“We don't respond well to threats, lies or empty boasts. Our government leaders will be meeting later today to accept the drakken offer. You can kill me but you will never win your war and our people value our privacy so we won't be letting an offer that gives us just that slip by.” The Voth settled back in his chair with a smug look on his face.
“OK I will admit that there was some boasting there but it wasn't idle. I didn't lie about anything and I would call it more of a warning than a threat. Two pieces of information for you. Drakken are liars and the protectorate doesn't look kindly on slavery.” Theo stood up and leaned over the desk. “You leave me with few options. You live on the kayloo home world yet you enslave them. I think I have made my decision.”
“If you want a war then I am sure we can give you one. There is more to the Voth than meets the eye.” The Voth made few rapid taps on his desk and the door burst open. Theo disappeared as a couple plasma blasts streaked through where he used to be.
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Kiyan had learned about Theo's visit. There had been a shift in the attitude of the bonded Voth. They had stepped up scans and just about every corner had a Voth and a large kayloo standing on guard. Kiyan and Fred still hardly warranted a second look in spite of the stepped up security. Wandering around the city hadn't been very informative accept he never saw a single unbonded Voth doing any manual labor. There were large kayloo being used as beast of burden walking down the street. In one spot Kiyan saw a Voth cleaning windows while a gigantic spider suspended him above the street. Further on he found several earth type kayloo repairing a patch of road. After walking past the road work the two of them went into an alley in order to cut between two buildings to the next street. Kiyan paused when he got a message from Theo about Jeremy. He was about to argue when someone walked into the alley behind them.
“I, uh I didn't mean to interrupt anyone, I'm going to go now.” The startled face of the girl with the brightly feathered kayloo around her neck felt familiar to Kiyan when he saw her.
“She has been following us.” Fred pointed at the suddenly scared looking girl.
“Why didn't you say so sooner?” Kiyan hoped she wouldn't give them away.
“I wasn't sure until she followed us in here.” Fred was about to say something else when the kayloo shifted into an eagle form and launched itself at them. Kiyan bent the air behind the girl into a dense wall while the bird scratched at Fred's rock hard skin. Ray was hovering over the girl snarling at her when she tried to run.
“Please don't hurt her. Freya was only trying to protect me.” The Voth girl was cowering under Ray but Kiyan could feel her probing at his defenses.
“So you are a telepath? We don't want to hurt you or Freya.” Kiyan glanced at the snapping bird wrapped in Addy's vines. “Who are you?”
“I'm no one. Just a simple Voth. Don't make me go back to the overlords.” The girl stopped trying to access their minds.
“Well “no one”, as you can see we are just normal Voth and want to just get on with our lives.” Kiyan motioned to Fred to release Freya and recalled Ray, he was about to turn and leave.
“No. You're not Voth.” The girl was still nervously standing there when they turned back around.
“How are we not Voth please enlighten us.” Kiyan was still sure he knew her somehow.
“I have never felt a mind like yours or his. The girl glanced towards Fred as she spoke. Also woodland kayloo don't give people skin as hard as rock.”
“I know you somehow.” Kiyan was getting annoyed at the memory eluding him.
“I attacked you. I was part of the overlords security force. I sensed you and alerted command and they ordered us to attack you. When I did you damaged Freya's and my chips. When I woke up again I was free.” The girl seemed about ready to cry. “Please don't leave me here. If they catch me they will chip me again.” Kiyan glanced around as he sensed someone approaching.
“We need to go. What is your name?” Kiyan began making his way through the alley in the opposite direction from the approaching people.
“I'm Terra. Where are we going?”
“Somewhere more private.” Kiyan rounded the corner and joined a stream of people.
“The under city. We will be mostly safe there. It’s where the less privileged bonded Voth live with their kayloo. They are all chipped but they don't look for things to report so they won't be forced to report anything. Also telepathy is banned without the overlord's permission.” Terra took the lead and was soon leading them through a maze of alleys. In no time they had entered a basement and from there entered a series of tunnels. Soon they came to one that sloped steeply into the depths.
“These tunnels were earthbent!” Fred exclaimed over his newfound discovery.
“Yes, how did you know?” Terra looked a little confused. “You are an alien, what do you know about bending?”
“Enough. How much farther?” Kiyan was brief, also a little impatient.
“You don't trust me?” It was as much a question as a statement the way Terra said it. “It is still a ways farther on.”
“We are both earth benders.” Kiyan was still brief.
“Alien earth benders?” Terra was surprised. “Another thing, how do you have kayloo?”
“Ha that is a long story. Let me suffice by saying that there are kayloo on another world.” Kiyan scanned the corridor ahead as he talked.
“I didn't know there was more kayloo out there.” Terra looked at both Ray and Addy as she walked. “Your kayloo are some of the rarest kind out there. A draconic and a woodland type.”
After walking for several more minutes Kiyan stopped and looked at the side of the cave. Fred joined him after a moment.
“You're right this spot has been recently bent and I can feel another cave on the other side.” Fred placed his hand on the cave wall and it began to crumble. Cracks spread from his hand and expanded across the cave wall. Strangely the rock began to reform itself. “There is a couple earthbenders on the other side.”
Fred looked strained so Kiyan told him to step aside. “I can't sense anyone on the other side but a telepath might be hiding them.” Kiyan placed his hands on the wall and began directing heat into it. After a moment Kiyan sensed a flicker of pain from the other side of the wall. A moment more and the barrier was molten lava. Kiyan bent it safely away using a mixture of earth and water bending. The red glow of the lava illuminated the new tunnel enough that Kiyan could see three kayloo charging him. Attempting to interface with implants confused him for a split second when he discovered that all the implants had been disabled. He almost reacted too late with a blast of air into the tunnel to throw the charging kayloo back. The there was a pause before a couple Voth came at him with rocks flying. Kiyan bent a couple rock slabs up and blocked the flying projectiles. A half second later he dropped his slab and blocked the next punches with his shields. After that he was able to disable them with a couple well placed jabs.
“Stop!” Kiyan felt the familiar mind a moment before he heard the telepath from the square. “He is the one that disabled my chip.”
Brushing himself off Kiyan looked up at the telepath. “How did you disable their chips?”
“I don't know. I just connected with them when they wouldn't let me in here because I worked for the overlords.” The telepath paused for a moment. “It just happened. I'm Jarrod by the way.”
“Oh Alec. That was some virus you cooked up.” Kiyan almost laughed. “A contagious computer virus.”
“Who is Alec?” Terra was looking at everyone with a confused expression.
“I kind of infected his chip with a computer virus and he has been infecting anyone he connects with. It isn’t a bad thing, In fact it is working better than I had expected.” Kiyan walked over to the two earthbenders that were being circled by angry looking kayloo. Kiyan connected with the kayloo for a moment and they stepped aside allowing him to pass. Kiyan leaned over the first one and healed his burnt hands. It only took another momen
t to heal the bruises and he was as good as new. After healing the second one he returned to the group. Kiyan connected with the rubble lying strewn about and bent the wall back in place. “There are several people coming and I don't think they are friendly. Not a single kayloo among them.” Jarrod proceeded to confirm Kiyan's statement and urged them to come with him to the under city. The earthbenders stayed behind with their kayloo in order to protect the gateway.
They followed the tunnel for several minutes before Kiyan realized both Terra and Jarrod were stumbling in the dark. Kiyan held up his hand and blue flames illuminated the tunnel. Both Terra and Jarrod jumped at the flash of light.
“It’s... its cold, but it looks like fire.” Jarrod was looking at the flickering flames with a mixed expression of fear and awe.”
“Its ice fire. Pretty much like fire but the opposite.” Kiyan laughed as he shifted the flames into golden red fingers of heat as he watched the expressions on their faces. “You said that the gatekeepers wouldn't let you through. I thought that they were chipped and had to help you if you worked for the overlords.”
“They have to help the overlords or unbound Voth however a bound Voth doesn't count.” Jarred explained.
“Come on Kiyan, stop showing off. Let's get going.” Fred threw one of his grins at Kiyan.
“How many telepaths are there down here?” Kiyan was beginning to get an idea.
“There are probably a hundred or more in this under city. Many of the Voth here were born grown and bonded here without ever seeing the surface. We grow our own food and make everything we need. Every year or so some overlords come and take anyone with the skills that they need and chip any new children and kayloo.” Jarrod talked like he was familiar with the place.
“Were you born down here?” Fred caught that same idea that Kiyan had.
“Both of us were. Most of the bonded Voth up there came from down here. There are hardly any kayloo left in the wild so they control the "infection" by keeping us down here.” Terra looked upset about what was happening. “We never tried to destroy their civilization. The kayloo only tried to survive. They aren't dumb beasts like the overlords say they are.” Kiyan was about to ask another question when they rounded a corner.
“Wow.” Fred was as speechless as Kiyan. The dome of a huge cavern extended into the distance. In front of them a cobblestone road led between buildings carved from the walls of the cavern. The workmanship of the surface was present here but in a more refined natural beauty. Water from underground rivers flowed from the walls and cascaded down channels in carved walls depicting forests and rivers. The water flowing where the rivers were depicted coupled with the workmanship of the carvings gave the viewer the impression he was gazing over a valley from a high mountain. Everywhere he looked stone had been molded into statues and useful inventions. The water was channeled through the houses and flowed from them into a river in the center of the roadway. From the ceiling hung crystals that emitted a bright light over the landscape. Kiyan could see dozens of kayloo and Voth walking the street in front of them.
“Not the dirty slums everyone on the surface thinks we live in? They don't think that we are capable of doing this without the supervision of the overlords. A few know about it but prefer to ignore the fact that we aren't turned into savages by the bonding process.” Jarred was showing a little anger. “There isn't anything we can do about it though. They hold all the power.”
“I think there is something that we can do about it.” Kiyan paused for a moment as he thought before continuing. “You have free will now and can free as many people as you can connect with. I think I have a plan.”
Chapter Fifteen: Revolution
Kiyan had been staying in the under city for the last couple days. The virus had spread through the under city like a plague. Kiyan had tried to keep a low profile but word had got out that he was the source of the virus. Without the chips controlling them there had been talk of many things. War, revolution or hiding had been the theme of most of the conversations.
“Kiyan, we need to do something. There are millions more chipped Voth and kayloo out there. There are several people that want to know what you plan to do.” Terra hadn't been comfortable being free when there were still slaves.
“We still need to find out more. I wish I knew what happened when the kayloo first started bonding.” Kiyan understood what Terra was feeling. He wanted to get to work right away but a wrong move could undo all their work. Kendra had left for reinforcements as she put it. Jeremy had managed to beam directly to the under city.
“Well why don't you just ask Freya?” Terra looked at Kiyan with an exasperated expression.
“I would already have if she could talk like Ray.” Kiyan looked at the small bird perched of Terra's shoulder.
Terra smirked at Kiyan before closing her eyes. When she opened them again they matched Freya's. “Child of time, we have long awaited this day.”
“What, how are you, how did you know what I am called?” Kiyan was a little shocked by the change.
“Your name and destiny has been passed down through the ages, from kayloo to kayloo since the time when Prometheus the peacemaker walked our world.” Freya spoke through Terra like she was an extension of herself.
“My father told you I was going to be here? What happened when you first started bonding? They say you triggered a dark age.” Kiyan would have loved to chat but there was things he had to know.
“The one you call your father did not tell us of this day. One of our most powerful oracles glimpsed this day long ago. Before the first bonding, the kayloo watched from the shadows. We saw everything that the Voth did. Our watchers flitted limb from limb. Some lived with them as pets, others watched with their minds. Two diseases came upon the Voth. One was greed. They took from our planet with no thought for the future. Our skies darkened and our forests burned. With the dwindling resources some Voth took what they could and left little for the rest. The second disease struck them and spread without a cure. None were spared, high or low they all fell ill. Their machines and buildings crumbled as they became too weak to operate them. They gave up hope of survival.”
“One kayloo felt sorrow for a young Voth child that he watched over. He connected with her and she became the first healer. Many kayloo then bonded knowing what would come. The Voth race was saved but alas the first disease could not be cured. Those that shared their minds with us realized there was another way to live without the destruction of our planet. They embraced the new life like only one who has seen both death and life can. The unbonded could not understand what they didn't see. They feared the powers that we imparted in our bonds so they told themselves that bonding with a kayloo made you less than you were. Generations passed and this became their new truth. They chose to use what we gave to our Voth and unknowingly became agents in the change that they feared so much. We changed how they lived without them knowing it. After this day our world will be changed forever.”
Kiyan could sense that the connection was wearing on Terra so he tried to be quick. “You keep saying on this day. What do you mean?”
“I mean this cycle of light and dark. This revolution of our sphere. When the child of time comes to the belly of the earth and speaks to a kayloo then the icy wind will rage, cold fire will burn. When the winged men fall from the sky then all will be one.” Kiyan caught Terra as she collapsed. When she opened her eyes in confusion Kiyan realized that the connection was broken.
“Did you find out what you wanted?” Terra whispered as Kiyan helped her into a seat with Freya flitting around in a concerned fashion.
“Yes I did.” Kiyan touched her mind and calmed her until she drifted into a tranquil slumber. He sat thinking about all the information he had been given when a siren shattered the stillness.
“What in the world is that?” Jeremy appeared at Kiyan's door as the racket continued.
“It’s the Voth overlords.” Jarrod appeared behind Jeremy at the doorway. He took one glance at Ter
ra then looked at Kiyan with a questioning look. “You spoke with Freya?” Jarrod's kayloo was standing beside him.
“Yes. Terra let Freya speak through her.” Kiyan glanced at her then back at Jarrod.
“Then it is true, today is the day the icy wind rages.” Jarrod glanced at his kayloo before continuing. “Your next actions will decide our fate child of time.”
Kiyan thought for a moment before deciding. “Jarrod, I want you to connect with every telepath that you can and transmit the virus. Tell anyone you connect with to free the under cities. For those on the surface tell them to wait for a sign before transmitting it to anyone else. Jeremy, I need you to come with me to help on the surface. I'm going to turn myself in to the overlords. Send a message to all the other under cities to have earthbenders prepared to seal the tunnels. Tell Fred what is going on.”
Kiyan along with the rest of the Voth and kayloo assembled along the road through the center of the undercity. The Voth overlords set up some loud speakers and began booming out orders. “Dangerous aliens have escaped our custody and we have Intel that they are down here. Bring them forward and no one will be punished. Any attempts to conceal them are sanctioned.” Kiyan realized that by sanctioned the Voth meant that the chip would force people to obey.
The surrounding Voth glanced at Kiyan before he connected with them and told them to turn him in. There was some resistance until he explained his plan. He also connected with Jeremy and told him the same thing. There was a yell as Jeremy played his part and fought attempts to turn him over. Kiyan did likewise and was rewarded with half a dozen blasters being trained on him and a thorough search. Kiyan and Jeremy were both heavily chained and not a single word was exchanged during the climb.