Cartlidge: Rise of the Imperfect Flame

by Devon Loos

  I gave a nod of understanding and turned to leave. Brin remained behind and another Rovanekren introduced himself as my new guide.

  “Now then, Brin. Let’s discuss your advancement.” The door was shut behind me, ending my part in the conversation.

  I was brought to a rather well kept room which was filled with food and drinks entirely foreign to me. After my guide explained what everything was, he left. I was given a small touchscreen device full of ideas for a field I could enter into. “Human Agent” was one of the my choices. I clicked on the term and read the explanation. The exclusively human group worked as undercover agents on earth or as spokesmen in human Rovanekren interactions. Another read “Singer.” A third read “Admiral.” Something was odd about the list. Either the list was in order in Rovanekren and changed when put into Gaia, or the list was entirely random. I scrolled to the bottom. The last two on the list caught my eye. The first was a “Human Diplomat.” Rovanekren diplomats are known have trouble working with anyone not of their species compared to humans. My father was supposedly one of the best. I paused for a moment and thought perhaps I could follow in his footsteps. I looked at the second option, “Warrior.” I succumbed to the lure of the word. Clicking on it revealed a variety of descriptions and other sources of information. The sources ranged from recruitment videos, to weapon designs, to vehicles, to historical accounts of some of the greatest warrior Kings and Queens. I read, watched, and examined everything I could. I became like a child, enthralled by the dream of an adventurer. I looked at one more image. It was a comparison of sword designs. Rovanekren military technology included bladed weapons, which were designed to emit powerful streams of energy, that would heat the blade enough to cut through nearly any material that did not operate on the same level of energy itself. Kings and Queens were the main operators of such technology. I gazed upon the image, transfixed on the idea of modern swordplay. I loved the idea of swordplay. Fighting in such a way seemed both more skillful and more meaningful to me. I finished eating my strange dinner and went to retire for the day. I had made my decision.

  [Chapter 3: A Different Life]

  I returned to the council room early the next day. I entered unescorted this time, and the air of the room felt heavy with the irritancies of officials still trying to rise from their morning grogginess. I felt rather uncomfortable as some glared at me as just another burden to their day.

  “Ok, everyone. First on our list today is Mr. Cartlidge’s decision on where he will go from here.”

  “Your lordship, do we really need to be present for this?” one of the council members griped.

  “Mr. Cartlidge’s last wishes were embedded in a legal document; therefore, we have to treat it as a legal matter. Calm yourself, Rekke. This should only take a few minutes. Now, Jacob Cartlidge, have you chosen your path?”

  “I have, your lordship. I have chosen to become a warrior.” There was a pause.

  “Are you sure? I must warn you a military path will challenge you to lengths you cannot comprehend.”

  “I am sure.”

  “Very well.” He spoke into an audio messenger. “Bring me a guide for our military complex. We’re sending you a new recruit.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled, but inside I questioned myself. Was this a terrible mistake?

  “You’re dismissed.” I turned and walked out of the room. Just as the king had said, a guide greeted me as I left the room. She looked far too eager for the job and I wondered if she was new.

  “If you’ll come with me, we will head to the transport to take you to the military complex.” Her Gaia was surprisingly proper. We went through several hallways and elevators until we reached the bottom of the tower. It now seemed much larger than when I had first seen it. We traveled on the strange glass roads for several hours. During the ride there, my guide spoke continuous praise about the quality of the facility as if she was selling real estate.

  “The beds in the barracks are made from a rather luxurious new cross weave silk that I’m sure you’ll love.”

  As we reached the building I was forced to admit that I was actually quite impressed. The building itself was twice the width of some of the largest skyscrapers in New York City, and rose to a height of around four or five stories. The roof was flat, except for a dome at the center and a rounded glass roof towards the back. The shape of the building started as a square, then opened into two diagonal sides in the back before creating a concave section for the opening of the building. The texture of the building seemed to be concrete, yet there was no visible seam, or even a crack, in the structure at all.

  “As you can see there are two sets of doors. The one in front of us leads to the arena, where some of the best warriors will fight for advancement.”

  “Wait, you mean to the death?”

  She laughed. “Of course not! That would be a terrible waste. Though people tend to get rather injured in the arena, there are almost never any fatalities.”

  I remained silent. We entered through the second set of doors to our right and entered into the lobby of the building. The lobby was strikingly similar to those in the average hotel. There were banners, plants, a fountain, and several chairs and tables in the corner. My guide then explained that she worked at the front desk in this room.

  “... And this room is the training room. Here you will be provided state of the art training simulations, as well as opportunities to spar with your fellow recruits.” The room was quite large, with several balconies where the commanding officers stood to watch the soldiers. The left wall curved around the arena. A large room to our right housed several systems that simulated combat scenarios. One soldier was in the holo-room, working rapidly to fend of a group of transparent attackers. As we moved further we saw a group of four circles which acted as sparring rings. We continued further to find another holo-room to our right and a set of smaller rooms to our left. The warriors in these rooms were not fighting, but standing rather still.

  “Hey, what’s that room?”

  “Oh! Those are the singer’s rooms.”

  “Singers?”

  We stopped and my guide took a deep breath. “Singers are kings and queens who use their powers to manipulate sound waves. They can replicate just about any instrument you can think of, and their singing is absolutely beautiful. At least, that’s what I hear. The rooms are soundproof.”

  “Why would warriors need this?” I strained to understand the point of having a concert in the middle of a battle.

  “Well,” She spoke low like she was spreading a rumor, “singers are taught how to sing in an ancient language that makes people stronger!”

  “What she’s trying to say is that the songs they sing contain psychological effects that can increase the morale and determination of all those who listen.” Brin, who was now clothed in elegant full body armor, with a sword tied to his waist, explained. “Their songs can bring even the laziest soldier to give his all, the coldest, cruelest warrior to break into tears, and the weakest soldier to work with the strength of ten men. The music you know of speaks to your mind, but the music they sing quite literally speaks to the soul.” He paused. “There is even a tale of a song that delays death.” I wondered what such powerful music could sound like. Such things were further testimony in demonstrating my ignorance of the new world I was in. I looked back to the rooms. A single room was occupied by a woman who was singing. Though she faced away from me, I could easily tell she was human. I wondered how many other humans were here, learning how to function in this new world, like I was.

  “So you chose my field eh? Well I guess that means I’m your instructor now.”

  “You work here?”

  “Just started.” He turned to my guide. “I’ll take it from here.” The guide made a gesture and walked back towards the lobby. We turned the opposite way and delved further into the building. We delved further into the building, into another hallway. Across from us was the medical room. The hallway on our right traveled to the armor
y, along with other small rooms, and then outside to the firing range. To our left was a fork in the hallway. Going left would lead to an entrance to the arena. We continued on through the right side of the fork. On our right were four small meeting rooms, and a large “main theatre” took its place on our left. The library was situated at the end of the hallway. We walked through rather quickly, giving me the impression that Brin was getting rather impatient, and I would have far too many questions if we had stopped to look at everything. Next to the library was the mess hall, and then finally, the barracks.

  “Alright. Get yourself situated. Your training starts tomorrow.” The barracks was completely empty.

  “Where is everyone else?” I asked.

  “They’re either training, studying, fighting, or out where they’re not supposed to be.”

  I found a clean, ownerless bunk and fell in. It was only the afternoon, but I was exhausted.

  I felt my body shifted by a force, and I woke up falling to the floor. I heard voices but failed to understand them. They were Rovanekrens, all laughing and talking to each other in their strange language. One turned to me.

  “Wai are there so menee of yuu haff bloods? When mai father served, he never had to deal with enee of yuu!”

  Another voice spoke. “Um, there are only two of them here, Jevack.”

  “That is two too menee!”

  I raised myself to a stand. “Your Gaia is terrible.”

  “Maybee you peepel need to learn some Rovanekren.” I began to feel threatened.

  “Well maybe you-!”

  “Young bloods!”

  “Commander, sir!” Everyone chanted in unison. Some spoke in Rovanekren while others in Gaia. Everyone stood completely at attention, feet separated, arms behind their backs. I quickly shuffled into a similar stance.

  “You are all new, I know, but I will NOT have a fight break out BEFORE training starts! Is that clear Jevack?”

  “Yes sir!”

  “Get some sleep young bloods! You’re all getting up early tomorrow!” The commander turned and left, taking the tension with him. Some prepared themselves for sleep, while others started conversations. Jevack turned to me.

  “This isn’t over half blood.” I ignored him, dropped into my own bunk, and thrashed about to find a comfortable spot. I faced myself away from the adjacent wall to hopefully be able to respond if someone came a little too close.

  The darkness of sleep was unsettling. I saw faces I didn’t recognize. I only heard one thing.

  “Be…”

  I continuously saw the dark figure of my nightmares darting about the edge of my vision. The hooded figure walked with an arch in its back, its skeletal hand always outstretched.

  “Be…” The voice came not from it, but from a woman.

  “Young Bloods!” This voice I knew. It was the commander. I woke from my slumber to find the other recruits scrambling to get ready. I began to do the same. It was around five in the morning. After around ten minutes everyone was standing at attention.

  “Now then, I know that not a single one of you have been in a real fight. I know, not a single one of you knows what real pain is. But by the angels by the end of this you will all know exactly what true pain is, and you will all overcome it or by the angels you will be sent back to your mothers in buckets! Do you understand me young bloods!”

  “Sevilkren Yenetchsev Sevilkren!” All the recruits spoke in unison. I assumed it was acknowledgment of the commander’s statement.

  “Well if you all are so eager to start I want to see you all running around the building until breakfast! Now!” After a few grunts of irritation, everyone funneled through the door for the run. The commander stopped me just before I could leave.

  “Just so you know, every half blood has to learn Rovanekren at some point. Not all instructors will be courteous enough to speak in your language, and angels have mercy if you can’t tell what the instructor’s telling you to do...” He let me go and I ran to catch up to the group.

  [Chapter 4: Training]

  Physical work comprised the bulk of the first month of training. During the remaining time we were mentally trained. Every day we would wake up, run, eat, lift, watch each other be humiliated by one of the instructors, eat again, learn simple commands and protocol, and then return to bed. Everything that was typical of military training on Earth was doubled on New Rov. The second month focused on our intelligence. We worked on combat during the early part of the day, then broadened our knowledge of the universe in the evening. Most of the soldiers focused on learning to operate the many vehicles available to Rovanekrens, from the mainline tank-walker to the small scale fighters and bombers. I however, focused on understanding this new world.

  Towards the end of the month I would find myself skipping lunches to learn all the different things about this seemingly foreign universe. Aside from humans, Rovanekrens, and Clawtrodons, there were five other sentient species, two of which were on entirely different planes of existence. There were hundreds of known colonized planets and a great many more waiting to be discovered and colonized. There were more species of alien creature and plant than I could ever hope to learn. One creature, the Rov Wyrm, was a rare, large, worm-like creature that would use secreted acids from glands in its mouth to burrow through large areas of rock. The wyrm had four appendages on the upper segment which each resembled that of a crab’s pincers. Its maw was filled with serrated teeth that shredded just about anything in its path.

  Rovanekren technology was equally as fascinating. Nearly all window systems had a build in camera that analyzed data and used it to improve the user’s abilities. A good watcher using a window system is capable of pinpoint accuracy far beyond the abilities of an unaugmented soldier. This accuracy enables watchers to eliminate targets through non-lethal methods, including limb crippling or disarming shots. Each day I would go to bed and have images of these new life forms and technology swimming through my mind as I slumbered.

  The third month, nicknamed the “testing month”, was our final month of training. We would learn any last minute lessons and then be put through a variety of tests. Anyone who did not pass, or was maimed in the attempt, would not be allowed to continue for another year. I never found another human recruit, due in part to my lack of time to search, and the singer I had seen on my first day disappeared after that moment. She eventually faded from my mind, crowded out by all the new information I had learned in the past two months.

  Our first day of the testing month was spent accustoming ourselves to Rovanekren weapons. Rovanekren firearms were much different than human ones. Nearly all Rovanekren small arms fired small, radioactive shards of superheated metal from a cylindrical canister. The size and velocity of the shard depended on the rifle that fired it, but generally, any canister could be used by any rifle. The metal itself, however, could not be manually removed from the canister. The radiation of the shards was not entirely dangerous, but if applied to a target internally, the radiation would cause poisoning and eventual death. While there were slight variations in model and design, there were three basic types of firearm. The pistol was the smallest and easiest to carry or conceal. The rifle was the general term for the standard firearm, and the watcher’s cannon rifle, or more commonly branded the WCR, was an elongated form of rifle that filled the niche of a human sniper rifle. We were each handed an unloaded rifle.

  I could not help but feel that the rifle designs were incredibly unusual. The rifle was composed of a single large pipe with a curved second attached to the bottom. A rectangular piece was fixed to the center, covering the connection between the two pipes. A third piece curved between the two pipes, acting like a handle. The trigger was in the center of the triangle. The muzzle end of the first pipe separated into several teeth like edges while the other end supported the stock of the rifle. The canister was connected at the end of the second pipe. A small green gauge on the canister kept count of the amount of available shots that were left. The pistol and WCR were
of the same design as the rifle, but with significant changes to size and barrel length. None of these weapons carried any form of fully automatic fire, since the rate of fire would easily overheat and melt the rifle, injuring its owner in the process.

  Bladed weapons were particularly interesting. While swords of varying lengths were the most common, Rovanekrens also implemented axes, spears, and other forms of bladed weapons into their arsenal. Rovanekren weapons, when activated, created a small field of energy around the blade, superheating it. This effect allows a warrior to cut through armor with relative ease, and create a burning pain upon contact with flesh. These blades are also electrified, creating a small stunning effect on those who are not properly trained. This design works only with bladed weapons, preventing effective use with any form of bludgeon. Typically, low-ranking soldiers are equipped only with a rifle, the armor on their backs, and a single electrified knife and can only earn such weapons through successful missions.

  Our second day focused on armor. We started by learning about “mesh”, a blackened Rovanekren substance that acted as a secondary defense. The mesh was formed into a full body suit fitted to the exact shape of its user’s body. It acted as an advanced form of the typical 21st century bulletproof vest, absorbing some of the force of incoming rounds while also preventing puncture wounds from shards and shrapnel. We watched as one of the instructors fired several rounds into a training target that was covered in a mesh suit. The mesh stopped most of the rounds, but sustained fire eventually prevailed.

  “As you chevaknev see… suits… not invincible.” The instructor spoke in Rovanekren. I had managed to teach myself the general concept of the language, but after only two months of learning there were still many words and phrases that would slip by me when someone spoke.