It was Sworda who had given it to me. I wondered if he could help her. No one had ever captured an enemy mech. But, everyone in the compound was in a good mood.
“If I needed to find someone, how would I do that?” I asked, interrupting them.
“Who do you want to find?” She asked, giving me a sharp look. She had Will lying upon a table with half his brain separated from his head. She had plasti-flesh held in a cooler on a stand to the side of the operating table and extra bio-fluids in several intravenous bags mounted on a pole seeping into Will's brain and chest as she worked on him. Wires, mechanical and biological material and metalli-flesh circuit-synapses were carefully separated in pieces on a wide, shallow container on her other side as she lifted them out of a preservation fluid gingerly with gloved hands, examining each with a bright light attached to a band around her head. She was dressed like a surgeon. She finally looked up at me.
“Yes? Who do you need to find?” She repeated impatiently.
“Any progress there yet?” I asked, not answering immediately. She shook her head.
“No. I may run out of bio-fluid before that happens,” said Will as-a-matter-of-factly.
“I must request that the patient remain silent,” she chided.
“Good lord, Will. Only you can crack bad jokes with your head cracked open. Oh, right. Genevieve, I don't mean to disturb you but I was wondering how to find Sworda.”
“Sworda? He's most likely in Ophir. You might find him through a dynashan there. Tulos, do you know?”
“I believe I do. He's been creating quite a name for himself in Ophir.”
“Really? What sort of name?” I turned to him.
“A leader among his people. Seems to be getting popular among separatists, especially.”
“Might be a good thing considering how fast Ophir is growing. They'll need good leadership,” she chimed in again. “There,” she said and sat back on her stool, her gloved hands held up in the air, wet with bio fluids. “Do you hear anything now?” She asked Will.
“The slight buzz is still there but it's only intermittent now and much softer.” I couldn't help but feel disappointed but we still had him back. Maybe I would have to be happy with that. It was a fortunate set of coincidences. Though I would have to explain to the alliance why the hive wire was essentially a brick inside his head. I didn't look forward to that.
I looked around the lab. Tulos had gone.
“I sure hope we can get that hive wire to work, Will. But even if we can't, you're a valuable member of U-Net and to me,” I said.
“Thanks, Bob.”
“Okay. Time for another rearrangement of wires and synapses here. Maybe. . .huuuuhhh. . .maybe it. . .I think I know what it is!” She announced.
“What?” We both asked eagerly.
“I think your alien-droid-genius wire needs a conductor, Will.”
“Alien-droid-genius wire?” I asked dryly.
“Okay, Mr. Whiz. Hive wire then,” she said sarcastically. “Look Bob, I've got delicate work to do.” She gave me an annoyed, expectant look. I could take a hint. I was fascinated with this process but I felt a pull to find Sworda. I'd be back soon enough. I knew that if she or my friend Chip were working on him, Will was in good hands.
“Alright, alright, I'm going. Have fun Will. And Genevieve.” I said and I went off to find Tulos. Tulos I found cleaning one of his breathing masks. I cleared my throat. He looked up and greeted me cordially.
“Robert. Good morning. Again.”
“Morning to you too. Tulos, I need to ask you something.”
“Yes?”
“I'm wondering how I could find Sworda?”
“I hear his name more often these days.”
“I want to talk to him. Need to talk to him.”
“A felicitous happening then. If he is in Syzygy he can be found at the kregei north of the city, among other worshipers.”
“At The Fist?” I asked hopefully. That wasn't too far away. Tulos frowned or made some approximation of it through his long tentacles.
“It is not called The Fist any longer by adherents of the path. The Realm of the Nine Princes is also called the Fist. Those who follow the way of the Jannisii look to peace and serenity. It is called the temple of Jannis by those who go there.”
“Sorry! I. . .uh. . .what do you mean? I mean, what's going on with him?”
“Well, he has become a spiritual leader among the separatists who are building the new city in the great valley.”
“Really?”
“Our people need direction, guidance. Some would say guidance other than spiritual. Rychik is one of those that has no use for such things but I must admit that I do. I miss the strict training it gave me. The sense of solidarity beyond the things I could see and touch and taste.” He put down his mask and took up the long, sleek sword on the table in front of him, the very one I'd found on the gorgon. It seemed to shine with a faint inner light, off-setting its beauty even more so. It had thousands of waves of faint colors in its sleek metal. Tulos handled the weapon with expert care and precision, swinging it deftly through the air and then putting it in a sheath attached to a belt around his ornate, living armor.
“I was so busy I'd left all things like that on the back burner,” I said.
“It is not your fault. The Sacred Way has been fouled. Some are looking to cleanse it.” I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that.
“It seemed it was created to hone and teach your people to destroy mine, from what I learned from Sworda.”
“Not for all of us. There was a splinter group from the original temples who see it as a different path, the Sacred Way. There is a growing thread of proponents who meet at the temple. They. . .we, look to the ways of peace. If there cannot be peace we defend ourselves but we do not look to destroy anything or anyone for the sake of glory, honor or gain. Come with me, Robert. Perhaps we will find Sworda there. If not, I am almost certain that we may meet someone who knows where to find his dwelling.”
“Let me get my suit.”
We took a small two-seater speeder toward the outskirts of Syzygy to the north. I recognized the place, the small hill and plateau that overlooked the city and the encroaching ocean of desert and just ahead, the sharp looming rock jutting out of the ocean of red sand. The Fist, where I had uncovered the plot and lair of the enemy loyalists, and one who was still out there, perhaps watching me.
The Fist had now been incorporated within the bio-dome of the city, or rather it had expanded to include the temple so we didn't need to have on suits and helmets while traveling there.
Tulos stopped the speeder about one hundred paces from the cave and we got out to walk the rest of the way. I could hear the rise and fall of many voices, a deep murmur that seemed to come from inside the planet itself, like bells or gongs of unimaginably deep resonance. It felt like something was calling. Calling me.
“What's that sound, Tulos?”
“The call of the Jannisii.”
“Ah. Tulos,” I said suddenly,” are you of noble parentage?” He nodded slowly.
“Through my mother. An unexpected question from a human. Why do you ask?”
“I heard once from another person that those who were a part of this order had to be of the nobility.” Tulos grunted.
“You seem to know much about the Order of Jannis. While it was once true that those of the order had to be of noble parentage, anyone who comes to the order is accepted. You have to remember that many things are changing; structures, rules, culture, old ideas and philosophies. No matter how lowborn one is, that one may approach the path of Jannis and be a part of the order. What is important is the desire for peace and knowledge. Not bloodlines.”
“Who was he?”
“Now, there is not a short answer, Robert. Shall I elucidate anyway?”
“Please.” My excitement grew at learning more about the cultures and the ways of these people.
“Very well. Jannis was once an ancient monk who it was sa
id went into the holy fires of the suns and became the light that brings forth light to the world. A world that for us is no more, but his ideas live on. He was the answer to the warlike attitude, elitist philosophies, bloodlust and selfish passions of Ancus. Some used to say they were one godhead with different aspects, Ancus the warlike aspect and Jannis the peaceful one but no, they were wholly different persons who came at different times in the history of Eraut. To be truly of the Jannisii one must be a peaceful seeker of knowledge and the truth of the world around you.”
“And now anyone can be of the order?”
“Yes. If that one has truth in their heart. Even back home one could be a servant of Jannis but not of the order if their blood was not noble. And then, only a few of those of noble blood could wield the famed gristone swords given to certain precepts and monks.”
“Were there factions that fought among the two groups?” I asked.
“Only once. When it was suggested that common born ones should be able to enter to the temples of Jannis. This suggestion was made by a radical priest. Many of the order were willing to consider it but the Nine stepped in and forbade it. Most of the Nine were of the Order of Ancus. Naturally.” His voice rumbled in anger at these words.
“They interfered where it was not their business and killed nearly half the order when the monks resisted the Nine's interference in their affairs. It was then that a new saying arose in secret, a saying that could have one executed for treason, among those of the Order of Jannis: “Cursed is Ancus! His bloody hand reaches out even toward forever to blacken the universe!” He spat.
“That doesn't surprise me at all,” I said.
“Nor should it. One of the most offensive things about it is that the cult of Jannis is much older than the cult of Ancus. Ancus came late to the timeline of history and sowed a path of bloody destruction in his wake in his quest for absolute supremacy. He committed the most abominable offenses of family and tribal disloyalty to attain to power. He became and remains the preeminent deity of the Realm and of the Nine Princes. Even those who worship no deity pay him homage for the power he represents,” he said darkly.
“Death, destruction, supremacy and power.”
“You have much of that there. On Earth,” he said. He raised his arms toward the temple. A few others were streaming in along with us. “This place for me is a rebirth, a turning back to the elementals of the order. Where it was once egalitarian and its adherents full of joy, it fell and became tainted with darkness but it will be that pure way once again. That is my hope.”
“And what about humans? Can they too join? I'm not interested but I'm just curious.”
“Yes! It crosses species as well as class, race and culture. Let us go. Perhaps we'll find your friend.”
We approach where once there was a mere walkway from a ship into a hole. The hole of this cave was a high arched opening now, asymmetrical. It had the look of being under construction but it also took on the look of a naturally made temple, a great cave with its high arched ceilings ridged with curved windblown rock. The floor was sandy as I had remembered it and we descended into the very same chamber where once the loyalists held their meeting looking over the stolen stargate plans. What I saw in place of that was amazing. In the middle of the room hanging in the air near the vaulted ceiling of rock was what looked like a huge copper ball. Thin, wide rings of metal and light filaments slowly encircled it. Holographic pictographs slid across its surface and each time one completely circled the ball I heard a deep, resonant gong sound that reverberated through the rock. There were acolytes already there sitting under the ball, fanned out across the cavern in a cross-legged position.
“I guess they're not much for ornamentation.” I muttered. Still, the natural beauty of the cave itself seemed to be enough.
“Well most things that would normally be used to beautify this place are used for more utilitarian purposes in the city. Necessity and all. But purely by happenstance and necessity we've gone back to the purity of the early followers. You see, the whole philosophy of Jannis is simplicity and the beauty and the study of the natural world around one. Realizing how one is part of nature and can draw, strength, power, joy and peace from knowing it. The world itself is a temple to the order. If one travels there is no absolute need for any one place for this appreciation. In the early days of the order when he walked Eraut he eschewed overt materialism and ostentation. He encouraged simplicity in living in order to nourish complexity in thought.” I nodded silently.
“What a beautiful concept. Sounds rather similar in some ways to St. Francis of Assissi.”
“Ah. I have read of him. Yes.” We were silent as we passed through this hall. I watched some of the adherents. Some were sitting up with their hands upwards in silent reverence, proffering themselves. I had to admit that the bell sounds were very soothing and encouraged serenity; a beautiful burnished voice of comfort. We entered another room, a small chamber. In the middle was a tiny metal ball sitting on a large woven mat. Stains of I know not what remained in the sandy floor of this room but this did not seem to deter or bother Tulos.
“He usually comes to this chamber, if he is here, but he is not here today, it would seem. Perhaps he is on a subterranean level.”
“He is not here,” said a familiar voice behind us. We both whirled around to see a Suwudi male dressed as a prefect standing in the doorway. I felt the air in the room change and I felt Tulos tense up even though outwardly he seemed calm and relaxed. Perhaps it was my new alien sense powers and all. Who knows? They were tweaking and molding my own natural sensitivities.
“Pemanu. How good it is to see you again. You are certain of this?”
“I am. Do you come for meditation practice? I've not seen you at the temple in some time, Tulos.”
“I am quite busy as a sentinel. Actually, I came for someone else. My friend here is looking for Sworda.” I'm glad he stopped there and didn't add anymore information. I wasn't happy about seeing him at all and I didn't even sense him coming. He looked me over carefully then smiled and bowed slightly to me.
“Greetings, friend.”
“Greetings. I'm Robert. Or you can call me Bob.” He blinked at the name Bob.
“Robert, do you seek to know the mysteries of Jannis?”
“Actually, I'm just seeking Sworda.”
“Well. Sworda is in Ophir.” He reached out a long, thin arm and stretched out his hand to Tulos who took it in reverence and touched it to his forehead, to my surprise. If I didn't know better I'd think that Tulos was suddenly under a spell. I wasn't sure.
“I see you have brought the sword with you, Tulos,” he said approvingly.
“Holy teacher, I have been practicing with it but I wish to further my training.” The eyes of Pemanu grew wide and seemed to even slightly change color.
“Ah, yes. Would that we had the old warrior-monks among us now. A mighty find is this,” he said glancing at me with a sidelong look as Tulos handed the sword to him. He took it up carefully. I felt a twinge of discomfort with the idea of him touching the weapon. I didn't like the fact that this weapon was not in Tulos's hands and I didn't like the hold this man seemed to suddenly have over him. I don't know why but the hairs on my neck and arms were raised and extra sensitive now.
“That's a holy weapon, sir,” I blurted out. He looked at me, his expression unreadable.
“I know. On Eraut it was once only held by those who took up the calling to be monk-warriors. Or priest-warriors of the order,” he said mildly. “It is known, even among the uninitiated, that to hold the sword for too long without wielding it or being deserving of it invites punishment,” he warned, giving Tulos a hard glance. Tulos frowned but said nothing to this.
“Do they have special power or something?” I mean, are they like stone age light sabers or something? I wondered.
“Yes and no. But their power lies within their ability to enhance the abilities of the owner. It is technology so advanced, so subtle and arcane that even ou
r modern day scientists cannot understand fully how they were created and how they truly work. The knowledge of how to construct them is lost in history.”
“Long ago it was lost. I think Jannis's early followers wanted it that way. Legends say they destroyed the archive of knowledge that instructed one on how to build them after they were defeated by the Order of Ancus,” added Tulos.
“Only those called by Jannis could wield them. And only then can their true power be utilized. Otherwise they remain hidden. Each sword was made through special arcane and long dead craft,” said Tulos again.
“Why were they used?”
“To protect the weak and the powerless. That was part of the oath of a full warrior-monk,” said Pemanu. “We go to the battle soon. I think it is a felicitous sign that it comes upon us. I wonder, Tulos. Is there another reason why you came to this room?”
“What do you mean?”
“For pondering and meditation? Dark and evil things happened in this room. It was a torture chamber, one of several here. Such pain and anguish happened in these rooms. Such places can be drawn upon to prepare one for the rigors of war.” Tulos frowned.
“That is a newer idea. One I've always disliked.” Why would anyone want to incorporate such dark energy into their thinking? But I kept my mouth shut.
“It is not pleasant, but one must accept all ideas and precepts the order encompasses, not just the ones we like.,” said Pemanu. I thought I detected a note of rebuke in his tone.
“Were there any followers of this Jannis onboard the Mothership?”
“Yes,” said the prefect.
“Admittedly, the worship of the war-like Ancus was in the ascendancy. If any followed the ways of Jannis they were few in number and kept they silent. War and survival have concerned our cultures for so long now.” He gave the sword back to Tulos, reluctantly it seemed to me, and Tulos sheathed it which made me feel more secure. He looked between the two of us and then he spoke again.
“You might be able to find Sworda at a place called the Karulu-Ri in Ophir. It is located at the Noctis Labyrinthus. He can be found there if he is not here in prayer and contemplation. The path of Jannis grows wide because of his work.”
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