Legions & Legacies

by Lee Watts

  "That's why," Jaiden pointed out, and the group gladly took the long way around.

  Within the hour, Jaiden at last set eyes on the remains of the ship that initially brought his family to the island-jungle world, the Morningstar. Thick vines covered much of the hull, and saplings grew through the ports where now shattered transparent steel once served as windows. Jaiden approached the corpse of the craft slowly while thinking of all the trials he and the group with Alexander endured in their failed quest to find it.

  There was a rustling, and Jaiden held out his hand signaling for the pirates to be quiet. Putting a finger to his lips, Jaiden drew their attention to the sudden silence. Small birds in the overhanging trees took flight, and each man's eyes darted to look for what was hunting them. Without any sudden movements, Sosimo's real hand slowly went to his holstered pistol and prepared for a quick draw. There was a creeping noise of something moving stealthily on fallen leaves. Nervous sweat rolled into Byron's eyes, but he fought the urge to wipe it away, instead, he stood completely still. Sosimo glanced to Jaiden for a clue as to what to expect. Using every sense, Jaiden tried to locate what was stalking them. Hearing the snap of a twig, he quickly turned around and saw a form standing on top of the wreckage looking down on him. It was a wild-eyed, gray-haired woman dressed in animal leather with a spear drawn back and ready to fly at him. The woman froze.

  "Jaiden," she rasped in surprised recognition.

  "Telza," he gaped in astonishment, a wide smile coming to his face.

  The former ship captain dropped her weapon, and Jaiden shimmied up to her location. They embraced, laughed and cried for a long time. Sosimo and Byron had no idea who it was or what was going on but figured there was no danger so relaxed, a bit.

  At last the reunited friends separated.

  "We… we thought you were dead," Jaiden said. "You went over the side in the storm."

  "No, I made it to the shore, but my leg was injured. I saw your signal fire, but couldn't get to you. By the time I got to where I could move, the group was long gone. I wandered around for weeks, and eventually, I found the ship. I figured you all would someday make your way here, but you never showed. What happened?"

  "We lost the scanner in that storm. We kept up the search for a while, but without a direction to follow, we gave up and returned to the village. The important part is we got rescued, Telza. A man came for Alexander, and he took us away. We can leave!"

  "But if you thought I was dead why are you back?"

  "We're looking for something... something that was hidden on the ship."

  "What?" she wondered.

  "A prism," he answered. Gesturing to the pirate captain, Jaiden added, "This is Captain LaRouche, he needs the prism to find something."

  Telza looked to the auburn-haired man with the artificial left hand. A memory flashed to her mind then her eyes went wide with anger.

  "YOU," came her shout of recognition.

  "AAHH," she cried savagely as she sprinted toward LaRouche, her hands ready to claw him to death.

  Sosimo also yelled, but his was more in sudden fear of the wild woman. Jaiden caught and restrained her.

  "TELZA! TELZA! NO," he pleaded.

  "BUT HE'S THE ONE WHO SHOT US DOWN," she shouted while trying to wriggle free of Jaiden's grasp. "IT'S HIS FAULT! I'LL KILL HIM! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"

  "No, Telza, don't!" The firm grip of Jaiden's youthful hands kept her from carrying out her murderous intent. He tried to calm her. "It wasn't him Telza! There was a mutiny. He didn't shoot us down. It wasn't him! It wasn't him!"

  Telza ceased struggling but glowered at the pirate captain with eyes teary from nearly twenty years of grief and anger. Cautiously, Jaiden released her, and she held her ground. Slowly, Sosimo stepped forward and spoke in a calm, rational tone that Byron had never heard the man use.

  "Dear lady," the pirate began, "words cannot describe my sorrow or regret for what's befallen you. It's too much to ask your forgiveness, and I'm too simple to understand what you've gone through. I have nothing to give in exchange for the years you've spent marooned here. I once promised no harm would come to you, and I am ashamed I could not keep that promise. I've sworn to hunt down the man responsible, and that promise I will keep. All I can offer is to take you away from here - anywhere in the galaxy you wish. Where can I take you, Dear Lady?"

  Silent tears streaked down her face, and she trembled in emotion.

  "Home," she finally whispered through the sobs. "It's finally over. I want to go home."

  In synchronous orbit of the Morningstar crash site, the starship Fortune came under sudden attack.

  "REPORT," Mei called out.

  "A SHIP JUST DECLOAKED TO PORT! THEY'RE FIRING AGAIN!"

  "SHIELDS," Mei ordered.

  Shuddering under the intense volley of orange blasts from the Fame, the Fortune lost main power, rendering its shields and weapons inoperable.

  "BLAST," Mei cursed, learning she was unable to counter-attack Crimson's ship. Another trio of high-charged energy bolts slammed into the Fortune, shaking it violently. "EVASIVE," the first mate shouted.

  Sluggishly, the ship responded to the helmsman's commands.

  On the bridge of the Fame, Crimson smiled as he savored each strike against his nemesis' ship. Another series of orange balls stuck the Fortune, resulting in its engines going dark.

  "Their orbit is starting to decay," came a report to Crimson.

  The pirate's single biological eye gleamed with delight.

  "Perfect," Crimson gloated in triumph. "Hail them."

  On the main screen of the Fame appeared the image of the smoke-filled bridge of the Fortune.

  "Shen Mei," Crimson observed in surprise. "Where's LaRouche?"

  Mei knew better than to let the mutineer know her captain was on the surface.

  "The medical bay," she scowled. "He was badly injured in your first attack. What do you want anyway, Crimson?"

  "Not much," he said. "Just to be rid of LaRouche once and for all. Now, for a bonus, I get to watch the Fortune finally go down in flames. However, I might be inclined to tractor your ship into a stable orbit in exchange for you putting LaRouche in a shuttle so I can pick him up."

  "There's no way I'm giving the captain over to you."

  Crimson snarled.

  "You're not fooling me, Mei. He's not there, is he? LaRouche wouldn't leave his bridge in a fight no matter how bad he was hurt."

  Mei, glowering at her rival but refused to give away any more information.

  "You say a lot when you don't speak, Mei. He's on the planet, isn't he? There's something about that map that's brought him here. Go ahead and crash then. I scanned the map into my computer anyway to analyze it. I don't need your ring's copy. I'm going to go down, find LaRouche, and make him watch as his precious ship burns up in the atmosphere. You know, I bet he'll have the same look on his face as he did when I killed your father."

  Crimson began laughing as Mei shook in rage then he cut the transmission.

  Mei had no time to dwell on her anger or grief as the helmsman reported their ship was entering the upper atmosphere. The Fortune shook as it buffeted against the planet's air.

  "Signal the captain, warn him about Crimson," Mei ordered as she took the center command chair.

  "No good, they've deployed a jamming drone."

  "Great," she groused as the ship's vibrations increased.

  "Hull temperature rising," came a warning report.

  "All right, what've we got left?" Mei asked.

  "Maneuvering thrusters. That's about it."

  "What about the shields?"

  "Engineering crews are already working on them and the weapons."

  "Forget about the weapons; this fight's over. Tell them to get those shields going fast - even just the navigation screens would help."

  "Aye, Ma'am."

  "We're coming in at too steep an angle. Helm, use the thrusters to try and level us off," Mei shouted over the cacophony of sound filling
the bridge as the ship plummeted deeper into the atmosphere.

  The Fortune rocked and bucked like a wild animal trying to throw its rider as it plunged through the Acatus ionosphere. Hull plates began glowing orange from the friction and heat stress levels reaching and quickly surpassing design limits. Sosimo and the others noticed the incinerating Fortune as it fell from the sky like a burning meteor. He whipped out his communicator.

  "Mei! Mei! This is the captain come in!"

  There was no answer. Though the ship was clear of the jamming signal, the deafening roar on the bridge drowned out any chance to hear the call. Doing all she could to keep the ship from a fatal impact, Mei continued shouting instructions over the torrent of sound. A trail of smoke streaked behind the plummeting ship, and those on the ground lost sight of it as it continued its descent behind a distant row of hills.

  "MEI! MEI," Sosimo called again, but there was still no response.

  A pair of heartbeats after the ship passed beyond their view, the group heard the sound of distant rolling thunder. A cloudless day, they all realized what the rumbling meant. The Fortune was down. Telza looked to Jaiden who reflected her tormented gaze.

  Heartbreaking as the means of finally escaping was again taken from her, all Telza could utter was a simple phrase.

  "No. Please… no," she whispered.

  As she crumpled to the ground in inconsolable grief, Jaiden felt the grip of Acatus squeezing him like a python. He was once more firmly in its grasp, and this time, he feared, it wouldn't let go.

  CHAPTER 31

  "And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and not shall make them afraid." – Ezekiel 34:28

  (1,000 years ago)

  Atop his vicious Rhia lizard, Koraden turned to see who was calling out to him. Pulling back the hood of her full-length cloak, Pipaluk repeated her information.

  "Overlord, someone here is not is not who they appear to be."

  "Speak plainly, Slave," he growled. "What do you mean?"

  "I mean you're casting out the Elderites to the desert, but one of them is trying to escape your wrath."

  "Who?" he demanded waiting for her to expose the vermin who dared try and deceive him.

  The girl paused a long while, trembling. Koraden was impatient.

  "WHO?" he demanded.

  Pipaluk swallowed hard and locked eyes with Shania who was among those about to be sent into the dunes. Lip quivering, the girl turned to the Dridmor overlord.

  "Me," she answered.

  "You?" he sneered.

  "Yes, Overlord. I… am an Elderite. I've given my soul to Elkanah, and he has given me the courage to defy you now. I will no longer serve you or the Ramillie. If you're going to cast out the Elderites to the desert, then you must cast me out as well."

  "Young fool," he denounced. "Your Elder has no power here. I am the prince and power of this world! You and your kind," he sneered with disgust looking to the huddled group of prisoners, "you're nothing but worms, and I'll see to it your flesh will be ripped from your bones when the Rhia devour you alive. Go with them! You're all nothing but prey. You have no hope. NO HOPE!"

  A Ramillie guard shoved Pipaluk toward the cowering group, and she took her place among the believers.

  "RUN," Koraden commanded.

  The cluster began moving but kept wary eyes on the barking Rhias already hungry for them.

  "THREE DAYS," Koraden yelled in torment to the group as they quickened the pace of their flight. "THREE DAYS THEN THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING TO EAT YOU ALL! RUN! RUN!" His laughter echoed through the night air as the fleeing people raced as best they could into the vast sea of sand.

  Shania placed her arm over Pipaluk's shoulder to encourage and thank her as they made their way into the seemingly never-ending stretch of dunes.

  "Well done, Little One. I'm so proud of you," Shania said softly. Pipaluk smiled as they continued their hurried trek. Waiting until the Citadel was far in the distance, Pipaluk, at last, revealed her surprise to her immortal friend.

  "I've brought some presents," she whispered.

  "Presents?" Shania asked wondering what the impoverished girl could possibly mean. Pipaluk smiled wryly and opened her cloak drawing out the Guardian's arm-length metallic staff and handed it to her. Shania took the weapon as the girl pulled out the second gift, the pack Shania had left in Pipaluk's humble dwelling.

  "Thank the Elder that you kept these," Shania said. Rummaging through the bag, she found what she was looking for, her radio. "I have a friend coming to this world. He's bringing others like me. Once he arrives, I can use this to call for help. You may have saved us all, Little One."

  "I have one thing more for you," Pipaluk hinted as she reached into the pouch at her side. She dug for a moment then withdrew her hand, holding a group of slender chains. At the end of the metallic ropes was what at that moment Shania considered the most crucial thing in the universe, twelve stones that served as keys.

  Overcome with joy and pride in the girl, Shania beamed.

  "Did I do well?" Pipaluk asked.

  "Yes, Little One. Very well indeed, but it means we must hurry all the more. When the Dridmor figure out we have the crown stones they'll come after us right away."

  "They're bound to learn soon that I took them. There's no way we can make it to the other side in time," Pipaluk said fearfully. "The Ramillie will use their flying ships to find us. What'll we do?"

  Shania smiled.

  "Trust in the Elder," the Guardian said confidently.

  Pipaluk didn't understand it all, but Shania told her understanding wasn't as important as obedience.

  "You've done your part and acted as the Elder wants; now watch as He works."

  The haggard group continued their journey until the night was far spent, and Shania finally directed them to stop. The Elder lead them to an outcropping of rocks forming a shallow cave. An ideal shelter from the blistering sun that would soon rise, the group used their cloaks to create a makeshift door and weighted them down with some of the rocks. In Shania's pack was the half-full container of water she'd offered to share with Pipaluk on their first night together. Everyone huddled in a circle in the small, rocky shelter. Seer Rew, having also escaped the Ramillie's grasp, now instructed the group to join hands. Lamar refused, but the other non-Elderites went along with the ritual. Rew closed his eyes then lifted his head and thanked the Elder for their protection, leading them to the shelter, and for the water, He had provided. They passed the container, each person, except Lamar, was careful not to take more than a sip so all could have some. When the canteen came full circle to Pipaluk, she held it up and noticed the bottle seemed to have as much as when they started. They passed the refreshing drink repeatedly, and each drank their fill until at last the container came back to the skinny girl. In addition to hydration, the water seemed to give them nourishment as well. Holding the still half-full bottle, Pipaluk looked to Shania in wordless wonder. The Guardian smiled and gave the girl a wink.

  "Best you try and get some sleep," Shania advised. "It's too dangerous to travel during the daylight. We'll stay here until nightfall."

  "I'll try," Pipaluk confessed, her expression betraying her clinging fears.

  As the waif curled up in the cramped space, she tried to push her anxieties away. Shania stroked the girl's hair and softly spoke. Pipaluk didn't know the woman was repeating words of the Codex.

  "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet."

  Pipaluk drifted to a heavy slumber feeling more comforted, safe, and happy than she ever remembered.

  "Overlord! Overlord," came an urgent voice on the other side of Koraden's door the following morning.

  "WHAT?" he blared angrily. "COME."

  A lesser ranking Dridmor hastily entered the luxurious room. On either side of Koraden, his nightly companions pulled the sheets higher to cover themselves as t
he messenger entered.

  "Overlord, the portal is deactivated!"

  Immediately furious, Koraden sat up in his bed.

  "What? How?"

  "The crown stone keys are removed."

  "Who took them? Was it Lord Gorlak? It's just like him to take every chance to increase his own power."

  "I don't think it was Gorlak, my Overlord. He's still here, and I think he would have left had he stolen the stones."

  "Who then? Who is missing?"

  "That's just it, Overlord, they are all still here. No one has left the Citadel."

  Koraden fumed as he considered what had happened.

  "No, not everyone is still here," Koraden deduced. "The Elderites… that little slave girl. She had access to the room and snuck out with the Elderites last night."

  Mind racing, another thought occurred to the Dridmor. Tromping into the lower level in a storm of rage, Koraden entered the holding cell, glowering at each face in search of the Guardian.

  "SHE'S GONE! SHE'S GONE," he roared in frustration about Shania's escape. Cursing vehemently, he left the cell. Elise smiled, knowing her sacrifice had struck a great blow against the evil ones.

  Squads of Ramillie aircraft zoomed out from the Citadel in a low-flying search for the Elderite fugitives. Fanning out over the desert floor, they looked with eye and scanner for the hiding group. Expecting to locate them quickly, Koraden's anger mounted as hour upon hour passed without the slightest trace of his quarry. Incessant desert winds effectively covered the tracks, and the rocks of the Elderites' subterranean shelter shielded them from the Ramillie sensors. As a searching craft made a close pass, the roar of its engines awoke Pipaluk and the last of those still sleeping.

  "They've found us," Pipaluk whispered in fright.

  "I don't think so, Little One," Shania responded as the sound of the engines faded as quickly as it came.

  Seer Rew stared off into space, but was seeing something far away and related what he beheld.

  "This age soon ends," he prophesied. "And the imminent abduction draws nigh."