by Tew, J. D.
Gads. I had just survived a crash on a bizarre new planet, after escaping by the skin of my teeth from the wrath of Zane. This was all too much for me, right now. ‘I have been through so much, that I can barely stand up and keep awake. Can I rest before facing those things?’ I asked.
‘You can rest here, but in one week’s time we will need to take you to your ultimate destination. I have to go tend to my wife. She is with child,’ Pike said. Jezra nodded, then retreated into a corner of the cave that was dark and brooding. He went up to the wall, pulled on some pulleys, and a swath of curtains enveloped the exit where Jezra had withdrawn.
I looked to Ed. ‘Ed, what is, with child?’
‘With child, refers to a pregnant woman. Jezra is going to bear children,’ he said.
I heard morose crying down the hall, causing me alarm. Ed was about to relapse due to lack of power, so I plugged him into a type of generator Pike gave us.
I slowly made my way through the cave to find the source of the sorrow. It was at the tunnel where Jezra had secluded herself. I felt as if I was invading her privacy, but Pike was following me closely and did not object, so I continued on. When I lifted the curtains, I found Jezra lying upon the floor blanketed in a mossy substance that was a deep shade of green. The sunlight beamed through as I pushed aside the curtains. She was bound to the ground through newly grown roots sprouting from all over her body, and Pike went over to kneel by her side. Vines twisted and intertwined over her body. It was a weave of branches, twiglets, and active buds.
‘Pike, what is happening to her?’ I cried out, thinking Jezra had been attacked by a strange protoplasmic creature. Weeping—with joy, to my great surprise—he stood up quickly, then grabbed me by my shoulder.
‘Theodore, you are about to witness the most glorious display of life you have ever seen,’ he said. We were waiting. For what, I wasn’t certain.
Pike reveled in ecstasy, standing up to watch side by side with me. To him, it was the cusp of a new birth of life. This moment, today. Glowing purple flowers, swiveling in perfect harmony from tendrils all over her healthy body, were blooming, boasting a phosphorus-like glimmer. Then, in the space of a few minutes, these flowers morphed into seed-bearing fuzz balls as my astonished eyes looked on.
Now, the seeds, at their perfect ripened moment, were ready to lift off and propagate. As if on cue, a slight brush of wind crept in through the tunnel and sent the seeds in flight. Thousands of the seeds parachuted about, dotting the inside of the cave.
The seeds stuck to the walls, budding and sprouting flowers of their own within precious minutes. From these flowers, thousands of glowing ambient bulbous fruits formed. They were growing larger by the second.
Pike lowered down to his overjoyed wife and held her tenderly. He said as he kneeled, ‘Come, Theodore, I must tell you. I am a Rangier. My role on Tritillia was to develop the culture of the Elons. For years, I lived in the solitary peace of the jungle, until a princess wandered into the deep of the woods—in search of freedom from the evil Elon King Quasikeum. My Jezra. When we met, her beauty drove me near madness. I love her.’
‘Is she then the Queen of Tritillia? How?’
‘She was indeed born into royalty,’ Pike answered. ‘It was this Dark King that usurped her power and drove her away from the palace. Everyone suspects he imprisoned and murdered her parents.’ He sighed. ‘Now you see this Queen, living in a cave. A decent one, at that. But it is no palace for the rightful Queen of Tritillia. You are going to help, and she is going to supply you her army. Once you succeed, she will reclaim her throne in Jaakruid.’
He looked on at the enlarging bulbs, his eyes transfixed at the walls where they lay.
I tried to get his attention again. ‘The Dark King. Did Zane send him in to conquer the planet?’
Pike didn’t look at me, and I got the impression my pressing questions weren’t of concern to him now. ‘No. The Dark King is an Elon too and is of this planet. He was one of the senior guards of the parents of Princess Jezra, before he became corrupted by Odion. Sorry, I will tell you more later. Just look at that!’ He pointed at the foliage, excited.
It was as if I was watching time-lapse in real time. The bulbs grew, and I stepped back because the glory was incredible. Pike grabbed my arm and pulled me toward a hidden corridor of the cave.
‘Where are we going? That was incredible. I have never seen anything like that before in my life. What were those things? What happened to Jezra?’ I asked. A barrage of questions flowed out of my mouth, because next to Tez standing in my doorway, that was the most beautiful experience I ever witnessed.
Pike looked at me as if he was about to show me a grand secret and said, ‘I have something to show you. You are going to love it.’
He brought me into a hidden area. He pulled a vine woven tapestry aside and for about three thousand feet, as far as my eyes could see in the dark, there was a barracks: a large cavern full of bunk beds, fashioned from logs.
‘What is this?’ I asked.
‘Ha! You don’t see, our lives were meant for this—for you?’ He asked, ‘These bulbs that you saw in the cave are going to grow, and into what? They will become young Elons! They are coming, Theodore. Soon these beds will be filled with around a thousand Elons, and Theodore, they will train and fight with you, because they are of my wife. My wife believes in you. They will be undeniably drawn to you, and you will have to lead them. I have something I want to show you, just one more thing. It is something that my Jezra helped me develop in my lab. It took me my entire life with Jezra to complete. Come this way.’
‘What about the Dark King? Have his soldiers found this cave yet?’ I was worried about the concealment of such a strategic base that could threaten his brutal rule. It was practically an army-in-waiting, ready to overthrow a despot. My pulse quickened as I realized the true extent of my next mission.
‘They have searched countless times and found nothing. So don’t worry. This is my lab. Don’t touch anything. Here it is.’
‘What is it?’ I was curious if he was going to show me a brand new weapon. I was keen to add something to my arsenal that night.
‘This is an Elon suit. It’s an original. There isn’t anything like it. Put it on. It should be your size, and if it isn’t—it will adjust to fit you,’ Pike said. Grunting, with considerable strain, I put the suit on, and it felt like it was a living, breathing layer encompassing me. It was leafy.
‘Now, press that button right there in the center of your chest,’ Pike instructed.
When I pressed the button, the suit grew to accommodate my size. Thin, weed-like woody vines erupted from the suit. The trailing plants started to braid and cover me. I was covered in wiry young wood. When my suit had finished adjusting itself, I found that I could move freely because the wicker-like suit was pliant and flowed with my movement.
From the wall, Pike grabbed an axe and menacingly advanced toward me, the axe held up high. He had a maniacal look on his face.
‘What are you freakin’ doing?’ I shrank back, unable to strike back in time.
Gleefully chuckling, he slammed the sharp axe in my direction, striking me square in the arm.
Nothing. I breathed a sigh of relief. Although I felt the jarring impact, the axe penetrated only a few centimeters into my armor; it then repaired itself within seconds.
‘What the hell was that for?’ I yelled, still a bit rattled.
‘I figured that might be the only way you would trust it. I must warn you. This suit protects against most physical attacks. However, any plasma gun blade could cut through this like a knife through beetle butter, but it will keep your body from sustaining an injury. Your enemies, the Dacturons, are telekinetic, and can fling objects at your body with their mind. With your rolesk and sword, your boots and Elon suit, you will be a force to be reckoned with. Now, those steel balls you have on your waist belt, do you know what those are?’ he asked.
‘No, I just found them on the ship.’
‘Ha! Those are scouts, portable recon devices. If you depress that red button on any of them, it will detach itself from your belt. The recon device can hover in the air, and can scout ahead of you to convey valuable intelligence about the enemy to you. It’s very adept at foraging ahead, unseen by your adversaries.’
‘Wow,’ was all I could say. I was awestruck. I had the best in combat gear from many different universes. I had stuff from Zane, stuff from Ed, and stuff from Pike. I was unstoppable. I jutted out my chin in a brief flash of arrogance.
Pike sized me up. “All right,’ he said, wagging a finger at me. ‘I want you to go to sleep now. It is going to be a long day tomorrow.’
‘Goodnight,’ I said to Pike, as he walked me toward my room.
I fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the ordeals of the past few traumatizing days.
I woke up in the morning to excited chatter and bustling noises. There was something going on. Well, more than that. It was verging on insanity. The energy in the cave was so intense. I heard fast-paced footsteps and objects banging.
I was afraid to go outside of my room. They had not found me in my room yet, so I figured I could hide under my blanket to escape the commotion. I held Wrath at the ready, because my nerves were still raw and sensitive, even if I was in a safe hideaway. Ed was still in re-charging hibernation, and I didn’t want to remove my hands from my sword to interrupt his charging battery.
I stood up, and leaned toward the direction of the door, eager, ready, and nervous.
16 mariah: karshiz
“I’m just devastated, and he’s standing closer to me. I felt his infectious energy; it was obvious that he cared about me. The way he looked at me, it was as if I knew him all my life. He said, ‘Without you, we would all be lost.’ And then we—”
A guard walks in, wearing his usual stern expression. “Prisoner eight-six-seven-eight. Come with me,” he requests, breaking up our conversation.
“What is going on?” I ask.
“Mariah, tell me the rest in a few minutes when you come back. I know your release is tomorrow, but I want to hear the rest of the story!” my girlfriend Javon says, deferring to the authority of the guard out of fear. She clasps my hand for a moment, attempting to reassure me. I’m allowed to mingle with the other female prisoners in the common room, and we’d bonded right away.
I walk toward the guard, and I keep my distance. Standing too close to a guard was bound to make him feel threatened. I turn, looking at Javon and say, “If I don’t see you, then you know…”
“I’m so happy for you, my turn will come soon. When you hear I’m out, give me a call! Bye, chica!” She waved at me jubilantly.
“The warden would like to speak with you,” the guard says as he escorts me to the meeting.
“Am I in trouble or something? Can you tell me? Ugh—God help us,” I say. The guards tend to ignore me. He has a thread dangling from the cuff of his uniform. I want to pull it off badly, but to approach a guard over something so trivial would be ridiculous.
Thankfully, the Multiversal Council does not harbor female war criminals very long. This unexpected meeting worries me that the council may have changed its plans to release me at this time.
A few of the other female prisoners, staring behind bars, are pointing at me in condemnation as I walk by their cells. It is never a good thing when someone is called to see the warden. Every time the warden sees me, he brings up the time I spat on his face. I fear him slightly, but I would not dare to show my anxiety. Not in here. My mother and father would be proud.
It is a typical stroll through the prison. Those who are not part of the cleaning detail sit in their cells, twiddling their thumbs. I walk by them, and I cannot help feeling sorry for them. A part of me wishes I could swap places with them, but just barely.
The guard says, “Turn around. Hands placed above your head ... She is clean, warden.”
“Am I here, because you are sending me home a day early?” I ask.
“Not quite. Sit down prisoner,” the warden says, “Guard, wait outside.” He glares at me. “What do you know about Nilo, prisoner?” The warden cuts right to the chase. Usually he at least warms up to me.
“We met him in Karshiz. We were never close, so I apologize if I cannot offer much information about him.”
“Were you ever in conference with King Trazuline?” the warden asks, undeterred.
“If you have five minutes, I will tell you,’ I say, pulling my black hair away from my face. “I will tell you about the time we met. I can’t say I like him very much.” I am pretending that I don’t like Trazuline, because I want to prevent the Multiverse Council from learning of my carefully concealed association with his rebellion force. He is a major player in the resistance. I pray to God that the resistance is still flourishing without me.
“Take the five minutes to tell your story. Then we will go over your final exit counseling,” the warden says. I notice he is tickled to be in my company. Perhaps I should play up my feminine allure to him. Just don’t overdo it. He is bouncing on the edge of his seat, like a kid starting a brand new video game.
“Have you found my friends yet?” I ask playfully. I prayed for Theodore, fearing him and the other boys are either dead or imprisoned. I still have hope.
“No, we haven’t. It is likely we never will,” he says. I sense he is lying. Call it woman’s intuition.
“Okay,” the warden says, sensing that I believe him. “Let’s start with Karshiz then.”
“Linc always told me, if I ever talk about our time on Karshiz, to leave out the part where I got a verbal lashing from the king,” I utter conspiratorially, throwing my head slightly back. I try to gain the warden’s trust, without really giving up anything of value. Call it bait and switch. “I prefer to include it, because it just shows how vulnerable we really were.”
“That is good. I like accuracy. Any details you may find insignificant; I may find useful. Do you mind if I record this? With our database destroyed, we are left searching for what really occurred, up to Eppa’s destruction,” the warden says.
“No. Not at all. I suppose, after Theodore destroyed Eppa, everything is probably in shambles.”
“That is the long and short of it,” the warden says.
I start. “We were previously aboard the Uriel. The ship that carried us was called the ZF-Targine. It landed on Karshiz, the realm of King Trazuline, after a smooth descent.”
Our new objective began with the lowering of its hatch.
The boys unbuckled and gathered their gear. The hatch continued to drop and a Sepheran navigator said, ‘This is Karshiz. I guess it is dry like my sense of humor and as hot as the Karshiz princess! Hey! Do not disengage your harness until the cabin has depressurized. Stand by for your brief.’
The hatch lowered to form a ramp with the ground and the sun silhouetted a being who stood directly outside. My eyes were still adjusting to the glaring light, but I could still see a glistening crown hovering over the person’s head. As he walked underneath the shade of the vessel’s hatch, I saw he was a royal tyrant. He was both impressive and frightening.
‘Welcome to Karshiz. I am King Trazuline. Apparently, Zane finds you too strategic to remain on the Uriel, where his enemies constantly target him. My planet, however, has infinite possibilities for your safety. And the best facilities for your training. Which, after all that has happened, we’ll have to escalate.’
‘At least someone wants to look after us. After all, the Urilians yanked us from our cushy lives on Earth,’ Lincoln said.
‘For me to agree to take you in, was a huge risk. It will be my duty to assess your skills and develop all of you into noble tacticians,’ Trazuline said, as he walked up the hatch. He was no longer shaded by the shadow of the ship and sun. ‘Zane doesn't trust you enough to stay aboard the mother ship and you have negatively affected the morale of the Uriel. That is why you are in Karshiz under my guidance.’
‘We haven't done anything to affect
morale! Theodore is the one who went crazy!’ Dan shouted.
‘Dan, is it?’ Trazuline asked. Dan nodded his head. ‘I am a king, and you are a soldier. My position on this planet and in this fight was earned, so my subordinates respect me and follow their complaints by saying—your majesty, or sir. I would appreciate it if you can trust me and give me the respect I deserve by honoring my position. And remember, my daughter is aboard the Uriel, training with the other teams. Your friend put her in considerable danger.’
We all nodded our heads. I felt like I was being scolded at school and bowed my head downward, because a part of me was ashamed.
‘Where will we stay?’ Liam asked.
‘See my palace over there?’ he asked. What a sight! His majestic, colossal palace sat upon a hill, casting considerable shade over the city—a long and deep shadow that could be perceived either as fearful presence, or as the natural consequence of an inspiring spectacle. We did not know yet. Although at first glance the castle seemed far away, we knew from our frame of reference that it would be nothing short of massive once we arrived there. ‘My guards will escort you through the town to the castle.’
‘Is this city named Karshiz?’ Lincoln asked.
‘This is one of a thousand towns on the planet Karshiz. They are all represented by symbols. This town's symbol is a sand surfer, because this is where the annual sand surfing competition is held.’
‘So this planet is named Karshiz? You are the king of the entire planet?’ I asked.
‘Last time I checked.’
Liam looked surprised, and asked, ‘Where is your security detail? Our president back home always has a secret service entourage.’
‘An attempt on the king would be futile. I have a rolesk, one that is truly unbridled and dangerous. I could see an assassination plot on me from a mile away. Now, please dismount the ship and follow my guards through the town. Do not stop in the bazaar and be careful. There are many Rangier swindlers and thieves.’ The king walked out of the ship and into the sun. ‘Before you arrive at the main corridor of the castle, my guard detail will bring you to the armory and then, the training simulator. Once there, we will determine your official skill sets. We have a mission that we must finish quickly.’