'Don't be alarmed gentlemen. We are quite well hidden down here,' said the stranger.
'Who are you?' insisted Orin.
'Ah, yes,' said the man as he untied his hood and slipped it away to reveal a man of more years than Orin with a partial beard and short completely white hair.
'It can't be! I thought you were killed in the sector seven battle-Wynn Gareth.'
Orin was shocked and Tiet was clueless. Who was Wynn Gareth, that Orin would know him? He had never mentioned the name to Tiet before.
'Well, I see you've heard of me, though I don't remember either of you. I wasn't killed in that battle obviously. One of the big Barudii carriers exploded in the vicinity of my fighter, which disabled my controls; the shock wave pushed me through the Transdimensional Rift.
'After I emerged on this side I was able to affect repairs to the damaged system and make my way to the planet. It took me awhile to figure out what had happened to me. At first I didn't realize my ship had even gone through the Rift.'
'My name is Orin Vale and this is Tiet Soone, the son of our Kale Soone.'
'Really? The birth of the king's son was announced only days before we went into battle against the Vorn at sector seven. And here you are all grown up-and a very promising warrior from what I could see.'
'How long have you known we were on the planet?' asked Tiet.
'I have been watching you both since you emerged from Mt. Vaseer and entered the battle against General Grod's forces. After you escaped the dome, I aided you in your escape a little.'
'Then it was you who crushed the vent tube?' asked Orin.
'Yes. Kinetically. I tracked you and thought you could use some assistance.'
'That was some amazing fighting on the rooftop. How…?'
'Young master Soone, you may have noticed that on this side of the Rift our kinesis is greatly enhanced beyond what we knew back home on Castai. There is something about being on this side of the Rift that increases our power.'
'We began to notice it after we passed through the Rift two days ago,' said Orin.
'I have been on this twin planet of Castai for twenty years and there is much that you and our people back home don't realize about what has been happening in this war with the Vorn. Also, the forces that overlapped into our dimension through the Rift have a much more potent effect on our abilities than you are probably aware.
'Back home, we Barudii were receiving the misting rain from a far off storm; here on this side we are in the eye of it. What you may have thought amazing back at the compound is within either of your abilities. With proper training you two will also be able to control the energies that are in play on this side of the Rift.'
'But what about the Vorn and these Horva…?' asked Orin.
'Orin, things are not as they may appear to be. But no more questions now. I will explain the situation after you have refreshed yourselves. Come, there is food and drink,' insisted Wynn as he began to walk a path through the cavern. Fueled torches lit the way as they made their way deeper.
It had been while Orin was still in training as a warrior that he had studied some of the battle techniques of Wynn Gareth. He had been a formidable pilot, but was studied for his mastery of the warrior art of Barudii kinesis. But what Wynn had been known for all those years ago back home paled when compared to the display they had witnessed today.
Orin was curious to learn what Wynn was referring to with the war and the greater abilities that were within their reach, but Wynn was right, they did need to eat and rest and prepare for whatever lay ahead.
DAOOTH Pasad stepped in front of the retina scanner located near the exit of the lab facility. He was an assistant to one of the head scientists located within General Grod's compound and there were very important goings on of late. He had proven himself to be trustworthy to the Horva while they were fighting the oppression and rule of the Vorn military; and he had the privilege to leave the compound at will.
The scanner cleared him for exit. The computer-controlled door opened, allowing him to pass through to the outside. While some of the Vorn scientists had been captured and put to work under the General, others had come voluntarily-hoping to find safety and protection, as they allied themselves with the Horva commander. Among them was Daooth, and he was well-favored in his occupation at the compound and his liberty was a result of that favor.
The tall, slender-framed Vorn man made his way to his transport with his personal supplies from the compound and loaded them into the storage compartment. He climbed into the cockpit and then closed the canopy as the engines came to life.
The compound had not been built to house civilians, so many of the Vorn loyal to Grod and his campaign were allowed to live in a nearby area that was close enough to the base to enjoy the protection of the Horva.
Recently, the Vorn military had not been striking offensively very much. They had been preoccupied with defending their interests on many fronts. They needed to reinforce their conquest of the twin Castai across the Rift and there were terrible losses because of the Barudii sphere; as well as the great losses sustained at the hands of General Grod and his clone army. The Vorn military was very near collapse, and it seemed nothing would be able to prevent it.
The transport headed away from the building perimeter and passed through a security portal in the shield, heading for the wasteland. The settlement given to the civilians was far from luxurious, but its location underground provided a better weather environment and added protection.
After several miles the transport came to a large protrusion of rock in the desert that lay to the west of the compound. The transport came to a metal door that was the entrance to Daooth's residence.
The door responded to a transmitted code from the transport and opened to allow it entrance inside. The transport settled down on a platform area, and then Daooth retracted the cockpit canopy, gathered his supplies and headed into his domicile. He made his way to a closet along the corridor and triggered a switch inside. The back wall released and moved aside.
He went through the portal, which led into a large cavern beyond. The closet wall waited a moment, and then smoothly slid itself back into place. He hurried down the cavern to a place where another smaller tunnel intersected with it. He took the passage and came to a room. Inside were three men. They were eating as he came into the entrance of the hollowed out chamber.
Tiet spotted him first as he appeared in the entrance to the chamber where Wynn had served them all a meal. Tiet launched out of his seat at the sight of the dark-skinned man standing there. His blade was in his hand as he lunged for one of his sworn enemy.
Daooth deftly dodged the first strike and parried with a strong fist blow to Tiet's side. Tiet came back quickly; ready to deal a death blow to the man. Suddenly Wynn was next to him and had grabbed his sword arm. Instantly he was disarmed of his father's blade, and it fell to the floor. The look on his face was astonishment. Had he and Orin been led into a trap by a traitor?
'Stop it! Daooth is a friend. He is a civilian I have known for many years. He saved my life shortly after I came to the planet, when I was captured by Grod and his Horva,' said Wynn.
Neither of them could believe what they were hearing. But they stood down and listened to what Wynn had to say.
'Forgive my startling of you,' said Daooth in a vaguely familiar dialect.
'I told you that things are not what they appear here,' said Wynn. 'There are those among the Vorn who would gladly live at peace with us, but the military has control over them-just as they do our home world.
'Daooth is one of many who want that control to end. There is also General Grod who is the leader of the Horva armies you saw at Vaseer and at their main compound at Nagon-Toth. Grod and his clones are of a breed that was discontinued due to the threat they began to pose to the Vorn's control.
'They were engineered to be stronger, but it became obvious to the military-as well as to Grod-that these Horva were capable of rising up against their Vorn masters. Grod quickly took the opportunity to lead them in revolt and that rebellion has been building in strength steadily since before I arrived on the planet.
'Grod had been capturing important cloning scientists from among the Vorn cities on raids; then he conquered cities as his power increased. Not long after I arrived, I was captured by the General and he took samplings of my DNA to use in a new experimental process by which he could regenerate his cloned body and splice my Barudii DNA with his own in the hopes of gaining our kinetic abilities.
