Read Online Star Force: Retribution (SF60) by Aer-ki Jyr - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Aer-ki Jyr
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made known to the public. He comes and goes as he
chooses, but aside from the nearby eyes no trace of him is recorded. Our
machines will not betray his existence, and I could not do so in message either .”
“ Did he say why? ”
“ No, but he has
made many changes since his arrival. The first of which was the creation of
this, ” Yev’jat said, pointing at the chamber in
which they now stood. “ What lies beyond
the doors if of Elder technology, and none are allowed to enter except by invitation. You have yours .”
The Letrifiv stepped over to the doors and pressed a
hand against them, with the touch creating a split that pulled apart the lower
halves like a zipper about twice Cal-com’s height then stopped, with the two
flaps bending outwards and bracketing the threesome.
“ We have not
been requested ,” the Letrifiv said simply, then stepped back.
Cal-com didn’t delay nor fawn over the presence of the
Elder and walked through the opening, intent to be as efficient as possible. If
the Elder wanted to speak with him, then he was going to show himself promptly.
As soon as he walked through the doors resealed behind him and Cal-com found himself standing on the edge of
a ridged floor that circled up into a large tunnel. Almost immediately he felt
a presence in his mind, guiding him forward, and he began hopping from one
flat-topped ridge to another and bypassing the small toughs in between. The
architecture was not straight, and the Voku had to meander through several
tunnel branches before he finally came to the end of the ridged tunnels,
thankfully before he hit one of the down ‘ramps’ that would have been much
harder to traverse.
The chamber just to the left of the ramp had a smooth
floor that led up to a dome with a low lying wall, and as Cal-com got halfway
up to it the dragon behind it rose up, giving the Voku his first glimpse of the
red, scaly skin that covered its lithe body.
“ Welcome home,
Renimar ,” the Elder said graciously. “ You
have done well in your absence .”
Cal-com dropped to a knee respectfully, but a tisking noise that was both physical and mental halted his
reverence. “ Rise. I have no need of
supplicant servants today .”
As the dragon said so Cal-com’s eye line returned to
the neck that was reaching above the wall and the bit of body connected to it,
then a pair of arms reached up to grip the edge and pulled the Elder over top
of it, with his body sliding over the rim as he came fully into view and dropped
down onto the solid floor in front of the Voku, who was now standing back up as
ordered. The dragon’s wings were tucked along its body, looking like little
more than patches of wrinkly skin and blending in well with the rest of the
scaly tube, but the deep red was both intimidating and surprising, for the
Elder that had visited them previously had been colored grey, or so he had been
told. The size of this one was also considerably smaller, but the presence it
emanated could not be denied and the Voku felt very small in comparison despite
the fact that the Elder stood only half again as tall as him.
“ You honor me
with your praise, and your presence. What have you summoned me for? ”
The dragon walked sideways in front of the stationary
Voku, then twisted its long neck back towards him, looking him in his
artificial eye from only a meter away.
“ The Voku are
not the only race we have guided from afar. There are others, like you, who
serve us across the galaxy. Some old, some new, but they are few and the threats
many. You and the other Voku have done well during our long absence to preserve
yourselves and the knowledge we granted you, and in return I am here now to
elevate you to the next level. This will be done in secret, as always, but of
you personally I have another task .”
The dragon sat back on its tail and hind legs, rearing
up to bring its front two off the ground and stretch out its wings. The thin
material flexed with remarkable strength
chooses, but aside from the nearby eyes no trace of him is recorded. Our
machines will not betray his existence, and I could not do so in message either .”
“ Did he say why? ”
“ No, but he has
made many changes since his arrival. The first of which was the creation of
this, ” Yev’jat said, pointing at the chamber in
which they now stood. “ What lies beyond
the doors if of Elder technology, and none are allowed to enter except by invitation. You have yours .”
The Letrifiv stepped over to the doors and pressed a
hand against them, with the touch creating a split that pulled apart the lower
halves like a zipper about twice Cal-com’s height then stopped, with the two
flaps bending outwards and bracketing the threesome.
“ We have not
been requested ,” the Letrifiv said simply, then stepped back.
Cal-com didn’t delay nor fawn over the presence of the
Elder and walked through the opening, intent to be as efficient as possible. If
the Elder wanted to speak with him, then he was going to show himself promptly.
As soon as he walked through the doors resealed behind him and Cal-com found himself standing on the edge of
a ridged floor that circled up into a large tunnel. Almost immediately he felt
a presence in his mind, guiding him forward, and he began hopping from one
flat-topped ridge to another and bypassing the small toughs in between. The
architecture was not straight, and the Voku had to meander through several
tunnel branches before he finally came to the end of the ridged tunnels,
thankfully before he hit one of the down ‘ramps’ that would have been much
harder to traverse.
The chamber just to the left of the ramp had a smooth
floor that led up to a dome with a low lying wall, and as Cal-com got halfway
up to it the dragon behind it rose up, giving the Voku his first glimpse of the
red, scaly skin that covered its lithe body.
“ Welcome home,
Renimar ,” the Elder said graciously. “ You
have done well in your absence .”
Cal-com dropped to a knee respectfully, but a tisking noise that was both physical and mental halted his
reverence. “ Rise. I have no need of
supplicant servants today .”
As the dragon said so Cal-com’s eye line returned to
the neck that was reaching above the wall and the bit of body connected to it,
then a pair of arms reached up to grip the edge and pulled the Elder over top
of it, with his body sliding over the rim as he came fully into view and dropped
down onto the solid floor in front of the Voku, who was now standing back up as
ordered. The dragon’s wings were tucked along its body, looking like little
more than patches of wrinkly skin and blending in well with the rest of the
scaly tube, but the deep red was both intimidating and surprising, for the
Elder that had visited them previously had been colored grey, or so he had been
told. The size of this one was also considerably smaller, but the presence it
emanated could not be denied and the Voku felt very small in comparison despite
the fact that the Elder stood only half again as tall as him.
“ You honor me
with your praise, and your presence. What have you summoned me for? ”
The dragon walked sideways in front of the stationary
Voku, then twisted its long neck back towards him, looking him in his
artificial eye from only a meter away.
“ The Voku are
not the only race we have guided from afar. There are others, like you, who
serve us across the galaxy. Some old, some new, but they are few and the threats
many. You and the other Voku have done well during our long absence to preserve
yourselves and the knowledge we granted you, and in return I am here now to
elevate you to the next level. This will be done in secret, as always, but of
you personally I have another task .”
The dragon sat back on its tail and hind legs, rearing
up to bring its front two off the ground and stretch out its wings. The thin
material flexed with remarkable strength
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