Chapter Thirteen - Surprises

Chapter Thirteen

Surprises

147 Cycles P.E.

         Within two cycles, the assailers knew where their targets were. Three were Out of Phase and the other three were in their respective dwellings. It would be simple for the four of them to accomplish their goals.

         Their leader had instructed them on how to accomplish their goals of the best way to terminate an Elder's existence. They were also trained on how to use their natural knowledge of stealth and camouflage techniques to secretly approach their targets.

         As they approached the Out Phase retreat, they noticed the number of guards had tripled. Instead of standing still, the guards were circling the retreat so that there were no blind spots. There were seven guards and only four of them. If they attacked, an alarm would be raised and their advantage would be gone. Most likely one or more would perish in the attack. Their leader had warned them under no circumstance should any get caught or killed. If one of them were killed, the body must be collected and brought back. Failure was not an option and judgment against them or their families would occur.

         They decided to attack the guards causing a diversion. They should be able to cause a distraction to gain entrance to the dwelling before having to flee.

         As one, they charged the side with the least number of guards at the time. As they ran, they readied their spears of crystal. They would launch their spears as they drew near, but far enough away that the remaining guards could not attack them.

         Once inside the cleaning, they recognized all the guards were there, waiting. As they stopped charging and prepared to throw their spears. multiple-colored lights shot out at them. Instantly three were hit and went down, not moving. The fourth threw his spear and it hit the mark squarely in the chest.

         It easily should have penetrated the chest. However, when it hit, it simply bounced off. The one remaining assailant turned to flee, only to find four more guards had flanked him. He was trapped. He decided to go in the direction of no guards. As soon as he took a step, he was hit by a colored beam of bright light. He could not move. He was trapped in a cone of light. He did not understand what was happening to him. How could light hold him?

         He then felt the impossible. The light was moving up and he was too. He tried to jump down or break the contact, but he could not move.

         One of the guards wearing more armor than the rest came up to him and began to speak. Who sent you? Where are you from? Why are you sending our Elders and guards to be One with the Planet? Speak or you will end up like your friends!

         The assailant did not know what to do. He was not aware of the reason for the terminations, only that he had been commanded to come here and terminate the ones called Elders. According to his leader, he did not know who the Elders were except they were evil.

         Not going to speak? I will probe your mind and will not be gentle in doing so.

         The assailant knew about mind probes. His leader had advised them this may happen, but not to worry.

         The Captain of the Guard began his probe. He quickly discovered he could not make contact with the criminal. He reached into the mind and found nothing he understood. But that was impossible. Even if barriers were in place, he would have felt them. Here, there was nothing.

         Take him to the reinforced crystal cage. Make sure guards are surrounding it. Check it so there are no further weapons with him.

         The Captain of the Guard immediately went to contact the Elders regarding the strange creature. Elder Tem, we have news of an attack. Please open a connection to the other Elders so I can provide my report. Is the Supreme High One still in contact with everyone?

         Yes, Captain, I am here. What news do you have? Did anyone become One with the Planet asked the Supreme High One? All the Elders are listening. Please continue.

         We surprised the attackers just as they were going to attack an Out of Phase retreat. There were four of them that attacked as one. We surprised them and terminated three of them. The fourth attempted to terminate a guard with a rod-like object; however, the rod was easily deflected by the new armor. We will compare the weapon to the others we have found. We attempted to interrogate the criminal, but he is not talking. I then attempted to read its thoughts only to discover they are foreign and indecipherable. I am aware that is impossible. We have the prisoner safely detained awaiting your interrogation, reported the Captain.

         I have already attempted to look into its mind only to discover it is unreadable, as you stated. I will need to gather more essence and open a window into the Collective, advised the Supreme High One. Once there, I should have enough essence to remove any mental barriers and discover who is responsible for the Elders' and guards' deaths.

         After fortifying his connection with the Collective and narrowing his concentration, the Supreme High One began to probe the mind of the assailant. He surmised there would be nothing at first, searching diligently until he found a very well-hidden path to his sentience. Using his available essence, he increased his barriers as much as possible and began his search. What he found nearly broke his concentration.

         He discovered images of a city where strange, but familiar creatures lived. At first, he did not know why they were familiar. He probed more to see if he could locate the background information of the creature. He discovered an organized, intelligent, and advanced species for their level. They had their language, government, and culture. He also saw they were the dominant species in their territory with hunters, gatherers, and warriors. They had an advanced language system to communicate even over long distances. He did not recognize the dialect but was certain he had heard something like it before. Their relationships with their Young Ones were foreign to him.

         As he probed, he again sensed something familiar, but it was buried even further into their consciousness. He would investigate that later. He began to search for why they were attacking the Elders. As he searched, he kept noticing something vaguely familiar about this species.

`          He then remembered. He went to his guarded information and, after a bit, came across what he feared. These were the Natas he discovered cycles ago. He was responsible for the Natas' current evolved state. When he decided the Natas needed a boost toward being closer to true sentient beings, he sped up their evolution process. He did not think this would have happened for hundreds or thousands of cycles. indirectly, he was responsible for the deaths of the Elders and guards.

1172 Words