by Troy Dukart
“Any idea where this is?” I asked him.
“.....” he just kept looking out into the distance.
I patted him on the shoulder. Nothing around matched the mosaic.
“Damnit, what does this mean?” I wondered.
Zixin stood up and walked to the center of the room. He turned his head straight up and pointed to the ceiling.
“Strafe, bring it here,” he said quietly.
“Bring what here?”
“The tool you used to drive away the demon.”
Since we had returned from Eternia, I always kept the God Blade nearby. Even though the power had diminished, I felt naked without it. To me, it also signified keeping Him close and doing work in His name. I tried talking about religion with Zixin, but he brushed me off. He wasn't ready.
I walked over next to him. When I followed Zixin's finger, I looked up to find a mosaic painted on a glass ceiling, exactly the same as the drawing the Salvators sent me. The glass cascaded light down into the room in a myriad of hues. The vibrancy and variety akin to all the colored prayer flags that the locals hung around. The God Blade began to vibrate.
“Hold it up.”
I nodded.
Slowly, I raised the weapon. As the light shined through, the colors entered the orb of the sword and swirled around inside. They then exploded out of it and floated around us like fairy dust. The floor beneath us dissolved as the dust reached the ground and we fell into a winding slide. It brought us down a stone-walled path to the bottom of the palace.
At the end, we tumbled off into each other and found ourselves in a pitch-dark room. One by one, floating candles began illuminating the darkness until eventually, they lit the entire floor. Zixin and I got to our feet cautiously. Someone sat in the middle. From what I could tell, they were an older man. He wore a Tibetan mask and traditional clothing. Noticing us, he got to his feet, turned and put his arms into his robe. After scanning us up and down he said, “I have been expecting you, brothers Rocknus.”
CHAPTER 8
Strafe
His eyes glowed neon green through the eyelets of the mask. He had on a white warrior monk robe with a Buddhist symbol on his left breast.
“I'm glad you made it here safe,” the man said, “There is much work to do.”
“You, knew we were coming?” I replied while slowly standing.
“Yes,” he said walking towards us, “I can see all of those who seek me, and even if they don't. I believe in the teachings of Buddha and his greatness.”
“Buddha?” Zixin echoed.
“Yes, the one who guides me.”
“So, you must know why we are here,” I reckoned.
“Yes, but do you?”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Sonam, but others call me the Holy Draba. My mission in life is to help humanity reach enlightenment,” he said as scanned with us up and down, “It seems you have begun yours Strafe, but your brother has yet to start.”
“You mean in finding my faith?” I asked.
“There are many ways of seeing the Almighty in this world. For a child, their mother is the first God they experience. You must look inside and outside to find the true picture.”
“It hurts when I look inside,” Zixin announced.
Sonam walked toward us. He knelt down in front of Zixin, who was shaking and fidgeting but I told him it was alright. Lifting his mask so only Zixin could see his face, he held out his hand. Zixin observed the gesture momentarily before he shook it. Afterward, he put the mask back on.
“Those who believe in the Buddha know violence cannot be allowed to prosper in life. It is through violence we lose all that it means to be human. You have seen nothing but the worst your whole life Zixin, but now we can begin to heal your broken spirit,” Sonam said as he caressed Zixin's face.
Sonam then placed a hand over the scar of the missing left arm and rubbed it. Zixin bit his lip and dropped his head.
“I want to heal, but my heart is full of death and anguish. My mind of what he did to me,” Zixin wept.
“Yes, but deep inside it, there is light. You just need to be made to believe that yourself.”
“What must be done?” I asked.
Sonam looked deep into my eyes, “I'm not going to lie Strafe, trauma, this severe, will not be quick to mend. I cannot tell how long it will take, but I promise he will be whole again. Sometimes what happens in a few seconds can take years to recover from. He must be well in both his mind and body.”
“We were told you can erase memories, that you can make the pain go away.”
“Nobody in this world possesses the power to do that Strafe, but I am able to help others empower themselves through the teachings of the Ashtamangala.”
He pointed to his heart. On his shirt was a unique marking I'd never seen before. Many Buddist markings coming together.
“The Ashtamangala. The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddism. You must become one with these Zixin for you to get well. To erase one's memories is to destroy all of the effort life has done to shape the one,” Sonam said.
“Have you ever, worked with someone that who went through so much?”
“My whole life Strafe. Your brother is not the only one exposed to hell. Those seeking attainment search for others who need it more than them,” he explained before looking at Zixin, “What I will ask of you will be excruciating, but before you can overcome your past, you must face it.”
“There's been a lot,” Zixin murmured. He grabbed his head and curled into a ball.
“You will stay here, and learn how to overcome the pain of life through the lessons of the Buddha, Ashtamangala, and of your own culture. Just realize Zixin, that your life is greater than you are. You may not be aware of this fact while your sorrow tries to swallow you, but you have love in this world. Others are going to depend on you, and you need to be by their side,” Sonam assured.
Zixin looked up to him before nodding. We both sat down with him.
“Now, let's begin.”
In the coming weeks and months, Sonam graciously mentored and instructed Zixin on how to deal with his dark past through lessons from the Ashtamangala.
First, The Conch Shell, representing power and assembly. Sonam described Zixin as a right-turning conch shell, extremely rare and symbolic of the celestial motion of the stars. Zixin would need to learn to control his pain and turn it into a strength.
Next, The Lotus, the symbol of the soul. Pink Lotus's are the supreme color and were associated with the Buddha. The growth of the flower from the dirt into the sunlight represented the progress of the soul escaping materialism into enlightenment.
Third, The Wheel, which stood for moral discipline, correct application of wisdom, and concentration to keep one's life together. One of importance for Zixin to embrace.
Fourth, The Parasol, which provides protection to the sacred or royalty from inclement weather. Protecting those we love was akin to the Parasol.
Fifth, the Endless Knot. A reminder of the infinite knowledge of the Buddha. Also of cause and effect. All phenomena are interrelated. Positive actions led to good karma, while negative ones to bad. There was no beginning or end for the soul.
Sixth, the Golden Fishes. A sacred dual meaning of both the Ganges and Yamuna rivers of India as well as the sun and moon. The fish represented happiness, freedom, and fertility.
Seventh, The Victory Banner. Adopted early as a herald of knowledge over ignorance. An emblem of the Buddha's enlightenment, The Victory Banner also symbolized triumphing over the negative traits of passion, fear of death, defilement, and pride and lust.
Last, The Treasure Vase. A spiritual vessel, sharing the abundance of the Buddha's teachings. Sonam described his work with others akin to The Treasure Vase. He would always have lessons to share and he would never run out of energy doing so.
Before we came here, Zixin could hardly finish a sentence, but day by day he began to talk more
. We would meet Sonam in his chamber once a day for three hours. He lived as a hermit but would treat those brought to him by destiny. He gave Zixin an Ashtamangala necklace to wear, which my brother treasured and prayed with daily.
Zixin would go into traumatic experiences of the demon that possessed him, Barzakh. Sometimes he would cry, sometime he would scream in agony, other times together they would simply meditate and speak ohms. Sonam taught Zixin about the Great Buddha and to embrace our Native American heritage. He gravitated towards our Tribe and requested to keep his mohawk style haircut. Understanding that he wasn't alone and that he belonged was helping to bring him peace. His mental health noticeably improved the longer we stayed, which helped mine as well.
When we weren't with Sonam, we would volunteer our time to maintain the palace or care for the animals the monks of the temple raised. It was for good karma, as asked for by The Endless Knot. They had chickens, goats, cows, and cats. It was nice to spend time with my brother after so much lost time between us.
There was something so mystical and spiritual about Tibet, I almost didn't want to leave. Maybe we could all come to live here someday. Locating our mother was constantly on my mind though. I knew that the Federation had her and that they were probably looking for us. Until Zixin was cured though, we had to stay put. Little did I know that would take the next three and a half years.
CHAPTER 9
Yessa
Being in the Space Forces was greater than I imagined. I traveled to every continent and over sixty countries. As an “Angel,” we tracked persons of interest in coalition with our partner nations. We hunted terror cells, child-slave traffickers, drug cartels, you name it. Anybody who was a piece of shit, we searched for.
It had been three and a half years since I left Strafe. I still thought about him. Wondered how he and Zixin were doing. Secretly, I had been searching for them for months. Their whereabouts? Cold. Nobody on the Reservation would tell me where they went and there was no trace of them electronically. Not being around for Esper hurt me the most. The guilt of my abandonment was hard to shake, but I every day I got closer to finding my mom and dad.
Like Strafe's mother, my parents were taken by the Federation. The politicians in Washington didn't seem to care as much as they should. Smuggling happened at an astonishing rate. Their locations and routes? Still unknown to us at the moment. The civilian and military branches of intelligence had struggled to uncover these underground operations. With such deep infiltration into power systems worldwide, I worried they might find me before I find my family.
Currently, I stationed in Japan. We had been monitoring shipments exiting Asia to the States that exported contraband and people. Now a First Lieutenant, I was in charge of special investigations for the 21st Space Tracking Squadron or 21 STS for short.
The date? December 12, 2091. When I showed up for work and got to my office, I noticed an envelope on my desk.
What's this?
After tearing it open, I found that they were new orders from my boss, Lt Col Fabian.
1st Lieutenant Urena, Colonel Blaney has commanded us to investigate and disrupt the operations of the Hacktivist group, the Salvators. Reports indicate a cell residing in the hilltop village of Tsetang, Tibet. You are to infiltrate undercover. Form up and be ready to move out in two days at 0600. If you have any questions, call me.
“The Salvators? Why are a bunch of kids with computers getting this much attention?” I shook my head.
Alas, orders were orders. We didn't get to question them. I traveled around with a great team, mainly Enlisted Angels. There have always been two sides to the military. The Enlisted were the blue-collar workers, the Officers the white-collar. All Enlisted answered to the Officers. We had different names for our Enlisted, as each branch does. My team consisted of Astronaut 1st Class Iovine, Senior Astronaut Ellerbee and Space Sergeant Dill. They were like family to me. Each of us had unique skill sets on top of reconnaissance training.
What I didn't notice at the end of the letter? Someone else would be accompanying us, Parker. Like the slime that a snail leaves on rocks, I was disgusted. I hadn't seen him in a long time. I thought it strange he was on this mission. What made things worse? My friend Amy was dating him.
I told her what he did, but she didn't believe me. Parker had put a huge strain on our friendship over the years. Since he would always be with her, we ended up not hang out anymore. His presence made me sick. This would be the first time I would work with him in the field. I would need to find a way to protect my Astronauts and accomplish the mission.
Around noontime, I called Sergeant Dill and the others to report to my office. While sitting at my desk reading emails, they walked in.
“Ma'am, you wished to talk with us?” he asked.
“Yes. Looks like we have orders,” I answered, “We're going to China.”
“China?” Iovine blurted, “Hell yeah!”
Iovine was a twenty-year-old from Florida. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. A die-hard Miami Dolphins fan. Whenever he wasn't in uniform, he wore his Dan Marino jersey his dad sent him.
“Don't be too excited, remember when went to Chile? We slept in the dirt while tracking drug-dealers,” Ellerbee scolded.
Ellerbee was twenty-two and from Oregon. Half Columbian, half Tanzanian. She was more reserved. She enjoyed playing guitar and painting in her free time.
“You gotta look more at the brighter things in life,” Iovine teased.
“Will you two put a hole in it?” Sergeant Dill said.
Dill was a pureblood Texan, through and through. He loved serving his country as much as his hometown. Every conversation I had with him would eventually wind up about something from Texas. It was kind of charming. He always found a reason to bring up the Lone Star State.
“We will be leaving tomorrow. Make sure you update your suit by tonight. There're a few new features to try out, one of them being stealth mode. Blend in and act like a tourist after landing. Remember to use first names and don't call me ma'am while we're out of uniform,” I instructed, “Any questions?”
“No ma'am!” they responded.
“Good, have fun tonight and I'll see you at 0600, dismissed.”
The Astronauts walked out of the room, but I kept Sergeant Dill behind. My right-hand man. Someone I truly admired and trusted. After closing the door, he sat down in front of my desk.
“Sarg,” I said as I ran my hands over my face, “We have someone tagging along with us.”
“Who's that supposed to be?”
“A real piece of shit, Lieutenant Parker. I went through survival school with him. I'm not sure why he's here with us, but he's not to be trusted. Watch out for our Astronauts, as well as yourself around him and tell me if he makes you do anything, unethical.”
“Yes ma'am, I'll be on the lookout,” he comforted.
With a nod of his head, he made his leave.
Not too shortly afterward, I got a knock on the door. In came a Captain, one rank higher than me, but I couldn't see their face. When they pulled off their cap, it was no other than Parker.
“Captain?” I said, my jaw almost hitting the floor.
“I guess we don't go to attention anymore?” he sassed.
My blood was already boiling but I went to the position of attention as he asked. He waved his hand and we sat down.
“It seems as though we are going to be working together.”
“Yup, that's correct,” I grumbled.
“I hope there aren't going to be any problems from your people with following my orders. Colonel Blaney left me specific instructions to terminate all Salvators on site. No survivors.”
“Terminate all Salvators? That would go against LOAC,” I challenged.
The Law of Armed Conflict or LOAC is a law that applies to all members of the military. One of the rules stated that we could not engage with unarmed civilians or militants with deadly force unless attacked first. Only those wh
o possessed weapons could be retaliated against.
“Was that ever the case with the terrorist? What about the drug cartels on the border? The Salvators are identified as a threat to national security and we are to send a message to their leaders,” Parker asserted.
He pulled out a note written to him from our Group Commander. After I read it, I pointed my finger at him, “I'll tell you this. I don't know how you weaseled out of what you did in training school, but if you put my Astronauts in any position to get killed or hurt, you're not going to like what I do.”
“Let's not be mad about how they step-promoted me and not you,” Parker gibed, “Just like me sleeping with your best friend, you're just going to have to accept it.”
“Get the hell out of my office you coward!” I slapped my hand on the desk, “I don't give a damn what rank you are.”
“Mind your tongue, Lieutenant!” he snapped. Certain buttons of his he didn't like getting pushed, especially by a woman. Turning to me before he slammed the door he said, “Now go prepare my team before I take you off this mission and send you to the kitchen where you belong!”
“Fuck you, asshole!” I cursed as I grit my teeth and hit the table.
CHAPTER 10
Strafe
The longtime we spend here had changed Zixin. In the second-year Sonam spent two months with him alone in isolation. I would receive updates through a letter that was always near my nightstand every Sunday morning.
The Holy Draba dived deep into Zixin's soul through teachings from Buddhist scripture. Together they went through each one of the traumatic experiences brought on by Barzakh. Re-living these events would help alleviate his depression and understand himself better.
While he was away, I enjoyed taking care of the Whiteclouds. I grew fond of them, especially Goliath. Each wolf became an expert sheepherder and the children of the village adored playing with them. Through our new family here I found peace. I didn't miss home much at all. At night, when everyone would go to sleep, I would occasionally talk with the Salvators in an encrypted online chat-room. They would ask for status reports and to check how we were. One night I asked them a few questions of my own.