Fractured Earth Saga 1: Apocalypse Orphan (22 page)

“It is not magic?”

“It is called technology—a science from the past. Jonar must have gotten the idea from the books you said he had found.”

“These books you speak of are tomes of great wisdom?”

“At one time, buildings held vast collections of books on medicine, agriculture, science, religion, and many other subjects.”

The priest, who had been listening attentively, asked, “How do you know this, Wolf? May I call you Wolf? How do you know about the past so well?”

All eyes moved to Wolf, awaiting an answer to the priest’s innocently phrased question.

“Be careful, Commander,” Syn whispered in his ear.

“I have studied the past. Before my land was destroyed, my people had accumulated a great storehouse of ancient lore. It is all gone now,” Wolf lied, but his eyes reflected a glimmer of sadness for all to see.

“I am sorry, Wolf, that I have brought up unwanted memories. Since we have not been properly introduced, I will rectify that. I am Randelf, Grand Priest of Jesu.” The priest paused and then asked, “There were religious books from your past?”

Wolf nodded.

“Pity, we only have word of mouth handed down. A holy book would have been a true blessing to this world,” the priest said with a wistful expression.

Wolf studied the priest for a moment and then said, “Randelf, I may have a book on my ship that can help you. On my next visit to the castle, I will bring it to you.”

“Sir, if you have anything from our Lord you might share, I would be forever grateful.” Syn’s voice whispered in his ear, “Commander, we have no hard copies of any book on board. Do you want me to produce a book for him?”

Wolf smiled at the priest and nodded, intending it as an affirmative response to Syn.

“Which book? A missalette? Hymnal? Bible?” Syn asked.

“I believe I have a copy of what was called the Holy Bible,” Wolf said, answering Syn’s question but addressing his reply to the priest.

“Very well, Commander. I will produce a small Bible for you,” Syn whispered. “Should it be written in the dialect on the stela?”

Wolf asked the king, “Sire, is the language on the stela common to all?”

Waylan nodded, and Wolf said, “I would like some air for a few moments.” He stood from the dining table and walked out onto a beautiful terrace, glancing around to make sure he was alone.

“Syn, I want a grand production,” Wolf whispered. “Illustrations, pictures, and I want it beautifully bound. Make it about this big,” he gestured, using his hands to show the dimensions, “…about two feet wide, three feet long and six to eight inches thick. Did you get enough from the stela to write in this new language?"

“Yes, Commander. I have extrapolated the meanings from most of the words and converted the symbols to the alphabet of this time. I have nearly mastered the stela writing.”

“Good, then use the stela language. The King James Version should be fine. In the back, set it up with the Catholic practices. The modern ones, not the Spanish Inquisition stuff.”

“Yes, Commander, but why Christianity? Why not Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, or some form of mythology? This is an agricultural society, so they might worship many gods, or nature deities, or perhaps the two moons.”

“Based on my discussions with the priest, the people of this kingdom are monotheistic. Their religious beliefs embrace the concept of heaven and hell, and they follow a set of moral precepts nearly identical to the Ten Commandments,” Wolf explained. “When they pray, they refer to
Jesu
, an obvious reference to Jesus. I assume his name came to be mispronounced over the centuries. These people have other customs too that seem to be rooted in Christianity, so all things considered, I think a Bible is the right choice, and it will be a great gift to these people.”

“Very well, Commander. We don’t have a printing press on the ship, but I have a 3-D printer. I’ll come up with something.”

“I know you will, Syn, you always do.” Wolf looked out at the clear night sky. The stars seemed alien to him. After a long silence, he asked, “Were you able to trace the signal on that crude transmitter?”

“Who are you talking to, my lord?” a sultry voice inquired from behind him.

“I am talking to myself, Jhondra. I was working out some thoughts aloud. I just needed to hear them. It is a common practice to some.”

Jhondra laughed lightly. “Yes, a common practice to crazy people.”

Syn replied tersely, “No, Commander, the signal was too weak.”

“Come, let us go back in. I am in need of another drink,” Wolf said.

“I agree. I will get you one.” Jhondra moved to Wolf’s side and slipped her arm through his.

“Fast little hussy. I’m watching you, Wolf,” Syn growled. Wolf tried to suppress a faint smile but couldn’t and Syn hissed ominously, “I saw that!”

Chapter 16

W
olf was asleep in his room at Waylan’s castle. He had spent the last three days learning about the king’s lands and people. On the third night, he stayed up late talking to Onel. He had just drifted off to sleep when Syn’s voice in his ear brought him awake.

“Commander, I have finished the items you requested.”

“Syn, it’s very early,” Wolf groaned. “Did you feel an obscure need to wake me?”

“You told me to inform you when I finished. Well, I’m done.”

“Women,” Wolf mumbled, needing another hour of sleep but climbing out of bed.

“Whatever,” Syn shot back with an authentic, human laugh.

Wolf dressed and went to the door. Two guards stood watch outside. King Waylan had assured him that he had the run of the castle, and he was not a prisoner. The guards were to escort him around the castle grounds, essentially serving as tour guides. He was to tell them what he wanted, and they would take him to it.

“I need to see the king,” Wolf announced as the guards snapped to attention and saluted.

“Whenever you are ready, sir,” said the older guard.

“I am prepared now. Let’s go.”

The guards led Wolf to the throne room, where King Waylan was in deep conversation with Onel and a small group of advisers. As Wolf entered, the king glanced up with a smile and said, “Good morning, my friend! Have you come to keep me company?”

“Unfortunately, no, Your Majesty. I need to attend to my possessions. I’ll return as soon as I can.”

“I’m sorry, but leaving is out of the question,” Waylan said, frowning.

“I thought I was a friend, not a prisoner.”

“We are under siege. Jonar has declared war. The castle will be under attack in a week. If you leave, we may not be able to get you back inside the walls. My men are out in the countryside now warning our people. Many will come to the castle in the next few days. Others will scatter, and many will die. I can’t spare a patrol to escort you back.”

“That’s a shame,” Wolf said. “I still need to go. I can be back in four days, but I don’t need a guide. I know the way.”

The king stood and extended his hand in friendship. “I hope to see you again, Wolf.”

“I will see you in four days.”

“Four days it is, my friend!” the king said. “I will plan to dine with you then. Farewell.”

Waylan returned to his advisers, and Wolf was escorted from the throne room back to his quarters to collect his belongings. When he was alone in his room, he asked, “Syn, how fast can you get to the outside of the castle?”

“Quicker than you can imagine, Commander. Why?”

“Pick me up right outside the mountain range. I want to have a look at Jonar’s army.”

“We can see it from here, Commander. You forgot…we have satellites deployed.”

“Yes, I did forget. Meet me outside the mountains.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Wolf packed his gear and walked to the stairs leading out of the castle. When he reached the bottom landing, he looked back at the granite colossus. The magnificent castle stood as a testament to humanity’s enduring will to survive. He retraced his steps back through the twisting, turning passageways of the mountains and finally reached the outer gates. The two guards who had accompanied him shook his hand, and Wolf bid them farewell. He walked for a few minutes until he couldn’t see the posterns and then said, “Syn, where are you?”

“I’m ten feet to your right, Commander.”

Wolf looked over to the right as the ramp lowered. As he boarded the ship, he felt an odd sense of familiarity, as if he was returning home after a long journey.

“Hello, Commander,” Syn said from the doorway to the mess area.

“Hello, Syn. Don’t you look beautiful!”

Syn had changed her hairstyle to a short, butch haircut that framed her face. She was still gorgeous, although Wolf preferred the longer hair. Syn caught his look and asked, “You don’t like the hairstyle? Be honest.”

“Syn, you were lovely just as you were,” Wolf replied with a sigh. “You’re a knockout regardless, but I always liked long hair on my woman.”

Syn smiled at the term
my woman
and said, “Oh. I didn’t know that.” Her hologram shimmered for an instant and her hair grew back, long and lustrous. “You like this better? So did my maker. But I had work to do and the long hair was getting in the way. Here is your new book,” she said, handing the Bible to Wolf.

It was an enormous book, bound with white leather. Embossed into the leather cover was a raised, colorized picture of Jesus sitting on a golden throne in the clouds between two pillars. A stairway rose to heaven, and two angels stood on the stairwell, raising their arms to the Lord. The words
Holy Bible
were emblazoned in gold above the picture. Wolf flipped through the book, examining the many full-color illustrations. After turning through a dozen pages, he said, “It’s stunning, Syn. You outdid all my wildest dreams. This book will bring faith to this land. I am proud of you.” Wolf walked to Syn and hugged her close, kissing her on the forehead. She met his eyes, and they exchanged a long gaze. Then, Wolf placed his hand under her chin and kissed her. She tasted real.

Syn kissed back for a moment and then pushed away, breathing hard, her eyes closed and her fists clenched at her sides.

“Are you okay, Syn? I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I am fine, Commander. I was not expecting you to do that.”

“I didn’t expect to do it,” Wolf said and then changed the subject. “The book is exactly what I wanted. What else have you been doing since I have been gone?”

“I’ve made a few minor adjustments. I might have a surprise for you soon, but nothing tangible just yet.”

“Let’s take off, Syn. Go into high orbit and patch a feed of movements from the south to my console. I want to look at this Jonar and his army. Also, I want you to sweep for low energy emanations from that direction. Someone has figured out how to make Old Earth technology, and I want to know who it is.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Wolf proceeded to the shower area, undressed, and stepped into an ice-cold spray. After changing into clean clothes, he sat down at his console to have a look at Jonar’s castle. It was dark and ominous, fashioned of black basalt rock. Hundreds of tents were scattered around it.

“Syn, estimate the number of people down there.”

“Thirty-five thousand life forms. I can’t tell which are male or female or their ages. I show another ten thousand camped several miles to the north.”

“Switch to that location, live feed.”

Syn redirected the cameras and a military camp came into view. Wolf was astounded by what he saw. Mangonels, catapults, trebouchets, and other sapping devices were prevalent. This siege would be different.

“Scan the tent area in front of the castle again. Give me a reading on the tent area only. How many bio signatures are there?”

“Approximately fifteen thousand, Commander.”

“So Jonar has an army of about twenty-five thousand men. Onel says the king has about nine thousand fighting men. Even with the fortifications, Springdale may fall.”

“What do you want to do, Commander?”

“I may want to talk with this Jonar.”

“Commander, is that wise?”

“What can he do to me? He can’t hurt me. I could destroy his whole army by myself.”

Syn flashed a look of concern. “Commander, we don’t yet know everything about this planet or its weapons. You have just discovered evidence of technology in the transmitters you found. Don’t be so hasty to place yourself in harm’s way. Tread carefully, Commander.”

“Don’t worry, Syn, I will be careful.”

* * *

Four days later, Wolf directed Syn to land the ship outside the mountainous region of Springdale. The landing site was a rocky outcrop about twenty feet higher than the surrounding terrain. Acting on impulse, he encrypted the ship’s computer, setting the new password to
spirit dancer
and programming Syn to obey his voice alone. The password would allow access to the computer core in an emergency. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it was a premonition.

Pulling out a backpack, Wolf placed the Bible in it along with a change of clothes. On a sudden whim, he also packed several guns. He exited the ship by the ramp and moments later, the craft disappeared as Syn engaged cloaking.