XIII
Sigma Station
« Engaging Sigma Ray modifications. »
Sarge announced. Everyone turned to the room-sized screen where the information
about the Sigma Ray was displayed. The specifications changed as the modifications
were implemented.
« Modifications complete. » he reported.
« Run a computer-simulated test. » Jennai ordered. Sarge turned to
his console and executed the order.
« Aligning Sigma Cannon with specified target. » Sarge said.
« The rebel village. » Jennai said coldly.
Sarge put the designated target into the targeting computer.« Village targeted. »
« Fire. »
It was silent for a few minutes. Everyone held their breath for what they knew
must come : success and continue with the assembly or failure and back
to the drawing board.
Then Sarge announced : « Target destroyed. Simulation successful. »
Jennai grinned. « Continue with assembly. »
« Yessir. » Sarge replied and did his work.
Cheyenne Tribe Camp, Neron Mountain Range,
Neron Continent
« Now would be a good time to do something. » Talinn said
as the warriors advanced. « Duncan ? »
He said nothing. He just stared at them with an ice-cold and unwavering look.
Talinn was surprised to see them hesitate. They stopped and turned to each other,
murmuring among themselves. Duncan hefted the ritual knife and threw it at the
totem. The blade buried itself into the ground right in front of it.
One of the warriors turned and went to the Chief. « Ugh, man with long
coat has hard look in eyes. »
« Wolf-with-one-feather has nothing to fear. We are Cheyennes. »
« What are they doing back there ? » Talinn wondered.
« Discussing their next strategy I guess. » Skywalker replied. « Do
you know what animal they worship ? »
« No. »
« The falcon. »
« What's your point ? » she asked as the Chief joined the
four warriors.
« You'll see. » he replied and called Shirrah. The bird flew
over and landed on the totem and spread its wings. The indians all gazed at
the little falcon whose wing Skywalker had treated. The bird then took off and
landed on Duncan's arm. The Chief approached him. Talinn saw the surprised
look on his face as Duncan addressed the Chief in his own language. « Would
you be so kind as to release our friends ? »
« Ugh. » he replied and untied the prisoners. Ringo ran to Talinn
and embraced her.
« I knew it would take a lot more than a fall to put you out of commission. »
Jeb said to Duncan.
« Yeah. I know. »
They all stood there for a few moments, talking about what they had found out
when suddenly a Cheyenne woman stormed out of her wigwam, screaming as if her
life depended on it.
« What's going on ? » Ringo asked. He and all the others,
save Skywalker, had no idea what she was screaming for.
Duncan's eyes narrowed as he put his knowledge of the Cheyenne language
to use. « Her son has some kind of disease. »
He walked to the wigwam, ignoring the protests of the other Cheyennes and stepped
inside. Inside, he found a kid who was delirious with high fever. Behind him,
the Chief, the Shaman, the kid's mother and Talinn and Ringo entered.
Duncan put his winged companion on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on
the boy's forehead. The kid was practically burning up. He removed his
hand.
« Hmm. Magola Fever. We have to calm him down somehow. » he said
in Cheyenne.
« I've tried everything. » the mother said. « Nothing helps. »
« I got something. » he said and pulled out his little wooden flute.
He sat down on the ground, cross-legged and started to play the small modification
of his wife's favourite song Watch Over Me. At first nothing happened,
but a few minutes later, he calmed down bit by bit. It also had effect on the
others present. The mother was relieved that her boy was going to be all right.
Duncan stopped playing as the boy was totally relaxed and began the treatment.
He checked for any injuries and found one on the boy's right shoulder which
was infected.
« Bingo. » he murmured. He took his medicine bundle and took out some
Logoma leaves which he ground into a fine powder.
« I need some water. » he said.
The Chief leaned out of the wigwam and shouted an order to bring water.
The water came a few moments thereafter. Shirrah watched everything from his
position on the edge of the bed.
Duncan mixed some of the water with the powder in his hand. Then he held out
his free hand over the ground. Right under his hand a small tear became visible
from which a bit of Lifestream energy rose up. The released energy cast the
inside of the wigwam in a blue-green glow. He caught some of it in his free
hand and mixed it with the other compounds. The tear disappeared. Then he applied
the mixture on the infected wound.
Everyone gazed in disbelief as the wound actually closed before their
very eyes.
« Well I'll be » Ringo stammered.
« There. Your son will be fine. Give him a few days to recover and
he should be running around again and up to no good in no time. » Duncan
said to the kid's mother who could thank him enough.
They all stepped outside. While they stepped out into the open, the Shaman eyed
Skywalker with scorn. He was stepping on his, the Shaman's, turf.
« What brings you here ? » the Tribe Chief asked.
« We are looking for the Earth Dragon. I believe it's nearby. »
Duncan replied.
The Chief's eyes widened as he heard the Earth Dragon being mentioned.
« You're crazy. There have been previous attempts by unfortunate adventurers
who tried to find the dragon who were never heard from again. »
« Well, we have a good excuse. There's a city a few miles back which
robbed the Celestial Dragon of her spot. »
« The Mirror City »
« That's Lakoya City. » Skywalker said. « Correction :
was. » he added.
« What happened to it ? »
« Let's just say that the city had a little trouble with a bit of
uncontrollable foliage growth. » Duncan said with a glint in his eyes.
The Chief didn't know what he was talking about. But he knew that people
shouldn't mess with him.
« Do you have any idea where the dragon might be ? »
The Cheyenne Chief pointed to a high peak up north. « Lots of adventurers
have gone in that direction. Many dangers lie ahead. »
« Tell us something we don't know. » John muttered. The Chief
didn't understand it.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the rear of the camp. The Shaman was turning
the Cheyenne warriors against the unwelcome visitors. The Shaman finished his
speech' and the Cheyenne warriors turned and came at them.
There were about six of them.
« Oh shit. » Jeb muttered. Ringo kept Talinn behind him, using his
body as a shield. The Chief tried to persuade them not to mess with Skywalker
but they didn't listen.
The six Cheyennes took their Tomahawks and while screaming their battle cries,
they ran towards their targets.
Fools Duncan thought, pulled out his Daïkatana and ran towards the incoming
Cheyennes.
What followed seemed to happen in a fraction of a second. Skywalker reached
the Cheyenne warriors, the blade flashed through the air while he passed through
the attacking formation and he came out of the crowd of six warriors, unscathed.
The Cheyennes stopped a bit further. They had nothing but the handles of their
Tomahawks in their hands. Between their position and Duncan's lay the top
half of their weapons. A few of them swallowed hard. The Chief was right.
The Shaman was furious. « Kill the outsiders. I am the Shaman of this tribe
and I'm telling the truth. »
Skywalker stepped up to him and looked deep into his eyes as if probing his
very soul. « The thruth ? » Duncan said in Cheyenne. « You
know what the truth is ? »
The Shaman shook his head. The ice-cold look in those light-blue eyes gave him
the shivers.
« The truth is that you can't handle the thruth. »
he continued. « I'm not out to take your job, so don't go running
around sending brave Cheyennes to their deaths. We're only looking
for the Earth Dragon. The Chief has told us where to look and now we'll
be on our way. »
While turning, he put his sword away and walked back to the others.
« Let's go. » he said and exited the camp with the others close
behind. The Chief and the boy waved after them.
After a few minutes, they reached a blank rock
wall.
« A dead end. » Talinn said. « Now what ? »
Ringo and all the others eyed the rockface for anything that might point them
into the right direction.
A dead end ? That's impossible. The Cheyenne Chief pointed to this
specific trail Duncan reasoned. He too eyed the rockface. Nothing to see.
Just plain rock.
There are clues everywhere, if you look closely enough the voice's
words flashed through his mind. And, as the voice had told him, Duncan looked
over his shoulder at the trail behind them. The he looked back at the trail
and the rockface ahead of them. And then he saw something he hadn't noticed
before, until now. A small carving in the form of a dragon in the lower right
corner.
« There ! » he said while pointing.
« We're on the right track. » Jeb pointed out.
The head of the carved dragon pointed diagoally up to the east.
« We have to go north-east. » Ringo said.
« Come on. » Jeb said enthusiastically. « The sooner we find
this dragon, the sooner we can put that station out of commission. »
An hour later, they stood before the opening of a large cave.
« Spooky. » John said as they entered.
« Don't be silly. » Ringo snapped back.
Duncan held up a hand as a plea for silence. They all held their breath as they
heard something move in the dark.
« What's that ? » Jeb asked silently.
« I hope it's the Earth Dragon. » Talinn replied. « And
I hope it knows we got peaceful intentions. »
They moved deeper into the cave. Everyone took their weapons except Skywalker.
He could defend himself with his bare hands if he had to. Step by careful step
they went deeper and deeper into the dark and dank cave.
« Man, I don't like this. I really don't. » Jeb muttered.
« Jeb, quit griping. » Talinn said in a measured voice.
« Allright, allright. I'm just saying I have a bad feeling about all
this and »
« Yeah yeah, save it. » Ringo cut in.
Duncan suddenly stopped. They all peered into the darkness and saw something
move in the dim light.
« It's a big lizard. » Skywalker announced. « Nothing to
be afraid of. »
He must have the eyes of a cat John said to himself and indeed saw a
big lizard crawl lazily across the ground when Duncan let some Lifestream energy
coarse through the walls to light up the cave.
Now that that matter was solved it was time to turn back to the matter at hand :
finding the Earth Dragon.
They all split up and went their separate ways, in order to find the Dragon
more efficiently while the cave walls shimmered with Lifestream energy which
was illuminating the cave.
« Over here ! » Jeb yelled from another, smaller cave. They all
rushed over and saw something blue-green standing on a pedestal. A statuette
in the form of a dragon. Duncan instantly knew that this was it. He was only
surprised to find this statuette, not an actual living dragon.
« That's it. » he said.
« Then let's grab it and find the other. » Jeb said and reached
out. He didn't get very far. A blazing wall of blue-green energy appeared
as Jeb's hand made contact with it and sent him flying backward. He quickly
got to his feet and waved that everything was okay.
« It's being protected. » Ringo observed. « But by what ? »
« Lifestream energy. The ultimate shielding. » Skywalker said without
taking his eyes off the little dragon. Then, he walked forward.
« Hey wait » Talinn wanted to stop him but he had already reached
the barrier. Jeb didn't dare to watch, John turned away with the thought
that this could get nasty, Ringo's gaze never wavered and kept his eyes
on Duncan, Talinn hid herself behind her lover as Duncan reached out. They all
held their breath as his hand made contact. The barrier sizzled but didn't
throw him backward like Jeb. Instead, his hand passed neatly through.
« Of course. How could I forget. » Talinn said and explained Duncan's
condition when she saw the questioning look on their faces.
Meanwhile, Duncan had passed through the barrier and stepped up to the little
statuette. He placed his hand on it and lifted it off the pedestal. The moment
the dragon statuette was lifted up, the barrier winked out.
« One down, one to go. » Talinn observed as they went back to the
cave entrance.
XIV
Neron Mountain Range, Neron
Continent
Duncan eyed the small statuette in his hand. So
this was the Earth Dragon. The Sun Dragon had to be of the same design :
a small statuette. He looked up at the dark sky. The evening had passed rather
quickly.
« Night is about to fall. » Talinn said. « We should find shelter
and stop there for the night. »
« How much time have we got left ? » Ringo asked.
« Two full days. » Duncan replied and put the dragon away.
« That leaves us a rather large margin of time. » John said.
« But we don't want to waste too much of it. » Jeb cut in.
« Right. » Talinn said. « Let's find shelter and get
some rest. »
The searched in the dim starlight for a place to sleep. After a few minutes,
they arrived at some bushes which hung over a hollow path, providing a patch
of trail with cover.
« Here's a good place. » Talinn said.
« Cozy. » Jeb admitted.
They placed themselves under the bushes while Duncan made a fire. He took the
first watch as the rest went to sleep.
While keeping watch, he took the little blue-green dragon out of his pocket.
It reflected the light from the camp fire in every direction. A rather nice
sight.
« Beautiful, isn't it ? » a voice asked from behind him.
Talinn placed herself beside him.
« Yeah, it is. » he admitted.
« I wonder what Sigma Station's status is. » she said.
« Still constructing and modifying. » Skywalker answered without taking
his eyes off the dragon in his hands.
« I hope so. » Talinn said and looked up at the starry sky. Somewhere
up there in orbit, a station with the power to incinerate anything was awaiting
its completion.
Sigma station
The command center was full of activity. The Sigma Ray demanded most
of the crew's time and efforts, for this piece of equipment had to work
perfectly or it meant their own destruction if something went wrong with the
cannon.
« Delta Wave generators are coupled and online. » a technician reported.
« Initiating Delta Wave energy flow to Sigma Cannon. » another one
announced and set the energy flow in motion.
« Hey, we're getting a power surge over here ! » the system
operator warned after half an hour. His job was to keep an eye on the systems
to check if they were working correctly after numerous modifications.
Sarge sprang into action and ordered : « Hit that control panel
and polarize those power systems ! »
The technician who had set the Delta Wave flow in motion ran to the designated
console and pressed a control. The power gauges changed as the power systems
polarized.
« Whew, that was close. »
« Next time be more careful. » Sarge warned.
« Yessir. » the technicians answered.
« How much time until the station is ready ? »
« Two days, sir. » a technicain reported.
Sarge eyed the room-sized screen on which a S
', the sigma symbol, rotated. The station's logo and a screensaver
at the same time. He pressed a control, the S
' shrinked and moved to the lower-right corner to make place for the station's
data and schematics. It was promising. All the systems were nearly online and
complete. Two more days and the rebels would know what real power was and what
it could do.
Neron Mountain range, Neron Continent
Talinn took the next watch after two hours. Skywalker got up and joined
the others on the hard ground.
« Too damn hard. » he muttered, got up and looked around. He spotted
a nearby tree, walked over and climbed onto the lowest thick branch. He then
laid down on the branch like a panther and almost immediately fell asleep.
Talinn found that rather amusing, seeing him complain about the ground. But
then it changed into some form of respect when she saw he felt kind of at home
in that tree.
She looked up at the stars again. Among the millions of pinpricks of silver
a large one was visible in the night sky. Sigma Station.
What the hell is going on up there ? she asked herself and wondered
about the future and the future of both herself, Ringo and all the others.
« Is the ground too uncomfortable for him ? » Jeb asked while
pointing over his shoulder at Duncan in the tree while he joined Talinn.
« Seems so. But you have to admit : he may be mysterious, but he has
a good heart. »
« Yeah, we've accomplished more in these past few days than in a whole
year because of him. »
In the tree, Skywalker kept one eye open. Something wasn't right. He could
feel it. Something was sneaking around the place, searching for a prey. He got
out of the tree.
« Something wrong ? » Jeb asked.
« Something is not right. » he replied.
« What are you talking about ? » Talinn asked. « It's
in the middle of the night. »
« I know. But there's something wrong. » Duncan said and moved
away.
« He's gone crazy. » Jeb flapped out.
« I heard that. » Skywalker's voice came from way behind them.
Shiiit ! Jeb thought. What else is he capable of ?
« Busted. » Talinn said amused.
Then a growling sound came out of the bushes from Talinn's left side. « Duncan ?
Over here. » she said with a shaking voice.
He was by their side in an instant and peered into the darkness. « Stay
here. »
« Okay boss. » Jeb said as he moved in to check things out. Talinn
looked behind her at their comrades who were still asleep and didn't suspect
a thing. Maybe that was for the best.
« Hmm. What have we here ? » Duncan's voice came from the
bushes where Talinn had heard the growling. « You're a nice little
feline, aren't ya ? There, good as new. »
Jeb eyed Talinn. What the hell is he doing ? they both wondered.
He returned with a feline form by his side.
« What the hell ? » Jeb asked and moved back.
« It's just a bobcat. Relax Jeb, she's harmless. Her paw was
injured and she got scared by our presence here. »
« Can I pat her ? » Talinn asked with curiosity. This was the
first time she saw a bobcat up close.
« Sure, but give her some time to get to know you. »
Talinn held out her hand. The bobcat moved closer and sniffed it. Talinn reached
a bit farther and stroked the bobcat on the head. She began to pur. « I
think she likes it. »
« She does. » Duncan replied and watched as the bobcat ran off into
the darkness.
« Where'd she run off to ? »
« She's got a nest to take care of. »
« Is it gone ? » Jeb asked from behind a rock.
« Yeah, you can come out now. » Talinn said.
Jeb took the next watch as Duncan and Talinn went to sleep.
The next morning, John woke the others.
« Everyone sleep well ? » he asked as the others rubbed their
sore backs.
« Give me a break. » Jeb complained. Duncan came out of the nearby
tree. Ringo came back with some rabbits they ate for breakfast. They they set
out to find the other dragon, the Sun Dragon.
« Where will this dragon be located ? » Ringo wanted to know.
« I have no idea. » Duncan admitted. « We'll have to look
for clues again. »
High in the sky, Shirrah kept an eye out for enemies or anything suspicious.
« Man, I hope we find these dragons before the station is complete. »
Jeb said in a low voice.
They walked over a grass-covered trail that circumvented a huge boulder. When
they had passed the boulder, another matter presented itself. Ahead of them
lay a deep chasm, some seven meters wide and no bridge in sight.
« Hoo-boy. » Jeb said while looking down. « That's
a long way down. »
« We have to get to the other side, I presume ? » John asked
matter-of-factly.
« I guess so. » Talinn said. Skywalker said nothing. He just gave
the chasm one of his looks while wondering what the best action should be to
get to the other side.
Finally, he looked up and asked : « Anyone got some rope ? »
« I got some. » Jeb said and gave him a long rope. It was very long.
More than they needed to reach the other side, which was a good thing. It would've
been a lot worse if it had been shorter. He tied one end around his waist and
gave the other to Talinn. « Hold on to this end for me, would ya ? »
He took his Daïkatana and before anyone could stop him he ran to the chasm.
When he reached the edge, Duncan jumped and sailed through the air to the other
side, dropping a bit as gravity began to tug at him and tried to drag him down.
Along the way, he had a little help from the wind which blew up. Having reached
the other side, he rammed the blade into the rock, turned around while holding
on the the sword and waved at the others who were still dazzled by his move.
He had made it.
Duncan climbed up after he had freed his blade and tied the rope to a tree.
Talinn did the same on her side. As a precaution, Ringo hung on the rope on
his side as a way to test the rope's structural integrity. What if it broke
while the others were climbing across ? He would never forgive himself
if it happened to Talinn. Again.
He nodded that everything was okay. Jeb was the first to climb over.
« Whatever you do, don't look down ! » Duncan yelled
from his side. Curious as he was, Jeb did just that, looking down which made
his hold on to the rope with all his might when he saw the dark space below
him. Grip by grip, inch by careful inch Jeb made his way across while he silently
prayed the rope wouldn't break. He was relieved when he reached the other
side and let out a big sigh.
John was the next one. He was afraid of heights. They all could see it when
he approached the rope : shaky and uncertain. Talinn told him to hold on,
not to let go and especially not to look down. John sallowed hard, grabbed the
rope and swung his legs around it which made him hang upside-down. Then he began
the crossing. He proceeded like Jeb : inch by careful inch and was relieved
when he had reached his destination.
Then it was Talinn's turn. She grabbed the rope in the same fashion like
John : hanging upside-down and crawled over. She progressed a lot faster.
Ringo warned her not to go too fast or she might fall. But she also reached
the other side without incident.
« I'm gonna untie the rope and swing over ! » Ringo yelled.
« Okay ! » Dunan answered. « But you're gonna be squash
if you hit that rockface at that speed ! »
« I'll take my chances ! » Ringo replied and untied the
rope. He stepped up to the edge, filled his lungs and swung over like a full-fledged
Tarzan. Half-way, he aimed his feet at the rockface which was rushing towards
him and prevented him from getting a few broken ribs as he reached the rockface.
Then, he climbed up the rope.
« Bold move. » Duncan said as Ringo climbed over the edge. « I'm
impressed. »
« Thanks. I used to do that a lot when I was a kid back in Dyenso Village.
Swinging on a rope which was tied to a thick branch of a tree. »
Duncan untied the rope and gave it back to Jeb, who put it in his backpack he
had brought along.
They resumed their journey to find the one remaining dragon, the Sun Dragon.
Along the way, they searched for any clue that might be linked to this dragon.
Or statuette in this case. After a few hours, they stopped for a short pause.
« Talinn, Ringo, do you guys hear me ? »
« What the hell was that ? » Talinn asked while looking around,
trying to spot the one that had spoken.
« Beats me. » John replied.
Duncan opened Jeb's backpack and took out a small headset with a built-in
comm system. « This is it. »
Talinn took it and put it on. « Yeah ? »
« Hi, everyone, it's me. »
« Father ? »
« Yes. How are you guys doing back there ? Any progress ? »
« We've found the Earth Dragon. We're searching for the Sun Dragon
at the moment. »
She could hear the villagers cheer in the background as the Chief updated them
on their situation.
« Keep at it, honey. The sooner you find the dragon, the sooner we can
get rid of the Lakoyans. »
« Copy that, father. Talinn out. » She switched the comm system to
standby but left the headset on for futher updates. « That was father.
He wanted to know how we were doing. I updated him on the situation. »
« Good. » Duncan replied. « Well, let's move. »
XV
Sigma Station
« C'mon, c'mooon. » the technician
kept his fingers crossed. The computer was still busy executing the modification
he had implemented a few moments ago. If this works, the commander and Sarge'll
be very pleased he thought while eyeing the console display. Finally, a
green light lit up on his screen.
« Yesss ! » he cheered. Then he turned to Jennai and Sarge who
were discussing.
« Sir ? » he said as to get their attention.
Jennai swiveled his chair. « Yes ? »
« I've given the optical links to the cannon a 25 percent boost. That
way we can target objects more precisely. »
Jennai and Sarge were pleased as he had thought.
« Good work. But if you want to do such a thing again, ask me or Sarge
first. » Jennai warned.
The technician looked at the deck in shame. « Yessir. Sorry sir. »
« Don't be so hard on yourself, son. » Sarge said. « I like
some initiative every now and then. »
The technician's face lit up with joy and he went back to his console to
keep up the good work.
Some four hours thereafter, after a shudder ran through the station, Red Alert
lights flashed and sirens wailed. Jennai checked the main screen. A short-circuit
on one of the lower levels. He swore out loud. This could slow everything down.
He hit the comm.
« What the hell happened down there ? »
« We were working on the emergency manual firing controls for the cannon,
sir, when the entire thing blew up. We've got some casualties and heavy
damage to the firing circuits. The optical links are undamaged. A bigger blast
would've destabilized the cannon's energy manifolds. » a
cannon technician reported.
« Salvage what can be salvaged and begin repairs. Take care of the wounded
and get the cannon up and running A.S.A.P. » Jennai ordered.
« Yessir. » came the reply. Then the link was severed.
Jennai grabbed the armrests of his chair. This would definitely slow everything
down.
Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
« We've been going for hours now and we haven't found
anything. » Jeb complained. « Not even a single clue. »
« Quit complaining, would ya ? » Ringo snapped. « Something'll
turn up. »
It was in the late afternoon. High in the air, Shirrah shrieked.
« There. See ? I told you something would show up. » Ringo said.
Skywalker looked up at his winged friend. The bird seemed to be circling over
the opening that led to a cave. He ran ahead of the others to check things out
and found the clue they were looking for. A craving in the form of a small dragon
with a circle around it. It was carved near the ground at the rocky edge of
the cave.
Bingo.
« Over here ! » he shouted. The others were by his side in an
instant.
« All right. Finally. » Jeb said relieved.
« Boras to Talinn. Do you copy ? » came the Chief's
voice out of the small built-in speaker in Talinn's comm system.
« I hear you. » Talinn answered.
« A few men and myself are standing just outside Lakoya City. But we
can't get in. Can you ask Duncan to remove the foliage so we can get in ? »
« What are you up to, father ? »
« Nothing... Okay, we're just going in to get some of those high-tech
weapons of theirs, nothing more. »
« To do what ? »
« To be able to put up a better defense in case they come back. »
Talinn thought it over for a moment, then went to Skywalker and asked if he
could do the Chief that favor.
« Sure. » he replied, cleared his mind and got that distant look in
his eyes again. After a few minutes, he looked up. « Done. »
« Okay, it cleared out here. Okay men, move in. Thanks a lot, honey. »
« No problem. » she replied and signed off.
Sigma Station
The repairs on the emergency manual firing controls were going steady,
reducing the amount of total damage by half. Even Jennai and Sarge helped along
from inside the command center. All things considered, this was Jennai's
station and he had come a long way to get it built. He couldn't back off
now.
His assistance' consisted of placing systems on stand-by or rerouting
power from other nonessential systems to more crucial systems.
The Sensor Operator turned away from his console to face his superior. « Sir,
a part of the city has just become visible. We've got it on visual feed. »
« Put it on the main screen. » Jennai ordered.
The screen came to life and, as the sigma-symbol screensaver was reduced to
a small image in the lower right corner, it displayed a section of green in
which the gleaming metal of Lakoya City became visible as the green foliage
canopy receded. It was a small patch, but big enough to discern details. The
command center was visible as well as one of the five reactors and the docking
bay from which he had departed when they had evacuated the city to Sigma Station.
« What the hell is going on down there ? » he mused.
Command center, a reactor and the docking bay Jennai reasoned in
the back of his mind. Docking bay
He suddenly sat up straight in his chair as reality sunk in. « The
fighters ! »
Lakoya City, Neron Continent
The Chief and three of the best men the village could miss : Raoul,
Alexander and Butch Sharpie'stood before the opening in the green
foliage. Sharpie' was his nickname because his aim with an energy
weapon was unsurpassed and he had the talents of a sharpshooter.
The four ran into the city and headed straight for the building that had housed
the command center. Or to what was left of it. The reactor building was still
largely intact and as for the docking bay, it looked like it hadn't been
touched at all.
They searched the rubble of the command center building. If the Chief's
memory was correct, there should be a weapons storage chamber near the command
center. After a few minutes of searching, Butch yelled from behind a piece of
jagged metal that had originated from a support beam : « Over
here ! »
Butch had found a large, still intact, weapons locker. A corner was bent. Raoul
found a metal bar that looked like a crowbar and used it to break open the locker.
Inside, they found four high energy weapons and two disruptors.
They all took an energy rifle and put the other weapons in the backpacks they
had brought along.
« All right. » Butch said happily as he eyed the energy rifle. « Finally
something I like. »
« Don't get too excited, Sharpie'. » Alex warned.
« Relax man, I'm just enjoying my moment here. So what's
next ? »
« Now we look around for something that might come in handy in our struggle
with Jennai and his minions. » the Chief replied.
Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
Skywalker took the lead with the torch Jeb had made and led them into
the cave. The cave was dark like the one they had explored when searching for
the Earth Dragon. The only illumination was that of the torch. Ringo had asked
why Duncan couldn't let some Lifestream energy coarse through the walls
to provide illumination, but Skywalker had replied that if he did that the cave
would collapse. The structural integrity of the cave was bad, but not so bad
it would cave in on them.
« So what's the deal here ? » Ringo asked. « Is this
another little statue we're gonna find ? »
« I don't know. I told you before : even I don't know everything. »
Duncan replied.
« Bet you do. » Ringo muttered. Duncan pretended not to have heard
that.
Jeb wanted to intervene but was cut off by a bone-rattling roar. Even Shirrah
got a scare. The bird flapped his wings to keep his balance for the roar had
taken him by surprise and nearly made him fall off Skywalker's forearm
on which he was sitting.
« What the devil ?? » John stammered.
« I say it's a real one. » Talinn said and eyed the surroundings.
« Let's go. Careful. » Ringo warned, drew his sword and took
point.
Fifteen minutes later, they stood before a stone arch that led to an underground
city. Everyone looked at the ancient, still intact buildings with amazement
and interest. Skywalker as well. He took in every detail, as if recording the
image of the ancient city in his mind while turning around in a full circle.
That's when he noticed a stone slab set in the arch wall next to him.
« Look at this. » he walked over to examine it.
« What does it say ? » Jeb asked.
« I dunno. » Talinn said. « I can't read it. »
« I've seen this writing before On an ancient wall. A ruin in
the North Regions. This » Duncan said as he tried to remember every
shard of the experience. He carefully examined every marking on the slab. « this
is Itelogian writing. I'll translate it. It says : All
worshippers of the Dragon, we welcome you with open arms in Dragon City. This
is the home of the Sun Dragon. A very powerful Dragon. But if you have come
to plunder, turn back or face its rage.' »
« Nice way to greet people. » Jeb quipped.
« Itelogians ? » Talinn asked. « I've never heard of
them before. »
« They were an ancient civilization who had mastered the art of taming
Dragons. So this is the Lost City of the Dragon. Dragon City. »
« How much time do we have ? » Talinn asked.
« One day and then some. » Skywalker replied. « We'd better
hurry. »
Sigma Station
« Speed up construction. » Jennai ordered. The station was
near full completion. He could feel it. It was going to work out. He faced the
screen on which the small visible part of Lakoya City could be seen. Four figures
roamed around the command center and were making their way to the reactor. He
reached for the comm and ordered ten Jennai Soldiers to board the fighters which
were located in Sigma Station's docking bay.
What are they looking for ? Jennai wondered.
He kept eyeing the screen while the genetically constructed Jennai Soldiers
put on their flight suits and helmets and made their way to the fighters docking
bay. Once arrived there, the soldiers crawled into their ships and ran through
the checklist.
« Jennai Wing, you're clear for takeoff. » echoed through
the cockpit of every fighter. The Jennai Wing Commander was the first to take
off, followed by the others. Ten sleek, streamlined fighters left the confines
of the bay and into orbital space. There, they formed a formation in the shape
of a V. After the station was at a safe distance and they had received their
orders, which were to eliminate intruders in the city, the JW Commander angled
his ship down into the atmosphere. The others followed him in tight formation.
Lakoya City, Neron Continent
The Chief, Alex, Raoul and Sharpie made their way to the reactor. Alex
looked around and whistled. « What caused this growth to cover up this
entire city ? »
« Not what, Alex. Who. » the Chief replied. « Skywalker did this. »
« That weirdo with the long coat ? Give me a break. » Raoul said.
« I'd carefully choose my words if I were you. He can do things we
only can dream of. »
« Oh yeah ? » Sharpie cut in. « Like what ? »
The others murmured Sharpie had a point. What could this newcomer do ?
« This. » the Chief simply said while spreading his arms.
Raoul wanted to say something more but what the Chief meant finally sunk in.
Someone who had the ability to put nature at his hand had to be capable of a
lot of things.
« Okay. Whatever. Now let s go. » Alex said.
The four proceeded through the city towards the reactor. The Chief had already
seen this. This was the reactor the Lakoyans had modified to process Lifestream
energy. Duncan had sabotaged the reactor.
« Geez, total mayhem. » Sharpie pointed out.
« This reactor was modified to process Lifestream energy. » the Chief
said.
« Oh yeah, that rumored energy stream that brings life to the planet. That's
just a fantasy. » Alex said.
« Not just a fantasy, Alex. Reality. Talinn told me about it. It exists. This
reactor was sucking it up and was converting it into electricity. » the
Chief pointed out.
Meanwhile Raoul was examining the pipes and conduits of the reactor.
« Hey, these pipes weren't destroyed by an explosion. They were cut. »
« That was Duncan's work. He wanted to stop the Lifestream energy
from being processed so he sabotaged the reactor. »
Meanwhile, high in the atmosphere, the Jennai Wing
was heading towards Lakoya City. The turbine engines extended from the streamlined
hull after they had cleared the friction of the atmosphere.
« Switch to battle mode. » the JW Commander ordered. Every pilot pressed
some controls. The small barrels of their ship's weapons systems, which
had been retracted into the hull, extended. This weapon retraction system was
designed in such a way that the weapons barrels wouldn't disturb the ship's
streamlined form.
« Battle mode engaged. » his wingmen replied.
« Coming up on target. » the Commander reported.
The sleek fighters angled down, closing in on the city.
« That blade of his has to be really sharp. »
Raoul pointed out as he ran his finger along the cut edge of the pipe.
« Yeah. » the Chief replied. « I think I heard him call it a
Daïkatana'. »
« No way. » Sharpie asked, not believing what he was hearing. « I
gotta see this. »
« Well, you can ask him next time you see him. » the Chief said. But
then the whine of engines and the noise of directed energy weapons cut through
the air as the Jennai Wing came into weapons range.
« What the hell ? » Alex demanded.
« Where in the name of the Dragon did they come from ? » Sharpie
wanted to know.
« Jennai. » the Chief said flatly. « Take cover. »
The next moment, a ground rumbled with multiple weapons impacts as the four
took cover.
The Chief took his comm headset. « Talinn, Ringo, do you copy ? »
There was silence that lasted for a lifetime.
« Talinn, we're under heavy fire here. I think Jennai sent some fighters
to eliminate us. Do you hear me ? »
Still nothing. The only thing he could do was wonder what had happened to the
others.
XVI
Dragon City, Neron Mountain
Range, Neron Continent
Talinn and the others went into the city to search
for the Sun Dragon. All the way, Skywalker looked around with the curiosity
of a little kid. The only evidence of the existence of the Itelogians he had
seen were some small ruins and some artefacts. But this city was different.
This city was intact.
« Do you know anything more about these people ? » Talinn asked
Duncan.
« They were experts in mathematics and astronomy. The city may look primitive
but they were advanced in a certain way. Like the art of taming dragons, their
astronomy and mathematics, and so on. » he replied.
The roar cut through the air again, louder this time, making the walls shake
with its force.
Shirrah didn't get so scared like the first time, but it had taken him
by surprise again.
« We're close. » Duncan pointed out.
« Tell me about it. » Jeb said shakily.
The source of the roar seemed to be a large temple at the end of the broad road
they were walking on.
« They must've hollowed out this entire mountain. » Talinn said
as she looked up at the ceiling of the ominous cave, shrouded in darkness.
« Don't ask me how they did it. » was Skywalker's reply.
The proceeded to the temple building and ascended the stairs.
Lakoya City, Neron Continent
The ten Jennai Wing fighters streaked downward, firing their deadly
ray cannons. The Chief and the others dove for cover as the barrage struck a
piece of the command center building, tearing one quarter off it. Debris rained
down.
« Okay guys, time to defend ourselves. » the Chief ordered and aligned
his energy rifle's sights with a fighter. The others did the same. Four
crimson beams shot up towards the attacking wing of enemy fighters. Most of
them angled away but two got caught in the four beams counting barrage and were
destroyed. The remaining eight fighters regrouped and came back for another
round.
The four instantly opened fire. Sharpie managed to hit the second fighter on
the lead fighter's left side in the vertical stabilizer. The fighter smoked
but remained on course.
« Nice shot. » Alex congratulated him.
« Thanks. » Sharpie replied and fired another shot.
Alex fired three times at a nearby fighter. Two beams missed, although they
came very close. The third one, however, was the charm. It struck the fighter
clear in one of its turbine engine exhaust pipes. The aft section of the ship
was totally ripped open and what remained of the fighter crashed somewhere in
the open fields and exploded.
« Got one. » Alex cheered.
« Three down, seven to go. » Raoul commented.
Dragon City, Neron mountain Range, Neron
Continent
When they reached the top of the stairs, most of the group needed a
few minutes to catch their breath.
« Wow, what a climb. » Jeb remarked.
« Sure is. » Talinn agreed.
After they had recovered from the climb, they entered the temple. The inside
was being illuminated by glowing crystals. In the walls, markings were engraved.
Duncan explained these markings explained the city's history.
They kept going through the illuminated corridors, taking turn after turn and
corridor after corridor. Before they knew it, they found themselves at a large
double door. It was covered with jewellery and gold.
« That's some door. » Ringo said.
« How do we open it ? » Talinn asked.
« I dunno. » Jeb replied.
Meanwhile, Duncan had begun to examine the massive door which was three times
bigger than they were. The door was firmly shut, as he expected. There wasn't
any doorknob or lever or button, no nothing. Just the door. He pushed against
it, but it wouldn't budge.
« Any luck ? » Talinn asked.
« No, not yet. » Skywalker replied. Then, he took his Daïkatana and
banged the bottom side of the hilt against the symmetrical line where both door
halves met. The clang echoed through the air and the door swung open with a
wave of foul air.
« Luck has nothing to do with it. Just the knowledge on how to open a door. »
Skywalker took the lead, Daïkatana at the ready. The others followed him into
the dark space beyond the door. Two beady eyes gleamed in the dark, the glowing
crystals came into action and illuminated the room and before they knew it,
they found themselves facing a real live dragon.
« Oh shit. » Jeb said for all of them.
Lakoya City, Neron Continent
Another fighter was transformed into dispersing wave of quantum mist.
« All right. » Alex cheered. He had switched his energy rifle to full
effect and hit the approaching fighter clear in its cokpit canopy.
« Not bad. » Sharpie complimented and fired a single shot in another
fighter's weapons systems. The ship careened out of control and crashed
against of what was left of the command center building. « Not bad at all. »
« Thanks. I do my best. » Alex replied.
« Hey Butch ! » the Chief called out from his hiding place. « They're
coming in from this side ! »
« On my way. » Sharpie yelled back and hopped out of concealment and
ran in a zig-zag pattern to the Chief's hideout. Once arrived there, he
aimed his rifle up and started to shoot. The approching fighters broke off their
attack to regroup and streak down again.
The four prepared themselves for another barrage, which followed shortly thereafter.
The barrage hit, throwing up dust and debris with its impact. But then, they
heard Alex cry out from his hideout.
The Chief, Butch and Raoul ran to their comrade's hiding place. What they
found wasn't good news. Alex's leg was caught under a massive metal
pylon which had fallen down when the enemy barrage struck. His leg was undoubtedly
broken.
« All right. Spread out. » the Chief ordered. « We have to protect
Alex at all cost. He's vulnerable. »
He turned to Alex. « Can you fire your weapon ? »
« I'm not sure. » Alex breathed in pain. « But I can try. »
« Good lad. » the Chief said and silently wished Skywalker were here
to take care of Alex.
Dragon City, Neron Mountain Range, Neron
Continent
Talinn and the others took cover behind a thick pillar as the dragon
spewed a raging fireball. John tried to craw the dragon's attention onto
him and lure it away from his companions.
« Geez, that's hot ! » Jeb cried as he held up his arms
for protection. After the dragon had spewed its fireball at the pillar, it came
after John who jumped away to distract the creature.
« You're telling me. » Ringo snapped.
« Guys ! » Talinn intervened. « Save it for when this is
over. Right, Duncan ? Duncan ? »
She turned and saw him leaning against the pillar with a distant gaze in his
cold light blue eyes. What was wrong with him ?
« Duncan, snap out of it ! » Talinn shook him by the shoulders
as the dragon tried to torch them again.
His eyes cleared and looked around, as if trying to remember what was happening.
« The Chief is in trouble in the City. »
« What ? » they all asked at once.
« They're having trouble with fighters from Sigma Station. »
He got that gaze again as he continued. « A man named Alex is injured.
Nothing serious. The others have taken up positions around him for his protection. »
« They'll manage. » Talinn cut in. « Now we have to get
to the Sun Dragon. do you have any idea on how to get past that ? »
She pointed straight at the dragon which was searching for its prey. Skywalker
leaned from behind the pillar to take a look. That's when he noticed the
dragon's tail pass through a section of the wall.
Ahah.
« It's an illusion. »
« Say what ? » Ringo asked.
« An illusion. » Skywalker repeated and came out of concealment. He
walked straight towards the dragon which, given its height, was still searching.
He reached the door the dragon was guarding and opened it. The dragon wavered
once and vanished.
« Yesss. » Jeb cheered. The others came out from behind the pillar
and stepped through the open door into the room beyond. What they found was
partially good news and partially bad news. The good news was they had found
the glowing yellow statuette of the Sun Dragon. The bad news was that it hung
suspended over a deep pit.
« Perhaps I spoke too soon. » Jeb admitted.
Lakoya City, Neron Continent
« How much fighters are still in the air ? » the Chief
asked.
« Roughly, » Raoul replied and fired a shot which missed. « I'd
say about five. »
« Roughly ? About five ? » the Chief remarked as he turned
to face Raoul.
« Hey, it's a rough estimate. I don't know how many there are
still left. They keep flying around all the time. I can't get a good count. »
Raoul explained.
« Chief, look out ! » Butch warned. The attacking fighter exploded
in a fiery storm of hot metal debris. They all turned towards a grinning Alex
whose rifle was still smoking from the discharge.
« Got him. » Alex grinned.
« Thanks lad. » the Chief said gratefully.
« No problem. » Alex grimaced as a jolt of pain raced through his
leg.
« You okay ? » Raoul asked.
« I'll manage I sure hope the others get here fast. »
« So do I, man. So do I. »
Meanwhile, the Chief tried to reach Talinn's group on the comm. Still nothing
but static.
He sighed and ordered to take the two disruptors and told his comrades to defend
themselves for what they were worth.
Dragon City, Neron Mountain Range, Neron
Continent
« Great. » Talinn eyed the hovering statuette. « How
do we get it ? »
« I'm sure someone'll come up with a plan. » John remarked.
« Why don't you make yourself useful for a change ? » Ringo
said, turning to face John.
« Hey hey hey, look here buster. I was making myself useful. I was busy
drawing that dragon's attention so one of you could get to the door. »
« Shut up. Both of you. » Skywalker suddenly snapped and turned to
Talinn. « Do you see what I see ? »
« What are you ? » she wanted to ask but stopped in midsentence
as she saw a ring in the ceiling. « A ring. »
« Exactly. So we are gonna use some »
« Rope. » Talinn finished for him.
« Bingo. »
« Jeb ! Rope ! » she barked. Jeb took the rope out of his
backpack and handed it to Talinn who passed it on to Duncan. Skywalker searched
for a small rock to tie the rope to. He found exactly what he was looking for :
a small rock, oval shaped of which he would be certain it would pass through
the ring. He tied one end of the rope to the rock and threw it towards the ring.
The first three attempts missed. But the fourth went through. Duncan let it
swing and caught the rock when it was close enough.
« All right. Who has the least weight ? »
« That would be me. » Talinn said. Duncan tied the rope around her
waist.
« We'll let you swing. I hope you don't get sick when doing such
things ? »
« Nope. »
« Good. When you're close enough, grab the statuette. »
« Got it. »
The others pulled on the rope and let Talinn swing towards the statuette.
« A bit more and a bit higher. » she called out.
The others compensated. Talinn almost could grab it. Just a few more swings.
After two swings, she was able to grab it. « I got it ! »
« Hold on to it. » Duncan called out. They lowered her until she was
almost parallell to the ground. Talinn used her feet to give her an extra boost
by using the opposite wall. Ringo grabbed her and reeled her in.
« All right. Now let's get back. » Jeb said as he put the rope
away.
The four ran through the door into Dragon City and out into the cave that led
to the outside world.
Once they left the cave, Talinn received her father's message. She assured
him they would try to reach the city as soon as possible.
« Let's go. » Talinn took point and led the others to the city.
