by Edward Brody
“Not so fast,” the Queen said. “We do not know if this was done by the rebellion or not. All signs are pointing toward a terrorist act, but this could just as well be a setup. A word written in blood on the wall does not signal the perpetrator. “
“My Queen,” Tamor appealed. “If you do not take action, there will be much stirring in the Council. With or without the Kryle Yago, the Council would be making swift moves at this point to suppress the human rebellion. Murdering the ambassador… Who else would want the ambassador of Rashada murdered other than the humans?”
Queen Vashalla tilted her head down, once again remembering her friend. The thought that she was dead flooded her heart with painful emotions. “Perhaps you’re right,” the Queen said. “I’d hate to think that Lord Yago was right about the humans, and my neglect is the cause of Misharishindaril’s death, but nonetheless, it would be irresponsible for me to not take action.”
“What will you have me do, my Queen?”
“Send a small but adequate military force. We’ll occupy Rashad and slowly flush out the rebellion… Destroy their base if necessary. Don’t allow their power to escalate any more, and don’t give any Council members a reason to follow in Kryle Yago’s footsteps. I don’t want to see anything that resembles another Cleanse.”
“You’ve made the right choice, my Queen,” Tamor said before he turned and headed back towards the war room. He was just as tired as anyone of hearing about the human’s evil deeds.
Chapter Twenty-One
Vishi tossed the pail of water in Mich’s face. “Do you hear me Mich?”
He did not respond. Mich toyed with the strange color that was directly in front of his face as he meditated, shaping it to various shapes and sizes. Slowly, the flame grew.
“Can you hear me, Mich?” Vishi asked again. She could see a small blue hue growing around Mich’s hands.
He’s doing it… He’s actually doing it.
A few of the other villagers began gathering around Mich, all curious to see the first human who they had ever seen channel their energy.
Vishi tilted her head to a small, female child. “Bring me a sparring stick, please. Run quickly, now.” The small girl ran off.
Mich fell deeper and deeper into his new reality, manipulating the color, sensing it course through is body, feeling in control and more in tune with nature than he had ever felt before. For a moment, he almost thought that he felt something splash on him, but it was of no concern. He was busy with more important things.
He tossed the flame in his invisible hands, and it grew larger. Then again he willed it towards his physical hands. He had the thought to bring the flame back directly in front of him, but just as he was about to will the change, he felt a strange twinge of concern.
Danger.
He could sense an imminent threat, and his quickly responded, almost reflexively, to the peril. Mich’s eyes snapped open as the long sparring stick came hurdling towards his face, and his hands moved at an otherworldly speed to jolt up and catch it. As his fingers rounded this stick, his powerful hands, imbued with his own energy, clenched down on the stick, crushing the wood and breaking the stick in half.
Mich stared at the haze on his hands as it slowly began to fade, and the villagers who had witnessed it were silent and blank.
Vishi lifted the remnants of her stick to her face and inspected it with large eyes. Never had she seen a beginning student channel enough energy that crush solid wood with their bare hands like Mich had. He had only been studying a couple of weeks. His potential was perhaps greater than she ever imagined.
“Good job, human,” Vishi said. “It seems you’ve learned how to access your untapped potential. Now you need to learn how to control it, to summon it at will.”
“That was amazing,” Mich awed. “It felt so strange… So beyond anything I ever imagined.” He held his hands in front of his face and inspected them for signs of damage.
Vishi pointed the broken stick at Mich. “You’ve obviously have a lot of power inside of you. Just keep practicing. Practice until you can summon your energy without closing your eyes, without meditating. You’ve barely scratched the surface.”
“Thank you,” Mich said. “I’m going to practice some more now.”
Mich closed his eyes, and Vishi smiled at her student. She shooed the other villagers away and began walking back towards her room before noticing Grim standing a few feet away.
“He’s doing well. I’m certain that he’ll learn to control his life force some day,” Vishi boasted.
“Yes, I saw,” Grim said. “Destroyed a sparring stick when responding to his first threat as well. Unheard of, especially for a human.”
“But he’s still unstable. There’s no telling if he will have that level of power when he can control it–if he learns how to control it.”
Grim nodded. “I have a feeling that he will learn. There’s something about this man that makes me think he will become something special.”
“Special?” Vishi asked, her face twisted with surprise. “I’ve never heard you say something so positive about a human.”
“Greedy, irresponsible, hateful, proud… There’s not a lot of things to like about humans. But we’ve associated these traits with humans of old, humans from E-17, humans that did not know of the universe outside of their Earth.” Grim inhaled and looked off into space. “I wonder if there would have been a Cleanse if the humans knew that there was life on other planets. Perhaps they only fought and killed each other because they had no one else to fight with. If they had only realized there were other species, maybe they would’ve been as united as we are.”
“You’ve always been wise, Grim. Kind and wise.”
“But I could be wrong,” Grim added. “The humans may never change. And teaching a human to use his life force might be a grave mistake.”
As Grim continued to look into the sky, several dark grey ships slowly began descending into the atmosphere. He instinctively reached out a protective hand and placed it on Vishi’s shoulder.
“Warships?” Vishi asked.
“It would appear so. Those are Nerrian warships as well. From the Queen’s fleet. Something’s going on in the city.”
As Mich toyed with his flame, a strange discomfort grew over his body, and his flame grew smaller. Fear and uncertainty flooded his emotions, and as much as he tried, he could not control his energy.
It was similar to a threat, but he did not know what to do and his body didn’t respond to counter it. He opened his eyes slowly, and turned to see Vishi and Grim a few meters away, staring up at the sky. He stood and looked to the sky as well.
Trouble was looming over Rashada.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Salil stood and slammed his hand on the table. “Let’s all settle down.” He scanned the eyes of each of the members of the Galactic Council. “The Queen has already taken action.”
“This was a matter for the Council, not for the Queen!” the half-metal faced council member spat. He squinted his reddened eye and gritted his teeth.
“The Queen is the supreme law of the galaxy, Kontra. It is up to her as to what action she should take. And let me ask you all this. What would you have done if the news had traveled to you first? Would it had been any different?”
The Council grew quiet. Salil had a point. The Council would have definitely sent a force to squelch the rebellion on Rashada. Murdering the ambassador would have required strong action.
“This smells of manipulation,” Lady Hamm said. “It’s too convenient. With the human that was discovered on E-17 being murdered just weeks ago and the push from some to eradicate Rashada, I find it hard to believe that the assassination of the ambassador isn’t connected in some way.”
“It could be retaliation for the human’s death,” Salil replied.
“If the humans had a place on the Council, they would know that the Council and the Queen did not support the human’s kidnapping and murder,” Kontra added.
> “It’s a bit too late to discuss Council positions now,” Salil countered. “What’s done has been done. We need to figure out how we’re going to control the situation.”
Lady Hamm spoke, “The humans will be suppressed. They have no way of resisting the Queen’s military.”
“If you back someone into a corner, they will have no choice but to fight back,” Salil explained. “The humans may seem weak and lack technology, but let’s not forget that they managed to obliterate their own planet. We should not underestimate them.”
* * *
“They’re comin’. I seen ‘em with my own eyes. Lots of ships landing. Some of them skippin’ the port and just landing anywhere,” Jimmy cried to rebels sitting in Walter’s room.
“There’s going to force us into the mines! Just like I told you!” Carl waved his hands and yelled spastically. “They’re sending reinforcements to send all the humans to the mines and factories. I heard Candy talking about it. Too many rebels hiding out and finding their own way. Need to up the productivity level.”
“I don’t buy it,” Tristyn said. “Neither the Queen nor the Council would do such a thing… They might not treat us as equals, but the haven’t took up the position of slavers.”
“Yet…” Earl said.
Carl contested, “Times are changing. They know that more people are joining the rebellion. Less girls entering the sex trade, less cheap resources coming out of the mine.”
Walter leaned back and blew out a deep breath. “We don’t know the purpose of sending the Nerrian military here, but we do know it probably has to do with the rebellion.” Walter’s eyes looked over to the bandage that was on Carl’s shoulder. “And if they are really thinking about forcing us to work, then we have no choice to fight.”
“We’re not yet prepared for war, Walter,” Tristyn rationalized.
“You’re right. We’re not… But would you have us kneel and do as they say? Our people deserve their freedom, and I’d rather die than lie down without a fight.”
“I’m ready.” Earl smirked.
“Earl, get our men armed and ready to defend. Tristyn, head to the surface and gather whatever intelligence you can.”
“I’ll go with the girl,” Carl said. “I want to participate.”
“Woman…” Tristyn snarled.
Walter shook his head. “If you’re parading around town, you’ll be recognized right away. You can post yourself up at the southern lookout point and notify us of any approaching soldiers. Tristyn, take Carl to the southern exit.”
Tristyn glanced at Carl and then gave a slight nod before turning and heading out the door.
The pair began walking through the underground base, and when they passed the armory, Carl asked, “Don’t I get a weapon?”
“You don’t need a weapon at lookout,” Tristyn answered sternly.
“W-what if I’m attacked?”
“Lookouts are to appear as if they are normal citizens. You shouldn’t be attacked, but if you are, you shouldn’t be fighting back.”
Carl frowned. “Are you sure I shouldn’t go with you? I know this city like the back of my hand.”
“I know it better,” Tristyn assured him.
The two approached a dimly lit corner with a long rope dangling from the ceiling. Tristyn pulled down on the rope, and a small circular piece of the ceiling tilted down, causing light to pour into the mine. To the left of them was a wooden ladder, and after climbing the ladder, a slight leap was required to grab the edge of the hole and pull themselves up.
Once they had navigated out of the hole and the rebel base, the found themselves in an isolated alleyway behind a large metal crate. Tristyn motioned for Carl to follow and when they were at the end of the alleyway, she pointed toward a small chair that gave view of the main road a few hundred meters away.
“You’ll sit here. Monitor the main street and the general vicinity. If you see anything worth noting, report back to Walter.” As Tristyn was talking, she noticed a group of Nerrian soldiers round the corner of the main street and begin aggressively questioning humans. She ducked into the shadows as to not be noticed. “They’re already on the move...”
Tristyn turned her head, expecting to see Carl sitting in the chair as she commanded, but the seat was empty. Instead, a tip of a laser pistol came pressing against her cheek and an arm skillfully wrapped around her waist.
“I really don’t like killing people,” Carl hissed. “So please, just come with me and make this easy.”
Carl slid the pistol off of Tristyn’s cheek and placed it behind her head, nudging her forward towards the main street.
“You bastard…” Tristyn spat. “I knew we couldn’t trust you.”
They continued their march until they were within shouting distance of the soldiers. “Help!” Carl shouted. The Nerrian militants looked up and drew their weapons as they noticed the armed Carl and the women he was holding in front of him. “Don’t shoot! She’s a rebel. I’ve managed to escape the rebels!”
One of the 3 militants was an alor, and the other two were wearing helmets. The unmasked solider ordered, “Put your weapon down immediately,” as they shuffled forward with their rifles pointed at the two humans.
Carl laid his weapon down and both Tristyn and Carl put their hands in the air. When the solders circled in on them, Carl continued his spiel, stuttering quickly. “I… I… work for Candy… or… worked. I was captured by rebels. They hurt me real bad.” He motioned towards his wound. “I managed to get away and captured this one. She’s an officer of the rebel Army. I know their hideout. I can take you there.”
Tristyn couldn’t control her anger towards the betrayal and swiftly leaned an elbow into Carl’s abs with all her might, causing him to keel over and cough. For a moment, she thought she could make a run for it, but before she made another move, she was rocked by the blunt side of one of the soldier’s rifles and fell unconscious to the ground.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Vishi handed Mich a small pouch as they stood at the edge of the village. Several other miholos were gathered nearby. “There’s only 10 credits inside, but it should help you with transport once you arrive to the edge of the city.” When Mich accepted, Vishi reached up and rubbed her palms around Mich’s freshly shaved head. “The new look suits you.”
One of the miholo women had cut his hair down to stubble before he set off. He was not only tired of the scraggly look, but figured it would help him go unrecognized when he made it back to the city.
Mich beamed a shy smile at Vishi’s kind touch. “I thought you don’t use credits here?”
“We don’t. One of our trackers came across it a while back when scouting through the jungle. A wanderer must have lost it. We have no use for the credits in the village.”
Soot pulled up beside Mich and the other miholos, riding atop a giant wolf-like creature. By all appearances, Mich would have guessed it actually was a wolf, aside from the fact that it was nearly 3 times his size and had a jet black mane of fur. A beautiful beast, he thought.
Grim patted Mich on the back. “If you’d like to continue your training with Vishi, you’re welcome to return, but having a trainer can only get you so far. The real potential lies within you.”
Mich nodded. “Thanks for all you’ve done for me. I’ve net never met a group of such wonderful people. I don’t want to leave, but I need to make sure my friends are safe.” By friends, he meant Tristyn. He still had the sinking sensation he needed to see the rebel girl once more and couldn’t figure out why. With warships heading towards the city, he felt even more compelled to make sure she was okay.
Vishi grinned. “I look forward to seeing you again Mich.”
Soot reached his hand out, and Mich accepted, simultaneously pulling up to sit behind him on the wolf-like creature. The wolf flexed its rear and stretched out its paws when it felt the new weight on its back.
“He can only take you to the forest’s edge. Once you’ve reached the clearing, you’re
on your own,” Grim reinforced.
“Understood.”
“Take care of yourself, human.”
With that, Soot kicked his legs and gently pulled the creature’s fur, and the two slowly trotted off towards the city. After they made it a few hundred meters away, Mich turned to see Vishi and the others still watching him ride away through the dense foliage of the jungle.
Grim looked down at the Vishi with curious eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve developed feelings for him…”
“No, But he’s a good man.” Vishi paused and turned back for the village. “Although, I have to admit, he’s rather handsome with a head shaved.”
Grim snarled in disgust. It was rare for miholos to encounter humans, but the thought of a romance between the two different species was unthinkable.
When Soot and Mich made it to the edge of the jungle, Soot snorted something in his native language and pointed to the city, which was visibly about a half mile from where they were standing.
“Thanks again,” Mich said as he hopped off the giant creature. When Mich was on the ground, Soot simply turned around and started riding back to the village without saying a word.
“Not one for goodbyes, I guess…” Mich muttered to himself. He straightened his clothes and began his short trek to the city infrastructure.
Mich could tell that something was different when he was among the city buildings and streets. There was tension in the air, and there were far less people milling about than before. He wondered if it was just the area of the city that he was in or if it had something to do with the warships that he had saw flying overhead while he was in the miholo village.
He flagged down the first taxi he saw and agreed to pay 2 credit to be transported to the poor quarter. As the taxi flew the through streets, his suspicions where confirmed as he passed numerous Nerrian soldiers wielding large rifles, many of them looking exactly like the alor guards he saw when he was brought to the Queen. He wasn’t sure why they would be on Rashada, but he had a good feeling it had something to do with the rebels.
