CHAPTER 3 – BEGINNING OF THE WAY

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

– Confucius, Datalinks

In the skies above Terra Para

Airo listened to the howling wind, surrounded by darkness. He wondered if he was in cryostasis again. The thought startled him, and he opened his eyes.

He was in a freefall high into the planet's stratosphere. His power armor was glowing from the friction. To his left, about a kilometer away, the starship made its own plummet toward the ground, it too white-hot on re-entry.

"Well, this is great," Airo muttered. He felt vague, primal dread rising inside him as he gazed downward. If he survived the atmosphere burn, the fall would surely kill him, power armor or not.

Suddenly, his helmet boomed. "Commander, you are awake! Welcome back!"

"Computer! You are still online? What the bloody stars happened?"

"There was a critical malfunction, sir. You were disabled by the extremely exotic field the starship crossed through, and I executed evacuation procedures per standard protocol. Unfortunately, I lost access to the cargo bay, and–"

"Damn, the cargo," Airo cursed, staring at the falling starship. "Computer, bring me back on the ship! The cargo is of the highest priority!"

"Commander, I advise against it. Reactor meltdown is imminent, and you are still within the danger zone. You must authorize engagement of landing procedures at–"

In the distance, the starship vanished in a ball of light. "Bloody stars!" Airo yelled as the explosion reached him. The tremendous impact wave hit him full-force, casting him into darkness again.

***

Somewhere on Terra Para

He slowly upended himself on one elbow, and grunted in pain. His view was framed by the soft viridian hues of the power armor's heads-up display. The overlay smoothly provided various streams of data. He ignored it as he stood up stiffly.

He took stock of his surroundings. Steel-grey sky hung above him, a raging gale twisting thick clouds. Sparse snow and lightning rained from the heavens on the ground below. He was on a small, flat area, situated on a wide ridge. Wherever he looked, peaks and summits extended in every direction. The vast mountain range spanned all the way to the horizon, snow covering the entirety of the landscape.

He had landed, alive.

Airo had scarcely time to dwell on this fact, when his attention was caught completely. There, in the distance, a sheer, violet-white column of pure energy streamed upward on the horizon, a great, swirling beacon visible from hundreds, possibly thousands of kilometers.

"Great Cosmos," he muttered, stunned by the sight.

"Welcome back, Commander. Yeoman Cloud reporting in. I'm sorry, I didn't understand your query; please re-state."

"You," Airo said curtly. "How?"

"My core routines were automatically loaded into your suit during the evacuation, Commander. I remain at full capacity, though my computational resources are diminished by approximately ninety-five percent."

"Were are we?" Airo asked. He looked around again. Nothing but endless waves of white slopes, all dominated by the great energy pillar in the distance.

"According to nav sensors, your current position is somewhere on the northern hemisphere of Terra Para, Commander. Due to current circumstances, further establishment of precise location is unavailable."

"I see," Airo said. The sparse blizzard continued to rage on, grazing the dark mountains. Airo ignored the elements. His mind was occupied by a single thought. "Computer, locate the crash site of the starship."

"Yes, Commander. Engaging sensors... Commander! I've picked movement in the aerial delta quadrant! Shall I engage visual tracking?"

"Okay," Airo said, a little suspicious. Instantly, a vector line blinked on the heads-up display, pointing somewhat to the left of the energy pillar. The display adjusted the view distance, focusing on several dragons battling in the skies.

Airo peered at the dragons. These too were made completely of golden light. The dragons skimmed just above the mountaintops, engaged in a furious fight, flashes bursting as they used their firebreaths. Dark thoughts crossed Airo's mind. A few seconds later, the dragons swooped low behind a wide peak, vanishing from sight.

His helmet's speakers crackled."Commander, I've located a signal from the starship's cargo transponder. It is about a hundred kilometers from your current position."

"Where?" Airo asked.

Another vector line traced across the heads-up display, pointing straight toward the area where the dragons had disappeared. He nodded grimly and checked his inventory by habit. He found a strange device strapped to the power armor, which the onboard computer identified as a virtualizer. It was an advanced inventory container, utilizing SUHN-space for item storage. Besides the strange device, the only other things he had were his katana and a powerful-looking blaster sidearm. He had no other visible equipment upon his person.

He shook his head, and carefully began his descent downward. The slope was steep, heavy with treacherous snow which could hide chasms or ice caverns. The helmet's speakers crackled again.

"Commander, would you like me to deploy the fri-ski module? I estimate up to thirty times increase in average speed if you make use of the frictionless kinetic interface system."

Airo took a moment to comprehend the information. "I never learned how to ski," he said.

"No worries, Commander. I will assist you via the suit's mobility systems."

"All right."

Abruptly, two solid-looking skates popped under each foot of the power armor and Airo nearly tripped as the sudden loss of friction sent him down the slope with blinding speed.

He slalomed across the mountain range, assisted by the onboard computer. He watched the terrain intently, avoiding potential pitfalls and seeking stable routes. A couple of hours later, he crossed to the other side of the mountain range, and reached a vast valley stretching for miles around. Several kilometers further ahead was the starship's crash site.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

There was only a loose ring of wide, shallow craters. The frigate was obliterated completely. Whatever had survived the reactor's explosion in the stratosphere had been destroyed upon impact with the ground.

"Computer, are you positive the cargo transponder is active?" Airo asked, glowering at the devastated crash site.

"Yes, Commander. You are in the vicinity of the source."

"Where does it point to?"

"Two hundred-fifty degrees on the two-dimensional plane. Providing visual overlay of suggested route." There was a pause. "Commander, I cordially remind you I'm neither an inflexible expert system, nor a simple computing algorithm. I am a fully functional standard artificial intelligence, or SAI for short. For communication clarity you can use my personality identificator: Yeoman Cloud, or Cloud, or even simply Yeoman."

"Are you self-aware?" Airo said curtly.

"No, Commander."

"Do you cry?"

"No, Commander."

"Do you dream?"

"No, Commander."

"Then, personality or not, you are a damn computer," Airo snapped. "End of discussion. Refrain from further verbal contact."

"Understood, Commander. Switching to standby mode."

Airo followed the signal's indicated direction. It came from the bottom of some kind of small gulch which cut into the place where the two cliffs met. The weather had worsened, the blizzard becoming more intense, and it was difficult to see what was below, even with the power armor's augmented reality filters. Airo weighted his options. Taking a risk, he decided to slide down.

He descended in a semi-controlled slip. Thankfully, the gulch's floor was covered by snow, stopping his slide before he hit something hard. According to the sensors, the signal was nearby.

He saw something on the ground, and looked at it carefully. The snow was spattered with large spots of some kind of black liquid. Airo kneeled and examined the spots. Their blackness was glossy, with the faintest sheen of purple. A dark, ugly thought flared in his mind; in the same instant the power armor sensors beeped urgently about elevated background radiation.

The cargo was no cargo at all.

It was a dragon.

Airo stood up, and gazed through the gusting blizzard. A little further away, he saw a nearly swept disturbance in the snow cover, made by some incredibly large feet. Black streaks of dragon blood ran along the faint tracks, unable to freeze despite the cold. They made a trail which led to the yawning mouth of a large cave. According to the sensors, the transponder signal came from it.

How convenient.

Airo approached the cave. In one smooth, deliberate motion he drew his katana. He glanced at the unusual, crystalline blade of the weapon, its pale blue color almost matching the hanging icicles over the cave's entrance. His thoughts were roiling. They made him deliver a dragon to this deusforsaken place? Was he taken out of cryostasis to be reinstated into society by some cruel and unusual method? Why did that mysterious jerk choose him of all people trapped in a frozen hell?

Was this entire scenario an intentional set-up?

Cold hate enveloped him, and he clenched the katana's grip.

He needed to finish the mission to earn his freedom. It didn't matter.

Airo already had made his choice.

He entered the cave. It was much bigger than it seemed on the outside, with a high, arching ceiling and vast passageways, which became wider as he got further in. The walls had a smooth, almost unnatural look. Large, intricate crystals grew along the sides of the cave, emitting a soft ambient glow. Ice shards mixed with the crystals, forming alternating patterns of shining lights and dark reflections.

Airo retracted the helmet of his power armor. Cold air wafted over his face. He did not trust the helmet's sensors, and wanted to use his own senses. Along the tunnel he found a very, very large composite collar, broken. The signal came from the collar.

Water dripped somewhere deeper, the sound a gulping echo. Small, white puffs escaped Airo's nostrils. Warded against the chill air by the power armor, he stalked forward. The tunnel went deeper and then forked, yet the streaks of blood were a guiding sign. He followed them, keeping to the cave wall, crouched and alert.

The floor began to slope gently, the ice patches becoming rarer. The sound of dripping water intensified. The air grew warmer, almost heated. Airo gritted his teeth. He was close. The tunnel ahead of him was devoid of crystals, a sharp turn barely visible in the gloom. He paused, considering. Then he raised his katana and rushed into the darkness. Light suddenly assaulted his eyes as the tunnel curved and opened up.

He dashed inside an enormous grotto, shallow pools ringing the walls.

Water reflected the soft glow of cave crystals, illuminating the grotto's center.

And at the center of the grotto was a dragon.

And it stared at him.

Airo stilled, gripping the katana tightly.

The dragon was the largest he had ever seen. Its size was colossal, more akin to a city-razing mythical beast than a living being. Its scales were midnight blue, colored almost black in the low light. Its fiery amber gaze held on Airo. "Human," the dragon rumbled in a deep, feminine voice that reverberated across the grotto. "I remember you."

Airo cautiously moved forward, transfixed. How... how did this creature know him?

The dragon lay low on the ground, one enormous claw pressed limply against the cave wall, great wings and gigantic tail folded tightly around her body. "Come closer," she said, and even as she spoke strength left her voice.

He silently complied, struggling to hold back the storm in his mind. The dragon watched pleadingly the weapon in his hand. There wasn't going to be a fight; he realized as much. He came closer, and slowly sheathed the katana.

The dragon blinked, then lowered her head tiredly.

"I... I am dying," she whispered. "And you shall be the one to witness... my passing. I came to see him... to rekindle our love... and... show the result of his efforts." She shifted her foreclaw carefully, revealing a large, dark egg. "Yet... the Great Cosmos has decided... that my Way... is complete." She pushed the egg very gently with one huge talon, bringing it before Airo. "And now," she continued, "there is no one... to look after my offspring... except you."

Airo stared in disbelief, his throat tight.

"No," he said, hard.

The dragon looked at him sadly, then laid her head down, and closed her eyes. After a long time, she opened them weakly. "I only... want my child... to survive. Please... If... if you... truly know love... please, take my child... and give it life. This... is my plea." She smiled faintly. "And... no matter... your choice... I thank you... for giving me... hope. May the stars... always... shine upon your soul."

The dragon closed her eyes again, and with a final sigh lay still.

Airo stood motionless, watching the forlorn scene.

The egg lay on the cave floor, partway between him and its departed parent.

Thoughts rushed and scattered in his head. Emotions raged inside him. Memories flared into his consciousness: flashes of colors, confusion, vivid images of twisted metal, fiery blazes, roaring shadows, gleaming edge. Anger, grief, pain, tears; all rose like a great tidal wave, drowning him. He held a blade in his hand, not realizing when it had been drawn. He pointed it at the egg. Wrath burned his spirit, fear chilled his senses; and somewhere deep, in a small dark corner, was a glimmer of light. His hand shook violently. His vision blurred.

He had a choice.

To grant the final wish of a dying mother. To slay the spawn of a hated foe. To uphold the highest honor. To avenge his keening soul. To stand tall. To fall.

It was too much. His tears flowed freely, his body trembled fervently. He sobbed. Willpower retreated from his limbs, and he yielded to his knees.

And he screamed.

"Damn you! Damn you all! Why?! WHY?!! WHY DID YOU GIVE THEM HUMANITY!!"

He collapsed, quietly weeping.

The rage passed. Gradually, the tears dried. Composure returned hesitantly, giving back his strength. Calm settled again upon his shoulders, and cleared his head. Slowly, he sheathed the katana with shaking hands.

He lifted his gaze and regarded the dragon egg. It had a black, glossy shell with swirling lines of deep purple.

He searched for something to take the egg with. Taking out the virtualizer, he fiddled for a while with it. Finally, he retrieved a flexpack from the device, the object extruding before his eyes from the virtualizer's pseudo-spatial depths. He activated the flexpack. The compact black cylinder began to expand, becoming a thick, voluminous bag.

He took the dragon egg and stuffed it inside. It was warm and smooth to the touch, and surprisingly heavy, yet he had no difficulty stowing it away thanks to the power armor's built-in exoskeleton.

As soon as it hatches, I am driving it away, he thought bitterly as he fastened the flexpack onto his back. He looked one last time at the dead dragon. He couldn't help feeling a shade of regret as he gazed at her still form. He shook his head angrily and turned away, sliding the helmet back on. He walked along the tunnels, using the trail of blood to find his way, and left the cave.

Outside, the storm had abated. Only the wind stubbornly blew on, along some wayward clouds who were reluctant to disperse. Airo watched the horizon blankly. He was done. He did his part in this nonsensical deal that got him out of an icy nightmare, and now he was free. Granted, he was currently in another frozen hell, if his surroundings were any indication, but he was free to do as he pleased.

Except, he had no desire to do anything at all.

The dragon egg weighted on his back like a mortal curse. He was determined to dispose of it at the absolute first opportunity. After that, nothing. No reason to live at all. His life... had no meaning.

A thought crossed his mind.

There was one more aspect to this despicable mystery.

He took off the power armor's gauntlet and revealed the gridcaster he wore underneath. He browsed the one protected file he had no access to. He let out a small sigh, surprising himself, and typed a single word in the password field.

DRAGON.

The file opened. It was a simple text message, with only three lines.

>NEW MISSION DATA

>Location: Terra Para

>Objective: Find and kill Tungust Ferrtau

In an instant, Airo's world turned upside down.