I didn’t forget

Chapter 4 – Argo   

Jason

Jason was led down the mountain path and into the valley. All the while he was trying to get his rock to float before he could send it flying. Jerimiah wasn’t much help, he offered some tips and tricks but it seemed like utter nonsense to Jason’s ears. Feel the energy flowing from every living thing, use it to your advantage. Jason tried to feel it but it seemed that he was unable to. The entire footpath down, was met with no success. 

For every time that he tried and failed, it felt as though a sharp stabbing hit his back side. But when he turned to see what had done it, there was nothing there. It was as if he was being punished for not being able to accomplish the goal that he had been given. Although he was unable to figure out how and Jerimiah would not tell him how. 

“Take a break, son. We need to rest before crossing the desert. Go and some fire wood for a small fire and perhaps we might try another sort of training.”

“Yes, master.” Jason said. He didn’t enjoy calling Jeremiah master, but at the same time he could think of nothing else to call him. 

The forest was still rich with wood and scraps could be found everywhere. It wasn’t until that he came right to the edge of the forest that he noticed that true oddity that the desert was. Trees were cleanly bisected in half, ferns and grasses, all followed by the perfection that was the circular desert that was the party toward what sort of goal. The sand of the desert was that of an interesting touch too. It was soft and silky, like the atoms had been completely drained of any sort of roughness that might have been. The desert landscape was as strange as the forest that surrounded it. 

“It is odd to look at isn’t it?” Jeremiah said as he appeared behind Jason following his gaze out into the desert. “To see life giving plants torn in half and the sand is as fine as powder. There is something odd about it. Come on, I found a small clearing where we can make camp for the night.”

The pair made their way to a small clearing about a hundred feet away. There was a small bundle of wood laid. With a snap of his fingers Jerimiah ignited it into flames.

“What do you believe to be easier, master, throwing rocks or making fires?” Jason asked as he stared at the fire curiously.

“To be sure the fire is easier, but with the throwing of rocks, one gains the true basics of how to use and see your energy effectively. To ignite flames is no different than snapping your fingers to be sure, but to understand the guiding principles behind what makes the fire can only be achieved through the understanding that you can achieve by hitting the mountaintop. Start with the hardest accomplishment then the easier stuff will seem like a cakewalk.” 

Jason poked and prodded at the fire. Then he remembered something unusual that happened when he was around Raavik. “Master, have you ever come across someone whose spirit poured out of them like a rushing river? You know, just being a constant stream of energy.”

“I have not. But if the energy were to flow constantly out of a person it would mean that they would have very poor control over their own energy.”

“But what if they were capable of doing the seemingly impossible, wouldn’t that mean that they have greater control than even the most practiced?” Jason was of course speaking of  Raavik Yaan. Even he was capable of feeling the immense energy that the man poured out when he healed Medea.

“What do you mean the seemingly impossible? Have you met a person such as that what you speak?”

“The man that brought me here, he healed a Sentinel from the brink of death by placing his hands on her back and he healed her in almost an instant. Back to full life devoid of any scars that she had.”

“What was his name again?” Jerimiah asked, for he was starting to have some serious doubts about who had come onto his world. A boy that was untrained, A girl Sentinel, and an unknown man who could raise the dead. 

“Raavik Yaan.”

There is power in a name as the naive Jason did not quite understand. Although Jerimiah did not know who Raavik Yaan was, the Metropoli around the dark half of the world was rife with bounty hunters that would gladly track down a man that could rip the foundations of the planet asunder.

“Please don’t concern yourself with him anymore. He failed in his ways to educate you properly. It is time that you refocus, try and move the rock once more.”

Jason stood up and tried once again to move the rock with his mind. It seemed that he continued to struggle with this most basic of tasks.

“Try and imagine that you are telling that rock to rise up and fly. To become a rocket and fly away to soar like a meteorite and set itself free from the constraints that have burdened it to stay here. Use your own will and force the little chunk to fly.”

Jason stopped for a moment, he sat down and contemplated what Jerimiah was talking about. He imagined not only the stone from the mountain top floating, but also many other small pebbles floating around him. He then imagined that the stones danced around him in many pirouettes and twirls, like horses on a merry-go-round. Faster and faster they danced not only small ones, but a bit larger ones as well, then boulders and even small plants. The dance began to swirl and pick up speed so that even the wind and fire became enveloped. The little campfire was now a raging inferno within the dance that raged around him. 

Jerimiah watched as Jason sat down in meditation and he still tended the fire. The boy had potential, but he was very unsure of himself. If he could figure out how to unlock himself and dominate his gifts then he would be a most useful tool in the take over of this world. Though Jason had sat himself far and away in the ever deepening night. He could feel the boy trying to use his will to move the stone. He drifted off to sleep and he imagined that he could hear music in the dark silence.

He was disturbed in his sleep by an ever growing light. A bright light, like that of a forest fire. He could swear that he could feel the heat of his dream. He cracked his eyelids and he thought that he dreamed a mystical flame hungry for the life of everything in this world and at its center sat a boy, with his eyes closed dreaming of its destruction.

Then Jerimiah woke more fully and saw that it was not a dream. The fire truly did roar and sweep through the forest. The flames of the orb grew ever bigger and ever larger. It was truly a ball of destruction. The flames swirled and danced well above the treetops. If he did not put a stop to this, then there would be another desert to add to the multitude. Fortunately, though the inferno was rough and unrefined. The energy that was placed into it was not a force of willpower, but rather of happiness, and like all happiness it could be crushed with the right amount of pressure. He reached out and using his own power he split the orb in two and began to choke Jason.

Jason woke with a start. Brought out of his meditation due to lack of air. His eyes bulged and his tongue swelled. He coughed and gasped for air as the rocks and boulders fell to the ground. The trees and logs that were still on fire landed in a shower of sparks. 

Doubled over coughing, Jason clutched at his own throat. He had to concentrate on breathing and finding his wind once again. Once he caught himself, he looked up at the destruction that he had wrought. Not just pebbles and saplings, but full trees and boulders had joined the dance. The campfire was simply the match that caused the inferno to spark. Jason felt his eyes grow heavy and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Jerimiah could not be more pleased with his student. He felt that his path, though darkly lit, would be filled with the destruction necessary to take over the planet. Both sides, light and dark.

Medea

Crete was the most beautiful city on the Light side of the planet. The City had been constructed to amplify the Light and bring honor to the divine beast that was in itself the personification of good on this planet. Tall towers that glinsted in the sunlight and glowed radiantly in the starlight. Crete was the crown jewel of peace and companionship. 

Medea and David arrived at the city walls and there they deposited the Harpy’s while They both went to find Medea’s father who was the leader of Crete. The Master Sentinel that sought for a unified Argo for many years. But the darkside of the planet was never open to negotiation, indeed they often try to invade the border. If it was not for the power of the light that neutralized their will to fight, then war would have broken out long ago. It was the fear of the darkside that sought to corrupt and seduce, it was that fear that kept his people from wandering over the border.

But it was news most ill that Medea was bringing to her father’s ear. She approached him in a manner as a child that was upset by a grievous injustice done by a younger sibling. 

“Father! Something must be done about the darkside of Partition.”

Nathan, Medea’s father and Master Sentinel was most perplexed by her sudden appearance in his war room. 

“Medea! you were supposed to be on your way to the core worlds to begin training with other masters.”

“The space station Talos has been destroyed and we have no remaining forces in orbit. I just barely made it out alive. If it wasn’t for a passing freighter, then I would have died out there in the cold of the void. My point being, the dark side has expanded its influence to beyond the atmosphere. With Talos no longer protecting the hyperspace lane then any opposing force could approach and cause massive destruction.”

“You said that a passing freighter saved you? Who was it?”

“Nobody of note.” She said somewhat perplexed as to why he had reacted worse to the news of Talos station. “He said that his name was Raavik Yaan. Do you know him?” Madea knew that her father knew many masters and teachers throughout the galaxy. If he knew that name it was one that he never mentioned to her.

Nathan closed his eyes in stark concentration. He was sifting through his vast memory about all the stories that he had heard about in recent years, anything about the names Raavik or Yaan. He came up with another name that started with a “K”, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“Was he alone, or was he with someone?” He asked as he opened his eyes and peered into hers. 

“A boy was with him, named Jason. Do you know him?”

He sighed audibly. “There are many stories that get passed around. Stories from travelers and pilgrims, traders and journeymen, but some stories seem more far-fetched than others. I seem to remember a story from my childhood from a traveling trader that sought a man named Raavik, and thought that Partition would be a likely place that he would be. But nothing came of it. Some stories are just that, stories. If the man is seen again, I want to be sure to thank him for saving you life.” He breathed deeply. “Now as for the matter of Talos, that is a grave matter. But I did have news of its fall and as a consequence, I have increased border patrols and security to make certain that our people remain at peace. You would do well to remember that though I am old, I still remember to check on our sentries personally when grave matters happen. Now, dear daughter, go and get cleaned up and then come back for dinner.”

And it was with that that Nathan noticed David for the first time. “Oh, who are you?”

“I am David. I am Miss Medea’s escort from our border village. She assured my father that whatever we needed for our village would be given. I am here to make sure that that promise is fulfilled.”

“Yes, let it be so.” Nathan waved his hand toward one of his guards and signaled that it should be so.

“David,” Medea said, “Thank you for your time and effort to bring me home.”

With a simple nod of his head, David acknowledged her thanks. 

Medea was left alone with her father and he was pouring over the holographic maps of the real time problems that his people faced. Always the border towns asked for aid, for the predatory creatures of the dark side had made their way into the light seeking easy prey; and always the farmers and sentinels of the light sought aid from the stronger capital city. But the sentinels aid was wearing thin, and Medea had thought that it had something more to do with the planet becoming more and more out of balance. 

Nathan consulted his datapad to see what troops he had in reserve. Not many. A border town had sent a plea for help and they needed help in a desperate way. 

“I know that you just came back from a frightful affair, daughter, but can you help your old man out?” Nathan rubbed his eyes as if the burden of asking was too great.

“Who needs help, father?” Medea had been watching him closely and could see the worry and stress really start to compound within her father and she was more worried for his health than her own safety.

“Deka, it is a farmstead close to the southern border. I have one other that can go with you, I need you two to go and help the families that reside there. There is a predator on the loose that is eating the livestock. I need you to go down and fix the problem.”

“I’ll make my way out to stables, so have your man meet me there.” She embraced him and left the war room.

The Stables – One hour later

Medea had picked up a survival backpack from the stable master and trussed it to her own personal harpy speeder bike. Though the place is called a stable, there had not been a living creature of burden for some time. It was really a dock for the various speeders and surface transports. There was few foot traffic as most single speeders were out and most of the large transports were in their proper places. 

Medea signed out her speeder and sat on it outside the main wall to wait for her escort. She  saw David while she was waiting. She casually waved at him, and he came over to see her.

“Hello princess, going on a big important mission?” 

“Hello David, yes apparently there is a village along the border that needs help dealing with a dark predator. Father hasn’t anyone that he can send, so I am going. I expect that it will be rife with danger.” She sway a bit with the wind as she was beginning to doubt herself very much as the words left her lips. “I am scared to tell the truth. This sort of work should really be handled by five to nine sentinels,  not two backups.” This utterance was as shallow as a whisper. 

“Well, I could go with you. I have a blade and I have already sent a transport back with the supplies that my village needed. Though I am inexperienced at combat, I have a lot of experience fighting predators that come after our flocks at home.”

“You would be most welcome to come if you wish, but I will not force it upon you.” 

“Then I shall come and we will vanquish  any foe that stands before us.” With that David struck a mighty pose and added a sort of smile.

Medea laughed at the sight, for it was funny to see. The tension that had been weighing on her lifted and she felt at ease.

“It is good to see you smile. A beautiful lady should smile often to ease the hearts of those that follow her.”

“The words of a Sayer may bring you fortune in time.” A knight said joining the pair. “But the villians that knights fight may be too much for a normal farm boy.” 

The knight was the second for Medea’s party, knight Cadmus. Perhaps one of the most famous of the Sentinels that resided on Partition. Why he had been kept in reserve had to be for the protection of the head. Now that he was being sent out, the city only had its guard in reserve, and they were very few. If Cadmus was truly the last, then the Light side was truly in a desperate place.

“Medea,” Cadmus said, “I am to be your escort for the mission that lies in front of you. I hope that you don’t mind this old soldier going with you during these hard times.”

“No, of course not. Just so long as you don’t mind that David will be joining us.” Medea said as she motioned toward David. “He is still in training, but he has more courage than most.”

Cadmus looked David up and down, assessing him. “Courage is a welcome asset to be sure. You look strong enough. Sure, as long as you two follow my direction and run if I tell you to. It would be bad day if the Light lost its princess and a trainee at the same time.”

Both Medea and David agreed to the terms.

“Then let us be off, to the providence of Troge. There may we purify the land and protect it more fully, and may we come back in due time for another mission.”

The three Sentinels clamored onto their harpies and shot off into the distance.

Raavik

The first desert was not so bad, it was the next four that was the biggest issue. Raavik had been pushing forward, unsure of where he might be going, and his current form was not making the traveling any easier. Water has become a big issue and not one that he could long ignore. His age was not changing very fast. Any time he tried to use his power, it always failed him. There was one small instant of use that was very natural, and that was the feeling of the Nexus coming ever close to the planet. It was not there yet but it was coming like a dog on a leash, never far from its apostle. 

“In the middle of the desert, miles from any sort of civilization, I am thirsty, tired and too young to be out here on my own.” Raavik screamed at no one at all. It was another one of his tantrums that went along with his age.

An odd noise was heard on the horizon. A noise that he never thought that he might hear for a while yet. The engines of a starship whined as they started a landing cycle. It was as if his scream brought a rescue ship. The ship landed nearby and a man came down off the small craft. He knelt down in front of Raavik with his hand on his heart in a sort of salute. 

    “Lord Yaan.” The man said with a deep, quiet voice. “I have been awaiting your arrival. Though I was expecting to see you near the library. Then word came that the Talos station had shot down a traveller, I came as soon as I heard. However, It looks like your use of power has diminished you a lot.”

    “Indeed it has. Are you a gint?” Raavik asked.

    “Yes, I am. I am Rook Gentle. I have a profession as a bounty hunter on the dark side of the planet. I have seen the inside of the Nexus and it will not be a place that I will ever forget. Because of that, I am now indebted to be at your service. From the look of your state it isn’t a moment too soon.” He reached behind his back and withdrew a canteen and handed it to Raavik.

    The boy took it and drank it deeply. He felt satisfied. 

    “I came here with a child when I was an old man. I feel responsible for him and need to find him. Even if it is just his body, I need to know his fate.”

“Then allow me to escort you back to the city. We can place a bounty out for the information about the fate of your lost student. There are enough bounty hunters that any bounty contract can be fulfilled, for the right price.” 

The two began their walk back toward Rook’s ship to begin their journey toward the darkside of the planet.

As they approached the ship, Raavik saw that the ship was a small frigate. Bigger than Father’s Yacht, but still small enough to slip through large blockades. They boarded it and made their way to the cockpit. Rook started the take-off sequence, Raavik took an extra look around the cargo area. 

The cargo was filled with cryogenic pods, perfect for transporting bodies across long distances. There were two spider looking droids tending to the vast mechanics and vats of freezing liquid. The spiders looked giant to Raavik’s current size. Raavik started to get a bad feeling as he felt the ship lift into the air.