Endo-Stellarz:War on the Horizon

Chapter 22: The Burnt Manor

(Jiyoda Kotrya Feza - GT 0932 191)

"So where was this manor of his again?" I said poking Ileen.

"It's near the city of Snivia, just a bit north-east. They left it as intact as possible as an homage to him. They occasionally let Terrinians visit it and learn about him and other aspects of pew history." She said with a little bit of nervousness still present.

"Why would they pay homage to him!?" I said laughing at the idea this long lost lover had any values worth honoring.

"Well he was the longest running Palahdian in office of the nation of Snivia, ultimately ending in the unification of the koopews under one flag at the end of the Terrinian War of Unification. And not to mention was one of the first ambassadors of the koopews to the other species of the galaxy. Nearly all koopew learn about him in history class and some of the policies he passed during those times-"

"Stop, not interested in hearing anymore, let's just get on our way." I said feeling like I'd gag if I heard any more. "I didn't sign up for a history lesson. Much less one about koopews. Deji, go ahead and land us near what remains of the building."

"What's the magic word?" Deji said like the smartass he was at times.

"Please." I said rolling my eyes.

"One landing at the Sniperian residence coming right up." He said as the ship backed out of the station and headed towards the surface. "Luckily for you the station is in synchronized orbit not far from there."

A ship landing later...

"Kurrzz, you have arrived at your destination. Over." Deji joked referencing the ships of millennia past. "Now have fun looking through old burnt stones and overgrown estate. I'll be in the ship as per usual."

"Thanks Deji." I said, "Now out! We need every eye on the scene."

I stepped out onto the grassy ground, the gravity not much lighter than of Ronerion. Looking around I saw what was mostly exposed stones with faint signs of scorching, mostly dispersed by the years of weather. Looking up I saw the few rooms of the mansion that had been spared from the flames, what was not collapsed was covered in vines and mosses. Nature doing its slow work.

"Well there certainly was a fire here, and a long time ago at that. So that part of his story lines up." I noted.

"Perhaps we should try to find any documents or other things that might confirm his death or his whereabouts." Ileen suggested.

"I suggest spreading out, there seems to be a couple of patches of building left around the sides."

Around an hour of searching later...

"I think I found something!" Rolund screamed out. Rushing over Ileen reaching Rolund not long before me the remains of a skeleton and fragments of what looked like a vase laid.

"Oh my." Ileen said.

"Do you think this was him?" Rolund questioned.

"No, no that's a skeleton of a fiepew, that must have been his wife, and next to her, I think that's the remains of a koopew egg shell. I cannot hope to imagine what happened here, though I do not see another skeleton around here."

Rolund lifted up one of the more intact parts of the egg and looked below it before freaking out and dropping it as it smashed. What laid below it was a very small koopew skeleton.

"I did not need to see this. Perhaps we should look elsewhere?" Rolund suggested disturbed at the sight.

"Well we either find another skeleton, or something to lead us to one." I said before walking back to the area I was searching.

Not but around seven minutes later I saw something that peaked my interest. A false wall in part of a standing wall. Poking one of my talons in it I tore it off, quite fragile after years of negligence. Behind it was a safe. I looked around for a moment trying to find a code before thinking of a better idea.

I got out my gun and started firing at it. The bullets bounced off of it and scattered to the ground below. "Wait, wait, Wait!" Rolund said rounding the corner. "Why are you shooting!?"

"I found a safe."

"But why are you shooting it!?"

"I don't have the code, duh."

"But you can destroy what's inside!"

"Well unless we have a code this is the best option."

"Maybe we should check that journal Ileen has? It was owned by the same individual so they might have written it down."

"Fine. Call her over."

"Ileen! It's safe! Literally and figuratively!" He yelled out.

"You couldn't have come up with something that didn't involve a pun?" I said putting my arms out in disbelief.

"Come on, you pretty much gave that." Rolund chuckled.

"Don't make me give you something else."

"You found a safe?" Ileen said excitedly coming around.

"Yeah right here." I said knocking on its door.

"Why don't you try looking through that old journal of his to see if he mentions a code or number?" Rolund suggested to Ileen.

"Well no harm in it." Ileen said as she pulled the journal from her vest's inner pocket. "It seems like this pocket was made for it."

"I don't care for pockets." I said, "Now get to reading."

A couple of minutes of her looking through the journal was starting to bore me, but as I held up my gun to start firing at the safe again she shouted. "I think I have it!"

"Try zero, two, three, zero."

Rolund walked up the safe and started messing with the mechanism as I lowered my gun. A few seconds later Rolund spouted, "It works!"

"How did you get it? Did it say 'safe code here'?" I asked Ileen.

"No it was the year he left to go on his journey, GT 0230. It clearly was of some importance to him judging by his writing in here."

"Anyhow, what's in there?" I asked Rolund, "Hopefully something that brings up dirt, or is at least valuable."

"It's a note. Mostly intact, if not a little aged, but legible." he cleared his throat before reading it off.

"To Salien, or to whomever this may concern. I am afraid I cannot go on. Last night I arrived to find my house ablaze and within it the two I loved most dead. I have decided I'll meet them in Elviniah like how they had left this world. I am going to Ohlum to die, do not come for me as by the time you are reading this, the deed will have been done. The fires of Ohlum will cleanse my soul and release me from this pain. The times you have shared with me and shown me where some of the best, all I can ask is that you continue on and rule your kind with respect."

"Well I'd call that a closed case." I said in response. "He didn't die in the fire, so that's suspicious, someones story isn't adding up."

"Well we should definitely get this to Salien, it's the least we could do." Rolund said pulling it out of the safe.

"Though what now? Do we get riches beyond our wildest dreams?" I said hopefully.

"Well we'll see what Salien has to say about this. In the meantime, let's go see your family Ileen."