Henloa gave a little laugh. ‘So are we avatars of the Sun and Sky, and by composition we’re 100% darkling. But you people already know that, don’t you? What Walay just said is one of the key sentences in Father’s search program, that you keep on using in your writings.’

‘Your accents are essentially sing-song Sinayabi, yet also slightly different,’ Tuman noted.

Walay pointed to the avatars. ‘They speak a dialect native to Sri Duro’s Null World, somewhere in the Tela. I speak a dialect indigenous to the Easternmost Region of the Far Islets. Both are mutually intelligible versions of the same spoken tongue. In other words we speak different dialects of the same language, Sinayabi, and we belong to the same ethnolinguistic people. Don’t believe that Government crap propaganda in our mass media and schools that Sinayabi is just a dialect of Alogostani. They aren’t mutually intelligible, and Sinayabi therefore stands by itself as a distinct language, defining our unique people.’

Tuman straightened up. ‘By the Tela, you could write for our cause. There must be a teahouse somewhere here. Let’s go there and talk. Perhaps you could join our little group. What we want is of great advantage to your people.’

Bantay held up a hand. ‘Maybe some other time. Her name is Walay. She works for the Department of Anti-Terrorist Affairs.’

‘Hey Bantay, you’re not supposed to expose my cover,’ Walay said good-naturedly. ‘Good thing we’re all friends here. Besides I’m here not because of DATA but because I admire your Father’s writings, and all of you Sayabi Veteran avatars are legends come to life for me. I’ve taken my reward leave right now, so I could pay my respects to Sri Duro. All DATA personnel are allowed a one month paid leave, no questions asked, after completing a dangerous mission and I just did.’

Walay stopped. The students were all staring apprehensively at her. ‘Uh, what’s wrong? Oh you’re scared because I’m DATA? As I’ve said, I’m on leave. The Minister doesn’t even know I am here. I came at my cousin’s invitation, as the Professor was her guru.’

Walay suddenly turned to Tuman. ‘You look familiar. You must be Tuman, President of Kaluwasan. That little lecture I just gave? I got it straight from your blogs; in fact I’m your number one internet stalker! I began reading you up when I came across you in DATA files. Minister Kusgan wanted to arrest and execute you, but my cousin Maestra Lili, talked him out of it, saying that you were harmless.’

Tuman blanched.

Walay looked embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry. I should have expected that some of you would arrive for the Professor’s wake. It’s summer vacation after all. OK it’s best not to talk to me. If it’s any consolation, you have my eternal gratitude for what you’re doing to save the Sayabi, but let’s keep that our secret. I can get fired if the Minister knows that I sympathize with you.’ Walay quickly walked off to join another tour group. As she moved off with her group, she repeatedly glanced back at Tuman.

Limpyoha sighed into the silence. ‘It’s scenarios like this that saddens me.’

Bantay told the students ‘Come with me, I’ll be your tour guide. Stay out of the way of the Alogostani MDEs too. Although they’re hostile to DATA inside Alogostani territory, most of them one way or the other are paid informers that spy for DATA whenever they go abroad.’

Without further word, Oisa dropped her Father’s body over the side of the Shield. A rustling murmur like wind-swept leaves blew gently across the assembled avatars of the Household of the Order of the Sun and Sky. ‘Good bye Father.’ Above them, the yellow sun nestled softly upon the blue heavens.

Oisa walked off, tears like dew drops glistening off her sapphire eyes down her butter tinged cheeks. Captain Sugo walked in front of the audience.

Minister Kusgan took off early with his entourage in a DATA helicopter, but before doing so, he met a final time with Lili, Elam and the Veteran avatars in the bow hangar.

‘You must realize that the WDF Veiled Commission has been caught in a quandary. Some of the most active combat Maestros, aside from the Southern Continenters, are religious extremists from Iladistan and other Theocracies, who believe that slaying darklings gives them a free ticket to a demon-free paradise somewhere in the Tela. Although these Nations produce only relatively few MDEs, all of them invariably become combat Maestros, which from the WDF’s point of view are the ones that really matter in fighting darkling occurrence. Yet its own rules tell the Veiled Commission to destroy the Iladistani Unitemple. Subsequently, the Commissioners have placed technical obstacles to carrying out their rule.’

‘The lack of combat avatars isn’t the only possible technical hindrance. There is an ancient and obscure provision in the WDF Code of Combat that states that the World Council of Nations may plead for the deferment of Protocol 999. Ironically it was your Order of the Sun and Sky that lobbied for this provision 400 years ago, in the Great Dark Shift era. Your Father thought it would help balance the WDF’s growing political power, which he thought would lead to world totalitarianism. In our private talks, Commissioner Duwa has implied that the WDF might invoke this provision in order to mire the technical proceedings for the implementation of Protocol 999.’

Tahum muttered softly at the back of the audience. ‘Yeah, right. Political sticky, sh_tty, subterfuge.’ Kusgan glanced at her as though he heard her, but he merely smiled amusedly and continued.

‘Regarding your request that the Shield be transferred to Elam’s ownership, there’s a problem. There is no legal precedence for a newly occurred Anachronista child to obtain such valuable property. Frankly there are other Ministers in Tunga City who would like to acquire the Shield as state property.’

‘You mean confiscate it, sell it to a wealthy Multi National Corporation, and grab the usual kickback of 30% of the sales?’ Bodhi asked in front of the audience.

Kusgan sighed. ‘Maybe. I work for my beliefs and ideas, however much different they are from yours, but some of the other Ministers opportunistically work for personal profit. I can’t get much support from my fellow Alogostani MDEs either. I think some of them want what the Ministers want, acquire the Shield, but for the Alogostani MDE Society, not for the government. You know that there’s an ongoing struggle for the leadership of my Order and most of my comrades are questioning where my loyalty lies, with DATA or with the Order of the Autumn Sea. They think the two are mutually incompatible. I’ve been having this problem since I got appointed as DATA General. Lili has the same problem too, which is one reason why neither of us has been making avatars recently.’

‘Furthermore even if I managed to convince the Alogostani MDE Society to officially lobby for Protocol 999, chances are the WDF will ignore it, since Alogostanis historically have produced so few combat Maestros. The WDF regards our prudence as cowardice, and deems the Alogostani Maestros as unimportant and expendable.’

Kusgan paused, and then voiced out a mild sounding afterthought. ‘Perhaps if by some means you could help me convince the WDF to carry out Protocol 999 on the Iladistani Unitemple, it could turn out to be the justification I need to persuade the President to confer Alogostani citizenship to Elam and transfer the ownership of your Household to him.’

‘Now is not the time to discuss this issue. Let’s meet again some other time. Maestra Lili and I are always contacting each other anyway.’ Kusgan boarded his helicopter. The avatars looked at one another. The helicopter flew off.

In their usual straightforward manner most of the avatars went back to their tour duties. Luto went back to Café Pahuway in order to prepare afternoon snacks. Aya went up to the Tower Clinic to check on an MDE who was complaining of headache. Elam saw Walay in one of the groups, joined her; and the two reminisced about Mission Tandayag where they first met. Oisa and Lili went to one of the bow’s bars and had some coffee.

Late in the afternoon a large DATA ship under Lili’s supervision arrived in order to take all of the remaining guests back to Buhi City Port. At the stern’s side entrance Lili quietly whispered into her tabcom. ‘Bodhi, Alwana, Aya, please come here and accompany our guests back to Buhi port. Oisa is here already. You’re the Arch Wings of our House. They’ll expect you to escort them back.’

Ihap giggled while patting her coiffure, making sure it wasn’t loose. ‘I’m sure they would have appreciated my sexy long legs.’ She turned to Lili.

‘Inday Lili, I tried to transfer funds from the Household’s account to Matambok Incorporated, the local Buhi City company where I ordered most of the food we used for our guests. The Provincial Bank of North Eastern Islands Manager instead called me up, saying I had lost my authority because Father has died.’

‘What the hell!’ Oisa exclaimed. ‘Most of our cash is in that bank!’

It took only a few minutes for the DarkAI and electric-hydrogen powered DATA ship to dock in Buhi Port 3 kilometers away. Lili and the avatars argued among themselves all the way. Finally Aya announced, ‘OK stop it; we’re about to dock. Let’s escort the MDEs first; we can continue the discussion later.’

The Alogostani MDEs were in a hurry to get to the airport for their 8pm flight back to the Mainland and Offshore Islands. Lili stood in front of the DATA ship’s large luxury lounge where the guests were seated.

‘We will be docking shortly in South Pier 11, which mostly caters to cargo and is mostly empty at this time. The North Pier is pretty crowded with passengers boarding the night trips to the Offshore Islands. All MDEs shall debark first, followed by an honor escort composed of the Arch Wings. The rest follow behind the Wings.’

The MDEs disembarked first, trailed by the escorting Wings in their usual spread-out guard formation, followed by the students, and then Walay, Lili, and Ihap. The latter insisted on continuing the discussion on the Household’s financial disaster.

Ihap was prattling with a kind of desperate tone to her voice. ‘Even if we have the funds, we can’t just withdraw from the Household’s accounts. Legally only the owner can. We have zero cash except for the Bugu coins with Bugsay and Boylo that they use for our Outrigger Engines and the Reactor Plant. Lili, you must think of a way to transfer the Household to the ownership of Elam. However, Kusgan has already said it’s also problematic. Apart from our hopeless financial situation, our Seal on your forearm is fading out, and we don’t know how to prevent it. Tela help us. We’re fu_ked.’

Lili patted Ihap on her cheek. ‘Don’t worry so much, sis. I’m sure a solution will come our way.’

The South Pier was nearly empty except for cargo containers. As they approached the nearly empty terminal, the side of a large cargo container facing them exploded.

Elam was not around to predict the disaster and the Wings were caught unaware. In the split second that they saw the flash of the blast from the exploding container 20 meters away, and even with their preternaturally rapid reactions, they only had time to implement a small shift in order to line themselves up and spread their wings maximally in a blast-tight wall formation, one wing flexed anteriorly and the other extended posteriorly. The students behind them were protected. The Maestros in front of them were not.

Ihap, with her combater’s superfast reflexes, managed to hug both Lili and Walay and assume her armored form just as the blast, already attenuated by the Wings’ formation, reached them several meters behind the students. Her light golden scaled armor saved them from serious injuries.

‘Are you alright,’ Ihap asked them.

‘Huo. Yes,’ both Lili and Walay answered. With the resilience of Hybrids, they were already recovering their temporarily numbed hearing. Ihap looked perfectly healthy. In front of them, the Wings still maintained their wing-formed shield, anticipating any secondary blast.

‘OK. You two just sit down here. I’ll check on the others.’ Ihap rushed off in front of the Wings, still in her armored form. Shortly after Oisa, Bodhi, Alwana, and Aya joined her looking for survivors.

[Event "Rated game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/a78TUGlm"]
[Date "2016.06.26"]
[Round "?"]
[White "JulianGoater"]
[Black "NN"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2353"]
[BlackElo "2216"]
[ECO "A04"]
[TimeControl "180"]

trutherbotblue
‏@trutherbotblue
Dear Procrastinators,

11:05 AM - 19 Jun 2016

[Event "Rated game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/QPoKIcdC"]
[Date "2016.07.07"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NN"]
[Black "JulianGoater"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2270"]
[BlackElo "2404"]
[ECO "B00"]
[TimeControl "180"]

[Event "Rated game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/r82NdPzE"]
[Date "2016.07.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NN"]
[Black "JulianGoater"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2124"]
[BlackElo "2436"]
[ECO "A40"]
[TimeControl "180"]

APD Acting Deputy Chief says IF Hillside is evacuated, police will close down Seward Highway to mitigate traffic concerns. #McHughCreekFire https://twitter.com/teganhanlon/sta...

the picture that shows the words Turnagain Arm Trail to the top left corner has inbetween them the hill that is between the fire and our second family http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anch...

Lili ordered the personnel from the DATA ship to come onshore and help the injured. She rapidly called up DATA officials, Buhi City hospitals, and Captain Sugo in her tabcom. Then she called out to the avatars. ‘Oisa, Bodhi, Alwana, Aya, Ihap, there’s nothing more we can do here. Minister Kusgan has declared this whole area a crime scene. Nothing is to be touched. They’re already on the way here. Take the students back to the Shield. The local police will also surely come, and they will get detained for questioning. DATA will allow that in order to maintain good relations with local law enforcers. It might get complicated for them because Tuman and Sukola and probably a few more of them are listed in police files as suspected secessionists.’

Aya stopped scurrying around the bodies trying to find out if anyone had survived. ‘You’re right. Sisters let’s go.’ She went over the nearest two students, grabbed them, and flew off. Oisa, Bodhi, and Alwana did the same.

Lili strode up into the confused students midst. ‘You’ll get to fly with the Arch Wings today, and you’ll remember it all your lives. We’re taking you back to the Shield’s Clinic. Now just sit down and stay calm.’

‘We’re still alive?’ a girl named Kulba asked wonderingly.

‘Yes, it’s nothing for the Archs. Bullets and shrapnel don’t penetrate their skin and even a nuclear explosion won’t singe their wings.’

Ihap went off to look at the blasted cargo container close up.

In five minutes the Wings were back. They flew off with eight more students.

Lili talked with a green haired officer who had come running from the DATA ship. ‘Lieutenant, cordon this whole area from civilians. Allow only the local medics and police to enter, but don’t let them touch any possible remains of the explosive or the container van. Wait for forensic specialists from mainland DATA HQ to arrive. They’re about to board amphibious planes and are due to land here in this Pier in a few hours.’

Ihap came back. She motioned Lili aside. ‘Lili, the blast was directed only to one side of the container, to where the MDEs were walking. It looks to me like a vectored explosive, not an ordinary IED. From all the evidence I’ve seen so far, I suspect a Buak bomb.’

‘How do you know that for sure?’

‘I’m a combat avatar. Even though we usually use our ingrown weapons, all of us were fully schooled and trained in all known firearms and explosives way back in the Dark War, and these haven’t changed much since that time. If we were not engaged in battle, we were required to study all the fields of combat all the time. I probably have more finger tip knowledge of these things than you, Lili. If I remember correctly, when Buak bombs went off, they left behind parts that had data about the year of their manufacture directly on their ventral side. Let’s see if I can find it.’ She went back to the container.

The Wings arrived. Lili repeated to them what Ihap had just said.

‘What the f__k,’ Bodhi said. ‘You mean it’s an operation directed against the MDEs?’

‘Ihap certainly implies it.’

Lili’s tabcom rang. After a few seconds, she hung up. ‘That was Minister Kusgan. He says that DATA informants have been warning of planned acts against Alogostan’s ports by Fiery Path terrorists.’

Ihap approached them carrying a palm sized metal shard. Engraved on it was the number 395. ‘Mystery solved. It’s a shell fragment from a Dakobuak vectored explosive, as we called them in the Dark War. 395 pertains to the year after Deoccurence. It’s vintage WW3.’

‘Let’s discuss this in our Boat,’ Bodhi interrupted. She grabbed both Lili and Ihap tightly and flew. The other Wings took the rest of the students, including Tuman and Sukola, and Walay. DATA officers from the ship they had landed in were already cordoning the area. The paramedics and police arrived a few minutes later.

The Wings flew straight into the upper floor of the Tower Clinic through a side entrance usually used for eletrains.

Pangkot was grinning. ‘Awesome! We’ve actually flown with the Arch Wings of legend.’

Sukola was looking around the Clinic. ‘It’s a regular Hospital Ward.’ Cleaner avatars had brought in extra folding beds and chairs, upon which the students rested.

Aya turned to the Veterans and Lili. ‘Captain Sugo is requesting for a report on what happened. You go ahead; I’ll stay here with the students,’ Aya began attending to assorted abrasions that the students had suffered, helped by the Cleaners.

‘I’m OK. I’m coming with you,’ Walay announced.

A reporter and the green haired DATA officer that Lili had left in charge appeared. ‘And now we have DATA Lieutenant Hambal, the OIC of the situation. Good evening Lieutenant. What happened? Who is responsible for this dastardly attack?’

‘Our preliminary investigations indicate that a Unitemple cult called Fiery Path was responsible for this carnage. It’s Iladistani based and funded, but misled and brainwashed Alogostani mercenary recruits have recently set up subversive chapters in our great and peaceful Nation. Its Eastern Islands chapters have been particularly and virulently active. Several days ago, this malignant organization attacked a meeting in the Governor’s Office in Buhi City; fortunately only the attacker was killed; no one else wounded. After that, they attacked a radio station in Amihan City, where five children died. Then that attack in Amihan Port. Now this.’

‘Can you explain how they got in a one ton bomb inside Buhi Port?

‘Yes. Somehow they managed to dig up one of the abandoned WW3 bombs, a huge vectored Buak explosive. They placed the bomb in a cargo container. Then one of their members paid a shipping lines company to have it shipped to the Mainland. The company in good faith transported the container into Buhi Port. One of their assassins waited for a group of disembarking passengers to arrive and then detonated the bomb by remote control. So far, that’s all I can give to you. Don’t worry, our authorities are now on to their trail, and rest be assured that everyone of these maniacs will be caught and executed.’

‘Why isn’t our Government protesting against the Iladistanis? You say it’s an Iladistani cult.’

‘Oh we will. The World Council of Nations meets a few days from now in the grand Capital of our Nation, Tunga City. It’s our turn to host the annual meeting. The WDF Lower Committee will be there. Even now, our Ambassador to the WCN is composing her letter of protest, and copies will be submitted to both the WCN and the WDF. I don’t know the details of it, but we’ll surely hear it on TV.’

The view shifted back to the main announcer in his studio. ‘There you have it straight from the ever reliable Department of Anti Terrorist Affairs. Now back to regular news. Latest gossip on a young starlet..’

Alwana clicked off the TV. ‘Lili, they did not mention that all those killed were MDEs and no one else! It’s obvious that they were the targets and whoever masterminded the operation wanted to avoid collateral damage. That does not look like a typical @#$%* terrorist act. Did you know about this TV report?’

‘Minister Kusgan had instructed me to leave out the identities of the victims. Around 30 minutes ago, he had requested our Ambassador to the WCN to protest the incident, and she agreed. He’s also planning to take it up with the WDF and accuse the Iladistani Unitemple of carrying out an attack on MDEs, and again lobby for protocol 999. Thanks to Ihap I know that the bomb was vintage WW3. As far as I know that report is accurate, but just leaves out the MDEs’ deaths.’

‘Why all those Glorious and Grand words?’ Elam asked innocently.

Lili sighed. ‘We all know that nationalism is the precursor to fascism, which our Household abhors. Unfortunately I have to toe the official nationalistic proto-fascist jingo, or I’d be out of a job. I don’t believe in a single @#$%ty word of those @#$% words myself.’

Elam guffawed. Oisa smiled. Pana snickered. The rest of the avatars followed suit. Bodhi chuckled and then raised her hand.

‘Lili, it occurs to me that from Kusgan’s point of view, everything is going according to plan. The senior Alogostani Maestros are dead and caput. I have no doubt that he will now take over the leadership of the Order of the Autumn Sea, or Seal new graduates loyal to him.’

Pana also raised her hand. ‘At the same time, he has nearly two thousand masterless avatars that he can offer to the WDF as Dumots. Masterless avatars usually follow the most senior of their Order who is still alive, and I expect that is now Kusgan for the Autumn Sea.’

Alwana added ‘Furthermore a terrorist act on Maestros is attributed to the Iladistani Unitemple, and strengthens Kusgan’s lobbying position for Protocol 999. Are you certain he’s not using you Lili?’

‘Of course he is. I have known him to have been a manipulator, ever since he maneuvered me into joining DATA as a child. But then look at the bright side. Kusgan has always been known to deliver on his promises to his allies. People who betray their own comrades don’t have many friends and if you’re friendless in the high Alogostani political game, you don’t last long. Does anyone remember what Kusgan promised to us of the Sun and Sky?’

Ihap removed her hairpin and nodded her head vigorously. Shimmery blackish blue hair flowed down her shoulder like dusk down the sea. She spoke up in a strong authoritative voice. ‘Yes Kusgan said that he would try to get President Tagas to transfer ownership of our Household to Elam, which certainly would solve our biggest financial problem. I know where this conversation is going. Lili is Compelled not to murder Maestros, but she could well have set them up, for another person to target. Before anyone asks Lili if she collaborated on the murder of a hundred Maestros, let me say that I would like to believe that she did not, in any case the result is favorable for our House. Anyone who says otherwise better come up with a solution on how to get back control of our Household’s accounts.’

Of the humans in the room Elam looked stunned, but remained silent. Walay nodded approvingly. Lili put on a poker face. The avatars seemed to go into freeze mode.

Finally Oisa moved. She looked at Elam gently. ‘Iho, this is the real political world. Personally I would like to believe that Lili did not collaborate on the murder of a hundred Maestros, in any case the result is favorable for our House.’

Lili, Walay, and Elam went to the Tower Clinic’s lower floor which served as PT facility and gym at around 6:15 am the next morning. Elam descended from his flight deck quarters, which had been fixed by Husay and his Mechanics following the Sanag River darkling attack, and Lili and Walay climbed all the way up from the former’s house in the Hanging Gardens. All the Veteran avatars present were doing their 6 to 7 morning exercises in the gym, except for Ihap, who was reading a softbound book. Lili joined the avatars pulling weights, but Elam decided to observe. At 6:30, all 20 Kaluwasan students and Aya climbed down from the Clinic’s upper floor where they had spent the night. The students looked all fine except for minor abrasions.

‘What happens if you don’t exercise?’ a chubby student named Tabachoy asked.

‘We could fatten up just like humans and get sick of the typical diseases of the obese,’ Aya, who was watching with them, answered. ‘Father said he would not heal any avatar who did so, saying that we had to keep fit and trim the way humans did.’

Aya pointed at Bantay, clad only in jogging pants. He was doing pull ups. Latissimus dorsi muscles like corded steel rippled lengthwise on his upper back. ‘Bantay only needs to do a single pull up every other day in order to maintain his magnificent muscles, but he does more out of fun. Our muscles, being made from dark quanta, are several times more efficient than humans, and we need to exercise less in order to tone and hypertrophy them.’

Tuman frowned. ‘That’s paradoxical. If your muscles are more efficient, then you should grow fat more easily than humans, since more efficient means less energy spent for any action.’

Aya laughed. ‘You’re a bright one Tuman. We have a way around that, a kind of cheat. Have you heard of brown fat? It’s a fat-like tissue that originated as muscle. Human babies use it to keep themselves warm, while consuming calories. Avatars can control most of their physiology voluntarily. So if an avatar wishes to dispose of extra calories, she simply turns on her brown fatty tissues to burn it.’

‘You can control your physiology?’

‘Yes. For instance you could dunk me in the sea outside the Shield for an hour. I won’t drown. I would simply slow down my heart and over-all metabolism like a hibernating mammal, and live on the oxygen from the myoglobin in my muscles.’

‘That’s amazing! No wonder you don’t age.’ Tuman waved at Ihap. ‘By the way why aren’t you exercising, Ihap? I know Aya just came in with us.’

Ihap looked listless and forlorn. ‘Aya just came from her Clinic, and seems to have decided to keep on entertaining you all. I guess I’m just depressed over Father’s death. I was the last avatar to see him in the Shield before he got kidnapped, and it was right before my eyes. I don’t really go to sleep but I keep on recalling his kidnapping in my mind, like a bad replaying nightmare. Moreover, with our assets frozen, as our Household accountant, I worry every hour of the day, thinking of how to get back control of our back accounts.’

‘Is that some kind of accounting book you’re holding?’

‘Yes, I’ve nothing to do now. My purpose for existence in this reoccurrence is gone. I just read the old accounting books of the Household, trying to find ways to save on our expenses if we ever get back into a proper functional Household again. This here is the oldest one; it reoccurred with us and the Shield 40 years ago. It’s the weirdest too. It details income and expenses that none of us remember during the Great Dark Shift, and its first page is full of numbers in Father’s handwriting, which he couldn’t recall writing. I believe they are some kind of code; I’m now trying to crack them. I’m also entertaining the possibility of going back to my old job and purpose, being a Combat Avatar, but there is no Dark War at present. I had a secondary Form as an infiltrator Succubus, but that Form was always linked to combat infiltration missions. I have no more purpose in this world.’ Ihap looked as woeful as a hurt dog.

Tuman was looking at her quizzically. ‘You really feel these emotions? Depression? Worry?’

‘Yes. But I see what you’re getting at. I could well be programmed to act and answer as if I were depressed and worried, and respond with an affirmative if asked if I were so, but in truth not really feel it. You decide, Tuman.’

‘Well you certainly could well pass off as a human on the outside. You behave like one. How come the other avatars move like robots?’

As the avatars left the student group, climbing down the central staircase, Aya smiled. ‘See what Ihap means? Father designated 6 to 7 am as Veteran exercise period, and instructed us, except Wings who already expend too much energy flying about, to work out at least three times a week. As avatars, we tend to follow his words to the letter, not noticing that it would sometimes look weird to a human.’

Captain Sugo opened the 8am breakfast meeting at Café Tubangwala. ‘I’ve given some thought about our situation. We have two serious problems.’

‘First, our Seal is fading on Lili’s arm. We still do not know how to stabilize it. I know that most of us do not believe that Father’s message in the stolen USB flash drive has anything to do with this problem, but we have to make sure. If there is a small chance that the message will help us preserve our Seal, then we must retrieve that USB drive. It was stolen by an organized group of Dark Kindred. Thus, as Bodhi opined, we have to scope out their secret societies. Tahum, Tukib, and Pana have already volunteered. They did well in the last mission.’

‘Aren’t Lili and I coming too?’ Elam asked excitedly. ‘We had good team chemistry in the Tandayag mission.’

‘No, Elam. We want to transfer ownership of our Household to you, not to expose you in a dangerous mission. Lili has other things to do.’

‘I’m going too,’ Luto stated. The Dark Kindred wore Deceptive Disguises in order to infiltrate the bank. If we meet similarly Disguised ones, my knife will cut and identify them if needed.’

‘Yes, you would be of help,’ Tahum agreed. ‘This mission might feel new to you though, since you rarely get out of the Shield, Luto. You and Pana would be the junior operatives here.’

‘Fine with me. However, I do have more experience outside the Shield than Pana.’

‘What the heck, I guess that means I’m the runt of the mission again,’ Pana grumbled.

‘The command chain is defined then. I lead. Tukib is my second, Luto third, Pana fourth. We start out tonight. Since we know next to nothing about the Kindreds’ organizations, we’ll start in Buhi City’s karaoke bars where there are almost always Succuboid Dark Kindred at work as GROs.’

Sugo again took over. ‘That’s settled then. The second problem is the freezing of all our Household accounts, and is related to the fact that as of now, we do not have a legal identity. Although we have nominal Alogostani citizenship, traditionally avatars have been regarded as a kind of property of their Maestro maker, and our Father has passed on. Ihap? Any report?’

At this point an eletrain arrived. Minister Kusgan escorted by Bantay and Walay stepped into the café. With them were three non MDE human strangers. Lili snapped to attention and saluted him.

‘At ease Lili. I just came from Buhi Port. That was quite a mess; they’re still trying to piece together the body parts. I’m glad you and your cousin made it out alive. I didn’t know that she took her reward leave in this ship.’

Minister Kusgan stepped in front of them. Knowing the avatars’ straightforward attitude and behavior, he didn’t waste words.

‘These men are Deputy Director for Human Intelligence Lihok, Deputy Director for Electronic Intelligence Tigom, and Deputy Director for Enforcement Duso. We comprise DATA’s leadership. They’ve come here in view of the seriousness of DATA’s proposal to your Household.

‘We’ve convinced President Tagas of awarding Alogostani citizenship to Elam, and transferring ownership of the Household of the Sun and Sky and the Shield to him, but on certain conditions. You Veteran avatars will have to come to the Presidential Palace in order to make the deal in person. I’ve arranged a meeting two hours from now. You can bring the Shield temporarily to Tunga River beside the Palace. After the meeting you can go back to the Eastern islands. The President will recompense your travel expenses with Bugu coins. However, you must convince him that you are sincerely willing to cooperate for the greater good of Alogostan.’

‘Will you tell us what’s expected of us Minister?’ Henloan asked.

‘Yes. We might as well be honest with one another. The avatars of my fellow MDEs in the Order of the Autumn Sea who died in that blast have voluntarily placed themselves under my control as I am the most senior member of my Order still alive. I have offered them as Dumot avatars to the Veiled Commission in order to carry out Protocol 999 against the Iladistani Unitemple. As I suspected they would, the Veiled Commission decided to bring the matter to the World Council of Nations in their meeting this week in Tunga City. It seems clear to me that the WDF has no intention of eliminating the Iladistani Unitemple. Our strongest hope for it to change its mind is to definitively prove that the Buhi Port terror attack on the Maestros last night was done by Fiery Path. DATA would like to enlist the Veteran avatars of the Sun and Sky to infiltrate Fiery Path.’

‘Huh. What for?’ Pana irreverently interrupted. ‘You have lots of spies. You’re also assuming that it was Fiery Path that did the Buhi Port attack.’

Kusgan patiently continued explaining. ‘Gisaligan Pana, if I may answer your second question, it would be to the advantage of your Household if it were proven that Fiery Path did it, whether they actually did it or not.’

Elam made a sound like a chicken squawking in surprise. All three DATA Deputy Ministers glanced at him. Kusgan ignored him and continued.

‘The WDF would be pressured strongly to enact Protocol 999 against their stem organization, the Iladistani Unitemple, and I believe the Veiled Commission might just forego bringing up the matter to the World Council of Nations and will instead act unilaterally.’

‘Regarding your first question, all our field agents within Fiery Path suddenly disappeared two days ago. Lihok?’

Deputy Minister for Human Intelligence Lihok typed on his tabcom. ‘I will read you their last report: Suspect presence of Possessed or Abominations.’

‘What does it mean?’

Deputy Minister for Electronic Intelligence Tigom spoke up. ‘Taking into consideration past corroborative reports, we believe that Possessed have taken control over the leadership of Fiery Path and have taken down our human spies.’

Kusgan took over again.

Oisa stood up. ‘I see no other choice, but some of us may have different opinions from mine. You Honor, if I may say so we would like to discuss this matter among ourselves.’

‘Yes of couse. I’m taking a tea break in that nice looking roof deck teahouse below us. Walay, come with me; you seem to know how to operate the transports here.’

‘Yes sir. I made it a point to learn to drive them during the wake.’ Minister Kusgan strode out to the eletrain, followed by the three Deputy Ministers, escorted by Walay.

After they had left, Alwana raised her hand. ‘Alright, I don’t see any other choice for us either. I would just urge caution. Lili, is it DATA’s intention to turn our Household into one of its spy arms?’

‘By the way the Minister has been talking, yes.’

Elam interrupted them. ‘This is unbelievable. If Fiery Path isn’t really responsible for last night’s Buhi Port attack, did I just hear DATA high officials proposing that we frame it to make it look guilty for DATA’s purposes?’

Bodhi sighed. ‘More political correctness Elam? Note that at this time, DATA is presenting itself to us as an ally. Objectively, can you propose what else can we do in order to save our bank accounts, and ourselves from getting sold off like slaves on an auction block to the highest bidder by the Alogostani state, after it legally acquires us by default?’

Elam could not say anything to that.

‘Iyot. F__ck!’ Bantay was looking out his window. ‘I forgot to tell the students to stay away from the bow facilities. They seem to have finished breakfast and gone down to the bow roof deck Tsa teahouse. Kusgan, the other DATA officials, and Walay have just joined them for tea. In a few minutes those nationalistic bastards will know everything there is to know about them to arrest and execute them as secessionists.’

Lili was frowning worriedly. ‘Bantay is right. Kusgan won’t do it now of course, in the midst of a transaction with us; but he now has the option of doing it in the future. Knowing him, he’ll ask and remember all their names, and note them in his tabcom when no one notices, or take a group picture with them in order to upload their faces in DATA computers. All of them will have permanent files in DATA as potential secessionists.’

‘S__t! They’re having a group picture right now.’ Bugsay cursed, looking down at them. ‘In any case, there’s nothing much we can do about that anymore.’

‘OK let’s get this over with first,’ Husay interjected. ‘Bugsay aren’t you going to start the Outrigger Engines? We’re supposed to meet the President in less than two hours.’

Bugsay nodded and strode down the café’s central staircase. Bodhi stood up. ‘We Wings will have to go; the President will expect us.’

Lili spoke up. ‘Kusgan has obtained passes for only 8 non Ministerial people. Elam and I will have to go too, so there is room only for two more.’

‘How about me?’ Ihap volunteered. ‘With the Household’s accounts frozen, I’ve got nothing better to do. I’ve always been curious about the decorations in the Presidential Palace; how much they’re worth.’

Luto, who was coming out of the café’s kitchen area, waved his hand. ‘Hey me too! If I am to go out hunting for Father’s stolen USB, I may as well get practice intermingling with people outside the Shield. I haven’t gone out for quite a while.’

Bugsay’s voice came over the café’s computer table in the broad com band. ‘Attention all passengers. In a few minutes the Shield will commence its trip to Tunga City Presidential Palace. We will dock in the mouth of Tunga River beside the Palace.’ Lili was texting Kusgan on her tabcom of the Household’s decision to accept his offer.

A shimmery dark blue veil appeared to cover the entire Boat. ‘That is the Shield of the Shield,’ Bugsay’s voice continued, clearly aimed at the students in the Boat. ‘The Outrigger Engines move by small rigidly defined incremental reality shifts. Everything inside the bluish tent-like structure you see is protected, including the open air spaces on the roof deck where you are. Don’t try to jump outside the Shield of the Shield or you might end up in a different reality.’

The world around them stopped. The Shield transformed into a ship-shaped strobe, flashing its blue form in endless identical multiples across a frozen portrait of the sea. In five minutes they docked at the side of Tunga River mouth. The world moved again.

‘I’m already in college,’ a student named Agda said. ‘Yet he has been the Dalokistani President as far as I can remember. Don’t the Dalokistanis have a maximum number of terms for their Presidents?’

‘No, iha,’ Kusgan replied. ‘Furthemore, unlike in Alogostan, it’s legal for Dalokistani corporations to provide funds for specific parties and candidates during campaign periods. The Dalokistani elected high officials are almost always either sock puppets or owners of the big corporations.’

‘They might as well appoint a dictator,’ Tuman commented.

Kusgan gazed at him curiously. ‘What makes you say that, Tuman? Dalokistan still elects its Presidents in a democratic manner.’

Tuman thought for several seconds. ‘Let me give an analogy. Suppose your Honor wants to run for Governor of Saging Island, one of the Plantation Islands in the Alogostani Offshore. Inside your Province’s territory is a company that uses a non biodegradable insecticide for its banana plantations. Chemical analysis of the Island’s wells indicates that the insecticide has been seeping into the town's water table. The company sends a representative who gives you a fat bag of 1000 peso coins that will cover all of your electoral campaign expenses plus enough left over to buy yourself a mansion and to send your kids to the best schools in the world.’

‘To whom will you owe your loyalty? To the company or to the long term welfare of the people of your Island, whose votes you end up buying anyway one way or the other thanks to the generosity of the company?’

‘This is the fundamental paradox of the political system that we call representative democracy. When we vote representatives, those with money can sway our votes, and those that give them the money can influence them. Patronage politics. Just an opinion Your Honor.’

Deputy Ministers Lihok, Tigom, and Duso were all looking at Tuman. Kusgan hid his surprise by assuming a poker face and a bland voice.

‘What would you have Tuman?’

‘An approximation of participative democracy, Your Honor. However, it would probably require the partition of large polities into smaller societies, where most ordinary citizens can directly influence the society’s leaders or even make important decisions for the entire society.’

‘Oh there’s Bantay, ready to escort you, Sirs.’ Walay pointed to the husky avatar approaching Tsa Teahouse.

Kusgan stood up. ‘I only have passes for 8, so you all have to stay here. It’s been a pleasure talking to you Tuman. I would love to continue our conversation but I’m not sure if we can meet again, with my busy schedule.’

After Kusgan had left with Bantay, the students began to disperse to the various facilities of the rooftop deck. Walay drew Tuman aside. ‘Can we talk some more?’ She led him to an empty eletrain, and punched in coordinates. It moved down a tunnel in the roof deck and stopped, leaving them alone in the dim light of the eletrain’s console.

Tuman looked startled. ‘Hey what are we doing here?’

Walay faced him. She was still dressed in tube top and micro mini, and she was peering quite seriously into his eyes. She took his left hand and placed it on her heart. ‘Dating. Please, Tuman, is it alright with you?’

‘Uhm,’ Tuman muttered. She took his right hand and placed it on her left thigh. ‘Uh,’ Tuman stuttered. ‘I don’t know. Uhm.’

‘What? You mean you haven’t done it before?’ Walay embraced him.

After several minutes, he drew back, spent but contented. ‘You, uh, are too young. Hmm, Walay.’

Walay kissed him affectionately on his forehead. ‘No I’m not. I’m Tamawo. The avatars say I’m a Hybrid that’s more darkling than human. I loved you right when I first met you in the Main Hallway. You’re the most intelligent human I have ever met. I’m scared Tuman.’

‘You are?’

Oisa, Bodhi, Alwana, Aya, Lili, Luto, Elam, Ihap, Kusgan, Lihok, Tigom, and Duso disembarked from the Shield. On the Presidential Pier, they were met by a resplendently uniformed blue haired officer of the Alogostani Presidential Guard.

Kusgan gave him their passes. ‘Kamusta na General? How are you? We know each other but the Wings don’t. Nice for you to meet us in person.’

‘Always a good idea to keep you in my sight, Minister General Kusgan.’ The officer bowed to the Wings. ‘I’m Babaw, General of the Presidential Guard.’ They got into an electric-hydrogen van driven by the General. The three DATA Deputy Ministers did not join them, but took their leave.

As they traversed Palace grounds, they saw squads of Presidential Guards patrolling the perimeters of the manicured lawns, most of them looking in their direction. In the backseat Lili softly whispered to Elam in Sinayabi, ‘The Presidential Guard has always looked at DATA with suspicion. If Minister Kusgan weren’t a Cabinet level Minister, even he would have to line up for a pass.’

They got off near a side entrance to the Palace main building. As they entered, they met another small party on their way out.

‘By the Tela, it’s the Arch Wings!’ The voice was booming in Esperanto out of a huge robust bull-like man dressed in the traditional costume of the ancient Dalokistani royalty.

‘The President of Dalokistan, his Excellency Don Dako, who is here for pre-talks with President Tagas on the upcoming World Council of Nations conference. President Don Dako, these are the Arch Winged avatars of the Order of the Sun and Sky- the Warrior, Secretary, Scientist, and Medic, and avatars Ihap and Luto.’ Babaw made the introductions but did not mention the two DATA officers.

‘Oisa, Bodhi, Alwana, and Aya, as you prefer to call yourselves, don’t you,’ Dako warmly greeted them. ‘As a kid, I grew up reading accounts of your exploits from the Great Dark War. You four were legend. Then when I was a teenager, news came that you four reoccurred. It created a media sensation then, but then you soon disappeared from public view. I heard that you claimed back your old job of fighting darklings under your Maestro in the WDF Bounty Hunter’s League, which had never taken you off its active list of combat MDEs and avatars since it only does that to confirmed KIAs, not to MIAs. My condolences, I heard that your Maestro was honorably killed in action a few days ago.’

‘Salamat. Thank you. We’re great admirers of your space exploration programs,’ Bodhi replied in a diplomatic voice.

‘Yes Sir,’ Alwana added. ‘Every time we climb up our Boat’s central Tower, we see the Ares colony that you almost singlehandedly organized and funded. I’ve noticed the domes’ windows use malleable plastic similar to the one we use in our Boat. Ours is of superior quality, developed in a world more technologically advanced than Tera. Personally I would like to replace your windows’ inferior plastic with ours.’

Dako stared at her. ‘Excuse me Arch Wing?’

Oisa glared at Alwana. ‘Stop confusing the President, Alwana. The Ares colony’s plastic windows are just fine. What she means is that the Tower Rooms in our Balanghay Boat open into different realities. One of them looks into the Ares colony. We don’t exactly know how that view opened, but then the Rooms keep on shifting openings to different locations.’

‘What? Can you get there from your Tower?’

‘Yes, but it risks triggering a darkquake or even a significant dark shift of our present reality. So our Father has forbidden us from opening out of our Tower’s Rooms without his strict supervision. He’s now gone, so we’re simply not doing it at all.’

President Dako seemed stunned by this info. After several moments of silence, General Babaw ahemmed. ‘We better get on to the Presidential Office. President Tagas is waiting.’

As if suddenly woken up, Dako nodded. ‘Of course! We’ll have to continue our discussion some other time.’