It was early in the morning hour and the sun hadn’t come up yet. Gerok and Aiko walked through the mountains slowly, looking around for the entrance to the caves. There was nothing out there but small desert animals, sand and rocks. The temperature gets really cold over night almost freezing every time. Gerok and Aiko were wrapped in thick furs as they carried the bags and gear on their backs. The further they went into the mountains; it wouldn’t be long before they spotted a Red Beard Barbarian. In the center of the Maravel Mountains on Lotus was a small valley. There was the entrance to the inside of the mountain and but Gerok wasn’t sure how to find it.

The Lotucian people did not know the real numbers of the Red Beards. They believed no man could truly survive living the Wastelands, but they were wrong. The Red Beards figured out a way to survive. They figured out how to hunt desert animals and big birds that roam the skies. Most times, that wasn’t enough especially once their numbers started to grow. When the Lotus storms would come through sometimes the debris would bring them more supplies. Different trees and plants that were ripped from the ground traveled really far to land in the middle of the desert. If it wasn’t for the mountains and the valley, the Red Beards wouldn’t have fresh water. They found a way to make it work for them. The Red Beards were known to be survivors…

Aiko stopped and pulled Gerok aside, hiding behind a huge boulder. “Wait, that’s the second time they’ve passed like that. I think they know we’re following them…” Aiko peeked around the rock to get a better look and the Barbarians were gone.

“Where did they go?” Gerok did the same and tried to peek around the corner. By the time he turned his head, there were two spears pointed at their heads. Gerok slowly looked up and put up his hands surrendering.

Aiko turned to Gerok holding her hands above her head, “I told you they knew we were following them…” She glared at Gerok for not taking it slower. The Red Beard Barbarians nudged Gerok and Aiko to stand up and walk with them. They pushed and shoveled the two down the hill.

Gerok fixed his fur coat and turned around to face the much taller Barbarians. They gave Gerok a look like they rather kill him instead of turning him in but, Gerok always had his ways. “I’m looking for Cain…” When he dropped the Red Beard leader’s name they stopped in their tracks. “The leader of the Moonbacks, his cousin Jovi, sent me here. I’m here to offer Cain something he can’t refuse… Lotus.”

Barbarians looked at each other. Their tattoos were fire red and their tribal designs covered their bodies. They wore fur skins and thick skin boots. Both also carried swords along with the spears. The taller Barbarian had a thick bronze colored braided beard with bright orange colored hair. The bright orange or bronze hair was their trademark. He looked at Gerok then Aiko and said, “Wait here.” His partner stayed behind. He was shorter but stocky for his height. His long-braided hair was in a high pony tail. He had his attention stuck on Aiko. He kept looking at her every chance he got, even though he never said a word. Gerok moved closer to Aiko and stood in front of her. The plans that were in Gerok’s head were starting to change.

Gerok turned around and grabbed Aiko by the side of her arms. “Listen.” He moved Aiko back so the Barbarian couldn’t hear, “I don’t want you going in there with me. Go away and go to Nego. Find out everything we need to know about the Sagens. Find Iya and her Captain…” Aiko was shocked and upset, the plan wasn’t to split up just yet. “I don’t like the way he’s looking at you. I can’t protect us from all of them.”

Aiko started looking around thinking about how she was going to pull this part of the plan by herself. She looked up and said, “Gerok…”

“I know… don’t worry about me. Trust the plan. We’ll communicate with updates only at night, stay off the line otherwise. Once the force field is down get out of there… Do you hear me?”

Aiko shook her head yes and grabbed her backpack. She walked backwards for a few steps looking at Gerok before turning around. It would take her half a day by foot to get to the city of Nego from the mountains. Gerok watched Aiko walk away before turning around and following the Barbarian. He knew she would be fine. Aiko was the only person he trusted to handle anything.

Gerok followed behind the Barbarians when the taller one returned. The valley through the mountains was long and narrow. Tall sharp boulders surrounded them as they walked up a hill into the mountain’s entrance. Gerok was amazed once he stepped inside to what he saw. The mountain was hollowed out inside and columns and rows of little homes were carved into the sides. Layer after layer all the way up to the top was filled with the Red Beards people. The floor was dark red sand, the same color as the walls inside. Thousands lived within the Maravel Mountain. Gerok was not expecting to see anything like this.

The orange or the bronze hair with dark brown skin tone was the their dominant trait. As the Barbarians escorted Gerok to Cain’s layer, they all stopped to get a look at the stranger. Little orange haired children bounced around staring as they walked by. They never received any visitors, most have lived there their whole lives and never seen other people. Gerok looked just as surprised as they were. There were large fire pits in the corners to keep everyone warm and an even larger fire pit to the far left in the back. The area looked like a kitchen. Two men worked together, one feeding the fire while the other turned a large bird roasting on a pole.

As the escorting Barbarians and Gerok got closer towards the middle, they saw Cain walking their way. He was a tall and well built Barbarian. If it wasn’t for his white and gray long braids, you couldn’t tell he was an elder man. He bread was orange with streaks of gray going through it. He wore his red and black armor with fur and cloth as undergarments. When he walked up to the group, he towered over Gerok. The two Barbarians stopped in their tracks and saluted him. Cain walked directly up to Gerok and asked, “Who the hell are you? Jovi knows better than to send a stranger to me.”

Gerok stepped back a little out of Cain’s face, “I’m here to offer you something you can’t refuse… That’s why Jovi sent me.”

The Red Beard Leader let out a loud and hardy laugh, “What’s that?! Fame and riches? Jovi is as gullible as a child… I don’t care about nothing except the survival of my clan.” Cain got closer, getting back into Gerok’s face, “Can you promise me my people won’t starve to death?”

Gerok stood still and confident. He didn’t move this time when he answered, “Yes.”

Cain’s face dropped as he looked confused and shocked by his answer. Even the two Barbarians nearby turned and made a face. Cain found his answer too good to be true, “How so? Don’t walk in here with some bullshit, Gerok is it?”

Gerok nodded yes to his name, “I used to tell my wife all the time that I’m allergic to bullshit… I mean that. I always mean what I say. I have someone on the inside as we speak. She’s placing explosives around some of the generators. When she’s finished, she will update me tonight. The City of Nego can be yours tomorrow…”

Cain cut his eyes at Gerok questioning his motives, “What do you get out of this? I know there’s something you want from me.” He stood tall and straight as he looked down waiting for his answer.

“I’m just looking for more allies. Sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot. I want to live in a universe free from the Star Lord and the Council’s control. I want to live free from the Sagens as well. Who are here by the way. All of their communication terminals have been sabotaged, th here to replace them.”

“We know about the Sagen’s arrival. They haven’t been here in some years, we knew there had to be a reason. The Lotucian force field is fading either way. We believed they recharge after the storms. They have been flashing on and off lately.” The wheels started turning in Cain’s head. The thought of his people starving made him feel desperate. An opportunity like this has never presented itself before. Even with the Sagens being there, it was a risk his was willing to take.

“If we wait till the Sagens leave…”

“No!” Cain angrily snapped back, “We don’t have much time left. I didn’t know what I was doing to do until now! You’re going to blow up the generators and we are going to take what is ours. This planet doesn’t belong to the Lotucian. The food grown from the ground belongs to us all! I have women and children that will starve.” Cain was so close to Gerok their foreheads can touch, “Do you understand me now? I want to see their sky fall…”

“Not all of the force field will be destroyed with small explosives. Just enough to get through… The only thing is if a storm comes there is no guarantee Nego will survive. We will work on taking over Azul and the other parts later. Do we have a deal? You get Nego and all of it’s supplies, in turn you and your men join my army. When the time comes of course…” Gerok extended his hand out to seal the deal between them.

Cain looked around while scratching the back of his neck, “You leave me with no choice. Like you said an offer I cannot refuse…”

Gerok gave Cain a small smirk, “You won’t regret joining my cause.”

***

It was early in the morning hour and the sun hadn’t come up yet. There were still a few hours of dark left, Iya and Kal made the best of it. Every night since they hand-fasted on Ren they have managed to spend the night together. It’s a risk they’re willing to take…. Iya moaned softly in Kal’s ear as she gripped his back with her hands. He picked up his speed as Kal held up to one of Iya’s thighs. Both moaned loudly as they released into one another. He slowly caressed her body as he kissed her all over from head to toe, “I hated this part, I have to go…”

Kal laid his head on her stomach, caressing her hips. Iya closed her eyes and replied, “I hated it too… But I’m happy we found a way. I would do anything to stay with you.”

He lifted his head of Iya’s stomach, “Me too… I love you so much.” Kal slid of the bed and grabbed his pants off the floor. He turned around facing Iya as she watched him get dressed, “Are we going back to the Wastelands today? We didn’t spot any Barbarians yesterday nor the day before.”

Iya sat up holding the sheet over her bare breast, “I know, I understand what you’re trying to say. We can’t stay forever… The best thing for us to do right now is focus on keeping those force fields up. If Jayce can redirect the way the generators recharge, then we can leave Lotus knowing they will all be safe from any attacks.”

“You know Amos isn’t going to want to leave until he knows the Red Beard Clan is dead. They must be deep in the mountains.” Kal leaned down and kissed Iya on her lips as he finished getting dressed.

Iya hopped off her bed and walked towards her bathroom naked, “That isn’t up to him, is it?” She turned smirking at Kal knowing he was watching.

“What are you going to do about Amos? You know the punishment regardless is exile and his name dishonored… Even if it was untended. It’s not fair.”

Iya grabbed her robe then turned on the water into the circular tub. She walked back out, meeting Kal at the elevator. “I know, I haven’t talked to him yet about the whole situation. I’m honestly not sure what to do. He doesn’t deserve to get punished. He fell in love and a child was the result of that love…” Iya gave Kal a kiss on the cheek as he stepped into the elevator, “I’ll talk to him today. I’m thinking of taking a large convoy of three hundred to Nego. We need to know more about where we’re at.”

“The damn city is four times bigger then Azul. I’m sure there’s weak spots.” Kal winked at Iya as the doors closed. Iya shook her head smiling as she returned to her bathroom. Kal always got off on a different floor, just in case. He didn’t want to always run into the same soldiers walking the same direction. This time he got off on his own floor, something he didn’t usually do. As he walked to his room, he bumped into Jayce.

Jayce smiled as he didn’t look all that surprised but curious more than anything, “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Kal immediately regretted breaking his own rules, “Hey Jayce… I was just leaving my room.”

“That’s funny cause I was just knocking on your door a seconds ago and you didn’t answer. You got a new lady friend you’re courting and not telling me about, best friend?”

Kal was doing his best not to get frustrated. It would only give more flame to Jayce’s expert nosiness. He inhaled deep then replied, “Come on, Jayce. No there isn’t anyone, besides you know that’s against the rules.

We aren’t allowed to be intimate with anyone outside the Warrior’s Solstice. You saying I’m breaking my own military laws?”

Jayce gave Kal a big smile, “No… no I would never say something like that. Just curious is all… I haven’t seen my best friend in weeks. As matter of fact, since the last Warrior’s Solstice. I’ve been meaning to ask Iya, do we plan on being back home for it? Surra definitely makes me wait, if you know what I mean.” He winked at Kal while nudging his arm.

“I’m honestly not sure. You’ll have to ask Iya that question. We’re about to meet in a few to discuss accompanying you to Nego. Taking about three hundred with us over there to cover more ground.”

“Good, well let’s go find her than so I won’t have to explain this twice.” Jayce and Kal walked together back towards the elevator. When the doors closed, Jayce couldn’t help to speak his mind, “So, you and Iya have been super close lately. Wondering if I’m getting replaced by my own twin sister and all.”

Kal cut his eyes at Jayce then shook his head, “Jayce… come on. Now you’re being ridiculous.”

The elevator bell dinged before the doors opened, “Am I?” Jayce give Kal a big sarcastic smile and said, “Just wondering…”

On the first floor, Iya had just arrived and began organizing the groups she wanted to accompany her. Most were going to stay at the war carrier, while the others branched off into smaller convoys in Nego. Iya wanted Jayce’s tech team to be protected at all times plus they needed to know the layout of the city. Iya looked up and saw Kal and Jayce walking towards her. She was excited to see them, “Aw! Just the people I wanted to see. A large convoy will accompany you today, including Kal and I.”

Jayce walked up to the crowd looking around, “Yea Kal already told me… I need to explain to you how this is going to work. I don’t have all the parts needed to turn the main energy source into solar power. I’m glad you’re bringing a convoy because this might take some time. I will need help gathering up all the required parts.” Kal and Iya looked up at one another. They were hoping this wasn’t going to take that long. Jayce noticed their reactions, “What, you guys think this was going to be a quickie? Those generators are designed to only capture the electromagnetic energy storms create. Bypassing the energy source to something different is going to require making panels that will capture the suns energy. Am I making sense?”

Iya rolled her eyes at her brother’s question, “Perfect sense… just let us know what we need to look for and it’ll get done. We leave an hour… The only way to travel to Nego is through the large tunnels. They have vehicles that transport everyone back and forth. I’d imagine Nego has everything Azul doesn’t have, the markets, housing of the people and farmlands.”

“Who knows what we’ll find over there. I’ve never seen Creature and Human folk live together in harmony like this. This place is truly special on so many different levels.” Both Iya and Jayce shook their heads agreeing with Kal. “When we arrive over there, we will need a list to know what to get.”

Jayce jumped up and pulled a list from his pants side pocket. “I have us already covered. The queen was concerned about not having advanced enough parts for the generators. I explained to her that solar energy is easy to capture through heat and ultraviolent rays. The parts for the panels are simple to find as long as they had enough materials.” Jayce pulled a dark blue coin from the middle of his list. There was a picture of the Queen Amara on one side and her son on the other. “The queen told me to take this blue coin and show it all the merchants I need supplies from. They will give us the materials for no charge.” Jayce lifted both of his eyebrows up and down, gloating over his special privileges.

Iya walked away shaking her head at her brother. “Let’s go, we have much to do…” Everyone gathered and walked down the tunnel entrance. They were amazed at what they saw. The half oval shaped tunnel was large, wide and straight shot to the other side. Large white pods that sat more than thirty people strapped down, slid to and from the cities on tracks. They were also powered by the generators. Six pods went back and forth on the five-mile two-sided track.

Once they reached the other side, it was everything Iya had thought it would be. Nego was setup in three huge sections. It all fit like a three-piece pie, to one side was the market and stores. Connected to the markets were rows and columns of small houses and tall housing buildings. Anyone who didn’t live in the kingdom city Azul lived in Nego. The population was growing in numbers due to the protection of the force fields. There were people everywhere, walking around almost shoulder to shoulder.

The last piece of the pie was the farmlands. Rows of vegetables crops and as well as rows of trees that produced fruit. Herds of live stock walked around in groups, big four legged animals ran around. Smaller animals ran around in their own area. The meat market was fully stocked of freshly slaughtered animals as they hung in the windows in the stores. Fresh fish was caught from the man-made ponds, they had everything they needed. In the markets, the Lotucian people have accomplished a lot.

The Sagens were escorted by a handful of royal soldiers to the generators and their terminal. The Sagen soldiers knew what their roles were and began to quick gather the materials. Jayce gave each group a list of what the Third borns needed in order to build the solar panels. They began to study the generators to take them apart. There were several blacksmiths and small hardware stores. Once the materials were gathered, all the Sagens quickly got to work. The other half of the large convoy started patrolling Nego looking for anything out of place. Iya believed in getting familiar with every place they’ve visited.

A few hours went by and Iya managed to only walk a quarter of the city. She kept her eyes on her people but mostly on Jayce. He ran around scrambling pieces together trying to make the panels work. When Kal got the chance, he grabbed Iya by her arm and pulled her into a small building. It looked like a storage unit for supplies. What they didn’t notice was Aiko lurking in the shadows following them. She walked up to the side of the window and listened in on their conservation.

Iya spoke softly, “Kal someone is going to see us…”

“It’ll be quick, I’ve been meaning to give to you.” Kal held up a gold chain necklace with a matching bracelet.

“Since we’re hand-fasted, I want to have something to symbolize our union.”

Aiko’s head sprung up when she heard Kal’s words. They’re married, she thought. She turned her head as she continued listening.

“The bracelet was sized to fit your wrist. I thought you would like the bracelet more. The necklace would be easier for me to took in under my armor. I hope you like them…”

Iya huffed and smiled, “I don’t like them Kal, I love them as much as I love you.” They both turned when they heard a noise coming from outside. “We should…”

“I know…” Kal hooked the gold necklace around his neck and quickly gave Iya a peck on the cheek. “Tonight, we’ll celebrate…” Iya nodded in agreement to Kal’s proposal. As they walked out the building together, Aiko changed into Gerok before they could see her.

She stayed leaned up against the wall as they walked by. When they got far enough away Aiko said the words Gerok told her to say while pretending to be him. “I could have sworn that it was illegal for the Sagen Commander and the Captain to have a relationship.” Aiko’s words made Iya and Kal stop in their tracks. They both turned around shocked from what they just heard. Aiko’s knew Gerok’s smile down to the T. She smirked big as she looked at Iya and Kal stand in there confused. “I guess the forbidden apple doesn’t fall from the tree… I wonder what your father King Jaron would say. I really wonder what you’re willing to do to keep your secret.”

Although Iya didn’t recognize him right away, he felt familiar. She knew in her gut it was him, “Gerok!” Iya screamed as she spearheaded towards Aiko. Kal was only a few behind her as Aiko took off running as well. Aiko knew if Iya or Kal caught her it was all over. All three were maneuvering through the crowds. Aiko had her chance to change back into her own skin when she turned a corner too quick for Iya and Kal to notice. When she changed back into herself, Aiko was able to walk right pass the two as they ran by. They stopped at the corner looking for who they thought was Gerok.

Iya screamed a loud in frustration for losing her main enemy. To make matters worse, he now knows their very big secret. They kept looking around for any signs of Gerok until one of Iya’s soldiers grabbed her attention. He was running to find her, “Commander! You have to come look! At the boarder there are Barbarians, the Red Beards…”

Iya turned in the direction the soldier was pointing and decided to follow the soldier. As they walked up to the where the force field met the ground, Iya and Kal saw Gerok on the other side. Kal’s eyes tried to refocus through the energy force field not believing what he saw. “That’s fucking impossible…” Gerok waved at his niece and her lover, saluting them with two fingers. Gerok walked back to the line of Barbarians. They stood back at least twenty feet away from the force field, they knew what was about to happen.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three generators exploded, each on opposite ends of one another. Kal grabbed Iya quickly pulling her back away from any debris. They saw some of their soldiers flying into the air. Iya’s instinct was to run towards her people. Her mind started to cloud from all the chaos, she had to snap out of her trace of rage. It dawned on her that Jayce was working one of the generators that blew up. She turned around and screamed, “Jayce!” Three out of the six grids that held together the force fields suddenly began to blink then disappeared. People inside began panicking and creating chaos. The Red Beards watched amazed that Gerok’s plan on worked. They slowly started walking towards the line separating the Wastelands from Nego. Now that half of the force field was gone, there was no line…