“What are you doing!?” Lutherson screamed as John fell on his knees. He couldn’t believe it. They were surrounded by seven heavily-armed guards who were about to open fire on them and John, instead of using his sorcery to get them out of trouble, was kneeling and doing…. nothing. Lutherson quickly moved to grab John’s laser rifle from his hands. He had little experience in rifles, but he had no other choice.

As he grabbed the rifle, the detective could see the Helian soldiers pulling their triggers and firing.

‘I can feel the Qi around me,’ John thought. ‘Lively, passionate, strong. It-‘ His thought were cut short by a sudden feel of unease. He opened his eyes and, much to his surprise, he wasn’t in the research facility.

John found himself surrounded by pitch black darkness. His breathing became slow and shallow. He felt a sudden coldness. “A vision…” he muttered. “Dark Lord?” No response. “Dark Lord!” he shouted, hoping to hear William’s familiar voice. “William! William!” he barked. Yet there was no reply. John sighed. ‘Usually, when I find myself surrounded by darkness, it is because I experience a vision or connection with William. Now….?”

“You are special.”

“Eh?” John wondered. It was a gentle male voice. “I remember that voice! It belongs to that elf sorcerer I’ve been dreaming of!”

“Your journey doesn’t end here. You still have a long path to walk.”

“Where are you?” John asked, frantically looking around for any sign of this mysterious ancient elf sorcerer. “Where is he?”

Suddenly a flash of light blinded him. He shut his eyes to block out the bright light and when he opened them again, he found himself surrounded by a blank white light. The white stretched in all directions as far as he could see, seemingly to no end. “Where am I?” he asked, to no avail.

John began walking forward, hoping to find some answers. Instead, he found himself lost in the midst of all this bright light. He had no sense of where he was heading or of the direction he was taking. It all seemed confusing. He blinked his eyes, the constant white around him hurting them.

“How can I return back to my world?”

“Only you have the power to do so,” the same gentle voice answered.

“Who are you? Why have you brought me here?”

“I haven’t brought you anywhere. I am no one.”

“Eh? I don’t understand.”

No answer came from the voice. John shook his head and sighed. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Use the power inside you. Allow yourself to connect with the Qi around you. Immerse yourself in it. Feel it. Allow it to guide you.”

John closed his eyes. His breathing became rhythmic, slowly inhaling and exhaling. He could feel the Qi around him. It was more lively and stronger than any he had ever sensed. His body was heating, his heart racing, his face reddened. He could feel the Qi surging through his meridians. As he focused his mind, he could feel the temperature of his body suddenly falling. He felt a chilling coldness overtaking him. His hands became pale and freezing cold. John gritted his teeth, as the coldness was becoming unbearable.

“Once I walked in the snowy forest. The snow was swirling around me and the wind was howling. The cold was chilling. It was there where I learned that the cold is not an adversary, but a friend. Do not let the coldness overtake you, overtake the cold and become its master.”

John nodded. He concentrated his mind on controlling the sudden coldness. As he focused his mind, he found the coldness subsiding despite his hands remaining freezing cold and snowy white. As he smiled and opened his eyes, a sudden flash of light forced him to once again close his eyes.

John could hear the sound of laser rifles being fired. He opened his eyes to see that the surrounding Helian troopers had opened fire. As their laser bolts were inches away from John and his companions, suddenly they were frozen in mid-air. A second later, the frozen bolts fell harmlessly to the ground.

Lutherson was left gaping in awe, unable to utter a single word. Even the cold, android face of D-4009 seemed surprised.

Before the Helians could fire back, John’s right hand was raised and a barrage of ice spheres was unleashed. The Helian soldiers were frozen upon contact, becoming statues of ice. John quickly turned around and with equal ease and speed froze the soldiers behind him.

“We should go!” John shouted as he began sprinting forward, followed behind by Lutherson and D-4009. They were walking in a fast pace, running down the corridors towards the elevators. They needed to do so in order to get to the storage room where the air vent was located. It was on the second floor and they were on the seventh floor.

They had managed to escape the Helian guards and no one was following them, but they understood only too well that it wouldn’t take long for the Helians to find out where they were. The alarm was echoing across the corridors, ringing in their ears. “This damn thing…” Lutherson complained. “Thankfully our android friend is freezing the cameras, or we would be corpses…”

As D-4009 was about to come up with a response, the three companions saw standing before the elevators a squad of four Helian guards armed with laser pistols. One of the guards noticed them and shouted. As the guards aimed their guns at them and fired, John waved his arm; three of the laser bolts froze and fell to the ground. The fourth whizzed past John’s ear, so close the hum sounded like it came from inside his head, and hit Lutherson’s elbow. The detective let out a cry as he began bleeding profusely from his wound.

John waved again his arm, unleashing ice spheres that froze the four guards. Suddenly, John felt a terrible headache. The pain was becoming excruciating. His face turned pale and he felt his legs weak. He was barely able to stand.

“What are we supposed to do?” D-4009 asked in his monotone voice.

“Lend me a hand in aiding John,” the detective said, still bleeding. “I can manage my wound, John on the other hand seems about to collapse…”

D-4009 nodded and helped Lutherson as he carried John inside one of the elevators. They placed him on the floor. The detective then frantically pushed the down button, before lying on the elevator’s floor to rest. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. He repeated this a few times to calm down.

“Things ain’t looking good,” Lutherson remarked. He ripped off part of his clothing to use as a bandage for his wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. “This should do…”

John was mumbling. He suddenly vomited blood. As D-4009 and Lutherson rushed towards him, he lost consciousness. Lutherson quickly checked his pulse. “He is alive,” he said, assuring a worried D-4009.

“Master John seems to be in a bad shape…”

The elevator descended to the second floor and the door opened. “We should get going,” Lutherson said. “Guards will be here at any moment.”

D-4009 carried John on his back. Being an android, he had superior physical strength compared to the average humanoid. Lutherson was holding tightly onto his rifle. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, as he was lacking in skill and experience with guns. They rushed down a corridor, heading for the storage room.

Pew!

A laser bolt was fired at their direction. It hit Lutherson right on his left knee. He fell on the floor. The Helian guard moved forward and was about to fire again, but the detective fired back with his rifle. His first shot missed completely but his second shot pierced the man’s chest, killing him. “Not bad…” he remarked. With great effort he managed to get up. With his leg wounded, he was limping forward.

“The storage room is nearby,” D-4009 assured him.

As they took a left turn, they found themselves under fire from another guard. Lutherson fired a succession of rapid shots, missing his target. “Fuck!” he cursed. The guard fired back, his laser bolt hitting Lutherson’s right leg. He let out a loud cry and collapsed on the floor. Gritting his teeth, he managed to get on his knees and fire back. Surprisingly, his laser bolt entered the front of the man’s forehead and blew out of the back, instantly killing him.

“The storage room is right ahead,” Lutherson pointed at a door on the other side of the corridor. “Go.”

“What about you?”

“I’m done for,” Lutherson laughed, his laughter bittersweet. “I knew this day would come. My job is a dangerous one. I am prepared for this. Just make sure that people know that I solved this case! That I, Lutherson Snow, am indeed the greatest detective to have ever existed.”

“But-“

“We don’t have time for chit-chatting! Go!”

D-4009, carrying John on his back, sprinted forward, leaving the detective lying all alone on the floor. Lutherson was flashing a bright smile. ‘I hope there are crooks in the afterlife, so I can have cases to solve…’

John woke up feeling dizzy. He could barely open his eyes, and when he did, at first he wasn't sure where he was. He surveyed his surroundings. He saw that he was lying on his bed in his hotel room. Beck was in the room, standing beside him.

“Doc?” John asked. “My head…” He tried to get up but his dizziness got the better of him and he threw his head back on the pillow.

“Easy kid!” Beck said. “You should lie down. You were in pretty bad shape when you came here.”

“How exactly did I come here?”

“You should thank D-4009 for that. From what he told me, he carried you out of that facility and brought you here.”

“What about Lutherson?” John asked. “Is he alright?”

Beck sighed. He lowered his head and, almost whispering, he replied, “He is dead.”

“What?!” John was left gaping. His eyes became watery. “How?!”

“He never came out of that facility, apparently. I’m sorry.”

“That doesn’t mean he is dead!” John shouted, jumping up from his bed. “He could still be there, alive. I need to save him.”

“Hold on!” Beck replied, before pushing him back onto the bed. “You are in no condition to do anything like that. Even I can push you around now. You should rest. From what D-4009 told me, he was gravely injured. It is very unlikely that he survived. Instead of going into a suicide mission, you should honor his sacrifice and tell that professor what happened to his sister.”

“You are right…” John sighed. “I should give him a call and tell him to meet me at Sheng Bar, so that I can finally leave this damn place.”

“I will be leaving too, probably.”

“Things didn’t work out?”

Beck nodded. “My cousin learned about his son being a criminal, and let’s just say he wasn’t too happy about me not telling him about his son’s double life. That means that my plans to open up a private practice here aren’t looking all that good…”

“Maybe you can come with me to the Alliance,” John suggested. “They are in need of doctors. You will have a job, good pay and be standing up for a righteous cause.”

“I ain’t really a political activist nor do I care about your revolt but I could use the job and the pay. As long as I stay out of firefights, I could give this a chance.”

“Nice. You’ve made the right choice!”

Later in the afternoon, John arrived at Sheng Bar. He was greeted by one of the sexy waiter girls. She was smiling flirtatiously at him, but he was in no mood for flirting. He navigated through the crowded tables, heading for one in the far left corner of the bar. Professor Sean was sitting there, sipping a drink.

“Hey!” Sean shouted upon seeing John, waving his arm. “Take a seat!”

John sat. A waitress came shortly after and John ordered a glass of whiskey. “Lutherson solved the case,” John said.

“That son of a bitch made it!” the professor chuckled. “I knew it… he is the best detective in entire solar system, after all. So… where is he?”

“He…” John paused. He still hadn’t accepted the fact that Lutherson had died. He felt his throat dry. “He… died. He was killed trying to secure the evidence.”

Sean sighed. “Damn… He might have been an asshole, but he was my friend.” He raised his cup, offering a toast. “To Lutherson Snow, the best damn detective in the galaxy!” He gulped it all down. “I will miss him.”

“Me too…”

“So, what happened to my sister?”

John handed him over a data pad. “All the evidence is here. Your sister was working on a secret government project to create conscious artificial intelligence. They succeeded apparently, but the conscious androids escaped and had to be hunted down. The project was deemed a failure and the government wanted to silence those who had knowledge of it. Your sister was killed by them. Her husband was framed for the murder.”

Sean was silent for a moment. “I knew that there was more to her death than the police version suggested, but damn, I never imagined this was all a government cover up… I promised to translate an ancient Elfish text for you, and I will do it. Where is the text?”

“You will have to come with me out of Mellillon. We will be going to Thellasia.”

“Thellasia?” Sean repeated. “Isn’t this an uninhabited oceanic planet?”

“Not exactly. Can you come?”

“I’ve got nothing here. I might as well come with you. After all, I owe you a great debt. If it weren’t for you, I would have never learned what really happened to my sister.”

John sipped his whiskey. ‘I’ve succeeded… but at what cost?’

“Check that room!” corporal Renard ordered Ron and another three soldiers. Rifle at hand, they barged inside the room. They could see rows of computers arrayed farther into the room, but aside from that the room seemed empty.

“Room’s clear,” one of the soldiers announced through his comn device.

“Have you checked everything?” Renard responded from his comn device. He was waiting outside the room, armed with a pistol and monitoring the situation from afar. “We don’t want a repeat of what happened four days ago.”

During their last takeover of a pirate base, the Helian squads had suffered great casualties as elite pirate troopers had stayed behind in the base and had waged a brutal guerrilla campaign. With their hit and run attacks, they had bled dry the Helian expeditionary force. The Helian corporals had thus been ordered to be far more cautious in how they proceeded.

“We will be checking more thoroughly sir,” the soldier replied and closed his comn device. “Damn, this is the thirty-fifth room we’ve been searching and we’ve found no trace of those sneaky bastards. I am getting tired. We are wasting time!”

“Better to be safe than sorry,” Ron said. “I prefer to get tired than to get killed by a pirate squad we failed to detect.”

“I-“

A loud noise was heard. Ron and the other three soldiers turned to their right, to see a hidden door opening. A volley of laser fire followed. The soldier Ron had been chatting with was instantly killed. Ron and the remaining two soldiers fell on the ground, barely dodging the enemy fire.

From the hidden room, five pirates emerged. While the other two Helian soldiers were firing back, Ron sprinted to the row of computers. He quickly took cover behind them, understanding that an open firefight would end up badly. The two Helian soldiers had managed to kill one of the pirates but they were easily taken out.

Ron’s heart raced. He was the only Helian trooper remaining in the room. Four heavily armed pirates were approaching him. ‘I have to do it!’. He came out of his cover and fired twice. His first shot went right through the chest of one of the pirates. His body quickly crumbled and fell down. His second shot was a precise headshot; blood splattered from the pirate’s head as he collapsed onto the floor.

‘Two more to go,’ he thought as he lied once again behind the computers. The pirates were frantically firing at the computers. Boom! A loud sound was heard as one of the computers exploded, filling the room with smoke. Making use of this, Ron came out of his cover and fired at the pirates. Not having clear visibility due to the smoke, he was firing at random. A loud cry was heard, followed by another scream.

With the smoke cleared, Ron could see the two pirates lying on the floor in a pool of their own blood. He sighed in relief and activated his comn device to contact corporal Renard. “Room’s clear, sir. But I am the only survivor.” Ron was barely holding back his tears. He gritted his teeth. ‘I will make them pay!’

“You’ve finally arrived…” Natasha remarked as William stepped inside her office. She was sitting behind her desk, with officer Kiroshato standing next to her. “If you are to learn the art of war, you should pay more attention on the operation at hand instead of locking up in your room.”

William simply nodded in agreement. He had no desire to talk about what he was doing in his private quarters. ‘If they ever learn that I am experimenting with magic, my father will sentence me to death.’

“The situation,” Kiroshato began explaining, “proves that the Prince will not go down easily.” He activated a holographic device that showcased a map of the Kairer field. Three asteroids were pinpointed. “All three bases we’ve managed to capture were rigged with explosives and booby traps and manned with guerilla squads, which made it almost impossible to pacify them. Pirate fighters have been harassing our fleet with hit-and-run attacks. Our progress is too slow while our casualties are mounting.”

“We need a change of tactics,” Natasha said. “We will be sending small squads to plant explosives to wreck those bases. No need to occupy them or clear them completely of enemy presence. Establishing permanent occupation of those asteroids has proved too costly. For now on, we will be going in, causing big explosions and then leaving. If the facilities are crippled, they will be of no real use to the pirates.”

John let out a sigh of relief. ‘It’s good to be back,’ he thought. He was leisurely strolling down a corridor. It had only been an hour since he had returned to the Alliance base in Thellasia. The journey to Thellasia had taken five long days; John had spent most of that time in his quarters. Although he had succeeded in his mission of bringing Professor Sean to the Alliance, he felt a lingering bitterness over Lutherson’s fate. ‘It was my fault…’ was his constant thought throughout the journey.

Upon arrival, Professor Sean had been taken by Commander Darren to the intelligence office, to immediately begin the translation of the ancient Elfish text. John had been dismissed. With nothing to do, he was walking down the corridors. He kept thinking over and over again both the fate of Lutherson and the strange vision he had witnessed in the facility.

“Idiot!” he heard a familiar female voice. “Will you ever stop daydreaming?”

John sighed. “Nice to see you Sara,” he sarcastically remarked. Along with Sara were Nicole, Alexander and Constantine. ‘Truth be told,’ John thought, ‘I’ve missed spending some time with them…’

“Was the mission exciting?” Constantine asked, flashing a wide grin on his face. “Heard from some of the grunts that you infiltrated a top secret Helian facility. Bold move considering you were in their capital.”

“You could say that,” John replied, forcing a faint smile. He didn’t want the others to be bothered with his feelings of guilt and failure. “Had to face a dozen heavily armed guards. Thankfully D-4009 was of great assistance. How have you been doing?”

“You should have seen Nicole!” Sara said. “She was constantly worried about you.”

“I am worried about all my friends!” Nicole frantically explained. She was blushing, much to the amusement of Sara and the awkwardness of John.

“The capital was something else!” John tried to change the subject. “The shops and bars were unlike anything I’ve seen.”

“You make it sound like you were on holiday trip,” Constantine chuckled. “Damn, now I am jealous.”

John could see that Alexander was the only one of the group who was composed and restrained in his excitement. He remembered how well he had read his mood a few months ago. ‘He must have realized I am troubled.’

“We should let him rest,” Alexander said to his fellow sorcerers. “He just came back here, he probably wants some time alone.”

“But-“ Sara stopped when she saw Alexander’s stern look. “Oh, alright. Alex is right. We should leave you to rest.”

“Thanks,” John replied.

A buzzing sound was heard as the door ringed. “Come in,” Iris said as she got up from her chair. She had been reading a collection of Elf poems. The poetry of her people had a special place in her heart.

It was John. “We need to talk,” he said. “It’s really important.”

“If it is about our previous discussion, we must try to put all this behind us an-“

“It’s not,” John interrupted. “It is about some… visions I experienced. For the past weeks, I have occasionally been dreaming of some Elf sorcerer. He is in a snowy forest, praying to some Gods.”

“The old religion…” Iris muttered. “Why were you dreaming of an ancient Elf sorcerer? Could you have established some kind of connection to some ancient Elf artifact?”

“I don’t think I have. There is more; when I was surrounded by Helian troops in Biscecenza, I suddenly found myself trapped in some strange vision. I was in the middle of an endless expanse of light and could hear the voice of that Elf sorcerer from my dreams. He was talking to me, instructing me.”

“Visions among sorcerers are rare but not unheard of,” Iris explained. “But this… This is something entirely different. I’ve never heard of anything similar before.” John could see the surprise on her face. “You should have told me earlier about this.”

“Sorry…”

“No need. You should go speak with Elder Aerran. If there is someone who can help you understand what these visions mean, it is him.”

John stepped inside the dimly lit room. The scent of incense burning filled the room. Elder Aerran was sitting cross-legged on a purple mat. Upon seeing John entering the room, he smiled. “Please, do take a sit,” the elder softly said as he pointed to one the purple mats on the floor.

John took up his offer and sat on the mat. Unlike the first time he met him, John now was a lot less nervous. “Elder, I wan-“

“I know,” Aerran interrupted him. “Iris told me everything. What you’ve experienced is something completely unique. I have studied countless of ancient texts on magic, and many of them do mention various visions, but nothing like what you’ve seen.”

“So… now what?”

“Unfortunately I have no idea what is it that you experienced. There is, though, a way to learn more about it. There is an ancient technique that allows two minds to merge, to witness each other’s memories and thoughts. A dangerous technique that has rarely been used, as it can lead to the two sorcerers becoming brain dead. It also requires trust as both parties have to let down their guard and allow the other to probe into their mind.”

“I… I am willing to take the risk!” John confidently replied, putting aside all his doubts.

“Close your eyes, breathe slowly and rhythmically and let go of all other thoughts,” Aeran said.

John followed the elder’s instructions. Having meditated many times in the past, he found the task easy. Aerran too closed his eyes and began meditating. After a few minutes of utter silence, Aerran’s hands touched the sides of John’s face. It was a delicate touch, but sufficed to establish the mental connection.

“We become one,” Aerran whispered. “Two become one, the many become the single, the multiple become the singular. We are one.”

Their minds began to blur together, becoming one. John gritted his teeth as he felt his memories being probed; this manifested to a physical pain, a terrible headache. Aerran moved past John’s childhood and skipped ahead. He could see that there were some gaps in John’s memories after he had become a sorcerer, as if the boy was subconsciously blocking him from certain memories. ‘Interesting…’

“Ah!” he suddenly exclaimed. “Here it is…” He found a dream, hidden in John’s subconscious. An elf sorcerer walking in a snowy forest, falling on his knees and praying to the Gods. Aerran felt a sudden tremor; his heartbeat was racing like crazy. “This can’t be…” he murmured. “This is… Vaalyun Ilihice.”

Aerran could no longer handle this memory. He had to move forward. He took a deep breath and pushed forward, moving away from that dream and skipping ahead. He next stumbled upon John’s memory of his dinner with Iris, his confession of his love. Aerran simply sighed and pushed ahead, reaching Biscecenza. He followed John’s footsteps as he sneaked inside the Institute of Science and Research. John was surrounded by Helian guards; they were aiming their rifles at him and were about to fire. Then… a sudden flash of light.

Aerran let out a cry and opened his eyes, the mental connection having been suddenly severed. John took woke up from the mental connection, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

“What happened?” the young sorcerer asked.

“I don’t know,” Aerran admitted. “As I was about to witness that vision you saw, the connection was unexpectedly cut off. We are very lucky, you know. Such an unexpected cut off can be lethal.”

“Did anything useful come from that mind probing?”

The elder nodded. “The elf sorcerer you saw was Vaalyun Ilihice. The Holy Warrior, a legendary sorcerer who thousands of years ago defeated the Dark Lord Argerang, who threatened to eradicate all life in the universe. According to the ‘Legend of the Twelve Sorcerers’, the two of them engaged in a duel in another realm, beyond mortal understanding. Each time their swords clashed, earthquakes shook the planets of our realm and demolished thousands of cities. Each time their magic clashed, mighty tsunamis rose, the ground cracked and tornadoes ravaged whole continents. Eventually, Vaalyun Ilihice slew the Dark Lord and condemned his soul to eternal damnation.”

John recognized that name. During his first mental connection with William, he had mentioned that name. He had also mentioned that as he was a Dark Lord, so John was a Holy Warrior. ‘Is this the connection I have with that Elf sorcerer?’

“I can feel great trouble in you,” the elder said. “You should try to clear your mind of such thoughts and to attempt to put behind you those visions. Do not ponder on them. They came to you for a reason, a reason that you cannot hope to understand. When the time comes, I am sure that more clues on those visions will be revealed to you.”

It was early in the morning. Darren had barely had the time to dress and brush his teeth when a call came telling him to rush to the intelligence room. He came there as fast as he could. Professor Sean, officer Yi, Iris and John were already in the room, along with a couple others intelligence officers taking care of some other tasks.

“I am really hoping for some good news professor,” Darren said.

“Well… can’t really tell if it is good or bad news,” Sean replied. “I can tell, though, that it is certainly a most interesting discovery.”

“Don’t keep us waiting, professor.”

“The text says, ‘Bless the Gods who have granted us the strength to subdue the stars. Bless you, oh mighty Creators. You have granted the Empire dominion of the entire Universe, you have gifted us with lordship of the stars, you have granted us your Heavenly Sword with which we brought death and destruction to the infidels.’ This heavenly sword has been mentioned a few times in some obscure ancient Elf texts, but no one knows what exactly it is. What makes this text different, though, is that it provides coordinates of sorts. It mentions a series of names which point out to a region in Nar-Sal. It ends with, ‘That is where we have constructed the shrine to show our piety to the Creators. May they bless Emperor Yangde and grant him the strength and wisdom to lord the Universe.’ That name suggests that the text was authored almost one-thousand-five-hundred years ago.”

Darren was unable to hide his unease, his face betraying his worry over this revelation. “Do you think those coordinates could point out to the location of that… heavenly sword?”

“I cannot rule it out,” Sean replied. “It isn’t the most likely scenario – most probably it is simply a shrine – but it isn’t impossible.”

John raised his hand. “How could this shrine not have been spotted if it has been there for more than a thousand years?” he asked.

“The entire planet of Nar-Sal is one big desert. The conditions on the ground make any exploration, much less permanent habitation, almost impossible, hence why the planet is devoid of life with the exception of a few mining outposts drilling the hydroastrian spice that is used to fuel starships. Those mining outposts are for the most part manned by a few guards and technicians; most of the work is done by machinery. That’s why it is no surprise they would have missed that shrine, especially since it seems to be located away from the mining sites.”

“We have to head there,” Darren said. “Regardless of whether the heavenly sword is located on that shrine or not, that shrine has to be important. Otherwise the CEO of X-Corp wouldn’t have kept this text in his personal folder nor would he have encrypted it with a special code. If the heavenly sword or some other ancient Elf technology falls in the hands of the Helians, it could be destructive to our cause. It could usher a dark era of unopposed tyranny.”

“With all due respect,” Johns said, “why is ancient Elf technology so important? I would assume that whatever artifacts are found there would not be too advanced…”

“Here is where you are wrong,” Sean replied. “The ancient Elves had technology far surpassing our own; at least that is what we understand from their texts and the few surviving artifacts we’ve discovered. The progress of civilization is not linear. Our current civilization is a regression from where the old Elf civilization was; we still haven’t caught up with the ancient Elf Empire.”

Darren nodded approvingly. “Exactly. That is why we cannot let Elf technology fall into the hands of the Helian regime. If the Unity Party gets its hands on such advanced tech, they will able to solidify their rule and stamp out all opposition. We have to go there first.”

“I should go,” Iris said, stepping forward. So far, she had been completely silent and hadn’t uttered a single word. Listening to the writings of her ancestors had filled with awe and longing for that past, when her people weren’t persecuted for belonging to the ‘wrong’ race. “It is a dangerous task and it needs to be undertaken by someone with extensive knowledge of magic.”

“I agree,” the commander replied. “However, you shall not be going alone. I shall assume personal command of this operation. I shall be assembling a crew to undertake this mission. It shall be small enough so as to not garner Helian attention but large enough to ensure that we do not fail.”

“Commander,” officer Yi interrupted, “you cannot leave now. We are in the middle of sending significant reinforcements to help the pirates in the Kairer field. If you leave, who will be in charge of that operation?

“You shall be in command here while I am away. Yi, you are a truly brilliant officer and I trust you with my life.”

Yi wasn’t a sentimental man but this time he had to use all his mental strength to keep his tears back. “I will not disappoint you, sir!”

John got out of the bath. After a short hot shower, he headed to the sink. He brushed his teeth and washed his face. He then dressed up and prepared a bag with some stuff, including a pistol and some data pads. Last night, he had received a call from Commander Darren telling him that he had been selected for the mission on Nar-Sal and that he needed to be in the operations’ room.

Heading inside the room, John saw that it was filled with various computers and other high-tech devices. In the middle of the room, there was a gigantic viewscreen. Inside were Iris, Sara, Alexander, Beck, Sean, D-4009, Xar and a man he hadn’t met before.

That man was shorter than average and was in his late twenties. He had almond-shaped eyes, black hair, high cheek bones and the skin on his face was smooth. He was dressed in white shirt, dark blue jacket and grey trousers. He was standing in some distance from the others and seemed somewhat nervous.

“Hi,” John said, approaching the man. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Hi,” the man hurried to reply with an awkward half smile. “My name is Kim. Miguel Kim. Nice to meet you.”

It was at that moment that commander Darren stepped into the room. He walked to the center of the room and stood in front of the viewscreen. He was holding his hands behind his back and had an austere look on his face. “This mission is going to be different than any in which you’ve participated,” he said with a stern, imposing voice. “I expect you all to perform to the best of your capabilities. I selected you because you are all crucial in this mission. You will all have a certain role to play in the upcoming mission as the crew of the ‘Eagle’. ”

He paused for a brief moment and pressed a button, which turned on the viewscreen. It showcased the warship. “That is the ‘Eagle’. A Helian prototype equipped with a unique XD-45 engine, it was brought to us by John, Sara and Nicole from El Salvar.”

John remembered very well that mission. Stealing a warship from a mafia boss while an elite Helian trooper was chasing after you wasn’t something easily forgettable.

“The Eagle has been updated by our technicians, further enhancing its defensive, engine and computer systems. It has been equipped with the best parts available to the Alliance fleet. It will be the ship that will get us to Nar-Sal and you shall be its crew. I will be taking personal command of the vessel and shall be serving as the Captain. Iris, you shall be my First Officer.”

Iris simply smiled and nodded affirmatively.

“D-4009,” Darren continued, “you shall the Tactical Officer. It is time to make good use of the tactical subroutines that my engineers installed into your programming.”

“I shall accomplish your commands to the best of my programming.”

“Xar, you will be the ship’s helmsman. You are the damn best pilot in the Alliance and I expect you to get us out of tough spots if need be.”

The orc pilot grinned. “Great! Ever since the Eagle was brought here, I wanted to pilot this babe. Now I have the chance to do so.”

“Professor Sean, you shall accompany us as our Chief Linguistic Officer. Your knowledge of the ancient Elfish language is needed if we are to decipher the secrets of that shrine.”

“You can count me in. Not only have I always wanted to personally see an ancient Elfish shrine, but I also hate those Helian bastards for what they did to my sister. Time for payback!

“Beck, you shall be the Chief Medical Officer.”

“Hold on,” Beck replied. “Firstly, will I be out of firefights? I did not sign up for your revolt, I am a doctor. Secondly, what will be my pay?”

“You shall be in the med-bay, so don’t worry about firefights. And your pay shall be the double of what you would normally get.”

Beck sighed. “Fine, I am in…”

“Kim, you shall be the Chief Engineer.”

“Yes, sir!” Kim saluted the commander.

Darren smiled. He could tell he was nervous, but he also knew that Kim was among the best engineers in the Alliance. “Sara, you shall be Kim’s assistant.”

“But my knowledge-“

“You have sufficient knowledge of spaceships for this position,” Darren replied. “I cannot spare any more engineers for this mission. View this as practice. Kim will surely help you get an even better grasp of engineering.” Darren then turned his attention to the two remaining people in the room. “John and Alexander, you shall be serving as crewmen.”

Both sorcerers nodded in agreement.

“You should head to the water bays and take your posts in the starship. Dismissed.”

The Eagle’s cockpit had been remodeled by Alliance engineers. Aside from installing new, more advanced, computer systems, they also had it redecorated. Now there was an elevated, brown comfortable chair in the middle of the cockpit for the Captain and two chairs in the front, for the helmsman and the tactical officer.

Xar and D-4009 had already taken their respective seats in the front when Darren walked into the cockpit. The commander settled on the captain’s chair. “Xar, set in the coordinates for Nar-Sal.”

“Aye, Commander!” the orc replied as he typed the coordinates on the ship’s computer system.

Darren pressed a button, activating a comn link with the engine room. "Mister Kim, is the engine ready?"

"Ye- yes, sir!" Kim rushed to reply. He had been chatting with Sara when Darren called him and was surprised to hear the captain. His face had become ashen white and he had almost had a heart attack upon hearing Darren’s voice calling for him. "The ship is ready for takeoff."

"Good! Keep up the good work Kim and please do not get so frightened. I am not some kind of monster or tyrant." Darren terminated communications with the engine room and turned his attention back to Xar. “Get us out of here.”

“With pleasure.”

“Eagle, you are clear for launch,” the voice from traffic control could be heard from the comn system. Xar replied with an aye-aye as the Eagle fired up its engines, slowly rose from its docking berth and headed for the ‘pipeline’ that led to the exit from the underwater facility.

Darren was smiling. ‘I’ve missed active duty…’