Birth of a Guardian

Chapter 1

Leaping from the second-story window, she snatched energy from the atmosphere to catch her fall and hover over the street, gently floating down the neighborhood just high enough to avoid leaving evidence in the snow and low enough to escape the eye of the Involosrho guard; getting his attention was not an experience she wanted to repeat.

The fresh layer of powder shone with a brilliance that made the silver and white buildings appear to rest on a sea of light. Although seemingly random, each structure in the city of Hinvolia flowed in a specific pattern. The homes and offices had been diligently designed to imitate a crystal bursting from the ground in all its spiked glory.

Once, during a flight test in the prototype fighter ship, Linuka had seen the beautiful design. From high above, the city Hinvolia glistened like a genuine crystal. The mathematics required for the illusion were extraordinary, and understanding it presented a wonderful challenge she might undertake one day. But, for now, she just wanted to graduate from those stupid digital lessons devoid of any real human interaction.

Why couldn't life be more like science? When she helped her father run his experiments, they seldom succeeded, but that wasn't the point. Whether a miscalculation, a new variable, or a structural adjustment, each failed attempt helped them understand the problem a little better. That was the best part of science; failure was expected.

The last building gave way to open tundra, pulling Linuka back to the present. Accelerating as fast as possible, she summoned a thin energy shield to protect her from the increasing snowfall. Not that the snow hurt; getting wet just wasn't her style. The ravines lay northeast, past the city of Marsil, far beyond the last sign of civilization, providing ample time to enjoy the scenery.

Glimmering layers of ice and snow sparkled underneath. The straggling flurries condensed into a steady stream then a powdery cloud. Visibility vanished, but Linuka didn't care. With the crystal tucked against her wrist, the computer remained an extension of her senses, maintaining her course and overlaying her sight with a map of the terrain as she skirted Marsil and all her responsibilities.

Finally, the storm scattered into brilliant blue skies. Below, wiggling northward, shallow cracks deepened to endless miles of intricate ravines in a glorious broken pattern. Even with centuries of access to advanced technologies, no one had a legitimate hypothesis for the deformations. The surface displayed no evidence of impact from heavenly objects nor magma movement below—a great mystery of the planet Cinla.

A wide chasm opened below to reveal miles of pit sprawling towards the planet's core. Leaving the sparkling snow above, Linuka descended into the darkness. Walls of ice reflected the lingering light into a dull amber overhead. As the last flicker faded, she commanded a small globe of energy to form in her hand. The sphere's soft glow revealed a tiny ledge jutting out of the rugged wall below—her favorite bench. Settling on the black stone, the distant sunlight above seemed like a remote ceiling. Ever present, ever shining, but always out of reach. Just like her life.

The dark stone called to her, as though it had a voice of its own. Despite the extended lifespan on Cinla, Linuka didn't know anyone who remembered the planet before the orbital shift. The rich foliage and strange animals that had once flourished on Cinla now lived on solely in the painted ceilings of the cities' courts. The last ember of warmth desperately clung to the depths of these ravines. What would it have felt like to walk on grass? To feel fur? These black walls knew.

A rumble rudely shook her from her thoughts. She leapt to her feet, the light dissipating as her mind focused on the danger. Boulders broke free from the left and right to tumble into the depths below. Seismic activity had not been predicted for today, but she didn't want to wait around to make geological observations. Responding to her thoughts, the computer mapped an escape route, and she took to the air with precision, spinning around the falling debris to race towards the snowy sky.

The rocky chaos gave way to the cold storm that had caught up to her, wrapping her like a blanket, but the severe snowfall barely grabbed her attention. Something had caused the quake. The nearby city of Marsil could have been affected, but the computer couldn't detect any signs of impact in the ground below. Better report the incident before something worse happened. She commanded her computer to access the planet's mainframe, but a message from the Involosrho gripped her heart.

Cinla is under attack from a single unidentified vessel moving west from Telina. All Involosrho are at their stations. Citizens immediately report to the courts for instruction.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Why today, of all days, when her sister's accomplishments were to be celebrated, when she was miles northeast of her family?

With a deep breath, she fought back the tears and sped towards home. The planet's mainframe forwarded information to every computer crystal on Cinla, tracking the attack and providing instructions. None of it made sense. How had a single vessel breached the planetary shield? And why just one ship? The only other planet in the galaxy with advanced technology was Negev, and they lived underground. Who would dare attack peaceful Cinla?

Still, the ship sped west—towards her.

Linuka! she heard her dad cry directly to her mind. Where are you?

He must have charged upstairs to find an empty room. I'm at the ravines. I'm coming!

Don't! Maril is closer.

But...

Get inside that barrier.

She felt his fear, his desperate concern for her. The tears broke free.

Now!

Obeying her father, Linuka changed course to the nearby city. She could reach Maril in two minutes. A host of Involosrho fighter ships moved to intercept the invader.

Keep talking to me until you get there. I'm watching you. It will be okay.

Yes, Cinla's technology was far beyond anything else in the galaxy. If it was just one ship, surely the Involosrho would defeat it quickly.

I'm almost there, Linuka replied. About a minute away.

Just keep going. You're doing great.

I see the city, she said.

The Involosrho knows you are coming. He will let you in.

Linuka commanded her computer crystal to signal the city's guard. Immediately, she felt the soldier's presence in her mind, and she opened herself to the telepathy. A small breach in the barrier opened for her.

One mile. The Involosrho fleet engaged the enemy.

Half a mile. She was going to make it.

The energy barrier shut. Looking behind, sheer power overwhelmed her senses. She had no way to avoid the explosion. The Involosrho guard had chosen to save everyone else instead. She felt his sorrow as he left her mind.

I love you, Dad, Mom, Fela.

As she reached out to her family, she felt them cry her name as the excruciating force of the blast riveted through her body.