by Richard Wood
The following day just after dawn, Adeeone sent his Lander drifting slowly over the capital city and palaces of Hastinapura. From forty thousand feet, he started taking Tri-Dee images of his screen to transmit back to the crew. He zoomed in on the compounds but on two of them, all he could see was a covered roof of palm fronds, which had obviously, been put up rapidly as an afterthought.
The Zedds were quick, obviously tracking the Lander, as their crew boarded the ship at the run, and they took off, and streaked away to the east. They were clearly not inclined to seek a confrontation.
Adeeone tracked the Zedd ship until it went out of range over the horizon as he had gathered all the Tri-Dee images that were needed, he drifted the Lander back to its original position over the Pandava palace at Indraprastha, there he transmitted his pictures and the report of the Zedd ship speeding off towards the east.
Adeetoo in the Lander on the ground recorded the transmission from Adeeone onto a disc and took it into the palace seeking Ancore, who he found in the lounge conferring with the rest of the crew over a beaker of chai. He loaded the disc in the Tri-Dee projector, and made his report.
“This is the recording of Adeeone's recce over the Hastinapura compounds this morning, Adeeone also reports the Zedd ship tracked him, and its crew boarded and the ship took off, flying rapidly away to the east until it was lost over the horizon captain.” “Thank you Adeetoo,” she replied, “would you switch the projector on before you return to radio watch,” she asked him.
The picture lit up the centre of the table. The compounds were clearly visible there were four altogether. The first two compounds were taken up with metal production, in one was a large kiln and leading straight from this were crude rolling mills for producing sheet metal. Water was being used copiously, pumped by motor driven pumps. The other two compounds were roofed and shrouded in mystery; there was no hint of what is being manufactured inside them.
“Well, this does not help us in discovering what it is the Zedds are busy producing inside the compounds it is obviously highly secret. We can only guess that it is some sort of weapon they are building to help the Kaurava in the war that draws closer day by day.” Ancore was disappointed with the results of the recce; it did not shed any light on what the Zedds were building inside their secret compounds.
Rogan saw how despondent Ancore had become since the deaths of Fantee and Nassel, but he just could not think what he could do to help pull her out of herself if only for a few hours. He thought he might confide his worries with Glaina maybe she could think of something, although she was not in good shape either now he thought about it. It was this seeming inactivity that was getting everyone wound up. When they were in the thick of it they did not have time to worry about themselves, maybe the sooner this war got under way the better for us all, he thought.
The Lankan army was making good time and would arrive in another two weeks, and a report had been received that a mounted army from the east the famed Kamboja cavalry was en route and would arrive within the month. Several days passed uneventfully.
Rogan and Breen had organised a picnic for Ancore and Glaina. They had invited Queen Kunti and Princess Draupadi and her three young children. Heir to the Kingdom after Yudhishthira would be the eldest son of Draupadi, who was three and could already wrap his doting mother around his fat little fingers. His name is Hemaraj, the other two children; girls aged two and one. Whose names were Husna and Tunushri. They met on the banks of a clear water pool lined with fruit trees and pleasure hillocks, the pools contained water lilies and wonderful coloured fish darting here and there. Ducks, geese and waterfowl abounded. Peacocks roamed freely and the air was sweet with bird song.
The servants had laid out a splendid feast in the shade of the trees, and wine was cooling in an amphora in the lake.
“Come, sit next to me Ancore and tell me all about the rescue of Fantee and Glaina,” commanded Queen Kunti as the crew approached the picnic area. Ancore sat down next to the queen, while Draupadi and Glaina sat next to each other and started chatting about the children who were trying to feed and catch the ducks.
Ancore spent ten minutes describing the rescue at the fort. The queen was hiding her mouth with her hand, trying to hide the fact that her jaw kept dropping as the tale unfolded, when Ancore finished, she pulled herself together.
“Thank you Ancore, my sons do not confide all these details when telling the story, only who was saved and who was killed, maybe they think their mother shouldn't be subjected to such awful tales, now I would like to hear how Nassel and Fantee died.”
“I have been sworn to secrecy by your sons on this matter,” Ancore told her.
“Why is that,” asked the queen.
“They are afraid that spies will relay every word uttered here at the palace, to the Kaurava.”
“I understand your reluctance to tell me anything under these circumstances, but surely here in the open with no one, but us present you could make an exception,” the queen replied.
“Your highness we are surrounded by servants, child minders and some of your lady companions, just who can be trusted among this assembly I cannot know. I can tell you that Nassel and Fantee flying one of our Landers attacked a Zedd flying warship. During the ensuing battle, both the Zedd and Nassel and Fantee’s Lander were badly damaged. Due to this damage they collided in midair and fell to earth where they were both utterly destroyed by a fireball.”
“Thank you my dear,” replied the queen, “I know you must think I am a stupid old woman, but it is very hard for me to accept that warfare between cousins is inevitable. I can only think that it will end destroying the whole family eventually, and I dread the thought of it.”
“Do not despair your highness, none knows what the future will bring, so live each day as it comes and try not to worry what the future might or might not hold in store for you.” Ancore replied trying to comfort her as she realised that the queen was deeply worried for the safety of her family and not privy to a lot of information about what was really going on.
Glaina was busy telling Draupadi about the ordeal herself, and Fantee had endured at the hands of the Zedd, Indrajit. Draupadi was extremely sympathetic having endured similar sorts of humiliation at the hands of Duryodhana, his brother Duhsasana and the evil Jayadratha a brother-in-law to the Kauravas, who during the exile of the Pandava had tried to kidnap her.
“Have you thought about having children Glaina,” she asked.
“No when we sign up for a mission we agree to have a small operation which makes us sterile for the length of the mission,” she replied.
“Oh does that mean you can never have children,” she enquired.
“No it just means that when we finish a mission we can decide then if we want the operation reversed to enable us to bear children,” Glaina told her.
“Now that you are marooned here is it possible to have the operation reversed if you wish to have children,” Draupadi asked.
“Yes,” replied Glaina, “but I do not feel inclined to get pregnant while we are at war with the Zedds, and the prospect of a major war looms closer every day,” she answered. Draupadi leant and hugged Glaina. "I am so glad I have met you. You are a lovely person, and you haven't let the horrors that have befallen you affect you,” as she hugged her, the tears rolled down her cheeks falling on Glaina’s shoulder.
Glaina did her best to comfort this beautiful woman, “do not weep Draupadi, you have a wonderful son and heir, and two lovely girls who adore you, five husbands and a kind mother-in-law, can you not forget your humiliation at the hands of the Kaurava and look forward, to basking in the love of your family. Continuously look back to the awful experiences of the past, it will embitter you and cause you to dry up and wither inside. But if you can put it behind you and bask in the love of your family, you will bloom inside and blossom because of it,” she counselled her as she gently disengaged herself from Draupadi's embrace and looked her in the eyes. “Yo
u need to be strong for your family's sake because although you do not realise it, it is your strength that keeps the family strong and able to deal with all the outside problems, now dry your eyes before you make me all soggy.”
“Thank you Glaina, I feel so much better having heard your story and confided in you, your advice is very sound and I shall try very hard to follow it.”
“Tell me how you came to be in this country, my dear,” the queen asked Ancore.
“It is a long story but I shall relate it simply, that you might understand why we are here and why we detest the Zedds as much as we do your highness.” Ancore then launched into a simplified version of all that had befallen her and the crew, since they were brought out of hibernation near this star system, when the story ended the queen realised that all the crew were Kings and Queens of Kodagu, also why the crew hated the Zedds so vehemently.
Queen Kunti apologised to Ancore, “my dear Ancore. I had no idea that you held royal titles, and are a Queen, please accept my apology, why did nobody tell me this,” she wailed, “and stop calling me your highness at once, she added.”
“We do not have Kings and Queens on the planet we come from, so it was gratifying to receive a title in this land. We have never used the titles except once when we went to claim the Kingdom," Ancore confided.
“Are you happy here on our planet my dear,” the queen asked her?
“When we first landed here near Taxila, we were a very happy and carefree crew, although we knew there was the possibility the Zedds were also on this planet somewhere. However, since we found out for sure that the Zedds were here, and had our first encounter with them; things have looked worse every day. Gone is the everyday laughter, and now we have lost good friends and our shipmates Fantee and Nassel because of the Zedds. We find it harder and harder each day to find anything to be light-hearted about. We are becoming unforgiving, and I fear fixated to the exclusion of anything else on the coming war between your family and their cousins the Kaurava, and the total destruction of the Zedds. We are become grim,” she finished, looking beyond this world into a forbidding future.
Queen Kunti patted Ancore’s hand, snapping her back to the present.
“Come my dear we must not dwell any longer on these negative thoughts, would you like a beaker of wine and some of these delicious sweetmeats.”
“Thank you,” replied Ancore taking a sweetmeat from the proffered tray, “I would love a beaker of wine.”
The four adults began to play with the children. Hemaraj wanted to play hide and seek and being the heir apparent got his way, spending the rest of the afternoon hiding and running away shrieking when he was found.
Eventually, the picnic ended as the children were getting over tired, the four women embraced one another and promised to visit each other more often, before they parted and made their way to their respective dwellings.
Glaina and Ancore returned feeling happy and refreshed after the picnic, which is what Rogan and Breen, had secretly hoped for when they had arranged it.
The following week an envoy arrived from the Kauravas; riding a pure white stallion, he arrived under a truce escorted by a troop of cavalry. He was shown into the throne room of the palace and there on the throne to meet with him sat Yudhishthira. Arranged behind him on stools sat the rest of his brothers, the various Kings who had brought armies to fight on the side of the Pandava sat alongside the brothers. On Yudhishthira's right, down the side of the room, the crew had been placed. Down the left hand, side of the room sat the first minister and the heads of the various armies.
The envoy was a large old man with white beard, regal nose and eyes as bright as a hawk, behind him trailed his retinue. He was richly dressed with purple sash, and gold brocaded jacket with black trousers, on his feet were richly adorned golden slippers with a pattern of amethyst the same purple as his sash. On his head, he wore a purple turban that incorporated a gold clip sprouting two small white feathers. Tucked discreetly into his waistband was a beautiful jewelled dagger, attached to the purple sash across his chest at his waist was his sword, its handle and scabbard encrusted with jewels and pearls.
Yudhishthira stood to greet his half uncle, and old tutor Bhishma, “Greetings uncle,” he clapped his hands and ordered a stool to be brought for the envoy and placed before the throne, then stepped down and embraced the old man before resuming the throne. “Greetings nephew, it is with heavy heart that I have been chosen to demand you stand down your armies, and surrender to the will of the Kaurava. If you do, you and all your dependents will be treated well and with the utmost respect. You will be allowed to take your treasures and servants into exile with you. If you do not surrender, then it will mean that Duryodhana leader of the Kaurava will lead his invincible armies against you. If he is forced into this action because you refuse to surrender, then he bid me inform you that when warfare begins, there will be no quarter given. Your entire family will be slaughtered; it will be as if you never existed.”
“Uncle and revered teacher what part will you play in this coming conflict,” asked Yudhishthira.
“They have asked me to take supreme command in this battle, and I have agreed, your old master of arms Drona, who taught you weapons and tactics is my second in command. Nephew I regret that duty impels me to fight on the side of the Kauravas.”
“Ah, and you thought to come as envoy, so that you could tell us of the Kaurava army command structure yourself. Thank you uncle is there anything more you wish to tell us.”
“If you do not intend to surrender but insist on war, it would be beneficial to both sides if we could agree a code of conduct between us Yudhishthira.”
“We will never surrender to that dog Duryodhana. He is without honour,” Yudhishthira said with a deadly calm, “but we will agree a code of conduct between us uncle, for the sake of the men who fight under us.”
“Good,” Bhishma replied, “I have several in mind the first is that we agree not to fight humans with celestial weapons. The second is we agree not to conduct warfare at night, and we do not strike an unarmed foe or one who is retreating, also we will not strike a foe on the back or the legs.”
Yudhishthira conferred with his brothers and the kings who were supporting him, after a brief conference, he turned back to Bhishma, “we agree to the entire rules of engagement uncle.”
“Thank you Yudhishthira it only remains to decide where and when, we favour the fields of Kurukshetra at the time of the full moon what say you Yudhishthira,”
“That will suit us also uncle, until we meet again on the field of Kurukshetra at the time of the full moon.”
Bhishma rose and bowed to the assembly, “I think that ends our meeting, I am taking back to the Kauravas your refusal to surrender, and your agreement as the leader of your assembled armies to abide by the code of conduct we have this day agreed, also the time and place of the battle.”
Yudhishthira also rose and walked to his uncle. “O invincible one, I bow to you. We will fight with you, please grant us permission and give us your blessings.”
Bhishma replied, “for this sign of respect I shall pray for you, even though out of loyalty, I must fight on the side of the Kaurava,” both men embraced before Bhishma turned and with his retinue trailing, he swept from the throne room to begin the journey back to Hastinapura.
“We have given away the war by agreeing to this code of honour, I believe brother,” pronounced Bhima, speaking softly into Yudhishthira ear. “We are heavily outnumbered they have, eleven armies against our seven, and yet you have agreed to fight by their rules of conduct. This seems sheer madness.”
“Fighting a war under Dharmayudd means the war is carried out under the laws of Kings and Warriors. We acquire the principles of Dharma, and our war becomes righteous,” answered Yudhishthira.
Bhima replied softly but forcefully, “fighting a war that is righteous will mean we lose, and all our families are put to death. The only way we can possibly win is to use
Kutayuddha, an unrighteous war, using unorthodox, secret and unfair warfare tactics is the only possible way we can win. Of course, they want us to fight fair. They have four more armies than us that they can field. They will overwhelm us brother.”
“We shall see brother,” Yudhishthira rose and bowed to the assembled company who all rose and bowed in return.
“We have two weeks before the full moon to finalise our strategy and deploy our armies on the fields of Kurukshetra, I suggest we use those two weeks to ensure we are ready but first let us feast,” he told the assembled kings, army commanders and the crew.
The time of the full moon was two days away; both armies were encamped along a vast front line that was over twelve kilometres long. Each side had tried to find the high ground and occupy it, so the front line was snakelike.
Yudhishthira sat on a high hill as the dawn broke, looking out over the battlefield. As the sun rose over the eastern horizon, painting the cloud's blood red the air suddenly started filling with carrion birds. First, it was only a few but as the sun rose higher so more and more filled the air, until the sky started to darken, there were so many, the noise they made woke the armies on both sides.
Millions of men stood looking skyward at millions of carrion birds who seemed to be crying in glee at the carnage that would in a few days’ time strew the ground with the dead and dying. The birds flew around for hours before they started to disappear as rapidly as they had appeared.
Troops on both sides were frightened at what they believed was a very bad omen, even the officers were worried although in front of the troops, they tried to remain calm and collected. That night the most loyal troops were put on guard in the camps of the opposing armies to prevent wholesale desertion.
Early morning saw Ancore and the rest of the crew in the Lander climbing high into the atmosphere over Hastinapura; of the Zedd ship, there was no sign. They were investigating a report from Adeeone that dozens of strange structures had appeared near the compounds.
“Look there they are,” Glaina, pointed out the spindly structures dotted about in front of the two covered compounds, “What are they?”
Rogan adjusted the magnification and the structures suddenly stood out clearly, filling the whole screen.
“They appear to be metal ramps of some sort.”
The crew were looking at a double metal rail firmly anchored into the ground at regular intervals about 100 metres long and rising from ground level at an angle of about 20 degrees above the horizontal.
“I have no idea what that is,” confided Breen to no one, in particular.
“Could it be some kind of rocket launcher,” asked Rogan?
“But they all point toward the east,” objected Ancore.
“Unless they can be remotely guided somehow,” added Glaina.
While they were puzzling over what the ramps were for Ancore noticed a puff of smoke from closer to the palace. Bleee Blah Bleee Blah she turned down the missile alarm and headed the Lander back toward Indraprastha at high speed as a missile locked on and rose toward them, it eventually fell from the sky as its fuel ran out before it could reach them.
“No point in hanging about the Zedds are obviously sensitive about what they have hidden in those compounds,” she remarked.
All the way back to Indraprastha, they speculated on what the Zedds could possibly have been building in the compounds, and what the significance of the ramps was. Their best guess was guided rockets.
“If they are guided rockets what sort of warhead will they have,” asked Glaina.
“I don't think they are nuclear warheads, didn't Nassel say it looked as though they had loaded three missiles aboard their ship,” asked Rogan?
“They have used two that we know of, and it's possible the third one went up when the Zedds collided with the Lander, the resulting explosion was certainly big enough.” Ancore nodded agreement, remembering just what an enormous explosion it had been.
They flew on past Indraprastha toward the encamped armies on the fields of Kurukshetra, the puzzle of the ramps unresolved. Ancore took the Lander over the entire length of the opposing army, so they could report on the enemy dispositions in detail to Yudhishthira and his fellow Kings and Brothers when they landed.
They found the tent of Yudhishthira with its standards flying in the breeze that had sprung up suddenly, by the time they had landed the sky was darkening considerably although it was only just after noon. As they disembarked the Lander, the wind hit them, it was getting darker and black clouds were now racing across the sky.
The flash nearly blinded them, BLAMMFIZZRUMBLERUMBLE the thunderbolt rocked their senses as it hit the top of a chariot filled with shields then it crackled with a blue light surrounding it before bursting into flames not a hundred metres distant.
Men were racing about pouring out of tents wondering what was happening. Animals were panicking and trying to break free of tethers. The elephants were trumpeting in fear it was good that their ankles were shackled to strong stakes in the ground if they had run amok, they could have decimated the army in their flight path.
CRASHRUMBLE grumble, another thunderbolt crashed from the sky, but this one was much farther away it seemed the storm was heading across the front line toward the enemy troops less than a kilometre away. The crash of thunder was becoming almost continuous the noise was deafening the wind was howling, ripping tents apart and scattering them over the landscape, the sky so dark it was almost like night, but not a drop of rain or hail. Thousands of warriors threw themselves to their knees. Hands raised in supplication. The sounds of thousands of voices praying to the gods, who they were convinced were showing their anger at this war, was being almost drowned out by the ferocity of the thunderstorm.
Fires had been started on both sides and were burning furiously fanned by the howling wind; tents were flaring in roaring fire then consumed, flames and sparks setting the next tent ablaze. Animals were stampeding where they had been released because of the danger of the fires killing them, now they were causing even more havoc galloping around as tents burst into raging torrents of fire spread by the wind, chariots and wagons, foodstuff for the animals all going up in flames. Then as suddenly, as it had started the wind began easing and the sky clearing as the storm passed on. Within the hour, the air was still and the sky had cleared to an incredible clarity the only thing marring the beauty of the afternoon was the columns of smoke from the thousands of fires, spreading toward the horizon, that were still burning along the length of the encamped armies.
Yudhishthira called his brothers and the crew to a meeting. When they were all gathered, he spoke. “I have taken note of the happenings recently; I believe that if we continue with this war, it will end with both sides slaughtered. I therefore propose to send an envoy to Duryodhana, to see whether he will call off his armies and put an end to this madness.”
Everybody was still very shaken by the storm and the omen of the birds the previous day so nobody dissented.
“Very well we need an envoy. Arjuna would you go?”
“I would rather not brother; I have no love for Duryodhana.”
“Who then will go,” asked Yudhishthira of the assembled company?
“I will ask my friend lord Krishna,” replied Arjuna, feeling responsible for finding someone after his refusal to go himself.
Arjuna returned with his best friend Krishna, whom he introduced to the crew. His brothers already knew him. Krishna was a very handsome young man clean-shaven, which was unusual. He had smouldering brown eyes, straight nose and sensuous lips. He was tall about two metres and his dark hair hung to his shoulders, held away from his face by the short golden headdress he wore. His tunic was of chain mail and leather; he wore a knee-length leather skirt and leather boots, a thick leather sash from shoulder to hip holding a very businesslike sword with a single ruby on the pommel.
Yudhishthira addressed him, “will you be our envoy to Duryodhana.”
“I
will gladly,” answered Krishna.
“Then I bid you take this message to him. This war is senseless it should be stopped now, before cousin destroys cousin, war is evil in any form. To the dead, victory and defeat are the same. If you agree we will mutually withdraw our respective armies this very day and resolve to live in peace.” Krishna repeated the message word for word, and asked for a troop of cavalry, a trumpeter and a royal standard of truce to ride under.
Yudhishthira called his prime minister and told him to give lord Krishna anything he asked for, as he was the king’s envoy.
Krishna bowed and left with the prime minister explaining what he required. Soon, a trumpet fanfare rang out, then Krishna and a troop of cavalry galloped out heading for the opposing army with fanfare and flags of truce flying.
Krishna is intercepted and lead to Duryodhana's tent, which was only about a kilometre from Yudhishthira's as the vulture flies, by a commander and a troop of cavalry. When brought before Duryodhana, he found himself facing a man of heavy build but not fat. Slightly shorter than himself, sporting a luxuriant moustache, his eyes were intelligent and inquisitive and unnaturally large and slightly bulging. The lips were thin and mean looking, and he seemed to be constantly licking them. He too was dressed in chain mail but underneath, he wore a long flowing one-piece costume in red silk that came to just above the top of his suede boots.
“Speak lord Krishna,” he commanded, “what do the Pandava want now, have you come with their surrender.”
“King Yudhishthira bid me come to you with this message. This war is senseless; it should be stopped now before cousin destroys cousin, war is evil in any form. To the dead, defeat and victory are the same. If you agree, we will mutually withdraw our respective armies this very day and resolve to live in peace.”
The muscles of Duryodhana's face seemed to writhe before he got them under control, then he laughed, “The gods have not blessed the Pandava thus far, and they will not protect them during the war. I can sacrifice my life, my wealth, my Kingdom, my everything, but I will never live in peace with them. I will not surrender to them even as much land as can be pierced by the point of a needle. I am what the gods have made me. Take those words back to him and remind him that we shall slaughter every last one of his family, there will be no quarter given.”
Krishna could do no more and bowing to Duryodhana. He turned and left, escorted to the front line by the same commander who had brought him.
He arrived back and delivered Duryodhana's reply to Yudhishthira and the assembled company. Yudhishthira mused over the reply before sighing, “So be it, my duty was always to be a warrior king, not a Brahmin beggar.”
Then the reports of the storm damage started to come in. Over forty thousand, tents had been burnt or damaged. Tons of foodstuff and animal fodder had been lost. A hundred and twenty one horses had died and thirteen elephants, and over four hundred carts and chariots destroyed.
Fifty-five men dead and over a thousand wounded, mostly through burns or being trampled trying to save the animals.
“Well I expect the Kaurava had suffered the same sort of casualties we must get the wounded Treated, have them sent to the physicians at the rear, and then get as many tents as we have left in the commissariat distributed evenly throughout the army. We have set our formations we can do no more now until the morning. I suggest we have a light meal and try to sleep, may the gods watch over us all,” Yudhishthira raised a hand to his mouth to hide a yawn, then left the assembly and retired into the rear part of the tent.
Ancore and the crew flew back to the palace for the night, resolving to awake at dawn and fly to the tent of Yudhishthira after breakfast leaving Adeetoo standing watch in the Lander.
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Chapter Twelve