Smuggler's Luck

by S. W. Gunn

  Hain cried out, “What the hell’s goin’ on!”

  Both Hain and Feligrin drew their weapons.

  The man said, “Well once we revive her we shall see what is going on.”

  “Jarron draw your blaster lad!” Hain called out.

  He tried to move his arm to draw his blaster but he could not move. His body seemed to be frozen. For some reason the electrical pulsing began to steadily increase as he stood there. It was the sensation someone gets from sitting wrong and their foot falls asleep. The difference was that the feeling was all over his body and he was too distracted by what was going on to make it go away by moving.

  “Where’s our gold?” Hain asked angrily.

  While staring intently at Jarron the man replied, “One moment, this should not take long.”

  He shifted his position at the terminal and began to tap several buttons on it. Suddenly the eyes of the woman fluttered open. Jarron’s body twitched wildly for a moment when her eyes first opened. It was as if he was struck with a bolt of lightning. After that he could not move and throbbing pain began to strike him.

  The man howled with glee, “We found it!”

  “What the hell! Feligrin if they don’t pay soon, open fire.” Hain yelled loudly.

  The electrical pulses began to flow through Jarron in heavy waves.

  Hain screamed, “Whatever you’re doin’ to the lad, ya best stop!”

  He raised his maul-rifle and took aim at the nearest goon. The woman rose from the crate and began hovering over it. Slowly she turned to face Jarron. Her body convulsed slightly as she floated nearby. Violently the crate that held the woman was pulled by some unseen force into several of the goons that surrounded them. The woman flinched for a moment but then her hazel eyes locked into a Jarron’s eyes.

  They stayed that way for a moment before the man who hired them screamed out, “Get up you fools and capture them. I need both that pilot and the woman alive.”

  Blasts of laser fire crisscrossed around and underneath them as an intense firefight occurred. Jarron could see nothing but her face. He heard Hain’s wild war-cry and the distinct sound of his maul-rifle kicking out laser fire. The woman cracked an evil smile and turned away from Jarron. He watched her as she glanced around them and then locked her sight on a nearby massive boulder. She lifted her left hand and gestured at the boulder. Jarron was stunned when the boulder rose from the ground. He wanted to act so he could help his friends but he was still completely unable to move any part of his body; even his eyes would only allow him to view anything within his direct vision near the woman. The boulder flew wildly towards some of the goons, sending them running quickly away. Jarron could see the man who hired them scurry off to one of the conveyances and climb into it. The woman turned to watch him move, she looked to her left and right before settling on something outside of Jarron’s vision. Jarron saw several blaster fire shots ricochet away from the woman as she hovered nearby. The pulsing currents began to increase in intensity within his body. It hurt him immensely but he could do nothing about it. He heard a loud crunching sound and then he saw a large tree float into his peripheral view. It headed towards the conveyance that was quickly driving away. The conveyance got on the nearest roadway and sped away. The large tree also increased in speed but crashed into a tree that blocked the path between it and the conveyance. Jarron lost track of the conveyance as it slipped off into the dark. The last few living goons of the man immediately turned and fled after their master.

  Hain began to run after the goons but suddenly stopped and called out loudly, “Feligrin!”

  He turned back to the ship and ran out of Jarron’s vision. The woman slowly began to hover downwards. Her feet softly touched the ground and she relaxed. The pulsing currents flowing through Jarron stopped and his body gave out as he collapsed roughly.

  “Aoahhhh.” He murmured incomprehensibly in pain.

  His body ached from the incident and he felt utterly exhausted as he laid there. All he could see was the dark sky and the flood lights of the ship above him. He was thankful that he at least landed on his back and not his face. Jarron could hear Hain’s thudding feet as he ran off towards the ship. After a few more seconds of lying there Jarron could hear soft footsteps approach him. The woman appeared overhead as she stood next to his left shoulder, looking down at him. Once their eyes met they both stared intently at each other.

  He continued to stare at her until he heard Hain’s loud voice call out, “Jarron get the hell over here. Feligrin’s hurt!”

  Snapping out of his daze, he slowly struggled to rise off the ground. Every muscle in his body was aching.

  He stumbled as he rose to his feet. After a few more seconds of struggling, he caught his balance.

  Turning back to the woman he mumbled out, “Come on.”

  Jarron’s left foot tripped over a nearby root and he fell to the ground. He dragged himself back up and began to run to where Hain stood. Once he moved towards them he saw Hain hook the back of Feligrin’s collar and then start to drag him onto the ship.

  Once Hain made it into the ship Jarron stumbled in behind him, turning back to push the cargo bay lock he called out to the woman, “Get in!”

  After he made it into the main entryway and the woman stepped in behind him, he closed the door and then ran towards the main lounge of the ship. Jarron caught sight of poor Feligrin, who was lying unconscious on the floor and bleeding from his abdomen. It appeared to Jarron that he must have been hit by stray blaster fire. Hain barreled back into the lounge with a small medikit.

  He yelled out, “Lad get us off this rock now!”

  “Where should I take us?” Jarron asked.

  “Take us to Kala-al-Drakan.” He replied as he started working madly to try and stop Feligrin’s bleeding.

  The woman entered the lounge and looked down sadly at Feligrin. She walked up to his side and then lowered herself onto her knees next to him. Softly she placed both of her hands on his abdomen. The moment she touched Feligrin, Jarron was hit again with the pulsing electrical waves throughout his body and he was unable to move. The woman seemed startled and began staring at him yet again. After another moment Feligrin began coughing roughly and then rose to a sitting position. The pulsing waves stopped and Jarron was again able to move. The woman continued to intensely stare at Jarron, which he responded to by staring back at her. Jarron found himself oddly drawn to her.

  Their intense stare was only broken when Hain yelled out, “Jarron, get us the hell outta here!”

  He startled and then raced to the cockpit. Dropping into his seat, Jarron began to twist madly at the controls to start the ship’s warm up. Thankfully he already had the primary preparations made beforehand as part of their standard procedure, it would allow for a much quicker take off in a pinch. Which was going to be the case here.

  Hain walked into the cockpit and said, “I don’t know that lass did but Feligrin is doin’ fine now.”

  He sat in the weapons control station and began preparing for a fight. After another moment Feligrin quietly walked in and took a seat behind them. The ship completed the warm up and was ready for lift off. As the ship shuttered violently from taking off, Jarron could sense the woman as she entered the cockpit. The sound of one of the seat belts clicking only confirmed his senses correct. He was quite confused about everything that just had just happened but he concentrated on the task of flying the ship.

  Hain slammed one of his fists on the side of the weapons terminal and yelled, “Dammit! So much for my retirement funds, I shoulda known those whack jobs were pullin’ somethin’ crazy.”

  “What the heck happened? I was firing my blaster before I felt a sharp pain and then blackness.” Feligrin asked.

  Hain grunted angrily before spitting out, “I don’t know Feligrin.”

  Jarron was just as confused as they were. He spent the whole time unable to move and staring at the woman who now sat behind him in the cockpit.

  Feligrin asked, “Lady,
do you know what happened?”

  There was a long moment of silence before she spoke, “Honestly I’m just as unsure as you are. I was living at a small church on the planet Cantua and one day I was kidnapped by a bunch of men dressed like those you fought today. They locked me in that strange box. I don’t know why they did it, or even how long I was in that thing.”

  Jarron found himself even entranced by her voice, he had to fight himself to keep from turning back to look at her. She sighed sadly.

  “The date is September 23rd 2137.” Feligrin said.

  “Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed, her voice sounded as though she was in shock, “I was in that box for almost three years.”

  Jarron was surprised that they kept her locked up for three years in a box. It must have been maddening.

  Hain yelled out, “What kinda foul bein’ keeps someone locked up in a box for three years!”

  They sat quietly for a moment before Feligrin asked, “Lady what is your name?”

  “My name is Elyse Duramon.” She softly replied.

  “I am Feligrin Bumbletoes, that’s Hain Stonefist and Jarron Moynihan is our pilot. Elyse I was wondering, do you have the Gift?”

  She replied, “Yes I do. However I’ve never been able to do more than heal broken bones, which would always cause me to pass out. For some reason when I awoke, I could sense intense power flowing through me and I’ve been able to do some crazy things.”

  Hain grunted in agreement before saying, “Aye lass, I’d say pullin’ yourself into the air, tossin’ boulders an trees about, an healin’ a near dead Brumkin qualifies as crazy things.”

  Jarron could hear her softly crying behind him. Suddenly he felt a sense of sadness overwhelm his emotions. He could not think of why he felt sad and yet he did.

  Feligrin asked her, “Elyse what’s wrong?”

  Before she could speak Jarron answered, “She misses her friends at her church.”

  It was just then that they broke through the planet’s atmosphere. The sensors beeped madly.

  “Damned our luck.” Hain said angrily.

  Jarron glanced to the sensors, which indicated at least twenty Grokmal ships in the area.

  Hain began calling out orders, “Feligrin man the weapons, Jarron fly your best, and I’ll be in the engine room since I know we’ll be needin’ it.”

  Jarron could hear him clomp out of the cockpit. Feligrin stood up and climbed into the weapon’s chair.

  “Feligrin,” He said, “I really could use my…”

  His words were interrupted by the sound of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ playing from his musiphone. Jarron looked back and saw Elyse holding his musiphone. She glanced up and gave him a soft smile. He fought the urge to continue looking at her and turned back to piloting the ship. Moving quickly, he programmed the nav computer for the fold to Kala-al-Drakan.

  “Here we go.” Jarron stated.

  The sensors beeped another warning as the Grokmal ships began to approach firing range. Jarron pushed the controls into a diagonal barrel roll away from the approaching ships. Feligrin squealed and Elyse gasped deeply at the sharp and intense barrel roll. Once they hit the first twist of the barrel roll Jarron felt for the first time in his life an unusual sensation while piloting. It was fear. He had never felt fear while flying and it deeply confused him. Jerking roughly he pulled the ship out of the steep barrel roll and into a gentle loop. Several Grokmal ships closed the gap with the ship and it rocked from heavy laser fire colliding into it. He became very nervous as he was unable to maneuver the ship in his normal manner. The ship violently rocked again from laser fire.

  “Are you alright?” Feligrin asked.

  Jarron shook his head because he was most definitely not alright. Just then, a soft hand pressed against his jacketed shoulder. Jarron knew immediately that it was Elyse’s hand and he was instantly hit with a sudden sense of calmness. With his calm focus restored, he jerked the ships controls to the left and twisted the ship into a sharp horseshoe turn, while rotating the ship in a spinning motion. He then followed the turn up with a deep wild barrel roll, unlike any he had ever done before. Once the barrel roll was completed he sent the ship into an insane spinning loop. The nav computer beeped, indicating the calculations were complete. Jarron eagerly pulled the lever, which sent them lurching out of local space and into the fold. Once they went into the fold Elyse removed her hand from his shoulder.

  Feligrin exclaimed loudly, “What the hell kinda maneuvers were those! I ain’t ever seen ya fly like that.”

  Jarron chuckled as he replied, “No idea, I guess I was just on my game.”

  “I’ll say, sheesh!” Feligrin retorted.

  Elyse’s gentle voice behind him asked, “Where did you learn to fly?”

  Jarron shrugged before answering, “I didn’t, when I was twelve years old I climbed into a ship and for some reason I just knew how to fly it.”

  “You look cold, do you need a blanket or something?” Feligrin asked her.

  “Yes please, this robe isn’t very warm.”

  He nodded at her and rose from his seat. Jarron could hear him as he walked out of the cockpit and down the main hallway of the ship. Turning around, Jarron looked at her. Her hair was tossed wildly and in need of cleaning. Her hazel eyes locked into his as their eyes met. They sat there locked into each other’s gaze until Feligrin returned.

  He said to her, “If you want Elyse, we have a sonic shower you could use.”

  She startled, almost as if someone pinched her and then said, “Okay.”

  Standing up, she followed Feligrin out of the cockpit, taking one last look back at him before she left. Sighing heavily Jarron sat there looking at the exit of the cockpit. He was very confused. Something was drawing him towards her. It was as though someone had cast a spell on him and he lost track of everything every time he caught her eyes. He found it very unnerving. After a few minutes Feligrin returned and sat down.

  They sat quietly for a few minutes before Feligrin asked, “Jarron are you okay?”

  Jarron nodded solemnly before answering, “I am fine bud.”

  “Are you sure? You seem very distracted whenever our guest is around.”

  Jarron sighed heavily.

  After a moment he finally answered, “I don’t know Feligrin. For some reason I have been feeling very odd. Every time I look into her eyes I freeze up. I can feel her presence and find myself with an overwhelming urge to be around her. I just can’t explain it. When I was flying the ship with my normal maneuvers, it was like I could sense her fear and when she touched my shoulder, I felt instantly better. Something big is going on and I don’t know what it is, which deeply concerns me.”

  Feligrin nodded and said, “Maybe we should find out some more about our guest?”

  Jarron could sense her as she approached the cockpit.

  As if on cue she entered and asked, “What would you like to know?”

  Feligrin blushed at her sudden arrival and then answered, “Tell us a bit more about you.”

  She glanced nervously at Jarron and then looked at Feligrin before asking, “Anything specific you wish to know?”

  Feligrin responded, “Well, we know where you’re from. We know that you have the Gift and we know you were kidnapped from a church. How did you get to the church and what happened to your family?”

  She sat down in the chair that she had sat in before and then answered, “I was born on the Lunar Colony nineteen, umm I mean twenty two years ago. My mother was human and I don’t know my father. All I know about him is that he was an Eal’tain.”

  Feligrin interrupted, “You’re half Eal’tain?”

  Jarron was shocked. He had never heard of a human and an Eal’tain together, least yet having children.

  “Yes,” She answered, “I’m half Eal’tain.”

  She pulled back her hair to expose her ears, which were pointed, although only slightly compared to the Eal’tain man that Jarron had saw last year.

  She c
ontinued her story as she released her hair, “Unfortunately I’ve never met my father and my mother died when I was only four years old. At five years old I was running around on the Lunar Colony alone. It was when I was six that I met Father Lapella. He took me with him to the orphanage on Cantua that he ran. I lived in the general population until I was ten years old and it was discovered that I had the Gift. From that point I lived in the monastery with Father Lapella, who acted as my protectorate and the father that I never had. Until I was kidnapped I lived quite happily healing others as best I could. I have no idea why I was kidnapped but I think that it has to do with Jarron here.”

  He was confused by her proclamation. He had never met her or any of the other people involved with the incident on the planet that they just left.

  “It does?” He asked.

  She nodded at him as she stated, “Before I awoke today, I was a normal person with the Gift, but now I seem able to lift objects with my mind and project force fields around myself. The weirdest part is that I can only do those things when I’m close to you. I tried to move something while I was in the sonic shower and couldn’t.”

  Feligrin said while picking on a data pad, “Try and pick this up.”

  The same electrical pulsing from before began again throughout Jarron’s body and he was once again unable to move. The data pad slowly rose from Feligrin’s hand and began to spin slowly in a circle. The data pad spun for a little bit longer before finally settling back down in Feligrin’s palm. As soon as it landed Jarron was released from the pulsing and could move again.

  Elyse beamed with pride as she declared, “I guess it’s based on my proximity to Jarron.”

  He spoke up, “Whatever you do, let’s not do that while I’m flying.”

  “Why not?” Feligrin asked with a puzzled expression.

  Jarron sighed and then answered, “Because every time she does that I get a weird pulsing sensation throughout my body and am completely unable to move at all.”