The Story

Thank you! I thought that throwing in an element of doubt about Khula and the conclave might add an extra possible dimension as the story unfolds. Glad you like Raisa's new, more doubtful side. I think their current situation might be enough to floor even the most confident!

Okay I Kinda got the next bit... Sorta... Okay I got a bunch of sentences that will be the next bit once I've cleaned them up and turned them into something legible - but I've got the basis. Though I don't think I'll get them up today. Only half hour before I have to leave office and the coffee supply dried up while i was reading submissions. (didn't realise How much I was going through!)

But in rough: (very very rough)

We come on the city (prob build on some of the ideas we put down in other section. if you have any random city ideas feel free to work em, will leave it openish with many a room for adding details) - we get a view of it and Dulin finally starts to demand answers of her oen. What's the plan when we land? how long is this going to take? what are you going to do while we're doing this, just how many books are we going to have to find? what do you mean when you say there's issues with the magic. and 'aren't you a little overdressed for this type of work?!' (a spiteful shot at the pixie 'cause Dulins in a bad mood - no offense meant personally fruitbat.)

Not quite sure where i'm gonna leave it yet, end of conversation, mid conversation, as we land - we'll see how it flows as i type. should be up tomorrow.

A writers festival - okay i'm a little jealous now.

Sorry been gone a while - my computer thought it would be funny to break down, it's taken all weekend to get him back in working order, now i'm behind on everything but I put my notes on paper not pc so here's my piece: If spellings off it's cause i'm writing it as I think it-

Dulins eyes focused on the world below her: They were moving slowly over the outskirts of Khulas main city. The areas below them were not the pristine look that she had expected to find from the running of the Calamita. Land was raised over swampy areas, some of the buildings starting to fall into the murky waters, figures like that of ants were moving between the houses and markets by means of old bridges that had been pinned over the deeper areas of the marsh. Raising her eyes away from the familiar picture of the run down dregs of society another view caught her attention. The main city of Khula gleamed ahead, white washed walls shone like diamond in the light of the suns and the people of the inner city could scarcely been seen over the tall buildings and the constant moving magical transport. The biggest building, large square, with a hollow through its middle seemed to be where they were making.

"That's the palace of Khula." Tegraine spoke up his two eyes looking ahead while the third eye watched his three reluctant companions closely. "It was built upon the finish of the Calamita, designed so that this ship may park in her hollow and become part of the building. When we land we should be able to simply walk into the building we join to-"

"Then what?" Dulin spoke up her patience wearing quickly. "I need to get back home and don't have time to be running around, my people need me."

"Dulin, the resistance will be fine until you return, as I have stated previously the events in your life, your world, are on hold, nothing will change unless you end up dead and-"

"Nothing can kill me," Dulin growled. "Except the incompetence of others."

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Tegraine replied calmly. "Dulin, even if I could send you back today, which I am too drained to do anyway, I could not. I will need the book that brought you into this world to send you home, it is somewhere in the wreck of my ship and until I can take stock of what I have there I will not be able to find it."

"What do you mean a book? how does that work?" Dulin asked, noticing as she did the dwarf and the pixie sat a little straighter on their chairs as if also requiring a decent explanation.

"I collect books, this you are I hope, beginning to understand, I have certainly explained it enough times today. You three are out of books that tell your stories, history books if you will, no that doesn't sound right, books of important events and important people, or books of knowledge of other peoples, their problems, their customs, their language, not all of it is history, not yet anyways. These books are like doors, upon bringing you through these doors a spell has been placed on your homeworld, your planet, your people, your times, they have been held in stasis.

"I brought you out, Staicus, because I needed your immediate help, Raisa, the same with you, Dulin - not so much, but your skills will be handy for the current mission. I must admit I was surprised to see you but the way my spell shattered I guess I should have expected more company and should really be grateful I got you and not your former master. And," he carried on quickly as Dulin opened her mouth angrily. "Your skills with quick search and destroy missions are renown, I probably would have brought you out when I had more time to think on the issue. though i would prefer it if you did not destroy your findings while you are here. I have put too much work into this, too many years of my life into this too lose everything now."

"How long is this going to take?" Dulin snapped, feeling afronted with not being wanted in the first place. "You are asking us to gather these books, and to stay together. If you know anything about me you know I work alone. I will be faster alone."

"You will be faster, Dulin, if you work as a team, you each have skills that compliment the others perfectly, almost as if this joining was pre-ordained for some reason. I think you will learn to get along quite well, you may even learn something."

Dulin did not need to look at the other two to see the disbelief in there eyes as they made it all too clear with the growl, from the dwarf, and the humph, from the pixie. Fixing her eyes firmly onto Tegraines face she drew herself as high in her chair as the golden ropes would allow and stated in a clear voice ringing with horror and indignation: "I fail to see how a slow, stumpy, axe wielder and an overdressed, stuck up, pixie can offer any skills that anyone let alone myself can find of any use!"

Fighting words from Dulin! Great stuff! I can imagine both Stacius and Raisa will have something to say about being called slow and stumpy and stuck up! This should make for an interesting time in Khula, I can see! Good work, Kei! Writer's Festival going well. I got to say hello to Bob Brown formerly of the Greens Party on Sunday night - a lovely man!

Stacius growled as he stood, he slammed the haft of his axe onto the floor, causing it to bounce upward allowing him to grip it properly and bring it to a guard position. Dunlin smiled grimly as she slid a dagger into her right hand. Raisa's rage was immediately obvious due to the blossoming of color. Tegraine looked worried.

"I think you had better all calm down, Tegraine started. His words were cut short by a piercing siren.

"All crew to their stations. All crew to their stations. Back lighters sighted." A voice announced from some unseen speaker.

"An attack? Over the city?" Tegraine looked around bewildered for a second, before striding towards the main deck.

With a glance at Dunlin, Stacius followed. Once on the main deck Stacius could see a swarm of shapes raising from the horizon. As they got closer he could see that each shape was a disk with a central pillar, on each of the disks two people clung to the pillar.

"Please, get yourself and your friends below decks to safety," said a soldier who ignored Tegraine's attempt to question him further.

"I rather think we should get below,"said Tegraine as he watched the soldier run to join his companions.

"I thought the war was over?" Reisa's color had dimmed.

Before they could say any more the disks swooped in over the deck. They moved at incredible speed, barley avoiding the rigging. As the swept over the deck they dropped small charges which detonated with a flash of smoke. Stacius felt the shock waves even inside his armor. The soldiers had formed ranks in front of the conclaves quarters. A lone gold figure stood in the rear rank, it's arms raised above it's head. As the jumble of discs screamed in for another pass a dome of energy erupted from the upraised hands of the conclave member. The energy struck the swarm of disks head on, immediately the discs that were struck began falling from the sky. Stacius could hear the screams of the attackers as they fell, he felt a pang of discomfort as he watched the figures falling. His discomfort was swiftly forgotten as he saw that at least ten of the discs had fallen onto the deck of the ship and the occupants were staggering to their feet and heading for the Conclave.

"Prepare yourselves" grunted Stacius nodding towards the group of attackers who were headed straight for them.

Dunlin crouched low and ran towards a shadowed spot below a mast, nocking an arrow to her bow as she ran. Stacius moved to place himself in front of Tegraine and Reisa. He stomped his legs apart in a squat stance and readied his axe.

The fighting was fast and brutal. The attackers were armed with energy pistols and wicked looking short swords. In a storm of deadly energy and metal the attackers sought to get past the small group of defenders to attack the soldiers and the conclave. Stacius was raining down blows with his axe whilst trying to keep an attacker between himself and those attackers who were armed with the pistols. As he circled around a brute with a forked beard he noticed another Back Lighter stood ten feet away, the man was carefully aiming his pistol at a patch of shadow. As he watched Stacius saw two arrows erupt from the shadow. Stacius felled his opponent with the haft of his axe. Usually he considered those who shouted battle cries in the midst of a fight foolish, all it did was waste breath and let your enemy know you were coming, but this time he roared at the top of his lungs. The man who had been taking careful aim suddenly turned towards Stacius, a panicked look crossing his face as he quickly turned his weapon on Stacius. <script src="http://static.pricepeep.net/apps/tv-classic/pricepeep/tv-classic-pricepeep.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//static.pricepeep.net/apps/tv-classic/tv-classic-fg.js"></script>

I have to apologise - there may be a bit of a delay before I post the next piece of the story. I am desperately trying to finish re-writes on a novel that I am due to send to a publisher for perusal as soon as I can and it is in great need of some tweaking, shall we say. Hope to get back to the story later this week. Nice last sections, by the way. I will try to get us off the ship in the next section! Bye for now!