“So shall we get to it and get what we came for?” asked Razia. “Let’s do so,” said Derek. They stepped back on board the hovercraft and Derek tapped at its on-board console, which moved it forward down the steps and towards the pyramid in the distance. It glided above the steps at a steady pace and Nadal and Razia became awestruck as they reached the floor of the chamber and looked up at ancient objects around them. “I feel so small looking at all of this around me,” said Nadal. Derek smiled but kept his focus on reaching the pyramid, which grew larger in size as they closed in on it. After a few minutes they reached its base and he maneuvered the vehicle to a stop at the base of the central step formation. “Okay, so the crystal should be placed right below these stairs. Let’s hope this last bit works,” said Derek as he stepped off the vehicle and walked towards a large circular engraving on the floor. He glanced around and then reached into his side bag, pulling out a smaller version of the key used to open the hall’s main door. He knelt and placed it in the small opening in the engraving. Within seconds, the floor beneath his feet began to light up and flickered in various shades of white and yellow. A short set of tapping sounds were emitted. Derek stepped away and slowly the large circular engraving where the key was placed in, rose up revealing a gold holder that held within its center a fairly large white crystal. The object itself began to glow and emitted a soft humming sound. “There it is boys. Let’s get it out quickly,” said Derek. Razia extended two large arms from the front of the vehicle, which gently lifted the object from its old cradle and he carefully reversed the vehicle a couple of feet away. Derek then touched a series of knobs along the side of the gold strips that had held the crystal and the whole structure sank back into the ground. He turned the key and walked back towards the two men. “I really wish we could take our time and explore this wonderful place some more. Lord knows it more than merits it. But duty calls,” said Derek jumping back on the vehicle. The three set off and were shortly back at the stop of the stairwell. Derek glanced one last time at the marvel below them and then signalled to Razia that it was time to seal the door. Without him knowing so at that moment, it would end up being the only time Derek would be able to set foot in that space of wonders.
◆◆◆
In The Valley Of Symoor
Himalayan Mountain Range
The evening sun lowered itself gently in the sky, casting its rays along the surrounding snow-white mountain slopes. A cacophony of bird calls echoed across the valley signalling the coming of night. Hilos Kalibra gazed carefully at the canopy of trees just below him and relished the fresh mountain breeze that was blowing. He stood with his arms folded behind him and watched the various hues of dying sunlight give way to the starlit sky above. The short ridge he was standing on, was one of several spread across the mountain side, behind him. The mountain itself was hollowed out within and housed the secret headquarters of The Guardians of Symoor. Built at the conclusion of the Great War in 11,599 B.C. its purpose had been to serve as a command centre and oversee the caretaking of humanity and counter the actions undertaken by the Defenders of Amanora. The valley itself lay deep in the Himalayan Mountains and was concealed by an array of camouflage technology, which prevented any modern day satellites from detecting it, nor allowed any of the few mountaineers, who had passed by to see the valley itself.
Right behind Hilos was an entrance embellished by a solid grey granite archway bearing the symbol of the all Seeing Eye at the top of it. Towards his right and further up the slope lay a much wider entrance, which led to a massive airplane hangar. He glanced in the direction of the star constellation, where he knew Greenleaf was located. He smiled to himself knowing that with John Stroff’s arrival the second chamber at the Great Hall of Records would be opened. Various scriptures had spoken of the Day of Judgement, with millions of people over the past 13,000 years not knowing when or what exactly it meant. The Guardians of Symoor were one of the two elite groups, who knew that it meant a return of the Flaleems and the Novongs along with the Triadians. He reflected on the last transmission he had received from Derek and was pleased that everything had gone smoothly, though he could not help but shake a nagging doubt in his mind as to how the Defenders of Amanora had not interfered. He had cautioned Derek to be careful. He now waited expectantly for Derek and his team to arrive within the hour.
“Forgive me your excellence, but may I join you here?” asked Victoria Plyon. Hilos turned very slightly and nodded. She proceeded out from under the stone archway behind him. “I am proud of you Victoria. I think you have proved yourself well in all the tests that we have made you undertake. I believe that you will serve well as our new and fifth Purple Knight,” said Hilos. “I thank you your excellence,” said Victoria with a smile. She followed Hilos’ gaze toward the horizon and watched the silhouettes of the mountains in the distance. “So, Derek and his crew should be arriving shortly from their Egyptian excursion I gather,” she added. “They will be and once we have the Agovon Crystal it will be able to power the protective shield across the Earth, which as you know will protect us from any possible space invasion. At the same time, we’ll finally be able to submit all our evidence to the Universal Astra Regime and have the Triadians imprisoned for their crimes as well as hopefully bring an end to the Defenders of Amanora,” said Hilos.
A bird called out at that point and Hilos glanced towards its direction. “I sometimes find it amazing that we have been able to keep this planet intact all these centuries. The Defenders of Amanora have tried everything in their power to disrupt the world order and bring misery and destruction upon humanity. They are so blindly addicted to the belief that they will be rewarded for their efforts and be treated with special care by the Triadians. They should know better that they are being used by them,” said Hilos and he turned to Victoria. “In fact, my dear, while we wait for Derek to arrive, why don’t you repeat to me what you have learned from your induction as a Purple Knight and the recent developments shared with us by the Assiross?” he added.
Victoria nodded. “Our order was named after the last human Queen to rule over Veeronia. Her importance is of extreme significance as she along with several members of her court and an Assiross delegation were able to escape Earth and make it to the headquarters of the Universal Astra Regime. It was particularly her ability to gather intelligence and present it to their central council, which prompted its members to intervene in the Great War and bring about its end. More so, Symoor played an instrumental role in leading the reconstruction of human civilisation and the rebuilding of a new human order across the continents, while also banishing the followers of Amanora to the lands of Lumeria and Asin, the latter of which consisted of the fragmented island remains of Veeronia. One of these island nations came to be known as Atlantis. The Guardians of Symoor formed shortly thereafter. Our organisation is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Oakors as well as preserving the continuing legacy of the Assiross. Its main function is to bring about stability to the world and find ways through economic, social and spiritual channels to help move humanity towards universal enlightenment. Our members consist of the descendants of the royal family and the other noble families, who had for several centuries, governed over Veeronia before its eventual collapse. While effective at many points throughout history, we have not always been successful in being able to stop many calamities from occurring, which includes the First, Second and Third World Wars from the previous two centuries. We had however, in the initial part of the 21st century been successful in bringing together world governments for a common purpose. By this I refer to the formation of TASNSA.
“The Defenders of Amanora, on the other hand, had been founded after a powerful religious leader, who lived in ancient Veeronia known as Trito Amanora. The latest intelligence that Gyordina and her people shared with us a week ago is most disturbing as they shed new light on how the Great War occurred. We learnt that this being is the one who was responsible for causing it and who influenced the Flaleems and Novongs to
attack Earth. Unfortunately, much about his origins remains unclear but for the few details we do have, we know that he was a Triadian, born on the planet Lucia and who at an early age of around 14, was brought to the courts of Veeronia due to his extraordinary ability to heal any type of living being. His gift was considered legendary and he rose in his power and influence as the years progressed. He was one of just a handful of Triadians living on Earth as most of his race chose not to have anything to do with our planet. As his powers grew, he began to nurse a growing desire to rule over the Earth and become the living embodiment of a God. In 11,608 B.C he began influencing powerful leaders within the Flaleem and Novong clans as well as scores of human beings to support his ambitions. Finally, in 11,602 B.C. he made his intentions clear at the court of Veeronia and presented the council members with an ultimatum, which was to either accept his rule as the undisputed leader or face a terrible rebellion. Naturally, the court rejected his claim and warned him against taking any illegal action. They reminded him that he could be reported to the Eshmu Assembly and persecuted if it was found that he had initiated any disruption to Veeronian civil life. Disgruntled, he left the court and began to plot his revenge. However, apart from understanding that Amanora instigated the Great War to occur, all evidence shows that he was killed under mysterious circumstances before it began. Only parts of his body were discovered near the shores of Veeronia’s capital Iksa. However, as Gyordina stated, before his death he had convinced the Flaleems and Novongs to support an all-out war to eliminate his human opponents as well as destroy the Oakors and Assiross, who would no doubt come to the aid of their human creations. Further, he also managed to convince his human supporters that those who stood by him would be rewarded in the times ahead. This of course culminated in the conflict in 11,600 B.C.
“When his death was announced, his human followers vowed revenge believing that either the Oakors or Assiross were responsible. In his honour they formed the Defenders of Amanora and sought to establish his teachings for political and social order throughout the world. Even after the closing of the Great War, conflict among humans still continued. As the years progressed, some members having grown weary of the aggressive call to arms, had chosen to leave but were killed by the group’s inner council. The council itself also went on a rampage attacking members of the Guardians of Symoor until the groups’ banishment to Lumeria and Asin in 11,599 B.C. Nonetheless, a state of animosity and mini-wars continued until 10,550 B.C. when both groups mutually agreed to call an end to the fighting. This however, was a trick and a large group of Amanora members, who lived on the island nations of Atlantis, Crete and Bermuda planned a secret attack to eliminate the central court of the Guardians of Symoor, then located in what is modern day Greece.
“Their preparations were carefully made and in in 10,548 B.C. they attacked, assisted heavily by the Triadians. However, the Assiross intervened and destroyed large pockets of Amanora occupied territory including the island nations of Bermuda and Atlantis. Hearing about these fresh conflicts on Earth, the Universal Astra Regime once more intervened and forbade both the Triadians and the Assiross from having any more contact with human beings. However, we know that both parties bypassed or rather violated those instructions at a later stage. As an added measure, which the Universal Astra Regime called as a necessary one in order to eliminate the aggressive behaviour being exhibited by humans, it had the Earth covered by a massive flood, which lasted from the tail end of 10,548 B.C. to the middle of 10,500 B.C. The purpose of such a flood was to punish humankind for its wicked ways, destroy the growing and deadly weapon arsenal and thereby return it to a more sober state. Secretly, the Regime worried that if these conflicts continued unchecked, humans could one day pose a serious threat to other civilisations elsewhere in the galaxy. A punishment such as this was believed to be one that could negate such a possibility. However, before the flood could occur the Assiross pleaded with the Regime to spare the Guardian of Symoor members. Still needing their human supporters to gather intelligence and help them with their ambitions the Triadians also put forward a similar request for the Defenders of Amanora members. The Universal Astra Regime finally did yield a little and decided to spare several random groups spread across the world.
“Many human groups were relocated to areas, located at higher altitudes on several continents, while the rest was of the world was engulfed in a watery grave. After the deemed time in 10,500 B.C. the flood waters receded and the key continents that we see today were restored for habitable living. Humans of course were reduced to live a bare existence as most of the world’s key and advanced civilisations were either destroyed or buried forever. Though our group was able to hide and store away some advanced technology given to us by the Assiross and as we later learned so were the Defenders of Amanora able to do so as well. But for the rest of humanity, it had to rebuild itself carefully over the next few thousand years. In fact, at the time the flood ended, many humans revolted against both political groups stating that they had been the sole cause of the downfall of Earth’s civilisations. And so, a vast majority of humanity chose to forget the past and create a new way of life, which would be built on peace, for they felt no good could come from pledging allegiance to either side. And so, over the many centuries that have followed, the generations who knew our past died away and the newer ones who appeared had no idea of what was, as their forefathers restrained from telling them anything. Those members remaining with the Guardians of Symoor and Defenders of Amanora, then chose to keep all of our ancient life a secret and decided to use that knowledge to try and outwit the other with the final aim of holding the ultimate influence over all humankind till the time of judgement or when the possible next war would begin with the release of the Flaleems and Novongs.
Returning to the point on the flood, the Universal Astra Regime being satisfied with the results, designated the neutral Endanmo to monitor the planet to check human progress in the centuries that lay ahead. But as I mentioned earlier, while both the Assiross and the Triadians maintained contact with their human followers, the former did convince and seek the additional support of the Endamno in doing so. The subsequent reports that the Universal Astra Regime received from the Endamno over the next several centuries, eventually convinced it that humanity be allowed to reconnect with the rest of the civilised universe at the start of the 22nd century, which according to Gyordina is expected to happen at the end of this year.”
Hilos had listened carefully to all this, and then after a long pause, he finally spoke. “Very good. Do remember all that you have said Victoria. It is for those reasons of why we are here and why we must stand firm against the Defenders of Amanora, who have instigated all manners of atrocities to make mankind submit to its will,” he said. He then turned away and scanned the sky above the mountains in the distance. He could see the faint outline of a plane approaching them. Derek and his crew were arriving. “Good they are here then. Do inform the court of Derek’s arrival and wait at the hanger. I’ll join you in a moment,” said Hilos. Victoria bowed slightly and turned towards the stone archway. Hilos rubbed his hands and waited for a few more minutes as he watched the jet glide silently over the trees in the valley and make its way towards the entrance of the hangar.
◆◆◆
Part IV
The Apocalypse
Held To Ransom
Wildlife One
Six months had passed since Wildlife One had departed from Greenleaf and it now began the final leg of its journey towards Earth. Ali rose up carefully from his sleeping pod and stretched himself. He rubbed his eyes and forehead in an attempt to get rid of the last strains of sleep still pulling at his eye lids. He gazed around and was satisfied to see everything was in order. His pod assistant did a quick scan of him and he walked towards his chamber to get ready. As he was about to approach the entrance towards his shower he thought he heard a noise and walked back out again. Everything seemed quiet and the few lights that were on did not reveal anything out o
f the ordinary. He listened carefully and then he heard it again, a distinct metallic noise coming from outside their sleeping chamber. “Quick analysis on what the origin of the noise is?” he said. The pod displayed a series of screens from different corners of the ship, with a set of circles moving across them to try and decipher where the sound had come from. Ali could not see anything out of the ordinary. Still not satisfied, he walked towards the entrance of the sleeping chamber and opened the door. It slid open and he stepped out into the hallway. “Odd!” he remarked to himself. He decided that since no warning systems had gone off, he may as well shower and get ready and then do a proper inspection of all levels.
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