FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Rextin Tal. I had never visited the planet before, but as the _Red Horizon _neared the end of its travel to the planet, the visit wasn't occupying my mind. In truth, the only thing I thought about was how... natural it felt to wield a holo-blade.

A part from the small bit of fighting I had done with Carver on Nurin-Veyga, I hadn't even seen a holo-blade before. The weapon was strange to me, but wielding it against the humanoid robots had felt more than right. It had felt, as I said, natural.

As the _Red Horizon _traveled for Rextin Tal, I left Nir in charge of the ship, and the General and I went to the cargo bay, where we spared against one another. In the cargo hold, the General showed me how to stand with the blade, how to swing with the blade. He showed me two different stances, one defensive and the other offensive. Before the sparing practice though I took a moment to examine the weapon in my hand.

The hilt, as Carver called it, was the base of the weapon, where the blade was stored. The holo-blade that I had was mostly smooth, but on the left of the hilt, near the top, was a small "blade guard" as Carver called it. It was designed to act as a barrier for the actual blade, which was made of a thin but strengthened metal. Extending the blade I saw it was around a hundred and thirty centimeters, although it could have been longer. A softly glowing red strip ran the length of the blade; It acted as the main power source for the holo-blade, and allowed the blade to extend and retract. The flat of the blade was smooth, and one side was edged while the other side was smooth. The tip of the blade curved slightly to the left, and as I finished admiring the blade, Carver began to take me through the various steps and swings used in fighting with a holo-blade.

"No two fighters or duelists will ever be the same," he said as we both took our individual stances. Then without another word, he took a leap forward and swung at me.

I backed up out of reflex and parried the swing, knocking away his blade and stepping to the side. The General didn't waste time in coming at me with a second attack, swing for my middle with a left swing. I stepped back and put up my blade as a guard, and deflected the third swing Caver aimed at me.

Taking another step back I blocked another swing Carver took at me, then stepped to the side and took a swing of my own. Carver blocked the swing with ease, then stepped to the side. He paused only a moment to say,

"If you start your attack against your opponent, don't stop,"

And took a swing at me. I blocked it and stepped back, then took his advice, and pressed my offensive stance.

* * *

We didn't spare long, because as we began to ease out of the practice session, Nir informed me that we were five minutes outside of the Anrik System, where Rextin Tal was located.

"Thank you Nir," I said with a hand to the earpiece I was wearing. I looked back to Caver who nodded to me, then gave his holo-blade a small twirl before making the blade vanish, and clipping the weapon to his belt.

I collapsed my own weapon and clipped it to my belt, then moved for the cockpit with Caver. Up the stairs I briefly scratched my head, then gland at the General to ask,

"Where did you get your holo-blade?"

"Kellenar," he said. He glanced at me then said, "Its in the Jipnot System. A little planet with two moons. It's home to the Kellers, I'm sure you've heard of them."

"The technology beings," I nodded. "I have heard of them. A human looking race with light tan skin, grey eyes, right? They make holo-blades?"

"They make the pieces and parts that make up a holo-blade Caver said." He sat in the second seat in the cockpit as I took the captains chair, then he said, "I made some time ago, give or take..." he paused, "Thirty or so years."

"Do they last for that long?" I asked. Looking to the navigation map I was we were forty seconds outside of the Jipnot System.

"The Keller's make all their technology to last," Caver said. He folded his arms over his chest and continued with, "Their generators, weapons, defense systems, even the screens they use for their communicators will hold up for years, even if they fall down and crack."

"That's impressive," I said. Tapping a button the control board flashed, turning the ship controls back to me.

"Their holo-blades are no exception," Carver said, "The metals and wiring they make for the weapons comes from some rare materials, things you have to travel into deep space to even glimpse."

"Is a holo-blade hard to make?" I asked. A ping made me glance at the navigation map, and I saw we were coming out of hyperspace.

"No," Carver said. Real space jumped into our fields of view, and the General said, "But it does take time to set all the powering parts together, and wire the blade so the energy will feed through the weapon correctly," he paused a moment, then said, "The privilege to create a holo-blade is also reserved for higher ranking members of the Trah-Ar Brotherhood," he paused a second time, "And some members of the Kamada-Eth."

"The Eth uses holo-blades to?" I glanced at Carver as I set the navigation map coordinates for Rextin Tal.

"The majority of their assassins do," Carver said, "The other day when you said they were a cult, you weren't wrong. They have a god they worship, that's true, but the majority of their society and culture is hinged on power. They operate quietly from their home planet, somewhere in the Onrar System. And while I don't know much about them, I do know that Hamond has special squadrons of soldiers that dedicate their lives to tracking down and killing members of the Eth."

"All their lives, just for one man or woman?" I glanced at Caver as the _Red Horizon _flew over a lush green world.

"All their lives," Caver nodded. He looked at me to say, "If you didn't know it already, the Eth are the reason the Church is in place. I know that even in such an advanced age as this, the "Church against the Separatist" scenario may seem very old fashioned. But if the Church wasn't in the galaxy, and didn't have a presence as large as they did, the Kamada-Eth would have no reason to stay hidden in the Onrar System."

"Why are they hiding?" I asked.

Carver was quiet for a minute as he watched the cockpit window. In the distance, according to the navigation map, was Rextin Tal. "Because," Caver said after a moment, "The Church is in possession of Raygnar's Staff."

I looked at the General now. "The Church has Raygnar's staff?"

"It's hidden away in a vault underneath the Church of Theocracy," said Carver, "But yes, the Staff is very much real, and very much in their possession. Do you know what the Staff does at all?"

"I've heard it's used for mind control," I replied, "That if they wielder is strong enough, he can use his thoughts to control others."

"There's a bit more to it than that," Caver said, "The Staff can also move objects. Things like boxes and crates. I've even heard rumors that when Raygnar was still alive, he used his Staff to tear down an entire building."

"God, a whole building?" I looked at the General.

"Now maybe you can see why I'm hesitant to come to Rextin Tal, with this strange little prism you've found," Caver looked at me. "Because of the power that the Church can already wield."

"We don't know what that prism does," I said. "It could be useless for all we know."

"Or it could hold secrets that none of us could ever hope to learn from a book," Carver said.

"That's true also," I said. I looked at the cockpit, watching Rextin Tal come closer, then asked, "When you said that you and Berik have history, what does that mean?"

The General didn't immediately reply. I heard him click his tongue, then Carver said, "The Church, although they possess some mysterious artifacts, is mostly against there use. The Staff of Raygnar, for example, is locked away in a vault not because of its potential with power, but because the Church doesn't know what it can do, and most of Berik's congregation is afraid of it. They seek to locate and either destroy and seal away any artifacts that were used, or are still used, by organizations like the Brotherhood, or the Kamada-Eth. I know that the Brotherhood uses the artifacts they have to further the gain of humanity as a whole, which gains them some small favor with the Church.The Eth, however, will use any artifacts they find to further their personal gain as a society. They give artifacts to their more prominent members, and the member is then allowed to use the artifact as they see fit."

"But if the Eth don't leave their planet, how do they get a hold of any of these artifacts?" I asked.

"Spies," Carver shrugged, "Informants. They have beings and people scattered all throughout the galaxy that collect and relay information back to the Eth."

"You said their somewhere in the Onrar System?" I replied, "If you know that much, can't you just detail a well-trained squadron of soldiers to the Onrar System to find the Eth?"

With a small smile Carver said, "Did you miss the "artifacts" part? They don't have many, we do know that. But they still have some, and not knowing what those artifacts do makes it hard to get to the Eth without suffering casualties."

"I can see why that would be a problem," I said.

"If we take our time," Caver rubbed his chin, folded his arms again, then said, "We can take them down."

* * *

Rextin Tal, aside from the immediate stretch of city that lead off of the main land and into the sea, was a lush planet. I saw forests and jungle down below, surrounded by seas, and in the distance I could see a mountain range.

But just as the planet gave way to lush and vibrant land, we quickly flew into Atrak City. It spread over what seemed like most of the planet, although It could't have been much larger than Irenik. I watched the city come into view, the multileveled rows of houses and shops first, then the larger more industrial buildings next. It was day time in the System, and many of the buildings were made of glass that threw off rays from the sun.

Watching the cockpit I took in all the buildings and the lush landscape, but looked away when I heard the all to familiar chime of the communicator sound. I glanced at the control board and tapped a button, and a screen flicked into view. On the screen was a slender man dressed in a set of light grey robes with a thin black beard, deep green eyes and a head of short hair.

"Greetings, pilot and passenger," said the man. "I am Ayo, member of the Congregation of Berik. Could you identify yourselves please?"

"Carver West," the General didn't waste any time in saying, "General of Hamond Galactic Military."

"Tebin Luthow," I replied second, "Military engineer of Hamond Galactic Military."

"Then greetings to both of you," said Ayo with a nod. "I trust that you are here, no doubt, to speak to the honorable Father Berik?"

"About a concerning matter," Carver said.

"What matter might this be?" asked the man on the screen.

"We've arrived to Rextin Tal in hopes to speak with Father Berik about his being impersonated by human androids," Carver said in his military tone. "Captain Luthow and I have first-handedly seen these androids impersonating not just members of the Congregation, but impersonating Berik himself."

"Impersonating?" Ayo's brow furrowed.

"Yes," Carver nodded.

Now Ayo ran his fingers over the beard on his face, then said, "You will find us in the Church of Understanding. You'll know it when you see it."

"We'll transmit our landing code once we're close," I said with a nod.

"We wil await your arrival," said Ayo, returning my nod with a small bow.

* * *

The Church of Understanding was a tall, slopped-celing place with tall windows that glinted with the above sun. The Church was built with high walls that weren't as decretive as I had originally thought. The _Red Horizon _flew down as we neared the Church, and I watched it rise as my ship began to descend. I glanced at the control board, then tapped a button that was near the comm. I heard a beep that was followed by a series of chirps, and I waited.

"_Red Horizon, _this is the Church. We have received your landing code and have cleared you for landing."

Putting my finger to the comm button I said, "Thank you," and looked back to the cockpit.

With a light thump, the _Red Horizon _touched the ground that was in front of the Church. the large building was a ways away, and as I tapped a series of buttons Carver left the seat next to mine. "How do you think this will go?" I asked.

"I wouldn't know," the General replied. He glanced at me as I left my own seat, then asked, "What do you think?"

"I'm not religious," I said as I began to walk from the cockpit, "But I can assume that Berik and his Congregation won't take kindly to us saying their being impersonated by androids."

"Hopefully they'll understand," Carver said.

"Hopefully," I repeated as we started down to the cargo hold.

Down the stairs and in the hold I dropped the cargo ramp, and Carver and I walked down the ramp. A cool wind blew past us as we started for the Church, and I tapped a button on my gauntlets palm, then looked back to see the landing ramp ascend.

As we neared the Church, a set of tall black doors that hid the inside from view opened when we came to them. Carver and I went through the doors, and I got my first look at the inside of the Church. The high ceilings were hung with ornate lights, and two rows of pews on either side of the floor offered places to sit. Down the aisle of the Church was a long red carpet, and the head the room was a large white marble altar. Behind the altar, sculpted out of grey rock, was Thanos. The still, grey statue depicted the God with a calm but stern face, dressed in a set of robes that fell to his feet, with a sword in his hands, the point of the weapon touching the floor.

Carver and I only walked a few feet before the creak of a door made us both look to the left. Past the altar a figure had come out of a door, closed the door, then came down a set of steps and walked across the floor towards us. His feet tapped the floor as he moved past the rows of pews, dressed in a set of ornate black and grey robes. As he drew closer I saw it was Ayo, who had first contacted Carver and I as we flew over Rextin Tal.

Ayo came up to Carver and I, greeted us with a small bow, then looked at us and said,

"If you would follow me this way, I can take you to Father Berik,"

And as Ayo stepped away from us and began to walk, Carver and I followed him.

Past the rows of pews we walked to the altar, then went to the right. Past the first pew and through a doorway. We went left then, and up a long set of stairs. Up the stairs we came onto a walkway that was opened on the left, where the ceiling was held up by ornate pillars. Now I saw, down the walkway standing with his hands on the railing, was a man dressed in dark grey robes.

Carver and I followed Ayo down the walkway, and as we came to the man by the railing, Ayo gave him a small bow. "Father Berik," said Ayo in a mild, quiet voice, "Your guests have arrived."

Now the man turned and looked at us, his deep grey eyes seeming to sweep over us. "Thank you, Ayo," he said in a rough, but kind voice, "Your dismissed."

"Yes, Father," Ayo's small bow was immediate, and he stepped back, turned, and walked away.

Now Father Berik turned and looked at Carver and I. He looked at the General more so, then addressed him with,

"Good to see you again, Carver."

Carver gave Berik the smallest of bows, not taking his eyes from the man. "And you as well, Berik."

Now Berik looked at me to ask, "And who might your company be?"

"This is Tebin Luthow," Carver said. He glanced at me, and catching his glance I continued with,

"Military engineer."

"A pleasure," Berik gave me a nod. Looking back at Carver he asked,

"What brings you out to my home?"

"A somewhat interesting matter," Carver said. He put his hands behind his back, and continued with, "Just yesterday a group of androids impersonated you, and a few members of your congregation..." he paused a moment, then said, "And then attempted to fool us in to giving you a strange object that Captain Luthow found a few days previous."

"Is that right?" Berik put a hand to the rail now, and looked out over the various buildings and homes that were spread out below. Berik let out a soft sigh, then looked at Carver as he asked, "What are we going to do about this?"

"Is there a we still?" the General asked. "I mean no disrespect when I say this, but over the past few years, my new alliance on Nurin-Veyga Six has been more than adequate in keeping up with the needs of the people, and keeping the peace."

"I've little interest in how you keep your own peace, Carver," Berik said. Still looking at the stretch of population he said, "I'm only interested in whatever item Captain Luthow has brought back. You and I both know that the Brotherhood doesn't need to catch wind of this."

Carver looked at me, then held up a hand. I looked back at him, but, with slight hesitation, took the prism from its pouch on my belt. Putting the object in Carver's hand, he looked at Berik, and held it out to the old man.

Berik looked at the object, then took it, a small smile coming over his face. "This _is _interesting, General, " he said. Berik took a step back from the railing, his bare hands touching the prism, and held it up to the sunlight. The dull color of the prism didn't shine with any of the rays, and Berik said, "Captain Luthow, could you take off your gloves for me please."

I looked at the prism in Berik's hands, but pulled off the gloves I was wearing. Both Berik and Carver looked at me now, and Berik said,

"If my thinking is correct," he said, "This is a Communion Stone. When touched by bare hands, specific bare hands, it will activate, and take the holder to a different plane of being. They are old objects, filled with centuries of knowledge," Berik looked at the stone, then at me. "I have no reason to believe that your hands can active this Stone," he paused, then with a small smile said, "Although I have been proved wrong before."

"What makes you think this will work with me?" I asked, looking at the prism in Berik's hands.

"Nothing," said the old man. "Nothing but faith."

I looked at Berik, then looked down at the Stone. I looked at the smooth dark surface, the faint red lines that seemed to run around the prism. It almost looked alive. But I reached out to the Stone, and took it from Berik's hands.

As I took the Stone in my hands, it threw off a light glow. The red lines that wove along the prism flashed, and that was when time, for a few moments, stopped.

I knew time had come to a stop when I looked away from the Stone, and saw the color of the world had changed. Everything was a light grey color, and I quickly understood that everything was frozen. Berik's eyes were stopped mid-blink, and as I looked at Carver I saw his mouth was slightly opened, but no sound came out. I looked around the walkway, and that was also when I saw her.

A figure, dressed in what looked like a mixture of armor and long clothing, stood just a few feet away from me. A female, with long hair and a slender, but somehow knowing face. Almost as if she knew who I was. As if she knew who _everyone _was. I starred at her, but as I opened my mouth she held up her hand.

"Do not speak," she said. Her voice sounded distant, like it was coming through a long tunnel. "Not yet," she continued. Lowering her hand, the figure said, "My name is Asha. You know me as One Who Knows. My time in this world is short, so I will make my words short.

"You most not let the Kamada-Eth, the ancient darkness, find this Stone in your hands. It contains secrets, knowledge that has been long to the ages. Within this stone, within the texts you will find, you will learn of our people. Of our struggle. Of our rise, and of our fall. We thrived once, in a world that we called home along with the humans, and the alien beings. But now our world is no more, and all that remains of our society and culture are our Stones.

"It falls to you, and those that you call friends, to discover what we could not. A way to destroy the Kamada-Eth, and bring about a lasting peace to this world. You cannot do this alone, we have foreseen it, and you must seek allies for this cause..." the figure paused, then said, "But we have faith in you, Tebin."

Asha's figure flickered now, and I said,

"Wait!" but to no avail. She vanished, her long hair blowing in a wind that wasn't there, and then she was gone. "Wait!" I said again.

"Tebin!" behind me I heard Carver's voice and turned around. I still had the Stone in both hands, and as I saw Carver and Berik, my mind registered that time had unfrozen itself. I blinked, looking at them both.

"Did you not see her?" I asked in a distant voice.

"You saw something?" Berik asked.

"A woman," I said. "Her name was..." I paused, "Asha. She told me this Stone held secrets from her people and their culture. She said it was up to us to stop the Eth."

"You experienced a vision!" Berik's eyes took on a light now, "This means that your attended to these Communion Stones, Tebin. You can speak with the figures that are within the Stones, and learn their secrets!" Berik's hand came out to touch the Stone, but I stepped back out of reflex, pulling the prism with me. Berik looked at me, and Carver said,

"Don't forget why we came here Berik."

He looked at Carver, then straightened up, tugging his robes. "Yes, of course," he said. Looking back at me he said, "I am glad that you have been able to make contact with these figures, Captain. But with that aside," Berik paused and put a hand to his bearded face, "Concerning the matter of my impersonation by an android, I cannot think of any one person who would want to see me done away," he paused, stroking his grey beard, "But I can think of an organization that would like to see my position as Royal Father taken away."

"Who?" I asked, still holding the Stone.

Berik's light grey eyes looked into my own yellow eyes, and he said, "The Kamada-Eth. who else?"