Atlantis 4

The main problem was that not all regions had benefited equally. Some regions and especially Atlantis were more prosperous than others and this created a feeding ground for hate and jealousy. Atlantis had now become by far the most prosperous region in the world. Travelers who visited Atlantis brought back stories of its enormous wealth and their extravagant lifestyle. People outside of Atlantis, who heard these stories, quickly became envious and demanded that they too have such a lavish lifestyle. This was especially true for the Southern Kingdom. Of all the different realms, they were the least developed. Although it did posses extensive valuable mineral deposits, the region was for the most part, poor and underdeveloped. The reason for their backwardness was the local soil, which was dry and lacked fertility. Over the years, its population had increased substantially and the land simply could not sustain it. As a result, widespread famine became a normal part of life for these people.

Further aggravating the problem was the lack of freedom for the people. Although Atlantis had developed into a democratic society, the other regions had not. The common people had absolutely nothing to say. The four outer realms each had a harsh and autocratic ruler, who ruled by iron hand. These rulers would rather serve their own interests than that of the people. Instead of shouldering the blame and looking to correct urgent problems, they would look for a scapegoat. Well aware of the resentment among people of the wealth of Atlantis, they told the frustrated people that the Atlanteans were the ones to blame. Not only had the Atlanteans failed to lend a helping hand in their hour of need in the form of food aid, but also refused to share their knowledge with them. They said that the Gods favored the Atlanteans, because they were the “children of the Gods”. According to them, the Gods had given the Atlanteans advanced knowledge, which is why the Atlanteans had become so prosperous and they themselves had not. To illustrate their claims, they pointed to the “Stone of the Gods”.

The “Stone of the Gods” was a strange mineral given to the Atlanteans as a gift by the Gods and was said to posses unlimited energy. The Atlanteans had harnessed its energy for a wide range of applications, like powering the pumps that supplied water to their crops. The four outer realms wanted the Atlanteans to share this mineral with the rest of the world, so that everyone could benefit and use it to solve the many problems, like making the land more hospitable. However, the Atlanteans flatly refused to cooperate. They said that the Gods had given the mineral to them, and them alone, and therefore they alone should have this mineral. Unfortunately, their refusal strengthened the already widespread belief among people that the Atlanteans did not want them to become as prosperous as they were.

The Gods had watched with growing displeasure and concern at how the people were quibbling with each other. This is not what they had envisioned when they had descended from the skies. They had thought that their knowledge would make things better for the people. Arguing was supposed to be a thing of the past. The turn of events had shattered this belief . They were concerned that all the arguing would once again bring back the old demon of war. Wotan, the leader of the Gods, had personally gone to each of the five regions and expressed his concerns about the way things were going. He vigorously tried to persuade them to stop the war of words before it turned into a real war and start holding constructive talks to remedy the problems. All of them reacted in similar fashion. They all said that they were well aware of the problems they were facing and promised to do their best to work things out. But to Wotan’s agony, these words did not translate into actions and the situation continued to worsen. Wotan left in disgust, dismayed at his failure to convince them of the potentially destructive outcome of the path they had chosen. It looked as if the volatile situation was heading for a great confrontation. The world had become like a powderkeg. All that was needed was the spark to light the fuse.

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 Click on Part 5 for what happens next in this series.

Atlantis 5

Akula, the ruler in the Northern Kingdom, was a strong and powerful leader, who knew no mercy in battle. His infamous ruthlessness had made him notorious throughout the world. His shrewdness served only one goal and that was to expand his power and territory. He had watched with growing interest the growing feud between Atlantis and his neighbors. For years, he has had his eyes on the rich mineral resources to the south. He also knew, that his empire was the most powerful in the world, second only to Atlantis. If somehow, Atlantis were to be weakened or even eliminated, his empire would become the strongest and he could rule the world unopposed. And then..........there was the prophecy.

He was just a young lad then. It was his tenth birthday and his father had brought him to the Great Forests to the far north. There was the smelly, secluded home of that ugly, old witch. Most people feared her. She was said to posses evil powers and bring bad luck to all who dared to cross her path. For this reason, people stayed as far away as possible. But the few, who were close to her, knew what she was worth. Her ability to predict the future, although sometimes vaguely, was a unique and indispensable asset. She claimed to be able to read and understand what was written in the stars. Staring into a bowl of water at the reflection of the stars, she said that: “He, the one called Akula, is destined to one day become sole ruler of Atlantis. They will be bound together for all eternity. That is how it was meant to be. So it is written, and so it shall be done.”

That prophecy would forever change his life. Atlantis became the guiding force in his life. He strongly believed that one day he would rule over Atlantis. From that day on, he would always wear a large, blue trident, the symbol of Atlantis, on his chest to remind people of his destiny. But many years had since passed and still he had not conquered Atlantis. The more time went by, the stronger his obsession with Atlantis became. The situation to the south had now opened a window of opportunity for Akula. But how was he going to make it all work? He thought about it night and day, trying to figure out a plan. Then finally, after weeks had gone by, he found what he had been searching for. It was a devious plan, but then again, that was exactly what he was known for.

Akula did not have any family, except for his son Zhuk. Zhuk was a quiet and peace-loving person, in sharp contrast to his father, who was exactly the opposite. He loved the forests because it was a place where he could be alone. He had left the palace with a servant to hunt for wild game in the forests. He quietly roamed through the thick forests in search of prey. Suddenly, he heard someone screaming for help. It was coming from behind those bushes in front of him. Zhuk told the servant to stay behind and wait for him. Zhuk rushed forward through the wilderness and saw an injured Karna, one of the Gods, lying on the ground. He was being threatened by a colossal bear. Zhuk did not hesitate. He drew his sword and with a mighty thrust, pierced the bear’s heart.

Karna was grateful to Zhuk for saving his life and wanted to repay him for his good deeds. “Ask whatever you wish,”  he said to Zhuk, “and I shall make it come true. Whether its gold, pearls, diamonds, whatever, it shall be yours.”  But Zhuk was a humble person and did not wish for anything in return. In his eyes, what he had done was everybody’s duty, when faced with such a situation. He therefore politely declined to accept Karna’s offer. But before Karna left, he gave Zhuk a special kind of artifact in case he would change his mind. “Here take this,”  Karna said. “Its called a Wishstone. With this simple relic you can ask any God to fulfill your wish.”  Back home, the servant, who had witnessed what had happened, informed Akula of what he had seen. Akula would not forget what he had been told. For some, reason, he had the feeling that someday, somehow, it would come in handy.

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 Click on Part 6 for what happens next in this series.

Atlantis 6

Akula had sent envoys to the leaders of the Southern, Eastern and Western Kingdoms for a secret meeting to be held at a mystic place in the Northern Kingdom, called Stonehenge by the local druids. According to ancient legends, Stonehenge was the place the Gods first appeared from the heavens in their round, metallic craft. To commemorate this historical happening, the druids erected huge, stone pillars set in a circular pattern. The colossal construction had to resemble the shape of the vehicles of the Gods, so that all future generations would be reminded of the day the Gods came from the skies. It served as a monument to what had happened in the past.

They were all there during the meeting. Klamath, Kano, Liu Tzu and Akula had all come to discuss the current crises. The mood was very intense. Kano, the ruler of the Southern Kingdom, said in disgust: “My people are literally starving to death, while those spoiled Atlanteans are throwing their food away. This cannot go on like this. Something needs to be done.”  Akula had listened patiently to his three guests, who complained loudly about Atlantis’ alleged lack of willingness to help them by giving in to their demands. They all accused the Atlanteans of not caring much about their fate. Akula realized that the time was right for him to make his move.

“I have the solution to our common problems,”  Akula said. “The Atlanteans do not take us seriously. We need to do something radically to make them realize that we mean business.”

“And what is it you suggest we do?”  Klamath responded.

“We should join forces and attack Atlantis,”  Akula said determined. His three guests were shocked. They all knew something had to be done, but this was a very drastic move.

“Wage war on Atlantis?”  Liu Tzu asked. “That cannot be. Atlantis has the most powerful army the world has ever seen.”

“There is no other way,”  Akula said. “The Atlanteans do not care about us. We have to hurt them in such a way that they will not forget. That way, they will know what it is like to suffer like we do and give in to our demands. If they do not want to give us what we need willingly, then we should take it by force!”  But despite Akula’s vigorous pleas, his colleagues were not convinced. They knew the risks involved and refused to make such a move.

“There has to be another way,”  Liu Tzu said. “War will only make things even worse. We must continue negotiating with the Atlanteans and perhaps they will become reasonable.”  Klamath agreed with what Liu Tzu had said. Kano was more open to Akula’s proposal, because his kingdom was in the worst condition. But he could only agree to an attack if all four leaders were in favor. The deadlock could not be broken and with that, the meeting was ended.

“Cowards,”  Akula said to himself after his guests had left. “You all make me sick. You do not want war, not because you are so peace-loving, but because you weaklings are too afraid to lose the comfort of your throne and your women.”  Akula had to calm himself down. “But no matter,”  Akula said. “I had expected something like this might happen. If my fellow rulers are too afraid to do anything, then so be it. But I, the one called Akula, does not know the meaning of the word fear!”  He sat silently on his throne for a while, thinking of what had to be done. “Come forward, Hokum,”  Akula ordered. A big, muscular guy appeared from behind the curtains. “Once again, I call upon you to serve your master,”  Akula said. “Its now up to you. You know what to do. Now go and do not fail me.”

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 Click on Part 7 for what happens next in this series.

Atlantis 7

          The huge iron doors swung open. “Proceed!”  the guard, covered in metal armor from head to toe, said. Hokum walked past the portal and stepped into the great hall. He marveled in awe at all the splendor and grandeur. Everywhere he looked, he could see the wealth of Atlantis. The floors were made of marble. Large banners, made of fine silk, decorated the walls. There were portals of solid gold, ivory and..........
          “Do not waste our time!”  an irritated voice shouted. The members of the Council, seated around an oval table, were waiting for Hokum to speak.
          “I have come to warn you of a great disaster,”  Hokum said. Hokum informed the council that Kano and Akula had secretly combined their forces to attack Atlantis. Akula had ordered him to lead the attack. He handed over the secret plans, describing in detail how the assault would be carried out.
          “So they have the nerve to attack us?”  a member of the Council said. “Very well, we shall crush them like flies and teach them a lesson once and for all!”
          “You have truly done us a great service, commander, and for that you shall be rewarded,”  another member of the Council said. “But tell me, why did you betray your master, Akula?”
          “I am sick and tired of being a lowly servant to an arrogant fool,”  Hokum answered. “I have served Akula faithfully for all these years, but he has never bothered to reward me for my loyalty.” “What will happen to me when I get injured in battle?”  Hokum asked. “It is time for me to switch sides and start taking care of myself. Its time to get rich!”
          “And you will!”  a third member of the Council said pleased.
          The council was glad to inform the people of the invasion plans, because it would divert attention away from internal problems. The council had been under attack as of late, because of its corruption. But the anger of the citizens was now diverted away from them and toward the would be invaders. The Atlanteans were told that the armies of the Southern Kingdom would plunder Atlantis and destroy its cities. According to the plans, the men were to be killed immediately and the women used as slaves. The impending invasion would be genocide on a colossal scale. Atlantis had to be wiped from the face of the planet. When the Atlanteans heard this brutal information, they demanded that the army of Atlantis attack the Southern Kingdom and punish the would be invaders.
          The soldiers of Atlantis landed on the west coast of Africa, the spot closest to their own continent. The invasion completely surprised the Southern Kingdom. It had not expected an attack and therefore was not prepared. Nobody could stop the relentless advance of the Atlanteans. The unsuspecting army of the Southern Kingdom seemed impotent and paralyzed. The Southern soldiers fled in panic. Everywhere the invaders went, they thoroughly demolished the land. The soldiers of Atlantis had heard what the Southerners had been planning and were outraged. “Revenge!”  they cried. Only blood would now ease their anger. Like savages they butchered the people. Men and children were promptly beheaded with no exception. The women were spared, but they soon wished that they too had been killed. The Atlanteans had a much worse fate in store for them. They were to be used as slaves and to satisfy the sadistic pleasures of the soldiers. After the carnage, the ground was soaked with the blood of the fallen. Sunder, the commander of Atlantis’ army saw the tremendous destruction and slaughter his army had brought about and said proudly: “Let it be known to all. There where I set foot, there grows no more grass.”
          Further inland, the helpless population fled in panic after hearing the crimes of war committed by the Atlanteans. The few lucky people, who had managed to escape the initial onslaught of the Atlanteans, told absolutely abominable stories of the massacre that had taken place. “Everywhere you go,”  they said in horror, “you can smell the odor of burning flesh.” Countless numbers of people, and whatever they were able to take with them, filled the roads in disarray. Anarchy soon took over. Parents and their children became separated in the chaos. Everybody was desperate to escape the wrath of the merciless Atlanteans and wanted to leave as quickly as possible. Friends and familymembers turned against one another. Selfishness was at an all-time high. The rich, who could bribe their way through, were more successful in escaping, but the poor, the sick, and especially the elderly, were expendable. They were the ones who felt the brunt of the attack. They had to be sacrificed and were simply left out to die.

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 Click on Part 8 for what happens next in this series.

Atlantis 8

          Far from the ensuing chaos, the four leaders of the outer realms met at Akula’s palace. Kano was shaking like a leaf after what had happened in his kingdom. Liu Tzu and Klamath did not understand why the Atlanteans had attacked and feared that it was only a matter of time before their respective kingdoms would be next. Only Akula remained calm. He watched with great pleasure at how his colleagues were arguing.
          “What have they done!”  Kano trembled. “My entire kingdom is near collapse!”   
          “None of this would have happened if you all had listened to me in the first place,”  Akula interrupted sternly. “Had we attacked Atlantis like I said we should, many men, women and children would still be alive. Your reluctance to take action has cost us dearly. But all is not lost, we must regroup our combined forces and launch a counterattack as soon as possible.”
          While his fellow rulers went back to their own kingdoms to amass their respective armies, Akula sat on his throne. He was overjoyed at his accomplishment. He had taken full advantage of the lack of thrust and communication between Atlantis and the leaders of the other three outer realms and succeeded in combining the armies of the outer realms against Atlantis for the very first time.
          “What would I do without you,” Akula said to Hokum who had just entered the room. “Thanks to your brilliant and convincing deception, you were able to fool those stupid Atlanteans in launching their attack. Did those morons really think you were going to betray me, the one called Akula?”
          “I only executed a plan that you yourself had so brilliantly masterminded,”  Hokum responded.
          “With the now unified armies under my masterful leadership, we will surely defeat the Atlanteans in battle,”  Akula said. “And when we have beaten them, my kingdom will finally be the most powerful in the world. “Do you now understand the reason for my slogan?”  Akula said to Hokum. “By way of deception, thou shall I do war!”
          Akula was known for many things. One of them was his reputation as a brilliant military leader. The numerous wars he had fought had given him valuable experience and deep insight into strategy and tactics. That is why Kano, Klamath and Liu Tzu had given Akula command of their respective armies. They all agreed that he was the most qualified to lead the attack. But in contrast to their expectations, Akula did not go on the attack. Instead he ordered his forces to retreat and avoid all contact with the invaders. When Kano, Klamath and Liu Tzu heard of this, they all strongly disagreed with Akula. In their opinion they should go on the offensive as soon as possible before the Atlanteans were able to conquer any more territory. Kano was especially against retreating since it was his territory that was given up. All three wanted to know why Akula would order his, and their own armies, to retreat.
          “Why are we retreating?”  Kano asked impatiently. “I thought we had agreed we should launch an attack as soon as possible.”
          “That is right, Akula,”  Liu Tzu said. “You were the one who wanted to attack the Atlanteans so badly in the first place, and now that you have the chance, you are retreating. I strongly suggest you reconsider and order the troops to attack.”
          But Akula would not change his decision. His only response to them was: “Do not worry, I know what I am doing. You will soon find out what my plan is.”

--o--

 Click on Part 9 for what happens next in this series.