport emerged a tall soldier with a hand scanner, he moved slowly around the ship all the while checking readings and pushing buttons on his device, and when he was sure that all was as it should be, he signaled to his confederates and they slowly fanned out and began checking the surrounding area. The tall soldier took a voice-tec device from his belt and put it to his mouth.
“First trans-ship on surface, no resistance met, initial readings are stable, electromagnetic waves are at acceptable levels, second and third trans-ships are cleared to land”.
The soldier continued to check and recheck his information as his brethren cautiously surveyed the crumbling ruins, as they approached the broken rocks the thing that had watched them fall from the sky backed up in his hiding space and dislodge
d a piece of rubble that fell to the ground with a heavy “thud”, immediately the soldiers open fire with their hand weapons and in an instant the creature and the surrounding rocks were blown to atoms.
The first rule of war is to win; you do this by following the second rule, leave nothing alive.
Far from the victorious invaders Anais sat outside his tent, his mate had not returned and the thought of spending the night without her by his side began to eat at him, but being a man, he was slow to realize his mistake. “What did I say that drove her to anger?” he asked, “I was simply pointing out some potential mistakes that she might encounter in her cooking” then he patted the two Drogs on their massive heads, “Was I asking too much?”
It was only recently in his life that the Blind Prince had taken the feeling of others into his decisions, for many cycles he had been a selfish, self-centered hedonist who cared only for himself and let everyone else suffer if it would bring the results that he wanted. But that was before he lost his site and his power and had to find a new path to walk.
“Were my words so hard that it caused her to turn her back on me? She said that she loved me many times and I told her that I…..”. And at last he saw that no matter how many questions he asked his mind he would never find an answer so he once more patted his companions. “You are lucky, the Gods gave you strength and cunning and a straight road to travel, but they gave humans a head that is forever at war with the heart”.
He rose up and walked to his tent, he drew back the worn flap and went inside, there he found his mate lying on their sleeping mattress but he knew that she was not slumbering, he moved to her and lay down beside her, and then he put his arm around her warm body and held her tight.
“I was a fool” he whispered. Kela turned and put her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. “Yes” she said softly, “but fool or not I still love you”.
Warfare can be cruel and filled with pain and anguish, and so can love, they both wound deeply and those that engage in them can never forget the events surrounding them, Outer Rim scholars have debated the rules of both for eons but they have never been able to agree on exactly what those rules should be, but they did decide that both war and love are things that humans will have to bare until the Gods in their infinite wisdom decide otherwise.
Chapter 8.
The Hand of Horcon.
The Hand of Horcon controls all things, but his movements are guided by the will of Isarie.
You travel through your lives like so many countless pebbles on an endless beach as the tide of destiny washes over all.
From the Book of Isarie.
Nomads The Risen God Page 10