Come see the most
beautiful and bountiful planet in all known Universes.
Bring your
family.
Hike our mountain
trails.
Swim in our
crystal clear waters
Taste the amazing
array of foods that grow here.
Come to Pontus,
to a planet blessed by the Goddess.
General Treyvon
Rayner snorted as he read the text of the ancient travel brochure he had found
when setting up his command center in an old military base on Pontus, even as
his finger ran reverently over the image. It showed a vibrant planet full of such
life and color that it hurt to look at it.
He moved and
looked out his small window to the landscape outside. This is what Pontus was
now.
Barren.
Lifeless.
The only sounds
of life heard were those of his men as they worked to secure the base.
It had been this way
for over five hundred years. This was where the great infection had struck
first. On Pontus.
No one had understood
what was happening or why back then. The sun still shone on Pontus. The rains
still came. Nothing had changed.
Except nothing
would grow.
Trees that had
stood for hundreds of years dropped all their leaves and now stood as haunting
reminders of once lush forests.
With all the
planet life gone the animals soon followed and with them the people.
The Kaliszians
could have survived the loss of Pontus for they had other planets that produced
food but the great infection quickly spread to them as well, and within fifty
years the Kaliszian empire went from being a self-supporting empire to being
dependent on the Tornian Empire to feed their people.
All because of
one Kaliszian.
His ancestor.
Chancellor Aadi
Rayner.
Acoose had
governed Pontus, a coveted position, and one he seemed well fitted for. He'd
been raised within the royal family, a cousin to the emperor. He was also a
good friend of the Tornian Emperor, Lucan Berto.
To good of friend
it turned out, because when Acoose discovered Lucan was raping his young
daughters, he agreed not to report it, for a price. That price had the Tornians
buying food stocks they didn't need, for an exorbitant price, increasing
Acoose's wealth.
The Goddess'
response had been swift and merciless against the Kaliszians. She removed her
gift of their abundant, life supporting food sources.
Food had gone
from something openly shared and enjoyed to something hoarded and eaten quickly
no matter the taste or texture. Your position in Kaliszian society, what you
could contribute to it, now determined the amount of food you received.
Warriors were among
the best fed and it caused their ranks to swell to the point were they could be
very selective. It also made them in high demand by their females for they were
as equally well fed.
Now he, a Rayner,
was back on Pontus, the place of his family's greatest dishonor. He'd almost
refused to obey his Emperor when Liron ordered Treyvon and his men here to
assist in the search for Emperor Wray's downed shuttle.
Why would the
Goddess want him on Pontus?
The wrap of
knuckles on his door had him turning to find his second-in-command, Gryf,
standing there.
"I know why
the Zaludians attacked."
It looked like
Treyvon was about to find out.
********************
About the Author:
I have always
loved to read and writing is just a natural extension of this for me. Growing
up I loved to extend the stories of my favorite books and TV shows just to see
where the characters went. I've been happily married for nearly twenty-five
years to an awesome man and have two great kids. Now that the kids are out of
the house, at least most of the time, I've found I have the time to write
again.
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