"And sometimes they return with golden fire, a silent Flame that lights the way."

  The Myth of the Duu'ra

  STEP 8: If all else fails withdraw.

  RG Doctrine

  A win-win wins every time.

  Feebee’s ‘manual’

  The Farm stretched out below them and was enormous. They could now see industrial complexes nestled within the vast crystal terraces that stretched for miles. Towers reached up above the fields, red navigation lights unnecessary as the towers themselves pulsed across the skyline.

  There were processing yards, staging areas and habitation zones with streets and parks.

  "That's not a Farm," Feebee pointed to the largest safe area outside The Farm. "Can we make that clearing."

  "You're joking right. We'll be lucky to land this thing."

  Alpha-2 glanced quickly at Feebee, saw the determination in her eyes. He shook his head, "You're mad, you know that don't you. Mad."

  "Thank you." Feebee smiled as she said it.

  "It wasn't meant as a compliment."

  They laughed.

  As they pushed through the fractured sky the ship shook violently. The dampeners unable to mask it.

  Rockson struggled to the front of the Scout ship, console in hand. “Somethings off.”

  “You reckon,” was Feebee’s response; then she remembered his insights from earlier and gave him a quick glance, “Tell me.”

  “Those towers, they’re harmonic regulators. Crucial to growth.” Rockson’s whole demeaner had changed. The quirky corporal was gone.

  “In English please,” asked Feebee.

  “The crystals grow and develop in phase with their surroundings. The phase regulators maintain stable growth to a specific harmonic phase, allowing them to grow the crystals for a specific use and with a specific signature. They also prevent the crystals from fracturing as they grow. Like voltage regulators but for resonance instead of electricity.”

  Alpha-2 called to Feebee, “I need your attention with me. On the ship. All of it. Can this wait.”

  He’d got the ship lined up on the clearing near The Farm. It sat at the centre of a massive, crystal forest.

  Feebee turned to Rockson, “Later. We’ll talk later.”

  He nodded and scurried back to his place at the rear of the ship.

  The whole area around the ship lit up. It pixilated and pulsed with golden energy emanating from the ship. As they got closer lightening forked, grasped the ship and shook it like a child with a toy rattle. The damaged engine failed, Feebee dumped the fuel. It immediately ignited, releasing bright strands of flaxen plasma that slowly drifted towards the ground.

  Feebee and Alpha-2 struggled to keep the ship on target as it burst through a layer of low mist.

  The second engine finally gave up and they dropped like a stone, so hard they felt it though the anti-grav as they bounced a couple of times, span and ground to a slow, agonising halt that tailed off, meters from a field of tall crystal grass. The cockpit faced towards the Farm.

  Alpha-3 opened his eyes and looked around, “Well, I'm glad that's over… and I'm still alive." He nudged River who was smiling.

  "I'm glad too. Thought we were dead."

  Alpha-3 smiled, "Takes more than that to kill the Captain."

  An antiquated fire engine rolled out over to them from the Farm. It's timing was impeccable, there ship's hull, though hot and scorched had not caught light, and any smoke had now dispersed.

  The solitary read light on its roof continued to flash. Thankfully, the siren had stopped long before it reached the Scout ship.

  Two firemen emerged gingerly from the main cabin and struggled to unpack gear from the truck.

  Feebee turned to River. "Please! Go out and tell them to go away! Those," she pointed to the fire hoses they were unrolling, "aren't necessary. Let them know we will NOT accept any charges for their services. And Alpha-3, go with him."

  The firemen, part of a local volunteer group, were disappointed, it had been a while since they'd had a real 'shout'. To then find out there was no fire AND they weren't going to get paid 'just sucked.'

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  River came back smiling, it was like one of those old black and white 2Ds Mum and Dad used to show us.

  ‘Manage repairs.’ she instructed the QI. 'Get us space worthy. Quickly.'

  ‘Yes. I’ll do what I can.’

  ‘Oh. Ok. Good.’

  Meanwhile, somewhen else… The Long Quiet reported.

  OBSERVATION: Mythic construct converging with physical substrate.

  RISK INDEX: Low. Beast emergence probability non-zero.

  QUIETUS PROTOCOL: DORMANT. Intervention threshold not met.

  SECONDARY EFFECT: Crystal lattice activation within designated threat zone.

  ANOMALY: Harmonic synchronization event detected.

  OUTCOME: Silent Flame parameter aligned with Duu’ra vector.

  STATUS: Escalation probability rising. Prepare active response state.

  Meanwhile, back now...

  A truck could be seen heading their way. They forced the fire engine off the road as it returned, hardly slowing.

  Alpha-3 called out, “Here comes our ride. Looks like as battle taxi.” Then backed up the ramp under cover.

  The ‘ride’, an APC as Alpha-3 had thought, pulled up and six men in RG camo jumped out, forming a cordon around the back of the Scout ship, near the ramp. Its mounted gun had slowly turned until it was pointing at the ship.

  Seeing this, Feebee muttered, "Rude," then called out from the cockpit, "Careful. Be on alert." Then added, "Fingers on triggers."

  "Confirm." It was Alpha-2.

  "I confirm, fingers on triggers," was Feebee's immediate response.

  "Ack"

  'Is that necessary?' Asked the QI.

  'Let's hope not.'

  Alpha-3 stayed on one side of the rank, inside the ship, and had positioned River behind him. Feebee noticed the outline of body armour under his shirt and nodded, approving of the precaution.

  Alpha-2 took up position, out of sight, on the other side of the ramp while Rockson waited for Feebee. She finger spoke to the Alphas 'I'LL DISTRACT THEM. YOU DISAPPEAR. YOU'LL KNOW WHEN'

  A voice blared out from the APC, "EXIT THE SHIP."

  Feebee called back, "No need to shout. I'm coming." Then turned to Rockson and started towards the ramp,"Stay here."

  He shook his head and started after her. She spun round and closed on him, in his face. It was effortless, almost graceful and he hadn't seen it coming.

  "STAY. On MY ship, under MY command you follow MY lead. YES?" Her pose was relaxed, her voice quiet but the words, the tone carried such command he was knocked back on his heels.

  "Yes Ma'am!" He said, almost before his brain had registered that he'd spoken.

  She nodded, "Good. We are ONE team."

  "EXIT THE SHIP."

  Feebee smiled, "Yes. Yes. Coming." She ambled casually down the ramp and walked a diagonal path that took her away from the ship, no nearer the APC and towards the edge of their cordon. The mounted gun followed her and the cordon adjusted. She had their attention.

  One of the RG men in the cordon was hesitant, jittery. She walked towards him and then jinked past him, forcing some of them to turn.

  "Halt," he called out. Feebee kept walking. He called again, louder this time, "STOP!"

  She turned and looked confused, then sat down, took her default cross-legged position and slowly descended into a state of utter calm. Three of the others from the cordon, two men and a woman, double timed over to Feebee and formed a box around her. Gun's steady, their aim on her. Safe distance maintained.

  The box closed in, one of them, a woman, reported, "We've got a young teenage girl. No-one else. Maybe more in the ship."

  "Extreme care. She's dangerous."

  A couple of the men laughed. The woman gave them a sharp look that shut them up.

  One of them moved nearer and prodded her with the pointy end of their rifle. Dangerous? He scoffed, visibly undressing her as he looked her up and down.

  He liked what he saw. Black fatigues that showed off an athletic physique. Flaxen hair, platted and looked after that framed a quietly pretty face. But the rifle slung over her shoulder spoiled it all. It was an ugly over-sized beast that extended well above her head. He saw it as too big for someone her size; its barrel was still intact, not cut down. The whole thing just for show.

  He was surprised though, she actually looked unconcerned; as if she'd gone to sleep but her posture was one of balance, of control.

  Alpha-2 whispered, "Ready."

  The RG stepped forward and made an exaggerated show of going to prod her again, 'playing to the crowd' but she was no longer there.

  The Alpha's watched from within deep shadow, knowing what was coming. She'd practiced and practiced the move with them until they found her impossible to stop. They quickly led Rockson and River off the back of the ramp and into the jungle smiling.

  The RG's rifle had gone, stripped from his hands, suddenly in one of her hands. In the other was the magazine, removed from the rifle which was now being offered back. The magazine was stowed in her webbing.

  "Yours. Please. Take," she said in high pitched squeaky voice; faltering as if Standard was difficult and unfamiliar to her.

  By the time the others reacted it was already to late. She'd regained everyone's attention; quietly and decisively. There was spectacle in what she did which she regretted but it had got the job done. All four RGs stepped back from her, guns levelled, each now on high alert.

  The warning, She's dangerous, now seemed inadequate.

  The remaining two RG watched, then when their colleagues had regained control went up the ramp and into the ship.

  The QI closed the ramp once they were inside and in what was an almost comical voice announced, "W..w... well... welcome, please take, take your... se se, se se, seats." It also over loaded a secondary circuit, causing it to spark, releasing smoke into the onboarding area.

  She heard one of them over the comms, "The ship is damaged. It's closed the door on us. Automatics are probably fried. I'll manually open it."

  The other had a quick look through the ship, "There's no-one else here."

  The woman in the group that surrounded Feebee, a Corporal, spoke, "We were told there were four of you? Where are they?"

  "Four of me?" Feebee asked, sounding confused. "No, just one of me."

  The QI laughed, Feebee couldn't help but smile.

  The Corporal, seeing this stepped back further. This wasn't normal behaviour. She was used to people being scared, cowed not amused their presence.

  "Did anyone leave the ship?" The Corporal asked.

  They knew better than to admit to that.

  "No ma'am." Came back. She wasn't convinced but turned back to Feebee, "Just one of you then?"

  "Yes. Definitely just the one. Did the flight plan say there were more?"

  The woman had had enough of it. "I get it, Ok? You're here to observe? Yes?" Feebee nodded. "Come with me."

  As they led her to the APC, the ramp on the Scout ship lowered, stalled and closed back up before finally cycling and dropping to the ground, allowing the two RGs out.

  'You're mean.'

  'Oh, boo hoo,' responded the QI.

  'That was a compliment.'

  'I know.' Scratchy laughter.

  Feebee called out, "Hey guys. Come out, all's good here."

  The two Alphas, Rockson and River emerged from the jungle and took a knee, weapons ready.

  The Corporal was about to give a command when Feebee cut across her, "It's Ok. They're with me. Stand down Corporal." The tone carried an authority and sense of assumed seniority that froze the woman.

  She recovered quickly, "You lied."

  "No," Feebee's response was emphatic but without malice. She continued, "You were miss informed. I am one, I command four and my command is five."

  The Corporal processed this. Understanding flowed and she smiled.

  "Shall we?" She asked.

  Feebee nodded, "Yes."