Relic (Awakened Chronicles Book 2), page 13
“How—?” Carson’s tone grew incredulous. “How do you not keep track of vessels twenty miles in size?”
“The Ra were very fragmented in those days. The various City States built all kinds of things the others didn’t know about. Thank the Fates we were only into our Ion-Age back then.”
“Only, into your Ion-Age.” Carson flipped his pen onto his desk. “Well, one of these Ion-Age vessels just destroyed The Leviathan, a Fifth-Era battle cruiser.”
“Not exactly, Carson,” Rion corrected. “There was a Kir detonator embedded in the plasma bolt that struck us. That device was all-Reflex.”
“I read the report.” He still didn’t look happy. “The problem is, Rion, every time we find one of these derelict mining craft, Reflex doesn’t seem to be all that far behind.”
“Carson,” Dark entered the conversation. “There are rumblings all over the darknets about an uprising. Someone’s gathering the halfbloods. Even my own people are leaving, just disappearing. They’re joining some underground. We haven’t been able to locate their clans—at least not yet. The rumor is they have an army a million strong.”
“You think these Zuruahã halfbloods might have something to do with this new gathering?”
“We don’t know. Francesca hasn’t returned from El Dorado yet. They claim they’ve turned the vessel into an entire city—of millions.”
“Honestly, Dark, the mining vessel is the least of my worries at the moment. What really concerns me is the fact that this rather industrious group of demigods is now apparently in-control of a fully operational Reflex battle frigate. Rion—how is that even possible?”
“It’s not one of ours—I mean, it used to be. The Fifth-Era saw the loss of a lot of our warships. The Aquarii V was part of a larger support armada equipped to defend the Ganymede.”
“And what was that? Another vessel?”
“Not just another vessel, Carson.” A huge semi-transparent model of the Aquarii V appeared, filling Carson’s office as the lights dimmed. “Dozens of carriers, along with scores of destroyers and battle frigates just like the Aquarii were deployed all around the Ganymede—” The model image zoom out slowly; as the Aquarii got smaller and smaller, it was clear that another vessel of immense size was now filling room. Mouths gaped and eyes widened as the herculean vessel finally came into view, surrounded by hundreds of vessels.
“The largest ship ever constructed, larger than any that ever came after her, the Ganymede was pure elegance and unbridled power. Two hundred and fifty miles long, a hundred and eighty miles wide, and fifty miles at her tallest hulls; sixty magnum cores.”
“Good gods—” fell from Kari’s lips.
“He was utterly, invincible.”
“He?” Dark raised his brow.
“Vessels were assigned genders as a matter Ra custom, Dark. Ganymede was one of the most beautiful vessels ever designed or created by the Sentinels. The Greeks apparently picked up on parts of the legends. Ganymede became the handsome servant of the gods.”
“To Zeus himself, no less—” Julia smirked.
Rion winced and nodded. “The vessel was over-the-top in opulence. Used as a kind of showpiece of the power and knowledge of the Ra.”
“Don’t tell me these naked savages have found something like this—?” Jerrod quipped.
“No. The Ganymede doesn’t exist anymore. Just before the Battle of Atlantica, the Kir mounted a sneak attack over what is now Venezuela and Brazil. He was heavily outnumbered. The Kir decimated his defenses and utterly destroyed the Ganymede. His cores ignited.”
“Ohh—” Jerrod winced as if in pain.
Rion nodded. “There was nothing left.”
“Rion,” Carson got up from his desk, the holographic model now re-zooming in on the five-mile-long Aquarii. “I don’t need to tell you that even in our present state of combat readiness, the Dominion has no defenses against something like the Aquarii. None. If our talks with the Zuruahã break down, and that vessel starts shooting—we will not be able to defend ourselves against an orbital Reflex weapon.”
“Understood, Carson. You won’t have to. Our towers have always been operational. And they’re Sixth-Era. Trust me when I tell you that if the Aquarii starts shooting—she won’t survive when the gods start shooting back.”
34
A rtfully painted and wearing the clothing of the Zuruahã as a sign of respect, even Francesca felt a sense of awe at what the reclusive clan had built. She watched from the windows of an elegant limousine tall enough to stand within. The city they now moved through was beautiful surrounded by its manicured jungles.
“Your people are to be commended, Xuah, your accomplishments know no equal.”
“We have worked very diligently to accomplish all that we have, Miss Di Roma.”
“What are the intentions of your people, Xuah, now that you have attained the knowledge of the gods?”
“The will of the Zuruahã people are my intentions, Miss Di Roma.”
“Of course they are.” She smiled.
“For too long the Zuruahã have been locked away in a culture of castes; we have only recently abolished those castes and thrown off the chains of our captors.”
“Intriguing. And now that you are free, how will you participate with the rest of the world?”
“Like your Dominion, the Zuruahã already own vast fortunes within the global economies, Miss Di Roma. We are not just industrious, but well skilled in enterprise as well.”
“Apparently.”
“We are not just a financial force to be reckoned with, but a military superpower now as well.”
“You want recognition—”
“What we seek, is and end of the hostilities between the Sentinels and the Seven.”
“Do not we all, Xuah.”
“And yet your war continues. Age after age. And now in the past century, your hostilities between each other have only escalated.”
“The Seven have been slaughtering the gods, Xuah, not the other way around.”
“I have no cares at this moment who started the conflict nor whom is escalating it. But I assure you, Miss Di Roma, the Zuruahã intend to put an end to it.”
“The Seven can be quite cunning, Captain Xuah.”
“You are implying that the Zuruahã cannot match the intellect of the gods?” He glared out of the window. “I disagree.”
“The knowledge of the Ra was taken from the Seven at great cost; to prevent them from destroying not only ourselves but Humanity as well.”
“A Humanity the gods poisoned with the genetica of the Ra.”
“Do not be so self-loathing, Captain Xuah. Your own veins are filled with the blood of the gods. Your own Reborn have given you the ability to wield, at least for now, their knowledge.”
Xuah said nothing.
“The Sentinels want nothing but peace with the Zuruahã. They have no quarrel with your people.”
“Take back a message to your Sentinels, Miss Di Roma. We are well familiar with the prophecies. Any further escalation in the conflict between the Seven and the Sentinels, such as your last pathetic battle off the Australian Bight, will be met with swift response from the Zuruahã.”
“We understand your concerns, Captain Xuah. I will relay them to the Council.”
35
S olis moved quietly, pensively through the Halls of Solitude. He had a lot on his mind now. Things were moving quickly, much more quickly than he’d ever anticipated. The Sentinels were losing their confidence in the young Master; Rion was quickly becoming a liability instead of an asset. This was something that needed to be remedied—sooner than later.
The aging Sentinel straightened his Cardinal robes just before entering the Sanctum Illuminati. Only one other stood in the grandly gilded room. Both men embraced warmly.
“Solis, you look more and more ridiculous every time I see you in that getup.” Hades grinned, patting the shoulder of his fellow aging god. As the de facto leader of the Seven, he often had such meetings with various members of the Sentinels—most notably Hera. Both he and Solis competed for her affection.
“You would prefer to see me in suit and tie?”
“Ohhh,” the old god frowned. “Even worse. The styles these Humans invent for themselves.” He bristled. “But I don’t think you summoned me here to talk about fashion. What’s up?”
Solis half marveled and half deplored Hades’ odd demeanor. He complained constantly about Human culture, but then had no problem adopting its more base customs, including its vernacular idioms.
“Rion is becoming suspicious.”
“I’m not surprised. He thinks we murdered his parents—or rather, you did.”
Solis nodded. “He’s becoming insubordinate.”
“I heard. He kicked all of you off the bridge of The Leviathan, just before it tanked to the bottom of the sea. Nice ship too. It was the last of the Sentinel vessels.”
“The only Sentinel vessel to be built after the Era of Peace—”
“Bummer.”
“—or so we thought.”
Hades raised his brow, his face becoming serious. “The Masters built others?”
“In a manner of speaking. The halfbreeds have.”
“Impossible.” Hades countered. “The knowledge of the Masters barely works for us now. It doesn’t work for the halfbreeds—it never has.”
“Until now.”
“What are you saying? How?” Hades took hold of his arm firmly.
“The Zuruahã.”
“Oh yes,” Hades nodded. “We set them to explore the battle fields of the Aquarian fleet wreckage. What was that, fifteen, twenty thousand years ago?”
“Nineteen to be exact.”
“And they found something?”
“Indeed they have. Another mining vessel.”
“Sweet!”
“I would not be so enthusiastic at this point, my friend; not only did the Zuruahã find such a vessel, they did so long ago—a city of millions has risen with its holds. Undetected by even our scouts.”
“And this is what you get for using your missionaries instead of trained agents, Solis.”
“The missionary ruse was effective, Hades. It kept the Zuruahã from discovering our spies.”
“Where are they now?”
“They have entered the vessel. The locals call it El Dorado.”
“Oh, interesting. I always wondered where that stupid legend came from.”
“Now you know.” Solis grinned.
“Still, Solis, the mining vessel is good news, but what of the wreckage, it sounds like the Zuruahã found something else?”
“Indeed. The wreckage of the Aquarii V, among numerous others.”
“Anything salvageable?”
Solis chuckled. He met eyes with his fellow god. “Not only salvageable—the vessels are now operational. One of them lies quietly in orbit above us.” He pointed upward.
Hades blinked. Then a smile grew across his lips. “Unbelievable. But how?! The Zuruahã are halfbreeds—”
“Evidently these savages harbor enough of the Masters’ DNA to be recognized. They have managed to rebuild much of the Aquarian fleet.”
“And the Ganymede? Is he—?”
“Lost, I’m afraid. The Kir are nothing if not effective.”
Hades nodded. “That’s a pity.”
“Still, my brother, there may be hundreds of vessels lying in wait for us to procure. We have only but to stretch out our hands,” Solis motioned, “and take them!”
“But how, brother? The knowledge of the Masters works only for—”
“—the newbloods.” Solis finished.
Hade’s mind worked like lightning connecting the dots. “Of course. The Reborn prophecies. Ingenious.”
“The Masters were indeed.”
“Still, the Zuruahã are not just going to turn over their new weapons to us, Solis. I assume you have a plan?”
“Of course. Do you not know me? The missionary family you so eloquently derided a minute ago. They are gods, Hades; members of our own family. I set them on their mission trip to keep them out of harms’ way after they’d had a child.”
“Oh yes, I remember now. Gods having Human children. They were a terrible aberration.”
“You wanted to kill them as I recall.”
“Medusa, hello? Not me. She hates these Humans with a passion.”
“Whatever. The child was not just Human. I sensed some potential within the infant.”
“A Reborn?! Solis! Why didn’t you say anything?!”
“Because he was Human; and all of you wanted to kill him. I—protected them. I thought their family’s nascent genes might one day be of some value. It turns out, I was right.”
“The child lives then?”
“Not just one, but two. A young man whose whereabouts are currently unknown at the moment—I’m having some difficulty getting a straight answer from our informants. ”
“He is awakened?”
“Yes. And soon his sister will be as well. She will become our key to unlocking the knowledge of the Masters.”
“Solis, I am almost giddy with excitement. I cannot wait to inform the rest.”
“We must celebrate.”
“Indeed!” Hades grinned widely, spanking Solis’ shoulder with his palm. “Oh, and you will be sure to bring Hera, won’t you?”
“Always the player, Hades. When will you ever grow up?”
36
H e has no diplomatic ability to speak of, Gregory.” Francesca sat refined in Carson’s office. “I have seen alley cats much more streetwise.”
Carson nodded. “Interesting. Although, I would not expect the ‘warrior caste’ to have those kinds of skills.”
“It is even worse. He knows nothing of how to run his city; he relies still on the former chieftains of the aristocracy, whom he hates.”
“Yet, he pulled off a coup and unseated them.”
“Did he?”
Carson raised his brow. “You think he had help.”
“Of course. A city of nearly three million people has taken root within the holds of this ancient vessel. They are not unsophisticated; it is a city of paradise. What they lack is the ruthlessness typical of the outside world.”
“I see. You think he’s being puppeted—”
“I have no doubt.”
“Then these Zuruahã are in grave danger. If the Seven become aware of their new found power—it will be only a matter of time.”
“Too late.”
“You think it was the Seven who were pulling the strings of this coup?”
“I know Rigel’s ways all too well, Gregory.”
Carson nodded with a deep look of concern. The knowledge of the Ra was now within the grasp of the Seven. “They cannot be allowed to take possession of those vessels.”
“And what are you going to do? Blow them from the skies? There are newbloods being held aboard these vessels. Xuah made that point very clearly. He knows the Reborn are few. He intends to use them as a shield. Rion will not sacrifice the Reborn—not even to defeat the Seven.”
Carson nodded. “Then we have to find a way to get them off of those ships. Your report said there were five newbloods being held by the Zuruahã; I see only Tori, Mina, and this Xias mentioned—where are the other two?”
* * * * *
“This is so cool.” Noah watched from their tastefully set table atop Seattle’s Space Needle as the view of the late night city skyline slowly moved with the now mostly empty revolving restaurant.
“You need to get out more.” Liam smiled taking a sip from his wine glass.
“Tell me about it.” Noah grinned.
“We’re rebuilding a starcruiser and suddenly you get excited about a restaurant view?”
“We’ve been down there for weeks, Liam. Dark chasms; empty corridors. We needed a break.”
He nodded. “No, I agree.”
“Seattle’s beautiful.” Noah looked out at the bay with the lights of a ferry crossing the sound.
“Next to Vancouver, I think it’s my favorite city.”
Noah finished taking a sip of wine from his glass. “So, what’s our plan? We need to find Hope and my parents, and your friends are still being held by Xuah’s warriors somewhere.”
“I don’t know what to do yet,” Liam admitted. “We’ve been so focused on restoring the ship.”
“I hope they’re okay.”
“They’re fine, I’m sure. We’ll find them, Noah.”
“How?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“You know what I think?” Noah took another sip from his glass. “I think Xuah has them on the Aquarii.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Intuition.”
“Yea, well, I’m not questioning that intuition of yours anymore. You seem to know things without knowing them.”
“I don’t know things, Liam, it just seems like I do.”
“Sure. Like you know just exactly what tools and food to order from the creators?”
“I don’t know how that happens. It just—feels like we need something we don’t have. I can’t explain it. The creator just reads my feelings. It’s smarter than I am.”
“Yea, well, I get nothing. Apparently you’re both smarter than I am.”
The maître-d’ approached their table with a fresh bottle of wine. “Gentlemen, another bottle? Your entrées will be out momentarily.”
Liam nodded.
He set the new bottle on the table. “I didn’t notice if your server checked your ID’s. We have to card everyone under thirty these days. If you wouldn’t mind—”
“It’s fine,” Liam waved him off. “We’re both twenty-one.”
“I’m sure, but the law requires me to check. If you wouldn’t mind.” Liam’s feelings were suddenly all over the guy. He’d lied. He wasn’t really interested in whether or not they were old enough. He had ulterior motives.
“We’re not,” Liam smiled, “actually bound by Human laws. No offense.”
“Ah—?” the waiter seemed dumbstruck for a moment.
Liam’s met eyes with the thirty-something headwaiter. An unworldly glow softly lighting up his purple irises.
