Chapter 4: Scientiam et Intellectus
The huge Voluntas Plaza was a marvel amongst the marvellous, a kilometre wide circular disc of white stone, blue petals, golden arches and spectacular statues commemorating the individuals who had a hand in building the three titanic spires which towered over them. The Plaza was the cultural and spiritual centre of Thyyris; reflecting the bright sunlight of the day outwards on the rest of the city, glowing like a beacon of perfection in the middle of a city which as closely defined the word as any city could. It was here that Thane wished to go; more specifically, the Tower of Quintessence.
Voluntas Plaza was the basis for the three great towers of the Hanar spiritual way of life. As he walked, Thane saw to his left the emerald and white Tower of Scientiam; to his right, the ruby and white Tower of Intellectus. They were mirror images of each other, with golden ridges crisscrossing their surfaces, records of Hanar history carved into the walls and plates of crystal reflecting yet more light onto the massed crowds below. These two sister spires were completely dedicated to the teaching and spreading of Hanar wisdom to whomever desired it. Thane himself had spent many years learning exactly that in these very towers, always within sight of the central tower and the place where he had always felt he belonged.
Quintessence was every bit as colourful and grand as its two sisters, but it radiated with the glow of prominence that only those like Thane could see. As a young child looks upon its home after a long time away, or as a weary traveller gazes upon their world for the first time in years, the Tower of Quintessence held a beauty beyond the visible realm. Its sapphire-encrusted spires and gold ornaments were only at the surface to what this monolith represented to individuals like Thane. This was the end and the beginning personified in stone and iron, shining like a lance of wonder in the midday sun. The pinnacle of the Hanar spirit, and purest form of what it was to be Whole. Quintessence, simply put, was what Thane had hoped to reach his whole life.
Thane realized he had been walking as if on autopilot, too concerned with the significance of where he was to worry about such mundane things as the placement of his feet. Checking his position in the thick crowd, he navigated his way as only he could; ducking and weaving like water through rocks towards the huge glass doors which beckoned him closer, marking the entrance to his home. As he emerged from the thicket of people and ascended the white stone steps towards the atrium entrance, Thane saw his reflection in the glass doors, mimicking his every move. He paused for a moment in front of the door, looking intently at the mirror image of himself, already standing inside the tower. He smiled to himself at the thought and pushed the doors open, which slid silently apart and allowed him to enter the atrium.
The noise from the bustling plaza outside was instantly muted and replaced by a quiet electronic hum. Thane's footsteps echoed off the marble walls and travelled hundreds of metres upward, to where the atriums roof welcomed in the bright light of the sun and showered its warmth upon the people below. Coloured glass panes moved and shifted slowly above the ground and sent a rainbow of soft beams across the floor. As a young child, Thane remembered times when he would chase the spots of red and blue around the atrium, laughing and determined to catch the intangible colours in front of him; he never could. Rising from reverie once again, he continued on his way. There was no need to ask for directions or consult a guide; Thane knew exactly where he was going. He had been recounting his last visit here for the past day, and wondering how different the journey would be this time around, with the weight of success heavy on his conscience.
It was very, VERY different.
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"...I'm telling you, we missed something. Or to be more specific, HE missed something."
"But that's just it: How the hell could he have missed ANYTHING on that assignment? If there was ever a time to not fuck things up, it was the Illium job!"
"Don't ask me for details, all I did was clean up his mess for him. Figuring out how he fucked up may be satisfying, but it sure as hell isn't going to be me doing the work."
The docking bay of the Blue Suns frigate Opportunist was quite large by frigate standards, and Sergeant Zera's footsteps echoed unusually loudly in the open space. The contingent of Blue Suns troopers who would normally greet him and his squad were conspicuously absent, all having been sent hastily planet-side to pick up the pieces of Stern's empire. While this did not bother Zera, he did manage a twinge of annoyance that so much importance was being placed on the Commander's wellbeing.
If it had been him that had botched the operation, the recovery team most likely would have put five rounds in his head and left him on the street. But of course, it wasn't some nameless Sergeant, it was the all-mighty Commander that was down there, so they couldn't possibly let anything happen to him could they? Zera scowled at the thought.
"Most of the medical team were sent ahead, seems they're pretty worried about him." Corporal Tanner said.
Zera smirked, "Doesn't take a team of medics to work out that he's probably fucked. Fixing a neck wound isn't rocket science, but he's been down there like that for who knows how long."
Tanner looked up at him, clearly seeing the contempt in Zera's face.
"You don't really give a shit if he lives or not, do you?" he asked.
Zera shrugged.
"Honestly, it makes no difference to me, Tanner. If he dies, then there's going to be some serious shifts in rank around here, and I'm only going to benefit from it. If he lives, well then I get credit for finding him in time and he owes me a favour. It's a win-win."
Tanner didn't respond for a moment, but he looked impressed.
"Glad to see you're on top of things like always, boss."
"As if you expected anything less," Zera replied with a nod.
With that, he dismissed the rest of his squad to their quarters, and the two men remaining made their way to the medical wing. One way or another, Zera thought to himself, you're going to be useful for a change, Gannicus.