Read Online The Terran Mandate by Michael J Lawrence - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael J Lawrence
Tags: BluA
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fine now, sir."
"Thanks Doc. Well done,"
Walker said. He looked into the woman's eyes and asked her, "What the hell
happened here?"
"Dren'Vil," she said.
He smiled. "We heard that part. Can
you tell me what that means?"
Shahn'dra spoke up from the other side
of the room. "It's- Dark Winds. They are forbidden."
"I can see why," Walker said.
Shahn'dra shook her head and fluttered
her snout, then stood up and crossed the room to sit down next to him. "It
is a way of thinking, of sharing thoughts," she said.
"I've heard of that," he said.
"The sharing is forbidden, but so
are the thoughts that came. They are the Dark Winds."
"Why would somebody share their, um
- Dark Winds, if they're forbidden?" he asked.
"Because they cannot be hidden if
they are too strong. If you lose control of them." She swooned and Graham
caught her before she fell back.
He pulled a small plastic bottle of
water from his pack and broke the seal. "Here," he said, holding out
the bottle. She cradled it with both hands and then uncurled her snout through
the opening to drain it dry.
"Thank you," she said, handing
him the empty bottle. Graham quietly tucked it back into his pack. "These
came from Shoahn'Fal," she continued, "a priest who once sat with the
Pyramid as my mother and I do now."
"So you know him."
"Yes. And he knows us." She
peered into Walker's eyes and unfurled her antennae. "This, too, is
forbidden, but you must understand," she said.
"It's fine. I trust you."
Her antennae fluttered and then swayed gently
over her head as she looked into his eyes. A vision flashed through his mind.
The world went white and then the air swept over him in a wave of searing heat.
The white faded and became a rolling orange ball that boiled into the sky.
Everything around him burst into flame and was swept back into a roaring column
of smoke and fire that rose into the sky and blacked out the sun. The Paladin's
heart stopped as he realized what he was watching. Just as quickly as it had
entered his mind, the vision was gone.
She wrapped her clawed fingers around
his arm. Still staring into his eyes, she said, "He must not come
here."
Paladin's
Prerogative
Major Walker stood in front of General
Lane's desk, still trying to think of the best way to tell his commanding officer
that he was moving the entire company of Cataphracts.
In a tired voice, Lane asked, "What
is it Major?"
"I need to move the Cats."
Lane raised his brow. "Really? On
whose authority?"
Walker thought one last time about his
decision. He could still tell the General that his intent was to set up a
garrison for the Pyramid because a Shoahn' girl nobody knew was even alive had
revealed something that nobody would believe. He wasn't even sure he believed
it himself. The line between duty and loyalty felt like something scrawled
somewhere in the desert sands of Shoahn'Tu. He felt like a man staggering
against the wind as it swept over that line, blurring it to the point where he
didn't know where it was anymore. The only thing he knew to be true beyond question
was the terror he had seen in her eyes.
"Mine," he said.
"Why?"
"Exercises."
"Exercises?"
"Yes, sir." He pressed his
palms on the General's desk and leaned forward. "Look, the truth of the
matter is that you have been holding us in reserve for a while now. I'm not
contesting that decision. That's your call. But we've spent so much time
standing around and watching that my guys are rusty. I think we know the time
will come - and soon - when we are going to have to step up and help out with
the close fight. We need to get ready for that."
"So you're requesting -"
Walker cut him off. "I'm advising
you, sir. I'm advising the General that I'm taking the Cats to an undisclosed
location to conceal them from the enemy while we conduct exercises."
Lane leaned back, his face devoid of all
emotion. He narrowed his eyes. "It would have been better if you had made
that a request. You are under my tactical
"Thanks Doc. Well done,"
Walker said. He looked into the woman's eyes and asked her, "What the hell
happened here?"
"Dren'Vil," she said.
He smiled. "We heard that part. Can
you tell me what that means?"
Shahn'dra spoke up from the other side
of the room. "It's- Dark Winds. They are forbidden."
"I can see why," Walker said.
Shahn'dra shook her head and fluttered
her snout, then stood up and crossed the room to sit down next to him. "It
is a way of thinking, of sharing thoughts," she said.
"I've heard of that," he said.
"The sharing is forbidden, but so
are the thoughts that came. They are the Dark Winds."
"Why would somebody share their, um
- Dark Winds, if they're forbidden?" he asked.
"Because they cannot be hidden if
they are too strong. If you lose control of them." She swooned and Graham
caught her before she fell back.
He pulled a small plastic bottle of
water from his pack and broke the seal. "Here," he said, holding out
the bottle. She cradled it with both hands and then uncurled her snout through
the opening to drain it dry.
"Thank you," she said, handing
him the empty bottle. Graham quietly tucked it back into his pack. "These
came from Shoahn'Fal," she continued, "a priest who once sat with the
Pyramid as my mother and I do now."
"So you know him."
"Yes. And he knows us." She
peered into Walker's eyes and unfurled her antennae. "This, too, is
forbidden, but you must understand," she said.
"It's fine. I trust you."
Her antennae fluttered and then swayed gently
over her head as she looked into his eyes. A vision flashed through his mind.
The world went white and then the air swept over him in a wave of searing heat.
The white faded and became a rolling orange ball that boiled into the sky.
Everything around him burst into flame and was swept back into a roaring column
of smoke and fire that rose into the sky and blacked out the sun. The Paladin's
heart stopped as he realized what he was watching. Just as quickly as it had
entered his mind, the vision was gone.
She wrapped her clawed fingers around
his arm. Still staring into his eyes, she said, "He must not come
here."
Paladin's
Prerogative
Major Walker stood in front of General
Lane's desk, still trying to think of the best way to tell his commanding officer
that he was moving the entire company of Cataphracts.
In a tired voice, Lane asked, "What
is it Major?"
"I need to move the Cats."
Lane raised his brow. "Really? On
whose authority?"
Walker thought one last time about his
decision. He could still tell the General that his intent was to set up a
garrison for the Pyramid because a Shoahn' girl nobody knew was even alive had
revealed something that nobody would believe. He wasn't even sure he believed
it himself. The line between duty and loyalty felt like something scrawled
somewhere in the desert sands of Shoahn'Tu. He felt like a man staggering
against the wind as it swept over that line, blurring it to the point where he
didn't know where it was anymore. The only thing he knew to be true beyond question
was the terror he had seen in her eyes.
"Mine," he said.
"Why?"
"Exercises."
"Exercises?"
"Yes, sir." He pressed his
palms on the General's desk and leaned forward. "Look, the truth of the
matter is that you have been holding us in reserve for a while now. I'm not
contesting that decision. That's your call. But we've spent so much time
standing around and watching that my guys are rusty. I think we know the time
will come - and soon - when we are going to have to step up and help out with
the close fight. We need to get ready for that."
"So you're requesting -"
Walker cut him off. "I'm advising
you, sir. I'm advising the General that I'm taking the Cats to an undisclosed
location to conceal them from the enemy while we conduct exercises."
Lane leaned back, his face devoid of all
emotion. He narrowed his eyes. "It would have been better if you had made
that a request. You are under my tactical
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