James Somers - The rise of Lucin

All eyes remained fixed on the man as he made his way down from the platform and walked in a circle in front of those seated on the ground before him. Tears became noticeable in his eyes then-they had become bloodshot as he fought his emotions. Aija stood still among the assembly. "My fellow Gunirans." His words choked. "We will not be spared this judgment."

The entire assembly gasped at that statement. Faces turned pale as the realization hit them. It might not have made much difference, had this man not been well known as a genuine prophet of the Eternal One. He had, according to the Logostus-assembled prophecies, been proven by the fact that his prophecies came true. Before the massacre of the Barudii, Aija had descended to tell his fellow Gunirans that God's hedge was about to fall. The prophecy had been given a thousand years earlier with a link to the last prophet of the age who would herald the coming of Elithias. Aija had given the time of their demise to the day.

Now, Tiet worried. The judgment wasn't over-more people were going to perish. He felt his wife's hand tighten around his own. They had so hoped to find peace-to escape all the turmoil of war among these peaceful people. But there can be no peace when judgment is coming.

The people became restless. Aija raised his hands to still them-he was not through with his proclamation. The room became still very quickly. "We have been the keepers of Logostus, but we have not spread the prophecies to the other clans as we were meant to. The Logostus says, you are set as watchmen to your brothers; so speak my words to them that they may turn from their wickedness and live. If you will not, they will die in their rebellion, but I will require their blood at your hands."

Aija turned from the people and walked back up on the platform and took his place again. "We are guilty of much blood for our failure to warn the clans from this coming judgment. And now we are entering the final days before Elithias comes. It is time to believe on the Eternal one and turn from our rebellion. There's not much time to do so."

Almost the entire assembly disorganized as many cried out to Elithias for mercy. They fell to their faces in prayer crying out to be forgiven. The young and the old weeped as they confessed their rebellion before God and cast themselves upon the promise of pardon for those who would come to him by the pajet-act of sincere submission.

Tiet remained the only one still sitting. His wife, their son, Wynn, Grod, Emil, Merab and Jael had all bowed on their faces committing to Elithias through the pajet. Tiet looked among them and saw the prophet standing over Kale as the boy prayed. Aija looked up from the boy and stared directly at Tiet. His ribs ached again and his breathing became labored. He shook as the prophet's gaze fell on him like a great weight. Aija walked over to Tiet, maneuvering through those on the ground. The prophet stood over the Barudii king. Tiet remained frozen in place.

"Will the king turn to Elithias today?"

Tears threatened to fall across his cheeks. "Why did my people have to die?" Tiet asked.

"Men killed your people, my king," Aija said, "The Eternal One kept you alive and your family and he will yet use you to accomplish his will for us, if you will submit yourself to him and surrender. When Elithias comes, all will be set right-after the darkness of night a new day is coming."

Tiet surrendered his will and got to his knees as the prophet knelt beside him and they prayed together.

The moment seemed to last a long time. But when Aija calmed the people again, only ten minutes had passed. "Men and brethren a wonderful thing has happened to you in turning to Elithias," Aija said. "For all of you that have committed yourselves to the Eternal One, the promise of eternal life is now yours. But the time is still upon us for judgment. Now, go and seek your refuge in the mountains and do not delay for the fallen one has come."

The thunderous roar of a starship's engines howled throughout the small city. People began to scream as they rushed for the building's exits. Tiet and the others made their way out of the meeting hall in turn and saw a building crumble under fire from a Vorn warship coming close overhead. They followed the flow of screaming attendees as they ran toward the base of the mountain that hung over the Great Hall.

A natural alcove in the rock provided extra protection to the building and provided the citizens with a quick way out in case of attack. Tiet saw Aija directing people into the tunnel carved through the face of the rock. Wynn and Grod brought up the rear of their group as they tried to stay together among the throng of people evacuating the provincial town.

Blasts rang out behind them as the first cruiser was joined by others appearing over the horizon. Tiet recognized them as the ships that had been part of their Castillian fleet. The only explanation appeared to be that the symbytes had now decided to use them to launch an attack on this planet. They had left Castai. The thought of other planets being overcome by the Symbytes made his flesh crawl.

Smaller craft streamed out of the fighter bays at the rear of the warships. They swept through the city, tearing through buildings and people who tried to flee toward the mountains.

The approached the entrance to the mountain tunnel, but the prophet Aija was no where to be found now. Behind them, speeder pods closed in. The small one-man vehicles had been built for high velocity ground warfare. They sped across the terrain-their turbines howling with the intake of wind. Blaster cannons on the front of the pods sprayed the Guniran evacuees as they fled for the mountain tunnel. Tiet's group kept up the pace, making their way into the tunnel as the pods approached.

Inside, hundreds of rail cars sat docked while others continued the exodus through the mountain along four point equidistant metal rails. Each car held four people and could travel at speeds up to ninety miles per hour. Row upon row of cars and there respective rails led into the rock wall ahead.

Kale and Emil found two cars together and yelled for the others to get in. Kale and his parents boarded one along with Merab as Grod, Wynn, and Jael boarded the other with Emil piloting. Kale fired up the thrusters in his car and switched on the radio as he signaled to Emil in the adjacent car with three fingers held up to the window followed by one finger. Emil switched his radio to channel thirty one and placed the headset on as the thrusters took up a steady hum in the rear of the vehicle.

All around them, rail cars burst away into the mountain through the one hundred tunnels available to them. People piled up in lines to get safely into a tunnel as the sound of laser cannons continued to pound in their ears from outside.

Emil launched his car as others behind him in line brought their thrusters to readiness for launch. Kale followed suit and they blasted away into the darkness with only a single headlight and the rails to guide them.

"Emil, do you copy?" Kale asked.

"I copy. What's the plan?"

"Whichever one of us gets to the hangar first begins the launch sequence for the Equinox."

The ship had been docked in the Guniran hangar after the Council allowed their group to move into a dwelling inside the province, according to Aija's command.

"We'll meet you there."

"Copy that."

Lucin's fingers drummed along the arm of his command chair as he watched the invasion in real time on the main viewer. He now had the host body of commander Zurig for his use. He leaned forward analyzing the incoming scan data on the display and the reports from the squad commanders on the ground.

What Lucin had feared was already taking place. The collective mind was fading and while he still commanded the individuals, they were not one in mind as the Baruk had been. The number of those assimilated had simply been too many considering the strong will of these humans. He still wanted the boy and his power-a more fitting host for his glorious reign over humanity.