Ambrosia Software Web Board: Cythera Chronicles: New Horizons - part I - Ambrosia Software Web Board

Book 2 of the Ronin Saga

Revolutions

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

I was never cut out to be a farmer.

It’s not that I’m ashamed of my forebears; my father and his father, and his father before him worked hard to secure their place in the world. My great grandfather was one of the first settlers on Irené, and overcame almost insurmountable odds to create the place that we’ve called ‘home’ for four generations. My grandfather and father were content to follow in his footsteps, expanding when they could, holding their own when they had to; but overall, they did well.

As a boy, I worked alongside my father; but I was always wondering what was over the next hill, or in the next town, or what the next world was like. My parents could never understand; they thought I should have been content to work the land, as they were, but it wasn’t for me - I had too much curiosity!

Last month, when I came of age, I applied to join the Colonial Marines. To my surprise, I was accepted into the Officer Training School! My parents were very upset when I told them, and tried very hard to dissuade me; but I had to follow my own path.

The farewell at the spaceport was very emotional, and I almost changed my mind. But I’m sure I did the right thing - I’m not sure I have what it takes, but I have to try.

- from the journal of Lucas Hart

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Flynn paced idly through the streets of Maayti, his feet carrying him wherever his attention wandered. The thing about this land that most frustrated Flynn and the others was that there seemed to be so little for them to do. The people here lived in peace, and had no need of warriors for protection; they shared things readily with others, so trade was virtually non-existent - much to the chagrin of Boralis. Sickness was almost unheard of, making even Leandra’s skills obsolete.

In the months that had passed since their arrival in this strange land, he and his friends had become used to the blue-pigmented skin of their new Seldane friends. Most of the Seldane that they’d met treated them as curiosities; a few had gotten to know them well enough to be called friends.

The Seldane weren’t the strangest things they’d seen in this new land. There were the Undine, beings whose appearances were strangely fluid in nature, changing from one moment to the next; the Ignae, creatures of fire that they couldn’t begin to approach for fear of burning. Then there were the mysterious Sylph, whose very presence in the air around them went unnoticed, unless the particular Sylph in question chose to reveal itself as a swirling sphere of air currents. Representatives of each race had come to inspect the new arrivals, and for the most part seemed unable to decide what to make of them. Nevertheless a few remained, always seeming to be on hand, as if they were waiting for something to be revealed about the humans. What that might be, Flynn couldn’t even begin to guess.

"Flynn, Flynn!" Flynn turned at the sound of a child’s voice calling him, and the sound of feet running up from behind. Not long ago such an occurrence would have set his nerves on edge and brought a sword to his hand, almost before he’d recognized the sound of his own name; but the unthreatening nature of this place was beginning to dull his reflexes. Besides, he’d taken to venturing out both unarmed and unarmored.

"Hello Sabinate," he said, turning and recognizing the young Seldane boy whose family had been the first to take the humans in. "What’s the hurry?"

"Mother sent me to find you, to ask if you and the others would like to join us for dinner."

One of the first obstacles that the humans had faced here was the simple fact that nobody spoke the local language. The various races seemed to cope well enough, all speaking the same language or a variant dialect of it, but the humans were completely out of their depth. One of the Seldane, a particularly ancient individual, remembered an old spell that had solved the problem instantly by planting the knowledge directly into their minds. Questions about what had occasioned the spell to be created went unanswered, and formed just one more mystery about this very mysterious place.

"Very well, lad. Convey our thanks to Serrana, and tell her we’ll be along just as soon as I find the others." Sabinate grinned, and hurried off.

Flynn sighed deeply. He’d always thought of himself as a man of peace, compelled to bear arms by the necessity of the times. He hated to admit it, but the tranquillity was starting to make him feel restless.

---------

Flynn found the others at the house the Seldane had given them, sensing that the humans would prefer to stay together rather than be separated among the families - who, to be fair, would have been more than willing to take them in. Kwon and Leandra had been sitting outside enjoying the sun. Sasha, Trinias and Wolmark had been playing a game with some cards the inventive Wolmark had improvised. Boralis was lying on one of the beds, with his face to the wall.

Trinias grimaced when Flynn relayed the invitation, then sighed. "Oh well, another night of vegetarian dining won’t hurt, I suppose."

The Seldane had been quite shocked the first time the humans had gone hunting; the idea of eating the flesh of an animal was quite foreign to them. However, they’d recognized that the needs of such a different race would be just as different, and made allowances. Only Kwon Chen was completely at home with the typical fare that graced the Seldane equivalent of a dining table.

"Come on Trinias, you know you love being pampered by Serrana," Sasha teased.

Trinias grinned at the good-natured banter. "Well, if only a few of the rest of you would learn how to cook, instead of always leaving it to Leandra and me..."

"What about you, Boralis?" Flynn queried. "Will you join us, tonight?"

Boralis turned his head to glare at Flynn, grunted, and turned back to the wall. Flynn wished he could say he’d been surprised, but of late, this had become the normal behavior for their one-time employer.

Flynn shook his head, then hurried to catch up to the others. The sight of even the usually dour Sasha joking and laughing with the others was testament to the almost utopian atmosphere of the island they now found themselves on.

---------

Boralis sat up and scowled at the now closed door. It irked him that Flynn addressed him with such familiarity. He’d never quite accepted the idea that they were stranded here. All the goods, all the wealth that he’d striven for much of his life to amass - no, it was unacceptable, there had to be a way to return home. And when they did, he’d soon teach that upstart to treat him with the proper respect!

In the meantime, there had to be a way to profit from the situation. If only those foolish warriors had sense they’d have realized that, with their skills, they could easily conquer this whole country, and live like kings! Those pacifistic Seldane would never dare to oppose them.

"That’s right you fools, cavort and play all you want. I’ll keep looking for opportunities to make a killing!"

A great distance away, two strange beings occupied a small chamber. One was magically manipulating a glowing blue crystal sphere. An image hovered in midair, projected from the far-sight sphere, showing a view of Boralis in the human's residence.

"This one is intriguing, Akhalin. We might find him to be of use to us."

"Indeed, Lord. What is your desire?"

"Go to him. Befriend him. Foment dissent between him and his companions, and also the Seldane. As you see the opportunity, steer him towards allying himself with us. You are my most trusted aid, Akhalin - you are eminently well equipped to deal with this task."

"As you will, my Lord. I will depart immediately."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Well, here I am at OTS. It’s not as bad as I feared - in fact, some of it’s pretty interesting. I really enjoy the history classes, even if they are focusing on battles. Back on Irené, the teachers seemed to think there was no point learning about the history of other worlds, as if Irené was the center of the universe! I know better, now. I must admit, I find it a bit exciting - learning about the Harmony Insurrection, or the Battle of Amacor, or any of the other military actions they’ve talked about; the instructors have a way of making you feel like you’re really there! The Tactics & Strategy course uses sims of many of the same battles, so there’s a really close tie in.

I don’t enjoy the physical training so much, but I’m sure I’ll benefit from it. I already outdo most of the others, probably because I always worked hard on the farm. Hand-to-hand Combat is another story. I feel so useless at it, I can’t seem to do anything right; Instructor Wang is always yelling at me, making me do things over and over again. I got so frustrated after one class, that I started smashing my locker to pieces. One of the senior students took me aside and told me that Wang only pushes the students he thinks show some potential, but I don’t know if it’s true.

We start weapons training next week; maybe once I've been issued with my phasor rifle I’ll have a way to work out my frustrations.

- from the journal of Lucas Hart

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

After yet another day spent wandering aimlessly about the streets of Maayti, Flynn found himself standing motionless on the outskirts, staring out at the surrounding jungle. He was bored - and it was driving him crazy.

"I need a hobby," he thought to himself. But what could he do? Nothing he’d ever studied before was of any use here, but there had to be something that could keep him occupied!

Perhaps it was fortuitous timing, or perhaps fate; but at that moment, Flynn saw something that he might, in fact, have witnessed several times before without being aware of it. Not too far away, a Seldane - Urdahlan, Serrana's husband - placed a ruby on the ground in front of an Ignae. Power visibly passed from the Ignae into the ruby, then Urdahlan picked it up again.

Curious, Flynn approached the strange pair. "What’s the ruby for?" he enquired, after exchanging greetings.

"For cooking," Urdahlan replied. "It’s a fire-starter. We place it among kindling, then allow the power of the Ignae to be released through it. In such small ways, all the elementals co-operate with each other."

"Elementals?"

"Yes. Each of the four races is of one element. The Ignae, I’m sure you can guess, are of fire. We, the Seldane, are of the earth. The Undine -"

"Are of water," Flynn completed, a look of dawning comprehension in his eyes. "And the Sylph, air." He thought for a moment, then addressed the Ignae. "Could you please show me that again?"

The Ignae exchanged a glance with the Seldane. "Was that excitement?" Flynn asked himself silently; but the Ignae were such a different race, he couldn’t be certain he wasn’t ascribing emotions to it that it didn’t possess.

"As you wish," the fiery being replied. "I will require another ruby."

"I have some more here," Urdahlan replied, pulling a small handful of the red gems, in various small sizes, from a pocket. "You’re welcome to these, they’re common enough."

Flynn accepted the stones, nodding appreciatively. They might be common here, but back home they’d be worth a small fortune. Choosing a decent sized stone, he laid it on the ground before the Ignae, who obligingly repeated the empowering process.

"How do you do it?" Flynn asked.

"I take some of the power of the element of fire that flows through me, and will it into the stone. I cannot explain it more clearly than that. Once activated, the stone will act as a channel to the power whenever desired."

Flynn took out another ruby. "Once more, please?" The Ignae complied. Flynn gingerly reached out a finger to the stones, finding them cool to the touch. "And the power is released the same way?"

"That is correct," Urdahlan replied.

"Thank you for the demonstration." Flynn nodded to them both and returned to the city, staring all the while at the empowered gems in his hand.

--------

The thing that had captured Flynn’s attention wasn’t so much the enchantment of the gem, as the fact that a part of him had actually felt the power flow. He was intrigued, and wanted to see if he could do it himself.

It took Flynn several months of trying, but at last he thought he was beginning to understand how it worked. Since that session with the Ignae, he’d spent several hours each day trying to channel the power of fire into a ruby. He was sitting on the ground outside their house, with a ruby on the ground in front of him; with this most recent attempt, he was almost certain he’d managed to channel a tiny amount of power. It would take a lot of practice to attain a level where the results would be obvious.

"Hey, I felt that!" Leandra, who'd been surreptitiously observing him, exclaimed. "What did you do?"

Flynn glanced up in surprise. He’d been so engrossed in what he was doing, that he hadn’t realized she was watching. He explained what he’d seen the Ignae do, and his hope that he could duplicate it.

"Show me!" Leandra demanded.

"I can’t," Flynn replied, "not yet. That last effort has worn me out. I’ll probably try again tomorrow, if you want to watch."

Leandra nodded, staring fixedly at the ruby, her curiosity piqued. Flynn leaned back against the wall, and was soon sound asleep.

--------

Over the next few months, Flynn’s mastery over the power of fire grew, as did the amount of power he could channel without exhausting himself. The others had all joined in by this stage, with varying degrees of success - even Boralis, although he seemed more interested in the resultant objects of power produced by their attempts, than in the power itself. When they'd approached the other races to learn about their abilities, the elementals had been only too happy to demonstrate; and from demonstration to mastery, it was only a matter of time.

Time was something they had in abundance. Nothing had disturbed the tranquil world in which they found themselves; there was no indication that anything ever would. Yet deep down Flynn felt a growing sense of immanence, as if a great change was about to come upon them. He shrugged it off, ascribing it to a longing for action that belonged to times now past.

On this particular day Flynn, Trinias, and Sasha were out hunting to replenish their dwindling supplies of meat. They were on the trail of a herd of the strange six-legged, one-horned beasts that they’d discovered made such good eating, when they found their path blocked by an unusually dense wall of jungle. Sasha swung her sword at it experimentally, but made little impression.

"I guess we go around," she sighed.

"Perhaps not," Flynn replied, an idea having just occurred to him. He drew his sword and laid it flat on the ground; he then pulled out one of his practice rubies, an unusually large one, and laid that in the center of the blade. Sitting down cross-legged, he stared at the gem. After a few moments, it seemed to melt, flowing like water - yet clinging to the blade, until its entire length was encased in a ruby sheath. Flynn picked up the sword by the hilt, checking to be sure that both sides were completely covered. Satisfied, he began to channel the power of the Ignae. The sword began to glow red.

He tried the sword on the jungle that blocked their path, seeing vines and shoots shrivel and fall back from the heat of the blade.

"Impressive!" Sasha exclaimed. "How did you get it to coat the blade?"

"The power of earth; you can use it to manipulate any solid substance."

"Perhaps I’ll give it a try, later."

"Hey," Trinias interjected. "If we don’t get moving, we might lose the trail!"

Flynn grinned, and began swinging at the vegetation.

--------

Wolmark had had an idea. He couldn’t really say what had sparked it off - but then, he seldom could with any of his ideas. As was so often the case, the general overview of the plan suddenly presented itself to his conscious mind, full and complete. All that was left was to fill in the details.

The Seldane had set him aside an area in their great hall, a structure built deep within and beneath the nearby hill, which Wolmark was now using as a workshop. He’d buried himself in his work for several weeks, surfacing only when he remembered that he was hungry. His friends weren’t too concerned about his strange behavior; they’d seen it all before.

The first difficulty he’d had to overcome was a lack of tools. The Seldane had little use for such things, relying instead on their native abilities to shape whatever structure they desired. The Sylph and Ignae had no need of buildings; and nobody had any idea how the Undine lived, in their cities beneath the sea.

The few tools he found he needed were easy to form, with his newfound elemental abilities; in fact, he found that many of the components he required he could easily form without any tools at all.

One morning, after several weeks, Trinias poked his head around the edge of the open door. "Hi Wolmark, how’s it going?"

Wolmark glanced up absently. "Oh, hello Trinias. Come on in."

Trinias made his way slowly into the crowded room, being very careful not to disturb anything. His attention was drawn to a series of large rings leaning against one wall. They were made of wood and were stacked in order of size, with the smallest rings at each end and the largest in the middle. In height, the largest pair were well over 4 meters in diameter. Nearby stood a large wicker basket with a strongly reinforced floor and sides; a large mass of silk was piled roughly just next to that. A strange device that Trinias couldn’t even begin to comprehend rested on the workbench.

"What’s that, Wolmark?" he queried.

"That’s the prototype of the compressor, the heart of the whole system. Without that, the zeppelin would be uncontrollable."

"A zeppelin? That’s what you’re making?"

"That’s right."

Trinias nodded thoughtfully. "Um, Wolmark - what’s a ‘zeppelin’?"

--------

Sasha thought hard for several days about the way Flynn had enhanced his sword. She liked the idea of enchanting her weapon, but wanted to make it something different to Flynn’s. The question was, what?

Since there was a power of fire, it seemed reasonable to assume that there was a power of ice; yet the Seldane had assured them that no such ice elemental existed.

It was the ever-logical Wolmark that had solved the conundrum. Realizing that perceived temperature was governed by the direction of flow of thermal energy, he reasoned that ice, like fire, fell within the province of the Ignae. When he suggested this to them, the Ignae were most surprised - and even more surprised, after a few experiments, to discover that he was right! However, they saw little use for the ability, except as the Ignae equivalent of a party trick.

For the most part, the humans had to agree. They’d found little use for it; but now, Sasha thought it might be just the thing.

Taking a sapphire from their supply of gemstones, she imitated Flynn’s earlier example. In a few short minutes, her sword was glowing a radiant blue. Brushing the blade against some leaves, she was gratified to see them blacken and shrivel.

"Fire and Ice! Let them come at us now, and we’d show them a thing or two!" Sasha caught herself guiltily. War didn’t exist here, yet she couldn't stop thinking like a soldier; she’d trained herself too hard and too well.

"Why can’t I just accept the peacefulness?" she sighed, and shrugged her shoulders. "Mother always used to say ‘time is a great healer.’ Well, I guess time will tell."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

After five years of training, I’ve finally graduated OTS. I may not have been top of my class, but I guess third should count for something.

Several of us were immediately posted to Liberty; it seems there’s some kind of rebellion going on, a bit like the Harmony Insurrection a few decades ago. I hear some general had a theory about there being ‘no better teacher for a soldier than combat’, and sent us out on the front lines to prove it. Not that I’m objecting, this is exactly what I signed up for! Just think: in a few decades, they could be teaching about us at OTS, and the battles we fought here in the ‘Liberty Insurrection’.

Kaufman and Barr, first and second of our class, were assigned forward patrols, out near where the enemy is supposed to be dug in. I guess they’ll be seeing their first action pretty soon; I envy them. I was given a squad and told to patrol out on the flank, ‘out of harm’s way’, it seems. I don’t think our Captain likes me, but I can't imagine why.

- from the journal of Lucas Hart

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Over the weeks since their arrival, the humans had grown increasingly restless and frustrated at the purposelessness of their new existence. Flynn had made a habit of taking lengthy walks, wandering aimlessly about the city and surrounding jungle. Wolmark had shut himself away in his workshop for hours on end. At first Leandra had tried to make a study of the medicinal properties of some of the local flora, but soon realized that was as pointless as anything else - disease was virtually unknown among the Seldane.

Sasha had finally given up wearing her armor. Flynn had dispensed with his very soon after their arrival; seeing him walk about free and unencumbered caused Sasha to feel embarrassed about her lack of trust, and eventually it became too much. At first she felt almost naked without it, she was so used to its comforting weight on her shoulders; but she adjusted quickly. However, try as she might, Leandra couldn’t convince her to exchange her shirt and breeches for a dress.

The Seldane observed their low spirits and falling morale. They could - just barely - understand the emotions, but were completely unable to fathom its cause. If they could have conjured up a cure for their new friends they would have, but they were fundamentally incapable of comprehending what was needed.

When the weather was fine - which was often - it had become the human's habit to eat their breakfast outside. On one such morning, they heard the sound of laughter, and saw young Sabinate running towards their house.

The young boy halted before them. "And how are you, on this fine day?" he queried with mock seriousness.

"To be honest, we’re - " Flynn began, and was brought up short when he couldn’t think of a Seldane word that expressed what he wanted to say. "Bored," he finished, in his native tongue.

"'Bored'?" Sabinate repeated uncertainly. "What does that mean?"

"’Bored’ is when you’re at a loss for something to do," Leandra explained patiently.

Sabinate looked at her blankly, then shrugged his shoulders. He had a fairly irrepressible nature, and this wasn’t the first time they’d found points on which there two cultures - or races - failed utterly to connect in any way.

"I could show you around the Hall of Wisdom, if you like," the youth offered.

Flynn looked up interestedly. "Thanks, I think I’d enjoy that. How about the rest of you?" They all nodded, with varying degrees of enthusiasm; but anything was better than the boredom. Surprisingly, even Boralis tagged along behind them.

The Hall was very large, and the tour lasted most of the morning. They almost lost Flynn in the great library, but Leandra took the book away from him, grasped him by the arm and towed him along behind the group. "You can always come back later," she whispered in his ear, and he stopped resisting.

They wandered through rooms of crystals and other enchanted items, and great chambers of art. One room contained a single large crystal, set on a central pedestal. "This is one of the three crystals that make up the Triliad," Sabinate informed them.

"What’s that?" Sasha asked.

"The Triliad is made up of three crystals of great power, that form a balance. Little is known about them, or the powers they control, or even where the other two crystals are located. Some believe that they don’t even exist in this plane of reality."

"But surely your people have records of when and why they were made?" Flynn queried.

"No. They weren’t made by us, and any knowledge of their true origins has been lost. All we have are legends - such as the one that says that if the balance is broken by the destruction of one or more of the stones, then something terrible will be set in motion that could destroy all the races."

"That’s awful!" Leandra exclaimed. "Surely this crystal should be guarded closely, then?"

Sabinate shrugged. "It’s only a legend. And what would we guard against? No wild creature would ever come this far into the Hall, and the entire complex is protected from earthquakes. What else is there that could threaten it?"

--------

A few days later, Trinias sat idly twirling an arrow between his fingers. Although he hadn’t shown it, he was greatly impressed by Flynn and Sasha’s new weapons. He’d thought of doing the same to some of his arrows, but since they frequently broke or got lost, he was reluctant to waste both the gems and the effort.

How did the elemental’s power work, anyway? They acted as a channel for the power; that’s what the Ignae had said to Flynn. Yet the stones they enchanted then also themselves became conduits for power. Did that mean that a stone could be used to empower another object? It was worth a try.

He placed the arrow on the ground, and took a ruby in his hand. He concentrated briefly, and the stone began to glow; by now, that part was becoming easy. He then placed the glowing ruby on the ground, so that it touched the tip of the arrow. He concentrated on the enchanted stone, willing it to channel the fire energy - but this time, with a difference. Slowly, the arrow began to glow; it wasn’t as fast as doing it directly, but the important thing was that it worked! He could enchant his bow, like Flynn and Sasha had done their swords, and any arrow he fired could be charged with the elemental energy.

That was all very well, but he didn’t want a bow that could only create fire arrows; you never knew what was going to be the most appropriate for the occasion. He could always make more bows, and enchant each one with a different magic, but it wouldn’t be possible to carry them all at once. What he needed was a way to enchant his bow with multiple magics at the same time.

During the process of their experiments, they’d discovered that while any object could be charged with energy of any type, only certain types of gemstones could act as conduits for the power, and each element had its own stone. For Fire, it was a ruby (except when the heat was to flow in the opposite direction, in which case a sapphire was used.) For Water, an emerald. For Air, a diamond, and for Earth, Jade.

Trinias took one of each of these stones, laid them out on the ground in front of him, sat on his heels and thought. He remembered that Flynn and Sasha had used the power of Earth to mould the gems to their swords; could he use the same technique to blend the stones into one?

First, he empowered each stone as a channel for its element. He then piled them together, and applied the power of Earth. They slowly began to flow and blend, like several different viscous liquids. Finally, he allowed them to resolidify into a single mass. Oddly, the colors still seemed to move randomly within the clear outer shell. A few simple tests showed that the new opalescent stone retained the abilities of all its component stones.

A few moments later, and Trinias went looking for Flynn and the others, eager to show off the flowing colors of his newly enchanted bow.

--------

That night Boralis stood in the doorway, his face twisted into a contemptuous sneer. He watched the forms of the others dwindle into the distance, on their way to dine yet again with their Seldane friends.

"Why concern yourself with them, Boralis my friend? Your destiny is far beyond their tiny imaginations!"

Boralis turned his gaze to the strangely fluidic being that had appeared so silently beside him. "Oh, it’s you, Akhalin. What are you doing here?"

"It is always a pleasure to visit you, my friend. Do I need more reason than that?" Boralis grunted. "Tell me Boralis, why do you put up with them? They never show you the proper respect!"

"I know, and it’s highly annoying."

"You should come to my people; we would treat you with the honor such a one as you deserves."

"Don’t concern yourself, Akhalin, my time will come - perhaps sooner than anyone thinks!"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The patrol started pretty quietly, but my Sergeant still seemed pretty nervous. All in all, I was pretty disgusted with my squad; they’re a sullen, slovenly lot, who seemed to take a generally poor view of anything military, and officers in particular. Once the patrol was over, I was determined to make them rethink their attitudes.

My Sergeant tried to suggest what I thought was an overly cautious approach to the patrol, but I knew better; the enemy was far away to the South, we had nothing to worry about. I was determined to return to base as quickly as possible, and set to work getting my unit into shape. I thought him a coward.

I should have listened.

I lead the squad straight into an ambush. It was a miracle that I wasn’t killed outright; the miracle was called Sergeant Tupolev. How he knew is beyond me, but I swear he knocked me down before the first shot was fired.

Not all of the rest of the squad were so lucky. Almost half the unit was lost that day, and it was my fault. The few that were left, spurred on by Tupolev, routed the enemy and inflicted heavy casualties. Then we began the gruesome task of carrying our dead back to base; transport wasn’t available for such ‘low priority tasks’, I was told. I almost exploded with anger; only the sight of Tupolev shaking his head kept my temper in check.

I insisted on carrying one of the bodies myself, a woman whose name I’d never even taken the trouble to learn. When we reached base, we lined the bodies up for the morgue detail to deal with. Standing there looking at them, knowing I was to blame, I couldn’t hold it in any more. "This was my fault," I said to the squad. I felt the tears starting to flow down my cheeks, but I no longer cared if they thought me weak. "I’ll never forget the lesson I’ve learned today; I’ll do my best to listen, and learn from your experience. If any of you think I’m putting the squad at risk again, I want you to tell me immediately."

Tupolev looked at me very strangely; I couldn’t guess what was going through his mind. "You heard the Lieutenant," he said to the squad. "Now fall out; there’ll be a new mission tomorrow." After they’d gone, he patted me on the shoulder. It was a shooting offence, but I didn’t care any more. "You’ll do fine, sir," he said, then walked away.

For the sake of the memories of the people that were lying in front of me, I'm determined to prove him right.

P.S. Neither Kaufman nor Barr ever returned; I guess that means I’m no longer third.

- from the journal of Lucas Hart

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Sasha stormed into the room ahead of the others, black fury smoldering behind her eyes. She picked up the nearest thing to hand, an earthenware dish, and dashed it to the ground. It shattered it into a myriad of fragments.

"How could he do this?" she railed, kicking a chair across the room. "These people have been so good to us, why would he steal the crystal?"

Flynn was somewhat taken aback by Sasha's reaction. Leandra was usually the one with the temper, but she just stepped quietly across the room, righted the fallen chair, and sat on it in silence.

Flynn leaned dejectedly against the wall. Sasha paced up and down the room, her anger abated a little, yet still burning. The others stood or sat, as each was inclined.

"'How' and 'why' aren't questions we can answer," Wolmark stated thoughtfully. "We just have to accept that Boralis did it, and move on from there."

"I haven't really thought much about it since we got here, but he was technically still our employer," Trinias mused. "So where does this leave us?"

"Unemployed, I suppose." Flynn smiled fleetingly, remembering all the time he'd spent trying - unsuccessfully - to find a way out of his contract, before the eight of them had somehow been transplanted to this world.

Wolmark shook his head gently, a look of confusion on his face. "I really don't understand it. We're the only beings of our kind in this world, as far as we know. Why would he betray us like this? Where would he go?"

"It's all very well feeling sorry for ourselves," Leandra interrupted impatiently, "but what about the Seldane? They must be so bewildered by all this!"

"You're right," Wolmark agreed. "I'm fairly sure they didn't even have any concept of theft or betrayal, before this. They won't know what to think!"

Sasha paced nearer the table, still frowning heavily. "We are at least partly responsible, even if only by association; so it's up to us to make it right. Now, what can we - " She looked up sharply as Flynn emerged from one of the side rooms - now armed, and in full armor. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going after Boralis," he responded. "I feel I owe it to the Seldane to at least try to bring the crystal back. I won't ask any of you to go with me, this isn't like any situation we've been in before. What each of us does must be up to our own conscience."

"I'm coming!" Leandra exclaimed quickly, jumping up from her seat.

"Count me in," Trinias added.

"There is much truth in what you have said," Kwon said, in his calm and long-winded fashion. "My course is clear - I will come." Wolmark nodded in agreement.

"Ulf?" Flynn asked, raising a querulous eyebrow in the huge man's direction.

"Help Flynn!" Ulf responded, instantly.

Sasha grinned. "Just give me ten minutes to get into my armor."

--------

There was a large crowd of people at the entrance to the Hall of Wisdom, milling about in a fashion that bespoke of uncertainty and a total lack of comprehension. While they were mostly Seldane, Flynn could make out the distinctive forms of a couple of Ignae and Sylph, and a few of the less distinctive Undine. Several members of the crowd turned to look in their direction as they approached.

Serrana hurried forward to meet them. "Oh my friends, what does this mean?" she wailed.

Flynn placed his hands on her shoulders. "We're very sorry, Serrana. We never saw this coming."

"You have never claimed to be prophets, how could you have foreseen this event? But what can we do? We just don't understand what has happened!"

"Where is your leader, Boralis?" Akhalin said in a distrustful voice, as he flowed up to stand next to Serrana.

Flynn exchanged a quick glance with his friends. "We aren't sure; he wasn't in our residence. We think - we think that wherever the crystal is, Boralis will be nearby."

Serrana looked shocked. "You mean whatever took the crystal might have taken him too? How awful! What will you do?"

Sasha sighed, a little exasperated with the Seldane's naivete - but took Flynn's cue, and played along. "What can we do? We must go after him - and the crystal."

"How noble!" Serrana exclaimed. "Songs will be sung of this, as long as the people remember."

"They have not succeeded yet," Akhalin muttered.

"That is not important. It is the gesture that matters."

Akhalin bowed to Serrana. "You are right, of course. I apologize."

Kwon broke the momentary awkward silence. "In a land not far from my own, there was a legend of a group of warriors, which are known there as 'Samurai'. These men were highly skilled and very honorable, bound to their master by oaths of loyalty. Their lord was betrayed and murdered, which brought great dishonor to the warriors, since they failed to protect their liege."

"How does that relate to us?" Trinias asked.

"They became known as the forty-seven Ronin, warriors without a master. Boralis is gone, leaving us also without a master." Kwon carefully refrained from mentioning that they believed Boralis' disappearance to be his own doing. "A striking similarity, is it not?"

"Ronin," Flynn repeated. "That name feels appropriate, somehow."

Sasha nodded. "We are seven, not forty-seven - but yes, it is fitting."

"You'll need supplies; I'll go and arrange it." Serrana hurried off.

"There's no point wasting time," said Flynn. "Trinias, can you pick up the trail?"

Trinias searched the ground near the entrance for a few minutes. "Yes, it's clear enough."

There was nothing to do except wait for Serrana to return; she didn't keep them waiting long. They'd gathered near the jungle on the outskirts of Maayti, where the trail was less jumbled by the comings and goings of other people. Serrana, Sabinate and a few others hurried up, laden with bundles of food.

The Ronin thanked them, and began stowing what they could in packs. Serrana diffidently approached Kwon.

"I was starting to make gifts for all of you, but I have only had time to finish yours." She handed the small oriental a pair of soft looking grey boots. "They may not look like much, but they're very hard wearing. The material is woven from spun spiders' webs - that makes it very soft, as well as strong."

To those that knew him best, Kwon's face showed a great deal of surprise. He slowly took hold of the proffered gift, testing their softness between his fingers. He quickly removed his old, almost worn out moccasins, and tried on his new footwear. Then a rare thing happened; Kwon smiled.

"Thank you Serrana - it is truly a wondrous gift! I shall think of you often, as I walk."

Serrana smiled happily. "I'm so pleased you like them."

Flynn spoke for all the Ronin. "Thank you for everything, Serrana, you and your family have made our adjustment to this new land much easier than it might have been. Wherever we find ourselves, we'll try to emulate the hospitality you've shown."

Each of the other Ronin approached to say their farewells, then they started toward the jungle on Boralis' trail.

"We'll watch for your return!" Serrana called after them.

Although Serrana, like many others of the Seldane, followed the progress of the Ronin as best they could through the power of the earth beneath their feet, that was the last time she ever laid eyes on them.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

I’d been a Captain for just six months, assigned to the squadron sent to deal with the elvish rebellion on Carnak - yet another pointless mission amongst so many others - when I first met Illyana Berenskya. She was assigned to me as a replacement Lieutenant, fresh out from OTS. Was I ever that young? It’s hard to believe!

I assigned her an experienced squad, and told her to listen to her Sergeant; I hoped it would keep her alive long enough to learn that she didn’t know everything. I might have done that anyway - I never forgot the lessons of my first patrol - but I had a special reason for wanting to take care of her: she’s the niece of my old mentor, Sergeant Tupolev, now retired.

Shortly before she arrived, I received a message from the old man asking me to teach her to survive, as he’d once taught me. He needn’t have tried to make me feel guilty, I was more than happy to do it!

A couple of years have passed since then. The girl’s learned her lessons well; she’s a real survivor - better even than me, maybe. I’m a Major now, and she’s my senior Captain, second in command. I expect her to go far.

But I didn’t think it’d be with me, not for very much longer. I’ve grown rather more attached to her than I should have; I’m afraid it’s clouding my judgment. While fraternization between officers of our ranks is frowned upon, it’s not officially prohibited; so that wouldn’t have stopped me asking her for a date. Perhaps it was the fear that someone might think I was bringing pressure on her as her superior officer; but how long has it been since I cared what anyone else thinks? Too long; my growing cynicism about the role the military is being called on to play is well known.

No, it was more likely my own self-consciousness about what I’ve become. I’m not even fully human, any more! I lost my left hand in the Telcar war, and my left eye in the Mantrea uprising. They’ve both been replaced with prosthetics, better in many ways than the originals; but the effect is pretty ugly.

Needless to say, I was stunned speechless when she asked me to dinner.

If anything good has ever come out of my choice of career, it’s her.

- from the journal of Lucas Hart

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The Ronin made a cold camp that night somewhere to the North-West of Maayti, a little seaward of the mountain range. Although the trail had lead them on a round-about route, they'd made good time. Trinias was certain they were gaining on Boralis - which wasn't surprising, their former employer wasn't accustomed to making long journeys on foot.

Flynn lay back with his arms crossed under his head, and sighed contentedly. "This brings back memories."

"Yes," Sasha replied. "Cold nights, hot fights, and the prospect of an early death in the morning. You really find that pleasant to think about?"

Flynn chuckled quietly. "I wasn't thinking that far ahead, just enjoying the moment."

"It's only Boralis, anyway," said Trinias. "How dangerous could it be?"

Sasha looked at him like he was crazy. "Certainly, tovarisch, it's only Boralis - with a magical crystal, the full extent of whose power even the Seldane don't know!"

"Oh - well, yes, if you put it that way..."

"Get some sleep," Flynn suggested. "I don't think we need to worry about watches; he's not likely to think of doubling back."

Sasha frowned. "You're probably right; but we shouldn't take the chance."

"OK, watches as normal, then. Wake me at the usual time." So saying, Flynn rolled over and quickly fell asleep.

--------

Contrary to his almost cheerful mood the previous night, Flynn was quite worried in the light of day. His edginess bothered him a great deal, until he realized that this was the first time in his life that he'd actually gone hunting trouble; every other dangerous situation he'd ever been in had sprung on him unawares, and he'd simply been caught up in the action.

Sasha, a far more experienced soldier, was just as worried as she had been the previous night - if not more so. Every battle she'd fought in her career had been very conventional. Swordsmen and archers, horsemen and pikemen, knights and knaves - the only truly unusual fights had been those she'd fought in alongside the other Ronin, in which some of Wolmark's toys had been used with such devastating effect. Now the situation was reversed; they were faced with a magical weapon, of potentially overwhelming power - against which they had little or no defense.

Leandra was also on edge, absentmindedly pulling her dagger - the same one Flynn had once given her - from its sheath, and pushing it back. Wolmark suddenly noticed that the blade had taken on a greenish tinge.

"What's happened to your dagger?"

Leandra started slightly at his question, and looked down at the drawn blade, only realizing at that moment that she was holding it. "Oh; I tried my hand at enchanting it, like Flynn and Sasha did with their swords, only I used Earth magic. Sabinate named it the 'Jade Fang', when he saw it."

"He named your dagger?" Flynn chuckled.

"Yes - just like he named your weapons, too - didn't you know?"

"No, I had no idea!"

"Neither did I," Sasha added. "What did he name them?"

"Well," Leandra replied, "Your swords are the 'Ruby Fang' and the 'Sapphire Fang', and Trinias' bow is the 'Opal Sting'."

Sasha smiled. "I always used to dream of owning a named blade! I never thought it would be so easily come by. I hope it lives up to the honor."

They continued on in silence for several kilometers until at last the trail reached the edge of the jungle, vanishing abruptly at the foothills of the Northern mountain range. Trinias held up a warning hand, bringing them to a halt.

"He's not far ahead now."

"Right," Flynn acknowledged, then addressed the entire group. "We'll have to be very cautious from now on. We don't know if Boralis has figured out how to use the crystal yet, but we shouldn't take chances. When Trinias signals that we're almost upon him, spread out - and at the first sign of trouble, get yourself behind cover! Then we'll figure out what we can do, once we've seen the terrain. Agreed?"

Six heads nodded curtly; the seven Ronin left the cover of the jungle, drawing closer to their quarry.

--------

Boralis sank to the ground, panting heavily. For the last half day he'd been heading up into the foothills in search of some cover, but he knew it wouldn't do any good; sooner or later he'd have to face them. He peered back over the ridge he was hiding behind, then quickly dropped down again.

"That Trinias is a great tracker; but then, that's why I hired him."

He took another quick peek; his former employees were making very good time up the slope. They were spread out now, with weapons drawn; they clearly knew they were closing in.

"Stop right there!" he called down to them. "You're still bound to me you know, Flynn! What does your sense of honor tell you now, eh?"

"It tells me that you've gone too far, this time," Flynn called back. "We owe it to the Seldane to return what you stole! If you leave it there and walk away, we won't follow - all we want is the crystal!"

"And you'll just return it to the Seldane?" Boralis muttered to himself. "I don't think so - why would you give up so much power? You never fooled me with that 'righteous' act of yours!" He stared down at the crystal in his hands. "Yes, power - how does it work?" He knew he was no match for his erstwhile bodyguards unaided; he needed an edge.

Grasping the crystal on both hands, he stared at it intensely. Amazingly, the crystal began to glow, responding to his focused will. Boralis began to smile.

He waited until he thought the glow was as bright as it was going to get. He took a couple of deep breaths, then quickly stood up, holding the crystal in front of himself. Instantly, each of the Ronin dropped behind the nearest cover, out of sight.

"Surrender, Boralis, you know don't have a chance - Trinias could easily put an arrow in you from here!"

Boralis didn't bother to reply, he was too preoccupied with the crystal. A golden glow encompassed his body, then extended outwards. It quickly flowed into dips and hollows, behind hummocks and shrubs; no matter where each of the Ronin had hidden, it still effortlessly reached out and enveloped them. Boralis smiled at the sound of their startled cries. He had no idea what he could make the power of the crystal do; he just wanted his seven pursuers gone!

And suddenly, they were. Where each of the seven had been concealed, there was suddenly only empty space. Boralis smiled in triumph.

However, there was much that Boralis didn't know. To someone unable to master it, using the crystal had its price; the more that was demanded of it, the more it demanded in return.

His expression changed to one of horror. Instead of fading, the golden glow intensified. His mouth opened in a silent scream of agony, as he felt his body begin to burn in the hellish heat of the crystal's energy.

His hands turned black and shriveled up; the agony as the scorching fire traveled up his arms drove him to the very brink of madness. It was almost a relief when the crystal tore his soul from his body, imprisoning his very essence inside itself.

The crystal dropped to the ground on the now deserted hillside, where it would remain undisturbed for centuries.

The earth stopped singing to the Seldane of the Ronin; they grieved long for their passing.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

I’m sick to death of these pointless conflicts. We’re continually being sent from one police action to another. As far as I can see, all they ever want is freedom; I’ve become an oppressor in a totalitarian regime. And now it’s taken the one good thing in my life away from me.

Oh Illyana, my darling wife! Why did you have to be so brave?

She died a hero, they tell me, for what little comfort it gives. Which is not one bit. It was another of those pointless missions, which I can no longer stomach. A raw Lieutenant felt the need to be a hero; Illyana saved him, but the cost - the cost was too high.

I almost killed the little weasel when I found out. It would have been better if she’d let him die. Then I felt ashamed; Illyana gave her life to save that kid, and I was close to throwing away the gift she’d given him. I pulled back the sheet that was covering her body, forcing him to look at her face, still twisted in pain. "Make sure your life’s worth it," I said, and stormed out. I’m told he almost fainted, but I no longer care.

When my officers had all left the room, I snuck back in; I wanted to say my farewell in private. I took a lock of her hair; it’s all I have left of her, now. I’m glad old Tupolev’s no longer alive; I don’t know how I’d be able to face him.

I told the brass I couldn’t be a part of their silly games anymore. I don’t know, maybe I was hoping they’d execute me for insubordination; but one of them had heard about Illyana and was sympathetic, curse it.

Instead, they offered me a different kind of post. I’m supposed to baby-sit a bunch of scientists, that are apparently working on some way to improve our soldiers. I don’t know the details, but military security beats sending kids out to die for no reason. They also offered me a promotion to Colonel, as if I cared. I turned it down. It wouldn’t bring her back.

But she would’ve been so proud.

- from the journal of Lucas Hart

[This message has been edited by moderator (edited 06-04-2002).]

[This message has been edited by cache22 (edited 06-04-2002).]

Excellent work, Cache! I'm confident that this is one of the best chronicles I've read.

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Slayer's guide to Cythera:
[url="http://"http://www.macclassics.com/cythera/cythera.htm"]http://www.macclassi...era/cythera.htm[/url]

Heh, and none of my proof-readers spotted the typos

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Kobayashi Maru!

Oh, I did, but I forgot to send you the corrected version
Anyway, you already know how much I like this chron, cache, and I promised I'd comment nonetheless, but I can't think of anything else to say at the moment, except that I really enjoyed reading this and I hope the next part comes out soon.
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Wer denken kann, ist klar im Vorteil.

[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 06-04-2002).]

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I did and I even pointed them out to you, if you weren't paying attention...

I still think Lucas' journal is a fun enjoyable read, hurry up with part 2 so we can have more!

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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."

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OK, next time I'll remember to ask

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Ah, but you read it after it was submitted. To abide by the rules, I had to wait until it was released before I could fix it.

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It's coming, it's coming - I'm about two thirds done, now.


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Kobayashi Maru!

Wow- what else is there to say?

I learned a lot about the history and personalities of the Ronin from this; should make it much easier for me to write about them. I loved the way that Flynn, Trinias, Sasha and Leandra made their weapons, too.

I agree with Avatara; Lucas' journal makes a neat addition to it.

I can't think of any critisicm, aside from this one line: "Where each of the seven had been concealed, there was suddenly only empty space. Boralis smiled in triumph." If they were concealed, how did Boralis know they were gone?

No suggestions for the next one; just to get it done quickly so we can all read it!

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We guarantee that if your great-uncle loses a leg by a pair of charging rhinos heading north on a Thursday, we will give you a full refund for the last pair of socks you purchased.

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An excellent point! I never considered that. In retrospect, I'd say that Boralis would have been aware of them through the power of the crystal, as it began to overpower him.

Thanks for pointing that out

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Kobayashi Maru!