Tag: fantasy

Iriop (Caveman Chronicles)

~ I. Graham Smith ~ Leave a comment

The Index -|-

Kpleeb yawned and stretched before swinging his hairy feet over the side of his sleeping sling. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tapped his console to display the fleet’s status.

[Fourteen hours.]

The map showed that the closest Xi orb with a terminal, Iriop, was close after a long and tiresome journey. Kpleeb stretched again, this time standing and bending at the waist. Sleeping in a Xi sling caused his spine to ache, and he was irritable because of it.

[Almost five months stuck inside this bucket is far too much. I can’t live like this!]

He poked his belly and grimaced. “I need to spend more time practicing with the warriors.” With a shake of his head, he tapped his console again to contact Zara.

“Greetings, pater-unit,” said Zara with a smile. Her curly, brown hair shaking as she turned toward his view.

“Pater-unit?”

Zara laughed. “It’s a joke. Kanta was telling me a story from her childhood, and her Da was named Pater, and… well anyways. It’s just a joke.”

Kpleeb nodded and chose to move on. “Did you see that we are finally nearing Iriop? I was thinking that we need to start using the terminals. The travel time is just too long.”

Zara nodded. “Da, I’ve consulted the Xih viewer triangle, and I see a number of objects near Iriop. They might be Xi ships. We need to prepare to attack the moment we can. We can see them first, but they will also see us as we draw near.”

Kpleeb thought for a moment. “Have the two newer ships completed their kerflk shell?”

Zara nodded. “Yes, both are covered. It’s a slow process.”

“It’s a slow trip,” Kpleeb complained. “If we used the terminals in the future, we would instantly arrive and regain the element of surprise. The Xi would also be able to surprise us, but we can work on a strategy for that.”

“I’ve had a conversation with Oiitr about the terminals and learned some things. I will need to spend some time near a terminal to determine if there is some way I can tap into the slipnet. Perhaps we can use the terminal closest to Iriop?”

“Yes, maybe. We also need to decide how we retrieve and repair more of the Xi ships.” Kpleeb shrugged. “With the terminal nearest Jorqu destroyed, it will take too much time to bring ships there to repair and train the Ganix before they join the fleet.”

“Da, we need a safe place to do this. You’re right though. Perhaps we can find a place on Iriop that will be suitable for repairing ships. We need to focus on this cluster of vessels at Iriop for now.”

“Do you think we should change our course and avoid them? I think with kerflk and our numbers, we have the upper hand.”

After a long moment Zara replied. It is concerning, but we should be able to win. Anyway, with the terminal at their disposal, they can easily be waiting at any of the other orbs if we change course. For now, they are not prepared for us, but the more we fight the Xi and they learn our ways, the more our advantage will dwindle.”

Kpleeb nodded. “It’s settled then.”

###

“Huwt, fire as quickly as possible!” Kpleeb bellowed. The floor of the Greki’s command center buckled under him, and he staggered and held onto one of the slings with a death-grip.

The Ganix warrior Zara had assigned as Greki’s gunner did not reply, but Kpleeb saw his fingers rapidly manipulating the controls. Bolt after bolt of twisted blue fire was emitted and sped toward the largest of the Xi XC-class vessels. The Greki shuddered again, and a thin, acrid smoke began to emanate from under one of the red-tiered devices.

“Oiitr. We will die if you do not avoid these attacks.” Kpleeb’s forehead broke out in a sweat. He eyed the internal sensors and shook his head.

“Yes, Builder,” said Oiitr. “The engines are slow to respond because most of the power is used by the weapon systems. The XC-class ship is now disabled and drifting.”

Kpleeb bared his teeth. [The kerflk has finally killed its engines.]

Ahead of the Greki on the far side of the largest Xi ship, Kpleeb could see a vortex of the smaller, XF-class ships rapidly spewing bolts at each other. He tapped to zoom and saw that there were in fact four Xi ships and two of Kpleeb’s that were easily recognized by the kerflk that covered their hulls. One of his own, the Haartik, was venting atmosphere into the void while valiantly dodging all that it could.

[Haartik was captured at Liret. This crew is still inexperienced.] He sighed. [You must survive!]

The vortex broke apart as the Haartik responded to a flurry of bolts by exploding violently into pieces. The other kerflk covered ship fired upon one of the Xi ships, causing it to impact its nearest neighbor and spin away from the group engulfed in flames where oxygen vented from a puncture in its hull. In a moment, it too broke apart, and its neighbor also spun through a hail of blue bolts and disintegrated.

Huwt barked a Ganix curse and slapped his console in a surprising show of emotion. “Need faster!”

The large XC-class Xi ship began to crumble under a hail of weapon-fire as its engines failed to provide any ability to avoid the onslaught. “We must keep our distance!” Kpleeb was thrown backward into the nearest red-tiered device, and he felt a sharp pain. The Greki’s display flickered as it attempted to reduce the instantly bright glare of the XC’s demise. “Maintain focus!” he commanded. “We are not done yet.”

“There is just one Xi ship left, Da,” came Zara’s voice over the comms. “Please help. The Hsstak is unable to fire at this time.”

Kpleeb stood carefully holding his side that burned with a dull, throbbing pain. “We are still fighting. Huwt, target that remaining ship!”

The Greki turned over on its back and pursued the final Xi ship. It appeared to be trying to putting Iriop between it and Kpleeb’s fleet. “All ships, target that XF with kerflk and bolts.” It must not be allowed to escape.”

After a short flurry of attacks, the final Xi ship was destroyed, and Kpleeb began to take stock of his fleet.

Later he addressed his fleet solemnly via broadcast. “We lost four ships and many of our companions. The Jiti with my Hkkli friend, Nairo and his crew, Haartik with Kiz and his warriors, Giuk with Kopi and his warriors, and Jelit with Roaty and his crew. They will be missed, and… I promise that we will learn from this fight. The Xi will pay for what they’ve done. For now, the Greki will go to the orb and destroy their communication hubs.”

Two hours later, Zara called Kpleeb and her face was bruised. “Da, were there any extra ships on Iriop?”

Kpleeb shook his head. “None. I think they had launched all that they had and brought even more via the terminal. How could they know we were going to Iriop? Are you sure they cannot see us from a great distance? And what happened to your face?!”

Zara shook her head. “It’s nothing. The Hsstak was hit quite badly, and I fell. I am fairly certain the Xi cannot see us coming. The only thing that makes sense is that we targeted the nearest orb with a terminal, and they were able to predict this.”

“Well, I didn’t want to spend another month on the ship,” Kpleeb grumbled angrily.

“Me neither, Da. If we start using the terminals instead, we will have quicker travel, and our destination will be less obvious. I expect that the Xi have been informed of our success and will send another fleet here soon. We should leave as soon as the ships are repaired.

Kpleeb nodded thoughtfully. “Oiitr showed me the map, and there are three terminals within reach. I have chosen Wieh as our destination because I think Giale would be where the Xi would expect us to go. There we will stop and analyze the terminal and repair our ships as best as we can.”

Zara nodded thoughtfully.

“By the way, Zara. Do you think I should dress differently when going to visit the Iteek?”

“Uh,” said Zara with a confused look on her face.

“You know, like a ceremonial robe or something that shows my position as a leader.”

“I don’t know, Da. Why?”

Kpleeb grimaced and pushed his shaggy hair away from his face. “I- I feel like the Xi leaders look down on me. They clearly do not respect me.”

“You are alien to them. The Xi can’t help but see you as a slave. Dressing differently won’t make any difference. Only actions will convince them to respect you.”

“I suppose you’re right. You are wise for your age, my dear. Thank you. Let’s go toward Wieh now.” Kpleeb disconnected and issued the order to travel to the terminal nearest Wieh and they were under way.

[My girl is right. The Xi know nothing except action. They know me as nothing except a slave. They come to kill no matter that I saved their people on Liret. They’ve done nothing but destroy and steal and harm. The only way to stop them is to do the same.]

Liret (Caveman Chronicles)

~ I. Graham Smith ~ Leave a comment

The Index -|-

The Hsstak quivered slightly, and as the door to her cabin slid closed, there was a faint high-pitched laugh followed by a quickly fading wail.

Zara woke abruptly and sat straight up in her sling causing it to sway gently. The room was dark, with only the glow of a slowly-pulsing icon on the side of her red-tiered device that acted as a beacon.

“Lights.”

The ambient light increased in a linear fashion until it reached a soothing luminosity. Zara reached out and tapped her device a few times causing cascading data points to slide through the air in front of her. The report was momentary and it revealed nothing unexpected.

[Bad dream… again.]

She sighed and reached out for Qon. The silky, golden thread instantly coating her fingers like an old friend. As if it read her mind, the thread slipped into the red device and activated her sensor net. An explosion of light expanded as the data cloud grew larger and encompassed more and more space in Zara’s room.

She took it all in. There were miniscule threads of Qon in every piece of aji, and her palms glowed with a sheen that would be invisible to anyone else. The colors wriggled as it curved around her palm. Zara turned her hand and directed a thread at the silvery triangle on the floor. She had found a way to activate the Xih device using only Qon. The thread wended its way forward and touched the shiny surface as it had done many times before. The silver flickered as it always did in an erratic way. It was as if it fought Qon’s caress.

The Xih silvery triangle began to glow but did not activate. The golden thread blunted and Zara responded by applying more force. The thread quivered, resisting her pressure and seemingly malforming itself to avoid penetrating the Xih triangle.

Zara growled slightly under her breath. “What is the problem here?” With an extra, momentary exertion, the silvery triangle activated and the column of shimmering light appeared. The center dot representing the Hsstak was slowly approaching a pale blue dot indicating the Xi controlled orb named Liret.

[Just another few hours until we arrive. Perhaps I should go check on the crew.]

She clambered to her feet and tousled her hair with her hands to shake it into place. In a few more moments she stepped into the Hsstak’s command center.

“How is everything going?”

Kanta’s helmet water sloshed as she answered. “The builder’s fleet is almost to Liret. Estimated time, 2 hours and thirty-five minutes until orbit. The Builder wishes to have a conference with you before arrival.” Her fins tapped the console, and a standard view of the Hsstak’s place in the void appeared. All ten of Kpleeb’s ships appeared on the view. Each was tagged with its name.

Zara nodded. “I will speak to Da. Please let me know when we approach Liret.”

###

Later, Zara looked down on Liret as the Hsstak descended. The orb’s oceans carried a ruddy tinge that made the orb glow in a way she had never seen. She spoke her curiosity. “Viinox, what makes Liret so orange?”

Viinox’s response came back after a short moment. “The warm waters of Liret in combination with the natural algae make the oceans appear in shades of red and orange. The land masses on Liret consist primarily of island chains covering only 15 percent of Liret’s surface. The village we are approaching is named Cizriwn and it contains roughly one-point-seven-two million Xi.”

“Thank you, Viinox. I love learning this new information.”

Her Da’s plan was simple, and though Zara did not know exactly why, she knew that he was testing new ways of conquering. [He needs time and experience to fully become the Builder. He will make mistakes, but he is a good and noble caveman that wishes the best for everyone. I just need to protect him while he learns.]

The seven XF configuration ships in the fleet would land in the center of the largest village. It was here that Viinox and Oiitr had identified the Iteek’s office in a large Xi structure. The ships would disgorge the warriors and conquer the local authorities. Any Xi that resisted would naturally be captured or killed. Then the hubs facilitating communication between Liret and the rest of the Xi empire would be destroyed. Kpleeb’s monitoring devices would be scattered throughout the villages on the orb so as to provide a warning in the event the Xi reestablished communications or decided to rise up against his rule.

“Prepare to land,” came Kpleeb’s voice over the comms.

The Hsstak settled to the ground with a sigh and a gentle bump. The exit door ahead of Zara jolted open revealing a brightly-lit hard surface. Her eight Ganix warriors led by Tiv sprinted out and created a semi-circle around the entrance with their lightning spears at the ready. Zara activated her personal shield and stepped outside.

The area where they had landed was huge. Impossibly tall structures with a lak-like sheen struck into the sky above her, and she felt terribly small. It was dusk. The light from Liret’s star was tinged with blue and shone through the horizon at an angle. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of Xi stood in small groups all over the open area and more approached from all directions. There was a stampede of Hkkli footfall from across the open space and many of the Xi turned to stare at the many strangers.

Zara turned as a small group of figures from the nearest structure began to walk toward them. Her Da and a group of Hkkli also approached from her left. Zara stepped to her Da’s side as the group of Xi stopped a dozen paces from them.

Viinox’s voice spoke quietly from her side. “The Iteek is there, and they have not yet activated a distress signal.”

[Viinox must be nervous, but its job is to create uncertainty long enough for us to take control.]

“The Iteek is named Oliit. It asks about our purpose here.”

Her Da raised his hand and then spoke loudly. “I am Kpleeb, also known as the Builder. I wish to speak to the Iteek, I believe its name is Oliit.” He smiled fiercely. “Identify yourself.”

One Xi dressed in long, blue robes stepped out from the group. “I am Oliit,” it called.

Kpleeb and Nairo stepped forward confidently until they were face to face with Oliit.

“Oliit wishes to know why I do not respond,” said Viinox.

“Tell it that the Builder speaks for this group.” Zara smiled slightly. “I trust you, Viinox. We do not wish to kill these Xi.”

Oliit’s head tilted sideways slightly as if considering. “What does the Builder desire from our poor outpost on Liret?”

Kpleeb smiled calmly. “I wish to visit your office, high- uh, eminence. Will you invite us in and speak with me about an alliance?”

Oliit’s neck slits fluttered momentarily as it appeared to consider the request. Finally, it lifted its chin in a regal manner and turned toward the nearby structure. “Come.” Without waiting, the Iteek and its large group of consorts moved gently forward.

Zara watched the whole exchange with interest. [What must it be thinking? Doesn’t it feel suspicious? Perhaps they are confident in their power, though surely this is the first non-Xi that has approached them in this manner.]

Her Da motioned for her to follow, and within another ten minutes they had entered into a large triangle room within the large structure. There was a small dais at one end of the room and next to the dais was suspended a single, ornate sling. Oliit sat silently in the sling and then gestured to Kpleeb. “Please describe this alliance you seek.”

Kpleeb smiled grandly and raised his arms. “The Xi have harmed me and my family greatly. I am here to become the ruler of Liret.” He looked at Oliit seriously now. “If you submit to my leadership, you and your people will live and flourish.”

Zara felt Viinox tense at her side, and she grasped Qon quickly.

Two of the Xi attendants next to Oliit dropped to their knees and pulled flat, oval objects out of their pale robes. A pair of the closest Hkkli fell immediately as if struck by an invisible hand.

As Zara reacted, her Da stepped forward and back handed one of the Xi. Its head whipped back and the recoil threw its body into Oliit who was just beginning to cower away from the attacks. The other Xi began to respond but was struck in the chest with a lightning bolt. By the time the second attacker hit the floor, the first Xi began to dissolve into dust.

Zara clenched her fists and pulled the aji out of the walls with thick tendrils of Qon. In her ears there was a ripping sound as the room plunged into darkness. Pulses of lightning flashed, and then she felt her shield flex with a strong hit. Her breath was forced from her chest momentarily and she released her grip. The lights in the space flickered on and Zara saw Oliit lifting a crystal glove toward her.

Qon leapt ahead of her in anticipation. “Da!” she cried and lifted her hand toward Oliit. An invisible golden spear shot out and impaled its body. “No! I need to question it!” Zara shouted. Qon lashed out again, and Zara tightened her grip and pulled. It was too late.

With a flurry of kicks, Nairo and two other Hkkli finished off the remaining Xi. Zara’s Da knelt next to Oliit’s body as its neck slits ceased to move. He shook his head and looked up at her. “I was hoping it would help us run this orb.”

“I’m sorry, Da,” said Zara looking down at her feet. “Things got out of hand.” At that moment, she remembered the communication hub.

“Viinox, take Kanta and go disable the hub quickly.” Viinox began to move toward the door.

“Nairo, take one of your warriors and make sure Viinox is protected.” Her Da stood and looked again at Zara. “It seems like no matter how much I try, the Xi insist on testing my patience. Let’s go outside.”

Zara and her Da soon stepped out and stopped where the group of Hkkli and Ganix warriors cautiously watched the still growing number of Xi that stood outside.

Her Da touched his necklace and raised his right hand. His voice echoed with power. “People of Liret, I am your new supreme ruler. I come to rule peacefully. If you resist me, I will throw your riaat into the red ocean.”

There was a ripple in the crowd at his offensive words.

“I gave Oliit a chance, and it chose poorly. I have disabled Liret’s connection to the core. There will be no Xi vessels visiting your world for a long time. Now, I give you the same choice. Choose a new Iteek. Live in peace, flourish, and treat the other intelligent races around you with respect. If you do this, I will leave you in peace.”

Zara looked around at the crowd. There were more individual beings in the open space than she had ever seen in one spot, and she remembered that this was a small world on the outskirts of Xi space. Liret was a speck in the Predominant’s empire, easily discarded and soon forgotten.

Viinox and Kanta appeared from the doorway, and her Da’s hand rested on her shoulder. “We must leave. There other communications hubs have been destroyed.”

Zara nodded silently and took another look at the many Xi.

[There are so many- too many to count. Endless Xi. Is there any safe place?]

Stranded (Caveman Chronicles)

~ I. Graham Smith ~ Leave a comment

The Index -|-

When Zara snipped the three, green lines, the ship blinked. Every shred of visible light switched off instantly. In Zara’s alternate perceptive view of the aji realm, every aji connected to the Hsstak also went dark. This had never happened to her, and the new situation was quite jarring.

“That didn’t work like I planned,” she said quietly. She raised her hand slowly and then felt the floor slide away from her feet. It was a new sensation of weightlessness; not at all pleasant. Her hand, mere inches from her face was invisible.

Viinox chittered quietly. “Hsstak is broken.”

“How do we fix it, Viinox?” Zara reached out to grasp something, anything to provide an anchor, but she found nothing. Her arms and legs were disconnected from reality and twitched with weird and awkward swimming motions. In the darkness, her inability to see and move caused a cacophony of disquiet to rise. “What’s happening?!” she asked.

Suddenly, a pale green glow appeared as Vinnox pulled a hand tool out of its waistband. “The core of Hsstak must be purged and then reset. I will help you.”

Zara could now see that she was floating above the floor at an odd angle. She tried, but had no means of propelling herself forward. Fortunately, her initial movements had caused momentum, and that momentum carried her ever so slowly toward the mottled, grey ceiling.

Oiitr moved quickly and directly toward one of the red-tiered devices on the other side of the room. It arrived, and landed with poise and grace that surprised Zara. She could see that the back of its suit issued alternating streams of air from two tiny nozzles.

“I need a suit like that,” she said. “Odd though, it doesn’t use any aji.”

Oiitr turned with its hand resting lightly on the device. “These suits are specially made for Jariit and other specialize Xi roles. The propulsion is old technology.” It sunk and began to pull a panel off the lower side of the device.

Viinox spoke up. “Certain sensors on Hsstak are built with a feedback loop. These are generally connected with more than one aji line of type Etui. If you cut those, the ship’s system will be corrupted.” It raised its hand as if teaching a class. “We must proceed with the purge and reset. Please watch.”

Viinox pulled a panel off the nearest red-tired device and began to disconnect various tubes and wires. Oiitr did the same, and Tiirw only watched Zara. After a few moments, Viinox and Oiitr looked at each other and then each of them began to pull a lever repeatedly.

It made no sense to Zara. [Aji is not physical, and yet they pull and push physical parts of Hsstak. How odd.]

“If Hsstak is broken, why did all aji in your suits cease? And what is your tool powered with?” Zara pointed at Viinox’s pale, green light.

Viinox ignored her and pumped the lever four more times before stopping. It looked at Oiitr and then pressed another set of protrusions in sequence with Oiitr. The panels they were at began to glow with a weak and sickly yellow light. Viinox turned toward Zara. “The purge has been completed. Now we must reset the core.”

“Please explain it for me.” Zara looked at Viinox and then at Oiitr with a look that she hoped conveyed something between respect and power.

Viinox looked at Oiitr and lifted its chin slightly.

Oiitr spoke. “The ship’s aji store is located in the standard Qiah froji basin. The twelve interlapping imami fields contain the positive hu-pairs in a tensile and fractal state, and they repel negative hu-triads. It is the froj that must be purged when the negative hu-triads penetrate the bath and change the pH.”

“Urh,” said Zara nodding slowly while she repeated what she thought she had heard. “Hsstak stores aji in a bucket… er, basin, and then since they’ve been corrupted by the who-triangles the frogs have to be purged.”

“Froj.” If it was possible, Oiitr was even more deadpan than it would normally be considering that it was a member of such an outwardly emotionless race.

“Great. Well… Now to the reset.” She pointed. “I see yellow lights, which is good, right? No aji though. Did it all leak out when we purged the frogs?”

“Froj.” Oiitr gave Viinox a side-eye before speaking again. “Hsstak will take days to replenish its aji stores and reset the balance. Until the reset is complete, we have limited atmosphere generation capabilities and no ability to see, communicate, or fight.”

“This is a bad thing since the First Terminal will come to find us.” Zara looked around at the others. Tiirw still only watched her with its sharp, blue eyes, and Viinox studied her face as she spoke. “If the Xih arrive before the reset is complete, what will happen? We can move, right?”

“If they Xih arrive during our reset, we will surely die. Their protocol is to destroy any potential outbreak.” Viinox looked at Tiirw. “What was your exact message to the First Terminal?”

Tiirw paused before speaking slowly and clearly as if reciting a studied phrase. “Hsstak has experienced a Class IW outbreak. We require assistance.”

After a short pause, Viinox spoke again. “Nothing about Ixant?”

Tiirw tilted its chin downward. “Iqw Okrat would not allow the news of your capture or your status as Ixant be transmitted until it had completed its research. If First Terminal received news of an outbreak involving an Ixant, they would send a fleet immediately.”

Zara nodded. “I hope they don’t know. We need time to disappear before they come to find us.” She looked around the command center at her three, captive Xi.

[I wonder who the real captive is here? Have I successfully kept their respect? Or fear?]

Each of the Xi looked at her and remained silent as if waiting for an answer.

Zara sighed. [The truth is, I need them. I have no idea how this ship is designed or how it works at all. How can I even begin to get back home to Da without them? What can I do to make sure they keep obeying me?]

The train of thought was unsettling to her. She may hold the upper hand in some ways, but the Xi were not stupid.

[Where does the aji come from that replenishes the frog basin? What is Hsstak surrounded by in this dark void? There is so much I don’t know. I have to keep their loyalty.]

Zara cleared her throat and smiled at the Xi. “Is there anything productive we can do while we wait for the aji to refill?” She paused. “How about a tour of Hsstak?”

Viinox lifted its chin and awkwardly exited its sling. “Yes. There is much to show you.” It waved with a three fingered hand and walked toward the door.

Zara looked at Tiirw and Oiitr. “You will come with us.”

They followed without a sound.