The room was full of wall-to-wall computerised screens that showed every angle of the sky. By the looks of it there were eighty-eight modern constellations showing at any one time and the computers and satellites tracked all activities. However, tonight the focus was apparently on the Milky Way.
One of the satellites had picked it up in the southern hemisphere. Cassie recalled looking at the night sky and seeing dark patches or cloud-like shapes within the Milky Way. These were referred to by astrologists as the Emu in the sky yet here, with the equipment used, this Emu in the sky was real and was in charge of the stars that made up the Milky Way.
Cassie eventually stopped being gob-smacked and concentrated on the topic of conversation. At the sound of Kayden’s voice, she drifted back to the conversation and focused. She was glad Kayden had said this was to be just a trial run for her. When this mission was over there would not be another for her. Kayden, as their commander, was acting as he did when they first met: superior and bossy. If this was the way he was going to act during working hours she wanted no part of him or the job.
Kayden, for Cassie’s sake, explained the controversy a little more thoroughly as he knew she’d be unaware of the rulers or of the long-running dispute. He had already told his men to prepare for a longer meet. However, he would try to hurry it along so they could eat before heading out.
With a pause, he eyed Cassie, ‘Aldebaran and Conom have sent a loyalist called Teyar to a Wolf-Rayet star. This is a massive, hot star omitting huge amounts of helium, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen and will easily overpower the Emu in the sky. Consequently they would be able to take charge of the huge group of stars within. This would give Aldebaran and Conom a big advantage in their war against Orion if the loyalist Teyar succeeds. They would surely overpower Orion’s Belt with that many stars in their army. This would give the sky’s most evil wizard far too much control in the galaxy so the mission is to intercept and talk down or destroy the Wolf-Rayet star advancing on the Milky Way.’
‘Why does this Aldebaran and his friend Conom want to take over Orion’s Belt from Orion?’ Cassie asked.
Kayden glanced at her the way a teacher would look at a student who had just interrupted his class. ‘Many centuries ago, Aurus the ruler of Taurus, gave his old friend Aldebaran his own star and named it after him. Aldebaran is an evil wizard and has for many years detested Orion for hunting with his two dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor on Taurus for cattle without permission.’
Cassie had researched the mythology of the Taurus star sign some years back for a home schooling project. She recalled learning that if a princess wandered into the bull’s sight Aurus would capture her. She also knew of the legendary two dogs but the tales she had thought were just myths. She figured if it were true then Aurus the ruler of Taurus must be centuries old. Immortal, she pondered. For a few seconds her eyes glanced around the room at the faces before her. Could they be immortal too? Is that why they seemed so young yet their eyes told her so much more? To her, they had that same old soul deep within them and the eyes of ancient warriors. The mind boggles; she shook the thoughts from her mind and refocused back on the meeting.
Kayden continued. ‘Conom is a warlord and the supreme sovereign of the star constellation Monoceros. Conom used to be good friends with Orion. They would go hunting together on Taurus with Orion’s two dogs, sneaking into the constellation without permission. However, a dispute broke out over equal shares. Conom turned on him, angry when Orion would not distribute the kill evenly, causing a massive argument and an eventual falling-out between the two. Aldebaran saw the opportunity to get rid of Orion by teaming up with Conom so he befriended the warlord and now they fight against Orion to take over his bounded region. If they succeed, they intend to split Orion’s constellation between them and restructure the stars. Orion is now constantly under threat and he fights to keep his kingdom in the sky.’
Kayden glanced at Cassie with a strained look and then back to the boys. ‘The universal change would only affect a couple of planets and do very little damage to the star system so Aldebaran is moving ahead with his plan as planets are nothing to him. He sees them as nuisances, always rotating and getting in his way. Not only is he dangerous with his powers but his armies alone have caused massive devastation to the ones who have opposed him. Zoren wants this war stopped and is counting on us to get some intel from the renegade star Teyar once we capture him.’
Cassie understood now. The Cloud Riders’ job tonight was to seek out and find the star Wolf-Rayet and capture or extinguish it before it had time to do any real damage to the Milky Way. She was trying to digest this new way of life. She felt like they had dumped her into another world. Kayden’s coolness towards her was not helping Cassie handle what she knew would be ahead. She was feeling very scared, vulnerable and in way over her head.