he grieved this loss. He looked over at Jake and their eyes met.
Ah, my old friend Vetraas, came Adun’s pain-filled thoughts, I am glad you walk beside me. Your composure gives me strength.
There is no shame in deep grief, Jake sent back. To not mourn the dead is to dishonor them. But we must also be thankful for their lives.
I am, Vetraas. I am.
The walk took almost an entire day. They reached the temple at sunset, and it was Jake, adviser to Zoranis, and Adun, Zoranis’s protégé, who had the honor of bathing and dressing the body and sitting with it. Traditionally this was done to protect the body from scavengers. Now the corpse was safely preserved in stasis until the moment of burial, but the ritual of lovingly protecting it lingered on.
Jake looked down at his old friend. Clad in robes of simple white as opposed to the armor in which he had spent most of his life, Zoranis looked at peace. The robes hid the horrific wounds that had claimed his life. The large eyes were closed, the flesh looking almost alive.
Jake wished he could speak with Zoranis one more time, tell him how well he had served his people. How greatly he would be missed. Instead, he contented himself with pressing the dead hands and thinking the traditional farewell:
“Und lara khar. Anht zagatir nas”: “Be at peace. The gods watch over you.” Night was falling on the last day of Zoranis’s leadership. Before the sun rose, as tradition had it, there would be a new executor.
The Templar caste, like any group whose members were finite, was not without its flaws, disagreements, and occasional corruption and infighting. This time, the templar would rise to the heights of which he knew it was capable, the heights of what Khas intended when he created the Khala. There was one among their number who exemplified all that was right and good with the templar. One whom everyone respected. One who, if he accepted it, would greet the dawn as executor.
And quite possibly, Adun himself was the only one who didn’t know it.
Jake opened his eyes as he heard the slight hissing sound of the door irising open. “A highly successful run,” Rosemary said. “Can you give me a hand with these?”
He turned to see her standing beside the door, behind her another nav frame. She was stil in her suit, which was clearly too large for her. At her feet was an opened container filed with a variety of items, none of which Jake recognized and al of which he was glad he had very little to do with. He carefuly took the piles of chips, plating, and wires and moved it into the main cabin.
“Not only were we able to ditch the tracking device,” she told him as she emerged from the bulky suit, “it’s now going to lead anyone who’s latched onto its signal on a wild-goose chase. I’ve rigged it to engage from here. We’l want to beat a quick retreat once I activate it, though, just in case the movement attracts any attention.”
She hung up the suit and turned to Jake. “I’m certain that those Wraiths are in the area. Let’s put you to work monitoring Dominion standard com channels while I hook al this stuff up.”
She directed him into a seat and entered a rotational sequence in the com system.
“Maybe they’l give their presence away and alow us to get a fix on their location.”
The minutes ticked by as Jake monitored and Rosemary tinkered. Annoyed, Jake finaly began to suspect that she had given him this task to keep him out of the way and occupied. Finaly, Rosemary emerged, looking grubby and tired. As she took her seat, she said, “So. Hey, Zamara, how do we get to Aiur from here?”
I will require an accurate map of the sector.
“Pul up a map and show her where we are,” Jake said. Rosemary did.
“Zoom out,” Jake said, again speaking for the alien inteligence inside his skul.
“Again,” he instructed. And a third time he asked her. She raised a raven brow.
That is sufficient for my needs. I shall enter the coordinates.
…
Ah, my old friend Vetraas, came Adun’s pain-filled thoughts, I am glad you walk beside me. Your composure gives me strength.
There is no shame in deep grief, Jake sent back. To not mourn the dead is to dishonor them. But we must also be thankful for their lives.
I am, Vetraas. I am.
The walk took almost an entire day. They reached the temple at sunset, and it was Jake, adviser to Zoranis, and Adun, Zoranis’s protégé, who had the honor of bathing and dressing the body and sitting with it. Traditionally this was done to protect the body from scavengers. Now the corpse was safely preserved in stasis until the moment of burial, but the ritual of lovingly protecting it lingered on.
Jake looked down at his old friend. Clad in robes of simple white as opposed to the armor in which he had spent most of his life, Zoranis looked at peace. The robes hid the horrific wounds that had claimed his life. The large eyes were closed, the flesh looking almost alive.
Jake wished he could speak with Zoranis one more time, tell him how well he had served his people. How greatly he would be missed. Instead, he contented himself with pressing the dead hands and thinking the traditional farewell:
“Und lara khar. Anht zagatir nas”: “Be at peace. The gods watch over you.” Night was falling on the last day of Zoranis’s leadership. Before the sun rose, as tradition had it, there would be a new executor.
The Templar caste, like any group whose members were finite, was not without its flaws, disagreements, and occasional corruption and infighting. This time, the templar would rise to the heights of which he knew it was capable, the heights of what Khas intended when he created the Khala. There was one among their number who exemplified all that was right and good with the templar. One whom everyone respected. One who, if he accepted it, would greet the dawn as executor.
And quite possibly, Adun himself was the only one who didn’t know it.
Jake opened his eyes as he heard the slight hissing sound of the door irising open. “A highly successful run,” Rosemary said. “Can you give me a hand with these?”
He turned to see her standing beside the door, behind her another nav frame. She was stil in her suit, which was clearly too large for her. At her feet was an opened container filed with a variety of items, none of which Jake recognized and al of which he was glad he had very little to do with. He carefuly took the piles of chips, plating, and wires and moved it into the main cabin.
“Not only were we able to ditch the tracking device,” she told him as she emerged from the bulky suit, “it’s now going to lead anyone who’s latched onto its signal on a wild-goose chase. I’ve rigged it to engage from here. We’l want to beat a quick retreat once I activate it, though, just in case the movement attracts any attention.”
She hung up the suit and turned to Jake. “I’m certain that those Wraiths are in the area. Let’s put you to work monitoring Dominion standard com channels while I hook al this stuff up.”
She directed him into a seat and entered a rotational sequence in the com system.
“Maybe they’l give their presence away and alow us to get a fix on their location.”
The minutes ticked by as Jake monitored and Rosemary tinkered. Annoyed, Jake finaly began to suspect that she had given him this task to keep him out of the way and occupied. Finaly, Rosemary emerged, looking grubby and tired. As she took her seat, she said, “So. Hey, Zamara, how do we get to Aiur from here?”
I will require an accurate map of the sector.
“Pul up a map and show her where we are,” Jake said. Rosemary did.
“Zoom out,” Jake said, again speaking for the alien inteligence inside his skul.
“Again,” he instructed. And a third time he asked her. She raised a raven brow.
That is sufficient for my needs. I shall enter the coordinates.
…
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