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"The City Stealers"
May. 17th, 2022 03:09 pm"The City Stealers"
7/11-7/14/2001
I.
The city of Colegdar was gone. Raw dirt and bare stone stretched for more than four square miles where the river port had stood for hundreds of years, Beyond the rough circle of desolation were a few huts and one storehouse for grain but nothing else remained. Eight thousand Melgar were gone without a trace and no one remained to say how it had happened.
Scraping a toe of her boot into the dirt, Sable was more dumbfounded than she had ever been before in her young life. She surreptiously touched her face to make sure her mouth was not hanging open. At just twenty-three, she was so serious and studious that she seemed older. Lauren Sable Reilly was of medium height and slim, dressed in a black field suit with the helmet held in one arm. She had straight, jet black hair tied back in a ponytail, large dark eyes and pug nose over full lips. She not only didn't realize she was attractive, it never occured to her to think about it.
Turning from the waist, she regarded her team somberly. "I know what you are all thinking."
"Time for lunch?" asked Unicorn brightly.
"NO. You are thinking, 'if only Jeremy were here.' He's not. It's time for us to stand on our own feet. This was agreed to by all of us." She looked them over. "Seriously. You are ready. I have seen how good you all are."
Standing before her were six young people, ranging in age from twenty-one to twenty-nine. Most wore the black field suit with its inner Trom metal layer and assortment of weapons. The exception, as usual, was Unicorn. The little blonde had ordered her own extra suit all in white, despite strong recommendations not to do so. In the white boots, tight pants and snug waist-length jacket, Unicorn looked adorable and she used it for all it was worth. Strapped across her back was a leather sheath holding the namesake Horn that was the source of her power.
"Aw, we're stepping up to the plate, Sable." She pointed a tiny finger at the dirt. "So. What do you think happened?"
"Let me study it for a few minutes," was the answer. Sable knelt beside the edge of the circle of desolation and her eyes went out of focus. The others waited in silence. They knew she was not meant for physical combat; her gift was perception, being able to extend her vision into the microscopic or telescopic, her hearing and taste and touch enhanced beyond any Human limit. As the minutes dragged by, her teammates stepped back to not disturb her.
Unicorn turned to face the crowd of stupefied Melgarin who stood, hundreds of them, surrounding the empty space where Colegdar once was. None had so far tried to step into the area affected. They whispered and stared and seemed too horrified to turn away. Right behind her team stood the Melgar champion, Sulak. A tall gladiatorial figure in a dark blue arena suit with white trim, Sulak was stronger than any other flesh and blood being in existence. He had long ago been a KDF member but had stepped down to reserve duty.
Stepping closer, Unicorn said quietly, "What do you think, Sulak? You've had millions of adventures."
"I have not the faintest idea what has happened, Ashley. We Melgar are stout warriors and a hearty sort but gralic sorcery is not for us. Few Melgar ever learn anything about magick. When we saw Colegdar had disappeared in the still of the night, all were struck speechless. I went to the world beyond to seek help from my comrades in the KDF."
"And you find WE were the new KDF. Us kids. Sorry, Sulak, I bet you wish Jeremy and Cindy had stuck around."
Sulak dismissed that with a vague shrug. "Everything changes. Fathers die and sons take over the trade. I only wish there was something I could do that would help."
You do not feel more useless than I do, thought Megan Salenger nearby. Here in Androval, as in many other realms, technology was banned by the will of Jordyn Himself. Gunpowder would not spark, batteries gave off no electricity, even cigarette lighters did not work. It was all arbitrary and unfair from her point of view. Without the advanced Trom technology, the Trom Girl felt she had nothing to offer. She looked back at the stealth helicopter CORBY, her pride and joy, nothing more here than a metal frame in which to sit and store stuff. Megan was a Human orphan raised from a baby by the emotionless Trom, but although they had tried to make her like themselves, she still had feelings under an impassive mask.
The Trom Girl listened to Unicorn and Suiak. She did not share their confidence in the new KDF's judgement or competence. Personally, she would have preferred to have the experienced Dire Wolf remain in command, But it was too late for that now. She hoped all her doubts and uncertainties did not show on her poker face. "Sulak, have you ever heard of such an event as this?"
"Never," replied the Melgar. His rugged, angular face was stricken. "My heart is heavy at the sight."
Sable raised her head and came back to her immediate surroundings. She looked more stern than usual as she gestured her team to draw closer. Argent, Unicorn, Trom Girl. Blind Archer, Black Lion, Brimstone Kid. As they came in to a huddle, with Sulak among them, she said in a low tone. "I do not think the city was destroyed and the inhabitants killed. I think the entire area has been transported elsewhere."
They all began talking and she hushed them with a raised hand. "That's my conclusion. At microscopic level, all the material left behind has been broken off cleanly. There are minute particles of the buildings and trees still here, sliced neatly even with the ground surface. Nothing shows signs of burning or trauma. I am not an expert but my judgement is that Colegdar was taken away by a travel crystal."
Argent broke in. He was from Chujir and most would therefore think he was Chinese. The hawklike nose and strong chin made him stand out from most of his kin, though. "Something that big? It's hard enough to move one person through a gate, but to move an entire city...?"
"We may be facing something new," Sable said. "Sulak, we are going to investigate. I suggest you tell your people to avoid stepping over this area. For all I know, the city might return as suddenly as it left."
As the Melgar champion relayed this information to the crowd and asked them to spread the word, Sable continued to her team. "We are going to pursue the city and hopefully find a way to bring it back. Guys, we are facing something more powerful than we have ever faced before. I did not know something on this scale was even possible."
"We're with you, Sable!" Argent burst out.
"Yeah! Let's go," added Unicorn. "Team KDF all the WAY!"
Sable led them back to the CORBY. The advanced helicopter would not function in this realm. Nothing electronic worked here by a decree from Jordyn and all the millions of dollars of equipment was useless. She opened the hatch and made sure the landing gear was pointing more or less in the right direction and directed her team to push the copter toward the area where the city had been. Sheng got in the center of the tail and focused his gralic energy on strength. He could become faster or stronger or more resilient by concentrating but he could only increase one trait at a time. The heavy craft rolled over and came to rest just touching the mysterious area.
"Everybody in! Trom Girl, take the co-pilot seat." Sable got her crew in their places with their hatches shut. The immense crowd was yelling and gesturing. Most had never left their native realm and lived at a comfortable medieval level in farms and villages. This weird assortment of outsiders with their strange metal giant wagon that had huge knife blades at its top... it was the final straw to their overworked imaginations. The KDF members could see Sulak trying to calm the crowd down.
In the cockpit, Sable had taken the pilot seat. She slid down a cover in the ceiling that revealed a pale blue gem the size of a dinner plate, shimmering in the gloom of the darkened craft. It was the largest Eldar travel crystal known. "Megan, I will need your help here. Even with a crystal this size, moving the CORBY is too much for my will power."
The Trom Girl fastened her restraint straps. She was smaller and thinner than Sable, with a shag of dark hair and a foxlike inquesitive face, "Standing by, captain," she replied with a hand on the crystal.
"I'm going to steer us after that city. Give me all your will for impetus." Sable touched her fingertips to the blue gem and concentrated with complete focus on leaving that realm and following wherever Colegdar had gone. A flare of beautiful blue light exploded silently, casting new shadows and the CORBY was gone.
( the rest of the story )
7/11-7/14/2001
I.
The city of Colegdar was gone. Raw dirt and bare stone stretched for more than four square miles where the river port had stood for hundreds of years, Beyond the rough circle of desolation were a few huts and one storehouse for grain but nothing else remained. Eight thousand Melgar were gone without a trace and no one remained to say how it had happened.
Scraping a toe of her boot into the dirt, Sable was more dumbfounded than she had ever been before in her young life. She surreptiously touched her face to make sure her mouth was not hanging open. At just twenty-three, she was so serious and studious that she seemed older. Lauren Sable Reilly was of medium height and slim, dressed in a black field suit with the helmet held in one arm. She had straight, jet black hair tied back in a ponytail, large dark eyes and pug nose over full lips. She not only didn't realize she was attractive, it never occured to her to think about it.
Turning from the waist, she regarded her team somberly. "I know what you are all thinking."
"Time for lunch?" asked Unicorn brightly.
"NO. You are thinking, 'if only Jeremy were here.' He's not. It's time for us to stand on our own feet. This was agreed to by all of us." She looked them over. "Seriously. You are ready. I have seen how good you all are."
Standing before her were six young people, ranging in age from twenty-one to twenty-nine. Most wore the black field suit with its inner Trom metal layer and assortment of weapons. The exception, as usual, was Unicorn. The little blonde had ordered her own extra suit all in white, despite strong recommendations not to do so. In the white boots, tight pants and snug waist-length jacket, Unicorn looked adorable and she used it for all it was worth. Strapped across her back was a leather sheath holding the namesake Horn that was the source of her power.
"Aw, we're stepping up to the plate, Sable." She pointed a tiny finger at the dirt. "So. What do you think happened?"
"Let me study it for a few minutes," was the answer. Sable knelt beside the edge of the circle of desolation and her eyes went out of focus. The others waited in silence. They knew she was not meant for physical combat; her gift was perception, being able to extend her vision into the microscopic or telescopic, her hearing and taste and touch enhanced beyond any Human limit. As the minutes dragged by, her teammates stepped back to not disturb her.
Unicorn turned to face the crowd of stupefied Melgarin who stood, hundreds of them, surrounding the empty space where Colegdar once was. None had so far tried to step into the area affected. They whispered and stared and seemed too horrified to turn away. Right behind her team stood the Melgar champion, Sulak. A tall gladiatorial figure in a dark blue arena suit with white trim, Sulak was stronger than any other flesh and blood being in existence. He had long ago been a KDF member but had stepped down to reserve duty.
Stepping closer, Unicorn said quietly, "What do you think, Sulak? You've had millions of adventures."
"I have not the faintest idea what has happened, Ashley. We Melgar are stout warriors and a hearty sort but gralic sorcery is not for us. Few Melgar ever learn anything about magick. When we saw Colegdar had disappeared in the still of the night, all were struck speechless. I went to the world beyond to seek help from my comrades in the KDF."
"And you find WE were the new KDF. Us kids. Sorry, Sulak, I bet you wish Jeremy and Cindy had stuck around."
Sulak dismissed that with a vague shrug. "Everything changes. Fathers die and sons take over the trade. I only wish there was something I could do that would help."
You do not feel more useless than I do, thought Megan Salenger nearby. Here in Androval, as in many other realms, technology was banned by the will of Jordyn Himself. Gunpowder would not spark, batteries gave off no electricity, even cigarette lighters did not work. It was all arbitrary and unfair from her point of view. Without the advanced Trom technology, the Trom Girl felt she had nothing to offer. She looked back at the stealth helicopter CORBY, her pride and joy, nothing more here than a metal frame in which to sit and store stuff. Megan was a Human orphan raised from a baby by the emotionless Trom, but although they had tried to make her like themselves, she still had feelings under an impassive mask.
The Trom Girl listened to Unicorn and Suiak. She did not share their confidence in the new KDF's judgement or competence. Personally, she would have preferred to have the experienced Dire Wolf remain in command, But it was too late for that now. She hoped all her doubts and uncertainties did not show on her poker face. "Sulak, have you ever heard of such an event as this?"
"Never," replied the Melgar. His rugged, angular face was stricken. "My heart is heavy at the sight."
Sable raised her head and came back to her immediate surroundings. She looked more stern than usual as she gestured her team to draw closer. Argent, Unicorn, Trom Girl. Blind Archer, Black Lion, Brimstone Kid. As they came in to a huddle, with Sulak among them, she said in a low tone. "I do not think the city was destroyed and the inhabitants killed. I think the entire area has been transported elsewhere."
They all began talking and she hushed them with a raised hand. "That's my conclusion. At microscopic level, all the material left behind has been broken off cleanly. There are minute particles of the buildings and trees still here, sliced neatly even with the ground surface. Nothing shows signs of burning or trauma. I am not an expert but my judgement is that Colegdar was taken away by a travel crystal."
Argent broke in. He was from Chujir and most would therefore think he was Chinese. The hawklike nose and strong chin made him stand out from most of his kin, though. "Something that big? It's hard enough to move one person through a gate, but to move an entire city...?"
"We may be facing something new," Sable said. "Sulak, we are going to investigate. I suggest you tell your people to avoid stepping over this area. For all I know, the city might return as suddenly as it left."
As the Melgar champion relayed this information to the crowd and asked them to spread the word, Sable continued to her team. "We are going to pursue the city and hopefully find a way to bring it back. Guys, we are facing something more powerful than we have ever faced before. I did not know something on this scale was even possible."
"We're with you, Sable!" Argent burst out.
"Yeah! Let's go," added Unicorn. "Team KDF all the WAY!"
Sable led them back to the CORBY. The advanced helicopter would not function in this realm. Nothing electronic worked here by a decree from Jordyn and all the millions of dollars of equipment was useless. She opened the hatch and made sure the landing gear was pointing more or less in the right direction and directed her team to push the copter toward the area where the city had been. Sheng got in the center of the tail and focused his gralic energy on strength. He could become faster or stronger or more resilient by concentrating but he could only increase one trait at a time. The heavy craft rolled over and came to rest just touching the mysterious area.
"Everybody in! Trom Girl, take the co-pilot seat." Sable got her crew in their places with their hatches shut. The immense crowd was yelling and gesturing. Most had never left their native realm and lived at a comfortable medieval level in farms and villages. This weird assortment of outsiders with their strange metal giant wagon that had huge knife blades at its top... it was the final straw to their overworked imaginations. The KDF members could see Sulak trying to calm the crowd down.
In the cockpit, Sable had taken the pilot seat. She slid down a cover in the ceiling that revealed a pale blue gem the size of a dinner plate, shimmering in the gloom of the darkened craft. It was the largest Eldar travel crystal known. "Megan, I will need your help here. Even with a crystal this size, moving the CORBY is too much for my will power."
The Trom Girl fastened her restraint straps. She was smaller and thinner than Sable, with a shag of dark hair and a foxlike inquesitive face, "Standing by, captain," she replied with a hand on the crystal.
"I'm going to steer us after that city. Give me all your will for impetus." Sable touched her fingertips to the blue gem and concentrated with complete focus on leaving that realm and following wherever Colegdar had gone. A flare of beautiful blue light exploded silently, casting new shadows and the CORBY was gone.
( the rest of the story )
