Ancient Relics (Shadow of the Ancients Book 1) (5 page)

Rarely does the Special Directorate of Information
and Intelligence pair an academic group with the best and most highly trained
troops of the Trillian Alliance.

The last time any such event occurred was when the
Alliance discovered evidence of an advanced civilization in the uncharted
territories, leading to the discovery of the Drak Empire.

Logan and Paige make their way to the Intelligence
Directorate to attended a meeting with the Director of Intelligence to present
the findings while the small band of scholars pile their equipment up and begin
preparations for their soon to come journey.

Logan and Paige arrive to the Directorate's council
hall for their briefing on the artifacts he has been examining all day. With
them, they have carried the necessary equipment to display the holographic map
and the relic itself.

Logan begins his briefing to the Intelligence
Council, “Ladies and Gentlemen. I welcome you here today with great zeal and
fervor, and present to you the greatest find in thousands of years.”

Logan sets up a crude, makeshift device capable of
reading and displaying the great discovery.

He switches on the device and the lights
automatically dim and the grand image of a holographic map comes to life.

The council views in awe of the miraculous discovery
as gasps of intrigue and surprise whisper through the gathering.

“Behold,” Logan narrates with great enthusiasm, “A
nearly completed holomap of the Trillian galaxy as it was about half a billion
years ago.”

Whispers echo through the chamber as members of the
council begin to talk among themselves about the idea of such an old and
strategic discovery.

A voice cries out from the dignitaries, “You are
telling us that this is a holomap of our galaxy, and is confirmed to be half a
billion years old?”

Logan smiles enthused at the renown he has just
gained, “Yes! Or, at least that is what the instruments tell us anyways, given
that this artifact was discovered with other relics from point 5 billion years
ago.”

He explains the circumstance leading to the find by
adding, “Recently, my team and I were on an expedition in the Crete system.
There, we came under fire from an unidentified band of fighters. Later we
discovered that it was a Special Forces team of our very own military pursuing
a Drak recon team.”

Logan explains the continuing circumstances leading
to the discovery, explaining how the event lead to him receiving a wound, and
was forever bound to this turn of events.

“After I got back to Doga Prime, I received a
package from this very office. In that package were several artifacts,
including this disc, which contains a holomap of the galaxy, and a nearly
completed holomap at that,” Logan finishes explaining.

Curious eyes dart from person to person, with
accusing looks as to who may have sent this groundbreaking package to Logan’s
team.

The Director of Intelligence stands to address the
audience and their captivating speaker.

“You have proven to be a great and valuable asset,
Professor Logan,” the Director begins, “It is for that reason I have the honor
to proudly commend you on this discovery. Furthermore, with approval from the
Senate, the Alliance will be sending you, your team, and our most prestigious
Special Forces unit to the Kishar Expanse to complete this journey through our
history.”

The council, now in a roar of enthusiasm, stands to
cheer-on the announcement and offer congratulations to the now honored team of
academics.

“Thank you, Mr. Director,” says Logan as he gratefully
and humbly bows to his audience and the director, “It is with great honor we
humbly accept this grand opportunity to seek out new knowledge of ancient
civilizations, and to courageously go where none have tread in possibly a
million years.”

The director marks the occasion with a gesture never
before done by any government in the Trillian Alliance.

“From this day forward,” he announces, “This new
alliance of Archaeology and Special Forces shall be awarded the identification
of the 1st Expeditionary Task Force, and henceforth be a permanent unit in the
ranks of the Trillian Alliance military.”

The director continues, “Professor Logan and the 1st
Special Assault Division of the 1
^st
Special Forces Group will
spearhead the operation as Special Operations code-name Pathfinder, and several
other units will be tasked to explore other regions of the galaxy.”

The Director closes his commencement speech by
adding, “Let the light and wisdom of your discoveries guide our civilization to
greater wisdom and bearing.”

Applause erupts from the crowd marking the occasion
as a complete success. Cheers cry out from the roaring panel of dignitaries as
the director makes his way down to Logan for the usual pose of political
garnering.

The director pats Logan on the shoulder and they
both shake hands while smiling and waving to the crowd of scientists and
dignitaries.

After the hallmark occasion, Logan and Paige start
to make their way back to the laboratory where their team now prepares for
their new journey.

“Wow,” Paige exclaims with delight and disbelief,
“We are history makers now. Who could have ever thought such an occasion would
ever be possible in our lifetime, much less to us?”

Logan proudly smiles in agreement, “It is, indeed, a
remarkable occasion.”

“I can’t wait to let the rest of the team know,”
Paige interjects.

As the two associates make it back to the
university’s campus, they hear cheers of elation coming from the halls of the
school as the students and instructors alike are seemingly in celebration of
great news.

Logan darts his eyes around as people flood the
courtyard of the university, throwing objects in the air like confetti.

Everyone is smiling, cheering, and dancing about as
though a parade celebrating the end of war.

“What is this all about,” Logan curiously asks a
passing student.

“Haven’t you heard?” the student responds, “A school
in our university just joined forces with the military in a first ever special
expeditionary force to chart the Kishar Expanse. It’s wondrous and exciting,
don’t you agree?”

Before Logan or Paige could comment, the student
runs off with elation to dance with the greater party around the schoolyard.

Logan becomes excited to the point of overflowing,
realizing now that the celebration is in regards to the events his team has now
become a part of, and begins to modestly and somewhat jokingly dance around
also.

“This is us,” Logan says to Paige as he turns to her
and swings his arms left to right, slowly backing away from her towards the
college.

“This is for us!” he elates as he continues to
dances around her with arms held high.

News spreads throughout the Alliance territories as
quickly as a virulent outbreak of some highly communicable disease.

The event marks the first ever permanent joining of
academic and military forces within the Alliance, breaching the barrier of the
unknown, to seek out the history of past civilizations in the universe and
possibly find the origins to their own.

Not only does this pairing mean that they can
explore the uncharted regions of the Kishar Expanse with the protection of a
military force now, but it also represents the possibility that the Trillian
Alliance can find purpose to the madness that has become the known universe.

Logan and Paige walk back into the laboratory as
their team stands in awe, watching as the news spreads across the monitors of
their viewing stations.

The group looks at Logan and Paige as the two walk
into the room with wide smiles all around.

Dexter ask without words if the team mentioned might
be their own, by circling his pointer finger in a questioned pointing motion
around the room to the members of the team.

Logan moves into the group while shaking his head in
humble and excited confirmation, acknowledging that they are the team chosen
for this momentous event.

Cheer and adulation arise from the group, as the
confirmation informs them that they, indeed, are heading to the Expanse.

The Drak home world of Dragonlyre, in the Drasoka
star system, is a humid and dark world. Swamps and tropical jungles fill the
planet, separated only by murky, shallow seas.

Thunderstorms rage across the landscape with
frequency.

The cloudy sky glows a deep, dark violet from the
high percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere and the frequent plasma storms
creating cloud-to-cloud lightning.

The primary intelligent life forms are the four main
Drak races. Few other animal life forms stalk the lands or seas.

By the standards of civilization, the Drak are a civilized
culture, even though they embrace rule of might; unlike the Trillian Alliance,
who prefer unbridled democracy.

The ruling cast of the Drak military generally
dominates the Empire. Nobles fill in the gap between the worker class and the
numerous commands of the standing Drak Military.

Near the lower wet lands of the equator sits the
capital of the Empire, Regalis City, where the military has a presence, but is
controlled by the Noble class.

It is home to the elitist nobles, the military’s
High Command, the core department headquarters for each branch of the military,
and the Imperial government.

On the throne of the empire sits a foreboding
Drakein who goes by the name Seesh Asim. His official title is Emperor of the
Drak Empire.

His gate is an average length, but he is quite heavy
and unusually tall, even for a Drak. His skin is reminiscent of hardened
leather with knots protruding all over his body.

Each knot has a short, thick bone-spike poking
through like the poisonous thorns of a death flower.

Seesh walks on two legs, though some of his cousin
Drak, such as the Squamein and Kamelein, are capable of moving at higher speeds
using their long arms as additional legs, allowing them to run on all-fours.

His head comes up off his back with no visible
separation between head and shoulders.

His face protrudes out from his head into a narrow
elongated snout. Enumerating his mouth are small razor-sharp teeth, like most
all Drakein, that can regenerate over time after loss.

Seesh is also highly intelligent for a Drakein.

The average intelligence of a Drakein is slightly
greater than average humanoids, but Seesh’s test scores are perfect. It is as
though someone engineered Seesh to be Emperor.

Emperor Seesh also has a very nasty temper.

Once, a servant served him a dinner that was not to
his liking and he had the servant summarily, and publicly, executed for
attempting assassination by poisoning.

Emperor Seesh’s right hand is a Testudein named
Ogg’ar.

The Testudein are a brute race of Drak.

For the most part, Testudein are not very
intelligent, but make expert warriors. For this reason, the Drak military
utilizes Testudein as foot soldiers and security guards on military
installations.

As for the 'not so intelligent' part, that is the
reason Emperor Seesh has a Testudein as his right hand. They are quick to
follow orders, and highly expendable.

Ogg’ar mainly just transmits orders to the various
sections of the empire. Little intelligence is required for his position.

Because Ogg’ar is so loyal, Seesh almost sees him as
a pet. Quite frequently, Seesh even refers to him as his pet, and Ogg’ar does
not seem to mind one bit.

One of Ogg’ar’s duties is to provide Seesh with
daily reports.

Not long after the incident on Crete IV, Seesh
begins reading a report from their Kishar Expanse expedition.

“WHAT?” Seesh yells, “How in the name of the
Ancients can we lose a squad of scouts on a barren rock? This may very well
mean the Alliance has caught up to our forces.”

Ogg’ar steps back from Seesh expecting Seesh to live
up to his temper.

Seesh displays his anger by pounding his desk with
his fist, “The Alliance must be responsible. They likely captured them for
interrogation.”

Seesh calms himself to make the next calculated
decision and wants to send Ogg’ar to the Drak Expeditionary Forces Command
Center to deliver a message.

“Ogg’ar,” he begins, “Go to the Expedition and tell
Anta’gal Neese that Recon Team 1 is M.I.A. Naval forces are to send Ghost
Squadron to the Kishar Expanse immediately to begin investigation.”

The rank of Anta’gal is the Drak military
equivalence of the Alliance rank of Major, and Anta'gal Neese is the commander
of the Drak Expeditionary Forces.

Ogg’ar confirms the message and begins his trek
across the city to the military district to deliver the communications.

Ghost Squadron is the most distinguished recon
squadron in the entire Drak armada of the Drak Naval Fleet.

Never having lost a single pilot in offensive or
defensive operations, they are aces of the skies and beyond.

Kamelein Special Operations troops, trained as
pilots for clandestine naval landing operations, completely make-up the pilots
of Ghost Squadron.

Essentially, they are marines with a scout-recon
designation.

Their mission objectives prevent them from getting
into conflict if they can avoid it. They are mostly sent into areas where
observation and intelligence gathering is the primary goal.

The Empire has also never sent Ghost Squadron on a
mission outside of a wartime scenario, except under training circumstances, and
only for scouting missions saturated with danger. This request, or order, is
out of the ordinary, because any normal scout-recon team would suffice.

Emperor Seesh sending the best of the best to
actively investigate and retrieve the missing scouts means that the mission is
either highly sensitive, or he is desperate to save face.

Anta’gal Neese is sitting at a communications
terminal in his office just as Ogg’ar walks in. With his back to the door,
Anta’gal Neese senses an interruption and stops his current task.

“Speak,” he says to indicate his awareness of
Ogg’ar.

Ogg’ar begins the Emperor’s message without
hesitation, or notice to Anta’gal Neese’s apparent annoyance at his presence,
“Word from the Kishar Expanse. Recon Team 1 in Crete system is MIA. Send Ghost
Squadron for further investigation and retrieval.”

The name of Ghost Squadron makes Anta’gal Neese
curiously uneasy.

He turns to Ogg’ar, “Did you just say send Ghost
Squadron?”

“Yes, Anta’gal,” Ogg’ar confirms.

Anta’gal Neese adjusts his seat and stairs Ogg’ar
down as if he is attempting to decide if this is some sort of joke, however he
knows Testudein are without an intelligent sense of humor.

“Ghost Squadron is the most prestigious unit in the
Drak Special Forces. Why are we sending them into a non-combat zone? There is
no reported Alliance activity in the area,” he continues his questioning.

Ogg’ar replies, “Emperor Seesh wants Ghost Squadron
to ask Alliance in the area if they have seen our recon team.”

Anta’gal Neese shakes his head with shame at Ogg’ar,
“That is all. You may go.”

Upon Ogg’ar’s dismissal, Anta’gal Neese turns back
to his terminal to contact High Command and requests the sending of Ghost
Squadron to investigate his recon team’s disappearance.

“Are you serious?” the officer yells through the
comms station.

“Yes, Sir,” Anta’gal Neese answers back.

“On whose authority are we to send them into the
Expanse?” the officer inquires.

Anta’gal Neese answers without hesitation and with
pompous arrogance, “The Emperor’s.”

The officer pauses for a moment, “The Emperor’s?!”

The officer nods in understanding, and then informs
the Anta’gal, “Very well, then. I’ll dispatch them immediately and notify High
Command that forces in the Kishar region are to remain at alert status yellow
from here on out. High Command, out.”

While the Expeditionary Forces are a sub-division of
the larger military force of the Drak Empire, they rely on a chain of command
leading up to the High Command.

The Drak’s social order breaks-down from the
Emperor, who is the supreme commander of the military forces and ruler of the
Empire, down to the three casts of the empire, which are the military, noble,
and science casts.

Under the three casts are the commoners, or working
class should they ever be seen worthy enough to be considered a cast. Most of
the citizens of the empire fall into this category.

The Drak Expeditionary Forces performs most of the
exploration and scouting missions. However, civilian exploration groups also
conduct exploration in the name of the Empire and are required to hand over any
information gathered to the Intelligence Enclave.

The military controls sectors and planets where they
have a dominating presence. The exception to this rule is on Dragonlyre. There,
the nobles have the majority of rule, next to the Emperor himself of course.

No one in the Empire sees the military as a cruel
tyrant, as one might expect. The people hail the military as protectors of the
Drak Empire, and they have earned their right to rule.

The chain of command in the military begins just
under the Emperor. The Drak High Command, or simply ‘High Command,’ is the head
of all military affairs.

The Enclave of Special Intelligence houses the
Expeditionary Forces, who are both the recon and surveillance spearhead of the
military as well as the official archaeological administration of the empire.

The Enclave of Special Intelligence also includes
the Division of Information and Technology, which is the science division of
the military.

They are responsible for transmitting, intercepting,
and processing information reports for the High Command and lower echelons, as
well as Research and Development for the empire.

Also, in the outer worlds of the Empire, there are
subculture organizations, such as criminal organizations and cults. Each of
these has their own way of doing business and structuring themselves.

In the military, there are casts and organizations
that fight for superiority over the others.

The Enclave of Special Intelligence uses secrets,
assassins, and propaganda to gain support from the noble houses and their
fellow soldiers.

The Dragon Enclave, or the warrior branch of the
military, uses brute force as a show of strength and solidarity to bolster
their own numbers and claim command of the military forces.

Additionally, the Drak Expeditionary Force, a
sub-cast of The Enclave of Special Intelligence, even subverts their own
echelon to gain superiority over the population. They preach knowledge and
discovery as the path to enlightenment and peace.

The Imperial Navy also seeks power by controlling
space routes and orbital trade stations to force the commerce division of the
Empire into subservience.

When a planet refuses to accept naval superiority, a
blockade around the rebellious system forces the governance to bow-out of the
short-lived war of attrition.

Fighter and bomber pilots compete for honors within
the navy, which lead to the Annual Pilot War Games - to the victor goes the
spoils.

The specialized operational groups in the Drak
Special Forces tend to play less in politics and more in direct action.

If a competing party refuses to submit to the
Special Forces, they simply eliminate the leaders of the rebellious party;
usually by assassination, but skirmishes or outright fighting are not outside
of their repertoire.