He looked at his father’s eyes and they too were colored yellowish red, but his skin has turned ashen grey and his hair the same color as Tamika’s. He turned and faced the rocks that Sam and Glenda were ducking behind.
Sam could see his eyes from this distance as they were turning the familiar yellowish red tint. Glenda motioned to him to activate the Device. Sam looked down at the console of his hand held and flipped the power switch on. Waiting for the system to come up to full power,
he took aim at Jhovahkan with the Zelinite mesmerizer and fired a shot.
The mesmerizer shot out its beam but missed Jhovahkan. Instead, Sam’s aim was slightly low and hit Milanaka causing his arm to drop off of the control panel to the ground becoming anesthetized.
Luanren and Kate’s eyes suddenly turned normal as the two stopped with their mind manipulation. Turning together, they each took the other by the hand and jumped down the other side of the mound. They thought the mound would provide protection from the firing laser rifles in the distance, rather than being out in the open for the moment.
Drakes and Diyra took aim from their flanked positions and fired their laser rifles at Jhovahkan and Ghaia. The blasts barely missed them the two dodging by hitting the ground. They quickly scurried to whatever cover they could find so they could assess their current situation.
Diyra shot again and struck Qiaoshan causing him to fall to the ground stunned by the weapons fire.
Tamika turned and faced away from the Rune and held out her power crystal above her head. An energy shield formed at the tip of her crystal and flashed out around those that were close by and began to lower down and seal them from the weapons fire.
Glenda jabbed Sam in the ribs. “Come on Sam… turn this thing up to full power!”
Sam manipulated his hand control and turned up the output of the quasiinducer area beam just before Tamika’s shield connected with the ground.
The signal spread throughout the entire cave with a sharp piercing tone that deafened everyone. The sound was so strong that everyone in the cavern was forced to drop what they were doing. They press their hands on the sides of their heads in an attempt to cover their ears and muffle the painful shrieking sound.
Everyone that had been infected winced and fell to their knees. Tamika looked up at her two brothers, her eyes and skin had returned to normal coloring. She looked over at her mother who was coming to her side from behind the mound. Luanren grabbed her daughter and squeezed her as if she hadn’t seen her for hundreds of years.
The deafening sounds dissipated and everyone’s hearing began to return to normal. Kate came out from behind the mound and tripped on a rock protruding out of the ground, falling to her side yelping in agony. “I think I broke my ankle.”
Glenda rushed out from behind the rocks and came to Katie’s aid while Sam monitored the output of the quasiinducer beam.
“She’s a holding just fine,” Sam said to himself, proud of his accomplishment. He made a few adjustments and refined the beams focal point to ensure the strongest output was aimed right at the Rune.
Tamika looked back at the Rune in horror remembering everything that had happened and all the terrible things she had done to her family.
Jhahnahkan stood back to his feet and helped his sister up off her knees. He took her in his arms and gave her a hug, “I am so glad you are alright Tamika.”
“I do not know if I am really ‘all right’ my brother,” she struggled to say. “I do not know if I will ever be again.” She sobbed.
Jhahnahkan glanced over and noticed Kate on the ground and rushed to her side. “Are you alright my love? He said with compassion. “I was so worried that you were infected when I saw your eyes.”
Kate looked up at her lover and smiled. “It’s gonna take a lot more that this to keep me away from you. I am immune as well, our son carries the gene and it passed through to me.”
The rest came in and rejoined the main group at the Rune. With the Quasiinducer beam at full strength, the Rune diminished its glow and its effect on the group. The Rune infection no longer presented itself a threat, as long as they remained within the field of protection. They remained safe, for now.
Sam check out Katie’s ankle and determined it was a simple sprain, “You’ll be ok my dear. It’s not broken, thankfully.”
Once Sam had finished with Kate, Jhahnahkan instructed the doctor to checkout Milanaka, “We need him awake as soon as possible…” he said with urgency, “He’s the only one that knows how to turn this thing off.” He said looking at the Rune.
“No, that is simply not true son,” Luanren said, stepping up, “I am immune… and I know the code. I probed his mind just before he was zapped.”
“Go on then,” he motioned, “get that beam interrupted.”
Luanren leaned down close to the unconscious Zelinite and grabbed his hand and placed it on the scanner. She punched in the code on the panel and then flipped the transmit switch. The Rune began to spark and shutter as the power to the blue carrier beam transmitter was suddenly interrupted. The beam ceased from the Rune ship causing lightning discharges all around the Rune ship as if it was being short-circuited.
The ground around the group began to tremble under their feet slightly. Tamika held her hand on the side of her temple and concentrated on the Rune to reestablish contact.
“What are you doing? Jhahnahkan said in panic.
“Shhh,” Tamika whispered, “I am ok my brother… I am trying to detect if the signal made it before we shut it down.”
Jhahnahkan picked up his crystal sphere from the resting place it laid from being dropped when the noise had hit. He held it out toward Tamika and began to send out a beam of clear colored energy. Her entire body became surrounded by the light from his crystal. She could feel the warmth of the energy swirling about her. She held her head back and placed both hands on her temples.
“Yes…” she said, “This is the burst of power I needed to reach them… they have no effect on us right now…” she paused for a moment and then continued, “The Runic are very frustrated and are trying to figure out how to combat the Quasiinducer beam… seems they do not understand how that is interrupting their control over their hosts… we are safe from the Rune for the moment until they figure out how to stop our device…” Tamika hung her head low just before she finished, “… the signal has reached Zelinite…” she looked up at her brother with sadness in her eyes, “I am sorry my brother… this is entirely my fault… I have brought this evil upon all of us…”
Tamika collapsed as she lost the will to go on. The horror in her mind as to what the Runic made her do, how could she forgive herself she thought.
The ground began to quake much stronger. The group all lost their footing as the cavern floor pitched and rocked from the power surge within the Rune ship. The ground split across the cavern causing a crevice to open. The crack opened wide as rocks and debris fell down into the fissure that had opened.
Jhahnahkan was closest to the edge, rocks and dirt fell beneath his feet and he dropped down into the ravine. Kate screamed out in dismay as he fell out of sight.
* * *
The Kalentun
Year: 2983
Driliari, acting first officer in the absence of R’ihia, commanded the northern fleet. They continued to hide until intelligence arrives regarding the Southern Factions movements.
“Sir,” the com officer said, “picking up a signal… it is R’ihia on board the Remedy.”
“Put it on audio.” Driliari ordered.
“Sorry, sir, it is only text… she provided the access confirmation encryption code…” the com officer paused while running the code for authentication, “Confirmed sir… this is her signal and message.”
“Very well, what is the message?”
“The Telenian has been damaged in the surface to air battle and is leaving orbit… The Remedy is being dispatched to provide cover back to the main fleet… They are twenty minutes from intercepting…”
“Return the message that we will dispatch the Glaive, they are only ten minutes out from the Telenian.” Driliari said.
“The Glaive will leave the protection of the crystal net…” the Kalentun’s tactical officer added.
“So be it then…” Driliari coldly stated, “Besides, the net is weakened without Jhovahkan’s crystal… mine does not have the same power, better to strengthen our protection rather than lose all of us.” He said as he stood. He walked over to the tactical station to read the panel for himself.
“Is this the Telenian?” he pointed to a shadow on the scanner.
“Yes, sir,” the tactical officer stated. “She is alone and does appear that her engines are crippled.”
“Dispatch the Glaive while there is still a window to take them out.” Driliari ordered with a resounding shout.
“Sir, we just lost the signal to R’ihia.”
“Very well… this is an opportunity I will not let pass by… Jhovahkan will be very proud…
Scan for additional ships, make sure this is not a trap,” Driliari instructed. “Bring the fleet closer to Ackturra… we will provide our own cover if more ships show up.”
* * *
The Telenian
Year: 2983
Panru calmly navigated the Telenian into orbit, the engines running on a special silent running mode to prevent detection. The helm struggled to keep the ship maneuvering using only its thrusters. The Glaive on approach, Panru asked to be notified at every two minutes so they could get the exact timing to engage the main engines.
“Steady helm…” Panru ordered. “Tactical, weapons check.”
“Aye sir, tactical station is ready.”
“Prepare ram shields…”
“Ram shields confirmed ready to activate.”
“Six minutes,” Tactical reported.
“Alert the Griffin and Eastern to begin her run,” Panru ordered.
The com officer signaled the destroyer, accompanied by the frigate and two squadrons of fighters to engage the approaching Glaive. Panru waited for more updates from tactical counting down until they would be under fire.
“Two minutes, sir.”
“Look alive everyone…”
Another painstaking moment went by, “One minute.” Tactical again reported.
“Steady, steady,” the captain motioned with one hand, “On my mark.”
“Thirty seconds… fifteen… ten…” tactical chimed.
“Engage!” Panru ordered, “Bring the engines out of silent running… set course to intercept the Glaive… engage ram shields!”
The helm fired up the main engines and changed course to ram the Glaive. His tactical officers fired all weapons and charged the ships ram shields. The Glaive took evasive action and turned away from the Telenian in surprise at the ships aggressive actions.
“Perfect,” Panru said with pleasure, “right into the spider’s web.”
The Glaive set course to leave orbit and was intercepted by the Griffin and Eastern lying in wait for them as if on cue. Fire ripped through the hull of the Glaive as the fleet pounded the nearly defenseless destroyer, caught off guard by the Telenian’s surprise attack.
The northern fleets turned down their crystal net revealing their position; close proximity to Ackturra. Every ship had begun to engage another of the southern fleet.
The Telenian was already on their attack run, heading to the Glaive at full speed and ram shields engaged. The captain ordered to prepare for impact when the Telenian breached the hull of the massive destroyer, splitting it into two sections. The Telenian flew away at a great rate of speed and its captain ordered them to come about and target the next ship.
“Sir,” Panru’s com officer said, “I am getting strange readings just off our port bow…”
“Get me a reading on what that is… helm, hard starboard, full speed… meet us up with the Griffin and Eastern.”
The Telenian listed away from the strange anomaly that had begun to form. The other ship captains reported in to the fleet commander the same strange readings. Even the northern fleet stood down and began to measure the phenomenon.
Just away from Ackturra on the opposite side of the two moons a gigantic vortex opened revealing a massive tubular craft exiting and flying out between the two fighting factions. The tube ship amassed nearly a quarter of a mile long one it exited the Vortex.
Its girth was a cylinder that measured over forty feet across. This cylinder was comprised of four smaller cylinders all joined together. It became apparent on every ships scanner that there were many connecting cylinders all measuring fifty feet in length, but all interconnected.
The vortex collapsed as a second ship crossed through. The ship looked very similar to the Leif Erikson in design with a conning tower with a bridge at the end of a spire. The ship became visible behind the massive cylindrical vessel as it exited. Each fifty foot smaller tube section, on the massive cylindrical vessel, separated and moved out on its own and into the sector surrounding Ackturra. There were one hundred cylindrical smaller ships in all emitting a strange energy signature.
Acoth heard the message come across the com system. “Attention Ackturrians!” a booming voice echoed across all channels of both fleets.
“Did you open a channel?” Acoth asked of his com officer.
“No, sir, it did it all by its self.”
“Your weapons and shielding systems have been naturalized. You will cease all battle operations at once.”
“This is Acoth, fleet commander of the Ackturrian southern fleet… state your purpose… who are you? Where do you come from?”
“Sir, the commander of the Northern fleet has transmitted a similar message at the intruder…”
“Then they do not know who they are either.” Acoth said with surprise.
“I am flying the earthen vessel Destiny. I am Uttarak, son of Jhahnahkan, of the house of Sö.”
* * *
The Rune
Year: 2983
Jhahnahkan slipped down the side of the crevasse as it widened, pulling in dirt, rocks and crystal fragments along the way. His hands grabbed a stone stuck in the side of the ravine. He heard Kate’s scream as the floor of the cavern dropped out from under him.
He called out saying he was alright, but needed some help. He peered up to the ledge and overshadowing him was Jhovahkan.
“My dear brother…” he mused, “you seem to be in a predicament…” Jhovahkan stretched out his hand to his brother, “Take my hand my brother… I will pull you up.”
“Why should I believe you? Everything you say to me is a lie!” he exclaimed as his grip slipped.
“Trust me my brother…” he said with his arm stretched. He reached far as he could without falling in to the abyss, pulling the both of them down within.
“Why should I trust you?”
“You do not have a choice my brother… look into my eyes and know.”
Jhahnahkan saw that his eyes had turned to normal and his skin had also changed back. Seeing that he was no longer under the power of the Rune, he cautiously reached up and took his hand. His other hand slipped off of the rock and the only thing keeping him from disappearing into the abyss was his brother’s firm grip.
Jhovahkan pulled the best he could when his sister’s head came into view. She held the pure crystal that once was his. She focused a shield below Jhahnahkan and began to lift him up by raising the shield. When he was level to the ground the others drug him back from the edge of the fissure.
They all gathered together by the Rune which was pulsating at a much faster rate.
“The Runic are furious, we had better hope that whatever that device is you brought with you lasts.” Tamika said, “For the first time in a long time, I am in control of my own thoughts… I am able to resist their beckoning call.”
“That’s the cerebellum quasiinducer.” Jhahnahkan said with relief from being away from the ledge, “By the way? Why did you save me just now?” he asked his
brother.
“You are my brother… need I say anymore? Jhovahkan said with a smile.
“You do understand the peril we face now my brother.” Jhahnahkan said.
“Yes… we have a war to end… I see clearly now… even though my crystal is corrupted, it has no power over me… I have power over it!” Jhovahkan exclaimed. “No longer will we be subject to this force.”
“We must go to the Palace and broadcast a message to each fleet commander, cease all hostilities,” Jhahnahkan urged.
“Yes, we must call a truce until we can resolve the issue with the Rune… I do agree.”
Luanren continued to work on the control panel and shouted with victory as the blue colored beam ceased. “I did it! I stopped the beam…” she fiddled with the panel once more and a shield energized around the Rune sealing it once again within its protective barrier. “There! We are good for now.”
The ground quaked again rocking the Rune ship and causing it to fall over into the chasm.
Everyone grabbed at the tubing in hopes to stop it from tumbling down, but there was no way that they could have stopped it as its massive weight plunged down and out of sight.
Milanaka, now awake and aware of what had just happened, commented that it was a good thing the shield was activated when it did. “As long as that shield is activated, there shouldn’t be any more problems.”
“There are still plenty of problems,” Tamika said. “The Runic made me inject crystal beds with the infected Rune material. That infection has now spread to most everyone in the North… Jhovahkan and I saw to it that our ancestors were infected.”
“Yes, you took me prisoner and infected me my sister,” Jhovahkan said, “We traveled back in time and infected them… it is true.”
“Well now…” Milanaka said with his hands on his hips, “I would say that is a problem.”
“That’s not all of our problems Jhahnahkan,” Drakes said with disgust, “This fissure was opened up directly over the Crystal Forge…” he said shaking his head, “The Rune opened this up and caused itself to fall in hopes that the Rune would make contact with the silver pool.”
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