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Circle 2002 short story by Louis Turfrey Thirty-seven
years after Episode IV – A New Hope The ship approached the compact cruiser and rotated about
its axis. It’s claw-like engine mounts folded back
to reveal a standard docking ring. With a grace that told more about the
pilots’ skills than the ship itself, the smaller craft docked lightly with
the larger cruiser. Ryath Centaur nodded towards the two guards on the hatch,
and they cycled the airlock. There was a brief hiss of air and the clanking
noise of shifting locking rings, then the hatch
opened. A man walked through, his muscular figure immediately visible through
the thin, form fitted flight suit that he wore. “Hello Ryath.” Centaur’s icy blue eyes narrowed as he took in the sight
in front of him. That was the only surprise they showed. “Hello. You look
like him and you sound like him, but I need to perform a couple of tests
before I confirm your identity.” The man nodded and made no move to stop the guards from
removing the one blaster strapped low on his leg. Ryath motioned for the
guards to move off and the man turned to follow them. Ryath pulled him up
with an iron hard grip on his arm. “No. This
way. Let’s walk.” The man nodded and they both set off along the ventral
walkway. “What makes you
think I want to give it back to you?” The man smiled his response. “Because you
remember the last time I ‘lost’ it. You know what it means to me and
that I’ll do everything within my power and abilities to retain it.” Centaur nodded.
“Point taken, but you still haven’t convinced me. Your DNA checked out
with a point five percent divergence.
Can you explain that?” The
man smiled again. “It was
necessary to modify some aspects to counter the build up of Force capability
that would occur over time.” Ryath stopped and turned. “I beg your
pardon?” The other man continued to look ahead. His face turned
wistful. “I’m not
saying that I won’t one day regret the decision, but I think you will agree
that I was always a better bounty hunter than Jedi Knight.” Centaur nodded in agreement.
“True. Being a bounty hunter
didn’t get you killed.” “No. Being heroic got me killed.” He turned to the door to his left and pressed the
code sequence into the security system. There was a brief bleep then a tone
sounded. He pressed his hand to a concealed DNA scanner and the fingers
glowed blue for a millisecond. The blast door opened with a snap hiss. “It’s
yours. Disappoint me and his legacy and I’ll track you down myself.” The man turned to Ryath and his face grew grim. “You can
try.” The guards watched as their commander-in-chief and
the stranger walked back towards the airlock. The man carried a large
suitcase with the ease of one used to the task. The two men shook hands silently
and the stranger moved back on to his ship. Moments later it had detached and
quickly dropped into hyperspace. Ryath Centaur watched the ship disappear and moved
away towards the command deck. There was trouble brewing in the Setnin Sector
and he could not afford to rest on his laurels. The man moved away from his control console and
into the reception area at the back of the cockpit. He unclipped the case
with the ease of one familiar with the act and removed a dark and foreboding
helmet. Without preamble he moved over to a couch and sat down, placing the
helmet over his head. A quick flick of a hidden switch and the world came
alive around him. There was a click and a three dimensional face appeared on
the Heads Up Display.
“Greetings my son. If you have received this piece of equipment then
Ryath Centaur is either dead or slightly confused. I sincerely hope it is the
latter. This helmet will key itself to your unique DNA sample and then
download my final memory engrams into your mind.
This is your last chance to back out and remain in touch with what you were.
If you continue, the next time you activate this helmet you will know and be
everything that I was up until the point which I shed the armour. The helmet
will now turn itself off.” The display powered down and the hum of the ships
engines could be clearly heard outside. The stranger sat silently for ten
minutes, not moving, barely breathing. Then he reached his hand back inside
the helmet and switched it on. There was a rushing sensation and then
clarity. This time the voice he heard was electronic. “Helmet
systems are active at one hundred percent efficiency. DNA pattern submitted
to suite hard wired systems. Please state your name for voice
identification.” There was a pause of five seconds then the last
message repeated. “Please
state your name for voice identification.” The man stood and looked across at his reflection
in the blacked out view port. “My name
is Ranth. Tar Ranth.” Full
Circle 2002 short story by Louis Turfrey Thirty-seven
years after Episode IV – A New Hope Histories – The return of Ranth, albeit a cloned, genetically modified version. Appearing just prior to the Fall of Chancai, Ranth begins his strange reintegration into Setnin society. Reclaiming his armour
from Ryath Centaur he bides his time, waiting for the right opportunity to begin the
hunt again. Cast of Characters Tar Ranth Ryath Centaur |