Special Notes: The plot expands a bit in this chapter. *****AUDIO FILE***** "Chapter 60 - Loyalties - Audio File" [The White Raven, Chapter 60, Loyalties] [Black Island, Planet Carina] “My sons number six-hundred thirty-two.” “My daughter and the boy will be grown then, they will join us and bring the Kitsune.” Carina the Ocean God, looked out over the vast calmness of the ocean while the Goddess, Corvus, sat in the chair she always favored when at the castle. “The boy isn’t a real Corax, his power is weak,” said Jon Black, the current reigning Jon of Carina. Jon Black the Gunslinger snarled as he paced the floor, and then stopped for a moment to glare at the thin man. “The boy has more spine than you, and what do you bring, brother, an army of accountants, I tremble at your fierceness.” The reigning Jon Black snapped back in his high pitched voice. “My accountants are paying for all that you enjoy?” Carina turned back to the group, ignoring the bickering of the brothers. “How many Cettise can you bring, my son?” “I have ninety-thousand, father,” replied Jon Black the Gunslinger. “You must bring Colton Cyness back to the fold,” ordered Carina. “He commands forty-thousand that have lost their way.” “He is broken, father,” said Jon Black the Gunslinger. “Reveal the Eagle to him, and the truth,” said Carina. “He will heal quickly when he understands he is fighting for the life of his brother’s son.” Jon Black the Gunslinger continued his pacing. “Yes, father.” “And what will our mother bring?” asked Jon Black the explorer, and the most independent of the Jon Blacks. “Her Ravens have scattered like leaves before a mild breeze.” “Mind your tongue, child,” warned Corvus. “Save your threats for Sparrows and Crows,” replied Jon Black the explorer. “I can bring five legions of the Eriden, and that is five legions more than Ravens will show.” Corvus started to rise from her chair, but Carina held up a hand to calm her. “Son, you fight with your mother only because you are so like her in temper.” Jon Black the explorer turned his back and stared out the window at the ocean. “My brother has a point, father,” said Jon Black the Gunslinger. “Any one of the Eagles have more backbone then all the Ravens together; we need to make peace with the Eagles, they are doing more to save Darai than the Ravens are.” Jon Black the engineer, a well built and muscular man, stepped from a corner where he had been silently listening. “They will break across Darai at their strongest, Darai is already lost. We must use Darai now while we can, the Sparrows must put aside their selfish nature and begin building a war fleet.” “And how will we pay for this?” whined the reigning Jon Black. “The sound of your voice is beginning to anger me, brother,” threatened Jon Black the Gunslinger. A man dressed in a physicians smock with the emblem of House Struthio on it stepped forward. “Brothers, we have no time for these petty squabbles, we must discuss the Aedi Seed Ship,” said Jon Black the physician. “What is there to discuss?” replied Jon Black the Gunslinger. “We can use it as our flagship.” “No,” replied Jon Black the physician. “Darai is a dying world, whether the Corax come or not. A clever Raven doctor in House Eagle has already discovered the cause of the reduced fertility rate. All the industrialized worlds are dying, and more so once the Corax are finished raining nuclear warheads down on us.” “What do you suggest, child?” asked Corvus. “Re-open the nav-lanes to Demonia, and all of you use your influence on each of your worlds to send the very brightest minds to the Aedi ship,” explained Jon Black the physician. “Mother, manipulate Master Ring to take the ship and it’s new crew to deep space to hide until this is over. We will need that ship to repair the damage once the storm has passed.” “I agree,” said Carina. “Send the Aedi ship away to hide.” Jon Black the explorer turned back from the window. “There is a statue with an inscription in the library, it gives a clue to an abandoned Aedi Warship in the Eagle Nebula, send them there to look for it.” “And which of us will go with the Aedi Seed Ship?” asked Jon Black the Gunslinger. A man with piercing eyes stepped from the shadows. “I will go with the Aedi Seed Ship,” said Jon Black the first. All the Jon Black’s stood and bowed to the man. “Brother, we did not know you were here,” said Jon Black the Gunslinger. “You honor us.” “You should shoot that one,” said Jon Black the first, pointing at the reigning Jon Black. Jon Black the Gunslinger grinned evilly and turned to face the now pale reigning Jon Black. Carina stepped between the two brothers and glared at Jon Black the first. “I see you still have your sense of humor, son,” said Carina. Jon Black the first smiled and waved off the remark as a compliment. “I will command the Aedi Warship and bring it back, if it can be found. I will go now, the lot of you will still be standing here discussing what to do when the Corax arrive.” Jon Black the first vanished. “I must return to the Albatross before they discover their surgeon missing,” said Jon Black the physician, and vanished. “I’ll go speak with Colton Cyness,” said Jon Black the Gunslinger, and also vanished. The other Jon Black’s vanished one-by-one until only Carina and Corvus remained. “When will you start bringing your daughter to these meetings?” asked Carina. “Soon, my love,” said Corvus, and vanished. Carina walked to a window and looked out at his beloved ocean. “The Aedi at the height of their power couldn’t stop us, how will I stop the very army I built?” ***** [Sparrow Ship Yards, Sparrow Province, Planet Darai] Lord Sparrow hunched over the table in the office above the ship yard staring at a set of blueprints for the newest line of deep space luxury yachts. “The spacing between the fore and aft bulkheads is too heavy,” explained the Yard Foreman. “It’s the cheap steel we’re getting from Cormon, put an extra support cross-beam here and here,” ordered Lord Sparrow pointing at the blue-prints. “The ship won’t have the same airy spaces,” replied the Foreman. “Nothing we can do about it until the Demonians start producing steel again,” said Lord Sparrow, finishing writing out the specifications for the new cross-beams. “I’ll be down in the yard. The Foreman took the prints and studied the notes. “Yes, my lord,” said the Foreman, not noticing that Lord Sparrow had already left the office. Lord Sparrow liked being in the ship yard; the smell of new steel, the sounds of the rivets being pounded in place, the sparks cascading down from the welding machines. Everything in the yard had a function, a purpose, a well thought out plan - there was nothing here that didn’t belong. Spacecraft of every size and function was being built here. There were a few other ship builders around the planet, but Sparrow Ships were the finest. Lord Sparrow stopped at different work stations to inspect the construction, but everyone knew their jobs. Truth was, he was probably just annoying everyone and making them nervous. A bulk-head suspended by a crane slammed into the side of the super-structure of a large cargo ship being constructed. The site foreman barked orders at the crane operator and the situation was resolved. Yes, he was making the workers nervous. Lord Sparrow turned around to head back to his office. He missed the days when he was the Prince Sparrow and could be in the yard without causing mayhem. The crashing sound of steel support bars raining down on the yard brought Lord Sparrow around again - nervousness at having the House Lord in the yard was one thing, but two accidents in a row was still unusual. The cause of the accident quickly manifested itself in the form of a little girl with yellow locks of hair bouncing as she skipped around a corner. The girl was dressed in an ancient hoop skirt, a fashion not worn on Darai for a thousand years - it was the Sparrow Goddess. The little girl skipped up to Lord Sparrow and threw her arms around him in a hug. “Hello, Goddess,” greeted Lord Sparrow. The little girl giggled. “You remember who I am, it’s been so long since you’ve been to Temple, I thought you had forgotten me.” “My place is here in the ship yards,” replied Lord Sparrow. “But I doubt you came only to scold me for my attendance at Temple.” The Goddess giggled and danced in a circle. “Yes, I need you to build space ships.” “I do that now,” replied Lord Sparrow. “You must build more, many many more, enough for all of Darai to escape,” explained the Goddess. “I could not do that if I had a hundred years, nor could most Daraians afford to purchase them,” said Lord Sparrow. “Then you will give them away for free,” replied the Goddess. “And you must build warships; for every warship you build, you will give Darai a few more seconds to escape.” Lord Sparrow understood what she was talking about; The Prophecy. “If I were to do this, it would bankrupt House Sparrow.” The Goddess, her ancient eyes betraying the guise of the little Sparrow girl form she wore blazed with a dark fire. She drove her hand into Lord Sparrow’s chest, he felt her icy touch wrap around his heart, and fell to his knees in pain. “Goddess, mercy, I will do as you command,” gasped Lord Sparrow. “I am not killing you, my favored Sparrow,” said the Goddess softly. “I am taking back a gift I gave your ancestors long ago.” The Goddess pulled her hand from Lord Sparrow’s chest, and with it something was removed; he could feel it as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. Lord Sparrow looked up at the sky - the deep rich blue sky of Darai. He felt the urge to lift his voice in song; he had not sang since… two Red Feathers ago when his father had given his life to save Darai during the Kitsune invasion, and he had assumed the mantel of Lord Sparrow. “I see again,” said Lord Sparrow. “What did you take?” “The first Lord Sparrow was a good man,” said the little girl Goddess. “He wanted to lift his people from their misery under the yoke of the Hawks. He begged me for help and I gave him desire - desire for wealth. With it he lifted the Sparrows up to a great Empire.” Lord Sparrow could not take his eyes from the beautiful sky. “That is a curse, not a gift,” whispered Lord Sparrow. “Curse or gift, he saved his people,” replied the Goddess. “Is there no hope for Darai?” asked Lord Sparrow. “No,” replied the Goddess with simple honesty. “So to save Darai, I must destroy my House,” said Lord Sparrow. “Your destruction will be your salvation,” stated the Goddess. “I ask for a truth in return,” said Lord Sparrow. “Something Raen said, something I have suspected for a long time.” “It is true, there is only one Goddess,” said the little girl softly. “I come to each of my people as they need to see me. Does this rob you of your faith?” “No, it makes me love you the more for it,” said Lord Sparrow. “You show us a great kindness in this. May I ask one more question?” The little Sparrow girl tipped her head to the side and smiled. “The Ravens are far wealthier than I, what gift greater than desire for wealth did you give them to be so successful?” asked Lord Sparrow. “I did not give them a gift, I took something from them, something they asked me to take,” said the Goddess. “I see, you took their conscience,” said Lord Sparrow. The Goddess nodded her head. “Forgive me, my favored Sparrow, but now I must take this memory from you.” The Goddess tapped Lord Sparrow on the chest once and vanished. Lord Sparrow closed his eyes. The sound of a cable snapping and a load of support beams crashing to the ground made him open his eyes. “My lord, are you alright?” shouted the Yard Foreman, running up and holding out a yellow hard-hat. Lord Sparrow was always forgetting to wear his hard-hat. “I’m fine,” replied Lord Sparrow, taking the hard-hat and putting it on to pacify the foreman. “I’ll dock their pay immediately and put them on an extra shift to make up for the lost time,” said the Foreman. “No, the workers are on edge and exhausted, call it a day, and give everyone four days off, with pay,” ordered Lord Sparrow. “Tell them to spend some time with their families, we will have a lot of work to do when they return.” Lord Sparrow turned and walked back toward the office. The Foreman stood, his mouth hanging open, Lord Sparrow had never given anyone time off with pay before. ***** [Cyness Salt Factory, House Cyness, Planet Cyness] “Hauler 31 coming in with a broken scoop.” “42 is in the grease pit, send her to unload first.” “Dammit, what’s 28 doing, get it off the line.” “The new Captain flooded her.” “Push the damn thing.” Colt stood on the catwalk watching the organized confusion, and Toran’Sar trying desperately to untangle the mess - it was just a normal day. “My lord, the Union Rep is in your office,” a tall man with a scar running down his face announced. Colt turned his head and looked at the man, he looked haggard and worn out. “How’s the new baby?” asked Colt. “Won’t stop crying,” said the man. “Kept me up all night.” “You want some time off?” asked Colt. “Can’t afford it, and don’t offer, you can’t either,” replied the man. “Anyway, this is the only place I can get some peace.” Colt nodded. He understood how difficult a new-born could be, his first boy had been a nightmare for the first six months. “What’s the Union Rep want this time?” asked Colt. “Hauler 52 has done three back-to-back 28 day rotations, rules say they have to go down for a rotation,” replies the man. “That’s Rosco’s Hauler, good luck with that,” said Colt. “Tell the Rep he can go tell Rosco to take a rotation off, maybe Rosco will shoot him and solve that problem.” “Maybe I’ll shoot him myself,” said the man, turning and heading back to Colt’s office. Colt headed the opposite direction, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with the Union Rep today. Toran was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. “Fuel expenditures,” said Toran, handing Colt a clip-board. Colt read through the reports, signed the papers, and handed them back. “Looks like we’ll make a profit this quarter.” “Yep, we’ll be able to buy a new engine for Hauler 14,” said Toran. “I’m going to take a walk,” said Colt. “I’ll meet you at the Diner for lunch,” said Toran. Colt ignored the jab, Toran already knew he wasn’t coming back to the factory today. Colt was bored being a business man, he wanted to be chasing outlaws, but there just weren’t any on Cyness - not anymore; Colt and Toran had spent the first two years tracking them all down. Nobody came to Cyness Minor anymore, they were outside the Empire and an independent world. Not even outlaws came here anymore. Colt had a reputation for not holding trials, justice was swift and executed by Colt’s hand personally. Colt had turned the planet into a true frontier world. Colt pushed the side door open and stepped out into the street… …and stumbled a step before catching himself. He wasn’t in the street, he was standing in the forest. And not just any forest, he knew this place, it was Camp 26, the first Gunslinger Camp, the Camp he had grown into a man at. The cabins were boarded up, abandoned now. Weeds grew up the sides of the old buildings. The Gunslingers were gone, nobody trained here now. Marshal Weston had taken them all to Pyra - all but the forty-thousand Gunslingers that wouldn’t follow Weston and his new ways. Only one person could have brought Colt here. “Lord Black,” Colt called out. The forest was silent, and it was too far to walk across the desert to Cyn City. Apparently Lord Black wanted to talk; he was probably at the old picnic table in the forest. Colt made his way past the old Marshal’s cabin and followed the nearly over-grown path along the river to the little bridge. Colt stopped where the bridge had been, it was gone, likely washed away in a spring flood. Colt continued along the path to his old boyhood cabin. He didn’t want to go inside, but if Lord Black was waiting, there wasn’t much he could do. Jon Black was his ride home. Colt pushed the door to the cabin open and stepped inside. The room was empty, someone had taken all the furniture. Lord Black wasn’t in the cabin and Colt pulled the door closed; there were to many memories here to linger. He turned away and followed the path back to the parade field. “Lord Black,” Colt called out again. “Dammit, where are you?” Colt jumped up on the broken porch of the Marshal’s cabin and looked inside - Lord Black wasn’t there either. There was one other place he might be, Colt followed the path on the other side of the field to Oath Rock. Vines grew up the sides of the rocks, but other than a few squirrels running around, there was nobody here. Colt walked back to the Camp, perhaps the old Dining Cabin. The door of the Dining Cabin was broken and the inside showed signs of something having wintered here once, probably a mountain lion. But Jon Black wasn’t here. Colt went out the side door, the door he had slipped out so many times to rendezvous with Cora for a stolen kiss. Jon Black was standing in an open spot behind the Dining Cabin. Colt walked up to his old mentor and waited. “This is where it all began,” said Jon Black. “An exiled emperor, twenty-six exiled princes, and a palace cook spent the first winter on this spot in a poorly made shelter, and yet nobody has thought to place even a stone in memory here.” “And their servants,” added Colt. “There were one-hundred seven total, odd how they are never mentioned.” “You are no longer a boy, I am losing patience with you,” said Jon Black. “I’m not going back to the Gunslingers,” said Colt. “You will do as I command,” replied Jon Black. “So, it’s come to that, has it?” asked Colt. “I will not follow Weston, and neither will my people. He has abandoned all the true ways of the Gunslinger.” “Do you know how many Merits have died in initiation in the last eleven years?” asked Jon Black. “No, of course you don’t. None. Not one Merit has died. And the Lone Gunslingers have only lost five.” “They’ve become civilized,” replied Colt. “They are turning soft.” “A war is coming,” continued Jon Black. “I need real Gunslingers, I need the Cettise.” “A war is always coming, why should I care what you need,” snarled Colt, his hand moving to his sidearm. Jon Black was right about one thing, he was no longer a boy to be ordered around. “Jack had a son, Cody,” said Jon Black. “Yes, Jack’s son is the Eagle, and he will die if you do not raise the army I need.” Colt staggered back as if Jon Black had struck him in the face. Jack… a son… the Eagle… “He is eleven years old and at the Hawk Temple,” said Jon Black. “Your brother’s son needs you, will you fail him as you failed his father.” Colt turned away. He owed Jack his life many times over. Colt dropped his head. He had failed Jack, and Garth. He was not there the day the Ravens ambushed them, his foolish stubbornness had left them alone while he had pursued what he should have known was a diversion. “What would you have me do?” asked Colt. “Open this Camp again, train an army in the ways of the true Gunslinger,” said Jon Black. “There are many candidates to send to you. Weston’s new recruiting requirements have bypassed any that might be considered… unstable.” “We were all unstable, it’s what made us Gunslingers,” said Colt. “But I have no money to pay for this.” “You do not need money, only courage,” replied Jon Black. “Or are you lacking in that as well.” Colt drew his revolver, spun, and fired where Jon Black should have been. A revolver pressed into the side of Colt’s head. “Now that is the Colton Cyness I’m looking for,” said Jon Black, then lifted his revolver and struck Colt in the side of the head. Colt opened his eyes. Toran’Sar was kneeling next to him. “Are you alright, you tripped and hit your head, I’ll call a doctor.” “No, I’m fine, it was Jon Black, he’s not playing nice anymore,” said Colt, standing. “Get my Dart Ship ready, we have to go to Darai.” “Why?” asked Toran. “Jack had a son, he’s on Darai,” replied Colt. “But that’s only the tip of the ice-burg, we need to find out what’s really going on.” Toran tossed his clipboard down. “About time, if I see one more bag of salt I’ll shoot someone.”