Legions & Legacies

by Lee Watts

  WAR

  OF THE

  REALMS

  Part 2

  LEGIONS & LEGACIES

  Lee Watts, Th.D.

  Copyright © 2019 Lee Watts

  P.O. Box 23114 Lexington, KY 40523

  All rights reserved.

  DEDICATION

  For Mom and Dad.

  “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” – Psalm 16:6

  PROLOGUE

  "…out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves…" – Hebrews 11:34-38

  CHAPTER 1

  "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." – Philippians 1:29

  (1,000 years ago)

  "They're coming," he panted.

  No one dared speak. A surge of terror manifested as a lump in each throat, and for a pair of heartbeats, time stood still. Frightened eyes darted to others seeking hope but finding none. Everyone knew of what happened to those captured, but even the agony the public beheld was only a glimpse of the tortures inflicted behind prison walls. Captured subversives met with the cruelest retributions that Ramillie imaginations could invent, and they were a very inventive people.

  Most of those assembled were experience with the anxiety of waiting through a village search, but the Ramillie were getting better at finding the hidden compartments. So far, the group had managed to avoid the searchers, but the noose was ever-tightening. Now, with Director Bruman and Seer Rew bringing together so many pieces of the weapon, everyone knew this raid wasn't random; someone was tracked or had talked. The only question was how much did the Ramillie know.

  Even with only part of the weapon, the rebels had already achieved significant victories against their oppressors. This threat to the Ramillie's "Eternal Empire" was at first considered a mere nuisance, but as the faction spread among the worlds, the potential damage to the empire was at last realized. Despite their technology, influence, and total control of virtually every life in known space, the Ramillie were powerless against the rebel's weapon. No means could be found to stop it. Though of ancient design, recent events breathed new life into the power of the weapon. The Ramillie knew if the weapon was ever completely reassembled the rebel numbers would multiply beyond any ability to control, and their empire would crumble.

  "Director, you must take the treasures and the weapon and meet the Vault Keeper quickly. If they catch you-"

  The director held up a hand, letting the man know he needn't continue. For security, only Bruman knew the location to meet the Vault Keeper, so he had to be the one to go. He hoped for more time, a chance for everyone to commit more of the weapon plans to memory, but every second of delay risked the loss of both the weapon and the treasures.

  "I'll need some of you to go with me to help carry things and make a diversion if necessary."

  A handful in the room volunteered. Tear-filled, hasty farewells were made as those making the run began disappearing into the low tunnel in the back of the room. Before ducking into the tube, Bruman looked back one last time on the faces of those who had risked so much. He doubted he would ever see them again. Most likely, either he or they would be caught this day, probably both. With time crucial, he summed up his swell of emotions with a simple whispered thought.

  "Thank you."

  He then started into the tunnel. Those remaining immediately began concealing the entrance in case their lair was discovered.

  Outside, the deafening roar of repulsor jets let everyone know the Ramillie had arrived. Hovering a meter over the frozen ground, the troop transport opened its back hatch and lowered a boarding ramp. Immediately, a score of Ramillie troops exited. Their crimson-hued uniforms were in stark contrast to the snow-covered ground. Breaking off into search teams, the raid began.

  Standing upright as he exited the escape tunnel, Bruman squinted as his eyes adjusted to the intense light reflecting off the snow. Small debris whipped to flight by the Ramillie jets pelted him as he dashed toward the tree line of the nearby forest. He couldn't see those ahead of him, but their tracks in the snow would guide him but so too guide the Ramillie. As he ran, he considered if he should go to meet the Vault Keeper at all. He might wind up leading them right to the person who was their only means of preserving the treasures and the weapon.

  He didn't know the Vault Keeper's name, no one did. Renowned throughout the Eternal Empire as the one who spirited away those precious things the Ramillie sought, the Vault Keeper evaded arrest time and again. Some tried to convince the public he was only a rumor, but the Ramillie sought too hard for someone who didn't exist.

  Bruman met up with those hiding among the trees and led them to the location designated by the Vault Keeper's agent. Reaching the clearing, the director brought the group to a silent stop as he looked in dread at what was waiting for them, a Ramillie ship - a trap. Pushing his initial fears aside, Bruman reasoned the Vault Keeper had to use a Ramillie ship because they forbade other races to have vessels capable of star travel. With no other option, Bruman pressed forward. Gesturing for the others to stay hidden, he stepped into the clearing. Tension mounted as a lone, hooded figure descended the boarding plank. His heart sank as the figure drew back his hood revealing the purple eyes of an ivory-skinned Ramillie.

  ***

  WHAM! WHAM! All in the hidden group shuddered with each thunderous pounding on the door as the Ramillie beat their way into the house. CRACK! The door shattered and troops stormed the seemingly deserted shelter. In the musty, cramped chamber, breaths came shallow and rapid as the sound of footsteps neared. Their wall shuddered as an overturned table slammed against it. As the ransacking progressed, imaginations ran as a stampede of blindly charging animals. Orders were given in the alien tongue followed by a quick shuffling of feet, then…silence.

  Have they left?

  No one dared move, let alone check. As the roaring of the repulsor jets moved off to another section of the village, the only thing the hiders heard was the rapid pounding of their hearts in their ears. Seconds seemed to pass as an eternity.

  BOOM! Everyone jolted as the covering to their compartment shattered under the force of Ramillie weapons. Flying splinters and barreling smoke filled the room as troops poured into the discovered chamber.

  Weaponless, the group posed no resistance to the rifles trained on each of them. With the room secure and dust still settling, in stalked the leader of the raid. It wasn't through foresight that Seer Rew knew who was leading the search. Chiranjiv, chief commissioner for internal security in that sector was the key figure charged with tracking down hidden cells of opposition. He wasn't even a Ramillie, which made his position in the profoundly racist Eternal Empire all the more puzzling. Rew sensed something sinister about the man but wasn't able to pinpoint it.

  Glancing around the room in a mix of disgust at what he saw and pleasure at having found it, Chiranjiv looked carefully at each face. The cramped chamber was stuffed with copies of plans for the weapon, but Bruman was not among the captured. Chiranjiv knew if Bruman was missing, he had taken the master copies. Not seeing who he was looking for Chiranjiv spoke to the captives as a group.

  "Where is he?" the Dridmor asked.

  Silenc
e. Taking a few steps to the closest prisoner, he repeated his question.

  "Where-is-he?"

  No answer. Peering at the soldier beside him, Chiranjiv simply said, "Weapon," and the solder tossed him a rifle. Raising the butt of the weapon he brought it smacking against the questioned man's head. Blood splattered, and the man crumbled while shouting in pain. Another guard hefted the prisoner up, but only so the blow could be repeated. This happened eight more times, each strike was fast and strong, not allowing the man a chance to answer even if he wanted. This continued until the man's face was so marred, bloodied and bruised that he would be unrecognizable to even his family. After the tenth strike, Chiranjiv held up his hand letting the soldier know to release the lifeless body. The guard allowed the battered corpse collapse to the floor.

  Silently, Chiranjiv turned his gaze on another prisoner by the name of Rew. The chief commissioner drew within millimeters of the seer's face.

  "Rew," he snarled in disgust. "You're supposed to have the sight. Let's test that shall we? Where is he?"

  The seer remained silent.

  A soldier approached and took position behind Rew. As Chiranjiv drew back, a voice stopped him.

  "Here," one of the guards called. Pushing aside debris, the soldier uncovered the opening to the passage where Director Amos Bruman and the others had fled.

  "You four," Chiranjiv ordered, "arrest these rebels. The rest of you, go after Bruman and the others."

  Pouring into the tunnel, the soldiers quickly made their way through the cramped passage, easily finding the snow tracks leading into the forest. Chiranjiv knew Bruman and the others must have left when the patrol craft showed up so they couldn't be too far ahead. With a clear trail to follow, Chiranjiv knew it would only be a matter of minutes before he found them all, and he was right.

  ***

  Amos Bruman's heart sank. He didn't despair so much for himself as for those he had let down. Their promised hope turned out to be only an elaborate trap. Dressed in the ornate robes of a high priest, the Ramillie facing him spoke.

  "Fear not, Director, all is as my agent arranged, don't let my disguise trouble you. Hurry, my ship's sensors show Ramillie in the area. It won't take them long to find us."

  Relieved as if a death sentence had been lifted from him, which in a way it had, Bruman called to him in hushed tones.

  "Vault Keeper?"

  "At your service, My Good Man... if you brought my fee that is."

  Amos nodded while quipping, "Your services are rather expensive."

  "True, but well worth it," was the response. "Hurry. There's no time to lose."

  Amos waved to those behind the trees. Hastily, they set about loading the weapon and treasures onto the ship.

  "Nicole, I want you to go too."

  "Amos, no. I can't leave you."

  "I couldn't bear it if they caught you," Amos pleaded fighting back his own tears. "Go, please."

  "Only if you come with me."

  "You know I can't."

  "Yes, you can! The movement here can make it without you. I can't!"

  "Nicole, I would die if you were taken, please. Do as I say and go with the Vault Keeper."

  "But-" words failed her as tears flooded her eyes as her husband gently caressed her face.

  "It's not fair," she gasped between tears as they embraced. "Rew told us the Imminent Abduction was close, why don't we just wait until then?"

  "We don't know how long that will be, Love."

  "He said it might be tomorrow."

  "Or another fifty years or more. He doesn't know exactly when only that it will happen. All I know is right now there is a chance to get you out of here, and it's a chance I'm going to take."

  "Will I ever see you again?"

  "Only the Elder knows, Love. So, we must leave it in His hands. Go, be with the treasures; make sure they're well cared for."

  Overcome, she could only nod her assent. He leaned down, and they kissed tenderly, but all too soon parted.

  "I love you," Amos mouthed as she disappeared into the ship. Wiping his eyes, he steadied himself.

  With the loading almost complete, Amos pushed emotion to the side and returned to the business at hand, giving the Vault Keeper the arranged price.

  "Your reputation precedes you, Vault Keeper. I know you'll do all you can to preserve the weapon and keep the treasures safe, but what if something happens to you? How will we ever be able to find these without you? Does another know the location of the Vault?"

  "No," the Vault Keeper answered. "I trust no one with that knowledge, not even my agent who made our arrangement."

  "Surely you must know you can trust me with the knowledge, and there must be others you know to be loyal to the cause."

  "It's not a matter of loyalty; it's risk. If you are caught, there's the chance you might talk. Under Ramillie tortures, a person can be forced to say anything, give away any information. You couldn't blame someone if they did. That's why no one knows except me. If the Elder should hold off the Imminent Abduction long enough where I am too old, I will pass on the knowledge, but not before. I pray the Abduction may be in my time so that I can see the joy on your face when I return your treasures to you and the countless others who've entrusted me for their protection."

  "I understand your concerns Vault Keeper, but still, what if something happens to you before you can pass it on? The treasures would be lost to us forever!"

  Reaching into the folds of his garment, the Vault Keeper produced a silver ring etched with alien script.

  "What's that?"

  "This," the Vault Keeper said with a smile, "is your piece of how to find The Vault if something happens to me and there are no more Vault Keepers." Holding the ring flat in his palm, the Vault Keeper rubbed his finger in a clockwise direction over the flat edge. A blue, wireframe map suddenly projected above the band. Letting Amos gaze at it for a moment, the Vault Keeper then rubbed the ring in a counterclockwise direction, which caused the image to vanish. He then handed the ring to the other man.

  "Wait, I thought you just said you wouldn't let anyone know where The Vault is? Then why are you giving me a map of how to find it?"

  "Because I haven't given you what you need to find it. All you have is a portion. On each run, I give one person a layer. Only when all the layers are assembled will you have what you need to find the location, but the map is deceptive; so, you have to look through the Eye of the Deceiver to read it."

  "You're speaking in riddles," Amos said, nervously looking over his shoulder for pursuing troops.

  "It's necessary for the work to continue. I must take off immediately, and you should leave too. The Ramillie will come soon."

  "How can I contact you?"

  "You can't. There will be no further contact until after the Abduction. I can come only once per place; otherwise, the risk of capture is too great."

  Amos was crushed but accepted the reasoning.

  "DIRECTOR," called a panicked voice.

  Though he already knew what it was, he turned to look anyway. The instant he caught a glimpse of a red uniform, a laser blast whizzed past his head, hitting the ship. Instantly, the Vault Keeper dashed inside his ship and retracted the gangplank.

  "SCATTER," Amos ordered in hopes that at least some of them would get away.

  More shots zipped from the trees, one of them catching a runner square in the back. Falling face first in the snow, the struck man was only the first to die. Smoke rose from his charred clothes and skin. With a whine and whoosh of igniting engines, the Vault Keeper's ship came to life, lumbering upward. Ramillie fire was redirected from those fleeing to the departing craft. Chiranjiv glared in hatred at the quickly ascending vessel. He knew who it must be, the infamous Vault Keeper. Had he realized such a prize was within his grasp, he would have sent far more than a few squads of troops. As the ship rose, it quickly became too far away for the soldiers to do any real damage. Reluctantly, he ordered them to cease firing at the ship and go after the flee
ing rebels.

  "You can outrun me, but you can't outrun them," Chrianjiv threatened as he pulled out his communication device and called to the system's patrolling ships. The waiting vessels immediately detected the little craft and moved to intercept.

  CHAPTER 2

  "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." – James 1:5

  SMACK! Aulani's words hit Alexander as though she'd slapped him in the face. Making his way to her as the crowd was still dissipating from his coronation ceremony, her first words to him were an immediate cause of concern to any man.

  "We need to talk."

  It wasn't exactly what he anticipated from the woman he had become so close to during the past three years. During the time he was marooned on the primitive island jungle world of Acatus V, he developed deep relationships with each of the handful of survivors from the colony ship Morningstar who crashed on the planet nearly fourteen years earlier than he. Throughout those trying years everyone became dependent upon each other, but none was more precious to Alexander than Aulani. In her, he found completeness. The dangers, successes, and setbacks they shared bonded them in a special way. Her first words to the newly crowned king were far from what he expected.

  "Talk about what?"

  "Vivica."

  "Aulani, listen, I don't even know what's become of her. There'll be plenty of time to work this out."

  "No, there won't."

  "What makes you say that?"

  "Because she and I had a long talk."

  His eyes widened.

  "She's here?" he asked apprehensively.

  "Oh yes. In fact, you can thank me for saving her life during the battle in the asteroids."

  "Aulani, I-"

  Before he could finish, he heard a familiar voice.