XVII
Lakoya City, Neron Continent
Two green bolts of energy leapt up and vaporized
two fighters. Three left.
« Keep it up, guys. Talinn and the others are on their way. » the
Chief informed his comrades.
« Tell em to hurry up ! » Butch yelled back.
« I already did. »
« Okay then. »
The three fighters streaked overhead and released some kind of explosive devices.
The objects hit the ground and exploded, sending shock waves through the soil
and throwing up a lot of dust.
« Man, I can't see anything through this dust. » Alex said.
« You still okay ? » the Chief asked Alex.
« Still hanging on, Chief. »
« Stay with us. Talinn and the others should reach us within the next hour
or so. »
« Or so ? Or so ?? » Butch complained. « Why don't
you admit that you don't know how far they are away. »
« That's enough, Butch. »
Alex meanwhile managed to hit another fighter. It got hit in the starboard wing
but stayed in the air.
« No it's not enough. We're on the verge of being destroyed here. »
« And we will if you keep us distracted ! » the Chief raged.
The two men kept bickering while Alex and Raoul kept the fighters at bay. Before
they knew it a half hour had passed.
« Look Butch, this is pointless. We have to keep up the defense or those
fighters are gonna make toast of us. »
Butch harrumphed. He had enough of this. « I want this madness to end. »
« So do I. By finding the Celestial Dragon. Talinn and the others are on
their way here with the Sun Dragon and the Earth Dragon. Now all we have
to do is keep up the defense and wait until they get here. »
« I hope your right. » Butch said flatly and targeted the nearest
fighter and pulled the trigger. The disruptor bucked in his hands as it fired
its charge and hit the target clear in the port turbine engine. The fighter
exploded in a cloud of hot metal debris. Butch grinned. With only two fighters
left, they should be able to hold out until the others got here.
After a full hour and three kilometers, Jeb stopped
and asked out of breath : « How far until we get there ? »
Talinn replied : « About ten minutes if we hurry. » and ran ahead
again. The others followed close behind. Jeb sighed and ran after his friends.
« I wonder how many fighters they have managed to take out. » Ringo
wondered.
« So do I. » Talinn replied. « In father's last message
he said they had taken out about five fighters. »
« The faster we get there, the faster we can help out. » Skywalker
cut in. « So let's get a move on. »
They picked up the pace and reached the city with minutes to spare.
After they had run through the opening in the foliage,
they found the Chief and the others in their hideouts defending themselves.
« Talinn, thank the Dragon you made it. » the Chief said.
« It was nothing father. We did it together. »
Duncan meanwhile examined Alex' leg. « Yep, broken all right. »
He pressed some nerve bundles and the leg went numb.
« Hey hey, I lost all feeling. » Alex said, panicking.
« Relax. I only need to do this to set the leg. » Skywalker gave Alex'
leg a twist. Everyone present heard it click in place. Only Talinn made a face
at the sound. But Alex didn't show any reaction, because of what Skywalker
had done. He had cut off the blood supply and shut down the neural pathways.
All that with just two jabs of his fingers ? Come on Talinn thought.
Duncan made a splint, using two small wooden boards.
« There. »
« Heads up, here they come again ! » Butch yelled. The Chief,
Raoul and Butch aimed their rifles up and fired. The two fighters changed course.
One was totally wiped away by a concentrated barrage fired by Butch and Raoul.
The other fighter tried to evade the next blast but in doing so, it crashed
into the remains of the command center building.
« We got them ! » Talinn cheered.
« Let's go home. » Alex suggested.
« First I have to return the blood flow to normal. » Duncan pointed
out.
« Is this going to hurt ? » Alex asked, nervous.
« No, not at all. » he replied and pressed the nerve bundles. Only
Duncan knew that this was a lie for Alex' own good. If he had told him
it would hurt a lot, he would've been so nervous that it would have some
nasty side effects.
Alex cried out in pain as his leg functioned normally again.
« Why why'd you lie to me ? » Alex breathed.
« If I had told you it would hurt, you'd be so nervous it would have
some consequences. » Duncan explained.
« Like what ? » Talinn asked as they pulled Alex to his feet
and went back to the village.
« Stiffness severed arteries partial paralyzation
you tell me. »
Alex made a face as they left Lakoya City and went to Dyenso Village.
Sigma Station
High above the planet surface in Sigma Station s command center,
Sarge stepped up to Jennai. « Sir. We are honored to tell you the station
is complete. All systems are on stand-by and ready to be switched to active
mode. »
Jennai grinned and got out of his seat. « Finally. Excellent work.
All of you. I hope the Delta Wave generators weren't damaged in that explosion ? »
« No sir. They're still intact. Nothing has happened to the generators. »
« Wonderful. Now we'll show those rebels who's boss here. »
« All the system activation sequences are rerouted to your console, sir. »
Sarge informed.
Jennai walked to his console and saw one red control glow brightly. With only
one button the station would be brought to life. Jennai didn't hesitate
one second and pressed the control. The entire station hummed as the Delta Wave
generators upped their power production and made sure the station had the necessary
power it required.
Outside, one quarter of the elongated section of the station opened like a metal
flower with three leaves. From the triangular leaves' metal plates
extended, making it look like some kind of sattelite dish. But this wasn't
a satellite dish, this was the Sigma Ray cannon. In the middle of the dish a
dark opening was visible : the barrel of the cannon. Obeying to an order
from the command center, the solar panels directed themselves towards the sun :
the only source of power in the solar system and cannon powered itself up.
In the command center, Jennai kept grinning.
« What's our first target ? » Sarge asked.
« Lakoya City. »
« Sir ? »
« First, let's make sure those rebels can't get any more stuff
out of the city. Target it. »
« Aye sir. Target acquired. » the Cannon Operator reported.
« Reroute power to Sigma Cannon. »
« Rerouting power, aye. »
Jennai waited till the cannon was ready. After a few seconds it was.
« Cannon powered up. »
« Keep it on stand-by. » Jennai ordered.
The station hummed as the Sigma Cannon was placed on stand-by. Jennai eyed the
screen on which the data about the cannon were displayed, still grinning. But
the grin faded as the Sensor Operator reported the following : « Sir ?
The Jennai Wing has been destroyed. »
« What !? »
« We lost contact a few seconds ago. The leader's last message
was that the rebels had managed to take out eight fighters. »
Though he didn't let it show, on the inside, Jennai boiled with rage.
« Prepare my ship. I'm going down there. I'll let you know when
you can take out the village. »
« As you wish. » Sarge replied.
The Cannon Operator reported : « Cannon is stable and standing-by. »
« Good. » Jennai pointed to ten Jennai Soldiers. « You ten. You're
coming with me. »
Without saying a word, the soldiers followed their commander to the docking
bay.
« You're cleared for takeoff, Commander. » echoed through
the cockpit of Jennai's ship.
« Acknowledged. »
Jennai steered his sleek ship out of the docking bay and set course for the
planet surface. The ship's hull turned red with friction as it connected
with the planet's atmosphere. Once he was through, he set course for a
landing site at a relative safe distance from the city. He didn't want
to damage his ride out of there once the Sigma Ray had destroyed the city.
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
« That's them ? The Dragons ? » the Chief asked
as Duncan showed them the statuettes. Upon their arrival, they had gone straight
to the Chief's house.
« That's them. » Skywalker confirmed. « We only need to find
out how to summon the Celestial Dragon. »
« Summon ? »
« Yes. My theory is these here are just keys. Keys to something that goes
way above our heads. The only question is : how do we use them ? »
« Good point. » Talinn said. « How ? »
Duncan gazed out the window of the Chief's house, thinking. As he had said :
according to him these statuettes were keys. But keys to what ? A door ?
Another dimension ? Another world ? Unite Sun and earth to find
what you seek flashed through his mind. They had to unite these statuettes
somehow and what came forth would bring the Celestial Dragon.
« This doesn't make any sense. » John protested. « How are
these little things summon the Celestial Dragon ? »
« It's getting dark. » Duncan said, still gazing out the window.
« We'll figure this out tomorrow. »
« Perhaps you're right. » the Chief agreed. « You keep the
statuettes with you. »
Duncan nodded, took the two dragons and went out to his cabin. The others soon
followed and went to their cabins.
Lying on his bed that night, Duncan Skywalker couldn't sleep. He had tried
all sorts of things, such as quieting his mind, meditating, just closing his
eyes and expecting that slumber soon would follow Nothing had helped.
He was still wide awake. The two dragons stood on the small table in the center
of the cabin.
He sighed, got out of bed and put on his coat. Then, he stepped out into the
cool night air. The sky was clear and blazing with millions of stars.
He leapt up and crawled onto the roof of his cabin and laid down on his back,
staring at the starlit sky.
One simple question : how ? That's all we need to know. How
do we use the two dragons to bring forth the Celestial Dragon ? I wish
Charlie were here now. She would know what to do.
His thoughts drifted towards his late wife, towards their home near the
cliffs in Oregonia. That had been the best time of his life, until that painful
event some seven years ago. He took his wooden and played a tune. Maybe that
would help to organize his thoughts.
Keys to some kind of door ? A portal ? What if it's more than
that ? What if we're missing something ? What if it's really
obvious and we're not seeing it ? Can these keys' be more
than keys ?
That somehow seemed to make sense. Could they be more than just keys ?
More than just keys One is the Earth Dragon and the other is the Sun
Dragon.
Then, something else came forth. Unite sun and earth to find what you
seek !
It hit him like a sledgehammer. Those two dragons weren't just
keys. They were part of something bigger. He stopped playing as the truth about
the statuettes was revealed to him.
The Sun and Earth Dragon are the Celestial Dragon !
XVIII
Near Lakoya City, Neron Continent
In the morning, Jennai's ship landed at the
predetermined landing site at a safe distance from the city. After the ship
touched down, the hatch in the sleek ship's port side opened and Jennai
and his soldiers stepped out.
« Okay men, listen up. Somewhere in the area is the rebel village. We're
gonna take em by surprise and crush them. Then we can proceed unhindered.
Any questions. »
The result was as he had expected. Not a single soldier questioned his motives.
Which was fine to him.
« Before we move out, there's a little something I have to take care
of. » Jennai took his commlink from his belt and activated it.
« This is Jennai. Fire Sigma Cannon at Target Lakoya City. Authorisation
code Jennai Beta Four Gamma. »
« Acknowledged, Commander. » came Sarge's reply.
Jennai knew the station by heart. Right about now the stand-by switches would
be switched to off so the cannon would be readied. He looked up to see a yellow
beam of energy soar downward and hit the city right in the middle. The city
exploded in a brilliant burst of light nearly as strong as a solar flare. A
shock wave rumbled through the soil.
« Sigma Station, target destruction confirmed, repeat, target destruction
confirmed. Recharge the cannon. » he said into his commlink.
« Aye, sir. » came Sarge's reply. « Recharging
now. »
Jennai switched off his commlink and returned it to his belt.
« Okay men, let's move out. »
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
« All this thinking is giving me a headache ! » Jeb complained.
He, ringo and Talinn had come together in the Chief's house to figure out
this dragon-situation.
« What doesn't ? » Ringo said.
« Hey watch it, you » Jeb protested.
« ENOUGH ! » the chief cut in. « We're trying to figure
this out, not to slaughter each other. »
Ringo and Jeb eyed each other for a moment and left it at that.
The Chief turned towards his daughter. « Talinn, have you figured something
out ? »
« No, I'm afraid not. It's too complicated for me. »
« I found something out. » Duncan said while walking into the Chief's
house.
« Well c'mon, spill it. » Jeb said anxiously.
« These two dragons are more than keys. » Skywalker began. « They're
a part of something bigger. »
« How big ? » Talinn asked.
« Brace yourselves for what I'm going to say next. Ready ? »
They all nodded.
« These two dragons are the Celestial Dragon. »
« What ?? » the Chief stammered.
« It took me some time but I finally realized that the Celestial Dragon
somehow has split itself up into these two little dragon statues. »
« And now we have to find a way to unite them to restore the Celestial
Dragon into its former shape, right ? » Jeb asked.
« That's right. » Talinn confirmed.
But then, the morning air was illumianted by a bright yellow glow. The sound
of a thunderous explosion reached them a few seconds after the light burst as
the shock wave rumbled through the village.
« What was that ? » Talinn asked shakily.
Skywalker walked to the window, followed by Jeb and Ringo. What they saw was
a column of thick black smoke coming from Lakoya City.
Duncan spoke for all of them. « Sigma Station has just become operational. »
Jennai and his escort of ten Jennai Soldiers made
their way through the woods towards the rebel village. Once they arrived there,
he told his men to take strategic positions near the entrance to the village.
He eyed the surrounding area where his men had taken up position. All was ready.
He himself was hiding in the bushes not far from the entrance. He turned to
face the main gate. « Skywalker ! This is Jennai ! If you surrender
without resistance I might be tolerant ! If not, well you know what will
happen then, don't you !? »
The only answer he got from the villagers was : « Fuck you ! »
and « Go to hell ! »
« Fuck. » Jeb cursed. « Jennai's outside the main gate. What
do we do ? »
« Nothing. Yet. » Skywalker said before the Chief could say something.
« What ?? » Jeb complained. « Man, his butt is out there,
ready to be kicked. All we have to do is go out there and do it. »
« And get slaughtered in the process. » Skywalker added.
« Duncan has a point, Jeb, face it. » Talinn intervened.
« Tch. Fine. Don't come complaining we missed our big opportunity
to do some major asskicking. »
« I'm gonna check things out. Lay low. » Duncan said and ran
out. Outside, he ran towards a small area of trees within the village boundaries
and climbed into the highest tree as fast as possible. Once he reached the highest
point, he scanned the area in the vicinity of the main gate. The first one he
saw was Jennai who made no effort to hide his face. It looked like he was giving
them some time to reconsider. The villagers had made their opinion very clear.
Near Jennai, he saw three soldiers dressed in their black uniforms. There had
to be more. He could feel it. He looked some more and found two more soldiers,
one at each side of the gate. Gridlock. They were trapped, unless they confronted
the enemy head-on.
Five soldiers wasn't enough. Jennai was overprotective. He saw three more
soldiers down the road who were hiding in the bushes alongside the road. Now
those guys did a good job. But not good enough to hide from him. He had counted
eight soldiers. That was more like Jennai. But still.
He closed his eyes and became one with the surrounding forest. Ahah, three
more in the woods, not far from their comrades. Jennai had brought along
ten soldiers. His ship was near Lakoya City which was destroyed by a blast from
the Sigma Ray cannon.
He opened his eyes and climbed back down.
Jennai checked his watch. Ten minutes had gone
by and still no answer.
« Get ready, men. »
The ten Jennai Soldiers checked their weapons.
« Well !? » he shouted. « What's it gonna be !?
Or do we have to come in there !? »
Duncan stormed into the Chief's house to update everyone.
« Jennai is out there with ten soldiers. »
« Only ten ? » Jeb said with enthusiasm. « Bring em
on ! »
« Those soldiers are they Jennai Soldiers ? » Talinn asked.
Duncan nodded. Jeb's enthusiasm sunk. « Oh shit. »
« So what's next ? » Ringo wanted to know. « An all-out
assault ? »
« What ? Are you mad ? » John retorted. « We'll
all get killed. »
« My mentor once said : A good defense is often a good offense'. »
Duncan suggested.
« A very good point. » the Chief remarked. « The only question
is : how do we proceed ? »
They all sat down at the table to plan their next move.
« How much able-bodied men do you have ? » Skywalker asked.
« Aside from Jeb and Ringo, I'd say about seven. The rest is still
recovering from their injuries which were inflicted by that ray cannon back
at the city. » the Chief replied.
« Make that eight. » Talinn said, head held up high.
« You ? » her father asked, half-laughing.
« Yes me. I can fight too. »
« Don't be ridiculous. You'll get killed. »
« I didn't get killed when we were searching for the dragons in the
mountains. »
« Almost. » Ringo corrected.
« Okay, It was a close call. But I'm still alive. »
« You seem pretty confident. » Duncan observed.
« I want to kick Jennai's ass as badly as you do. So let's go
out there and kick some Jennai Soldier butt. »
« I'm goin'. » Jeb stormed out, followed by John.
« Me too. He destroyed the city where my family and myself lived.
He has to pay. »
The Chief finally gave in. « Okay. Be careful out there. We'll hold
the fort here at the village. »
« I'll take out the three soldiers in the woods. » Duncan suggested.
Talinn nodded and together with Ringo, she followed the others.
« Face it. She's made up her mind. » Duncan said and stepped
outside. « You try to figure out how we have to unite the dragons. »
« You got it. »
Sigma Station
Jennai hailed the station.
« Go ahead. » Sarge said after contact was made.
« Any updates on activity in the village ? » Jennai's
voice crackled over the open comm circuit.
Sarge checked the big viewscreen. On it, the data and sharp image of the village
was visible. « It seems they're planning some kind of move. »
« Keep the next squadron of fighters on stand-by. » Jennai
ordered. « How's the cannon ? »
« Just finished recharging, sir. »
« Good, put it also on stand-by until I give the order to fire. »
« Aye sir. Anything else ? »
Jennai hesitated for a moment. « Not at the moment. Jennai out. »
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Jennai returned the communicator to his belt and eyed the entrance to
the village again. What was going on in there ?
He sighed and was ready to give the order to attack when the gate flew open
and some eight villlagers stormed out, armed to the teeth.
« This is it, men. Let's go ! » Jennai ordered.
He and his men got to their feet and confronted their opponents.
From Ringo's throat came a battle cry as he lunged out with his new blade
and hit a soldier clear in the leg. Another came at him from behind, but Duncan
shouted a warning. Ringo turned swiftly, rammed his blade forward and impaled
the attacking soldier.
« Thanks. »
« No problem. » Skywalker replied, punched Jennai in the face and
disappeared in the shadows.
The latter was furious. All around him his Jennai Soldiers were fighting with
their opponents. « Damn you, Skywalker. »
All he got as an answer was laughter.
Meanwhile, Jeb was putting up the fight of his life. He wasn't cut out
to be a fighter. He preferred to do his job under wraps. Like the sabotage of
the nr 5 reactor back at the city. But he was swift with his short sword. He
managed to sidestep a murderous sword blow and lunge out. He missed by a few
millimeters. The soldier lunged out again. « Ehh guys, I really could use
a hand here ! »
Jeb tripped over something and fell on his back. The soldier came to stand over
him, his sword pointing down at him.
« Oh, shit. »
But then, an arrow buried itself in the soldier's back. While the soldier
fell to the ground, Jeb looked past him at Talinn, standing a handful of meters
away, crossbow still aimed at the unmoving form of the Jennai Soldier.
« Thanks, I owe you one. »
« I'll hold you to that when this mess is over. »
In the meantime, Jennai was still trying to find Duncan Skywalker who had vanished
in the many shadowy places this forest had.
« Where are you !? » he shouted while turning around. « Come
out so I can get even with you ! »
When he got no response, he scanned the battlefield. His soldiers were going
down one at a time. Had he made a mistake in their molecular construction ?
Or was this just a computer glitch in the final stages of DNA assembly ?
If he go back to Sigma Station, he would have a hearty word with that labcoat
who had worked on the Jennai Soldier project.
His eyes came to rest on Talinn who took out one of his men with her crossbow.
There was the bait to lure Skywalker out of his hideout.
He took his small laser gun and pointed it at Talinn. Before she knew it, a
bolt of red energy hit her crossbow and totally wrecked her weapon. She stared
at him with hate-filled eyes as Jennai addressed the surounding forest :
« Skywalker, show your face or this lovely person will never see another
sunrise ! »
Then, Ringo appeared in front of his beloved. « You stay away from her. »
« Ringo, what are you doing ? »
« Protecting you. » he replied while turning around to face her.
« But he'll shoot. » she protested. « You'll get killed. »
He looked deep into her eyes and saw the pain there. « For your protection.
So you can live to see another day. »
Tears came to Talin's eyes. This wasn't like Ringo. « But »
« No buts. » Ringo said and placed his finger on her lips.
Then it happened. Jennai fired.
Ringo prepared himself as Talinn squeezed her eyes shut, ready for what she
knew must come.
But the hard strike never came. Ringo turned and Talinn looked past him.
Jennai was also taken aback by what had just happened.
Between Ringo and Jennai stood Duncan, his arms spread out, standing between
the two beloved and Jennai like a living shield.
Jennai grinned and ran into the woods as Skywalker collapsed to the ground,
his shoulder a gaping wound.
XIX
Forest of Neron Continent
Jennai ran through the woods to meet up with the
three soldiers he had told to wait there until he returned. But when he got
there, the only thing he saw were the unmoving bodies of the soldiers, killed
with an uncanny sense of precision. Jennai had no doubt about it that this had
been Skywalker's work.
He cursed, took his communicator and hailed Sigma Station.
« Sigma Station, this is Jennai. Do you read ? »
« Loud and clear, Commander. » Sarge replied.
« Order the second Jennai Wing to take off now. Switch the cannon to active
mode and target the village. Fire on my command. »
« Aye sir The second Jennai Wing just took off. Switching cannon
to active now. »
« Good. If there's no response from me after a full two hours, fire
the cannon, full power. I want that village destroyed no matter what it takes ! »
« We'll see to it, Commander. Sigma Station out. »
Jennai hoped that this tactic would be successful. Time was running out on him.
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Talinn had bandaged Duncan's shoulder before they moved him to
his cabin in the village. Talinn had taken off his coat ans shirt to bandage
the wound. The pain had caused him to lose consciousness and he was still out
at the time they brought him into his cabin and laid him down on the bed.
Jeb didn't know that to say. He had witnessed it all. He had suddenly appeared
between Jennai and Ringo and Talinn and taken the blast in the shoulder. « He
he saved you guys. He sacrificed himself. »
« He's not dead. » Talinn retorted. « He's just out
cold. »
« Okay okay, take it easy. »
Ringo placed his hand on her shoulder. « What he did was an act of bravery.
Such a gesture is rare. »
Talinn placed her hand on his. « I know. I wish there was something I
we could do. »
« It's a nasty wound. » the Chief said. « It'll take
time to heal. »
Jeb wanted to say something but stopped when he saw Duncan's hand move.
His eyes slowly opened and looked around.
« Welcome back. » Talinn said. « How do you feel ? »
Skywalker said nothing he reached with his good arm across his chest
and pressed a nerve bundle with two fingers. He squeezed his eyes shut at the
sudden surge of pain, then reopened them. « I'll live. »
« So what's next ? » Jeb asked.
« You guys take it from here. »
« What ? » Ringo protested. « What about you ? »
« Need time to recover Need Lifestream energy nearby. »
« Where is it ? »
« Small pool just opened near forest exit to Lakoya City. »
« We'll get you there. Don't worry. » Talinn replied then
turned to her comrades in the room. « Right ? »
They all replied as one man : « Right ! »
Skywalker pressed the nerves again and gave in to the pain.
Meanwhile, the ten fighters of the second Jennai
Wing surged towards the atmosphere. They had just left the station's docking
bay and were heading towards their target coordinates. Their orders were to
wreck havoc among the villagers by precisely targeted bombardments.
The hulls of the sleek fighters turned red-hot as they connected with the atmosphere.
When they had passed that point, they proceeded to the target coordinates.
The small procession consisted of Talinn and Ringo,
the Chief, Jeb, Raoul, Alex with the aid of two crutches and of course Duncan
Skywalker lying on a makeshift stretcher.
« I hope he'll be all right. » Talinn said sighing.
« Of course he'll be. » the Chief replied. « Jennai tried
to drug him when we were imprisoned in the city. But he managed to resist somehow.
Trust me, he'll be fine. »
« I sure hope so. »
« What does this pool of Lifestream energy look like ? » Jeb
asked.
« I don't know. » Talinn answered. « I haven't seen
it. Yet. »
« It'll be a terrible blow if he you know. » Alex said.
« Yeah, for all of us. » Talinn replied. « And for Mother Nature. »
« Ehh, guys.. ? » Raoul said while pointing to something blue-green
not far from the path leaving the forest. « Is that it ? »
« I think so. » the Chief assumed.
Talinn knelt beside Duncan. « Duncan, wake up, we're here. I think. »
Skywalker's eyes fluttered and opened. He lifted his head and scanned the
surroundings. « That's it. » he confirmed after he saw the small
pool of Lifestream energy.
« It's beautiful. » Alex said. « Never seen anything like
it. »
They all moved closer to get a better look. Talinn and Ringo helped Duncan to
the pool of energy.
« I'll try to remember as much as possible. And
I'll try to keep an eye out. »
« We'll be putting up the fight of our lives. » Talinn said.
« Come back soon. » Ringo added.
« I will. » he replied and just let himself fall into the energy
and submerged. The pool in the ground closed before them.
« We better get back. » the Chief suggested.
« Okay. » Ringo said. Talinn followed, not knowing if they would see
him again. Or when. Shirrah remained near the place where his master had submerged
into the Lifestream.
But their greatest concern now was Jennai and Sigma Station.
Inside the Lifestream
Deep inside the Lifestream energy flow, his eyes closed, Duncan Skywalker concentrated
on regenerating the wound on his right shoulder. The wound and his shoulder
shimmered as the energy reformed and realigned his skin at a molecular level
so it would close up perfectly. Not a trace would be visible.
At the same time in his mind's eye, he saw the others. Talinn and Ringo,
Jeb, the Chief, Alex and Raoul. He sensed their pain. They had considered him
as one of them due to the help he had supplied them with. Even Ringo who had
looked upon him and Talinn with a suspicious eye.
He also sensed Sigma Station in orbit above them.
But then something else showed up. Jennai Wing fighters, heading straight for
the village.
Man, this is bad. Real bad.
The station had been switched from stand-by to active.
Real bad indeed.
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
The five reached the village and went in. Everyone had heard about Skywalker's
heroic action and the consequences it had. All felt the same pain. Nicky, the
boy Duncan had rescued when he first arrived here asked the Chief where he was.
« He's taking care of something for us. Don't worry, Nicky.
This'll work out. » the Chief lied. A lie for the boy's own good.
« Oh, okay. » Nicky ran off.
Talinn sighed, grateful that Nicky didn't quite understand this whole situation.
Talinn she heard. What was that ? She turned around, looking for
the source. She noticed Skywalker's image solidify behind her.
« Duncan. Back so soon ? »
No. This is only a projection of me. Listen carefully. There are ten fighters
on their way towards the village. They should be arriving right about now.
Talinn relayed the message. She and the Chief looked up to see ten black
specks close in fast and open fire.
« Take cover ! » the Chief yelled. The villagers ran around,
looking for cover. Talinn scanned the surroundings for Duncan's image,
but it had already vanished. She heard the Chief yell at Butch to get the weapons
they had taken from the weapons locker they had found in Lakoya City.
The Chief, Butch and Raoul crouched behind their cover and opened fire.
Dark clouds gathered overhead and the wind howled.
The fighters clearly had problems in compensating.
« Father, over there ! » Talinn yelled and pointed due west at
a huge tornado which was drawing the fighters towards it.
Lightning streaked downward and hit a fighter, sending thousands of volts through
the craft. Due to the formation in which the were flying, four other ships got
a shock as well. Two exploded, while the others were drawn into the tornado
where they collided with each other.
The tornado disappeared and the sky cleared out as the debris of the second
Jennai Wing fell to the ground.
« That saved us a lot of trouble. » Raoul pointed out.
« Yeah. » Talinn chimed in. « A message to Jennai to let him
know he's not out of the picture yet. »
While the others were fighting the second Jennai
Wing, Nicky sat in the Chief's house, playing with the two Dragon statuettes.
He had no idea what these little things were and what they embodied.
The fighting outside stopped. He looked out the window to see everyone assess
damage done by the fight. He sighed and sat down again to play with his latest
toys'.
He upset the table and accidently let the heads touch. The two statuettes merged
into a blinding ball of light and flew out the door.
« Hey, get back here ! »
Nicky ran out the door and bumped into Talinn.
« Hey, where are you going, Nicky ? »
« Trying to catch my toys. » he said, pointing to the shining ball
of pure white energy hovering above the center of the village. Talinn eyed it
with interest as did everyone else.
« Nicky, » she asked. « where are the two little statues that
were on the table in my father's house ? »
« Uhh there. » he replied pointing to the white ball of energy.
« The heads touched and became that. »
« Nicky, you solved it ! »
« Huh ? »
« We were searching for a way to unite the statues to summon the Celestial
Dragon. And now we did it, thanks to you. »
« Gee, thanks. »
Talinn told her father about it. He congratulated him for a job well-done. Nicky
felt himself blush.
The ball of energy began to change shape and resolved into a a white dragon,
the Celestial Dragon. It was exactly as Skywalker had seen in his dream-state',
composed of small pieces of crystal, giving it the likes of a jewel.
Who summoned me ? the Dragon asked.
« We did. » the Chief said. « We've almost defeated the
Lakoyans, but they have a space station in orbit that can incinerate anything.
We need your help. »
You almost defeated the Lakoyans ? Very well, I'll supply some
help.
In the forest, Jennai swore as he saw his fighters
being destroyed once again. He was running out of options. Except one :
Sigma Station. He had ordered his second-in-command to switch the station from
stand-by to active. Time to use it. He took his communicator and pressed the
activate-control.
« Sigma Station, this is Jennai. Do you read ? »
« Sigma Station here. Go ahead, Commander. » Sarge answered.
« Is the cannon still aimed at the rebel village ? »
« Affirmative, Commander. »
« Good. Blow them away ! Full force ! »
« Aye sir. » Sarge signed off.
Jennai put the communicator away. Time for the final blow.
Sigma Station
« Target acquired. » the Cannon Operator reported.
« Switch Sigma Cannon to full power. » Sarge ordered.
« Sigma Ray to full effect, aye. »
Sarge saw the data on the big screen change as the cannon was given more juice.
« Full power. » the Cannon Operator announced.
Sarge narrowed his eyes. « Fire. »
The station rumbled as the Sigma Cannon released its charge.
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Where exactly is this station ? the Dragon inquired.
« Somewhere up there in orbit. » Talinn answered. « We don't
exactly know where it is at this moment. »
Then, everything became quiet. Everyone looked around, trying to determine what
was causing this.
« Heads up ! » Nicky yelled and pointed straight up at a blinding
yellow point of light in the afternoon air. « Up there ! »
The Dragon didn't hesitate a moment. It aimed its head up and fired two
blinding white beams from its eyes. Half-way in the atmosphere, the two beams
met.
But the Sigma Ray was a bit more powerful. It steadily pushed the Dragon's
beam downward.
It's too powerful. I can't hold on for long.
« I think that'll be no problem. » Talinn said as on the
ground, a ring of blue-green energy became visible around the Dragon's
position. Whisps of Lifestream energy rose up and merged with the Dragon's
beam, giving it more power.
The surge pushed the Sigma Ray back towards the station.
XX
Sigma Station
« Sir ? I don't know how
to say this, sir. » the Cannon Operator reported.
« Say what ? » Sarge asked.
« Something's interfering with the beam. »
« Interfering ? » Sarge asked and went to the CO's console
to look over his shoulder. « What do you mean ? »
« It seems there is a force at work down there that's blocking the
Sigma Ray. And we're already at full power. »
Sarge took a closer look at the console screen. « Transfer this data to
the main screen. »
The CO did as he was told and put the data on the main screen. It seemed like
another energy beam was holding the Sigma Ray at bay and was actually pushing
it back. The station rumbled.
« Give the beam more power. » Sarge ordered.
« Sir ? »
« Just do it or we'll be destroyed ! »
« Aye sir. » Power was transferred from other secondary nonessential
systems to the active Sigma Ray. The beam intensified but it had no apparent
effect. The other beam closed in, shortening the Sigma Ray. A jolt ran through
the deck plates.
« Set deflectors to full power ! »
« Deflectors active. » an engineer reported.
« See you on the other side. » the CO said. The Celestial Dragon's
beam, combined with Lifestream energy reached the satellite dish-shaped barrel
of the Sigma Cannon. The explosion as enormous.
The first thing to go was the lower half of the elongated section of the station
in which the manual firing controls were located along with the optical links
to the cannon and the cannon energy manifolds. Then, the explosion reached around
itself and ripped the station apart.
Woods near Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Jennai had also seen the beam shoot up and hold the Sigma Ray back.
He swore when it reached the station and destroyed it. The rebels were winning.
He wondered about what to do next. Should he go out there and do as much damage
as he could ? Or should he lay low for a while and then strike ?
He decided to do the last. Lay low for a couple of days. Then, after a while,
he would determine what the best time would be to make his move. If he did the
first, he'd get killed before he even could begin to wreck havoc. Logically.
Laying low was the best thing to do. But the rebels would pay the price for
messing with his plans. He went back to his ship to get some rest.
Inside the Lifestream
Among the swirling blue-green energies, Duncan's wound was not
far from being totally regenerated. Two days had passed. The villagers had gone
back to their village. The people who had fled from Lakoya City were building
their own villages.
Assisting the Celestial Dragon in destroying Sigma Station had drained his strength.
To save what remained, he had retracted deep within himself. A sort of slumber
state. But he kept an eye open to see what was happening on the surface. Jennai
had gone back to his ship in which he had arrived with the ten soldiers they
had beaten. No doubt planning his next move.
The Celestial Dragon had disappeared in the woods, heading towards its habitat.
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Every villager helped to repair the damage done by the second Jennai
Wing's bombardment. Cabins were repaired, wounds were bandaged and life
went its way once again. The threat of Sigma Station and the that of the Jennai
Soldiers had been removed. They could live their lives again without constantly
looking up to see if there wasn't some destructive energy beam closing
in on them or being on stand-by in case a batallion of some twenty soldiers
were lying in the grass, ready to attack.
No, all that was gone. The only real threat was Jennai who had vanished.
Talinn was busy repairing the gap in Skywalker's coat and shirt when Nicky
showed up. Ringo was helping the others with repairs. The bombardment had done
some considerable damage.
« Hey Talinn. Whatcha doin' ? »
« Fixing Duncan's coat and shirt. »
« I can see that. Any idea when he'll be back ? »
« Uhh, actually not. Just have patience, Nicky. He'll show up. »
« Oh, okay. » Talinn could see that the kid was beginning to get worried.
She was worried herself, but she had seen his image. So he had to be okay. It
would be a matter of time.
« Nicky ! » the Chief said. « Just the lad I wanted to see. »
« Hi Chief. »
« So, I heard you solved the mystery of uniting the two statues. »
« Well, it was nothing. Really. » Nicky replied.
« Modest as well. Applause. » the Chief joked. « Seriously now,
because you helped to solve it, I want to give you this. »
The Chief gave Nicky a small knife.
« Now you can defend yourself like a real warrior. »
« Gee, thanks Chief. »
« Use it well. »
« I will. » Nicky replied as the Chief went to check on other villagers.
Talinn winked at him before continuing to fix Duncan's coat and shirt.
Woods near Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Sitting in the pilot seat of his ship, Jennai thought about his strategy.
Should he barge in and get trigger-happy ? Or do it more subtle :
sneak in and then hold them at gunpoint ? Or use the ship's guns to
wipe them away ?
He decided to do the second. Sneak in and then herd them together like cattle
and hold them at gunpoint. Then use that advantage to draw Skywalker out of
his hideout. That would do it. Yeah.
He got out of the pilot seat, went to the ship's weapons locker and took
the biggest laser rifle he could find. Then he walked to the hatch, opened it
and stepped out.
At some distance from Jennai's ship, a swirling
carpet of blue-green opened and Skywalker emerged, his wound fully healed. Though
his mind was partially a blank, he remembered what the cause was : helping
the people of Dyenso Village stop Jennai.
A bird landed next to him and looked up. He vaguely remembered something about
a little falcon. He searched his memory for any recollection. It came to him
bit by bit. All the time, the bird waited patiently. This was Shirrah, the falcon
of which he had treated the wing when he had arrived here. Right.
Next came the recollections of past battles, of his newfound friends, Dyenso
Village and its inhabitants and of course Lakoya City, which was destroyed by
Sigma Station. From his position within the swirling energies of the planet's
Lifestream, he had witnessed the Celestial Dragon's appearance. Nicky had
discovered how to unite the little statues.
But he wondered where his coat, shirt and Daïkatana were. The only things he
was wearing were his pants, boots and the piece of string with his wife's
ring.
« Well Shirrah, it seems our friends need my help once again. But
first »
He walked to a small pool and stared down at his reflection. The wound had indeed
closed up perfectly. Nothing was visible of the injury, one of the Lifestream's
many treats, if used correctly by someone who could.
A rustling in the bushes got his attention. He whirled around and scanned the
surrounding area from where the sound had originated. Someone was walking towards
the village as quietly as he could. No doubt doing a lousy job Duncan
mused as he followed the shadow, keeping enough distance between themselves
so he wouldn't get spotted. Shirrah followed high in the air.
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Jennai spied into the village through a slit in the wooden wall. The
villagers were unaware of his presence. He had run up to the wall when the guards
in the watchtowers shifted and hid in the bushes. Fools ! If you only
knew how close you are to dying he thought.
It was some kind of market day. Jennai watched as the villagers went about the
central plaza to see what their neighbors had in store for the other villagers.
Even the Chief and his daughter were there. Man, this'll be a breeze.
Skywalker has disappeared, they're practically asking for it. Jennai
rubbed his hands, took his laser rifle and crawled towards the twin wooden doors
that led into the village.
He stepped back and fired two shots at the watchtowers. Before the guards could
react, the towers collapsed. The guards jumped out right before the towers crashed
onto the ground with a lot of noise. Jennai stepped into the village, fired
a shot in the air and addressed the villagers.
« Nobody move ! I'm in charge now ! If anyone tries
to get to a weapon, he'll pay with his life ! » he yelled. Jennai
looked around his eyes came to rest on the guards who were still woozy
from the crash. He took their weapons, tossed them in a far corner and told
them to join the others. « Now, if you all would be so kind as to disarm
yourselves »
The villagers tossed their weapons onto a pile between themselves and Jennai.
Even Ringo, who internally was boiling with rage. He had an arm wrapped around
Talinn, keeping her close.
Duncan reached the village just as Jennai walked
in. The watchtowers were totally wrecked, the gates wide open. He inched his
way in and poked his head around the corner where the hinges of one of the double
doors had been.
From what he saw, Jennai was keeping them hostage. And he had one hell of a
laser rifle. But the advantage was that Jennai was alone. That would cost him.
He scanned the central plaza where they all sat together. All accounted for.
No, wait. That's not right he said to himself. Nicky ! Where's
Nicky ?
Nicky looked around the corner at Jennai who was
grinning. What to do next ? In his hand, he held the knife the Chief had
given him as a reward for solving the mystery of uniting the two statuettes.
He stepped back as Jennai turned his head in his general direction. Had he seen
him ? Nicky slowly looked around the corner again. No, he hadn't seen
him. What a relief. He left his position and ran as quietly as possible to another,
more inconspicuous location. A hideout from where Jennai wouldn't be likely
to spot him.
He ran in a wide arc around the plaza, using the houses and cabins as cover
and reached his new hideout. From there he had a better view of the situation.
And of the entrance, where he saw a familiar face assess the same situation.
Talinn and Ringo sat together on the hard ground.
Most of the villagers were terrified but Ringo, the Chief, Jeb and herself kept
their heads cool and didn't freak out.
« Why are you doing this ? » she asked. « You're losing
it, Jennai. Your army is gone, Lakoya City and your Sigma Station. »
All Jennai did was laugh. « No no, my dear. » he replied. « I
still have one trump card left. » Then his face hardened. « You people. To
lure Skywalker out of hiding so I can finish him off. »
« He'll finish you off when he gets here. » Jeb snapped.
« If he gets here. » Jennai corrected. « Perhaps
he has gotten the idea that your quest is pointless and you cannot win against
me. » He laughed.
Talinn looked around. No escape route. Jennai had them right where he wanted
them. She looked around once more and saw Nicky, trying to get her attention.
When he saw he had gotten her attention, he pointed at the front gates. She
turned her head and was surprised to see Duncan's face. She turned back
without attracting Jennai's suspicion and gave Nicky the thumbs-up signal
and a motion of her hand to stay put no matter what happened. Nicky nodded and
stayed hidden.
Talinn turned back to look at the entrance. Duncan had meanwhile seen that she
now knew he was here. He mouthed only a few words : Keep him busy.
I'm coming in'.
Talinn nodded, the plan ready to be executed.
XXI
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
Skywalker ran to the nearest cabin while Jennai
had his back turned towards him. It was getting chilly, evening was setting
in. But Duncan didn't feel it, because in the past, he had learned to withstand
the harsh cold of the North Pole.
He ran to another cabin. From there to another. The last he arrived at was Talinn's.
There, he found his coat and shirt. He went in and put them on.
Much better. Looks like Talinn is good with needle and thread too he
thought as he inspected her work. The gap the laser beam had made was gone.
Real good he corrected himself.
He went back to the door and peeked around the corner. Jennai was still keeping
an eye on his hostages. He looked around Talinn's cabin for his Daïkatana
but didn't find it. Where could it be ? No matter. He could defend
himself even if he was unarmed.
He crossed the area behind Jennai as silently as a ghost. Along the way, he
held his finger on his lips as a silent demand for not wanting to draw attention
onto him. He reached the other side and vanished behind a cabin just as Jennai
turned towards the path where Duncan just had passed him by.
Jennai frowned.
« Probably rats. » Jeb said.
« Shut up. » Jennai snapped.
Nicky was tired of having nothing to do and to
lay low. But what could he do. He was just a kid. Kids were meant to play in
the fields, not to wage a little guerilla war. But he and Skywalker were the
only wild cards in the deck. The only chance the others had left.
He crawled forward to look past the corner of the cabin he was hiding behind.
That's when he saw Jennai heading towards his location. Crap. What would
Duncan do ? he asked himself. Hide flashed through his mind.
He crawled back and searched frantically for a hiding place.
There was a small opening between the cabin and the wall that surrounded the
village. Nicky crawled towards it and hid just as Jennai passed. He looked around
the dimly lit space, saw nothing and moved on.
Only when Jennai had moved a few meters away did Nicky crawl out of the opening
and sighed silently. Close call. If he hadn't checked, Jennai would've
busted him, diminishing the villagers' chances.
Talinn turned to her father. He hadn't seen
Skywalker cross the space behind Jennai a moment ago. Well, it was time the
others knew.
« Duncan is here. » she said in a whisper. Her father was astounded.
« He's here ? Now ? »
His daughter nodded. « Yes he is. »
« He survived. »
« Yes. And Nicky isn't among the hostages. » Talinn pointed out.
« Now the boy knows what it feels to fight a real enemy instead of playing
war. »
« If it doesn't kill him. » Talinn protested.
« Yes. » her father acknowledged. « If. So what's
next ? »
« We keep Jennai busy. »
« What ? » her father asked bewildered. Talinn began to whistle
a local song. The others soon followed as the Chief passed the message about
Skywalker's presence. The message was relayed from one ear to another.
Within the next minute everyone knew, but kept it to themselves at the Chief's
request. If Jennai found out before Duncan decided to come out, the element
of surprise would be gone and Jennai would be on guard and searching for his
prey.
« Knock it off. » Jennai snapped. The whistling stopped. To be replaced
by humming.
« If anyone wants to die, let him speak now ! » Jennai snarled,
enraged.
Everyone shut up.
« Thought as much. » Jennai said.
Duncan peeked around the corner at the hostages.
Jennai was still walking around them, keeping them from doing anything but wonder
about what lay ahead of them.
The evening twilight deepened. He scanned the central plaza again. Someone else
wouldn't have noticed it but Skywalker's trained eye saw it. Something
moved at the rear of the plaza. He sneaked towards the place while using the
cabins as a shield.
He arrived at the place where he saw the movement a few minutes later. It was
Nicky. He sneaked up to him from behind, grabbed the boy and put his hand over
the kid's mouth to keep him from screaming.
« It's me. » he hissed. The boy stopped struggling. Duncan released
him.
« Good to see you. It's about time you showed up. »
« I came as fast as I could, okay. »
« So, are we gonna get even with Jennai ? » the boy asked.
« I'm going to get even with Jennai. » Duncan countered. « You
stay out of harm's way. »
The boy wanted to protest but kept his mouth shut as Duncan held up his hand,
indicating he didn't want to argue. Then, he saw the knife on the boy's
belt.
« Say, are you handy with that knife ? »
« I can throw it right in the bullseye from a few meters distance. »
Nicky replied proudly. « I practiced frequently with shards of metal. »
Duncan scratched his chin. A plan was beginning to form in the back of his mind.
The boy saw it.
« You're planning something aren't you ? »
« Yes, I am. » he confirmed. « Just working out some details. »
Nicky waited impatiently to know what that plan would be and if he would be
in it.
« Okay, » Skywalker finally said and picked up a small shard of metal.
« when I give the sign, you throw this piece of metal right into the circuitry
of Jennai's weapon. Then, you lay low while I confront Jennai. If
Jennai sees you, run like hell for the main gates. »
« Yeah, finally something to do. » the boy cheered.
« Ssshh, keep it down. »
« Sorry, just excited that I finally can do something. »
« Good. Hold on to it. We execute the plan tomorrow. »
They found themselves a place to sleep as night descended over the village.
The next day, most of the hostages were as bored
as ever. Jeb and Raoul were playing a game of heads or tails', while
the others wondered what their fate would be.
« Heads. » Jeb said as Raoul tossed the coin up.
« Tails. »
It landed between the two friends. But neither saw what the outcome was, for
Jennai vaporized the coin with only one shot from his laser rifle.
« I said, » Jennai raged. « knock it off. »
« Partycrasher. » Raoul muttered as Jennai was out of hearing range.
« I'll say. » Jeb amended. « Sore loser. »
« Keep quiet you two. » Talinn hissed. « You'll get us all
shot. »
« Great, just what we needed. » Raoul threw his hands up. « Another
partycrasher. »
« Talinn is right, guys. » the Chief said. « Pipe down. »
Raoul was cut off from saying something when Talinn spotted movement not far
from Jennai.
Nicky.
Nicky was seriously nervous. What if he missed.
What if he hit someone else instead of the gun he was aiming for ?
He told himself he was overreacting and should remain calm. Easier said than
done. The boy was shaking like a reed.
He looked around the corner at Jennai coming closer. A bit further he saw Skywalker,
assessing the situation. Nicky wondered how he could remain so calm, so
detached.
Jennai came closer. Duncan gave the signal.
Time for action.
Unaware of his presence, Jennai passed nicky's
spot by mere meters. He kept his eyes locked on the hostages so they couldn't
make a move against him. A victorious grin was locked on his features. But then
that grin changed into a display of amazement as an unseemingly small piece
of metal drilled itself into the firing circuitry of his laser rifle. The gun
shorted out in a spray of sparks. Jennai tossed it aside in a display of untamed
rage. Who did this ? Who was responsible for this ?
He looked around and saw a boy crouched near a corner of a nearby cabin.
« Why you little brat ! »
Nicky ran as fast as his legs allowed for the main gates while Duncan came out
of hiding and stepped into view behind Jennai.
« Hey Jennai ! » Skywalker called. « Why don't you
pick on someone of your own size ! »
Jennai froze. Skywalker ? Alive ? How could this be ?
He slowly turned, the boy forgotten. He stared at Duncan.
« What ? » the latter responded. « Lost your tongue ? »
« You've got some nerve. » Jennai raged. Duncan knew that his
adversary was on the brink of emotional overload and thus, extremely dangerous.
While being in such an enraged state, he could injure innocent bystanders. That's
why Duncan had ordered Nicky to run for the main gates. To lure him away from
the others so they wouldn't get hurt.
The two advanced on each other, ready for what was coming next. A fight to the
death.
Skywalker assumed a commonly used defense position taught to him by the Shaolins
who he had arrived at in his first travels. Jennai lunged out with his fist,
but Duncan blocked it and drove his own in Jennai's face. He stumbled back,
rubbing his bleeding nose.
« Ouch ! » he raged. Then he came at Duncan again. Skywalker
was ready for him. At least, that was what he thought.
Jennai dropped to the ground, grabbed a handful of sand and threw it in his
opponent's face. Duncan staggered back while trying to get the sand out
of his eyes. Jennai made use of this momentary lapse of defense and drove both
his fists in Skywalker's midsection, doubling him over.
Jennai continued to punch on his opponent, even when he was down.
Go for the vital areas if you're in a bad position Duncan remembered.
The sand cleared from his sight. He lunged out for Jennai's legs with a
well-aimed kick. Jennai fell to the ground, screaming as if possessed and cradled
his left knee. Duncan had hit him clear on the kneecap, which had sent a searing
jolt of pain through Jennai's nervous system.
Duncan got up and walked to the hostages.
« Everyone all right ? »
They all nodded.
Talinn shouted « Look out ! », but it was a bit too late.
Jennai grabbed Duncan from behind and tried to get him in an armlock.
What else followed, the villagers didn't see because a dust cloud enveloped
both combatants.
Then it evaporated, revealing Jennai going for a sword lying nearby.
Duncan had no way out. Sure, Talinn knew, he could defend himself unarmed. But
from an armed madman ?
Jennai grabbed the sword's handle.
Talinn saw Nicky slide his knife towards Duncan. The latter reached down and
picked it up.
« Revenge is mine ! » Jennai wailed as he turned, sword in hand.
But as Jennai turned towards him, ready to attack, Duncan threw the knife. It
hurtled through the air. Seconds seemed like minutes, stretching into infinity
as the knife sailed towards its destination.
Then, time seemed to snap back into place as the weapon drilled itself in Jennai's
chest, straight through his heart.
Jennai fell to his knees, a look of awe and defeat on his face.
« Ever heard of the phrase Life's a bitch and then you die' ? »
Duncan said as Jennai fell to the ground.
The Chief rushed over. « Straight through the heart. He's dead. »
« The result of years of training. » Duncan said flatly.
« I guess revenge isn't his. » Talinn said as she joined Skywalker
and her father.
« Sure as hell isn't. » he conceded. « Or we'd be in
a situation a lot worse than we just experienced. »
« But you have to admit, Jennai was a genius in a certain way. » Duncan
said. They all stared at him as if he just had gone crazy.
« Say what ? » Jeb asked. He had also heard it.
« Jennai was in a rare mental place. » Duncan explained. When he saw
the others gape at him with an nonunderstanding look, he added : « A
place where genius and madness go hand in hand. »
« What do you say we clean this mess up ? » the Chief suggested.
Nicky joined them.
« Nice throw. » Duncan complimented.
« I was nervous like hell. » the boy admitted.
« So was I. But you saw a way out and came to the rescue by sliding your
knife to me. »
The boy smiled, retrieved his knife and joined the others and went to work.
XXII
Dyenso Village, Neron Continent
With Jennai gone, the villagers could go about
their daily tasks and not wondering if he would strike again. Jennai's
body had been placed in his ship and was programmed to explode when it was at
200,000 kilometers from the planet. They all had followed the rising ship with
their eyes until it disappeared in the early light of dawn of the day that had
followed. Roland had aligned his telescope with the coordinates Duncan had given
him. After Jennai's ship had disappeared from view, he had seen Jennai's
ship explode in a fiery fireball at those coordinates. The only things left
were a handful of dispersing shards of debris and an expanding whisp of atmosphere,
immediately supercooled by the cold of interplanetary space.
« That's the end of Jennai. » Skywalker had said.
« No more pain in the butt. » Jeb had joked. Everyone had doubled
over, laughing.
But Duncan didn't share their optimism. There was still work to be done,
for the Sigma Ray had blasted a big hole in the ground where Lakoya City had
been. That station had been a bigger problem than the cannon at the top of the
city. This cannon had been more powerful than the Ki Ray Cannon. But that
wasn't something he needn't to worry about too. The Sigma Station
had been destroyed by a blast from the Celestial Dragon along with a powerful
burst of Lifestream energy. This had caused the station's cannon to short
out, caused by an overload in the firing controls in the elongated section.
And the rest was just following the laws of physics.
He went out of the village and headed to the former location of Lakoya City.
What he found was a big crater, still smoking from a residual static charge
that was still coarsing through the soil.
While he was eyeing the crater, the Dragon appeared next to him, towering over
him.
This is terrible the Dragon said.
« Yes, it is. » Duncan conceded. « But not lost. »
What do you mean ?
« Observe. » Duncan said. He sat down on the ground, cross-legged,
crossed his arms in front of his chest and closed his eyes. The ground began
to rumble. The Dragon turned its head to look at the crater which was closing
up. Among the sliding soil, whisps of blue-green were visible.
The Dragon turned its head back to a concentrating Skywalker, realizing that
this wasn't an ordinary human. This one was gifted by Mother Nature herself.
The Dragon turned back to the now almost closed crater. As it closed up, the
rumbling ceased. But Skywalker wasn't ready yet. He kept at it and soon
the balance of nature was restored. He opened his eyes an got up.
Remarkable the Dragon observed. Remarkable and scary at te same time.
« I know. » Duncan admitted. « Sometimes I even scare myself. »
I know the feeling. I sometimes get that kind of feeling too.
« Well, your habitat is back as it should be. »
And I thank you and the villagers for all the risks you took and dangers
you faced. To do such a thing has proven that you and the villagers have a great
heart.
The Dragon disappeared into the woods where at various places, other villages
began to appear. But Skywalker had warned them not to turn it into a city. All
had agreed. They all had seen what a city could bring along with itself.
Though he didn't show, inwardly Duncan Skywalker smiled.
He turned and went back to the village.
When he returned in the village, he ran into Ringo.
Ringo took him aside for a moment.
« Look, I ehh wanted to apologize for my behavior. I believe
I »
« Was jealous. » Duncan finished for him.
« Yeah, I guess so. I kinda got jealous when I saw you and Talinn whispering
together. I meant no offense. »
« None taken. I understand how you feel. It's a natural reaction. »
« If you say so. » Ringo said. « Man, you really scared the hell
out of me when you slashed my previous sword. »
« Hey, don't come saying I didn't warn you. »
« Yeah, so you did. But I was too caught up in my jealousy and well,
we all know the rest. »
« Yep. » Duncan changed the subject. « So when's the wedding ? »
Ringo was astounded. « How do you know about that ? »
Duncan tapped one ear. « People talk and I keep my ears open. »
« If I get my hands on the one who squealed Nah, forget it. It's
tomorrow. »
« Am I invited ? » Duncan asked.
« Of course. »
« Great. I wouldn't want to miss it. » Duncan replied. « By
the way, have you seen my Daïkatana ? »
« Uhh, I believe I saw it at the blacksmith. »
Duncan thanked Ringo and went to the blacksmith where he found his sword.
Now how in the world could I've not seen it ? It was standing here
in plain sight. Oh well, Jennai got what he deserved.
Evening set in as Duncan tucked the blade away and went to his cabin.
As the twilight deepened, Duncan Skywalker lay
on his back on the roof, staring up at the stars and the moon.
Talinn leapt up the roof. « Hey. Mind if I join you ? »
« Not at all. »
« What were you and Ringo talking about a few hours ago ? »
« He apologized to me. »
« He ? Ringo ? Apologize ? To you ? » she asked,
not believing him.
Duncan turned his head towards Talinn. « He did. »
« Now I've heard everything. »
« I heard your wedding is tomorrow. »
« Yeah, I know. I'm so nervous. »
« Don't be. » Duncan said while gazing up. « Once you start
the wedding the nervousness will fade away like that. » He snapped his
fingers.
Talinn didn't ask how he knew. She knew he had experienced it some years
ago when he married his late wife.
« I'll keep that in mind. » she said and looked up. « Nice
night. »
« Yeah. »
« Tell me something why do you always stare up at the stars at night ? »
He pointed up at the Gemini constellation. « See that constellation over
there ? That's Gemini. »
« Yeah, I see it. »
« The two brightest stars are our stars. The left one is Charlene's
the right one is mine. »
« Did you two »
« Yeah, we always looked up at our stars during clear nights. It gave us
the feeling we were connected. »
« And you honor her memory by still doing this ? »
« It's the only way for me to remember her. » He sighed and closed
his eyes. « Well, not the only one There are other ways. »
« Duncan ? »
He opened his eyes. « What ? »
« Will you come to my wedding tomorrow ? »
« Sure. Ringo invited me. »
« And I thought I had heard everything. » she said laughing. « Well,
I'm going to bed. To make sure I'm not half asleep when this entire
charade starts. »
At this, Duncan reacted vehemently. « It's not a charade. It's
a special occasion. »
She saw in his ice cold eyes that he meant it. « Okay okay, take it easy.
G'night. »
« Night. » he replied as Talinn leapt off the roof.
Three hours later, he went to sleep in his cabin.
The next day, Duncan stood beside the Chief. When
he saw Talinn and Ringo standing before the Chief who was performing the ceremony,
he saw himself and Charlene standing before the altar back in Oregonia. Both
of them were nervous like hell but as he had said to Talinn, it would fade when
the ceremony started.
When they were married, they were so happy. The two of the had built their house
single-handedly, with no link to Oregonia's power grid. Everything was
acquired through natural means. Power through a windmill and a cartwheel in
a nearby river. They grew their crops themselves.
But that was seven years ago. Now, all that remained of his life was chaos.
Ununtanglable chaos.
« If anyone objects to the union of these two people, let him speak now
or forever shut up. » the Chief said. He always had a way to turn serious
events into something more humorous. Just like he had done now. Everyone laughed
silently or tried to keep it to themselves. But it had the desired effect.
« No one ? » he asked. « Good. If someone would've
objected he wouldn't live to tell about it. »
That doubled everyone over. Except Skywalker. He merely smiled. Maybe Talinn
was right after all. Maybe the Chief was turning this into a charade.
« Well then. The rings, Nicky. »
The bot searched his pockets frantically. « Uh-oh. »
« Why don't I like the sound of that ? » the Chief asked.
Talinn and Ringo gave each other a look. Was this another of the Chief's
jokes ?
« What do you mean with uh-oh' ? » Duncan asked.
« I think no one asked me anything about two rings. »
« Great. » the Chief complained. « No wedding without rings. »
« Wait a minute. I'll be right back. » Duncan said and ran
out of the Chief's house.
The village incorporated a section of the mountains within its boundaries. It
was there Skywalker ran to. He dug his sword deep into the rockface and made
a hole. His guess had been correct. There was silver in these mountains. A large
chunk fell out of the hole. It was almost pure silver. He separated the chunk
into two pieces and called some Lifestream energy to the surface. He held the
two pieces into the energy and began to reform them into two rings. When it
was almost done, he reached into one of his pockets and took out two jade gemstones.
He placed them on top of the rings and cooled them off in a nearby stream. Then,
he ran back to the others.
« Sorry for the delay. »
« That's okay. » the Chief replied. « So, whatcha got ? »
Duncan showed them the two rings. Talinn's eyes widened.
« They're beautiful. How » She stopped as he held up his
hand.
« Sorry. Professional secret. »
The two loved ones put a ring on the other's ring finger to complete the
wedding ceremony. Then, the two of them kissed.
« Husband and wife. » the Chief sighed. « I'm gonna miss
my little girl. »
In a flashback, Skywalker saw himself and Charlene storm out of church after
the wedding, shielding themselves from the rain of rice that rained down.
« Yeah. » Duncan replied. « But don't worry. She'll
come back. »
« After the honeymoon, that is. »
« Right. » Duncan said as the two newlyweds stepped out into the open
air. « After the honeymoon. »
Duncan Skywalker stayed another two days in Dyenso
Village. But the tug of the distant horizon began to weave its magic once again.
So he began to pack his belongings.
« You're leaving ? » Talinn asked from just outside the
door.
« Unfortunately yes. » He turned to face her. « My job here is
done. »
« Your job' ? You see this as merely a job ? »
« We all have our ways of naming things. »
« Okay then. I'm gonna miss you. »
Duncan eyed the surroundings. « I'll miss ths place too. Deep within
the forest. Pure. No outside influences. No interference from modern technology
well, for a commset and a high energy weapon here and there I
guess that can't hurt. »
He gave her a smile.
« Where will you be heading ? » she asked.
« I don't know. I guess where Mother Nature wants me to go. But I'm
thinking about going back home. Perhaps one more adventure and then I'll
call it a day. »
« You ever heard of Balamb Garden on Balamb Island ? »
« No well, I vaguely heard about it. Rumor has it there are mercenaries
there. »
« There are. Some sort of mercenary unit called SeeD' or something. »
Talinn explained.
« Maybe I'll head for Balamb Island then. »
The Chief came in. « I heard you're going ? »
« That's right, Chief. » Duncan said as he finished packing.
« I'm heading out again. »
« As token of my appreciation, I want to give you these. » the Chief
gave him two daggers. They were about the same design as his sword.
« Chief, I can't accept that. »
« Please, I insist. »
« Okay then. » he said and took the two daggers and slid them into
the outside slits of his boots, one for each boot. « Hm, perfect fit. »
« I hope they will be of use to you. »
« They will, Chief. They will. »
When Skywalker headed out of the cabin, he ran into Nicky.
« Do you really have to go ? »
« I'm afraid so. » he replied while lowering himself on one knee
to speak with the boy at eye-level.
He saw the disappointed look in his eyes. « Hey, you know what ? »
« What ? »
« When these two are on their honeymoon, » he pointed to Talinn and
Ringo. « who do you think will be the next big guy in town ? »
« The Chief ? »
« No silly. You ! »
« Me ? »
« Yeah. You know how to take care of yourself and others. There are a whole
bunch of things I can come up with. »
« Yeah ! All right ! » the boy cheered.
« But I can't stay, Nicky. I have my own life. »
« Okay, I understand. »
« Hey, don't be so down. I'll never forget this place. And
the experiences and the friends. »
Skywalker got up and said goodbye to all the villagers. Then he turned and went
out of the village into the forest. He would be missed. But the people could
live their lives once again.
Shirrah followed his master on the remainder of his journey.
Epilogue
Woods of Neron Continent
Duncan Skywalker resumed his journey at the point
where he had diverted his course to Dyenso Villlage. The villagers would be
happy once again. No more Jennai or Lakoya City or Sigma Station to worry about.
With his help, they had defeated him once and for all.
He wondered about what Talinn had said about seeing this as a mere job. Had
this become a job ? Skywalker actually found no answer. Maybe it was a
job, but a temporary one. When he got home, he'd settle down and live the
remainder of his life there.
A shriek tore through his thoughts. He looked up to see Shirrah soar down and
land on his arm.
« And what about you ? Are you going to stay here or accompany me ? I'm
not forcing you to join me, you know. »
The bird blinked a few times, as if thinking.
« The choice is yours. »
Shirrah began to arrange his plumage.
« I take it you're coming along. »
Shirrah stared up at his master, looking deep into his eyes.
« Great, then I have someone to talk to. » he said and resumed his
journey. He looked back one more time at the villagers who were waving. He waved
back and disappeared through the bushes.
After a while, they came at a fork in the path. One went to a harbor town, the
other in a long trek back to Oregonia, back home.
« What path should we take ? » he asked. « The one to the
harbor town and check out this Balamb Island or take the other and go home ? »
Shirrah hopped onto the ground and took the path to the harbor town.
« That one ? Oh well, why not. »
He let his winged friend hop onto his arm and took the path that led to the
harbor town.
After a day and a half, he arrived at the town.
There, he got a boat and set course for Balamb Island.
Are those mercenaries, these SeeD', dangerous or have they benign
intentions ? And this Balamb Garden Talinn said it's a fine
piece of architecture, but I'll know it when I see it. I'd better
watch my back when dealing with those SeeDs'.
He gazed over the wide ocean.
One more adventure he thought. One more and then I'm going home.
That's what he'd do.
He permitted himself a smile as the small sailing ship ploughed through the
cerulean waves of the ocean and took them to their destination.
