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Orphelliad had been glad to finish the adjudication between Beis and Iofnen. Iofnen had of course won. Now word had to be communicated back to his family. That would be countersigned by her, to show it had been witnessed. Meladi had been delighted to see Beis so happy! "
Iofnen has paid the temple fees. Which means they should complete the official documentation and despatch to his family within days!" There was a squeal from her. "Oh my! My family don't know!"
"I think you will find, that Orphelliad has to notify both factions! So yes, your folks will know!" A sigh of relief!
"Ask Margise if you can use the Tmail to talk to them. Might be good for them to hear it from you personally Beis!" Margise was more than happy for her to do that. Hours later and her father was surprised, apprehensive? But after hearing the full details. Delighted.
La Toyah had summoned them. Beis and Iofnen were stood in front of her. "I am not going to go into details but am informed that you two ar officially bound as one?" They nodded. "I expect you both, to behave in accordance with that?" She moved, picking up two boxes from the unit in front of her. One to each of them. They opened them. I expect you to wear these whilst you are at the Akademy. Now go!"
"Rings. Draxetnium, not cheap!" The Akademy will charge them to your families. They're bespoke rings. Allows you to share a domicile without certain restrictions being enforced."
Corky had brought the teams together. Serenia watched on with Margise and Carianne. "I want teams, to spend time, working in the main control area, with the Elder Kets so you can fully understand, how the Akademy works. Power, heating, lighting, water and other essentials!
Serenia could see the point of it, even if some of the Kets were resistant to what they deemed to be insignificant non essentials to their ongoing training and education!
“What.“ Naipa enquired. “Is learning about the water systems here, got to do with anything? When I go home, all that is taken care of, I don’t have anything to do with 'Utilities at all! Surely there are far more important things to be doing?“
Rules were rules! Corky was not having any of the Kets backing out of the tasks he allocated them. ‘Get on with it!’ springs to mind. Some of the Kets headed for the main control areas! The Estuary water recyling plant.
Elder Ket Kestri was amused! “Some of you Kets, think things run themselves around here! They don’t! A valuable lesson to be learned, from NOT relying totally on the systems and the droids, sentients and similar!
We are constantly IMPROVING systems and services! Also there are priorities and special needs care service requirements.
The Majican Kets, don’t drink water without added Oestro 4, ordinary water, causes problems with their digestive system, so we ensure THEY, get their water with Oestro 4!
You DON’T want to see a Majican Ket low on Oestro 4!" He held his fingers up and pinched his nose mumbling in a nasal voice. “Their digestive systems release a rather pungent gas!” He let go of his nose. "It soaks into YOUR clothes, takes WEEKS to get rid off!“
Power is provided from underground water sources, its generated by tidal movement in the Estuary the energy fed up to the systems converted amplified and stored here." He pointed to the screen to show them the various parts of the generating systems.
Elder Ket Geija was showing them the various stages of the Energen converters.” This is dangerous, if tampered with, not for inexperienced Kets. Leave to the Droids! Short circuit here and you’ll end up with a massive explosion“ Claria swished her tail! "Nice breeze Claria!”
“I do hope “ Elder Ket Geija’s voice changed to a more serious tone “You ARE paying attention! You won’t be laughing if you make an error of judgement that puts your lives at risk. All of you will have to show me that you can realign the core modulators on the Uhaja valves!
Without tech bots to help you! YOUR calculations! Your adjustments, what follows is down to you!" Penwas had shifted to the front looking at the screen. “What happens if we get it wrong?” Elder Ket Geija raised her hand, swept the fingers across her throat.
“You’re dead! If the gases escape thanks to YOU, not locking in the shielding correctly!“ “Oh.“ Says Penwas, a little vague but?
It made some of the Kets laugh at how he had said it! Penwas ignored them “So what does this do?” Geija went to change the screen then pulled the Kets in close to whisper.
“Not supposed to tell you BUT that’s part of the main grid defence system! We don’t go doing anything with that.
Try, and you will be warned only once! You have to have, the codes. If you don't and you fail to heed the warning?!
You will cease to exist. I hear only one Ket has ever been stupid enough. They were vaporized.“
Margise overhearing glanced at Corky as he moved close to her. "Is that true? Vaporized!" He grinned. "No but it scares them enough to make them pay attention and NOT mess with that part of the system. Expensive to repair."
Suddenly the control room lighting, flickered? “That’s unusual.“ Muttered Geija as she moved towards one of the panels an Elder Ket called Liaki was stood next to. Another flicker then a distinct pulse. You could hear it. A kind of musical note. OM!
A rising crescendo to nothing.
“What the..“ Corky had heard something like this before! Wait for it, this, if I’m right, is just the start. A sharp blinding blast of light illuminates the whole area. The Kets and others are bathed in it. Dying back, as the system control units alarms went off.
”Whatever it was, caused a massive power drain, from the systems? One minute she was there next to Kinsey and then?
Where the heck had Heliera gone? “I remember seeing her pendant flash." Delise moved to stand next to Corky whispering to him. “That reminded me, of a Szfrom zap?”
Potent weapon. So who has adapted the sync modules to generate feedback enough to suck that amount of power and where was it redirected?" "I suspect if we find Heliera, we will have our answer." "Matter transfer?" It had only now crossed Corky's mind.
Of course! Draining that amount would permit Heliera to be scrambled into millions of ions and reformed but?
Corky looked at her smiled.
“Good to see you, understand these things, which means Heliera has been taken elsewhere. “Why do I have suspicions, it has something to do with the Simeron? Hoki? NO! She would not need that much power, the pendant never has. Simple transfer requires little of that." "Taken over a distance would need a lot of power." "Targeted to remove ONE individual, it has to be the Simeron."
They, had been correct. Heliera was stood in a chamber that was furnished and much bigger than she would have expected for a Simeron domicile! With two Simeron stood in front of her.
They were wearing jewelled items. An energy flickered across them. as they spoke, a harmonic sound or collection of sounds that came together in words, she could understand.
“"A Ket or Kets, is attempting to access our power. At first we wondered, dwelt upon such thoughts, as to why and how?
In our history, it has been recorded only once, that this has happened. Brought about, by those who sought to resurrect, an ancient what you would call, demonic being.
When they did this, the destruction that came upon this world is beyond words. We managed to destroy it. We were never sure, if there were more of those things. You do not go looking for things you least desire to find!
We need YOU Heliera to be our eyes and ears. We will help you, by giving you access to our data pods allowing you to use certain pieces of equipment that we will provide you with.
Hoki will show you how to access the data pods, using your pendant. With the devices and the information available, we think it will allow you to discover who the Ket or Kets are and what they are up to that requires them to tap into our power.
The sound again. That OM! Getting louder and in a flash, Heliera reappeared. A little shaken but otherwise in one piece.
Stuttering, she whispers to Corky.
“There is a problem and I think, I may need your help, those you think, may also be of use such as Serenia?
Your experience and invaluable knowledge.”
They were talking in barely discernible, by the other Kets; whispers to each other.
"OK, an hour! Will see you there, I will bring the others."
Heliera had been mobbed! Finally, most of the Kets were back in their domiciles or resting and talking in the Ovirs.
Corky had assembled Bishw, and Serenia. They were now waiting on Heliera. Outside the chamber, she was indeed on her way. 200 yards from the hatch to the chamber where they were, when she heard footsteps behind her.
This was a part of the Akademy, that at this time of the night, was NOT used. She was also LATE! Those Corky would have sequested? Why did she doubt it would be one of them? So who was it following her?
She quickened her pace. Almost, almost there. A shot? A discharge from an energy weapon. Fired, from the shadows?
It hit the bulkhead inches from her.
A second flash illuminated the corridor. She turned to see the shadowy outline immersed in a blue green light, that died away as the figure, whoever it was barely discernible in the darkness, took off at speed away from them.
Hoki! Heliera, was pleased to see her. Her eyes, were readjusting to the darkness. "Sorry about that, but it had to be a quick response from me, or you might have been shot! Using an energy wave to give them a slap, they will be feeling very nauseous, if not sick at this moment in time!
Minutes later, Heliera told the others what had just happened. "I could have been with her, but decided it was wiser to follow at a distance and see if anyone might try and stop her from attending the meeting. I suspect, whoever the attacker was, was also amongst the Kets, in the control room?"
"We can check to see who was present, but the numbers will make it difficult to pin point any specific Ket. You could not see who it was?" "I only saw the back of them when they fired the weapon, immersed them in the wash of energy, but they ran off when the energy died back.
The intensity of light, followed by darkness, messes with your visuals. Even I, found it took a few seconds to readjust my eyes to see." "Likewise. Nothing, even after my eyes could see almost within the darkness. Whoever it was, was well gone!"
Producing a small slite, Corky plugged it into a shelde unit. "I discovered in the archives from Fendiq written up by MaQui.
The sister of the Haphketsut Princess, now Queen, Cistera.
A transcript from a journal. She came across it at the Akademy, left by someone, maybe even McQui herself, in the domicile she now occupied. With it were some data cubes, writings from some of her Kith and kin, interesting but not on reading them, relevant?
What had seized upon my senses in the beginning and drawn me to her journal, was the word 'Legend' and that it was to do with the Akademy.
MaQui mentions it, but that is all! Whatever this legend was, it seemed it was going to remain a mystery?
So I resigned myself to putting everything back as it was, when a disc fell out from the binding of the old journal.
I had to find a device that would play back the information from it. An old data storage medium. Eventually I managed, thanks to Tolvinek, one of the tech Scieste's, in finding an old Renais device, that read the disc and, converted it as a file, that is readable on a shelde."
They peered at the screen. "A VERY OLD legend, which I cross referenced, with data from the infamous Tolgani journals?
It talks about a demonic being? If indeed there was such a being, a demon here, what chances were there, of other worlds having something the same or similar?
Strange creatures." Corky was not going to talk about the ones that had attacked, on the arrival of the Kets at the satellite.
"Taking the description written up by McQui, allowing for some colorful interpretation on her part? Comparing against Tolgani's legends.
To quote his words. ' I found 3 planets, with the stories of such creatures and, the devastation they caused in their wake.
All of them destroyed, but I said WAKE. Originally the things were dormant. Not one of them was a living creature until woken up. How they came to be asleep or dormant, I can't find anything to give me answers.
Only ONE planet, records there being more than one of these things. One alive, destroyed, the other still dormant, disintegrated into pieces, before it could be brought to life.' "
Corky glanced at them, Poured himself a drink, sipped it. "If there was ONE here, chances are; there could be a second.
If so, I have a feeling, the Ket or Kets know of it.
It takes a massive amount of energy, to bring those things to life. Forces not normally present cept on this world, the powers of the Simeron are infinite. Tap into it and feed it back to one of those creatures? Whoever resurrects it, controls it.
Well that is what legend says."
"Do we have a name for this thing?" "The ShanWa peoples,call it Emoika. 'Demon'. It harnesses energy and uses that as a weapon.
Plasma bolts from its finger tips. The hands according to this." He showed them an image. "Can grow to the width of a small Ket!" "I would not want to feel a blow from that fist!"
"Takes its form, from Metakon minerals. Almost indestructible. Fully established it can produce an energy barrier making the majority of any arsenal used against it, useless." "That’s not myth!" Serenia had interrupted. "I have never spoken of this to anyone. Not even Corky.
I was on the planet Sej333 with a small contingent of troopers rounding up smugglers. What I became aware of, was the fate of a nearby outpost. It had been commandeered by Vendarans.
Ruled over by an Overlord who dominated the zone, using Clonectics to subdue resistance. Making slaves of the colonists.
Some escaped to set up a rebel faction. The rebels were found by Vijai (Smugglers, thieves, pirates.) They wanted to know how many colonists had been left alive. Said they would dispose of the Vendaran horde.
In return the colonists would permit the free passage of the Vijai and for them to establish an underground base.
What they used was a demon. That too was found on the planet.
It took the Vendarans over 1000 of their best Clonectics to destroy it. That shows the power of those things. I was witness to the visual imaging of the onslaught. Knowledge of the thing and how it was resurrected was found within some ancient data units by the Trazi.
The Trazi people were so terrified of someone using that data to find and resurrect such a demon that they sent two of their own envoys to secure the units. Guess where?"
"The Esean?" Serenia nodded. "They were on the planet, their temple here, IS one of the oldest in existence. IF the data units were to be taken they'd have to get past the guards."
"Oh my!" Heliera sat down, glanced at Corky. "If there was going to be a theft? The thief, or thieves; would need a distraction?"
“The incident with the needles from the Hydroconvulsis, at a temple close to, the Esean temple? Too much coincidence that!"
“How to resurrect the creature but who would like to take a wager on, IF such still exists here? A record of such a place or places that it could be found?"
"I think we can assume, we are not dealing with a foe, who is anything but calculating and dangerous, very dangerous." "Jogarth?“ “Too busy squabbling amongst themselves." "Which means we are still, none the wiser as to who." "Or when."
"Once that demon or whatever it is, establishes an energy barrier, it will be almost indestructible. Lets not forget what the Simeron said, they had a hard time, subduing and destroying the creature?" "We have got, to find whoever is behind this, stop them, before, they resurrect that thing."
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