Lightship Chronicles Chapter 4 : Sacred Warriors, Page 3

this morning."

  "Oh?"

  "It's what happened afterwards. As I said, I'm personally convinced that these two were just on their way to that club, but got lost and decided to take a shortcut through our property. Unfortunately, two of our sentinels went after them thus exposing themselves."

  "Wait, they were in the warehouse complex? From the recording I thought they were just outside the front wall."

  "No sir. They were in. They were in the complex, and made it all the way to the back fence."

  "What? How did they get in?" Suddenly getting agitated.

  "They just climbed right over."

  "What do you mean they just climbed over?"

  "That's what they did. Just like the boy when he climbed down the mountain."

  "And the girl?"

  "Same."

  "Both of them?" Brandberd frowns.

  "Yes, and they did it unseen. In fact, they used the shadows and avoided the recorders extremely well. Our two sentinels didn't see them until they got to the fence and the proximity lights came on."

  "Ok, hold on, now you've got me confused. So not only did they climb into our heavily secured property, undetected, but they got all the way to the back fence, initializing it, without getting electrocuted? Nor captured? And then they got away? How is that possible?" Brandberd snaps at the Commander infuriated.

  "That's the troubling part, sir. First, the boy seemed to understand that the fence was electrified, and when the sentinels got to them, they were overwhelmed."

  "What?"

  "The girl pushed one of the hover-peds into the fence shorting it out, so the footage stops there." Pointing to the 3D display. Brandberd watches Nayaa destroy the fence, and then nothing.

  "This is not good. How the hell did they get to the fence undetected?"

  "That's what worries me sir. As you can see they were clearly recorded, yet the sentinels are adamant they did not see anyone until the perimeter alarm was triggered at the fence."

  Brandberd stares hard at the Commander. "Are you suggesting these kids are..."

  "I'm not suggesting it sir. But the fact remains... they got in and out, nearly undetected, and according to the sentinels, unseen, and when confronted they overwhelmed them."

  "Ah!" The Governor groans displeased as he jumps out of his seat. "Unbelievable! This changes everything. Two regular kids would not get away from our sentinels... unless they were drunk? Do you just hand out rank and uniform to just anyone? Who are these two?"

  "No sir. Those sentinels are among the best of the best. In fact they both qualified for Husarii training. They did not fail."

  "Yet two kids got past them."

  "These kids aren't like any Carpati kids I've seen before."

  "So you are implying that these kids are being trained?"

  "That is a possibility, yes."

  "How? How could this be possible? Who? There can't be any on this planet. Who's training them?"

  "I don't know sir. But if you're right about the boy..." Brandberd cuts the Commander off lifting up his index finger.

  "This is bad. If you missed this and he's here, in the township..." Brandberd shakes his hand at the Commander.

  "That's impossible sir. It must be someone else. He wasn't..."

  "But he was connected. He had contacts. He's got someone here training them. Someone off our radar."

  "We may be getting ahead of ourselves. There's no evidence of any of that."

  "I'm not so sure." Turning away. "And here I thought he was going to contact the mother. He must be in contact with the boy." The Governor muses mostly talking to himself.

  The sun is now directly above and beaming onto the north slope of table mountain. Walking down a different sculpted stairpath, Andee is in deep discussion with Mykee. They are both wearing the typical Carpati double-cape jacket, with the upper hoods pulled up overhead, to shade them from the sun. Andee's stiff hood is in the shape of a four pointed diamond. The two points extending over the shoulders are wider than the front to back points. Mykee has a triangular hood that's flat up front, with the point facing back. They look like a cross between a geometric hat and hood due to the cloth which attaches them to the shoulders. It's broad, front to back, shading the sides of the head while allowing the wind through. Seen from the side they looks like a hoods with flat tops.

  "What do you think the Bitani are hiding in those warehouses?"

  "I don't know little brother."

  "Whatever it is, it must be important to have that electric fence all around."

  "Any idea how that works? I really thought I was dead there for a second."

  "Not so sure. I've been trying to learn everything I can about electricity, but it's not easy. School is no help."

  "You're telling me. When I asked questions, I got in trouble."

  "Did you really quit, cuz everyone says you got kicked out? Some even say you're a troublemaker."

  "Whatever, I quit. I mean, they kicked me out first, but, then told me I could come back if I stopped stirring up trouble."

  "So you are a troublemaker."

  "Ha. If asking questions is a troublemaker, than I guess I am."

  "They threatened to kick me out too."

  "It doesn't matter. You've already learned everything useful."

  "I guess, but can you imagine if they taught us the tech to build lightships. I could build one and you could pilot it. I bet you'd be a good pilot."

  Andee looks at Mykee. "You're the second person to say that to me."

  "Yeah? Who else said it?"

  "A Bitani."

  "Really? Who?"

  "That girl I was telling you about."

  "Oh. I wonder what she learns in school?"

  "Certainly not what we learn. I bet she was never told the same garbage over and over again. Hard work is a virtue. Farming is life. The Bitani are noble. Saviors who saved us from our own civil war, blah, blah, blah... just crap and more crap." Andee continues becoming more frustrated.

  "Yup, most of the classes are ridiculously easy and redundant. Every time I ask about important stuff I'm told that's for the Bitani to worry about. Too complicated and dangerous for us." Andee nods his head in agreement partially lost in thought. Mykee continues. "My social responsibility teacher even said that we are lucky not to have lightships, because look how many Bitani die in the races. We're lucky to see them from the safety of the stands and not get hurt by such dangerous technology."

  "That's how they've got everyone brainwashed. Sad thing is, most Carpati believe all this."

  "Well I believed it too." Mykee adds with a resigned look.

  "Come on, you're thirteen. You're just learning about this stuff. In fact, I'm amazed how much you already know. Besides Old Tom, you know more about Bitani tech than anyone else. Had you been there last night, I bet you would have known how to take the electricity out of that fence."

  "Sorry, no. That's more than I know." Mykee answers resigned once again. "Well..."

  "Go on."

  "I know electricity needs a generator. Dun'no how it works, but that's how it's made, then sent through wires and other metal objects. So that fence had to have a generator. You cut the connection between that and the fence, or damage it, and the electricity would disappear from the fence. I think."

  Slapping his little brother on the back. "There you go little man. I bet you're right."

  "Maybe, but then I was wrong about the lightships. I was sure it was the light that made them float in the air, but since you saw two that could float, with no lights..."

  Mykee just seems to get more and more depressed as they turn off the stairpath and head to their left onto a dirt road. They are on one of the lower, and much wider, terraces of the Township not too far above the flatlands. They stick close to the ten meter tall stone cliff that is on their left. Ahead, the road keeps getting broader and broader becoming a wide plateau. A few minutes into their walk they reach buildings built into the cliff. Most seem to house various types o
f business, from leather works and shoe makers, to furniture and appliance factories and their shops.

  The plateau comes to an end at a wall of buildings directly ahead. In the middle of the three story adobe wall of buildings, there is an arched entrance leading to a space on the other side. As the brothers walk under the arch it opens up to a wide forum of sorts. It is essentially a huge Carpati strip mall, colloquially referred to as The Triangle--because it's the shape of a triangle. Its three perimeters are lined with two and three storied buildings that come to a point at the back. On the left side they are built into the stone cliff, but behind them, and on the right side of the triangle, they are all free standing adobe structures.

  The ground floors are shops of all kinds, including many eateries and saloons. Some of the upper stories are the residences of the shop owners, but many are inn's and houses of ill repute. The center of the forum is filled with hundreds of wheeled carts doubling as stalls selling cloth, clothing, shoes, jewelry, and other trinkets. These are small hand pulled carts since alcama are not allowed in the Triangle. There are also many benches, water fountains, and large potted plants dotted around to make the place a bit nicer and cleaner than the standard market in the lowlands.

  They walk through the crowds, past the wheeled stalls, and reach the triangular plaza in the back end. Directly in front of their path, there is something that looks like a shrine. It's a tall metal sculpture of two B's, back to back, on top of a three meter pole. At the bottom there are candles, gifts, and flowers, all as offerings, and all around men in white robes. Most are on their knees on individual rugs meditating in front of the shrine. Almost all the white