Song of the Swans Prologue

Prologue

Charles remembered Crux Prime differently.  With his eyes shut he pictured swaths of infectious mist, calcified shrubbery, and scattered debris for miles outside the shield barrier around Nexus Tower.  With his eyes open, as they were now, he saw in all those miles around the magnificent Tower a clear, clean expanse.   The shield was deactivated.  Flat, windswept stone made up the undisturbed ground between his vantage two klicks from the Tower’s northeast to the crags around Sentinel Point Zeta.  Even though the cliffs were high and he could not see that was beyond, he knew what was not.

The old Crux Prime was gone.  The Maelstrom Quarry, Rivendark Canyon, even the Mars had been cleaned as a liberated Block Yard.

Charles took a deep breath of the cold air.  There was a welcome chill, like fresh water.  No infection, not even the slightest sting of Maelstrom influence remained on the ground… except what remained in him.

“Breathtaking,” a man said and Charles turned to him.  It was unusual for his friend, a proud Venture League Buccaneer by the name of Cheerful Power Rover, to dress casually, but they were all taking time off from active service.  This was a special occasion.  Still, Rover maintained his Faction colors with a warm green sweatshirt and plain brown jeans.  A monkey sat on Rover’s shoulder eating from a snack pack while Rover kept his eyes trained on Charles’s face.

"Good to be back, huh?" Rover asked.

Charles smiled.  "For the fifth time; it's better to see you again, Cheerful Power Rover!”

The monkey jumped off when Rover drew Charles into a hug.  "And me you, Gallant Strong Cyclone!"

Next: Part One: The Beginning of the End