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[Team Dark] (Doomed to Repeat History) Cassandra's Men
Title: Cassandra's Men
Prompt: Doomed to Repeat It
Rating: M
Warnings: Non sexual nudity (cultural thing), Some language, Science forgeries (so some is based on real stuff and some is total scifi fantasy based hogwash as far as we know but hopefully believable sounding hogwash), 1940's and 1400 BC based issues with Discrimination, torture and abuse, Puns, Multiple ways of Death (including being devoured and calcification - what Kuropapa had happen to his crew).
Any author’s notes: So originally I wanted to do the total Himura Akemi experience, but that was too close to unrevealed plot device in another fic of mine, so it had to be adults ... so Fai was modeled after Thomas Townsend Brown and then this went Stargate Atlantis mixed with some Cassandra Syndrome. Because what else is more appropriate for this “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” than having to face the consequences of Kurogane [Instincts/6th senses are going off and he gives everyone the same warnings] Someone has to go against those warnings. Syaoran [History tells us this happened.] Hey, yeah I have this idea. Let’s do the same mistakes/ignore good advice from the textbooks this kid reads. Fai [Has personally encountered this same problem before and has creative ingenious solution] Yeah yeah pipe down you crazy old man. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
(
CHAPTER 1: INTRO
The hiss of air as the elevator opened up for the two men and the one wearing his lab coat and spectacles led the way to a front desk, where they had to sign in and out anytime they left the facility for security reasons. After signing in, the spectacled man further escorted the man into a second elevator into the lower chambers to where mostly military members patrolled the halls with only a few dressed in more civilian or medical clothes.
“This place takes security seriously,” the brown haired man said after a bit.
“Yes. Mr Reed is interested in advancing the different sciences...So he recruits the best he can find. Because some of the work he invested in contains sensitive materials that is not permitted to be released to the public, he has an armed forces contract as well to keep everyone here safe,” the doctor, a man named Kyle Rondart explained with a polite smile.
“What do you do here, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Mr Reed usually has me busy with tending to any patients … however when I do get time to do my field research, most of it has to do with psychology.”
“Psychology?”
“Yes, the human brain is an absolutely fascinating thing. Almost as fascinating as the rest of the human body,” Kyle said happily, “it gives me a sense of a pride to help the field how I can.”
“Who’s this?” one of the military men asked as he approached them, wearing two pieces of the officer’s blue dress uniform but exchanging the cap for a headband instead.
“Ah, Captain Kurogane, let me introduce you. This is Doctor Syaoran Li,” Kyle Rondart reported.
The man identified as Kurogane grunted, as he looked over the younger man, “Hm, so you’re this Li fellow the Professor’s been looking forward to?”
“Yes sir,” Syaoran said with a small bow, before standing up taller, and smiling with a boyish grin, “it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Kurogane grunted, “I’ll take it from here, Doctor. I’m sure you have other business.This way, Li.” He waited only a moment for the two doctors to exchange polite formalities, before he headed down a hallway, and Syaoran followed beside the military man carrying what luggage he had brought with him.
He led him towards the living quarters, and checked with the attendant, a petite freckle faced woman, and getting a key before leading the way to the particular room, one that nobody was using at the time, and unlocked the door to the room and then slid the door open.
“You can use this one while you are here. Keep your bed nice for gods’ knows why,” Kurogane told him, as he held out the key to the room towards Syaoran.
“Thank you, sir.” Syaoran said politely as he accepted the key, with a courteous bow.
“There’s a cafeteria up two floors… remember to feed yourself. Everyone gets twenty minutes for meals, and then make room so someone else can eat.”
Syaoran nodded, “Yes sir, and where can I find Professor Fujimoto? I’d like to get to work right away.”
“Mm.Whatever you don’t need to carry around, leave in your room. Otherwise I can show you where he is.”
“Professor, I thought you’d like to see him first…” Kurogane announced as he stepped to the side.
“Syaoran; it’s good to see you made it safe and sound. How was the flight in?” Professor Fujimoto asked interestedly and concerned for the man’s physical wellness.
“It was well, thank you,” Syaoran replied a bit sheepishly.
Seeing that he was in good hands, Kurogane headed off to his own room which had a water heater so he could make tea, tailed by the blond Major. He got out two of his green tea leaves and placed them into his kettle to brew himself a small pot of tea.
“Yoohoo...Make me a cup as well Captain Cutie.”
“What do you want, you Major Pain?”
“Next time, tell me to use more lubricant then, Grumpy Guns” Fai said with a flirty wink. Half because he knew he could get away with those sorts of lines when there wasn’t someone else around to see Kurogane choke and sputter and get heated cheeks, and thankful he hadn’t yet had a drink in his mouth. Otherwise, it would be all over his tea station.
Fai walked over and haphazardly dropped himself onto Kurogane’s bed, as he looked over towards where the other stood, pouring hot water into the kettle pot, and set it down near matching cups while the green tea steeped.
“Who’s that new guy? He seems like a nice chap, doesn’t he, Kuro-tea? Professor Fujimoto is a really good judge of character don’t you think? Hey Kuro-sweets, you should add some liquors into the tea, like we did in college,” Fai chattered.
Kurogane made a noncommittal grunt, and he dug into his table drawer for the jar intentionally mislabeled “poison” - inside was lumps of cane sugar instead of some toxic substance, because Fai had a habit of coming into his room and asking him to make him a drink and he had a large sweet tooth. He dropped a couple lumps into a teacup instead of alcohol, and stirred them in.
Kurogane brought over the two teacups as he sat on his own bed next to the blond, letting the hot drink cool off and handed over the sweetened one to Fai.
“Do you have to let Mr Reed know he’s here?” Fai asked.
“Not yet. We can give those two a few minutes. He’s got a good work ethic from what he’s said. He’s a nerd, though, so as soon as he sees some of the stuff in there, he’s gonna get all excited.”
“Reminds me of someone else I know...” Fai said with a teasing lilt to his voice.
Kurogane looked ahead, mentally calculating things, “Don’t get any ideas. I only have time for my tea, before I need to go check on the new kid.”
“Oh darn,” Fai hummed letting his hand rest easily on Kurogane’s shoulder, “and here I thought I might have you all to myself for a while … ”
There was a flash of amusement, “Really? In the middle of the day? We have work we need to do, and I doubt He’ll like it if he doesn’t see some more improvements on a one person portable electrogravitic device. Last time you needed crates. How’s it coming anyway?”
Fai sighed softly, but smiled as he . “So dependable, Kuro-rin…Anyway, I think I can make it into a handheld device if I gave it some more time …If all goes well, it might actually become a useful shield, even in a volcano..however, you’d still need something to deal with the heat and fumes though ...”
“And suppose you accidentally fell in the lava with it…?”
“Theoretically…?”
“Yes, theoretically, because I sure hope you’re not planning on dropping people into a boat in a live volcano with one just to find out literally, unless you have no other way …”
“Spoil the Doctor’s fun, why don’t you…” Fai joked, which earned him a hard hair ruffle. “Kuroo~! Mercy! The tea…!”
Kurogane stopped and Fai steadied the teacup, drinking some of it, before he mentioned “the lab equipment here should be enough to test out most probabilities. However, I may have damaged some of the sensitive equipment… they’re improved but they’re not meant to withstand laws of physic defying lessons yet so while I have a solution for the power source, we haven’t made a way to incorporate it into the computers right now.... One thing I have in common with the sweet little bumblebee… what we do defies conventional wisdom but it works regardless.”
“You have more in common than just defying the known laws of physics. What’s next, gonna grown a pair of petite wings and tell me you’re gonna fly around in flower fields to gather pollen?”
Fai laughed, “Not personally. But I hear a private company in the heart of Piffle is working to make huge improvements in the Dragonflys core technology. One day, my technology might be in a Dragonfly. Wouldn’t that be the best? To get to go flying in a Dragonfly with my own invention powering it. I doubt I’d get to do an interview for the television; they’d keep it hushed. Can you believe they now come in color? It was a huge shock when they got the mime version working. Now it can talk and have pretty colors too... I should get back soon though… like you said, I skipped off when I heard you’d be bringing our latest polyglot archeologist here.”
“Again?” Kurogane wasn’t surprised at all. Fai did that semi regularly when he thought he might jump ‘bump into’ him; Kurogane could almost call it a habit of Fai’s since he’d been doing similar thing since they were boys growing up in the same town. However, when Fai was swamped with work and had trouble pulling himself away from it - then it would be Kurogane who would come around and check on how Fai was doing, usually with a decent snack in case he had forgotten about food and liquids lately.
“Well I might have figured you were going to be bringing our new linguist to meet up with the Professor before you brought him to actually sort out papers with Mr Reed - just because he believes in the sciences, even mine and funds my work, you never trusted him … What did you call him - a soapbox without a moral compass?”
Kurogane was quiet for a bit before he spoke. “Even for the sake of science, there should be limits to what one is willing to do to advance it along. He doesn’t seem to think there should be any limitations, and he’s not alone in believing it,” Kurogane stated darkly. “Several here who would forsake human life if it meant advancing their careers.”
“I know, but there’s no proof that just because he would that he has gone as far as criminal actions for science’s sake, just your gut instincts, Kurorin...and as troubling as that is, what’s there to do unless there’s proof? Even should he be that invested, I’m not having you killed for listening to your guts.”
“Can’t have that; then nobody would be making sure you got your work funded,” Kurogane replied
Fai fake whistled at that, “Pheetpwoo I’m touched you still care about my work so much. Even if the numbers go right over your head like a dodged bullet.”
“Would you knock off saying whistles?” Kurogane huffed.
“But I can’t whistle~!” Fai wheedled as he sipped his tea and leaned further into Kurogane’s space, getting him to wrap his arm loosely around him. “Anyway, I went to see Professor Fujimoto and how his research is coming along. It seems he’s really hopeful that this Syaoran Li will be the breakthrough they need. It’s really nice to have someone believe in you like that,” Fai said with a grin that seemed sad as it made it to his eyes.
Kurogane lightly sighed, as he moved his hand up to fluff up Fai’s hair and pull him out of his thoughts before it was more of a comb, straightening out what he had just mussed up, “hey; you better not be late for any of your data recordings. It’s already after 2.”
“It is?” Glancing at his own watch, his eyes widened, realizing he was supposed to gather data in five minutes, so he gulped down the rest of the tea before standing up and handing over the cup, “Thank you, Kuro-puu~for looking out for my time! I might just make it in time if I hurry!” Fai headed out with a quick sprint.
“Next time, don’t cut your time so close!” Kurogane retorted loudly for him to hear as he ran down the hallway. Not that it would do much good. “Fat head,” he sighed at the empty cup, “at least twice a week you do this. You’d think by now you’d have learned something.”
Kurogane finished off his prepared tea at his own pace, before setting the cups on the stand by the kettle, and heading back out to check on the young man. He wasn’t surprised that when he got there the young man was actively working to decipher the text from something in the possession of the facility and Mr Reed. Not the actual artifact, but the copied symbols written down on a dusty chalkboard, with him writing down words in a more common language beneath them.
Kurogane cleared his throat to get the men’s attention.
“Ah, Captain,” Fujimoto said with a warm smile. “Have we kept you waiting long?”
“Not at all,” Kurogane assured Fujimoto. Mostly because he hadn’t been waiting.
Syaoran looked around a bit and noticed that Fai was missing, and blushed looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I got so caught up in the …”
“It’s fine… Anyway, before you get carried away again, there’s some paperwork you’ll need to fill out. It shouldn’t take you long.”
Syaoran nodded, “Then I’ll be back soon, Professor.”
Xing Huo Ling, the secretary, looked up from her typewriter when Kurogane came over with Syaoran in tow, finishing the line she had been typing with a soft clack before there was a low whine and then a click as the carriage was sent into place and ready to begin the next line, before picking up a reddish brown folder with the word CLASSIFIED stamped on top, and holding it out to Kurogane, who took it from her, with a soft “thanks.”
“You’ve been expected. Please, head inside,” she informed them before going back to her typing, the clacking of each keystroke barely any different from another as it struck against the paper, printing in black and red ink.
Kurogane knocked on the door to announce their presence before opening it up, once they were invited in. The office was thinly decorated of personal belonging yet held plaques of achievement as well as photos taken of any work and those most responsible for it that Fei Reed helped fund that made it into the public domain. It held an older oak desk and enough chairs for three to sit down, as well as a bookshelf with predated science fiction books and boxwood bat figurines and other books more suited towards his less scientific interests.
At the desk was the older man, his age showing as gray and wrinkles had begun to fill in at the top and he used a monocle to help him read with ease. Fei Reed stood up from his desk to greet Syaoran with a handshake and bow, as Kurogane stood behind, watching over the room.
“So you must be Syaoran Li. My name’s Fei Reed.”
“The Fei Reed? I realized this land was owned by the Reed family, but to think the one in charge is ‘The Great Inspirer’, it’s a huge honor, Mr. Reed.”
“I have heard good things about your own skills. If you would have a seat, I already have your papers out and ready for you.”
Syaoran blushed some at the praise, but did as was requested, sitting down before the man.
CHAPTER 2: MEMORIES
Fai Fluorite had been interested in proving a connection between electricity and gravity since he was experimenting in his father’s laboratory. Yôô Kurogane didn’t understand how exactly it worked, but then, he didn’t have to understand entirely to know Fai wasn’t making it all up. He could weave fancy stories if he wanted to, but bending the laws of the universe, there were things even he couldn’t do, so either it was brilliant magic tricks or those so called laws weren’t as absolute as people made them out to be.
“If you manage to get their attention, you’d be proving to the science world they have been playing with checkers and you just found a page for a game of chess. You got a bright head on you but it’s a shame nobody who can do something for your work will listen to your ‘crazy and impossible ideas’.”
Crazy and impossible were other people’s words for it, words from a man Fai had looked up to, but when Fai had Kurogane talk to him in his place, ask him if he’d heard about anyone working to combine electricity and gravity, he had dismissed the very idea as ludicrous because it was impossible. Kurogane knew it would hurt his longtime friend to hear, but he wasn’t about to lie to him; that’d only hurt him more later.
Fai smiled at his college roommate and his best friend, and patted his arm, wearing a tight smile, “Don’t worry about me, Kuro-muu, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you for your help.”
Kurogane wasn’t convinced but he didn’t get to say that aloud before there was an interruption and their attention shifted to the softly knocking on the door and Souseki asking if they were awake. Looking at the time, it was early morning, and they had classes in a couple of hours. Fai was thankful for the distraction and took full advantage of it, going over towards the door and opening it up for Souseki, “Ah ha. Good morning."
“Did you two sleep well last night?” Souseki asked with a soft smile. Another college student. Although he was majoring in Diplomatic Relations than science, he still was expected to be well rounded in his education.
“Just fine.” A total lie. They had hardly slept at all. “By the way, the liquor you gave us was absolutely delicious,” Fai sing songed.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves. Would you two like to join me for breakfast?” Souseki offered.
“We’d be thrilled~, wouldn’t we, Kuro-tan?”
Kurogane quietly grunted, as he grabbed his bookbag and left the room, following behind Souseki and Fai fell further behind so he didn’t have to hide for just a moment.
“It’s a little scary how well he can look inside and see me like no one else.”
~~~
“Hey, Fluorite, you’re -” Kurogane began to say before he noticed something. “You’re leaving the Naval base?”
“I’ve resigned,” Fai said without elaboration, folding up his green day clothes and placing them into his luggage bag.
“Wait - is this about what you been trying to prove since before college?” When he didn’t get an answer quickly, “…. It is, isn’t it… Fluorite...”
“Court martial, Kuro-tan, court martial….! They don’t care how well I work here - they said if I stayed and kept talking crazy, they’d throw me in prison!”
“So you’re damned into proving you’re as crazy as Galileo … If you recall, he was right about our planet going around the sun…”
Tired, Fai sat down on the bed and slumped, “Kuro...even now, you still believe in my research, right? Why?”
“Sure you’re an idiot…”
“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”
“Let me finish… you got yourself started into something nobody knew anything about. Hell, most don’t think it’s even possible. But they’re ignorant; they haven’t seen your lab work first hand, and most refuse to do so anyway;. You’re still learning new things about it whenever you get a chance to, so while you’re the leading expert, you’re still an idiot in the field.”
Fai let out a chuckle, “I spose so. Kuro-puu is my fairest critic.”
“..Again with the monikers?”
“Why, Kuro-plum… “ Fai said, leaning into Kurogane’s space and fluttering his eyelashes, “if I called you by anything but monikers, I’d fret I’d give you a heart attack by calling you by my safe word.”
Kurogane snorted, and lightly smacked Fai in the back of the head, “Take care of yourself, you health hazard.”
“Health hazard? Denne uskyldige ansikt??” Fai asked, sounding outright scandalized as he pointed to his face and smiled as he tried to look as innocent and cute as possible.
“Innocent face?” He’d learned enough of the man’s first language to guess what half of it was when he switched into it. The fact that he made lots of gestures helped too when he forgot a word. “And yeah, you...you sprig of barley. Who’s gonna be looking after your cereal ass once you keep venturing forth with your ambitions? Do you have a sponsor yet?”
“No, but I do have that trust fund from my parents. If I can’t find someone else who believes in my work even a tiny bit like you do, I can dip into that or find odd jobs until someone listens and looks into my inventions. I really do think they can benefit the world.”
~
“Didn’t you have anyone believe in your work before now?” Mr Reed asked.
“Well there has always been one man that has supported me since the beginning but he doesn’t exactly have a lot of funds to support my research nor the influence to convince the science community that I’m not secretly a parlour magician,” Fai explained, “Ever since I left the military, he’d set aside some money he could spare to help me out. It’s been enough to keep me fed, but not much more than that.”
Fei smiled, “You can do great things, I am sure of that, Fai. Let me help you.” He held out a card towards Fai, and Fai took it, looked at it curiously. Fei Reed, the card read. There was a bat shaped emblem on the card itself in black and red. He recognized it from somewhere, but he didn’t know where immediately. “If you will come work for me, I will fully fund your research Fai Fluorite.”
“You …. You mean it?” Fai asked, a bit shocked
“Yes. Such talents as yours, it’d be a shame to see them go to waste. There’s a flight for the capital of Piffle, later this week. I will set things up for you, if you can get on that flight with your equipment so you can meet up with the Star Laboratory - they can operate in a vacuum setting. There, they will be able to affirm what you have just shown me. I have full confidence in you that you can prove to the whole world that your friend’s faith in you was not misguided. You can prove just how right you were all along.”
“Thank you for this, Mr Reed; I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.”
~
“So wait… you’re getting transferred?” Fai asked Kurogane over the phone.
“Yeah; wasn’t much choice in the matter. You go where they tell you to move. That’s what I get for sticking to the military,” he responded. Which wasn’t really true. He had kept an eye out and had requested the move if there was ever an opening.
“Do you know where you’re going to be stationed yet?”
“Mm…just found the sleeping quarters,” Kurogane grunted affirmatively although didn’t say where.
“Well...am I gonna have to pry it out of you or are you gonna tell me? Where are you gonna be?” Fai asked. At the radio silence, “Kuro-quiet I know you can still hear me…What base are you going to be at? Hey… Kurorin… how am I supposed to stay in contact with you if you don’t tell me where you are going to be stationed at? ... At least give me a clue?”
“...Is this enough of a clue?” came the double echo of the man’s voice Fai realized was only achievable if Kurogane was there with him.
Fai turned to the doorway to see the man standing there with a gift-wrapped box in his hand, “Kurotan….you’re… you’re here…”
“Yeah; still need to check in with Mr Reed, but it was hard to keep it a surprise from you any longer. And ah, happy birthday,” Kurogane murmured as he handed over the present.
Fai smiled as he pulled the ribbon off the present and swiftly proceeded to tie it around Kurogane instead, “hyuu I just got two presents this year.”
CHAPTER 3:THE FINAL COUNTDOWN:
Captain Kurogane went about checking the crew assigned to the mission as it was between him and Kyle Rondart and his nurse to verify that they were in good health, both physically and mentally. Everyone that passed was then given a mandatory list of supplies and a recommended list of supplies, in case it was days they were stuck on the other side of the Portal. With Syaoran’s aid, the work went much quicker, and in less than a month, they were ready for the first test run of the Portal with the new information.
With a batch of seven coordinates, they entered the first symbol with no problem and the inner circle slowly spun until it stopped at that symbol. The giant computer whined and shook, to offset the power necessary to boot up their Portal. After the fifth symbol entered, the computer stopped
“We could just use the free energy machine…With enough mass and the proper timing, it can offset the strain on the computer.” Fai knew it wouldn’t be a problem if his own technology which had been shown to work exponentially better was what was powering it, rather than pure electricity from circuitry, but being electrogravitic, there wasn’t a way to move the main one without reducing the main mass significantly, simply because it currently weighed too much.
“There’s no room for it here,” came the response. “And there’s no proper outlet for it. It’s just like youth … wasted time and energy.”
Kurogane couldn’t help but overhear and approached the two, “is something the matter?”
“YEs…” Fai said automatically, “He just accused my life’s work of being a waste of time and energy…”
“Why don’t you both go calm down?” Kurogane told them.
Fai opened his mouth to protest but chose not to instead walking off. Kurogane had a good idea of where he was going.
“I don’t need to calm down…It’s him that…”
“He has been harassed enough by non believers,” Kurogane turned his attention back onto the man since he hadn’t let the subject die, “And while you are probably frustrated that you’ve spent the last years of your life trying to solve that Portal and then that kid solves it in less than two weeks is no reason to take it out on someone else’s research.”
“...Whatever…He’s a blue-eyed devil anyway…” He grumbled under his break, scuffling his feet as he walked off.
Kurogane gave Fai a few minutes of alone time as he went to see what the cause of the power shortage was - a faulty fuse. So it was getting replaced, and the rest checked and replaced if they were in need. Kurogane sat down on the bed beside him,, and reached a hand out, gently touching the man’s shoulder.
“How did we get someone so narrow minded and short sighted?” Fai asked although only part of that came out as he was talking into his pillow.
“”He won’t be on the Mission, if we have one. Fuses weren’t doing too good.”
“Hey Kuro … do you think you can lend me a hand?”
“Mm… that depends… Figuratively or literally…? Because I’m kinda partial to keeping myself in one piece.”
Fai let out a grin at that, and hit Kurogane in the side with his pillow, feeling somewhat better. “Cmon then… I need to get my eternal battery hooked up with a thermal magnetic circuit breaker so we can safely power up the Portal.”
“What is it I’m supposed to help you with in this?” Kurogane asked grabbing the pillow and tossing it to the head of the bed.
“Well - remember when I told you when it’s most effective? 400 or 1600 hours, our time or Greenwich.. Don’t matter. That’s when it will have the most energy to give so the computer fuses don’t fry. Help me hook up the backup generator and then make sure Mission leave is when it’s at its strongest.”
“Then it looks like there’s some work to do before the fuses are finished getting replaced,” Kurogane said, holding out a hand to Fai to help him back off the bed.
Fai took it and pulled himself to the edge of the bed. “Race you to the lab. “
“Last one there buys lunch today,” Kurogane challenged, before sprinting out of the room.
“You are so on,” Fai ran after him having enough experience from all his mad dashes to get there. Kurogane ended up buying lunch that day.
With a mighty roar and a surge of power, the doorway blasted a wave of what looked like dark matter into the room, before it was absorbed back inside, as though drawn past the event horizon of a black hole.
“There’s no telling what’s on the other side of this…” Kurogane said cynically.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Fai commented, before stepping through, although to the casual observer, he just disappeared. Kurogane followed in after him.
CHAPTER 4: ODYSSEY:
Just beyond the Portal had been cleared of trees but delicate blue flowers and grass grew as cypress trees grew nearest, while patches of the greenery were more worn away from foot and animal travel. Tall mountains covered quite a bit of land and so did white sandy beaches, quite visible from the spot. In the distance was a few towns, including a large one with several pillared buildings with red and gold coloration
“I’d like to head into the town down towards the port, and see what I can gather about the people that live here.”
Kurogane was Captain so he had the authority of the mission but there were plenty of the men that made quiet snickers. Kurogane rolled his eyes at them. Idiots. “We’ll set up a temporary base by the Portal; you see what you can learn from the people here. Try not to upset any local deities while you’re at it, and meet us here before the sun sets.”
“Yes sir.”
“Sergeant Ryuo…!”
“Yes Kurogane sir?” the man replied.
“Would you mind watching over our doctor?”
“Awright…!” the soldier cheered with a grin, before gaining some composure, “I mean, of course, sir… Don’t worry sir he’s in good company,” he said as he went over to the archaeologist and put an arm around the other man.
“I know…”
The sergeant smiled at Syaoran, holding out his hand to him, “So my name’s Naga Ryuo. What’s yours?”
“Syaoran Li.”
Kurogane did his own surveillance, surveying the surrounding land with a small handful of the scientists while Naga Ryuo and Syaoran Li went towards the town where there would be the best chance of running into people. From the area they had landed in was near a town but not actually in the port town itself. Not that he was sure he had a way to explain how a bunch of men were just going through a portal. Or, most everything else they possessed. Unless this regularly occurred. Then everything was normal for them but not so much for his men there.
They kept occupied as the day went, testing soil samples and sending out small teams to gather food and wood. As the day had for the most part gone by, nearly everyone was gathered round the small bonfire that crackled and burned with cypress limbs, some chewing on fruits of their labors and others chatting away while playing a game of cards.
Fai walked up to Kurogane, setting a hand on his shoulder as he watched from a vantage point for any sight of Naga and Syaoran.
“Come join everyone by the campfire?”
“The other two still haven’t made it back…”
“The dragon and our linguist?”
“Mm…”
“You know standing here isn’t going to make them come back any sooner, right?”
“Mm…”
“But you’re going to wait anyway, right?”
“Someone needs to…”
Fai hyuu’d at him, “Such a kind leader you are.”
“What?! You keep that bubbly embarrassing talk to yourself!” Kurogane blustered.
Fai just laughed as he ducked a grab and skipped about the nearby rocks and trees, to get Kurogane to come chase after him even for a little while before grinning up at him as his back was up against a tree. “Oh no… you caught me; what ever will I do?” Fai said cheekily.
However then, they could hear the sound of Naga's voice echoing so they knew it wouldn't be long.
“How was the town?” asked one of the scientists, looking up from writing down notes in his journal when they got back.
“They sure grow up thinking differently here,” Naga replied, a bit glad to see that someone had found some local fruit, meaning they weren’t entirely starving. “What do they have out here to eat?”
“There’s date trees and a couple of olive trees we found. Haven’t tried eating the bushes yet.”
“According to the ladies we spoke with, this land is called Kaptara. In my studies, that’s one of the names we used to call for the island of Crete, the earliest known civilization in Hanshin. We’re talking about a civilization that began over 130,000 years ago. However at their development, and from talking to them, I think it’s fair to say they more accurately fit the last of the Minoans.”
“The last?” asked someone who would rather study the earth than the people.
“Yes. Back in 1420 BT, the Myceneans took over. No one’s absolutely sure if that’s because they overpowered the Minoan’s military and naval forces or if the volcano, Satorini, erupting is the cause, and because most of their language was phonetic, it was also lost to the ages. Having them here alive… this could be the break to actually understand their written language.”
“You mean you can’t understand them?”
“Oh no, the ladies used the Greek language as the default language when there are multiple languages known. However, the mother offered to teach us a poem about the God and the Goddesses here --”
“Gods and Goddesses? They’re Pagans around here?”
“Pagan is your word for it, but yes,” Syaoran said, “This is known as the Birthing place of several Gods and Goddesses of one of our Mythologies. Taishakuten, the Thunder God was born in the mountains here. And the Minotaur, Mitsuha...”
“More like Mitsu who … Have they ever met any of their so-called Gods?” Some exchanged laughter at that thought.
“They believe so, and I have seen nothing yet to conclude one way or the other if their Gods walk among them or if the extended members of the royal family who’s background has been exaggerated. The people here revere the bull as a sacred animal as well as the snake … ”
“Cmon… there’s only one God, and these people claiming they’ve met more than one...it’s just laughable.”
“Can you prove it?”
“Until you’ve tested all theories and have none but one left, no one idea is completely laughable.”
“The kid’s got a point,” Kurogane murmured.
.
“Why don’t some of us head down tomorrow and we can more thoroughly look into their Poem and their Gods? Then everyone wins,” Fai said with a grin
CHAPTER 5. RUNNING OF THE BULLS:
As they were arriving into town, there was a huge gathering in the center on the town so they followed along to see what was going on. There apparently was to be a huge celebration as it was going to be a coronation for the Princess of Kaptara.
Fai looked up, and lightly nudged Kurogane, who followed his gaze to see what had caught Fai’s attention. Gazing from within the palace at them was someone whom looked a lot like someone from a college textbook of his.. “Cross my references but that looks like Princess Sugi…”
“...didn’t she have a twin brother?” Kurogane murmured.
Fai patted Kurogane on the shoulder, “depends on which myth you read.”
“Either way, I’m not sure King Iemitsu will take kindly to us barging in here…” Syaoran commented. “From the stories passed down, King Iemitsu is an entitled king, and for the most part, he treats the citizen of Kaptara and Knossoss well but he is an easily bored king, and when he’s bored the neighboring city states and even his own people paid for it with their lives. His favorite activity when he was bored was kidnapping someone and torturing them slowly before killing them. Not only that, but he keeps his wife’s lovechild locked away as a pet after he didn’t sacrifice the Great White Bull to God Ashura and God Ashura cursed her to fall in love with and bear the Bull’s child. It may be just the same here, where Mitsuha is locked inside the labyrinth. Or it could be the Bull, Asterion.*”
Seeing the funnily dressed men, Princess Sugi called to have an audience with them, and Syaoran played interpreter as he had the best idea of what she was saying.
“Δεν είσαι από εδώ,” the princess stated boldly.
“Είμαστε περιπλάνηση μελετητές,” Syaoran replied.
“What did you tell her?”
“That we’re wandering scholars since she already knows we are not from here.”
“Ζητώ υπηρεσίες σας, τα ταξίδια μελετητές.”
“She wants our help.”
“Σκοτώσει το θηρίο του Λαβύρινθου. Πάρε με μαζί σου ... μακριά από το βασιλιά μου.”
“She said, She wants us to kill the beast in the labyrinth and to Take her with us… away from her King.”
“Πριν πάτε, θα πρέπει να αλλάξει. Αυτές οι λινά θα σας δώσει μακριά.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means, we need to get into this country’s clothes. Otherwise, he will find us before we find him.”
With a few taking those words to heart and switching to linens and loincloths instead of the traditional garb they’d been wearing.
The entrance to the labyrinth was laden with vines grown over time, and a door that locked shut, trapping any inside within its confines. Princess Sugi helped unlock it and offered a roll of twine to Syaoran to hold onto and use to find his way back to the beginning of the maze.
Kurogane had Syaoran tie a knot at the front gate and he began to lead a path into the maze, going off a hunch while Syaoran unspun the twine. While most of the group stuck together, some wandered off.
EYE OF THE BEAST:
The sound of the ocean’s as the tides came cresting onto the beach could be easily heard as the entrance to the Underworld was coming into view.
The loaned shields were raised, shielding their eyes from seeing the Gorgons. It was important not to look them in the eye, as direct eye contact would calcify them, turning any mortal into a solid rock.
“Keep your eyes forward, and shields raised,” Kurogane instructed, as he led the way. “Remember, curiosity killed the cat.”
“But satisfaction brought it back…”
“That’s how it normally is but here, if you look em in the face, you get to be stoned for life.”
It only took a moment of lowering his defenses, of dropping his shield and looking directly at the Gorgon sister’s face. His eyes were still wide open when his body stopped moving, having calcified solidly all of his soft tissues. It looked odd, to see a pillar of a man dressed up in actual clothes and gear, because the gear was untouched. It wasn’t a physical part of his body so it couldn’t calcify under the gaze.
“Θέλετε να τον επιστρέψει?”
“Do you want to return him?” Syaoran translated the Gorgon’s speech.
“What?”
“Το αίμα από την πλευρά του κεφαλιού της αδελφής μου, θα τον στείλει πίσω στο βασίλειο της σάρκας ή για πάντα στον κάτω κόσμο.”
“She says, if you take the blood from her sister’s head, one side will restore him to flesh … the other will keep him dead forever.”
“I’ll take that chance!” Looking underneath the shields for where there was a serpent’s tail, he stood up and pulled the trigger.
“Wait - It’s a trap! They’re the immortal sisters!” Kurogane shouted but even his voice was not heard over the sound of gunfire when one of his men took his gun and fired multiple shots at where he assumed the Gorgon sister’s head would be, shooting blindly before blinking and that’s all it took. His life was extinguished before he could pull the trigger one more time. The bullets whizzed through the air, some striking the Gorgons and ricocheting back towards them. Kurogane tsked, as he used the shield he was given to harmlessly deflect as many of their impact into the ground as he could. The shield took quite a toll as it was meant to withstand spears and arrows being shucked and fired at it, not bullets, even deflected ones.
“Hold your fire. Save your ammo for a foe you can actually harm.”
“Πώς ήξερες ότι δεν λέει την αλήθεια?”
“She wants to know how you knew her sister wasn’t being honest?” Syaoran interpreted.
“The whole thing was fishy from the beginning….what kind of Underworld guardians would help souls back out so easily….? But you can tell them, there’s only two sisters. If one was mortal, there should be three sisters.”
Syaoran nodded, “Υπάρχουν μόνο δύο αδελφές. Αν κάποιος ήταν θνητός, θα πρέπει να υπάρχουν τρεις αδελφές.
“And besides, why would the Underworld’s guardians help souls get out when the whole point is they want the Dead ones inside? It’d make more sense for them to try and kill more of us than to try and revive any of us.”
CHAPTER 6: THE PIT OF DESPAIR:
The way to Hana meant going through standing water that was ankle deep, leaving the pillars supporting the place dank and slowly growing moss, and slowly loosing light.
Fai chirped, “Alright everybody, make sure you know where your buddy is...If you don’t have one, it’s time to find someone so we’re all in this together.”
Naga Ryuo didn’t have to go far to reach over and grab for Syaoran’s hand, grinning at him while Kyle Rondart partnered up with the men who’d recently had their partner turned into a human statue outside the main entrance.
Fai slowly intertwined his hand with Kurogane’s and in the dank darkness, no one else could see, “This way, we won’t get separated.”
“Watch where you step …” Kurogane murmured, as he led the way
“It sure is dark in here isn’t it…” Fai commented, keeping up with Kurogane’s pace, while looking out with the fronts of his feet for anything in the way before he stepped down fully. The last thing he wanted was to start a tope pile at the beginning of a hill.
“You get used to it after a while,” Kurogane mentioned.
“Are you a bat…?” one of the scientists asked, who was still trying to adjust to the darkness and making clumsy footsteps.
“Couldn’t be … he passed the eye exam…” Fai stated.
“....You realize you can study for that …?” Kurogane said after a while. “They haven’t changed that test in years.”
Fai stopped in his tracks. “Wait … are you telling me you actually cheated on your eye exam?”
Kurogane let out a mild tch, “not cheated so much as I may have wanted to prove a point at how out of date they were. I told the guy running the exam that unless they change the test, I could pass it no matter which eye was closed or how many were closed. He didn’t believe me for some reason. I haven’t had to take another eye test since.”
“I can’t believe you, Kuro-radar… you cheated on the eye exam…. ”
“I can’t believe you didn’t … you’ve been using reader’s.”
“That’s because I have two different eye sights; the reader’s just help me focus on your pretty handwriting...and other texts, better.”
“Anyone have a lighter still on them? There looks to be a torch just up ahead…” And while he could see just fine, he was sure there were several who would appreciate having a lit torch.
One of the younger men pulled a lighter out of his breast pocket, having kept his uniform on underneath the linens, and passed it downwards.
“Everyone has their two Gold coins? According to the people of Kaptara, you’ll need one to pay the ferryman to ferry you cross the river Styx …we’re not dead yet so we may need to cross more than once.”
Hearing the sound of what sounded like flowing water, they knew they were close as them stepped into a cavern with
Kujaku graciously accepted the coins given to him, even if these people weren’t dead, with only fair warning, “You know… if you cross the Styx, there’s no telling when you’ll be able to cross again.”
“If?”
“There’s souls that haven’t made it across, and have tried swimming through the Styx. They may try and pull you out of the boat and into the river itself to get a ride themselves. So, those of you by the edges best stay on guard,” Kujaku warned with a smile as he used his oar to push off from the shore.
That unnerved some of the men as the waters beneath the boat moved. The raven haired ferryman seemed unfazed as the murky waters below seemed to come more to life with the souls of those who had not been able to cross the river. A bony hand grabbed the side of the ferryman’s boat, trying to get on, and the ferryman knocked it away with his oar. “Back in you go,” he told it indiscriminately. Not
Kurogane watched that happen before seeing another bony limb reach forwards
Going down the river, the crew noticed a connecting river where flames crawled out of the river itself onto the stones while boils burst,
“What’s over there?”
“That? That’s one of the rivers here, Pyriphlegethon.”
“The Pyriphlegethon … isn’t that the River that’s made of fire and blood?” Syaoran asked.
“Very good,” Kujaku smiled. “You needn’t worry about it though. It doesn’t flow into the Styx.”
“How does it stay flowing? Does it ever run dry?”
“Now there’s an interesting question.”
CHAPTER 7: THE LAST SUPPER:
The three small fire puppies transformed into enormous beasts that loomed over the men.
“Well... not exactly what I imagined when I heard three-headed dog...something lost in translation maybe? They’re still somewhat cute though…”
“How are they cute?”
“Kurorin simply has no eyes for these things… Right Li-kun?”
“I think they’re cute.”
“See?”
The three Guardians guided the group over to the Plains of Judgement.
The food on the table and the wine provided looked absolutely delicious. The warning from the ferryman still weighed heavy on the mind of the Captain that the temptation to eat was not enough to overcome his wariness of the foods presented to them.
“Are you sure it’s alright?” Syaoran asked, hesitant to eat the food.
“Trust your wits, kid...would they tell you to eat food from the Underworld?”
“Food in general might be safe, but there’s no guarantee. Fruit however is definitely not an option for us…”
“What’s wrong with Hell’s fruit?” one of the men asked, actually curious instead of dismissive. A nice change.
“Since we’re still considered alive, if you ate a whole piece of fruit, then that’s the same as signing a contract that you would spend the rest of eternity here. A single seed would mean you must return for a month every year and spend it here.”
“That’s it! We’re leaving...now! Leave the food as it was,” Kurogane demanded.
“And leave all this other good food here..?”
“You should have plenty of rations… and I’d rather not have to explain to any of your families you got trapped in Hell for eternity for enjoying some decent looking food...so just pretend it’s just an illusion, and get a move on. We still need to find our way to the palace of Hana.”
Kurogane thought it might be a bit harsh, but better safe than sorry and damned. This wasn’t going to end up some miraculous trip where everyone made it back, not with five already dead, three devoured by Mitsuha, and two of their crew calcified to pillars, but he sure didn’t want it looking like what had happened with the Yasha clan, where only a handful make it out alive.
The temptation was heavy to have some warm delectable food instead of cold rations, and while some listened to Kurogane and begrudgingly left the food on the table, several listened to the voice of doubt, that discounted any possibility that they’d be trapped there for simply having a bite to eat so grabbed some food and ate it once Kurogane had already begun to lead the way away from the table, eating soft warm breads.
One of the men offered another a tomato from the table; after all, tomatoes go in the salad so it must be a vegetable rather than a fruit right? No harm as long as it wasn’t a fruit, like an apple.
For the most part, no one realized they had been watched the entire time as a black butterfly with unmatched eyes fluttered overhead, nearby to the group.
Hana with porcelain pale skin, ebony black hair and eyes like the fires of the the river peered at the group from atop the throne. Hana was dressed with finest of linens while the scent of chrysanthemums wafted throughout the palace from somewhere outside . “Pwaje pwaje.”
Princess Sugi kneeled before Hana, out of respect.
“What’d Death say…?”
“No idea, but when in the Underworld...” Syaoran answered following Sugi’s lead and kneeling.
“Mn...,” Kurogane grumbled. “Everyone, show the kami here the proper respect.”
Two men appeared from behind Hana's throne.
“I am Sakon,” the blond introduced himself, “and this is Ukon.”
“Look Kurotan… Someone larger than you DOES exist,” Fai quietly teased as there was few people they had met that were taller.
“Παρακαλώ, επιτρέψτε μου να είναι με τον αδελφό μου.”
“She wishes to be with her brother.”
“We have no hold over her; if that is her decision."
~~
Kurogane pulled the archeologist by his collar backwards, so he never touched the waters of the river, “not here. Look over there.” He pointed over to the other shore, where the ivy was thick and the lower half covered bodies lazed by the shore close to the River with a hazed over looks
“What are they doing?” Syaoran asked.
“Lazing about like a mindless fool …bet you it’s the water.”
“You said that about the food … Cmon man … what’s the worse that could happen?” complained one
“......Trust me on this. You don’t want to drink the river water here.”
“Um, Captain…” he pointed out as one of the other men had already finished drinking from it.
“This is great; I’ve always wanted to study a mind who wouldn’t remember a thing,” Kyle said excitedly.
Kurogane stared at him like he couldn’t believe he said that out loud. Not that he didn’t believe Kyle wasn’t already further towards that end of willing to do things to advance science, like Fei. For someone who loves psychology, that sure was a Freudian slip.
“If he can’t remember anything, he cannot consent; you’ll have to get permission from his family first if you want to do any of your psych experiments.”
“Of course; I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” Kyle said with a smile as he held onto the man. He wasn’t going to give up on examining this man’s brain, even if the family fought against it. He had ways of persuading them to see things his way.
CHAPTER 8: THROUGH THE FIRE AND FLAMES:
“Are you sure this is safe?”
“Well think of this way; we’re flying above the Pyriphlegethon river in an UFO, an Unauthorized Flying Object without a certified pilot. I’m sure the Garuda sisters would be thrilled someone else took off after them,” Fai joked as fire curled underneath and threatened to geyser
“This doesn’t seem very wise..”
“Yeah, and neither is jumping through a Portal into a mythology textbook …or making a deal with the devil… Hells, this whole thing was a bad idea from the beginning …Cornstalk, how long will that device of yours last in these temperatures?”
“Hypothetically, the only thing getting fried in these conditions is our pores and future generations.”
“Hypothetically..?!” retorted Kurogane as he wiped away sweat from getting to his eyes.
“Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Kuro-sweat, but I just haven’t had the right opportunity to find where it’s breaking point is, or how that applies to literal magical bloody lava…” Fai replied cheerfully sarcastic. “But hey, either I’ve been right all along about this technology being good for Dragonfly’s and we have some good piloting so we make it to the River of Woe, the Akheron, in one piece or due to some error in judgement we crash and burn and then we’re all burning forever in the Underworld. Ain’t life a peach.”
“Dammit Fluorite, what did I say about testing your technology like this? When we make it back, remind me to kick you ass for this,” Kurogane retorted.
“When … How optimistic of you. I’ll be sure to give you a good moon’s view,” Fai jested as he looked backwards. “Anyone ever flown a Dragonfly before?”
“How the hell have you not learned to drive stick shift, Fluorite?”
“When I have such strong capable men to drive me around?”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Cornstalk…”
“It’s gotten me several places; my favorite is right here, beside you.”
CHAPTER 9: OUTRO:
“That was some trip...Do you want to go on another one?"
Kurogane dropped a balled up fist onto Fai’s head, causing the blond man to yelp slightly in pain.
“Ow…!” “Kuro-puu. You made me bite my tongue,” Fai whined.
“Yeah. What of it?”
“You should kiss it better.”
“Is that so?” Kurogane challenged.
Fai playfully stuck his tongue out at him. He was pleasantly surprised when he actually got that ‘kiss’, even though they weren’t somewhere more private.
“Better?”
“Mm, much better,” Fai hummed as he leaned into Kurogane’s space.
“You two sure are close,” Syaoran commented.
“Nah; it’s just that his work causes his cells to become tiny magnets,” Kurogane joked.
“If you get a chance to leave the facility here, would you like to meet my girlfriend?”
“Your girlfriend?”
“Yeah; she really kind and beautiful, and she’s so smart; and she makes some of the best pancakes ever.”
Fai patted him on the shoulder, “she’s great at making pancakes, you say? They must be infused with her love if they taste so great.”
Syaoran blushed at that but nodded, “I just know that, if I ask her if she wants to get married, if she said yes, then everyone else would expect her to give up her career and she’s just so smart to give up what she has worked so hard for, so I never ask for anything more than to be her boyfriend.”
Kurogane and Fai exchanged glances before Kurogane asked, “So who’s this girlfriend of yours?”
“Kinomoto. Sakura Kinomoto.”
RESEARCH:
Historical Terms:
Soapbox:
Fat head: Idiot or Foolish person
Blue eyed devil: Racial slur for a white person with blue eyes
Flattery will get you nowhere: Latest slang
Want to bet on it?
You"re out of your cotton- picking mind
You can’t win em all
Think nothing of it
Based on actual history or Mythology:
Thomas Townsend Brown:
Brown was blessed with the unique ability to "see what others have seen and think what nobody has thought." As a teenager in the 1920s, working in a well-equipped laboratory in the basement of his prominent Ohio family's opulent home, Brown noticed an unusual effect when high voltage was applied to a Coolidge X-Ray tube. With that observation, he came to believe he had discovered a link between electricity and gravity - and a way to lift and propel flying vehicles by purely electrical means.
http://www.thomastownsendbrown.com/
Electrogravitic Science Trivia: “There are a number of mysteries concerning the nature of the [electro-gravatic] force, largely the variation which it undergoes. There appear to be three semi-diurnal cycles:
Relating to mean solar time (with maxima at 4 am and 4 pm)
Relating to lunar hour angle with maxima approximately 2 hours after the upper and lower meridian transit of the moon, and
Relating to sidereal time with a sharp peak at 16 hours S.T. [Greenwich sidereal time] and a minor maximum and 4 hrs S.T. The reasons for these variation as well as the reasons for the almost continuous secular variations [are] completely unknown.”
LaViolette Ph.D., Paul A., “Secrets of Antigravity Propulsion : Tesla, UFOs, and classified aerospace technology” Bear and Co. Rochester, VT 2008.
So had to look up terminology, I had to look up what that even means… so meridian transit of the moon is the technical terminology for when the moon’s been out for half the night. Sidereal time is the time scale that is based on Earth's rate of rotation measured relative to other fixed stars rather than the sun.
Gorgons
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Greek mythology a Gorgon is a monstrous feminine creature whose appearance would turn anyone who laid eyes upon it to stone. Later there were three of them: Euryale ("far-roaming"), Sthenno ("forceful"), and Medusa ("ruler"), the only one of them who was mortal. They are the three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto.
The Gorgons are monstrous creatures covered with impenetrable scales, with hair of living snakes, hands made of brass, sharp fangs and a beard. They live in the ultimate west, near the ocean, and guard the entrance to the underworld.
A stone head or picture of a Gorgon was often placed or drawn on temples and graves to avert the dark forces of evil, but also on the shields of soldiers. Such a head (called a gorgoneion) could also be found on the older coins of Athens. Artists portrayed a Gorgon head with snake hair, and occasionally with a protruding tongue and wings.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gorgons.html
In the myths, the Minotaur, his often forgotten name is Asterion, meaning the Starry one. However, naming the Cretan Bull Asterion was a tribute to his son, as there are legends of both needing reigning in (although only one needing slaying).
The River Kokytos is one of the five Magical Rivers in The Underworld. The Kokytos is the "River of Wailing" (the river of misery).
http://greekmythology.wikia.com/wiki/River_Kokytos
River Lethe(Greek: Λήθη) is one of the five rivers of Hades. Also known as the Ameles potamos (river of unmindfulness), the Lethe flows around the cave of Hypnus and through the Underworld, where all those who drink from it experience complete forgetfulness.Lethe is also the name of the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, with whom the river is often identified.
In Classical Greek, the word lethe literally means "oblivion", "forgetfulness", or "concealment". It is related to the Greek word for "truth", aletheia (ἀλήθεια), which through the privative alpha literally means "un-forgetfulness" or "un-concealment".
The "River Pyriphlegethon" is the river of blood and fire. It flows into the "River Akheron" ("River Acheron")
http://greekmythology.wikia.com/wiki/River_Pyriphlegethon
The Akheron river, the river of woe, is one of the five magical rivers of the Underworld. It also is the only one of the rivers that flows not only through the Underworld but the mortal world from Epirus and into the Ioannina Sea (39°14′10″N 20°28′34″E).
http://greekmythology.wikia.com/wiki/River_Akheron
Crete:
geography[edit]
Main article: Geography of Greece
Lefka Ori (White mountains).
View of Psiloritis.
The palm beach of Vai.
Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea.
Island morphology
The island has an elongated shape: it spans 260 km (160 mi) from east to west, is 60 km (37 mi) at its widest point, and narrows to as little as 12 km (7.5 mi) (close to Ierapetra). Crete covers an area of 8,336 km2 (3,219 sq mi), with a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi); to the north, it broaches the Sea of Crete (Greek: Κρητικό Πέλαγος); to the south, the Libyan Sea (Greek: Λιβυκό Πέλαγος); in the west, the Myrtoan Sea, and toward the east the Karpathian Sea. It lies approximately 160 km (99 mi) south of the Greek mainland.
Mountains and valleys
Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by three different groups of mountains:
The White Mountains or Lefka Ori 2,452 m (8,045 ft)
The Idi Range (Psiloritis 35°11′N 24°49′E / 35.18°N 24.82°E / 35.18; 24.82 2,456 m (8,058 ft)
Kedros 1,777 m (5,830 ft)
The Dikti Mountains 2,148 m (7,047 ft)
Thripti 1,489 m (4,885 ft)
These mountains lavished Crete with valleys, such as Amari valley, fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi plateau, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Gourgouthakas, Diktaion, and Idaion (the birthplace of the ancient Greek god Zeus); and a number of gorges.
Gorges, rivers and lakes
The island has a number of gorges, such as the Samariá Gorge, Imbros Gorge, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, Ha Gorge, Platania gorge, the Gorge of the Dead (at Kato Zakros, Sitia) and Richtis Gorge and waterfall at Exo Mouliana in Sitia.[10][11][12][13]
The rivers of Crete include the Ieropotamos River, the Koiliaris, the Anapodiaris, the Almiros, the Giofyros, and Megas Potamos. There are only two freshwater lakes: Lake Kournas and Lake Agia, which are both in Chania regional unit.[14] Lake Voulismeni at the coast, at Aghios Nikolaos, was formerly a sweetwater lake but is now connected to the sea, in Lasithi.[15] Lakes that created by dams also exist in Crete. They are three: the lake of Aposelemis dam, the lake of Potamos dam, and the lake of Mpramiana dam.
Surrounding islands
Main article: List of Greek islands
A large number of islands, islets, and rocks hug the coast of Crete. Many are visited by tourists, some are visited only by archaeologists and biologists. Some are environmentally protected. A small sample of the islands include:
Gramvousa (Kissamos, Chania) the pirate island opposite the Balo lagoon
Elafonisi (Chania), which commemorates a shipwreck and an Ottoman massacre
Chrysi island (Ierapetra, Lasithi), which hosts the largest natural Lebanon cedar forest in Europe
Paximadia island (Agia Galini, Rethymno) where the god Apollo and the goddess Artemis were born
The Venetian fort and leper colony at Spinalonga opposite the beach and shallow waters of Elounda (Ag. Nikolaos, Lasithi)
Dionysades islands which are in an environmentally protected region together the Palm Beach Forest of Vai in the municipality of Sitia, Lasithi
Off the south coast, the island of Gavdos is located 26 nautical miles (48 km) south of Hora Sfakion and is the southernmost point of Europe.
Climate
Main article: Climate of Greece
Crete straddles two climatic zones, the Mediterranean and the North African, mainly falling within the former. As such, the climate in Crete is primarily Mediterranean. The atmosphere can be quite humid, depending on the proximity to the sea, while winter is fairly mild. Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May, but rare in the low-lying areas. While mountain tops remain snow-capped year long, near the coast snow only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours. However, a truly exceptional cold snap swept the island in February 2004, during which period the whole island was blanketed with snow. During the Cretan summer, average temperatures reach the high 20s-low 30s Celsius (mid 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit), with maxima touching the upper 30s-mid 40s.
The south coast, including the Mesara Plain and Asterousia Mountains, falls in the North African climatic zone, and thus enjoys significantly more sunny days and high temperatures throughout the year. There, date palms bear fruit, and swallows remain year-round rather than migrate to Africa. The fertile region around Ierapetra, on the southeastern corner of the island, is renowned for its exceptional year-round agricultural production, with all kinds of summer vegetables and fruit produced in greenhouses throughout the winter.
History
Palace of Knossos
Hominids settled in Crete at least 130,000 years ago. In the later Neolithic and Bronze Age period, under the Minoans,
Prehistoric Crete
Main article: Prehistoric Crete
The first human settlement in Crete dates before 130,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic age. Settlements dating to the aceramic Neolithic in the 7th millennium BC, used cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs as well as domesticated cereals and legumes; ancient Knossos was the site of one of these major Neolithic (then later Minoan) sites. Other neolithic settlements include those at Kephala, Magasa, and Trapeza.
Minoan civilization
Main article: Minoan civilization
Crete was the centre of Europe's first advanced civilisation, the Minoan (c. 2700–1420 BC). This civilization wrote in the undeciphered script known as Linear A. Early Cretan history is replete with legends such as those of King Minos, Theseus and the Minotaur, passed on orally via poets such as Homer. The volcanic eruption of Thera may have been the cause of the downfall of the Minoan civilization.
Mythology
Crete has a rich mythology mostly connected with the ancient Greek Gods but also connected with the Minoan civilization.
According to Greek Mythology, The Psychro cave at Mount Dikti was the birthplace of the god Zeus. The Paximadia islands were the birthplace of the goddess Artemis and the god Apollo. Their mother, the goddess Leto, was worshipped at Phaistos. The goddess Athena bathed in Lake Voulismeni. The ancient Greek god Zeus launched a lightning bolt at a giant lizard that was threatening Crete. The lizard immediately turned to stone and became the island of Dia. The island can be seen from Knossos and it has the shape of a giant lizard. The islets of Lefkai were the result of a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses. The Muses were so anguished to have lost that they plucked the feathers from the wings of their rivals; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera ("featherless") where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai (the islands of Souda and Leon). Hercules, in one of his labors, took the Cretan bull to the Peloponnese. Europa and Zeus made love at Gortys and conceived the kings of Crete, Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon, and Minos.
The labyrinth of the Palace of Knossos was the setting for the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in which the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. Icarus and Daedalus were captives of King Minos and crafted wings to escape. After his death King Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades, while Rhadamanthys became the ruler of the Elysian fields.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete
One item of clothing that all Minoans wore were loin cloths. These were especially used in athletic events such as the religious bull jumping ceremonies. In this case they sometimes contained a leather component for protection. Otherwise, they were mainly constructed out of linen or wool,the two prominent materials of the culture. For men, a variation of the loincloth that could be worn was the double apron, which had a weighted tassel in the front or back. Skirts for men varied from knee to ankle length and were held in place by a round cinch belt, made of cloth and decorated with metal. Cretan women had the authority to dictate how they looked and dressed since they were regarded as equals in this society. It is thought that women might have modeled their costume off the dress of goddesses, seen in statues. The staple of Minoan women’s costume is the bell shaped skirt. This was paired with a bodice that covers the waist and upper arms but exposes the breasts. Skirts were often made of various layers of ruffled fabric and features of geometric patterns and motifs.Accessories also existed in Minoan costume. Footwear was assumed to only be worn outside and consisted of sandals and shoes with pointed, closed toes, fitted tightly at the ankle. Hair was primarily curly. Men could wear their hair long or short. Women’s hair was worn long and covered in jeweled bands and elaborate accessories. Women in Crete were the first to wear hats simply for fashion. For jewelry, they would wear several bracelets on both arms. Common people would make necklaces out of stones strung together. Earrings have also been found in the most common of graves
https://www.coursehero.com/file/p2ir0k1/One-item-of-clothing-that-all-Minoans-wore-were-loin-cloths-These-were/
...While the island appears today completely deforested, in ancient times timber was one of the natural resources that was commercially exploited and exported to nearby Egypt, Syria, Cyprus, the Aegean Islands and the Greek mainland.
Besides timber Crete exported food, cypress wood, wine, currants, olive oil, wool, cloth, herbs, and purple dye. Its imports consisted of precious stones, copper (most likely from Cyprus), ivory, silver, gold, and other raw material. They also imported tin that was used in the production of bronze alloys. Interestingly, the nearest known tin mines appear as far as Spain, Britain, central Europe, and Iran. Besides raw materials, the Minoans also adopted from the surrounding cultures artistic ideas and techniques as evident in Egypt's influence on the Minoan wall frescoes, and on goldsmithing production knowledge imported by Syria.
The Minoans had developed significant naval power and for many centuries lived in contact with all the major civilizations of the time without being significantly threatened by external forces. Their commercial contact with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia undeniably influenced their own culture, and the Minoan civilization in turn appeared as the forerunner of the Greek civilization. The Minoans are credited as the first European civilization.
http://ancient-greece.org/history/minoan.html
WHERE THE TITLES CAME FROM:
The Final Countdown: From Europe, the band.
Odyssey: Homer’s epic poem.
Running of the Bulls: From Spain, the actual event.
Eye of the Beast: The movie from 2006/2007. I mean, just look at the cover art. (Haven’t actually seen the movie.)
The Pit of Despair: multiple uses, but we’ll just say The Princess Bride.
The Last Supper: Biblical reference.
Through the Fire and Flames: From Dragonforce, the band.
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~the end.
Thank you for reading! How did I do?
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no subject
(On a side note, I think you would really enjoy the book 'Medea' by Kerry Greenwood. It's based around the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, but from the much-maligned Medea's point of view, and I think you'd find it interesting from a historical viewpoint.)
I liked the easy camaraderie between the group, and the playful back-and-forth between Kurogane and Fai. I would have also been happy to see Rondart fall into the river of fire, but that's just character bias speaking, ahaha. I got a little confused with the pacing, but I think if you edited it a little and reposted it with the chapters as separate parts that would help.
This was an exciting read, and the research you poured into made it interesting. Thank you so much for writing in the Olympics this year!
no subject
OOH I'm going to have to go find that book next time I'm out searching ... You are right; It definitely sounds like it is right up my alley and down my street.
He might not fall in the lake of Fire and Blood, but I sure can't blame you for wanting to see Kyle in there. I did too. There's definitely going to be an edit and repost. Eventually. Farrenmaddox had the idea this was a great idea for a miniseries and I quite like that idea so after this adventure gets its proper adjusting, editing and fleshing out like it should, it's off to have a miniseries go with it, and A separate area one can go to look at the research. Just in case some people might not be as into it as I am...