A ray of orange sunlight broke over the purple mountains. The trees on them had begun to turn blood-red and bright yellow. It appeared that a kind of autumn was coming to Camelot. No one knew what the time of year was when they landed or if Camelot even had seasons. The first Constantine, if he had any notes on the subject, had not left them to his descendants. There were no instructions or guides for how to live, just to live and thrive.
“The sun rises orange now,” Uther said. “A change is coming. The D.R.U.I.Ds are studying the weather and say that something of a winter is coming. That is what it looks like. They cannot say what the winter will be like. Will we all freeze? Will this earth turn too far away from its own sun and die, killing us all?”
Merlin’s heart broke at hearing Uther’s hopeless spirit. Uther had the research; they knew the winters were livable. It’s why they were here. The king was becoming irrational.
He walked beside the battle-ready king and said, “Will you take your son?”
Uther stood silent, still watching his new world gird itself for battle. “I cannot,” he said simply. “I have made myself the people’s king and I must do my kingly duties. I have brought this new burden onto myself.” He wouldn’t even look at the baby.
“Will you at least hold him?” Merlin begged, holding the baby out. Uther’s eyes twitched and he fought to not glance at the child. He almost looked, but then closed his eyes and clasped his hands behind his back in a resolute decision. “Will you name him then?”
Outside, an alarm sounded. A long, whaling sound that rose and fell. Merlin jumped and clutched the child like a mother would. Over each section, red lights flashed and the mecha suddenly ignited and stood up.
“Cantus XII has come too close to our atmosphere,” Uther said. He pushed his cape over one shoulder and took his helmet under one arm. He checked all his weapons and then started off toward the door. “They’ll be on us in minutes. Merlin, get to safety, I’ll have Nimueh with me for the battle. She’ll know what to do.”
“Uther, no, you don’t have to fight!”
Cursing, Merlin ran to find someone to take the child. He called to Vivian in his mind, but she did not reply. He tried Nimueh, but she responded quickly that she was busy with war preparations. Running through Castle Pendragon’s halls, he heard another set of alarms go off. This one he recognized as an air-raid siren. Cantus XII had already launched their attack and were inside Camelot’s atmosphere.
When Merlin got into the hangar, he spotted the only familiar face he thought he could trust.
“Ector!” he called to the engineer at the hub of the master control platform.
“What is it?” Ector asked as Merlin dashed up to him, paler than usual with the baby in his arms.
“I need you to do something for me,” he panted. “I must find Uther. This battle is too dangerous. We don’t know who we’re fighting or what they can do and yet he won’t stop.”
“I know,” Ector said sadly. “I’m lost as to what to do to prepare. We’re sunk if we don’t figure something out and I’ve never been clever enough for that.”
He barked some quick commands as a few pilots panicked as they saw Cantus ships coming in on the radar.
“You’re a good man, Ector,” Merlin said. “I need you to leave. Flee to the nearest planet and wait until this war is over. Take your wife and family and go. And this,” he held out the baby, “I need you to take this and guard him with your life.”
“But Merlin,” Ector started. “I’m a young father, I can hardly handle my own son Kay, and my wife passed away just after landing here. I don’t know what to do!”
Merlin grabbed Ector by the shoulder as the first explosion went off near the purple mountains. People screamed and began scrambling for their lives, yelling commands. He glared into his eyes.
“The past and future of mankind depend on this child’s survival, Ector. Do as I say, please.” With that, he shoved the child into Ector’s arms and hauled them both through the hanger to a pod door and shoved them inside. “Get your son and get off planet. Do not come back until I come to you. Do you understand?”
“I’m the chief engineer,” Ector screamed in panic. “I am needed here.”
“Go!”
Jamming the keys harder than necessary, Merlin plotted the destination for Ector’s homestead and pressed the launch button and the countdown began.
“You’re a great pilot. Don’t get shot,” he said as lightly as he could.
Ector still looked full of fear and doubt as the pod launched.
Merlin ran again, this time looking for Uther.
***
The Cantus beings did not have mecha, but their armor proved a match for the simple artillery and the stronger mecha. Normal bullets and lasers could not pierce it. The armor also gave them strength to match and the large mecha were at a disadvantage as the Cantus beings were far smaller and faster with their teleporting techniques. When a Cantus being got too close, a mecha could not even fight them and the being broke in through the cockpit to kill the pilot easily.
They had come down in loud machines with ducted coaxial propellers on all four sides. Some were running on an orange fluid that leaked out while the engine’s fusion took place. All were painted to look like they had been charred and burned or were covered in flames. This could only be understood when they learned that Cantus XII was a fiery, burning planet, always in an industrial revolution. Because of this and the rich mines of Cantus XII, they were always prepared to fight and try out their weaponry.
The air raid proved to be the
