The Xhalaks Begin to Function
The Xhalaks had all risen to the planet's surface. Their top shells were 420 feet tall. They had a very large, segmented tail that descended from their top shell. At the sides of their shells were 4 shorter, thinner, segmented, metallic tentacles which the Xhalak used to align itself in at upright position or to align it to where it wanted to go. The Xhalak was also a highly technologically advanced mechanical creature. Its intelligence was a powerful supercomputer within its top shell that received commands from the Ancient Archons through electromagnetic resonance. The Xhalak was the planet's atmosphere processor and when they all rose up, and were now aligned straight in the planet's surface and in the surface, they began to absorb the toxic gases of the atmosphere, heated the underground rocky layer and transpired clean oxygen, steam and mist. They emitted a mysterious and eerie hum when activated, and sounded as choirs of maidens.
Sanctum of Orchids, Salgar Dominion
High priestess Akashma Xil'ha (a Temsek) was in her living quarters at the Sanctum of Orchids. Her female Temsek attendants dressed her up with her Crimson Order operative armor and gear. It consisted of a red crimson cloak with hood, tight kuprix plate armor mixed with pieces of light chain armor. The crimson cloak was made of cloth and embedded with tiny fiber optic cells and tiny, kuprix cells, which served as electronic sensors of the surroundings. The fiber optic and kuprix lattice embedded in the cloak also generated an electromagnetic field around the wearer and could deflect small projectiles and provide with invisibility. The energy field turned into an invisible cloak and allowed Crimson Order operatives from Salgar to camouflage themselves when performing high risk missions. So Akashma was now fully geared up and traveled with her aide, the Asemtek Kaelor Wyn. They all wore the same gear and went to a transporter spaceship which laid in the Sanctum's upper floor. Akashma took the pilot seat and raised the spaceship up as the hangar bay's door opened and allowed the spaceship to get out.
As the spaceship flew to the air and sped away, Akashma said, "We're coming for you, Tlandar!" Then the spaceship flew to the horizon and got lost in the distance. The Sanctum of Orchids was a massive stone complex embedded in a side of a mountain peak in the tallest mountain range of Salgar dominion. The virgin priestesses went to Chieftain Salgar, "Your majesty, the Spirit of Astashica spoke to us. She knows the Oracle of the Aurora Ascendant and we've learned that an asemtek boy from Verdantis Nexus was born with the Aurora Ascendant gene. He is the hero of prophecy, the one who will lead us and protect our planet," they said. "I understand. Where is Akashma?" Salgar asked. They said, "She has just prepared and sallied forth with her aide Kaelor in a transporter ship to Verdantis Nexus to look for Tlandar and bring it here", they said. "How could she take vital decisions that concern us all on her own? But since she just left, let it be. If she brings this prophesied hero, I want to see him. I want him to receive our quality Crimson Order training. I want him to be ours and inherit our legacy as protectors of the planet Astashica. I support the spirit of Astashica. We'll take this boy and carry out the prophecy as it was prophesied. It is true, were exposed to a grave danger. My spies have just told me that Chieftain Cosmus has turned against us and has declared his intent for planetary supremacy. He will wage a prolong war with us for sole dominion of the planet", Salgar said. The virgin priestesses became distressed and sad. "So you see, it is true, the oracle was right. We must prepare for any battle at any time that may ensue, in our dominion or on Val'katl's. If on Val'katl's, I am ready to support him and offer my full help. We'll go help him. For now, let's wait what news Akashma brings", Salgar said.
Zehrun Crossing, Salgar-Val'katl Dominions' Border
The transport ship where Akashma Xil'ha was traveling with Kaelor, just arrived at Zehrun Crossing, between the border of Salgar and Val'katl's dominions. The ship landed on a nearby clearing, a junction between different villages and the road to New Asemeri. "Kaelor, from here on, I'll go alone. Follow me and give me cover with the ship. Keep it cloaked," Akashma said. She got off the ship and the ship elevated again and hovered nearby, cloaked. Akashma activated her cloaking technology in her crimson cloak. She traveled carefully, by foot, on the road, to the village Verdantis Nexus. The Xhalaks had by now cleaned the air and the atmosphere. She did not need to wear an spacesuit. She walk just with her kuprix armor and crimson cloak. She entered the road that lead to Verdantis Nexus. As she walked that road, there were dozens and dozens of bodies, on the ground, of villagers and marauders. All of them dead, mutilated and there were dozens of plasma rifles and weapons thrown in the ground.
"This is disgusting," Akashma said. She continue walking to Verdantis Nexus. When she reached the agricultural village in the outskirts of New Asemeri, she found out it had a large glass dome and it was designed as a walled circle. She walked to one of the gates. She approached the gate's control panel. Tried to see if she could activate it and open the gate. The gate was airlocked and deactivated. It had its power turned off. She took out of her leather bag an small portable computer and used it to activate the control panel. She shared her computer's power with the terminal only to power the microchip of the control panel and the electronic pathway to activate and open the gate. Her computer was connected to XENOVIS, a powerful, cloud supercomputer which was in its turn connected to the Sanctum of Orchids. She used a XENOVIS fork installed in her computer to open the gate.
As the gate opened, she placed her computer back inside her leather bag. She put her cloak's hood on. And went inside the village. When she was now on the other side of the gate, inside the village, the gate closed behind her. She passed through an airlock and after, was now inside the village. She saw countless more dead bodies of villagers and marauders, laying all over the ground in the village. She found the village in ashes. All the villager houses burned. All their wooden columns where down and darkened with smoke. She moved through the village, searching rows of houses and rows of houses. All she saw were countless bodies and more debris. Suddenly, she found a few wounded survivors, all villagers, here and there. She approached one of them, which was seated by some fallen stone bricks. "What happened here?" Akashma asked. "We survived a great onslaught!" the villager whom she talked to, a male old asemtek, said. "I worked on the village's workshop. I made tools and equipment. Suddenly, the marauders came, plundered everything. They killed us all. They kill all our cattle. They stole everything. Then left when done. We who survived played dead until they left. I'm lucky I'm still alive but we are left in shambles," the villager said.
"Thank you for telling me this. What's your name?" Akashma said. "I'm Ioyutkal," he said. "Do you know, Ioyutkal, where I can find Tlandar Varn's house?" she said. "I'm not sure who he is but I heard about Kaelis Varn, the Varn family farm. Their farm is just 10 blocks from here. Go from here there. I'll mark it on a piece of paper, if you have one," Ioyutkal said. Akashma gave him a piece of paper from her bag and a pen. "Here. Just follow this path and you'll find the farm. That's where you need to go," the villager said. "Thank you Ioyutkal, and I'm so sorry to what happened to you. Is there any way I can help you with? Do you need money, food, anything?" Akashma said. "Anything you want to give is fine," the villager said. "Then take this 300 kuprix" Akashma said. Then gave him an small bag with 300 kuprix coins. "Thank you for your help" Akashma said. Then she followed the path as marked by the villager to the Varn family farm.
The Varn Family Farm
Akashma just arrived to the Varn Family Farm. She found the same thing scattered about, corpses of villagers and marauders. Some mutilated. A lot of mutilated cattle and thousands of burned debris and collapsed structures. "Finally, here it is!" Akashma said. She entered the property and found the farmhouse. It had collapsed due to fire. Some walls of the farmhouse was still standing. She walked through fallen wooden beams and bricks. She found a wooden drawer that was still intact. She smashed open its lock and opened it. She found dozens of documents of the Varn family. She grabbed all these documents together and immediately put them in her leather bag. She continue searching around the house for more clues. But could not stand the horrible sight of corpses any longer and left. She kept walking around the property for more clues of Tlandar's whereabouts.
As she walked about, suddenly found the farm's spaceship underground hangar. It's gate doors where broken and debris laid inside the single-room hangar. "They had an spaceship?" Akashma thought. "Where did they go? Where are their bodies?" She said. "I don't understand. But I'll go outside, search the village's outskirts if there are any XENOVIS hubs anywhere. Maybe they recorded this incident and provide me more clues about Tlandar's where abouts," She said. She left and went around the village outskirts.
Kaelor, upon seeing Akashma outside the village, in the outskirts, followed her with their transport ship cloaked and low noise. Akashma talked to Kaelor through her intercom, "Scan for any signatures of any XENOVIS hub around the village," she said. Kaelor said to the ship's AI, "Scan and search for any XENOVIS hub in the immediate vicinity". The transport ship AI said, "Confirmed. One XENOVIS hub located at coordinates 20, 0, -1." Then Kaelor relayed the coordinates to Akashma's portable computer. "I've sent the coordinates of one XENOVIS hub to your computer terminal" he said. "Got it, thank you Kaelor" Akashma said. Then she walked to the coordinates given by Kaelor. She found a XENOVIS hub, in the form of a metallic orb, embedded in a metallic socket earth beneath the ground. Half of the orb could be seen above the ground and had mobile nodes that scanned the environment. She took out here portable computer and connected wirelessly to the XENOVIS hub, the orb. The orb rejected her connection at once. "Kaelor, its not letting me in" Akashma said to Kaelor through her intercom. "I'll get in and do it for you" Kaelor said. He connected to the orb. He hacked and bypassed the passcode and extracted all the recorded material from its temporary memory. "I got it" Kaelor said to Akashma. "Well done" Akashma said. Then the ship descended, lowered its gate door and Akashma got it. Then close it and impulse itself into the air.
"Very good, Kaelor. Lets see what we got. But first lets move away from here, to the nearby forest. Land the ship there while we go though the data," Akashma said. Then the ship traveled to a nearby forest, adjacent to the village. It was quiet there and small dinosaurs roam the forest. "So, the data says the village was attacked and plundered by an Ixtielan marauder band. They left afterwards. But, here it shows there was another ship, not part of the marauder band, that left as well, and before the marauder left the village. It was a Verdant-Class transport ship," Akashma said. "Exactly" Kaelor said. "The ship departed from the Varn family farm. That must be Tlandar. Lets follow the path of this ship!" Akashma said. "Very good, you have good senses Akashma" Kaelor said. Then they elevated their ship with its vertically-aligned thrusters and aligning it straight again, sped off to New Asemeri. The search for Tlandar, the boy of prophecy, had just begun.
The Artisan's Delight
The artisan is a talented master;
He makes works of beauty and delight.
He exceeds in virtue and technique.
Verdantis artisans are talented;
They create works of excellence.
In harmony they find merit;
In symmetry charm.
Weapons they produce are not without
Pulchritude; theirs are not the ways
Of destruction.
In art there is mastery of the senses.
Ability is the virtue of technique
In ability is mastery of artistry;
Art is the artisan's joy.