"I don't believe it." The scientist whispered. The major frowned.
"What's the matter?" The scientist took a tentative step forward.
"The core. Its not within the planet. Its here!" His eyes darted here and there. "And its still active!" He looked around quickly, at individual pieces, and at the whole of the massive machine. "Its a fusion plant!" His eyes became frantic.
"Explain, why is that significant?"
"We always assumed the core was actually deep within the planet, but no one has been allowed upon the planet in nearly two thousand years. The ancients built the city around the core, and siphoned energy to feed it, but the core was designed to keep the planet alive. It was created to keep the planet from going cold after that same civilization did something horrific to alter the actual planet. We always assumed that they bled the planet of its heat, and the core had to be built to keep it replenished." The scientist took another tentative step forward. "What have we done?" Rakal frowned.
"What do you mean, scientist?" She bristled angrily.
"The ancients! They destroyed this planet's ability to keep itself warm, then were given the designs for a wondrous machine to fix what they destroyed, and they still kept doing it! Our planet of origins! Our home, and they kept doing it!" He fell to his knees. Rakal stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder.
"This bothers you?" She asked, a bit surprised.
"I've never believed in the Patrons, but this technology is tens of thousands of years old! Long before we could make it! They had to be so much more advanced then we are, and they tried to stop us! They must have been incredible beings." He trailed off, and sounded almost reverential. Rakal smiled, one of the softest smiles the major could remember ever seeing on her lips.
"They were. There is much more to see, and we need your mind sharp. The Patrons left this behind for a reason, and the Order sent us here to figure out why, and how to fix it." The scientist nodded, and slowly got to his feet.
"An open mind. A good place to start." The Major smiled.
"Rakal, stay on his six. Nothing gets near him, or interrupts whatever he starts." She turned towards her leader, and nodded. "I know it didn't need to be said, Rakal, but he needed it to be heard." She heard him speak through the mic in her helmet.
"Understood, Major Ori. Nothing will get near him." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she scanned the area. She put her hand on his shoulder again. He looked up at her, a bit of awe in his eyes. "What is your name, scientist?" The major smiled.
"Neku." Her eyes went wide in surprise. "My parents were very devout members of the Order, and thought I should have a name to reflect that. I hope they are happy that I follow in the steps of my Patron." Rakal began to laugh. It was the very person who built her armor, and now that respect she had started to develop for the unknown man was now much greater, and felt familiar. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought her feelings were a kind of affection.
"You surprise me, Neku. Named for the advisor to the Patrons, and with intelligence worthy of your namesake. It shall be quite interesting to guard you, Neku." Ori felt his vision swim for a brief second. A flash of light blinded him, but it was not in front of him. It was from a dream he had long ago, and it was as if this whole scene was nothing but a memory of his childhood.
"Major." He shook his head.
"Report, Jokrah."
"Your instincts were correct, sir. He has no history within the Order before two weeks ago. His records have been erased, or never existed. How did he end up on our detail?" The major growled lightly, which made her nervous.
"I don't know, but I don't like surprises. The Order assigned him to our detail, and for reasons we are not aware of. If he should betray us...." He heard the words he knew would be on her tongue.
"We'll rip that armor off his body, and make sure not one piece of him will remain on the Holy Planet."
Neku frowned, and examined the machine before him.
"I was wrong." He said softly. Rakal came up behind him.
"Explain, Neku." She was no longer as aggressive towards him as she once was, but couldn't stop herself from questioning him.
"We see a machine, in the center of the city, right?" She nodded. Her massive size was a genetic gift of the Patrons, as was the incredible strength, speed, and agility of almost all females of their civilization.
"Of course. You already said as much."
"I was wrong. This is merely a piece. Look." He pointed to its base. "The unit continues down into the ground. I should have known that the devices they designed were much more complex then just a a simple fusion plant." He examined it closer. "It almost appears to be a more complex, but similar engine to what powers our cities and ships throughout the Order." Rakal stepped back.
"They were the source of almost all our technology, weren't they?" Neku sighed softly.
"It appears so. So intelligent, those who once guided our ancestors, and whose writings still guide us today." He got down on his knees and closed his eyes. "As the Patrons will it." Rakal smiled softly at the scientist, and felt her affection for this smaller male grow.
"Should I report to the Major?" Neku nodded.
"Yes, tell him we need to look for an entrance to the underground works." He pulled out an instrument and frowned. "That's odd." The display looked complicated, but the instrument was quite easy to use.
"What is that?" she asked quietly.
"Something the Matriarch gave to me. An ancient, but reliable instrument designed to scan for radiation concentrations. The area is saturated with ambient radiation, a large source below us, bands interwoven, but there is a source on the surface. Moving." Rakal tapped her helmet.
"Report."
"Neku found a moving source of radiation. On the surface." She heard him growl, and loaded her weapon quickly.
"Someone is about to.....Saltea? What are you doing?" She heard weapons fire. "He betrayed us! There is a fusion mine on the underground entrance!" Rakal looked at the scientist.
"Neku? Can you disarm a fusion mine?" He looked up at her in alarm.
"Oh no. Not here! The Holy Planet!" He shook himself quickly, and she watched the panic subside. Her admiration for the small man grew as she watched him grow calm, and calculating. "I might be able to." He looked her in the eyes. "Get me there."
"Major! We're on our way! Neku might be able to....." She heard another growl.
"There's no time! Its already on its last cycle!" Neku looked her in the eye, and that caused her middle to clench and flex. It felt like the affection she had for Ori, but even stronger.
"Let me speak to him." She nodded almost absently as she tried to assimilate the new sensations she felt.
"Major, Neku wishes to talk to you."
"Put him on."
"Sir, you may be able to stop it. Your suit is designed by the Patrons. I built yours specifically to absorb incredible amounts of energy. Radiation is energy. Activate your shielded armor, lock it down, and stand right in front of it. It may overload your powercells, and it may even kill you. But your suit will withstand that amount of energy." He heard silence on the other side.
"Will it save the planet?" Rakal closed her eyes.
"I'm not sure, sir. But the Patrons were not fools. Your suit had a purpose. Now I know what it was. Somehow, they knew this was coming, and planned for it." Again, more silence.
"Rakal."
"Here, sir." She fought her emotions.
"Keep him safe. Jokrah is in charge now. She knows what to do." She fought the tide, and won. She tapped her mic
"Jokrah?"
"Here, Rakal."
"Ori has placed you in charge. Saltea is a traitor. He said you would know what to do." She heard her friend and comrade growl.
"We are going to rip that armor off his body, and make sure nothing remains!" Rakal grinned.
"I wish I could be there, sir. He ordered me to watch over Neku, the scientist." She frowned and looked down at Neku. She literally towered over him by a foot, even without the armor. "What is it?"
"Tell the Captain to hurry. Finish her duty, then return. The major will survive the ordeal, but...." She closed her eyes.
"But not for long." A scene she's witnessed once before flashed in front of her eyes.
"Why didn't they destroy the armor?" The Matriarch smiled.
"Ori knew we needed to know the traitor existed, but not his identity. We examined the armor of all the Patrons, from the shortest, Neku, to the tallest, Rakal, and the traitor's armor is the only set that didn't make any sense." She frowned.
"In what way, Mistress?"
"It has no power sources, no advanced technology, and no physical benefits in any way. If I didn't know any better, I would swear it was something made to resemble the Patron's armor, and get the traitor in the door." Rakal blinked and returned to the present.
"Jokrah?"
"What is it? I almost have him!"
"The Matriarch said the traitor's armor was a fake! She told me before we left on this mission!" Jokrah growled.
"So what's your point? He's not the traitor of the Patrons!"
"Our armor can shrug off our strongest weapons! What if his can't?" She waited, then heard a yell through her mic. "Captain?"
"Good call, Rakal. You were correct. Now I can kill him at my leisure." Rakal closed her eyes.
"You can't, Captain. Kill him quickly, and get back here. Neku said that Ori will survive the blast, but not for long."
"Wait! What do you mean he'll survive the blast?" Then they heard the sizzle as a fusion mine exploded. "No." She said quietly. "Ori!" Rakal grimaced as she heard that heart wrenching scream. She looked down as Neku lightly placed his hand on hers.
"We need to go. I don't want the major to be alone." She blinked away her tears, and nodded.
"You are aptly named, Neku." He smiled sadly. Neku was the intellect, and the conscience of the Patrons, the Order's benefactors.
Rakal and Neku jogged into the area where Ori laid, and watched as Jokrah knelt beside him. Her face was a picture of total misery. It was obvious to Rakal that she did love Ori, though it was now too late to do anything about it.
"Did....you....do....it?" He asked brokenly. His armor was charred, and still sparked from the overload of energy. She nodded.
"I left nothing of his head behind. The body is intact, and ready to be incinerated, but his head will never find peace." Ori nodded, his body flashed brightly as though lit up from the inside, which made him grimace.
"I...was....not....enough." Neku quickly looked at his instrument, and closed his eyes.
"Contact the ship, Rakal. Tell them to get out of here. The Core is going critical." Ori nodded, then tilted his head quizzically. His body flashed again, and he could have sworn that he saw his entire squad, all bathed in white light, fully armored, standing a bit off from their current location.
"Bring....the....unit.....here." Jokrah looked confused.
"Why?" Neku nodded.
"Good thinking, Major. The entire unit, including my own suit, might be able to absorb enough of the energy to hold back the blast. It might hold it back long enough for the ship to escape." Ori nodded, and grimaced again. His body flashed brighter.
"Hurry......not....much.....time......" Neku nodded.
"Rakal. Get them here. We need to do this right now, or the Major will be unable to assist us." She tapped her mic.
"Recall! Recall! Converge with all haste on our position! Battle positions! Armor lock down! Shield Hardened!" She nodded as she received acknowledgement on the orders.
"Help....me....up!" Jokrah closed her eyes, then put the major's arm over her shoulder. The rest of the unit pounded into the area, and Neku silently counted.
"Twelve soldiers. Thirteen including myself." He stood at the major's side, and helped to prop him up. As he heard the powered armor enter the lock down stage, with their shielding active, and energy absorption on full, the major flashed again.
A terrible sound erupted from the ground as the core went critical. Neku looked up at Rakal, and saw her eyes mist up as she laid her hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, and smiled.
"We are Thirteen. Just like the Patrons." Just before the entire area was bathed in the light of the fusion reactor's radiation, he saw his unit again, standing in front of him, smiles on their lips, all radiating that same white light. Then the image spoke.
"Well done, Major. Well done."
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