“With Anidon’s technology I am quite confident the message could be deciphered in no time, but I dare not risk prying eyes or questions, so for now we will allow your friend to make an attempt at deciphering the message for us,” Urieth said, looking weary. “I left her in charge of my lab, with the priority of finishing her education. Are you sure you want me to go back there now? I just got here.” “I should like to inspect this object myself, so I will go in your stead. It's best that you continue your studies here for the time being. Given the rapid development of events we need to get you up to speed as quickly as possible.” “More than likely she can complete her education over the next three months, so in that time could you have someone watch over her?”
“I will place several operatives around the University as well as your home. If finishing her education is important to you then I will comply with your request. We will use the time to prepare you,” Urieth replied.
“I can record a video message with the two of us so that Yuki will know that she can trust you,” Dorian replied. “That is a wise decision. Do not share this information with anyone, including Matthias. Be sure that your mind blocking skills are mastered and you do not think upon it unless we are in a secure location. For now just continue your studies here. Is this acceptable?” “Yeah, no problem. Let me know how things go.” The two left Verdes Eta together and said their goodbyes. Dorian headed back to his new home and contemplated the events of the day until he fell fast asleep.
Sixteen
The following morning Dorian found it difficult to wake up; the recent passing of his mother, along with his concerns for Yuki and what the future held, made it seem as if the weight of the world was pressing down upon him. It was early morning Thursday, four days away from the new year, and a soft bell was ringing in his bedchamber. A photograph from the outside of his house showed Yelnisha’s face plastered right up against the imager, distorting her face in a cartoonish fashion. He pressed the option to ignore and closed his eyes. She buzzed several more times, each time giving a different contorted face.
“Ok, ok, jeez.” He pressed the communication button on the floating screen. “Mornin' to ya. Just wanted to see how the new resident is faring on this fine day,” she said in a pleasant tone.
He rubbed his right eye with his hand and yawned, showing obvious signs of fatigue and stress. “Good morning,” he said politely. “I suppose I should be a proper neighbor and invite you in. But I’ll need the code first.”
She cheerfully obliged. “You passed. House, let her in. Please, Yelnisha, no drama today. I’m really not feeling up to it,” he said, exiting the chamber. “Look at you, it’s nine o’clock. How can you be a professor at a university if you’re getting up this late?” He yawned again, his slitted eyes barely letting light in as his mind was fighting hard to stay awake. “Coffee?” he asked. “No thanks, I’ve got a tiny bladder. Besides, if I drank that stuff I’m pretty certain that I would explode. I’ve got too much energy as it is. Anyway, not here to chit chat, we’ve got a busy day ahead of us. Lots to do. In one hour I’ll need you to hop on your platform and meet me at the training field. I’ve sent the instructions on how to get there to your house unit already. Be seeing ya,” she said, with a wink and a smile. Dorian stood in his robe sipping his beverage, nibbling on some toast. “Thought she was going to attack me again. That wasn’t so bad. Maybe Matthias was exaggerating.” Finishing his breakfast, he cleaned up and proceeded to make his way over to the training field, the same one he had visited yesterday. The platform took him to the field entrance where a security checkpoint was set up, much like one found at an airport. Several small lines formed as the warrior-athletes waited their turn to get in. “Spectator lines to the far left,” the security guard said to Dorian as he approached his turn in line. Everyone around him was wearing some type of form-fitting uniform and doing various stretches and warm ups as they waited to get through. Dorian was wearing a flannel shirt with a t-shirt underneath along with loose-fitting blue jeans and Converse tennis shoes; hardly the specimen of athleticism, which is precisely why the guard pointed him to the other line. Just as he began to leave he heard Yelnisha’s voice from beyond the gate. “Oh, no, you don’t. Get back there. He’s with me. Let him through, please,” she said to the attendants manning the gate. They looked at each other with raised eyebrows and waved him through. A scanner went over him as he passed through the entrance. Yelnisha was stretching out in a charcoal-colored form-fitting workout uniform similar to the kind everyone else wore. “I feel a bit out of place here. Shouldn’t I be in jogging shorts or something? If I'd known this is what you had in mind I would have stayed in bed, because I don’t have an athletic bone in my body,” he complained. Yelnisha to looked at him as if he had two heads. “Right, you’re not in shape? How’d you get that body then? Lifting books and test tubes and whatnot?” she asked, looking over his built physique. “Seriously, Yelnisha, I’m in terrible shape. I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t been to the gym in years. This is going to be embarrassing. Shouldn’t I just watch or something?” “Did you forget to change your diapers this morning? Get over it. If getting you in shape is what we need to do then you’ve come to the right place,” she said, grabbing him by the arm and leading him along. The two went down the corridor, stopping near the dressing rooms for the combatants. “Follow me please,” she said smiling. They stepped into a sophisticated locker room where dozens of people were milling about; some were stretching and some were in groups going over maneuvers the way a sports team would before a game. She stopped in front of a group of ten people that were huddled together, listening to a female who resembled a cat-human hybrid. Her fur was a very fine grey, and she had hands much like a human's, but with with the exception of claws. She also had greenish-yellow eyes with black slits, with facial features that were closer to human than cat. She was dressed in one of the form fitting outfits that everyone seemed to be wearing with some type of device around her neck. It appeared that she was of a similar species to Zeracon, the head of security. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve brought along a new recruit that we’re going to be adding to our ranks starting today,” Yelnisha said with a grin. The group turned their attention to Dorian, who was feeling rather embarrassed over his attire and lack of athletic prowess. He recognized a few of them from his class with Matthias: Xui Mei, the fourteen year old prodigy from Changsha in the Hunan province of China; Josiah, the soft spoken, lean and lanky man from Namibia; Sasha, the strikingly beautiful young woman from Domzale, Slovenia; Simon, the funny young Welshman from Aberystwyth in the United Kingdom; Emmerelda, the young woman who had been rude to him; and Juan Velazquez of Cartagena, Spain, who at forty-four was the oldest. Tiddi and Osokas were present and flanked Yelnisha as she arrived. “Excellent, Commander Yelnisha. Greetings, Dorian. I am Second Commander Lykoi,” the woman said in a soft voice. “I believe you are acquainted with most everyone here so you may want to get changed into something that will allow you to move more freely, in order to withstand the punishment of our exercises. You’ll find the skins over there,” she said, nodding in the direction of the machine that looked like a body scanner found at airports. Yelnisha walked over to where Dorian was to assist him. “Here,” she said, moving him into place. “You stand inside of it like this with your arms out and say 'measure'.” Dorian did as instructed and the device whirred as lasers measured every inch of his body. “Now come over here. It only takes a minute,” Yelnisha said, as she stood in front of the apparatus that was creating the outfit for him. A moment later it was completed. The material was unique; stretchy but extremely strong. Given its delicate nature and thickness it was rather heavy, an attribute owed to the advanced technology employed in its construction. “You can change over there,” she said, pointing to the area adjacent to the group where other visitors were getting dressed behind the solid barrier. She waved her hand over the sensor and the barrier dissipated, allowing Dorian to step inside. He motioned for it to go up and h
e began to disrobe. As he put the form fitting outfit over his nude body, he noticed the group paying close attention to what he was doing. Josiah placed his hand over Xui Mei’s eyes and Yelnisha laughing hysterically. Dorian quickly put on the suit and noticed the backside felt rather drafty, mainly due to the fact it was missing material there. Wrapping his shirt around himself, he waved his hand over the barrier and smiled at Yelnisha. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. Can I get a normal suit now?” he asked. Tiddi, who was looking a bit red in the face, walked over and handed him a new one. “Thanks. How about a little privacy this time?” “Um, yeah, that was Yelnisha’s doing. If you step in again it should work like the others,” she said, avoiding eye contact with him.
After quickly changing he stepped out to laughter, as Yelnisha had apparently set up a hidden camera that captured his bare backside from earlier, displaying the images across a holographic screen for everyone to see. Heat rose in his face. “Two can play at that game,” he said with a determined look. “Um, I wouldn’t do it if I were you,” Tiddi replied, shaking her head. “Let her have her revenge or it won’t end for you, believe me.” He sighed and shrugged. “Fine, whatever. All right, you’ve had your juvenile laugh. Can we move on now?” “I need to savor the moment a bit more, you understand,” Yelnisha said, wiping away the tears she cried from her laughter. Tiddi handed him a pair of special shoes to wear “They’re fine, don’t worry.” He put them on and ignored the catcalls and hoots from the others around and gave his attention to Lykoi, who was looking impatient with Yelnisha’s antics.
“My apologies, Lykoi. This is revenge for an incident from yesterday. I responded to Yelnisha’s attack in an inappropriate manner and she is responding in kind. Yelnisha, I apologize for my part in embarrassing you,” he said with humility.
“Bollocks, you sure know how to rob a woman of her pleasure. All right, let’s call a truce then, eh?” she said, slapping him on the backside and causing the group to burst into laughter. He held his tongue and smiled at her. Lykoi cleared her throat to get their attention. “We’ve got a lot to cover today so let’s get serious now. You are pairing up into four groups of two. Your assignments are on the display. Meet me out on the field in five minutes; make sure you’ve warmed up. Dorian, you’re with me today. I think Yelnisha’s had enough fun with you for the time being. Follow me; I need to talk with you about a few things.” She dismissed the group and the two of them made their way out of the dressing area towards the training field. “I’ve known your father for quite some time now. He’s a good man, for an Earthling,” she said with a laugh. “Although I’ve been here so long now I’m going to have to start referring to myself as an Anidonian soon.
“In case you were wondering, my kind are known as Kroikas. A handful of us came over from our home planet at the request of the Angels here in Anidon. We’re not that advanced in our technology, but we make up for it with our skills in Shi mastery and manipulation. The fallen have infiltrated our home as well and I have seen first hand the effects of their crimes, so it is my honor to instruct others in the ways of combat against them and their allies.
“Anyway, the first few exercises we are going to do involve getting familiar with one of the two forms of Shi; Melammu and Baltu. The Melammu form is a higher level of Shi and may take many years to manifest if can be done at all. Very few of us can. The Baltu form is a lower form of Shi, one that many use to enhance their corporeal form. As you may know, what we are looking at for both of us, these flesh forms, are not who, or more specifically, what, we are. These are simply avatars that house our spirits, which are our true form. That form is what you see when traveling to one of the Verdes sites or Erustian Prime, the light forms that exist in another dimension. We can access the spirit energy of that form in this dimension, as well as the one of your planet. Either form will enable one to manipulate matter, enhance physical attributes, gain extra sensory output, and perform thought transference; those are only a few of the many abilities it can confer. Yelnisha, as well as several others who were present, advised me of your spiritual awakening so I think we should go slow until I know you are comfortable with the training. Does that sound acceptable?” “Yeah, that’s fine, thanks. This is all so new to me. So much has happened in such a short amount of time it’s hard for me to take it all in. I’m beginning to feel as if the old Dorian has passed on. My identity is becoming fragmented,” he said with a concerned look. Lykoi tilted her head slightly and stared into his eyes with a soft gaze. “You’ve been through quite an ordeal, as I have been told and I am sorry for that. You are not alone in your grief, however. Everyone in our group has a story similar to yours; they’ve all lost family and friends and found themselves struggling with abilities they couldn’t understand. I’m sure you were unaware that most of the beings in Anidon were born here and many have never even seen the world outside. All those in our group are like you; aside from your personal tragedies, you all were born on Earth and lived there for some time, an experience which will be of value to us.
“It’s my job to try and make sense of everything for you as best as I can. That, as well as keeping you alive. When we go to battle this training will help us survive. You can be assured the enemy will be well trained in these arts as well, so you had best pay attention. Come, race me to the first marker.”
Lykoi arched her back and exhaled, her Shi rising rapidly until she exploded with energy, moving 150 feet in one second! Many people on the field stopped to watch one of the fastest beings in Anidon move with amazing speed. She managed to run the quarter mile in just under seven seconds, faster than she ever allowed herself to run in front of the humans. Applause and whistles came from the spectators, as well as from many of the combatants who witnessed her skill. “Whoa, she can really move,” Dorian said aloud. “She’s probably the fastest in Anidon. I can only imagine how fast she would be in her second spirit form,” Josiah said while shaking his arms and legs to warm up. “Heh, I ran about that fast when I had a bad case of arsefire; thought I wasn’t going to make it to the loo,” Simon chimed in. Tiddi and Xui Mei both scowled at him. “What? That's never happened to you? Tough crowd here. What you gonna do there, Dorio? Let’s have a go, see what you can do,” Simon said giving Dorian a slight slap on his upper arm.
“It’s 'Dorian', not 'Dorio' you doofus!” Tiddi shouted, her fists clenched, looking perturbed. “All right, then, no need to get your knickers in a twist, tiddlywinks.” He snapped his towel on her behind, then proceeded to run as fast as he could towards Lykoi. Josiah and Dorian both shook their heads as Tiddi gave chase. “What are you waiting for?” Lykoi asked, her voice telepathically entering his mind. “Sorry, these kids are distracting me. Be there in a moment,” he replied in kind, unsure if she had heard his words. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he began to focus his Shi on his legs, though it was difficult to concentrate given the ruckus the group was making around him. He let out some of his spirit energy and could feel his legs becoming weightless as the energy filled his body. Several combatants off in the distance stopped what they were doing and took notice, as did everyone in the group. Electricity charged the air as his Shi climbed. Dorian’s vision improved dramatically and he could make out Lykoi’s face as if she were right next to him. Leaning down he exhaled and thrust his body forward with incredible speed. As he started rushing towards her the ground gave way beneath his feet. Large slabs of sod went flying behind him as each step became more unstable until he lost balance, crashing in a fashion that resembled a meteorite trail. Laughter erupted across the field at the spectacle. Yelnisha was rolling on the ground, tears in her eyes, along with Simon, Josiah and many others who had witnessed his epic landing. Lycoi stood stoically, her eyes widened with an expression that changed from ease to apprehension. Dorian got up and began brushing off the grass and dirt embedded in his hair and just about everywhere else. Yelnisha ran over to him, her cackle barely contained with each step. “Oh my, ahahahaha, did you- ahahahaha, I can’t breathe!” she chortl
ed as giggles and gasps of air fought for priority. Dorian shook his head. The others ran over to where they were standing as Lykoi slowly walked towards the group. “Oh, man, that was a spectacular wipeout! Look at the trail, it’s got to be ten meters long!” Simon shouted with excitement. “Look more like twelve,” Xui Mei replied. Emma silently shook her head with a contemptuous look on her face. Lycoi arrived just as Dorian was feeling thoroughly embarrassed. “What did I do wrong?” he asked Lykoi. She shot an angry glare to the group that was standing around. “I thought I gave all of you assignments. Why are you standing here? This is no time for fooling around! Get to work!” she shouted, slightly baring her teeth. Everyone’s laughter immediately ceased and they quickly paired up as the field repair robots set to work at replacing the destroyed section of grass around them. She turned her attention towards Dorian, who was feeling a bit intimidated by her growl at the group. “What happened, you ask? That is a very good question. It seems you generated far more force than the ground could handle. Your shoes did not have sufficient friction to allow you to travel at that rate of speed over this surface,” she said, carefully choosing her words. “I think I will have you watch the others for today. I need to speak with someone, excuse me,” she replied, turning to leave.
“I'm sorry Lykoi. I didn’t mean- I apologize if I upset you,” he said, feeling that he had embarrassed her as well. Stopping in her tracks, she turned towards him with a soft look on her face. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Dorian, nothing whatsoever. I am sorry to run out on you like this, but I need to get some answers before we can proceed. I hope you understand.” She turned and ran towards the exit while the group watched from a distance. He walked over towards Yelnisha, who was overseeing the training of the four pairs. “You must have really cheesed her off for her to leave like that,” Yelnisha said. Dorian looked a bit dejected. “Simon, lift your leg higher you flat footed wanker!” she shouted. Simon, in turn, proceeded to give her the two finger salute in response. “I keep telling him and he never listens,” she sighed. “So you’re back with me then eh? Great! Let’s start by teaching you some basic hand to hand moves. Now we're going to take it easy okay, so we won't use any Shi for this, right?” she said, one eye one Dorian, the other watching the others.
The Return of the Watchers (Armageddon Rising Book 1) Page 22