Krikos: The Vertical Horizon

by Rishabh Dubey

  “The tides seem more in our favour for now….” Nahcas said in a joyful tone of hope.

  “It is time mates... We have destroyed the bridge… now before destroying the enemy… We must head to base… to report in. It is high time we know what is happening there. But this is going to be rough. Is everyone read?” Krawn said. Everyone present, including Kridious and Prabarus, gave their consent to the Captain. The last to do that was Rush, who ended the definitive conversation with his dramatic assertiveness of “Aye Aye, Cap’n”.

  Diaries of Flex:

  Episode 19-

  Ceremenium.

  W

  hat is energy? The capacitation of Work, where several work units coalesce to form a large basin. This work can be utilised in millions of ways depending upon the capacitor. But when Flex gave the Translational Duplicity, he was much ignorant of the fact of the requirement of an ideal capacitor with an infinite capacity, since the energy would be advanced fusion energy which is to be stored in the form of self-capacitating matter. Only stars are capable of storing or propagating such energy. But Flex never just narrates half of the story, does he? He did give a solution but in his own way.

  It was yet another day in 401 E.E. In the month of Duke. I was sitting under a Shed in K-37, that was the Installation of Krikos on the Moon (the first rehabilitation site which was converted into a research and development centre). I had taken a break from all the superfluous work. But I couldn't help myself. I had to read the book further. I just had to. So, I got up and pulled it out of the drawer on the side. It seemed to have become strangely younger. I opened it up to where I last left off. It was a diagrammatic representation of the internal structure of the Krikos. I turned the page. It was another diagram of the Krikos. Another rather familiar diagram of the Krikos to my surprise. But why was it familiar? Suddenly I recalled that it seemed exactly like the one I had handed over to the Eutopium about a month ago. I immediately turned the pages to find the old Diagram. But they both were drawn in different coloured inks. The general Flex-Interrogatives rose up in my mind. The 'WH' concert started playing, which usually had led to me deriving a more camouflaged part of his writings. But this was a different situation and it seemed moreover laborious to go through the same page again, which had earlier taken more than a day to decipher. But the sub-conscious mind was a cantankerous sucker. So, I couldn't let off my human curiosity and had to go through those geometric idiosyncrasies. Thus, I started observing it meticulously. A general human method is to start from the left and go towards the right. But science believes the origin to be at the centre. To my good fortune, I was (and am) a preacher of science, so I myself started at the centre of the two diagrams; And I instantly found the difference. At the centre of the second diagram (the one I had found recently; the one drawn in blue ink) was written a very strange word. ‘CEREMENIUM’. It sounded quite related to science, but I'd never heard of it. I started searching in my own marvel of a memory. But it didn't help. Never had I heard a word as ‘Ceremenium’. It sounded as if derived from a Syrobnium or Pure-Latin root suffix. So, I went and grabbed my Dictionary. I typed in the word 'Ceremenium' and it gave no results. So, I selected the option of similar results.

  1) Ceremonia- A ceremony

  2) Cere Menium - of wax Meniere (an antediluvian disease)

  3) Cer emen ium- Certain composition called 'Manuel'

  4) Cer Emenium- Conflicts with the buyer.

  5) Cereme nium- Ceremony Organizer.

  6) Cer e men ium - Conflicts of Con men.

  7) Cer e me ni- Certainly not from me.

  8) Cer e me- I was looking out.

  9) Cerem - follow.

  10) Cere Men - The wax.

  And much more.

  But why did he write a word with a thousand catenations? Why so many meanings and each somewhat directing towards what was already going around in the Universe? It again seemed as if Flex had predicted the future before dying.

  On moving further on the charts, I found that there was one more disparity. In the first one, he had shown 13 Districts, while on the second he had shown 14 districts. This new district was drawn close to where the word 'Ceremenium’ was written. I read the follow-up notes to find it labelled as "Infringium". Everybody knew that it meant 'to break apart’. The only city with a mundane name. What did Flex want to break apart from the Krikos? I took hold of the chart and carried it to the examination chambers. I turned on Multi-Vision Lights. I took the chart and clipped it on the Scanner. The computer stored it up and so I switched the lights off. I opened up the chart on the Screen. I turned to the three-dimensional mode and was caught aback with what I then saw. The concentric circles representing the levels of the Krikos seemed like a collection of Atom orbitals, and the Star at the centre seemed like a nucleus. The different Zones on the chart seemed like the electrons in their orbits. All the words on the chart were scan-proof, except for the word 'Ceremenium', which showed very close to the Star core. I took the other chart and clipped it on too. Then I synchronised both the charts onto each other and turned it again to three-dimensional mode. The first chart bore something which was not in the second one. I missed this disparity because I was searching for those on second and not on first. This something was the number of zones and reactors on the Krikos. The number of zones were 189 and the number of primary reactors were 231. Total subzones were about 395 and total number of secondary reactors were 460. They were imprinted on the chart as elements of the Asiclen Periodic table, as 189 was written above 395, and 231 above 460. But there was no base; not until I clipped the 3-dimensional charts together. Now the word Ceremenium was completely in sync with these numbers, and these numbers were solely printed without their baselines. So, this new chart seemed like a new element. An element Flex had created in his mind and through his research. But such heavy isotopes were not possible until some external energy was used. Then, I thought of the Translational Duplicity. What if only energy was used? Was that what Flex wanted to tell me? The other half of the Translational Duplicity? Was that the hypothetical capacitor he wanted me to use? To convert Energy into this Ceremenium? Suddenly, I heard a call for me from the Research lab. I immediately stored the whole thing in a chip and placed it inside the book.

  I came back to the lab but was still internally involved in getting answers from the 'CEREMENIUM'. Why did Flex give us means to store that amount of energy? And why would we store that much amount of energy? And what would we do with that amount of energy? These were just the small questions. The greatest one has me worried even today-

  What is the Infringium?

  Into The Dimension:

  Episode 19-

  The Eutopium.

  Good has no definite identity. It can come from even the slyest, directly or indirectly. It is rather a judgment on deed than on character. Indefinite, since it can happen at any time…at any instance... It can come from anyone and can come in any amounts which might not even be comprehensive. So yes… Good has no definite identity… But so does Evil.

  T

  he Krydon slowly drifted inside the thick huge gates. All its defences ready. Outside, there were ships waiting to destroy it. But they didn’t follow it inside. Every strange action of anyone involved in this big scenario wouldn’t have intimidated Krawn. He had seen EVERYTHING. And not just talking about the majestic and beautiful Upwards-directed stairwell-like-horizon of the Krikos’ interior. Not even the beauty of the district Solaris. Not even the fact that the isolated district seemed one in peace rather than one in chaos. And in all, amidst that ruckus, suddenly, a small robot flier-scout came from nowhere and announced in front of the Krydon that they must go to Eutopia.

  “Those suckers at the Eutopium…. They betrayed us… why should we go there… I say we turn and go back and wipe the space with those bastards’ faces outside and settle everything… everything” Kridious said in fury.

  “Yes... Let’s go” everyone agreed.

  “What…. H
ow will you settle it? You’d destroy everyone who is doing something or the other which you didn’t know of? What if all of this was never supposed to happen and we forged it onto our own fates? At least you would want to know what their plans are before destroying them, won’t you? What if they are actually the concluding benefactors? And we... The destroyers? Don’t you want to know it? Don’t you all want to KNOW? Haven’t we evolved far and above merely listening and acting? Actions do speak louder than words but here merely action would abuse sanity and pragmatism and rationalism… Isn’t it all about knowing…? Everything…” Krawn said.

  ♦♦♦

  The Krydon arrived at the Royal Zone, that is the Zone Council of the Eutopia. That zone was as empty as the others it had passed through. The whole of the northern and north-eastern rings were empty. The huge tower was then guarded by mere emptiness. The big Salvator… which had been severely damaged during the battle of the unknowns, had now come back to the Eutopium for, it had been summoned. Krawn and crew eagerly waited for the answers. They got out of their ship and moved inside the Tower and up through the elevator. The current council sitting floor- 1232. They entered the big hall and from there they started dragging their feet towards the inner council room. The walk of decision yet ambiguity. Everybody was eager to know what the Eutopium had to say to them. Their minds were in a greater dilemma than usual because they were confounded whether what the Eutopium said was ENOUGH or not. Everything that had happened in the course of the Epilion journey to their present had been in the form of a riddle. What Krawn aimed was to find the riddler.

  “Oh…. Welcome… welcome… your recent accounts... Hoho…. Just can’t say. Krawn the Xanethius... VIN-die Kridious the warrior…. Prabarus…. something… Witt… The Extra-terrestrial… and-and… The Explorer… Nahcas Sachyon… how can we forget you… huh… the MAN WHO CAN… and there are so many more of them… and one robot… There is one less isn’t there? Oh… that Sniper you had. How sad of it! So, all of you… you call yourselves Sentinels and roam around the space in a Krikos marked aircraft. Then let me ask you one thing. Just one thing. WHY THE HELL DID YOU REVOLT AGAINST US? HUH…. All of you. You bloody haggard bastards. What do you think you might be doing here? You are destroying everything… Everything you were made to stand for…. Why are you doing this…?” Councillor Raul Levin said.

  “Stop it Levin…. These youngsters are deprived of something close to them… My desperation leads to it. Krawn… I am sorry for Mira… I took the rash decision under sheer stress. Their actions were aroused for a similar reason to ours. We acted to protect our cause… our humanity… Whilst they did to protect their cause… their cause was their close ones,” First Speaker Dragomir Lunarte said. The angered Sentinels were calmed down by Krawn, who walked up close to the podium in front of him calmly and steadily. He started murmuring something and fidgeting strangely. Then he spoke up softly “Act under desperation… huh? You say… yes, we are a little desperate. Huh… we acted you say… we did…”

  “Yes… a little misunderstanding between us and nothing...” Dragomir Said.

  “Bloody MISUNDERSTANDING... YOU KILL OUR COMRADES… OUR FRIENDS… MY FRIENDS… MY WIFE… AND WHAT THE BLOODY HELL YOU SAY TO ME…. ‘SORRY’ … ‘WE WERE DESPERATE’… Oh, you don’t know how desperate you have made me. Much more desperate than Kronos Himself… It is way beyond repair… The damage that you have forged on us… ‘Sentinels’… The Keepers… the guardians… THE PROTECTORS OF HUMANITY…. WE ARE NO PROTECTORS… WE ARE NO AVENGERS… WE ARE MERELY SEEKERS OF SANITY… THE ANSWER… THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION… WHY?” Krawn shouted raucously.

  “Calm down Krawn… it would be for the better of you… if you get physical now… it would endanger your life,” Dragomir said.

  “Oh, no…. I am looking forward to keeping you alive till you answer me… I thought (breathlessly) I thought you my friend... Most of you… even that Castino…. But you guys… Are even worse than that black flagger bastard. You know why… that guy…openly betrayed us… You have been betraying us all along. It was taking every ounce of my body… every iota of will to keep my sword in this legendary scabbard… the one which has seen the greatness of both your and my ancestors. Why…? I ask... Why Is all of this happening?” Krawn said.

  “This… oh, you mean Annaeax… it is Hexagon A-classified information. It cannot be leaked. Although… some part of me is willing to tell you. I can tell you this much. We had made deals… for the betterment of the civility. Such deals were necessary for the mutual survival of ours. We are in need. The star core we have is depleting. At a rate faster than we can perceive. Here…. We have this. Ceremenium… it is a substance we have synthesised. Not we, though… Even in his death… The great Dr Flexkon Damien Harper Dustener… preferably just Flex… gave us this Krikos. But he also gave us something else. Something more powerful. We still don’t know whether it was for the Krikos or something else. It was integrated into the designs of the Krikos itself. And so was this Infringium. There were methods to harness this energy of the Alpha Star of the Milky Way. The uses of this energy were straight and simple. To explore and move on. And not only harness… to multiply its harness and efficiency. The result was Ceremenium. Two kinds of it. One was stable and abundant while the other was recessive and unstable. The Infringium had only one use. To harness the Energy stored in this Ceremenium and power the Krikos. You may ask… Why do we need more power than the Sun? There were limits to even the power of the sun…. It was enormous yet difficult to harness. Imagine the entire sun in the size of a fingertip. The power it would yield. That is Ceremenium. With it… We can rule not only our Galaxy but the entire Universe. Only a powerful star, like an alpha star, is capable of producing clean energy that can be stored. An alpha star… The most powerful star in a galaxy. So, we thought… why we shouldn’t exploit this power. Poor co-incidence that an intelligent life form lived in its system. So, we as humans were bound to exploit them. But those black flaggers defeated us here. Because of that old sucker Muta Hoko. His successors held the master book. The book held everything about Ceremenium and everything about Annaeax which Flex had discovered far before any other mind. Hence, we had to make a deal… for the survival of the fittest. By the time we reached they had already explored certain parts of Annaeax. They had also mastered the stabilisation of Ceremenium 231… The rarer of the two. But we sought to exploit it. It all ruined when Castino betrayed us... His sole mission was to tell the Stillites that we were ready to deliver… He came out to be a black flagger… And I thought so was Mira and Verdo Hoko… The Hoko family makes me even more suspicious. That is all… I have almost told you everything which I shouldn’t have” Lunarte said.

  “(Laughs)... This happened… All this happened… for the sake of EXPLORATION... Flex… lost all the respect he had gained from me… What else is there to the Krikos that even you don’t know YET? (Laughs again). So… I think we should go now… The Sentinels… are no more obliged to you… We are going…” Krawn said.

  “Wait… As such, I was about to decommission you all. I have no need for you now and so does humanity,” Dragomir said. Kridious became angry and came forward as if to stab Dragomir when suddenly a sword came and struck him causing a massive explosion at the scene. Everyone became alerted. The smoke cleared to show Kridious holding his left bloody shoulder while kneeling on the ground. His left arm had been completely amputated. They looked around to find that the attacker was none other than Hex. Lina came to his help when she was suddenly shot down from her rear. It was Fusa. Betrayed yet again… there was no time for recounting. There was not even time to think. The Sentinels took guard, as the traitors escaped to the hall to attack them. From the shadows behind the Council chairs came the Slates. Eight warriors lead by Ruto Gravanc, as desperate and infuriated as ever.

  “Your arm,” Krawn shouted as he ran towards Kridious.

  “Don’t worry buddy… Still, have one left. I guess I should have stayed back at that giant R
ing,” Kridious said as he got up laughing his pain out. He was bleeding badly. The rumble started. The Stillites versus the Slates. Krawn took on Ruto head to head. Mordore tried to interfere but was kicked down by the injured Kridious.

  “I am sure they can at least build a ‘BIO’ arm… they made ‘ME’” Kridious said sarcastically.

  The fight moved out to the hall and its gravity amplified. The two traitors entered the fight against their own Sentinels. Kridious asked Krawn to handle both Mordore and Ruto for some time as he himself ‘killed’ the two traitors. Even one-handed Kridious was too heavy for both Hex and Fusa to handle together. The ambidextrous bio-human moved likes whiskers through a silent-wood and caught the two off-guard quite a many time. He drew his Di-Dux and decapitated Fusa… and then kicked Hex down and grabbed his left shoulder with his sole hand. He held Hex down with his feet as he bent and increased his grip on the shoulder. Kridious then went on to amputate Hex with his bare hands. He then hurled the bloody disfigured and cut arm and impaled it in Hex’s abdomen with a loud scream. Unexpectedly, another phasor plasma bullet from some distant sniper rifle hit Krawn and Kridious both. Kridious fell down as he saw his sentinel comrades being overthrown by the slates. He wanted to help them, but the second bullet had hit his spine. Sheer will wouldn’t have done this time even though he was a bio-human.

  Krawn continued to fight alongside Kurt, Nahcas, Ramalus, Rush and Prabarus… The only standing Sentinels. Mordore sneaked behind Nahcas but Nahcas intercepted and used his Mind-Control abilities to destroy Mordore’s nerve cells from the inside. Mordore fell on his knees, but before he was out cold, Nahcas tired out and himself collapsed. Even Kurt was overthrown by the Slate Muzadar Ruma. Ramalus, Prabarus, Rush, and Krawn formed the last defence Square.