by John Migacz
CHAPTER 70
The sun rose again as it had for millions of years, throwing back the blackness of night and vanquishing the demons of the dark. A pink light painted the few clouds left from the evening’s rain. The hard-packed ground hadn’t drunk all the water and the sky was reflected in dozens of puddles.
The group was saddled and ready to go. They bade farewell to the Duke and rode through the gate. The day warmed as did Balthus to the telling of some tall tales. They had a dozen miles to travel but the trip flashed by.
“Dieya,” said Bo, reining his luse alongside. “I take it your base has been repaired?”
“Not quite,” he answered. “When my scheduled report became overdue, they opened a dimgate to check on the situation. The repair crews have been here for a couple of days. They have a two-way gate standing open and they are clearing my base of rubble. There are teams of your brothers in arms, dressed as mercenaries, patrolling the area to discourage intruders. It’s a bit of overkill, but Headquarters wanted to reinforce the non-disclosure rule. So far, no one has come near this valley.” He paused and patted his luse’s neck. “The folks on our world just don’t realize that travel at this stage of technology is very hard. Most people on this planet live and die within ten miles of the place they were born.” He shook his head. “Sometimes it’s difficult for me to pull back from our ‘modern’ world and slow down enough to be like the people of Ravar.”
“At first, I thought your methods were a bit brash,” said Bo. “I just didn’t appreciate how difficult and lonely your job is.”
“That might be remedied soon,” said Dieya, glancing back to Janelle, who was talking with Adrianna. “The Dieya service has been aware of the problems of a single human out of sync with others. They are going to start pairing Dieyas on worlds. Janelle has applied for a transfer to the Dieya Corps, and after some training she will return to Ravar.”
Bo’s grin flashed from ear to ear. “That’s fantastic! It will suit her field of study and you two get along great together.”
Dieya smiled and looked back at Janelle just as she glanced up. She returned his smile. “Yes, we do,” he said.
Balthus rode up on Dieya’s other flank.
“So, Sir Sorcerer. What’s next for you and your mission of watchfulness?”
“My superiors have agreed to send additional equipment to safeguard the planet from any more Kraken incursions. Now that they know some of what the Kraken were planning, Ravar has been upgraded to ‘caretaker’ status. If any unauthorized dimgates open on this world, a rapid-response team will react immediately. And we have installed new sensors to detect simultaneous dimgate activations.”
“You still don’t know why the Kraken gather negative forces, do you?” asked Balthus.
“No. That’s the prize question.”
“Do you think they will try it again?”
“I doubt it. They know we are ready for them. I don’t think they will be back. It’s not their style.”
Balthus nodded understanding. “It’s going to get awfully boring here.”
“No. Not really. There’s a lot to be done.” Dieya stared suspiciously at Balthus. “You’re worried that you won’t have anything to do. Well, cease your worrying. Gerin’s school idea has to be presented to the King, new sources of wealth have to be uncovered, and trade agreements need to be worked out.”
“There’s something to look forward to,” Balthus said sarcastically. As Dieya talked school curriculum with Bo, Balthus sighed and let his luse fall back.
Riding into the valley, they saw an open dimgate shining bright, swirling blue against the bleak rocks. As they rode closer, their focus was drawn to the men moving around the area of the Sorcerer’s base. Balthus dismounted and stared in surprise as he watched one man pick up a boulder the size of a luse and carry it away.
“What’s wrong, Balthus?” said Bo. “Anyone from my world could lift that stone. The men in our world are strong.”
Balthus narrowed his eyes. “It’s a trick! Tell me how it’s done, boy, or I’ll test your strength.”
“I owe you a couple of those.” Bo laughed. “See the boxes on either side of the boulder? Well, it ah, they, let me see how to explain...”
“I see they don’t teach the fine use of speech on your world.”
Dieya came to Bo’s rescue. “Balthus, you know how when you let something go it falls to the ground?”
“Of course. Where else would it go?”
Dieya ignored the question and continued. “There is a power in the planet that actually pulls the object down to the ground. It is called gravity. The boxes on the sides of that stone nullify the power of that gravity. They make the stone weigh as much or as little as necessary.”
Balthus shook his head. “Amazing. There’s going to be a lot to learn,” he said and rubbed the back of his neck.
The group left their luses and walked slowly toward the gate. They knew it was time for farewells and this one came particularly hard. Balthus and Adrianna took turns hugging Janelle and Balthus kissed her on the cheek.
“Take care of yourself, Janelle,” said Adrianna. “Go with care. Go with love.”
They turned to Bo. Adrianna hugged him and ruffled his hair; Balthus gave him a big back-pounding hug. “You take care of yourself as well, Lad,” said Balthus. They clasped hands warrior fashion.
Janelle gave Dieya a long kiss on the mouth. “I’ll see you soon.” Dieya smiled and waved.
Bo and Janelle walked toward the dimgate as casually as if they were walking in a park. They passed through. Balthus stared at the gate where they had disappeared. He turned to Dieya.
“Just like that, huh?”
“Just like that.”
Adrianna hugged Dieya, kissed him on the cheek, and stepped back. Balthus grabbed him in a big bear hug.
“You take care of yourself, Dieya. Remember to be happy. That’s what we’re alive for.”
They walked away and Dieya laughed.
“You two! You don’t understand. I am not leaving. I will be here for at least a year.”
Balthus looked back at Dieya as Adrianna extended her hand to Balthus. “No, it’s you who doesn’t understand,” said Balthus. “The battle here is over, but it isn’t for us.” His face grew hard. “They tried to destroy my world and they killed Rory! Did you think we were going to forget that?”
He took Adrianna’s hand and they ran.
Comprehension dawned on Dieya.
“NO!” he shouted.
He was too late. Hand in hand, Balthus and Adrianna reached the gate – and leaped.
E P I L O G U E
With its jeweled control room arched over its center, the Kraken Cross resembled a scorpion. But this stinger was more powerful than any poison. The jet-black Kraken Cross hung just outside of the Sirrila Cluster. Six giant dreadnoughts circled the Cross in a rotating pattern. These ships had been given no human classification. These ships had never been seen by humans.
In the core of the Cross, the giant machinery came to life. The pulsing lights and the throbbing sounds leveled out to a quiet hum. A droid checked the egg’s control panel to make sure all was ready. Satisfied, it touched a button on the console. A two-way dimgate opened in front of the shiny silver egg. Seconds later, three battle droids emerged from the gateway and quickly scanned the area. Finding the area secure, one returned through the gate as the others took positions on either side of the portal in a gesture of respect, if such could be found in an animated mass of metal.
A man stepped through the gateway. He was an old man. Ancient would be a more accurate term. His silver hair reached to his shoulders and he wore a simple light-blue jumpsuit. His face was lined with wrinkles that had become crevasses with the passing of years, but his eyes were alive and bright with an almost alien intelligence.
He walked to the console and glanced down. “How much did we get
?”
“Fifteen percent,” answered the droid.
“Fifteen percent? That’s all?”
“Fifteen percent,” answered the droid, not understanding a rhetorical question.
“We’ll call that experiment a failure then…” He pursed his lips in thought. “But fifteen percent is better than nothing.”
He pushed a button on the console and the egg split in half lengthwise to reveal a padded chair. The old man climbed into the chair and made himself comfortable, sighing as he did so. Placing his finger over the button on the armrest, he looked at the droid.
“You may begin.”
THE END
John Migacz was drawn at an early age to stories of action, adventure and inspiration, and he began searching for a medium for his overactive imagination. Misguided youthful exuberance interrupted this pursuit as he volunteered for the US Army, where he served with the 198th Infantry Brigade in Vietnam. After detours into the fields of photography, painting, and filmmaking, he discovered his passion for writing during his tenure as a computer administrator for a major telecommunications firm. When not writing, John spends his time indulging his grandchildren and annoying their parents.
John has written several novels, and numerous short stories and essays. He is currently crafting the third in the Dieya Chronicles series. John can be reached at www.johnmigacz.com.
BOOKS BY JOHN MIGACZ
THE DIEYA CHRONICLES
Incident on Ravar
The Beginning
Earth
Omega
OTHER TITLES
A Second Chance