Chapter Two

Rakos comes to terms with his new occupation, Saph contemplates her self-loathing, and Ashlee faces her worst fear.

CHAPTER 2

Rakos didn’t travel by spacecraft often. He never had had a need to back on Logos. He preferred to stay grounded. If he were completely honest, the vulnerability of the open reaches of spaces made him feel exposed and a bit on edge. So to dissolve his anxieties, he had to meditate. He leaned back against an empty console and tried his best to speak without venom in his voice.

            “Is there a private cabin where I can keep my things?”

            Thudd snarled. “Nice try, buddy, but you’re bunking with us-“

            But Saph snorted in protest, “Oh let the whelp have his privacy. Thudd, be a dear and show him to his quarters, will you?”

            She waved the two off and settled back in her chair. Rakos didn’t understand why she was even using that chair; there was only the four of them on board, not enough to make up a crew that needed commanding. Perhaps though, it provided a sense of comfort after being in Abaddon for so long. He couldn’t blame her for that. But he still did not empathize with her. Then there was the Surian, whom he did not understand at all. Sparky stared Rakos down as he followed behind the gorgonian. The stranger did not help to ease him. Thudd was intimidating only because of his mass and Rakos had already proven he could take him down. Sparky was a wild card. Those black eyes seemed to bore a hole into his skin, but the face was expressionless. Rakos suppressed a shiver and continued through the corridor.

            Like most pirate ships, the Ghost was gorgonian built. The massive curved wings seemed to cradle the slender body. However, it did have Surian characteristics in the interior, the architecture matching a building you might find on Krysis. It was a bit dusty and some spots were rusted beyond repair. But besides that, it seemed to have been kept in good condition. Of course, he was a martial arts specialist, not a mechanic. Thud stopped at a door behind the galley. “Here you are, ‘whelp.’” He ignored the insult and put his stuff next to the bunk. The room was spacious for a ship that size, with overhead cabinets for storage, and what appeared to be a personal connecting head. So at least he didn’t have to share a bathroom. He sat down in the center of the room cross legged, preparing to meditate. But Thudd was still standing in the doorway. His eyebrows were furrowed together. Rakos sighed, expecting some sort of lecture, but it never came. Instead, the gorgonian leaned back against the doorframe and rubbed the horns protruding from his forehead. He seemed anxious.

            “Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot…” that was an understatement. But Rakos allowed him to continue. “well, I don’t think you should think of this as captivity or anything, even though you are being forced to be here against your will.” He coughed up an awkward chuckle. Rakos was unamused. The Gorgonian shifted nervously. “D****t, Saph told me �" well thought to me which is still creepy as hell �" to give you a pep talk, so that’s what I’m gonna do, try to convince you that we aren’t the bad guys.”

            “You’re pirates.” His response was relatively calm. He had already steadied his breathing to prepare for meditation.

            “Yeah, well, so were you and you don’t seem too bad.”

            “I was not.” He exhaled.

            If gorgonians had eyebrows, Thudd’s would have been raised. “ok, whatever. Point is, just cus we do bad things doesn’t mean we’re bad people.”

            Rakos scoffed internally. Thudd entered the room uninvited and sat on the bed. Rakos tried to ignore the intrusion.

            “Ok well, maybe we’re bad now but we didn’t start out that way. At least, I didn’t. I grew up on Panos, in the slums. My father was a drunk; he used to beat me and my sisters. Mother was a prostitute. So I didn’t exactly have a lot of options.” Rakos was surprised at the Gorgonian’s openness, but stayed focused on his breathing. “So I got into piracy as soon as I could handle myself. Started out with other Gorgonians, but they’re more into small stuff, ya know? Petty theft, bar raids, that kinda stuff. Not enough money. So I eventually made my way over to the Surian section of town, and that’s where I met Sparky. We were both employed by captain Valkes.” Thudd shook his head and laughed humorlessly. “Tyrannical b*****d. We tried to munity, but Sparky killed him... on accident.” Thud shrugged and looked down at Rakos, who was listening intently now. “Hey, the b*****d deserved it. Anyway Sparky’s worse than you at keeping his cool.” Rakos tried not to take offense. He was actually impressed by the gorgonian’s good intentions. “And so we took over the crew together. We make a good team, and the rest of the crew was glad that Valkes was dead. But we still weren’t as effective as we had been before. Sparky and I, we’re good at fixing ships, stealing stuff, and killing. But neither of us has any mind for strategy. Then Saph found us. We were fixing up the ship, out at one of Panos’s moons. And her shuttle came down like a meteor, right in front of us. Damn, she was in bad shape. Worse off than she is right now. She was burned up real bad. Sparky insisted we get her fixed up though, take her to this doctor we knew back on the planet. I thought it was a bad idea. I didn’t like her at first; she didn’t look quite right to me. But Sparky liked her, and he don’t like anybody but me. And it turned out that she’s got a knack for leadership. As soon as she could walk again, she took over. Some of the crew didn’t like it, but Sparky kept them inline. We both kinda became her unofficial second in commands. We already started calling her captain, which she didn’t like at first given…” He stopped himself, and then restarted “given… past events. Eventually, the rest of them tried to munity. So we marooned them on Tel with the Furloids!” He laughed heartily, but the thought made Rakos cringe. He didn’t wish that death upon anyone. “And then went through the Traverse to lose Core’s trail, which didn’t exactly go as planned. Saph left us there with nothing but a promise and some extra credits so we could get into mining. She said if she wasn’t back in two months, to forget about her.” He scratched his head, pondering something. “But we couldn’t do that. She was a good captain. Luckily, she made it back just before the time was up- and got herself caught and sent to Abaddon. But she left us the ship, and told us to wait for her. And we did. It was almost like… like she got herself caught on purpose to protect us.” He shook his head and chuckled “It was almost like she cared. And though she’d never say it, I think she does.” He cleared his throat and stood suddenly. “So there you go, supposed to be a pep talk but you got my whole damn life story. I hope you’re feeling… peppy.” He turned to leave, but Rakos called out, seizing an opportunity to get more information.

            “Wait. What about Sahpyra? Can you tell me more about her?”

            Thudd smirked and shook his head. “I’ve already told you too much as it is, sorry.”

            “What about Sparky, then?”

            He just shrugged. “As close as we are, the only person he ever talks to is Saph. I think he was a prodigy of Valkes’s, before he turned on him. Don’t know a thing about his past though.”

            “Do you at least know why he is called ‘Sparky’?”

            That brought a huge grin to the Gorgonians face, and as he turned away, he winked and muttered something in Rohosi which roughly translated to, “Oh, you will see soon enough.”

            Thudd was already gone before he could ask another question. He sighed heavily. No matter, he’d find out what he was dealing with before he got to Kel. There was no way he was going to be forced into piracy again. He closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing again. He tried to clear his mind, but it was racing, trying to find a solution for his predicament. But he couldn’t find one. He had no place, no friends, no family. Frustrated, he tried focusing on what he did have. He was still alive, that was the most important thing. And these pirates were different than ones he had encountered before. They would not kill him unless they absolutely had to. He had his swords, his most prized possessions, all he had left from Logos. And he still had his dignity. He needed peace, but to find peace he needed to solve this problem. But to solve this problem, he needed to clear his mind. It was a lose, lose situation. So he gave up. He stood and collapsed into the bunk, suddenly realizing he was overcome with exhaustion. It suddenly hit him that he was a fugitive, and would have to run from Core, an all-powerful government entity, for the rest of his life. But he didn’t want to think any more, he just wanted to rest.

            But he was still thinking. He thought about what Thudd had said. Saph cared about them. They were like a twisted little family. And now he was the unexpected step child. Now there was an interesting thought. He didn’t think she cared, but he knew she trusted him. She knew he wouldn’t run away, but that was because he didn’t have a choice. But really, did he? Was he sticking with these pirates because he secretly enjoyed it all? He could have ran away in that clearing, after Saph had spared his life only because she was ‘feeling generous’. He quickly decided someone like that could never care about anyone other than themselves. Also, if she called him sweetheart one more time, he might just snap again. She drew out the word in this sarcastic tone that burned into his mind. Even if she trusted him, he would never trust her. There was evil inside her; something Rakos didn’t comprehend. He was a good man who always got the short stick. He was going to have to work on his meditation some more. But for now, he really didn’t want to think anymore. He closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

Thunk.

            Saph had always kept a small rubber ball under her seat on the bridge to throw against the console when she got bored. She was enthusiastic when she discovered it was still there. She had grown to use it more as a form of therapy than to kill time. The rhythm of it hitting against the metal and landing back in her palm was hypnotic. Thunk. It bounced back against the metal. But she didn’t catch it, she didn’t have to. It stopped in mid-air and then hit against the console again. She thought she’d take up the old habit using her newly discovered telekinetic abilities. She had to admit, it was pretty entertaining. It was also useful in more practical situations. She could feel her powers growing with use. Soon enough she would be able to rip a man in half in battle. She smirked at the image. Thunk. She mentally pulled the ball forward again, but it stopped and flew sharply left, dropping onto the floor and rolling under a console in the corner. Her eyes narrowed onto the pilot’s station. Sparky didn’t turn to look at her, but she knew he was trying to get her attention. And, even without reading his thoughts, she knew what it was about.

            “You still mad at me for leaving?”

            He didn’t respond. She knew he was. She exhaled heartily, drumming her fingers against the arm rest. “I had to. I owed Berkley a favor. And he’s not exactly a strong proponent of piracy…” The Surian remained silent as usual. But she could feel anger emitting from his mental energy. She sighed and tried to change the subject. “I bet your wondering how the hell I ended up like you.” It worked. The anger shifted to curiosity. That gave her some relief. “I was wondering the same thing.” She said with a smile. He didn’t react, but she knew he was listening. “I don’t really know how it happened, just that I was so damn frustrated… I was trying to get this screw out of the wall to… to help me escape.” She didn’t want him to know about the suicide attempt, cus it would make him even madder. She blocked her thoughts so he couldn’t read her mind. He shifted slightly in his chair, uncomfortable. Good, that meant it worked. “Anyway,” She withdrew the mental barrier as her thought process moved away from the gruesome image of her slitting her own throat. “I remember thinking I just wanted that stupid thing out of the wall, and there was a camera in the cell too and if that could just disappear, that would be fantastic. So all of a sudden, wham!” She pounded her fist against the dash in emphasis. “It shattered the camera! It was insane! Damn, I was so surprised. Then Rakos showed up, and turns out I can read thoughts too like you so-“

            Why?

            She stopped dead in her tracks. He still wasn’t looking at her. But he was worried, and frustrated and, angry. Crap. He was asking about the screw anyway. “Told you, I needed it to escape.” She leaned back in the chair and set her jaw. He pushed a button on the dash, setting the ship to self-pilot and flung his seat around to face her. Double crap. She wasn’t good at dealing with these types of confrontation. Physical confrontation was no big deal. In fact, she enjoyed it. But the very thought of emotional confrontation made her head hurt. Especially when it involved her crew.

            You cannot lie to me, Saphyra.

            She gripped the chair tightly.  Alright, fine, you asked for it. She thought back, sending the image of what happened flying into his head. He gasped, grabbing at his own throat. She felt her own pain again causing him pain and it made her cringe. Within seconds he was up out of the chair, eyes ablaze with anger.

            “Sparky, calm down. I didn’t mean to-“

            “You selfish xosi’ca!” He screamed out loud, into her face. Her heart dropped into her stomach. Xosi’ca was Surian for, basically, the biggest moron that ever lived. Ever. His fingertips twitched. Little bolts of blue danced across his palms. This is why they called him sparky. And why they never, ever got him angry. She had just crossed a huge line.

            “Look, I’m sorry, I was just trying to get out and get back here to you guys. I’m alive, ok? Isn’t that good enough?” She tried to keep her voice calm, but it was growing steadily into a shout.

            A jolt of electricity lashed out from his hand, crashing into a tech console. It erupted in sparks. The computer was fried. Great, something else needed fixing. When she looked up, he was inches from her, breathing heavily, a menacing growl rising in his throat. Her muscles tensed. He didn’t speak, or think. Waves of desperate anger flowed into her mind from his and she tried to block them but it was no use. When she spoke again, her voice was a whisper. “I screwed up.” She matched the intensity of his gaze. “And I’m sorry about that. But I promise you, my intention was not to die.” He backed away slowly, but didn’t take his eyes off her. What the hell was wrong with him? This happened sometimes, sure, but it had never been this bad. He had never insulted her so outright. She understood that leaving them in the first place probably seemed selfish to him, but they had been doing just fine without her guidance. So why would he care if she had killed herself? His anger was subsiding now, replaced by some emotion Saph could not place. Before she could figure it out, he blocked his mind. He had training in that regard also, apparently.  Whatever it was, he couldn’t hold the barrier forever. She would find out what that feeling was. He turned and sat back into his chair. She abruptly blinked away the awkward tension and sat up, trying to reestablish herself as the authority on this ship. But it was hard. A strange tired, yet livid energy washed over her. She needed to get off the bridge. “Alright, well if you’re done chastising your superior, maybe you can keep the ship from crashing for a few minutes while I go freshen up.” He didn’t respond and his mind was still blocked. And that was fine with her. She stood and headed to her quarters.

            The captains quarters were the largest onboard, which Saph didn’t really care about but she wanted to be treated with respect so, as the captain, she got the biggest room. She strode past the bed and towards one of the overhead bins with a keypad lock. She quickly punched in the code and removed the items inside; a small dagger that once was her fathers, her gun and ammunition, and a little purple box that was delicately embroidered. She spread the items out onto the bed, and then opened a second bin which held her clothes. She needed to get out of this damn hospital crap. She stripped, throwing the bunched up the white jumper into a corner, and pulled on black capris length pants that sat just below her hips, and a white tee that fit tight. That’s how she liked it; snug, sexy, and versatile. Something was still missing, though. She reached into the cabinet and carefully pulled out a black military blazer, with a few stitches loose upon the breast where the CORE insignia had been ripped off. She smiled as she fingered the buttons, but did not fasten them, and stepped into the adjoining head. Her smile immediately faded as she looked in the mirror. The Saph she knew was not staring back at her. Sure, she had the same outfit, the same tattoos peeking out from the low cut of the tee shirt and on her exposed calves, but she was a completely different person. Her eyes were still stone, as they had been, but there was brokenness in them. There were new scars, inside and out, and her hair- that was the most noticeable change. She got her hair from her father. Whereas Surian hair is white and fine, hers was dark, curly and thick. She absolutely loathed it. And now, it had grown past her waist and was tangled up in gnarly masses. Surians were designed to be nimble, thus the lack of hair as to not inhibit them in battle. So hers was an utter nuisance. Before Abaddon, she had always kept it short so it wouldn’t get in the way.  But obviously they didn’t offer haircuts in prison. She went back to the bed, picked up the dagger from the bed, and gathered the unruly curls into her fist. With just one quick slice, the hair separated and fell onto the floor. She kicked the pile under her cot and went back into the bathroom. It was crooked. And that was just fine. She felt free. She felt even just a little bit like herself again.

            But that wasn’t good either, cus she hated herself. Her hair was too human, her eyes and face too Surian. Nothing about her was enough of either species to be one thing. She couldn’t be categorized. And she embraced that; it had been a boon for her career in piracy. But before that… her fingers hovered over the stray threads on the blazer’s breast. Her appearance had been the bane of her existence. Reactions weren’t species specific. Humans, Surians, and Gorgonians alike found her either aesthetically pleasing or extremely appalling. The latter happened more often, though she found both options disgraceful. She didn’t mind not being normal, she had learned to embrace abnormality. But her looks were a cripple. Business would be so much more effective if she just looked like anyone else. But she was herself. And god, she hated herself. She looked into the mirror, wondering if it was really such a bad thing that she hadn’t killed herself. Self-loathing consumed her, and before she could raise a fist to punch the mirror, it shattered on its own. The glass remained intact, but fractures rippled through it distorting the image. That was better. Now she looked like how she felt. Broken up and cracked. She went back to the bed, began putting the objects back into the secure cabinet. She stopped when she got to the box. She handled it carefully, as if it were a living creature. And in a way, it was. But before she could open it for the first time in years, the ship lurched and the box was sent spiraling across the room. She muttered a Surian swear and caught her balance on the wall. “What the Hell, Sparky!” She yelled as she stormed down the hall towards the bridge. “I thought I told you to keep the ship in one damn-“ but as she looked through the cockpit’s windshield, she realized it wasn’t Sparky’s fault. “-piece.” The last word of her sentence was a gasp.

            It must have been a spacecraft, but it was a kind Saph had never seen before. It had a strange blue tent, and though the metal was smooth, it looked as if it didn’t quite fit together right. And it was heading straight for them. She swore again, rushing to a nearby station to the stabilizers. Thudd was already on deck, prepping the guns for fire and letting loose his own string of curses, and Sparky was silent as ever maneuvering the vessel adeptly. But where the Hell was the whelp?

            “Rakos! Get your a*s to the cockpit now!” Saph almost ran into him as she whirled around. “You know how to stabilize a spacecraft?” he scowled at her. Obviously not. The ship lurched as Sparky veered a sharp left, and they both grabbed on to the console. “D****t, just press levels until the display shows, you know, stability!” She looked out into space, expecting to see the mysterious vessel coming in for another shot, but it was gone. She rushed over to Thudd’s station. “Where’d it go? You got a read on it?” He peered over at a display on another console- it was times like this Saph wished they had a full crew again- and turned back towards the captain. He looked dumbfounded. “I don’t got a read on it, looks like the damn thing just… vanished!” Before she could respond, the ship lurched again, this time forward towards the surface of Kel. That wasn’t good. She went back to Rakos and pushed him out of the way. He didn’t object. Or if he did, she didn’t notice. Her fingers moved like lightening across the panel, but even when the word ‘stabilized’ flashed on the screen, the ship continued its dissent to the planet’s atmosphere. They weren’t falling incredibly fast, but they were still falling. She looked over at Sparky. He was doing all that he could. And she had done everything she could. And so had Thudd. And Rakos, well he was useless. So there was only one thing they could do.

            “Brace for impact!”

            And they did. The vessel shook vigorously as they slid through the atmosphere, and the shaking became a constant. Saph was able to scrape herself from the ground long enough to slip into her chair. She looked around the cockpit as well as she could. Everyone was at a station, hanging on to the consoles. Rakos had a gash on his forehead, but besides that they appeared ok. She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the armrests, her fingers growing tired of the strain. It felt like hours. It could have been. It could have been seconds. But at last, the shaking was interrupted by one last violent rumble. Saph opened her eyes. Thudd was rubbing his skull, Sparky was up at a different console, checking the Ghost’s vitals, and Rakos was puking in the corner. Saph let out a long breath and muttered, “You better clean that up.”  

            “Well that sucked.” Said Thudd, rolling his shoulders. Sparky nodded curtly in agreement.

            “That is an understatement.” Rakos chimed in as he wiped the vomit from his lips.

            Coming to the conclusion that the crew was as fine as they were going to get, she turned her attention to the windscreen. Lots of dust everywhere. But as it cleared, there wasn’t much else to see. They must have landed in the desert. Fantastic. “Thudd, you got any sort of idea where we are?” The Gorgonian scratched his head and looked over at the display that was supposed to track their location and surroundings.

            “Not a clue, captain. Doesn’t seem to be anything out here. And who ever attacked us high-tailed it out of here before we crashed.” Saph was about to let a string of curses go, but Thudd suddenly slammed both fists into the console and let out a hearty chuckle. “Ah, look at that! There’s a city a few miles away! Sensor must have gotten damaged.” Saph perked up.

            “Then what are you waiting for, go check the database!” He did, searching for information on their location, fed from the sensor to the main computer. Given the damage it took a while, but finally he exclaimed, “It’s called Tee’leeh. It’s a native colony with a population around five thousand. Peaceful, by the looks of it.”

            “They got parts?”

            Thudd shrugged. “It’s not likely, the Kelahn don’t do space travel. At all.”

            Saph sighed. “Sparky, can you work with what we got here, while we go check with the natives?”

He nodded once, and then thought,

            Be careful.

            She nodded in response, finding his words unnecessary but thoughtful.

            She cracked her neck. At least they had made it to Kel. “Alright boys, let’s not try to cause too much trouble.” She looked over at Rakos and smiled smugly. “And that means you, sweetheart.” He rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he went to his cabin, probably to grab his swords. That reminded Saph she had left her gun on her bed. She quickly made her way to her own quarters. As she picked up the weapon, however, she caught a glimpse of the purple box, resting in the corner. She hid the gun within her jacket and leaned over to pick it up. She should at least check to see if contents were intact.

            “Captian!” Thudd called from the cockpit. “You alright?”

            She rolled her eyes and tossed the box back onto the bed. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get your panties in a bunch!” She gave one last glance to it before she left and wondered if that little purple box would ever be opened again.  

The coronation had come and gone. Though it was a nine hour long ceremony, Ashlee felt like it had happened in the blink of an eye. It had consisted of a few hours of ramblings, which after a while got tedious to translate in her head so she starting using a program on her tablet, constant siting and standing, and several hours of native hymns. But it was her last full day among the Kelahn, her last chance to engage in the culture and to support her friend. Leahn admitted that she had been feeling nervous prior to the ceremony, but as she chanted her ancient rites there wasn’t even a hint of anxiety showing through her stoic features. Ashlee was impressed by that, maybe even a little bit jealous. Public speeches and such had never been her thing. She would much rather be crammed in a lab or a clinic somewhere, pouring over a sample or a patient than accepting an award from the Xeneologist Society. Which she had to do, twice, and just about died of embarrassment both times. Yet Leahn was a natural. It could have been in her prestigious upbringing, or even her biology, as the female Kelahn, being as they were all royalty, had different psychological make-ups than the males. She handed everything so gracefully that it kept Ashlee engaged. When Leahn had finally been made queen of Tee’leeh, there was a banquet which lasted four hours, a quick affair considering the length of the coronation before it, and then Ashlee had gone back to her chambers to sleep, the same as every night. Except it wasn’t the same, not in the slightest. Because come morning, she would have to leave. It pained her, but it had to be done.

            She tried to ease her mind, telling herself it would be alright, she’d meet new people eventually and there would be plenty to keep her busy. She’d have to start from the ground up with their medical team as she did before. But she’d get it done in five years, and then she’d go back to Tee’leeh… She sighed. She wasn’t going to get much sleep like this. So she got up, and began to pace. She looked down at her luggage and equipment. She should check it one more time, just to make sure everything was working. She took inventory of her medical supplies for the seventh time, and then her personal belongings. Then she checked her oxygen supply and mask, making sure she had more than enough for travel. The one inconvenient thing about Kel was the thin atmosphere. The gravity was normal, and the air benevolent, just not composed for human intake. That was part of the reason why CORE hadn’t stayed when they first discovered the planet and its inhabitants. Ashlee didn’t mind staying in the compound, though. The claylike material it was composed of kept it cool, even in the heat of the day. Ashlee quit fiddling with her equipment, and slipped on her shoes. It was a nice night for a walk, and she guessed that most of the Kelahn would be sleeping given the busy day they had. She was right. There wasn’t anyone in the outer hall, though that wasn’t too unusual. She was housed among the elites, of which there were few. However, as she continued to the main compound, a few people walked by and bowed with respect as they did so. She returned the gesture as usual. She used to be uncomfortable with the formalities but as her understanding of the culture grew, the greetings became second nature. She continued to the center of the compound, where an elaborate fountain sat. It was garnished with images of the colony’s patron goddess, Leeh, after whom the colony was named. She examined the details of the sculpture, as she did many times before. But this time she tried to imagine Leahn in warrior garb equivalent to that of the goddness, leading the soldiers into battle against an unruly enemy colony. The thought scared her. She didn’t doubt that she would be a fierce and fantastic war leader, but she knew the emotional burden of taking the life of another would weigh hard and heavy on her friend. She was already full of guilt, as every time a female mated, the male died. Well almost every time. Ashlee had been able to save one of them. She had gained Leahn’s complete trust after that. Still, she was a soft caring creature under the hard exterior, and Ashlee couldn’t bare it if she became callous. Perhaps it was a good thing she wouldn’t be around to witness it. She sighed and looked through the glass skylight towards the moon. It was the east moon she was looking at, the one with the yellowish tint. The Kelahn called it “Te’sih”. It was in the sky once a week, the west moon, “He’sih” being the dominant of the two. Ashlee breathed in the yellow glow as it bathed her. The closeness of Te’sih was comforting. It was like a parent watching after their child. She looked up towards it admirably.

Something was very wrong. It should have been a new moon. Ashlee knew the phases, she had memorized them in her time there. But it was in the half moon phase, half of it shrouded in darkness. That wasn’t right at all. She stood and squinted, as if she could get a better view. Aside from being in the incorrect phase, Te’sih appeared normal. But as she watched, her jaw dropped. The darkness was moving. Slowly, at first, but then faster and faster, coming towards Kel, towards Tee’leeh. As the shadow was ripped from the moon, Ashlee realized, much to her horror, that it wasn’t a shadow at all. It was a fleet of ships. “Oh no… Sur’ehl!” She screamed the word for ‘help’ as loud as she could, hoping there was someone around who would hear. She kept her gaze towards Te’sih, which was blocked by a horde of metal beasts. She had never seen ships like that before, and they were moving so impossibly fast… something was most definitely wrong. “Sur’ehl, sur’ehl!” finally, a young male, one she recognized as a one of her nurses hustled to her.

            “What is wrong?” He asked in Kelahn.

            “Te’sih, look!” He looked where she pointed, and his already wide eyes grew wider.

            “De Leeh… Sur’ehl, Sur’ehl!” His shouts were directed at the statue goddess behind them. He was asking her for help. But his pleas were interrupted by a deafening blast and a shudder. Ashlee fell to the ground from the force of it. Fear gripped her. They were being attacked, by invaders from the moon. It was like something from an old earth sci-fi novel. But the blast, that hadn’t come from the moon. She looked up at Te’sih. They were still coming. Something had attacked the compound from behind. They were already here. The fleet speeding towards them was the reinforcement. She cried out, terrified. As she shook her head clear, she searched for the nurse who had been standing next to her. She didn’t remember his name, so she couldn’t call out for him. She stood, stumbling over a chunk of rubble. Her shoes were soaked. Why… the blast had damaged the fountain, spilling its contents over the dry ground. The goddess herself who had stood so tall in the center had toppled over. And under the statue was the body of the nurse. She fought back tears, and tried to rationalize within the haze of confusion that consumed her. It was hard though, it was hard to think, hard to breathe- breathe. The air. She gasped, and looked out onto the planet through the hole that had been blasted. She needed oxygen. She rushed back towards her quarters, relying on adrenaline. Exposure would not kill her immediately, but she needed to get oxygen fast. Thankfully her equipment was just as she had left it. There was another shudder as she settled the mask into place over her face, and regulated the oxygen levels on the small tank. She had to focus, steady her breathing. She exhaled and inhaled heavily, on the verge of hyperventilating. Hyperventilation was very, very bad. It would consume her oxygen at a much quicker rate. Inhale, exhale. When she finally got her breathing under control, she tried rationalizing again. Her head had finally stopped spinning, and her ears had quit ringing. She could hear the screams of the Kelahn, and more gun fire. Again, the cold hand of fear clutched her and she fought against it. She had to stay coherent. And then she heard the distinctive shriek of a woman.

Leahn. The rational thing would be to get out, but where would she go? Every way offplanet would be compromised. She had to save her friend. She wasn’t a soldier- she was a doctor. Yes, she was employed by CORE but she wasn’t exactly in the navy. She didn’t have any military training. But this was her friend, the only real friend she had ever had. She was family. And she needed her. Ashlee swallowed the last bit of terror stuck in her throat and, after securing the oxygen into place, rushed towards Leahn’s chamber. Another blast shook the compound, and Ashlee stumbled, but caught herself on the wall. The structure was on the verge of collapsing. Rubble was crumbling in on her, gaping holes shown through the madness beyond. The desert was ablaze. Ashlee tried not to look, but it was too late. Bodies, everywhere, burned and buried, littered the once barren land. Another sharp cry fled her lips. She mustn’t stop now. She had to avenge these people. And Leahn… the door to her quarters was open, but it didn’t matter because the wall had been blown clean through. She took in a deep breath of oxygen, pressing the mask closer to her face. She pushed inside, through a thick cloud of smoke.

            “Leahn?” She called out though her voice was muffled. No response. The heat from the flames was becoming extremely uncomfortable. “Leahn!” The silence was breaking her heart. A piece of furniture was blocking her view, but she heard voices. And Leahn cry out in a hoarse screech, “Ke’ahn!”

            “Leahn!” She practically jumped over what used to be a stone wardrobe, ignoring the fire spreading around her. There in the corner, was her friend- being held down by two dark spiny creatures. She cried out again, a feral sound without any words. The creatures didn’t see her, but Leahn did, wide eyed and terrified. Thick blood dripped from fresh wounds on her arms, her hair which had been braided special for the coronation had been ripped free into a mangy mane. She had fought hard, but had lost. This was her last stand, and Ashlee was her only hope.

            And she had left her gun in her chamber. Her heart broke again as she saw the tears fall down her friends lavender cheeks. No, it couldn’t end like this. She had to do something. “Hey! Over here!” She called out in an attempt to distract the brutes, but they paid no attention to her. They were far too focused on the task at hand. One held a thin knife to Leahn’s throat. Ashlee was screaming now, pleading for a miracle, something, anything, to make this not happen. She could almost feel the blade on her friend’s throat as if it were on her own, as if she was taking her last breaths too. Big brown eyes looked into her own, and suddenly there was nothing. No fire, no pain, no oxygen. Just her family. She couldn’t hear her, but she saw her mouth her final words.

“I am sorry, my friend.” And they slit her throat. Ashlee averted her gaze best she could, but when she looked up one was throwing her dear friend’s lifeless body into the fire. Only one. Her heart stopped. The other one, where was the other? Before she could think or move or mourn a hard black fist collided with her skull and she fell into the floor among the fire and blood.

The Hell- Is that a human?

Yes, a woman. She’s got oxygen, but this building is going to collapse any minute.

All the more reason to get the hell out of here!

Captain, she’s going to die if we don’t help her.

And I care because?

She’s the only human here. She could be important.

In case you haven’t noticed, sweet heart, we really don’t have time to waste on what ‘could’ be important.

Saph, please.

Ok, ok, whatever. But second she becomes a problem, I’m shooting her.

She gasped, shocked into consciousness by the touch of cool hands on her skin. Everything around her was a blur. She grabbed around her face, checking to see if the mask was still in place. It was. She coughed into it heavily, struggling to regain breath. As the world began to straighten out, she saw that there was a man in front of her, a human man, checking her Oxygen tank. Behind him was a woman who appeared to be human as well, or at least humanoid. What were humans doing on Kel? “Nice of you to join us sunshine,” said the woman, her voice oozing with sarcasm, “now we seriously need to run like hell.”

            Ashlee suddenly remembered where she was and what was happening. The compound was burning, her head was aching and Leahn- Leahn was dead. She blinked away the last of the blur, and looked past the strangers and out through the colony. Tee’leeh was lost. This beautiful village she had grown to adore. It had been burned to the ground, its queen murdered, its ranks diminished possibly obsolete. But then something struck her. Not an abstract idea but a rational plan. She shot up, and the man grabbed her arm to steady her. “We need to get out.”

            “That a girl! Watch your a*s, Rakos, Thudd can only hold off so many for so long.” The man, Rakos, lent a hand and Ashlee gladly took it and steadied herself onto her feet. She followed them through the halls blindly.

            “You have a ship?”

            “Yes,” answered the man, “Where is the nearest exit?”

            “To the left- wait.” She stopped, and so did they. “I need to do something.”

            The woman was furious. “What is it about this place is burning down and being attacked by psycho alien murders that you do not understand?”

            “Please, I need to do this. It’s on the way and will take only a moment, I promise.” She looked to Rakos who seemed like the reasonable one. He nodded once, and looked back to the woman. She rolled her eyes.

            “Oh, fine, let’s just have a damn tea party while we’re at it!” But she followed behind Ashley anyway.

            They took a right into the clinic. She darted pass operating rooms, where she had spent most of the last five years, that had now been reduced to rubble. When they came to the nursery at the end of the hall, she wasted no time. Thankfully it had remained mostly intact. The blatant cries of terrified infants rang through the air. It pained her to ignore them, but she could not save them all. She came to the end of the room where one child was being held in a special incubation chamber. The female, the future queen. She unlocked the chamber with the code, and gently lifted the child into her arms. She couldn’t salvage Tee’leeh but perhaps she could preserve it. The infant did not cry. Maybe it was because she was female, or maybe because she knew she was safe now. Whatever the reason, it put Ashlee at ease. She turned out of the room towards the other two who were waiting by the door.

            “You’ve got to be kidding me. A baby?”

            Ashlee stiffened. “She’s the only female left in this colony, maybe on the whole planet. If I don’t at least try to-“

            “There is no way in Hell I’m letting a damn baby on my ship!”

            “I hate to interrupt,” said Rakos sternly, “But we’ve got company.”

Two of the creatures, even more menacing up close, appeared around the corner. They brandished their knives and torches and grinned. The woman drew a gun, and swiftly shot one in the stomach. Ashley jumped and held the child against her, as he fell back dead. The other charged towards her, but Rakos unsheathed a sword. He charged back, and the thing blocked the blade with his own dagger. But the human was quick and landed an blow against its side. The creature howled out in pain and Rakos pulled back to take another hit, but the woman was faster and shot the thing through the head, spattering its brain matter on the wall behind it. Ashlee shuttered. The two sheathed their weapons. The woman rolled her shoulders back.

            “Well that was fun and all but I think we ought to be leaving now. Rakos, give me your comm.” The man just stared.

“Give me the damn Comm.”

He hesitated, but did so. “I thought that you ruined it.”

 “Ha, why would I waste a perfectly good Comm?” She fiddled with it, and pressed down on the receiver. “I can make it work again to if I want it. And I’m sure Sparky is waiting for us on another channel. Isn’t that right, Sparky?” something muffled in a language Ashlee didn’t understand was said through the comm. and the woman grinned. “Great.” She turned towards Ashlee. “What’s the fastest way out of here, kid?” She pointed towards the exit. “Awesome, time to get off this damn rock.” Ashlee took in a deep breath and looked down at the small Kelahn sleeping in her arms. Yes, it was time.

            Rakos was glad he had been taught to wield a sword instead of a gun, but sometimes he envied the efficiency of a thermal weapon. Blades were messy and required a great deal of strength, but he had spent his whole life studying how to effectively use them in battle so he was quiet proficient in that regard. The Warden had eyed him suspiciously when he had requested his preferred weapon over the standard issue energy pistol, but obliged nevertheless. During his time working at the prison, he had never once thought a gun a more suitable form of intimidation. However, in times like these when his clothes were drenched in strange dark blood and his chest heaved from exhaustion, he longed to fire off a few rounds and be over with it.

            He’d never seen anything like it; a mass extermination of an entire species conducted with such brutality, even the meanest Gorgonian soldier would cringe at the sight of it all. The creatures themselves sent chills up his spine and Rakos wasn’t normally so easily unsettled. From a distance, they appeared to be humanoid. But after being engaged in close combat with the things for several hours, it became blatantly clear that they weren’t anything close to human. They ranged from nine to twelve feet tall, and were very wide around. Their entire bodies were coated in thick, black scales, each averaging the size of baseball. Massive jaws adorned with sharp teeth took up the majority of their faces. A pair of nostrils sat in between little beady red eyes and the terrible maw. Their necks craned out and contorted impossibly, adding to their surprising agility. Their didn’t seem to be any distinctive features identifying them as male or female, and their verbal communication consisted of bloodcurdling guttural screeched. And when they fought, with fire and small daggers, a menacing grin stayed plastered on their faces. Even in death, the smile stayed. Decapitated heads smirked endlessly up at them.

Rakos never killed without cause and always gave the opposition a chance to speak their side. But this time, he did not care what these monsters had to say. Mass genocide could never be justified, no matter what the offender looked like. He wanted these things dead. It had all started as merely self-defense, but now it was about justice. And justice was a very effective motivator for Rakos. Though he was tired, he cut through another enemy, grunting as he pulled the blade through the tough torso. As he was severing the head for good measure, another flanked him, ramming into his side and forcing him to the dirt. One of his swords slid across the dirt as he fell and the creature had him pinned, preventing him from drawing the other. It didn’t have any weapons but it didn’t need them. It smiled sickeningly, displaying its fangs. Rakos struggled against it, but to no avail. The thing’s sheer weight anchored him to the desert floor. He squinted his eyes shut and took a deep breath from his oxygen, trying to reach peace in his final moments-

Thump! The weight was suddenly gone. Rakos opened his eyes. The creature had been batted away and was being finished off with a couple rounds from a heavy pistol. He looked up at his savior and smirked. It was Thudd. The Gorgonian extended a hand to his fallen comrade and Rakos took it gratefully.

“Hell of a time to take a nap, whelp.” He said with a smile. He seemed to be enjoying the fight. His shirt was ripped, exposing a gray chest caked with thick green blood. Aside from that however, he didn’t appear to have any serious injuries. Rakos wasn’t surprised- gorgonians were relentless in battle. He fixed his oxygen mask back into place, foolishly embarrassed that he needed it when Saphyra and Thudd did not. It did not severely inhibit his ability to fight but it did make him feel vulnerable. And his supply was getting low. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on. But the forces were finally starting the thin out. In fact they appeared to be in retreat. Strategically, that made sense; it seemed the Kelahn had been their target, not Rakos and the pirates. And the colony was now completely devoid of native life. He took in another well-deserved breath and looked around.

“Where are-“ His question was answered by the sound of a gun firing and an infant squealing. He whirled around. The girl was stepping out from behind a pile of debris, trying to comfort the infant in her arms. And Saphyra was crushing the jaw of the last enemy under her boot.

“I swear kid, if you can’t keep that thing quiet, I’ll-“

“Saphyra.” Rakos warned sternly.

“Alright, geez.” She rolled her eyes, but turned her attention to reloading her weapon. Rakos looked at the girl. She was small and mousy, with medium length red hair and pale skin. But her eyes were coated with dark circles, worn into the skin from years of hard work. He wondered what it was that had brought her all the way out here. He noticed the CORE logo on the breast pocket of her shirt, and was about to press the matter when the whir of a spacecraft engine caught his attention. The cargo bay door sprung open before the Ghost had even landed. “All aboard.” Said the captain wryly.

Rakos followed behind Thudd and Saph, but noticed the girl was not behind him. He turned around. She looked nervous.

“It’s alright.” He did his best to sound soothing, but it was hard as his breaths became increasingly more labored. “The ship is safe.”

“It’s not the ship I’m worried about.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

Rakos tensed, but tried again. “What is your name?”

“Doctor Conner.”

“Well Doctor, though I cannot speak for the actions of-” he hesitated, “-my colleagues, I can assure you that my behavior will be nothing less than professional.”

She nodded once curtly, and followed behind him. He knew that her bravery was a façade, but he admired her courage regardless. Even if she didn’t know the crew was made up of pirates, she had been through quite a bit in the last few hours and leaving a planet you cared for behind with strangers after an attack of such magnitude took bravery. She must have cared for Kel- the way she had saved the child proved it. And now it was lost. His heart went out to her. He thought of his own home planet, and vowed to return someday.

Saphyra closed the hatch with the push of a button and yelled into her comm. “Alright Sparky, hit it!” Rakos grasped the wall of the ship as it lurched. When all was steady again and the cargo bay began to fill with oxygen, he tore the mask from his face.

“Everyone to the bridge. Now.”

“Aye, captain,..” Said Thudd. Rakos didn’t acknowledge but he did obey. He did not like taking orders from a pirate. But what Thudd had said about Saph was proven on Kel; she was an excellent leader. Rash maybe, but not quiet careless. When they were ambushed by the creatures as they approached the compound, she had pulled Rakos to cover. Then she sent Thudd to a defensive position while she and Rakos invaded the colony, searching for parts. Of course, everything was burned to the ground by then. But she had gotten them out alive. Rakos still didn’t trust her, but he respected her.

            Everything was moving at light-speed when they arrived on the bridge. If Sparky was one for words, he would have been screaming. He was scurrying about, adjusting knobs and checking panels. Thudd had taken control of the vessel, eyes focused ahead. They were sailing quickly out of orbit and as far as Rakos could tell, they weren’t being followed.

“Sparky, are you sure this is the only way?” Saph’s voice was urgent, but not angry. The Surian turned to look at her but said nothing. The two silently stared each other down in what Rakos assumed was a mental conversation. It unnerved him. He looked at Doctor Conner, thinking it was probably strange to her as well.

“They are speaking telepathically.” He explained. She only nodded. He wasn’t sure if she understood what Saph was, but he wouldn’t be surprised. She appeared to be rather astute.

“Is there a safe place I can bunk with the child?”

“Sorry girly, all the private rooms are taken.” Answered Thudd from the pilot’s seat.

“What about a med bay?”

“Well yeah, we got one of those but I can guarantee you it’s not cozy.” Thudd punched a button and stood to escort her, but stopped to cringe in pain. The wound on his chest must have been getting to him. “D****t.”

“Let me take a look at that.” When he objected, she sighed and said, like she must have countless times before, “I’m a doctor.”

“No offense Doc, but gorgonians have highly advanced biology.”

“And Kelahn have even more advanced biology.” She said flatly. “I’ve been operating on them successfully for five years now. I haven’t dealt with Gorgonians since med school, but I’m sure I can handle a simple epidermal lesion.”

Thudd pursed his lips, but Rakos could tell it was to hold back a smile. “Alrighty, Med bay it is then.” The two- three including the infant- exited the cockpit, leaving Rakos alone with the awkwardness of silent arguing between the Captain and her pilot. He stood there watching the two exchange subtle movements �" clenching and unclenching fists, narrowing and widening gazes �" until he grew restless. Rakos cleared his throat. Saph snapped her head up.

“Guess we don’t have a choice then. Set course for Asylum, Thudd.” She blinked. “Where the Hell is he?”

“He’s in the med bay with Doctor Conner. She was seeing to his wound, I believe.”

She blinked again. “Doctor, huh?”

Rakos was surprised that Saph hadn’t picked up on that when probing the girl’s mind.

Saph smirked and rolled her eyes. “That’s because I was, I don’t know, a tad busy smearing alien guts all over the walls?” 

Rakos ignored his rising anger, and though he was sure she already knew what he was going to say, he asked anyway, “Must we go back to Asylum?”

Saph sat back in her captain’s chair and closed her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice sounded almost pained. “The Ghost’s not gonna make it all the way through the Traverse and into the Primus system. Starboard warp transmitter’s busted. Sparky knows a place back on Asylum where we can find parts for dirt cheap without the purchase being traced. Course, there’s the risk of getting shipped back up to the station, but it’s better than being a sitting duck.”

“Do you think they’ll follow?”

She knitted her fingers together, eyes still shut. “The sensors indicate their still in orbit around Kel, which means they don’t give a damn about us and won’t give chase.”

“But the sensors are damaged.”

Her eyelids snapped open again. “Yup.”

Rakos didn’t like it, but Saph didn’t seem to like it either, and that brought him some comfort. He turned away from the bridge.

“Where do you think you’re going, sweetheart?”

He stopped but didn’t bother to face her. “I’m assuming Thudd is better use to you up here than I am.” She didn’t respond and he took that as approval. He wasn’t exactly warming up to Saph just yet, but he was beginning to understand her reasoning. He went to search for the med bay, which turned out to be across from the galley. Doctor Conner had just finished bandaging Thudd’s battle wound.

“I did the best I could with the supplies I had, so it’s still gonna be sore. At least it won’t get infected.” Her words were harsh but her tone was matronly. “Not bad for a human, huh?”

The Gorgonian stood and stretched. “Yeah, not bad at all, thanks Doc!” He smiled up at her cheekily “and I can assure you this won’t be your last time operating on me.” Rakos was about to interrupt when Thudd saw him, put out an arm and said, “Yeah, yeah, I’m going.”

When the Gorgonian was gone, Rakos turned his attention to the doctor. He felt like he should apologize for what had happened to her, or try to justify it, but he knew he couldn’t. Perhaps, then, he could at least be her friend. He approached her as she was preparing a makeshift chamber for the infant.

“I don’t believe I introduced myself correctly-“

“Your name’s Rakos.” She said flatly. Rakos raised an eyebrow. The Doctor smiled slightly. He thought her smile seemed sad. It made him frown. “I’m more observant than most people give me credit for.” She looked up at him skeptically. “Rakos- that’s not a human language, is it?”

“No, it is Rohosi.” He was surprised such a bright girl wasn’t fluent in the prominent Gorgonian-Surian language. She smiled sadly again.

“I’ve got a P.H.D in Xenology and an M.D in Xenobiology, but I’m absolutely horrid when it comes to linguistics.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “It’s a miracle that I was able to grasp the Kelahn language so easily. To be completely honest, I failed French in high school.”

Rakos smiled, glad that they were able to keep the conversation light. “Doctor-“

“Please, call me Ashlee.”

He nodded respectfully. It was gracious of her to offer her first name to a stranger. “Ashlee, then, I just wanted to express my condolences about your current situation. It appears to me that the people of Kel were-“ he caught himself “-are very dear to you. I am sorry for your loss.”

Ashlee sighed as she gazed out the porthole at the burning planet. “Is there any chance your captain would turn around and search for survivors?”

Rakos felt a knot building in his chest. “I’m afraid not. Our course is set for Asylum, as we need parts. After that, I believe she intends to sail back towards the Primus system.” He wanted desperately to tell her that Saph was not his captain and that he had as much choice in being here as she had. But it was not his place.

“That’s unfortunate.” She said quietly. The infant began to fuss and she tended to it. Rakos scratched his head, unsure how to continue the conversation. It did not seem that Ashlee was ready to talk about what had happened, and that was ok because he too preferred to keep the topic light in bleak situations such as this. He turned his attention to the child. Its skin was light lavender, and a thick tuft of black hair had already sprouted atop its soft head. Unsure if it was male or female, he posed the question carefully.

“Does the infant have a name?” At that, Ashlee smiled a genuine, bright smile that made her blue eyes shine.

“Leahn’ah.” She said thoughtfully without taking her eyes off of the baby. “Her name is Leahn’ah.”

Author's Note

Interested in if you think this was smooth.