Post by dulci on Mar 19, 2007 17:53:54 GMT -5
2nd try...
Qali Shayr has lost everything that gave his life meaning—his wife and two daughters—on a pilgrimage to find the Relic, the “holy grail” that Kalorbi legend promises to lead to great power and eternal life. Now, the former Kalorbi fighter suppresses his sorrows and emotions with the logic-drug, his life reduced to covertly babysitting the first wave of a planetary mining operation for the Kalorbi, of which he oversees security.
When the mining bases are attacked and it becomes clear the operation illegally landed in inhabited land, Qali risks leaving his base to send a beacon to the Kalorbi Hierarchy. He is caught, though, by Aoni, a young local outcast with her own planet-sized shoulder chip. Qali manages to convince Aoni not to reveal his presence, but the reigning Lord Vanglor has spies everywhere and Prupheen Gaz, slime-for-hire, brings Qali and Aoni before him. Vanglor sees the miners as a threat to his authority, and plans to attack them. Qali agrees to help Vanglor in his coming offensive against the miners if only to have a way to get to his logic-drug again. His emotions are starting to come back, and he is desperate to numb them.
Qali marches at Lord Vanglor’s side during the attack, but his intent is only to get back into his base. He does not get the chance, for at the height of the battle, he and everyone on the battlefield are thrown into a vision of a Supreme Being. The vision stops the fighting immediately, but for Qali the implications are different, for in the vision he learns that the Relic of his people’s legend is on this planet. It does not take him long to realize that this Relic is what the illegal mining operation is after, and he vows to destroy it, not only to stop the miners from laying hold of its power but also to avenge his family for being destroyed in the search of it. Lord Vanglor also realizes that this vision showed the Orb of Power in his own legends, and he stops the fighting to negotiate with the miners.
Qali is able to get his logic-drug during this strained peace, but he finds it no longer works and goes into complete withdraw. He is taken in and cared for by Aoni and the growing group of believers in the Being, many of whom were healed on the battlefield and now desire to find the Relic to learn more about this God. Qali, his emotions active again, starts to care for Aoni as he would his own daughters.
The second wave of miners arrive, and when the operation’s leader, Kata Pretika Miers, learns what has been going on in her absence, she banishes the first wave from the bases. Lord Vanglor, seeing his opportunity, offers his cooperation to Kata in exchange for his share of the power. Qali, mostly recovered, starts organizing the believers to make their own offensive against the miners and Vanglor.
When the Relic is found, Qali makes his move against the bases. It has been discovered that the use of magic is now stronger near the Relic so Qali sends one force to divert the main action while he takes another smaller force to attack the base directly. Qali enters the base, having told his troops that he will enter, retrieve the Relic, and leave again. But Aoni suspects something different and goes in after him.
Qali enters the Relic’s hold and prepares to destroy it, but instead he has a personal vision with the Being, addressing his brokenness. Qali is thrown out of the vision by a blow to his back and finds himself in a struggle with Vanglor, there to steal the Relic himself. When Aoni comes in and finds them in struggle, she knows what she must do and gathers every shred of magic she has to destroy the Relic herself so no one will fight over it again. Qali sees her at the last moment and tries to stop her, but she has already started the process. Vanglor tries to cut down Qali in his lull of attention, but he is struck by Prupheen who was hidden in the room, arriving there before the others and also shaken by a vision. Qali gathers up the unconscious Aoni and makes it out of the base before it implodes with the destruction of the Relic.
The believers are victorious, but with the Relic destroyed they are at a spiritual loss. The Kalorbi arrive in response to Qali’s beacon and work to remove the miners that broke their law, but are also at a loss now that the basis for their religion is destroyed. But Qali, while nursing Aoni back to health, sees that the Relic did indeed lead his people to eternal life, in the person of the Being and not in the object itself. When he has gathered his courage he shares this with his people and the people of the land, and the Kalorbi take this good news back to their homeworld. Qali, finally having found peace, stays on the planet, adopting Aoni as his daughter.
Qali Shayr has lost everything that gave his life meaning—his wife and two daughters—on a pilgrimage to find the Relic, the “holy grail” that Kalorbi legend promises to lead to great power and eternal life. Now, the former Kalorbi fighter suppresses his sorrows and emotions with the logic-drug, his life reduced to covertly babysitting the first wave of a planetary mining operation for the Kalorbi, of which he oversees security.
When the mining bases are attacked and it becomes clear the operation illegally landed in inhabited land, Qali risks leaving his base to send a beacon to the Kalorbi Hierarchy. He is caught, though, by Aoni, a young local outcast with her own planet-sized shoulder chip. Qali manages to convince Aoni not to reveal his presence, but the reigning Lord Vanglor has spies everywhere and Prupheen Gaz, slime-for-hire, brings Qali and Aoni before him. Vanglor sees the miners as a threat to his authority, and plans to attack them. Qali agrees to help Vanglor in his coming offensive against the miners if only to have a way to get to his logic-drug again. His emotions are starting to come back, and he is desperate to numb them.
Qali marches at Lord Vanglor’s side during the attack, but his intent is only to get back into his base. He does not get the chance, for at the height of the battle, he and everyone on the battlefield are thrown into a vision of a Supreme Being. The vision stops the fighting immediately, but for Qali the implications are different, for in the vision he learns that the Relic of his people’s legend is on this planet. It does not take him long to realize that this Relic is what the illegal mining operation is after, and he vows to destroy it, not only to stop the miners from laying hold of its power but also to avenge his family for being destroyed in the search of it. Lord Vanglor also realizes that this vision showed the Orb of Power in his own legends, and he stops the fighting to negotiate with the miners.
Qali is able to get his logic-drug during this strained peace, but he finds it no longer works and goes into complete withdraw. He is taken in and cared for by Aoni and the growing group of believers in the Being, many of whom were healed on the battlefield and now desire to find the Relic to learn more about this God. Qali, his emotions active again, starts to care for Aoni as he would his own daughters.
The second wave of miners arrive, and when the operation’s leader, Kata Pretika Miers, learns what has been going on in her absence, she banishes the first wave from the bases. Lord Vanglor, seeing his opportunity, offers his cooperation to Kata in exchange for his share of the power. Qali, mostly recovered, starts organizing the believers to make their own offensive against the miners and Vanglor.
When the Relic is found, Qali makes his move against the bases. It has been discovered that the use of magic is now stronger near the Relic so Qali sends one force to divert the main action while he takes another smaller force to attack the base directly. Qali enters the base, having told his troops that he will enter, retrieve the Relic, and leave again. But Aoni suspects something different and goes in after him.
Qali enters the Relic’s hold and prepares to destroy it, but instead he has a personal vision with the Being, addressing his brokenness. Qali is thrown out of the vision by a blow to his back and finds himself in a struggle with Vanglor, there to steal the Relic himself. When Aoni comes in and finds them in struggle, she knows what she must do and gathers every shred of magic she has to destroy the Relic herself so no one will fight over it again. Qali sees her at the last moment and tries to stop her, but she has already started the process. Vanglor tries to cut down Qali in his lull of attention, but he is struck by Prupheen who was hidden in the room, arriving there before the others and also shaken by a vision. Qali gathers up the unconscious Aoni and makes it out of the base before it implodes with the destruction of the Relic.
The believers are victorious, but with the Relic destroyed they are at a spiritual loss. The Kalorbi arrive in response to Qali’s beacon and work to remove the miners that broke their law, but are also at a loss now that the basis for their religion is destroyed. But Qali, while nursing Aoni back to health, sees that the Relic did indeed lead his people to eternal life, in the person of the Being and not in the object itself. When he has gathered his courage he shares this with his people and the people of the land, and the Kalorbi take this good news back to their homeworld. Qali, finally having found peace, stays on the planet, adopting Aoni as his daughter.
