The Children of Zegandaria - Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov (world best books to read txt) 📗

viewed from space it was almost three times the size of Zegandaria - but much less populated. Almost anything could be found on it, and it was a stopping point for smugglers from fairly backwater parts of the galaxy. So different! Its greenish-purple-yellow surface caught the eye of anyone who dared to approach and get to know it better.

The planet had a strange eccentricity to its orbit and was a bit oddly shaped, but one could find safe havEn there and take refuge for a while if there really was nowhere else to go. Things were getting more and more convoluted.

The bite was being obtained in an extremely interesting and even dangerous way that seemed almost insane.

Many a daredevil had found their death trying to get their hands on the cherished poison.

Later, smugglers had imported it through Usik Gun, a special trading company in the constellation of Lyra that specialized in blackguard shenanigans.

The poison was commonly used for assassinations against famous leaders and politicians from various planets across the galaxy, and was relatively little known to the general public.

In the past, well-trained assassins had attempted to take the Archist's life.

Everyone knew full well that it was only a matter of time before death caught up with him. With that same bite, or HHermonad’s’s Poison as it was also called, Kazuk Mon was removed from his protégé.

Far had the fame and influence of the planet spread, but one thing was absolutely indisputable - no one was dying to make deals with the Ufurgans, as whatever they decided remained forever.

"The Children of Kasdeya" had bonded with them, but not without the knowledge of Durnyam, who in turn knew something terribly important.

He himself had resided long enough on Ufur Gan and had come to know the local ways and customs. No one knew of it-not even Mark or Sasia.

There was something else that had not reached anyone's ears for a long time.

The Archmistress had an illegitimate child on Ufur Gan of all places, and he knew he could escape there someday if the demonic forces didn't finish him off by then.

What made a place unique was when you went to a place that never changed - and Ufur Gan was just such a place.

In the distance were beautiful light blue stars that would soon become white dwarfs once the fuel in their cores ran out. It was beautiful.

- "Is that the poison?," asked an unknown person who had been sent on a special mission to the planet.

- "It is," the Ufurgans answered him, "but don't overdo it, because too much can make the body burst, and that can be fatal to those standing nearby!"

- "What is the price?," the other inquired.

- "Well, a thousand Zegandarian credits," replied the merchants clustered around.

Smugglers also abounded, placed outside the jurisdiction of Om Gur Nal or the Archistratus. They seemed oblivious, for they had a safe hiding place - for now!

But it is hard to describe the state of mind of people who have nowhere to go and really nothing to lose. Anything that could be said would be too insufficient!

The petrified man paid calmly, thanked and carried off the precious cargo. And they never saw him again. He had done his part.

He boarded one of the transport shuttles to Izod Sin. His name was Mas Gan.

MAS GAN

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: MAS GAN

 

One of the previous Mas Gans had miraculously rid himself of the pagan demon cult and was now looking for a way to not only avenge his lost life, but also to some extent give meaning to his current one. So much was yet to happen, however.

Transport shuttles were a strange mix of abundant space and an absolute lack of the most basic comfort, but Zekaraya Vak wasn't complaining. Yes - he was the brother of Euron Vak and Jessica Vak - he had been infiltrated by them, which showed the zeal with which they were dealing with the demonic cult.

He immediately hurried to contact the other cult members and explain to them that he had done his part and would be home soon.

Mag Gan was and would remain a part of his past. He knew far more of the dark secrets of Kazuk Mon than anyone else. Emborian had received his blessing from Agares, one of the senior demons, but Zekaraya had contacted Arthusson himself once, and he had not turned down his request for help.

Zekaraya had a haggard and drunkEn face that had seen much and had long since lost its will to live. Too sad, but a fact - every moment was an anguish for him and he didn't want it to End just like that - there had to be a better way.

In the back of his mind, he felt he would do great good to all mankind, but on a personal level, it was more than clear that his days were numbered. He was like an open book to all those to whom he had revealed his heart. That was why he avoided the gaze of many. Somewhere in there was the key to everything. The secret of Mag Gan. Arthusson's secret. Everything spun before his eyes.

For once in his life, he was going to be useful, and for real.

The shuttle headed out into the vast expanse of space. And left the surface of the planet far behind.

But Mas Gan knew one thing. All was not lost - at least he could save his soul. What else was left for him but her?

Mas Gan also meant a kind of damnation, but instead of grief he felt gratitude. He was overflowing with life - it gave everything meaning.

- "There's no clear boundary," Mas Gan whispered softly, "you don't belong to yourself now, you belong to others. You have to live with this curse. Once and for all."

Beside him was one of the race of Ufurgans, determined to travel with them as they saw fit. Her name was Sib Nal, which in the Ufurgan dialect meant "beautiful morning star".

The Ufurgans were humanoid in shape, but slightly different in skin color and slightly dreamy facial expressions. Everyone wanted to get away from Ufur Gan, as too much standing could cause severe and irreversible effects to the cerebral cortex due to a certain amount of radiation on its surface. Of course, everyone was wearing spacesuits, but the fact that everything had to be done the right way was not to be underestimated.

A thought floated through his mind somewhere, but he couldn't remember where he had read it, and it went something like this "We lived as spirits before we came to earth, and our spirits will live on after we die.[30]"

The transport shuttle was already drifting through open space.

- "I feel everything is very different now," the former Mas Gan continued his quiet musings.

- "What are you thinking?," asked Jessica Vak. "You're going to be an important link in the destruction of a proven and vicious despot. A true beast in human skin!"

- "She's right," Euron expressed his solidarity.

He was slightly above average height - perhaps around one-eighty-five, a stocky man with a kind but determined expression and a soft bass voice. His keEn sense of justice had driven him to pursue such adventures.

He knew that sooner or later things would come to the breaking point, and it was far from being the death of the archivist.

The human mind at first and very, very deep, we cannot even expect that things will freeze with his death, the consequences may be unpredictable, but we must resist, Jessica called again.

They were entering an asteroid belt that definitely looked to be too dangerous. The transport shuttle didn't have reinforced shields, nor did it have many weapons in its arsEnal, and for that reason it was too vulnerable.

It was piloted by two Ufurgans who had expressed a willingness to help in exchange for a very hefty fee for their services. In truth it had to be admitted that they were doing more than admirably.

The asteroids themselves were quite dangerous and could have crashed the shuttle like anything.

Our adventurers were trying to keep their fighting spirit and make it unharmed to Zegandaria, where the last part of the operation was to take place.

An intermediate stop would be Izod Sin, a strange place in the middle of space itself, a small asteroid with an almost comical shape of two half-blinded huge chunks of rock.

They would have to refuel there, and think about exactly where to land on Zegandaria.

IZOD SIN

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: IZOD SIN

 

The planetoid Izod Sin was naturally visible to the naked eye, but what made it particularly attractive was the fact that it wasn't just being used as a fuel extraction station. It wasn't just a fossil fuel, it was a fuel source, and it wasn't just a the traces of passing comets were very beautiful and enigmatic.

The strangest thing was that one set foot on this small planet and asked oneself:

- Where am I?

The group expressed a desire to transfer to Izod Sin for two reasons. "The Children of Kasdeya" were not shortsighted - they knew that a decisive war was looming, and this time it would be far more devastating than the last. It could all be gone once and for all - it filled them with the joyful awe of pioneers and pioneer builders taking a prominent place in a very important project to save humanity.

When you are in a place like this your sense of belonging to someone or something disappears - you become a whole new person.

Somewhere back in time, Zekaraya remembered something else. His induction into the group had been led by Durnyam, but also by people like Euron Vak and Jessica Vak, who were even related to him.

He spent over ten years with the cult - he was in no hurry to become a novice. Kazuk Mon hadn't even made it to his position as High Priest - that was yet to come. Then suddenly, something absolutely strange and inexplicable happened. One night he had a dream in which he saw himself, submerged under water, drowning, yet feeling deeply at peace.

He felt some strange stirring. Someone nudged him. It was Gabriel, the daughter of Admiral Spears. She had become a different person since Andrew Dislan's death - quite different from her former self. But this time she was going on a journey again, and perhaps this would be her last. She could never outlive her great love, and she moved on, without a purpose in life.

It's hard to describe what was going on in the