The Acolytes of Crane "Updated Edition" (35 page)

‘Not
at all, I actually would really enjoy that. I am a fan. The word on the street
is that you humans are trouble, but I don’t believe that for a second. I would
actually benefit from being part of your team. It is something for you to
consider, maybe?’

‘We
will see what everyone else says, dude,’ I said. I did not want to make any
promises.

The
lone guard started to pace himself, walking behind us.

Nilo
spun around and sure told him off. ‘Back off!’

The
guard appeared flustered. I got the sense that he knew Nilo pretty well.

Nilo
said, ‘I said, ‘Back off!’ This is my man now. I’ll guard him for the king. How
would you like me to tell Our Majesty that you were messing with me, huh? Huh?’

An
expression of concern crossed the guard’s face, then he quickly darted away,
looking back behind him every few seconds. I was impressed with Nilo’s status.
He must be real tight with Trazuline. Yet, at the same time, he didn’t seem to
care for authority. He seemed like the perfect guy for us.

I
walked my new homie to the rest of my crew, so they could meet him. Mariah
wanted badly to recruit a Rangier mercenary to be a part of our crew. Maybe he
was the person for the job.

As
we walked, I noticed that even though Nilo was a Rangier, he really didn’t
carry himself as one. He had a hoodie, but he didn’t use it. It was almost as
if he didn’t have anything to hide.

‘So
what is a medical botanist, or whatever?’ I asked Nilo.

‘I
have a unique job. I collect biological samples and test them for healing
attributes. It is really complicated. I am not sure if you will understand,’ he
said.

‘Dude,
lay it on me, I have seen a lot of crazy stuff lately.’

 We
arrived near the crew’s quarters. I was so thrilled there were no guards
around! Obviously, Nilo must be quite a dynamic, commanding person in order for
him to successfully be able to ward off the security.

I
said, ‘Alright, here we are. Hey guys, I have someone I want you to meet. This
is Nilo, resident medical botanist of this pad,’ I said with hope that they
would welcome him warmly.

‘Hi,
Nilo,’ they all chimed in, curiously glancing at him, then back to me.

I
leaned in, looked around, and whispered, ‘He’s someone who can help us escape.
He’s a Rangier.’

The
reception just got frosty.

With
leery eyes and a scrunched-up mouth, Liam hesitated, then said, ‘Dan, you’re
supposed to ask us first!’ The other murmured in agreement.

I
said, ‘Okay
Dad
, but look, there are no guards around. This guy knows
how to handle them. Just relax. Come on guys. This guy is our age, and he’s
really interesting. I think he should join us.’

‘Join
us? Are you nuts? He isn’t even human,’ Lincoln said. His face turned bright
red.

‘Really,
does that even matter right now, because Mariah said she wanted a Rangier. . .’
I said.

I
didn’t continue because Lincoln talked over me, gazing at me with his evil eye.
He yelled, ‘You are always taking risks, Dan, you’ve said way too much!’
Lincoln paced back and forth, looking as if he were going to explode in a fit
of anger.

‘Honey,
breathe,’ Mariah rested her hand on his neck. Sighing, she said, ‘Lincoln,
what’s done is done. Now that he knows, we might as well finish this. We might
just get lucky.’ She reached out to shake hands with him. ‘By the way, nice to
meet you, Nilo.’ Relieved, he returned the favor.

I
figured since he was my responsibility, then it was my duty to ask Nilo, ‘Do you
want to be part of our crew?’

‘Are
you kidding me, I would love it!’ Nilo shouted out softly, obviously delighted.
‘I am your biggest fan! If anyone is going to take out the Dacturons and
protect Sephera it is going to be you guys, and girl. Where are we headed?’

Lincoln
strode over to Nilo, furious once again. He pointed an accusing finger straight
at the Rangier. ‘How the heck did you know about our mission?’

Nilo
didn’t appear fazed. ‘C’mon. You guys are the worst-kept secret on the planet.
Everyone knows that Ted dissed off Zane and ran away. Everyone gossips about
Zane, anyway, and we all know that he’s fighting with his brother for control
of Sephera. Sephera is the jewel in Zane’s crown that he’ll fight for at all
costs.’

Everyone
else stood still in silence. So it was true after all. Everyone knew of our
mission. The question was how we were going to accomplish it. We had to move
ahead quickly.

Mariah
stepped forward. ‘Last we heard, Theodore was in Tritillia.’

‘That
is great! I can pick up some plant specimens there for research,’ Nilo said.

Nilo
was obviously excited, but the gang and I were surprised at his choice of
words. We knew very well that while Nilo may be an accomplished botanist, he
wasn’t joining the mission just to pick up a few plants. No. There was more to
it. We preferred that he say he wanted to use his awesome projection skills and
perhaps to tick off Zane even a little bit. That would have better matched his
youthful impetuosity.

Still,
the die was cast. Nilo knew now. If we cut him off now, he could go blabbing to
King Trazuline. He was our only hope. We had to keep him close.

I
saw Liam lean over to him and I heard him hiss, ‘I will be watching you like a
hawk.’ Liam always issued few words, and they usually were to instill fear.

‘Stop
it, Liam.’ Mariah walked in between to two. She softly spoke, ‘We’re all in
this together. Either we trust each other, or we do nothing. Clear?’

‘I
guess,’ Liam grumbled, still glaring at Nilo.

Nilo
stood passively, still beaming like a dog holding a leash in its mouth to go
out for a walk. He obviously wasn’t deterred.

Lincoln
spoke, resigned. ‘Okay, so one thing you need to know about me, Nilo, is that I
crunch numbers. I need to know what you bring to the table, so that I can find
a way to fit you in.’

‘I
am a Rangier. I can project images. My skill is confusion and distraction.
Plus, I am a semi-experienced pilot,’ Nilo said.

‘Okay,
I need a moment to figure this out. Wait, I have an idea. We leave tonight, and
here’s how,’ Lincoln said and that was it.

“Cool!
I was elated beyond anything else. We were finally going to make our move, and
only in a few hours. As we huddled like a football team, Lincoln let us in on
his mastermind agenda. It was a rough start to a smooth plan, and at the same
time, a smooth transition into rough times ahead. That doesn’t make sense.
Whatever! Let me tell yah, it was intense.”

“That
was a great story. You will have to tell me sometime about the sand surfing
competition, but now our meeting is over. Guard. Take the prisoner back to his
cell,” the warden says. I leave behind my befriended guard, and head back to my
cell.

“I
was the missing Linc. That was what they called me.”

We
were so woven into the time continuum—now the playground fought over between
Zane and Odion—that all we did, right down to a sneeze, affected everything.

The
sand whips of Karshiz were dying down, and the red star found cover behind the
planet’s body. I could not believe that Dan brought that outsider into our
group. I didn’t think that he would have taken Mariah seriously about
recruiting a Rangier. I fit him in adequately.  I told Liam to monitor him
regardless.

With
the sand whips absent, the visibility of our actions needed to be disguised by
the projections of Nilo.

Sand
whips were like miniature whirls of sand. They were slightly larger than dust
devils, but not as threatening as a sandstorm. I was tickled to see that they
were dying down, because even during the several minutes en route to
Trazuline’s palace, they were enough to leave a layer of dirt in my nostrils.

Today’s
scheduled meeting of Trazuline’s executive council began, and so did our plan.
Everyone knew their part. The pinnacle of our mission was to escape undetected,
so that we would have more time to put distance behind us before anyone could
chase us.

Our
plan hinged on one major contribution from our new recruit, Nilo. We needed a
masterful projection from Nilo to mask our escape ship’s status, because from
where the captain was attending to his mistress, there was a possibility that
he could see us approaching his ship, the ZF-Targine. While there were dozens
of other ships docked close by, we preferred the ZF-Targine, because we
obtained a familiarity with it when we boarded it from the Uriel to land on
Karshiz. We needed as much comfort as possible given our newness to this
universe.

As
if on cue, Nilo approached our sleeping quarters.

He
hissed to the three guards in our area. ‘I’m taking them in personally to train
at the Amphitheatre.’

‘We
will assist you.’ One of the guards stepped forward, challenging his authority.

‘Trazuline
sent me,’ he scowled at them, quickly swooping his hand from waist level to
head level in a show of anger. ‘Now vamoose!’

Cowered,
the three guards walked away, looking over their shoulders as they did so.

We
were jubilant at Nilo’s stature in this palace. He was really vital for our
mission. Perhaps it was a good idea to enlist him after all. After we rallied
our gear, we looked as we should—warriors equipped for a battle. We failed at
trying to be inconspicuous, but we did not have to worry about that now.  

We
split up into two groups: Dan, Liam, and Nilo in one, and Mariah and I in the
other.

Nilo
didn’t have our full trust, and that left us extremely on edge. A part of me
believed he was the one contracted to kill Theodore. Thus, Dan and Liam, being
the bigger guys, could probably take care of him, physically if need be.

‘Godspeed,’
I said to the other group.

‘Good
luck,’ echoed Dan and Liam.

‘If
anything happens to us, well…’ Mariah started, but composed herself. ‘I just
want to say that I love all of you.’

‘Not
to worry.’ Dan grinned. ‘We’ll make it.’

The
two groups split into different directions.

Mariah
and I took the lightly guarded paths through the palace to approach the docking
bay. We were focused on figuring out what type of ship it was. Specifically, I
was in charge of locating the nomenclature of the vessel, while Mariah was to
watch over with her rifle from a raised platform designed to allow access to
energy level readings. We knew, from our previous scouting, that this platform
was not considered a security risk and therefore was not guarded.

Once
I found out the make of the ship, I could use my IPU to initiate an autopilot
launch-sequence based on the make. Then we quickly needed to maneuver the
vessel.

Mariah
and I took a deep breath as we approached the docking bay. I looked over the
gigantic space ahead of me. Three guards stood, each a wide distance apart,
ramrod straight, with a rifle slung over his right shoulder.

I
tried to find any clue that the holographic projection was in place. Everything
seemed normal.

‘Did
Nilo do it?’ Mariah asked.

‘That’s
the problem,’ I sighed. ‘If he did a real good job, there would be no
difference at all.’

‘I
know,’ Mariah said resolutely. ‘I’m going out there.’ She handed me her laser
rifle.

‘Mariah,
no!’ I hissed at her. ‘You could get shot!’

‘It’s
the only way,’ she said. ‘If the projection is working, they won’t see me. If
not, I’ll just pretend I’m lost.’

I
smiled weakly. ‘They won’t fire upon a lovely damsel in distress.’

‘You’re
too kind,’ she returned my smile and grasped me by the hand. ‘I love you.’

Entranced,
all I could manage was a dreamlike stance and a mumbled, ‘I love you.’

Letting
go, she strolled out quietly into the open. My heart beat rapidly. For a while,
I wondered about bringing her rifle into position, ready to shoot. But even
with all my combat training, I was nowhere as good a shot as she. Still, I
might have to chance it.

Within
seconds, it was apparent that the projection was holding. The guards didn’t
even blink as Mariah strolled about, like an alluring vision, right near the
escape vehicle. She even waved vigorously about, soundlessly. Not a twitch from
the guards.

Holding
in her breath, Mariah quickly darted back to me, careful to leave silent
footsteps. ‘It’s working,’ she whispered.

I
nodded. ‘Time to move into position.’ Taking back her rifle, she clambered up
to the platform.

Taking
a deep breath, I consulted my IPU. ‘Hatch open,’ I commanded through my mind.

The
colossal hatch in the ceiling parted, then steadily slid open. The sunbeams
shone through aggressively.

The
projection was holding. Again, no reaction from the guards. Thank goodness the
hatch was a ruthlessly efficient, totally silent machination.

Now
it was decision time on my part. Running silently, I arrived at the front panel
of the ship. I typed in the password that I had obtained through the IPU, and
the ship’s hatch opened. As on Earth, passwords were very poorly protected;
really, placebos designed to lull people into a false sense of security. The
hatch made a loud beeping sound, and I was stunned because I feared someone
could have heard the noise, but nothing yet happened. I entered the ship
regardless. There was no time to lose.

As
the door closed behind me, I realized that I was alone. I prayed that we would
succeed in our mission. Even though I was alone, I had Mariah, and my desire to
reunite with my best friend, which was all the motivation I needed.

I
ran through the ship frantically. The vessel itself was large but only a tenth
the size of the Uriel. It was black on the outside and the majority of the
inside was sleek and white.

I
didn’t really have a clue where to look for the nomenclature of the ship, so I
consulted my IPU. It explained that the ship’s make and model were located on
the hatch door, which was ironic, because that is where I entered, and I was at
that moment, on the opposite side of the ship.

I
sprinted back to the hatch, but in haste, tripped on an operator’s chair. My
knee slid across the slick floor.
A
grid of tiny blood spots immediately appeared on my sore knee. I slowly rose up
from the floor and hobbled quickly. ‘Got it,’ I exclaimed to myself, ‘IPU, I
need guidance on ignition and autopilot for a ZF-Targine.’ I took the direction
of my in-brain advisor at the risk of alerting those that may have been
listening in on the channel.

I
started the ship and over the sound of the ignition, I heard a shot. It was a
weapon. I knew that if I was hearing a shot from a rifle, that things were
about to become unpredictable.

I
programmed the autopilot to launch in four morgets, which was equivalent to two
minutes. I ran to the hatch, hoping to see my team all present and accounted
for, ready to disembark immediately. However, when the hatch opened, only
Mariah was there.

‘Where
are the boys, Mariah?’ I asked. She shook her head, unresponsive. She had a
look of fear in her eyes. ‘Mariah please, what is going on? I need to know what
to do!’

‘They
should be right behind me. Something went wrong. The projection was up, and it
was good. I saw it from my spot, but the captain heard something. He was startled,
he ran out of his office. I had to do something. I—’ Tears ran down her cheeks.
‘I shot him in the leg.’

Suddenly,
we heard a series of explosions. Turning quickly, we saw three balls of fire
raging on the hangar floor, all strategically located far apart. Immediately,
Dan, Liam, and Nilo materialized out of thin air, furiously running toward us.
The guards were now yelling and shooting at the three of them.

‘Damn!’
I yelled, ‘The projection’s down!’

The
three balls of fire were once projection orbs that generated the convincing
hologram. When the hologram vanished, our companions suddenly were no longer
concealed. For that matter, neither were Mariah and I.

A
robotic voice from the vessel counted down over our chatter, ‘The ship will
launch in one morget.’

Liam
screamed and fell. A guard had shot him in the leg.

‘Liam!’
Dan cried out, slowing down, unsure of what to do.

Liam
held out his arm as he lay on the hard floor, writhing in pain. ‘Forget me!
Just go!’

Reluctantly,
Dan once again broke into a sprint.

I
pulled Dan and Mariah into the ship. Nilo had already crawled up. The ship
counted down:

‘Three,
two, one. . .’

The
hatch closed, with the four of us safely inside. Nilo immediately piloted the
ship.

Our
newly hijacked vessel soared rapidly upward through the air.

As
the ship launched into auto-pilot, blazing through the sky, we sat traumatized,
and loathed ourselves for coming up short. The fall of Liam left us depressed.
Would they spare him?

Even
though we had left Liam behind, we assured ourselves that we would re-unite
soon enough. We were like prisoners who lost a prison-mate during a jailbreak:
the major importance was that we had our freedom.

We
were also hearteded while Nilo yelled, even as his full attention was diverted
to navigation, ‘Don’t worry! I am sure King Trazuline will protect him
somehow!’ We left it at that: our first goal was to rescue Ted. Time was
running out.

“We
would do honor to Liam by seeing it through to the end. Our celebration was
short lived, and a quiet embrace of silence was our demeanor. The next stop was
destiny. Our destiny.”