Exoplanetary Pioneers

Chapter Five

                                                         Malcom saw the stream that he was running alongside branch off into another direction. It was unclear as to which way Mer-Man could have run in. Zarek was coming up fast with his troop as Malcom held his position beside the two streams.

                                                        "As you can see there are now two possible directions that we can go in pursuit of Mer-Man." Malcom informed Zarek.

                                                           "We must hurry down one of them." Malcom added with urgency.

                                                            "One direction is true while the other leads to folly. Though neither of us knows which the correct path is to take. So, we must split our search in two directions to be successful." Zarek concluded.

                                                             "I am going along the newly presented path, who's with me?" Malcom asked the guardsman with falcons adorning their orange chest plates.

                                                             "Take three along with you! Hurry, be quick about it!", Zarek said as he waved three of the soldiers on. The soldiers hurried along to catch up to Malcom who raced on ahead of them.

                                                                 As the three soldiers hurried to catch up with Malcom, Zarek took the other two soldiers in the same direction that they began in.

                                                                  Malcom's powerful legs carried him along the branched off path! The guards were well behind of Malcom who had ran quite a distance away from them. There was still no sign of Mer-Man, Malcom thought to himself as his path became steeper with each foot pace.

                                                                        Malcome was now racing upward on the rocky incline as the very valley around him began to shrink into a barrow v shape. The water inside of the stream that Malcome ran beside was increasing its rate of flow based on the angle that it poured from as well the gravity upon it. I the opposite sense, Malcom's effort up the hill was slowed down due to its increased incline so he opted to wait for the soldiers behind to catch up to him.

                                                                           As Malcome waited for his troop, he noticed the course of the streams path curve as well as widen out from a stoned archway, which led into the walls of the valley. It seemed like the perfect entranceway for Mer-Man to have escaped into.

                                                                       "Do I know any of you?" Malcom asked the soldiers now beside him, "I can never tell any of you apart with those helmets covering your faces."

                                              Only one of the soldiers spoke up," My name is Trike, I hail for Stone Mountain."  

                                                "We get very few recruits from Stone Mountain." Malcome noted.  Then giving no more thought to it Malcom instructed the soldiers, "Well, steady your nerves because I feel that we are closing in on our catch. Follow me through that rock crevasse where the stream runs out from as we proceed with caution."

                                                  The soldiers entered the passage through the rock in-between the archway single file behind Malcome. The walls tightened in as the water rose-up above their ankles. As the men crawled along, a movement was happening in the water. It was not of motion from their treading feet in the water, but a steady pressure that pushed the water downward. As the men persisted down the passage so did the flow of the water.

                                                      One of the men in the rear was struggling to keep up saying," I am having trouble..." His words trailed off as if he was short of breath.

                                                       Then Malcom noticed the water underneath his feet had a greenish lime substance floating in it. As he looked further ahead down the stream, it became more evident that Mer-Man had covered his tracks.

                                                        "We must turn back!" Malcom cried, noticing that his own breath had lessened.

                                                          Fortunately for Malcom and the soldiers they had not ventured too far through the corridor. However, the trace amount of green in the water was both ahead of them as well as behind, steadily been pushed down from the force of the waters flow. Malcom with one last gasp warned everyone as they attempted to retreat out the corridor, "Hold your breath! There is an algae that has been depleting the oxygen in this enclosed space. So, breath sparingly as we make our escape!"

                                                              The soldier who was short of breath already had to be assisted along the way which was slowing them down. The deadly algae that Mer-Man had left behind was turning the stream ever greener as they went.

                                                             Malcom cupped his hands over his mouth in order to take in little gasps of air as he went. He could not speak in order to tell the soldiers of his little survival trick for fear of using up more oxygen as limited as it was. The soldiers stumbled along, there heavy armor weighing them down as they made their way back. Malcome saw the sunlight through the crevasse's entranceway, there escape was not far away. It was just the effort to get to the entranceway itself that was so difficult.  The soldiers as well as Malcome began to stagger, they held the sides of the rockface so as to not fully collapse. The deprivation from the lack of oxygen was shutting their bodies down!

                                                                   All seemed lost until Malcom spotted someone helping the soldiers passing out in front of him. For whatever reason, Zareks party had returned for them.

                                                                  Malcom who was the last to be pulled out of the crevasse touched face with the ground. The three other soldiers who were already laid out on the ground were being attended to. It was safe to be around the stream now so long as they remained outside. Malcome weakly pounded his fist on the ground as he coughed in frustration! Mer-Man was probably long gone by now. If there was any chance at catching the would-be assassin, it was as fleeting as the shallow air within the entombed passageway that they had just been pulled free from.

                                                                 T.E. Scopes led Powers along several corridors that intersected with one another to get ahead of the councilmen heading to the banquet hall. Powers was impressed at how well Scopes had already known the layout of the palace just by using the extrasensory vision that he had. Scopes tall body blocked the councilmen just at the entranceway of the banquet hall.  The councilmen stood in awe of the towering Scopes in front of him.

                                                                    Powers quickly greeted the councilman so as not to seem intimidating to him," You have to excuse my friend, he cannot see where he is going. You see the wooden can that he uses to find his way along." Powers made it a point to explain Scopes perceived abnormality away as to not arouse suspicion," My title is that of Captain Powers, he is T.E. Scopes, we make two thirds of the astronauts from Earth. Pleased to meet you."

                                                                    The slight red capped white bearded Asian looking man with a red robe to go along with his cap unsettled his nerves he said," I was told everything about you...", the consul man paused, seemingly searching for the right words as not to offend.

                                                                      Powers felt that she could easily overpower this frail man's mind, despite it still being the daytime. Though she could not perform such manipulation out in the open as it was.

                                                                      Finally, the councilman continued," I am Consul Ari representative of the Golden Isles..."

                                                                        "The Golden Isles, that sounds prestine, please tell me more about them." Powers purposely cut off Ari in order to steer the conversation as well as confuse the old man.

                                                                           "I am afraid that I do not have the time..." Ari was cut off again by Powers.

                                                                         "Of course, you have time consul, we are your guests after all." Powers said with a slow deliberate cadence to force her will on Ari.

                                                                          "Yes...I have time..." Aris said with a blank face.

                                                                     In through the entranceway that Scopes was blocking, banquet staff were already preparing the tables with silverware for dinner.

                                                                   "Why did you come to the banquet hall?" Powers as her eyes intense glare had Ali frozen like a statue.

                                                                     "To sample an isle delicacy..." Ari continued slowly," ...Sunset Starlin Casserole..." Ari licked his lips in anticipation of the entree.

                                                                     "You can do that later on." Powers insisted.

                                                                       Aris response was almost catatonic."Later on..."

                                                                     Powers then spoke more caringly as to a child," I would like you to show me to your chambers. Can you do that?"

                                                                     "Yes...please...follow ...me.", Ari obliged in an empty voice, devoid of agency.

                                                                     Powers wrapped her arm around Ari as they both walked away from the banquette hall. Scopes walked behind them, scouring the hallways as they advanced. Ari was kept in sway by the sound of Powers voice as she asked him the directions that they needed to go in.

                                                                  As it turned out, Aris counsel chamber was not far from king Miros own chamber.

                                                                   Once Ari had brought Powers to the door to his chambers, he waited for his instruction to open it.

                                                                    Powers thought to herself that she could easily pay Ari a visit during the night now that she knew where his room was located.

                                                                   "There is a globe of Eternia inside the room." Scopes said peering through the door as if it did not exist.

                                                                    Powers shushed Scopes harshly, fearing that he might wake Ari up from his hypnotized state.

                                                                     "What is...", Ari's said as he tried to regain his senses. Powers immediately prevented that from happening." Now let us in." She told him.

                                                                       Ari slowly turned the knob of the door to his chambers, then slowly Ari opened the door where both Powers and Scopes then flooded inside.

                                                                    After the door was shut by Scopes, Ari was ordered to go into his bedroom by Powers. The globe of Eternia for which Scopes made mention of was on a desk in-between two walls of bookshelves. Aris chambers was much more lavish than there own quarters.

                                                                      "Now entertain yourself with the knowledge to be found in this room." Powers said, referring to shelves of books aligning the walls, "I am going to be busy with the consul for a while. He will be under my complete control once I am done with him."

                                                                    Powers then went inside the consuls bedroom to start in on Ari who was laid on his bed on his back.

                                                                     After unzipping the collar of her spacesuit, Powers took out her dark blue necklace. She then hovered it over Aris head and commanded," You obey me...always..."

                                                                   Ari answered sleepily, "I will obey..."

                                                                    "Whenever you see my eyes or hear my voice ...you will obey me..." Powers repeated.

                                                                      Ari repeated back more firmly, "I will obey."

                                                                     Powers smiled wickedly, "Good. Now let's begin."

                                                                      Out in the living room Scopes was studying the large yellow globe on the desk, where he traced a line with his index finger. The line that Scopes traced was from line the Royal Palace all the way to the coast of what was called the Ocean of Gnarl where the Golden Isles rested on.