Sunday, May 6, 2018

"Trouble in Atlantis" - Stories from the B-Team, Part 2

by Trevor Hanson


Contrary to the perceptions of outsiders, the City-State of Atlantis is not a utopia of content commoners catered to by slaves and watched over by an opulent and sophisticated upper class gathering favors from their immortal rulers. There is dissension. Plans are in motion to change the society that Atlanteans know. The Order of Hauruss plans to remove the power that their psychic rulers hold over all Atlanteans.

This Order does not want power for powers sake, nor to gain the abilities the immortal rulers of Atlantis wield, but followers of Hauruss want a free society without a drug induced populace. To flourish and spread the glory and thinking that makes Atlantis great throughout Antara. To lead all of humanity into a new age. They see the current conditions of Atlantis; drugged population, enslavement of other humans, and the destruction of cultures and those people in fighting arenas, as a waste of potential. Their society is stagnant, and their decadent rulers must be cast aside for progress to happen. The Order and its allies seek out any opportunity to disrupt the distrubtion of drugs in order to undermine the power of the Vril-Ya.

To this end The Order of Hauruss has made some progress. They have discovered that living beyond the reach of Atlantean cities for some time purges the mind of the drugs that are an everyday fixture of Atlantean culture. This constant drug use makes the populace vulnerable to the psychic powers of the Vril-Ya. In fact, it is speculated that without the continuous exposure to mind-altering drugs, the Vril-Ya would not have the ability to sway so many people, but only those with which they have direct contact. To this end, the Order operates in the wilderness outside Atlantis.

Since little is known of the Vril-Ya, progression into the upper castes of Atlantean society is needed. Information gatherers and spies are necessary. The most dedicated members of the Order train with the warrior-monks of Daqhal to learn the arts of unarmed defense, should the need arise, and the essential discipline of Still Mind. Only members of the Order that have achieved the Still Mind are allowed to undertake the missions within upper society. However there is much work to be done outside the city.

The Order of Hauruss seek out foreign allies to serve as additional resources to combat the influence of the mind control of the Vril-Ya. Many of their allies are not even human. Others are unaware that they are working on behalf of the Order at all. Secrecy and compartmentalization of information is of the utmost importance for the Order of Hauruss. No agent of the order is expected to withstand interrogation in the face of the formidable psychic abilities of the Vril-Ya.

THE STORY OF T'BALLID

Into this scene, T’ballid, a young agent of the Order that has started in warrior monk training, takes up his place in the struggle for decency within Atlantis.

Atlantis’ southern coastal bluffs are illuminated by the silver light of a spring moon on a clear windy night. At the base of the cliffs a small single-masted nautical ship is docked within a sheltered cove, hidden from any passing Atlantean air-skiff patrols. The shadowy figures of sailors swarm over the ship, preparing to embark under the cover of darkness.

Two individuals stand apart from the ship at the bottom of a winding path that leads up the cliff - one is a tall young man wearing the attire of a commoner preparing for a long journey, the other a short man with a bald pate wearing the robes of a member of the Atlenatean upper class.

The taller man speaks, “Master, I will find this, ‘Heart of Ubtao’, as you wish. How will I know if it is connected with the Vril-Ya’s power?”

The older man replies, “T’Ballid, if the rumor is correct, the stone is no mere earth-mote, no mere floating rock, but the heart of a dead god. Only one race we know of is that ancient and powerful. They gave birth to the Vril-Ya. If the ‘Heart’ is connected, I am sure that you will know when you are there.”

The two stopped at the gang plank of the ship. T’Ballid began to board the ship but paused. He turned and faced his mentor once more. “How am I to reach this floating rock if it truly not connected to the ground?”

His master grinned, “Yes, well thought. The cart with your supplies is not a regular cart. The wheels are for looks. Take them off when you need to reach the Heart”.

“An air-skiff!?” T’Billad exclaimed. His master nodded. “Won’t they miss it? Will they be able to detect it?” He asked, a little worry creeping into his features.

Shaking his head, his master withdrew from the ship. “It is damaged and was to be destroyed. Use it wisely; it will only fly a few times”. With that, T’Ballid’s mentor retreated into the shadows disappeared from T'Billad's view.

The ship cast off and sailed south towards Port Nyanzaru. When the moon was high, and the sea still, T’Ballid made one last reading of his destiny with the Cards of Fate he carried. He closed his eyes and asked his spirit questions to call upon the cards answers.

“How do I proceed when I arrive?” He focused on the question in his mind until he could see the words. T’Ballid drew a card from the deck, placing it face down next to him.

“What actions will lead to success?” he asked himself. Thinking of the words again he placed another card atop the first.

“What do I need?” A third card was placed on top of the small pile. Opening his eyes and turning the cards over, he read his fortune out loud.

“I proceed with, 'The Gale'. Meaning, 'Strong winds from the North, or Storms'.”

“I must act upon," he recited his second question as he pulled up the second card he drew, "The Quest. To 'Seek out, or find'.”

The third question and answer gave the warrior monk pause, “I must obtain, 'The Headsman. Revenge or Justice'.” That didn't sound like the way of the Order - Revenge.

“I must follow the winds and proceed South from the port and find justice? Or, seek Vengeance. “That is an odd path to take to a dead God’s heart." T'Ballid murmured as he replaced the cards and settled down to sleep. Vengance for the dying god, he thought?

Whatever was ahead, T’Ballid know there would be adventure.

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