The Solar Flare

by Laura E. Collins

  Chapter 12: Ibis

  As twilight approached, Wesley returned to the Andromeda at the main hangar. Justin was waiting to brief him of everything that had been loaded for Ava’s secret stay at the base on Ibis. He proceeded to tell him all of the details as Wesley looked around.

  “There’s enough here to last about six weeks if needed, but I doubt that she’ll need to be away more than two or three depending on how fast Kaden gets here,” Justin commented.

  “Thank you, and Rowan, for all that you’ve done,” Wesley replied, powering up the ship.

  “Are you sure you don’t want some help?”

  “No, I have to do this alone, for her safety.”

  “How is Ava taking all of this?”

  “She’s coping quite well, considering everything. . . I told her about Xavier.”

  “How did she react?”

  “Okay I guess. I’m not sure how she should take that kind of news. It’s complicated,” Wesley stated as he took his seat in the flight deck.

  Justin changed the subject. “Andre and Ash are getting ready to take the Principia up to see if they can detect any nearby transmissions from Kaden. We’ll get through this, we always do.”

  “I know. I’d better be on my way. I’ll be back by dawn.”

  “Good luck,” Justin said as he turned to exit the ship.

  “Thanks,” Wesley called after him. As soon as Justin stepped away from the Andromeda, the entrance ramp raised and Wesley lifted off, destination known only to him.

  Though sunset was just beginning, below him Wesley could see the residents running here and there almost in a state of panic since Vance announced that an attack from Kaden was imminent. The citizens were doing their best to salvage anything and everything they could and be prepared to hide out in the recently built bomb shelters under the village. Back at home, Ava sadly packed her travel bag with things that she might need for an extended stay away. She downloaded music, many books, and movies at Wesley’s suggestion to keep herself occupied. Afterwards she showered and went to bed. She planned to report for work in the morning as he said he’d come for her if anything changed.

  Wesley raced through the night sky across the vast purple and deep blue ocean on Kyanos to the desert. He landed outside of the base on Ibis and unloaded a power cell, entered the code on the large metal doors to the base and waited patiently as they groaned open. They had built the sturdy, concealed structure decades ago into a large sandy rock face in the middle of no-where. He remembered the desert fondly as this is where they tested many of the weapons and flight capabilities of the Andromeda, after it was first built. Once inside, he installed the new power cell and illuminated the station. He quickly set to work unloading all of the supplies that Rowan and Justin had prepared for Ava. The base had a main control room, a storage area with a massive water supply tank, a small living quarter area which consisted of two bunk beds, a small bathroom, a sitting area, a decent workout area, and a kitchen, or mess hall as they had called it. The refrigerators quickly cooled down and Wesley loaded them with non-perishable food and water for Ava. They would bring fresher foods if they were able when the time came. Wesley realized that the small base seemed to resemble Ava’s life on Orionis. She will be perfectly safe here, he thought. There was no threat from desert animals on Ibis, merely only a few insects, at least that’s all they had ever seen. After a few hours, Wesley surveyed his work, pleased with his efforts. He powered the base down to standby and locked it. The return trip back to the main hangar at the compound went quickly. He checked in with the engineers in the control room at the other hangar. As there was no news from the Principia yet, he decided to call it a night and return home for a few hours of rest.

  The people of Kyanos continued to prepare for Kaden’s assault as the week dragged on. Ava went to and from work regularly. She enjoyed being with patients again; it seemed to take her mind off of all of the complications in her new life. She also enjoyed working with Dr. Sullivan, who taught her a lot about the new ailments and conditions she was starting to see on Kyanos. He had been informed that Wesley would be taking her away as soon as a threat from Kaden was detected. Life almost seemed normal for a while. The Principia had meanwhile been lethally armed for battle, just like the Andromeda. Ash and most of the crew went up on surveillance missions daily and returned with no news of Kaden’s whereabouts. Ava knew this concerned Wesley. They could not figure out what was taking Kaden so long, or worse, what he had planned. Then it happened. Ash and Mia detected the faint static of some transmissions late one afternoon. Ava had just arrived home from work and Wesley bounded into the house, informing her that they would need to leave immediately.

  The entire crew gathered in the hangar to quickly hug Ava and wish her well before she and Wesley departed. Ava almost had tears in her eyes. She hated being separated from her new family. Deep down, she had a bad feeling about it.

  “It’s going to be okay. We’ll win this one. Our odds are better now than before. Just think of this as a time for you to relax and take it easy. We’ll come for you as soon as it is safe,” Naomi said trying to soothe Ava’s nerves by brushing it off.

  “I appreciate your efforts to keep me safe, but I really think I should stay with you,” Ava attempted to appeal once more not to be separated from them.

  “It’s too dangerous sweetheart. I regret that I left you so unprotected on Orionis all of the time. I can’t let that happen again. We must keep you safe from Kaden, and from Draves,” Wesley reasoned with her gently.

  “Good bye Ava, try not worry,” Rowan gave Ava a hug and Wesley took her hand, leading her up the ramp of the Andromeda. She took Ash’s seat in the flight deck next to Wesley as he powered up the magnificent starship, raised the entrance ramp, and lifted off. They tore through the sky ferociously as Wesley wanted to waste no time securing Ava and return back to the city on Kyanos to prepare for Kaden.

  After a few hours they touched down gently near the base. They made a few trips to and from the ship, unloading some fresh food and other last minute items Ava might need. Wesley taught Ava the codes to unlock and lock the massive doors, and also how to operate the computer control system once inside the base. He advised Ava not to use her PCD unless it was an extreme emergency as they sometimes emit frequencies detectable outside of the atmosphere. He did not want any chance of Kaden discovering her. Therefore, there would be no communication between them until the battle was over.

  “I know I don’t need to tell you this, but please take good care of yourself. Rest, relax, read. I’ll be back before you know it.” He smiled reassuringly at her.

  “Can I look around outside of the base?” Ava knew she’d go stir crazy if she stayed inside for more than a few days at a time.

  “If you must, but be very careful. I would prefer it if you stayed in here, but I know you. Don’t stray too far, always stay in sight of the base. You have nothing to fear here, but it does get rather hot during the day and cold at night. Don’t go outside if there is a sand storm.” Wesley looked down at her with concerned eyes.

  “I’ll be fine, I’ll stay out of trouble, I promise,” she reassured him.

  “I love you Ava. I promise I will come for you as soon as I can.” He gathered her into a warm embrace, allowing his energy to permeate her, not quite ready to let go.

  “Be safe. Take care of yourself and the others. I love you and I need you to come back for me soon. After all, we need to get started planning our wedding.” Ava smiled, reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. They held each other for a few moments and then it was time. Ava knew he had to get back to defend the city against Kaden. She watched sadly as he left, locking the doors behind him. She ran to the computers and powered up the monitor. She found the outside camera feed and watched as the Andromeda lifted off and sped away. She was now alone.

  Chapter 13: War

  Wesley swiftly returned to the hangar in the city and exited the starship to receive an updated report
on Kaden’s attack. City engineers quickly began re-fueling and charging the ship, readying it for the confrontation. Four more days slowly passed and still no attack. Wesley, the crew, and Vance along with a few other officers, met twice daily in one of the attached offices of the hangar to discuss strategy.

  “What direction are the signals coming from?” Wesley asked, getting right to the point.

  “It looks as though they are coming from the West, his usual point of entry,” Ash answered and then continued. “I can’t be sure, but I believe that I have also detected a few other scarcely traceable transmissions just outside of the atmosphere.”

  All eyes were now on Ash. “How many other transmissions?” Wesley demanded.

  “I’m not sure, sometimes it looks like one, and other times it looks like two to three but I can’t get a lock on them.”

  “Is it possible that Kaden could have more than one ship?” Vance inquired.

  “We don’t know of any other allies or starships he commands,” Wesley answered. He thought for a moment and then continued, “but with Draves helping him, there’s no telling what they might try. I suppose it’s possible that Draves could have helped Kaden commandeer one of the ships from the space pirates.”

  “They’ll be heavily armed if that’s the case,” Andre interjected.

  “What is the status on the ground defense?” Wesley asked Vance.

  “The people are ready to relocate to the shelters as soon as the siren sounds. We have all of the ground cannons armed and ready to fire at them when they are close enough to be in range.” Vance answered.

  “Good, I’d like to . . .” Wesley began.

  Ash’s PCD began to beep loudly. He lifted it and looked up at Wesley. “They are coming!”

  “Vance, sound the alarms, help get everyone to safety then take your position. We’re going to the ships. We will do our best to protect everyone!” Wesley shouted as people started running to their posts.

  Wesley, Justin, and Rowan boarded the Andromeda. Andre, Ash, Mia, and Naomi ran to the waiting courier to take them to board the Principia, ready to assist in the fight. People ran in various directions shouting and screaming to be heard to each other over the deafening sirens. The scene on the ground looked chaotic, but the residents of Kyanos were used to this and followed procedures well. They were hopeful that this would be the last fight, now that their Asterions had two ships to fight with. Wesley took the Andromeda up, trying to get a lock on the signal. The Principia waited, hidden in its hangar, ready to seize an opportunity to attack from behind, as Kaden did not yet know about their second starship.

  “We’ve got a lock, they’re coming in from the West!” Justin shouted to Wesley in the flight deck.

  “I’m on it,” Wesley swiftly changed directions to meet Kaden head on.

  “We are standing by,” Andre communicated through the encoded transmissions from the Principia.

  Wesley focused his mind on the fight and Kaden, with only a few last thoughts about Ava, feeling happy that she was safe and sound, far from here. Suddenly the Draconis appeared in the distance in plain view. It swiftly changed directions, moving away from the Andromeda. “What’s he up to? He knows that we see them,” Wesley thought out loud. They continued to follow the Draconis, gaining on them. “Wait until I get closer to fire on them,” Wesley commanded to the others, waiting at their posts. The Draconis picked up speed and Wesley punched it. “It’s like he wants us to follow him. I don’t like this. . .” Wesley spoke over the transmission to Justin and Andre.

  “There’s another transmission!” Justin shouted. “It’s behind us!”

  Wesley swerved sharply to one side and nearly missed the assault on one side of the Andromeda. “There are two of them!”

  Then, the Draconis flipped and charged them head on, the Andromeda caught between the two enemy ships. The Draconis fired on them heavily and made several successful hits on the top of the ship, the shields deflecting most of the damage.

  “We’re coming! You can’t fight them both!” Andre announced. “Which ship is Kaden and Draves in?”

  “I don’t know!” Wesley bellowed, above the noise from all of the weapons firing trying to stay focused, but it seemed as though the new starship mimicked his every move. Wesley flipped the Andromeda, trying to get behind the new enemy and it did the same, staying behind him, firing on him. “I think Draves is in the second ship! Take him out Andre, Kaden is in the Draconis, they split up!” Wesley continued to attack the Draconis while trying to evade the second ship until Andre could get there. The Draconis suddenly disappeared, just as it had done in their last fight. “He’s using cloaking technology again! The signal is jammed!”

  “Time to try ours out!” Ash announced. “Wesley, drop out of the fight and let them chase you to us, we can surprise them just as well!”

  “Affirmative.” Wesley pulled out of the fight and changed directions, heading directly for the Principia, with two ships, one invisible, and one visible giving chase.

  Wesley could not visibly see the Principia but he knew it was there. He ducked the Andromeda beneath its wake as the Principia fired mercilessly in the direction of on the oncoming ships.

  ∞

  Ava woke up and made herself a small breakfast, took a shower, and went to the computer in the command center portion of the base. She looked out at the sunny desert through the monitor hoping to see any sign of the Andromeda. It had been several days since Wesley had brought her here for her safety, but with each passing day she became more anxious and restless. The desert appeared rather peaceful and serene. Ava decided that today would be a good day to go outside for some fresh air. She glanced at her PCD she routinely wore on her belt out of habit. It was only eight thirty in the morning. She had noticed that the winds seemed to kick up a lot of dust usually around noon time. Plenty of time to explore and be back here before that happens, she thought. Ava dressed in light gray cargo pants, black boots, and a three quarter length sleeved black shirt. She grabbed one of the small backpacks she found in the storage room and placed a small bottle of water inside, along with her hat and sunglasses. She saw there was a small flashlight in the bag and decided to leave it there. After applying her sunscreen she punched the code to open the massive doors to the base, which took several seconds for them to open completely. Once outside she repeated the process to close them.

  The bright sun light almost blinded her as she was used to the darker light inside the base, but the sun felt so good, and warm on her. She inhaled the fresh warm breeze as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put her sunglasses on. She walked slowly observing her surroundings on the rock face of where the base was. There’s no possible way I could get lost, she thought, this looks like it goes on forever. She continued to walk for about a mile along the rock face, feeling good to get out and burn some energy. She recently sensed that the sum of what was left of Justin’s energy transferred to her through the blood transfusion was waning and that she would soon be back to her own normal self.

  Ava looked straight ahead of her as she strolled and was startled suddenly by a large, brightly colored winged insect that flew up in front of her from underneath a rock in the terrain. How beautiful, she thought. The insect flew about as if it were in a dance in front of her for a few moments before it headed off along the side of the rock face. She decided to follow it, as it didn’t appear to be in a hurry. She noticed that it flew into a separation into the rock face ahead. As she reached the opening she gazed inside. She could see the insect flying into another opening further down, although it was a little darker than where she was standing. She decided to go down and check it out. She found some rocks nearby and made a line pointing in the direction she would need to turn to get back to the base just in case she felt disoriented when she came out.

  As she neared the opening she could smell a sweet fragrance, almost like one of Rowan’s flower gardens. She remembered the flashlight in her backpack and pulled it out and continued on. The wal
ls of the cave glittered with silvery bits of minerals, creating a shimmering effect. Ava thought it was breathtaking. Wesley had said there were no animals out here, there’s nothing to fear she thought. She walked for another hundred and fifty feet, looking for the insect she had followed, which she could no longer see. I’d better turn back and go back to the base she thought, going forward another few feet. Unexpectedly she tripped over a rock that her boot got caught on and crashed down with a loud grunt. Suddenly, there was the sound of innumerable insect wings flapping. She gasped as a large swarm of insects flew out of a nearby tunnel towards her and the entrance. She must have roused them with the noise of her fall. Ava stood up and started sprinting back towards the entrance, which was difficult to see over the thousands of insects flying around her. As she ran she felt the elevation of the ground dip and she realized too late she was falling into a deep crevice in the floor that she was careful to stay away from when coming in to the cave. She screamed as she crashed into the wall; falling down to the bottom of it, landing in a few feet of water.

  Ava did not lose consciousness but picked herself up and stood still for a few moments, leaning on the side of the crevice, breathing heavily, trying to get a mental grasp of her situation. Luckily she still had the flashlight in her grip. The right side of her forehead throbbed. She reached up and touched it, feeling a mild scrape with a little blood, but no big deal. Her right leg ached a little, but otherwise she was okay. She turned the flashlight back on and looked at her surroundings. She figured that she was about twenty feet down from the surface of the cave in a narrow crevice, about ten feet wide by fifteen feet long. There seemed to be about almost two feet of water in the bottom, which she was standing in. Ava noticed that there were many rock points sticking out here and there on the walls. She collected herself and set to work to climb out of her situation. The rock face was moist due to the humidity inside the cave and Ava did not have any climbing gear with her. She tried several times and kept slipping and sliding back to the bottom. After about an hour she gave up. I just need to rest for a few minutes, she thought; I can do this, I can climb out. She sat on a ledge close to the bottom of the crevice and pulled her feet up and out of the water, which seemed to be growing colder. She glanced at her PCD, eleven thirty in the morning, and drank a few sips of the water she had brought with her. Only about a half of a cup left, she thought sadly.