Seven Planets

"Look where it was heading..." said Mastigo pointing at the map of Sea of Silence.

"That is where the Bonobian old sacred fortress is located..." whispered Ruegra.

"That is why I took the liberty to report such a trivial occurrence. I have sent a team to examine the area. It could just be a coincidence, but better safe than sorry. That place is full of mysteries. It would make the ideal headquarters to start an uprising, considering the lack of communications and radar signals. It's like a black hole.

"You could be right. Keep me updated, Mastigo. Now it's better if I take some rest. Tomorrow we leave at dawn."

That night Ruegra had other things to think about. After he had retreated to his chamber, he sat down on the soft sofa and poured himself a drink of Sidibé, a spirit obtained by local cacti. He was staring into space whilst his thoughts were chasing one another like clouds before a storm.

The journey he had just finished had been a total disaster, contrary to what he had just stated to his trusted ally.

He had been to the Moon of Enas, more precisely to the mining colony of Stoneblack, an outpost famous for its marble. The general was meant to meet a man that his very own father respected very much: an old enemy of Carimea.

The colony was governed by the Trik tribe. They were people of Carimea, like the Anics, but they had secondary influences on the command of the planet.

They were servile, yet untrustworthy. They had always proved themselves to be traitor as soon as the wind changed direction. Even his own friends might have been able to plot against him on that Moon. Hence, he had to make that inspection look like a surprise visit with the intention of bringing back some Lunar Amber to his brother upon his return.

Ruegra walked right in front of the officials. He brought his elbow next to his shoulder and with his hand parallel to the floor and next to his mouth, he greeted them. That gesture indicated silence in front of his command as well as complete obedience. They were still and holding their breath in his presence.

The mining colony employed as criminals charged with forced labour and war prisoners as cheap labour. The guards would keep an eye on one slave in particular...It was Ruegra's man. Not only was he the highest-ranking slave, but he also had gained the respect of his fellow slaves and had managed to represent them.

The General, flanked by the Captain and followed by some soldiers, was put in the command relax room, which was reserved to the official.

The Captain did the honours and asked if he could offer him something.

Ruegra did not waste any time. He declined the offer and ordered:

"I want to verify the conditions of the political prisoners that were taken in during the war against the Sixth Planet. Let me talk with the highest in rank."

"General Wof?"

"Yes, precisely. Bring him to me."

"Yes, sir."

The commander nodded at the guards and a few minutes later they came back to the room accompanied by a middle-aged man. He looked tired and physically exhausted, but he still had the proud and fearless look of a warrior.

"Leave us alone." ordered Ruegra.

He was alone with his enemy with the sharpest mind. He remembered that during the battles he had managed to change the odds that had predicted his death thanks to his strategic thinking and despite having only a few Sixthians under his command.

He hesitated a couple of seconds before talking. He had already thought about several strategies during his journey. He knew that it was very unlikely that he was going to catch his enemy off guard. It was time to pick one and begin the confrontation.

He decided to go with the adulation, hoping that his old age and his tiredness had made him more vane.

"I salute you, Wof. I can state that you do not look bad despite you were not granted an ideal treatment. However, I have ordered that books and knowledge are given to you."

"Long time no seeing." said Wof, staring at the General with his deep, black eyes. "What brought you to this place forgotten by the light, where darkness is sovereign?"

"I came here to talk to you about my father. I remember that as a kid he would fantasize about a parchment you knew all the secrets about. Now that I am getting old I sometimes think about him and I wonder whether there is some truth in that story."

Wof tried to conceal his surprise by caressing the white locks that were contouring his ebony coloured face.

"Your father was telling the truth, but apparently he did not think that you were trustworthy enough to know all the details. He also knew all the secrets that you are talking about." Ruegra was stunned. His father had often mentioned that mystery, but he never had the urge to dig into it.

"What is wrong, General? Are you wondering why he had never told you more about it?"

"Maybe my young age and my impulsivity made me a bad listener."

"I would rather say that your features are passion for power and conquest."

"Power is necessary to maintain the order and the stability." underlined the General, after he had stood up irritated.

"You have faith in the order, employed at the service of a single person and in the stability of a single tribe." replied Wof.

Ruegra began walking nervously. He had already lost his patience, but he knew well enough that no torture or extortion were going to work on the man who was sitting in front of him. His only hope was gaining the man's trust.

He played his last card and lied:

"You know, I truly respected my father. When I was a kid you used to say that I looked just like him... At that time, I saw you like a master...."

"What makes you think that I will reveal how to find the parchment? That pureness you had as a child disappeared quickly, Ruegra, and the will to prove yourself was taken over by the thirst of power."

"I am not the Anic that you remember during the war. I would know how to manage power equally. My father did a mistake by not telling me everything." the General burst out in anger.

"If you had to come to me, that means you were not worthy of your father's trust. What kind a father hides knowledge from his son? There is such misery in that gesture of his. Who better than him knew you and who am I to reveal everything to you and completely ignore his evaluation? As you can see I cannot do anything but respecting his will by honouring his memory." stated Wof. Then he got up and said goodbye to his hangman.

That scene could not leave the General's mind, who kept staring into space with a glass still in his hand in that Bonobo warm night.

The following morning, Ruegra personally examined the work that had been completed to substitute the broken area of the spaceship.

Mastigo had perfectly followed-up and his mechanics had delivered an excellent job, as per usual. They took off at the appointed time and sailed back home.

The days were passing by and Ruegra was in a hurry to go back home. He was scared of plots, even though his brother, who had taken the lead in his absence, would provide the General with regular reports on the situation. There was nothing to worry about. Carimea was a mixture of races. Different tribes were fighting against the Anics for command, but the latter had eliminated a conspicuous number of opposers during their long domination. It had been founded by several groups of the different solar systems, the majority of them were adventurers, fortune seekers or former prisoners that were looking for a land where to have a fresh start. Only a small section among them came from the planet. In fact, the local populations had been barbarically subjugated and isolated.

On the way back, whilst he was sitting on the command chair in the dashboard, Ruegra was thinking of Wof's words. That "My father knew" kept resounding in his mind.

Then all of a sudden, he thought of all the times his father would leave during hunting season and before all the wars. His favourite destination was indeed the Bonobian land, especially the Sea of Silence.

While those thoughts were navigating his mind, he had an epiphany and thought:" How have I not thought about this before?" Something or someone there might have given him more information on the parchment.

He linked his intuition to Mastigo's report on the commercial spaceship. Maybe someone was ahead of him.

He ordered to immediately change route. They were going back to Bonobo.

Mastigo, who was surprised at seeing them come back, ran towards the ship.

"I salute the most invincible amongst the Carimeanis. General, why this sudden return?"