A Matter of Time... (The sequel to Return of the Avatar)

Hi, everybody! Here's the sequel to my previous tale, Return of the Avatar. Since this tale is considerably longer than that one, I've decided to present one chapter every week or so rather than all at once. Hope you enjoy it!

***********************************************************************************

A Matter of Time… (The sequel to Return of the Avatar)

Prologue

Another plane of existence…

Lord Order and Lord Chaos were both concentrating on their chess match. Lord Chaos distracted Lord Order by causing a giant fly to suddenly appear and buzz around his head. As Lord Order took a moment to swat the fly out of existence with his left hand, the entire chessboard phased out of existence for a moment and then reappeared. When Lord Order turned his attention back to the chessboard, he was unaware that anything had changed. Nor did he see the sly smile on Lord Chaos’ face…



New Britannia…

Meanwhile, in the Garudan Forest, Gabriel Nightshadow, Nystal, and Theodric had just finished packing up their belongings and were about to embark on their journey to The Valley of Fallen Heroes. As they were about to mount their horses, Gabriel remarked how nice the weather was. It was a warm, spring day and there was a slight breeze in the air.

“How long will it take for us to reach this Valley of Fallen Heroes?”,asked Gabriel.

“About eight hours.” ,replied Nystal, “We should arrive there sometime this evening. We’ll set up camp there for night.”

Noticing the expression on Theodric’s face, Nystal said, “What troubles you, Theodric?”

“Master Nystal, there are rumors that the dead come back to life at night in the Valley of Fallen Heroes!”, replied Theodric, “I’m not sure if it is wise for us to spend the night there…”

“Theodric, a learned man such as yourself should know better than to believe such superstitious nonsense!”, scolded Nystal, “I assure you that the Valley of Fallen Heroes is perfectly safe!”

“Don’t be so hard on him, Nystal!”, said Gabriel, ‘He…”

Gabriel suddenly vanished into thin air!

“By Darhan’s beard!”, exclaimed Theodric.

Nystal suddenly had a very serious look on his face.

“Oh dear, this is not good. Not good at all!”, said Nystal, as he stroked his long, white beard.

“What happened to Gabriel?”, asked Theodric.

“I sense that he has been transported to a parallel universe, and will soon meet my other half!”, replied Nystal.

“Your other half? I don’t understand…”, said Theodric, with a rather puzzled look on his face.

“Ah, that’s a very long story…”, replied Nystal.


Chapter One – Along Comes A Ranger…

New Britannia II…

Gabriel reappeared a moment later in the Garudan Forest, but Nystal and Theodric were nowhere to be found! He called out their names, but got no response. Indeed, the forest seemed awfully quiet. Too quiet perhaps, Gabriel thought to himself…

Suddenly, Gabriel heard the sounds of men shouting and strange humming and clanking noises. He heard a man shout, ”Hurry, I think he fled this way!”

Soon, Gabriel found himself facing fifteen Oracle flies, spiders, and Obsidian soldiers!

“You there!”, yelled one of the soldiers, “Did you see a ranger come this way?”

“No, sir!”, replied Gabriel.

This didn’t make any sense at all, Gabriel thought to himself. Why would there be some of the Oracle’s droids running around here and allied with her bitter enemies, the Obsidians? The Dragon Lords had helped Lord British and the Avatar deal with both of these threats to New Britannia 200 years ago…

“I see.” , replied the soldier, “Seize that man! We will take him back to the Temple for conversion. He will make a fine addition to our army! All hail the Oracle!”

Two of the other soldiers stepped forward, but Gabriel quickly drew his Dragon Katana.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers fell back dead, an arrow sticking out of his chest!

“That arrow came from up there!”, shouted the other soldier, pointing to some nearby trees, ”I…” He never got to finish his sentence as he, too, was cut down by another arrow!

One of the Oracle flies fired a laser beam at one of the trees. Gabriel heard someone grunt in pain, and a figure fell from one of the nearby trees. The figure quickly rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames coming from his left shoulder and quickly came up on one knee and fired another arrow at the Oracle fly. The Oracle fly exploded into tiny pieces.

“Attack!”, yelled the enemy commander. The remaining soldiers, spiders, and flies surged forward. Gabriel decided to engage the enemy with his Dragon Katana, for it would be unwise to use his fire magic here in the woods.

A massive Obsidian soldier charged at Gabriel. “Those who do not serve the Oracle shall die!”, he yelled, as he swung his sword at Gabriel’s head. Gabriel easily dodged the attack and decapitated his foe before he had the chance to recover.

Unbeknownst to both Gabriel and the ranger, a robed figure was observing these events unfold from behind the safety of a nearby shrub.

“Time Lord, you must help these good people!”, said a young, female Thai voice.

“No, it is not my place to interfere, Chariya, merely to observe!”, said Time Lord, shaking his head. ”Besides, I’m sure these two can handle these foes on their own!”

The ranger fired three more arrows in rapid succession at their foes, taking out an Oracle fly, an Oracle spider, and an Obsidian soldier. I’ve never seen an archer move that fast before, Gabriel thought to himself, as he sliced an Oracle spider in half with his Dragon Katana.


Carlin, the Druid Archer's Theme

Thanks to his enhanced sense of hearing, which he had developed during the years he spent immersing himself in the martial arts at Jintao Temple, Gabriel heard a humming sound coming from some distance behind him. He quickly turned around and saw an Oracle fly which had flown behind the ranger undetected.

“Look out, behind you!” , yelled Gabriel, as he quickly grabbed one of his throwing knives and hurled it at the Oracle fly.

The Oracle fly was impaled against a tree! The ranger nodded to Gabriel, then dropped his bow (for he had run out of arrows) and drew his long sword. The two of them stood back to back and quickly dealt with the remaining foes who had surrounded them.

After the last foe had fallen, the ranger shook Gabriel’s hand and introduced himself.

"Thanks for the help. I’m Carlin, the Druid Archer.” , said the ranger.

“I’m Gabriel Nightshadow. Glad to be of assistance.”, replied Gabriel, “Why were those soldiers and droids pursuing you?”

“That was one of the Oracle’s hunting parties which I happened to stumble across.”, replied Carlin, “Although the Dragon Lords helped Lord British and the Avatar defeat the Oracle two hundred years ago, some of her droids and neurologically implanted human soldiers still exist and continue to follow their prime directive: seek out humans to convert into Oracle followers. There must be an Oracle temple nearby because I know that the droids have a limited range. You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if remnants of the Obsidian Eye’s forces still exist today as well.”

“I see.”, replied Gabriel, who seemed troubled by this news, ”It seems that I have misplaced my two traveling companions. By any chance, did you happen to come across a tall, white bearded wizard and a short, fat monk in the forest?”

“No, can’t say that I have.”, said Carlin, “But this forest is rather large…”

Suddenly, Gabriel and Carlin heard someone scream out in pain from behind a nearby shrub.

“What’s wrong, my love?”, asked the young, female Thai voice, as Time Lord began clutching his head with both his hands.

“The pain! My head feels like it’s on fire!”, screamed Time Lord, as he started phasing in and out, “Someone is trying to tamper with this time line!”

The sky grew dark as storm clouds began to form. Lightning filled the sky as a swirling, red and black portal suddenly appeared next to Gabriel and Carlin. A knight clad in the white colored, full plate armor and insignia of Lord British’s elite Valcin guard emerged and all of reality began to change!



The trees in the forest suddenly became black and gnarled and devoid of leaves. Gabriel’s Dragon Katana suddenly turned into an ordinary katana and his enchanted plate armor became regular plate armor. Carlin’s Elvish bow, a gift from his mentor, the great Elf archer Sibal, became a normal longbow and his enchanted Mithril armor suddenly became normal studded leather armor.

The knight appeared to be somewhat disorientated.

“What manner of sorcery is this?!”, he asked, as he drew his long sword.

Gabriel and Carlin heard some disturbingly familiar sounds. They turned around and found themselves facing forty Oracle flies, spiders, and Obsidian soldiers! The Oracle flies and spiders seemed much larger now, had changed color from silver to jet black, and now sported razor sharp adamantium mandibles. The Oracle spiders now had spider web cannons mounted on their backs.

Gabriel uttered a curse…

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

Chapter Two - Once Upon A Time Lord...

Hawaii



“Ah, this is the life!”, Time Lord said, as he lay on the beach recliner chair, sipping a glass of Johnnie Walker Red Label. It was a warm, sunny, Spring day and Time Lord, who was wearing purple swimming trunks, was gazing out at the seagulls flying over the pure blue ocean water. Time Lord found the slight ocean breeze to be quite refreshing.

On the beach recliner to his right lay his beautiful, young Thai bride, Chariya. She was wearing a skimpy black string bikini which showed off her exquisite figure. Chariya was busy reading Gabriel Dane’s latest best-selling novel, A Crack in Time.

“You picked the perfect place for our honeymoon, darling!”, said Chariya, “There’s only one thing that would make me happier…”

“And what would that be, my dear?”, asked Time Lord.

“That you would WAKE UP!”, shouted Chariya.

**************************************************************************************

University of Texas at Austin
Tuesday, October 14, 1980, 4:00 PM

“WAKE UP, Professor Graham!”, said the young, college student as he shook the dozing Time Lord.

“What…oh, I must dozed off while grading these exam papers.”, said Time Lord as he raised his head off his desk and put on his black framed glasses, “Sorry about that!”

“I just wanted to stop by and say how much I’ve enjoyed your course so far, Professor.”, said the young man, “Although my true love is computers, I’ve always had a special interest in astronomy. One day, I hope to actual make it up into space.”

“I see.”, replied Time Lord, “I’m glad to hear that you’ve found my lectures to be interesting. As you know, this is the first course I’ve taught since coming to this university.”

“I found your work on Ohio State University’s SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program to be quite fascinating.”, said the young man, “Do you think we will make succeed in finding concrete proof of extraterrestrial life in our lifetime?”

“Of that I have no doubt!”, replied Time Lord.

Noticing the Celtic Dragon doublet poking out of his backpack, Time Lord said, “Ah, I see you have an interest in medieval culture! By any chance, do you belong to the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism)?”

“Why, yes I do, Professor.”, replied the young man, “In the SCA community, I am known as Shamino.”

“It might surprise you to know that I, too, belong, to SCA.”, said Time Lord, “Unfortunately, since moving here from Ohio, I’ve been too busy to keep up on the latest SCA events.”

“Well, as a matter of fact, we’re holding a tournament here in Austin this weekend. Here’s the time and location.”, said the young man as he scribbled the details down on a slip of paper and handed it to Time Lord, “By what name are you referred to in SCA circles, if I may ask?”

“I am known as Hawkwind, the bard.”, replied Time Lord, as he slipped the slip of paper into his vest pocket.

“I hope to see you there, Professor.”, replied the young man.

“Thank you for the information, young man, but forgive me, I seem to have forgotten your name..”, said Time Lord.

“That’s quite understandable, Professor.”, replied the young man, “It’s such a large class. I wouldn’t expect you to remember everyone’s names. My name is Richard Garriott.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Garriott.”, said Time Lord, as he rose and shook Richard’s hand, “I will endeavor to regal you and the others with exciting tales of the past at the evening banquet.”

“I look forward to it! See you in class on Thursday, Professor!”, said Richard as he turned and left “Professor Martin Graham’s” office.

He did not see the big grin on Time Lord’s face.

Time Lord pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.

“Oh dear, I’m going to be late for my appointment with Dean Hardman!”, said Time Lord.

Time Lord straightened out his rumpled, brown tweed suit and ran out of his office, slamming the door behind him.

As he raced across campus, Time Lord failed to notice the young woman exiting the campus library. He collided with her. Both of them ended up sprawled on the ground.

“I’m so sorry, miss, I should have been watching where I was going.”, said Time Lord, extending his hand to help her up, “I…”

As soon as Time Lord got a good look at her face, he was suddenly left speechless. Who was this heavenly creature?



“That’s all right, Professor.”, replied the young Thai woman, as she took his hand and he pulled her up, “No harm done.”

“Do I know you, miss?”, Time Lord asked, “You face seems awfully familiar. You’re not one of my students, are you?”

“No, I’m afraid not, Professor Graham.”, replied the woman, “I really wanted to take your class as an elective this semester, but the registrar’s office said the class was full.”

“That is most unfortunate.”, said Professor Graham,” I really do wish to make this up to you. I’m on my way to an appointment with Dean Hardman right now, but perhaps I can buy you a cup of coffee later at the Star Café?”

“That’s not really necessary. Professor Graham.”, replied the woman, “… but I really would like to hear about your work on Ohio State University’s SETI project. How does 5:30 PM sound?”

“That should do nicely. I should be done with Dean Hardman by then.”, said Time Lord.

As the young Thai woman turned to leave, Time Lord said, “Wait, miss! I forgot to ask you name!”

The young woman turned and said, “My name is Chariya Campbell.” She smiled at Time Lord, then turned and walked away.

*******************************************************************************

The meeting with Dean Hardman was all a blur. Time Lord couldn’t wait to get to the Star Café to see Chariya. As he entered the café, she beckoned him from a corner booth.

“I’m so sorry for being ten minutes late. My meeting with Dean Hardman ran longer than expected.”, said Time Lord apologetically.

“That’s OK, Professor.”, replied Chariya,”Let’s order.”

Chariya summoned a waitress over. The waitress’ name tag indicated that her name was Gerta. She looks awfully familiar, Time Lord thought to himself.

“What can I get you two?”, asked Gerta, with a pleasant smile on her face.

“Well, Professor, I understand that you’re from Cardiff, Wales. Don’t you normally have tea at this time of the day?”,” asked Chariya.

“Indeed I do.”, replied Time Lord, “A cup of Welsh Brew tea, please. Plus a slice of your wonderful apple pie.”

“I’ll have a cup of Jasmine tea and a slice of apple pie as well.”, said Chariya.

“OK, I’ll bring your order to you shortly.”, said Gerta, who winked at Time Lord as she turned to leave.

Chariya began asking Time Lord questions about his research related to the SETI project at Ohio State University, which Time Lord gladly answered in great detail.

During the course of their conversation, Time Lord was able to find out many things about Chariya’s personal life. She had been born in a small village in Thailand, but lost her entire family in a flood when she was only an infant. As the sole survivor of her entire village, she was dubbed “The Miracle Baby” and taken to an orphanage in Bangkok, where she was adopted by a wealthy investment banker, Charles Campbell, and his corporate lawyer wife, Helen, and taken to their home in Dallas, Texas.

As an only child (because Helen was unable to conceive or carry a baby to term due to medical complications.), Chariya had often dreamed about tales of dragons and knights in shining armor saving damsels in distress. She developed a interest in medieval culture and became an active member of the SCA, where she was known by the name Caitlin O’Dell. An excellent chef, she was quite adept at preparing medieval dishes and was a pretty good medieval seamstress as well. Chariya also had an interest in astronomy and hoped one day to travel to the stars. She was pursuing dual Master’s degrees in Asian Studies and Business Administration here at the University of Texas at Austin.

The more that Time Lord learned about Chariya, the more he realized that she was the one he had searching for his entire life. Although Time Lord had been with many women in his 5,000 year existence, he had yet to find one whom he wished to share his life with. Chariya was the one!



Time Lord and Chariya did not realize how long they had been talking. Two hours later, they were suddenly interrupted…

“Hi, Chariya!”, said a friendly voice.

Both Time Lord and Chariya turned their attention to the young fellow who had stopped by their table.

“Hi, Trevor!”, replied Chariya, “How goes the preparation for tomorrow night’s debate against the University of Texas at Dallas?”

Time Lord recognized the preppy. He was Trevor Montague, head of the University’s debate team. A handsome fellow with blond hair and blue eyes, he was the son of James Montague, a billionaire oilman, and major donor to the University. Time Lord suddenly had an uneasy feeling as Trevor flashed his pearly whites and spoke.

“Just fine, Chariya.”, replied Trevor, “But remember, I may be the captain of the debate team, but you are clearly the smartest member of our team. I was planning on having a late night supper after the debate at Chez Zee. Care to join me?”

“Thank you for the invitation, Trevor, but I have to study for my biochemistry midterm after the debate.”, said Chariya, much to the relief of Time Lord, “I’ll just grab something quick at the dining hall.”

“OK.”, said Trevor, who clearly looked disappointed for a moment.

He smiled again and said, ”See you on stage tomorrow evening. The debate begins at 7:00 PM sharp!”

“See you then, Trevor.”, said Chariya.

After Trevor left, Time Lord was greatly relieved.

“Chariya, my friend ,Richard, told me that there’s an SCA tournament being held here in Austin next weekend.”, said Time Lord, “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to that event?”

Before Chariya could answer, they were interrupted by Brad Thompson, the handsome, muscular captain of the Univeristy’s football team.

“Hey, Chariya!”, said Brad, “After this weekend’s game, me and the guys are having a victory party at Kappa Sigma fraternity house. Care to join us?”

Time Lord was starting to feel really insecure. How could he hope to compete with all of these handsome, young men vying for Chariya’s affections? Sure, he was wiser and wittier than these young studs, but still…



Much to Time Lord’s surprise, Chariya said, as she winked at him, “Sorry, Brad, but my boyfriend and I have other plans this weekend.” She reached out and put her hand on top of Time Lord’s.

“What?”, said Brad, “You’re not telling me that this old geezer is your boyfriend?”

“Hey…”, said an indignant Time Lord, but he was suddenly interrupted by Chariya’s gentle kiss!

“Uh…I’ll see you around, Chariya.”, said a stunned Brad as he turned and walked away.

After Brad left, Chariya smiled and said, “I would love to accompany you to next weekend’s SCA tournament, Professor!”

“You don’t know how glad I am to hear that, but please stop addressing me as Professor. You’re not my student.”, replied Time Lord, “My name is Martin.”

“OK, Martin!”, said Chariya, as they continued holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes.

Time Lord was on cloud nine!

**************************************************************************************

A large field somewhere near University of Texas at Austin
Saturday, October 18, 1980, 9:00 PM

“…and that is the tale of how Christopher slew the mighty demon, Oragath, who had been terrorizing the countryside and became the first Dragon Lord.
In time, he would gather together eight other knights who had bonded with the remaining eight dragons of legend and formed the Great Council of Dragon Lords based in Castle Genar. They would help their liege preserve the peace for the next 150 years, but that is a tale for another evening, my dear friends. The hour grows late and all of the wine has been consumed. So ends this tale from Hawkwind, the bard.”

All of the SCA members clapped after Time Lord finished his tale. Later, young Richard Garriott approached him, and said, ”That was a fine tale you told us this evening, Hawkwind. I look forward to hearing more about these “Dragon Lords” in the near future.”

“Many thanks, Shamino.”, replied Time Lord, “Have you met my companion, Caitlin O’Dell?”

“No, I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure.”, replied Richard, as he bowed to Chariya, “Pray tell, how did the two of you end up together?”

“Well, you could say it was love at first sight.”, replied Chariya as she held Time Lord’s hand and exchanged glances with him.

“Hawkwind, you are a very lucky fellow to have such a fine woman as your companion.”, said Richard, “Do remember to treat her right!”

“Indeed, I shall, Shamino!”, replied Time Lord, “Good evening to you!”

After Richard had taken his leave, Time Lord turned to Chariya and asked, ”Did you really mean what you just said?”

“Of course, I did silly!”, answered Chariya, “I would very much like to be your girlfriend.”

“Oh, you don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that!”, replied Time Lord, as he took her in his arms and passionately kissed her.

**************************************************************************************

Thurmann Cove, Lake Travis
April 18, 1981, 1:00 PM

It was a warm, sunny, spring day in Austin, Texas and Time Lord had decided to take his girlfriend, Chariya, to Lake Travis for a romantic picnic lunch. He found it hard to believe that after six months, this lovely, young woman was still with him and had rejected the advances of other men on numerous occasions.

The both of them were sitting on a red-checkered tablecloth which had been spread out on the ground under a shady tree. Since this a very special occasion, Time Lord had gone to great lengths to prepare this lunch from scratch, which had consisted of Thai salad with peanut sauce, followed by charbroiled Thai sesame beef and Kang Phet chicken with brown rice, and finally, mango layer cake for dessert. An oriental music CD played in the background...




Time Lord popped the cork on a bottle of full-bodied red wine and made a toast to his beloved Chariya. Once they finished consuming the wine, Time Lord turned to her and spoke from his heart…


“Let me read to you dear Chariya, from some elements of Time, for you are much sweeter than any could find.
I'll read it from an old book while we sit here drinking wine, forever in your beauty I'm most for to dine.
I'll read to you about freedom and how my wings do soar, as my heart sings to you loveliness, the you I adore.
The tale has many endings with a deeper finality at its core, you for you my dear listener, I do in love's implore.
It's a tale from my homeland of how corruptions can tear, and rip from freedom's soul it's every breath of air.
Yet all is well now, that I am far away from such care, sitting here with my one, that's beauty's most fair.
In the life of Time's True Freedom, there once in my homeland was Primal Unity, where Lord's first began to have names.
The Lord of the south sea was Abrupt, The Lord of the north sea was Sudden. From Time to Time, Abrupt and Sudden got together in the territory of Primal Unity, and Primal Unity treated them well.
Abrupt and Sudden planned to repay all of Primal Unity's kindness.
They said, "People all have openings, through which they see, hear, eat and breathe, yet Primal Unity has none. Let us make openings for Primal Unity in return".
So every day they gouged out a hole in Primal Unity, and after seven days, Primal Unity died, along with her unborn child, "Unknown Freedom".
Soon I'll be travelling to a distant and very different Time in space, where Primal Unity is struggling, in Time's fate.
I want you to come with me Chariya far and beyond Time's gate, and aide me in what I must do, before it's too late.
I'll be travelling there in a spacecraft that can win any race, yet now you search your heart keeping track of its pace.
For it is that you, within your heart, that I wish so to embrace, and think not the worst of whichever be the case.
Yours is the dearest heart I wish for all Time, no matter what the cost because to me your heart's beats are mine.
Just give to me some wink of what you wish for in a sign, while we bathe in this picnic of our hearts so entwined.
It's truly my inner soul I wish for you to carry, some part of our love to be deeply known we can soon forever ferry.
I know from our sweet days together so merry, that to you, I'm the only one that you ever have wish for to marry.
Now touch softly my soul with what any reply has to say, for I never wish to forget this most perfect glorious day,
The day we took from life what's so heartfelt and gay, and made our way forward with our hearts giving way.
So I'll ask but once, for our hearts to become we, and then tread on together to wherever, Time takes us to see.
Both into and out of the deepest, most vast void of sea, the question that only hearts answer, is will you marry me?”

(A very special thanks to Time Lord for contributing this poem to the story!)


Time Lord pulled out a dazzling diamond heart engagement ring and presented it to Chariya.

“Of course, I’ll marry you Martin!”, said Chariya, slipping the ring on her finger.

“Wait, before you accept my marriage proposal, there is much I need to tell you about myself….”, said Time Lord.

Time Lord took a deep breath and then told Chariya everything about himself. He told her he was over 5,000 years old and was one of three founders of an advanced society which had mastered the forces of science and magic. Having devoted his life to the study of science, he had overseen the construction of the great floating space city of Ghidara, with which his people had fled the destruction of their home world. As the inventor of time travel technology, he had created the quantum temporal drive which allowed their city to travel through time and space. Time Lord did not agree with the ruling council’s decision to change their policy of helping lesser species develop to one of enslaving lesser species, and resigned his position in protest. He went into self-exile aboard his personal time ship which he named Tanken-ka (Japanese word for “explorer”). He told her that he had been with many women in his lifetime but none that he wanted to share his life with. He also told her that if she didn’t agree to go away with him today, she was destined to die in a tragic chemical explosion in the University’s biochemistry lab later that evening! He could not prevent the explosion from occurring because it was a fixed point in time.

When Time Lord finished talking, he awaited for Chariya’s response. He was afraid that he had scared her off by revealing the truth about himself.
Her response surprised him.

“You know, I sensed there was something different about you the first time we collided with each other in front of the library.”, said Chariya, “I just have one question for you, Time Lord…”

“What is your true name?”, asked Chariya.

Time Lord leaned over and whispered it in her ear.

“That’s a rather long and difficult name to pronounce.”, replied Chariya, “Do you have a shorter version, a nickname perhaps?”

“I am known to my people by the name Nystal.” , replied Time Lord.

“Nystal it is, then.”, said Chariya, “I will marry you and join you on your travels through time and space! But if we must depart today, when will I have time to pack and have a wedding ceremony?

“That’s all taken care of, my dear!”, replied Time Lord, pulling out a small device. He pressed a few buttons and then put the device back into his pocket.

“What did you just do?”, asked Chariya.

“I just teleported all of your belongings aboard my time ship.”, replied Time Lord, “ As far as the wedding ceremony goes, help me pack everything up into the car. There’s someplace we have to go.”

“OK…”, said a curious Chariya.

Twenty minutes later, they found themselves in a rather familiar field. All of their SCA friends were assembled for their medieval wedding! Her dad and mom were there too, dressed in attire befitting a Duke and Duchess.

“But, we’re not dressed in appropriate attire!”, exclaimed Chariya.

“Not a problem!”, said Time Lord, as Chariya was taken away by her female friends to a nearby tent where her wedding gown lay waiting for her.

After another twenty minutes, Chariya emerged. As her father walked her down the aisle, she heard her good friend, Maeve, singing a song. It was not a medieval wedding song, but Time Lord had chosen it because it expressed his feelings perfectly:



Chariya was surprised to see Shamino (Richard Garriott) standing next to Time Lord and serving as his best man.

After they exchanged their vows and kissed, a flock of doves was released. They all flew off to the east, but one suddenly peeled off and headed west.

Unbeknownst to all those below, its eyes briefly glowed.

Several hours later, as the wedding festivities were coming to an end, Time Lord and Chariya were approached by young Richard Garriott.

“Professor, I was so sorry to hear about your ailing father!”, said Richard, ”To have to suddenly quit your position mid-semester and return home to Cardiff, Wales to tend to him must be difficult.”

“I appreciate your concern, Richard, but family always comes first.”, replied Time Lord, “My dear mother passed away five years ago, and I have no idea where my no good younger brother has disappeared to. He’s always getting himself into trouble and only pops up when he needs money!”

“And what of you, Chariya?”, asked Richard, ”What about your studies?”

“I’ve already submitted both of my Master’s theses.”, replied Chariya, “If need be, I can always return to wrap things up. I’m used to long international flights!”

“And what are your plans for the future, Richard?”, asked Time Lord.

“Well, I’ve been working on this computer game set in a fantasy world, but which also has elements of science fiction.”, replied Richard.

“Science fiction, you say?”, said Time Lord, ”What sort of science fiction?”

“Time travel!”, answered Richard, “The protagonist must eventually make his way up into space and find a time machine so he can travel back in time to defeat the main villain before he becomes immortal! Do you believe in time travel, Professor?”

“Of course, I do!”, said Time Lord, “Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity suggests that an object traveling close to the speed of light would physically alter time by dilating it. Any relativistic traveler would find his time running slowly than any one at rest on earth. The effect of which when he landed, would be himself too distant in the future. The people his age when he left would have aged a couple of decades his senior. So, you see, Richard, time travel is theoretically possible. It is just a matter of someone building a spacecraft that can travel close to the speed of light.”

“Do you think that will happen in our lifetime?”, asked Richard.

“Maybe not in our lifetime, Richard, but I’m confident it’s just… a matter of time!”, said a grinning Time Lord.

Chariya did a facepalm when she heard that last remark.

“I think you’re on to something, Richard.”, said Time Lord, “I suspect fantasy computer games will be very popular in the future. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor!”

Time Lord shook Richard’s hand.

“I do hope that we will meet again someday, Professor!”, said Richard.

“I’m sure we will!”, answered a smiling Time Lord.

Richard took his leave.

As Time Lord and Chariya walked to their car, somebody called out to them, “I don’t suppose it’s too late to congratulate the bride and groom!”

Time Lord recognized the voice instantly as he and Chariya turned around.

“Mingo, you made it after all!”, said Time Lord excitedly, ”Chariya, let me introduce you to my cousin, Mingo!”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mingo!”, said Chariya, as she shook his hand, “I was hoping someone from Nystal’s family would show up!”

“Sorry I missed the ceremony and reception.”, replied Mingo, “But you know how busy I am…”

“Indeed I do, cousin…”, said Time Lord.

“You really are a lovely woman, Chariya.”, said Mingo, as he took a good luck at Time Lord’s new bride, “Quite frankly, I never thought that my playboy cousin would ever settle down!”

“Mingo…”, an embarrassed Time Lord said.

“I brought a little wedding gift for the both of you!”, Mingo said, handing Chariya a small white box.

“That is so kind of you!”, replied Chariya, as she opened the box and pulled out a glowing blue cube, “It’s beautiful! What is it?”

“It’s a Radozan mind cube!”, exclaimed Time Lord, as he took the cube from Chariya and examined it, “These things are extremely rare. I believe there are only three left in existence. Where did you happen to find it?”

“I found that in an abandoned temple on Sherzan 7.”, replied Mingo.

He leaned over and whispered in Time Lord’s ear, “Carry it with you, always!”

“OK…”, replied a rather puzzled Time Lord, as he placed the cube in his belt pouch, “Thank you very much, Mingo!”

“You’re welcome, Nystal.”, said Mingo, ”I must be going now…”

“So soon?”, said Chariya, ”You just got here…”

“Unfortunately, the forces of Chaos are always hard at work trying to disrupt the natural order of things.”, said Mingo, “I…

Mingo suddenly vanished into thin air!

“Where did he go?”, asked Chariya.

“I’m not sure, but don’t worry, he does that a lot!,”, said Time Lord, “Now let’s get ready to start our new life together!”

Time Lord drove Chariya to a nearby empty field. He pushed a button on his handheld device and his time ship’s camouflage field deactivated. Time Lord and Chariya boarded the sleek, silver time ship and strapped themselves into the pilot and co-pilot seats. After Time Lord activated the ship’s systems, he and Chariya held hands.

“Are you ready to travel to the stars?”, asked Time Lord.

“Yes, my darling.”, said Chariya as she smiled at him.

The time ship slowly rose from the ground and then soared off into space.

**************************************************************************************

The Imperial Throne Room
The Jinrazi Home World of Sukidayo Prime

Ten years later…

Emperor Kuzai sat on his throne, a look of disbelief on his face. How could one man, a gaijin – no less!, single-handedly destroy the mighty Jinrazi Empire, he thought to himself. The Jinrazi were a proud people, descended from Japanese samurai who had taken to the stars. The Emperor vowed revenge against the man responsible for all this – the man known as Nystal!

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of guards shouting and two figures, a male and a female, rushed into the room. The male pulled a device out of his pocket and short circuited the door’s controls. The couple turned around and the Emperor immediately recognized the male.

“YOU!”, shouted the Emperor, pointing his finger at the male, “You are the one responsible for destroying my empire! You are Nystal!”

“Indeed, I am.”, replied Time Lord, ”But you brought this all upon yourself, Emperor. I knew your grandfather. He was a good and honorable man and a very wise ruler. He never would have approved of any of this!”

“Grandfather was a weak and pathetic fool!”, said the Emperor, a crazed look in his eyes, “It is our destiny to conquer the universe!”

“You’ve enslaved hundreds of worlds in your bid for ultimate power.”, said Time Lord, “Countless trillions have suffered under your reign!”

“And so you took it upon yourself to stop me?”, asked Emperor, “How are you any better? You’ve slaughtered millions of people in your quest to restore “peace”. My capital is in flames and the once mighty Jinrazi battle fleet lies in pieces high above this world!”

“That may be true, but your civilian population is safe and sound.”, replied Time Lord, “I’ve seen to it that they have been teleported to a nice, fertile planet far away from here where they will have a chance to start over again as farmers, free from your evil influence! Once I was merely an observer, but my wife has taught me that sometimes it is necessary to take action in order to do what is right!”

“You, this is all your fault!”, shouted Emperor Kuzai, pointing at Chariya.

The Emperor suddenly pulled out a concealed energy pistol and shot Chariya in the chest!

Chariya’s heavily armored, high-tech vest was no match for the Emperor’s high-powered energy pistol, and Time Lord instantly saw the burn marks and huge gaping wound. He smelled the odor of burnt flesh as Chariya crumpled to the ground, a stunned look on her face.

“NO!”, screamed Time Lord.

The Emperor immediately dropped his energy pistol and charged at Time Lord with his katana!

“DIE, NYSTAL!”, shouted Emperor Kuzai.

Time Lord reached for the katana lying on the floor next to the body of a fallen guard.

The Emperor was a skilled combatant, having been trained by the finest sword masters in the empire.

He swung his katana right at Time Lord’s neck in an attempt to decapitate him!

Unfortunately for the Emperor, Time Lord had studied under the legendary Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi. He was easily able to parry the Emperor’s blow and cut him down with one swift stroke!

Time Lord dropped the katana and rushed to his beloved Chariya’s side. He pulled a medical scanner out of one of his pouches and took a scan.

Time Lord began crying as he said, “My love, you’ve been fatally wounded. There’s nothing I can do to save you!”

“Don’t cry, my love.”, said Chariya, as she reached up with her right hand and stroked his cheek, “I was well aware of the dangers I would be facing on my journey with you. These past ten years have been the happiest in my life. I’ve seen so many exotic places and met so many important historical figures thanks to you. I…”

Chariya’s hand fell to the ground as she lost consciousness.

“No, don’t leave me!”, cried Time Lord, tears streaming down his cheeks, “There must be something I can do!”

Time Lord suddenly remembered something, and pulled the Radozan mind cube out of his pouch.

“Of course, the Radozan mind cube!, “ he shouted excitedly, “This is why Mingo gave me this to me on our wedding day. Thank you, cousin!”

“Hang on, honey!”, Time Lord said, as he placed the mind cube on top of Chariya’s forehead.

The cube began glowing bright white as Chariya’s consciousness was transferred to it. It returned to its normal blue color when the transfer was complete. Time Lord picked up the cube and spoke to it.

“Are you OK, dear?”, asked Time Lord.

“I feel OK, honey.”, replied Chariya, “Although it feels kind of strange not having a physical body.”

“Oh my, is that my dead body down there?”, asked Chariya.

“I’m afraid so, dear.”, replied Time Lord, as he reached down and removed
Chariya’s wedding wing from her finger, “I promise I will give this back to you the day you receive a new body.”

He placed the ring in his belt pouch.

Suddenly, Time Lord and Chariya heard shouting from outside the sealed door.

‘Emperor Kuzai, are you all right?”, yelled a soldier, “Don’t worry, we’ll be in there shortly!”

Blaster fire could be heard outside and the door started turning red hot!

“Honey, I think we better leave before they get through.”, said Chariya, “Is there another exit to this room?”

“Not an obvious one, but I suspect the Emperor has a hidden escape route somewhere in this chamber.”, replied Time Lord.

Time Lord quickly looked around the room.

“Hmm…,” said Time Lord, as he sat on the Emperor’s throne, “I wonder if there’s a hidden switch somewhere down here…”

Time Lord felt under the right armrest. There was an audible click and the throne moved to the left, revealing a hidden passageway underneath the throne.

“Let’s go!”, he said, placing the mind cube in his other belt pouch.

Time Lord ran down the staircase.

A few minutes later, the door melted away and five guards came rushing in.

“The Emperor has been slain by Nystal!”, shouted Major Ozai, “Captain Shobu, take your men down that passageway and capture the war criminal! He is to be taken alive, so he may stand trial for his crimes. Is that clear? I will notify General Ruko of the Emperor’s murder.”

“Yes, sir!”, replied Captain Shobu, ”Follow me men!”

The guards charged down the staircase.

Major Ozai activated his wrist communicator and said, “Imperial flagship Doragon (Japanese word for “dragon”), this is Major Ozai. Priority one message for General Ruko!”

*******************************************************************************

On board the Imperial flagship, Doragon, one of the seven remaining Jinrazi battlecruisers in space orbiting Suidayo Prime, General Ruko, the highest ranking surviving member of the Imperial Army, entered the bridge with a somber look on his face.

“Lieutenant Nakimora, fleet-wide intercom, please. I have an announcement to make.”, said the General.

“Aye, sir!”, replied the Lieutenant, “Lines are open.”

“This is General Ruko addressing the Jinrazi battle fleet. It is with great sadness that I must report that our beloved Emperor has been murdered by the notorious war criminal, Nystal.”, said the General.

Everyone on the bridge gasped.

“General Ruko, I am detecting a small unidentified spacecraft leaving the planet. Ship recognition database indicates that it matches the profile of the war criminal Nystal’s ship!”, said Lt. Fuksa.

“Is the ship within tractor beam range?” commanded General Ruko.

“No, sir!”, replied Lt. Fuksa.

“Launch all fighters!”, said General Ruko, “Instruct them to disable Nystal’s vessel and surround it until we are within tractor beam range. Plot a pursuit vector. Is that clear?”

“Aye, sir!”, replied Lt. Nakimora.

Shortly thereafter, two dozen Imperial Dragon fighter ships were in pursuit of Nystal’s ship, followed by the Doragon. The other six battlecruisers remained in orbit around Sukidayo Prime.

*******************************************************************************

On board his ship, Time Lord spoke to Max, the ship’s AI (artificial intelligence).

“Max, what is the status of ship systems?”, asked Time Lord.

“Camouflage field damaged beyond repair.”, said Max, “Shield strength holding steady at 98%. I’m tracking two dozen hostiles pursuing us. Would you like me to activate ship’s laser cannon turrets and energy torpedo launchers?”

“Laser cannon turrets only, Max, and please increase speed to .6 light speed.”, said Time Lord, “If only we had enough time to reach light speed and engage the quantum temporal drive…”

“Sure thing, boss!”, replied Max.

“Honey, I’m worried. Will we be able to outrun them?”, asked Chariya.

“Not for long, but I’m sure I’ll think of something…”, replied Time Lord, “It would really help if I could see you, darling. Concentrate real hard. You can project a holographic image of yourself.”

“Is this better?”, asked Chariya, as her holographic form appeared in the co-pilot’s seat.

“Much better!”, said Time Lord with a smile on his face.

*******************************************************************************

Meanwhile, on board the Doragon…

“General Ruko, I’m detected a massive energy buildup on Sukidayo Prime!”, shouted the ship’s science officer, Lt. Cmdr. Yoshi.

“Lt. Nakimora, have the fleet move away from the planet immediately!”, ordered General Ruko.

“Aye, sir.”, replied Lt. Nakimora, but before she had a chance to transmit a message, the entire planet exploded, wiping out the rest of the Jinrazi battle fleet!



The Doragon was far enough away from the planet to avoid any damage. The entire bridge crew gasped in astonishment, for they realized that they were all that remained of the once mighty Jinrazi Empire.

“Curse you, Nystal!”, shouted General Ruko, pounding his right fist down on his armrest.

*******************************************************************************

Meanwhile, the Tanken-ka was taking heavy fire from the Dragon fighters...



“Shields down to 50% strength, boss!”, said Max, “Gun turrets One and Three have been rendered inoperative. Eight hostiles have been destroyed, sixteen hostiles remaining. We will be within tractor beam range of the Doragon in ten minutes…”

“What do we do?”, asked Chariya.

“Max, is there a nebula close by?”, asked Time Lord.

“Yes, the Quarox Nebula is within range…”, replied Max.

“Do you have a plan?”, asked Chariya.

“I’m going to use a trick employed by an old friend of mine, a famous starship captain.”, replied Time Lord, “But first we have to get rid of these pesky fighters. Max, I want you to simulate a sudden engine failure and standby to activate the EMP generator. Once the fighters are disabled, head for the nebula at full speed.”

“Sure thing, boss!”, replied Max.

The Tanken-ka’s engines soon began venting gas and came to a dead stop. The Dragon fighters soon surrounded the vessel.

“Enemy vessel, this is Captain Jiro.”, said the fighter squadron leader, “You are surrounded! Prepare to be tractored aboard the Imperial flagship Doragon shortly!”

“Now!”, shouted Time Lord.

Time Lord’s ship suddenly emitted an electromagnetic pulse in a five mile radius around the vessel. Long ago, Time Lord had developed a unique compound, which when bonded with the metal in the Taken-ka’s hull, would shield it from the effects of electromagnetic pulses. The Dragon fighters weren’t so lucky, and were rendered inoperative. They were soon adrift in space.

*******************************************************************************

“General Ruko, our fighters have been rendered inoperative by an EM pulse!”, said Lt. Fuksa, “Nystal’s ship is now headed for the Quarox Nebula!”

“Our sensors and shields will be rendered inoperative within the nebula, General.”, said Lt. Cmdr Yoshi.

“I’m well aware of that, Commander!”, said General Ruko, “Lt. Fuksa, plot an intercept course and engage quantum drives at .8 light speed!”

“Aye, sir!”, replied Lt. Fuksa.

*******************************************************************************

Within the Quarox Nebula, the Tanken-ka was being buffeted by fierce electromagnetic storms.

“Status of weapons systems, Max?” asked Time Lord.

“Forward gun turret one and rear gun turret three are inoperative, as are rear energy torpedo launchers three and four.”, replied Max.

“How many energy torpedoes do we have remaining?”, asked Time Lord.

“Four, boss. Two each for the forward energy torpedo launchers.”, said Max.

“Hmm…”, said Time Lord, with a serious look on his face.

“Honey, is it wise to be hiding here in the nebula?”, asked Chariya, “It’s only a matter of time before the Doragon finds us.”

“It’s part of my plan, darling.”, replied Time Lord, “They will have to enter the nebula itself in order to find us. We have an advantage over them in that our shields and sensors continue to function here, thanks to my ingenuity. The plan is to sneak up behind them and disable their main engines, thereby allowing us time to escape the nebula and engage the quantum temporal drive.”

“Do we have enough firepower in order to disable their engines?”, asked Chariya.

“This ship’s lasers are not powerful enough to penetrate the Doragon’s hull.”, replied Time Lord, “We will have to rely on the energy torpedoes. With only four torpedoes remaining, the best we can hope to do is disable one of the two engines, but that should be enough.”

“Hey, boss, the Doragon has just entered the nebula!”, said Max.

*******************************************************************************

On the bridge of the Doragon…

“Any sign of Nystal’s ship?”, asked General Ruko.

“No, sir!”, replied Lt. Fuksa, “ I…

Suddenly, the Doragon was rocked by massive explosions and the ship began to rock back and forth! Everybody on the bridge quickly tried to grab hold of the railings. Those who didn’t respond fast enough were thrown about.

“Report!”, yelled General Ruko.

“The left engine nacelle has been destroyed by torpedo fire, sir.”, said Lt. Cmdr. Yoshi, “We are venting quantum energy! Inertial dampers are offline!”

“Return fire!”, yelled General Ruko.

*******************************************************************************

The Tanken-ka was turning away from the Doragon and headed in the opposite direction when it was hit in the rear by both laser fire and energy torpedoes!

“Boss, our shields have been penetrated and both the main engines and quantum temporal drive have been hit! We are venting both quantum energy and chronometric particles!”, said Max.

“Chronometric particles?! Oh no!”, cried Time Lord, as he felt himself and everything else on the ship being split into two.

The energies released by the explosions caused a vortex to form in the nebula, and both the Doragon and the two identical time ships were pulled in!

**************************************************************************************

New Britannia II
300 Years Ago…

Midnight

Mingo exited Fire Lotus Tavern and lit his pipe. Taking a puff, he suddenly heard a dull roar. He looked up into the dark night sky and saw the flaming trail left by the Tanken-ka as it streaked across the sky and crashed into Mount Krendor. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Fire Lotus standing next to him.

“So at last, he has come!”, remarked Fire Lotus.

“Indeed he has, Fire Lotus.”, replied Mingo, “That now makes five of us who have returned to New Britannia – you, me, Barek, Nystal, and…”

“Don’t say her name!”, said Fire Lotus, who seemed very upset.

“You’re still not talking to her?”, asked Mingo, “You two really should try to work things out. She is your sister, after all, and it’s been nearly 2,000 years…”

“I will never forgive her for what she did!”, angrily replied Fire Lotus.

Mingo sighed.

“I wonder how many more of our people will return here to live amongst their children.”, pondered Fire Lotus.

“Only time will tell…, “ replied Mingo.

Both Fire Lotus and Mingo’s eyes glowed briefly.

**************************************************************************************

Mount Krendor
8:00 AM

“Honey, are you OK?” , asked Chariya.

“Yeah, I seem to be in one piece.”, replied Time Lord, “Thank heavens for my regenerative abilities! Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be a very pretty sight right now. Max, what kind of shape is the Tanken-ka in?

“Luckily, the shields stayed up long enough to prevent any serious damage to the ship’s hull, but unfortunately both the main engines and quantum temporal generator are completely shot!,” said Max, ”All weapons systems are down as well. I have managed to get the camouflage field working properly now.”

“I see. Are suitable replacement parts available on this planet?”, asked Time Lord.

“Negative, boss.”, replied Max, “At this society’s current rate of technological development, suitable replacement parts will not be available for approximately 1,000 years.”

“1,000 years!”, exclaimed Chariya, “ Do we have enough power to keep the ship running that long?”

“I believe that if I shut down everything except the camouflage field and anti-intruder system and put Max in sleep mode, we should have just enough energy to power up all systems in 1,000 years.”, replied Time Lord, “Am I right, Max?”

“As always, boss!”, replied Max.

“By the way, Max, where exactly are we right now?”, asked Time Lord.

“We’re on Mount Krendor in New Britannia, 100 years after The Great Cataclysm.”, replied Max.

“New Britannia? Hmm…I haven’t been back here in a long time.”, said Time Lord, “Better pack up some supplies before we head out!”

Time Lord grabbed a backpack and began filling it with supplies from the cabinets. Once he was done, he put on a hooded robe and grabbed a wooden staff.

He turned to Chariya’s holographic form.

“Honey, you better switch to audio mode now in order to conserve power. Without a means to recharge it, the mind cube will run out of power in about 500 years.”, said Time Lord.

“500 years?”, said Chariya, with a worried look on her face, ”Will that be enough time for you to find a way to get me a new body?”

“Science alone is not enough to accomplish that.”, replied Time Lord, “I hope that by combining both science and magic, I will be able to create a new, immortal body for you. 500 years should be a sufficient amount of time for me to master all of New Britannia’s schools of magic.”

“I believe in you, my love!”, said Chariya, as she vanished.

“Initiate shutdown process. Pleasant dreams, Max. I’ll see you in 1,000 years!”, said Time Lord.

“Looking forward to it, boss!”, replied Max, “You and Chariya be careful out there!”

“We will, Max.”, said Time Lord, as he exited the Tanken-ka.

Once outside, the door sealed shut and anti-intruder system came online. The Tanken-ka now appeared to the untrained eye as a row of trees. Inside, Max dreamt he was a handsome, young high roller at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. He had a gorgeous blonde on one arm and an equally stunning redhead on the other.

“Time to party!”, yelled Max, as everything faded to black…

*******************************************************************************

“Where to now?”, asked Chariya.

“Down there!”, said Time Lord, pointing down to the city of Brittany which lay below, “We should be able to reach it by nightfall.”

“Why are we going there?”, asked Chariya.

“I think it’s time to look up an old friend.”, said a grinning Time Lord, “On Earth, you knew him in the SCA as Shamino, but in this realm he goes by another name…Lord British!”

**************************************************************************************

The Garudan Forest

The present…

“WAKE UP!”, Chariya shouted.

“What?”, said a groggy Time Lord, as he regained consciousness , “What happened?”

“You passed out from the strain caused by the disruption in the time stream!”, replied Chariya, “Hurry, you must help these three heroes before they are overwhelmed by the Oracle’s hunting party!”

Time Lord sat up and peered over the top of the shrubs.

Gabriel, Carlin, and the mysterious knight were locked in battle with the Oracle’s hunting party. Judging from the number of dead, disabled, and destroyed enemies strewn about, it appeared that they had put up a good fight, but it was quite apparent that they were heavily outnumbered and their foes were encircling them.

Time Lord ducked back down behind the shrubs.

“No! I will observe and advise, but I will never get directly involved in a conflict ever again!”, said Time Lord.

“But if you don’t intervene they will die, or even worse be converted into mindless servants of the Oracle, like those captured Obsidian soldiers were!”, said Chariya.

“I…can’t…”, said Time Lord.

“Why not?’, asked Chariya.

“Because the last time I did…you DIED!”, sobbed Time Lord, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Chariya’s holographic form suddenly appeared alongside Time Lord and stroked his cheek.

“Oh, my darling, even after all of those years, you still haven’t forgiven yourself for my death, have you?”, said Chariya.

“No, I guess I haven’t.”, said Time Lord, choking back the tears, “And despite mastering all of the schools of magic over the past 300 years, I still have been unable to create you a new, immortal body!”

“I know how hard you’ve tried, dear.”, said Chariya, putting her hand on his shoulder, “But even if you fail, 500 years is far longer than the little time we would have had together if I still had my mortal form. Remember that I feel in love with you because you are a good and kind-hearted person, always helping those in need, and striving to do what is right.”

Chariya leaned over and kissed Time Lord on the cheek. The spark of energy tingled.

“You’re right, my dear, it is time for me to take action!”, said Time Lord, as his eyes began to glow.

*******************************************************************************

Gabriel, Carlin, and the mysterious knight were completely surrounded.

“Surrender and you will be spared !,” said the enemy commander.

Carlin spat blood in the enemy commander’s face.

“We would rather die than become mindless servants of the Oracle!”, shouted Carlin, as he assumed a fighting stance with his blood stained long sword.

“Very well then, I will grant you your wish,”, replied the enemy commander, “Kill the unbelievers!”


Time Lord’s Theme Song

But before anyone could react, two of the Oracle spiders and three of the Oracle flies were hit by Time Lord’s Chain Lightning spell! Time Lord then cast Gust, causing one soldier to smash into a tree. Gabriel heard the soldier’s bones break, as he fell to the ground dead. Time Lord hit another soldier in the chest with Stone Fist, causing him to cough up blood and drop dead.

Gabriel, Carlin, and the mysterious knight began engaging the enemy as well.

Two soldiers charged at Time Lord with swords drawn from opposite directions. He used his martial arts skills to disarm them both, then grabbed both of them by the throat and smashed their skulls together. After dropping their dead bodies, another soldier wielding a battle axe charged straight at Time Lord. Time Lord dodged his attack and then punched a hole straight through his chest! The stunned soldier looked down at the gaping wound and fell to the ground dead. Time Lord hit another soldier in the face with his Flame Fist, decapitating him in the process, and sending the soldier’s flaming head flying backward! It struck another soldier right in the face, killing him as well!

A few minutes later, he heard Chariya say, “That’s enough, dear. They’ll all dead now.”

Time Lord’s eyes stopped glowing and he surveyed the carnage. He had single-handedly wiped out half of the Oracle hunting party! Gabriel, Carlin, and the mysterious knight stood in awe.

“Boy, am I glad you’re on our side, Time Lord!”, remarked Carlin, “Thank you for coming to our aid, my good friend!”

“Nystal, is that you?’, asked Gabriel, “How did you get so young all of a sudden and where is Theodric?”

“I believe you’ve mistaken me for my other half in the parallel universe from whence you came.”, replied Time Lord, “This is the first time I’ve met you in this incarnation, but I’d recognize that soul anywhere. It’s good to see you again, Gabriel, my old friend!”

“Old friend?”, asked a puzzled Gabriel, “I just met your counterpart a couple of days ago…”

“Something’s not right.”, said Time Lord, as he reached out and touched Gabriel’s forehead with the palm of his hand, “Someone’s placed a mental block in your head in order to prevent you from remembering your past lives. Let me fix that.”

Time Lord’s hand glowed for a moment and then Gabriel was instantly flooded with memories from the past. He remembered that he and his fraternal twin brother, Lucius, had both held the rank of Primus pilus (senior centurion of a Roman legion – equivalent in rank to a Lieutenant Colonel today) in the Roman army prior to being chosen by Lord Order and Lord Chaos to be their respective champions in their eternal battle. Gabriel had been reborn in many different bodies over the past 2,000 years, as were the companions who Lord Order had seen fit to grant him to aid in his never ending battle with Lucius. Carlin was one of those companions. Time Lord was another, but his form never changed, as he was immortal. The only thing which comforted Gabriel was discovering that, as he was constantly being reborn into new bodies, so too was his beloved wife, Shannon. He looked forward to seeing her again in his next life, for they had so little time together in this one.

The last memory which Gabriel recalled was being handcuffed to a chair in a darkly light room in an abandoned warehouse sometime on the New York City waterfront in 1987. Seated across the table from him was a very tall (about 6’ 10”) albino man with long white hair. He was dressed in the attire of a proper Victorian gentleman, with a red silk puff tie, a black Bancroft double breasted vest, and a black Victorian Cutaway Coat.

“My master would prefer that I do a complete memory wipe of your mind, but it seems that your innate mental defenses are far stronger than I had anticipated.”, said The Tall Albino, “The best I can do is to place a mental block to prevent you from remembering anything from your past lives.”

As The Tall Albino reached out towards Gabriel’s forehead with his pale white hand, Gabriel said, “One day, I will find you and make you pay for this!”

“You’re welcome to try, but I highly doubt that’s ever going to happen.”, replied The Tall Albino, with a wicked smile on his face.

The last thing Gabriel remembered seeing was The Tall Albino’s platinum, diamond encrusted ring on his outstretched hand. What was that symbol in the center? Gabriel concentrated on the memory and the blurry image came into focus. It was the symbol of Chaos!

“I remember everything!”, exclaimed Gabriel, exchanging his secret handshake with Time Lord, “It is good to see you again, my old friend. What has transpired?”

“It seems to have been transported here from a parallel universe where my other half, Nystal, is located. “, replied Time Lord, “Someone has just altered this timeline by bringing our friend here (points to the mysterious knight) from the past. In this altered timeline, the Dragon Lords never existed, and thus The Oracle and The Obsidian Eye remain as powerful as ever, locked in mortal combat for control of New Britannia. Both Lord British and The Avatar have long been missing and are presumed dead. Lord DarkStarr is the Oracle’s consort and serves as commander of her forces.”

“I don’t believe my presence here could have altered things that dramatically.”, said the mysterious knight, “There’s nothing special about me.”

“You underestimate your importance in the scheme of things, young man. One man can make a difference!”, replied Time Lord, “Please reveal yourself to us!”

The mysterious knight removed his helmet…

Gabriel gasped. He instantly recognized that face from the painting he had seen hanging over the fireplace in his grandmother’s cottage the night before.

“GRANDFATHER?!”, exclaimed Gabriel.

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

Very cool

 

Looking forward to reading it tonight!

 

I want everyone to know that I am sad to say that "I am not that Cool" as Gabriel has made me in his story In real life, yes, I am a time scientists, so that part is true, but time science is as interesting to most people as watching the grass grow I have been known to give a few lectures on the subject of Time at some colleges, so believe me when I tell you that I'm not that interesting from all the nodding and bobbing I always see accross the "grassy heads" that come to see me putting them all to sleep with my babble But Gabriel made me sound really Cool did'nt he (thanks Gabe!)

What I feel is the true art in the "new wave forum stories", is that they are as young an artwork as was the silent movies were in thier time. In such literary works as we have seen many do in this new art form, I am happy to see that, "just as was in the silent movie houses of old", that Gabriel and others have brought back to life the use of musical intermisions, as was done by live piano and violin during those early silent movie house days, as well as with the still artworks that help in the framing or stage set of such works of art.

In the future of online forums litterary works, I hope to see more expansion into new areas of such litterary additives. If the reader wishes to bypass the music, thus this freedom of choice remains for those that do. Some may wish to view the videos or play the music while reading, while others, the music is there to ponder on the scene before they continue.

I think the intermisions can also be great for grabing a Coke or Rasinettes' from the your local snack bar
Thanks My Friend Gabriel, and I hope others that read your stories enjoy them just as much

Time Lord

 

Alternate Timeline (Changes in timeline denoted by *):

400 Years Ago - Great Cataclysm occurs. Old Gods return to save the people. Lord British and Avatar are missing and presumed dead.

300 Years Ago - Old Gods depart. Lord British and Avatar return. Time Lord crash lands on New Britannia.

270 Years Ago * - Lord British’s half-brother, Lord Shadowreign, is transported from Earth to New Britannia.

240 Years Ago *- Lord Shadowreign attempts to overthrow Lord British. Avatar dies as Lord Shadowreign is banished to another universe. Lord British’s wife, Lady Arabella, and Marius Wingate, leader of the Homeguard, are executed for treason.

220 Years Ago * - Obsidian Eye begins his quest to conquer New Britannia. Lord British disappears (again). The Resistance is formed.

200 Years Ago *- Attempt to overthrow Obsidian Eye by one of his soldiers fails. Blade of the Avatar shattered. Amber Raine is born. Obsidian Eye appoints Lord DarkStarr to the position of Governor of central Novia.

100 Years Ago * - The Oracle crash lands in the Hidden Vale , then makes her way to the mainland and conquers central and southern Novia with the aid of her consort, Lord DarkStarr. Amber Raine becomes High Priestess of The Church of The Oracle. Oracle/Obsidian War begins.

The Present - Our four heroes join forces to take on both The Obsidian Eye and The Oracle.

Note: Assumption made that New Britannians physically age at 1/5 rate of humans. Therefore, a 100 year old New Britannian is equivalent to a 20 year old human. Certain characters (i.e., Lord British, Lord DarkStarr, Fire Lotus, Time Lord, Mingo, Barek) are immortal.


CHAPTER THREE - COMING SOON!

 

Chapter Three – Journey’s End?

The Garudan Forest
The Present

“This is not good.”, said Time Lord, shaking his head.

“I do not understand…”, said Christopher Dane, staring at Gabriel, “How could I possibly be your grandfather? We look roughly the same age…”

“You’ve been transported to the distant future, Christopher.”, said Time Lord, “What is the last thing you remember before you arrived here?”

“I had just said finished breakfast and bid farewell to my wife Katherine and my one year old son, Michael. I was walking to the stable when I was suddenly pulled into that portal and deposited here.”

“Hmm…isn’t that four years before Christopher met the legendary black dragon, Kuroseth?”, asked Gabriel.

“Indeed.”, replied Time Lord.

“But how come my life hasn’t changed as a result of his arrival in this time period?”, asked Gabriel.

“Although your father, Michael, did not become a Dragon Lord in this altered timeline and became a renowned healer instead, he still ended up being transported to Earth, where he met your mother. That was a fixed point in time. The only positive thing about this altered timeline is that he got to live a long and happy life with your mother, rather than what ended up happening in the original timeline.”, replied Time Lord.

“Eh? What happened to my father in the original timeline?”, asked Gabriel, “I was only ten when he died of an apparent heart attack while we were at our summer cabin at Lake George, New York. My mom, who was a nurse, was in Orlando, Florida tending to her gravely ill father at the time. Are you telling me that wasn’t what really happened?”

“It’s best that you not recall what really happened that day.”, said Time Lord, with a serious look on his face, “The event proved to be so traumatic that you ended up being catatonic for a year. When you came out of it, you had suppressed your memory of the event and your mother told you that your father had died of a heart attack.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but Time Lord interrupted him before he could say anything.

“What is important now is to send your grandfather back and thus restore the original timeline.”, said Time Lord.

Time Lord started chanting and his hands began to glow. A time portal began to form a short distance in front of him, but it quickly collapsed in upon itself and vanished.

“Someone is preventing me from establishing a stable time portal!”, exclaimed Time Lord, “There are powerful dark forces at work here…”

Suddenly, Fire Lotus appeared in a flash of light!

“Fire Lotus, long time no see…”, said Time Lord, as he stepped forward and offered his hand.

Fire Lotus glared at him and then slapped him really hard! Time Lord’s right cheek turned bright red.

“That had to hurt!”, said Carlin.

“Let me guess, Time Lord. Another one of your ex-girlfriends?”, remarked Gabriel.

“Uh…yes. Long ago, when I was still on Ghidara, I taught a class on temporal mechanics. Fire Lotus was one of my best students. We were…intimate…for a while.”, explained Time Lord.

“That was for dumping me for that virginal priestess Jira all of those years ago, Time Lord!”, Fire Lotus said angrily,

“What did you see in her anyway? Sure, she was kind of attractive, but she was as cold as ice to everyone!”

“She just needed the right person to warm her up!”, replied Time Lord, with a big grin on his face, “As far as being virginal goes…”

“Hey, I don’t need to hear that!”, said Fire Lotus.

“YOU do not belong in this universe!”, she said, pointing at Gabriel, as her eyes began to glow, “I will not allow you to disrupt things! Order must be maintained!”

A beam of light sprang from Fire Lotus’s finger and disintegrated Gabriel!

Carlin, Christopher, and Time Lord stared at the smoldering pile of ashes in shock!

“Fire Lotus, what have you done?!”, cried Time Lord.



The End?

 

Epilogue

Another place and time…

Gabriel awoke to find a dark gray wolf licking his face. He was in some sort of cave. He was lying on a mat near a warm, roaring fire. Gabriel could hear the wind howling outside. A female figure in black leather armor sat across from him, her face concealed by a black shemagh. Two swords protruded from the scabbards on her back.

"Come here, boy!", the woman said.

The wolf returned to her side and sat down. She patted him affectionately.

“About time you woke up! It’s been nearly three days…”, said the woman, “The sandstorm should pass in another hour and we will be able to continue our journey.”

“What?”, asked a puzzled Gabriel, “Who are you and where am I?”

“You have traveled to the distant future, thousands of years after the fall of New Britannia. We’re heading to the town of Omris to meet up with Time Lord and Carlin before proceeding to Resistance headquarters. Time is of the essence, for Lord Shadowreign’s power grows by the day…”, said the woman.

“What? Lord Shadowreign is here?!”, exclaimed Gabriel, “How did he end up in the distant future?”

“Good question, Gabriel.”, said the woman, “Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer to that. Perhaps Time Lord might have an idea.”

“You must be thirsty.”, said the woman, “Here, have some water.”

She handed him a canteen.

Gabriel took a few gulps and handed the canteen back to her.

“Thank you. I feel much better now.”, said Gabriel, “You didn’t tell me your name.”

“My name?”, said the woman, removing her shemagh and revealing her face, “My name is Amber Raine…”

...And the never ending cycle begins anew!


Amber Raine's story continues in...

BLOODLINES (AN AMBER RAINE AND MORI TURA ADEVENTURE)

 

--"Aha!" said I as I moved my tongue off of my eye teeth. "I see now!"