Chapter 2 – Partition

When Raavik Yaan first arrived on Shaddel, he didn’t think much of the planet. In fact the only reason that here had come here at all was to gather the coordinates for a unique planet that was rumored to have two spiritual temples that had many texts that were unknown. Finding the boy Jason under the care of previous associates was a happy coincidence. The pair were former residents of the Nexus and because of that they had neither names nor the ability to reproduce. They did, however, need to be replenished with youth and vitality so that they could continue to serve the Nexus. They were slaves and informants and it was dangerous to think of them as anything more than that. 

That is why it was necessary for Raavik to get the boy away from them as soon as he saw him. The spies of the Nexus would utterly forsake themselves depending on the state of the Nexus. Light or Dark the spirit of the Nexus’ influence was mighty and all consuming. 

Besides, it is not like the boy was without merit. He was sensitive but he needed training so that he could wield it properly and perhaps he might make a good acolyte like Keely was, except he would have no Sentinel training to fall back on. Really Raavik’s first true acolyte. But before any training could commence, the errand must be completed.

Raavik may have become something of an immortal, but his ship and equipment was in constant need of repairs. Father’s Yacht had been his home away from the Nexus for many adventures, but even the most reliable ship was beginning to show its age. The ship’s age was beginning to show. It had been a transport ship at the start of its life and by the time of its first retirement, its landing gear already had several creaks and groans. Though his three droids had been able to keep it in decent shape, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the Yacht fell apart completely.

The ship creaked and clanged as the two men clambered onto the old ship. The three droids whistled and chirped at the return of their master. Raavik moved past the three massive faster-than-light drives and through the kitchen and into the cockpit. Jason was right behind him and sat in the co-pilot chair.

“So, where is this library?” Jason asked as he looked around the cockpit trying to survey the antiqued ship.

“It is hidden.” Raavik said as he started the ignition sequence that gave life to the ship once again. “We are going somewhere else first. Remember that book that I asked for yesterday?”

“Bounty Hunter and his pet?”

“There was a set of coordinates hidden between the lines that leads to a planet that is supposed to have many rare and wonderful books of knowledge and intrigue. Philosophies and sciences, histories and maths, old knowledge that has been left to stew in the darkness of unknown places for too long.” Raavik started the upward climb and moved out of the atmosphere and out toward the unknown. “So now I have some questions about you.”

“Okay, what would you like to know?” Jason said while looking at the passing stars and nebulas. 

“When did your parents take you in?”

“What do you mean by that? I have known them all my life.” He seemed to think about it for a moment and it was as if a light dinged on in his head as a realization hit. Both of his parents had black hair, while he was brown. They both had clefts and rounded chins, while his was square and smooth. They were both short and squat while he was tall and fit. 

“You see it right? Thinking about your obvious differences. They aren’t your parents. My guess is that they simply picked you up off the street as part of their disguise while trying to remain inconspicuous.”

“How well do you really know them?” Jason asked while feeling all sorts of wrong after this man had found out more about him during their short time together than he had puzzled out in his whole life. Or maybe he had just been lying to himself all this time so that he wouldn’t feel so bad about his life.

“They used to live at the Nexus, they were considered to be normal enough to be normal and could live without the Nexus controlling their lives. Judging by your ignorance, I would say that they took you in when you were still very young. Perhaps you were an orphan, living on the streets. Though they can live without the Nexus they are still very much connected to its power. That is how I was able to locate you, they told me that they had some very interesting news. They are not residents of the Nexus, so they are now known as gints. There are few gints out in the galaxy. They are informers for the Nexus and they keep me busy while I can go and look for new sources of information and they continue to live out their days in relative peace outside the Nexus.”

“Do gints ever return to the Nexus?”

“Not willingly, not really. They long to, but at the same time they cannot help but live in their freedom. They are not able to breed, as a side effect of the corruption of the Nexus but they are able to adopt and to raise others as their own. Like they did with you. Please don’t think badly of them. They probably did you a true blessing by saving you from a life of poverty.”

“Do you mind if I go back to the back and rest? It seems like it is going to be a long trip.”  Jason asked as he stretched his arms above his head. The transferring from planet side physics and artificial was a feeling akin to racing in an airplane to the highest heights and back down to earth in a single instant.

“One more thing before you go and rest. Would you be willing to stay with me after our errand is complete? You don’t have to answer right now, but I would like for you to consider it.”

Jason walked back down the passageway back to the kitchen where he found a well-used couch and table. He laid down on the couch and tired his best to place his mind at ease. 

Dreams took him. Dark dreams forced him to sleep and told him not to worry. He saw villages of men, chores of great bounty, beautiful women, great beasts and dragons, wealth that could only be conjured within his own mind. Perhaps this is what an adventure was promised to be, the envious sight of that which could be obtained and his only thought was, why do the books and stories make adventures out to be dark and dangerous?

He woke a few hours later and he heard the loud clunk as one engine shutdown and another started up. The droids we’re making a racket too, as they had to help each other with the adjustments that such a changeover created. They sounded like three crows trying to figure out which one of them took the last bit of corn. Though they were made for space droids, they were still severely out of date compared with the top of the line models on Shaddel. Jason wondered, and not for the last time, how old was Raavik Yaan? That was a question that would continue to nag at him during his adventures with the Apostle.

He arose from his sleep and went back to the cockpit. There he saw Raavik Yaan still sitting there, staring out into the void, at the passing stars, at the quiet stillness of space. He sat down in the co-pilot seat and said nothing. The quietness was almost too unnerving, the lights and hushed beeps of the piloting apparatus made the view almost bearable. A sort of needed ambiance that was called for the start of a long journey.

“So what is the name of the planet that we are going to?” Jason finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Partition.” Raavik said. And he said it as if he was coming out of a long trance. “We are almost there. I know that you heard the changeover of engines that was the signal that we are almost there. It is a very interesting planet; the whole world is divided into two factions; no more, no less. They are not at war with each other, yet they do not stray onto the other’s side. They are perfectly divided into good and evil, no middle ground. Sentinels and Ravagers found this planet some two thousand years ago and set up temples to be devoted to their training. Well, come to find out that the factions cannot actually fight on the planet. If the two opposing forces want to fight they have to do it far and away from Partition. It is as if the planet itself does not want war to disrupt its beauty and desolation.”

“How do you know all that? I thought that you had never been to this place.”

Raavik picked up a book and handed it over to Jason. “Chapter 42. It is good read, if not a bit childish in some parts.”

The book was A Bounty Hunter and his Pet. Jason smirked as he began to read the children’s tales from the beginning. As it was hard not to notice, a large planet could be seen out the window. Green and blue on one side and, then as if perfectly bisected, red and brown on the other. The green grasslands could be seen waving over the blue oceans. But it was the red oceans of lava and magma that caught Jason’s eyes more than tranquility of peace. 

“This world is all sorts of wrong.” Raavik said with a touch of disgust in his voice. “There is so much balance that it feels so wrong.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The water and leaves are touching, yet no clouds obscure the lines of their separation. Steam should be covering the dividing lines. There is something terribly wrong with this world.”

“Are you saying that the best worlds are more unbalanced?”

“Yes, in a certain sense. The best worlds have a good give to take ratio. Sixty-forty or seventy-thirty, rarely fifty-fifty, and never perfectly balanced. This world is truly a one-in-a-billion world.”

The ship pulled into orbit and Raavik began to scan looking for any more obvious anomalies. A ping happened about five minutes later, the scans had picked up small electronic signals on the next horizon. Ships and what was once a space station laid cluttered, burnt, dismantled, and destroyed. Electronic sparks and faint lights could still be seen sputtering. The word Talos laid upon the wreckage of the destroyed space station, golden bronze it was and ripped to shreds.. Father’s Yacht moved into position and began to scan for life signs. 

“Do you really expect to find someone alive in here?” Jason asked with skepticism. Through his eyes he saw that there was nothing even looking for. 

“This battle happened not long ago. The electronics and fires are still going. I am just doing the decent thing and looking for anyone that may have survived. It won’t take long and it is not like we are on any sort of time schedule.”

The soft pinging of the instruments went off as they continued through the debris field. Both of the men looked through the field, each with different thoughts running through their heads. Jason was worried that there might be something still alive and active in the field that could make their descent to the surface that much quicker and hotter. Raavik was more concerned that there really was someone still alive and that when the Nexus would eventually arrive that it would seek any survivors and place them to work, it would be a fate worse than death.

A faint ping was heard. Raavik moved his hands across the controls and moved the ship closer toward the ping. A small life pod was hidden among the wreckage of a large cruiser and it was there that the pod was; still in its cradle from what Raavik could tell. He reached out into the vacuum with his energy and moved the pod from the debris and out into an open area so that it could properly dock with the Yacht. 

Raavik asked that Jason join him in the cargo area to see who was in the pod. The two men clambered down to the deep cargo bay at the bottom of the ship. There the three droids were already hard at work getting the pod’s pressure and atmosphere stable enough to allow for the comfort of the occupant to exit safely. 

Raavik worked quickly feeling the energy of the person inside the pod growing faint. It seemed that the flow of fresh air breathed life back into the person and hope was rekindled. As soon as the atmosphere was stable and the person was breathing steadily again, Raavik quickly and forcefully ripped off the pod door with a simple wave of his arm. 

Inside was a frail and crumpled figure of a young woman. She wore a white light armor that was usually the armor of young Sentinels, but there was a small cylindrical tool clipped onto her belt. Raavik may have hesitated for a second, but that did not deter him from administering aid. He quickly climbed into the pod and gripped her and picked her up. He noticed that she had a slight cut that had been closed up and administered as quickly as it was placed up. He placed his hand at the small of her back and began to really feel all of the wrongs that coursed throughout her body. 

Within that instant, of feeling her wrongs, Raavik cured her with three years of his life to give back one of hers. Such as was one of his greatest powers. The ability to give and take life with the transfer through himself as a conduit. Perhaps the greatest of his power that had allowed him to live so long with no ill effects.

With a bit of a shock, the girl awoke, flicked on her plasmatic blade, and stood battle ready. Her white armor showed several cracks and burns. Though she stood ready to fight, and was staring at Jason, she looked around to see where the true threat was. Raavik stood up behind her and had his own blade hilt in his hand, the blade was not turned on.

“Calm yourself.” Raavik said, trying to exude an air of peace. “This is not a good place for that sort of battle. Tell us, what your name is?”

The girl looked at Raavik for a moment, still not lowering her blade. “Medea. I am a newly commissioned Sentinel that was placed on a transport that was supposed to return to the core worlds for my new position. But there was a battle that destroyed the space station and all of the docked ships.”

“Do you know what caused the battle? And could you please lower your weapon? If I wanted to cause you harm I would not have bothered reviving you.”

She did not lower her guard but with her free hand she checked her body and the most prominent place that she was injured. She found that her wounds were healed as if they never existed at all. She lowered and turned off her blade.

“The cut that I did have was one I received from training. It was still in the process of healing when the battle occurred. How were you able to make it disappear? Regardless of your answer, I know that I am no match for you.”

“Very wise. So will you join us on our little jaunt down to the surface of the planet?”

“It doesn’t look like I have very much choice.” Medea said as she clasped her hilt back onto her belt. “I would ask you if you have any food and water. For I have been in that pod for the past three days and I am in need of sustenance.”

“Jason,” Raavik said, acknowledging his cohort for the first time in a while. “Show Miss Medea the kitchen while I start the landing approach. I suppose that any landing zone will suit our purposes.”

“Actually, if you could land near Colchis, that is the primary hub for the Sentinels and it would be a good first stop for you two.”

The trio moved back through the cramped quarters of the ship and back toward the living compartments. Raavik went forward and back into the cockpit. Jason and Medea found the kitchen and stopped to see if there was anything more scrumptious than meal bars. There was not.

“So, boy, how long have you been with your master?” Medea pointed the question to Jason with a bit of mocking in her voice.

“I am a man. And judging from your appearance I would say that you are not much older than I.” Jason retorted at her snide question. “Raavik is not my master. He is a friend of my parents. So I guess you could say that he is like my guardian.” 

“Sorry about calling you boy, but you don’t seem hardened by life like your friend. His aura is unlike anyone that I have ever met. I have a feeling that his gray cloak covers his true power like a bolted lid on a fire hydrant, there is so much pressure just begging to be released.”

“Maybe. He seems like a vast wealth of knowledge to me. Like he had seen the secrets of the galaxy and is just ready to pour out all that he knows and tell people how they should live.”

“We are both looking at two sides of the same coin. You see his adventures, I see his power. There is no denying that we now share in a single story of his overwhelming tale.”

Jason looked at her incredulously. “Do you have visions of grandeur?”

“What person our age doesn’t have a vision of grandeur?” She asked with an arched eyebrow. 

Jason raised his hand. “I don’t. I was perfectly content to read about other’s adventures and not have one of my own.” 

“But that is the point, don’t you see?”

“See what?”

ving an adventure, you are part of one whether you realize it or not. I don’t know what your part may be any more than my part. But you and I are in this together, and Raavik is the story teller.” 

A shudder ran throughout the hull of the ship just as Jason was about to retort. They both felt it. The both braced. A hole ripped open next to Jason, his eyes went wide as he looked into the eyes of Medea, and he was sucked out of the open hole and into gray sky.

    Raavik returned to the cockpit and began the descent down to Partition. The debris field of Talos was vast and for there to have been only one survivor was a feat beyond reckoning. He had often thought that the energies of others could be felt and used to such great advantages and how their energies differed so much from that of the Nexus. But their power suffers so much from having to rely on others. 

    The station kept moving along easily. He saw the bronze lettering of the station and got a really bad feeling about it. He tried to get away from it as quickly. He could feel a ghost watching him. 

    He hadn’t realized that the active scanner was still going, and with a loud ping, he found out the hard way. The scans bounced off the station and with minimal warning, a long range torpedo was activated and sent the most explosive device known to void battles. 

    The bomb was locked on and Raavik immediately took evasive action. The ghost took action and fired off another torpedo and Raavik swore under his breath. He called down to his sub-light drives and asked his droids to take over the flying and the maneuvering. 

    “Just get us down to the ground!” He roared into his radio to his droids in the back. Several pings and whistles when off in response. “And don’t blow up the ship!”

    Raavik moved to a kneeling position and entered a meditative state. There he could sense the entirety of the space of the star system that he was in. He knew that the weapons systems on Father’s Yacht had been severely out of date for the past fifty years, meaning that the ship had no weapons capable of shooting down those torpedoes. Raavik reached out and felt the station loading up another missile to send his direction. With an effort, he crushed the launch tube as the missile launched. What was left of the station blew up in a magnificent explosion that sent the debris from the field scattering in all directions. 

He exhaled from his body, and breathed deep again and searched for his ship and the two trailing torpedoes. There in the atmosphere three fireballs were making their way down to the surface with all the speed that they could manage. 

Raavik shifted his attention to the lead torpedo and worked his best to remove the threat. He crushed three of the four engines and the weapon spiraled out of control before blowing up in the fireball that consumed it. The second torpedo blasted through the explosion of the first and Raavik was hot on its trail. 

His power was best known for enhancing his dueling ability and crushing worlds. He could barely keep up with the speed of the fast moving missiles. By the time he grasped the second fast moving projectile, it was too late. He was, however, able to move the missile slightly to the right of the ship before it blew up and took a chunk of the living area with it. 

The ensuing explosion forced Raavik out of his meditation and he was back in his pilot seat in a racked instant. He had a headache and the blaring of damage alarms did not help reduce the pain that he felt. He asked for a status report from his droids and received no response.

Medea came up from behind and took a seat in the co-pilot chair. 

“What happened?!” She yelled over the blare of the alarms. 

“Talos had one more surprise for us before we left. Apparently some automated systems were still online and fired on us when we left. 

“Jason got blown out in the ensuing explosion.” 

Raavik was having a hard time keeping his stick straight. Whatever control that he had was quickly losing his grip on it. Even with Medea’s help, the Yacht was never going to fly again after this. 

“We have to slow the ship down so that we can survive the crash.” Raavik stated feeling the bones in his arms began to creak and crack.

“We are almost to the surface.” Medea shouted. 

“Can you use your energy to land from high altitudes?” The idea just sprung to his mind.

“Yes. But why does that matter?”

“Shield your eyes and get ready to jump out.”

She did as he had told her and with a blast of his own energy the glass of the cockpit burst away. The warm air blasted all around them and without much warning at all, Medea leapt out of the cockpit into the warm air. 

Raavik was ten seconds behind her as he had grabbed the book that had brought him to Partition, The Bounty Hunter and his Pet.

He leapt out and as the ship had no one left to guide it, it plummeted faster and faster to the oncoming ground.