Savros lay on his back in the sand, enjoying a beautiful day at the beach. The cool breeze blew through his hair, and the sun gently warmed his skin. An ice-cold drink in his hand. But what was that noise? That irritating sound that he couldn’t place. And what could possibly be the source of this sensation he was beginning to feel? Was something cold and hard pressing against his face? As much as he hated to get up, he decided he’d better find out what was going on.
When he opened his eyes, the beach vanished, along with the warm sunlight and cool breeze. Taking its place instead was the deck of the KaiStar. He looked up from his prostrate position on the floor into Polly and Jaen’s alarmed faces. They were talking, but he couldn’t hear them. He wanted to go back to the beach. It was nice there. He closed his eyes and embraced the warmth of the beach once again. But that sound just wouldn’t leave him alone. What could it be? He listened, trying to discern what it was. It grew louder and louder as he listened, gradually morphing into three distinct sounds. The first was a blaring alarm, and the other two sounds were still mixed together. A moment later, he discerned a distinction between Polly and Jaen’s voices and the blaring alarm.
“SAVROS!”
“Okay,” he thought, “I’m coming” as he opened his eyes. Again the beach vanished, and this time he was on his back looking up at the ceiling, Polly on his left and Jaen on his right.
He blinked. Pain shot through his body as the world around him coalesced back into reality.
“Savros, come on. Look at me. Savros.” Jaen waved a hand over his face.
Savros tried to sit up but couldn’t move. His chest was on fire, and he felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. He tried to breathe and couldn’t. He panicked and gasped for air. Slowly, in small amounts at a time, his lungs allowed air to enter. He took short, shallow breaths as he tried to get his bearings.
“What happened?” He finally managed to choke out hoarsely.
“What happened? You went outside! That’s what happened!” Polly was about to slap him but graciously spared him.
Savros looked around, able to move his head somewhat. He lay there trying to breathe and trying to remember what just happened. He remembered the beach- no, that wasn’t it.
Panic hit his eyes as his mind sprang back into action.
“Gah’Raka?” he choked it out.
Jaen spun to face the display, “Shin?”.
“He’s,” Shin paused for more data to come in. “I’m not sure. He isn’t moving. At all. No life sign.”
“What!” they all said at the same time, even Savros croaked from the deck.
“How can that be?” asked Jaen
“I just about have the drives back online. We lost some shielding and several generators on impact, but other than a couple of weak spots, everything should be functional. Shields, online. Main drive, online. Firing main drive. Engaging main drive.” KaiStar lifted off the surface of the Throne of Heaven. They spun almost in place to witness the final scene.
Gah’Raka, feet still at the base of the throne, had leaned forward so far he was no longer sitting. Hunched over the KaiStar and the altar, his left fist to the slab, holding himself up. His head almost rested on the slab as he peered into the KaiStar and at the altar holding the Kalibal. Lips peeled back in a ferocious snarl, his fist only a fraction of a moment away from completely smashing the KaiStar. As they slowly backed away, the full picture came into view, and they could see that Gah’Raka had been transformed into the same material the Throne of Heaven was made of. Giving the impression that it had always been that way.
Polly helped Savros up from the floor into his chair. Something cold and heavy in hand sent pain up his arm and through his back when he tried to lift it. Unable to lift it to see what he was holding, he dropped it before his butt hit the seat.
Now that he had caught his breath, he found he’d recovered the use of his muscles. Well, somewhat. He peered forward at the object that he’d been holding. Polly caught him before he slumped forward out of the chair, back onto his face. She leaned him back slightly before wrapping the harness around him and buckling it.
Polly bent and retrieved the object, holding it up in front of all three of them as Jaen spun around to see it as well.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Kalibal.” Polly displayed it from multiple angles for the two of them. It was almost identical to Shin’s rendering of it. Upon close inspection, the amount of detail in the carving was so detailed and precise it looked like it could come to life at any moment. Holding it over the console, Shin performed a comprehensive scan and displayed it on the screen, overlaying their view of Gah’Raka.
They stared in awe until Shin finally broke the silence with a warning, “Massive wave of tryptic energy incoming. Brace for impact in three, two, one.”
They all tensed in preparation for the impact. Instead of a violent impact, as with the waves coming from Gah’Raka. KaiStar was tossed into a swaying motion, like a ship at sea riding enormous waves. As the tail end of the wave passed through the KaiStar, thin white wisps of visible energy twirled and glided through the air while slowly dissipating. Leaving the crew watching the empty air after they had all faded away.
Again Shin broke the silence, “Three ships approaching with a hailing signal.”
The smiles of wonder faded as Savros, Polly, and Jaen turned to face the screen.
The voice that came through the intercom was so shrill and grating that Shin had to lower the volume.
“We, the children of Az’Reign’Riel, have defended reality since the beginning of history! I demand you hand over the Kalibal. We, alone, understand the prophecy, and we alone are willing to do what must be done to avoid the fates of the ancient words.”
“We serve to—,” Shin lowered the volume so low the screeching was barely audible.
“You wanna keep listening to this guy?” Shin asked.
“From now on, I say we shoot first and talk after.” Polly looked at Savros as she stood up, “Stay up here and try to recover. I’ll get the twins ready to roll.” She ran off the bridge. Disappearing down the hatch.
Savros would have followed anyway but could still barely move. At the moment, he shared Polly’s point of view. Shoot first.
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Jaen looked back to ask Savros, who, still leaning against his harness, just nodded back at her.
“Yeah,” Jaen sighed, “we might accidentally get some more information from him.” Shin turned the volume back up just enough to make it out.
“—found guilty under the laws of the Prophetic Order. I am Tawkwa and I will make you pay! You have unleashed Gah’Tak, Father of the Great Beasts, upon us! No one is safe and none will be spared. The Kalibal must never be disturbed! I demand you surrender it at once! Before Gah’Tak rises.”
“HEY!” Jaen shouted suddenly and loudly. Savros jumped in a start, and Tawkwa actually fell silent for the first time since showing up. Realizing she had the floor, Jaen made the most of it.
“Listen, Kawtra, or whatever your name is,” Tawkwa began to erupt again, but Jaen didn’t slow or give him a chance to interrupt, “We don’t know what you are talking about, but none of us would even be here, if it weren’t for you. If you had just stayed out of it, minded you own fucking business…” Jaen was visibly shaking from rage. She was quiet for only a moment.
“You know what.” It was in no way a question. And as she finished the sentence, Polly brought the twins online. Drawing both guns at once, each controlled by one of the dual sticks on her gunner-pod controls. With the latest upgrades, KaiStar’s quick-draw was aggressive and menacing. Transforming the unassuming but strange-looking transport ship into a dual-wielding attack vessel on the offensive.
It was still quiet over the intercom. KaiStar sitting triumphantly over the magical beast Gah’Raka. Guns drawn and aimed at the three ships, KaiStar and crew ready to bring an end to the assassins that have been hounding them on every flight.
“We’ve got plenty of reasons to…” she didn’t need to finish it. The lines were still silent.
“Give me one reason not too.” Jaen was quiet, waiting.
The ship to the left of Tawkwa’s broke the silence, “Without us to ensure certain prophecies never—,” Polly lost patience and fired on the ship on the left. What looked to have been a warning shot must have struck something vital. The engine went critical and sent the front two-thirds of the ship hurdling and tumbling into the darkness.
Jaen knew Polly hadn’t intended to destroy the ship, but she also knew, aside from evening the odds, she could also use it to their advantage.
“Last chance, one reason we don’t.”
As Tawkwa suddenly blasted out and ran, he took back over the comms until he was out of range.
“The Holy Order of Assassins, under the Prophetic Order of Az’Reign’Riel, has protected all worlds for all of history, and you have single-handedly brought the end to us all! None can stand against Gah’Tak, his power dwarfs Gah’Raka’s, a thousand times over. I will kill you my—.” Tawkwa’s signal cut off, leaving KaiStar alone with the ship that had first appeared on Tawkwa’s right side, and had so far remained silent.
“They wouldn’t listen to me. It was obvious the whole time that we pushed you through each line of the prophecy. Years ago, the man who just ran away approached your mother. The prophecy spoke of—the one to bring awareness of Dae, will bring the night—When news of the tryptic sensor reached our ears, he was convinced it was prophecy coming to be. He tracked her down on a field expedition and tried to convince her to abandon her work in the area. When she heard his reason was an ancient prophecy, she laughed and brushed him off.”
“The prophecies are often vague, misleading, and contradictory. I tried to convince the others that we should put less stock in the confusing words of a forgotten time. There was a great debate, and for many years, all action was stalled. No one seemed to notice that in those years, the prophecy had not progressed. I eventually lost the debate, and he was released on you and your family.:
“Since then, the prophecy has advanced many times. The others refuse to acknowledge it. While the others in their blindness may swear vengeance on you. I renounce the order and pledge to do all I can to right my wrongs. Savros, I am truly sorry for the losses you have suffered and the likely losses that are yet to come. I lay myself on your judgment. Allow me to serve a just and righteous purpose or let me pay for my crimes here and now.”
The com’s were silent. The captain of the ship lowered its shield and remained motionless. Polly and Jaen waited for Savros to make the call. After a moment, he asked hoarsely, “What is your name?”
“My name is Calac. Calac De’Riel, this morning I was second in command of the Holy Order of Assassins.”
“What else can you tell us about Gah’Tak and the Kalibal?” Savros asked, not sure how he felt about the current situation
“Removing the Kalibal from the altar, broke the seal on the cell and released an enormous amount of tryptic energy. The wave of energy that passed through here not long ago, delivering more energy to the universe. The one positive aspect of removing the Kalibal. A very small portion of the tryptic energy, probably only discernible to magic beings, is freely available again and by now it’s made its way through all of Living Space. If Gah’Tak rises, he will devour everything. There is no force that can stop subdue or even slow him. We will all be at his mercy, and he has none.”
“By taking it to the First World, and placing the Kalibal directly into the cell door, you can reseal it. If, before that happens, Gah’Tak rises from his slumber and steps through the open door, then all is lost.”
Calac was quiet again, and the crew let his words sink in. Knowing they shouldn’t trust him but desperate for information, they weighed their options silently.
“After recalibrating the sensors, I can confirm, background tryptic energy is almost three times its normal value. And based on the standard set by Gah’Raka, this would seem to be a minuscule amount of the total.” Shin spoke to the crew without broadcasting to Calac’s ship.
He continued, “I’ve also tracked the source of the wave to its origin. Far beyond the reaches of Living Space. In fact, it’s more than double the distance from The Center than the current record.”
“Calac,” Savros voice was getting a little better, “killing you wouldn’t bring me any comfort, and it won’t bring my parents back. If you want to do some good with your life, then I charge you with finding and protecting my uncle. He was with me and my parents when we were attacked and he stayed behind. I want you to track him down and make sure he is safe. Keep him safe until I get there.”
It was quiet again for a moment, “I will protect him with my life.”
“Good,” Relieved to be getting his uncle some help, Savros continued, “We are taking the Kalibal to the first world to seal the cell. Protect my uncle and anyone around him.”
“I will begin at once.” Calac began charging his ship’s shields.
“How many are left in the order to come after us?”
“Tawkwa is all that remains now. If left alone and given time, he will rebuild the order in short time. But for now it is only himself and Sel’Pen, his personal attendant.”
“Go, and if you see, Tawkwa or any new members of the Order, kill them.”
“On my life.” Calac fired his engines and disappeared into the darkness, on his way to serve his new purpose.
Savros looked at Jaen as Polly came back up onto the bridge. He half expected her to smack him on the head, but she seemed to be in relatively good spirits.
“Well, that was a shit show, huh!” Polly half-laughed, turning her seat to face Savros as she sat down. “But you really took charge of that one! And hey! You’re lookin’ better, got some color back in your face. How are you feeling?” She sounded casual but still looked concerned.
“Pretty good, considering.” He undid his harness and carefully stood. The pain was intense, but as long as he moved slowly, it was bearable. He figured the only way to get through it was to walk it off, so he took a step and nearly fell on his face as the room spun around him. He fell backward, hoping his chair would be there to catch him.
“Slow down, Savros. You need to rest and let your body recover. We’ll get you a hydration pack and a rat-pak. Just nibble it.” Jaen
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. “We have to go.” He continued gazing up at the ceiling.
“Of course we do. The threat of annihilation can’t go un-investigated. When we get there, we’ll be able to see with our own eyes what’s locked up there. The problem is, our current understanding is based on prophecies. I think the only thing we can count on for sure is that the Kalibal is somehow connected to that spot out in Dead Space.” Jaen handed him an open rat-pak and flask.
“We shouldn’t waste any time, if Gah’Tak is really out there, who know’s how long before he realizes his cell is open. But we have to fix the shielding and refuel before going that far out.” Jaen was eating her own rat-pak while she talked.
Polly had already finished hers. “That’s the plan then. We do some quick repairs, top him off, and go kick some ass in Dead Space. Sounds like a blast to me!”
Savros chuckled at Polly’s enthusiasm at the cost of ripples of pain flowing through him.
“Do we have a jump route to the center?” Jaen asked, turning to the screens.
“Ready when you are.”
Jaen looked at Savros, then at Polly, “Let’s get going.”
As Shin made the jump, Polly helped Savros to his quarters to rest and recover while Jaen perused the digital version of the Ol’Gud Compendium.