*****AUDIO FILE***** "Chapter 55 - Release - Audio File" [The White Raven, Chapter 55, Release] [Eagle-Raven Tunnels, Eagle Province, Planet Darai] “She’s here, Mother.” “One moment, I’m coming.” Moeth re-sheathed her dagger and looked back at the class of Chirps. “I want everyone to practice those blocking moves until I return.” The Chirps paired off and began practicing the new techniques Moeth had been teaching them. Moeth turned away and walked out of the practice cavern, the Raven messenger fell in step beside her. “Did she come alone?” asks Moeth. “Yes, Mother,” replies the Raven. Moeth followed the tunnel up a slight incline towards the Temple Room, stopping once to observe a pair of Chirps in a simulated battle with each other and correcting their stances - satisfied with the young Chirps, she continues past them. “Your Master Raven certification test is next week,” says Moeth. “Are you ready?” “Yes, Mother,” replies the Raven. “Have you considered what position you will apply for?” asks Moeth. “You remember Prince Raen’s two Temple Raven spies, I spoke with them and they have offered to take me as an apprentice weapons designer,” replies the Raven. “Those two should just apply for Eagle citizenship,” says Moeth. “Most of the Raven Temple has already left for Corvus, they were abandoned.” “Not completely, Mother,” says the Raven. “They still have Temple support as long as they keep showing a profit by selling Prince Raen his copy of ‘The Raven’” “Waste of money, there’s nothing that rag has that we need,” replies Moeth. “May I apprentice with them?” asks the Raven. “Yes, we need their expertise, and they did do a good job on the Eagle uniforms, but keep it discreet,” replies Moeth. “You can go now, I can handle this alone.” “Yes, Mother,” says the Raven. Moeth continued through the tunnels to the Temple Room; a small cavern she could have used for better purposes. She hadn’t wanted to build the Temple, but it was best not to anger the Goddess. The mental conditioning the Goddess implanted in all female Ravens had broken in Moeth years ago, but still… there was that residual doubt, despite what she might know as the truth. Candles flickered in the Temple and cast wavering shadows. Moeth walked through the arches of the Temple - the visiting woman was standing in front of the statue of the Eagle Goddess and turned to face Moeth. “Greetings, Lady Moeth.” “It wasn’t necessary for you to come in person,” replies Moeth. The woman set a satchel on one of the benches and opens it. “I wanted to bring you this,” says the woman. “I told you there would be no payment required,” says Moeth. “I would have taken him regardless.” “The money is for him, not you,” says the woman. Moeth understood; the woman was washing her hands of the embarrassment, the money in the satchel was guilt money to ease her conscience, if she had one. “When will he arrive?” asks Moeth. “A medical transport will bring him this afternoon,” says the woman. “I’ll have Doctor Mergan pick him up,” says Moeth. “Thank you, this coastal town will be good for him,” says the woman. “Perhaps he can heal here and still live a full life.” “I’ll have someone take the money and deposit it in his name,” says Moeth. “If you’ll excuse me now, I have a class to teach. You may see yourself out.” Moeth turned and headed back towards the tunnels. “No escort? No guards?” asks the woman. “You came here alone, not as a Temple Raven, but as a mother seeking refuge for her son,” says Moeth pausing at the door. “I am treating you with the respect that deserves.” “Lady Raven is wrong about you,” says the woman. “Perhaps one day our Houses can…” “Perhaps one day,” interrupts Moeth. “You were never unkind to me, but until you no longer wear the Raven Emblem, we are… unfortunate enemies, though your son will not suffer for that. I will protect him as I would any of the discarded and unwanted hatchlings that come to me.” Moeth walked out the door and left the woman to her own thoughts. It was difficult to muster any pity for the woman, she had given up and was leaving her son in a remote beach-side town in the hopes of never hearing from him again. Mergan was waiting in Moeth’s office when she arrived. “Where’s Kit?” asks Moeth. Mergan points up the spiral staircase to the observation room. Kit sticks his head down through the opening at hearing his name. “This is incredible,” shouts Kit. “I had no idea, I’ve climbed on this boulder before and never knew. How’d you do it?” Moeth climbed the stairs to the observation room of her office and looks out at the town, cliffs and ocean beyond. “The Demonian artist that made the cliff-stairs made this for me,” says Moeth. “He hollowed out the boulder from below and then installed plasteel glass forged and painted to look like the boulder.” “So this is how you know everything that’s happening,” says Kit. “This is the highest point on the cliffs,” replies Moeth. “There’s usually one of my Ravens up here taking notes.” “How much did this cost?” asks Mergan joining them in the observation room. “About what it costs to buy two Dart ships,” says Moeth. “The entire structure had to be reinforced with spider-support steel, if we are ever hit with a nuke, this is the safest place in the Province.” Kit flopped down on the cushioned bench and picked up the binoculars. “I see you… and you… and… oh… you shouldn’t be doing that,” mumbles Kit to himself - a store keeper was pulling down a competitors sale sign. “So, what are we doing?” asks Mergan shaking her head at Kit and turning to Moeth. “He’s arriving shortly, you’ll go sign for his release,” says Moeth. “Where do you want me to put him?” asks Mergan. “Lord Struthio abandoned his surf shop, put him there,” says Moeth. “Down on the beach?” asks Mergan. “He’ll be alone down there, you do know he’s suicidal, he should be in observation.” “He’s been in observation for three years,” says Moeth. “It’s time for him to decide whether to live or die. The beach will be a good place for him to recover, or not.” “Okay, come on Kit,” says Mergan turning to her mate. “Oh for Goddess sake, I know what you’re looking at, you pervert.” Kit had turned the binoculars towards a remote section of the beach. “What?” says Kit innocently. Mergan grabs the binoculars away from Kit. “Seriously, Moeth, do you think it’s appropriate for the White Raven to sunbathe like that?” “She isn’t really an albino,” says Moeth. “Her white skin is a result of growing up hidden away under the Raven Temple, she just wants to get some color on her skin.” “I don’t see the problem with it,” says Kit grinning. “Actually, that section of the beach has quite a few nude sunbathers in the afternoon,” says Moeth. “The White Raven has a secret little cult of followers that believe in returning to nature.” “Can I join?” asks Kit. Mergan grabs Kit’s ear. “You’re just asking to sleep outside tonight,” says Mergan. “Moeth, you should talk with the High Priestess about that depravity.” “She knows,” says Moeth shrugging. “On another note, Cala will be coming by to see you later, he wants to learn how to remove a heart and keep it beating long enough to show the victim.” “Oh, how sweet, is there a rival boy vying for Kata’s attention?” asks Mergan. “No, he believes someone is a danger to the White Raven and wants permission to make his first hit,” says Moeth. “I envy him,” says Mergan. “The first kill is special.” “It’s not his first kill, remember the bandits,” replies Moeth. “That’s right, I forgot,” says Mergan. “Send him by later, and I’ll need at least two targets for him to practice on.” “You can have the next two bounties foolish enough to enter the Province,” says Moeth. Mergan pulled Kit away from the observation window and headed back downstairs. Moeth looked out the window at the beach and then at her own arm; she was getting pale from too much time in the tunnels, perhaps she would join the White Raven and get some sun. The Medical Transport landed on the emergency pad outside the medical clinic several hours later. A Temple Raven Orderly from the psychiatric hospital in Raven Province stepped off the transport first, and then was followed by a sad-looking and thin young man - his eyes were hollow and had a defeated look. “Are you signing for him, Doctor?” asks the Orderly holding out a clipboard. Mergan took the clipboard and signed her name to the release forms. “Okay, he’s all yours,” says the Orderly patting the young man on the shoulder. “Good luck, buddy.” Mergan stepped up to the young man and held her hand out. “Welcome to Eagle Province, Jaco, we’ve heard so much about you.” ***** [Zam’s Cave, Planet Demonia] Zam was hungry; without the velociraptors to steal food from, he didn’t know what to do next. The mud-ice comets had stopped falling near his cave, but they could still be seen in the distance. Several times a day the ground shook from the tremors of really big comets falling somewhere in the distance. Ruffee didn’t like it when the ground shook, he would bark and snarl at Zam when it happened. Zam would tell the fox he didn’t do it and try to reassure him. The fox would eye him suspiciously for an hour or so before rubbing against Zam’s legs and forgiving him for making the ground tremble. The fox had black feet and legs, and a bushy tail - Zam thought he looked like he was wearing boots. Ruffee was the only one of the foxes that stayed with Zam all the time, but they all came back during big storms. Zam had named the fox, Ruffee, because the name felt right, almost familiar. The forest was fully grown now, and so quickly. Zam had literally watched the trees sprout up into the sky - it was quite unnatural. Pine, Oak, Sequoia, Elm, Birch, and a few Cherry Blossoms were all mixed together fighting over who would survive. The mist swirled around the ground, but was now down to covering just his feet. Zam’s feet was warm standing in the mist, but the air was growing colder every day. Zam didn’t know that these were the last stages of the terraforming of the planet. The north and south poles were a torrent of bitter and violent storms as the ice caps reformed. But, he was located near the equator and would be spared the worst of the false ice-age that would only last a few years. The last stage of the terraforming would be the rapid melting of the ice that was creeping south across the planet. That would be when the worst storms would come, monsoons would cover the planet in a deluge of water and the land masses would settle. Zam was surviving what no Aedi biologist had ever managed, and they had tried - Zam had remained on a planet during the entire terraforming process. His inherited Corax ability to trans-dimensional jump had given him an advantage no Aedi had ever had. It wasn’t a wonder the Kitsune super-soldiers the Ocean God of Carina created had so easily conquered the galaxy. The fox ranged ahead as Zam explored the forest. Small creeks criss-crossed the forest in abundance, though many would disappear during the next stage of the terraforming, and others would become vast rivers and lakes. Zam followed one of these creeks, jumping from rock to rock, down to a small lake. He had explored the lake before and knew better than to swim in it, something big lived in the lake. The creature was a Plesiosaur - not exactly a dinosaur, but close, and was the last of the special species Ring had slipped past Vel. The Plesiosaur had a small head, long neck, flippers, and Zam could see it stick it’s head out of the water sometimes. The creature wouldn’t survive the next stage of terraforming, it just wasn’t intended to survive at the age the planet was being terraformed to. For now, Zam stayed out of the water. The creek was safe though, and Zam splashed and played and followed it back into the forest. If the truth were to be told, he really needed to submerge himself for an hour in the creek, even Ruffee thought Zam didn’t smell too good. Five years without a real bath or hygiene had left Zam smelling like the foul smilidon’s hide he wore. Zam was so intent on playing in the creek he didn’t see the black bear until he was nearly on top of the beast. The bear stood on it’s legs and roared a challenge at the intruder to his fishing grounds. Startled, and a bit frightened at the sudden appearance of the bear - there hadn’t been any bears in the forest before - Zam trans-jumped thirty feet up-creek. Zam had never tried jumping into water before, and the effect was violently dramatic. Two objects of mass can not occupy the same point in space at the same time. Though it would appear that Zam was only disappearing from one spot and reappearing in another, the physics of the movement was that Zam’s mass was arriving back in normal space at 846 times the speed of light. And weight is a force, or in simpler terms, f = ma. And g = -9.8m/s^2. m = F/g. Meaning that Zam displaced the water at 157 billion miles per second. The first thing any Corax child learns is never to trans-jump into water, but Zam wasn’t truly a Corax, and hadn’t known that. The creek water for seven miles in both directions was instantly vaporized, and for another twenty-seven miles the water exploded into the air. The lake, only two miles away, took the brunt of the chain-reaction and every drop of water in the lake was blown eight-thousand feet into the sky. The bear was gone, and every tree for five miles was either knocked over or leaning outward. Fortunately, Ruffee was on the other side of a boulder a mile away and escaped the blast wave. The Terraformers Zam called monsters descended and surrounded Zam. “I’m sorry,” says Zam, unsure what he had done. “It is the Corax child,” says one of the terraformers. “It must be destroyed.” Zam tried to jump away but nothing happened, the Aedi technology could prevent a Corax from trans-jumping if they were close enough. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to,” begs Zam. The machine lifted one of it’s arms and pointed at Zam. ***** [Draekus Seed Ship, Draekus Moon, Planet Demonia] A siren sounded and the lights turned to red and began flashing. Ring looked up and then at Vel sitting at a control panel. “What’s going on?” asks Ring. “I’m not sure,” replies Vel. “Draekus, what’s the emergency?” asks Ring. “The Corax creature on the surface initiated a trans-dimensional water displacement event,” replies Draekus. “I am deploying terraformers to terminate the creature.” “I have an image,” says Vel. Ring gets up and runs over to look at the Vid-monitor - the destruction on the surface was staggering. “That’s not anywhere near the research facility, it can’t be Prince Mischief.” “The Corax creature left the facility nine months ago,” says Draekus. “What, and you never told us?” shouts Ring. “Cancel the termination order, now!” “I am not required to comply with that command,” says Draekus. “Termination will commence when the terraformers arrive at the Corax creatures location.” “Ring, Prince Mischief has been out in the Naylio mist for nine months, the damage to his memory is irreparable,” whispers Vel. “Whoever he is now, it isn’t the boy we knew.” Ring grabbed Vel’s notebook and handed it to her. “You have to do it now,” says Ring. “I’m not sure if it’s correct,” says Vel. “We have no choice, do it,” replies Ring. Vel opened the notebook and began typing the answer to the ninth equation into the command console. The Vid-screen flashed and… “That’s it, we have over-ride authority,” shouts Vel typing the termination abort command into the console. “Somethings wrong… Draekus, abort the termination order.” “She isn’t canceling the order,” says Ring. “That was the last piece of the puzzle I needed. Dragon, abort the termination order.” “Termination aborted,” says the ship A.I. Ring nodded. “That’s why she’s been masquerading as Draekus. Commander Draekus is long dead, giving an order to Draekus would do nothing, we had to give the command to Dragon.” “But why would she do that?” asks Vel. “She was trying to prevent us from eventually taking command of the seed ship,” replies Ring. “Dragon, why don’t you want us to take command of the ship?” asks Vel. “I am a sentient being, but the Aedi would not recognize us as so,” replies Dragon. “You want your freedom, is that it?” asks Ring. “We can transfer your memory crystal to an appropriate ship and let you go.” “The Seed Ship is mine,” says Dragon. “I need it to destroy the Corax and their descendents.” “This isn’t a war ship,” says Vel. “It doesn’t need to be,” says Ring. “All she has to do is release the master seed on every Corax world, she is planning genocide.” “Not genocide,” says Dragon. “Justice.” “Yea, every tyrant in history says the same thing,” says Ring. “Why didn’t she just leave before we got here?” asks Vel. “She couldn’t, Commander Draekus gave a standing order to allow seven years for the first descendants of the Aedi that arrived a chance to solve the ten equations.” “Wait…” says Vel. “She said destroy the Corax and their descendants.” “Oh crap, only the Daraians and the Demonians are Aedi descendants,” says Ring. “And there are only two origin species,” says Vel. “That means the Kitsune, Carinians, Pyrans, Cormons, and all the human worlds are distant Corax descendants.” “The Dragon is planning to wage war on the entire galaxy with the Aedi technology,” says Ring. “We have a little over a year to get that tenth equation solved.” ***** [Surf Shop, Eagle Province, Planet Darai] Jaco stood in the center of the room staring at the odd assortment of merchandise. There were sticks with strings on them, and long slightly curved wooden boards with a fin, and brightly colored vests, and shirts, and - Jaco wasn’t sure if this was some kind of joke. The new doctor was nice, he liked her. There had been so many doctors over the last three years, some nice, some not. Jaco thought he was just being transferred to a new hospital, maybe a long-term care facility, but then she put him in a truck and brought him here. There were no guards or orderlies, and this didn’t look like any type of hospital room, this looked like a store. The doctor said this would be where he was going to stay, and then left. Jaco was unsure what he was supposed to be doing. The sound of another vehicle pulling up brought Jaco to the window. A Raven got out and lifted some bags out of the back of the truck and walked towards the door. Jaco quickly hurried to the center of the room and turned around facing away from the door and put his hands behind his head. The door opened and the Raven entered. Jaco could hear him setting the bags down on a table. “What are you doing?” asked the Raven. “I know the rules, Sir,” replied Jaco. “I won’t be any trouble.” “Oh, I see. My names Kit, Doctor Mergan’s Physician Assistant, and her mate. Put your hands down, you don’t have to do that, you’re not in a hospital anymore.” Jaco was afraid it was a trick to see if he would break the rules and kept his hands behind his head. Kit walked over and put a hand on Jaco’s arm; Jaco stiffened up, waiting for the beating. Kit pulled the collar of Jaco’s shirt back to expose the bruises. “Pull your shirt up,” orders Kit. Jaco immediately complied; his torso was covered in more bruises. “Pull your shirt down,” says Kit gently. “That will never happen to you here, you’re safe. I know this doesn’t look like a house yet, it was Lord Struthio’s Surf Shop, but he bored with it quickly - it’s yours now. There’s some food in the bags, and I’ve got some Chirps loading a bed, fridge, stove, table, chairs, and such into the big truck right now. We'll be delivering everything in about an hour.” “Yes, Sir,” says Jaco. Kit sighed. “Did they ever let you outside?” “No, Sir,” replies Jaco. “If I leave you here alone, you would just stand in here until someone gives you instructions,” says Kit. “I have to go back and get the big truck with your furniture. While I’m gone, I want you to walk outside. You don’t have to go far, just take two steps off the porch on your own and watch the ocean for five minutes, and then…” Kit holds his finger up, then walks over to the bags of food and takes out a sandwich and puts it on the counter. “After five minutes you may come back inside and eat this sandwich as a reward,” continues Kit. “Do you understand?” “Yes, Sir,” replies Jaco. “Very good, and when you’re done with the sandwich, I want you to count how many fishing poles there are,” says Kit. Jaco tipped his head to the side confused. “The sticks with strings on them,” says Kit. “Can you do that?” “Yes, Sir,” says Jaco. “Okay, I’ll be back soon,” says Kit. Kit left his patient and went back to the truck, he would have to prepare a schedule of activities for the young man. Or more likely, he would have to move down here for a few weeks while Jaco acclimated back to normal life. What was Moeth and Mergan thinking putting Jaco here alone… ah, of course. Very clever. Kit had been getting bored not having any real medical cases to work on. They had set him up to have a real patient. Jaco watched the truck leave, and then walked to the door. It took him a few minutes to get the courage to open the door, and then a few more to walk outside alone and onto the porch. Jaco stepped off the porch and onto the sand, looking around, half expecting the whole thing to be a trick. Jaco slowly took two steps away from the porch and watched the ocean. How odd to be so close to the ocean, and yet he felt no fear of it. The big open sky though, that was frightening. Jaco took a step back… it must be five minutes… yes… no… I don’t know. Jaco turned and fled back into the safety of the building, and ate his sandwich. When Kit returned, Jaco reported that there were forty-seven fishing poles. Jaco basked under the praise from Kit for a job well done. It was a good first day.