Chapter Five:

Zancron's Council

"Askinqua? Back?" asked Elephande.

"I can verify it," said Altoda. "I saw him."

"What?"

"He was cloned, as was this Adept he 'raised' from the dead. Very complex, but they'll have all their memories before they were cloned intact."

"Well then, we do have our work cut out for us then," said Elephande. "Now where's General Falcane?"

Cain Falcane's POV:

I walked through the darkness shadowing the station, knowing that something, or someone unwanted was out there in that black void.


"You! Over there!" yelled an unfamiliar voice.

I turned and looked in the direction of the shout. Six men, all wearing swords, ran out of the darkness around me.

"In the name of the great Askinqua, who are you and what is your business here? This is our station now!" shouted the leader.

"Not on my watch it isn't," I replied. "Besides, my authority and loyalty goes to only one person."

"Who? I demand you tell me!"

"Your worst nightmare," I laughed as the shadow belonging to Elephande walked up silently behind him.

"He means me," growled Elephande.

The leader and his men turned and gasped at the Mark of Suliantig.

"Recognize it, I suppose?" Elephande laughed.

The leader laughed. "You are still alive? Askinqua has told us many times that you must be dead."

"Well, if I let you go," he started, "tell Askinqua that I am very much alive."

"Don't worry, he'll know." He started towards me at a run, and had struck me before I knew it.

Falcane fell to the ground as Richard and Mekae ran up to investigate the noises.

Richard's POV:

I saw Elephande throw one attacker over his shoulder, but the men kept coming. It looked like there were over three dozen in all.

Cain had gotten up and taken out his sword. He rushed at the leader, who started to duel him.

"Zambiandë!" I yelled, my cry ringing out into the night.

The attackers stopped to look in awe at the ten shadows appearing out of my sword.

"Bad idea!" yelled Elephande, taking his blades to the frozen warriors.

Ten other elephant-like shadows sped towards the warriors, causing them to scatter. That's where Mekae and I came in use.

Bolts of lightning shot out of my hands towards a dozen or so fleeing warriors, hitting and paralyzing most of them. The shadows then took care of them for me.

The carnage continued for another hour until only the leader was left, still fighting an exhausted General Falcane. Then he disappeared, much like we teleport. We all decided to present the attack to the council tomorrow.

"I can assure you that he will be relaying these happenings to Askinqua right away," said Cain the next day.

"I agree," said Richard. "We must work quickly now in order to have a greater chance of success."

"Well, continuing where we left off yesterday, there is someone who does have some information," said Elephande. The boy who had been late yesterday stood up. "Bill, is there anything of relevant interest that you have found out?"

Bill stood up. "In all reality, Askinqua's capitol of Haldiar is much like the city of Relenda in the fact that it is based mainly on the military. Every street is passable by assault vehicles as large as a MR-10 Mobile Fortress," he started.

"They can all hold an MR-10?" asked a skeptical General Pomeroy. "That's impossible. Those things are two hundred feet wide! No street here or anywhere else could hold that thing, except for major highways!"

"Well, I can assure you, I rode in one while I was there, and these roads are large enough," replied Bill.

"Might be to our advantage them if we decide to storm the city," said Caleb.

"We aren't going to storm the city!" said Elephande.

"I agree," said Cain. "We don't have the soldiers available to do so in their own city."

"And however many MR-10's they can bring out at Chilaquand, they would not be useful on the grassy terrain," added Altoda.

"Good point. Both armies will know Chilaquand well before coming into the battle," said Bill. "But we will have a superior advantage in terrain knowledge and manipulation.

"And by no means shall I give up the space battle," remarked Suisane-Patriarch-Suligan firmly.

"By the gods we won't, not with us up there!" agreed Cain.

"Well, I think I have come to a decision on a course of action," said Elephande. "Cain and I shall take our armies to the plains of Frotain to wait for Askinqua," he started.

Cain nodded his head in approval.

"General Sulit-Aladan, you shall lead your fleet in a blockade of the planet Aldiria, the main supply station for the Cladlen."

"I shall not fail you, my friend," replied Sulit-Aladan.

"And Bill, you will guide Richard and the Adepts on a covert mission into Haldiar."

"With pleasure," replied Bill.

Afrin spoke. "My friends, this is the greatest war any of us have seen. This will determine the fate of our societies. Richard, you will strike first at the city of Haldiar, as Sulit-Aladan and I draw most of their military away from the planet of Cladlenia."

"I still have two more I would like to add to our number. Kaiyt, Carter, can you two get in here?" Bill called into an intercom.

A girl and a boy, both about Bill's age, walked into the room.

"These to Adepts are my friends and colleagues in my operation. Kaiyt is a Mercury Adept from Imil, while," started Bill.

"Carter!" exclaimed Mekae. "I never knew you were here!"

"Save the introductions, my friends," said Elephande. "We start immediately! Morte toqune emite delqune Marto!"