Sunlord (66 page)

The young child known as Riel was now just an
observer, distant, isolated and a little scared. But what was fear
when there were no senses or perception of being? He no longer
thought of himself as an entity.

Riel's body moved under the cover of darkness, away
from the fire of nearby villagers. He trod through puddles and
sharp rocks, but did not heed the pain. The exit to the cavern was
out-of-bounds to all but the hunters, but this night Riel needed to
see the stars.

The sounds of talk and warm companionship were
distant to his ears as Riel clambered the loose dirt incline. Upon
all fours, the young eloprin moved upwards with his eyes
downturned; in the darkness they were no use anyway.

"Riel!"

Startled, the child snapped up wide faceted eyes as
Solhan held fresh wood to the burning torch. "What are you doing
out here - "

The hunter's voice cut off as Riel stretched out with
his hand, four fingers splayed. Instantly Solhan felt drowsy and
within moments had collapsed backwards. His way now cleared Riel
crawled forward once more. The part of his mind that had once been
a small boy knew that the events set into motion were now
unstoppable. The power of the Ansarii were focused on Riel's mind,
a power multiplied one million-fold from his mother's, a power as
ancient as the stars themselves.

The tunnel did not seem to be long, for it seemed
like only moments had passed before Riel was pushing aside the
heavy cloak of weaved vines and debris that camouflaged the
entrance. Riel remained upon all fours, his brown eyes still
staring at the ground.

The moonlight shone down upon the swamplands, the air
still and cold. Slowly, very slowly, Riel raised his eyes, his mind
taking in every detail of the hanging branches and shadowed
undergrowth. Raising his head he looked upon the myriad of stars
glistening like fine diamonds upon black cloth. He remained like
that for a long time, simply looking up and feeling the distance
and immensity of space.

Somehow his mind had expanded - broken free of normal
confines. It was with this extra-sensory perception did Riel know
that the sleeping body of Solhan had been discovered and Riel's
absence had been noticed. Already a search was underway for the
missing child.

Knowing that he would have enough time, Riel attached
no significance to these earthly matters. Dropping his handholds
upon the earth Riel stood and began to sway as if in trance. Inside
his head bright lights exploded like fireworks, pain now
inseparable from joy and fear as he swum in the net of aches that
ran from temple to temple. Like a dam bursting its walls the power
of the Ansarii spread its fingers outwards, outwards into
space...

Capac was first to spy the boy's inert form upon the
marshy soil. Crying to gain the attention of the others he
scrambled to Riel's side and sought desperately for signs of
life.

"He's alive," Capac breathed with relief. "Quickly,
we must take him back down."

The boy's flesh was cold to the touch and Capac
shivered, feeling the touch of the Power as he eased Riel into his
arms. The back of his neck prickling in apprehension he hurried
back into the cavern.

Chapter Twenty

Treaty.

Hunter - strength and pride,

Stalks his prey, imitates their call,

Forest spanned, no pause in stride,

For he is the master of all,

Under the eye of the Forest Mother.

- Eloprin tribal song.

The bridge of the command ship was chaos.

Never before had the battleship seen such disorder as
officers scrambled from console to console, not daring to believe
what their instruments told them. Admiral Rinhold cut a swathe
through the confusion, his face impassive as he gestured for his
astro-navigation officer. Rinhold held open the door to allow the
navigator to gain passage then closed it behind him, shutting off
the sounds of confusion.

Rinhold paced around the small office, his
silver-grey eyes glinting in a hard gaze. "Tell me straight,
Berkley, none of this technical shit or theories; just what we
know."

Astro-navigator Berkley had served with the Admiral
on several Federation ships, knowing and respecting his desire for
cutting straight for the heart of the matter. "Our instruments are
showing that the jumptunnels are no longer in existence."

Rinhold breathed out slowly. "You've tried sending
ships through where they used to be?"

"Used to be?" laughed Berkley without mirth. "They
used to be so thick near this Critical Point that it was hard to
find a spot not containing a jumptunnel!"

"Message pods?"

Berkley shook his head. "It's as if they've just
disappeared. Maybe its just a natural phenomena?"

"Has such an event ever been recorded?"

"No sir." Astrogator Berkley bit his lower lip.
"Never."

They were fighting a losing battle, the Warmarshal
knew that. It had seemed only a matter of time before the
Federation's superior numbers and technology took control of the
skycannon and the planet's surface. The battle for L/Cn-41a would
not end so lamely, though, for the Warmarshal knew that the
Hartrias army would stop at nothing to regain the Critical
Point.

But it seemed fate had cast a new light on their
situation. Force Master Loakar's heavily chiselled features
appeared on the holographic console.

"Warmarshal, sir."

The Warmarshal returned the greeting. "Force Master,
are your instruments recording the same as ours?"

Loakar nodded. He still commanded the Rplore and was
using it to battle a band of Federation medium size warships in the
H-8 quadrant. "We detect no presence of the tunnels."

His large Hartrias hands drumming upon the arm of the
command chair, the Warmarshal mused silently for a moment. "Deploy
our fleet," he said at last. "Maybe the Critical Point will return
some-place else, and where ever it does I want our forces there
first!"

"Yes, sir." The Force Master's brows furrowed. "Our
forces planetside?"

"Keep them operating," the Warmarshal responded
quickly. "This momentary lapse of tunnels has to return soon. We
may be able to use this to our advantage in taking the Federation
off-guard. Prepare to launch a retaliation blow against the
Federation command-ship."

Hours past, and still the tunnels did not return.
Admiral Rinhold watched the movements of the Hartrias army, knowing
that they intended to amass a last ditch offence against his men.
Rinhold was not one to cower from a conflict, and this time was
prepared to engage the Hartrias once and for all. All communication
lines with the Comitia back on Earth were cut with the dissolution
of the jumptunnels. Normally the Admiral would act only upon orders
from Comitia, who directed the course of entire armies from where
they sat in safety millions of light-years distant. But now the
Admiral was left with no orders and what he saw as little
alternative.

"Ensign!" he bawled, "give me an update on those
fleet movements."

The Federation fleet had already moved into position,
ready to receive the Hartrias' blows. There was no fear of further
reinforcements arriving while the jumptunnels were inactive - it
was also clear that there would be no retreat for the defeated
side.

"Astrogator Berkley." Rinhold's forehead wrinkled.
"Is there any chance that the jumptunnels may return?"

"What do we know about the jumptunnels except how to
use them; one point in space actually being two points. But we
didn't understand how they worked." Berkley shrugged. "My opinion,
sir? They've been gone for three hours and there is simply no
reason for their return. Nothing is showing on the instrumentation
- they've been destroyed."

Rinhold inclined his head. "Then we are fighting over
a piece of useless dirt," he surmised. "Comm officer, try and get a
link with the Hartrias commander!"

"All wings accounted for." The Warmarshal paused. "On
my mark, bring in the stun ships from sector beta, then follow
standard battle attack twelve."

The message indicator light suddenly glowed red.
"Incoming signal - radio wave," reported the mother computer.
"Source: Federation Flagship Omnicron. Open transmission
lines?"

The Warmarshal did not move for a few seconds, unsure
of what course of action the Federation may be trying to play.
Surely they were not foolish enough to try and blast the Hartrias
Command Ship with high-frequency sounds in an attempt to
haemorrhage the brains of those inside; it was common knowledge
that screeners were employed to stop such attacks. Still, the
Warmarshal did not know what the Federation may try.

"Put them on," he growled at last.

An immaculately dressed human appeared on the screen,
rows of insignia's glinting on his chest. "I am Admiral Rinhold,"
began the human brusquely, speaking in flawless Hartrias. "I am the
commanding officer of the fleet of Federation forces centred about
his planet."

Heavy brows furrowing in impatience, the Warmarshal
asked; "Why do you open this line, Admiral?"

"You are undoubtably aware of the disappearance of
jumptunnels - " Rinhold noticed how a fine layer of sweat broke out
on the Warmarshal's forehead " - leaving us stranded here, fighting
over a patch of useless territory."

"If it is useless then I'm sure you will retreat to
some other system," growled the Warmarshal. "I have a
special...fondness...of it and would prefer to stay."

"You know I can't pull my men out." Rinhold tensed,
knowing that one word spoken wrongly could anger the war-like
Hartrias, sparking another bloody battle. "The jumptunnels aren't
coming back. It is obvious that the Federation has superior forces
and your attack could not hope to defeat us."

"Think what you may, Admiral," scowled the
Warmarshal, knowing that the human's words were true. But they
could take out a great portion of the Federation forces before they
went, he thought bitterly.

"Move beyond the orbit of the second moon," continued
Admiral Rinhold. "Your Royal Fleet has no further need of this
planet - let us spare further bloodshed."

"Surely you have no need of it either." The
Warmarshal lent forward closer to the holographic projector. His
fist clenched, the claw in the back of his hand glistening razor
sharp. "How dare you insult us with your offerings of 'peace!' The
jumptunnels will return, and when they do the Hartrias will control
them!" Slamming down his fist the Warmarshal disconnected the
communication line. The Admiral's face disappeared in
mid-sentence.

The Warmarshal exhaled, drawing a finger down the
side of his cheek. "Begin attack," he growled.

* * *

The receiver still worked.

Shaun tweaked up the volume of the tiny instrument
recovered from the mud where he had dropped it the previous day.
Wiping away most of the dirt Shaun hunkered down as he held the
tiny speaker up to his ear.

The hunter accompanying him upon his late afternoon
forage to the above-ground world sat close by, uneasy. The original
purpose of heading back here was to recover Shaun's pistol, but now
the human's attention was firmly attached to the receiver.

A screech of jet engines rocketed overhead and both
ducked for cover as a multitude of aircraft shot past at supersonic
speeds. In the distance was the deep rumbling of heavy
artillery.

"Another full scale attack," breathed Shaun, at last
pulling the receiver away from his ear. He had heard numerous
reports by tapping into the Federation's comm lines. Why wasn't the
Federation bringing in re-enforcement's? Shaun could only surmise
that the Hartrias had once again gained control of the Critical
Point, although how they had managed it was unclear.

"We've got to get back to shelter - right now!"

The eloprin hunter eagerly agreed to Shaun's
suggestion. For the first time in weeks fighting had flared up
again and sounds of explosions were getting steadily closer.

It seemed a different world when they returned to the
cavern, still in shadows and dank quiet. Shaun told the news to the
tribe then found a quiet corner in which to sit and listen to the
broadcasts.

Capac looked the elderly healer in the eye. "Will he
make it?"

The healer laid a cool moss over Riel's forehead. The
boy had not moved a muscle since his strange breakaway to the
surface. "He is a strong boy," consoled the healer, "and he needs
rest."

Lowering his head, Capac accepted the woman's words.
In that moment he wished for the Elder's presence; the leader of
Capac's old tribe had always had an affinity with the spirit world.
The Elder had guided Myshia's way and it was unfortunate Riel did
not have such a teacher.

"The jumptunnels - they're gone!"

Every head looked up as Shaun leapt from his perch,
his voice echoing about the cavern. "Something has destroyed the
jumptunnels!"

"What could have possibly done that?" Capac's gaze
met Shaun's. "It would take immense power..."

Capac caught himself. "You don't suppose - ?"

"The Power?" Shaun's brows furrowed. "Is that what is
does? Control the jumptunnels?"

"We know little of it," shrugged Capac. "Only it is
the Power of the Forest Mother."

Still unable to believe Shaun gazed around the
ancient ruins of the Ansarii. The Ansarii. Shaun bit his lower lip;
why was that word looping around his head. It was as if he had
forgotten something... he had forgotten -

"The Critical Point," Shaun muttered. Why was this
tiny planet the centre of a mass of jumptunnels? There could be
only one explanation.

"It fits!" exclaimed Shaun. "The reason why all these
jumptunnels are centred about this planet - this was the homeworld
of a race preceding ours by a millennia. They built their
civilisation, wrought the jumptunnels..." Shaun slammed a fist into
his palm. "They came from here!"