A Next Island Love Story by Pope L’Brung
Book 5, Chapter 1
The Haruspex Elder asked for our help. Apparently, the Stel faction were launching an invasion on a small Haruspex settlement just west of here. The Stel had gained control of some type of mutated beast and were using these beasts to raid a harmless village. PK and I had originally met with the Haruspex to learn information about a rumoured time travel portal. We agreed to assist them with a small quest to prove our loyalty and earn their trust. Now we were being recruited to defend them from an attack by a opposing faction.
PK and I quickly travelled to the Haruspex settlement. We arrived to see an aggressive herd of mutant boars invading the small, defenseless village. This would be the first time I used my weapon in many years. I carried a small handgun for protection but mostly used it to scare away curious mobs while I was mining.
PK wasted no time. He quickly armed himself and began shooting at the encroaching mutated beasts. The rabid boars were no match for his fire power. I contributed as well by killing some of the beasts with my pistol. I never took pride in ending the life of a living being but I understood the importance of defense. These nasty boar weren’t normal. They had somehow been terribly altered by the Stel to be more aggressive. Luckily, they weren’t successful. PK and I put an end to their attack in about 15 minutes, killing approximately 50 of the mutant boar without any damage to ourselves or the small Haruspex settlement.
PK immediately began surveying the bodies of the dead mobs while grabbing small bits of shrapnel, hide, and oils from the scattered carcasses. I returned my small pistol to my backpack and stood silently.
I hoped this was worth it. I didn’t like violence. I only wanted to find Jihkanna.
Book 5, Chapter 2
I know it seems strange but I felt as if I could sense her. Or perhaps she was the one who could sense me?
I felt as if she were close. Not physically close, but…spiritually close?
I only wanted to be with her. To help her. To help her people. Sometimes it seemed like I could hear her whispering in my ear.
PK and I arrived back at Tanzanite to talk with the Elder. He thanked us for defending the settlement from the mutant boar attack. He had a genuine tone that reflected sincerity and gratitude.
Speaking with the Elder was more like communicating telepathically rather than verbally. The Haruspex were wise and advanced in their knowledge of mindfullness. The Elder’s words entered our conscious but without being spoken aloud.
He revealed to us his concerns about something called Demra. Demra is the force, or entity, that was driving the planet’s factions apart. Demra could influence, or manipulate, the factions on Next Island into divisiveness and war. The Elder wasn’t specific about Demra being a sentient person, or some type of force. Nevertheless, its influence seemed to be working, especially with factions such as Resa and Stel.
The Elder was concerned about a newer faction called the New Elysian Order. He said they were a reclusive and quiet sect of colonists. It was unclear if they were under the influence of Demra or not. He wanted to establish better communication with them and asked us to help. The Elder asked if we would visit the New Elysian Order. He wanted us to speak with them and try to discern their motives.
I agreed. Somehow, within me, I knew it was the right thing to do. I preferred to be a peacemaker as opposed to a killer.
PK and I packed up our gear and boarded his Sleipnir. He entered the coordinates where we would meet an N.E.O. guard.
Book 5, Chapter 3
We landed at an area called Flash Point. PK and I exited his Sleipnir and registered the teleportation portal location to our databases. There was a large industrial building here with an opening. It seemed like a terminal building, similar to some other ones I’d seen on Next Island. The entrance housed a giant furnace with various pipes channelling steam throughout the rest of the building. The hot, loud, mechanical architecture was significantly different to that of the Haruspex villages.
As I started to walk into the building, PK stretched out his arm to stop me. He then unholstered his handgun and checked it for ammo. “I’ll take the lead on this one. Stay behind me. We don’t know what’s in there.”
I didn’t even think to be worried, but now I paused. I assumed we were initiating a peacekeeping mission. My naivete hadn’t considered that we might be met with hostility by the N.E.O. contacts. I, too, checked the ammo on my pistol and fell in line behind PK. We entered the building confidently but not aggressively.
A hallway led around the giant exposed furnace. Industrial pipes rattled and hummed along the ceiling and walls. I followed PK into a large room that contained several interactive terminals. There were other people here using the assorted terminals to buy and sell items. Some were crafting. There appeared to be two miltary guards here as evidenced by their matching uniforms.
PK accessed his storage via one of the terminals. I stood closely by his side and kept watch. He put some loot from the mutant boars in his storage. He finished with the terminal and then signalled the ‘at ease’ motion to me with his hand. “Follow me,” he said quietly.
We approached one of the uniformed guards in the room. PK began to introduce himself.
“Go bother someone else!” the guard interrupted.
Book 5, Chapter 4
I was curious as to how my friend, PK, would handle this type of response. PK wasn’t known for having a high tolerance for disrespect. I’d seen him send many chancers back to revive for much less.
Luckily, everybody kept their cool. It was still a bit tense though.
We stepped away and calmly walked over to the other guard who was on duty in the terminal. She wore the same black military armor as the first guard.
She frowned at us, agression and anger playing across her face. " What are you doing here?" she asked. “This land is dangerous for those ill prepared to defend themselves.”
PK reached for his handgun. I quickly stood between him and the guard, trying to intervene. The commotion caused a small scene. Everyone in the terminal stopped and looked at us.
“Awesome welcome. You guys really initiate realtionships with a warm greeting!” I loudly interjected, trying to be cheeky and disarming. A few bystanders chuckled at my sarcasm.
“Answer the question,” she barked. “You will find that we of the Order are not inclined to accept your flippancy! Speak efficiently, or I will remove you!”
To be honest, I was being flippant.
PK was again readying his weapon as a the curious onlookers in the terminal were now gathering around us.
“Wait!” I shouted, again trying to de-escalate. “I am so sorry. I meant no disrepsect. We are here to help build relationships amongst the factions.” I wasn’t sure why I was apologising. These guards seemed quite rude but I wanted to make peace. That was the mission.
The guard was uninterested. She remained frowning but didn’t make any aggressive action.
“We are here for the greater good,” I continued.“To develope branches of trust and drive progression of the planet as a whole. Can we just talk?”
She relaxed, only slightly, and agreed to talk. She said we could perhaps earn her trust by completing a small task.
Here we go again.
Book 5, Chapter 5
My last-ditch attempt to persuade the N.E.O. guard was successful. She became less abrasive and agreed to listen to us. She still kept militarily formal with us but without the hostile insults.
She suggested a test of of strength that could earn the Order’s trust. She made it very clear from the start that she didn’t expect us to succeed (or survive).
She wanted us to find a lost scout. The Order has lost contact with this scout and needed help locating him. She gave us a list of checkpoints that the scout was supposed to survey. She asked if we could inspect those checkpoints for any clues that might help answer what happened to him. She warned that the mission would involve danger and again predicted that we’d probably fail.
I accepted the mission and took the coordinates for the checkpoints. This would require us to travel to Resa Docks. I’d heard warnings about Resa Docks. Resa were known as a ruthless faction and brutal fighters. Even the Tourism Department warned new arrivals about visiting Resa territory.
PK and I teleported to Crystal Bay. We were exhausted. It had been two long days without much rest. We walked down to the beach to his tent. We talked about the mission. He asked if I was nervous and I nodded affirmatively.
“Don’t worry, kid.” he assured me while patting my back. “We’ll be ok.”
I again had to borrow some of his confidence.
We drank some tea in the tent and then retired to our rooms. I fell asleep quickly because I was tired.
I saw her in my dream. She was beautiful. She took my hand and pulled me closer to her for a kiss. I hugged her so tight that it felt like I was hugging myself.
“Be strong, be safe.” she whispered in my ear.