Ancient Relics (Shadow of the Ancients Book 1) (13 page)

Zoey, Logan, and Paige go to Logan’s office and Zoey
explains the teachings of Ellema and the story of the Ancients handed-down
through generations of my followers.

“My studies in the teachings of Ellema all started
about fifteen years ago,” Zoey begins her story, “I was a private security
specialist for the Alliance and my first tour was the border skirmish of the
Farland System near the Prozastrian territories.”

Paige and Logan settle in as Zoey introduces the
story setting.

Paige even reaches over to a shelf were Logan keeps
a few snacks and begins eating as though she was watching a holo-vid.

Zoey continues her line of storytelling by
explaining the history of the border skirmish and the separation of the
Prozastrian Syndicate and the Trillian Alliance.

She explains, “The Prozastrians were the shipping
industry for the Alliance and they wanted a total monopoly on interstellar
trade, but the Alliance wanted nothing to do with any monopolies. As a result,
the Prozastrians declared independence and waged war against any outsiders
traveling through the contested border-regions along the Syndicate and Alliance
border,” Zoey details.

Logan, being a historian, is familiar with the
event, but not much more than an overview of the history.

Paige knows very little of the history of the event,
and is quite taken into the story Zoey disseminates.

“I was stationed with a Battalion of Peacekeepers
called the Jin’Ara Order; a group of Followers dedicated to the history of the
Ancients and keepers of peace throughout the Trillian Galaxy.” Zoey explains.

She acts out her tale as she tells her story.

Continuing, she adds, “At one of the many battles
fought in the region, we found ourselves surrounded and cut off from the rest
of our forces.”

“As each soldier in the order fell from wounds, I
found it necessary to treat as many of them as I could to preserve life,” Zoey
tells them, to indicate that the battle was her induction into combat medicine.

Zoey changes the mood of the story with the primary
detail that changed her life, “As I treated one soldier, I was shot in the
shoulder. It was not a mortally threatening wound, but was one that would
change my life and lead to my inception into the Alliance military. As I lie on
the ground, wounded and crushed with intense pain, one of the medics from the
order came to assist me. She told me I had the presence of a ‘true believer’
and that I should take up the call into medicine.”

“That medic,” Zoey clarifies, “was a Follower of
Ellema. She handed me a copy of Silent Ellema and told me if I truly wished to
make a difference, I should read it and take it to heart.”

Zoey continues with her details of the battle at the
border skirmish and other events that propelled her career into combat medicine
before finally coming to the cross roads of her journey.

“It was then that I decided to take on the calling
and become a Follower of Ellema,” she says as she ends the story, “I continued
researching the history of this galaxy, the order, the teachings of Ellema, and
I try to save as many people as I can through non-lethal force and combat
medicine.”

Paige, intensely engrossed in Zoey’s story finds
herself curled up in her chair hanging on every word Zoey speaks.

Logan, also engrossed in Zoey’s tale, finds himself
leaning in as though to catch every word without failing.

Zoey opens her satchel, pulls out her copy of Silent
Ellema, and opens it to an obviously well-worn page from constant re-reading.
She hands the book over to Logan and Paige for their further study.

As she hands them the book, Zoey says, “This is the
scripture I guide my life around.”

Zoey quotes from the text, “‘Though my time in this
form is little, compared to that of my brothers and sisters of the Napistum
Dimtu, I shall seek to preserve and reflect on the force that guides and binds
us to this realm. It is my hope and will to prevent the loss of any who have fallen
to the Etutu’ Ellema, the Wilds of Kishar, verse 1.”

Logan examines the worn manuscript, looking through
random pages to gauge understanding of the teachings.

Logan then moved his hand to his chin, as he always
does when in great thought, and looks at Zoey with and obvious question in
mind.

“So the Followers of Ellema are more or less
historians?” Logan asks Zoey.

Zoey smiles and giggles slightly before answering,
“In a sense, I guess you could say that. However, our purpose is greater than
history writing and research. We are more pilgrims of thought then anything. We
study Ellema and the universe.”

Attempting to explain, she adds, “In so doing, we
write our discoveries down in hopes that what we find can be used by our
successors in finding the absolute truths of the universe, and progress
people’s evolution towards ascension, and become one with the Ancients. Much of
Silent Ellema is not even Ellema’s own words or teachings. Much of what is
written is compiled findings from Followers.”

She informs them that Followers are more than just
students of philosophy, and that they act as peace keepers, doctors of
medicine, and are willing and capable of taking up arms to protect the galaxy
from any enemy of the Ancients.

Logan lifts his chin slowly, and then back down, to
indicate understanding and says, “I believe I understand now. Thank you Zoey.
You’ve been a great help.”

Zoey smiles brightly and replies, “Sure thing,
Daddy-o. If there’s anything else I can help you with, shoot me a line.”

With the story at an end, Zoey begins to return to
her duties when Paige asks, “So, who are these Ancients?”

Logan, completely forgetting about the Ancients due
to his intrigue of Zoey’s tale, comments about Paige’s follows-up, “Yeah, I
almost forgot about that. Who are these Ancients?”

Zoey sits back down and says, “Well, we don’t know a
whole lot about the Ancients. Some believe them to be like gods, while others
believe them to simply be deified ancestors.”

Zoey turns to a few different pages throughout the
text she handed Logan and points out references to the Ancients.

“Each of these scriptures mentioning the Ancients
all seems to indicate they had a hand in building the current paradigm in the
Trillian Galaxy. No one seems to have any record of who the Ancients really are,
where they are from, or why they are so revered in our past,” she explains.

“They’re just like,” Zoey shrugs a little with a
brief pause before completing her thought, “…paragons.”

With the story told and the Ancients identified as
an unknown player in the founding of the known galaxy, Zoey returns to her
duties and leaves her text of Silent Ellema in the trusted hands of Logan and
Paige to help them discover details about the mysterious stones.

Logan and Paige return to the science lab with the
text in-hand and replace the stones in to the hands of the science team.

Logan now focuses on researching Ellema and the
Ancients to find clues that may unlock this unfolding mystery.

The database aboard the Wayfarer has access to every
known text and publication in the Trillian Alliance for the past three-thousand
years.

Some texts are partial, while others are full text.

Using DataCom devises, Logan pulls up research
material on a large number of DataComs, and has them disorderly displayed
across his desk.

As he researches my kind, which they only know as
the Ancients, and our language, Logan picks through DataCom after DataCom to
find texts he needs to put the puzzle together.

One such DataCom describes a planet in the Ancient
star system of Trilli.

Logan sees a resemblance between the name Trilli and
Trillian, from Trillian Alliance and Trillian Galaxy, and wonders if there is
some connection.

The Trilli system is very far out, and not even in
the Kishar Expanse. To get there, the Wayfarer would not only have to pass
through Drak controlled space, but also Prozastrian controlled space.

Logan writes a report indicating the need for
further study the Trilli system, both to encourage the commander to make the
planet of Trilli a point of interest to seek out, and as a reminder to himself
of the need to visit the system.

As for now, the Wayfarer is on its way to the
Fantasm star system.

This system is an mysterious star system shrouded by
a nebula, making the inner elements of the system unknown to the Alliance.

The Alliance Intelligence Committee indicated a need
to explore the system for potential strategic placement for the war against the
Drak Empire.

With visible light showing only a nebula, it
produces colors of indigo, rich blues, and deep reds.

Ultra violet light indicates a small newly forming
star system and an unknown number of planets.

The mission given to the Wayfarer is to determine if
there are any planets, whether or not they are habitable, and if they can use
the system as a strategic point of operations.

While the Wayfarer speeds towards its destination,
Paige and Zoey take a break from work for a meal at one of the many dining
facilities on the ship.

As they enter the dining facility, they notice
Sophie, the woman arrested with Oni, eating alone.

After getting their meals, they decide to sit with
Sophie and learn a little more about her.

Since Oni and Sophie arrived on ship, Sophie seemed
a bit distant from the rest of the crew.

Tall and slender like a Doran, but not as pale and
without the elongated ears or blond hair, Sophie stands out among the crew.

“Would you like some company?” Paige asks Sophie as
she takes a seat.

Sophie looks up at Zoey and Paige.

“By all means,” Sophie replies.

Zoey starts into her meal as quickly as a hungry
farm animal.

Paige looks at Zoey and comments, “You must be
starving to eat that quickly.”

Zoey giggles at Paige’s comment and fires back,
“Well, when you live on a combat vessel, never knowing when you’re gonna’ get
called into action, you tend to eat as fast as possible. Besides, there’s not
much flavor to enjoy here."

Paige looks down at her plate and replies, “I think
I see your meaning.”

Lightly playing with her food, Paige pokes and prods
different portions, almost as if she is trying to see if it is dead or not.

Really, what she is doing is trying to find a way to
start a conversation with Sophie without having a mouth full of food, like
Zoey.

“So,” Paige attempts to converse with Sophie, “Where
are you from?”

The question is more to find out what race Sophie is
rather than ask her what planet she originated.

“Sophie turns to Paige and replies, “I am from
everywhere, yet nowhere.”

A vague answer, to say the least, but that does not
stop Paige’s inquisition.

“Did you move around a lot or something,” Paige
attempts to redirect the question in a way to get better details from Sophie.

“One is always in motion,” Sophie answers with
complete logic that almost resembles sarcasm.

Zoey starts to laugh, snorting a small piece of food
into her nose.

She coughs a little and snorts, quite rudely, and
takes a drink of water.

“Sorry,” Zoey says to the small group.

Paige laughs at Zoey from her nonchalant manners and
boyish attitude.

“I think you’ve been around men too long Zoey,”
Paige tells her.

“Ya’ think?” Zoey sarcastically replies.

Both begin laughing at each others' jests while
Sophie just sits in an almost meditative state staring at the table.

Zoey sees that Sophie is not laughing and wonders if
she might be sad or lonely, then asks her, “You miss home?”

“I have no home,” Sophie replies.

Sophie’s reply makes both Zoey and Paige stop to
ponder her answer.

Paige asks, “Do you mean you don’t have a home
planet, or your home is destroyed?”

Sophie answers Paige’s question, “I exist here. I
have no home planet, nor a home. I come and go as I please without need for
physical possessions.”

Zoey leans over and asks quietly, “Are you a
Follower too?”

Sophie looks over to Zoey and answers her in a most
curious way, “I suppose you can say I am something like that.”

Paige and Zoey look across the table to each other
and shrug, not completely understanding much of what Sophie is saying.

“So, are you Doran?” Zoey just comes right out and
asks.

Sophie ponders the question for a moment and tilts
her head to the side slightly before answering, “What is a Doran?”

Paige and Zoey immediately stop eating and look to
one another in disbelief. They are starting to believe something is definitely
not right with Sophie for her not to know what Dorans are.

Dorans are one of three major races in the Trillian
Alliance, the core-founding race of the Alliance, and the saviors of the
Tharisian race.

Paige redirects her gaze upon Sophie and begins a
line of questions, “You don’t know what a Doran is?”

Sophie nods to indicate an affirmative answer to
Paige’s question.

Paige continues her inquisition with Sophie, “You
move around a lot, and must have met dozens of other races out here in the
galaxy, and you don’t know what any of the races are?”

Sophie again ponders Paige’s question and concludes,
“You are correct.”

A puzzled look comes across Paige’s face as she
peers to Zoey for any hint of a comment from her, then looks back at Sophie.

“Uhm, do you know what race you are?” Paige takes a
chance in asking.

Sophie looks around the room and notices that no one
really looks like her. She stands alone among numerous races, not quite fitting
the typical description of any one race.

Sophie looks back at Paige, then over to Zoey and
says, “I believe I understand the reason for your curiosity. I do not look like
everyone else.”

Paige curls back in her chair and then quickly
replies, “Don’t get us wrong or anything. We didn’t mean to offend you. We’re
just curious as to how you ended up here with us is all.”

Zoey adds with a snarky comment, “Or, with Oni for
that matter.”

“I am not offended, little one. You can rest your
troubled mind,” Sophie tells Paige.

Sophie then looks over to Zoey and explains, “I came
into being, near Oni, on a planet not far from her home system. She assumed I
was a… ‘hitch hiker’ and asked if I needed ‘a ride'.”

Sophie’s detailing of her meet-up with Oni indicates
that she seems to be struggling with the identification of the phrases ‘hitch
hiker’ and ‘a ride’ as though she was not too familiar with colloquial sayings.

“So, you mean that you ran into Oni somewhere out
there and rode together ever since,” Zoey asks.

“We had no collision,” Sophie replies showing an
obvious misunderstanding of common phrases.

Paige and Zoey both begin to laugh.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you did,” Zoey remarks about
the ‘collision’ reference before taking a sip of water.

At this point, Sophie almost looked perturbed, if it
were possible to gauge any emotion from her at all.

Paige settled down from her inquiry and just kept
the conversation to idle chat.

Sophie seemed to relax a little before Zoey and
Paige finally finished their meals and returned to duty.