Rin’s Adventures: Chapter 21

Rin watched Frost Pak slowly become visible as she left the swamp. Clouds hid the peak and strong winds blew down, carrying a flurry of snow. “Looks like bad weather,” she said to Kiki, who was riding on her shoulder.

“Yea, good thing I’ve got a nice, warm place to stay,” the fairy smiled as she dove inside Rin’s cadet uniform.

“Hey get out of there; that tickles!” Rin laughed as Kiki moved around under her cloths.

“No, it’s nice in here,” came the slightly muffled voice of Kiki. “Besides, it’s a better hiding place that your hair, and it’d probably itch if I tried your ear.”

“I guess you’re right,” Rin replied. Once she reached the foot of the mountain reached into the pack she’d carried back from the swamp and pulled out a signal light. Flipping the switch at the base of the shaft a brilliant blue light began shining from the end.

“What’s that for?” Kiki asked as she poked her head out of Rin’s uniform.

“It’s so the people at the entrance don’t shoot me thinking I’m an enemy. With the weather this bad their vision won’t be very good,” Rin explained. Then a thought hit her. “Hey, what about that surprise you were going to show me?”

“Oh that, I found a suit of the armor my people wear in the forest. One of my tribe must have been on a mission and died. I’ll show it to you when we get back to the tree. Besides, if I do end up meeting your people in the open I’d probably have a better chance of making friends without armor.”

“Hmm, you’re probably right,” Rin said as the wind started to pick up and Kiki ducked back under her uniform. The cold air felt very refreshing and wished she could take off her uniform and let the wind blow over her whole body, but then she wouldn’t want to put it back on when she got to the base. Like when she had gone down Rin kept her senses at high alert for any ice wyrms. She knew that with Kiki on her side a fight would go better than her first, but she still didn’t want to chance it. Her tail ached at the memory.

After several minutes of struggling against the wind and keeping an ear out for ice wyrms Rin spotted a red light in the distance. It flashed three times, and then stayed constant. Rin clicked her light on and off in the same pattern and moved forward slowly. Gradually the entrance to the Miratan base became visible, the two giant sentry towers flanking the opening. A grey door covered the entrance and two armor suits were standing in front of it, weapons aimed in Rin’s direction. “It’s Cadet Rin! I’ve completed my mission!” Rin called to the suits as she slowly continued forward.

“You’re overdue Cadet Rin,” came a voice from one of the armor suits. “Was you mission successful?”

“Yes Sir,” Rin answered. “I placed the sensor in a still, high place just like I was told to.”

“Good, then come inside,” the voice said as behind him the door split in two and slowly slid open. Rin moved inside as quickly as she could, and the door shut again after one of the armor suits passed through. “Follow me,” the voice of the pilot commanded.

“Yes Sir,” Rin replied, moving behind the suit and following it through the settlement. She waved to people she saw, and most of them waved back. She saw Teryn and the rest of her fan club standing on one side of the main street and she gave them a smile. Her heart hurt when she focused on Teryn. “I won’t let that happen again,” she said to herself.

After a few minutes Rin and the armor suit arrived at the mecha hanger where Rin saw a group of people waiting for her, including Captain Falcon and Governor-General Binermas. “Cadet Rin reporting mission accomplished!” Rin said proudly as she saluted.

“Good work Rin,” Captain Falcon said. “You were gone much longer than we expected.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Rin replied. “Drayla, the friend who I took the anti-toxin was very weak after she took it. Terra, a naga I met in the swamp used her power to give my energy to Drayla so she could survive. I passed out and slept for three days. Once I woke up I came back here as quickly as I could.”

“These friends of yours in the swamp; could we count them as allies?” The Governor-General asked.

“Allies; what do you mean?” Rin asked.

“Would they be willing to assist us in expanding our presence here in Felarya?”

“I don’t think that would be a good thing to do,” Rin said.

“Oh, and why not?” Binermas asked.

“One of the first stories I learned after I was born was about a city called Ur-Sagol. It was built by humans from another world. They used their weapons and magic to build a huge city and soon started building more of them, but one night a Guardian flew over the city and destroyed it. Ever since no one has built large settlements in Felarya and the Guardians have never attacked anyone again,” Rin told the Miratans.

“Who exactly are these Guardians?” Falcon asked.

“No one knows; almost no one has ever seen them, but they’re said to possess incredible magic power and are invincible in battle.”

“Can you tell us where the ruins of Ur-Segal are?” The Governor-General asked.

“I’ve never been there, but I bet one of my friends in the swamp would know,” Rin replied. “All I know is that there’s a gate near the ruins that can take you anywhere.”

“Interesting; I’ll have to consult the Council about that. For now Cadet Rin, you have accomplished your first mission as a cadet in the Miratan Defense Forces. Congratulations.”

“Thank you Sir,” Rin smiled. “I’m glad I was able to make you proud.”

“We’ll have your next assignment for you in a few days. Until then you’re on stand-by. Good day,” the Governor-General said as he walked away towards a transport parked near the gate.

“Well Rin, I’m glad you were able to save your friend,” Captain Falcon said as the Governor-General’s transport sped off. “So what are you going to do now that you’re on stand-by?”

“I was hoping to play with my fan club and talk with Caidance,” Rin answered. “Why, was there something you wanted to do with me?”

“I was just hoping to talk with you. We haven’t had much time together lately.”

“How about you come by my cave after I’m finished playing? We can talk then,” Rin proposed.

“All right, I’ll see you later then,” Falcon said as he entered the mecha hanger.

Rin left the mecha base and saw her fan club waiting for her near the edge of the settlement. “Hey everyone,” she greeted as she lay down on her side. “How are you?”

“We missed you,” Teryn said. “We were worried something happened.”

“I had to save my friend and it took a lot out of me, but other than that I’m fine,” Rin smiled. “So, do you want to play a game?”

“Ok, let’s play Seeker,” Teryn smiled. “You cover your eyes and count to thirty while we hide, then you try and find us.”

“Sounds like fun, but no hiding in buildings since I can’t get in those ok?”

“Ok, now cover your eyes and count,” Teryn said.

“Ok.” Rin covered her eyes and slowly counted. When she reached thirty she opened her eyes and started looking for her friends. Keeping her head close to the ground, she searched through a row of shrubs, then a stand of small trees. Finding nothing she turned around and looked by a stack of crates and smiled when she saw a leg sticking out from under one. Lifting the crate she smiled down at Teryn. “Found you.”

“You’re good,” Teryn said as she stood up. “I’ll go wait over by the trees until you find the others.”

“Ok,” Rin replied as she resumed her seeking. She found the rest of her fan club fairly quickly, with Caidance the last one she discovered, hiding inside an empty supply barrel. “So, wanna hear about my mission?” She asked as the group relaxed near the tree. A chorus of cheers answered her. “Ok,” she smiled as she began telling the children about her journey back to the swamp, how she had risked her life to heal Drayla and then her journey back to the mountain. She didn’t mention Kiki, even though she could feel the fairy moving around under her uniform.

After Rin finished her story her fan club told her about the various things that had happened while she had been gone. News had come through the wormhole that the Miratans had begun several new campaigns against aliens whose names Rin struggled to pronounce. “When you get older are you all going to start fighting?” She asked.

“Some of us will. I’m going to be a researcher,” Teryn said. “My parents say I have a natural gift for taking things apart. What about you Rin? You’re part of the military now. The commanders might send you on combat missions once you’re no longer a cadet.”

“I…I never thought about that,” Rin admitted. “I didn’t think I might have to leave Felarya and all of you.”

“We all have to do our part for the Empire,” Caidance said. “I’ll probably go into the space fleet. Our scientists have already designed several new classes of ships, and some have already been built. I might even be an admiral someday!” She smiled.

“Where do you think they’ll send me?” Rin asked. “I’m probably too big to fit on a ship.” A tickle inside her uniform let her know that Kiki had heard her and was reminding her of what the fairy had said.

“I honestly don’t know Rin; there’s never been a naga in the Defense Forces before,” Caidance admitted. “You might be put into specialist squad, or you could fight as a mobile heavy weapon because of your size. Do you know what you’d like to do?”

“I want to be wherever you are,” Rin answered. Leaning in she smiled at her best friend. “Can I talk to you alone? There’s something I need to tell you.”

“OK,” Caidance replied. “We’ll be back soon; you guys keep playing,” she said as she hopped into Rin’s hand. “So, what’s this big secret?” She asked when Rin reached the back of the cave.

“It’s about one of my friends in the forest,” Rin answered. Placing her hand on the ground, she created an ice wall that blocked most of the entrance. “Come on out,” she said, and Kiki emerged from her uniform, flying down to land next to Caidance. She grew until she was at an even height with the girl.

“Hi, my name’s Kiki. So you’re the girl Rin’s always talking about. You’re just as cute as she said you were,” the fairy remarked, causing Caidance to blush.

Caidance stepped back when Kiki appeared. “Rin, you’re not allowed to bring creatures inside the base without permission!”

“She saved my life Caidance, and she can help us with our biggest problem,” Rin said.

“Our biggest problem?” Caidance said, puzzled.

“You saw how I changed size right?” Kiki asked. “Well I can do the same thing to either you or Rin. What do you think of that?”

“You mean that…I could…or Rin…” Caidance stuttered as her mind processed what she had heard.

“Yep, I can either make you Rin’s size or Rin your size. So, still think I shouldn’t be here?” Kiki smiled.

“You’ll be found,” Caidance said. “There are too many people here for you to stay hidden.”

“Well what if I do this?” Kiki said as she shrunk herself down until she could sit on Caidance’s fingernail before becoming Caidance-size again. “So, do you really want me to leave, or do you want to see Rin eye to eye like you used too?”

“I…I” Caidance struggled to speak.

“Kiki, bring me down to Caidance’s size first,” Rin said. “I’ll help her understand.”

“You got it,” Kiki said. “You should probably lie down so no one sees your head suddenly shrink.”

“Good idea,” Rin replied as she lowered herself to the ground. Kiki hovered above her head and suddenly everything was getting bigger. Rin felt like she was falling and closed her eyes. After a minute the feeling stopped and Rin opened her eyes to see Caidance standing above her. Getting up her eyes were level with her friend. “Hi,” she smiled.

“Rin? You’re my size,” Caidance said open-mouthed.

“That’s right, and that means I can do this,” Rin smiled as she pulled Caidance into a hug, wrapping her arms around the girl. “I’ve missed being able to hug you.”

“So have I,” replied Caidance as she returned the embrace. Feeling Rin’s arms wrapped around her made Caidance feel like she was floating on air. Breaking the hug she looked Rin in the eyes. “I wish you could stay like this.”

“Well after I figure out how to introduce Kiki to everyone else maybe I can, but for now we should get back to the others.”

“Wait,” Caidance said as she wrapped her arms around Rin again and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling being able to wrap her arms around the naga. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” Rin replied as she slowly pulled away from Caidance. “Kiki,” she said.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Kiki said to Caidance. “Pretty soon you both can be the same size whenever you want, IF your rulers let me say.” Hovering over Rin’s head again Kiki reversed her shrink spell and within a minute Rin was back to her former size. “Well, back to the hiding place,” she smirked as she dove back under Rin’s uniform as the naga melted her ice wall.

“Want a ride?” Rin asked with a smile as she extended her hand, allowing Caidance to climb up. “There’s one nice thing about being this size; I can take you anywhere you want to go.”

“I guess,” Caidance replied, looking up at Rin. “I wonder what you’re next mission will be,” she said to change the subject.

“I don’t know, but I hope we can have some more fun before I go,” Rin said.

“Yea, me too,” Caidance said as Rin made it back to the tree. “All right everybody, let’s play another round of seeker!”

“No, let’s have target practice,” Teryn suggested.

“Target practice?” Rin asked.

“Yeah, we set up targets and you use your ice magic to knock them down. Would that be fun for you?”

“Hmm, it might. I haven’t practiced my magic very much. For ice nagas magic comes naturally.”

“Then let’s see if you like it.” Teryn ran a short distance and set up a small log on top of a tree stump. “Ok, now try to hit it,” she challenged.

“Ok,” Rin said as she extended her arm. Aiming as best she could, she formed and fired a small icicle. It hit the tree stump and stuck, but the log didn’t move. Aiming again, Rin kept up her attacks until finally an icicle hit the log and sent it spinning to the ground. “I hit it!” She cheered.

“Good, now try this,” Teryn smiled as she set up another, slightly smaller log. “Let’s find out just how accurate you can be.”

“Ok,” Rin smiled as she took aim. This was a lot of fun, and it felt good to practice her magic. As he sent an icicle barrage at the log target she hoped her next mission would be with her daddy.

…

Governor-General Binermas slowly walked into his office, shutting the door behind him. Making his way to his desk he entered his access code on a keypad set into the right edge. Outside there was a slight rumble as the wormhole generator activated. A minute later the screen of his computer lit up and displayed the head and shoulders of an aging man with a glowing metal implant in place of his right eye. “Brigadier General Menshon,” he bowed his head.

“Governor Binermas, what do you have to report?” The Brigadier asked.

“One of my expedition has uncovered rumors of a dimensional gate some distance from my outpost. If they are true it could be some sort of naturally occurring wormhole. I am preparing to send a scouting party. If we do find a wormhole entrance I would request that a research team be sent to study it and ascertain if it could be of use to us.”

“Understood; if it is a naturally occurring wormhole it may lead to a part of the network we have yet to map. Once we have a clearer picture of what it is I will send a division of my own forces to oversee the construction of a research station. Oh and Binermas, I read your report about the naga currently residing in your base. I would like you to tell me why you disobeyed my standing orders regarding such creatures.”

“Well Sir, to begin with I believe the naga in question has established a parental bond with one of my officers. They have saved each others lives, and to remain here she voluntarily left the base and rescued a man thought dead on a mission. She even went so far as to request a posting in the Defense Forces to remain at his side,” Binermas explained.

“Interesting story, but do you trust this naga? Would you place your life in her hands?” Menshon pressed.

“Not as of yet Brigadier General, but I was planning to send her with the scouting party. They are highly likely to encounter another naga or similar creature, and I am confident she would choose her loyalty to us over any affiliation she has with the creatures of the forest.”

“And if she chooses her own kind? Are you that willing to sacrifice your own men? I’d thought you learned from your last mistake,” the Brigadier General said.

Binermas touched a hand to his scar. “Trust me Sir, the naga didn’t earn the trust I’ve given her easily. If she had shown the slightest amount of dangerous activity I would have had the base defense batteries target her. The facts thus far however point to her being loyal to us, and this mission should prove it.”

“Even if tat is true, you have still disobeyed my orders. Due to your past achievements however, I will overlook this infraction if you place a D-2 sphere inside the naga until the completion of the mission. If its loyalty does prove true, then you may remove it. Also, the naga should not be aware of the sphere’s nature. Am I understood Binermas?”

“Yes Sir, I understand. Was there anything else?” Binermas asked.

“Yes, the Praxil campaign concluded three days ago. Our colonists are already moving in to build the world into a fortress for the Hallreth campaign when it commences in two years.”
  
“That’s good news. Good day Sir.”

“Good day Binermas,” Menshon said as he signed off.

As his screen winked off Binermas relaxed back in his chair. Well that went better than I expected.” As he called up the duty roster of armor suit pilots he smiled. If he became the first man to induct a new race into the service of the Miratans it would greatly increase his influence with the Council and possibly get him a new and more prestigious posting. Accessing his computer, he sent a message off to the medical center. He had work to do.