As the distance to L'mdana grew shorter, so did the nerves of all aboard this small ship. Genhyl seemed generally irritated and snappish. Charaustra was nervous, and as a result, she was constantly shorting out equipment with the small electrical fields she produced. This didn't help Genhyl's temper any. Jason tried the help the best he could, but he too was nervous. He had no idea what would await him and Char on L'mdana. Even Alexei seemed tense. It was a palpable feeling... like a rope pulled taut. Finally, it was the day they were to arrive at the planet, and Genhyl had called everyone to the bridge of the ship.
"We're going to be pulling out of hyperspace soon and the we will move towards the planet and take up orbit, if possible." He punched in something on the panel in front of him, and Jason felt a jolt as the ship tore back into normal space. The stars slid to a stop, and Jason could see a round, purple planet before them. Sure enough, there were several vessels orbiting the planet. Genhyl immediately began running scans.
"Two of the ships match the configurations you gave us, Alexei," he said. "The rest appear to be trade ships."
"Are they going to attack us?" Jason asked, watching the ships orbiting the planet and trying to pick out the hostile vessels. They all looked the same to him. Next to him, Char was glaring at the viewscreen.
"Not likely..." Genhyl said. "They could always surprise me, but I'm betting that they'd rather keep a low profile. No use in giving the Council a reason to decide faster. I'm hoping they won't even know why we're here."
Genhyl's prediction held. As they took orbit around the planet and talked with the traffickers on the planet surface, the hostile vessels made no move to intercept or any other sign they even registered their presence. Finally, when all communications and protocols were over, Genhyl rose from his chair.
"We'll take a shuttle down. With us, we will bring some weapons and supplies. If we head directly to the temples, there may be trouble. Instead, we're going to land in Tir'la, a small city near the Temple of Dalan." He instructed.
"The Temple of Dalan was one of the first hit," Alexei explained. "It was damaged greatly, and several of its guardians were killed. The Temple was ransacked, and many artifacts were taken." At this, Charaustra growled softly.
"We'll find out what's going on, and we'll put a stop to it," Jason said, and Charaustra nodded. Together, the group left the bridge and headed to the docking bay.
Background from Absolute Background Textures Archive. Storyline and characters created by and copyright © Rachel "Indyana" Gratis, 2001-2004. Dragon from Veniam Mactare.