The Celestial Way

Chapter 10.2 - Guardians of the Way

Airo rode silently in the rising strike shuttle. Veralla was in the cockpit, her snout glued to the viewscreens. Magus stood off to the side, and the old Knight's pensive gaze kept alternating between him and the dragonet.

They landed inside the skyship's main docking hangar. Veralla almost immediately jumped out and ran toward the arriving squadron of dragons. Airo glared at the great winged beasts, his sword arm flexing. A young Highlander, dressed in the Radiant Order's customary red-gold combat armor, waited at the docking station. The adolescent Knight was large and muscular, standing at seven feet tall, all fair features and golden hair typical to Highlanders. Airo noticed the man's armor was of a much more advanced design than Ferrtau's.

The large Knight did a double take as Veralla rushed past, but his attention quickly turned back to Airo and Magus. "Welcome aboard the Vorzii! I..." the towering youth stuttered as he noticed Magus' crimson insignia. "Uhh, have we met, sir?" he asked respectfully.

"No, we have not," the old Knight said evenly. "Let us not linger. Proper introductions will be made in due time."

The large Knight nodded in agreement. "Uh, right, of course, sir. We shall leave this area immediately. I'm Terlokhi Stamat, by the way. At your service." He saluted with an open palm to his heart, and inclined his head in deference. "And you must be Commander Airo," Stamat said, lifting his eyes.

Airo was caught off-guard. "I am," he said, nodding curtly.

"There is someone who wants to meet you," Stamat said. He eyed Airo's armor-hidden features appraisingly, though his demeanor remained friendly. "Please, follow me to the bridge."

Stamat turned and started to walk across the hangar. Airo and Magus followed him. En route, the Radiant Knight spoke over his commlink. "Zozzy, get us out of here."

"You've got it, big man," came a deep-voiced reply on the open frequency. "Where are we headed?"

"I suggest we go home. We've done enough on this patrol," Stamat said.

"Ooo-kay. Operation 'Spooling Engines and Vamoose' engaged. Bridge's open whenever you feel like coming."

They went to the upper decks via a gravshaft. The skyship's interior surfaces were overlaid with a golden finish, and the lights were subtly shifted into an alternating cyan-purple hues, with the overall end design striking just the right balance between functional and gracefully wondrous. While they walked to the bridge, Airo wondered who had identified him. Was it possible Consortium representatives were onboard and acted jointly with the Radiant Knights? It seemed highly unlikely. The Radiant Order have been considered pariahs to the rest of the galaxy after the Dragon Independence War – at least according to Dragon Retreat's datalinks.

Stamat glanced over his shoulder at Magus. "So, are you perchance a Knight, sir? Your... personal effects carry the symbols of the Order but they look different from the standard uniforms."

"There has never been a set standard in the Order's dress code," Magus remarked dryly. "Individual Knights have always been free to carry whatever garments they like. The current tradition is a product of a collective desire for proud display of one's aspirations and accomplishments. Which is perfectly normal."

"Right," Stamat said, though he seemed a bit confused. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, where are you coming from? I can't remember seeing you anywhere at the headquarters, and I think you weren't aboard the Starhaven when it returned from its last voyage."

"I was on a personal exile here, on Terra Para," Magus said calmly. He didn't add anything further. Stamat seemed like he wanted to ask more, yet decided to not press the issue. Airo, meanwhile, was certainly ready to hear the entire story, but figured the old Knight would tell him even less than he was willing to share with other members of the Radiant Order.