The Shadow Setters Book 1: Prominence

Chapter 43

Chapter 43

'Jason? Jason, wake up mate, we're nearly there. We're nearly at the base.' 

Jason began to stir from his brief slumber. He yawned dramatically then rubbed his eyes in an attempt to rouse his senses. 'Urrrgh. How long was I out for?' 

'Just a shade over twenty minutes. By the looks of things we are about ten minutes or so away from where we stopped off last time to get to the base.' 

'Ok cool. I feel better for it.' 

'Good. You look better for it too. Just as well really because I need to have a chat with you before we get stuck in over at the base. Pull over Rhann.' 

Rhann pulled over and stopped the beamer. Spider and Kaile got out into the purple fog strewn road and instantly remarked to each other how much warmer the air temperature was getting the closer they got to the base. They swapped positions in the car and within seconds they were on the road again. Spider turned to Jason with a warm but serious look on his face. Calm though Spider always seemed to be, before the revelations of the night and after, he looked somewhat fatigued. The wound on his arm had soaked through the field dressing but the slight figure showed no outward sign of the undeniable pain that he must be in. Apart from the obvious physical discomfort, Spider was weighed down by all the stress and strain that he had to carry around with him, though it did not portray it through to his voice as he spoke to his friend. 

'Jason, the device that you have in your pocket is a unique royal artefact called a thought transceiver. It has the ability to pick up on any persons thought patterns anywhere just by tuning into the pad and thinking of the person you wish to contact.' 

Jason looked shocked and stunned at the same time. 'Are you serious? That type of technology isn't even possible, is it?' 

'It's a bit of a mystery whether it is pure technology or an intermingling of something else, magic I suppose if you believe in that sort of thing. All that I can tell you is that it works. I've been informed that it takes some time to master but its range is from what I've been led to believe, limitless.' 

Jason raised his eyebrows at the claim. 'Really? Who told you that then?' 

'Your mother J. It was hers.' Jason fell back into the chair open mouthed but said nothing. 'The royal family over the thousands of years that they have reigned over us have always it seemed, to have been a special breed amongst us. It was from our early ages that they emerged from the ordinary people to lead and guide us as a united planet and move us forwards. Many said that even in those early days when they were just people like you and me that they had special powers then but of course it was only myth and legend. They were just brave and heroic people that had the wisdom as an added gift just like the great leaders of earth in the past possessed. It was only when our people took to the stars with the royals leading the way as they always did, came with it a change that is traced to a chance meeting in what was to us then, deep space.' 

'Change? What changed? What was the meeting?' 

'Our people came across a strange ship that was damaged and adrift. They had never seen anything like it before, or since for that matter. It was vastly superior to our craft in size and technology but with a design that was described as ancient and beautiful, something that you would expect to be designed by gods. It was king Ranall, our leader at the time, who offered assistance to the ship and her crew. The race of beings was touched by the generosity and compassion shown by my people. After they told them that the situation was under control, king Ranall offered to stay with them whilst they completed repairs just in case. It seems that such traits in sentient beings are uncommon if what the damaged ship's crew is anything to go by.