1

Introduction
By Glyn Shull Page 3
Starbright, Part 1 of 3
By Johanan Rakkav Page 4
The hronicle of !bb
By "ichael Saad Page #$
#
Greeting% and &ell 'et(
)*ril i% al&ay% %uch a ble%%ed ti'e+ It i% the ti'e of rene&al, rebirth, and *re*eration for the
year to co'e+ The &eather i% grand, ani'al% and children frollicking in the yard% and field% all acro%%
the &orld+ )nd, of cour%e, thi% i% the ti'e of year that our Saviour died for u%+ Re'e'ber not only the
great %acrifice that ,e 'ade for u%, but al%o the inten%e love that 'otivated ,i' to 'ake it+ ,i% death
and return 'ark% a fir%t in ,u'an hi%tory, a% -ove %ho&n about the &orld+
The%e %torie%, I don.t kno& &hat to %ay about the%e %torie%+ If you don.t kno& the na'e Johanan
Rakkave by no&, then your head 'u%t have been ra''ed into your fourth *oint of contact+ !ven the
e/tra di'en%ional being% kno& &ho he i%+ The %econd %tory in thi% i%%ue, ye% there are only t&o, i% fro'
a ne& co'er to T#01hich, a% &e all kno&, i% the %a'e thing a% never been *ubli%hed before2+ "ichael
Saad.% 3The hronicle of !bb3 tell% the tale of !bb, a hri%t like analogue that ca*ture% the heart% and
'ind% of hi% *eo*le+
God Ble%% you all(
Glyn Shull
4ounding !ditor 5 T#
3
ST)RBRIG,T
By Johanan Rakkav

Part 6ne

The First Timeline
C.Y. (Covenant Year) 4015:200

7There it i%,8 %aid 'y father a% &e %tood together and looked out fro' one of the ob%ervation
deck%+ 71hat do you think, no& that you %ee it98

7It:%; incredible+ <o &onder the Bruin% have the re*utation they do+8 Said re*utation &a% for
being the greate%t engineer% a'ong kno&n organic %*ecie% out%ide the =ingdo' of )riel it%elf+

7>e%+ The Bruin ,ege'ony &ill 'ake a fir%t?rate )nne/+8

7If they acce*t our offer, you 'ean+8

71e have 'uch to offer the', )lain,8 %aid 'y 'other+ 7The Bruin% are notoriou%ly %elf?reliant,
but even the can:t di%cern bet&een good and evil of the'%elve%+ <or can they defend the'%elve%
again%t all &ho 'ight &i%h their de%truction+ If they %ee the%e thing%, they:ll %urrender to the ,ooded
"an:% rule a% readily a% any other *eo*le+8

7I gue%% I can:t argue &ith that+8

"y father@Aavid Jonathan ,ar*er@%'iled at 'e+ ,e &a% the Planetologi%t -evel Seven
aboard !ichael and the overall Airector of the Surveyor:% %cientific 'i%%ion+ "y 'other@!%ther Joy
0n"e 1hite%tar2 ,ar*er@&a% the !/obiologi%t -evel Seven aboard and a fir%t?rate creative &riter+ The
*er%onality ty*e%@<i:te and 4e:ni, re%*ectively@and intere%t% of 'y *arent% 'ade the' e/cellent
'utual advi%or% in life, &ork and love+ )nd a good thing too, becau%e their only %on &a% a *rodigy and
an enthu%ia%t even by <e:fi %tandard%+ "other often likened 'e to an e/*lo%ion in a %*aghetti factory
&aiting to ha**en+ )t Bu%t *a%t fifteen, I *retty 'uch fit that de%cri*tion+

The obBect of 'y a'aCe'ent &a% the Great Ring around Gr:rakh, the ho'e&orld of the Bruin%+
Gr:rakh i% %'aller but den%er than Ge, 'y ho'e&orldD it% iron core i% larger and it ha% a natural
'agnetic field to 'atch+ It% tectonic% and native coral?analogue% had created a %ingle continent,
nu'erou% i%land% and va%t reef% &hich girdled it% eEuator like a fractal belt+ T&elve eEually %*aced,
4
%lender Great Pillar% a%cended fro' the continental Great Belt@or in one ca%e, fro' the Great Strait
that divided the t&o end% of the Belt@to Boin and anchor the Great Ring+ The huge %*ace habitat
glea'ed &hite on Gr:rakh:% %un&ard %ideD on the night %ide, 'any light% %*arkled like 'ulti?colored
ge'% on a necklace+

1e a**roached the Great Ring in the Cher#b?cla%% Surveyor aboard &hich I:d gro&n u*, the
ASS !ichael $rchan%elos+ I &a% born in the ,elio% %y%te' on Selene, Ge:% one natural %atellite, but I:d
gro&n u* on !ichael along &ith the children of 'ortal )da'i', !no%hi' and Ga''adi'F three of the
4our S*ecie% of "an+ The re%t of the cre& con%i%ted of tall android% called "anikin%, 'e'ber% of a
%*ecie% to &ho' the =ingdo' of )riel o&ed 'uch of it% hy*er?technology ba%ed on n?cry%tal%+

7)nd no& &e have a little %ur*ri%e for you,8 %aid A+J+ !veryone aboard out%ide our fa'ily
called 'y father A+J+, Bu%t a% they called 'y 'other Joy and 'e )lain+ 7<o non?Bruin ha% %et foot on
Gr:rakh before, and %o our -ightchildren 'u%t go dirt%ide fir%t before our 'ortal% do+ >our 'other and
I &ant you to go &ith the adult%+8

7&eall9 )nd they all agree98

7ertainly+ It &a% S*ica:% %ugge%tion, actually+8

7)ll ri%ht(8 I e/clai'ed+ Being a -ightchild 'ean% you:re not a vector for di%ea%e+ >ou can:t
infect anyone el%e, and no one can infect you+ The 1hite ,and it%elf, *lu% certain 'odification% it
'ake% to a -ightchild:% body, guarantee% that+

)nd it:% a good thing, too+ 6ur fir%t?contact Protocol% include *rocedure% for dealing &ith
biological cro%%?conta'ination+ Such conta'ination i% inevitable, and *lanetary ecologie% are
incredibly co'*le/+ <o one can *redict all the *o%%ible interaction% bet&een native and foreign
organi%'%+ But a Survey tea' need% at lea%t to learn about funda'ental inco'*atibilitie%, %uch a% a
*otential *lague that could deci'ate the vi%itor% or the vi%ited before a cure could be found+ G%ing
-ightchildren to 'ake fir%t contact gave the e/obiologi%t% enough ti'e to do their Bob%+

True, the Bruin% had *lenty of e/*o%ure to )da'i' and !no%hi' already through Gr:rakh:%
trade &ith the relatively nearby lu%ter 4ederation@but the Bruin% could Euarantine all or *art of the
Ring if they had to+ <ot %o &ith Gr:rakh+

1e had *lenty of co'*any on the ob%ervation deck, everyone &ho%e dutie% didn:t *reoccu*y
the'+ Soon one of the Great Ring:% hangar deck% on Gr:rakh:% night %ide %&allo&ed our di%c?%ha*ed
Surveyor, all 1H,1I$ cubit% of it, a% ea%ily a% a great baleen &hale %&allo&% a %ingle krill+

J
K K K K K K K K K K

6ne of the Statute% of the =ingdo' i% that 'ortal ovenant itiCen%@%ave "anikin%@can:t go
into %*ace &ithout -ightchild e%cort+ )nother i% that every high ad'ini%trative office in the Aee* S*ace
Service 'u%t be held by a hu%band?&ife tea' of -ightchildren+ Thu% the a*tain and 4ir%t 6fficer
aboard !ichael &ere 'arried -ightchildrenF Bakbukiel@no la%t na'e@and S*ica 1heat%tar,
re%*ectively+ 76ld Bakbuk8 &a% a Blade'a%ter -evel Seven@a Grand'a%ter@and a liai%on of the
*ara'ilitary Aee* S*ace 4leet+ S*ica 1heat%tar &a% a Starbard -evel Seven fro' the Aee* S*ace
or*% and our S*ecial )'ba%%ador in fir%t?contact %ituation%+

1e had one other *air of 'arried -ightchildren aboard, Theta and S*ica 1heat%tar+ Theta &a%
the Aee* S*ace Guild liai%on, re%*on%ible for 'aking trade arrange'ent% and taking care of other
logi%tical detail%+ Lega &a% a Starbard -evel 4ive and 'y tutor in everything but Blade'a%tery+ a*tain
Bakbuk and %o'e of hi% "anikin aide%, and al%o Ra*hael Gold&ing 'y 'eta?tech Sentry, handled that
end of 'y in%truction+ I &a% the only other -ightchild aboard+

<or'ally I:d already be in one of the local )cade'ie% of -ight, the boarding %chool% for
-ightchildren@*erha*% Geo*oli% ,ou%e on Ge or !arthlight ,ou%e on Ge:% 'oon Selene, a% I &a%
born on Selene+ Since I &a% a 7Surveyor brat8 &hen the ,ooded "an called 'e at age ten, I received
%*ecial di%*en%ation+ That di%*o%ition &ould end &hen I &a% old enough for the G**er -evel%F the
eEuivalent of a four?year univer%ity degree or beyond+

1hile 'y *arent% and the re%t of the cre& %tayed in !ichael, &e -ightchildren &ent do&n to
the hangar deck &earing our %tandard Service unifor'%F everything in either black or dee* charcoal
gray, including our leather Backet%, but not our &hite or ivory collared %hirt%+ 6nly our in%ignia and our
ring% di%tingui%hed our rank% and 1ing 'e'ber%hi*% in the Service+ The color differential &a% %i'*ly a
'atter of 'atching our natural co'*le/ion%+ <o one el%e in kno&n %*ace allo&% %uch a variation in
unifor' dre%%+ )% &e learned later, the Bruin% a**reciated that nuance for rea%on% of their o&n+

4our Bruin 1arrior%@four Aigit% of one Pa& of the Gr:rakhi la&, their ar'ed force%@'et u%
on the hangar deck, %*oke to u% in halting but good )da'ic, and e%corted u% to the Ring:% ver%ion of
u%to'%+ I 'arveled at the Aigit%D they averaged about nine feet tall@although there &a%n:t 'uch
deviation fro' that height@and retained the fur, 'uch of the facial %tructure and the i''en%e %trength
of their ur%ine archety*e+ !ach bore a% 'any *er%onaliCed &ea*on% a% he could co'fortably carry,
enough to Euell a full?blo&n )da'i riot %ingle?handedly+

7Bruin 'ale% co'*ete for %ocial and %e/ual %tatu% through the ar'% they di%*lay,8 6ld Bakbuk
e/*lained to 'e+ !verybody called hi' that de%*ite hi% youthful a**earance, for he &a% al'o%t nine
hundred year% old+ 7Tho%e already 'ated retain the ar'% each bore a% a bachelor+8

7I% that &hy each of u% i% carrying a &ea*on o*enly, even the &o'en98
H

7<o, that:% another a%*ect of their *%ychology,8 Lega interBected+ Bakbuk nodded+ 7They
believe in%tinctively in ar'% control by 'utual and honorable deterrence, and they believe other %*ecie%
%hould follo& their e/a'*le+ To the', hidden &ea*on% are di%honorable to the *oint of abo'inationD
one can get killed on the %*ot for carrying or u%ing one+ That:% &hy even our Sentrie% 'u%t be vi%ible in
Re%t "odeD they Eualify a% for'idable &ea*on% indeed, and one% that can be hidden ea%ily+8

I nodded+ Bakbuk:% Sledge, Lega:% =ithara, Theta:% Tho'a%, S*ica:% -yra, and 'y Ra*hael all
floated over our left %houlder% like levitating cry%tal ball%+ Bakbuk and I &ore our full?length
Starblade%, "inbara and Shalhevetyah, in %cabbard% on our back%D the other% &ore dagger% in &ri%t
%heath%+ )t fifteen I &a% %till 7gro&ing into8 'y StarbladeD it had been forged for %o'eone of adult
%tature, and I:d only Bu%t %tarted training &ith it+

-ightchildren of either gender are *hy%ically *erfected after their *henoty*e%, and are called
fro' all 4ive Tribe% and fro' ecto'or*h%, 'e%o'or*h% and endo'or*h% alike+ It &a% 'ere
ha**en%tance that all of u% &ere 1hite Tribe%'en and three of u% &ere blond%+ "y barley?blond hair
got 'e a lot of good?natured tea%ing aboard !ichael, it &a% %o %triking+ Blue?eyed S*ica and Lega, a
&heat?blonde and a honey?blonde re%*ectively, &ere %*ectacularly beautiful and &onderfully graciou%
&o'en, <e:fi and 4e:ni re%*ectively in *er%onality ty*e+ )% a <e:fi teen &ho%e ha**y hor'one% &ere
gro&ing ha**ier by the day, I found the' a&e?in%*iring+ S*ica and 'y *arent% figured I:d 'arry
young, e%*ecially after %uch e/tended clo%e e/*o%ure to %uch loveline%%, but Lega &a%n:t %o %ure@nor
&ere Bakbuk and Theta+

But tho%e flicker% of thought% in 'y head &ere %oon di%*laced+ 1hile everyone naturally had a
keen intere%t in the *er%onal and technical co'*le/itie% of &hat &e %a&, S*ica and I e%*ecially all but
'erged &ith tho%e co'*le/itie%, not lingering on any one ite' for very long, but %eeking to under%tand
the hidden connection% behind everything and everyone &e *a%%ed+ >ou could %ee it in S*ica:% eye%, a%
I did, if you kne& &hat to look for, and %o you could %ee it in 'ine+ ) Pri'ary Gift of In%ight ha% it%
de'and%+

)t u%to'% &e &ere greeted by the a*tain of the Pa&+ !ither due to lack of %tudy or el%e due
to *ride in hi% *eo*le:% &ay%, he %*oke in Gr:rakhic, not )da'ic or even the inter%tellar *idgin called
!r%atC+ The leader of our e%cort, the Pa&:% eEuivalent of a lieutenant, tran%lated in the %a'e halting
)da'ic he:d u%ed to greet u%+

7The Bruin ,ege'ony,8 %aid the ca*tain and then the lieutenant, 7&elco'e% the -ightchildren
of )riel to the Great Ring+8

71e are honored to 'eet you,8 %aid S*ica in gra''atically *erfect Gr:rakhic, and %he &ent on
to introduce u% all in the %a'e language+ Thi% got our ho%t%: keen attentionD nobody but nobod in
kno&n %*ace@at lea%t a'ong 'ortal%@%*eak% Gr:rakhic &ith any fluency %ave the Bruin% the'%elve%+
M

7,o& i% it that you kno& our language98 %aid the Pa& a*tain in Gr:rakhic+ =ithara, thank% to
her bond to S*ica:% 'ind, tran%lated hi% &ord% into )da'ic for the re%t of u%+ 7>our accent i%
under%tandably %trange given your %*eech organ%, but other&i%e your Gr:rakhic i% like that of a ub?
Teacher, at once *oetic and *reci%e+8

7)ll -ightchildren &ith a Pri'ary Gift of In%ight have an acco'*anying Gift of Tongue%,8
S*ica re*lied+ 7Thi% i% one rea%on &hy I %erve a% S*ecial )'ba%%ador aboard !ichael+ But there i% one
here &ho%e Gift of In%ight i% far %tronger than 'ine+ ,i% Gift of Tongue% i% *ro*ortionately %trong+ "ay
)lain %*eak to you98

7ub% a'ong u% bear no di%honor a'ong adult% %i'*ly becau%e they are cub%+ >ou 'ay %*eak,
'ale?cub+8

S*ica %'iled to her%elf and nodded in 'y direction+

7Thank you, honorable 1arrior%,8 I re*lied in *erfect for'al Gr:rakhic@not Bu%t in gra''ar
but in accent+ 7I and Ra*hael Gold&ing 'y Sentry8@I *ointed to the %ky?blue %*here floating over 'y
left %houlder@7can act a% your inter'ediary if you and )'ba%%ador S*ica agree+8

7I think thi% &ould be &ell,8 %aid S*ica+ The other adult% agreed+ 7Ao you98

7>e%+ I a' a*tain Ta':rr kai?T%han,8 %aid the Bruin in eEually for'al Gr:rakhic, 7and I a' a
=ee*er of the ,igh Grove, &hich i% &hy I &a% cho%en to 'eet you+8 )fter a%king the adult
-ightchildren to e/*lain the %ignificance of their na'e%, he %aid, 7Recite your na'e once 'ore, 'ale?
cub+8

7hri%to*her )lain ,ar*er, %ir+ I nor'ally go by )lain ,ar*er, though, or %i'*ly )lain+8

7The eu*honic Euality of your na'e i% Euirky, if I 'ay %ay %o, co'*ared to tho%e of the other%+
1hat i% your na'e:% %ignificance98

7Christo'her 'ean% that I bear the )nointed 6ne, Jo%hua Aavid%on the ,ooded "an, in 'y
inner being+ $lain 'ean% that I:' hand%o'e by the %tandard% of 'y *eo*le+8 I %a& no need to e/*lain
that 'y *arent% thought 'e attractive fro' the in%ide out, even a% a ne&born baby+ 7(ar'er i% one &ho
*lay% a har*, a *articular kind of *lucked %tringed in%tru'ent+ "any of the ,ou%e of ,ar*er are
Starbard%F %inger%, *oet?co'*o%er% and %age% a% the%e fe'ale% fro' other ,ou%e% are+ I ho*e to beco'e
a Starbard 'y%elf+8
I

7an you %ing9 1e have heard )da'i' fro' other Po&er%8@he 'eant )da'i' &ho &ere
either coloni%t% of the ancient Ai%*er%ion or el%e 'ore recent !/ile% fro' the =ingdo'@7%ing before
and find their art intere%ting, but not al&ay% *lea%ant+ So'e %tyle% of your *eo*le:% %ong are nobler than
other%+ Sing for u% no&@a noble %ong of your *eo*le, a% you choo%e+8

I:' a <e:fi &ho enBoy% being in the 'u%ical %*otlight, but at the 'o'ent I &a% taken aback+
7Begging your *ardon, a*tain,8 I %aid 'o%t for'ally and %ub'i%%ively, 7but both S*ica and Lega are
fully trained Starbard%+ I a' not+8

7But they are fe'ale%+8 Thank% to 'y Gift of In%ight, I kne& he 'eant no deliberate in%ult@
that in their culture, fe'ale% &ere re%*ected for 'any thing% including 'any kind% of *rofane %inging,
but &hat the Bruin% con%idered sacred %inging &a% the *rovince of 'ale% only+ I e/*lained thi% to the
other -ightchildren+ Lega and S*ica nodded in under%tanding+ It &a% the 'en, intere%tingly enough,
&ho looked at the ca*tain in %o'e &onder+

7,e %ee'% to &ant 'e to %ing %o'ething %acred,8 I fini%hed+

7Go ahead,8 Lega %aid encouragingly+ 7Sing %o'ething fro' the )efer in )da'ic@the Ter'%
of the ovenant, *erha*%, if your voice i% *re*ared for that+8

It &a% *re*ared &ell enough+ The Ten Ter'% in their original ode/ )da'ic have by far the
'o%t florid 'elodic rendition in the &hole Book of the ovenant%+ They need a dra'atic tenor@not a
lyric tenor %uch a% I had beco'e &hen 'y voice broke@to do the' Bu%tice, but I ro%e to the challenge
ga'ely+

*adaber +lohim eth ,ol hadvarim haelleh lemor:
$no,hi Yeha--eh +lohe,ha asher hotsethi,ha.

By the ti'e I reached Yeha--eh the Bruin% &ere a**lauding loudly &ith their great hand% and
%houting &ith their great ba%% voice%+ Both they and I %to**ed &hen the ca*tain rai%ed hi% hand+

7I a' a =ee*er of the ,igh Grove,8 he %aid again a% he bo&ed lo&, 7and a'ong our *eo*le you
%hall be called /r0ran ho12i0,a#8@7Singer the?<ever?Aying8 in Gr:rakhic gra''atical order@7and
be honored a% one of the adult% of your kind+8

The other -ightchildren glanced furtively at each other, for 7Gndying Singer8 ha% a %*ecific and
*ro*hetic 'eaning in -ightchild lore+ )% for 'e, I &a% com'letel taken aback by then+
N

!veryone on !ichael kne& that 'y <ine Gift% &ere %trong already, even by -ightchild
%tandard%+ <one could:ve i'agined that a Pa& a*tain of the Gr:rakhi la& &ould be the fir%t to
*ronounce 'y true identity+

It &ouldn:t be too long before the re%t of kno&n %*ace found out ho& right he &a%+

K K K K K K K K K K

Toru%Rail@ho& the Gr:rakhic na'e tran%late% into o''on, including the lack of break
bet&een &ord%@i% the %y%te' of high?%*eed train% that take% Bruin% and vi%itor% fro' one *art of the
Great Ring to another+ 6ur e%cort guided u% to one %uch train, and &e all rode on it to the Pillar that
ro%e fro' the Great Strait+ <ear it% ba%e the large%t %ea*ort on Gr:rakh received good% and *er%onnel
headed to and fro' the Ring+ 6ther Pillar% engaged in like trade, but a% they all ro%e fro' the land they
dealt in a le%%er variety of good%+

7)ll of the Pillar%, ho&ever,8 a*tain Ta':rr e/*lained to u%, 7give the ,igh Grove acce%% to
the Ring, and by the *o&er of the ,igh Grove the Ring and Pillar% are ke*t %table and the Ring
habitable+ The great tree% you %a& gro&ing in the Ring are e/ten%ion% of the ,igh Grove+ They gro&
even higher on Gr:rakh, de%*ite the natural gravity+8

71hat is the ,igh Grove98 I a%ked in *er*le/ity+

7Perha*% one of your o&n *eer% can e/*lain it be%t in ter'% you can under%tand+ 6ur
ter'inology concerning the Grove i% couched in 'y%tery and reverence+ Gntil &e di%covered the Tetron
on Gr:rakh, &e did not kno& ho& co'*letely &e had forgotten the -ord Aavid%on, and %o gave %uch
&or%hi* to the ,igh Grove that &e %hould have given to ,i'+8

7) 'o'ent+ ,o& did you forget the ,ooded "an98

71e do not kno&+ !ven the )rchon% living here do not under%tand their la*%e of 'e'ory, or
our%+8

7Thi% i% very, very %trange+8

It &a%n:t the fir%t %uch in%tance either &e or -ightchildren in general had encountered in the
Ai%*er%ion, and it &ould take 'any year% and %everal change% in 'y Ti'eline before any of u%@
'y%elf fir%t of all@&ould learn the rea%onF interference fro' the %ect of Illu%ioni%t% under <ichola%
1$
Blackthorn:% guidance+ Thankfully &hoever had done the dirty &ork had left Gr:rakh long ago, but the
effect lingered on for 'illennia+

7But you re'e'ber ,i' no& thank% to the di%covery of your &orld:% Tetron,8 Bakbuk
interBected %'oothly, 7and &e &ill teach you 'ore+ Lega, tell )lain about the ,igh Grove+8

7The ,igh Grove i% an )rchon, one of the 6ld 6ne%,8 Lega e/*lained, 7and in re%t 'a%% the
large%t of all+ It:% one of the fe& &ho cho%e a non?hu'anoid for' a% her default archety*e+ She ha% no
'ortal charge%, but %he %helter% the Bruin% and all other creature% on Gr:rakh@and al%o ho%t% other 6ld
6ne%, including the Bruin ,ege'on%+ 1e:ll 'eet the' all on the %urface+8

7So ho& i% it,8 I a%ked &ith a &ry %'ile, 7that Ra*hael and I &eren:t briefed on any of thi%
before &e %et cour%e for here98

71ell, the infor'ation is >ello& Seal,8 %aid Bakbuk &ith a %hrug+ 7>ou don:t have clearance
for %uch infor'ation yet+8

7>ou:ll only be fifteen once, )lain,8 %aid Lega &ith a rather 'i%chievou% %'ile+ 7So'e thing%
the ,ooded "an and &e kee* hidden, to increa%e the &onder of the young+8

7Thank%, I thin,+8

7>ou really &ill thank u% later+8

I certainly did+ Ra*hael recorded everything that ha**ened a% &e traveled on and then
di%e'barked fro' Toru%Rail, &alked to the entrance of the neare%t Pillar, and de%cended in a large
circular %eating area &ith &indo&% on 'o%t of it% %ide%+ The *a%%enger elevator &a% one of %everal
tube% that a%cended fro' the %urface of Gr:rakh in%ide the PillarD %o'e &ere for cargo of variou% kind%,
and one &a% the tube that contained a 'ighty %te' of the ,igh Grove+ I 'ade a 'inor nui%ance of
'y%elf a%king a*tain Ta':rr about ho& that %te' %*rang u* fro' the %urface and then %*read into a
fore%t dee* in the Ring:% habitat %ection, hel*ing to balance and *urify the Ring:% at'o%*here+ I al%o
a%ked about 'any other thing% I %a& both &ithin and &ithout the Pillar+

1hen &e di%e'barked &ith the other *a%%enger%, &e found that the Pillar ro%e fro' an artificial
i%land located about a 'ile off%hore in the &ater% of the Great Strait+ 1e could %ee the light% of the
nearby %ea*ort co'ing on a% Gr:rakh:% %un %et, and the light% of the long bridge that allo&ed the %te'
of the ,igh Grove to reach the Pillar+ So'e&here on land, the %te':% root% Boined &ith tho%e of the re%t
of the Grove, a deciduou% fore%t that reached around the &orld and %ent it% highe%t cro&n% a thou%and
feet into the air+ The fore%t 0%o a*tain Ta':rr told u%2 &a% 'o%t like the fore%t% of other &orld%:
11
te'*erate Cone%D Gr:rakh had al'o%t no a/ial tilt and it% =?cla%% %un loo'ed large in it% %ky co'*ared
to ,elio% in Ge:% %ky, but it% average te'*erature &a% cooler than Ge:%+

1e &ent by boat to %hore and after riding on land fro' the Port of 1e%tvie& 0again, a o''on
tran%lation of the Gr:rakhic, clo%e enough2 into the fore%t, &e found our%elve% dining and then bedding
do&n at lea%t five hundred feet u* in the trunk of a living tree@a tree &ith red bark and e'erald leave%
&ith gold under%ide% that &a% but an infinite%i'al *art of the large%t living )rchon in the Aia%*ora+

6f all the thing% &hich ha**ened to 'e that night, the effect% of the Bruin ale that &a% *re%%ed
on 'e 0%ince 'y ho%t% con%idered 'e an 7adult82 &ere the 'o%t 'e'orable+ -ightchildren can:t be
*oi%oned or even 'ade drunk 0%o'ething &hich i'*re%%ed our ho%t% no end2, but bet&een the ta%ty ale
and the fre%h air, I %le*t %oundly indeed later on+

K K K K K K K K K K

7In your o''on tongue I a' na'ed 4inale Brook&ater, Ai%ci*le of Secret%,8 %aid the tall
redheaded &o'an &ho %tood before u% the ne/t day, dee* in %o'e un'arked *lace in the ,igh Grove+
7The Bruin% &ho I hel* guard call 'e She 1ho 1alk% )lone+ )% a Protean a'ong the 6ld 6ne% I do
not al&ay% a**ear a% you %ee 'e+ So'eti'e% I a**ear a% a 1hite Tribe%&o'an &ith blonde, bro&n or
black hair, and occa%ionally a% a &o'an fro' any of the other 4our Tribe%+ on%ider 'e the !go to the
Self that i% the fore%t around you+8 1hen %he %a& 'e nod in under%tanding, %he bent her gaCe u*on 'e+
7,ave you %tudied the &orking% of the 'ind, young )lain98

7I have, 'a:a'+ I ho*e to be a Starbard %o'eday+ I under%tand your analogy+8

7It i% no analogyD it i% truth+ I a' the S*irit of the ,igh GroveD the%e tree% are it% Brain, and al%o
it% Soul and it% Body+ But do not be a%ha'edD every )rchon no& *re%ent *erceive% the truth of &hat
o# are i% 'any ti'e% 'ore *rofound+ 1hen you learn it, you &ill change e/i%tence a% &e kno& it+8

Bakbuk ge%tured to kee* 'e fro' re%*onding+ Through Ra*hael and the other Sentrie% 'y
*arent% and everyone el%e &ho could aboard !ichael %a& and heard everything &hich &a% going on,
and I could only i'agine 'y *arent%: reaction% in *articular+

7Thi% i% "enthe 1intergreen,8 4inale &ent on, 7the Ai%ci*le of Peace+ She ha% d&elt in the
Euiet *lace% of the Grove %ince al'o%t the beginning of the Ai%*er%ion+8

"enthe &a% 'uch %horter than 4inale, a doe?eyed brunette &earing dee* violet robe% &ho
looked about 'y age@at lea%t to 'y bia%ed eye% at the ti'e+ In fact all )rchon% in hu'anoid for' look
ti'ele%% and have *erfectly %y''etrical face%, but thi% one &a% unu%ually youthful in countenance+
1#
)nd de%*ite being a 4i:ne, &hile %he 'erely cla%*ed the hand% of the other -ightchildren, %he gave 'e
a &holehearted full?length e'brace &hich I 0being fifteen2 returned Bu%t a% &holeheartedly+

7$hem,8 %aid 4inale before one of the adult -ightchildren could %ay %o'ething %i'ilar+

<ot until I &a% 'arried@%i/ty year% later in another Ti'eline(@&a% I held %o long and %o
inten%ely by any fe'ale+ I think "enthe &ould:ve ki%%ed 'e had %he dared, and likely neither of u%
&ould:ve &anted to %to*+ I &a% diCCy@to %ay no 'ore@&hen %he finally let 'e go and %te**ed back,
and %he &a% blu%hing and looking do&n at her feet+

7Perha*% "enthe ha% d&elt alone for too long,8 S*ica re'arked dryly+ She told 'e later@'uch
later, given %ub%eEuent event%@that for all I Bu%t &ent through I:d %ho&n a%toni%hing %elf?control for a
<e:fi 'ale 'y age and %he &a% *roud of 'e+

7Perha*% %o,8 %aid 4inale, but &hile %he tried to look %tern the %'ile %he &ore refu%ed to leave
her face+ 7But obviou%ly %he recogniCe% the inner truth of your youngling a% &ell+8 S'oothly %he turned
to the other )rchon% *re%ent+ 7The%e are the ,ege'on% of the Gr:rakhi'F in o''on, the Aen?4ather,
the Aen?"other, and the ub+8

7Goldilock% and the Three Bear%,8 I e/clai'ed &ith a laugh, *artly to break the ten%ion+ 7Pa*a
Bear, "a'a Bear, and Baby Bear+8

7*hat34 e/clai'ed 4inale+

I doubled over &ith laughter at the i'age in 'y 'ind+ S*ica, &ho a% a fello& <e:fi under%tood
'y %en%e of hu'or in%tinctively, ge%tured to the other% not to intervene+

7If you &ere in your blonde for',8 I e/*lained at length, 7you and the ,ege'on% &ould be the
%*itting i'age of character% in one of our children:% tale%+8

7>ou 'ean like thi%98 In an in%tant 4inale beca'e a radiantly lovely blue?eyed blonde, and %he
&alked over to the ,ege'on% and %tood be%ide the'+

7Lery clo%e, although Goldilock% in the tale i% a child her%elf+8

7I %ee+8 )nd a% you:ve *robably gue%%ed, that:% ho& the nickna'e% given to the four ,ege'on%
of Gr:rakh ca'e about+ They %tarted &ith 'e, they %tuck, and in ti'e they &ent viral a'ong 'any
13
irreverent )da'i' out?of?S*here+

7If all -ightchildren are a% &ell?hu'ored a% the younge%t of you,8 %aid 7Pa*a Bear8 to S*ica
and the other adult%, 7&e %hall all get along %*lendidly+8

K K K K K K K K K K

The Shrine of the Tetron &a% located in Port 1e%tvie&, but the Tetron it%elf hadn:t been found
there+ Ju%t a% the Bruin% began e/*loring their o&n %tar %y%te', the Tetron tran%'itted a ho'ing %ignal
on a freEuency that could *enetrate the igneou% bedrock in &hich it &a% buried+ The Bruin% found it
co'*letely unhar'ed@no %ur*ri%e% there@and &ith the Three Bear%: hel* they got it &orking+

-ike all Tetron%, the Tetron of Gr:rakh &a% a truncated tetrahedron &ith a %o*hi%ticated
interactive teaching *rogra'+ 4ir%t, it taught the Bruin% )da'ic and o''on, &hich kno&ledge %tood
the' in good %tead &hen the fir%t traveler% fro' the lu%ter 4ederation arrived+ <e/t, it gave the' the
gift of n?cry%tal% and in%truction% for cultivating and u%ing the', &hich gave the' the key to the %tar%+
4inally, it revealed the e/i%tence of the =ingdo' of )riel, it% -ord and it% *eo*le%, and in due ti'e %ent
out the auto'atic 7*lea%e contact u%8 %ignal+

76ur fello& itiCen% the "anikin% have di%*er%ed countle%% Tetron% like thi% one not only in the
Ring of Star%,8 S*ica e/*lained to the Bear%, 7but in gala/ie% far beyond our%+ Should there be
,ege'on% and 'ortal charge% in unkno&n *lace%, they:ll have the 'ean% to contact u% &hen they:re
ready+8

7Then the -ord Aavid%on,8 Pa*a Bear a%ked in %ur*ri%e, 7ha% not ke*t a record of &here %uch
creature% 'ight be98

7,e 'o%t certainly ha%,8 S*ica re*lied &ith a %'ile, 7but ,e doe%n:t reveal to u% 'ore than &e
need to kno& at any ti'e+8

7That i% %en%ible,8 %aid "a'a Bear, 7but it 'ay 'ean you &ill face a %ur*ri%e attack fro' %o'e
Euarter %o'e day+8

71e 'ay,8 Bakbuk re*lied gravely, 7but &e -ightchildren are eEui**ed for 'any ta%k%, and one
of the' i% the defeat of ,o%tile )rchon% and their allie%+ 1e fight %o that 'ortal% don:t have to+8

76ur *eo*le:% &arrior culture &ill not be %o ea%ily hu'bled,8 %aid Pa*a Bear &ith eEual gravity,
7but a %ufficient %ho& of 'artial *ro&e%% in thi% &orld:% defen%e &ill bring 'any to %ee your *oint of
14
vie&+8

7Ao you fore%ee %uch a *o%%ibility98 Bakbuk a%ked+

7The ,ege'ony i% the %tronge%t Galactic Po&er in the region, and ha% trade &ith 'any &orld%
and Po&er% both near and far+ 1e kno& not everyone ha% the in%tinctive vie& of deterrence that our
charge% have+ "ortal )da'i', I a' %orry to %ay, are a'ong the 'o%t dangerou% to u% *otentially, but
far 'ore dangerou% and aggre%%ive are the I'*erial Aragon% and the Suidae+8

7The -iCard% and the Pig%,8 I 'uttered very Euietly to 'y%elf+ 7The Aino% and the S&ine+ *h
a' I not %ur*ri%ed98

>e%, I had the 1hite ,and in 'e fro' 'y 'other:% &o'b@uniEuely@though I didn:t kno& it
yet+ !ven %o, I had yet to learn the co'*a%%ion even for the !ne'ie% of "an &hich beca'e *art of 'y
adult re*utation+ "ay tho%e &ho:ve kno&n 'e onl a% an adult *ardon 'y 'id?teen i''aturity(

There &a% 'uch 'ore di%cu%%ion, but in the end 7Goldilock% and the Three Bear%8@and
"enthe a% &ell@agreed that the Bruin ,ege'ony %hould beco'e an )nne/ of the =ingdo' of )riel,
after a %ufficient ti'e of *re*aration for the Bruin% the'%elve%+ )% a fir%t %te*, they agreed a Portal of
Starlight %hould be %et u* in it% o&n roo' in the Shrine+ -ightchildren &ould be free to co'e and go at
their *lea%ure, and %hi*% fro' all 4our 1ing% of the Aee* S*ace Service@4leet, Guild, or*% and
Survey@&ere &elco'e to co'e and conduct bu%ine%% in the Ring+ "ean&hile, the 'ortal% and
"anikin% aboard !ichael &ere free to enter and leave the Ring, but until our o&n Protocol% &ere
%ati%fied only -ightchildren could %et foot on the hallo&ed &orld of Gr:rakh+

K K K K K K K K K K

1hile the *reli'inary agree'ent% &ere dra&n u* in their final for', and &ith the *er'i%%ion of
'y *arent% and the adult -ightchildren, I rode Ra*hael in )ir Surfer "ode over Port 1e%tvie& and
then ea%t&ard over the Grove+ I &a% looking for &here &e:d 'et 4inale, "enthe and the Three Bear%+
Ra*hael had no trouble guiding 'e to the e/act %*ot, and he &ent to Re%t "ode i''ediately after &e
touched do&n+

In tho%e day% 'y acce%% to Ra*hael:% tre'endou% ca*abilitie% &a% %till very li'ited+ 4or one
thing, hi% other%*ace clo%et had yet to be unlocked to 'e+ I could u%e hi% Shield "ode%, ho&ever, a%
&ell a% hi% )ir Surfer and ontact -en% "ode%+ )ll the%e &ere at 4reedo' -evel 6ne, ho&ever, &hich
'ean% I had to u%e vocal co''and% to acce%% the'+

The *lace &here &e:d 'et the )rchon% &a% on a %unny bank by a brook running do&n fro' a
1J
hill, the cro&n of &hich couldn:t be %een fro' ground level+ 4ro' that cro&n far a&ay, I could hear the
basso 'rof#ndo overtone chanting of the =ee*er% of the ,igh Grove a% they revered the 6ld 6ne &ho
%urrounded and nurtured their *eo*le+

I didn:t under%tand then &hat had dra&n 'e there+ It &a%n:t in ho*e of %eeing "enthe or even
4inale, for they &ere bu%y dealing &ith the adult -ightchildren+ 6nce I touched do&n, 'y original
'otive% &ere forgotten, %&allo&ed u* in the very *eace of the *lace+ It &a% a *lace &here real and
*o%%ible future% cro%%ed, and though I didn:t under%tand then the full %ignificance of 'y *erce*tion,
even a% a nat#ral <e:fi I could hardly ignore it+

Starbard% are taught the hant of Lo&el%, an overtone chant derived fro' the vo&el% of the
,ooded "an:% 6lde%t <a'e+ I &a% no Starbard yet, but already there &a% %o'ething about the &ay I
%ang the chant@or el%e the 'ere fact I %ang the hant@&hich gave it unu%ual *o&er over it% conte/t+
)% the ,igh Grove &a% a %ingle va%t organi%', and an 6ld 6ne at that, I &ondered ho& it &ould
re%*ond to 'y %inging the hant of Lo&el% in thi% clearing+

;ieao#oaei; ieao#oaei; ieao#oaei.

The tree% ru%tled all around 'e a% if a &ind had co'e u* to %tir their branche%+ 1hen I %to**ed
%inging, they returned to their u%ual Euietude+ <ot even the =ee*er% &ere chanting any longer, a% if
they too had been %tilled by either the hant of Lo&el% or el%e it% effect% on the Grove+

71e:ve been &aiting for you for a very long ti'e,8 %aid a &o'an:% voice fro' behind 'e+

I turned and %a& a tall brunette &ith blue eye%, dre%%ed not a% 4inale had been in 'ode%t yet
rich robe%, but in a figure?flattering t&o?*iece outfit &hich e/*o%ed her right %houlder and 'idriff+
6nly the to* covered and %u**orted her con%iderable cleavage, &hich given 'y already?budding
*reference% &a% the la%t thing I needed to %ee+ ,er voice &a% %eductive, not noble yet alluring a%
4inale:% had been+

7>ou:re a decent i'itator of 4inale:% voice,8 I re'arked a% 'y eye% narro&ed, 7but you:re not a
Se:fi a% %he i%@you:re a <e:fi like 'e+ 1ho are you, and &hat do you have to do &ith 'e98

7>our aural *erce*tion i% keen, Gndying Singer,8 the &o'an re'arked in her nor'al voice, and
in o''on a% before+ 7>ou al%o inferred 'y ba%ic thought *attern fro' very fe& clue%+8

7That:% t-o *eo*le &ho:ve called 'e by that e*ithet %ince I:ve co'e here+8

1H
7"aybe you %hould %tart a%king &hy+8

7*ho are o#34 I %a& no rea%on to be re%*ectful to her, )rchon though %he obviou%ly &a%+

7So'eone &ho I ho*e to get to kno& very, ver &ell,8 %he re*lied &ith a %'irk@Bu%t before
t&o hairy, lanky ar'% grabbed 'e fro' behind+

7(e54

There &a% no ti'e to call u*on Ra*hael for defen%e+ 1hatever had grabbed 'e a**arently had
a *artner, for another hairy, lanky thing a**eared by the &o'an:% %ide Bu%t before the ,igh Grove
vani%hed to be re*laced by another %cene entirely+

I *ulled 'y Starblade a% %oon a% &hatever had grabbed 'e relea%ed 'e, but Shalhevetyah &ent
through e'*ty air+ I &hirled to&ard the &o'an, &ho no& had t&o %even?foot bat?'en flanking her on
either %ide+ They knelt and bo&ed to&ard her &ith &ing% out%tretched like *erver%ion% of covering
cherubi'+

7-ook around at your ne& ho'e,8 the &o'an invited &ith a &ave of her right ar'+ )% %he did,
%o'e kind of veil lifted fro' 'y 'ind, and I had no trouble gue%%ing &ho %he &a%+

I looked around cautiou%ly+ 1e &ere on the roof of a building overlooking one of the 'o%t
beautiful beache% i'aginable, one &hich e/tended north to %outh &ithout a break and *robably far
beyond the horiCon+ It had &hat looked like ultra?'odern re%ort hotel% lining it on the land&ard %ide,
al%o &ithout a break, and &e &ere on the roofto* of one of the'+ Rolling hill%, 'o%tly covered &ith
tro*ical fore%t given the te'*erature, ro%e beyond the re%ort%+

The beach it%elf &a% all but car*eted &ith young?looking 'ale and fe'ale )da'i'@millions
of the', 'any %haded &ith beach u'brella% and *avilion%, 'any other% e/*o%ed to the %un@and &hile
their nu'ber% ta*ered off %har*ly a% they &ent %ea&ard, they &ent right do&n to the &ater:% edge+ >et
other% &ere *laying in the %urf+ There didn:t %ee' to be a %tich of clothing on any of the'+

I already kne& there &ere Euite a fe& thing% 'y ne& ho%te%% didn:t allo& her acolyte% to do or
to have done to the'@not becau%e of any real goodne%% in her but becau%e tho%e activitie% didn:t fit
her 'artic#lar *lan% for %ubverting the )da'i'+ But even fro' a di%tance, I kne& &hat I &a% looking
at and it %hocked 'y %till?innocent heart to tear%@and to terrible anger+

7Ra*hael, go to ontact -en% "ode and Shield "ode Three(8
1M

7)ckno&ledged,8 %aid a voice out of thin air, and a% hi% Re%t "ode di%a**eared, 'y left hand
*roBected a *ane of blue, 'y right hand dre& 'y %&ord and I 'oved into a defen%ive %tance+ 7)% you
undoubtedly have inferred by no&,8 Ra*hael &ent on a% he di%*layed a data file on 'y cornea%, 7thi% i%
alli%ta Brandy&ine, the daughter and ince%tuou% lover of <ichola% Blackthorn, and thi% i% alli%ta:%
Planet+8

7"any *eo*le %till na'e 'e and 'y &orld %o,8 %he re*lied dra'atically a% %he lifted her ar'%
and %*un around+ 7But I@I have gro&n far beyond &hat I &a% at birth+ I a' Teha--eh, the Great
"other o%'o%, and 'y *o&er gro&% by the day@even by the hour(8

*ron% thin% to sa to a st#dent of 6ld 7a,b#,8 lad9

7Take 'e back to Gr:rakh no-, bla%*he'er,8 I %aid a% I lit Shalhevetyah and advanced %lo&ly
to&ard her, 7or by the grace that:% u*on 'e I:ll %ho& you &hat real Po&er i%(8

The Aai'onae at alli%ta:% feet ro%e and &ould:ve dra&n their %aber% again%t 'e, but %he
%to**ed the' &ith a ge%ture+ 7!ven if you 'anaged to kill 'e and 'y e%cort%,8 %he *ointed out &ith a
laugh, 7you:d %till be %tranded here+8

74or a brunette <e:fi, you:re *retty Oblonde:,8 I retorted, cal'ing 'y%elf a% 6ld Bakbuk had
taught 'e+ 7Ra*hael:% re*orting 'y *o%ition a% &e %*eak+8

7)nd thi% &ill do you any good; ho-9 1e:re thou%and% of light?year% beyond the ube your
=ingdo':% %taked out a% Okno&n %*ace:@on the other %ide of the ube fro' Gr:rakh, in fact+8

If %he e/*ected 'e to back do&n becau%e of the a**arent over%ight on 'y *art, %he &a%
'i%taken+ 7I %hould kno& better,8 %he added after a 'o'ent, 7than to undere%ti'ate a fello& <e:fi on
the defen%ive@even if he is a chick %carcely out of hi% egg+ Tell you &hatF if you:ll %heathe your %&ord
and dro* your Sentry:% %hield for no&, I:ll %end the%e t&o a&ay+ Then, I &ant you to hear 'e out+ I
believe you:ll benefit fro' &hat you hear+ ,o& about it98

*h not3 !i%ht as -ell find o#t -h I0m here.

7Send the' a&ay fir%t+8

alli%ta *au%ed, then 'otioned for her Aai'on e%cort% to leave+ ,er ge%ture included a %y'bol
'ade by her finger%@one I didn:t under%tand, but &hich I &a% %ure 'eant trouble+
1I

1hen the hairy bat?'en &ere gone, I %heathed 'y Starblade, *ut Ra*hael in Re%t "ode and
a%ked %arca%tically, 71hat *rotect% all tho%e *eo*le do&n there fro' %unburn9 >our %y'biont, I
%u**o%e98

7Lery %ood, Gndying Singer+ !ven 1hite Tribe%'en in the halice cult tan 'ore or le%% dee*ly,
but they don:t burn+ They can:t+ )n enviable *o%ition for the "aid% and their 'ale ,el*er%, don:t you
think9 )gele%% youth, a healing factor %econd only to that of you -ightchildren, and both a hunger and
a ca*acity beyond 'o%t 'ortal%: co'*rehen%ion for; variou% inti'acie%+8 alli%ta grinned lu%tfully+
7Puite a dra& for our vi%itor% of both %e/e% too, a% you can i'agine+ )nd the only *rice@be%ide% 'y
enBoy'ent of the 'en and boy% fro' ti'e to ti'e@i% the *re%ence of 'y %y'biont in the "aid% and
,el*er%, &hich increa%e% 'y ability to dra& u*on the Euantu' vacuu'+ The 'ore %uch acolyte% I have,
the %tronger 'y *o&er beco'e%+8

I %coffed+ 7Aon:t forget the eventual conEue%t of your gue%t%: ho'e&orld% by your allie% the
<ull%+8 <ull%@a% you 'ay be a&are@are a rebelliou% %ect of the "anikin%F hy*er?tech android% &ith
%elf?centered ethic% rather than God?centered ethic%+ 7They:re the only rea%on you can kee* thi%
'ornocrac running, i%n:t it9 )nd the %a'e goe% for any other *lace your halice of the "aid% cult
%ubvert%+ >ou didn:t kidna* an idiot, alli%ta@and Bu%t for the record, kidna**ing 'e ha% earned you
the immediate death *enalty under ovenant -a&+8

alli%ta %coffed in turn+ 7)% if &hat 'y acolyte% and gue%t% belo& are doing hasn0t98

71hy %hould I li%ten to another &ord you %ay98

7Becau%e if you do not,8 %aid a *o&erful 'ale voice, 7I:ll leave no- in%tead of later and de%troy
Gr:rakh, the Great Ring and everyone living and vi%iting there+8

K K K K K K K K K K

:ohanan &a,,av is the (ebre- 'en name (an%lici;ed 2in% :ames <ersion1stle) of a ver b#s =e0fi
(+=F> on the !ers17ri%%s %rid). 7esides bein% a cons#ltant in Christian a'olo%etics8 he is the editor
and co1'#blisher of the boo, T(+ !?)IC 6F T(+ 7I7@+ &+<+$@+A b the late )#;anne (aB,1
<anto#ra (ra,,av.comCbiblem#sic)8 a sin%er1son%-riter -ho 'las the 'iano8 snthesi;er8 Celtic har'
and ten1strin%ed (ebre- lre (kinnor)8 a lifelon% lover of the nat#ral sciences (es'eciall astronom)
and of s'ec#lative fiction8 an enth#siast of 'ersonalit t'e models8 and (-ritin% -ith +.<. !edina as
:ac, )he'herd) the co1a#thor of the medieval fantasCalle%orical )F boo, &+$@!*$@2+&)
(tiaera.blo%s'ot.com). (is fictional !etacosmos is no- feat#red at #ndin%sin%er.-ord'ress.com and
ra,,av.blo%s'ot.com8 as -ell as at the 'a%e T$@+) 6F T(+ ?=AYI=/ )I=/+& on Faceboo,.
1N
The Chronicle of +bb
By "ichael Saad
Planet Rlyesia, Galactic Coalition Protectorate, April 14, 2275 AD
- United Nations of Eart !UNE" E#$assy %&tpost, %ffice of A#$assador Alin Do'al

Aoval leaned in hi% chair and ran hi% hand over hi% 'outh, %tifling a %igh+ The *roble' &a%
&hat he held in hi% other hand@a %Euare, 'e'ory chi* %'aller than hi% thu'bnail+ ,e could %na* it
&ith t&o finger%D yet in%ide that %i'*le, blue enca%e'ent of %ilicon &afer%, conduit%, and conductor%
held the fate of the entire univer%e+
71hat the hell do I do &ith you98 Aoval %aid in the e'*ty roo' he %at in+ 6ne fli* of the
co''unication% ter'inal in front of hi' &ould call u* the *anel he had %u''oned e/*re%%ly for thi%
*ur*o%e@to figure out &hat to do &ith the little %Euare he &a% fidgeting &ith+ The *roble' &a%n:t the
chi*@thou%and% of the%e &ere *roduced every day on !arth and %hi**ed to the outlying colonie%@it
&a% the infor'ation do&nloaded on it that could rattle the foundation of everything the hu'an race had
kno&n, had ever under%tood, about the nature of life it%elf+
,e looked u* at the clock and %a& it &a% five 'inute% *a%t 1#F$$ P", <orth )'erican
"ountain Ti'e+ There &a% no *oint in &ondering &hether he had gone too far in calling thi% 'eeting@
he had already %ent the *anel an encry*ted co*y of the digital infor'ation+ The *anel, by no&, &ould
have gone through the file, conBuring u* o*inion% on &hat the content%: connotation% could 'ean for
the hu'an race+ The craCy *art &a% that the content% &ere nothing 'ore than a %i'*le %tory, a 'e'oir
of an alien believed to have been &ritten over 3$$$ year% ago+ Aoval %till needed clarification fro'
Rlye%ia:% envoy% on !arth, &ho &ere verifying the authenticity and tran%lation of the tale, a ta%k he
&ould a%k the' to confir' before he &ould dare relea%e the narrative to anyone out%ide of the *anel+
#$
7)ll right you guy%, &ake u*+8 Aoval let out a heavy breath and fli**ed on the *o&er %&itch,
igniting the giant %*lit?%creen directly over hi% head+ T&o individual%@an older 'an &ith %alt?and?
*e**er hair, a round Ba&, and a thick, beefy face, and a younger, 'iddle?aged gentle'an of )rabic
origin, &ith a high forehead, long hair, and %lender face@a**eared on each half of the %creen+ The
older 'an &a% dre%%ed in a grey, G<! golf %hirt and %at again%t a backdro* of evergreen tree% &ith a
bright blue %ky behind hi', &hile the other %at in a trench, %urrounded by bro&n cloud% and a 'u%ty
%ky+
7!very ti'e I %ee you General, I yearn to %te* foot on !arth,8 Aoval %aid to the elderly 'an, hi%
for'er %u*erior, a retired five?%tar general for the intergalactic &ing of the G<!+ 7)% for you,
Par'a%cu%, %eeing that ugly bro&n %ky, I don:t envy you one bit+8
7ut the hor%e hooey, Aoval,8 the General %aid+ 7I:' 'i%%ing a *icnic lunch &ith 'y grandkid%,
and for &hat9 ) half?baked fairy?tale concocted by an alien and deci*hered by hu'an being% &ho
kno& the Rlye%ian language no better than I do a Rlye%ian:% colon+8
7Thi% i% no fairy tale, I a%%ure you, General,8 Par'a%cu% %*oke+ "ore than t&enty light year%
%e*arated hi' fro' the other t&o *anelli%t% but the %ub%*ace feed &a% holding u*+ 7I:d heard about thi%
chronicle during 'y ti'e on Rlye%ia and often &ondered if it &ouldn:t co'e to thi%+8
7Thank you, Par',8 Aoval %aid+ It &a% ti'e to call u* the third and final 'e'ber of hi% *anel+
,e hit an activation button on hi% touch%creen key*ad, and the &hole right %ide of the roo' lit u* in an
array of fla%hing red, yello&, and orange light%+
7Su''etro%,8 Aoval %*oke Euickly, not allo&ing the co'*uter the chance to boot u* it% long?
&inded introduction+ 7an you *lea%e verify the accuracy of the docu'ent:% 'o%t recent tran%lation
fro' Rlye%ian into !ngli%h, *lea%e98
#1
7Certainly, Ambassador, the co'*uter %*oke in a %oft, 'echanical voice+ 7The
most recent translation is 95.7% accurate. My own translation is
98.2% with the remainin !.8% uncertainty con"ined to dialect
nuances, not ma#or con"ormities, li$e synta% or ram&
7Thank you Su''etro%,8 Aoval %aid, then turned to the General+ 7I &ouldn:t *ull you a&ay
fro' your grandkid%, %ir, if I didn:t think thi% &a% big+ 1e have to decide &hat to do &ith thi%
docu'ent+ Right no&, only the three of u% kno& about thi% tran%lation, and the e/act content of it+ The
Eue%tion i%, do &e relea%e thi% to the Gnited <ation% of !arth, and &ith the' the Galactic "edia, or do
&e kee* it under lock and key, or 'aybe in a bo/ buried J$$$ feet in the ground98
7Relea%e the da'n thing,8 the General &aved hi% hand in the air+ 7I can tell you &hat the
ouncil:% going to %ay@you bloody !arth'en are %o %elf?centered you think the godda'n univer%e
revolve% around you+ <o one el%e i% going to take thi% cocka'a'ie yarn any 'ore %eriou%ly than they
&ould an !l'er 4udd cartoon fro' the #$
th
entury+8
7I re%*ectfully di%agree, General,8 Par' re*lied+ 7If anything, thi% docu'ent could not only
ignite a fire%tor' of debate and ho%tility acro%% !arth, but the entire Galactic oalition+ The content% of
thi% %tory have the *otential to alter the &orldvie& of the entire univer%e in one fell %&oo*+8
7Aa''it+8 The General rubbed hi% head and %ighed+ 7So you:re telling 'e 'y grandkid% are
going to be eating &ithout 'e, i% that it98
7"aybe &e need to take it right fro' the beginning,8 Aoval %aid, 7go over the entire te/t line by
line and %crutiniCe it+ I have to ad'it though, in thi% *re%ent tran%lation, the te/t i% tough to refute+8
7)t the very lea%t, &e could di%cu%% it% i'*lication%,8 Par' %aid+ 71e really are on the cu%* of
%o'ething e/traordinary here+8
##
7' would be ha((y to call u( the document "or you to (eruse on
each o" your screens, Su''etro% offered+ 7' can also maintain the audio
lin$ "or you to discuss each line, where a((licable.
7That &ould be fine, co'*uter, thank you+8 Aoval %aid+
7God )l'ighty,8 the General %aid, rubbing hi% forehead a% he looked at hi% tablet in front of
hi'+ 71hat are &e calling thi% thing again9 The;hronicle of !bb, correct9 )ll right, gentle'en, let:%
take it fro' the to*;8








The Chronicle of Ebb
As recited this day forward, on the second cycle of the Clicking Bird, in the year
following the Kajahkhan
7Only when you establish control, authority and superiority, my clan
leader, Obrai-San, told us, have you established the natural order of things.
7Yes, Haba-San, was our traditional reply. e had heard that rationale
often, but now it is was time to put it into practice. ! could see the "ouda scum in the
distance, wal#ing in and out of their hovels made with the boughs and branches of our
#3
$ather orld%s trees. Some of the hovels even had the remnants of moist, matted leaves
as rooftop coverings, adding yet further desecration to the life-giving air and water that
Moria@the name of our $ather &lanet@gave us.
7'hey are harvesting the wood, my older cousin (luid said, his orange eyes
s)uinting across the ravine, his eyes transfi*ed on one of the "ouda men who was
hac#ing down a thin, elderly tree, peeling its bar# as if it were the s#in of a dead wort-
rabbit. e had been watching this "ouda settlement for twenty minutes now. 'hey had
settled on the valley cliffs, thin#ing they would be out of our sight, and thus be allowed to
carry out their gross practices on our world, carefree.
e watched the same man peel the tree%s bar#, chop the wood into thin
stic#s, place them in a round pit, and hammer roc#s together, drawing up spar#s that fell
li#e snowfla#es along the torn, e*posed, wood-grains.
7He is building fire+ (luid hissed. ,o you see what that wort is doing,
edi--ud.
7! see, elder cousin. ! wanted to leap across the ravine and stop this
butchery. !nstead, we crouched behind the bush and loo#ed to our clan leader, who sat
behind us, gauging our response.
7'his is why we claim superiority on $ather &lanet,/ Obrai-San said,
nodding with approval at the anger in our eyes, and this is why we fight. 0ow come,
boys@it%s time to avenge 1oria+
222
#4
e crossed the valley at the low point of the river, then scaled the cliff
leading into the "ouda village, our daggers and whips at our ready. 'he "ouda village
had only been up for a short period of time@it lac#ed any infrastructure or sophisticated
defenses. !t appeared as though the "ouda slugs thought they would get away with this
rape of our world.
e waited until our second sun dimmed, giving us enough dar#ness to #eep
our element of surprise, but enough light so they would #now who it was upholding
1oria%s honor.
7'hese are the same rats we chased away from the lava plain, Obrai-San
said. 'hey were forbidden to practice Saghhir@the rape of 1oria. 0ow they%ve violated
the terms of their banishment+
(luid and ! glanced at each other. e #new what Obrai-San meant. e
belong to the AundatClet@the word 3undat meaning children of $ather &lanet. Our
clan, the 4let, appreciated everything 1oria gave us, namely our provisions for life such
as air, water, food, and shelter. e understood everything we needed to survive was
provided by Him, who was essentially the personification of our world, though not in any
form we could see or communicate with. ater came to us from la#es and rivers, air from
the s#y, fruit from the trees and meat from the rabbits, rats, and sna#es that inhabited
the lush, -ungles surrounding us. 1oria could only be felt, and even then only by the
highest-ran#ing elders amongst our people.
7'hese worts are an embarrassment to the 3undat name, (luid said, as he
watched the "ouda male add more wood to the fire was burning outside his hut. 'he fool
#J
will burn down this entire -ungle if he%s not careful.
73t the very least, he will burn down his eyesore hovel. ! said. 'he people
we watched were Aundat in name only, not in practice. 'hey were #nown to us as the
Aundat !ouda" 'hey e*isted in small groups, insolated camps in and around the forests
and rivers of our lands. &hysically spea#ing, they were the e*act same species as us@
purple s#inned, biped, three eyes, sun#en nose with high, bony chee#bones, and sentient
intelligence. !n the ways we practice living, however, the 4let were the ma-ority and, by
far, the more rational and superior people. e did not e*ploit the gifts of $ather &lanet.
e #new, for instance, 1oria gave us shelter in the form of caves and caverns, embedded
deep into the mountains, which #ept us dry in the rain, and cool during the hot seasons.
'he "ouda slugs, on the other hand, too# it upon themselves to tear up plants and s#in
trees to build their homes, re-ecting our firm conviction that deceased souls, once their
physical bodies have been buried and decomposed in the earth, return to $ather &lanet
as new foliage, trees, and growth. 'he "ouda not only re-ected this idea, they spit upon it
by building their huts, fires, and hunting weapons from the very embodiment of their
ancestor%s spirits@a re-ection that divided and forever fouled the relationship between
our two peoples.
7He will not burn down this -ungle, or his hovel hut for that matter, Obrai-
San spo#e through gritted teeth, because we attac#@now+
Our clan leader leapt over the log and charged into the village, wielding his
club and blade. (luid and ! -olted up and followed, my heart surging@! had been waiting
for this moment for the past year@my first opportunity to fight the "ouda and defend
#H
$ather &lanet.
7You "ouda dog+ Obrai-San bolted into the village, startling the "ouda man
as he #nelt at his fire. e stormed in, stirring panic throughout the village. 1others and
children crawled out of their windows. !n two of the huts, they ran through the walls,
bringing down the entire structure. (luid grabbed a little fool tangled amongst the
branches, drug him out, and tied him to a tree.
7,on%t try to escape, you ort-'ung. (luid threatened the child with his
blade. !%ll slice you li#e the branches you cut to ma#e this hut+ 'he child%s screaming
didn5t fa6e us.
! grabbed two more children@tying them together and latching them to an
e*posed root of a giant 1imabre tree at the edge of the cliff face. One of the children%s
mothers came at me with a stic#, and ! swatted her away, threatening to gut her son if
she came bac# a second time. ! spun around loo#ing for Obrai-San. ! couldn%t see him, but
#new he would be in a wild fren6y, chasing the villagers into the -ungle. He would pursue
them for hours@it was our strategy to send them deep into the -ungle in different
directions, scattering them li#e pollen grains in the wind, so they would have difficulty
regrouping their numbers. 'his strategy caused many women and children to become
lost, and vulnerable to the -ungle%s most dangerous aspects@fear, the elements,
predators. They are left alone to face #ather $orld and %is &ustice' was Obrai-San5s
-ustification for this tactic.
7edi+ (luid shouted. ! turned, and saw him dragging a man by the wrists
towards me. 'he man was crawling on his #nees, struggling to #eep up. He was bleeding
#M
from the head, no doubt from having been hit multiple times with (luid%s club.
! recogni6ed the man instantly.
7'his is the wort who built the fire+ (luid said, throwing him to my feet.
'he man lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath. (luid stood over him. He%s not so
mighty now he is facing 1oria%s protectors, and not the defenseless spirit of an 3undat
grandmother+
7'his louse needs to be punished, (luid finished. 'he man tried to sit up
but was #ic#ed to the ground by my older cousin. (luid handed me his blade.
7Here edi, (luid said. Obrai-San would want you to do this. 'his honor !
bestow to you, here, in the 7alley of our 3ncestors. 'his is your !alat"(
! too# the blade. 1y heart curled in my chest. (luid was right@this was my
"alat, my rite of passage to become a protector of 1oria. 1y father, my grandparents, my
grandparents before them@all have been reincarnated in this valley, this valley
desecrated by this "ouda pig. ! could feel the eyes of my family watching down on me
now, begging me to avenge their spirits.
7'his wort cut down your ancestors, (luid said. 0ow you must cut off his
arm.
'he "ouda man lifted his head and loo#ed at me with pleading eyes. Sir,
have mercy on me. He pointed to the child who (luid had tied to the tree. 'hat is my
son. &lease don%t let him see you do this. 8et us go, and ! swear you will never see us
again.
#I
70ever see you s#in another tree, you mean. (luid said, driving the man%s
face into the ground in front of my foot. 0o, edi. 'he boy must watch. He must learn
what he cannot do to 1oria.
! #new (luid was right. ! could not hesitate. ! had to teach this "ouda slug a
lesson, one that would not be forgotten by his cursed offspring.
7&lease sirs, the man pleaded. ! saw his son watch with terror in his eyes.
(luid grabbed the man%s right arm, the one he used to s#in the tree, and
pulled it straight. 'he man resisted, but (luid #ic#ed him in the chee#.
7,o it now, edi+ (luid screamed. 'his slime must pay+
! lifted the blade over my head, and brought it down with all the weight !
could muster. 'he blade chopped through the man%s shoulder. ! remember the sound of
s#in and sinew ripping, and the crunch of the blade as it crushed bone. 9ut the sound of
the man%s blood-curdling scream numbed my ears.
'he man rolled in agony on the ground. (luid pic#ed up the arm, and loo#ed
at me with a smile.
7'a#e it home, toss it into the "iver of 8ife, (luid tossed me the arm. 'hen
you will officially become a warrior for 1oria, cousin.
! held the arm in my hand. !t convulsed from the yellow lifeblood still
spurting from it. 3s much as ! prepared myself for this moment, ! had to remind myself
this was the custom of our people, and this action made me a protector of the planet, one
the highest honors bestowed to an AundatClet male. ! repressed the )ueasiness inside
#N
me. ! was a full-fledged warrior now, but there was no way ! wanted to face the mortified
boy behind me.
7! accept this, as a symbol of my life oath to the protection of $ather &lanet,
! said, trying not to let my voice )uiver as ! spo#e.
73nd He will accept you cousin, (luid answered. 1oria will welcome you to
His 3rmy of "ighteousness.
73n army who maims a father, ruins a son, and cripples the wea#, a voice
rose behind us. How proud do you thin# your $ather will be, boy, when you bring Him
the blood and bones of the innocent, claiming you have acted in His will.
! spun around in surprise to see an 3undat%4let male@a high clansman
dressed in the same purple-and-gold garments worn by Obrai-San. 1y mind tried to
register not only his presence, but the words he -ust spo#e to me.
(luid responded for me. 3nd what is this to you, Haba-uncle. !s this your
ancestral domain as well.
7!t is not, the strange man replied. !f it was, ! could tell you my clansmen
living amongst us would be loo#ing at us with shame, not pride, at the actions being done
here. He wal#ed up to me and loo#ed straight into my eyes and said as your ancestors
are loo#ing at you right now, younglet.
7hat is this blasphemy you are spea#ing, Haba.+ (luid said. ho are
you, and why are you saying this.
7ho ! am will be revealed to you soon enough, the stranger replied. !n the
3$
meantime, you must help your fellow 3undat. He gestured to the wounded man and to
his son behind us. 'he damage you have done to the man has maimed his body, but the
damage you have done to his son is far worse@you have maimed his soul. 8oo# at them,
boy+/
! loo#ed over to the son, still tied to the tree, wailing at his father who lay on
the grass with a pool of yellow underneath him. He was gasping for air as he tried to
angle the stump of his arms into the ground, to control the bleeding. 'he little boy was
trying to wrestle free from (luid5s #nots to help him.
! loo#ed at the severed arm in my hand. 'he wails of the father and son
continued, and in that moment, than#s to this strange Haba5s words, there was no way !
could deny what ! had done was wrong. Oh 1oria, what had ! done.
7!- !:had to do this: ! said, bumbling. 'his was a 4let elder ! was
spea#ing to. ! didn%t #now what to say. He:brutali6ed a tree spirit. 1y ancestor. 'he
"ouda are my enemies, are they not, Haba.
'he man put his hand on my shoulder. 'he 4let concept teaches us to hate
the "ouda for the way they live. ! am hear to tell you today, boy, to love the "ouda. 'hat
is what $ather orld wants of us. $or everything the "ouda ta#es from the land is ours,
and everything we give to the land is theirs. !n that way you will be acting as true
children of $ather orld, for he gives light from the suns to the un-ust and the good, and
rain on the evil and -ust ali#e. So is the way of 1oria.
7edi, get away from this loon+ (luid shouted, pulling me away. He held up
31
a dagger to the 3undat% 4let before him, a horrendous sign of disrespect. ! don%t #now
your name, Haba, but you are no Obrai, spea#ing this filthy tal#. Stay away from us.
7You are filled with misguided hate, my son, the stranger replied. 3 hatred
put there by the 'eachers of our ay. ! am here to tell you that way is wrong and needs
to change. $or what good is the hoil#en-bush if there is no water to nourish it. !ts berries
become hard, withered, useless. So too are the 4let, without the true Spirit of $ather
orld to guide us.
! listened to the stranger%s words. ! loo#ed away from the man and the boy.
'he stranger noticed my shame and charged towards me, spea#ing into my face.
70o, loo# at them, boy+ He grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to open my
eyes. )ou did this to them. !f this is the life you wish to live, you must face the
conse)uences for what you%ve done here+
! loo#ed at them. 'he man was convulsing. His son started screaming for
help, frightened his father was going to die right before his eyes. 1y face went from
healthy purple to a nauseating yellow. 'he man5s color was no different. ! couldn%t loo#
any further.
/0ow, my son,/ the 4let elder said. /;ive me the arm./
/0o, edi+/ (luid said, wanting to step between the elder and myself but agoni6ing
over whether he should. 'o do so, meant shoving a 4let elder, a crime punishable by
torture. (luid was already s#irting a thin line by drawing his blade on the man. /You
must ta#e the arm to our village and burn it in the "iver, my cousin. 'hat is the only way
3#
to uphold your !alat"* He turned to the (lder. /You #now this, Haba. hy are you
corrupting him so./
/'he boy is capable of ma#ing his own decisions./ 'he elder never too# his eyes
from me. /3nd he has not been corrupted by my word, but the word of a long, misguided
ay that has only brought bloodshed and despair to $ather orld./
His stare was too much for me. !t was as if he shot an arrow through my heart. 1y
head was numb with the young boy%s cries, and the agoni6ing sight of his father, bleeding
to death in front of him. ! dropped the man%s arm on the grass.
7hat you have severed here today, the stranger #nelt down and pic#ed up
the arm, only $ather 1oria can place bac#. !f you want to atone for what you%ve done, to
ma#e this right, then follow me boy. 4ome, follow me.
7He will do no such thing, you wort-hog+ (luid hissed, wagging his dagger
at the mysterious man. ! swear, brother, if you weren%t my elder ! would gut you li#e a
pig+ ;et away from him, edi+
! paused, for one last loo# at the stranger. He had turned away from me, and
#nelt beside the man. ithin seconds, two "ouda females emerged from the woods. One
helped tend to the man, while the other began untying the child.
7edi, come on, you duk+jong'( (luid nearly pulled my arm out of my soc#et,
forcing me to follow him. ! barely heard my cousin5s words.
78et%s get away from here, edi. 0ow+
222
33

7ho was this blood-hog. Obrai-San snarled. hat did he loo# li#e. hy
did you listen to him.
7! didn%t listen to him, edi did+ (luid replied, e*asperated, unsure of
which )uestion to answer first. 'he man was dressed in 4let robes. He didn%t wear the
-ewels, but ! swore he was an elder, ! still swear it+ ! offered nothing in response, my
mind a -umble of confusion, shame, and regret. !t was a few hours after our retreat from
the "ouda settlement that (luid and ! had regrouped with Obrai-San, who was furious.
<pon hearing the reason why we left, he immediately summoned the council of elders to
meet with us, so we would e*plain our story. 'hey wanted to hear about the 4let elder
who drove us away, and the wic#ed words he spo#e. 9ut it was clear the initial phase of
our interrogation was a full-fledged condemnation of our actions, and (luid was bearing
the brunt of the scolding.
7You are supposed to be the elder warrior@the chieftan+ Obrai-San
slammed his fist against the roc# in front of us, but his eyes remained fi*ed on (luid.
You are supposed to be immune to mercy when dealing with the "ouda pigs, yet you let
them sway you li#e a stupid ant, allowing your younger cousin to forego his !alat by
granting mercy to that "ouda hog+ 0ow, at age seventeen, edi-=un still has not attained
warrior status for our clan+
(luid glanced at me with bitter, angry eyes@! could see he wanted to blame
me for everything. 3fter all, it was my own decision to relin)uish my rite of passage. !
had let my conscience get to me, the very thing ! had been trained to repress when
34
dealing with the "ouda scum. (luid, as lead warrior and 4hieftain of our family clan,
second only to Obrai-San, had to accept my actions as his responsibility, and his failure to
guide me in the proper ay.
7'oday, ! have brought shame to my warrior caste, (luid spo#e, his head
down. 'he words came out of him slowly, li#e dripping water. ! regret my guidance did
not facilitate edi-=an to ac)uire his !alat. $or this, and all my failings to my 4let
ancestors, ! am sorry.
7Your failure has left your family one warrior less than the other clans,
Obrai-=on6, the lead elder, spo#e. He was a rotund man, his voice was deep and absolute.
9ut enough belittlement of poor, wretched (luid. ! fear he and the youngling were
swayed by the blasphemous words of this 4let elder. $rom the boys% description of the
man it is obvious to whom we are dealing with, my fellow Obrai.
'he three other elders nodded. !t is (bb, one of them spo#e.
7(bbre6indli himself, =on6 said with a grimace. Of the 4lic#ing 9ird clan.
He has brought much shame to his family and, apparently, continues to do so.
70ow he spreads that shame to my family+ Obrai-San said. He is spreading
his blasphemy to other clans, and has cost me young edi. 0ow edi must go an entire
year before he can attempt his !alat again+
Obrai-=on6 rubbed his face, clearly ve*ed. (bbre6indli has already been warned
for his blasphemy, but, li#e all Obrai in our society, he comes from prominent lineage. !f
his slander continues to impact other Obrai #inship, then perhaps more effective
3J
conse)uences can be brought against him.
7He has a huge following already, especially among the "ouda but now younger
4let are starting to spea# his drivel, another Obrai said. e need to deal with him
before he corrupts anymore of our own.
7!t is that mass movement which ma#es it so difficult to act against him, =on6
said. ! don%t want any more of our youth to follow him so naively. !t will only be a matter
of time before he slanders 1oria%s ay and commits Saghhir. Hopefully by then, our
youth will be able to condemn him themselves. Surely they possess the capability to ma#e
such a -udgment on their own, hmmm.
'he )uestion was directed at (luid and !, catching me off guard.
7Yes, Obrai-=on6, (luid answered without hesitation. 3bsolutely we do.
222
7;et into the corner you "ouda swine+ (luid shouted at an elderly male,
grabbing the man by the collar and flinging him up the incline. edi, use your stic#+
! removed my whipping stic# from my side holder@the threads of the stic#
were beginning to fray, which tore into a victim%s s#in all the more. , should ha-e sanded
this down, why didnt , sand this down.
7edi, you duk+jong' 0o time for hesitation+ (luid said as he threw two
more captives @a "ouda boy and a /ena, an 3undat who re-ected both 4let and "ouda
teachings, against the roc#. 'he smo#e and smell of the lava river caused panic amongst
the prisoners. 'he hot, grey air, coupled with the crac#ling sound of the river flow, made
3H
them reali6e this was the beginning of their end.
! had used my stic# to inflict order as we made the uphill tre# to
Moria-leck, our sacred mountain where the 4let believed $ather orld spo#e to us all.
3t the top of the mountain was an active volcano, the voice of 1oria himself, the holiest
place on the planet. 'he lava flows came down the mountain in three networ#s of rivers.
'he largest and hottest was the "iver of 8ife, which spanned the entire length of the
mountain and fed into an open plain at its northern base. !t was also, as designated by
our 4let traditions, a place to condemn heretics and offer sacrifice to $ather orld. 3s
penance for our debacle at the "ouda village one wee# earlier, (luid and ! had been
assigned to bring sacrificial victims up to the "iver of 8ife, where the victims would be
given to $ather orld as sacrifices to #eep our suns hot, our water flowing, and our air
sanitary.
74ome on, edi+ (luid said to me, sensing my hesitancy with the whip. He
sei6ed it and began whipping the young 8ena with it. 'hese men will not go to the fires
on their own+ His tone dropped to a harsh whisper. >uit embarrassing our family name
and act li#e a warrior+
He gave me a swat on the head hard enough to ma#e my eyes water, then
handed bac# the stic#. "epressing the trepidation within me, ! tore into the stragglers,
and bar#ed at them to #eep climbing.
e arrived a few minutes later. 1y whip frayed further, with drips of "ouda
lifeblood matted into the fibers. ! had become cold and unfeeling@! had to in order to
brace myself for the "iver. 3 large stream of molten lava oo6ed down the mountain face
3M
in a 6ig6ag pattern. ,ar#, bubbly roc# surrounded the stream, solidifying into blac#,
-agged, steaming crumble as it settled on the ban#s to be cooled by the forest air. Several
trees still stood despite being layered with the cinder and ash that spit from the
mountain top.
71ove, you hogs+ (luid shouted at the prisoners, as we lined them up at a
clearing where several 4let priests operated a pulley, which held a cable over the lava.
3ttached to the cable sat an open, metal cage@the prison that would carry the criminals
to the middle of the "iver, and release them to their peril. !f you choose to rape or re-ect
1oria, this is your fate+ 0ow you can answer to your $ather directly+
7&lease, !%ll do whatever the 4let want+ One of the 8ena victims pleaded to
me. &erhaps he saw my vulnerability, ! don%t #now, but he immediately fell to his #nees
at my feet. Sir, he wailed, ! see you are a #ind man. ! don%t want to die this way. ! will
renounce the "ouda, ! will become a 4let slave, anything you want. &lease+
'he man was first to go into the cage. ! put my hand on his shoulder and
gave the only response ! could. 9rother, ! cannot help you. 1oria demands you answer
for your crimes.
7Stupid edi+ (luid said, shoving me aside. He began whipping the man,
then tossed him into the cage. 'he man%s wails did nothing to stop (luid. 1y cousin
turned to me in a fit of rage.
7You are too wea#, cousin+ He grabbed my ear and drug me to the edge of
the ban#. ! want you to watch this pig burn and face his chastisement+ atch it, as the
3I
first step to reclaim your warrior-hood+
! watched as the cage was cran#ed across the river towards the center of the
flow. 'he searing heat caused the man to scream well before he was over the stream. !
tried to control my feelings and watch as the pulley operator sprang open the bottom of
the cage, and dropped the 8ena man into the lava below. !t too# less than twenty seconds
before the man completely ignited into a ball of rolling, red fire. ! could still hear the
echoes of his scream as the hungry lava swayed down the hill.
71ay 1oria eat his soul for his misgivings. (luid let me go. ! turned to face
his vengeful, and satisfied, eyes. 0ow we send seven more to the fires, cousin, and ! want
you to watch every one.
Seconds before the second victim, a blind "ouda female, was about to be sent
across, a group of 3undat emerged through the brown brush and headed towards us. 3n
3undat male, in the blue, golden robes of a 4let elder, led the group, wal#ing about five
paces ahead of the rest. ! recogni6ed instantly who it was.
7hat is this. 'he pulley operator as#ed. hat is going on.
7!t%s him, one of the priests said with disgust. !t is (bb.
7hat are you doing here, (bbre6indli. another of the priests as#ed. 'his
affair no longer concerns you, as you have rescinded your right to wal# on this sacred
ground.
73nd what are you doing here, brother. (bb replied. ! have not seen it
written that our $ather%s voice, nor the natural beauty he gives us, be used as an
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assembly of torture and death. !t is written ?1oria gives life to all, and in His sacred
ground, all good things come.%
7,o not purport to be a scriptural authority to us, prudish boy+ the priest
shot bac#. 'he traditions of the 3undat%4let have been practiced well before you were a
pup. Our scripture is centuries old, and is not for petty youth li#e yourself to claim any
semblance of comprehension towards it+
7! guide myself not by scripture, but by the words of 1oria Himself.
71oria spea#s to you, the priest said, laughing, then turned to the rest of
us. ,id you hear that everyone. (bbre6indli claims to spea# to $ather orld himself.
How many of you en-oy such discourse with our ;reat $ather. 3ny of you.
70o+ 1any in the ground, including (luid, shouted out. ! remained silent,
turning my attention bac# to (bb. $or the briefest of moments, his eyes caught mine, but
he resumed spea#ing.
7$ather orld created all of us as his own. (bb replied, launching a chorus
of applause from his supporters behind him. He approached the cage, where the blind
"ouda woman had been placed. 8oo# at this poor wretch here. Sister, what is your
crime.
'he woman ad-usted her head towards the sound of his voice. She hit her
head on one of the bars as she tried to put her face through them. Her eyes ashen and
rubbery. !:! ma#e ointment from the barberry bush. ! use it to soothe my eyes but !
have to grind up the leaves to ma#e it.
4$
7She is guilty of Saghhir"( One of the priests said. 3ll "ouda are.
(bb ignored the comment. !nstead, he placed his hand on the lady%s head.
7Sister, loo# at me, he said.
'he woman -olted as though she had been pric#ed with a thorn. 9oth her
eyes shot open and her e*pression was one of sheer terror. She stumbled bac#wards
against the cage and fell against the opposite side.
7Oh my: She muttered, staring at her hands. Oh my word, !:! can see+
Her eyes appeared as orange and as healthy as any 3undat. 'he crowd stood stunned.
! heard rumblings of the miracles and healings (bb had carried out, and this
was clearly one of them. Several of the 4let guards, my cousin included, shouted out the
event had been staged, but that couldn%t have been the case. e had all seen it with our
own eyes.
,espite the accusations, (bb spo#e again, and everyone listened. !t is
written, 1y earth, 1y forests, 1y land, will be a land of prayer, not a modem of torture
and death.
7(nough of this staged showcase, the lead priest shouted out. hat
(bbre6indli has claimed to do here is impossible. You pervert 4let belief with your
sacrilege+ "edemption can only be found in the ay of your elders, not by staged magic
tric#s+
73nd ! am here to tell you, brothers and sisters, (bb countered, not only
can you do what was done to this old wretch, but you can also say to the s#y, go rain on
41
this ground, and it will be done. $or if you believe, and tal# to the ;reat $ather orld
himself, you will receive what you as# for.
79ah, the head priest waved his hand in disgust. He made a signal to the
&ulley Operator. e will not fall for this perverted sorcery. Our ay is the only way.
'he wretch still dies.
73nd ! tell you, sir, (bb%s eyes narrowed into slits at the high priest, this
wretch, and the 8ena who burned before her, will -oin 1oria in $ather orld%s #ingdom.
70ow you, (bbre6indli, the priest%s voice was acidic, spea# heresy+
73nd you sir, spea# hypocrisy+
7@ill the wretch+ 'he priest shouted. He pointed to the cage gate. (luid shot over
the cage and started pushing it toward the river, as the pulley operator began pulling the
cable.
7You will 0O' turn my house into a chamber of death+ (bb%s voice seemed to echo
across the entire forest, stopping all of us in our trac#s. He lunged at the whipping stic#
at my side and pulled it from my holster. ! did nothing to stop him. !n a torrent of rage,
and moving faster than ! had ever seen anyone move in my life, (bb began whipping the
priests and (luid, scattering them away from the cage. (ven the pulley operator, bul#y
as he was, cowered away from the ferocious lashes of (bb%s whip. (bb controlled the
whipping stic# li#e a master, and all of the 4let scattered li#e wildfire.
His followers unlatched the cage and freed the old woman, still in shoc# at having
her sight restored. 'hey freed the remaining prisoners. ! stood still. ! did not run. ith
4#
the 4let scattered into the woods, (bb hand the whip bac# to me.
79oy, follow me. He said.
7!:!:can%t, ! said. 3ll ! could thin# of was (luid%s anger raining on me.
(bb nodded, then began wal#ing away with his followers, including the si*
prisoners. 3s ! watched them all disappear into the forest, one of the last followers placed
his hand on my shoulder and s)uee6ed it, startling me. 1y mouth dropped.
'he man smiled at me warmly. He turned and wal#ed away, both arms roc#ing at
his side.
! watched him wal# the entire way until he disappeared in the forest. 1y heart
pounded as ! watched him swallowed up by the brown trees.
!t was the "ouda male whose arm ! had cut off two wee#s earlier. He had grabbed
my shoulder with the very arm ! had severed from his body.
222

7edi-=un+ (luid%s eyes spewed fury as he hovered over me with a raised
hand. You%re no longer to be seen at the demagogue%s appearances. (ver since those
theatrics at the "iver three wee#s ago, you%ve been trac#ing his shows li#e a lost puppy+
(bb is dangerous to your wea# mind+ 0o more+ ! forbid it+
7! understand, elder cousin, ! muttered, bracing myself for the swat that
didn%t come. 'he truth was ! had been in the crowd during (bb%s appearances+ The stories
about his healings, and the strange, mystical things he was able to do shoc#ed me@
43
shoc#ed our entire society. 8arge crowds of 4let and "ouda followers accompanied (bb
wherever he went, and ! had hoped to blend in among them. 3t every appearance, one or
two of the 4let elders or priests showed up, challenging (bb%s beliefs and teachings.
However, (bb%s message, wit, and scrupulous command of 3undat history and theology
was more than enough to put the hec#lers in their place. His movement, without
)uestion, was growing larger by the day as floc#s of 3undat followers -oined the fold. 'he
only two people who noticed my appearance at the functions were (luid and (bb himself.
7You understand but do you comply.+ (luid slammed his fist on the
roc#face in front of me.
7Yes, ! comply, ! said. ! wish to become a warrior. ! will do whatever you
as#.
(luid loo#ed li#e he still wanted to stri#e me but restrained himself. 7He
will probably die, you #now. he said. He has led astray too many, and perverted the
ay too openly. 'he Obrai plan to #ill him.
! narrowed my eyes as ! spo#e. (bb has said as much.
7Oh, now he #nows this, does he. (luid said, laughing. 'he mighty blasphemer
can now predict the future+ Oh 1oria, what else can this man do.
7!t%s strange, (luid, ! said. He says he will die for us. 'hat his death will@8
7! @0O H3' H( S3YS, 4O<S!0+ (luid leapt over the roc# table and
delivered to me the ominous swat ! had been waiting for. He struc# me over the left
temple and shoved me bac#wards over the roc# ! was sitting on. ! landed hard on my
44
bac#side, winding myself.
7! @0O 'H( 0O0S(0S( H( S&(S+ Oh, the 4let will #ill him but he will
generously die for our transgressions, he says+ Oh, he will ravage our society and
reestablish the ay in three days+ ell, tell me, how can he do all of these things, huh.
HO 430 H(.
7He:he can%t, ! said, whee6ing. ! don%t #now how he could.
79ecause it5s preposterous, that5s why, (luid said, bac#ing off. hat ! don%t
understand is why you still heed his word and even bother with the scum.
! too# a breath and sat up. ! watched (luid wal# to the crest of our cave.
70o matter anyway, he said. (bb will be getting his -ust fate:and soon.
222
3s it was, the (lders made their move the ne*t day. (luid and ! were
summoned in the middle of the night to Moria-leck@the "iver of 8ife. e were to come
armed, with our stic#-whips and clubs. Our instructions would follow once we arrived on
site.
Halfway up the hill, we found out. $ifteen 4let henchmen, led by five elders
@one of whom was Obrai-San@were escorting eight prisoners up the hill. 'he prisoners
had hoods pulled over their heads and were chained together. <pon seeing us, Obrai-San
ordered we step in formation and -oin the guards in shoving the prisoners up the
pathway. e were told to stri#e them if they stepped off the trail or stopped moving.
7e have caught the blasphemer, Obrai-San said, and si* of his followers.
4J
A0bushed would have been a better word for Obrai-San to use. 'hey
captured (bb on his way bac# to 4let territory after spea#ing to 8ena villages in an
ad-acent valley. 3pparently, the Obrai decided it would be best to wor# together to
#idnap (bb and prosecute him )uietly, without a high profile trial charged by a volatile
crowd of (bb%s supporters.
70ow we can bring this pig to -ustice, a henchman said, as he spat on the
hood of one of the followers.
7(nough tal#ing+ Obrai-San chastised us. 'he "iver approaches.
3t the head of our &rocession, Obrai-=on6 wal#ed silently as he approached
the open cage that hovered along the right ban# of the river. Obrai-San and 3ridian, the
4let high priest, stood in front of him. e were instructed to push all seven accused to
the front of the cage, and force them to #neel at the elders5 feet. ! was pushed bac# as the
more e*perienced chieftains, (luid among them, too# the lead in unhooding the
prisoners. 'his suited me fine. ! did not want (bb to see me@the man did not #now my
name, but he certainly #new my face. ! did not want to be here for this, but ! needed to
fulfill my commitments to the warrior brethren. ! could not bring any more shame to my
clan than ! already had.
7Here are the blasphemers, great elders, (luid spo#e, and here is the
greatest blasphemer of them all+ He tore the hood off the man at the front of the group.
!t was (bb@his face bruised and swollen, his eye partially shut. 3 tric#le of yellow blood
could be seen from a nasty scratch on the left side of his face. 1ore blood pooled in small
spaces between his teeth.
4H
! was startled and dismayed to see the followers captured alongside
(bbre6indli. 'wo were females, two were sic#ly-loo#ing elderly males, and two were
children at the crest of adolescence.
7(bbre6indli, son of the clan of the clic#ing bird, Obrai-=on6 spo#e, you
have been charged with blasphemy of the utmost #ind. 9lasphemy against your elders,
your people, and our most sacred way+
73nd what do you call this assault on the child of 1oria, and his people.
(bb answered through gritted teeth. $or it has been written:
YO< 3"( 0O' 'H( 4H!8, O$ 1O"!3+ screamed Obrai-=on6, cutting him off.
'his is the very blasphemy that has brought you to your fate. 3 fate only you can
prevent, by recanting those very words you -ust spo#e.
7! cannot recant the will of $ather orld, (bb answered. hat is to
happen here has been prophesi6ed eons before@8
7,o not insult the ay any further than you already have+ 3ridian, the
lead Obrai, said. Your arrogance has corrupted those you have seduced.
7! have seduced them in the spirit of $ather orld, (bb retorted, to follow
the teachings of 1oria, and to love all his children the way we would love another@8
7(nough of this. Obrai-=on6 had fury in his eyes. (bbre6indli, do you
convict yourself of the crime of blasphemy, that you so dare call yourself the child of
1oria, when we ourselves #now the e1act lineage of your family history.
73ll ! can tell you, (bb said, is that ! live through 1oria, and 1oria lives
4M
before me, and together we will live forever.
78ive forever+ Obrai-=on6 responded in a moc#ing tone. 8ive forever. (ven
if you burn in the very fires 1oria has forged for you himself.
7,o not assume nature and divinity are one in the same, Obrai-=on6. (bb%s
voice wavered. (verything before us was created by $ather orld, that much ! know we
agree on, but what is ta#ing place here and now has also been crafted by 1oria, so that
the destiny of his chosen heir be fulfilled.
73nd are you the chosen heir. Obrai-San scoffed, sha#ing his head in
disgust. You, (bbre6indli, son of a clan warrior and matron, who has disgraced them all
with his tales of falsified grandeur. You are a ort, boy, and that%s all you5ll ever be.
(bb%s eyes narrowed into slits, as he ga6ed directly at his accusers. ,o you
not thin# this very second ! could bring down an army of servants at my command. 'hat
! could call on our $ather most high, 1ighty 1oria, to protect me from your -udgment.
,o you doubt that, sirs. ,o you doubt everything !%ve done.
3ll three men loo#ed at each other and chuc#led, though the e*pressions on
their faces showed no humor. ! couldn%t imagine how anyone could have doubted the
miracles, the healings (bb carried out, but they did. , did@or least ! thought ! did.
79ahh, Obrai-San snarled. He gave a signal and was handed a prong, which
held a stone dipped in the molten lava. Here, then, have 1oria save you from this. He
thrust the prong toward (bb, releasing the burning roc#. (bb was forced to catch it with
his hands lest it fall onto his lap.
4I
73rrgghhhhhh+ (bb wailed. He immediately dropped the stone onto the
ground in front of him, where it san# into the mossy pathway at his #nees. He buc#led
onto the ground, rolling in agony at his smoldering arms, which instantly turned a
frightening red. 'he smell of burning flesh penetrated the air.
7(bb, recant, please my leader. One of his followers begged him. 'he two ladies in
his group screamed at the sight of (bb, sobbing from the searing heat, his head buried in
the grass to muffle the sound. ! wanted to help him up, but ! couldn%t. !nstead, ! had to
listen to the cac#ling laugh of my cousin, as he cheered the actions of our family Obrai.
7here is 1oria, now, huh, ort-"at. Obrai-San as#ed. He signaled for (luid
and another guard to force the man up to his #nees.
Obrai-=on6 spo#e with a cold finality. (bbre6indli, son of the great 4lic#ing 4ird
clan, and his followers, you are hereby sentenced to burn this very moment, for your
attempted perversion of the one true ay of our people.
(bb loo#ed up. His arms were still burning from the fiery roc#.
7!t must be only me who goes, he said, whee6ing. Only ! must be sent into the
river. You cannot send my floc#. !t%s only supposed to be !, no one else.
7Once again, you presume to #now the ay, Obrai-=on6 answered. 3nd once
again, you are wrong. You and all seven of your followers will burn, (bbre6indi, as will
all of the followers who have ta#en up their lot alongside you.
(bb loo#ed directly at the three Obrai standing above him. You cannot #ill my
floc#, he repeated. 'he ultimate sacrifice is mine to ma#e, and mine alone. 8oo# at my
4N
people behind me@they are the future of my movement. !t was not written for you@ 8
7e do not care about your following, 3ridian shot bac#. You have tarnished
them all, boy. 'hey are all perverted in the way now. 3s we spea#, your followers are
being rounded up across our settlements by 4let warriors, whose orders are to incinerate
the heretics immediately, thus paraly6ing your movement before it even begins. e will
destroy them as we do all those who oppose our ay. 'his was your doing, my son.
(bb%s eyes remained closed as he spo#e. ! was not surprised. ! had e*pected no
other outcome from the tribunal. 3pparently, he had.
7So you would e*ecute all of my people. 'he children, the elderly, the sic#, the
poor, and the e*pecting@all of whom came to me to serve 1oria. You would #ill them
all.
7'hey will all 9<"0. Obrai-=on6 said. 'hey, li#e the "auda, are the minority,
who stand out li#e gnats. 'hey will all be hunted down in their nests, and they will burn
in the fires of their villages, some even on this mountain, and their seeds will never
replenish in the soil of our forests+
3ridian leaned over, and spo#e with an arrogant, malicious air directed at (bb.
/3nd you, my friend, know it will be done./
(bb%s eyes instantly shot open. 'o the astonishment of us all, the orange of his eyes
was no longer orange, but a dar#, distinct brown @the color of dirt and ground.
73nd YO<, 3undat% 4let, his voice rose to a loud din, a deep, menacing, echo-li#e
tone that seemed to amplify off of the mountains and trees around us, are 0O'
J$
O"'HY O$ 1(+
He stood straight up from the spot he had capitulated on and thrust his hand into
the air, his finger pointing directly at the Obrai who had -ust condemned him.
!nstantly, all around us, warriors emerged out of the trees, the ground, from
behind us and in front of us@there seemed to be do6ens of them. 'hey blended in with
the bac#ground, the foliage, the dar# s#y around us. 'hey moved )uic#ly, forming a
perimeter around (bb, protecting him from the 4let guards. 'hey held long, wooden
staffs. ! had no idea where they came from. 'hey seemed to fall from the s#y or come up
from the soil.
7'he demon has brought forth his minions+ 3ridian screamed. @ill him, #ill him
now, before he@8
'he high priest%s words were cut short by the violent rumbling and sha#ing of the
mountain. 3 torrent of lava barreled down the mountain, swelling the si6e of the river
fivefold. 9ursts of pressuri6ed lava shot out of the ground in random spots around us@a
phenomenon ! had never seen before, or since. 3 sudden, yet clearly calculated, burst
shot up from underneath 3ridian%s feet, disintegrating him before he could finish his
scream. 3ll that was left was his charred right an#le, soldered off by the harsh spurt of
fire which retreated bac# into the ground li#e a wort-rabbit into its hole.
7'he (arth sha#es+ Obrai-=on6 shrie#ed. How is this demagogue doing this.
7He has angered $ather orld+ Obrai-San shouted, unsheathing both his dagger
and his whip stic#. 3ttac# fellow 4let warriors. @ill (bb, #ill him+
J1
! immediately held bac#, #nowing full well the mista#e the Obrai were ma#ing.
$ather orld was not angered by (bb%s actions, He was protecting (bb, e*actly as (bb
had said he could.
7Obrai-San, wait+ ! tried calling out, but he had already lunged at (bb%s
inner circle. 'he minions, who ! now saw to be bright, white, translucent entities stood
defensively, awaiting the attac#, ma#ing swats at our guards only when our 4let
warriors swung at them.
7,ie, ,emon+ Obrai-San tried leaping over the perimeter to stri#e at (bb,
who loo#ed with spiteful eyes at my family leader. 'wo of the minions held up their
staffs, which ! swear turned into spears before my eyes, and impaled my family leader,
lifting him up in the air. !n desperation, Obrai-San pulled his dagger and tried to stri#e
at (bb%s face. (bb didn%t even flinch, as one of the minions bloc#ed the blow with his
hand. (bb loo#ed at Obrai-San with pity in his eyes@(bb no longer appeared to be the
wounded, helpless, burned man he had been minutes ago. !nstead, (bb placed his hand
on Obrai-San%s forehead, and responded, ! forgive you, son, but still you re-ect me.
!n a last defiant gesture, Obrai-San too# out a pic# from his side holster and
tried to stab (bb in the eye with it @before he could ma#e his #illing thrust, however, the
minions hurled Obrai-San, and the spear he was impaled on, into the gorging lava river.
(bb merely turned away, his eyes welled with tears.
7edi+ edi-=un+ 1y cousin screamed at me. He had a gash across the
right side of his face. He held a dagger of his own, the blade now bro#en in half. 3ttac#+
3ttac# this dok+klog' Hurry+
J#
70o, cousin+ ! shouted. ! will not+ Surely, (luid could see what was going
on.
7edi, you wort-rat dung+ He snarled. 'his is your chance for redemption+
4ome on+
70o (luid, ! screamed. Have you not seen and heard what (bb has done.
He is $ather orld+
(luid charged toward me, grabbed me by my ear, and pulled me toward the
circle. 'a#e out your dagger and attac#+ ! command you+
! pinched my cousin%s arm to brea# free of his hold. He tried to grab me a
second time, and ! #noc#ed his hand away. 0o cousin+ e will die. e can%t win.
(verything (bb has told us is true+
e loo#ed at the crowd, several of the 4let guards had died or were
wounded trying to attac# (bb and his followers. e watched as one 4let guard swung his
whip and lashed a minion across his nec# and arm, only to have the ad-acent minion
stri#e him down with his staff.
7You will allow yourself to sit and watch your people die+ (luid said.
7You can%t beat him (luid. He is 1oria@8
7(0O<;H O$ 'H3' 983S&H(1Y+ my cousin screamed. You are with
that devil+ You have been with him all along+
7"etreat, 3undat%4let retreat+ Obrai-=on6 hollered, motioning for whatever
4let guards he could find to run away. e cannot beat this demon now, we must
J3
regroup.
7He is not a demon+ ! tried shouting. He%s not@arrghhh+
! swallowed my words as my older cousin held the tip of his dagger to my
throat.
7!f you do not run into the woods this second, ! will ta#e your head with me
and leave your body behind+
! would not go with my cousin. ! would not. (luid, !:
3nother rumble and e*plosion from the mountain cut off my denial, and an
angry stream of flaming roc#s rained down on the remainder of the guards, causing them
to flee in different directions.
71ove it, you fools+ Obrai-=on6 sprinted up the mountain behind us. 'hat
dog has turned 4let against 4let, and is using the most-wic#ed magic, manipulating our
Holy 8ands, to do it+ 'his is going to be war, ! swear it+
7;et that dagger away from your cousin, you fool+ he screamed at (luid.
You%ve being hypnoti6ed by that wort-
9efore he could finish, a fiery boulder shot from the s#y behind us, stri#ing
the elder in the chest, pummeling him bac#wards down the hill in an e*plosive, rolling
fireball.
'he moment stunned (luid and !. His dagger remained pressed into my
throat. e loo#ed at each other, horrified at what was transpiring before us. $ortunately,
! came to my senses first. ! swatted his dagger away, unsheathed my own, and slashed
J4
him across the chest.
73rrgghhhh+ 1y cousin wailed, dropping to his #nees. ! held my dagger at
him as the s#ies rained fire around us.
7! will not go, cousin, ! said, slowly bac#ing away.
7$rom this moment on, edi-=un, (luid said, between heaving breaths.
You:are my sworn enemy, and the enemy of our family. You will rue the day you did
this to me, you deklekog+
3t that moment, he was wea# enough ! could have overpowered him and
stabbed him until he died. !nstead, ! had (bb%s message in my ear@of mercy, forgiveness,
compassion.
7;o into the woods, (luid. ! told him. $lee. $lee before you do something
stupid and $ather orld chooses to ta#e your life. 3nd remember to forgive.
7! will never forgive you, edi-=un, my cousin spat. 'he ne*t time ! see
you, ! will turn you inside out, and dance on your carcass. ! watched him turn and sprint
into the woods, and ! #new full well my cousin would attempt to carry out what he had
promised.
! loo#ed at the carnage around me. 'he lava torrent continued down the
mountain, a stream of it had bro#en away from the main river, and rose over the -utted
roc# ban#. ! had never seen lava travel so fast. !t gushed into the forest and through the
trees, on course to barrel into 4let settlements at the mountain%s base.
0one of my brethren remained. 'here were only bodies on the slope, and
JJ
small smoldering spots where Obrai-=on6 and the high priest met their end. Huddled
away from the river in a small clearing stood (bb, and his si* followers. 3s my eyes set
on them, ! noticed there were no more giant cinders falling from the s#y and the minions
had disappeared. (verything seemed li#e a blur. (bb spotted me in the distance. !
stumbled down towards him.
hen ! reached him, ! immediately dropped to my #nees, unsure of what !
should say or do. 3 sense of shame overcame me. ! wanted to hide.
(bb%s eyes fell upon me. His followers loo#ed at me with suspicion@! could
tell ! was not welcome within their circle. (ven worse was the way (bb loo#ed at me@the
way ! would loo# at a lowly, downtrodden beggar@with pity and disappointment in his
eyes.
He wal#ed towards me. ! thought he was going to stri#e me. !nstead, he put
his hand on my shoulder and spo#e in a sharp, decisive tone.
7'he 4let have shattered their covenant with $ather orld. He said. ! will
not shed my blood for them, edi-=un. 1y $ather has commanded me not to. Salvation
will not come to them through belief alone, for my words, nor the words of their most high
Heavenly $ather, can allay the wic#edness that has festered in their hearts.
! wasn%t entirely certain what he was tal#ing about, but ! didn%t )uestion
him. He was all-powerful@! had seen it for myself.
73nd you, edi, have finally brought yourself to me, (bb continued,
motioning me to stand up. <nli#e your brethren, your heart is not hollow, but you did
JH
not come to me until you saw the power of 1oria e*ercised through me.
7!-!%m sorry, ! said, getting up slowly. ! believe now. !@8
79lessed be the one who does not see, but still believes in me. (bb waited
for me to stand. 3s for the 3undat, only through belief in me, and through my words and
teachings, will they earn their place in 1oria%s #ingdom. 'hey must abandon their
subversion of the ay@the elitist, infle*ible schema they have adopted was the wor# of
the dar#est, vilest being in 1oria%s #ingdom@@elebatrust. "emember that name.
7@-@elebatrust. ! repeated. ! had never heard that name before.
7!t is a name your elders suppressed from your people, because they could
not control how you would react to it. !t is the same thing they tried to do with me, only
they could not suppress the @ingdom of 1oria. (bb then spo#e to me in words which
penetrated my very soul.
7You must spread my word to your people edi-=un, and learn about the
wic#edness of @elebatrust, his forces of dar#ness, and how your Obrai failed to teach
your people about his evil, ultimately enslaving them all to his will.
7!-! #now nothing about this @elabatrust, ! said. here does he come
from.
7You will not see him on this planet, edi-=un. His presence e*ists in the
malice and elitism of your people. 'o help your people regain their spot in the @ingdom of
1oria, you must learn his tale from the "ouda, for only they have the preserved the
tradition of @elabatrust%s banishment from $ather orld.
JM
7!@! will do as you as#, sir, ! said. ! had -ust been given the biggest
assignment of my life, far greater than anything ! could have been given from Obrai-San
or (luid.
7,o not fear me, edi-=un, (bb s)uee6ed my shoulder. !t is @elabatrust
and his forces of dar#ness you must fear. 'hey will wor# against you, but remember
@elabatrust can only be in one place at one time, whereas 1oria can be everywhere, all at
once. 3nd He will be at your side when you as# him to. "emember that edi-=un. !t may
be your people%s only hope.
7! will.
! watched (bb turn and wal# down the hill to his followers. He had said to them
what he needed to, then we all watched as he wal#ed into the underbrush along the left
hand side of the lava flow. He turned to face us, then a bright white light came down from
the s#y, revealing a stairwell of white roc# and gold. He gave us a wave, then wal#ed up
the stairwell, and a voice, the loudest voice ! had ever heard, came from light in the s#y,
and it said 'his is my son, in whom ! am well pleased. He will not be forsa#en. !nstead,
he will come to his rightful place, along my right hand side.
3nd he wal#ed up into the light and disappeared, and we never saw him again.
3nd my wor# began:


JI
7)lright boy%,8 the General %aid+ ,e had taken hi% ve%t off and the daylight %hining %o blue
&hen they began re?reading had no& di''ed &ith an overca%t %ky+ 7I %ee &hat &e got here, but %o
&hat9 1hat can &e *o%%ibly ho*e to acco'*li%h &ith thi% O%tory:98
7Thi% O%tory: i% a *ri'ary, hi%torical account General,8 Par'a%cu% re*lied+ ,e %*oke via hi%
%atellite link, on the bro&n 'u%ty *lanet 3$$ light?year% a&ay fro' !arth+ 71ritten and *re%erved in
another gala/y, by a %entient life for' different fro' our o&n, *ara*hra%ing a 'ini'u' of fo#r
*a%%age% that echo the &ord%, teaching%, and tran%lation% of the hri%tian 'artyr of !arth, Je%u% hri%t+8
7-ike I %aid, I get that,8 the General %aid, adBu%ting hi% reading gla%%e%+ 7But I have a *roble'
&ith %o'e of thi% vocabulary here@&ord% like bastard8 heretics8 theatrics8 s#''ressed8 minions. I
'ean, ho& 'uch of thi% did &e *ut in our%elve%9 "aybe that co'*uter of your% can hel* u% &ith thi%
one, Aoval98
Aoval had re'ained Euiet throughout the reading, letting the other t&o di%cu%% the ra'ification%
of the %tory, but he kne& it &ouldn:t take long for the Eue%tion% on the docu'ent:% credibility to ari%e+
7Su''etro%, can you addre%% the general:% concern *lea%e98
There is always a marin "or translation )ariance, Su''etro% re*lied,
the s(eci"ic )ocabulary in *uestion has all been tabulated to ha)e a
85.+% accuracy rate or hiher. The most recent ,lyesian-to-.nlish
translation was carried out by an Aundat/,ouda translator, and is
consistent with the three other e%istin translations, includin my
own@
7Thank you, Su''etro%,8 Aoval cut in+ 7-ook, general, thi% i% &hy I called you all in+ )ll four
tran%lation% are on thi% data?chi*+8 ,e held it u*+ 76n one hand, you 'ay be right, I 'ay have nothing
JN
here but a bedti'e fable+ 6n the other hand, there are %o'e@and Par' i% one of the'@&ho &ould
argue I have %o'ething far greater+ The Eue%tion I have i%, do I relea%e thi% infor'ation to the G<! and,
%ub%eEuently, ri%k leaking it to the Galactic "edia, or do I cru%h thi% thing under 'y boot, here and
no&98
The general re'oved hi% gla%%e%+ 7Refre%h 'y 'e'ory, Aoval+ 1hat i% the *olitical %tatu% on
that rock of your%98
Aoval looked at Par'a%cu% before an%&ering+ 71ell, the *lanet it%elf re'ain% a veritable
&a%teland, no %o*hi%ticated infra%tructure, technology, or %ociety+ )% it &a% &hen I took over fro'
Par' a year ago, the Rouda re'ain the do'inant tribe@%till very agrarian, *iou%, and li'ited in
&orldvie&+ They are %tarting to &ar' u* to hu'an coloni%t%+ I.d %ay &e have a decent relation%hi* no&,
hence &hy thi% docu'ent ha% finally co'e to our attention+8
7!bb, of cour%e, i% the corner%tone of the Rouda faith,8 Par'a%cu% added+ 7They
continue to &or%hi* 4ather 1orld+ !bb i% %een a% the *er%onification of "oria hi'%elf+8
7>eah?yeah?yeah, I kno& that,8 the general %aid, 7but &hat about thi% )undat:let, thi%
eliti%t 'aBority grou* in the %tory9 I never heard of the'+ I couldn.t find any docu'entation about the'
either+ 1hat do you have98
71e %till don:t kno& 'uch about the', %ir,8 Aoval %aid, %hrugging+ 7)**arently, they
e/i%t in %'all, i%olated tribe% throughout the *lanet+ They co'*ri%e le%% than 1Q of the )undat
*o*ulation today+ The -ena &i*ed the 'aBority of their *o*ulation in the civil &ar here J$$ year% ago+
Par', you 'ay kno& 'ore about@8
7<ever 'ind that, let:% get to the heart here+8 The %enior di*lo'at %ounded fru%trated+ 7!bb:%
na'e, !bbreCindli Reflietic, literally tran%late% into the &ord% Oanointed one+: 1e don:t believe it &a%
H$
hi% real na'e but one he clai'ed he &a% given by O4ather 1orld+: There:% too 'any coincidence% to
%i'*ly *a%% thi% %tory off a% %o'e kind of ancient Rouda fairytale+8
71e have IM hu'an% currently inhabiting thi% *lanet+8 Aoval %aid+ 74ourteen of &ho' &ork
at thi% out*o%t+ It i% only a 'atter of ti'e before they learn about !bb, and thi% Ohronicle+: Ao I head
the' off at the *a%%, and get thi% docu'ent in the hand% of G<! and Galactic %cholar% no&, before the
ru'or?'ongering and di%infor'ation begin%98
7<o,8 the general %aid, letting out a heavy breath+ 7If it get% into intergalactic hand% &e:ll have a
fire%tor' of controver%y the G<! doe%n:t need right no&+ There:ll be accu%ation% that hu'an%@
*articularly hri%tian%@fabricated the docu'ent for i'*eriali%t, ethnocentric, and %elf?%erving
rea%on%+8
7In %hort, &e:ll %cre& it u*, i% that &hat you:re %aying, general98 Par'a%cu% %aid, &ith no
atte'*t to hide the di%gu%t in hi% voice+ 7In%tead of treating the %tory a% the hi%torical 'arvel it i%, it:%
going to be conde'ned a% an Oob%truction: to !arth:% e/*an%ioni%', correct98
7Tho%e are your &ord%, a'ba%%ador, not 'ine,8 the general %aid, glaring at Par'a%cu% a% he
ta**ed a button on hi% data*ad+
7It:% only a 'atter of ti'e before 'y tran%lator% hear about !bb fro' one of the local%,
general+8 Aoval %aid+ 7)fter that, I have no &ay of controlling &hat get% back to you on !arth+8
7)nd that, 'y %orry friend%,8 the general %aid, 7&ould be the fir%t of 'any of your O%cre&?u*%+:
1ant to hear another one98
The cloudy, overca%t %ky the general %at in front of di%%i*ated into a green?%creen+
7I:' not on !arth+8
) loud e/*lo%ion %hook Aoval:% co''and %tation+ -oud %crea'ing could be heard behind the
H1
dura%teel door that hou%ed hi' fro' the re%t of the out*o%t+ Aoval glanced at Par'a%cu%, &ho%e eye%
%hot like la%er bea'% to&ard% the general+
7I gue%% you 'i%%ed your grandkid%: lunch a&hile ago, hey general98 Par'a%cu% %aid+
7Su''etro%, activate ProBect TCuar no&(8
0ro#ect initiated, the co'*uter %y%te' %tated+ Ambassador 1o)al, (lease
e%it at the (re)iously (lanned esca(e route+
The %ound of bla%ter?fire could be heard fro' the other %ide of the door+ The di' %ound of
horrified %crea'ing trickled through a% &ell+
7God, general(8 Aoval %hot u* fro' hi% chair+ 71hat the hell are you doing98
7I:' in Ryle%ia:% orbit right no&, Aoval+8 The general %aid over the %creen+ 7I:' here for that
chi*+ That:% a nuclear detonator in your hand%, %on+ >ou can:t *o%%ibly control it+8
7)nd you can98 Aoval %aid+ ,e heard 'ore %crea'ing and bla%ter?fire through the door+ 7"y
%taff, don:t kill the', for God:% Sake( I:ll hand it over( -et the' go(8
7Aoval, get outta there(8 Par'a%cu% %houted+ 7They:re dead any&ay+ I told you(8
2ir, ' would li$e to state the li$elihood o" your sur)i)in the
3eneral/s assault on your out(ost, Su''etro% %tated, decreases by a rate
o" !.4% with e)ery second you hesitate to "ollow the (re-determined
e%it (ath out o" the station@
7Aa''it, Su''etro%, %hut it(8 Aoval turned back to the general:% i'age+ 7o'e on, Sir, I
%erved under you( There:% no rea%on to take out 'y *eo*le( <o rea%on(8
7It:% not 'e taking the' out, Aoval,8 the general %aid+
H#
Aoval hit the %ecurity ter'inal on hi% con%ole to %ee a %&ar' of *ur*le?%kinned )undat had
charged into the out*o%t, ar'ed &ith T-?3J$ ra*id?fire bla%ter%, !arth i%%ued+
7The -ena+8 Aoval looked u* at the general+ 71hat the hell did you tell the'98
7The G<!:% *ulling out of the *lanet, Aoval, Bu%t like I told you(8 Par'a%cu% %houted+ 7They:ve
ar'ed the -ena@told the' %o'e fabricated yarn that you:re going to enforce !bb:% teaching and
convert the *lanet to !arth?ba%ed hri%t@urghhhh(8
7Par'(8 Aoval %houted to the %creen+
Aoval &atched in hel*le%% terror a% Par'a%cu% &a% lifted off hi% feet fro' behind by an
unkno&n a%%ailant &ho.d cre*t behind hi' in the trench+ Par'a%cu% %truggled on %creen, trying to gra%*
at the ri*cord tightening around hi% throat+ ,i% face &ent red a% he tried to %truggle again%t the
over*o&ering a%%a%%in behind hi', but the noo%e &a% too tight+ The la%t i'age Aoval %a& &a% hi%
*redece%%or kicking over hi% tablet %creen a% hi% killer %trangled the life fro' hi'+
7God, General,8 Aoval &a% %ick to hi% %to'ach+ 7,o& long &a% thi% *lanned98
7,and over the chi*, Aoval,8 the general %aid, 7everything &ill go ea%ier for you, I *ro'i%e+8
Ambassador, ' surmise an 85.4% (robability rate that the eneral
does not use the word 6easier/ in a conte%t that uarantees your will
sur)i)e a direct encounter with his@
7I kno&, Su''etro%,8 Aoval %aid, through gritted teeth+ 7"ake that 1$$Q+8
The dura%teel door% bla%ted *artially off it% to* hinge%, %ending a loud din and %trong vibration
into the co''and center that nearly knocked Aoval off hi% feet+ T&o -ena guard% *ut their bla%ter%
through the %'all o*ening they created and ordered Aoval to %urrender+
H3
2ir, ' now calculate the odds o" your sur)i)al to be declinin
at a rate o" 8.7% with each remainin second you@
7Su''etro%, o*en the e'ergency e/it(8 Aoval %houted, grabbing hi% data?tablet, and *lacing
the chi* into hi% *ocket+
The %ecret *anel behind Su''etro%. 'ainfra'e *o**ed o*en+
,e &a% greeted by t&o Rouda 'e'ber% of hi% %u**ort %taff, the only t&o a&are of thi%
e'ergency *lan+
71hat take you %o long, %ir98 6ne of the 'en %aid in broken !ngli%h, a% he &hi%ked Aoval
through the door&ay then %ealed it %hut+
7I never in a 'illion year% thought it &ould co'e to thi%+8 Aoval charged do&n the hall&ay+
7Su''etro%, %ho& 'e the %urveillance feed+8
,i% tablet %creen %ho&ed a vie& of the co''and center+ ) %econd loud e/*lo%ion ble& o*en the
dura%teel door and a contingent of ar'ed -ena &arrior% %tor'ed in+ They began bla%ting the co'*uter
*anel% and raiding the cabinet%+
7The e'ergency e/it i% %ealed, %ir,8 the %econd Rouda %aid, 7but &e need to 'ove Euickly+ They
have the fire*o&er to break it o*en+8
2ir, my best estimation is that you ha)e less than nine minutes
to et to the rende7)ous (oint be"ore the 8ena warriors com(letely
surround the (erimeter and@
7Ai%cover the e'ergency e/it, ye%, I kno&+8 Aoval broke out into a run+ Par'a%cu%: e'ergency
*lan took three year% to devi%e and involved clande%tine e/*enditure% to e'*loy Rouda to renovate a
H4
fire e/it into a %ecret, underground tunnel+ 1hen Par' fir%t %ho&ed hi' the cha'ber, Aoval thought it
&a% overkill+
Too bad o# co#ldn0t 'rotect o#rself8 >arm. The thought %ettled in Aoval:% %to'ach like a cu*
of dirty &ater+
Aoval ran out of the tunnel, &hich led to the 'outh of a ca'ouflaged cave+ )n ar'ored G<!
hovercraft &a% already idling &ith it% re*ul%or% activated, holding the craft t&o feet off the ground+ The
three 'en lea*t into the craft+ Aoval took the *a%%enger %eat+
1ithin %econd%, the hovercraft to* clo%ed and the 'en %hot out of the cave, leaving the out*o%t
behind+ Aoval glanced back&ard% to %ee %'oke billo&ing fro' the roofto*+
7I gue%% thi% 'ake% 'e an official traitor and fugitive,8 Aoval %aid+
,e looked at hi% data?*ad:% %creen+ ,i% co''and?center had been de%troyed+ o'*uter *anel%
%iCCled and %'oked, and circuit board% torn a*art+ T&o -ena &arrior% &ere atte'*ting to find the %ea'
of the e'ergency e/it+ 4our other% &ere %ifting through filing cabinet% and rifling through acce%%
*anel%, clearly looking for %o'ething+
In the background, fro' &hat &a% the only &orking %*eaker left in the roo', &a% the general:%
voice+
7Aoval can run, but he can:t hide+ Ao &hatever it take% to %ecure that chi* fro' hi'+8
In %*ite of the obviou% threat again%t hi% life, and the co'*lete u*heaval of everything he had
kno&n for the *a%t year, &hat caught Aoval:% eye on?%creen &a% a %ingular, -ena &arrior %tanding in
the center of the roo', doing nothing but %taring u*&ard% into the lone %ecurity ca'era over%eeing the
center+ The &arrior 'erely looked u* and %'iled, a% though he %o'eho& kne& Aoval &a% &atching,
but &hat gri**ed Aoval, a*art fro' the eerily confident look on the creature:% face, &ere it% eye%+ They
HJ
glo&ed a dee* bro&n+
7Good God,8 Aoval %aid+
The Rouda 'ale in the %eat behind hi' *laced hi% hand on Aoval:% %houlder+ 7Today, you are
'ore than Bu%t a traitor and a fugitive to your govern'ent+ So 'uch 'ore+8
Aoval leaned back a% the hovercraft fle& though the foliage of a broadleaf fore%t, ca'ouflaging
the', for the 'o'ent, fro' any G<! or -ena tracker%+
' must (oint out, sir, Su''etro%: voice e'anated fro' the tablet, that in
s(ite o" your sur)i)al thus "ar, you ha)e to determine what should be
done with the data-chi( you hold. 't is clear "rom the eneral/s
destruction o" my main"rame that he intends to eliminate all e%istin
translations o" The Chronicle of Ebb, lea)in the only remainin
co(ies@
76n thi% chi*, ye%, I kno&+8 Aoval %aid, fro&ning+
7Plea%e kno& the Rouda &ill do &hatever &e can to *rotect !bbreCindli:% honor and teaching%,8
the Rouda driver %aid+
7>e%, thank?you+8 Aoval an%&ered+ It -ill mean a civil -ar -ith the @ena8 b the -a. I ho'e
the &o#da are #' for that. ,e ke*t the thought to hi'%elf+
2o what do you intend to do with the chi(, sir9 Su''etro% continued+
:ill you be releasin the story to an inde(endent, interalactic
news aency9 's 0lanet .arth ready "or the in"ormation contained in
those "iles without (ro)o$in "urther reliious discord9 ;r shall we
$ee( the in"ormation *uarantined, "or the time bein, and let the
HH
(olitical situation on this (lanet stabili7e, i" that is e)en
(ossible9 The decision is yours, sir.
Aoval re'oved the chi* fro' hi% *ocket and gri**ed it in hi% fi%t+
7I kno&, Su''etro%+8 ,e let out a %igh, then o*ened hi% *al', 7I:' going to do the only
thing I can+ Protect thi% chi*+8
Michael Saad is a full time teacher who, when not lesson planning or marking, squeezes in fictional writing to keep him from
hounding government officials on education, health care, and the environment. He is happily married to his wife Jodi, and
together they have two wonderful children. They reside in l!erta, "anada where Mike can escape to the mountainous
#rovincial #arks for seclusion from his frequent disillusionment of provincial, federal, and international politics. Mike$s
previously pu!lished works have appeared in Orange Magazine, Open Minds Quarterly, B.C. Historical News, Ensorcelled,
Halfway Down the tairs, Nil Desperandu!, Orion"s Child, and Q Mag.
HM