War for the Iron Planet

Chapter 8: Astralbian Tensions

Vanbrook woke up refreshed and ready to fight. He always felt ready to fight. It wasn't a matter of anger or fear -he just liked the challenge. As there were no enemies standing at the foot of his bed, he settled for a brief exercise routine and a shower, followed by heading into the command tent for something to eat. He grabbed a pastry, plus a small steak for some protein, and brewed some rakka bean tea. It was a lot hardier than those flower teas Raivyn liked, earthy and just right for waking up with.

Still sipping on the tea, he walked out to view the sunrise. The planet was honestly beautiful. The purples and oranges the rising star painted in the sky brought out the matching stones that dotted the rocky forest floor. A chorus of birds, amphibians and insects rose from the shadows of the morning forest.

Opposite the sunrise, twin moons Nyx and Lux were setting. Nyx was a dark moon, reflecting little light at all, but Lux made up for it by shining bright and silver. The two moons were in a binary orbit, circling one another as they both circled Hittania. They were similar in size and eclipsed one another throughout the night.

"Wow, I think I could live here," he said absently.

"Really?" said Raivyn, who was also enjoying some tea in the morning light. Vanbrook turned to her suddenly.

"Well," started Vanbrook, "it's just kind of... an expression. It's nice here, you know? Ha, maybe the colors just remind me of the neon-lit clubs of home."

"It's quite a canvas," said Raivyn. "'The Progenitor is the greatest painter, and the skies his greatest canvas,' that's something my mom always said when I was young."

"Hmm," replied Vanbrook, "that's nice. Hey, any word on Reclan?"

"Yeah," said Raivyn, staring into her tea. "Doc said she woke up. They had to take her foot. Sounds like she's taking it pretty hard. I can't blame her.

"She's tougher than she seems, though. She whines a lot but she knows how to get things done. She did a heck of a job taking out that Ramshackle craft, though I think we owe her a new drone."

Vanbrook laughed. "Yeah, I'll have to put in a requisition for one or two. She'd like that."

The two finished their tea in silence. Quiet moments were going to be few and far between for a while.

***

Aboard the Wingspan, Jasken was rubbing his temples, trying to follow the rambling professor. "So," he asked, "these papers have the coordinates for this Cornucopian Cluster?"

"No," replied Chim. "Shrump hid them."

"But these papers say where to find them?" Jasken asked.

"Yes! More or less. Most of the papers are gibberish. Here is the most relevant passage: 'My confrontation with the great aetheral shark-' this appears to be a reference to the mythological aether beast Koo L'Koom- 'showed me the truth: no one must know about the Cluster. I have hidden away in this cave, and it will be shut with a blast door if anyone approaches, including the reptilian apes in the forest. I cannot destroy the coordinates; they are holy. So I hid them. I went to the north and hid them in the valley between two great and icy peaks. That place is holy now. Holy and forbidden. Woe to them who enter the caves. Woe to them who find the cairn. Woe to them who take the holy records.'"

"Okay," said Jasken, "we know what we're looking for. Chim, I'd like you and Grikchum to stay on awhile."

The professor's eyes went wide. "Oh, Admiral, I would have insisted on it! We simply must see Shrump's resting place, and bring his bones home to Talpidaria!"