“Just do what he says,” Glenda said to Jhahnahkan. “I need to dress ya up, and I can’t do it with ya movin’ all around.”
Jhahnahkan tried to look around the dimly lit room and only could see shadows as his vision blurred. He could only make out their voices at first.
“What happened?” Jhahnahkan struggled to say.
“Them there Russell boys beat on ya with a pool cue. Ya lucky they didn’t kill ya back there.”
“They probably ran off thinking they had killed ya,” Glenda added with a nod.
“We should take him to see the doc at the clinic!”
“No… no clinic,” Jhahnahkan said under his breath.
“He’s right,” A woman standing in the doorway said, “We shouldn’t take him to any clinic.”
Both Rex and Glenda looked up and exclaimed, “Katie!”
“Boy, am I glad to see you, ma’am,” Rex said.
“Glenda, go back to the bar and take care of the customers. I’ll take care of this,” Katie said as she took the gauze wrap from Glenda.
Kate got close to Jhahnahkan and whispered in his ear, “I saw what you did to those boys. I think there is someone I need you to meet.”
“I knew ya’d know what ta do, Katie. He’s not from around here. I’ve seen some of the things he can do,” Rex said looking over at Kate.
Jhahnahkan once again lifted his head. His eyes began to focus. Sitting on the side of the table in front of him was a beautiful woman. She had shoulder-length brunette hair and was slim but with a curvaceous figure. Her eyes were sparkling brown, and her cheeks were rosy red.
“Hi, my name is Katie. And what’s your name, mister?”
* * *
Chapter 5 – The New Rule
Ackturra: Year 2983
Jhovahkan lowered his arms, holding his newly formed crystal out in front of him. The crystal continued to emit a reddish-yellow luster.
He slowly walked over to the body of his father and knelt down. Qiaoshan’s lifeless body lay still on the floor of the council chamber. Luanren and her daughter, Tamika, both stood together, weeping in each other’s arms. The rest of the council stood in disbelief, seeing their council leader dead before them.
Jhovahkan reached over and rested his hand on his father’s chest and softly said, “I am sorry, my father, but you were not leading our people into victory. I had to do this for the good of Ackturra.”
He then plucked the crown off his father’s head and stood before the rest of the chamber members. He held the crown out in front of him, and his eyes turned the color of his newly formed master crystal.
“Behold,” he said with resolve, “I, Jhovahkan of the house of Sö’, firstborn of Qiaoshan, hereby exercise my birthright and take my rightful position as council leader through the death of my father.”
Ghaia walked over and held the crown with both hands. She slowly walked around the council chamber and stopped in front of each member and then moved on to the next and finally stopped behind her son.
Raising the crown over her son’s head, she said, “I, Ghaia, the high priestess of the council, hereby recognize the birthright of Qiaoshan’s firstborn son, Jhovahkan. The council will now cast their vote of confidence for Jhovahkan for final confirmation as it is accustomed to Ackturrian law.”
One by one each council member answered with their vote of yea.
When the time came for Luanren, she hung her head low and softly answered yea.
Tamika stepped forward and peered at her brother. She spoke as she held back her tears, “I, Tamika, daughter of Qiaoshan of the house of Sö’, do not agree with this vote,” she paused for a moment, collected herself and then continued, “However, I will not stand in the way of confirming my brother as leader for the good of the people and the war. I reserve my right for a vote of no confidence when the time is right and my brother Jhahnahkan returns to the council.”
“The high priestess recognizes Sister Tamika’s request and will grant her challenge as she has so stated. Therefore, the high priestess hereby confirms the appointment of Jhovahkan as council leader with a unanimous vote from the council,” Ghaia said with a loud voice.
She rested the crown down on Jhovahkan’s head and continued, “I, Ghaia, high priestess of the high council, do hereby name you, Jhovahkan of the house of Sö’, leader of the Ackturrian council.”
Ghaia stepped back and walked to her place on the council chamber, looking proudly at her son.
The chamber was quiet as they all stood by and waited for reality to make sense.
The chamber attendants prepared to carry their father’s body to their home in order to prepare him for the Ackturrian burial ceremony.
As they carried Qiaoshan’s limp body out of the chamber, Jhovahkan stood forward and spoke to the council.
“My fellow council members,” Jhovahkan started as he held out his crystal in the palm of his hands before the council, “we have witnessed both great miracles and horrific tragedies.”
His new master crystal began to glow once again with the red and yellowish color, and all of the council members were now focused on his new crystal.
Jhovahkan continued, “The tragedy and loss of our leader and my father, Qiaoshan. Truly a sorrowful time and a time we need to make for mourning his loss. We all were witnesses to the deception of my brother when he came back from his journey, secretly wanting to take over the throne and assume leadership of the council. This first came by way of attempting to kill me during our Bant’tuuk contest. His plan was to eliminate me so I would not be able to oppose his plot. He was not successful in killing me, but did win the contest by cheating the rules,” he paused for a moment, and then continued, “We all saw my brother as he was returning from the Crystal Caverns. He held a very dangerous weapon—a power crystal that was not meant for him. His plan was to come through the vortex and kill our father. Then he would have killed me and assumed leadership of the council.”
The council members continued to gaze at the new master crystal and its glow.
“I could not stop his attack on my father. However, I was able to force him back into the vortex and close it off. I am not sure where he went, but I am certain he will not be allowed to return without being punished for this treachery.”
Jhovahkan commanded each of the council members to take their power crystal and hold it out before them as he continued with his mind manipulation.
“More importantly, we were witness to a powerful miracle,” Jhovahkan continued as each council member held out their power crystal with the exception of Tamika as her power crystal had been destroyed. Instead, she went over and stood by her mother.
“The miracle of two power crystals merging to form one master crystal, this is the true meaning of Ack’raamon. This event has never taken place in the history of Ackturra. These two crystals were destined to form and become one masterful crystal. My new master crystal will begin to forge a new beginning for the war with our enemies. With my newly found power, we will be able to finally destroy our adversaries. We will defeat our mortal enemies and not by just winning the war but total and final elimination of every Zelinite. We will wipe them out of existence so they will never be a threat to any living civilization. We will then rule the entire galaxy and force peace throughout every society. Threats will not be tolerated. Violation of the coming peace will be dealt with stern and swift punishment.”
As Jhovahkan spoke, his master crystal emanated a beam of reddish and yellow light simultaneously to each of the council’s crystals. From their crystals, which began to glow and emit beams of power into each council member’s foreheads.
Tamika looked up at her mother, Luanren, and noticed the trancelike state that she had entered into. Her eyes were glowing like her brothers eyes. She looked at every council member and they too were in the same trancelike state. Turning away, she closed and blocked her mind to the lies her brother was sending out. There was something inside her that knew that this was not right, something that she had not felt
for a long time: clarity. That was it, she thought to herself. She had been released by the power her crystal had over her when it was destroyed.
She continued to gaze forward and thought to herself, I must play along until I find a way to thwart this awful thing my brother has done.
“My fellow council members,” Jhovahkan continued, “I will address all of Ackturra. Prepare the public address system and have all who are near to attend at the arena. It is there I will announce the tragedy that was bestowed upon us today, and I will announce my plan for advancing our war efforts. I give you three hours to prepare.”
The colored beams retracted, and the glow of his master crystal faded. Jhovahkan wrapped up his crystal in his black cloth and tucked it away into his cloak.
“This council will adjourn until further notice. I will come to each of you in turn as I need,” Jhovahkan said with firmness.
“The high priestess hereby dismisses this session of the council,” Ghaia said as she raised her hands and clapped them twice.
The council members all put their crystals away, still looking as if they were in a trance, and went about each of their duties to prepare for the public announcement that was to be given in just three hours.
Tamika hurried away to her room to avoid her brother. She needed to be alone so she could begin to understand why she still felt power within herself after her crystal had been destroyed.
* * *
Palace Assemblage
Jhovahkan slowly approached the podium. He looked somber as he prepared to deliver his speech to his people. The entire council was seated behind the platform, their eyes still glazed over caused by the trance from their new leader. Tamika sat next to her mother and attempted to blend in and stared straight ahead off into space.
His hands grabbed each side of the podium as he propped himself up. He wore his full military dress, which was decorated with every medal he had received in action. Jhovahkan looked tired, and he had dark circles under his yellow and red eyes.
He intently looked about the auditorium, making eye contact with only a few close friends. Then he looked straight ahead into the camera that was fixed on him that would transmit his message to the entire people of Ackturra.
Jhovahkan paused for a moment, not smiling, but looking very serious with what he was about to announce, “My people, friends, family, statesmen, military leaders, service men here on Ackturra and on our ships spread about the galaxy, my fellow councilmen.”
There was stillness in the arena that was quite different than from just a few hours before. The echoes of cheers and noise of the Bant’tuuk contest had faded into the background, which now had become the quiet and somber atmosphere.
“My father was murdered today,” Jhovahkan began, “murdered by my own flesh and blood. My brother, Jhahnahkan, devised a plot to take over the council. I thwarted his plan today, but I was not completely successful. I could not have saved my father from this treachery.”
The stillness was momentarily interrupted by cries of passion and weeping for their fallen leader.
“Fear not, my people,” he continued. The stillness settled once again as they hung on every word that Jhovahkan said to them, “I have been confirmed by the council in a unanimous vote to take my father’s place. I have exercised my birthright to become your new leader. I, Jhovahkan of the house of Sö, firstborn son of Qiaoshan, will lead us all into a new era of peace through the complete and absolute annihilation of our enemy,” he said this with firmness and complete resolve, “Then and only then will I seek retribution for the act of cowardly and despicable act of my brother, Jhahnahkan. He will pay for his murderous deed! Mark my words, my friends. He will be found and brought to justice.”
The crowd once again interrupted the silence with cheers and applause as they heard the words of Jhovahkan. They continued to applaud him as a sign of their support to his cause.
“Please…” he began, “please… please…” He continued to say this as he attempted to quiet the crowd. He tried to hide his slight smile to himself as he was seeing his plan unfold. It was very apparent that he had the complete support of his people.
The hall once again quieted and returned to silence as he continued to speak, “People of Ackturra! I now call upon your service! Every business, every factory, every manufacturer here on our world, I now call upon all of you to convert your operations, every business… everything that you do will be converted over to support the war effort. Every available and able-bodied citizen shall be drafted into the military to serve on our warships. Every man, woman, and child that cannot perform military active duty will be required to work in every factory or business to build new ships and parts for ships, weapons manufacturing, shield technologies, armor-plating factories, or any other function that will be necessary in order to complete the building of our armad,” Jhovahkan continued speaking, but raised his voice to combat the thunderous applause.
“I will build a fleet of battle destroyers, carriers, and cruisers. We will have more frigates and fighters, all to be added to our existing fleet. I will build a fleet large enough to defeat our enemy, the Zelinite!” pausing, he waited for the applause once again, “Once the Zelinites are wiped out of existence forever and they no longer pose a threat to anyone, we will become the peacekeepers of the galaxy. There will be no tolerance for insurrection or wars between any civilizations. Any defiant action will be dealt with swift judgment and will be subject to the destructive power of the Ackturrian armada!”
Jhovahkan rested for a few moments as he took in the feeling of great triumph and allowed the crowd to go wild with supporting applause and cheering. Unable to hide his half smile any longer, he stood straight and raised his hands to the crowd. He looked into the camera with a look of satisfaction and projected comfort to those who were witnessing Ackturrian history being made.
“My first act in this new call to war will be to recall any and all Ackturrian warships back to our home planet. These warships will all be fitted with a new weapon. A new technology has been given to me through the power of my new master crystal. For the first time in many years, the crystal caverns will be open to all captains.”
The crowd all at once became still once again as they intently listened to what their new leader was telling them.
Jhovahkan began speaking once more, “Each of these captains will find their power crystal. Their crystals shall be used in these new devices that will be fitted on the bridge of each ship. This new device is called the crystal tuner. The design was given to me by the power of my new master crystal. This device will help with ship defenses and weapons. We will be tuned to one another, which will create a network of communications that can alert the captain of my orders. Instantaneously, they will also alert us of any impending danger. These crystal tuners will increase the response time and effectiveness of every ship in my armada and shall have a direct link to my master crystal that will be fitted into my flagship, the Kalentun.”
Jhovahkan continued to speak as Tamika intently listened and mimicked the blank stare that everyone else had on their face.
She thought to herself, My brother has taken complete control over everyone. I must resist the power that is trying to overcome me. It must be that since my crystal was shattered, its hold over me was broken, and that must be why I am able to resist my brother’s mind manipulation.
As she continued to repel the powerful hold trying to overcome her, her head began to ache, and she began to wince under the strain. She continued to think to herself, I must break away and get myself out of here quietly. I cannot risk being discovered by my brother or anyone else under his power.
Tamika rose from her chair and continued to concentrate on keeping the blank stare. She had a blinding headache that she carefully kept to herself. She slipped out behind her brother and stepped down off the platform where the rest of the council had been seated, and walked over to the side exit that was closest to her.
Quietly, she opened the door partway and
stepped through, carefully closing it behind her. Turning to make her way from the crowd, she found herself face-to-face with one of the council security guards that were stationed at each exit.
“Madam Tamika,” he said with a cold, blank stare, “where are you going?”
Tamika immediately took her hand and placed her first two fingers and thumb on the side of the guard’s face and projected her thoughts to him, Do not concern yourself with me. You did not see me leave. You will continue to guard your station. If anyone asks, you did not see me. Do you understand?
She probed his mind to ensure her projection was a success. Convinced she had successfully placed her thoughts in him, Tamika removed her hand and continued to walk away, leaving the guard staring straight ahead. Astounded by her new ability, she thought to herself, I am not sure how I was able to do that. I no longer have a power crystal to help me focus. Could it be that Jhahnahkan was right about the crystals, that there was something about the power crystals that were not right with them after all?
She continued to gain as much distance from the assembly as she could. The farther away she got from her brother Jhovahkan, the less she felt the power trying to overcome her, “My brother felt something wrong when he came home. Now I too, feel what he was trying to tell me was true. I must find out what happened to my brother, and I must try to save my mother from the power that the crystal has over her.”
Scared for her safety, she fled into the night to think about what she must do.
* * *
Luanren’s Dwelling
The night sky had turned dark, and the two moons shone brightly across the landscape of Ackturra. Tamika slowly approached her mother’s dwelling only to discover that her lights were on. She crept around the side and peered inside one of the windows. She saw her mother standing in the center of the room with that same empty glare into space. Standing in front of her mother was Jhovahkan with his hands held open. He held them up on either side of her mother’s head while he peered deep into her eyes. His concentration broke momentarily as he turned his head toward the window.
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