by Maia Starr
“I really thought we were getting somewhere,” I said with a sigh. “But he doesn’t tell me anything. He keeps secrets and never allows me a chance to get closer to him. We had one moment where I felt as if all was right, but then I got scared…”
“You’re afraid you drove him away?” G’larah asked. “Because of the way you felt?”
“Yes,” I whispered, my eyes pooling with tears. “And there’s something else…”
“What is it?” G’larah asked gently, although I was beginning to get the feeling that the Old Ones were somehow psychic and I was wasting my breath speaking my experiences out loud.
“I have a friend who followed me here. He is convinced that he is going to rescue me.”
“Ah, that’s who he is,” G’larah said.
“What?”
“A human male came charging through here not long after Aloitus left. He was sure Aloitus had left you here to die.”
I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. “Damn it, Kirk.”
“Who is Kirk?” G’larah prompted.
“A close friend who wants to be with me. But…”
G’larah raised her brow at me.
“He’s not the one I love. I love someone else…”
“Aloitus,” G’larah said, nodding seriously.
I sighed and shook my head. “This is stupid. Where is Kirk now?”
G’larah laughed. “We put him somewhere safe. He is going to get us all killed if he isn’t careful.”
“Can I speak with him?”
“Of course,” G’larah said. She rose from the table and walked me down a long, winding corridor until we reached a room with a deep crevice in the wall that was lined with walls. At first, I didn’t see anybody, but I quickly realized that Kirk was in a dark prison cell.
“Why is he locked up?” I exclaimed.
“He was trespassing,” G’larah said simply. “And not just in our tunnels. You are lucky harsher action has not been taken against him.”
I sighed and shook my head.
“Did you hear that, Kirk? You’re getting yourself into all of this trouble.”
Kirk ignored my question and ran to the bars, holding them tightly. “You’re all right!”
“Of course I’m all right!” I exclaimed. “Aloitus has never harmed me.”
Kirk’s face fell. “You say that like you like him.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Does it matter what I feel to you? Really?”
Kirk was surprised and looked up at me, his eyes wide. “Of course!”
“Are you sure?” I demanded. “You pushed me out of the way so that you could escape when Aloitus abducted me. And you told me all about your feelings for me without ever asking me how I felt. You just…you just took advantage of my being vulnerable the first chance you got!”
Kirk gaped at me, anger beginning to set in his features.
“That’s not…of course I…why are you acting like this?” Kirk demanded.
“Because I’m just not comfortable with all of this!” I exclaimed. “You come in here and disrespect these people, and you make all these assumptions about me when the only reason I’m here in the first place is because you decided to save your own ass first? I don’t need that, Kirk. And I don’t need you.”
“Melinda—”
“Can you take me out of here?” I asked G’larah with a heavy sigh. “This isn’t working for me. I need some time alone.”
“Of course,” G’larah said, turning to face Kirk. His obnoxious pleading was silenced by her glare, and I felt a surge of relief course through me. As comfortable as it had seemed to rely on Kirk in my moment of need, the fact remained that he was, and always had been, selfish.
Sure, there were those great times when he was sweet and caring, but his affection for me blinded him to my own feelings, and I couldn’t live like that. At least with Aloitus, he had seemed to care what I felt. At least at first.
Once Kirk was quiet, G’larah led me to a comfortable room that was lit with a golden glow. I was able to set the little blue lantern on a table by the bedside and see everything in the room clearly.
“You may stay here,” G’larah said with a deep bow to me. “We will see to it that you and your friend are safe, despite the dangers approaching. Do not fret. We will take care of you.”
“Thanks to you,” I said shakily, trying to speak in the same peculiar dialect that the Thressl’n and the Old Ones seemed to share. This brightened G’larah’s face, and I felt warmed by her kindness.
“If you should need anything, just call. We have extraordinary hearing.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling somewhat embarrassed about my conversation with Aloitus. Just how much did they know about us?
I laid down on the bed, my chest heavy. Everything felt like it was a huge mess. I wished that none of it had ever happened. It almost felt better to be engaged to King Korta than to have this hot-and-cold relationship with the leader of the Thressl’n. Why couldn’t anything just be easy for once?
Chapter 10
Aloitus Cloch’h (Supreme Leader of the Thressl’n)
“Supreme Leader Aloitus!” Zerk’k Arkti’s voice said urgently from my communications device. “The Vellreq’s ships were spotted heading this way. Commander Wyl’es is setting up the first strike as we speak.”
“Gods,” I exclaimed, standing rigidly from my desk. It was time to evacuate the people.
“Get the innocents loaded on the ships. The drills have been going successfully. Then go see if Commander Wyl’es needs help.”
“Yes, sir,” Zerk’k said.
Soon, I heard the alarms going off in the town and crowds of elderly Thressl’n females and males were being herded to the ships that had been parked nearby. The young children were helping them to the ships, as calm and collected as they had been during the drills. It made my hearts soar with pride to see my people reacting calmly in the face of disaster.
But it had all been planned, from bottom to top. Everything but my complicated feelings for the Earth female.
Soon, the ships had launched successfully, heading straight to the Kalron’s territory in the galaxy, and I headed straight for the weapons chamber to get into my fighter.
“Laike,” I exclaimed. “What is the status on our weapon?”
There was silence from the other end of my communications device for a moment before Laike’s voice finally replied. “I am working on making it fully operational, sir.”
That wasn’t the news I had wanted to hear.
“The Vellreq are on their way,” I said as calmly as I could. “Please, do your best.”
“Yes, sir.”
I powered up my fighter and rose from the field, my hearts pounding hard. I could already hear the ravages of war in the sky above me, and headed high, holding my breath through the turbulence of Jenal’k’s atmosphere. This might well be the last time I saw my people, my planet. But I couldn’t let that deter me. There was so much at stake.
It didn’t take me long to see the huge Vellreq ship leading the masses of ships toward Jenal’k. The ugly symbol, a jagged gray world sliced in half, was held high as a crest on the flags as the ship made its slow progression toward Jenal’k.
The Commander of the Fleet had been instructed to let the Vellreq ship pass into Jenal’k, to be dealt with by myself and myself alone. I wanted to ensure the safety of my crew. If the fight was to be brought to Jenal’k and the worst case scenario was to happen, there would be no survivors.
“Welcome to Jenal’k!” I said sarcastically into the intercom. The Vellreq would certainly pick up the frequency. I led them deep into the area of the Red Desert that had been prepared for the ultimate strike. The Kalron had volunteered their services for ground combat, along with many hardy Thressl’n men. But I couldn’t risk losing my most valuable men, and had instructed them to flee if they were in undue danger.
Soon, the sky was alight with different colored laser beams, their frequencies making the air around my
ship crackle. I expertly dodged them as the Vellreq ship lazily made its way to the field, completely undeterred by the amount of fire it had walked into.
“You will pay for this, Aloitus, Leader of the Thressl’n.”
I was chilled by the sound of Korta’s voice through my communications bangle. Somehow, they had tapped into the frequency.
But I couldn’t let it shake me.
“Ready yourselves!” I shouted, abandoning use of my communications bangle and shouting loudly. “Do exactly as we practiced!”
More loud booms filled the sky, and I gasped as an explosion of sparks rained over the field. I closed my eyes, begging the Fates to spare my men.
The doorways of the Vellreq ships began to open, deploying organized groups of the large, cruel looking creatures. Their ugly, bark-like skin was painted with bright white symbols, and soon they began charging.
“Let’s go!” I shouted, raising my fighter ship into the air and releasing fire upon the Vellreq.
I managed a few casualties, but the shields they were using were unbelievably powerful. Once the foot troops had been deployed, fighters like mine were released, and I held my breath.
“Steady!” I shouted.
“The shield is up!” Laike exclaimed through my communications bangle. Through my tension, a tendril of relief surged through.
“Great!” I told him. “I trust your discretion!”
“Of course,” Laike said, cutting out once again.
A sudden rumble shook the whole of Jenal’k, and everybody looked up at the sky, eyes wide with curiosity as a clear surge of energy began to crackle above our heads. Another explosion in the sky rained sparks below, but the shield stopped them short of falling onto us. It was an incredible sight.
“It’s working!” I told Laike.
“I know,” Laike replied. A sudden blue streak of light ripped a line through the sky. “Everything is operational.”
A powerful explosion burst forward from the blue light, and several Vellreq ships fell from the sky and clattered against the shield, slipping down it and ricocheting back into space.
The Vellreq paled, fear clear on their faces. I grinned, suddenly confident in my plan for the first time since I’d brought the human female to Jenal’k. It was time to show the Vellreq who was in charge around here and save the universe.
***
The battle was bloody and intense, and I saw many great Thressl’n men fall. Every once in a while, a well-aimed streak of white light would erupt from the shield over our heads and strike a Vellreq where he stood, and the Thressl’n and Kalron warriors would cheer.
While it was heartening, I was beginning to grow anxious. I had seen no sign of King Korta since the battle had begun. Without facing and defeating him, the Vellreq would likely continue on in their horrific conquest. It was his cruelty that had turned the Vellreq into the monsters they had become, and if we allowed him to escape, there would be no telling what might happen.
“Looks like I win after all,” Korta’s voice said suddenly into my communications device.
“Aloitus!”
My hearts hammered in my chest. Melinda had shrieked into the communications device just before Korta cackled and cut off reception. He had her. How had he gotten hold of her?
“Hold the front lines!” I demanded.
The troops tightened their ranks, and I sped away in my fighter, rushing toward the last place I had seen Melinda. The caverns of the Old Ones.
I spotted King Korta immediately. He towered above the thin, reed-like trees that were just beginning to grow between the Red Deserts and the caverns, dragging a small figure in his large hands. My blood turned to ice. Melinda.
“You’re going to regret this, Korta!” I exclaimed, jumping out of my fighter. I couldn’t risk the beams hitting Melinda.
I landed on Korta’s shoulders, slamming the butt of my weapon in Korta’s face. He laughed and flicked me off his shoulder as if I were a mere bug.
I scrambled to my feet and shot at his back with my laser, and he sighed heavily and turned around to face me.
“You took my human, Aloitus. And now I am going to take your life.”
He shoved Melinda aside, and she fell heavily to the ground with a cry of pain. Rage boiled in my chest, and I lunged at Korta, and was again stricken away. He was a strong, heartless creature, and I fell painfully to my back. But I had to protect Melinda.
“Aloitus!” she shrieked as Korta lifted her again, slinging her small body over his shoulder.
I narrowed my eyes and ran toward Korta, discarding my useless weapon. The only way I could fight him was with superior technology. But still, I would try.
Korta roared in fury as I ran in front of him and ducked down, tripping him with my body. His bulky, clumsy body fell to the ground with a thud, and I grabbed Melinda’s hand and pulled her to her feet, lifting her easily and running with all my might toward the caverns of the Old Ones.
“Protect her!” I shouted. “Get her out of here!”
The Old Ones clamored around, pulling Melinda away from me, to the far part of the cavern.
“We evacuated her!” G’larah exclaimed.
I studied the high priestess, unable to hide my irritation. “Well, apparently not well enough.”
“What is the meaning of this?” G’larah exclaimed to Melinda. Melinda looked down at the ground, her brow furrowed.
“I will not abandon Aloitus,” she said, turning her eyes onto me. My hearts thudded as we gazed at each other from across the room. “I love you.”
I was awe-struck by the admission.
“Please, protect her!” I shouted.
I ran down the corridor and toward the room where the most ancient, secret weapon was located. I could not fight Korta on my own, but with the help of the Old Ones, I would be able to go down with a fight.
I waited until I heard Melinda’s shouting disappear down the long corridor before I choked the words I had been dreading out into the communications bangle. “Evacuate. Everybody please, evacuate Jenal’k. It was an honor to serve as your leader. Zerk’k Arkti will take care of you all now. Please, I repeat. Evacuate.”
The sky was chaos as the ships began to launch, taking as many soldiers with them as they could carry. Melinda was on one of those ships, I knew, and I closed my eyes, overwhelmed with pain at the thought of never seeing her beautiful face again.
But there was no choice. Hand-to-hand combat with the Vellreq king was impossible, and none of our weapons seemed capable of penetrating his armor. The other Vellreq were just as strong, and report after report of Thressl’n death was reaching my bangle. I tore it off my arm and threw it in the back of the cave. It was time to end this once and for all.
I quickly typed in the sequence to the bomb that had been embedded in the core of Jenal’k since the early days of the Old Ones after a premonition had encouraged them to build it for the ultimate case of self-defense. I would do anything to serve my people and protect the one I loved. And that was all there was to it.
Suddenly, the ground began to quake around me, and I bolted out of the caves. I was going to fight Korta to the death, and go down fighting my hearts out.
Korta was surprised when I jumped out in front of him, but grinned maliciously.
“Where is the female?” he demanded. “I want her to see you die.”
“You will never harm her again,” I said. Although I was afraid, I knew that this was the end for both of us, and I found that unbelievably satisfying.
“I will harm you,” King Korta promised, unleashing a deep, ugly roar and running toward me, drawing out a long blade.
I dodged just in time and pulled my own out, ready to duel to the death. He roared in anger and whipped around to strike at me, but his body was large and cumbersome, and his movements slow. I struck at his legs with my blade, and he roared again, this time in pain.
The ground was rumbling again as the bomb began to detonate, and Korta looked down at the ground in co
nfusion. I smiled at him, and his face fell with uncertainty. I glanced to the sky, where my men’s ships were launching to safety.
Another tremor shook the ground, and a sudden, deafening bang exploded in my ears. I dropped to the ground, blackness filling my eyes. Even as I sank into the darkness, I smiled. I had done what I’d intended. I had saved the universe.
***
“Aloitus.”
I grimaced as a brilliant white light flooded my eyelids. I must be dead, heading down the long tunnel of light to meet the Fates.
“Aloitus!”
Melinda’s voice echoed in my ears, and I looked for her face, but the light was just too bright. I closed my eyes again and grunted, trying to move my hand to feel her body against my fingers.
But my arm suddenly filled with agonizing pain, and Melinda’s beautiful voice chuckled.
“Be careful,” she whispered, clasping my hands with her own. Their warmth filled me with the purest joy I had ever felt, and again I attempted to open my eyes. This time, a dark blur eclipsed the light, and I began to make out the perfect features of Melinda’s face. “That’s it. Slowly.”
“Melinda? Did you die too?” I asked.
The whole room about me exploded in laughter, and I startled. Everybody quieted at once, and Melinda rubbed my shoulder soothingly.
“It’s all right,” she said gently. “You’re not dead.”
“How…how is that possible? What about Korta?”
“You won,” Melinda said. My eyes were beginning to adjust to the light, and I opened them wide, taking in the unbelievable sight of Melinda’s smiling face. Around the bed were the highest ranking officials of Jenal’k, and several of the Old Ones. It was rare to see them in such a brightly lit space.
“How is that possible?” I asked. “I was to die with my planet.”
“But Aloitus,” Laike intervened, stepping beside Melinda and beaming down at me. “The planet is alive!”
I gasped and sat up, ignoring the immense pain flooding my body.
“What?”
“It is true!” Zerk’k said, stepping to my bedside. “None of us thought it would be possible!”
