Katieran Prime 4 - Kiljorn Prime

by KD Jones

  She needed to remain strong for the crew. Her emotions were reflected by them. There had been a malfunction in the jump gate just after they entered it. They had been thrown into a temporary wormhole and wound up in an uncharted part of the Galaxy.

  A gas leak in the main engine compartment was going to destroy the ship before it could be repaired. Her Ankida, who had been there at the time the damage occurred, kept the inevitable at bay long enough for her and the remainder of the crew to have time to evacuate to the least damaged and navigable shuttle. They and four others had all been poisoned by the gases filling the engine compartment; they gave their lives so Tamiel and the remainder of the crew could be saved.

  The shuttle had barely managed to clear the landing bay, when the star ship began to explode. The shock wave caused additional damage to the shuttle they were currently on. They didn’t have enough fuel or supplies for the number of crew packed into the smaller vessel.

  The shuttle had been brought along to fly Princess Tamiel, her Ankida and her Royal Guard, down to the planet surface where the Interstellar Peace Conference was being held. It was made to hold a complement of only seventy to seventy-five crew members. There were now three hundred crammed into this small shuttle. Many of the men had to sleep in the corridors. The few joined crew members were given first claim on the cabins. They slept in shifts, sharing cabins and berths. Even the beds in the medical bay were taken.

  Not one of them complained, though, because they were aware of what their Princess had lost. They were in awe of the sacrifice her Ankida had made for all of them. They did whatever they could to keep up her spirits.

  She was almost to the Bridge when suddenly she doubled over in pain and fell to her knees. A warrior on duty outside the Bridge doors ran over and helped her to her feet. She leaned against him and said nothing as he helped get her the rest of the way to the Bridge.

  At first, she was frightened, thinking something was happening to the babies she was carrying.

  Then she felt the Nam-Nin power rising within her and she knew – her mother had died. Now she not only had the power, but was the Queen in truth.

  They passed through the door onto the Bridge. The crew, seeing her leaning on the warrior, leapt to their feet. Two more came running over to help her to the Commander’s chair. She took a moment to gather her thoughts.

  “Commander Terelia, may I have your status report, please? Is the shuttle going to fly apart with all its shuddering and vibrations?” she asked with a crooked smile, a poor attempt to lighten the mood. They could all see she was greatly troubled and in pain.

  “Repairs are proceeding as we speak. We had to isolate part of deck four, as we don’t have what we need to repair the hull breach in that sector. As long as the temporary force field held, volunteers went into the affected sector and scavenged for any equipment we could use elsewhere on the ship. We’ll be a little more crowded and I know more than I need to about some of my crewmates.”

  There was some laughter at her remark as she continued.

  “But we’re progressing as planned.”

  Tamiel raised an eyebrow and said, “While I appreciate all of you sacrificing for me and my babies, I know many of the crew skipped rations so I may have full meals. I don’t want anyone taking unnecessary risks. We don’t know where we’ll end up. So we need to keep safe our greatest resource ─the crew.”

  She turned to the Science Officer, “Terelia doesn’t wish me to have any more bad news, Jarrod. Tell me, have you or Communications Officer Largo located a friendly planet?”

  “While I can’t be sure of a friendly planet, long range sensors are continually updating information from the nearest solar system. It appears there may be a habitable planet nearby. If the Goddess has not forsaken us, there must be, as we have barely enough fuel to get there,” he said.

  “Then I agree ─there will be a planet to fill our needs,” said Tamiel.

  She turned to Officer Largo and said, “Please open up the ship’s internal communication system and memory crystals. I wish what I say now to be heard by all on board.”

  She waited while he complied with her command, gathering her thoughts. What she had to say to them all was very important and she needed their help desperately.

  Largo opened the internal communication units and then issued the order for the crew to hold for an announcement from the Princess.

  “Thank you, everyone, for working so hard under such trying circumstances.

  “I have some very important news to convey to you. Before leaving HeVan, my mother, the Queen, passed on to me her Nam-Nin powers. Merél, the Royal Seer, had a vision showing her the time was near. Not willing to wait for my return, the mother passed her powers to me. So when we left HeVan for this short voyage, I was already linked to our planet.”

  She paused to let the information sink in. She heard many gasps and exclamations. She wanted all their attention before she finished what she had to say. After a short while, there was quiet once again.

  “A few moments ago, I felt a great physical pain. It took me but a moment to realize HeVan had cried out to me across the cosmos – our Supreme Queen is dead.”

  With that announcement, she expected a louder response than before. Instead, there was such stillness, as if every being on the ship held their collective breath.

  “I am now the Nam-Nin, the Supreme Queen of HeVan. As such, I am aware of certain things. There is great turmoil on HeVan at this time. The malfunction of the jump gate was not an accident but an act of treason against us. So, too, was the explosion that took the lives of my fathers and, ultimately, the death of my mother. The House of HeVanth has an enemy who will go to any lengths to see it brought down.

  “I beg you for your help. We must find a way to get word to HeVan that we live, where we are, and we must survive until rescue arrives.

  “Please, all of you contemplate our problems; together, I know we will overcome them. Thank you for listening.”

  Tamiel bowed her head. She had done it −− taken her first faltering steps as Queen of her people. She wondered if they believed the words she’d spoken. She lifted her head and was shocked to see all of those on the Bridge had knelt down on one knee, hands held palm up. Terel spoke for them.

  “Queen Tamiel, these hands are at your service. Every woman and man on this ship is yours. We will not fail you; each of us would give our lives to protect you and get you home,” she said.

  A tear tracked down her cheek; she was overwhelmed with the love and support they were showing her.

  Over the next two months, they all sacrificed to reach the solar system that held all their hopes. They had just enough fuel to reach their destination but they had limited food and water. The men took her at her word and worked together to overcome each and every problem. Many of the surplus personnel volunteered to be put into stasis chambers in the shuttle’s flight bay. They would be using minimal life support and it would give the remaining crew the edge they needed.

  They took a complete inventory of every item on the ship and listed each one’s various uses. They conserved ships power whenever possible and shut down any system not directly needed. They continued to repair what they could from the shock wave damage.

  Unfortunately, some things couldn’t be repaired. Just before they reached the outer limits of the solar system, a weakened coupling ruptured and caused a fire. In the ensuing chaos, Queen Tamiel was injured by some falling equipment. The Medical Bay on the shuttle didn’t have the equipment necessary to heal her injuries.

  The shock and pain brought on her labor pains and her three babies had to be delivered prematurely. After giving birth and resting, she summoned Terelia and her mate along with Jarrod and his mate to her side.

  “I can partially heal myself with my Nam-Nin powers but not enough to save my life this far from home,” she told them. “I will have to be put in stasis until rescue comes.”

  Terelia and Jarrod started to protest but she held up her hand. />
  “The planet you, Jarrod, have found for us, does not appear to have technology equal to ours.”

  After taking a deep breath, she continued, “I put my sons in your care. I fear it will be several lifetimes before the trip home will be made and none of us here will see our beloved planet again.”

  She began to give off a golden aura, which expanded out into the room. Suddenly, golden sparks flew away from her to be absorbed into the people, walls, floors, and ceiling of the room.

  “I am blessing all the crew with the ability to choose your own join. You must carry on our race in this strange place. Do not interfere in the development of this alien culture, if possible, while doing all you can to keep our own culture alive. Please, I beg of you, make sure my sons know they were loved. I would be with them if I could.”

  Terelia stepped up close to the bed on which she lay.

  “Your sons will know their true heritage. They will carry on your bloodline. We will ensure your safety and keep you alive until rescue comes. We will not fail you!” she proclaimed.

  Once again, each of them went down on one knee and held out their arms, signifying their desire to serve her.

  Tamiel allowed the Medical to prepare her for stasis. Her losses had piled up one upon the other. She knew this final loss, the inability to watch her sons grow to manhood, had finally broken her will to carry on. After kissing each of her babies, she welcomed the nearly endless sleep she would have to endure.

  Excerpt from Gateway to HeVan

  The Nephilim Book Four – Coming Soon

  By Lucy Kelly

  Chapter One

  “Space, the final frontier, to seek out new life and new civilizations…to boldly go where no woman…”

  “Grace!” Addie giggled. “Enough with the Star Trek monologue. You’re not even getting it right. Poor Gene Roddenberry must be spinning in his grave.”

  Grace turned away from the viewport and walked over to sit on a chair next to her sister. Addie was ensconced in a special foam and gel medical chair. It gave her maximum comfort while monitoring her and the babies’ life signs at all times. Addie was determined to take the babies to full term so she put up with spending all her time in this chair. She knew the advanced technology of the Nephilim gave her an opportunity she wouldn’t have received on Earth.

  “So, are you ready to take over a world?” asked Grace.

  Addie made a face. “You talk as if I’m making a military coup. They’re the ones who made me queen. I had very little to say about it. I intend to do a lot of delegating. People need to remember my husbands and my babies are going to be taking up a large chunk of my time.”

  Addie picked up her protein shake and took a sip. “These are the most delicious things. Don’t you just love them?”

  Grace ran her hand over her own baby bump, “Yes, I like the lime citrus flavor the best.”

  She tried to look down at her ankles to see if they were swollen but couldn’t see them. So she sighed and leaned back in her chair and tried to swing her feet up, still no luck.

  “What are you doing?” asked Addie, giving her sister a strange look.

  “I’m trying to see if my ankles are swollen,” said Grace, as she tried to twist around in a different direction and nearly fell off her chair. Just as her center of gravity shifted and she started to slip, the door opened and one of her mates, Justyn, who stood in the doorway, leapt forward to keep her from falling. The two of them wound up on the floor. Both Addie and Grace burst into laughter.

  Justyn lifted Grace gently off him, then stood up and helped her back into the chair. As soon as he saw her settled, he stood in front of her with his hands on his hips. Grace looked up into his face. It was a long way up, as she was sitting down and he was a couple of inches over seven feet tall. He also had the largest build of her three husbands. Generally, he had a calm and quiet personality but when he was angry — look out!

  “Grace, why were you falling out of the chair? Am I going to be able to leave you alone? Why are you always trying to do things you cannot do?” he asked.

  “Calm down. I was just trying to look at my feet. The belly got in the way and messed up my center of balance, that’s all. We’re just fine; you have nothing to worry about,” she said.

  “Just like I had nothing to worry about when you tried to lead the warrior training exercises? Or when you tried to teach self-defense classes to the emigrating women?” he asked.

  At this point, Grace stood up, “Look, I’m just trying to do my job. The safety of every male and female on our ship is my responsibility.”

  When she tried to get up into his face, her belly preceded her and poked into him. Addie couldn’t hold back any more and she started laughing again. Her sister, the former Chicago detective, was used to being in control of everything, including her body. She wasn’t used to limitations and carrying triplets. Her body was growing faster than she could adjust. All her life, she’d lived up to her name — Grace; she had never been a gawky teen.

  Addie stopped laughing and really looked at her sister. She finally noticed what she hadn’t seen previously. She gave a little boost to the power she’d inherited from her many times great-grandmother, the former Nam-Nin, or High Queen of HeVan. Little golden sparks flickered in the air around her.

  “Justyn, I need you to leave me alone with my sister,” she said without looking in his direction. “Can you come back in twenty minutes with your brothers?”

  He glanced over at her. Seeing the golden glow, his eyes opened wide. Grace had gone quiet; she’d turned away and walked over to the cold unit to get a protein shake for herself and another for Addie. Justyn nodded and left the room, stopping to give Grace a thorough kiss first.

  “See, Addie, I’ve still got it. He backed right down. Maybe later I’ll do some defense drills with the space defense team,” said Grace, taking a sip of her drink. “Hey, how come you’ve gone all glowy?”

  “I want to tell you how sorry I am, Grace. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own situation I haven’t been much of a sister to you. Why didn’t you tell me how scared you are about this pregnancy?” she asked.

  Grace said nothing for a moment, fiddling with her beverage container. Finally she looked up at her sister.

  “How did you know?” she asked.

  “Because you’re my sister and I know you better than anyone else. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you before now,” said Addie.

  “It’s just — how can I complain about my worries when you’ve been put on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy?” asked Grace.

  “Grace, you’re carrying triplets. It’s normal to have concerns. You have me and you have your mates. Instead of talking about it, you’re acting like you’re not pregnant. Honey, that’s not a beach ball under your shirt,” Addie said, pointing her finger.

  “Hey, if I’ve got a beach ball, you’re a beached whale. I mean — Addie, you are huge! But seriously, I’m not carrying six babies like you. It’s not fair for me to complain.”

  Addie kept prodding at Grace until she broke down and confided all her worries. Then Addie shared some of the things she’d actually been keeping to herself, too. They cried a little and laughed a little and talked about how their lives had changed in such a short time.

  Grace was just promising to start acting like a pregnant woman when the door opened. Grace’s three mates, Jalen, Jett and Justyn, entered the room. Right behind them were Addie’s three mates, Arjun, Rune and Kylan.

  While Justyn went over to Grace to kiss away the tears, Addie gestured to Jalen to come to her.

  “Your mate is feeling like you no longer find her beautiful. The medicals have cleared her for sex. So I suggest you take her to your stateroom and show her how beautiful she is,” Addie commanded in a low voice, along with a few other suggestions.

  “My queen, it will be a pleasure,” he said and quickly stepped away to whisper in his brother’s ear. Moments later, a blushing Grace was waving goodbye to her si
ster.

  “I see Grace has not been the only one crying this day,” said Arjun. “It is amazing to me how you can look more and more beautiful every day. I also have had a word with the medicals and a soothing bath followed by a sensual massage has been prescribed.”

  “Never let it be said I didn’t follow doctor’s orders,” said Addie, giving her mates a smile.

  After several hours and many orgasms later, the ship’s alarms sounded battle stations.