Excerpted From Winfall’s Grand History.
Prime artifacts are extraordinarily scarce and sought out by treasure hunters, Leapers, and academics alike. However, most sites have been picked clean in this day and age, multiplying the value of such items by a factor of absurdity.
However, Prime ruins are much more common than most people might think. Every major city-state has multiple Prime structures. All have been studied by natural philosophers and some have even been converted for everyday use. There is a large, one-story, roofless building in the Jarlands which has currently been repurposed as the famous Long Sommer Beer Garden. This might seem like a waste (and scandalous to Prime scholars) but, it has been thoroughly examined and documented, and in the defense of the Jarlands, it is a very good beer garden. If you have the opportunity to visit, try the Golden Apple Wheat Beer, it’s quite refreshing.
This is to say, while the Prime remains the great mystery of our age, they are more present than is generally thought of. Even small islands are likely to have some touch of the Prime on them, even if is merely an old wall or some other stone work. Such vestiges of this long-gone civilization are all around us and of little value to anybody other than the odd academic.
The airship Swift Wind, flying the Gold and Green banner of the New Republic of Utajiri, approached the island of Papptat.
“Any response?” asked the Commander.
“None Commander,” replied the aether-radio officer.
Looking through her telescope, she saw smoke hanging over the small island, and no activity at the docks. Papptat was primarily a minor trading port for New Republic airships and licensed merchants. Located well within their airspace, the risk of a pirate attack was extremely unlikely. It was a low-value target. Yet, they sent out a distress signal three days ago, and then silence.
“Prepare for docking and have our Guardians ready to deploy,” ordered the Commander.
“Aye Commander!” shouted her bridge crew.
Landing at the docks, two squads of Utajiri Guardians deployed and took defensive positions amongst the cargo. The Lead Guardian sent two scouts ahead for reconnaissance. After a short but intense period, they gave the all-clear signal.
“Safe to exit Commander!” said the Lead Guardian.
Descending the gangplank, the Commander said, “What’s going on, Lead?”
“No hostiles, Commander.”
The scouts returned and gave the Commander a closed-fist salute.
“Report.”
“No signs of hostiles Commander,” said the first one.
“But the aether-radio station was destroyed,” said the second.
“Explosives?”
The two scouts looked at each other.
“It’s a yes or no question!” shouted Lead.
“It’s hard to explain, Commander,” said the first scout.
“Seeing it might be better,” said the second.
“Well then,” said the Commander, “Let’s take a look.”
“With all due respect,” said Lead, “I would feel better if you would allow us to reconnoiter the area fully, to assure the Commander’s safety.”
She smiled and said, “Appreciated Lead but I trust you and the Guardians to keep me safe.”
“As you wish. Guardians! Full Phalanx!” ordered Head and the rest rapidly assembled into a protective pattern around the Commander.
The aether-radio station was just outside the port and atop a hill for a clear signal. Normally there was a metal tower on the roof but instead, it rested on the ground to the side of the station. Examining it, the Commander could see that its edges had been snapped and twisted.
“What could do this?” she thought, then asked the scouts, “Any signs of heavy machinery?”
“That was our first thought too Commander,” said the first.
“But the only thing we could see was that,” said the second, pointing.
In the dirt, was a set of large, deep footprints. She knelt next to them and touched the soil. It was compressed as if a heavy weight had been placed there. Gazing around, she could see that whatever made these prints had a long stride and had continued into the island’s interior.
“That’s not all Commander,” said the first pointing at the aether-radio station.
Entering the station, the scent of scorched metal and stone filled her nose. The aether-radio machinery was cut in half. No, that wasn’t quite right. It had been melted in half as if an enormous welder’s torch had been cut through it. Looking up, the Commander saw the hole just above the bisected machinery, blackened at the melted edges. It was a warm day but she found herself shivering. Taking a deep breath, she turned about and exited.
“Lead, let’s follow those tracks. Everyone, eyes open!” she ordered.
“You heard the Commander! Form up and on the double!” shouted Lead.
They took off, following the giant prints. Showing no outward fear, the Commander kept her hand on her pneumatic pistol, though she wondered if it would be of any help to whatever destroyed the aether-radio station. After a half-hour march, they arrived in a large field of high grass, which was the source of the smoke she had seen before.
“Squad One, on me!” said Lead, “Squad Two, close ranks on the Commander!”
As Squad One sprinted forward, the rest of them crouched in the high grass and waited. Everyone here was a professional, trained to defend their city-state and to deal with things so ordinary citizens didn’t have to. So when a shocked cry was heard from up ahead, the Commander leapt to her feet and shouted, “FOLLOW ME!”
Leading the charge, she and the rest of the Guardians arrived at where the sound came from. Lead was standing before a smoking, blackened mound.
“Lead, what in the sky…” she began as she looked at the pile.
“They were just ordinary people. Not Guardians,” he said quietly.
Over her career, the Commander had seen death, more times than she wanted to. Abyss, she had killed in battle but this was different. Who could do this? Why would anyone do this?
“Lead.”
He said nothing but continued to stare at the results of this massacre.
“Lead! Look at me!”
As if waking up, he shook his head, turned to her, and stood at attention.
“Commander!”
“We need to bury these people. Take the Second squad and start that. Send Squad One to look for any survivors.”
“Understood! You heard the Commander! Hop to it! We’ve got work to get done!”
She called over the scouts.
“You read up on this place before we got here, correct?”
“Yes Commander!” said One.
“Of course Commander!” added Two.
“Was there any sign of looting in the town?”
“No Commander,” they replied.
“This isn’t an exceedingly rich port, not much of a target for pirates,” she said, “Is there anything of interest here? Anything that might attract this sort of attention?”
“No mineral or aether deposits,” said One.
“Not strategically vital,” said Two.
“The only thing of note is a Prime ruins site.”
“According to records, it’s just an old floor, if there was more, it’s gone now.”
“Can you take me to it?” she asked.
“Yes, Commander!”
The scouts took her to the far edge of the clearing where the report listed the site.
“With your leave Commander, one of us can go ahead,” said Two.
“Just for your safety,” added One.
“Your bravery is noted, but I think whatever did all this is no longer here. Let’s proceed.”
All three of them continued, though one scout walked ahead of her, the other behind.
“It’s just up here,” said Two, who had taken the lead.
As they arrived, the floor they expected was gone. Instead, there was a heptagon-shaped hole in the earth. The grass around it was mashed down as if by a great weight. One and Two drew their pneumatic carbines and looked for trouble.
“I’m going in,” she said, “You can accompany me if you want.”
They did so. There was a set of steps leading down. As they descended, glowing sliver patterns lit up on the walls and floor. This chamber was large, about ten meters deep and fifty meters across, clearly of Prime creation. More remarkable, it was completely empty. As they searched it, the Commander was struck by its beauty but with the horror she had just seen, it felt oddly surreal.
“Whatever was in here is gone. Let’s head back to the Swift Wind, I need to report to this.”
Just as they emerged from the chamber, a shape leapt out from the tall grass at the Commander, knocking her off her feet. She felt a slash across her forehead. Responding with a solid push, she threw off her attacker. Wiping blood out of her eyes, she saw the scouts were about to fire at this figure when she saw who attacked her.
“STOP!” she shouted.
While the scouts did not fire, they kept their carbine trained on the assailant.
“It’s just a child!” she said as she stood up.
Dirty, her clothes ragged, and with a bullet graze to the side of her head, the girl pushed herself up and gave all three grownups a look telling them this fight was far from over.
“Child,” said the Commander, “We are not your enemies. Let us help you.”
The girl paused, took in their uniforms, nodded, and then collapsed to the ground.
“Radio the Swift Wind, we need a medic here. NOW!” ordered the Commander who took off her tunic and rolled it up, and put it under the girl’s head.
“Who is she?” asked One.
“I think she’s the only one who knows what happened,” replied the Commander.
“Medic inbound Commander,” said Two.
“Thank you.”
The girl groaned softly and dropped something shiny from the hand that didn’t hold the rock. Picking it up, the Commander examined it closely.
“What is it, Commander?”
Holding up a regimental button from a Peace-Keeper uniform, she replied, “Trouble.”
The Writings of Leo Byrne Jenicek 