Phantom Regency

Cruelty has nothing whatever to do with the Sky Man or the Phantom Realm. The Forger is the author of peace and freedom. Selfish acts, greed and violence are forbidden to those that follow the Thaxian Way. Renounce the way of tyranny and slavery and give your will to the Sky Man. Our Liberator Yoshun was tempted of the Dragon to avenge his enemies but, in the immortal words of the Phantom Rites:

“There was found nothing in the heart of Yoshun that had the slightest echo in the heart of the Dragon. -6:37”

His was the way of purity and light. The Sky Man had purged his inner being and given him a heart of compassion. He freely forgave his enemies and led them to peace and freedom and so must we. Join me in pledging yourself to fight cruelty and malice wherever you find it – first and foremost in your own heart and life. The Sky Man is near. He has the power to set you free. His hand is mighty to aid you.

-From the writings of Kaz Thaxius, the fifth Regent.

Drake Anslar walked through the garden at Vlademor Palace. He felt very out of place wearing his full dress uniform going through a palatial estate. The CEO had brought the Dominator to Vernorr after Captain Vasloch’s disappearance at the Nexus five days ago. President Voldruss had invited Drake down to the palace along with several other officers. He had spent an uneventful day in the guesthouse before being summoned to the palace this morning.

The garden was as spectacular as he had heard. The lush foliage and bright blooms had a soothing effect. Despite his easygoing nature, he was quite nervous about this meeting. He did not know any details about the captain’s disappearance and did not know if he was suspected in any way.

The CEO was standing on a stone patio at the end of an enormous pond. Captain Ennika Torkul was there as well along with an Authority security officer he did not recognize.

“Commander, wait there for a moment. I will be right with you,” Voldruss said over his shoulder as Drake approached.

He halted at the edge of the patio. The young officer was standing with his back to the pond. The CEO and captain were facing him.

“Are you certain you have nothing more to add, Senior Chief Bynorr?” the CEO asked.

“Sir, I really don’t remember anything. Sir, I’m sorry,” he replied. He nervously glanced at Captain Torkul. Her face was neutral but the corner of her left eye was twitching slightly.

“Well, young sir, apologies will not bring our fugitive back. So, in summary, you and six security guards confronted Captain Vasloch, you do not remember anything of the altercation, two men died and three landed in sickbay. I hardly think that…”

“Let me handle him,” Captain Torkul interrupted. She walked up to Bynorr. Her intimidating frame seemed to tower over him. She looked at him with disdain. “What the CEO is trying to say in his round-about way is that you are no longer of any use to us.”

With that she kicked him savagely in the groin and pushed him into the pond. He tumbled in with a loud splash. Voldruss commented, “Ennika, my dear, I do so appreciate your directness.” He produced a small device and pressed a button.

Chief Bynorr struggled to the surface and began clawing at the bank of the pond. He turned around in terror as the water surged behind him. He was suddenly jerked under the surface. The water bubbled and turned red where the lieutenant went under.

Voldruss let go of the button and put his device away. “Commander-Manager Anslar, I am quite certain we will have a much more productive meeting with you. Please step forward.”

The rumors Drake had heard of the cruelty and severity of the Authority executives had been confirmed. He knew his survival depended on quick thinking and fast-talking. “Sir, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine. Your brief career with us has been punctuated with consistent exemplary performance grades. The Dominator has become a lethal force under your command of her weapons. Congratulations.” Voldruss effused.

“Thank you, sir. I am honored.”

“I have only one question for you, commander. What is your opinion of Talon Vasloch?”

“Sir, I believed Captain Vasloch to be a ship captain and tactician of the highest order. I was honored to serve under and learn from him.” Drake noticed Voldruss’ eyebrow rise. “However, mentally and emotionally I found him to be unstable and untrustworthy. He asked me to instruct him in hand-to-hand combat and during our frequent meetings he shared a great deal of his paranoia about the state of the galaxy.”

Torkul chimed in, “He had a lot to be paranoid about… Do you?”

Voldruss made a calming gesture toward her. “Captain, if you please.” He smiled at Drake. “Commander, I thank you for your candidness. May I ask one more question? Did Vasloch ever mention aliens?”

“Sir, I don’t think so; at least not directly. He seemed to think there was some kind of vast conspiracy to take over the galaxy. As I said, I judged him to be unsound so I paid little attention to his rants. I only tried to be respectful to him as Captain,” Drake replied.

“Excellent, I am most pleased with your answers. Please stay and dine with us tonight. You may avail yourself of all the pleasures of Vlademor Palace. Page the steward on your way in. He will see to all your needs.”

“Thank you, sir,” Drake said and turned to leave.

“Oh, commander. One more thing,” called Voldruss, “May I have your opinion of the state of the galaxy? Do you believe that there is a vast unknown conspiracy threatening our way of life?”

Drake halted and turned back to face the CEO. “With all respect sir, I have no opinion. I have bounced around my whole life and have no family. I have heard lots of people eager to give their views on what is best for everyone else. For myself, I have found a home in the SERPENT Armada and I intend to continue to serve her well. Beyond that, I have no wish to follow Talon Vasloch into any form of insanity with endless speculation.”

“How refreshing – a pragmatist,” said Voldruss, turning to Torkul, “Is it not, my dear? We will have to keep an eye on this young man. He will serve us well.”

Captain Torkul had no response but an icy smile.

The next day, Drake returned to the Dominator. He had been told that the ship’s first officer had been reassigned. He had apparently been considered as the replacement but the position had been given to another. Voldruss did not say who the next captain would be. For now, the CEO himself maintained command of the ship.

His skypod docked and a young female officer greeted him. She was quite petite and had short, stylish red hair. Her large dark eyes unnerved him as she introduced herself.

“I am Officer Intern Cali Skysinger, the new first officer. Welcome aboard.”

“Good to meet you,” he said blushing. He couldn’t believe how smitten he was.

“I have heard a lot about you Commander Anslar, or may I call you Drake? On my last ship, the officers were casual with one another.”

“Drake is fine,” he replied, “What was your last command….Cali?”

“I was on the Render, a Devastator class ship. We patrolled the Evanthan border. That was a bit awkward for me, I grew up on Evantha.”

“If I may ask, why did you come to the Authority?”

“I… well… I really don’t know that I can answer yet. It’s personal,” she answered, then continued in a stage whisper, “Do you really think I can trust this Commander Anslar? I just met him.”

Drake chuckled. Was she trying to flirt? One way to find out. “Would you like to get some coffee down at the officer’s mess? I’d like to get to know the new first officer better.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t know if I can trust her yet.”

“Sure, lead the way,” she said, flashing the friendliest smile Drake had ever seen.

“Come with me.” He started to turn, halted and said, “If I may be so bold, your eyes are the brightest I’ve ever seen. I mean that sincerely…as a compliment…I just…” he stammered.

“That’s okay. It’s not me anyway. The light of Sky Man shines through them.”

“You’re going to have to explain that one,” he said leading her down the corridor.

Ennika Torkul was strolling up and down the command deck of the Deathbringer. She wore the new black uniform of the President’s honor guard. The red metal skull on her lapel flashed as she passed each brightly lit console. They were four days out from the Lair, heading for the galactic center. Voldruss had received orders that the Great Dragon wished to see him. No one had ever seen the leader of the aliens since Maxxus Vlademor long ago. The Great Dragon himself had contacted old Dernholm. The bald old man was still in a state of shock when they arrived there from Vernorr.

For herself, Ennika Torkul was somewhat indifferent to the existence of the aliens. To her, they were the business of the higher-ups. She knew that whether the dragons or Voldruss were really calling the shots, she only needed to do her job well to be rewarded. She had ruthlessly destroyed every enemy placed in her sights, and she had enjoyed every minute of it. She straightened her hat and sat in her command chair.

“President on the bridge!” the duty officer announced.

“At ease, good men,” Voldruss said. He walked up to the captain.

“Captain, when will the rendezvous take place?”

Ennika Torkul rose and responded, “Your guess is as good as mine. Dernholm said the dragon told us to hold this course and they would find us. I expect they have ways of intercepting us, although I would rather not fly too deep into the Inferno. Even now the stars are packed pretty tight.”

Voldruss mused, “Our dear director-general seemed most shaken by his encounter with the Great Dragon. Are you trepidatious about our soon to be face to face meeting?”

“Trepi…what? I wish you would talk straight, sir,” she replied crossly, “I don’t care one way or the other. The great thing wants to meet with you anyway.”

“Tell me, what was your first encounter like? Have you ever talked to them directly?”

“No, never directly. The first time I saw them was on a holo-recording Dernholm showed me. It was right after the Dominator’s first voyage.”

“Ah,” Voldruss mused, “right before the new initiative was launched. Are you and the director-general quite prepared for the next phase?”

“Yes, we have…”

The ship’s pilot interrupted Ennika. “Sir, we are out of shift.” He talked into the console. “Engineering, come in… What happened?”

“Never mind the engines. Phantom field 100%. All personnel to battle stations,” she ordered.

“I hardly think battle stations will be necessary. Our great…”

Voldruss stopped short as a vessel appeared on the holo-screen. It was huge, dwarfing even the Deathbringer. It was dragon-shaped with long sweeping wings that held the phantom cylinders wide and higher than the body of the ship. The prow looked like an open mouth with a huge weapon inside.

“We are receiving a holo-transmission.” The duty officer reported.

“On screen,” Torkul ordered.

A dragon appeared and began talking in its growling, hissing language. A translation scrolled underneath the image. Ennika knew that the dragons beamed the translation along with the image.

“Welcome, SERPENT warriors. Your presence is requested by the Great Dragon. The one titled chief executive officer and the one titled captain-supervisor will travel over in one of your small craft. That is all.” The image faded.

“It looks like it is you and me, Ennika, my dear,” Voldruss said.

Minutes later, Ennika piloted a skypod across the sky to the alien vessel. As they approached, a door slid open on the body of the craft under the prow. She guided the ship into a relatively small landing bay. No other ships were present.

“Are you ready?” she asked the CEO.

They walked to the rear of the skypod. As the door opened, a blast of heat hit them. “Oh my,” Voldruss complained, “Inferno indeed. Is it safe?”

Ennika looked at a console. “It’s 123.8 degrees. Survivable for several hours.”

“How thrilling,” Voldruss drolled.

A small door opened across the bay. One of the creatures walked in. It stood easily seven feet tall although its body was much longer. It had two powerful legs with a large tail counterbalancing its snake-like body. The forelegs were small but strong looking with large, dexterous hands. The face looked like all the others they had seen – pointed reptilian snout and the intelligent yellow eyes. It wore no clothing over its greenish-gray scaly body but had a ceremonial-looking sash across its chest. It held a small device in one hand.

“I will escort you to the Great Dragon. I hope you are not uncomfortable. We have lowered the temperature of our ship significantly for your arrival.” The voice was human and sounded natural. It emanated from the device it carried.

“Please, lead the way,” Voldruss replied.

The dragon led them a short distance down a corridor. Ennika observed that the walls of the ship seemed to be of a totally unfamiliar material. It was not metal or plastic. It seemed to be almost organic. The entire construction seemed to be practical enough, but very different from anything she had seen. It was as if they built a skyship like man had, but started from an entirely different beginning. It was totally alien.

They were led through a large door into a chamber. The door did not swing open. It seemed to just fade away in an inexplicable manner.

They both exhaled sharply at the sight. The room had a high vaulted ceiling. Its walls, floor and ceiling pulsed in varying colors. The colors were subtle and muted, but the slow changes were noticeable. There were two dragons that were apparently guards. They wore ornate helmets and breastplates and held staff-like weapons of indiscernible function. Between them stood the unmistakable form of the Great Dragon.

It was twice the size of the others with a larger, frillier back ridge. Under its arms were membranes that resembled vestigial wings. The frills and membranes pulsed with similar colors to the room. It wore an ornamental helmet similar to the guards. Its eyes glowed soft yellow and were hypnotically benevolent. The outline of its body was hazy. It cast no shadow and seemed to be illuminated independently from the lights in the room.

Baldarr Voldruss was awed. He knew that this creature could fulfill his wildest dreams, could give him all the power and wealth he could ever ask for. His allegiance to the dragons deepened immensely at the sight.

Ennika Torkul was awed as well. The creature did not feel at all dangerous or aggressive, but her heart was uneasy and her skin crawled.

May I never give my heart to cruelty or serve the great dragon.

A fragment of a childhood prayer jumped into her mind. Her father had believed in the Sky Man but had died when she was just six. She fought the sorrow and anger rising in her heart.

She tore her eyes away from its hypnotic gaze for a moment. In her peripheral vision the Great Dragon looked dark and smoky with fiery eyes. When she glanced back over, its appearance returned to normal.

The Great Dragon began speaking. Their ears heard a low, quiet growling language. It was not harsh, but almost musical. As they heard the growls with their ears they could somehow hear words in their minds. It was quite amazing.

“I greet you Baldarr Voldruss. I greet you Ennika Torkul,” it began, “My true name is meaningless to you. I am the tamer of galaxies, I am the giver of wisdom and power, I am the king of the dragons, I am the render of worlds, and I am the eternal power of the phantom universe. I am the Great Dragon, keeper of the phantom fire.”

For once, even Voldruss was speechless. The voice of the Great Dragon was overwhelming and daunting. He could not resist believing all it said. He could not disobey any command it gave.

“You are my chosen servants. Your galaxy will be mine and you will rule by my side. I took this opportunity to tell you personally. There must be no doubt or fear. You will follow my will and I will richly reward you. Let no one stand in your way. Your allegiance is assumed. Return to your ship and search for Talon Vasloch and Eamor Thaxius. I will provide you with all the resources you will need. The heir of Yoshun and the one they call ‘dragon slayer’ must not live. You may go,” the Great Dragon commanded.

Voldruss bowed and backed out of the room. Torkul froze momentarily but followed at his whispered urging.

They were silent on the return trip. They had placed their hopes in a power that they could never overcome and that would never release them. Obeying the will of that power was now the only option.