Lightship Chronicles Chapter 4 : Sacred Warriors, Page 2

Now she thinks I'm a total loser."

  "You're crazy."

  "No you're crazy. And not much of a friend."

  "Man don't trip me up with guilt. I didn't refuse, and why would she think you're a loser?"

  "I don't know. I must have said something to piss her off cuz she just took off ignoring me. I don't think I'll ever be able to talk to her again."

  "What did you say to her?"

  "That's the thing, I don't know. I didn't say anything to her. In fact, I was talking about you, and your... Silestra, and she said something weird about being blond and old, and then she vanished."

  Andee chuckles. "Dude relax. She's not mad at you. She was mad at me."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Why?"

  "Apparently I'm making everyone mad these days."

  "Yeah, you are. What's wrong with you?" Elbowing Andee.

  Andee just shrugs his shoulders then looks up pointing ahead. "We're almost there."

  They reach the last of the steps and arrive on a flat portion of stone that is recessed into the mountain. The flat plateau is the base of a large 100 meter-plus tall crevice in the side of Table Mountain, but closed off behind a large adobe wall. They walk a few steps to a big arched entrance in the wall. At the top of the arch there is a beautifully ornate stone carving that reads; "The Bitani Friendship Center". The arch is made of the same orange adobe as the rest of the township but the workmanship looks far superior to that of the average Carpati home. It is also more elaborately decorated with ornate and tastefully carved grooves and geometric patterns. The decor continues on the walls on either side which terminate into the vertical stone edges of the crevice.

  They look down through the open archway. Ahead is a colonnade of tall pillars of white stone in a deep courtyard. They are about four meters in height and line both sides of the long walkway to the back of the crevice. All have bright green plants and flowers around the bases as well as on top. That seems to be their only purpose since they support no structures. The colonnade ends at the back of the crevice with what looks to be a set of large glass doors into the mountain. On either side of the colonnade there are more doors and glass windows all carved right out of the mountain.

  They step into the tunnel-like deep arch. To their left there is a large window with a security person on the other side. She speaks to them through a small gap in the glass where documents can also be exchanged.

  "Do you boys have an appointment?" The older security lady asks.

  "Yes we do." Gono answers with pride. "I am Gono Farmen, and this, this is Andee Star." Gono proudly gestures with both hands displaying Andee as if he is a product. Andee smirks embarrassed.

  "Ok, I see, Gono Farmen, you have an appointment with one of our labor counselors. And lets see, I have an Andee... ah-Star... fighter listed here. Is that you?" The clerk asks elongating her words then looking up at Andee. He frowns before he answers.

  "Uh-no. My name is Star, just Andee Star."

  "Well here it says Starfighter. Do you have a citizen card?"

  "Yes I do." Andee pulls it out and hands it to the lady.

  "Yup, you are Andee Star. Unfortunately, I can't let you in. The names have to match."

  "What? What are you talking about?" Gono jumps annoyed. "Look at him. This is Andee. Didn't you see him rescue your pilot in the last races? He's a hero up there. Your counselors told me so. In fact he's the one who asked me to bring Andee along."

  "The names don't match. It's as simple as that. I can't let him in."

  "Are you serious? Call him?"

  "Call who?"

  "The counselor, ah-screener, he'll tell you."

  "It's not my job to set up appointments for you. My job is to stop people that don't belong from getting in. His name doesn't match, so he doesn't belong, and he's not getting in, and that's that!"

  "You've got to be kidding. It is him. Look, it's the same guy that rescued your pilot."

  "If it makes you feel any better, I don't watch the races. I have no idea who he is, or who you are, and I don't care. The names don't match. That's the end of the conversation. Do you want to go in, or should I kick both of you out?"

  "No, ah..." turning to Andee, "I'm sorry man I have to take this. I don't understand what happened."

  "Go. I've got to get to the junkyard anyway. Old Tom's waiting for me. Listen, good luck. Be yourself, I know you'll impress them and get that job."

  "Ok, thanks man."

  "Don't worry about me. I'm famous." Andee winks, then walks away.

  "I'm really sorry though." Gono follows him with his eyes, weighed down with a heavy dread of disappointment.

  Brandberd Bret is seating behind a half dome shaped desk with a glass top. The dome is white and accented with vertical recessed ridges in various off-white shades. It is at one end of an equally ornate room. The ornamentation looks like a cross between Baroque and Art Deco. The walls, the ceiling, the large window frames, are all carved with elaborate motifs resembling organic shapes, but in a modernist style. The relief carvings are layered in materials that look like various forms of marble, but almost too perfect, so could be synthetic. They are elegant, high quality, and vary in tones, but all within a range of various shades of blue with light earthy colors as accents.

  The furniture follows in the same fashion. All the pieces are very ornate but strangely asymmetrical. One side of a chair or sofa does not match the other, but all together, the shapes flow from one into the next around the room. In contrast with the wall reliefs, the furniture has no angular shapes or corners. Only rounded and beveled edges flowing from one piece into the next like waves on a sea. The color of the furniture is equally uneven from one side of a piece to the next. The solid frames range from white to variations of blue hues, and textured to look like either wood or stone grain. The textiles on the other hand are in light earth tones, and may weaved from ribbons of linen or leather in elaborate patterns of mostly geometric meshes, making the seating areas cozy and comfortable, while the blue and white hard surfaces make the room look elaborately imposing and cold.

  The Governor is tapping away at his glass top display. A soft pleasant chime takes the Governor's eyes off his task. He looks up at a free floating 3D image that just appeared above his desk. It is the upper torso of a late middle aged military officer dressed in black armor.

  "Hello Governor, I'm here for our meeting."

  "Yes-yes, come in Commander." An automatic door opens and the man in black armor steps in. He looks to be in his fifties, has no helmet, but his suit resembles that of the riders by the electric fence. In the light of day it looks clean, glossy, and quite ornate, accented with horizontal and vertical groves in the material, and stripes painted in blue, mostly on his chest and shoulders. The blue lines highlight the many geometric insignia that seem to signify some kind of military rank and history. Over his back he has a cape made of some sort of polymer that moves a bit like cloth, but too unnatural to be cloth, and almost glows with a gleaming bluish on black shine.

  The Commander steps up to the Governor's desk and stops in military attention.

  "You said you had something interesting for me this morning." The Governor looks at him with inquisitive eyes.

  "I do. Let me just show you first." The man lifts up his left arm and taps on what looks like his forearm guard. As he taps it, the Governor's 3D mid air display lights up again, this time showing two people running by a warehouse wall. It zooms in on their faces.

  "Is that..."

  "Yes sir. That's the boy that rescued your son."

  "What's his name again?"

  "Andee."

  "And the girl?"

  "His neighbor, Nayaa."

  "Hmmm? What were they doing?"

  "Seems like they were just taking a short cut."

  "Near our heavily secured property?"

  "I'm convinced that's all it was. There is no possible way they could have any idea of what's going on in that warehouse. We di
d pick up some of their conversation and it was mostly about that illegal club being operated behind dome rock."

  "I don't know. There's just too many coincidences here."

  "To be perfectly blunt governor, we are not absolutely sure he is..."

  "It's him, I'm certain of it. What are the odds he would just happen to be the one to rescue my son?" Brandberd takes a deep resigned breath, then looks back at the 3D image. "And the girl, what do you know of her?"

  "There is not much about her. She lives next door to the Starfighter family, with an older woman that is possibly her aunt, and two brothers who are cacti addicts and working on a rehab farm."

  "Who are her parents?"

  "There are no records on that, or how she ended up with the aunt, or if they are in fact related. We would have to directly question the aunt or even Adinaa Starfighter."

  "The boy's mother? Absolutely not. Right now their ignorance is our bliss. Plus, you know direct confrontation never works. We will continue working from behind the scenes, as we always have. That's our true strength."

  "Yes of course sir."

  "But I will authorize you to get some DNA samples. Just be discrete."

  "Of course. That won't be a problem."

  "And keep an eye on him. I think he's the one. I really do, but we'll keep our distance of course. I want this to play out. Even if it takes another decade. This is the only option we have."

  "Yes sir."

  "Thank you, you're dismissed."

  "There's one more thing Governor, and this is the most important part."

  "Yes, what is it?"

  "Them being at the warehouse was not the issue that concerned me when I called you