It was not a single assault shuttle that descended this time; It was two. They approached from the opposite side of the planet. And from that dark side, they swept in at low altitudes, using the terrain to lay doggo to the massive battleship in orbit. They landed on the opposite side of the mountain, and discharged their loads there. 28 marines, this time; an enormous concentration of Phantom troops. The Oblivion itself held only 100, and 14 were already dead. Crystal Oni was not happy, to say the least. However, there was little that he/it alone could do.
Thus it was that two squads of Phantom marines arrived at the base of the mountain side of the Uli Rouge. 14 could be seen, the other 14 activated active-camo and were harder to spot. The first one up pressed the call button by the gate.
"We need to speak with Madam DeLuna. We are here to escort Lord Dark Star out of the system. There is great danger in the sky's above."
****
Dark Star gave a sad smile to DeLuna.
"You may call me what you wish, madam. Dark Star, Lord, Mr.Julius, even b*stard and The Devil I might respond to. It is, as you said, irrelevant at this point. I have to ask though, is it truly necessary to cut my connection to the Oblivion? Crystal Oni might be able to tell us, but I can't reach him through your damping field."
This is the real true story of rock and roll; it was not about anything more then, how to live your life, as a gangster, in sartorial splendor, and turning the world into a place where normality would never return again...- Malcolm McLaren
The small, scruffy looking man called Scutter paced the bridge of his new command, Slagheap II.
The main screen replayed the destruction of the recently launched shuttle holding the Gammu delegation.
"Oi! you!" Scutter pointed at the robot operating the helm controls.
"What can I do for you sir? I am designated NX-5655 and am programmed to..."
"Shut the bleedin' 'ell up and scan for them escape pods." Looking at the less than familiar command panel he beckoned another robot over. "What's this button do then?"
"Sir, that command disables the verbal command operations, and might I say..."
"No, you may not! Slagheap! Shoot whoever shot that ship there!" Scutter looked around at the screen. "And put the bleedin' view on main screen!"
A voice came from the command console, "Cannot comply."
"And would you like to tell me why you can't bleedin' comply?"
"Unknown origin. Unknown directive"
"Bugger that then. Get them bleedin' pods from that ship and then we back up fer a bit."
NX-5655 spoke again. "Sir, I would suggest we charge main guns and go to full alert."
As Reggie finished his story, recounting the sad and untimely death of Shamus at the hands of the Verandas defense systems, he glanced at the young girl Sylvia. She still seemed pensive and frightened. He was uncertain how best to calm her fears. His tale had merely served to postpone the inevitable need for action regarding her, and their present circumstances.
He mused to himself for the thousandth time about the paradoxes presented by the deLuna family. A family of headstrong, proud, and intelligent women; yet plagued by a seeming magnetism for calamitous events and enemies.
Perhaps the attraction could be blamed solely on their familial ties to the late Dr. Alexander deLuna. A man who endured tremendous hardships at the hands of self-serving, greedy people who wished to use his brilliance for their own evil purposes. Through all his strange tale of escape, flight, and eventual discovery of the ancient Jaktarans, Dr. deLuna had obviously loved his family beyond description. Yet now, reincarnated as Artificer by his fusion with the Jaktaran remnant, he had become a threat to the very family he loved; and to the entire sector as well.
How much of this did the young Sylvia know, in her guileless youth? How much had Fiona told her? He would have to have a very long talk with that dear lady very soon. But now?
He stood and walked to the young girl, and took her hand, gently pulling her to her feet. He then returned the hug she had given him in fear earlier. But this time, with the love of a father, comforting a restless child. As he released her he took both her small hands in his own grizzled paws.
Sylvia, it is time for you to perform your nano-magic. We can do nothing to assess and react to events as long as we are held here, out of communication with our many resources. Let us take our friends here to the elevator, and send them down to Alans lake. And then, as promised, I will accompany you back to the Uli Rouge and your mother.
That brief shockwave we felt was certainly not on the menu for the evening, Ill wager. We must find out what is transpiring. Remaining safely ensconced down here is no longer an option, and you know it. We must reunite with Fiona quickly, and assist her in whatever way is necessary. We both love her, you know; and together, we will do all in our power to help her.
"Pops, friends of Pops, just do me a favor, mkay? Don't tell Mom about this stuff. She doesn't know about it and she doesn't need to know about it. I'll make the tunnel to the outside now, and we can just walk on up. That way, Richard won't get angry at me for showing you the Atrium, since you won't see the Atrium!"
The walls began to form into a cylindrical tunnel, and the party began to move out of the Uli Rouge basement.
Reggie was amazed at the control the young girl Sylvia had over the Atrium, as she called it. The tunnel they walked through formed with amazing speed before them, and disappeared equally as fast into solid granite walls behind them. This was a technology unknown to even the most far-reaching researchers in the Sector. The implant which Sylvia carried would definitely have to be kept a secret from everyone, or she would rapidly become the most sought-after commodity within 50 parsecs.
The tunnel suddenly ended in a metallic wall, which also dissolved to reveal the inside of the elevator car which Reggie had escaped to begin this strange mission. Once all the party were inside the car, its wall re-integrated, and the car moved smoothly downwards to its lower terminus at another tunnel. A walk of 200 meters brought them to another seemingly solid granite wall. This time, however, a touch to an adjacent control panel caused the wall to move smoothly aside; and the party found itself a short distance from Alans underwater observation platform.
Alan, Kate and Spike looked questioningly at Reggie, and Spike finally broke the silence. Pops, do you want us to go back up the mountain with you? Id hate to think we just escaped one trap, only to see you walk back into another without backup.
Reggie glanced at Sylvia, who still seemed a bit agitated. She almost looked like a child who had just been caught with her hand buried in the cookie jar. He turned to his friends and smiled. I dont think that will be necessary, Spike. Your appearance would merely raise questions that might be rather embarrassing to our young rescuer here.
I shall tell Fiona and the rest that I encountered Sylvia at the Veranda, worried about her mother; and that I agreed to return to the Uli Rouge with her to alleviate her concerns.
I would ask that you contact Mal, and ask him to closely monitor the space surrounding Canaria for any further unannounced guests. Now that were out of that bloody mountain, Ill use my stunning new pocket watch to coordinate with V-MAX at the Veranda; and bring myself up to speed on events while Sylvia and I walk up to the Villa again.
Spike hesitated, looked at Alan and Kate, and then nodded. Done, Pops. he said, as their party turned and continued on to the central island.
Reggie then turned to Sylvia, and motioning towards a narrow stairway leading upwards, said Shall we?
Sylvia unexpectedly grabbed Reggies hand, holding it tightly. Oh, Pops! Thank you for keeping my little secret. If youre determined to go back up to check on Mom, it will be a lot easier to explain without your friends along!
Im not sure why Richard and DeSicev havent told Mom about the Atrium, but have let me have almost the run of the place. Maybe together we can corner their sneaky butts and find out just what the Thud is going on, mkay?
That we shall, my dear girl! said Reggie emphatically, as they climbed the stairs to the surface. There has been enough bloody intrigue around here for one evening. I for one have had my fill.
A short walk brought them to he beginning of the winding mountain path that led to the Uli Rouge. As they began their ascent, Reggie caught sight of a figure above them, moving in and out of the shadows obscuring the path as it descended. Within a few moments and a few more turns of the pathway, he could make out the rather tall, gangly frame of Jay Simon approaching them. And, Jay was whistling.
It was not often that the Ska Feshir was in orbit long enough to make General Artifice angry. However, this was one of those rare times; an exception that he loathed and would storm about the length of the ship, conversing with the only other living being. This time, however, was different, as the other being had asked to be moved down onto the planet. General Artifice was not happy with this arrangement.
"I do not care what orders you have, you can not commandeer a shuttle! Especially one capable of... well, you know what it can do, blast it, and I don't think that you should be moving it down there! And with the C'Tanlings...! A damn AQS was detonated on the surface, and what may very well be a moving black hole has been detected... you do not have the authority!"
The figure was suspended above the ground, the twelve slender, mechanical legs keeping him aloof. The figure raised his hand to silence the general. "I have more authority than you will ever imagine and should you attempt to stop me again I will kill you. Now, move out of my way. I shall go alone. Artificer be cursed, I won't use your precious shuttle, either. These legs are nanorobots, Artifice, and they can form into a shield about me. One capable of entry into a planet's atmosphere. And I assure you, nothing can detect me. Not even the C'Tanlings."
The figure moved into the hatch, the legs becoming fluid and wrapping around the figure. The door opened, and the nearly-invisible sphere dropped out. The door closed again. "Artificer will not be pleased," General Artifice muttered, punching into the ribcage of an Abom that happened to be walking by. "Artificer will not be pleased at all."
---
On the planet, the ball had impacted deeply. The shield had not been seen or detected, and it had once again become fluid. The twelve legs reached out of the hole, evenly spaced out, and pulled the figure out. He looked at the Uli Rouge, and knew that it was where the target resided. Beginning to gallop towards the villa, the figure let out a bellow that echoed across the plain.
---
Sylvia and Pops had made it to the gate at the beginning of the mountain when they noticed that lock-down had been initiated. There was no way to enter the Rouge, as the intercomm system had been disabled. Upon attempting to contact deSicev through her chip connector, Sylvia found that she was unable to. She turned at Pops and shrugged. "Perhaps we should go see if Jay needs anything?" Reggie suggested. Syvlia nodded emphatically. They began again towards the Veranda Incognita.
---
The Doctor swirled about in space, looking at all the possibilities of life. For many, life was a parade to be viewed from the side, able to see the curves it has taken. But for the Doctor, and a select few others, life was a parade to be viewed from the top. Each curve it could take was presented before him. A female chuckled behind him.
"Still toying with my followers, Egrezy'Hais? Oh, that's right, you haven't used that name in generations... since before Atlantis, if I remember correctly. You left Earth and C'Thulu came on in... my my! I didn't think you'd actually succeed in becoming a metadeity... but alas, you have! What ever do you do nowadays, my dear Egrezy?"
"Eris. What a long time it has been. What a pity you hadn't joined me. I am, as you so peculiarly stated, a metadeity. Not a god, not any more. Less powerful than a god, in many respects. Omnipotency is no longer mine. I cannot take a physical form. But in some respects, I am more powerful than you pantheons. I do not require worshipers in order to have my abilities. I do not follow any rule. Perhaps even best, I do not 'control' an aspect of life: I 'am' an aspect of life. Go, Eris, and view any man who is insane. View any man who has died. View any man who has learned something. I have become those aspects of life, Eris. And best of all..."
"Best of all, Hais?"
"Best of all, Eris, I may intervene in any events that I so choose to intervene in. Whereas you may not, so sayeth the 'all-powerful' Zeus, I may. I can turn men insane and omniscient within a moment. You cannot. And if you have no worshipers? You do not exist. Or have you forgotten what happened to Zoroastrian?"
Eris smiled in a pained way. The Doctor had struck a nerve with her. "So, Hais, you intend to kill me as you did to Zoroastrian? Kill all the followers and the god shall be destroyed as well?"
"You deserve worse, my Apple. You deserve far worse. Inform any of your followers and I'll rupture their brains. You have kept quiet about our past for over one thousand years. We both know why. Let us keep our peace and enjoy the parade. After all, my Apple, the chaos of the world is balanced with the order. I do believe that it shall keep you entertained for ages."
"And you? What entertains you now?"
"I gave up that luxury when I became what I am today. Now enjoy and be silent on the matter. I must find Loki and C'Thulu. They are the only gods to have made it here, I think, and I need to have a word with them."
---
The Ska Jaktar was stationary. It had detected a strange anomaly in the space-time fabric, and it was initiating the stasis fields. If the sensors were correct, there was a horrific machine moving towards the Sirius system.
Malaclypse had been meditating for hours in the special chamber aboard his flagship. For hours, the results had been disappointing. His fears for his friends on Gran Canaria had interfered with the channeling of the sacred energies. The Serpent would not rise above his heart chakra. He could feel the energies being blocked and stifled at that point, because of his concern and love for his dear friends.
The mysteries and techniques of this ancient ritual, concealed, protected, and handed down thru the millennia by the Great White Brotherhood, had been mastered and perfected by many on Ancient Terra. Every culture had been exposed to its exquisite beauty in one form or another.
Legends from those cultures all included tales of Adepts, Masters, Nagas or Shamans, who were in touch with the entire cosmos and its inhabitants through the practice of rasing the fire Serpent to meet its twin at the crown of the head; at which time the loving etheric energies generated could be used for great good, or in some cases great evil.
But something had happened millennia ago. A key element of the process had disappeared. As a result, the ritual had dwindled in practice. Its devotees, save for a few, had lost the ability to extend the etheric energies beyond their own material bodies; to project their spirits and souls outwards in blissful flight and communion with other Ascended beings. Humankind had lost the ability to become as Gods, and to touch them on planes of existence which were once populated with both in great numbers.
The loss of these abilities had essentially halted mankinds evolution on the spiritual plane. Oh, certainly, the species had evolved materially, but at great cost to their eternal spirits. All of mankinds endeavors became focused by greed, power, death and destruction. The beautiful planet Earth had finally succumbed to the loss as well; and the small remnant of its population which escaped here to Sirius was even further separated from the ancient rituals of illumination and Ascension.
Malaclypse sighed, and once again began the simple physical process of the ritual. He attempted to clear his mind of all thought. He stilled his body, and began the breathing technique which best suited his physique. He then surrendered as best he could all desire for results, and attempted to project an aura of love towards the entire universe and all it contained.
Suddenly, Malaclypse experienced something which he had never felt before during his meditations. A friction, a force which actually attracted and pulled the energies from his sacrum up through his chakras; illuminating them with all the colors of the rainbow as the serpent force streamed upwards towards the crown of his head. He convulsed, and his body went rigid as the crown chakra exploded in brilliant, pure, white light. But it did not stop there! The white light continued upwards.. Intelligent, loving, carrying Mals own consciousness and essence along with it, the light continued upwards and outwards, and touched
Malaclypse found himself lying sideways on the floor, gasping for breath; his mind trying to process what he had seen and felt. When he finally righted himself and grasped the importance of his incredible vision, he roared with laughter.
So! As simple as that, eh? A cosmic divorce? Are the Gods no smarter than their creations, then? A difference of opinion, and the process of evolution and Ascension is put on hold for thousands upon thousands of years?
Great Mother! How did we not see this? The missing element all these years has been your wayward estranged spouse! Almost all the legends made reference to him. The Solar half! The Mayans jaguar!
The Eagle! Shiva to your Shakti! The polar opposite which is essential to the equation!
And now, in returning, for whatever reason, He has unwittingly made the ritual complete again. The Holy Fire of the Serpent rises to meet him almost without effort. We should bless and thank you, Egrezy'Hais!
You may think that your four horsemen, Death, Pain, Insanity and Knowledge, have become the only game in town, Egrezy, but you just unwittingly threw the game into extra innings! Har! Welcome home, you bastard!
With that, Malaclypse rose, and strode purposefully from the meditation chamber and onto the bridge of the [~V~]Malaclypse.
Rick was sitting outside looking to the distance. He was holding Fnordie on his lap and stroking his little head for more than an hour. Fnordie was neither asleep, neither awaken but Rick felt the strange tickling on the back of his neck which always appeared when Fnordie was absorbing power from the nearby environment.
Rick already knew there were several ways by which Fnordie gained his energy. One of them, the natural one, was sleeping. Slow one and it always stopped at certain level. Another one which Rick knew of was absorption. It had to be done gently and equaly so no living creature in the vicinity were harmed. This way allowed Fnordie to absorb a lot more energy, but causing him a lot of pain. But it was worse, this time Rick senced that Fnordie violates his own rules and he saw the grass fade, the birds crash to the ground and then falling asleep. The air temperature was going down and the colours were becoming weak. While stroking the pup's head, Rick felt a growing lump as if his already augmented pineal was growing even larger. He has never done that before and Rick knew that there must be special reason for that.
The other's probably already left and they should do the same as well. But Rick didn't know what to do. He couldn't interrupt Fnordie, so he just sat there, and continued cradling him.
That Doctor. Rick somehow knew he wasn't just an ordinary Phantom but pretended otherwise and kept conversating with him as if nothing happened. And then what happened next only confirmed Rick's fears. Fnordie discovered some entity that was stronger in mental abilities and wanted to be prepared for the next strike. They both knew that by killing the Phantom,
they didn't get rid of the true evil.
Why? Why do these things persecute them? It's always such a pleasant party and then it starts. He knew that the lovely Fiona couldn't be behind all these intrigues. But who then?
A silent 'voice' in his head interrupted his dark thoughts.
~ Rick, get ready, this won't be very comfortable... ~
The surrounding was starting to be fuzzy and Rick felt more and more thin. The sounds were dropping and it was getting dark. Then it came. Rick felt as if he was hit by a lightning and when he opened his eyes again, they weren't at the mountain any more. Rick recognized a familiar bar, the one on Reggie's Veranda, the one where he first met Fiona. Fnordie remained in his frozen condition.
Rick forgot that he didn't want to disturb him and with raised voice said:
"What the hell was tha....", then he quickly laid Fnordie down on the couch, grasped his stomach and ran out of the bar. Once outside he bent over the handrail and started to spew.
Reggie and Sylvia had turned away from the gated, impassable pathway up the mountain, and were returning along the pathway which led past Crater Lake and on to the Veranda's walled compound. As they approached the lake, they had discovered Jay who was staring wistfully down into the clear waters. He was obviouly wishing he had brought his tackle with him, along with an extra flask of brandy.
How they had missed Jay after seeing him come down the mountain path was uncertain; but whoever had locked down the "shaking mountain" must have waited until Jay was clear of the portcullis which now blocked the ascending path. After a warm greeting near the lake, the three had turned to continue on to the Veranda.
Jay had just started to relate the happenings at the Uli Rouge after Reggie had left the company, when Reggie noticed a vague shimmering fuzziness suddenly surround his villa. The entire structure seemed to soften for the briefest moment, and then an audible popping sound was heard, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind in the direction of the Veranda. Everything returned to normal again, and the three started to cross the last few meters of the inner courtyard.
Before taking more than a few steps, Jay, Pops, and Sylvia were brought up short again by the sight of Rick Deckard hurriedly staggering to the porch's railing, and doing a rather vocal imitation of some old Grecian fountain. Reggie also noticed that Sylvia was doing her best not to follow suit, stifling some small wretching noises of her own.
Jay was dumbfounded. "How in bloody hell did he.. I left Fiona's Villa before.. I will definitely be carrying an extra flask on my next visit!"
Rick, eyes still tearing from his exertions, and struggling to gain his equilibrium; managed to produce a weak smile and a wave to the trio, who then hurried forth to support his staggering steps.
"Well," said Reggie, "it would appear that most of the party has migrated to my place for nightcaps!"
"Please, come inside! Once we have all warmed our innards a bit with some good stong Oro de Veranda, I would appreciate an update from Jay and Rick; and I assume from Fnordie as well, who I gather was responsible for that little displacement of a few moments ago.
"In turn, Sylvia and I will recount a most interesting adventure we shared inside that bloody mountain. V-MAX! Coffee! Strong, and in quantity!"
*Keep your shirt on, Reggie. First, you have an incoming transmission from Malaclypse, in orbit above us. He sounds quite excited. I suggest you take it, while I and the housebots attend to all these.. ahem.. "guests".*
"Very well, Max. Pipe it into my study. Friends, I will return shortly. Please, relax, avail yourselves of whatever you require. Oh, and Rick. Please, wipe your chin!"
"Reggie, I'll tell you what I don't need. Thats more of that ol' kallisti, that toke after dinner did me head in.
Slipped off and put my head down for down for a while, had the weirdest dreams."
Must be something in the Maltese brandy sets it off, not unpleasant in any way, but rather disconcerting if
you ain't ready for it. Did I actually miss anything important ?"
Jay just looked rather vaguely out towards the mountain top, then longingly at the lake. Fishing always
took your mind off things ...
"That dog never ceases to amaze me you know, stuff just happens when hes around. ... So, trip down the
square anyone ? I hear the cafe has just re-opened under new management, I need to stretch me legs
for just a while. Then I think I shall have a hunger on, feel like I haven't eaten in a week or two for some
reason. ... Sorry did you say you wanted an update from me ?" ...
Some say he is a proud member of: "The most paranoid group of people in the Community."
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