The Acolytes of Crane "Updated Edition" (33 page)

Gazing
out in total blackness, I looked toward the town of Jaakruid in search of
something—a twinkle of light,  but nothing stood out. Then, in that moment, I
felt him—I felt his hatred.
Travis
. He was here somewhere. It was if the
sky darkened even more as he focused all of his anger in my direction. I felt a
chill settle over me.

I
could not see him by any means, but I knew he was there, and I had clarity of
mind. I thought only of his defeat. I even imagined standing over him with my
legendary sword Wrath in celebration of victory.

Not
afraid of falling, I stretched my arms, and commanded my power shoes to lift
me. Hovering, I left the branch, and retired back into the cave, because soon I
was to be awakened to march off into my fate.

I
fell asleep instantly, but it was no sooner than I lay my head down, that someone
was at the foot of my bed waking me up. I felt cheated of sleep, but it was my
own damn fault. It was the Elon commander I had appointed.

‘Sir,
we must leave now. Our scouts have located a search party that is closing in on
our position. We are three hours ahead of our mission,’ the Elon said, muffled
by its makeshift voice production device.

‘Don’t
you people ever sleep? I guess you are plants, and plants don’t need rest do
they? Who knows?’ The Elon did not reply, so I guessed the answer was yes.

I
equipped all my gear starting with my unique plant-woven Elon suit. It fit the
form of my body snug like a sock. Next, I slipped on my lifters, and then my
rolesk. My rolesk was all dinged up from the battle within the walls of the
demolished escape ship that now lies worthless in the jungle. The rolesk still
fit well, and I felt the Dietons flowing around me, rising up, anticipating my
command.

I
ordered my scout recon devices into the air after activating them, and they
slowly rotated two feet over me. They were my eyes and ears to prevent
ambushes.

I
slapped on my bracers, and they covered my hands in chain mail. Finally, I
wrapped my belt and its sheath around my waist and inserted my trusted sword
Wrath by my side. I thought the Dark King would do well to stay far away from
my blade, threatening ever so.

From
heel to rolesk, I was the one-boy-wrecking-machine, ready to do battle.

I
found an electronic tablet at my bedside—who left it for me, I did not know,
but guessed it would have been Pike. When I picked it up, there was a breakdown
of my army on the screen. They were broken roughly into ten companies of
one-hundred Elons each. Each company was given an alpha designation. My company
was Doga Company. They were to follow me to the assault at the jungle just
outside of Jaakruid.

Within
the Doga Company, there would be two special tactics squads. One would be a
firing squad of seventy-five Elons to support us from behind with arrow fire.
The other squad, comprising the remaining twenty-five, was my elite platoon.
This squad would march in front of me, not behind, and lead the assault with a
preemptive strike. The elite squad consisted of those that tested highest on
their battle-ready tests for improvisation and reaction.

Pike
briefed the Elons and they knew their missions step by step. I needed to give
them purpose in the only way a teenage boy could. As I stared down at my army,
ready for battle, my heart was gratified to see the familiar robot hovering by
me.

‘Ed!’
I cried out joyfully.

‘Master
Ted, I apologize. I have stayed completely out of the way as I firmly believe
that the master should be wholly undisturbed as he prepares for battle.’

I
laughed. ‘What if I needed you to plan ahead?’

‘Certainly,
you could have called my name anytime. I am at your beck and command.’

I
grinned. ‘I think we’re ready.’

‘I
am most surprised. Human boy, I previously calculated that we would be dead by
now,’ Ed said. He was a robot with a silver tongue, literally and figuratively.

‘Well,
Ed,’ I said proudly, ‘this is it. We have an army and a mission. Your mission
is simple, protect me at all cost and be quiet. No using flashing lights and
buzzing things either. We need to be like ninjas. Not that I expect you to know
what ninjas are, now follow me, you can be my missing link, while Linc is
missing,’ I said, and broke into laughter.

Ed
glanced at me with eyes that indicated that he didn’t see the humor in any of
my jokes.

 ‘Let’s
do this!’ I exclaimed, as I walked down the tunnel to the bay, with Ed right by
my side. My lifters worked to bear the weight of my load. I probably was
carrying about fifty pounds of gear.

I
drew near the opening to the bay, and I heard a buzz of nearly one thousand
Elons chattering within the cavern. The initial recon darted over to front of
my face and informed me that the King’s raid was closing in on our position.
There was no time to lose. My adrenalin raced as I realized that battle was at
hand. Although I was stimulated like a taut highwire, I also felt as if I would
faint at any moment if I didn’t keep moving. I became a man of action. Rushing
about, I located Pike; he was yelling at a group of Elons to get into
formation.

‘Alright,
now get that file straight, he will be here soon!’ I stumbled over a rock, but
did not fall, and my equipment rattled.

‘The
Messiah is coming our way. Attention!’ Pike yelled.

All
Elons occupying the cavern stepped lively into rank and snapped firm and
statue-like to a formal position. Their loyalty was on display, and I was happy
to see the ease it took to lead them. Better than these bickering non-army
humans back on Earth!

Pike
leaned into my personal space and whispered, ‘They await you, Theodore. All you
have to do is lead them.’

Nervous,
yet eager to seize the moment, I cleared my throat at least ten times before I
spoke. I attempted to speak, but my voice puttered like an old beat-up lawn
mower.

Then
I finally made audible words out of my weak-winded air. I said, ‘Outside of
these cavern walls, there is a war going on. We are the answer to this—war,
because, war is bad. Umm, okay, you know your job . . . or jobs. So, oh forget
it.’

Muttering
to myself, I said, ‘Whoa, dude. You can do this. Reboot. Reboot.’

Straightening
out my shoulders, and snapping to attention, I was now the model of a
bellowing, unflinching five-star army sergeant. ‘We are the only people
standing in the way of the Dacturons! It is our duty to recapture Jezra's
rightful position as queen! Are you with me!’ Blinking, I surprised myself. Did
I actually sound that forceful?

My
resounding roar echoed in the brief silence of the cavern, and when the last
sound ricocheted, a thunderous ‘Yes sir!’ shook the cavern, stinging my eardrums.
We marched in files of two toward the exit from the cave. As I led the
invincible-looking army out, my chin held up high, I made a memo to myself:

Don’t
ever waste time for a speech again.

I
barely had set foot out of the cave, when all of a sudden a single flaming
arrow from the dark landed inches away from my left foot. ‘Alert! Alert!’ I
cried out, rushing into the dense jungle with my army in mad dash behind me. Ed
was beeping like a back-up truck signal.

As
we ran through the underbrush, thousands more flaming arrows flew. The sky lit
up and the arrows traced the semi-arc of the dwarf star’s reddish glow that
dimly lit up the night sky.

As
I gasped, a few Elons near me started to go up in flames. I froze.

Ed
nudged me. ‘Master, assert your authority now!’

Jolted
into action, I issued the orders, based on the intelligence Pike issued to me.

‘Ardo
Company! First and second platoons, hold your position here,’ I lowered my
voice to speak with Pike, ‘I want you to stay and draw them near. Send one platoon
to flank the cliff once they get close, so we can trap them. These flanks will
protect our army as we move forward.’

Calling
out the names of the other companies, I yelled out, swift and sure, ‘Brigo and
Chogo! Let’s move out! Doga! Fall in on me. We are going to parallel Brigo and
Chogo. If the enemy makes contact, we will march on. Do you understand?’

Pike
was impressed by my resoluteness. ‘You have been in the Chamber of Rafal I see.
Your amplified ability to lead tells me that.’ He saluted me from his forehead 
and rallied his men.

“Leaving
behind a flaming forest, just escaping the licking flames, we were off on our
mission and on point for our destiny. Brigo and Chogo Company woke up the
slumbering forest with their advancement. My crew of elite Doga became shadows
under the red aura of the night. The battle began.”

“Prisoner.
Your presence has been requested by the warden. Please place your hands behind
your head. Open request for prisoner eight-six-seven-nine,” the guard says. I
am among the general population in the prison, and the current guard has been a
friend to me.

“Whatever
you say, dude.”

The
guard places restraints on my wrists. They are only motion restraints that
restrict me from lifting my arms. I follow him.

“So
what is this about, dude?” I ask.

“The
warden has requested your presence for questioning. We will meet him in a
moment. Just relax, Dan. He didn’t seem angry,” the guard says.

“How
is your family?” I ask.

“Everyone
is doing great. We are going to see the sand surfing competition in Karshiz.
You will have to tell me about your days there sometime,” the guard says. “Here
we are, prisoner. Don’t speak to the warden unless he requests it. Don’t move
from your seat or take any action unless requested. Understand?”

“Yes,
dude. I mean—sir.” The guard waits outside.

The
warden shows up. “Prisoner. Sit down,” the warden says.

I
sit down, and I have trouble staying still. I keep tapping my foot, and the
warden stares at it. I think he would enjoy smashing it with a hammer. I don’t
say anything, because I have not been invited to speak yet.

“I
brought you here by request, because I would like to know about Nilo and
Karshiz. Strictly for evidence that may be required in a court of law or a
public inquiry. After Eppa was destroyed, we lost all of the information that
the Dietons collected over the years. Rest assured, we will not use this
intelligence against you. We will not seek your friend Nilo.”

Even
with these fake assurances, I will not tell anything that incriminates my crew.
The warden is a dumbass if he thinks I will.

“Nilo?
All right, dude, but I don’t usually rat on people. I met my best bro Nilo in
Karshiz. He was a little older than I was. Do you want me to tell how we met?
Or what?” I asked. The warden was fiddling with some recording device.

“I
prefer that you are as accurate as possible. I will be recording. Remember this
is for legal reasons, so it is best for the information to be precise. Maybe it
would help if you told it in the form of a story.”

 “Okay,
I remember—we were prisoners, training in Trazuline's castle. Between range
simulations or tactical and leadership courses, we scanned the joint for some
cracks in its security. I remember everyone was so impatient, especially
Mariah! She was so pushy. We were planning to escape Karshiz to find Theodore.
King Trazuline told us specifically that he was stranded, but he wouldn’t tell
us where exactly.”

Our
plan to escape Karshiz and find Theodore was coming together nicely. Mariah
heard that he was somewhere, still alive, and we always felt like he could be
in danger any minute. We hated the thought of being even one second too late to
save him. I thought it sounded like a perfect adventure to go save him. That
was my MO. You know? Mission objective.”

“Why
was it so necessary for you to escape? If you were under the comfort of Zane’s
wing, why would escape be necessary?” the warden asks.

 “We
wanted to find Theodore. I know it seems brash, but we needed Ted to guide us
home, or to finish the fight against Odion. Zane betrayed us once, and King
Trazuline was just a puppet of Zane, trying to fool us into submission.”

Anyway,
I remember the day I met Nilo. At that point it was just Mariah and I. She was
annoying the hell out of me. I said, ‘Dude, relax, I am just gathering all my
gear.’ I whipped together all my stuff, because everyone was waiting for me to
head to the common area. There was only one guard assigned to two of us, at
this point, but it was still a tight watch.

‘Dan!
For the last time I am not a dude. I am a woman,’ she said.

‘Correction,
you are a girl, duh. I have my stuff. Let’s go meet the others,’ I said.

It
was fricken dirty in Karshiz. The wind was constantly in my face and to make
matters worse, my socks were still wet. We had to wash our clothes in well
water, and I didn’t take care of my stinky fungus-filled socks till the night
before we arrived in Karshiz. I was lucky enough to wear soggy socks. Mariah
told me that I smelled like a wet dog, and that wasn’t far from the truth.

The
run down was simple: we had a plan. A righteous plan, that was equally radical.
Well, basically, it went down as it should have. 

“Linc
was monitoring the Urilians since we arrived on their ship. He doubled his
vigilance when Ted flipped his lid. Well, let’s just say it became an obsession
for Linc.”

“Teenager
versus the multiverse. It seems like a stretch. What made this possible?”

“Everyone
knew that King Trazuline ran a tight ship. He had earned the respect of Zane
for his brilliant strategy, which helped Zane achieve dominance. Zane entirely
trusted Trazuline. So no one worried about us when we were under Trazuline’s
watch. Plus, we found two major weaknesses in King Trazuline’s fortress. One,
he held a strategy meeting once a day with his commanders. I know they were
boring, because I eavesdropped on them. It was his executive council, and it
purported to govern the entire planet of Karshiz. They discussed stuff like the
commodity markets, the rebellions in some of the outskirts on the other side of
the globe, and exports to planets like Saritia. These meetings also compelled
the Bromels to attend. With the palace’s best security assigned to sit idly at
these meetings, each session gave us an opportunity to make a clean getaway.”

Two,
the other mistake was wicked huge. The captain of the ZF-Targine, the ship that
took us to Karshiz, left his vessel for about thirty minutes every day—exactly
the same time of day every day—to hang out with a lady friend. That moment was
the best time for us to escape. We had the ‘when’ and the ‘how.’

Mariah
and I were going to meet Lincoln and Liam at the commons of the castle, which
was a giant conservatory, but nowhere near as well guarded. Our guards, bored,
were tailing us loosely.

Anyway,
as Mariah and I passed the foyer, we accidentally took a couple of wrong turns.
We were walking down a corridor of the subterranean castle that was unfamiliar
to us. Mariah let out exclamation of delight as she observed intricate oil
paintings on the wall.

‘Mariah…’
I said, urging her to keep walking.

‘I
have to see this!’ she cried out, delighted. ‘All my life I’ve seen human art.
I’m really curious how galactic species express themselves.’

‘Mariah.
Quiet for second,’ I said.

‘What
is it?’ she asked, alarmed.

‘Don't
you notice anything different?’

‘Yes,’
Mariah nodded, understanding. ‘The guards. We lost them somehow. Dan, this is
huge. We have to tell Lincoln!’

Our
excitement was short-lived. The guards shuffled around the corner, loud and
disorderly. One of them said, ‘There they are.’

Mariah
hid her disappointment. ‘We were just observing art. Can you lead us to the
conservatory?’ The guards led us toward the conservatory, where we found
Lincoln and Liam napping on one bench each. Some warriors! Just as we were
about to wake them up, King Trazuline appeared from behind a column in the
garden.

We
were startled. The king’s time was very valuable, and this was our first chance
meeting since our first day here—the time when he had ticked us off.

'Let
them rest. I want to show you both something,' King Trazuline said, appearing a
little nervous. ‘Come with me.’ We followed him. He was taking us to his lair.
It was difficult to keep up with his long and hairy legs.

‘In
here,’ he motioned to us, holding an index finger near his lips. We passed
through a secret doorway in the conservatory.

The
king pressed buttons on a computer situated in the center of this hidden room.
Instantly, we heard a high pitch whine, and flashes of light swirled about us
in the room, then stopped.

‘What
is that sound?’ I asked.

The
king sighed with relief. Finding his confidence in speaking out loud, he said,
‘My lair is a protected by a stalbrux. The stalbrux is generating a magnetic
field as we speak. Anything we speak of within my chambers is secret. Mariah,
shut the door please.’

‘I
remember. So this thing is called a stalbrux,’ Mariah marveled at the new-found
freedom. She turned to the royal figure. ‘Why are we here?’

‘I
have carefully thought over what you said. You were most unhappy that I did not
tell you everything. You have trained more here since then, and I have been
most impressed.’ He let out a long breath. ‘Very well. I will tell you more.
Ted is on Tritillia.’

‘Whoa!’
I said, holding both my hands out in excitement. Then I furrowed my brow.
‘Where is Tritillia?’

‘It
is a planet several light years away from here. We have found Theodore's
coordinates! Look here.’

As
we watched, mesmerized, a hologram emerged from an inscription on the marble
floor. A third-dimensional luminescent figure developed before our eyes. It was
a planet on display, spinning with exquisite detail. The king walked over to
the glowing image of the planet and gingerly pressed his finger on a specific
spot on the planet’s surface. ‘Here. See this tiny heat signature. It is much
too hot to be anything other than a vessel on fire. These readings are old, but
we believe he could still be in the vicinity. Plants do not need warmth as much
as we do. They have no need for a fire.’

‘Plants?’
I asked, bewildered.

‘Tritillia
is a planet of giant sentient plants,’ Trazuline said, his eyes serious.

‘Oh
my gosh,’ Mariah covered her mouth. ‘Are they dangerous? Is Ted safe?’

‘Rest
assured he is still alive. We have observed that his signature is still active.
But we have noticed another separate signature here—much larger—and alarming.’

‘What
is it?’ Mariah asked, breathless.

‘My
gut tells me it is an invasion. We are not sure why or where they are headed.
Since the Dark King Quasikeum took control of the army, the powerful within the
Elon race—but still a minority—has sided with Odion under our noses.’

‘Elons?’
I asked.

‘The
dominant plant race of Tritillia. Highly intelligent, and in fact, a far more
evolved race than yours.’

‘Giant
talking plants. How cool.’ I immediately thought of Ted. ‘What will you do?’

‘I
don’t know what you want.’ Mariah decided to confess her concerns. ‘You say you
are supporting Ted, but that you also support Zane. I don’t understand.’

Trazuline
sighed. ‘It is not that simple. We all have a role here. My role and my beliefs
will take me down the right path, but what of you and your friends? When will
you start thinking for yourself or do you plan to follow everyone else’s
beliefs to the end of the galaxy?’

‘Whoa,
dude—I mean, sir. That’s as clear as mud,’ Dan said, puzzled.

Pritok
barged into the stalbrux lair before Trazuline could answer. ‘Sire! I'm sorry
to interrupt your session. I need a word.’

Mariah
conveyed a tense glance to me that could be portrayed as
don’t decide
anything now
. ‘Sounds like you have an emergency. Should we perhaps leave
you, sir?’ Mariah asked with a sincerity faked perfectly from her days in
theater school back on Earth.

King
Trazuline placed his hand on Mariah’s shoulder and said, ‘No, we will step
outside to confer for a bit. I am not through speaking to you kids. It will
only take a moment.’ His eyes pleaded with us to wait.

‘Fine,’
Mariah said. King Trazuline and Pritok stepped outside after shutting the door
upon us.

‘It
seems too easy,’ I said.

Mariah
looked at me, confused and curious. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Dude.
We’re in the king’s secret chamber. He just told us he has coordinates to
Theodore's position on Tritillia. And we’re alone.’ My eyes gleamed with
mischievousness as I eyed the computer controls on the wall.

Mariah
returned my smile. ‘I think I know what you mean.’

We
started searching frantically. I played with the central computing system, and
Mariah looked through his papers on the desk. The optical image of the green
globe continued to rotate in the center of the room, nearly distracting us.

‘Hurry!
He could return any minute now,’ Mariah said in hushed tones.

I
read out loud all the names of the controls, spelled out in foreign languages.
Mariah heard me talk gibberish and snapped at me, ‘Dan, this is no time to play
games.’

‘I’m
not,’ I said, smug in my cleverness. ‘I’m reading out the names of these
controls, and the translator tells me what they say in English.’

‘Brilliant!’
Mariah squeezed my shoulder once in approval.

As
I cited one caption underneath a button, the computer beeped back, ‘Live video
feed.’