Krikos: The Vertical Horizon

by Rishabh Dubey

  Nahcas built the strength to pose his first interrogative “How are you able to speak? Annaeaxians… I mean Yumsonians cannot… can they?”

  “Not the ones you might have met… We, my dear explorer, are different,” she replied.

  “Do you use an F.T.G.?” Kridious followed with his question.

  “Oh… not that archaic piece of tech. We have better things now. We are operated at birth and given the ability of speech. And though it is a primitive ability, which you can observe in the prominence of the alternative telekinesis which your friend the explorer here practises, still… it is good for basal communications…” she replied.

  Kridious tried to recall the course of events which followed his Space-Exile. Then, the phrase “Finem Mutatio” started ringing in his ears and he got startled. The woman asked him “I haven’t even brought the laser implanters yet… what pains you my beastly friend?”

  “I heard it… you said that phrase… Etiamnum Triumphos” Kridious’ sentence was completed by the woman “Finem Mutatio… Yes…”.

  “That means you are a Stillite, aren’t you?” Kridious asked breathlessly. Nahcas gazed expressionlessly at him.

  Oh, yes… we are… We very well are,” she said.

  Kridious got alert and grabbed hold of the synthetic cylindrical structure beside him. He held it towards the woman and said, “I shall devour you and your kind.”

  Suddenly, another man appeared in front of him out of nowhere and grabbed hold of the synthetic item. Kridious fell backwards. The woman walked towards him and said “Now Now… let me at least fix you up first. In your condition, you cannot even devour an ant.”

  The other man stood pointing the synthetic item towards Kridious “Now everything pointy is not a Weapon you thickhead combatsmen. And even though it is considered mightier than the sword, you don’t ever use it to poke anyone… This is a pen, my friend.”

  “Pen?? Like from the ancient scrolls and scholars?” Kridious asked.

  “Get Up… You are getting us all wrong… I shall tell you along the way,” the man said.

  “What do you mean along the way? I am fixing these two kids up… You cannot interrupt my work here Rayon….” The Annaeaxian woman said.

  “They have been invited to the Library…” said the other man.

  “Already? Ahhh… that young megalomaniac… Okay, take them…” she said.

  The man, named Rayon, walked towards the big open doorway inside the corridor. Kridious and Nahcas closely followed out of curiosity.

  “Man… this is a new Universe for you to be roaming around like that. Well, I heard about your punishment. Apparent Punishment. You were are heck of a dude to get such an unsurvivable punishment and fortunately finding us,” said Rayon.

  Kridious then said “You are stillites? Why don’t you kill us already? What do you want from us?”

  “Oh yes! We are them alright. And we know you are not. No hard feelings.”

  “But it is you… them… the Stillites… they want me dead… why are you saving me?” Kridious said.

  “Oh, no no… you misunderstand… well... Oh yeah… you don’t even know. We are THE Stillites. THEY… are just hoaxers who roam as Stillites to get fame and strength of the general masses. They seek to colonise. We seek to stabilise. Messed up shit. Well… As such… I know you are the great VIN-die Kridious. Let me introduce myself. I am Rayon’g Daniels” the stranger said.

  “G Daniels… you don’t say... you mean you are a…” Kridious said.

  “Yes yes… I am a pure Illuminant. Still am though with different principles. It is nice here.” Rayon said. They all kept walking, passing multiple doorways in the corridor. They slowly approached a small distant door at the end of the corridor.

  “Then wait… you are telling me that there are fake stillites and there are real ones?” Kridious asked.

  “No… actually there is just one brand of stillites. The original ideology of the great Narma Surja… Stability and Stillness are what we have ever sought. The Eutopium had foreseen the rise of Stillness amongst it. Monarchy and Centralization and Colonisation would have ended there and then. We explore to find stability and peace… not for the mere sake of entertainment. The Eutopium saw this and funded its own alternative cult of violent pretend-Stillites to project our faith as aggressive. The plan was so secretive that those who were being channelled to portray the wrong kind of Stillites, they didn’t even know that they weren’t the real ones. And the plan was so secretive that one day those Stillites got out of their own control and did what they were virtually supposed to… War with Eutopium. We never had any wars. We had left midway the great era of Eutopium dominance… and we ended up finding our way out here.” Rayon said.

  “This is all just too much,” Kridious said looking towards Nahcas. Rayon turned and gazed towards Nahcas for a couple of seconds and said “Well you can if you wish to… I don’t mind.” They all halted their movement just in front of the door.

  “What… Wait… What do you mean?” Nahcas asked in a nervous tone.

  “Well that’s what you wish to do, right? Read my mind to corroborate my words?” Rayon said.

  “But how could you know that?” Kridious asked.

  “They call me an Explorer around here… Don’t you ever think you are the only one. There are multitudes of us here,” Rayon said.

  “But you didn’t even touch him…” Kridious said.

  “That just tells you how much more he has to learn, doesn’t it? Good then that you arrived here… and yes… especially here… let’s go,” Rayon said, turning the notch on the door and opening it inside a majestic library. There were millions of books inside since its ceiling or walls weren’t visible… and the columns extended in all directions. Nahcas tapped on Kridious’ back to point him towards a loner guy sitting on a desk at the beginning of the columns, with his back facing them.

  “Let’s Go,” Rayon said. They all walked closer to him and observed that he was speedily scribbling away using a pen in a plethora of blank papers.

  There was prevailing silence in the huge room, with only the slightly monotonous sounds of the pen echoing throughout. Kridious then said to Rayon “Why are we here now? What is my purpose?”

  “Purpose you ask,” came a light but bold voice, as Kridious turned towards the guy on the desk.

  “Everyone has a purpose in the course of the events of the future and the past,” He said, still scribbling away.

  “Who are you? And where am I? Annaeax? Or some other planet?” Kridious questioned.

  Rayon called out for Kridious and asked him to stand beside him. He was standing over a space lookout pane inside the library. Nahcas went first and looked all pale and shocked.

  “What is it?” Kridious asked. He then walked to where they stood and looked for himself. He saw idiosyncratic spiral formations of stars and nebulas and rotating constellations… formations he had never ever seen before through his eyes.

  “What is this? Where are we?” Kridious asked.

  “You think you are even close to Annaeax?” came the voice of the man sitting on the desk.

  “My friend... Welcome… to Andromeda,” Rayon said.

  Kridious and Nahcas got startled. Nahcas bent down and started observing the strange celestial patterns carefully. He was quite evidently panicking. Kridious turned towards the man in the chair aggressively. He said “What do you want from us? Who are you?”

  The man started speaking without diverting his mental concentration from scribbling “As far as the situation we are in is concerned, I don’t want anything from you. Rather you want a lot from us, don’t you? Although, you might help us out a bit every now and then. Years of struggles with mastering ‘creation’ had trained humans to puppeteer the heavenly skill to their whims and fancies… We had learnt long ago that the created can never master the creator. It shall always be lesser than the creator. It is the one who is evolved, not created, who can be
tter the creator. Thus, creation can never be a threat as grave as evolution, can it? Evolution teaches us to master our fears and weaknesses and convert them into our strengths… or maybe our entertainments (Took a small pause for a few seconds) And talking about who I am… you… explorer… (caught Nahcas’ attention) What does your shoulder badge actually read?”

  Nahcas got up from over the lookout and said in broken speech “It is a Hexagon Elite Badge signifying an Honour and Position earnt through dedication and hard work in the field of Science.”

  “No No… I meant what does it read… not mean…” the man continued.

  Nahcas looked at Kridious, who gave a slight nod. He then spoke up “It reads- Flex Class Scientist”.

  There was a slight pause where everyone awaited a follow-up question from the man. Suddenly, he stopped writing and put his pen down. He got up, started whistling in a strange manner, grabbed a couple of papers, and started walking towards a frontal Library digital column. He started pressing some buttons on it, whistling all the while. Rayon had meanwhile gone to the desk to clean it up a bit. Kridious and Nahcas were very curious. Then the man suddenly stopped his work… and turned around towards Nahcas with a brown case in his hand (probably grabbed from beside the digital column). He walked towards him and extended the case forward with a very cheerful and smiling expression…. He then said-

  “Those bastards at the Eutopium are still fond of my name, aren’t they?”

  To Be Continued- Erekos: The Origin

  Etiamnum Triumphos Finem Mutatio……

  Chronological References Tab

  Diaries of Flex:

  Dr Rif’g Daniels- The narrator.

  Dr Flexkon Damien Harper Dustener- Also known as Dr Flex D’Dustener. He is the protagonist in the accounts narrated by Dr Rif’g Daniels.

  Hruwn- A reference to a classical Scientist.

  Kronos- A reference to the old tale of ‘The war of the Gods’ whereby the keeper of time ‘Kronos’ was defeated and exiled by his younger brother and keeper of creation ‘Krydon’.

  Galacta- The Ultimate Goddess of Epilion. The mother of Kronos and Krydon.

  Simon Wager- A reference to a classical Scientist and Philosopher.

  Sabrink- A nickname given by Flex to Rif’g.

  Narma Surja- A reference to a classical Indian who formed the ‘Stillite’ cult… then called as the ‘Leftists’.

  Asiclen Hex- A reference to the greatest Genius in the field of Modern Chemistry and Matter. He himself synthesised three heavy elements and discovered 8 more, and gave the greatest alterations to the periodic table which was then named after him.

  Hexurion/Hexflion- References to Asiclen Hex.

  Mastiffs- The bounty hunters of the Hexagon Combat Group.

  Sentinels- The most elite 13 of the Hexagon Combat Group.

  Iconoclasts- Five Willing Sentinel level warriors who were carved into the highest grade of Bounty Hunters.

  Holocron- A reference to the Engineer John Picron who discovered the foremost stable and advanced holographic projection technology. Hence named as Holocron.

  Phransuels- A reference to a non-alcoholic intoxicating beverage with no known side effects. It was first prepared by the chemist Mizo Phransuel.

  Krydon- A reference to the old tale of ‘The war of the Gods’ whereby, the god Krydon successfully defeated and exiled his brother Kronos to the damned lands and assumed the title of the King of all realms.

  Sir Arthur Angel- The man to receive the last Knighthood before the downfall of the British Empire. He was knighted for his excellent work in dimensional physics.

  Aggregrion- A reference to an old Physicist who proved the string theory and the theory of infinite dimensions by calculating the thrust acting on a particular dimension which was named as Aggregrion Thrust.

  Slates- The counterpart of the Iconoclasts amongst the Stillites.

  Eternity- A reference to the ‘Tale of Doom’, whereby the melancholy of the Galacta was reflected in her being Eternal and all-powerful, yet being powerless to change this fact (incapable of ending herself). She had been doomed to witness the doom for eternity.

  Danny Jatter- A nuclear physicist and engineer on the planetary stabilisation mission to Jupiter under Flex.

  RASORVE (Rap-Saw)- Rimor-Advector-Salvator Initiative.

  Rimor- Exploration class ships. Small in Size.

  Advector- Carrier class ships. Large in size.

  Salvator- Rescue Ships. Largest in size.

  Rachel- Another engineer on the mission to Jupiter under Flex.

  Marthy- Another engineer on the mission to Jupiter under Flex.

  Primo Hues- The Nuclear Engineer on the mission to Jupiter under Flex.

  Artha Collisque- A Stillite politician whom Flex met on the moon.

  Santino Collisque- The father of Artha Collisque, another Stillite politician.

  Procragensis- A reference to the most widely accepted modern theory of Evolution which stated that man evolved from yet another intelligent, and rather even more intelligent species. The only difference was that it was lazy.

  Syrobnium- The old modification and modulation of archaic Latin – Romanian – Sanskrit – Chinese – English – Prakrit. It was also known as the ‘Language of Holy Expression’.

  Frahlim Dustener- Flex’s father, who died before his birth.

  Lisa Damien- Flex’s mother, who died during his birth.

  Palium- A reference to the tale of ‘The War of the Gods’. 12 knights stood by Krydon and helped him to bring down Kronos to his knees. Those knights were the purest beings… The first humans… The signs of the first creation. When Krydon was first defeated by Kronos in the eternal realms… he sought the knights to slay him. But they couldn’t do it until Sayofringium, the Holy Knight, cast a spell to render Kronos Harmless.

  Shaun Artis- An attendant in the Eutopium Residency.

  A-Central- The most popular news channel on Earth.

  Firdigo Lunarte-The Second Speaker of the Eutopium (to become the First Speaker later).

  Lina Sadow- A receptionist at the Eutopium Residency.

  Muta Hoko the ‘Merlyn’- The old roommate of Rif’g and Flex during the college years. He was called the ‘Merlyn’ because he used to keep a long beard and could convince even the stubbornest brats with his diplomatic powers, which rather seemed like Magic. His title ‘Hoko’ suggested that his Epilion-Occupation was ‘Keeper of Books and records’. He was the son of the College Librarian of where both Flex and Rif’g studied.

  Raul’o Mastiff- A reference to an old member of the Magnus Eutopium during the Advent of Epilion. He rose to be the president of the Epilion Council.

  Marcolo Gorvez- An Old First Speaker of the Eutopium.

  Sai Mu-Wen- The First Speaker of the Eutopium (died and was replaced by Firdigo Lunarte).

  Tween Twagmire- The chairman and founder of the T.W. space corporation limited, a space-tech supplier.

  Into the Dimension:

  Hypothetical Observer- A non-existing character representing the jocundity, the awe, as well all other emotions of the reader which were unaccounted for in the speedy scenario.

  Captain Srivious Krawn ‘Xanethius’- The first protagonist of the ‘Into the Dimension’. He was the combat elite aboard the Krikos. He was the Captain of the Epilion during its exploration mission to Annaeax as well as the Captain of the now disbanded Sentinels and hence titled ‘Xanethius’.

  Muster Pirus Ventran Piole- One of the best Navigators aboard the Krikos. He was part of the Epilion Exploration mission.

  Ramalus Kett ‘Ram’- Another Engineer aboard the Epilion.

  Visi- A reference to the Advanced Communication and Interface Tech designed by the Eutopium Senator Redso Visi, with the unparalleled aid of Engineer Colo Jissard.

  First Speaker Dragomir Lunarte- The most powerful man aboard the Krikos with almost dictatorial control over the state of affairs of the billions of c
itizens.

  Flex Grid- A reference to the great scientist Dr Flex D’Dustener who gave the gift of the ‘Krikos’ to humanity. The grid communication and connection across the Krikos, along with the ElieHexagon Science Squad were named after him.

  Dr Mira Quwou- Krawn’s Wife and the onboard physician on the Epilion.

  Cantor Baldan ‘Bald’- The resource manager of the Epilion.

  Rush Demilzo- An Ex-Sentinel, who abandoned the title much before the dissolution of the Sentinel order to join the Iconoclasts.

  Jimmy Page- A reference to a mythical man who had been rumoured to have lived during the last centuries of the Anno Domini. It was believed that he could produce music which could even gratify the Devils, leave aside the Gods. Rush believed in the legend because of the few archaic songs on his playlist which were rumoured to be created by Page.

  Ambassador Castino Gorvez- A senator of the Eutopium who was also a part of the Epilion Exploration mission. He was the only one on the Epilion having greater control over the affairs than Krawn. He was also their chief negotiator if it ever came to it.

  Gart Lekinaten- The media representative aboard the Epilion. He was supposed to record the happenings chronologically. He was also the elected Watcher for the same reason that was his efficient understanding of a scenario, example: threat.

  Steffy Damiens- The Xenologist on the Epilion.

  Verdo Hoko- The Old Librarian of the D1Z1 library. He was the foster father of the Genome Project Prodigy VIN-die Kridious.

  Mrew the Library Assistant- The level 3 robot created by the Flex Class Scientists for advanced storage and management of data. He was Verdo Hoko’s only friend after Kridious.