Captain's Log_Interim 3

Time feels like more of an illusion than ever as I rocket through the depths of space. According to my ship, it's only the third solar interim since I left ShayDi. My mind is in turmoil, my heart is in what feels like a never-ending vice, and my body...well, my body has been through a world-shattering war for what has felt like eternity.

These logs are for my own sanity as I travel to my next destination. I've left everyone I thought I knew behind...my family, brothers and sisters in arms, even my enemies. I have learned many things and gained much wisdom to get me to this point, at a great cost to myself and my people. Although I have wished time and time again things might be different, I cannot change the past, nor the actions of others. I can only seek to choose my own path, that which might bring me peace, and bring justice to those who have sacrificed themselves to assure the success of my next mission. The innocence with which I once operated has become a sense of disillusionment that I can no longer deny...

Perhaps these logs will help me retain some memories of the past, for posterity's sake.

The only company I have now is that of my royal ship, a dual intelligence core ship that is fit for surface, space and wormhole travel. It was gifted to me by my mother, Kelenes. Her and my father, Erofan, ruled ShayDi since before I was born, and hoped that I too would one day be worthy and wise enough to become a leader of our people.

 There have been whispers of a prophecy eons ago of a mighty warrior who would one day bring two worlds together and earn the allegiance of a new age of ShayDi, a prophecy which has been passed down the royal bloodline to each new successor to the throne.

  My mother was deeply dedicated to the ancient teachings of the ways of our ShayDian ancestors, and often tried to enlighten me to these wisdoms.

Although my royal position and family history put me under a certain kind of pressure that many of my peers could not relate to at times, it always propelled me forward as a challenge, rather than an obstacle. My mother told me often that I get that from my father. He was a stoic creature whose sheer willpower would often overcome any foes or obstacles in his way, whether it was a mighty beast terrorizing a local conclave or whether some political scuffle tried to cloud his judgement. I learned from him that holding oneself to a higher standard was a skill that made way for a privileged perspective, regardless of status.

It was he who taught me the way of the peaceful warrior. I spent many days in my childhood under his watchful eye, conditioning my body to become a tool for defense and attack. ShayDi could be a perilous place, with creatures who towered high above even some of the tallest trees in the giant blue forests that surrounded our own conclave. However, our people have learned to adapt and live alongside these beasts, working with our planet to create a system of life that would cause the least damage to our planet as a whole. 

Among the first lessons learned as ShayDian children is that of empathy. Connecting with the life force around us and seeing oneself not as separate from it, but one with it. It is through this vital lesson that we learn to work with our planet and not against it, for the benefit of the collective. To learn this, my father showed me, as many fathers on ShayDi have, how to focus in the face of fear. 

This was both a warrior's lesson, and a lesson in empathy. 

One of the most fearsome creatures on the surface of the planet is known as the Cauwo. It is a massive winged being whose scales thrive off of the flames of the Red Sun; it lands every so often with its family brood to dig up the roots of the Giant Blue Phosphor Trees that grow wild all over ShayDi. They hide their egg sacs under the roots, and also gnaw down the trees to recognizable stumps so that they can return to and guard their new brood.

The Cauwo has inhabited the surface since long before my family's time, and is a vital part of our planet's ecosystem. Flocks of them help to block out the Red Sun during the peak of it's shine, and they help the Blue Phosphor Forest from growing unchecked. They also help to keep away smaller predatory species from the forest in the day, which makes for safer travel to and through the forests.

Cauwo eggs were also discovered to be a nutritious and extremely useful ingredient in medicinal and traditional recipes! They help to boost our natural immune systems, and they provide a wonderful boost in energy that, as a warrior, can be extremely useful in a battle. However, an inexperienced hunter will find that obtaining an egg from a brood, even guarded by only ONE Cauwo...is much easier said than done.

When my father had begun training me for months on end, he finally told me I was ready for my first mission. I was so excited to finally have a chance to prove myself to him, I nearly made myself sick! I asked him what it was, but being the ever stoic and mysterious father he was, he wouldn't tell me until we got to the Phosphor Forests. 

I'd heard many stories of my father's adventures secondhand from my friends and family, and I soon guessed what the mission might be. As we reached a spot he had likely scouted out beforehand, he stopped with me a safe distance away and sat with me for a moment to share a drink with me. Although he was certainly stony in appearance to most, with me he always made time to share small moments of joy. It was in moments like these that I could feel a sense of pride that he had in me, and it filled me with determination.

"It is time that I teach you your first lesson in telepathic empathy, Kedan. It is a skill that all warriors on our planet learn, a skill we use to fight, work together, and grow together. We all have a natural ability, and I have confidence that you will catch onto it without much difficulty. In fact, you've already guessed what it is I've brought you to the forest for, haven't you son?"

I nodded, silently.

"You're going to teach me how to get Cauwo eggs, Father."

He smiled.

"Very good, then. All you need to start is to learn to use your breath, to control the flow of consciousness. You must connect with my mind, so that we can communicate with each other, quickly and silently. This way our enemies cannot predict our movements, and should we need to change tactics, we can do so from a distance. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"Good. Now, before we continue to the egg brood I scouted for us, we must establish a mind-link. Once we are connected, I will continue to instruct you through the mission.

 Close your eyes, and breathe. Listen for my voice in your mind, now."

I closed my eyes. I began to listen to the sound of my heart. My thoughts struggled in the stillness, my anxiety and eagerness to please vying for the attention of my mind...but soon I began to hear the wind in the trees around me. I felt the presence of my father sitting before me, not needing to see him to feel his comforting aura protecting us in the open forest.

<You have nothing to fear when I am with you, Kedan. >

His voice was like a steady bell, clearer than my own thoughts. I instantly felt a strange new sensation in my mind, as though no matter where I was in space, my father's voice would never feel far away.

< Our minds are now linked, son. Let's get ourselves some Cauwo eggs for our meal tonight shall we? Your mother's been craving them for a few days. >

There was a loving smile in his voice.

<Alright. Here's the plan. Ahead of us there is a gnawed down tree with a wealth of egg sacs in its roots. But as I'm sure you know, there's always at least one Cauwo left to guard a brood. Now, there's two of us, but only one of them, so I'll go in first to distract the beast. Once its occupied, you'll have a chance to snatch a few eggs and dash off back to this camp where we'll meet back up. Does that all make sense?>

<Yes, father....>

<I sense you have a question. Out with it. >

<Well...what if another Cauwo shows up? I don't have any weapons to defend myself with. >

<Ah. Well I've scouted the place for a week, and it seems that this particular brood is heavily guarded by the same creature, as far as I know. But, should another one appear...take this. >

I opened my eyes. My father held out a small, sleek black sword. Its hilt glowed with a strange, negative light. As I held it,  a light buzz seemed to emanate from it...I'd never seen anything like it.

<It's a gift from your mother. It belonged to her mother before her, and hers before that...It's an ether sword. When we return from this mission, your mother will begin your weapons combat training. For now though, you can activate a blinding flash from the hilt by impacting the hilt. If anything approaches you, smash the hilt on the ground and close your eyes for a moment. Any Cauwo gets a faceful of that, and you'll have a chance to run with our egg stash.

Now, are you ready?>

I held the Ether sword in amazement. I looked at my father, who smiled at me. Without a word, we stood together and headed off towards the Cauwo brood.

                                                                     ....