Above the canyon wall, rainbow colored birds lifted out of trees and flew into the air, their calls loud and exotic. Some of them veered off from the flock and dove down into the canyon, disappearing under the stone deck and out of Eden's view. They reminded her of her pilots and their formations. In a way, she was like one of the birds and had used their techniques with her teams. Her heart dropped at the thought. Are they alive? Did Star Guild survive?
Her shoulders slumped forward. Her only family, Star Guild, might be gone. She wanted to cry, something she had only done as a child. She put her hands to her face and swallowed hard, holding back her tears. But, after a few moments, she converted her fearfulness and concern into anger—behavior learned as an adult.
Then she looked around, eyes piercing the land like a sword thrusting. She wanted to scream. She couldn't bear the thought that her family, Admiral Byrd, Captain Stripe, Brigger, and all of the others might be dead.
A zap went up her feet, giving her a euphoric feeling, instantly changing her mood. She looked down. Once again, it had come from the massive stone. She bent down and touched it, feeling cool energy sloughing from it, but nothing more. She shook her head, baffled.
Standing up, she calmly realized that thinking about Star Guild and getting angry about it wasn't going to bring them back to life, if in fact they were all dead. And she noticed that this was a shift in her thinking, which wasn’t like her. Reasonable thoughts like these didn’t usually come this easily back at Star Guild.
She shrugged and eyed the surrounding area. She had just walked out of a building that was dome shaped and transparent like crystal. Looking to the other side of her, she saw another domed building. Both domes had stone decks that edged up to the canyon. She wanted to go over to the other dome to investigate and to see who lived there, and to ask why she was here and how had she arrived, but her stone deck was calling to her. She had to peek over the edge of it, to see what was underneath the stone deck and down at the bottom of the canyon.
When she got close enough, she got down on her knees and crawled toward the edge. Even though she was a pilot, she had a strange fear of heights. Thinking about it it stirred her old fears that were consuming her like none other. Her heart pounded and the palms of her hands and forehead broke into a cold sweat. But, she looked over the stone edge anyway. Her eyes settled, along with her body, when she saw a rushing river below. It was flowing through the base of the canyon. Then, looking directly beneath the stone deck, she was amazed. The deck was actually a huge stone protruding from the canyon wall with an underground river of some sort spilling out of the same canyon wall just under her stone deck, creating a waterfall, with tons of water plummeting to the bottom of the canyon floor far below. The loud source of water she’d been hearing all along had been right under her. The scene was spectacular, and explained the ever present mist in the air.
She backed away from the edge and stood up, feeling the fear of falling take hold of her. Turning toward the doors, she walked back into the room, stopping dead in her tracks. She yelped.
A strange figure wearing a robe with a billowy hood covering its face was sitting by her bed in the corner of the room. Eden quickly concluded that the mysterious figure had probably been watching Eden's movements on the deck, or worse yet, had been hovering over her while she slept. She froze, not knowing what to do. Was this person part of the group that had attacked Star Guild? Was this person sent to kill her? Was she a prisoner?
She looked around for something heavy that she could use—any kind of a weapon.
“Welcome,” said the figure, the tenor of his voice strong and healthy. He stood up and presented a respectful nod of his head, his hood still concealing his features. He gestured at each corner of the room. Eden moved into a defensive position as more robed and hooded people came from the shadows, three in all, making four strangers total, one in each corner of the room.
“Who are you?” she demanded, backing up a step.
He lowered his hood, revealing a handsome face wearing a beautiful smile. He was young, his eyes as blue as the biosphere's sky, with chestnut brown hair. He was the picture of pure health in its prime. “I'm Thomas Berard.” He extended his hands to his hooded friends, as if introducing them. “We’re members of the Knights Templar.”
Episode 4
Reunion
Like a bright beacon in a world of darkness, blue lights were beaming out of every crevice and cave from Mount Gabrielle.
Chief Petty Officer Crystal McCoy was walking her Mech away from the mountain of lights, toward the coordinates provided by Dr. Jerrod Simmons. She was heading to her mom, so said the doctor sitting at the base of her HDC. His arm was draped around the column as he massaged a swollen ankle with his free hand.
“She was looking for you,” he said.
Crystal twisted her torso to look behind her and the Mech did the same. She wondered when the blue rays of light were going to turn off. How is it doing that?
She thought it must be the enemy's doing. Were they working on something that they would need a heavy lighting system so they could see? She shook her head. She could think up a myriad of possibilities, but figured none of them would be accurate.
She twisted back around and looked at her HDC blinking 22 minutes to their destination. She looked down at the doctor. “I'm so grateful Mom was thinking about me.” Her voice was full of sarcasm.
“She was worried, Crystal.”
A crackle came over the com link. “Come on, slow poke.” It was Daf. They had left Warehouse 12 more than forty minutes before and Daf was ahead of her by twenty or so yards.
“Daf, you have to slow down. You're driving your Mech too hard. We need to be cautious.”
Crystal could hear a heavy sigh over the com link. “Alright, Chief.” Daf stopped her Mech. “I'll take a nap. When you catch up, wake me?”
“Very funny, Daf.”
Jerrod coughed, getting Crystal's attention. “Are you following the coordinates I gave you?”
They were the exact coordinates for Warehouse 26. “Did Mom land on top of the warehouse?”
He nodded and said, “Practically.”
“That's Admiral Diana McCoy you're talking about, right?” Crystal didn't quite believe it to be true.
“Yes. Just keep going.”
Crystal swore she'd wet her pants if her mom was actually on the planet. She couldn't be here. She was never around when Crystal needed her. The life of an admiral put Star Guild way above family, especially Diana McCoy's family.
Crystal made it to Daf's Mech, stopping by her side. “Wake up, sleepy head.”
Daf’s Mech feigned a yawn. “It's morning already?” Daf started forward, walking up an incline toward a high ridge. Crystal followed, wondering how much damage Starship Sirona might have sustained after touching down on Lumus. But, then she realized that if it really was her mom, then Sirona could’ve been destroyed after it landed. She hadn't seen any evidence of Sirona or her starfighters on Lumus.
“Crystal!”
Crystal looked through her cockpit window. Daf's Mech was at the top of the ridge with its arm raised and a finger pointing at something in the distance.
“What is it?” asked Crystal as she reached the peak of the ridge. She looked where Daf was pointing and didn't need a reply.
A battle was occurring in the distance; explosions and laser impulse fire erupting in all directions.
Crystal felt her guts spasm. Glancing at her HDC, she checked the coordinates. Her breathing hastened. “Daf, according to the doctors coordinates, that's Starship Sirona.”
∞
Admiral James Byrd was sitting on a small bed in a rectangular cell. The sheets matched the dark blue coloring of Star Guild's uniform. A walled bathroom, complete with door, was in the corner of the room.
The admiral's attention was focused on a holovid mounted on a column at the foot of his bed, blaring the news. To the admiral, the news had never really been news. It was an entertai
nment trap of bad advice and negative hooks to grab the watcher, all the while subliminally brainwashing the viewer. Its purpose, thought Admiral Byrd, was to get people to be complacent and to jump when asked to jump, and to bark when triggered to bark while policing each other.
Today was like any other day on the news, except for one thing—he was the focal point being broadcast to all twelve spheres on Starbase Matrona, and most assuredly to Starships Taranis and Brigantia. The masses were again being primed to accept the propaganda being disseminated, but this time it was the admiral being targeted with the latest batch of lies.
The spheres, he thought, are so easy to control.
Matrona consisted of spheres, twelve large domains, each with their own governance and structure. All twelve were governed by one Prime Director, Zim Nocki, acting as the face of the governance, the elected leader with the final say on anything and everything.
Each sphere's governance had political figureheads, but none trumped the Prime Director. Zim Nocki oversaw everything, even the news. Most people perceived him to be an open hearted individual, someone dedicated to the civilian's interests and wellbeing at all times. Admiral Byrd had perceived Zim in the same way until a couple of days ago.
Sick bastard.
Admiral Byrd shook his head in disgust. He wanted to punch the holovid. Instead, he released a grunt and moved his thoughts to the obvious questions no one was asking. Who was the enemy? Where did they come from? Are we safe? Why are we staying in this star system, one we’ve never been in before and one that the enemy has followed us to? And more importantly, will the enemy attack again? Many questions and all unanswered. How could an entire population go back to living a day to day existence after being nearly wiped out just a few days prior? Star Guild was attacked, Matrona was shot to hell, and everyone had panicked for their lives. Most of the starships in Star Guild had been lost, not to mention all of the death and massive destruction during the process. But everyone was back to work, doing their best to quickly forget about what should be the unforgettable.
Admiral Byrd surmised that it must be easier to forget when the news reported false claims and improbable stories coupled with outright lies. According to all reports, there had been a coup d'etat and the fleet admiral was, conveniently, the sole conspirator. He, apparently, and to his own great surprise, had executed a nearly flawless overthrow of the governance.
Wow, I'm good! Sadly, I must have done it all in my sleep.
The news hadn't even mentioned the triangular ships that were completely foreign to Star Guild. They did say, however…and several times over...that if it wasn't for Prime Zim blocking the admiral's efforts, Admiral Byrd would have been a new Prime Director imposing a military regime over all of the spheres.
The admiral again felt like kicking something. He knew that since there currently weren't any torpedoes blowing things up or enemy starfighters knocking off people left and right, the population would be happy as long as they were well fed and living the illusion of being safe. The civilians were convinced that everything was under control, that the governance was on top of things, and that life would continue on as usual.
Where'd the enemy disappear to?
“We’re receiving reports and conclusive evidence that Admiral Byrd did indeed attempt a coup,” spoke a female voice over the holovid.
The admiral looked up, seeing the same woman reporter he had demanded out of his office when he was arrested. She had carrot top red hair, thick lips, hazel eyes, and a smile worth every dime it was paid.
She cleared her throat. “The evidence is, in fact, piling up, according to Prime Director Zim Nocki's office, and in a few moments we have...” she paused, looking at the camera, her eyes staring straight into the admiral's eyes. She tapped her ear piece, listening intently to someone speaking into her ear. She nodded, touching her cheek. “Okay, it's ready. We have an exclusive interview with Admiral Stanley Jenkyns.”
Her big smile was replaced by an image of Admiral Jenkyns. Admiral Byrd sat erect. Is Jenkyns in on this, too?! Maybe Captain Stripe showed him the holovid of the two orbs and the Thunderbird? Maybe he was on the vids to clear the good admiral's name? Admiral Byrd slumped, realizing that Louise wouldn't have given him the holovid. The orbs and the Thunderbird had been erased.
Intently, the admiral watched as Jenkyns scratched his nose and pulled at his tie. The camera panned away from him as Admiral Byrd's jaw dropped. Sitting next to Jenkyns was Captain Louise Stripe. What is she doing? She's part of this fiasco?!
He pounded his fist against the bed. Any chance of getting out of this had just become nearly impossible.
He hung his head while the feeling of defeat crept through him. He wondered if his nephew, Chase, was playing a part in Zim's conspiracy, too. Was everyone against him? Had he been blind to it all? Or maybe the admiral's letter to Chase had been intercepted. If so, did they frighten Louise into doing this interview, maybe even threaten her?
Words were coming from the holovid, but the admiral wasn't paying attention even when he saw Jenkyns' mouth move. He was listening to his own conspiratorial thoughts. What was Zim's agenda? He was obviously upset when he sent a distress call to the Knights Templar, but why? Were they real and Zim didn't want others to find out? Did the Templars have the true story of humanity’s origins? He shook his head, blowing out a puff of air. He was now one of the masses, creating stories before he could determine whether they were true or not. He was becoming diseased in mind like the rest.
“I love Admiral Byrd. He’s like a father to me.”
That was the voice of Louise on the holovid, jolting the admiral's sudden and complete focus onto her. He watched as she smiled to the interviewer, although he could tell that it was forced. An older man—a famous reporter named Lyle Gellers—was sitting in another chair asking the questions.
Lyle leaned forward. “Now, Admiral Stan Jenkyns, I—”
Jenkyns put his hand up. “Call me Jenkyns, please.”
“Yes,” replied Lyle. “Jenkyns, when did you first suspect that Fleet Admiral Byrd was attempting a coup?”
Jenkyns scratched the side of his face and looked away for a moment, his jaw muscles twitching. It was a tell. To Admiral Byrd, Jenkyns was about to tell a lie.
Jenkyns hesitated, then inhaled an uncomfortable breath and said, “I had intercepted infovids and communications over a Star Guild com link several months ago.”
Lyle leaned against his chair's armrest and raised his brows. “Really? Can you tell us more?”
Jenkyns coughed into his hand as Louise shifted in her chair. Jenkyns looked down at Lyle's shoes. “The infovids I found showed a blueprint of triangular craft that could move at very high speeds. As it turns out, they were the same craft that attacked us. They were approved by Admiral Byrd.”
“You didn't tell anyone about the blueprints?” questioned Lyle.
Jenkyns shrugged, puffing out his bottom lip. “I just thought they were a new military design, something he and the Star Guild Techies were creating.”
“You saw his signature on the blueprints?” asked Lyle.
Jenkyns, still peering down at Lyle's shoes, nodded his head. “Yes.”
“What?!” growled Admiral Byrd. He couldn't help it. “Are you mad?!” He looked at the holovid in front of him and forcefully got off his bed, wanting to yell at the top of his lungs. His face was tight and he started to pace back and forth, devising a plan to stop the charade.
“What did the intercepted com link say?” asked Lyle.
The admiral stopped and stared at the vid.
Jenkyns looked up, eying Lyle. “The com link said... um... well... it was clearly his voice talking to a group we've all come to know as the Knights Templar. They, in fact, are real and have been planning this raid for a decade now. They were assuring Admiral Byrd that he would continue as the head of Star Guild and the governance. This was to happen after the Knights Templar seized command of Starbase Matrona and Star Guild.”
Admiral Byrd clenched his hands together. “This is nuts!”
Lyle turned to Louise. “And, Louise—“
Louise put up her hand. “Please, call me Captain Stripe.”
Lyle paused, then asked, “Captain Stripe. Do you have anything to add to Jenkyns' findings?”
Louise smiled. “I'm sorry, Lyle. I changed my mind. Call me Louise.” She batted her eyes like a dunce, flicking her blond hair as she crossed one leg over the other. Then she produced an even bigger smile.
Lyle straightened his back and then slowly moved back and forth in his seat as if he had a kink somewhere. Then he sighed. “Okay, Captain Stripe, do you have anything more to add about Jenkyns' findings?”
Loise turned to Jenkyns and gave him a long look, her lips tight, eyes narrowed. Jenkyns didn't return her stare, avoiding it completely. Turning back to Lyle and folding her arms across her stomach, she said, “Admiral Byrd is like a father to me.”
Lyle quickly nodded his head. “Yes, yes. You already told us that, but don't you have some information that the public needs to know?”
She cocked her head to the side, eying Lyle. She puffed out her chest and then exhaled. “He was with the Knights Templar just before the attack occurred.” She quickly squeezed her lips shut, almost forcing them to stay closed.
Admiral Byrd unclenched his fists. Louise was doing her best to lie, but her heart definitely wasn't in the game. She was still trying to be loyal to the admiral, to her fleet, and to the truth. The admiral admired her more so today than ever.
Lyle leaned forward and grabbed Louise's hands. She almost jerked back, but used all of her willpower to refrain from doing so. Admiral Byrd rolled his eyes at Lyle, knowing that if Louise wasn't on the holovids right now she certainly would have slammed the seedy broadcaster onto his back and then a submission hold.
The Veil Rising Page 11