13 - Technomage Politics 202 - Who Watches the Watchers?
Excerpt from Founding Chronicles, published 2282 by Gwynn
While the start of the Order of Galen is dated to a precise day, its foundations were laid well before and not by Galen. Truth be told, Galen always made it clear he never desired to lead anyone, anywhere, let alone start a new Order. By the mid 2260's, it was we, then the youngest technomages of the old Order of Wierden, who desired to be led by him. And no one more so than ...
2266 - A Call To Arms
Fed sat about the campfire between the rest of the Circle and Galen. Instead of joining the argument, he shoved his hands in the baggy pockets of the traditional black robes Miostro insisted they wear when Hera wasn't around to nope it. At the bottom of the deep pocket, his NougatNinja candy bar, a few old loose M&Ms and his pocket knife. Not finding his ball, he cursed himself for forgetting his favorite fidget toy.
Instead Fed had to amuse himself by looking about. Their shared electron incantation looked like Disney fun-engineers doubled-down to create the most cliched Stonehengey fantasy setting imaginable. Dark, bloated, overbearing. Miostro's work. Between the robes and landscape, all they needed were druids performing blood sacrifices to complete the ridiculousness. And if Galen was right, Earth would need far more than that to stop what was coming for it, the Drakh's Shadow Death Cloud.
Right now the Circle handled Galen like a dysfunctional alcoholic handled a bottle of gin. One day they couldn't stop drinking it. The next, they couldn't stand the sight of it. Fed sat witness the last step play out. Throw the gin bottle away.
Mmmhh. Gin. God, a gin cocktail would be perfect right now. He should have brought a flask of it.
Damnit. His attention had wandered. What he should've brought was adderall. Instead, he amped up the adrenaline in his blood, forcing a manic focus.
Fed listened to the argument between the other men of the Circle and Galen get hot. The bad kind. All in front of President Sheridan no less. He really should say something. He didn't. No point. All this was for show. The Circle already decided Galen's fate, a boot to the ass, before this fakey renfaire scene. The decision just needed to be formalized. Hell, Herazade and Celaene hadn't even bothered to attend. This virtual meeting proceeded with the two women in abstenia. Their homunculi sat eerily still by the fake campfire, recording the meeting if the women cared to watch, or interject, which they probably wouldn't. They'd bowed out with a message, we're busy. With what, they wouldn't say.
The argument began to wind down. Fed let the words flow over him.
Miostro said, "You shouldn't have brought him here. You're endangering all of us." Barely true. The danger of someone noticing Galen's moving (without the Circle's permission) their farseer probe or his accessing the systems of Sheridan's White Star was slight.
Tzakizak nodded. "I agree. It's foolish. Remember, Galen, we agreed to have no contact with outsiders." A half truth. Galen was forbidden to contact outsiders and he'd played along until now. Meanwhile, the Circle planned to send the JV squad to investigate the Drakh. Not bothering to inform Galen, of course.
When Galen spoke up, Fed paid closer attention. "And if our silence means the death of billions? You said I should explain myself to everyone involved. He's involved, whether he knows it or not." Fed wondered how Galen always had a good answer prepared.
They all looked at President Sheridan, who looked embarrassed, as if he overheard a married couple's private quarrel. Still the ISA President listened, attentively. Clearly intrigued if puzzled.
Tzakizak spoke again, "Galen this is premature." Fed hated it when Tzak tried to sound wise, and calm. Faker. "We can't make contact without proof."
Vibrating with indignant outrage, Galen cut him off, "But we can't get proof without contacting someone on the outside! This is insanity!"
Miostro answered him, "Perhaps it is. But these are insane times. And this one … is he the best you could do?" An accusing finger pointed at President Sheridan. One of the most powerful and well-connected people in the known galaxy. Miostro's answer was insane. Or a lame attempt at a joke. Probably that. Miostro knew exactly who Sheridan was.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Galen said, handling it with a grace Fed wished he had. "We all know what is at stake here if I'm right. Yes, we must protect ourselves, but in doing so we cannot turn our backs on those we have left behind."
Finally, Fed felt it - the embarrassment of being on the willfully acting stupid side of a debate.
"All right," Misotro agreed. "We will allow this one contact, no more. But if you compromise our hiding place, if we risk death because of your actions … understand that you will be the first to die."
The Circle pulled back from the electron incantation, like parents sulking after not winning an argument with their precocious child. As spectators, they witnessed- looking and listening in as Galen spoke further with President Sheridan. Promptly, Galen called the Circle afraid, and fools. To an outsider. With a pissy hand wave, Miostro threw lightning strikes. A gigantic one when Sheridan questioned where they were.
"This is going well," Fed joked.
Miostro glared at Fed from inside the hood of his robe.
While Tzak cracked his knuckles showing off his over muscled forearms when his billowous robe sleeves fell back. His chin jutted out of his hood. A predator's smile on his lips.
"Can we flay him yet?" Tzak asked. A rhetorical question Fed hoped. Until Tzak began to stroke the pistol he always carried in his pocket like a chronic masturbator. Fed scratched his beard. He really should have had a drink before the meeting.
"I formally move to be rid of him. Exile until we vote otherwise. Are we agreed?" Miostro asked.
Tzak nodded instantly. "It's about time. If he fights, I've prepared a few special rounds I believe will penetrate even his shadow shield." A partial cloak whisked away from Tzak. There appeared, strapped to his back, over his cloak, a sniper rifle, as tall as Tzak.
Alarmed, Fed cut him off, "Dial it back Tzak. I know Galen. He'll leave peacefully. And I agree. Galen needs to leave." Fed did not add aloud, for his own safety if nothing else. "I'll even get off my lazy ass to escort him out."
Folding his bare arms, Tzak went as rigid as a statue, seriously studying Fed. Miostro again nodded with approval. Even with the women absent, a binding majority vote.
Two runes suddenly etched themselves in front of the homunculi. Hera's personal rune, Progress, written in her blue lighting script and Celaene's rune, Dreams, in ghostly silver smoke. The woman silently approved remotely, making the vote unanimous. At least they weren't totally checked out.
"Tis agreed by all. And should Galen resist, you may do as you must Tzakizak. For the good of the Order!" Miostro formally announced the end, massaging his need to adhere to rigid rules.
There it was. Galen's exile. Fed hated this dysfunctional relationship between the Circle and Galen. It felt ugly, wrong, and especially stupid. They could do better together. Instead the same cycle repeated again and again. They brought the worst out in each other. Galen didn't want to play their political reindeer games. Or maybe he didn't know how. And while the Circle played the dependent user, Galen acted like a Circle of one. And when questioned about anything, he deliberately played jerk cards- bristled with arrogance, condescension, impatience. Barbed snide comments were his usual response to everything. While Galen could rightly claim the Circle started it, he did nothing to stop it. And now Fed witnessed the inevitable break, and each side would blame the other.
The Order faced so many problems. Christ on a half-shell. What to do about- Galen's exile? The Drakh? And the worst, how to make more technomages? Though Hera, and Celaene, insisted Mars would change that. While Tzak and Miostro thought the Drakh were their best bet there. Fed had no idea, and didn't take a side. It had split them. Until they decided to pursue both. Double the effort, same results. Ugh. Suddenly itchy, Fed scratched his beard with both hands.
He needed to focus on solutions.
With Galen ... he could and should slip him secret access to their network. So Galen wouldn't be blind in his exile. Bonus, he could track and spy on what Galen did.
With the Drakh… besides letting Galen hammer them, Fed had put together the Junior Varsity, JV, squad as only he called them. They would be tasked with the fun of collecting much needed supplies they were running low on in hiding. Trifle luxuries they couldn't produce like Quantium 40, chocolate, and condoms. And literal tons of other things. But more importantly they'd seek intel on the Drakh. Kane, Gwynn and Finian would be the Circle's eyes and ears on the Drakh, which sounded like the opposite of fun. Still Fed envied that they'd get to leave and be free. Lucky bastards.
At first the other Circle members rejected outright his proposal for the Drakh mission to be made of three initiate agents. He lost the vote four to one. But he refused to let it go. And re-proposed his idea. During their debate, the other men of the Circle relentlessly mocked and belittled him. The women simply watched. Hera even smiled sometimes, seeming to take perverse enjoyment at his floundering filibuster. In private, during breaks, he got her back, and became the relentless drip in her ear, until Hera had no choice but to give in or get mad. She gave in on the condition they trained relentlessly until they left. And where Herazade went, Celaene followed. Three to two. Fed still savored the look of shock on the men's faces when he won the second round of voting. A first in his political career. He wondered if it was a fluke or if he could pull that trick again.
Where was he? Oh ya, the next Order problem. Mars... Years ago, Hera insisted their future intersected Mars. When asked why? It was Celaene who answered, that she'd seen it in a dream. Ugh. Typical seerer crap. Tzak and Miostro blew it off.
Whatever was happening, he wasn't sure he cared. Okay, he really didn't care since nothing more had come of it. The only part Hera made him play was tedious hacking work. Per Hera's orders, she asked him to find new backdoors into Earth Force. Most of EF's networks weren't hard.
Except for their New Weapons Division. They were good, really good, so finding EF-NWD vulnerabilities went nowhere. Years of combing through the blackhat nets looking for hints, boring phishing schemes, and eye-bleedingly tedious bit-stream sharking. Nothing. Their systems technomage proof somehow, locked down tight. When he told Hera he needed to go and in person physically penetrate their system, to hack it from the inside, she refused, and ordered him to keep trying remotely.
When he asked her for more details about what to look for, again Celaene answered, I've seen it. It's best you don't know too much about Mars. Ugh. Cryptic and useless. Seers were the worst. How was not knowing something a good idea? Yet, not wanting to rock the boat, he took the easy way, and let it go. He did as he was asked.
Since then, they'd talked about sending agents to Mars only once. Miostro thought it pointless. Tzak joked they should all go, it'd be the perfect Circle field trip. Maybe that was why Hera kept putting off another debate, about who should be on the Mars Varsity team as he just dubbed it in his head. In private Hera made it clear to Fed, this time he wasn't getting his way. Even if she had to block his messages and lock her office to him. Still he planned to push for Aky to be on whatever Mars team formed. At least one technomage with a working moral compass had to go.
He scratched his beard harder. Why was it so itchy all of a sudden? Maybe he needed a trim. His stomach rumbled. Some candy would taste so good right now. He didn't dare break out a full NougatNinja, Miostro would yell at him, take it and incinerate it. But he might not notice if Fed snuck some M&Ms …
Damnit, his attention had wandered way off again. Where was he? Oh ya, Galen's exile made official.
Sheridan's image dissolved, as the connection severed. The electron incantation ended. The fantasy setting dissolved to the bare stone gray chamber. The homunculi did not react beyond standing up. Even though every part of him wanted to zone out, Fed scratched his bearded neck to force himself to pay attention. Galen stood in the middle of the Circle's chamber- alone, grave, resigned. The two older men of the Circle seethed. Galen embarrassed the Circle.
Galen directed his laser focus at the hooded spell created women. "It's unlike you to remain silent Herazade. Have you no opinion on this matter?" Galen let a long pause awkwardly stretch out. "Or perhaps you've finally figured out, tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt."
Wow. Fed couldn't believe Galen baited her. Good thing she wasn't really here, or she would have popped her cork. The whole lot of nothing drove Galen to act. Two strides and Galen yanked back their concealing hoods.
"Homunculi. I should have known." His severe gaze shifted to Fed. "Is the fate of billions of souls too trifling a matter for her or is she cowering under her bed?"
Great, now Galen baited him to explain her absence. Definitely should've had a couple drinks before the meeting.
"Silence!" Miostro's word echoed with the command voice. Fed's spine reflexively stiffened. While Galen just looked annoyed. "It's not your place to question us. We find you and your ways wanting. You are removed from your position as watcher. You will leave this place for the good of the Order. And not return unless called by us."
Galen snapped out his answer, "Have I been sent to bed without my supper? Or did you just exile me? Frankly, your words are so ridiculously put together, I can't tell."
Miostro let out a disbelieving gasp. Tzak threw off his hood, his face red with rage, he grabbed at his back. Galen brought up a hand. Three fingers out, ready to cast. The Circle's room hummed with energy as shields winked on.
Fed stepped in between them, arms up. "Hey... how about we end the who's got the biggest dick contest. Because from what I've spied, for sure I'd come in last place."
Everyone focused on Fed.
Miostro dropped his shield first and scoffed. "Really Federico? Such crudeness has no place in the Circle,"
Tzak eased up next, a surprised smirk directed at Fed. Tzak always did like a penis joke.
Finally, Galen dropped his shield and reverted to pure disapproving.
Since his joke did its job, Fed said, "I'll show him out."
Fed put out an arm toward Miostro. His cartwheeling gyroscopic rune for Fun spun with burning brightness above his open palm. Miostro chanted his rune for Harmony which sailed out of his mouth toward Fed. The women's runes, Progress and Dreams rose out their respective homunculi, following in quick succession. Finally, Tzak sketched his tri-runed sigil, A Good Offense, and flicked it toward the others. The glowing runes wrestled, then locked together in a frenzy to form a large iron key, that submerged, disappearing into Fed's hand.
With a determined look, Galen pivoted and left the Circle's chambers without a word.
His neck beard itched. Fed decided, tonight he'd trim his beard and, for sure, get drunk.
###
Floating along on a platform, Fed caught up with the seething Galen storming down the hall. "We gotta stop meeting like this." Fed joked.
In silence, Galen vibrated like a taut string as they made their way to his quarters. Inside the spartan stone walled room, Galen grabbed his staff and already packed duffle bag off the carefully made bed. He'd anticipated the Circle's reaction, Fed suddenly realized.
Mutely they left Galen's quarters and headed for the nearest airlock. To Fed the silence between them was like an anchor dragging on a swimmer. The idea of leaving things as they were ... it felt wrong. Perhaps if he could make Galen see the Circle from his perspective, the sense of dread that nibbled at the edges of him would go away.
Fed filled the oppressive silence with the first thing that came to him, "You know Galen, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."
With an appreciative snort and turn, Galen watched Fed as they proceeded down the curved gray stone corridors of the hiding place. "Did you just compare the members of the Circle to flies?" Fed's chuckle was his sole answer. Galen continued, "Mind you, I wholeheartedly agree."
Fed laughed out loud, wanting to connect with Galen, before he confronted him in his own way. "Why didn't you just ask me for permission to move the farseer? I'd made sure you got it. Instead you … why come at us like that, all swinging a bat?"
Galen stiffened, slowing his pace. The anger slipped from his face. "I did and said what I must to force the Circle to act."
Ah, Galen tried to manipulate them. How very technomagey. And it didn't work. Then again, his exile freed him to work the problem without the Circle looking over his shoulder. Maybe that was Galen's goal. Or maybe it was just straight up frustration on Galen's part. That seemed just as likely.
Fed swallowed his nervousness and kept at Galen. "I think it's easier to sit in the peanut gallery, and throw insults at the stage."
A searching gaze swept Fed up and down. Galen smiled with a corner of lip but not with his eyes. "Yes. And since the Circle will not act. As you see I've descended to take the stage. Alone. Once again."
Damn, he was good. Somehow Galen always knew what to say to get the last witty word. At the airlock, Fed stepped off his platform, swiped the console with a finger, and sent the Circle's key daemon into it. As the chamber cycled out the air, and flashed warnings, the two of them snapped on shields. When the doors opened to hard vacuum and absolute dark, Fed weaved a string of Christmas lights to dance under his reformed platform. The lights gently lit the metal boardwalk that would take them across the dusty surface to the hibernating technomage ships.
Galen sighed, over-loud, with a pointed look at Fed. "And my performance will suffer since the Circle has chosen to blind me deliberately."
"I got you covered there." Fed held out his hand. A snarling imp, complete with horns, tail, leathery skin, in a tiny red tuxedo jumped toward Galen. With a wave of his staff Galen absorbed the thing into himself.
Galen's eyes lit up to pleased.
Fed added, "It's one of my less privileged accounts. No more moving farseers for you but you'll be able to access and watch everything again." Well almost everything, Fed did not add out loud.
"What is the passphrase?"
Fed sent him the unlocking phrase. /From Aladdin to the Brooding Prince of Asses/
A flash of surprise across Galen's face morphed quickly to a frown. "Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. Still, accept my thanks. Who will take my place as watcher?"
"Dirk," Fed grimaced as he answered. Galen exhaled in disbelief. Fed went on, "He's not that bad. He's …" Fed waved his hand around trying to come up with a good adjective for the stupidest ass kisser in the Order.
Galen offered, "Dull-witted in his perfect loyalty. I would have chosen ... Ak-Shana, or Kane or … even Gwynn. They've shown basic competence."
"Wow. Basic. Competence. High praise Galen. What about Fin?"
"Absolutely not. Finian's absurd. Never commits beyond knowing the latest Centauri curses, and gossip."
Fed had to smile at Galen's answer. That was exactly why Fed chose Fin for the JV squad- his perfect Centauri fluency, thanks to having Chiatto, a Centauri technomage for his old master. Even if Galen didn't know about the JV squad, Galen's opinions made him feel good about his choices.
Before long they moved between technomage pinnaces parked neatly in rows under camouflaging illusions. At the far end, Galen's ship. Actually, not his, since Galen's original ship was destroyed on Z'ha'dum. Rather this was Elric's old ship Fed reminded himself. Fed reached out with both hands to disengage the restraining wards around the antique ship. He dismissed them, allowing the ship to come to life.
"After you came back last time, I restocked her and had the Grimlis do a once over on Elric's old bucket." Fed rapped his shielded knuckle on the smooth black ship skin.
A curtain of melancholy covered Galen. Instantly, Fed regretted mentioning Galen's dead master. Quickly, Galen's stern mask settled back in place before Galen said, "And they, no doubt, wanted to rip it apart and rebuild it. But you didn't let them. Guessing I wanted to keep it as Elric had left it. Thank you again."
Fed shook his head in disbelief. Galen had guessed it all in one go. "How did you know that?" Fed asked. It made him feel something too deeply... sadness. This might be the last time they'd be together like this.
Galen didn't answer. Instead he looked past Fed into the blackness of space.
So Fed gave up and said. "Now I know for sure you should've joined the Circle instead of me," said Fed, not being able to help but make light of the whole thing.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Galen quietly said, "I don't wish that honor on anyone."
Fed grinned, relieved that Galen still wanted to talk. Deciding to go for broke, Fed said, "That's really funny Galen cause I get the feeling you want all the privileges of being on the Circle, but none of the pains in the ass. The endless meetings, personality clashes, petty dramas, navigating moral compromises-," Fed fumbled suddenly realizing he said too much, " ... and stuff."
Galen raised an eyebrow at the oversharing. "Well done Federico. Morally compromised is how I'd describe the Circle. I'm relieved at least one of you will admit to that."
Fed jammed his hands in his pockets pissed at himself for yammering, and blurting out too much. "I prefer the term realistic. And it's best to tend your own garden before you start pulling anyone else's weeds." Reflexively, Fed parroted the defense Hera threw around to justify her, and Circle's inward focus. Fed agreed with her and added his spin. "We're not Gods Galen."
With a dramatic arm sweep, Galen's voice grew sure. "We're the next best thing. And so the burden is on us to put our thumb on the scales to try to fix the Universe's most egregious horrors."
Fed had never considered that. Once Galen pointed it out, Fed wondered why he'd never seen that before. With a shrug, Fed said, "Maybe. What are you going to do?"
Galen looked pained. "Whatever I can to find and destroy their Shadow death clouds."
"Alone?" Fed asked.
"For now," Galen answered mildly.
As they waited in silence for Galen's ship to power up, Galen, casually, asked, "You never answered me, do you think Herazade's absence is due to her indifference or negligence?"
Fed's mind blanked. With the loss of concentration Fed's platform dissolved to nothing. Catching himself, he hopped neatly to the walkway to cover nearly falling on his face. How the hell was he supposed to answer for Hera? Christ's cracker, he had no idea. It did look like neglect or she didn't care. And now he wondered if Galen's relative chattiness had been Galen manipulating him to get an answer to that one question.
Almost desperate, Fed felt a need to show his loyalty to Hera. "Or … maybe none of the above," Fed carefully answered.
Galen regarded him with steely calculation. "That is not an answer."
"Umm…," Mentally, Fed locked down his reactions, and emotions, to hide the coming lie. He said the first plausible excuse, "She's not a fan of yours." That wasn't exactly a lie, more a truth in the greater scheme of things. Considering Galen's grunt of disgust, he brought the lie.
As the ramp in to his ship unfurled, Galen remained paused on severe disappointment. Maybe to think or for dramatic effect, Fed couldn't tell.
When Galen spoke it was a lecture. "Perhaps you will listen. Consider this... our Code is simple to recite- Solidarity, Secret, Mystery, Magic, Science, Knowledge, Good. Yet, its application is not. I posit the first six must bend to the last, Good . How to do good is-"
Fed cut him off. "Ya, we all heard the same lectures growing up Galen."
With an annoyed exhale at having been interrupted, Galen resumed his lecture with a sterner, louder voice, "Then consider ... Who watches the watchers? And why bother at all?" Galen asked the questions of Fed almost jovially. "On every power there must be a check and balance. I see this and act out my part. I suspect you see it. But you do not act. You must see and act Federico." Galen's jovial air evaporated, to pure, disappointed stern, "Get off your lazy ass and act!"
Feeling about a millimeter tall, Fed shrank away, having no idea what Galen was going on about. Watch the watchers? Check and balance on power? And … how to do good? Okay there he had a clue. His street-wise side sneered at that. The path to hell was paved with good intentions.
More than ever, Fed stood dwarfed by his biggest problem- he had no idea what he was doing. Most of the time, like now, he felt useless or worse, led around by the nose, usually by Hera but now by Galen's challenging stares.
All the swirling thoughts made him feel like throwing up. The weight of expectations landed on Fed as if Galen lifted his ship and slammed it down on him. Fed wished he could walk away, forget, or hand it to someone else. But there was no escape from that suffocating stare of Galen's.
Despite his ship being ready, Galen wouldn't leave until Fed said or committed to … something. About watchers, whatever … suddenly an answer to what Galen meant. The Circle were the watchers. Its members powers. Galen had watched them. Maybe Galen meant for him to watch next. To be the check and balance on their, and especially Hera's, power. Being the weakest on the Circle himself, Fed wasn't sure how to start. Hum. He'd have to work that problem.
Fed swallowed the boulder-sized lump in his throat, forced a smile, and said, "I'll try to put my thumb on the universe's scales. Take care brother."
That satisfied Galen. One sure nod, and Galen swept up the ramp without even a goodbye.
Unsure how to act, Fed absentmindedly directed Galen's ship as it weaved its way through the perimeter wards, and barriers. The layered kill zones. Out past the disguising cloaks that kept the hiding place concealed. Galen had left him clueless.
As he worked the puzzle Galen left, Tzakizak landed next to him cradling his rifle, with muzzle pointed at the dusty gray surface. Figured that Tzak had secretly followed.
Tzakizak landed close until their shields crackled against each other. A weariness filled Fed. He slipped a hand in his pocket to instinctively fondle the release button of his pocket knife. Allowing his shield to merge with Tzak's until they were one big ovoid, they shared air to converse. Fed stepped in close, less than arm's length, so if Tzak meant violence, his rifle (guns really, since Tzak never only had one) would be useless. They'd grapple. With his quickness, he'd win, he hoped. All the guns in the galaxy wouldn't save you from bleeding out from a slashed throat.
"You gave him a program. What was it?" Tzak demanded.
Fed ignored the question, and jerked at the man's rifle. "You know Hera doesn't like you open carrying."
By the amused, pitying look Tzak gave him, Fed might as well have admitted he secretly wore no underwear today because he hadn't done his laundry in a month.
Tzak said, "Who do you think told me to make our intentions clear." He swung the rifle away, and strapped it to his back.
Fed's couldn't hide his reaction. His knife released, and forgotten. From open mouthed shocked, to a confused frown. Damn. He should have guessed that. When it came to violence Hera ran absolute cold or too hot. Never in between. She loathed violence. Ideally. In practice, not so much. When pushed she dialed from 0 to 11. Every time before, he'd agreed with her call, more or less. Now looking at Tzak's rifle, doubt creeped. Even if Galen was a total dick-asaur, he had a point.
This was it. He'd act, fulfill his promise to Galen by confronting Hera. And she'd kept her plans for Mars vague. No real details despite always insisting their best lead in their search for making their Shadow tech was on Mars. As far as he knew nothing big had come up. They'd been at it for… it felt like forever. He counted. Since after Z'ha'dum, shit, 5 years-ish.
Tzak shook his head in wary amusement. "You poor trusting fool. This is the last time I ask nicely. What did you give Galen?"
With a wink Fed lied, "It's boring, lonely out in the black. So, my favorite sexy match-3 game. Race ya back, Tzak."
Crouching down he formed another platform, and sped back at hard acceleration, leaving Tzak in the fine black gritty dust of their self imposed prison.