Reunion
She had once overheard someone describe the taste as like chewing on a strip of tin plate. The residual energy which failed to dissipate after teleporting always smothered the surrounding air like a blanket and when you breathed it in it did in fact taste like metal. If that was even possible.
Lien-Da, archon of the ninth chapter waited patiently, flanked on both sides by her most trusted lieutenants. She noticed how all of them had wisely chosen to stand well back from the polished stone of the teleporter array which had only been recently constructed in the legion headquarters. "Are you ready magos?" she asked a large and highly mechanised figure that might once have been an echidna. He stood behind a control panel nearby.
"The co-ordinates have been successfully locked archon. We are ready to commence the transition" he replied.
Lien-Da nodded and gave the signal to commence. The magus pulled a lever.
A deep hum began to vibrate the walls and floor quickly building in frequency and violence. Dust particles that had sat immobile on the polished stone began to bounce and shake and the pressure in the room rose sharply. Some of the lieutenants backed off a few extra spaces whilst others struggled to retain balance as the ground continued to shake and the air thicken with static.
Then, in a brilliant flash of white light everything suddenly returned to normal.
In the centre of the floor the grandmaster stood like a statue, his large and sinister figure completely immobile. Two of the retinue that had teleported alongside him started to vomit noisily, clutching their stomachs whilst the remainder all swayed or grasped their heads as the unavoidable nausea overcame them.
"Welcome back brother" she greeted him.
"Sister…" the grandmaster replied as he walked towards her.
All of her officers saluted the grandmaster as he strode past them. "Archon, walk with me" he demanded.
Lien-Da immediately matched her brothers pace and dismissed her retinue as they began to tag on. Something wasn't right. He was angry.
When they were out of earshot she decided to break the silence. "I trust everything is going to plan?"
"Yes. And no"
"Your meaning?"
Kalhadra and the seventh completed their probing attack as I requested. Velkor did make his move but Morgentha interjected and spared her life."
"That is a shame" Lien-Da replied. The whole legion knew of the bad blood between the archons of the seventh and ninth and she would have felt no remorse if Kalhadra had been killed, ideally painfully. "I trust you have disciplined her for allowing Velkor to best her?"
The grandmaster nodded. "She will remember the lesson for a long time to come"
Lien-Da smiled. She knew how much of a bastard her brother could be and just hoped that Kalhadra was now suffering as much as possible. "And what about the deception? Was Morgentha successful?"
"Yes. She managed to leave Velkor's helmet behind so it shouldn't take too long before the Acornians find it and put connect the dots"
"Do you think they will approach the brotherhood?"
"Do they have a choice?"
Lien-Da shook her head. He was right of course. The queens armed forces were all but broken and when they found that the legion were now entering the picture she would have no choice but to go squealing for help. "But are you sure they will send him?"
"The queen and the guardian have a very long history sister, who else would they send? One of the cripples? No. He will help, he has to." The grandmaster nodded to a pair of guards who manned the doors approaching the headquarters command room. They saluted smartly and opened the portal so that he and his senior archon could enter. As they both entered, the whole room stood silent in respect until he waved a hand to tell them to continue with their business. The grandmaster ignored a few of the officer who tried to hand him data slates to review and continued on to an elevator shaft at the other end of the room. He beckoned Lien-Da to join him and she did so obediently.
When she was also aboard he pressed the lowest of the buttons which would take them to the catacombs and the elevator began to descend slowly. The grandmaster and the archon stood side by side in silence for a long while. "I have given orders for Kolthar to attack the palace with the eighth and capture the queen. He will use the wolves as bait to try and lure the guardian and his troops away first and to this end he has requested the assistance of Morgentha to lower their meagre defence grids before the strike hits home. I granted his request of course as was only prudent"
"Of course brother" Lien-Da replied. At the mention of his name she tried hard to banish the flashbacks of Kolthar's rough but remarkably skilled hands running over her flesh as if devouring every inch of her.
The elevator stopped suddenly ceasing her daydreaming in a hiss of hydraulics. The doors opened and they both continue onward towards the armouries and secure storage facilities. This far down, the cavernous rooms were quite literally carved from the rock that made up the underside of the floating island and this gave the very lowest levels of the headquarters a mysterious and macabre atmosphere.
"How goes the preparation for the activation?" he asked off hand as they paced down the long and stuffy corridors towards their destination.
"The initial tests have proved successful in every specification. We have activated the machine twice so far on low power levels in order to judge its abilities. I must say, the magi have outdone themselves my lord. The shield that it generates is pretty much invulnerable and has withstood everything we have thrown at it"
"Excellent Lien, we will need to activate it on full power very soon. I am trusting you to makes sure there are no unfortunate hiccups which may disrupt our plans"
"Have faith brother. I will not fail you" Lien-Da replied just before they reached the large stone doors to the legions headquarters most secure area. She produced a small but intricate key, slotted it into the keyhole in the centre of the doors and turned gently.
The locking mechanism on the door instantly retracted in a cloud of compressed gas. The doors opened slowly revealing the massive cavern beyond. It was dominated by a huge and menacing easily the size of a three battle tanks stacked on top of each other. The device was covered in chrome pipes and brass etching; control panels festooned its surface with bright lights and readouts. It was terrible to gaze upon but the sight of it sent a shiver of excitement down Lien's spine.
"With this machine we will take back what is rightfully ours sister" the grandmaster exclaimed. "For two thousand years our ancestors have fought against the guardians and their disillusioned kin but we will be ones to finally finish the war. We will take our places as the leaders of our race and crush the guardians into nothing and once we have killed all who oppose us we will remove them from the history books. In one hundred years from now, no-one will even remember them"
Lien-Da looked at the machine and then at her brother as he stood mesmerised by the sight of his creation. Very soon, all of the strife and struggle would have been worth it. Very soon they would be victorious.
Very soon every single one of the guardians would be dead and that thought brought an unbidden smile to her lips.
"Well met commander" Knuckles nodded as he hopped down from the open hatch and landed with a heavy thud on the steel flight deck.
"Guardian" Jacob replied, offering his strong hand.
"It's been a while" Knuckles said as he took the offered hand in his own and pulled Jacob close into a strong embrace.
The commander returned the gesture and slapped the guardian on the back a few times. "Please forgive me for jumping straight into business guardian but I have been tasked with accompanying you to the palace and investigating the reports of legion activity on the surface"
Knuckles looked over Jacobs shoulder and took a quick stock of the assembled equipment, hardware, vehicles and manpower. "And this size of a force is required for a simple investigation is it?"
"Your father has requested that I prepare all available assets under my immediate command for combat operations. What you see here is just an advance guard and won't be deployed until we know what we are dealing with" he pointed to the guardian's personal 'thunder' pattern gunship which was being prepared and armed as they spoke. "I will be joining you on the initial flight directly to the palace and when we arrive we are directed to liaise with the queen and her council as to the course of our next actions"
"Any particular reason you are wearing your best uniform?" Knuckles asked, stepping off towards his own aircraft.
"I was at a funeral when I got the call"
"Sorry to hear that Jacob, anyone I know?"
"I wouldn't have thought so guardian and to be honest the guy was a complete asshole. I was only there because I had to be"
"Duty calls" Knuckles smiled.
"And we respond" the commander finished the well-known echidna military saying. "But speaking of attire, I took the liberty of having your favourite items loaded on board; you will additionally find a fresh set of robes already inside courtesy of your father"
Knuckles sighed. He hated the robes with a passion.
Drake stepped up behind him and rested his right hand on Knuckles shoulder. "I thought you'd like it if I tagged along, you know, to back you up if you somehow manage to get yourself into trouble again?"
"And what makes you think the guardian can't handle himself sergeant?"
"I've known this guy for fifteen years commander and I've lost count of the times I've hauled his ass out of it"
Jacob laughed and nodded his head toward the waiting shuttle. "You haven't changed Drake but we are leaving right now, are you ready?"
"Always ready" Drake replied and tapped his custom assault rifle which dangled lazily by his right hip on a sling. "My mother, Edmund rest her soul, said I was born ready ever since the midwife had to catch me as I legged it down the maternity ward"
"Come on then gentlemen; let's get this show on the road" Knuckles laughed as thoughts of a young Sally flashed through his mind. Even though he was still peeved about being recalled he was secretly looking forward to meeting with her again after so many years apart.
General Krauptman checked his watch and cursed under his breath. Regardless what his queen thought he still didn't believe for a second that the guardian she called Locke would be coming to the surface to assist them. He had never met an echidna face to face but was very aware that they believed themselves to be better than any of the surface dwellers. Though he was already set against the idea he would despise them as much as Geoffrey he was also determined to succeed where his foolish predecessor had failed and if the queen trusted Locke he would find it in himself to give the guardians at least one chance.
So now, sat patiently in the passenger seat of his staff car he waited. It had just turned three o'clock in the afternoon and he had baked in the car for seven painfully long hours. Krauptman had long since finished counting all of the rivets in the upholstery and lights in the car. Now he was getting very close to calling the whole thing off.
A young lieutenant suddenly tapped on the window and after a few seconds of scrabbling with the controls, Krauptman pressed the button to wind it down.
"Control tower reports that a lone shuttle is inbound sir, ETA less than one minute"
"Very well lieutenant, thank you" Krauptman replied, genuinely surprised. After a few moments to gather his thoughts he stepped out onto the concrete runway and placed his cap on his head. He used the polished car window as a mirror to straighten his cap before he walked off to join up with the rest of his senior officers who made up the initial greeting party. The general made sure they were all smart and prepared then took up his place in front of them to wait.
Soon after, a large whine heralded the approach of an aircraft which was barely visible at first amongst the cloud cover. Krauptman realised that the aircraft was descending at a particularly steep angle at high speed but just when he thought the aircraft was going to crash it pulled up at the last possible moment, levelling out only meters from the ground. For a few seconds it hovered haphazardly before the pilot reduced the thrust from the engines and gently set the aircraft down on the runway, the suspension rods on each wingtip descending to level the machine as it touched the ground. At this point a furious down blast hit the welcoming party like a tidal wave, very nearly throwing a few of them off their feet and sending more than one cap spinning away down the runway. The pilot cut the power to the engines abruptly, ending the deafening noise as quickly as it had arrived and the silence that immediately followed was only broken as the landing ramp of the shuttle slowly descended.
General Krauptman waited with baited breath.
A large figure, face concealed by the hooded cloak he wore about his shoulders stepped out of the dark interior of the aircraft, ducking ever so slightly to miss the entrance hatch sill due to his height. As he descended the boarding ramp, heavy footsteps ringing from the steel, it was clear to everyone watching that this was a guardian. As the figures right foot stepped onto the concrete the welcoming party saluted him and Krauptman, with some hesitance, stepped forward to greet him personally.
Krauptman considered himself to be an athletic individual as strong and as fit as someone half his age but even he had to admit that the individual now standing in front of him was playing in an entirely different league. Underneath the cloak he wore a set of robes similar to those Krauptman had seen on Locke but where his had been an off white colour, these robes were matt black and trimmed with a very tasteful line of dark grey.
The General looked up into the face of the guardian and tried his very best not to be intimidated and show his nerves.
"Sir, it is my pleasure to welcome you on behalf of my queen to our realm. My name is General Krauptman, the head of the queen's armed forces"
"Well met General" the individual returned his greeting. He removed his hood slowly to reveal a strong and wizened face to those gathered, long deep red spines framing his features as they hung limply down across his shoulders and back. The guardian held out a hand in front of him for the General to shake and smiled warmly. "My name is Knuckles, current guardian of the floating island and I thank you for your kind reception" he bowed sincerely.
Krauptman was just a little bit awestruck. Everything he had heard and seen of the guardians had led him to believe he would be simply dismissed out of hand. Taking the guardians hand in his own and shaking it firmly he was shocked to feel a heavy metal gauntlet inlaid under the leather gloves he wore. "Thank you for coming guardian, it will mean much to the queen to know you have arrived"
Knuckles placed a firm hand on the general's shoulder. "It means a great deal for me as well general. It has been many, many years since I set foot on Acorn soil". The guardian turned as he heard Jacob and Drake step down the ramp behind him. "General please let me introduce you to commander Jacob. Unfortunately the rank of general does not exist on the island but he is as close to one as we have and I am confident that you will be able to learn many things from each other. Jacob Glaive is the very best field commander I have ever met, without exception, and is trusted explicitly by the brotherhood"
Jacob offered out a hand and Krauptman shook it. "Greetings general"
"And to you commander" the Krauptman replied, noticing with despair the only marginal difference in size between the guardian and his commander. Jacob wore a suit of well-fitting black flak armour and carried an effective looking combat helmet in the crook of his left arm.
"And may I inquire who this is?" Krauptman nodded towards the fully armed and armoured Drake who had taken up a position just behind Knuckles and was busy lighting a cigarette despite being dangerously close to the shuttles fuel tanks.
"Me?" Drake replied. He took a long drawn out puff on the cigarette and then flicked the ash away nonchalantly. "I'm his bodyguard…" he nodded to the frowning guardian.
"His name is Drake Surewind general. He is a close friend." Knuckles added, dismissing Drakes boast out of hand.
"As you say guardian" Krauptman replied. "But now that formalities are over I would appreciate if you would be so kind as to follow me. It is my belief that the queen has been informed of your visit and is awaiting your presence in the palace"
"Let's not keep her waiting then!" Drake butted in before Knuckles could reply. "I've never met a queen before"
"No" Krauptman scowled at the clearly insubordinate solider. "Let's not…"
They arrived at the palace only a few minutes later, the staff car pulling up slowly to the main gates. From there Krauptman led the trio up the long gravelled pathway to the palaces main entrance. Flanking the doors on either side sixteen royal guards stood to attention, ceremonial swords held in two hands and the points resting on the gravelled floor. Stood between them and barring the way into the palace, Ser Geoffrey hailed the party as they came close. "Welcome to Mobius guardian, it's been how long? Twenty years?" the contempt was clear in his voice.
Knuckles held up his right hand as if to sue for peace. "I am here to speak to the queen not to you. Stand aside please and let me pass"
Geoffrey grunted a reply under his breath and nodded towards Drake and Jacob who both carried firearms on display. "No one sees the queen if they are carrying a weapon, not even you. Hand them over"
"Do you like to play games skunk?" Drake bit back. "Let's play one, it's called if you can take them off me, you can have them"
"I don't play games" Geoffrey sneered. "Especially not with the likes of you"
"Do as Ser Geoffrey asks and hand over your personal weapons" Knuckles ordered before hostilities commenced.
Jacob removed the power cell from his sidearm and passed them both to a nearby orderly. Drake, muttering obscenities as he did so, reluctantly cleared and finally passed over his sidearm and rifle as well. Knuckles reached down to his hips and pulled out two large calibre pistols from their holsters, concealed from view by the cloak he wore. He handed them directly to Ser Geoffrey who smiled sarcastically.
"Thank you for your co-operation guardian"
Knuckles returned his sarcastic smile and nodded to the large oak doors behind the skunk, they were still shut. "Are we allowed to proceed now?"
Geoffrey turned and walked up to the doors. When he reached them he tapped three times and they began to open slowly. "Be aware that her highness was not expecting you. She is prepared to receive your father or one of the more senior guardians" he stepped aside.
Knuckles ignored the insult and replaced his hood causing his face to become shadowed once again. Even though he hated the theatrics his ancestors insisted upon they ultimately did have a reputation to uphold and if he was going to be forced to make an entrance then he was determined to at least do it in style.
The queen sat upon her throne flanked by her ladies in waiting and at her request the whole court had been assembled in the throne room, dressed in their finery and patiently awaiting the arrival of the floating islands delegation. She had ordered that the large room be decorated as best as possible in the short time available and insisted that correct ceremony procedures would be followed. It was important to show the guardians that even though her country was fighting a bitter war, they were not as beaten as some might have believed. It was vital to make them see that her realm was worth investing their manpower and resources in. She had to make them believe her realm was worth saving.
She had to put on a show.
Over the quiet murmurs of conversation her ears barely caught the sound of three knocks. The guards on either side of the doors began to drag them open slowly in response, flooding the throne room with red tinged light from the setting sun.
Silhouetted against the bright light; she could clearly see the shape of three figures.
As the doors opened to their fullest extent, a quad of musicians broke into a fanfare, filling the hall with loud trumpeting which went on for some time. The hushed conversations stopped immediately as all eyes turned to regard the guests.
Sally sat transfixed with anticipation and as the fanfare ended the three shadows began to walk forward. The queen stood up in front of her throne and crossed her hands behind her back to prevent her fidgeting with nerves. The trio walked up the red carpet which ran the length of the room and stopped a respectable distance from the queen.
"I welcome you to the royal palace of Acorn, honoured guardian, and I thank you on behalf of the realm for responding to our request for aid so swiftly" Sally proclaimed regally, summoning every ounce of royal authority she could.
The large hooded figure fell to one knee, prompting the two other male echidnas to follow suit. "No thank you is required your highness, it is entirely my pleasure to attend to you in your hour of need. I only wish I could have come sooner" he replied.
Sally didn't recognise the voice but she was aware that there were other guardians to the few she had spoken to. Almost by instinct she crossed the gulf between the throne and the guardian, stopping only few feet away from the hooded figure. "Stand my lord, you have no need to bow to me and I am not your queen" she beckoned for him to stand.
Knuckles did as he was commanded. When he was finally stood upright he lowered his hood slowly and transfixed Sally with a meaningful gaze. "Sally…" he whispered so that only she could hear "how wrong you are. You are my queen and you always have been"
She gasped, for once completely lost for words. It was him. He had come. It had been twenty years, almost a lifetime, but she had never forgotten the last time she had set eyes on him. Her heart was pounding and suddenly the world around her seemed to fade away into a haze. She could feel the blood as it flushed from her face causing her world to start slowly spinning. "Knuckles…" she managed.
"You are swaying your grace"
"I'm sorry, I feel like I have just seen a ghost" she whispered to him.
"You pretty much just have"
Sally managed to smile weakly at his reply but it still took a good thirty seconds to finally steady herself and regain some measure of control over her emotions and shakes.
"I hoped that the brotherhood would respond but I didn't know that they would be sending 'the guardian' of the floating island to Mobius" she proclaimed to the room and assembled court as she returned back to her throne. "My loyal subjects please welcome the current guardian of the floating island and very dear personal friend of mine that I have not seen since I was a young girl"
The assembled court clapped at their queen's command, some more enthusiastically than others. Knuckles nodded to the crowd in recognition of their applause. "Thank you your highness but I must say that I am a little overwhelmed at the reception you have prepared for me. I'm unsure of what to do next as such formalities are very few and far between back home..." Knuckles left the question hanging, hoping for a reply as he was getting just a little uncomfortable with the attention. All of the pairs of eyes focusing on him were making his skin itch and something, somewhere, was faintly setting his nerves on end.
"Chambers have been prepared for you prior to your arrival and will be yours for the duration of your stay. I am also informed that Ser Harold has organised a welcoming function this evening in your honour"
"That is correct your highness" Ser Harold, a small mole who Knuckles immediately pigeonholed as 'unstrustable' answered his queen.
Knuckles bowed. "Your hospitality is most welcome your highness"
"It is my pleasure guardian. Ser Harold will show you to your chambers and provide you with anything you require"
As they were leaving the throne room, Sally couldn't help take a final glance at the departing guardian and wonder what his arrival meant for her realm. She beckoned to Bunny who was stood directly to her right and the rabbit padded over softly.
"Bunny, whatever they need, we must provide it. We need the echidnas to fully commit to our plight. Spare no expense at all. Is that clear?"
"Crystal, your highness"
"Excellent" Sally replied feeling the first sign of a smile crease her lips. "But before you see to our guests, I need your help to prepare for tonight. I was not expecting Knuckles to come I want to make an impression"
"Don't you worry Sally, we can do that I promise"
"Good" the queen purred as a warm feeling of anticipation started to rise in her belly.
