The new Golems were beamed aboard and watched closely. It was a 10-golem platoon, counting Femfaf. Their behavior was\u2026unsettling. They never seemed to tire, they spent their free time watching the other crew members, they didn\u2019t eat, they didn\u2019t understand the need of a night crew, and they weren\u2019t forthcoming on all information. Shalvey, especially, had a rough time of it. She always hated looking over her shoulder and the Golem that was watching her gave her a constant uneasy feeling. Finally, she turned on the Golem and demanded answers. Thankfully, she was at her workstation off the bridge. \u201cAm I REALLY that interesting?!\u201d she demanded the Golem. \u201cYou\u2019ve been staring at me for the past hour!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are part of my team,\u201d replied the Golem. \u201cI have never worked with you before. I must learn your behaviors, anticipate your actions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere must be something you would rather do!\u201d hissed Shalvey. \u201cMaybe you need some sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs that why you have a \u2018night crew\u2019?\u201d asked the Golem. \u201cGolems don\u2019t require sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen how about something to eat?\u201d suggested Shalvey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNormal food poisons a Golems,\u201d replied the Golem, \u201cblocks off the veins that connect to our internal mana reserves. Besides, I have already topped off on mana before coming aboard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo food, no sleep,\u201d muttered Shalvey, \u201cwhat DO you do to relax?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRelaxation makes us lazy and indolent,\u201d answered the Golem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou guys are no fun at all,\u201d sighed Shalvey. \u201cI\u2019m surprised that Golems like Femfaf would want to reproduce with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe do not procreate the way you do,\u201d corrected the Golem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen how do you guys continue the species?\u201d asked Shalvey. \u201cClone yourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are born,\u201d explained the Golem, \u201cwhen someone introduces a Scroll of Life into a mound of clay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, let me make sure I understand you right,\u201d muttered Shalvey, \u201cno food, no sleep, no carnal pleasures?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCorrect,\u201d answered the Golem. Shalvey gave him a pitying look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter 50,000 years of being deprived of all that, I\u2019d be angry forever,\u201d she sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy breed of Golem lives longer than the previous breeds, but not that long,\u201d corrected the Golem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026How old DO you guys live up to?\u201d asked Shalvey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur scrolls dictate,\u201d replied the Golem, \u201cthat we now can live as long as 25,000. Any further than that, we are considered Exalted Elders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd how old are you?\u201d asked Shalvey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am half-a-year old,\u201d answered the Golem. Shalvey\u2019s eyes went wide. \u201cSurprised I can talk as you do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt takes the rest of us at least two and a half years to make any coherent sentences!\u201d remarked Shalvey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are mature adults,\u201d replied the Golem, \u201cin five days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026I still do childish things,\u201d muttered Shalvey, \u201cand I\u2019m 671.\u201d The Golem looked startled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou look half that age,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Thanks, I guess,\u201d grumbled Shalvey as she went back to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arsha and Femfaf met in the conference room. Femfaf noticed the studious expression on Arsha\u2019s face and watched her sit. \u201cCaptain, I trust this isn\u2019t a breach of our agreement?\u201d began the first female Golem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat depends,\u201d remarked Arsha. \u201cTell me, do Golems give off a thaumic signature similar to their creators?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe do,\u201d confirmed Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan you mask it to be like someone else\u2019s?\u201d asked Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d replied Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, your own thaumic signature stems from your creator with no deviations?\u201d continued Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo deviations,\u201d repeated Femfaf in confirmation. \u201cCaptain, where is this going?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour thaumic signature is too similar to Dr. Borg\u2019s!\u201d hissed Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026You know, you just disproved a theory Tormo had,\u201d mused Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd his theory was?\u201d invited Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat Blenders don\u2019t have as good of abilities as their parents,\u201d answered Femfaf. \u201cA member of our ruling council took offense to that and Dr. Borg decided to have me run an experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, with that out of the way, let me ask you the real questions,\u201d declared Arsha as she transferred her hairpiece to her waist, \u201cwhat interest does Dr. Borg have with the Kurontar deserters?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOddly enough, nothing,\u201d answered Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI find that hard to believe,\u201d growled Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBelieve what you wish,\u201d replied Femfaf, \u201cbut Dr. Borg simply wants to know how much of a threat these deserters are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeeing if she can convince Oyed to spare them?\u201d interrogated Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the general idea,\u201d answered Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTell her she\u2019s being seduced by lies!\u201d hissed Arsha. \u201cOyed has no intention of keeping his promises in the long run!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have no proof of that, Captain,\u201d dismissed Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHis goals are all the proof I need!\u201d challenged Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat if you\u2019re wrong?\u201d asked Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026It would be unfortunate for Oyed,\u201d answered Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCaptain, I must ask you to reconsider going to war against Oyed,\u201d urged Femfaf. \u201cDo we really need to begin a new era with bloodshed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOyed intends to undo what his children made,\u201d hissed Arsha. \u201cI will give my life to save the Realms if I must.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour father would feel like he failed,\u201d remarked Femfaf. \u201cGood parents are always afraid of burying their children. Do you really want your father to have to face that fear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026A threat?\u201d snarled Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m just giving my two-tins on a possible future,\u201d answered Femfaf. \u201cYour father would\u2026\u201d she was interrupted by the Guard Captain entering the conference room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEr, am I\u2026?\u201d he ventured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not interrupting anything related to the search at the moment,\u201d interrupted Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat a Golem scout just found, and Shalvey verified,\u201d replied the Guard Captain, \u201cwill make you think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMeaning, Sir?\u201d asked Femfaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour scout found a pair of files that Shalvey determined to be one audio and one visual,\u201d explained the Guard Captain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat trick again?\u201d asked Arsha. \u201cWhy use the same one when it got them caught in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the contents of the video you need to see,\u201d answered the Guard Captain. \u201cI have the data crystal it\u2019s on. I think you should see this, as well as the Caldoras.\u201d Arsha nodded, giving him permission to play it. He inserted the data crystal into the computer and the monitor played the video. Teylan was facing the camera with a stern look on her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re seeing this, then I must ask you to turn away,\u201d she demanded. \u201cIf all goes well, Mr. Iggir is in prison and won\u2019t pollute your kingdom. Yes, I do mean YOUR kingdom. We hereby revoke our citizenship. We are no longer part of the Kurontar Sea Merfolk Kingdom. We won\u2019t fight in the Final War, no matter what you say. Realmfleet has become too aggressive with the Realm Trinity Empire and it won\u2019t do us any good to appease either side. Dr. Borg wants to establish a small hold in the Realms. The smart thing would have been to cut a deal, make a few arrangements, give them a little something for their trouble. But, no, Realmfleet wanted to play it tough. So now, everyone is afraid of both sides, which means fewer people wanting to defend the Realms, which means less defense for either side, which means we no longer feel safe in our own homes! Well, we\u2019re leaving such a vulnerable area. We\u2019ve established a home of our own and hereby declare ourselves neutral. That is the safest option. Do not pursue us.\u201d The video ended and Arsha shut her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Well, that\u2019s\u2026disappointing,\u201d mused Femfaf. \u201cWhile not nearly enough of a threat to us, I regret not having them on my side. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. We will take our leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Have a safe journey,\u201d bid Arsha, even though she silently wished for all manner of accidents to plague Femfaf on her way out. Femfaf bowed as she stood up and left the conference room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Golems left the Endeavor<\/em> and Arsha reported what happened to King Vorko from her Ready Room. He sighed when he heard the news. \u201cCaptain, I think you\u2019d better come back and explain the whole thing,\u201d he requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well,\u201d replied Arsha. The call ended and Arsha returned to the bridge. \u201cSet course for the Kurontar Sea Kingdom,\u201d she ordered Nazay. \u201cWe\u2019re ending the search.\u201d The bridge crew\u2019s mood wasn\u2019t happy, but they kept it to themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCourse laid in,\u201d reported Nazay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNice and easy,\u201d directed Arsha. Nazay turned the ship around and returned to the kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aldarval made her way to the throne room of the Caldoras\u2019 castle. She was let in as Arsha explained what happened to the Caldoras. \u201cAh! Arsha!\u201d greeted Aldarval. \u201cSplendid! Come to see how ready the Kurontar Sea is?\u201d Arsha winced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAdmiral, you may want to sit down,\u201d advised Queen Jurma. Aldarval arched an eyebrow before she sat down. She heard the whole story about the deserters and was shocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t\u2026\u201d she mumbled. \u201cI mean, this is\u2026this is unprecedented! Kurontar is one of the most stable of all kingdoms in the Mid-realm, second only to Borompek!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf word gets out about this,\u201d remarked Arsha, \u201cwho knows what other people will do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, that\u2019s out of our hands now,\u201d sighed Vorko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d asked Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe deserters made a broadcast on IntraRealm,\u201d answered Vorko. \u201cThey\u2019ve announced their independence from us, calling themselves the Reenshar Kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNaming themselves after a famous activist,\u201d sighed Aldarval. \u201cMy lords and ladies, I must say, this won\u2019t look well in the eyes of Realmfleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re aware,\u201d assured Vorko. \u201cWe\u2019ll do what we can to keep our kingdom unified.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease do,\u201d urged Aldarval. \u201cYou produce the best fighters and we may need them.\u201d Aldarval left without another word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain Royana, thank you for your assistance,\u201d bid King Jentay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just wish I could have helped in a better way,\u201d sighed Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNever mind the woulda-coulda-shouldas,\u201d advised Jentay. \u201cJust focus on the dids.\u201d Arsha chuckled a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d she mused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe can handle things here,\u201d assured Jurma. \u201cYou may leave tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you, your Majesties,\u201d bid Arsha. \u201cI\u2019m sorry for what happened to this kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe appreciate that,\u201d answered Jurma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The new Golems were beamed aboard and watched closely. It was a 10-golem platoon, counting Femfaf. Their behavior was\u2026unsettling. They never seemed to tire, they spent their free time watching the other crew members, they didn\u2019t eat, they didn\u2019t understand the need of a night crew, and they weren\u2019t forthcoming on all information. Shalvey, especially, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,236],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-2881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-3-the-first-strike","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2882,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2881\/revisions\/2882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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