I – Arrival

Dazzling in the heavens, far from where Earth used to be, an immense flame of molten gas burned off its existence into the emptiness. Various lumps of rock and metal were dusted all around; those big enough to once have atmospheres had had them long wiped from their surfaces. The Denig system, as it were, had been uninhabitable for anything even before the Disaster. Craft had passed by the jumble of dirt with its ancient star, fleeing the Human home system of Sol, stopping only so long to confirm that it was as useless as it looked, with no hope of life-supporting planets. Their studies showed that the star was unstable, its deep fire threatening to implode at anytime. The refugees moved on.

On the outskirts of the system, scattered luminosity danced among the rocks, fairies jumping to and fro amongst the stars. They gathered together, glowing and beaming, bathing the floating mess in a second daylight. Intensifying, growing in size, the illumination stretched outwards, threatening to engulf the rock, the metal, the star, with no end. Then, just as soon as it had stretched out to take in its first meteorite, it collapsed in on itself, dragging all the light around with it. Coalescing together, it formed a shape, unnatural, shaped with slim curves made for moving in such areas.

The light blinked out as the craft took form just outside the system. It did not move, playing as part of the surroundings, suspended in space. Seated within, its pilot gave commands through his mask microphone, speaking to the craft’s computer sharply. “Cut engines. Scan for him.”

In return, helmet he wore spoke back to him. A gritty computer-emulated voice blathered, “NO OTHER CRAFTS HAVE BEEN DETECTED.”

“Well, crafts don’t just disappear without something left behind.” The pilot said, tapping his finger impatiently on the knob he held atop the throttle control. “He must be hiding somewhere. Try a scan for metal density; see if we can find metals specific to the prototype.”

“SCANNING.”

The pilot stretched above his head to one of the control panels within the craft and flipped a switch. He waited for the tone that signified his microphone was now transmitting into the craft’s onboard radio, and then reached up again to punch in the frequency he needed. Another tone emitted as he was answered. “Come in Commander, this is Terra Scout Cerberus.”

“Go ahead, Cerberus,” replied the speaker.

“I’m at the location where Tailz slowed below light speed. I haven’t found him yet; he’s hiding from me… A scan of the entire system is in progress and will take a few minutes to complete.” He glanced at the numbers flashing on a screen behind his throttle.

“Confirmed, Cerberus. Let us know when you have something else.”

“Confirmed.” Cerberus pressed on the red switch to cease transmission, and then switched his microphone back to his cockpit computer.

Cerberus leaned back in his seat, monitoring the radar, and glancing out the cockpit windows from time to time, lest a craft tried to take him by surprise. He doubted Tailz would ambush, it wasn’t his style, but then again, Tailz might know Cerberus knew that. Cerberus shook his head. He was selected for his superhuman thought and reflexes for entry as a Terra Scout, and had recorded many victories in his service for the Union. He had put down rebellions, infiltrated enemy laboratories without detection, and acted as double agents, sending sensitive information back to his superiors. But it was the one thing he was never trained for that was defeating him now: another Scout gone rogue. For the first time, his enemy might be able to outthink him.

Cerberus stretched as best he could in his small confines; his one-man craft did not allow for much movement. It was made small specifically for speed and maneuverability. It was designed precisely, so agile and hard to control for any Human other than a Scout. Even then, each craft was made especially only for its pilot, tailored to his skills and preferences. Cerberus’, the Terra Prime, was the first of its class. Several of the others had additional upgrades and unique features suited to the other Scouts, but Cerberus preferred this one. It fit to him like his boots, comfortable and broken in.

That might come back and bite me in the end, Cerberus thought. Tailz had used his status as a Scout to gain access to some of the Union’s tightest research labs, and had stolen a prototype craft. Not just any regular craft, nor even a rediscovered technology. This was an entirely new notion that Humans had not realized even before the Disaster: a new type of engine that would allow them to travel faster than light speed. Not only did it serve as a milestone for Humankind, the first advancement made beyond the technology of the pre-Disaster era, but also as a sign of hope, that it would help them locate the rest of the Humans who fled from Sol, flailing individually amongst themselves in darkness, and unite them all once again under the Union’s capable grasp, bringing peace and happiness to all. It was calculated that only half of the Humans had even been found so far, and the rest were spread across the entire galaxy.

The computer’s voice startled Cerberus, and brought him back from his mental reverie. “SCAN COMPLETED. NO CRAFTS IN THE VICINITY DETECTED.” Cerberus first cursed for not finding anything, then at himself for not paying attention. Had he needed to defend himself, he would have been much too slow.

“No crafts at all?”

“NO EVIDENCE OF CRAFTS.”

“Any other unnatural readings?”

A small screen on Cerberus’ front display lit up, displaying a chart of the system. A spot just inside the outer planet’s orbit was highlighted. He tapped on the screen, and his main display began showing the readings from the scan.

“That’s… odd.” Cerberus looked perplexed at the computer display. “There is definitely something there. And, this doesn’t look natural…” He thought carefully, trying to decide how to handle it. “Run a simulation backwards based on current recorded data to determine when the energy was created?”

The display blinked off for a moment, then displayed a visual representation of the energy, playing backwards, flowing in and on top of itself, until finally the energy disappeared. Cerberus noted the time on the display. Not a few hours ago.

“Can you tell from here what type of energy this is?” The screen flickered. Followed by another flurry of readings and numbers.

Cerberus blinked at the readings. “Confirm these.” The same numbers yet again. Shaking his head, Cerberus reached up and flipped his microphone again.

“Commander… this is Terra Scout Cerberus, come in…”

“Go ahead Cerberus.”

“Commander, I’ve identified what seems to be a spatial tear… a hole. It’s reading as if the tear was Tailz’ ship. It’s weak, but its there.” Cerberus reached out and tapped on his display screen. “I’m sending over the readings I’ve got.”

Silence filled the air for a few moments. Then… “Do you think you can get in and out safely?”

Cerberus thought about it for a second. He knew Tailz wouldn’t do anything TOO crazy. Whatever he was doing, he had to stay alive to do it. Well, maybe after all he had done so far maybe he would… Then a thought came to mind. “Commander Travis… aren’t you able to extrapolate these readings using your databases?”

“Frankly, Cerberus, we’re not even sure what these numbers mean beyond what you’ve already deduced. We cannot explain what we’re seeing either. We’re asking you based on what you know about Tailz.”

Cerberus understood, and then answered slowly. “I’m not sure. I’m assuming so, if he went in there. I doubt he would try to kill himself. His signal is still coming though, if faintly.”

“We need him, and we need that craft. We can’t let him escape. I can’t order you but …”

“Understood. Pushing through the tear.” Cerberus joined the radio and his computer on the same channel, and then aimed his craft towards the energy, navigating towards it.

As he approached, he ran the prototype craft engine waves against the hole in the Denig system. Again, it told him that the hole itself was the craft. Shaking his head in disbelief, Cerberus pushed the craft forward. Just making sure…

As the Terra Prime pushed towards the tear, a–light, was all Cerberus could call it–reached out and enveloped the craft. It was incredibly intense; Cerberus could barely see his instruments; looking outside was impossible, even opening his eyes was painful. His hand reached out to the button that transferred control of the craft to the computer, and instructed it to push through.

Suddenly, the light lashed the craft about, flailing it, and spinning it in all directions. “Oh no! Pressure’s reading all wrong! Can’t keep this damn thing straight!” Cerberus yelled at the computer. “Quick, we must turn the craft back! There’s no way we can push through this!”

“UNABLE TO ADJUST CRAFT BEARING. CRAFT CONTROL OFFLINE.”

“Damn IT!” Cerberus depressed the button again, and tried to retake manual control of the craft, but the computer did not respond to his command. He punched up the heading for the craft. “We’re… moving? Confirm, quick!”

One screen displayed a number, and Cerberus squinted to see it.

“What the hell? We’re going to end up farther than we planned?” Cerberus’ could feel his eyes dragging down as he frantically tried to determine where his craft was going—or was being dragged, more appropriately. His head felt like it was going to explode, and the pressure threatened to pull Cerberus from his seat restraints and paint him across his cockpit.

He could hear the computer announcing, “WARNING! PRESSURE INCREASED BEYOND ALLOWABLE….” Light swallowed everything, then darkness.

* * * * *

Commander Frank Travis leaned back from his desk. Aboard the Battlecraft Victory, five of his top subordinates sat around his desk, each taking notes and paying their attention to the voice coming from the speaker on the commander’s desk.

“Permission denied.”

Travis choked and pushed himself upright. “Come again?”

“Permission DE-NIED.” The voice from Union Command sounded irritated. “Not only has the one Scout gotten away, you may have just lost another one by not thinking before you acted! What fool would recommend to enter an UNIDENTIFIED SPATIAL ANOMALY? And now you want to take a FLEET, not just your craft, mind you, but a FLEET into it as well?! Preposterous!”

“So, what would you have me do?!” The commander exploded, standing up from his chair and slamming his hand down on the desk. “You tell me to follow after some new spacecraft piloted by a SCOUT, jumping from system to system faster than I thought possible before yesterday, and when we find some trace of his signal, which is more than we found all day, we go to investigate at YOUR order to stop at NOTHING to find him!”

“Even so, you should have the intelligence to think first before jumping into some random occurrence in space. You have no idea where that energy came from, or even what it is, and without proper shielding, a craft could be easily destroyed in it!”

“That’s the problem! I don’t have the slightest clue imaginable! It’s impossible for anyone to have any idea of what could happen to…!” Travis froze. “What could happen to the ship? Proper shielding? Do you know what that was?”

Silence.

“You DO! Don’t you?!”

Silence.

Travis threw his arms wide. “That’s it! That’s what it is! Union Command decided not to reveal to me the classified specs on the craft we’re pursuing, and that’s the only reason we didn’t know about the anomaly! Your stubborn streak of not giving us the information we needed may have cost us the Scout. Don’t you DARE blame me for not acting on information I DID NOT have!”

The voice sounded more resigned and reluctant than irritated. “That information is highly classified, even for someone of your rank…”

“Well, tell that to the Command Council! ‘ I’m sorry, but we didn’t TELL the commander about the energy field and what it does, so he sent someone through it unknowingly. Oh, and it was just another Scout.’ Don’t you DARE pull this blame on me!”

More silence from the Union. Travis began nervously tapping his fingers on his desk.

Then the voice answered curtly. “We will consider your request for the classified information. Standby for further instruction.” The radio beeped off.

The men around the desk looked between themselves and the commander. Travis sighed as he sat down and fell tiredly back in his chair.

“Well, at least we’re not being blamed for this, sir.” A subordinate spoke.

The commander eyed the man. “Perhaps, but unfortunately, we’ve got TWO Scouts god-knows-where, one of them nuts, and somehow I know that a blunder on our part is still a convenient fallback plan for the Union if something bad happens.” Travis motioned him to sit down and chuckled. “If indeed.” Spreading his gaze to his fellow officers, he got down to business. “We’re just going to have to wait. In the meantime, let’s discuss what we know, so we can be prepared once we receive those specs.”

* * * * *

Cerberus’ eyes fluttered open. He flung his hands up to his face, blocking the light. “The light…!” The light was coming from all directions… everywhere he looked, his eyes burned and watered. “The light… why can’t I close my eyes!” Then… the light… vanished.

Blinking in the darkness, Cerberus first noticed he was no longer strapped in his craft, but laying down, unrestrained, on a soft cushy surface. He pushed himself up, only successful on the second try, and had to strain to do it. His arms barely supported his own weight. The woolen blankets fell to his waist, exposing his chest to the cool air of… well, wherever he was. Running his hands over his body, he felt what seemed to be bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and upper arm. Under the blankets, he felt more strapped bandages on his thighs, and on one leg, running down to his knees. One final wrapping covered his forehead.

He started at a voice. “Sorry about that. I thought some sunlight would do you good.” His eyes adjusting, Cerberus looked around himself. An older man standing next to a window bent down from drawing the drapes closed. “Besides, it’s barely morning.”

Cerberus blinked, and truly looked at his surroundings. Five other beds lined the walls in the room, each made neatly with similar blankets as his own. The stark wooden walls stood bare and cold. Wooden? Cerberus reached out and knocked on it. Where am I?

“Well, in the cities they’re a little more advanced, but we’re surrounded by trees. We use what we have.” Cerberus blinked confusedly until he realized he must have spoken aloud. The older man looked concerned and sat down on the bed across from Cerberus. “You’ve made it to Tel. And real lucky too. Nobody regularly travels the way where they found you, save for Festival and all, so any other time of the year you probably wouldn’t have made it anywhere.”

“Tel?” Cerberus blinked. He glanced around, and then could not help himself as he knocked on the wall again. Wood. I’ll be damned.

“Yes… Tel…” The older man tilted his head to one side. “Are you okay, son?”

“I’m fine.” Cerberus’ stomach grumbled loudly. He looked down at what announced his hunger, and then looked back to the man defiantly. “Fine, sir.” He threw his feet off the side of the bed and planted them firmly on the floor. He began to transfer weight to his legs, seeing what they could support.

“Sir? Oh please, I’m called Victor. Victor Johens. I’m a doctor. And it is no surprise you’re hungry there, you haven’t eaten in four days.”

“Four days?” Cerberus located his uniform sitting on the far end of the room. Slowly, he stood up, and was thankful his body did not tremble or fall. But, his legs were sore, and it already felt like he had been walking for miles. He made his way towards the uniform. The blankets fell away from him, making a trail on the floor back to the bed.

“Yes, you’ve been here that long now.” Victor said from behind Cerberus. “Now you come back to bed; a child could knock you down sneezing.”

Cerberus waved it off. “I’ll be fine… Doctor Johens… for now.” Cerberus carefully unwrapped the bandage on his head, began to suit up in his uniform, leaving the remainder of the bandages on underneath. The uniform, made from neofiber, went on as sharp and wrinkle-free as it had been when he last wore it. Nothing stuck to neofiber, and so it remained odor and stain free. It came in handy while in hiding in tight areas, or in disguise, so he could stow his uniform in cramped locations and have it put on at a moments notice to display the impressive clean and dominating look of a Scout.

The doctor watched carefully as Cerberus completed dressing himself. It was apparent he did not expect him to succeed in such a simple task in his condition. Then he asked, “Those are some… unique… clothes there… where are you from?”

Cerberus stamped out his boots, and then holstered his phase pistol. Then Victor’s question dawned on him. “Where? I’m a Scout.” He spoke matter-of-factly, and pointed the insignia on his uniform.

Doctor Johens blinked. “A … scout? Are you from the army? No, they don’t wear such things…”

Cerberus snapped his mouth shut when he realized it had hung open. “A Scout? From the Union?” He motioned to his uniform again, clearly expecting the doctor to recognize it. When he did not, shock covered Cerberus’ face.

The older man shook his head. “I’ve lived here for almost fifty years and never heard of a soldier’s union. You must be from farther off, yes? You’ll have to forgive me; I’m not nearly as educated on the world’s affairs as Captain Ternagis. He is a man who served in the military for the King years ago, and traveled afar. He would make for a better chat about those things.”

Cerberus could not believe his ears. Normally people looked at him in stark fear and terror, a Scout in their midst. This man was looking at him as if he were crazy! “Um… yes… farther off…” He shook his head. “Is Captain Ternagis the leader in your…village?”

“Oh, sakes no. He runs our militia for Mayor Townsend.”

Cerberus put a hand to his head. Nations within the Union were not allowed to have their own standing militia. All military needs were provided for by the Union itself. So either the planet is in rebellion… or… Cerberus thought carefully. If the planet was in rebellion, there would not be a militia for something as small as a village. And one little village would not dare face the Union on its own. Which means… “So that makes him your leader? Can I speak with him?”

Victor laughed. “Well, if it’s our Mayor you want, you’ll have to hold on for a bit. He’s too busy taking care of Festival to worry about anything else. Plus, Lord Mensch is in town, partaking in the festivities. Everyone’s making a big deal about it.” Victor sniffed. “I don’t like the man, myself, but he’s noble and all.” He noticed Cerberus’ impatient look. “Don’t worry, he knows you’re here. He mentioned to me he wanted to see you after you awoke and he had time.” The doctor stood up and walked over to Cerberus. “So, what’s your name, son?”

Cerberus stood straight and crossed his arms. “I am Cerberus.”

Doctor Johens looked at him quizzically. “Cerb…” He ran the name over his lips. “What an odd name. Is that your given name?”

Cerberus blinked again, and cocked his head. “Yes, I was given it.” He shook his head. “Its mine, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The grey-haired man stood silent for a moment, and then shook his head. “What were you doing out here, all beat up as you were?”

Cerberus considered how to answer very carefully before replying. “I’m looking for someone. I’m not sure how I got here.” That was an honest answer.

“Well as to that,” Victor said, “two of our lads were out to assist with some of the families traveling back to their villages early from Festival. It was them who carried you in here.” He looked Cerberus up and down. “Not much older than you. Perhaps you should meet them.” He nodded and grabbed his staff hanging behind a desk on the wall. “Some exercise would do you some good anyways, if you insist on being up and about.”

“I really should be meeting with your Mayor…”

“Nonsense. I told you, he’s busy. You’ll just have to wait for now. Come; let’s go find young Xia and Fenix. I’ll have them show you around a bit.” The doctor walked past Cerberus and out the door.

Cerberus looked around the empty room. I could just go find this Mayor myself. Stepping outside, he realized that although “village” was an overstatement for the pitiful size of the town, it was packed full of people. I guess I’ll just have to bide my time until I find him.

The doctor led the way down the dusty road through the middle of town. Almost immediately people picked out Doctor Johens and his mysterious companion. It was all Cerberus could do not to meet the townspeople’s stares, they were all so curious of the unique stranger. He felt uneasy, used to people finding other things to look at than the Scouts.

As packed as it was for the final day of this Festival, a space was readily created around the doctor and Cerberus as they moved down the street, as if they moved within a void. He avoided their eyes by looking at the town. It amazed him that somewhere in the galaxy there was a village as primitive as this one. All the buildings were built from the surrounding trees, and their paths were just packed dirt, created by the years of travel. All this provided evidence for the only possible explanation he could fit to the situation. They don’t know of the Union.

Cerberus tripped, and caught his balance. That couldn’t be possible… could it? He had been in the heart of Union space that he could last remember chasing after Tailz. Is it possible that whatever he had flown through was so powerful that it tossed him to a remote corner of the galaxy that had not yet felt the Union’s embrace?

Cerberus realized if this indeed was still an unrealized planet, several generations could have passed by in this condition. The Disaster that caused all humans to flee from Sol happened over 1700 years ago. Even if they spent several generations in spaceflight, any amount of time could have passed while inhabiting this planet, and they could be very uncomfortable with the sudden realization of other Humans finding them.

He remembered the doctor’s reaction to his uniform, and corrected that thought. Or, they could have given up on the idea that there are other Humans out there at all. Cerberus blinked, and shook his head. It was probably better to watch what he said and who he talked to while he was here. And he tried not to think about how he was going to get off the planet with such limited resources.

At the end of the road leading out of town, two young men stood next to the gate. Although they were equipped with pieces of crude armor and swords—Swords!—Cerberus was immediately disgusted at the condition of their mismatched armor and how they constantly fingered their swords as if surprised to find them there. It was obvious that they were intended as guards, but Cerberus was sure that in an emergency, these two would only spare the town as much time as it took to kill them. I could kill them both with my bare hands in front of witnesses before anyone realized what was going on, and still be able to place blame on someone else. But then, that was not so uncommon an occurrence for Cerberus.

“Ho, Fenix!” Victor called to one of them. The two young men stood straight and turned to the doctor.

“Sir!” said the one Cerberus assumed to be Fenix. Perhaps he was not given enough credit. Fenix’s response was quick and sharp. He had an air of discipline about him. Cerberus was certain he was still had a long way to go, but he seemed professional enough. The other guard turned back to watching the gate.

“I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Victor stepped aside and motioned to Cerberus. “This is…uh…” He stuttered, snapping his fingers. “What was that name again?”

“Cerberus.” Cerberus replied.

Fenix’s eyes widened as he looked at Cerberus, taking him in from head to toe. The professionalism seemed to evaporate into hyper energy. “Wow! You’re the one we brought in from the trail! I’m glad you’re okay! The doctor didn’t know what to make of you when we brought you in. Boy, are you lucky we saw you, dressed up all dark as you were and late at night. That’s a uniform you’re wearing right? Xia said it wasn’t but I thought it was! Where are you from?”

Cerberus blinked at the onslaught. He slowly recounted the last few moments, trying to make sense of the flood that poured from Fenix’s mouth. “Um…thank you for bringing me here. I owe you my life, I’m told.” Cerberus squinted at the doctor. “Also, yes, this is a uniform, and I’m from…” He eyed the doctor a second time. “… farther off…”

“Farther off, like beyond the castle? Are you from another nation?”

Cerberus cocked his head to one side than the other. “Uh…yes.”

Fenix jumped with his hand in the air. “Wow! Wait ’til Xia finds out about this! He’s going to be so excited! I told him you weren’t from around here, but he didn’t believe anything I said!”

Victor sighed and rubbed his head. “Fenix, a lot of people have a hard time believing what you say.”

Fenix’s mouth dropped open as he turned to face the doctor. “But…!” Fenix’s mouth worked for a moment, and then he snapped it shut when nothing came out.

“Yes, Master Fenix, with all the nonsense you come up with, it’s hard to imagine you as a grown man yet.” A deep voice came from behind the three of them.

Cerberus started and turned to face the newcomer. A tall man, dressed in all golden clothing to a point that Cerberus was curious how he moved under its weight.

Fenix bowed his head. “Lord Mensch… I really have come a long way since my childhood.”

Mensch waved his hand, disregarding the young guard. “So, this is our guest. You look much better than when you were dragged inside.” He looked Cerberus up and down. “You’re definitely not from around here, and it’s obvious you are in some type of trouble. When do you plan to leave?”

Cerberus returned a cool look. “I have a request of the leader of this village. I’ll leave as soon as I’ve spoken to him.”

“I am the ruling Lord of all the provinces in this area. You may take it up with me. But, I will not grant any request that brings your problems with you to my lands.”

Cerberus looked questioningly at the doctor. Victor nodded. “He is indeed the Lord of the Mahn, representative of the King in this realm.” He put his hand on both Lord Mensch’s and Cerberus’ shoulders. “But this is neither the time nor place. Our guest,” Victor eyed Lord Mensch, “will not be leaving until I’m convinced he’s fully capable of journeying again, which I do NOT believe he is.” The last part was said with a cocked head staring at Cerberus. Nodding self-sufficiently, he turned to Fenix. “Any idea where we can find Xia, lad?”

“Yeah, he went up to his hill this morning and hasn’t come down yet.” Fenix pointed at the tall hill a little off from the gate. On top was the shape of a person, sitting cross-legged in the grass.

“Great, well, Cerb…Cerberus?…you can go off and speak to him; I have others I need to attend to. I will let the Mayor know you would like to speak with him.” With a smile and a wave, the doctor walked back into the town.

Mensch flourished his cape and offered the slightest of bows. “Well, Cerberus, I hope you get well soon. I’ll not be caught up in any issues, especially during Festival.” He turned and left without another word.

Cerberus looked at Fenix, who had taken up his post against the gate, slumping back, and shook his head. Well, I really don’t have a lot else to do… Cerberus thought, and started his way up the hill.

* * * * *

Xia had been deep in thought, and didn’t notice the strange man coming towards him until he was halfway up the hill. Xia studied him for a moment, and recognized the odd clothes he was wearing. He was the man Xia had dragged in earlier in the week.

The man had a stern look on his face, similar to the war-hardened face of Captain Ternagis, but he was no older than Xia himself. His tanned skin showed no signs of battle scars, in fact he looked much like a youth of their own village, but his eyes darted about, scanning his surroundings for threats, much like the Captain. Xia found himself wondering what his life had been like to end up looking like that at such an early age.

Xia laughed at himself. An early age indeed… He had been thinking entirely too much lately, and entirely too much like his father.

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” Xia looked up at the voice, and saw that the man had closed the distance between them and was standing next to him, looking down at the sitting Xia.

Xia stood up, and made a small bow. “I see you are doing well now, I am glad you are okay.”

The man looked confused briefly, and then attempted a poor bow in return. “Apparently I owe you and that other boy my life.” He looked disdainfully down the hill towards Fenix.

Xia continued to study the stranger… he had referred to them as ‘boys’ but was not much older than them himself. Xia was very interested. “I am Xia.”

The man looked back at Xia. His focus was very piercing, although he occasionally darted a glance around them as if he expected someone to jump out at them. “Cerberus.”

Xia blinked at the name. “That’s not a common name, I think.”

Cerberus sighed and shook his head. “No, it seems not.” He seemed disappointed.

“So, are you a soldier? If so, where from?” Xia asked him while he sat back down in the grass. He motioned for Cerberus to do the same.

Cerberus’ eyes continued to dart around. “Yes, a soldier. I’m not from around here; I’ve come from further off looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone? Why would a soldier be sent to find a person? Unless there was a serious crime committed…” Xia’s eyes focused on Cerberus.

Cerberus looked directly at Xia, narrowing his eyes. An eternity passed, and Xia felt that he had been weighed and measured and marked for sale before Cerberus nodded and sat down, but continuing his constant watch about him. “The man I’m looking for is dangerous. He is a soldier, like me. He killed several of our best men and stole something very precious. My job is to find him and retrieve it”

Xia tilted his head. “Wow. Is he around here somewhere? Should the town be alerted? The guards…”

“The guards wouldn’t stand a chance against someone as well trained as him.” He shook his head towards Fenix again. “Besides, Lord Mensch would rather not have the town be involved, so there’s no reason to cause a panic.”

“Well, probably true, but we just started training a town watch recently, I don’t think they’d be experts yet, but they should be informed of danger.”

“It really doesn’t matter. I don’t think he’s around here. I was… following him… and lost him, ending up here. I doubt he is here ahead of me.”

Xia let out a sigh of relief he had not known he had taken. “What happened to you that got you laid by the road like that?”

Cerberus looked away. “I… am not sure. I was headed this way, and then the next thing I knew, I was crawling on the ground, and I think I saw the road before I passed out.” Cerberus shot Xia a glance from the corner of his eye, again, that weighing look.

Xia nodded to himself. “Bandits.”

“Bandits?”

“Yeah, who else would come up behind you like that?”

Cerberus paused for a moment. “Yeah… bandits.” Cerberus looked at the ground, seeming to contemplate what to say next. “In any case, again, I owe you for your assistance.”

Xia smiled. “Think nothing of it. I couldn’t just leave you there.”

The two of them looked at each other. A small breeze whisked around the hill, playing with the blades of grass. Xia noticed Cerberus staring, and he felt as if he was wrestling with thoughts. Then, Cerberus spoke up. “Why are you up here? There seems to be quite a party going on in the town.”

Xia turned and looked out beyond the town, into the forest, and pointed. “See that forest, over there?” Cerberus nodded. “Normally each morning, I come up here, and look at the rainbow that always forms because of the lake just over there. For some reason, there hasn’t been one this entire week.”

Cerberus shook his head. “Rainbow?”

“You know, a rainbow? Reflection of light into the sky from water?’ Xia looked at him oddly, and seeing no recognition, sighed. “Never mind…”

Another breeze ran around the hill. Cerberus stood up turned towards the town.

“Where are you going?” Xia called after him.

“I need to begin finding my way back.” Cerberus called without turning around.

“Wait!” Xia got up, grabbed his staff, and followed after Cerberus. “Why don’t you talk to my father? He’s the Mayor and knows a lot about the land around here. I’m sure he can help you.”

Cerberus stopped as Xia caught up to him. “The Mayor, eh? Well, if he’s anything like Lord Mensch, I’ll not need his help.”

“Oh, don’t worry about Lord Mensch. He’s like that. Always has been. Father says it’s because his constant riches rot his brain while the rest of us stay fit working for a living.” He clapped Cerberus on the back. “Come on, I’ll take you to Father.”

Xia led the way down the hill and back towards town. Xia waved at Master Lants on his way by, but Master Lants stood motionless, with his pipe clenched between his teeth, staring at the pair as they went by.

“What’s his problem?” Cerberus asked.

“Oh, Master Lants? He’s always like that with outsiders. Word is around the town that he didn’t speak to the Captain for several years after he got here.”

“Years?” Cerberus stared back at the old man, who didn’t move again until Xia and Cerberus were further down the trail.

As the two of them approached the front gate to the town, a commotion was already in play. Fenix and Danni were standing side by side looking sulkish in front of the Mayor, who was speaking in a stern voice and pounding a finger into the palm of his other hand. Captain Ternagis and Master Down stood behind him.

“…traditions must be observed, and I won’t have you delaying it by a moment!” The Mayor finished as Xia and Cerberus came within earshot. Master Down noticed the two walking towards them, and tapped the Mayor on his shoulder. Master Townsend turned around, and, following Coole’s finger, looked at the approaching Xia. “Well, it’s about time, boy. I was just ready to come up there after you. You’re holding up the whole ceremony!”

Xia blinked. “Ceremony? Wait… the Acceptance is today?”

The Mayor nodded furiously. “Yes! So if you still want to take part, you had better move!”

Xia nodded. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought about it in weeks, I thought for sure it was after Festival.”

The Mayor saw Cerberus for the first time. “Oh, it’s you, young lad. How are you feeling? You didn’t look like much when you got here, that’s for sure.”

Cerberus tried his best to imitate the bow Xia had given him. “I’m fine…” He turned to Xia. “Don’t worry, Xia, I’m sure I can find my way around town and find your father myself.”

Xia shook his head. “Cerberus, this is my Father, Sam Townsend, Mayor of Tel.”

“Oh?” Cerberus quickly snapped to attention and saluted the Mayor, placing his fist over his heart.

Master Townsend looked at Cerberus, clearly confused. “Um…son…”

“He’s a soldier, father.”

“Oh! That makes sense. I didn’t think one so young could be a soldier, but yes, I see now. He does have some of the traits.”

Captain Ternagis nodded slowly, considering. “He does. I would like to speak to your new friend, young Xia, but first, with your approval, Mayor, we have something important to attend?”

Mayor Townsend started. “Oh, yes, the Acceptance. Let’s go go go!” He pushed Xia, Fenix, and Danni further down the street.

Captain Ternagis turned to Cerberus. “You may accompany us if you wish.”

Cerberus turned and saluted the Captain, again holding his fist over his heart. Ternagis nodded, and saluted back, but his salute consisted of an outstretched hand held above his opposite shoulder. “Now then,” he said, leading the way, “Where exactly did you say you were from? I have served in the King’s Militia, and have seen quite a bit of other nations.” Cerberus grit his teeth silently and set about trying to explain exactly how much “farther off” he was without naming any place in particular that Captain Ternagis might recognize.