By David C. Daoust
He was born a ‘Ward of Ergos’.
A Ward’s life, when compared to what was promised, was but a fleeting glimpse. Thirteen years to grow, thirteen years for their minds to develop. Thirteen years until their Ascension– To the day they joined with Ergos for good- And joined the One Mind in Eternal Life.
This was all he had ever known.
This is what he was told, what he was taught- this is what he has, since, taught others.
He spent his days at play- chasing, hiding, doing whatever he felt like doing, just like every other Ward of Ergos. They were watched over by their nannies; the three floating spheres, that accompanied each Ward, wherever they went.
His name was Clover. And this was his thirteenth year. Things were about to change for him.
The last time things changed, he’d just turned eleven. He was made an ‘Agent of Ergos’. It was a new game, or so he thought at first. He got to ride around in a crazy suit, flit through the White, most importantly, to the Black Beyond– to see the stars.
The ‘crazy suit’ was actually a ‘Scion’. But to Clover- it was his ‘Galliant’; the massive machines the ancients used to traverse old planets. He’d found stories… the ones about the ‘Galliants of Mars’ were his favorite. Thus to him, that Scion was his Galliant.
The Agents of Ergos were sent in ensure the required energy was acquired when the normal methods went off line. The Agents had come close to missing the ‘jump’ a number of times. Many Agents were elevated to ‘Hero’ for the measures they took to complete their missions.
Over the years the older Agents, one by one, joined the One Mind. To Clover- These were the guys that knew what they were doing; these were the Heroes they could all look up to, the ones that could never be replaced.
Now, Clover was the Hero. For it was his duty to pull the foreign ship into the White. Ergos proclaimed him a Hero for all to hear, well, to see; the nannies showed such proclamations upon their holo-screens.
The whole idea that he was a hero didn’t sit right in Clover’s head; didn’t feel real.
It was Clover’s action that saved them all from the Collapse. But really… he just did what any of them would have done. They called him a hero anyway.
He still didn’t feel like those other guys, the real Heroes that came before. Clover felt flushed and embarrassed every time someone congratulated him or thanked him. He couldn’t fly through ‘Hearth’ without someone stopping him. Everyone wanted to know all about it.
The Abashed Hero found himself telling the same stories over and over again. All about the giants that walked like droids, but weren’t droids at all. They were people. People of all different colors, white and blue, and an orange one too, brown people, and oh it was endless. They were all just so strange, with hair on their heads, like some sort of crazy hat.
The population of Wards couldn’t get enough of his tales.
Fact was most had heard of these giants from past experiences, experiences relayed by past Heroes.
Now it was Clover’s turn. They wanted to hear it from him.
The other wards laughed every time he explained how ludicrous these other beings were. At least one ward asked, “Why don’t they fly?” Every time– every time someone asked- without fail.
At first Clover would just say he didn’t know. Until he got such a rise from the group, when he guessed they were probably too tall– too tall to fly through their own corridors! That’s become the answer ever since. Most of the wards just laughed, but the younger ones, their eyes got big. Clover knew they were in wonderment at the idea- made it a bit funnier in Clover’s mind.
He glossed over the scary parts. Like when the Nannies disappeared. He’d never been without them in all his life. He’d never been without power either. He didn’t know what to do. He was trapped, completely alone, floating in the Black Beyond place. He did everything he could think of to pull the power back up; Flipping switches, hitting buttons. When it did not work, he did it all again, over and over again, all in the hopes he wouldn’t freak out.
It didn’t work.
By the time he was captured, he was crying out for Ergos, so loud, his voice started to crack. Clover was swallowed by that foreign ship, Scion and all.
A new fear gripped him, he stayed silent.
The giants strapped his ‘Mighty Galliant’ down on its back, Clover still trapped within, and started rolling them around from ship to ship, room to room. He knew they couldn’t see him through the darkened dome.
Clover did not know what to do as the giant poked and prodded his suit.
He wound up holding the dome down tight as the giant tried to open it up. Finally it quit, Clover felt he was lucky– he was getting tired. The giant was much stronger than he; came back refreshed, before he was ready for another bout.
Clover’s grip gave out.
The dome was lifted away. The light stung his eyes. He could feel it on his sensitive skin. There was no help for it, the emotions welled up within him, and came pouring out his mouth- “My nannies are gone!” He’d cried.
Clover left that all out. The other Wards didn’t need to hear all that. They knew he was scared, as was all the rest that had lost power. Just dumb luck that Clover got captured, none of it made him feel like a Hero.
It was quite an experience. The Giants were all so big, but the one that tried to speak to him, did not seem to be mean at all. Then the red serpents appeared… but the nannies were suddenly back online… that was where the story got good!
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