The Azwan Chronicles

Chapter 2

The planet had been in turmoil for four years. The population divided into two opposing factions, Azwanians, who followed the powerful Torgath in his bid to unite the people under one administrator in a series of democratic communities, and Karl-Ryka who wanted to rule the entire planet to fulfill his own greed. In the beginning many meetings were held among the elders, trying to reach a satisfactory compromise, but each one became more raucous, with angry accusations and threats until one night it finally exploded in violence.

One of Karl-Ryka's followers, in a fit of rage, struck down an elderly man who was clutching his killer's arm, pleading for calm and order. After a moment of stunned silence the two factions fell upon one another in a pitched battle, boiling out of the council house and onto the streets. It was only when the local townspeople, mostly Torgath supporters, entered the melee and helped to drive Karl-Ryka's force out of the town and across the river. There were no more talks. Sides had been chosen. War had been declared.

The initial battle's aftermath had left many Azwanians injured and several dead, and a cloud of fear-laced gloom settled over the survivors. Torgath summoned his good friend Gothag to meet and devise a plan for protecting the citizenry and vanquishing Karl-Ryka and his supporters. Over the remaining years of battle, many more combatants suffered and died, but in the end, Gothag proved to be a brilliant strategist and finally subdued the enemy.

With a minimum of wasted time the citizens demanded justice and the remaining members of Karl-Ryka's force were imprisoned in a small canyon at the foot of the Dragon Mountains until they were brought to trial. Over the vengeful cries for execution, Gothag persuaded Torgath and the other elders to agree to banishment instead.

Karl-Ryka and all his followers were placed in a space boat and launched toward the planet Belgar with the stern warning never to return. The angry prisoners screamed and shouted as the space boat left Azwan with Karl-Ryka staring at Gothag's receding form, eyes blazing and cursing him beneath his breath.

Belgar was a desolate planet. Natural resources were few and those lucky enough to stake claims where they existed, kept them for themselves, threatening and even killing any who tried to take them. Belgar became a lawless society loosely ruled by Karl-Ryka and his most loyal followers. Anyone running afoul of his wishes was summarily executed and his property added to Karl-Ryka's own.

The few women who were among those exiled, chose, with an eye toward safety, to stay within Karl-Ryka's main group. One of these, Alysha, became his wife and eventually bore their one and only child, Din-Ryka. She was basically a good woman, foolishly caught up in mistaken loyalty to a cause that had sounded both daring and romantic. Exile on Belgar soon erased those notions from her mind and replaced them with regret and fear under the brutal rule of her husband.

As their son grew, Alysha tried desperately to protect him from the environment of violence and indifference, praying he would not acquire his father's vengeful rage. To her dismay, she succumbed slowly to a long, debilitating illness, watching her influence fade. Alysha died with just a token of grief from her son and nothing from her husband.

As Din-Ryka grew, he displayed a keen intuition for plotting and planning which contributed greatly to his father's hold over the populace. Eventually, upon reaching manhood, this earned him the position of second in command, replacing a disgruntled but acquiescent Viktor DeGang. The fact that he shied away from actual battle was overlooked by his father in light of the service he provided.

His keen insight to the deceit of his father's opponents provided the means to quell many attempted revolts. Long years of harsh rule and savage battles had gradually reduced the population of Belgar to a solid core of loyal followers but by then Karl-Ryka had grown old and feeble. After a lifetime of instilling his only son with the same consuming hate he himself held for Azwan, finally, on his deathbed, he made Din-Ryka swear he would return there and conquer Gothag who was now the Azwanian leader.