Special notes: Needs a final edit, I’ll do it in a bit, my eyes are blurry and you waited long enough for this episode. [The Princes XXV] [Revelations] The Dart ship responded awkwardly. Fox was used to a Needle ship and having complete control over his ship, but this ship automated so many functions that he kept over-compensating and then the ship would assume control and pull him back to a glide path. Fox tried several acrobatic rolls but the ship resisted the unnecessary maneuvers, he was going to have to make changes to the way this dumbed down ship worked. Too many years he had been away from the world of the living. Fox imagined the young Lord Sparrow he had entered into agreement with for fifty-one percent ownership of the Dart line was long since dead. He would have to meet with the new Lord Sparrow and discuss changes the Dart ship needed. The sixty-seven years he had remained secluded hadn’t been completely fruitless. He had volumes of science journals with advancements in communications, propulsion, weapons, armor, prosthetic exo-skeletons, nano technology, and even medical advances. Fox needed to see Jon Black, the man was in his eighties now and Fox couldn’t take the chance of missing a chance to speak with a Jon Black that might have the answers. Black Island looked the same as it always had; Fox felt certain nostalgia as he flew over the beach he had played on as a child. He headed for the airfield and landed on the same tarmac that he had once departed from in a colony ship. The Black Guard was waiting for him when he landed, they didn’t recognize him, and the state of his clothes didn’t do much to alleviate their concerns, Fox didn’t really have any contacts left in the Guard, other than his son. The Captain wondered how this man had gotten past the island defenses. “How can we help you?” asked the Black Guard Captain that approached his ship. “I need to see Lord Black,” replied Fox. “Lord Black isn’t seeing anyone.” “He’ll see me, and tell him Carina sent for me.” “I doubt that, sir” “I don’t have time for a wet behind the gills guppy, move out of my way.” Fox moved to go around the Black Guard but the man lowered his Trident and Fox spun and kicked out at the Captain. The Captain staggered back under the blow and Fox walked past him, it took three seconds and every Black Guardsman was running at Fox with their Tridents in the attack position. The circle closed in on Fox and he extended his own Trident out to the three-point position and crouched; he fully intended to reduce these guppies to a pile of fish bones. “That’s enough, father,” shouted Ryota’Sar. Fox looked at the tall man approaching and barely recognized the man; he was tall and darkly tanned with broad shoulders and hair bleached from years in the sun. “You haven’t been out of your castle for two hours and your already causing trouble,” said Ryota smiling to de-escalate the situation. “I need to see Lord Black.” “You could have just called.” “Don’t lecture me, boy.” “Come along father, I’ll see if Lord Black will let you in.” Ryota smiled again and shook his head laughing to himself. Ryota was seventy-five years old and had a great-grandson and still Fox called him boy. Fox followed Ryota past the rows of Dart ships lined up on the airfield and wondered how many of the ships had sold and if he was making any money for his investment. “You bought a fleet of Dart ships?” said Fox. “I used to bring you production reports, but you never looked at them so I just stopped,” said Ryota. “Did they sell many?” asked Fox. Ryota glanced at his adopted father sadly, the ragged beard, hair that fell nearly to his waste, sunken eyes; the man looked worst then the last time he had visited. How long ago was that? Maybe twenty-years. Ryota couldn’t stand the condition his father had fallen into and had stopped the visits. “The Dart ship is the only small ship in production, father,” said Ryota. “I know you were wealthy before, but now you are very likely wealthy enough to buy the Empire back.” “Empires founded on gold and slavery will soon crumble,” Fox quoted an old saying his own father used to tell him. “Still planning on attacking Emperor Wolf?” asked Ryota. Fox glared at his son and said nothing, but the anger on his face was clear. “I see,” said Ryota. “Truly, I do wish you the best, father, but I will not help you, I have found happiness and do not intend to return to Kitsune.” Ryota led the way up the stairs to Black Castle, the guards stood aside and he entered through the great doors with Fox beside him. The statue of the Carinian Godlike man holding the globe was still in the center of the entrance, but the stairs winding up to the upper levels of the castle were now covered in a red carpet. “You re-decorated,” stated Fox. “Tage’s idea,” replied Ryota. “I see, she must be seventy-five by now,” said Fox. “A hazard of being immortal is watching those you love grow old and die.” Ryota didn’t bother telling him, he would find out soon enough, and anyway, if he had cared enough he would never have locked himself away in his castle. At least Ryota had not been left completely alone; Kerin’Sar had filled in as a father where Fox failed. Ryota missed the old Captain, now passed away and interred deep under the ocean in a tomb Ryota had built with his own hands; the Captain’s Trident rested across his body in that deep tomb. Ryota visited Captain Kerin’Sar more often than he visited Fox. “Wait here, father,” said Ryota pointing at the bench circling around the great statue. Ryota headed up the stairs to Lord Black’s office, though the old man rarely went into his office anymore. Lord Black was in his eighties now and remained in bed most of the time. Tage was one of the physicians that cared for the aging man and Ryota doubted she was going to let Fox in to see him, but that may be for the best. Fox needed to learn that his time was past and to let go of this futile quest to regain the throne. Ryota didn’t make it to the top of the stairs before he was met by one of his Lieutenants. “Captain, Lord Black says to bring Master Fox in immediately,” the Lieutenant looked as confused as Ryota now felt. “What does Doctor Tage have to say about that?” asked Ryota. “Lord Black sent her out of the room,” replied the Lieutenant. Ryota stood at the top of the stairs and looked back down at his father waiting, this was unexpected. Fox looked like a beggar come to the door for a bowl of soup. “Father,” Ryota called out. “Lord Black will see you.” Fox bounded up the stairs two at a time and passed his confused son. Ryota did not look happy. “I know the way, son,” said Fox tersely. “Lord Black is not in his office,” said Ryota. “He is in the bed chamber next door.” Fox pushed the door open and entered, followed by Ryota and the Lieutenant. The room was dimly lit and the sound of medical machines beeping in the background gave evidence to how serious Lord Black’s condition was. Fox was taken back for a moment; he had spent the last part of his childhood sitting in a room like this, next to his dying Raven father. The smells were the same, the sounds, the machines hooked to the frail man in the bed. Fox felt little and helpless again, as he had as a child sitting on the edge of Lord Raven’s bed. “Come here, child,” said Lord Black, his voice weak and barely audible. The man looked so small, though Fox had no idea how he might have looked in his youth. Fox had been secluded in his castle during the entire lifetime of this Jon Black. “I knew your brother before you,” said Fox approaching to stand next to the bed. “He was as a father to me.” “Yes, I read his journals,” said Lord Black. “I haven’t much time, what have you come to me for?” “I finished the translation of the Carina Corax,” said Fox, “as your father commanded me.” Fox looked deep into those blue eyes, he was tired, yes, but there was still alertness deep within those eyes, and Fox knew this wasn’t the end for the old man. Lord Black would only be released from this burden and allowed to live quietly somewhere on another world, though only himself and perhaps a very few others knew of this. “And you are ready to see Carina now.” stated Lord Black. “The translation explains everything except what Enlightenment really is,” replied Fox. “Oh child, you have missed the most important thing of all,” said Lord Black. “The answer to Enlightenment was never in the Carina, or the Corvus, Corax. The answer was with your son all this time, the very person you have pushed away from you for so very long.” Fox looked at Ryota. The answer is with Ryota? Ryota did not look surprised by this revelation; he knew most of the secret, but not quite all. The answer to Enlightenment had become more apparent the old he and Tage got. “Let us see just how clever our Fox really is,” said Lord Black. “Bring her in.” A nurse opened a door and a young female Carinian, of perhaps twenty, entered the room. The Carinian was dressed in the uniform of a doctor; she walked up to Fox and smiled pleasantly. “You had a daughter?” Fox asked Ryota. “No, father,” said Ryota. “This is Tage’Ce.” Fox inspected her features and nodded his head; there was no sense to deny what was obvious. Somehow, Ryota had passed immortality to Tage. “In all my research I have never been able to identify the Kitsune source of immortality,” stated Fox. “I have theorized that our immortality is not a natural phenomenon, but something more bio-mechanical.” “We believe I passed immortality to her through mating,” explained Ryota. “We are not truly immortal,” said Fox. “That claim is only Kitsune arrogance, we are only long lived, and very much mortal. You must guard your life with as much passion as you did before you became like this.” “I am aware of that,” replied Tage. The pieces were beginning to fall into place; Fox already suspected the truth of the Kitsune religion of Enlightenment, as well as the science behind it. “Will you tell?” Fox asked the frail dying man. “It is time for you to see my father,” said Lord Black. Fox didn’t bother responding; too many years alone had robbed him of any social skills. The door that led to the tower steps was in the office; Fox had used that door when he was six and climbed the stairs to meet with Carina. Fox once again climbed those stairs as he had as a boy and headed up the tower to the Orb above that was the God Carina. Fox knew Carina was not a real God, but instead an alien so advanced that his technology seemed to border on magic. The stairs were not as tall or the tower quite so high as Fox remembered it and the statue was not as big as he remembered either. The Carina Orb rested in the hands of the statue of the Ocean God, the blue interior was as if all the oceans of Carina swirled within. Fox stared at the Orb for a moment and then reached out and laid his hand on the smooth surface of the alien artifact that was the consciousness of Carina, the Ocean God. Kurnezi Class Battleships were descending through the atmosphere. Fox watched in panic with the other Carinians as the alien warships settled over the island cities. Fox looked down at his hands and flexed his webbed fingers; he was an amphibian. Explosions rocked the ground and Fox ran with the other amphibians, he knew this was another one of Carina’s visions and had expected it, but he hadn’t expected to watch the Kitsune invasion of Carina four-thousand years ago, let alone experience it as a Carinian. Fox ran for the beach and the safety of the ocean, the people were panicking as missiles from the aliens destroyed key defense buildings and airfields. A child fell in front of Fox and he stopped long enough to scoop the boy up in his arms. Fox ran - an explosion detonated where the child had fallen only a minute before. Fox cradled the boy, he was perhaps four-years old; where was his parents? Fox dived into the ocean with the child… Ryota stood at the bedside of Lord Black and wept. Lord Black had closed his eyes and passed on quietly, no final words of wisdom, no instructions of what to do about his father Fox up on the tower with the Carinian God. A piercing wail rose from Tage’s throat. Ryota knew it was a sound the amphibians made in moments of deepest grief. Ryota wrapped his arms around his mate and held her while she cried. The same wailing sound was spreading across Black Island and would soon spread across Carina. …Fox dived deep under the waves with the boy he held and hid among the great coral reefs with other Carinians. He could see explosions in the sky above the ocean as the Black Guard fought the invaders, but the Guard was a bare fledgling marshal order and no match for the Kitsune. Word was passed through the huddling crowds that Lord Black had surrendered the planet to the invaders and was now being held prisoner… Ryota was dressed in his finest uniform, his chest decorated with four Silver Trident Medals, two Gold Trident Medals, and the Carinian Trident of Honor. Ryota solemnly marched the Black Guard detachment escorting the body of Lord Black to the altar it would be displayed on for the next seven days; millions of Carinians would visit the island and walk past the body in respect. …Fox emerged from the ocean with the boy he found himself responsible for. He had searched for the boys parents but it was feared they were killed during the invasion. The invaders were everywhere and looked very much different from the Carinians; some were saying the invaders were mammals and the Carinian Ocean World, despite many scientists’ previous theories, was rare and that most sentient worlds were populated by mammals. Life settled down on Carina for a short time and Fox continued to care for the small boy. Fox worked in the fishing fleet and life was simple and good, shadowed only by the presence of the invaders, and that Lord Black was still being held a prisoner… Ryota tried the door to the tower again; it remained locked as most of the doors in the castle were. At the moment the aged Lord Black past away, nearly every door in the castle had slammed shut. Ryota knew there was nothing he could do for his father, Carina would release him or not. The seven days of mourning would end today and the body of Jon Black would vanish and then three days after that a new four-year old Jon Black would open a door somewhere in the castle and walk down the stairs to the entrance where the statue of the Carinian holding the globe on his back was. …Two years went by and everything had nearly returned to normal, then the Kitsune discovered the Carinians had an alien Orb that controlled navigation lanes. Fox was rounded up with many others and made to wait outside the prison Lord Black was being kept in. Lord Black was brought out of the prison and made to stand in front of the crowds of people; he looked thin and was covered in bruises. The crowds roared and wept and shook their fists at the invaders. Fox watched the Commander of the Kitsune forces and recognized his own ancestor, Emperor Areshi Tomohiro Nakajima, the conqueror of Carina Major. Fox knew what would happen next, it was history and he had to remind himself that he was living a vision given him by the Ocean God; all this had already happened four-thousand years ago. The Emperor ordered his guards to push Lord Black to his knees with his head held down. The crowds became hushed in fear, nobody believed they would do this, they couldn’t. “Where is the Orb?” screamed the Emperor. Lord Black wouldn’t speak and the Kitsune Samurai kicked the man and beat him on the back, but Lord Black remained silent. The Emperor gave one last warning but nobody would speak, Lord Black only looked up at the crowd and shook his head. The Emperor took Lord Black’s head with his own sword… Ryota supervised the massive delivery of supplies being brought to the island and stored in the castle. The body of Jon Black had disappeared from the altar and the three days of waiting for the new four-year old Jon Black was nearly over. The new Jon Black would emerge within the next day, and then they would have three more days to prepare the castle for the long ten-year cycle that Jon Black would be sealed inside the castle; he would emerge again when he was fourteen. …The crowds screamed in grief and the Samurai guards surrounded the alien Emperor, then the clouds turned dark and the ocean rose up, the waves pounded against the sand and the people were now standing up to their knees in water. Fox knew the history of this day, the Emperor had executed Lord Black for not revealing the location of the Orb and there had been a minor riot, but nothing else was written of that day. Then Fox saw him. The largest Carinian Fox had ever seen rose out of the ocean, the waves followed him and parted and crashed again at his feet. Fox knew who it was, the Ocean God. The crowds parted and the Ocean God swept aside the Samurai with a Trident that was easily three times the size of the one that Fox carried. The Ocean God seized the Emperor by the neck and lifted him into the air with one hand and pressed his Trident against the Emperor’s chest with the other. The Ocean God held the Emperor but didn’t strike, and then Fox saw a blue light move down the Ocean God’s arm and enveloped the Emperor. Fox understood, this was the moment. But why? The Ocean God was giving the Emperor immortality. This was how it had happened, Fox wasn’t sure how he knew, but he knew. Enlightenment was order from chaos, life from death. But why? The Kitsune had just committed a horrific crime against the Carinians and the Ocean God gave the Kitsune immortality, and with it their god-like strength and speed. The Ocean God had just ensured that the Kitsune would be able to conquer the other twenty-six planets with sentient life in this galaxy… The preparations were complete and Ryota waited with the others in the entrance to the castle. The new Jon Black should appear at any moment. The News Vids were trained on the two staircases and nearly every eye in the Empire that could was watching and waiting; Doctor Tage had her medical team standing by to exam the new four-year old Jon Black. …The Ocean God released the Emperor and turned to look down on his son, Jon Black. The body vanished and the Ocean God spoke. “The invaders may remain on this island only,” the Ocean God’s voice boomed. Surely the entire planet must have heard him. “None are to harm them so long as they remain here.” The Ocean God walked back through the crowd and stopped in front of Fox. Fox felt a moment of irrational fear and picked up the boy he was caring for and held him tight in his arms protectively. “As you wish so I grant,” said the Ocean God. Fox held the boy tighter and the Ocean God returned to the ocean and disappeared beneath the waves… Ryota was startled by the sound of the warning klaxon sounding that indicated the protective barrier was going up. “Jon Black hasn’t appeared,” screamed Tage. “What’s happening?” “The barrier is going up,” shouted Ryota. “Evacuate the island, move it people!” Ryota ran outside and could see the barrier around the island was already fifteen meters in the air. The barrier looked like a wave of fire rising into the sky. “The airfield, run!” ordered Ryota. The remaining detachment of Black Guard and Tage’s medical team ran for the airfield, they could take one of the cargo ships and escape. Ryota counted everyone as they ran up the ramp; everyone was here except his father, Fox. Ryota looked back at the castle, there was nothing he could do and boarded last. The last ship lifted off from Black Island. …Fox opened his eyes, the vision was over, and he was surprised to find he was still holding the boy in his arms, only the boy looked as he had the day of the invasion. The boy, Fox realized it was the four-year old Jon Black. Fox carried the boy over to the edge of the tower and pointed out at the endless ocean surrounding Black Island. The boy pointed another direction and Fox saw a cargo ship lifting off the island. Then he noticed the warning siren and could see the barrier going up over the island. “Captain Ryota, get up here,” shouted the cargo ship pilot. Ryota and Tage ran for the ship’s bridge and looked out, the pilot was holding adjacent to the top of the tower where the Orb was kept. Fox was standing at the top of the tower holding the young Jon Black in his arms. “Oh ancestors!” whispered Tage, “What has he done?” “He wouldn’t have been able to do it without Carina allowing it,” replied Ryota. “My father, Fox, will be raising the next Jon Black. Captain, get us out of here before the barrier seals.