Star Dancer IV: The Battle of Inana

    Something was bouncing on the ground: a ball that was the size of a human head.  In the darkness it made a swish through a red rim and faded away.  How strange, thought Managua, where am I?  The sky flashed and there was a sudden jolt.  The image disappeared, and in its place stood the figure of Jingo, examining the turbulent sky through the lens of the device he'd found.    Lost and found, only to be lost again.  Jingo, my friend, I'm so sorry. 
    Jingo watched the storm without looking at his friend.  Then the cylinder grew to an enormous length, reaching all the way up into the eye of the storm.         
    He gave it a strong spin, causing it to circle around the eye, tracing its perimeter with eternal momentum in a clockwise direction- the same as the direction of wind spiraling around the cyclone.  The cylinder suddenly merged with the storm, becoming one with the wind, getting sucked into the eye. 
    He finally released his hold on the device and looked at the dreamer.  What were once animated eyes had become lifeless and black.  Instead of white bulbs there were but two holes in his head, as if the storm had sucked them from their sockets through the cylinder and into the tempest.   His mouth was sewn shut as well, for no conceivable reason other than that Managua was subconsciously projecting his silence onto the person he'd wronged: a phantasm of the regret he had for not saying goodbye to his best friend. 
    Then he heard her voice, off in the distance somewhere.  The clouds of the storm were sucked into the cylinder by some unknown force, delirious and haunting in its symbolism.  Managuaaaa, it came, through bitter sheets of rain. 

 
    He woke up and she was gone.  A terrible screaming came across the land.  When he looked out at the world below, it appeared that half of it was missing.  Great swaths of brush had been burned to the ground.  Off in the distance he could see something large and deadly cutting through the jungle- as big as Petey but far more aggressive.  Beyond that were others.  As he scanned the horizon he could see, much to his horror, that a great many of the same beasts were moving forward in a single line, crushing through anything that stood in its way.  The noise he heard was like a silent agony that only those living in a forest, who are familiar with the feelings of trees (for the villagers believed they had them), would know about. 
    What would normally have been a spectacular view became tarnished by the ungodly scene.  He'd been looking forward to seeing the whole jungle from the top of Great Bonsai, once daylight could provide a view.  But it wasn't this he mourned for most.  A split second later, the realization that Naya was missing sent his distress level to its highest point.  He scampered down the tree, aware of the fact that in the branches of Great Bonsai he was hearing the most terrifying sound of all: that of complete silence. 
    Inana was only a couple miles from the tree they'd slept in.  Managua knew the way because there was only one direction Naya had never lead him in, which he logically thought to be the direction of her village.  He was a skilled runner, though all the obstacles of the jungle floor- small streams, bushes, divots and logs- prevented him from going his fastest.  Every morning he used to run on the skyrail Jingo and his Father had built, which circled the village with a circumference of about four miles.  On average he'd run the circuit three or four times.  Sometimes he'd even run for as long as he could, which was well past a marathon's length of 26.2 miles.  His exercise regime obviously did wonders for his stamina, and helped with the endurance he needed to go hunting with.  Seeing as a two mile run for him was akin to an eighth of a mile for the average man, the sprint to Naya's village was quite easy. 
    Where he ran there was no destruction.  The great line of beasts had approached Inana from the far side of the village.  He thought he'd spotted the village from the top of the tree; there were a few white structures that were surrounded by some colorful trees in a place he'd never gone.  As he ran, he looked for any unusual colors in the branches that might indicate those same trees. 
    Suddenly he became startled by the body of Mango swinging through the trees above.  The monkey was moving faster than he'd ever seen him, proving that when things got tough he could be counted on to be by his side.  He'd done the same with the device they'd kept hidden from the Fathers.  Managua had been impressed that a little chimp had gotten something so big out of sight so quickly.  
    They'd moved it to their bungalow under the waterfall.  On a clear night he and Naya had peered into it on the shore of the river.  He'd shown her how it had the magical ability to bring things from the night sky down to the earth in plain view.  When she'd looked inside the optical hole, she'd seen a beautiful green planet with rings tilted at an angle, as big as a coconut.  She had recoiled in amazement, saying it was the home of Mother Saturn, who, according the Inanan myth, lived on a green orb made of emerald glass and jade palaces.  Managua had laughed at her, saying the Gods didn't live in real space, only in the world of dreams.  Naya argued that dreams were more real than he realized, and that the device had somehow brought them into waking life. 
    Sometimes when it was dark out, he'd search the sky for hours, watching the planets, nebulae, and stellar objects that he had no clue were many millions of miles away.  Naya fancied his natural curiosity, but had no personal use for such knowledge.  Regardless, she asked that whenever he found something particularly striking, he show her immediately.  Such was the case when he looked into the lens one night and found that several strange white lines had connected several stars to each other.  He'd looked into other parts of the sky and noticed the same thing. 
    When he showed Naya, she didn't know what they were either, although she did mention they had a vague resemblence to animals.  Not for the first time since meeting her, Managua saw how perceptive she was, which not only inspired greater admiration for her, but a deeper love as well.  His dependence on her was growing, though he wasn't aware of it.  She satisfied his needs more than anyone in Marduk had.  He was beginning to feel like he simply couldn't lose her, no matter what happened. 
    All these thoughts went through his head during the long run to Inana.  His fear for her safety gave him a great amount of adrenaline, making his legs go faster and improving his concentration.  Whatever was destroying the rainforest had a good chance of destroying her too.  And all the other wonderful women (assuming they were like her) of Inana.  He didn't know what he and Mango could do to stop such powerful creatures as the ones he'd seen, but they had to try at least. 
    Gradually the noise coming from the beasts became louder; it was almost like a churning now.  He was close.  Ahead, the tops of the trees reflected some intriguing shades of pink and blue.  Little beads that looked like oddly colored grapes were scattered in clusters about their branches.  This was definitely the place.  This was the home of the women. 
    Soon he heard the high-pitched screams of some girls in need of help.  The crushing of trees was an even louder sound, drowning out not only their cries, but also the shouting of men.  Men he'd never seen before.  Men that didn't come from his village, but from somewhere out there. 
    The brush cleared away.  He saw the white houses and smelled burning wood.  A battle axe was leaning against the side of the nearest house.  Strange that such delicate creatures could make something like this, he thought.  He picked it up and tested its weight.  It would do just as well in battle as his bow staff, if not better- what with the razor sharp metal blade on the end.  Hell yes! 
    He crept around the corner of the house and beheld a scene of utter mayhem.  Cotton candy trees had been set on fire.  Under their canopies, the hard shells that had looked like grapes were now exploding like firecrackers in the heat of the flames.  Large gumdrops hanging from taffy branches were bursting apart, their juices spilling onto the houses below, which were also burning.  In the foreground, a mob of wild women were fighting for their lives, and moving more ferociously than his Fathers ever had.  It shocked him that Naya's kind could be so courageous and deadly in the line of fire (which the women would undoubtedly have found sexist).  The soldiers they were fighting, however, had far superior resources.  Their heads were covered in silver armor and they carried shields to defend themselves.  In their hands they wielded golden swords- a weapon Managua was highly familiar with.  Combat training was essential in Marduk, in the event that something like this would ever happen. 
    Mango jumped on his shoulder, holding a few of the candy grapes in his paw.  Managua tried one- it was as sweet as a woman's kiss. 
    "How can you eat candy at a time like this?", scorned Managua.  As they caught their breath he looked for Naya, but he didn't see her anywhere.  All he saw was the rage of destruction that the foreign men were causing, and the impressive defense that the women were making. 
   "You ready for some action, furry dude?" he said. 
    This was it, his first taste of battle.  Any fear he might have felt became overshadowed by the desire to find Naya.  Swiftly he moved out from under the cover of the house.  He came to the aid of a young girl who was struggling against two men attacking her.  He deflected their blows more easily than he'd thought he could.  Then came the moment when life and death laid in the balance of his mercy.  Striking a man through the gut would kill him, but slicing his leg would merely keep him down.  He decided on the latter; killing animals had never been enjoyable, so why would killing a man?  But during his hesitation, the other man blind-sided him across the head with his shield.  Managua fell to the ground, losing his sword in the process.  Mango jumped on him and bit his neck, taking him out of the fight.  The man he'd nearly sliced open lunged his sword at Managua's chest, but it was quickly deflected by the sword of the girl he'd saved.  She went in the for kill, without hesitating either.  Blood fell in a pool around her feet.  He looked up at his savior, nauseated by the violence.  She looked back at him with a cold glare in her eyes, then moved away. 
    "Thanks?", he said to himself. 
    Mango retrieved his sword for him.  The other man was still squirming in agony from the monkey's bite.  Managua knew what he had to do; the girl had set a fine example.  He raised the sword and brought it down across the man's neck.  That's what you get for destroying my jungle, you worthless piece of guano. 
    Suddenly something enormous crashed through the burning trees above.  It was a great chunk of gray metal.  From its top, several men were shooting arrows lit with flames down on the village.  They weren't beasts after all, they were machines- the first electrically operated beings he'd ever seen.  Other men were sliding down ropes from the walking machines' stomachs and charging the village to fight.  Managua lifted his sword, gave a hearty cry, and charged at them. 
    He was too evasive for any of the soldiers to keep up with.  He had a natural talent for anticipating strikes and quickly moving his limbs where they needed to be.  Even the archers were having trouble pinpointing him.  He was so quick that after one man swung and missed, he fell to ground after the shock of witnessing a blur escape his vision.  Though his arms were faster than a card dealer's, his ability to strike was as errant as a drunk's.  He swung and missed so many times that some of the soldiers started laughing.  When he finally managed to connect, a man fell to the ground with blood flowing from a gash in his leg.  They stopped laughing after that. 
    Soon he grew tired, which made it easier for them to surround him.  As he drew in his breath, he found that Mango was nowhere to be seen.  Everyone had stopped fighting; the women had surrendered.  
    A loud voice thundered from above.  Managua looked up and saw an ornately dressed man give the signal for his men to stop.  The machine he was standing on, which resembled an elephant more than anything else, bent to one steel knee, allowing a stepladder to cascade out of its side to the ground.  The regal figure, who was clearly in charge of the operation, made his way to the ground with strong lunges of command.  He was as heavily armored as the rest of them, but a few inches taller and even more-so wider.  On his vest of armor there glared a capital A that was lit up with fire. 
    "Who's the leader of this candy crib?", he said with a smirk.  Managua was the only man he could see, so he rested his eyes on him first.  When the boy looked into his eyes, he found that they looked more familiar than he was willing to accept. 
    "We are," said a trio of women who came out of a temple.  The General took off his helmet and looked at them in disbelief.  He'd already come to terms with how unusual it was for so many women to be fighting at once, not to mention that there was only one man, who had only seemed to fend for himself.  Now he was even more surprised to find that a whole village was being run by women- something his army hadn't yet encountered on their long voyage across the Paleomythic Ocean. 
    The three women wore silver dresses that matched streaks of gray in their hair.  Jeweled talismans hung from their necks, giving off light with each movement of their fluid hips.  The temple they'd come from had been built in a meticulous manner, consisting of a large tree etched on its facade and a 3-dimensional pentagram sticking out from its center.  The tallest woman had two crescent moonstones sticking out of her hair, like horns.  She stepped forward and said, "What is the meaning of this villainy, you devil?  Listen Sisters", she looked around at the brave and tired lot of them, "Did we not tell you these creatures of darkness-" 
    "Silence!", shouted the commanding figure, the fury in his eyes legitimizing every belief the women had about men.  "We're looking for a girl.  Light skin, clear blue eyes, ribbons of hair that the poet Arnos describes as dancing in the sun.  She has been chosen." 
    "Chosen for what, a sacrifice to appease your-" 
    The tall woman was again stopped in mid-sentence, this time by the dark man's sceptre.  After raising it in her direction, it blew fire out of its head and scorched her to flames.  The woman fell to the ground and squirmed around, shrieking in pain, dying a death that wasn't nearly quick enough.  All the Sisters gasped in horror.  Some of them fled in panic, but were quickly gunned down by flames that sprang from the nostrils of the machines. 
    The chaos was subsided by the appearance of Naya, who'd seemingly brought all this destruction to her homeland simply by being born.  Yes, the General had been talking about her; she was the one who matched the description he'd given.  Though she didn't know who Arnos was, she gathered he must have been a mystic who'd seen the same prophecy that Inana soothsayers had seen; that she would be chosen to go on a long journey to the edge of the world.  
    She crept out from her hiding place behind a well, offering to give herself to them if they promised not to hurt anymore of her Sisters. 
    "Naya!", called Managua. 
    He wanted one last chance to remember her porcelain face and her remedial smile, before it disappeared from his life forever.  That desire might have cost him his life, for the General, who had momentarily been entranced by the beautiful girl, shifted his gaze to the boy in irritation. 
    "Can somebody in this primitive dump tell me why there is only a single man fighting?" 
    All the women looked down, for fear of them being the next victim of his wrath.  Anyone crazy enough to admit that men had been forsaken in the village was sure to be the cause of their village burning to ashes, or what was left of it anyway. 
    "You, then," said the General, looking at the boy.  "You're one of us.  Tell me why you are the only one living here who has a dangling cock and a sack of sperm." 
    All the soldiers laughed. 
    "I don't live here, sir", said Managua, looking him straight in the eye. 
   "Not?," he said, becoming lost in thought.  "Do explain, young man.  Or shall I have to incinerate another one of these worthless hussies?" 
    For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say.  Naya gave him a look that pleaded for him to stay quiet.  So he did.  The General's anger flared; he lifted up his sceptre and made as if to strike the next helpless woman, but Naya cried out just in time: "The men have all gone hunting," she said.  "This one's from another village." 
    "Another village?", he asked rhetorically.  His eyes shifted back and forth between them, then upon the temple.  All the various symbols of feminine power around Inana were too evident for him to believe that men indeed lived here, unless they were too cowardly and submissive to take control of their own women.  The women had fought hard, though; hard enough for him to really believe they could do it.  It was all too difficult to fathom; an entire village operated by a single sex.  It may have been the most peculiar thing he'd seen since raiding an entire city made of musical instruments on the continent of Caryn. 
    At once, some awful force in his bowels charged up his spine and took hold of his brain, seizing any principle of morality he may have had.  He had to destroy this place, yes- the insult on his masculinity was too great.  His army had ravaged half of the jungle anyway.  Though the Virgin had turned herself in in exchange for peace, such a disgrace could not continue to exist. 
    "Ramakavin," he muttered.  His second in command appeared by his side.  "Take the Virgin into my hold.  Burn the rest of them, and make sure no trace of the village is left." 
    "Might we have a little taste of them first, sire?", he winked. 
    "Do what you want with them, as long as you kill them afterwards." 
    Managua was close enough to hear this grave threat upon the survivors.  The idea that this would be the last time he'd ever see Naya was incomprehensible to him.  Not only that, but his disgust was compounded by the fact that they were going to raze her village and everyone in it.  There was no way he could let that happen- not while he was still living. 
    Quickly he snatched two swords away from the soldiers who had surrounded him.  This time there was no hesitation, and his precision was uncanny.  The blades slashed through their armor and spilled their guts.  Surprisingly, he felt no shame in causing his first blood to shed.  A man was just like any of the other creatures he'd hunted around his village.  And after witnessing what he just had, perhaps a man was even worse. 
    The others moved to retaliate, but the General stopped them.  "Arrest him; I want him taken alive.  With a little training, he could become a great warrior.  He'll fight for us if he's smart enough to realize he won't get out of this alive." 
    "I'll never fight for you apes," said Managua.  "What's the matter with you all?  Afraid to fight me like a man?  Instead you need all your fuck-buddies to make sure some puny teenager doesn't embarrass you." 
    The General stepped forward with fire in his eyes and took off his cape.  With sword in hand, he began to make his way toward the outspoken boy, but he was stopped by Ramakavin.  "Let me take care of him, boss.  Nothing would give me more pleasure than to bury his pimple faced ass into the ground."  The General yielded to his request, pointing his finger in the direction of the boy. 
    "You forget your place here, maggot.  Many mercenaries are proud to serve the Crown of the Crosswinds.  Your words are a great insult to our nation.  If that tongue of yours hasn't gotten you into trouble before, it certainly has this time." 
    The regal figure gave the signal to attack.  Naya screamed as she was taken into the nearest machine, begging for the life of her lover. 
    Ramakavin went straight for the boy, with a sickening smile spread across his face.  He lunged at him with a broadsword- something that none of the other men had.  The weapon was heavy, but the General's second hand man was quite agile with it.  All Managua had to do was evade it, like he'd done against all the other men.  In fact, avoiding Ramakavin was easier for him than avoiding five attackers at once.  Nonetheless, the broadsword was much deadlier and intimidating than anything the other soldiers had, so he still greatly feared an impact. 
    His failure to connect soon aggravated the General.  "Just finish him, Rama.  Don't make me do it myself." 
    Suddenly a crazed man jumped from out of the crowd of onlookers and started slashing at the retreating boy, with knives as small as fingers.  His face was as grotesque as mottled tree bark, with pools of sweat lodged in the canyons of his wild eyes. The slasher was far more quick than Ramakavin, proving himself to finally be an adequate match for Managua. 
    "Guster, you son of an ass, I can do this," said the exhausted swordsman.  Guster ignored him and kicked up a cloud of dirt into the face of Managua, sending him reeling backwards and falling to the ground.   The man fought just as dirty as he looked. 
    Managua, surprised by the vicious assault, looked up into the awful face of his executioner without an ounce of remorse.  He knew his life would be over in seconds, so he deigned for one last look at the ugly brute who would be the one to send him away from this once innocent and peaceful world. 
    Then in the distance a horn blared.  The slasher's face looked up in alarm.  For the second time that day, a group of men emerged onto the women's sacred ground. 

    The women had been watching all this with curious amazement.  On the one hand, the murderous army had validated all their beliefs about men.  Yet there was one, this boy who was younger than the rest of them, who had stood up for them and defied their expectations of his demonhood.  Naya herself had stood up for him, as a token of her gratitude, thus proving that the boy was worthy of their respect. 
    None of them knew they'd been making love behind their backs, although a few suspected it; mainly Mothers who were better at reading body language, and the girls in Naya's circle who'd spread the gossip she'd told them.  The ones who intuited this didn't blame the girl for wanting him: he was a beautiful beast, plain and simple.  Many were envious that she might have shared such powerful feelings with someone.  While most of the younger ones didn't even know what virginity meant, the older ones, who'd gathered that this boy had only come to rescue her alone, doubted that she still was one, which would have tainted this army's operation.  They could see it in her eyes; in the way she'd looked at him after he'd been sentenced to death.  No one told the General anything, of course.  What better way to spoil his invasion than for him to find out the truth by himself? 
    None of them would ever know why she came back to the village on that fateful day.  She could have just stayed with Managua and avoided the risk of being captured.  However, her selflessness knew no bounds.  The Virgin knew that the Fire Army would burn down everything until they found what they were looking for, and she'd been correct in guessing that it was her.  Only a few of the Sisters knew about the prophecy.  Now that it was coming true, they thought the battle was over.  But the boy had shown up and complicated things.  If it weren't for him, the fight would be over, and the army would be retreating back to the ocean.  Now his comrades had come and spoiled the day, as they fancied men often did. 
    Jingo and several of the Fathers, including Barranquilla and the old spy Maracaibo, surprised everyone who didn't have a vagina.  The soldiers were caught off guard and retreated into the machines.  The men fired their spears and shot arrows at the machines, causing ire among the invaders.  The General appeared in the window of his machine and Barranquilla yelled Draaaaaake!  The spear he threw bounced off the window, causing General Drake to pity his ignorance.  If there was a story behind those two, Managua wished he would live long enough to hear it. 
    He then heard Drake command something on an intercom.  In one last demonstration of their power, the machines blew their fire on everything in sight, like they were dragons with infinite breath.  A red storm of heat burned up all his speechless Fathers, who'd stopped dead in their tracks to witness the horrifying sight.  The rest of the women didn't get far before being burned alive themselves.  What was left of Inana and all its mysteries would be gone by morning.  So would Naya, and the women and His Fathers: everyone he'd ever loved.  The last thing he remembered was being hit over the head and losing consciousness.