2.85 The Dawning of a New Empire

Nolan stirred as the beam of light crept across his face, a sharp jab of pain shot through his skull, reminding him of his mortality. So much for the no-hangover theory, his hangovers were worse than ever. The smell of fresh coffee and vanilla pancakes wafting in through the balcony doors would be soothing, were it not for the Vimana engines overhead, reminded him this was The Big Day.

         He opened his eyelids to let the sunshine in, everything was blurry, it took a moment to focus… The living room was littered with slumbering bodies, strewn clothing and empty wine vessels, they painted a picture of good times had by one and all, the only problem was that he couldn't really remember any of it. He tried to move but his body was entangled with clothing, bedding and limbs. Slowly he peeled back the layers of engagement and overcoming a headache strong enough to render him useless, crawled out of the overstuffed chaise and put on a robe.

         Breakfast was already being served on the balcony, Halios and Atalon were up watching the Vimanas carry out their maneuvers in tense anticipation of the Event.

         Bell's crew was well trained. Like a choreographed dance team they flew the Vimanas around complicated cables and equipment, securing the bombs in complicated cargo harnesses before sending them away.

         From where he stood the operation looked flawless, his crew carried out the procedure with first class precision. Every waft of wind, every mass of gravity and every inch of cable had been accurately accounted for, he heaved a sigh of relief as it all came together as planned, as his golden bombs looked so magnificent on their maiden voyage. One by one they were swept up into the sky by the beautiful golden disks, this was it! This was the Dawn of the New Empire! At last! What a rush!

         Josh studied the bizarre golden military operation with some concern as he ate his pancake in the courtyard, wondering now. It looked like they were installing the bombs… Were they really actually officially planning to blow up Mount Ekar??? Up until now it just hadn’t seemed plausible, suddenly it was a terrifying thought, now that it was too late to object! Now he was relieved to learn they would be housed in the Reserves bunker! There's no way they would be safe, otherwise! Would they really be rid of Aquilla once and for all? Would it be worse than a volcanic eruption? No one had ever let off an atomic bomb before, let alone four at once! He pondered the potential disaster, rocks and boulders could potentially fly... How far?

         His gaze fell upon the pyramids, the gods obviously knew of these dangers and designed the pyramids to withstand the holocaust, they seemed to be adequately prepared, now he understood why they were built that way, so that the rocks would roll off… He let out a heavy sigh, feeling assured they would be okay, but what about the aribu in Fina? Would rocks fly that far? Compared to the distance to Mount Ekar, Fina wasn't so far away. Would they all be okay?

         Bell let his gaze return to Mount Ekar as the Vimana sailed away, trying to ignore the unanswered questions gnawing away at his gut. He had seen the old geographical maps in the printing room. What if the blast triggered a volcanic eruption? Mount Ekar was a dormant volcano. Were they playing with fire?

         The pyramids were massive, they were solid, no doubt they were built stronger than any stronghold that ever existed before, yet beneath the majestic peaks of Mount Ekar, their might seemed to pale in comparison to the potential disaster that could possibly unfold. Suddenly he felt uneasy about the whole operation, about the nature of the new atomic bombs. No one had ever even tested them at this scale. They were simply trusting Nolan?

         Something wasn't right. Nervous now, he glanced around the courtyard with growing concern, the Gens were completely oblivious to the operation taking place, giggling and gossiping in the pancake lineup, completely unaware of the looming dangers of the Coming War...

         "Hey Bell, how's it going?"

         A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, reminding him of his task.

         "Oh, Hi Josh…" He noticed Josh was being followed by fans again, they were all witnesses to his crime now, he had an amazing ability to lead others astray...

         "Have you seen Nolan this morning?"

         "He's up there" Bell gestured towards the Villa on the hill. "Golden robe. Lipstick stains on his cheek. Why?"

         Josh noticed Bell's sarcasm, his preoccupation with the action in the sky was perhaps more important than he realized. "I was just wondering... Those Vimanas.. Are they installing the bombs already? Is this the war starting now?"

         "Nah" Bell assured. "Don't worry, Josh, it's all part of the show. You'll see..."

         Josh wasn't stupid, he knew Bell was stressing about the operation in the sky. He nudged the officer aside and muttered away from listening ears.

         "Come on, Bell, you can tell me!"

         Bell was bound by an Oath, even to his friends. "Okay, Josh, but you have to promise you won't tell a soul."

         "On Medel's Honor!" Josh touched his heart with sincerity.

         "Atalon will be very, very upset if anyone finds out, you know how gossip spreads!"

         "I promise" Josh insisted.

         Bell took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "They’re loading fireworks on the mountainside" he whispered. "It's going to the biggest, most beautiful Fireworks Show ever!"