I could see his nostrils flare as he tried to fend off the new-found smell.
The Vrae wasn’t having the best of times, her whole face scrunched up to minimize how much of the stench she took in with each breath.
At least I can get some enjoyment watching those two suffer.
Sometimes, it’s the small things that matter.
It really is.
“You all strapped in?” Yren asked.
“Yes,” I managed to reply.
Mistuuk and Kayasa just nodded.
Yren made an animal-mimic call with her hands over her mouth.
The bark-furred beasts grunted and lumbered down the path.
I looked back to see Yren.
I hope this will not be the last time I see her. We wouldn’t be here without her.
I focused back to controlling my stomach as movement was added to my already nauseated state.
Our galony were bounding side by side at what seemed a brisk jog for the large beasts.
Mistuuk shot me a quick grin, while the Vrae grimaced and looked away.
Nothing changed with these two.
Off on another wild mystery adventure…and straight for an enormous tree.
The path through the jungle veered to the left, around the large wooden obstruction in our way.
My galony didn’t budge from its direction of travel.
I knew what was about to happen.
“Hold on!” I yelled out to the group.
The beast started grunting about fifteen meters before the tree and accelerated, moving faster towards the massive trunk.
The other galony moved to either side of the large tree in front of me and headed toward two other trees.
Things were about to get interesting, if they hadn’t already.
With one last grunt, my galony jumped up.
The creature ascended the tree with ease.
The jungle floor receded below as we passed through the first foliage layer of canopy, then the second.
The animal was nimble, twisting and turning around large branches as it continued to climb higher and higher.
It ran up the tree as a horse would run through a pasture.
What seemed like an awkward animal on the jungle floor was a graceful and elegant canopy dweller.
Light broke aboveas we moved past the final layer of tree cover.
The valley and scenery that was before was stunning in its beauty.
I could see white billowy clouds dotted across a purple-blue sky.
The triple-canopy jungle went on beyond the horizon, at least from what I could see.
The galony moved off the main trunk and came to a stop on a large branch.
Now this was a view.
I heard a dim voice call my name.
It was Mistuuk.
They were on another branch of a tree not too far away.
He waved.
I waved back.
The Vrae did nothing, but I could guess she was still grimacing.
I smiled.
Seeing her unhappy always seemed to brighten my mood.
I looked out over the valley that stood out in colored abundance before us.
On the edge of the green canopy, there was a majestic turquoise river cutting through the green and blue landscape in the distance that ran all the way to the temple that we had seen on our arrival. Its four-sided top could be seen from our incredible vantage point.
I took in the breeze and enjoyed the serene landscape.
The peace was broken as the sudden quiet snapped me back to the battle that raged below us.
Yren.
I couldn’t hear explosions any longer.
Were they captured?
Did they make it out?
Was the dense canopy dampening the sound from far below?
I didn’t have much time to ponder the questions as the galony tensed.
The creatures grunted to one another, sniffing the air and listening for something that must have been on the wind that I decided wasn’t worth checking even if I could smell through my mount’s musk.
It wasn’t just the sound of explosions that was gone.
The buzzing of alien insects and rustling from unknown creatures below were also quiet.
The jungle around us was silent.
The galony I rode on let out a deep barking sound to the others, which they acknowledged back in return; and, before I knew it, the animal I was attached to by a body-hugging saddle leapt off the branch we were on and fell.
That got my attention.
My heart raced.
My grip inside the saddle became a personal struggle.
I’d never held onto my sidearm as tight as I did these hand bars.
These creatures were either suicidal, crazy, or both.
Just like the bounty hunter of information I teamed up with yelling in delight as we plunged.
In a matter of seconds, we were going to find out how crazy things were going to get.
Data Cell 23
A knock came on the chamber door to Mordon Tallis’ personal quarters.
Another, urgent and rapid, knock followed.
The Assembly leader walked down some stairs with a backdrop of a glass wall overlooking the nightscape of Evoke’s city lights.
“Computer, who’s at the door?” Tallis queried.
[Assemblywoman Qurinden.]
“Let her in.”
The door swung open and in rushed the female cyborg.
Tallis approached. “What do I owe this unexpected visit, Kayleon?”
“Why did Commander Parejas lock me out of the Annal archives to the Gashnee data cell?”
“You could have holoed me about this. It’s a bit late tonight, isn’t it?”
“I wanted to take this off the hard-sources of communications. I didn’t want traces.”
“Why the secrecy, Kayleon?”
“Do you know why Parejas denied my access to the Gashnee data cells or not?”
Tallis laughed, “Well, who knows what that man’s reasoning is. He does what he wants when he wants. Sometimes, I think he just overreacts.”
“I was studying the prophecies when I was told my clearance was no longer valid. Can he do that, Mordon?”
Tallis smirked. “When it comes to matters of safety and security, Parejas can do just about anything.”
“I thought we were going to use the information on the Gashnee to help Parejas build trust with me again? It seems like it has strained it further.”
Tallis sat down on a couch in the center of his living room. “That was the idea, but Parejas in now focused on the Gashnee Ancients after Captain Strathin’s return.”
“It doesn’t feel like Parejas trusts anyone.”
“Parejas trusts Parejas.”
“What should I do, Mordon?”
Tallis thought for a moment before answering her, “I say just let the issue go for now. Let’s not make a scene of it. Let the man protect the colony, for that is his ultimate task. Our aspirations should be far greater when it comes to the freedoms of the people of Janus. We need not worry about an ancient race or the ways of war. The Precepts should take precedent.” He looked at her. “Don’t you agree?”
“Of course, but I thought we wanted to bridge the gap between the Ordinance and Assembly.”
“And we will.” Tallis stood, walking back towards the stairs. “In time, my dear. Let the current events of Captain Strathin’s return play out. We still have a supporter in the military. We will call on our friend, Captain Bossarios, when the time is right.”
Kayleon tilted her head down in disappointment.
Tallis smiled at her. “We will fill our time with removing Martial Law, the oldest of Precepts.”
Her robotic head rose and her singular red eye focused on Mordon Tallis. “Can that be done?”
“It can. I’ve been working on the argument.”
“Are the votes there?”
A wider smile creased Tallis’ smug face. �
�They are, my dear.”
“What about the commander?”
“He is but one vote.”
“Yes, Mordon, but they have the four critical votes to overturn any Precept.”
Tallis leaned in. “Which are?”
“The commander, of course. Then you have High Keeper Brentice, Commander Takkar, and Provost Marshal Sentel.”
“You’re getting warmer, Kayleon. Keep going.”
She paused before continuing,“The four are lockstep behind Parejas in defending the colony. The Marshal Law Precept is the foundation of our security and therefore our colony, as Commander Parejas always states so elegantly.”
“I wouldn’t use the word ‘elegantly’ but continue,” Mordon sighed.
“The High Keeper respects Parejas’ position and knew his father. They were the most trusted of friends before his death.”
“Your thought process astonishes me, Kayleon. But, please continue.”
Kayleon moved about the room, thinking, “Commander Takkar hates politians as much as you dislike the military.”
Tallis chuckled, “Yes, that he does.”
“That leaves the Provost Marshal. He is the main proponent for keeping the law. He oversees the law in his position and sides with Commander Parejas on its necessity.”
Tallis’ slight smile crept up on one side of his mouth.
Kayleon’s one eye stopped moving at the notion she just stumbled upon. “The Provost Marshal.”
“Correct, my dear.”
“Has he turned on his position?” she asked.
“I doubt it. He’s worse than listening to the commander when the idea of its removal comes up.”
“Then I don’t understand.”
“Parejas just pushed for increased security status because of the Gashnee encounter and Captain Strathin’s return. The same exact status we were at when the Ordinance retook Earth.”
“I still don’t understand, Mordon.”
“The Provost Marshal is still missing, is he not?”
Kayleon gasped. “The duress clause.”
“Excellent.”
“Can that be done? Can you use that protocol with the Marshal’s absence?”
“Yes, well, there are a few more pieces that need to come together.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“I need all of the Assembly’s votes.”
“Do you have them?”
His eyes twinkled. “I have most, but I still need a couple more. One in particular.”
“Who?”
“You. I don’t have yours yet, Kayleon.”
She did not answer right away as the scope of what the Assembly Leader said was not lost on her.
“I understand, Mordon.”
“Do I have your vote then?”
“This puts me in a troublesome position with Commander Parejas. It would give him even more reason for him to distrust me.”
“It would, but I could see if I can get you access to speak to Antiquity again.”
“Antiquity?”
“You consider her a friend, don’t you?
“Yes.”
Tallis began to walk around her, “I know you two enjoy each other’s company since, well, you’re the last two of your kind; even if she doesn’t have a physical body.”
Kayleon watched Tallis move around her.
“I may be able to have the High Keeper lift the restriction on your access to her, minus the Gashnee archives, which he will not allow.”
“Are you persuading my vote, Mordon?”
Mordon gave her a serious look. “I wouldn’t be the Leader of the Mount if I wasn’t any good at what I do, but first I want to hold an open forum in the Comitium Court on the matters of Martial Law.”
“Why?”
“The court likes your reasoning and respects your counsel, Kayleon. Your reputation can help our cause.”
“Is it wise to open the court? You know the discourse could have unintended consequences against our position on this Precept. It’s not required, Mordon.”
“I know. I believe an open invite to the Assembly, the advisory council to the Mount, and all those business magistrates whom have an interest in the matter, will enable them to speak their minds. This will benefit our resolve to have Martial Law overturned by opening discourse and discussion; of course, with the Provost Marshal’s absence as our insurance.”
“Of course.”
“Then you agree?”
“I do.”
“Good. I will see about reestablishing the connection between you and Antiquity. Now, let’s dispense with the conversation for now.”
“Thank you, Mordon. Good night.”
“Likewise, Kayleon.”
Data Cell 24
Mordon Tallis could hear the chatter as he approached the Comitium Court.
He smiled to himself as he entered the pillared archway of the open-air forum, for this was his true vernacular medium.
This was where the fine arts of rhetoric and reason could be practiced among the intellectuals of law and philosophy.
This was a place to discuss the boundaries of the colony’s ideals, where decisions to mold the future of mankind were made, and where one’s own brilliant strategies and achievements were upheld and recorded within the data cells of the sacred and coveted Annals.
Tallis walked near the back of the pillars and colored banners, watching the conversation taking place between the powerful and opportunistic members of the Court.
Tallis did his dealings in such company before proceding to ratify Precepts in front of the Assembly.
Tallis looked over the patrons of the Comitium that had already arrived, beginning their debates and rants, vying for position in an endless foray of political posturing and intricate mischief.
He couldn’t wait to begin his own plan of removing Martial Law.
He knew it was no secret, and that everyone knew which side everyone was on. This was a matter of giving those who may lose favor a way out, and to make sure they were well compensated for their trusted support, especially those still in doubt or uncertain of their own position on the matter.
It also helped keep those in line who might want to forgo the formal setting and take their beliefs to the populous.
Therefore, Tallis thought, such a venue existed.
To make sure everyone came to an honored agreement without any outside influence or tampering.
It was to keep everyone in honest check with the ideas of the Assembly, and to hold them accountable.
He stopped short behind a pillar before he made his presence known to the others.
Tallis took in his surroundings.
He closed his eyes for a moment to honor those governing bodies of Earth’s past.
Tallis revered this place as hallowed ground. This place was sacred, for it turned the ideals of the colony into the laws of tomorrow.
In the Court he stood, the Comitium Court was just like the architecture at the Keeper Adytum, based on a mix of great empires from Earth’s past.
The Roman Empire, with its white Tuscan granite tapered columns, red and purple colored banners adorned the periphery. Green vines that covered the outer court walls with spaced Cyprus trees along the outer perimeter.
The floor the Assemblymen walked on was of ancient Nipponese culture. Deep brown, planked flooring graced the Court’s groundwork, while beautiful padded and ornate wooden chairs sat throughout the open venue.
The entryway to the Court was covered with a curved overhang supported by more Roman columns and etched with ornate tapestries between the beams.
The contrast between the white granite and the dark browns of natural wood was striking.
This visual and structural history led to the center, where a white granite pedestal held an open hearth.
The smokeless fire added to the grand bejeweled crown of the darkened night sky above, its blazing fire reflecting off the pillars.
This had been Tallis’ idea.
An
eternal flame to remind those who worshipped at the altar of law and order, that this fire represented a light in the darkness for the colony’s future.
The conversational air among the gathered men and woman, dressed in fine robes and other historical garments, wafted from their own self-claimed importance within the Comitium Court as Tallis drew in his own worthy breath.
This was where they would reclaim their history.
A male voice pierced the overtones of chatter.
“Mordon, my friend,” the voice said.
“Traddus,” Tallis answered, recognizing the voice and approaching a small group of lawmakers and the man who had called his name.
“I was just telling Kayleon here, Mordon, how impressed I was with her rebuttal on the Cuukzen Accord.”
Tallis looked over, smiling to his cyborg friend.
She nodded at his gesture before he turned his attention back to the Assemblyman.
“She did a fine job. She’s becoming even more of an elegant speaker than yourself, Traddus.”
Traddus chuckled, “Indeed. She has learned from the best.”
“Then that would exclude you, Traddus.” Tallis remarked.
Traddus now let out a hearty laugh. “A man of many words, but few taken seriously.” He turned to Kayleon. “See, Kayleon, the exchanges and barbed remarks are to be sidestepped and avoided at all costs around here. Mind the substance, not the rhetoric.”
Tallis smirked. “Yes my dear, always watch out for those who have your back.”
“Come now, Mordon, shall we continue to press each other’s viewpoints until all fall under your beliefs?”
Kayleon and Traddus looked at the Assembly Leader, waiting for a response.
It didn’t take long.
“Until one like you yourself, Traddus, understands the importance of lifting Marshal Law from the people, one cannot have one’s thumb on those who grant your position on the Mount, without listening to their utmost desires, and expect no repercussions from them.”
“The people are fine, Mordon. You embellish the reasons of what the masses desire. That is why we’re here, is it not?”
Before Tallis could respond to his fellow Assemblyman, Kayleon spoke up.
Annals of the Keepers - Rage Page 15