The Battle for the Sword of Bale

By Lillian Longendorfer

Drs. Stan and Elsa Mercer learn that the peaceful coexistence of the human and the primitive populations of the Quad Consortium is threatened when Tokal announces his intention to retire as president of the Grand Council. Despite Stan's innate impulse to avoid becoming involved in any sort of political conflict, they felt obliged to return to Bale, the coldest planet in the Consortium, when their friend Tokal asked for their help in keeping the Sword of Bale from getting into the hands of those who would use its power to gain control of the Consortium. As they attempt to save the Sword of Bale, they realize that they must deal not only with an ambitious and callous government official but also with his prior nemesis, Nathan Taylor, the former president of the Grand Council who has escaped from life imprisonment on the distant red-dwarf-star planet, Planet 1251. Nathan, who had previously experienced the power of the Sword of Bale, is determined to possess it, no matter the cost. At the same time, Stan and Elsa must protect Tokal and his daughter, Roval, from Tokal's own son, Naril, who believes he is the rightful heir of the Sword of Bale and its power, and who is willing to kill to attain it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644715079

Book preview

Chapter 1

The sun was just beginning to set over the northern mountains of Bale, the coldest planet of the Quad Consortium, as the members of the aboriginal Ringot tribe assembled in the center of the village of Malrot to celebrate its annual Festival of the Ancestors. They were dressed in their traditional ceremonial brown burlap-like coats decorated with green, red, and purple gems excavated from nearby mineral mines. Their coats hung below their knees and covered their knobby Ludor hair shirts and pants, completely obscuring their long hairy arms and short hairy legs and making them appear shorter than they were.

The Ringot tribesmen, as members of Bale’s mixed population of humans and primitives, had carefully arranged themselves around a tall stone obelisk decorated with carved symbols representing their revered ancestors. At the base of the obelisk was a platform of newly hewn logs where the tribal elders would stand when the sun finally disappeared behind the mountain that loomed above the village, and the torches were lit.

It was then that Tokal and his family were led to the platform by elders, each wearing a silver metal armband designating their position within the tribe. Tokal, as leader of the tribe, was the first to be escorted to the dais. He was followed by Naril, his son and apparent heir, and Roval, his daughter and beloved tribal medicine woman.

As the ceremony progressed and after Tokal had delivered his customary speech, it was obvious to all present that he was beginning to show signs of his advanced age—signs that were easily recognized. Some of the elders nodded knowingly to each other but said nothing as Tokal struggled to rise from the chair that had been provided to him after he made his remarks and after they observed Tokal’s careworn, uneven gait.

Following the formalities of the occasion and after Tokal retired to his hut, the members of the tribe feasted and danced until sunrise the next morning. Naril and Roval participated in the festivities well into the night before deciding to return to their own huts. As they walked together on their way toward their lodgings, their conversation was cordial even though each was wary of the other.

Naril resented his younger sister, Roval. She was bright, clever, and beautiful, by tribal standards, and revered by all members of the tribe. He, on the other hand, was considered to be strong and smart, but he was not respected by anyone. In fact, he was feared by many. This, he knew and appreciated. He believed that this fear was to his benefit; that it would aid him in controlling the tribe when he assumed the leadership of the tribe upon his father’s death. At the moment, his greater concern was the fact that his father was displeased with him and openly favored Roval as his heir, a sentiment shared by many of the tribal elders.

When Naril and Roval reached a point on the stone path where they were about to part and head toward their own abodes, Naril asked, Did you notice how much older our father appeared this night?

Yes, I did. He is most assuredly beginning to show his age. He tires easily now. I have provided him some herbs to strengthen him, but they will only help for a short while, Roval responded. She turned to face her brother, aware that Naril had more to say about her father’s failing health.

"I think it is time for our father to consider retirement. Acting as tribal chief and as president of the Grand Council of the Consortium is difficult for anyone, let alone for someone of his age. He should consider naming me his true heir now and turn the sword over to me. The power of the Sword of Bale belongs to his heir."

Roval knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted to take over the governance of all the primitive tribes in the Consortium. After a slight hesitation, she responded, I am sure he has thought about this. He will notify you and the tribe of his retirement when he is ready. And as the first born, you are his heir. She paused knowing how to unnerve Naril. Continuing, she said, Unless father chooses to name another successor. It is his right, you know.

Roval turned away from Naril and walked quickly toward her hut, leaving him standing alone in the dark. He was angry. He had to be sure that he would be named Tokal’s heir and rightful possessor of the power of the sword. He determined that he would do everything he could to please his father—to have Tokal see him as worthy. At the same time, he would observe Roval. He was not going to allow her to influence Tokal’s choice of heir. Still, tradition was on his side. For centuries, tribal leaders have named their first born as their successors.

*****

When Roval arrived at her hut, she was met by Sandrol, a tribal woman, who had been anxiously awaiting her return from the tribal ceremony. It was obvious to Roval that the woman had been crying.

Sandrol, what is wrong? Roval asked, taking hold of Sandrol’s outstretched arms. Why have you been crying?

It is my husband. He has been injured. He was tending the Ludors we keep in order to provide milk for the children of the tribe. He was about to spread the feed when he fell from the loft onto the hard ground below. He cannot move his arm. Can you come?

Absolutely. But first, you must allow me to retrieve some herbs from my hut.

Roval entered her sparsely decorated hut and headed to the back corner where her medicinal herbs were carefully stored. She gathered what she thought she might need. The two women then made their way to the pasture tended by Sandrol’s family. As they hurriedly walked along the narrow stony path, they passed Naril who was seated atop a long flat stone bench in front of his hut and smoking the rolled, cured leaf popular among the humans living on all four planets in the Consortium.

Where are you going? he called out.

Roval stopped only long enough to give him a brief account of the accident. She and Sandrol rushed off. As they continued to their destination, Roval recognized that she had sensed an undercurrent in Naril’s attitude even though she was aware of the urgency of responding to the needs of someone who had been injured. She not only felt that Naril was planning something devious, but she also detected something more sinister. This ability to appreciate the subtleties of her environment or her encounters was inherited. Her mother also had it. Her ability to predict or sense a change in someone’s persona began early in her childhood. It was considered a gift by some members of the tribe, and it was one of the reasons she had been chosen to become the tribe’s medewin, medicine woman. For most of her life, she considered this ability more of a bother than some sort of gift. But right now, she did not have time to completely consider what she was sensing. That would have to wait until after Sandrol’s husband had been treated.

At the loft, Roval found Sandrol’s husband still lying on the ground. After a preliminary examination, she had him moved into the family’s hut where she cleansed a deep laceration on his lower arm and covered it with a poultice of herbs. She then set his fractured upper arm. When she completed her task, Ravol reassured Sandrol and her husband that the wound and the fracture would heal, and that in two lunar months, he would be able to freely use his arm again.

It was not until she finally returned home and had retired for the night, comfortably wrapped in her blanket, that she allowed herself to think about what she had sensed when she encountered Naril earlier. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel Naril was up to something; she did. Something greater was going to happen, larger than the issue of Naril and his ascendancy to tribal leadership. It was something that could endanger not only Tokal but also the planets of the Consortium. It was something she could do nothing about, at least not until sometime in the future. But what? But when? she wondered aloud.

Before she finally fell asleep, Roval decided she would not allow herself to be consumed by this issue. Instead, she permitted her thoughts to wander to the young tribal warrior and protector, Havenil, who seemed to be paying a great deal of attention to her lately. She thought he was handsome. She hadn’t always believed that, certainly not when they were children playing together. She smiled to herself and fell asleep.

Chapter 2

The rain was coming down with such force that the sheets of water flowing down the windows of Stan Mercer’s study blurred his view of the fields beyond the cottage. Stan stood patiently staring out the window, awaiting Elsa’s return. He was always uneasy whenever she was driving in one of the severe thunderstorms that were common on Sudon. This was particularly true when their two-year-old son, Adam, was with her. Stan tried to reassure himself that they would be fine. Elsa was an excellent driver, and the rover she was driving was stable enough to handle the muddy road conditions.

After a while, Stan returned to his desk and sifted through the notes he had made during his last trip into the barren hills where he had been studying some promising rock formations. He decided to arrange them in order of their importance before setting them aside. When he was satisfied that he had accomplished what he wanted, Stan leaned back in his chair, lit his pipe, and slowly surveyed the study that he shared with Elsa.

He and Elsa had chosen this room for their study because of its location at the east corner of the cottage, which made it feel bright and cheerful when sunlight streamed through the large windows along its two outer walls. On a clear day, the low purple mountain range that bordered the valley and the rich farmland that stretched from the base of the mountains to their cottage were easily appreciated. The other walls were lined by their books—books that dealt with the geology and archeology of all four planets in the Consortium. In the center of the room, a large red rug with black trim separated his desk from Elsa’s desk. They had positioned the two desks so that they could see each other whenever they looked up. To Stan, the room and the way it had been arranged felt warm and comforting.

As Stan took in his surroundings, he began to reflect on how he had come to such a pleasant place and way of life. He was content now. But that had not always been the case. He recalled how bitter he was after the Interplanetary War and his escape from prison, a false imprisonment. The last battle of the Interplanetary War occurred on the planet Arton, one of the four planets of the Consortium, an economically united coalition of the four-planet solar system situated at the outer edge of the barred spiral galaxy and governed by the Grand Council. It was after that battle that Nathan Taylor imprisoned him for not following his order to assassinate civilians.

He remembered the anger he felt when he fled to Bale. Its lifestyle was suitable to him. There, as a geologist, he could climb over barren, mountainous terrains to study geological formations and isolate himself from the human population. At that time, he had ruled out escaping to Sudon, with its agricultural society, as a place to hide from the world. He had been raised on a farm and did not want to return to that way of life.

Bale, for him, was the perfect choice. It was the coldest and most distant planet from the sun. Also, it was the least populated with humans, being populated primarily by primitive tribes. He had determined that he could live a secluded and isolated lifestyle among the primitives and away from human civilization.

It was there that he met Elsa, an archeologist who had traveled to Bale to study at the archeological site at Percol. She was tall and beautiful, and her green eyes seemed to be highlighted by her long flowing blond hair. But he recalled that it was her strength that he had come to love and admire.

When his nemesis, Nathan Taylor, rose to power, he was conflicted, wanting both seclusion and revenge. Seclusion so that he did not have to deal with ruthless politicians. Revenge for his imprisonment and for Nathan’s attempt to kill him. As he recalled these things, Stan unconsciously clenched his fists, but relaxed when he returned to thinking about Elsa and his friend, Tokal, the leader of the primitive Ringot tribe. He remembered how Tokal and Elsa had convinced him to face his past and take steps to end Nathan’s reign and prevent an interplanetary disaster. They accomplished what they had set out to do with the aid of the power of the Sword of Bale.

Stan recollected how relieved and unburdened he felt when Nathan Taylor was finally banished to a prison colony on the planet 1251 for the rest of his life. Now he enjoys his life with Elsa and his son on Sudon, and his geological research. He smiled and walked back to the window. The rain was lighter. Elsa will be home soon, he thought. He had everything he wanted: a wife, a son, and steady work in his field of study.

A sudden knock on the door of his study quickly interrupted his reverie. Stan turned and hastened to open the door. Ankari, their maid, was standing there with an envelope in her outstretched hand. Ankari, a member of the Gartol tribe, which was native to Sudon, handed the envelope to Stan and left without a word. Stan opened the envelope as he walked back to his desk. He wondered when it had been delivered since he had not heard anyone come to the cottage during the storm. It was from his friend and current President of the Grand Council, Tokal. After reading his message, Stan became much more anxious for Elsa’s return.

*****

One lunar hour later, Elsa arrived home with Adam in tow. As soon as she entered the front door, Elsa explained to Stan that she and Adam would have been home earlier but the blinding downpour had temporarily washed out a portion of the main road and slowed them down.

Adam ran to his father who instinctively picked him up and hugged him. Stan placed him securely on his hip and gently slipped his free arm around Elsa’s waist and kissed her on her cheek. Together, Stan and Elsa took Adam into the family room and placed him on the rug. They watched with pleasure and pride as their son scurried off to dig into his box of toys.

After Stan helped Elsa bring in the purchases she had made in Neoville, the closest village to their country cottage, he handed Elsa the note he had received from Tokal. Elsa frowned, obviously concerned by what she read. Before she had an opportunity to comment on its content, Stan said, We have to go to Uneo.

Elsa immediately understood. She walked to Stan, placed her arms about Stan’s neck, and buried her head on his shoulder. When she finally stepped back, without hesitation, she said, Yes, we do!

Chapter 3

The penal colony established on Planet 1251, now Nathan Taylor’s permanent residence, was located beyond the barred spiral galaxy and slightly more than one light year beyond the Consortium’s solar system. It has a circular orbit about the red dwarf star, named Debak by the Interplanetary Research Center. The planet was exceptional in that it did not rotate about its axis and as a result, one-half of the planet was always exposed to sunlight, and the other half was always dark. It was precisely because of this that its otherwise uniquely inhabitable environment was considered ideal for the high security prison that now housed Nathan Taylor and for the highly secret research programs occurring at the military base’s research center having been established there.

The prison housing Nathan Taylor, located on the dark side of Planet 1251, was designed as a series of interconnected buildings with a common central area that permitted individual prisoners to be segregated based on the severity of their crime. Nathan’s cell, an electronically monitored cage suspended in one of the maze-like hallways in the isolation section, contained a single metal cot and metal table, each bolted to its floor.

Nathan and the other prisoners were guarded by the Simianoid natives of Planet 1251. The natives resembled the early primates that once inhabited the planet known as Earth. However, unlike Earth’s early primates, these Simianoids walked upright and had language, exceptional intellect, and the capability of telepathy among themselves. Yet they were incapable of reading the thoughts of the human settlers or the primitive natives of the Quad Consortium.

Planet 1251’s Simianoid society was technologically advanced, a feature the inhabitants of the Quad Consortium found useful when they established the alliance that allowed the penal colony to be located there. The only codicil to their alliance was that the technological advances developed by the Simianoids could not be exported to the Quad Consortium or any other solar system.

Nathan Taylor had served four solar years of his life sentence, the decree imposed after he was deposed as the tyrant president of the Quad Consortium and as the man who almost destroyed that symbiotic solar system. He had been confined to his cell throughout these years. His only exercise occurred late each solar day when he was taken to the exercise room, but only after the other prisoners had been returned to their cells.

The isolation took its toll on Nathan. He became severely depressed, at one point almost suicidal. After a period of forced medical treatment, he emerged from his depression in a state of constantly suppressed anger. His desire for revenge and power was now stronger than any sense of defeat he may have felt before. Convinced of his right to once again be ruler of the Quad Consortium, he resolved to escape Planet 1251. He promised himself that one day, he would exact his revenge on Stan Mercer and hold the power of the Sword of Bale in his own hands.

*****

Pendo, the warden of the penal colony, seldom visited the secure area of the prison.

Today was one of the days when he made an appearance at the penal colony. He needed to prepare his annual report for the planet’s governing body. He was obliged to include in his report the status of the secure area and of its most notorious prisoner, Nathan Taylor.

An ambitious man and in line for the position of Director of Military Research at the Planetary Military Base, Pendo wanted to impress his supervisors. He had cultivated friendships among influential government officials. These friendships, along with a detailed, professional-appearing report could, he believed, cast him in good stead with his supervisors.

To assist him in his evaluation of prison security and its inmates, Pendo enlisted Captain Lern, the chief of Prison Guards to accompany him. Captain Lern, an ambitious Simianoid native, provided Pendo with needed pertinent data on each prisoner housed in the secure area. He was aware of Pendo’s aspiration and wanted to be a part of any team that Pendo would ultimately create.

At the same time, Pendo was aware of Captain Lern’s objective, and he was more than willing to take advantage of him. He was well paid as the warden, and he did very little work. Instead of spending time at the prison, he delegated the daily running of the prison to Captain Lern, knowing he coveted his position as warden. Right now, he would use Lern to prepare a credible report for the governing body.

Captain Lern escorted Pendo through the secure area, eventually reaching Nathan Taylor’s cell. Pendo stopped and regarded Nathan carefully, taking particular note of his arrogant stance.

How are you doing today, Mr. Taylor? Pendo asked, sure that he would receive a surly response.

As well as can be expected under the circumstances, Nathan said calmly and evenly as he placed his hands on the bars of his cage door.

Not the response Pendo expected. He turned to Captain Lern and nodded, indicating that they continue their walking tour. When they completed their rounds, Pendo reviewed Nathan Taylor’s records. To his amazement, he saw that in spite of his isolation from the general prison population, Nathan had become the epitome of the model prisoner. Based upon what he read, Pendo decided that Nathan should no longer be secluded. Turning to Captain Lern, he ordered him to move Nathan into the general population.

*****

The next day, Nathan Taylor sat alone in the common area for the first time since being removed from the secure area of the prison. He had not seen the dark night sky since his incarceration. He took a deep breath and began to survey his surroundings.

The high stonewall that encircled the common area was protected by a triple row of laser beams that reached from one corner of the wall to the next corner. Anyone attempting to climb over the wall would be detected. Towers at the corners of the wall were unmanned, but Nathan could see high voltage wires leading from one tower to the next. Obviously, a break in the laser beam would automatically trigger the flow of electricity through these wires. An escapee would surely be electrocuted. Nathan decided he would have to find another way to escape. There must be a weakness somewhere in the security system, he mused.

Now that he was free to move around among the general prison population, he resolved to discover just what that weakness was. He realized he needed to become familiar with every aspect of the prison and the resources available to him on Planet 1251, resources he would use to return to Uneo.

Nathan spent the next several solar days observing. Not only did he mentally evaluate the layout of the prison and its security measures, but also his fellow inmates. He needed to find an inmate as ruthless as he, one who had a desire for power and wealth as strong as his. Also, it had to be someone he could manipulate.

Eventually, he found Albert Yost. Albert had been convicted of mass murder and collusion. He had conspired with former military men on the planet Krato, two light years beyond the Quad Consortium’s solar system, to install the despot, Starkos, as planetary ruler. As part of this effort, Albert murdered thousands of Kratans. In addition, he had been a military trained space pilot.

Nathan decided Albert had what he was looking for in a collaborator. Once his decision was made, Nathan made it a point to sit next to Albert on one of the stone benches along the wall of the common area. Until this moment, he and Albert had only exchanged glances. They had never spoken.

The two men sat for several minutes, silently watching the other prisoners walking continuously and slowly around the area. Groups of inmates standing in conversation were frowned upon. Finally, Nathan turned to Albert and whispered, Is it always this quiet? Don’t inmates talk to each other?

Yes, and no. No one talks, Albert responded without turning to Nathan. His voice was low and measured.

Why?

Why should they? There is nothing to talk about. We are not permitted communications from family or friends. We are denied access to any news from the worlds we left, Albert explained softly, not wanting to be overheard.

Are we not allowed to talk? Nathan asked.

We can talk, but we choose not to. Conversations are monitored. Sound recorders are everywhere. They can hear everything we say. Albert stood to leave.

Wait! I’ll walk with you.

Albert nodded and proceeded to walk along the rim of the common area, following the other prisoners walking