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Mishiida Alexander
Aiszar Garrison
“Stories are written by
many, but legends lived by some.”
Chapter Seven: A legend
retold
Don’t be jealous of the man who walks down the road to
glory, for it is he who chose pain when you sought the comforts. Don’t be
jealous of the man who burns like a star, for it is not light but his blood,
sweat and tears that are on fire. Don’t be jealous of the man who bows to none,
for it is his head that is sought by all. Don’t be jealous of the man who is
better than you, for it is he who never gave up.
Sing songs of praise for men who couldn’t tell their
stories, for they were too busy securing yours’. Sing songs of praise for men
who never asked you for anything, for they had too much to give already. Sing
songs of praise for men that your children might admire, for it is them who
uphold the values that you teach. Sing songs of praise for men who will be
missed, more than you were ever needed.
Your stories won’t make legends, for legends have
their own to tell. Your stories won’t give glory, for it is glory that gives
you stories. Your stories are merely a reflection, of a life lived with aplomb.
It is indeed a heady feeling, standing here next to
the five of the best Universe has recently seen. Where we are heading to, there
would be many more to remember and bow with respect to, but it is a heady
feeling just being a part of their story, those who stand next to us. Yes it
was tough earlier today, just to be there in the cabin and watch Hayley wake up
and make sure three of her best friends would wake up for another day. We are
glad that they did; for we want to cherish every bit of the moments trickling
away from us, as if there will be no tomorrow.
“Aiszar Garrison,” announces the kind Kinemanize host
and Captain of the ship, as he gestures to a side, making us all step forward
and closer to the windows, to catch a glimpse of the revered resting place of
true warriors.
About a hundred odd chunks of rock that never
differentiated into layered planets; some bigger than the Jupiter of the solar
system, all floating in a starless space. Kinemanize were the first people to
find this Universal archipelago that almost appears to have been lost in time
and space. Today they are all lit by artificial lighting generated from
thousands of nuclear reactors set up by the Kinemanize, with some sources of
light as big as Earth’s moon, suspended in space above the rocks. The only
means to reach this part of the universe is by flying on a Kinemanize ship, and
Kinemanize have been kind enough to welcome guests from all over the Universe,
with their liberally distributed universal network of guides and ambassadors.
Yes there is a danger of these rocks floating away, up
or down, in any direction, in this gravitation free space, thus leaving the
elaborate Kinemanize efforts fruitless. But Kinemanize were clever enough to foresee
such a scenario, and thus set up artificial thrusters at strategic locations on
each and every piece of rock, in positions calculated to pin point accuracy and
precisely controlled by their elaborate algorithms. Their advanced systems keep
the entire archipelago in constant equilibrium with the time and space that it
occupies in the Universe. Even their ship landings are factored into the
calculations, and that is how accurate their systems are.
And here we all stand admiring this architectural come
natural wonder.
“Wow!” exclaims Zenander as the spaceship finally turns
towards the centre most piece. It is definitely a sight to behold for everyone,
but why is that Kinemanize assistant worried. Let us have a look at what he is
trying to draw his captain’s attention to.
That’s interesting. Judging from the screen he is
showing his captain, it looks like we have some company close by; perhaps a few
hours away. It could not be another Kinemanize ship for then it wouldn’t be a
matter of concern to be pointed out to the Captain, will it? Besides they can
always call out the other ship and discuss whatever is in their mind. The urge
to use our power to decipher Kinemanize language is overbearing, but let us
resist it for the time being, for the Captain doesn’t seem to be too bothered
by it. Besides we are already about to land on their central planetary piece,
and we can rest assured their defences are capable of taking care of anything
concerning, can’t we?
“Please take a seat, we are about to land,” the
Kinemanize Captain has just announced to his guests using his communicator, and
that includes us too, even though he’s not aware of it. So let us oblige,
although it is totally unnecessary for these modern spaceships land more like a
feather on a glass top.
“I can’t wait to take a tour of the museum,” an
excited Alishiida gushes before looking on to her father and mother, “You’ll
come with me, won’t you?”
“We sure will try our best sweetheart, although I
cannot commit just yet,” a frail Alex tries to be positive as Mishiida barely
keeps her eyes open. Today the effect of the poison appears the strongest on
the two, and perhaps also on Mr. Garcia.
“I am so glad we are all here together,” a choking
Jackie exclaims just as the ship touches down.
If there is anything other than technology where no
one can beat the Kinemanize, it has to be their hospitality. A grand reception
welcomes the five seasoned warriors as we all disembark. A very senior Kinemanize
elder steps ahead of the pack, and bows his head in greeting.
“I am Shenayaaz, the president of Aiszar Garrison,”
the elder introduces himself, “Please welcome to our home, and when I say our,
it includes you too.”
“It’s an honour to be made a member of this order,” is
the humble reply from an indebted Alex, as he bows in return and then takes a
step to share a welcome embrace.
“As is customary, we provide all our new members with
a tour of the historic facility,” the President continues as he steps aside to
let his men and women bring forward eight power propelled flying chairs, “As we
are sensitive to the needs of some of our new members, who might be
experiencing advanced stages of discomfiture and immobility, we always request
all our new members to kindly avail the facilities we can provide, unless they
feel otherwise.”
“It would not only be ungrateful to force our kind
hosts to walk when the facilities to make the tour easy are there,” Corbett
replies on everyone’s behalf, “But my friends here can definitely use some
assistance, even though I’m sure their warrior pride must be egging them
differently.”
“There is no pride anymore my friend,” Alex however replies,
“Being here itself is a very humbling experience. It makes you realize, that
neither you are the first one, nor the only one.” And we follow them all as
they grab a chair each, along with the President, Shenayaaz.
It is hard to say what is more breathtaking, the
stories of glory that each one of those great warriors resting in Aiszar
Garrison have to tell everyone, with their own three dimensional holograms
intelligently interacting with you, or the serene surrounds with the jet black
sky, or the Kinemanize technology that has not only made this brilliant place
come to life, but is also creating a near day experience.
“The gravitational pull of these rocks was enough to
maintain an atmosphere,” the President replies to a query by Zenander, “But we have
assisted the nature here in keeping that atmosphere alive, by introducing a
green cover, using artificial lighting, and water generated by incinerating the
rocks that we cleared to create vast tracts of flat land, thus creating
artificial lakes and rivers. You even get rain!”
“You were saying that the ‘Order of Universal Glory’ is
spread out on all of the one hundred rocky planets,” Alishiida has a question
of her own, “How many great warriors rest here in Aiszar Garrison?”
“One would imagine it to be thousands,” the President replies,
“But you’ll be surprised that it is barely about three hundred, with three of
them here, that you have already met. Great warriors deserve great respect, and
we can afford to give them great individual space.”
“But doesn’t that put strain on your resources, to
maintain so many sites,” Zenander asks off him.
“That strain is worth the effort, for this way no warrior
is overwhelmed by another,” the President exclaims, “Those who visit Aiszar Garrison
to relive the glorious past, they are able to immerse completely in each one of
their stories, rather than getting bogged down in overcrowded historical
enclaves.”
“And I think it was a brilliant concept on your part,
for we have thoroughly enjoyed the three warriors’ stories, and it has already
taken us a few hours,” Corbett chips in with his review just as we all arrive
at the gates to the presidential palace. A long stretched out road laid in red
bricks lies in front, decked by golden lights on either side, and fountains
adding to the serene surrounds made magical by the light Kinemanize music
complimenting the scenery. But before the president could have replied to
Corbett’s comment, a loud siren breaks the mystical moment.
“That’s the attack warning alarm,” exclaims a
bewildered President, just as two Kinemanize guards rush out from the sides of
the gates, and say something to their president. “I’m afraid but we need to
make a quick dash to my humble abode, where we would all be safer,” exclaims
the president, just as the Kinemanize guns start to roar in the distance.
“That’s a Tyrene craft,” Corbett however, aided by his
robot eye, makes no mistake in identifying the adversary he has fought
relentlessly for years.
“He’s here,” Jackie almost whispers, but not slow
enough to have avoided Corbett’s keen senses.
“He, who?” asks Corbett immediately.
“Let’s see if you get to know him,” Jackie, who is
appearing really weak now, but slightly better than Alex and Mishiida exclaims.
But in spite of all the deft expertise exhibited by
those flying the craft, the Kinemanzie guns however finally find their mark.
With a loud thud the craft comes crashing down into the open field by the side
of the road leading to the Presidential palace, halting our friendly caravan in
its’ tracks, as Presidential guards enamour to throw a security cordon around
their distinguished company and his guests. More guards rush out of the palace,
and a few vehicles dispatched by other units arrive at the gates just behind
us. The enemy is surrounded.
“This is a mindless act of aggression,” exclaims an
instigated President, “In breach of all the Universal accords and protocols.
There’s an unwritten rule in this universe that no one attacks Aiszar Garrison,
and yet! Exemplary punishment shall be meted out to the culprits.” He then
turns around to his secretary and asks, “How in the whole Universe did they
even manage to find our location?”
The secretary folds his hands respectfully and
replies, “The Captain informed us of a ship tailing him about two months back.
We had been tracking their moment and were prepared for their arrival.” And we
guess that explains why so much security was around the site so quickly. Looks
like, they have their ground covered well.
Finally the craft door is flung open and out marches a
band of about ten really weak looking Tyrenes.
“Why don’t you tell us who he is?” a frustrated
Corbett asks Jackie.
“You’ll know, if he really has half the guts that I
believe he has,” Jackie however quips in reply, without telling anyone what we
knew all along.
And looks like it might not take them long to
introduce themselves, as the first one among them charges head on towards the
first line of defence. Guns roar but fail to stop him as he throws his body
into the air, and with a mighty thud, smash a hand held Tyrene explosive device
into the ground. The nano nuclear bomb’s mighty wave might have evaporated the brave
Tyrene in a flash, but it also takes out the first line of Kinemanize defence,
thus creating a frail opening for his band. His band rushes in quickly, neither
stopping to mourn the loss, nor giving the chance for the next wave of
Kinemanize to recreate a defence wall. And then another Tyrene charges ahead of
the pack, and repeats the same act of valour. One more defence line down, and
the distance between the pack and our friends seems to be diminishing faster
than the lives that are being lost in this mindless act.
One by one six Tyrene warriors lay down their lives,
just enough to let the four remaining, to confront our gracious host and our
friends.
“Hope you didn’t forget me,” the young but weak
looking Tyrene, the leader of the pack, addresses Jackie using his communicator,
as soon as he recognizes him.
“You look a bit week, Haisheestar,” Jackie, we know,
never forgot him.
“We ran out of our food two months back,” Haisheestar
replied, “After rationing it for four years, waiting on the hostile Mars, for a
Kinemanize ship to bring you all here, wherever here was. But don’t worry; we
are still strong enough for the five of you.”
“You know this man?” a bewildered Corbett asks.
“They are the Universal Legend, aren’t they?” a weak
Alex asks, what is finally becoming obvious to all.
“So that’s all he told you about me and my men?” a
sore sounding Haisheestar asks.
“There was nothing great about you to be glorified,”
Jackie however replies, “Your stories grow with your deeds; and deeds you are
yet to perform any.”
“Everyone is not lucky like you,” Haisheestar
complains.
“Now that is debatable,” Jackie argues back.
“Not if you are a warrior who’s been forced to sit out
of a war, his most beloved people are fighting and dying in; forced to live in
agony, each day remembering those who fell, and how he could do nothing to
either stop it from happening, or laying down his own life trying to avoid it,”
Haisheestar however has used the phrase in metaphorical terms.
Seems like only yesterday, when Jackie’s Greens had
rescued about a couple of thousand Tyrene women and children from an allies besieged
world, and escorted them to Fragniyar world. Nayzoortar, the Tyrene commander had
then immediately recognized Jackie, as a technical glitch had forced Jackie to
himself escort the rescues down to their world, rather than overseeing their
reunion from a safe distance.
“I can’t let our worst enemy get away,” Nayzoortar had
exclaimed when he had ordered his men to arrest and restrain Jackie.
“I cannot tell you what your job is commander,” Jackie
had replied, “I only hope that you believe yourself, that you are doing the
best possible thing in the circumstances.”
“My job is to assault and destroy my people’s enemies
in the first instance,” Nayzoortar had then replied, “Or if we are at the receiving
end of an assault, to ensure the safety of my people.”
“Like you just saved these two thousand women and children,”
Jackie had chided him then, forcing him to have a second thought.
“Maybe I failed them this time, but there is no reason
to believe we will fail them every time,” the Tyrene commander had quipped
after a good thought.
“Then you do what you believe is in the best interests
of your people,” Jackie had replied, “I gave my word to my father, that I shall
not rest until either the war is over, or until I am dead, but will save as
many innocents as I can. If this be the end of me, it would still be within the
spirit of that promise.”
His words had forced Nayzoortar to reflect on his
decision. It was then that the young Tyrene officer Haisheestar had intervened
and exclaimed, “Please commander, I beg of you to give me the clearance to
relieve this scoundrel’s body of his filthy head. This might be our best chance
ever.”
“But he’s come here on friendly terms,” Nayzoortar had
reasoned.
“But he is not our friend,” Haisheestar had argued in
response, “He stole our technology, killed our brothers, and it is his weapons
that are killing our people all over the universe. The reason that he had to
save our people today is because it is his people who are killing ours. Don’t
let him get away under any mistaken impression.”
His argument had forced Nayzoortar to reflect further
on what should be the best choice in the circumstances. Finally he had said, “You
are right Haisheestar. This man here is our worst enemy ever, and should never
be forgiven. I order you to kill him, but before you do so, I want you to
promise me, that you will never rest until you have avenged all of our fallen
men and women. Say you agree!”
“I give you my word, or I will give away my head,”
Haisheestar had replied as he had knelt down in front of his senior.
“Then I order you to kill this man,” Nayzoortar had
then continued, “But only after this war is over, and were he to be still
alive. I will make sure that whatever happens, you will not perish in this war.
Go and pick up the best of the best that we have, for your hunt might be the longest,
and your test might be the toughest.”
And today Haisheestar is finally here, to answer his
destiny’s call.
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