Dalian Crystals

by Barbara Robertson

  C.S. Vu’Duc ordered, “Take your new study equipment and personal gear to your assigned rooms and settle in. Meet in the dining hall in one hour. Dismissed!” The two Commanders Superior watched their newest Rangers scatter in search of their assigned rooms. “Quite an interesting crop of new Rangers this year, Bette,” he commented.

  She smiled, held up a 10-credit gold coin, and challenged, “I’ll give you 5 to 3 odds at least two of them are late to Flight Training School tomorrow. And another 10-credit coin says half of them request tutoring in aerodynamics by the end of the week, Vu’Duc.”

  He responded, “I’ll take those bets, at 50 credits each, Bette. There’s real talent in this year’s crop.” She agreed to the bet, and they chuckled as they took the long staircase upstairs.

  While most of the new Rangers were doubled-up for their room assignments, Kayla discovered her room was for single occupancy. She was the only Shi’Lon Ranger scheduled for Flight Training School this session. Her friend L’Mun didn’t qualify for Flight School, and C.S. T’Anh kept her on K’Halon Prime. Kayla’s room looked like a monk’s cell with a tiny window. A single bed, wardrobe cabinet, and study table and chair amounted to her furnishings. At dinner that night, Dan’L came to her and Sham’S, and welcomed them to the Royal Palace.

  Dan’L said, “We won’t be seeing much of each other, except perhaps Sundays, Kayla. I have final exams next week, then flight simulator training begins the week after. I’m a little stressed right now,” he added.

  “You’ll probably be head of the class, Dan’L,” Sham’S quipped. “Hey—where’d you get that great knife? May I see it?”

  Dan’L handed his bone-handled knife to Sham’S, and explained it had been his Father’s knife for many years. Sham’S admired it, and passed it to Kayla. She hefted the knife, and tested its balance. As she handed it back to Dan’L, she noticed the knife sheath on his belt, and asked, “Why don’t you get a new sheath for it? It’s an impressive knife. The old sheath you’re wearing looks worn through. I can see the green stiff backing showing through, Dan’L.”

  He was taken aback from her comment, but merely sheathed his knife and bid them good night. Upon leaving the dining hall, Dan’L ran to C.S. Vu’Duc’s office, and asked to see him privately at once. Dan’L removed his knife and its sheath from his belt, and told Vu’Duc about Kayla’s comment. “She saw green in the backing, sir. I never saw it. I thought it had the usual steel backing, for strength and support. Could my Father have hidden the Dalian green power crystal in this sheath? The scientists tested and scanned my knife, but not this old sheath. Shouldn’t it be tested, too, sir?” Dan’L asked in a low, excited voice.

  The senior Borgund Ranger took the knife sheath and looked at it carefully. Then he took a magnifying glass from his desk drawer and examined the inside closely. The leather next to the stiff backing was cut and worn from many years of use. Vu’Duc held it up to the light, and finally saw the green Kayla mentioned. His entire face froze. He punched numbers on his comm link, and said, “This is Commander Superior Vu’Duc, your Majesty. We need to meet with you at once, Sire, please!”

  Two hours later at the top-secret research lab, the green Dalian crystal lay in a sealed glass container inside a flash-out room. The heavily-insulated room was fitted with charges, and capable of destroying the green crystal, or so they believed. No one could identify the type of mineral the green crystal was, or what it potentially could do. But they all feared the green crystal. The scientists excitedly talked among themselves about the tests they could perform on the crystal without disturbing its equilibrium; how to measure the potential of the crystal’s destructive power if it exploded, and what the circumference of the firestorm would be; and whether or not the flash-out room could destroy the crystal, if it became necessary to do so. After several minutes, the scientists became so absorbed in their conversations they forgot the Emperor and his group were in the lab with them; they totally ignored the VIP in their midst.

  Emperor P’Lau grew more upset every second, and remarked, “Our records state the Dalian androids were very careful with this green crystal, and told Master Commander K’Ser it was extremely powerful. And my young Ranger Dan’L has been wearing it on his belt every day for more than a year, here in the Royal Palace, and in Flight Training School! Thank the Creator we all were not blown to oblivion!” Dr. D’Vre apologized profusely to Emperor P’Lau, and took responsibility for the oversight. The Emperor, his Imperial Guards, C.S. Vu’Duc, and Ranger Dan’L left, and returned to the Palace Royal Court.

  The Emperor dismissed his Imperial Guards for the night, and then declared, “Kidnapping of my Novice Borgund Ranger, with a price on his head equal to a planet’s ransom. The green Dalian crystal hidden in plain sight for more than a year, of unknown energy and power – noticed only by my young Shi’Lon Ranger Kayla, her first night here in the Palace. Red crystals with fifth dimensional storage capability, and perhaps more potential than which we are aware. Scans of an anomaly inside the Royal Suite onboard our Imperial Battle Cruiser, which are now shadows, not to be found. And the only living persons in connection with all of these phenomena are two of my newest, most brave Rangers, Dan’L and Kayla!” The Emperor was very distraught.

  The Emperor rose high in his flying throne over the Borgund Rangers in his Private Court, demanding any other information from them they might have; but everything had previously been reported to him. He summoned Ranger Kayla and C.S. Bette immediately, and they arrived in minutes. After Vu’Duc updated the Shi’Lon Rangers on the evening’s discoveries, Emperor P’Lau announced, “Never in our reign have so many disturbing events with unexplained artifacts presented themselves. We will establish a Special Inquest about these events and artifacts at once. It will be top-secret, not to be spoken of other than in my private Royal Court, with those you see around you, and myself. Truth must be uncovered!”

  Then the Emperor lowered his throne to the top step, slowly stood, tapped his wrist comm link to record, and ordered, “I command that Borgund Ranger Dan’L and Shi’Lon Ranger Kayla have their flight training accelerated to the fastest speed they can tolerate, to graduate as soon as possible. Day and night, if feasible. They are to proceed directly to ES-class training upon graduation. The Empire needs these Rangers ready to pilot my ES-class warbirds as soon as they are ready. All other duties are forbidden for them. There are unseen forces at work among us and outside our Palace walls engaging in the most dastardly subterfuge I have ever seen. We need our best and bravest ready to defend the Empire. It is my will.”

  The four Rangers bowed and left the Private Court, hurrying to C.S. Bette’s office. She called C.S. T’Anh on K’Halon Prime, and relayed the Emperor’s orders for Kayla to her. T’Anh’s face plainly showed her displeasure with those new orders, but she said nothing in front of Ranger Kayla, standing next to Bette. C.S. Bette said to Dan’L and Kayla, “Now, both of you get to bed. You will need maximum effort and concentration every day going forward. We all have our orders. Dismissed.”

  After Dan’L and Kayla left C.S. Bette’s office, she said to Vu’Duc, “Our innocent, young Rangers Dan’L and Kayla have made quite a name for themselves already. Our Great Emperor P’Lau has taken an intense interest in both of them, and will be watching their progress closely. Perhaps the Rebellion has taken a more pronounced, unanticipated turn. For some reason we do not know, both Dan’L and Kayla have become unintended targets of unknown forces at work against the Empire. But the Creator is with them,” she stated.

  Vu’Duc said, “The Rebellion is growing stronger every day, in every way possible. Only Emperor P’Lau knows exactly why he feels compelled to make these decisions, Bette. It is not merely favoritism. Such an unorthodox training curriculum has never been ordered, at least in my twenty-seven years of service. You are correct: the Creator has preserved both of their young lives, to what end, we do not know. Dan’L and Kayla may hold the keys to the future of the Empire.” They sat at her work table, and stayed u
p throughout the night designing the new, accelerated training for their Rangers.

  XX

  K’Halon Prime

  When C.S. T’Anh was told Emperor P’Lau chose Ranger Kayla to receive the new, expanding plasma sword, she became annoyed. Why was a more experienced Master or First Commander Shi’Lon not given the new weapon? Adding salt to an unhealed wound, P’Lau directly ordered Ranger Kayla assigned to the Royal Palace on Home World—but still under T’Anh’s command. If Kayla was reassigned to Home World, she should have been placed under C.S. Bette. T’Anh dutifully designed additional training assignments to her newest Ranger to augment her Flight Training School studies, and to increase the scope of her duties at court.

  Only two days later, C.S. Bette called with the news Kayla was to be accelerated in Flight Training School. Later, the Emperor personally called T’Anh about Ranger Kayla, and said, “Our newest Beloved Daughter shows much initiative, insight, and great promise. I have ordered her to receive accelerated Flight Training School tutoring, to prepare her to pilot my ES-class warbirds as soon as possible. No other assignments or projects are to be given to her, so she may fully concentrate on her accelerated training. It is my will.”

  The will of Emperor P’Lau must be obeyed. C.S. T’Anh acknowledged his decision, but it felt as a dagger in her heart. The Emperor had overwritten her orders for his favorite little Kayla again. T’Anh considered herself chastised. She withdrew even more from her sister Shi’Lon Rangers, suffering in her self-imposed isolation for quite some time. All she tried to do was mold an inexperienced, clumsy Novice into a proper Shi’Lon Ranger, the Emissary and Protector of the Emperor. Ranger Kayla was without a doubt the favorite of Emperor P’Lau.

  Twenty-one years ago, when she was eighteen and a young Ranger, T’Anh served at the Royal Palace of Home World. Empress Tan suddenly died in her sleep one night, under questionable circumstances. Her oldest child, fourteen-year-old P’Lau, was crowned Emperor immediately. At noon the next day, his public coronation took place. It was a magnificent ceremony. Many celebrations took place until well past midnight the same day. T’Anh was assigned as the Emissary of the boy-Emperor and escorted him to every function. She was very comforting to P’Lau, who had just lost his Mother, and was now thrust into a powerful role for which he was not quite ready.

  During Emperor P’Lau’s first official day of Royal Court, his younger brothers and sister, all officials of the Court, the Empire’s highest Military Advisors, titled aristocrats, and his other half-brothers and half-sisters fathered by the Empress Tan’s First Consort, knelt and swore allegiance to P’Lau – except for the oldest, Duma Wat. Over ten years senior to Emperor P’Lau, Duma Wat was a favorite at Court, and the best friend to P’Lau, until he was crowned Emperor. But Duma Wat was not Empress Tan’s child. He was not of the Imperial bloodline.

  Duma Wat became incensed at his little half-brother’s good fortune of birth, and refused to swear allegiance to him. Warned by the High Priest and Tribunal Judges that failure to swear allegiance to Emperor P’Lau would result in his banishment and forfeiture of his inheritance, defiant Duma Wat dared his half-brother to send him away. He openly railed against the new Emperor in the Main Court, and claimed the throne as his. More than a few wealthy and titled aristocrats supported Duma Wat’s claim to the throne. Imperial Guards quickly silenced their outbursts of shouting at the new boy-Emperor to step down. Order was restored.

  The laws of the Empire must be obeyed, and enforced. The first official act of Emperor P’Lau was the banishing and exile of Duma Wat. Many of the courtiers and wealthy aristocrats present in the Royal Court spoke out loudly against the ruling, but were silenced by Imperial Guards. Several Rangers were chosen to protect the boy-Emperor P’Lau night and day for the first two years of his reign, including Shi’Lon Ranger T’Anh.

  She took the boy-Emperor P’Lau under her personal protection. T’Anh defended him during an armed uprising by several disgruntled courtiers in the Main Court session the following week. She was wounded saving her Emperor. P’Lau demanded Ranger T’Anh escort him for his first two years wherever he went. He trusted her implicitly. When P’Lau grew older and became a man, T’Anh resumed her Shi’Lon Ranger duties, but was always called upon to accompany the Emperor during his travels for more than ten years. She protected him at all costs. Ranger T’Anh grew to love P’Lau as if he was her own brother. Or, some of her older Ranger sisters said, even more so.

  Looking out the window of her large office in the K’Halon Prime Palace, T’Anh again wondered why the Emperor sent her to this cold, wintry world. Had he merely tired of her presence? Was there something she did to displease her Sovereign? Or did she just grow old and hard, and less pleasing to look at than the younger Shi’Lon Rangers, like Kayla.

  Neither actions taken nor orders given by Emperor P’Lau came with explanations, unless he chose to share them. His orders were to be obeyed without question. T’Anh knew the Rebellion was expanding farther than in years before. The daily Confidential Reports sent to her and C.S. G’Rosk apprised them of Rebel raids and attempted attacks, which ones were successful, and which failed. The source of many Rebel activities originated directly from K’Halon Prime. The “Rumor Mill” in the Palace Main Court there was working at maximum capacity. Secret meetings where loose tongues wagged incessantly were all too common.

  As the months passed, the Ranger High Command leaders were notified of special security measures to be enforced in both Royal Palaces, on Home World and K’Halon Prime. Everyone entering the Royal Palace main gates and Main Court now had to pass through scanners at security checkpoints. The men of K’Halon Prime frequently wore knives on their belts, many of which were hand-made, with jewel-laden handles, and very costly. Such knives were status symbols, and many were family heirlooms.

  But neither belt knives nor any hidden weapons were allowed any longer. Even the ladies had to surrender their little one-shot laser tubes, usually concealed inside their clothing. Formal complaints filed by aristocrats and courtiers were rejected. Only the Palace Guards, Imperial Guards, and the Emperor’s Rangers could bear arms inside the Royal Palaces.

  Despite her lack of affinity with her own sister Shi’Lon Rangers, C.S. T’Anh got along well with the Borgund Commander Superior. Any task assigned to her and C.S. G’Rosk was carried out professionally and swiftly. Both leaders were cordial and polite with the courtiers, as well as the wealthy and titled aristocrats. But T’Anh’s finely-honed listening skills and ability to interpret body language penetrated the false faces of a select few courtiers, and she shared her observations with G’Rosk. Not even the most perfectly performed Imperial protocols and etiquette could fool an experienced Shi’Lon Ranger.

  Neither C.S. G’Rosk nor C.S. T’Anh were prone to gossip or conjecture, and did not permit such negative behavior among their Rangers on K’Halon Prime. But they could not ignore the instant silence of the powerful aristocrats and courtiers whenever they came into proximity of their whispers and subdued conversations. Main Court was intended to be an open forum, where anyone could feel free to speak their mind. But not now.

  The ripples caused by such actions and whispers became more conspicuous. As the undercurrents of deceit, treachery, and betrayal became stronger, the peaceful waters of harmony in the K’Halon Prime Palace Main Court churned. Rumors of the Rebellion abounded, with tales of the victories notched into the belt of Duma Wat.

  Loyal courtiers became frightened of some of their fellow aristocrats, and an uneasiness permeated the Main Court. Very few spoke openly within the Main Court now, afraid their words might reveal secret sympathies for the Rebellion, or be misunderstood. The Emperor held court very few days during his last visit there, and would soon travel for his annual visit to M’Wati. There was no one to calm the feelings of trepidation in the Main Court. Only the constant presence of the Rangers and Imperial Guardsmen kept order, calmed the courtiers, and maintained the decorum of the Main Court, and the status quo.

&
nbsp; XXI

  Home World – Seven months later

  Well before the dawn broke, Kayla was awakened by her alarm. She threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. One day, she would smash the piercingly loud alarm against the wall, and bury her head in the covers until she felt good and ready to get up. But such a day was not in her schedule for the next year. She pulled on her workout clothes, put her ear buds in her ears, and jogged to the gym.

  No time for the treadmill this morning; another exam was facing her later today. Kayla took a few minutes to stretch out, and then mounted the stair-step machine. She hit the “Max Effort” program, and it began when she grabbed both the poles. While she stepped more steeply and rapidly, pulling and pushing the poles and breathing deeply, she listened to the computer voice in her ears describing the effects of atmospheric pressure on acceleration and thrust.

  The stair-step machine finally slowed, and came to a stop. She was sweating and panting like a beast of burden. Kayla downed a cup of cool water to rehydrate, and toweled off. Her free weights routine was next, followed by T’Ly martial arts training. In forty-five minutes, she completed her workout, and headed for the shower. Other Rangers trekked into the gym.

  “I’ve never seen anyone turn their martial arts routine into an aerobic workout before,” First Comm. Bok commented. “If you’re as strong as you are fast, the Empire is fortunate to have your service, Ranger Kayla.”

  Kayla blushed and thanked Bok. She hurried into the showers to clean up. Special tutoring began at 6a.m. and ran until lunchtime. They gave her half an hour to eat, then resumed her tutoring until 6p.m. Every Monday through Saturday, Kayla was tutored and trained, until she felt her brain’s gray cells would burst. Her homework on Sundays took at least six hours. But she was keeping up with the accelerated program, and her grades were high.