Ultima

Chapter 34

The sun was just rising over the mountains, casting a golden light over the green valley. A small river ran from a lake to the only building that would ever be erected on the postcard-planet of Murnal, the Rynec centre of worship.

The Rynec were the first of the four races to achieve space fight and advance to another system through wormholes. The religious faithful searched for the perfect planet to serve as a sanctuary for their beliefs and when they found Murnal, they didn't waste any time claiming it. The other half of Rynec society chose the other habitable planet in the system, Minatar, to build and advance their scientific purposes. The two planets became the centre of Rynec government and their homeworld became a neutral planet where young Rynec could grow and choose their path.

The Temple of Ji'Ba stood as tall as one of the mountains behind it, housing one million Rynec. The number didn't seem large but the Rynec had a low birth rate and a long life span. There couldn't have been more than three million Rynec in total in the entire galaxy, two million of whom were found in the current system. To believe the race would be doomed in a war, however, was a foolish thought left to people who have never fought a three-metre tall bodybuilder. Two million of them marching towards you would be enough to make anyone consider negotiating.

The shuttle began its slow descent on one of the landing pads near the top of the temple. The temple was structured like three skyscrapers rising from a triangular base. Each tower rose from one of the points and housed different areas of study. Several landing pads circled each tower at different heights. We were directed to one of the upper-most spots, where the offices were held.

"So far so good," Stuckey said, turning off the shuttle's engines after touch down.

"You have nothing to worry about here," I replied. "Take it the sights and let the peaceful nature of the planet melt away the stress."

"Alright, hippie," he said, unbuckling his safety harness. "Let's settle down a bit there."

I unbuckled my harness and opened the side door. Fresh, warm air filled the shuttle as I stepped out onto the landing pad. Stuckey followed close behind me and shut the door.

"I think I see what you mean," Stuckey said, checking out the landscape.

"Murnal has always been one of my favourite places to deliver to," I started, thinking back. "It's funny. It's been less than a year since I was last here, but it feels like ages ago. Like I was a little kid or something and now I'm visiting as an adult."

"A lot has happened," Stuckey replied. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, things will never be as innocent as they once were, but that's only because you're wise enough to see it for what it really is. I know if I set foot back on Mars, it would be completely different. I would see it through the eyes of someone just trying to scrape by and feed their children instead of as an impatient child looking for adventure."

I chuckled. "Would you ever move back?"

He shook his head. "Never. It's not for me. But I would go back to say goodbye to family. I doubt they'd care, but it would be nice to put that to rest on a positive account."

I nodded. "Let me know when you go. I'll come with."

He laughed. "Damn straight you will. If I'm going into Hell, I'm taking you with me. There's no escaping that."

"Oh, look," I joked. "Our new motto."

We shared a laugh as we noticed a Rynec leave the building and start walking towards our shuttle. "I guess they got sick of waiting for us," I said.