by Deb Sartoris
I ran my tongue over the bite marks on Sofia neck and she began to pull herself off the table and straighten out her clothes.
“We must reach the control center. Hurry.”
I grabbed Sofia’s hand and pressed open the door to our chambers. The hallway was filled with a blue fog – almost like the kind that was in our Kyro tubes. As we ran toward the control center of the ship – Sofia explained that the ship vented all of the tubes out into the main ship as a quick measure to awaken the main crew – it is a safety measure that the ship uses if it feels that it is in danger.
“Danger – impact to planet in 8 minutes” – “Warning – ship reaching outer atmosphere of planet in 3 minutes”.
As we rounded the last hallway we ran smack into Sofia’s Brother Ely and his wife Wisteria. They were running full pace at the control center just like we were.
“Where is Steven? Why is he not with you? The ship told us in our compartment that something was wrong with him.”
Ely said, “Do not worry for Master Steven – Sofia I promise he is safe and in our room.”
“We must get Sofia to the control panels so she can control the ship.” Again I don’t understand the technology of this ship and was wondering about how my wife would be able to stop the pending crash of our ship.
Sofia was not able to stop the ship the first time when it crashed on my home planet – I was certain that the same fate was about to cause us to crash on yet another unknown planet.
We reached the control room as the computer was counting down the last few minutes.
Sofia sat down in the glowing silver chair in the middle of the room. As she did the chair seemed to absorb her. The chair and Sofia merged as a single unit. Both seemed to fade and shimmer.
Ely ran to the other side of the control center and he sat down in another chair similar to the one that Sofia had. Ely also became part of the chair. Wisteria and I could only stand and watch. Wisteria did not seem to be concerned that both of our mates had just joined in body with the spaceship.
* * * * *
Chapter 8:
Time slipped by. The flashing lights were being turned off. The blaring voice of the ship had stopped and the smoke in the hallways was starting to clear out. The main window hatches started to slide open.
At first I could only see darkness – my eyes were still adjusting to being awake. Millions of bright lights filled the windows as the last of the protective metal screens slid down.
Outside our ship was another planet – very close to the ship it appeared to me. The inside of the ship was rocking and swaying and I had to reach for Wisteria and hang on to a pole near both of us.
Finally the ship seemed to straighten out and the rocking slowed down. The ship took on a quiet humming noise. As I helped Wisteria up from the floor we both noticed that the chairs that held our mates had returned back to normal metal chairs and both our mates were removing themselves from them.
Sofia and Ely went toward the front of the ship and starting working on the controls in the panels. I was at a loss as to what I should do. I’m not trained in such matters and it appeared that Sofia and Ely were trying their best to keep the ship in orbit around the planet. I decided to turn myself toward the open window just as the last of the smoke cleared our area.
I could see a bright green planet with red flashes of light all along the surface. Blue spots which would appear to anyone seeing them as water and brown blotches which I took as land masses began appearing all over the planet.
Finally, Sofia and Ely seemed to relax and both almost collapsed in the chairs near the control panels.
Sofia explained “That was really close! Our ship was called to this planet by someone or something in danger. Since the ship is melded with our species, it awoke us early from our sleep cycles.”
“The ship did not realize the strength of the planets orbit and nearly crashed on the surface. It took both of us to pull the ship out of the inner orbit and return it back to a safer location above the planets orbital cycle.”
“CHECKING NOW – OUR PRESENCE WAS NOT DETECTED”
“PLANET AND SPECIES BELOW ARE NOT ABLE TO TRAVEL INTO SPACE”
“PRIMITIVE RACE BY OUR STANDARDS”
“Thanks computer – please check on the ship for damages and summon Master Steven to us when he is ready” Ely said.
“Ok, let’s see how much time has passed since we entered our sleep chambers.” I thought this was a strange thing for Sofia to say – since I had assumed that little to no time had passed. Sofia’s belly was not any larger then when we entered our chamber so therefore I assumed that we had only been asleep a short while.
“Ely, can you confirm my calculations?” “Working on it now, Sofia. It appears that we were asleep for almost 50 years. We are not on our original flight plan and this planet is not on our charts.”
Just as this news was settling in a strange man entered the room. “ Mom, Dad – are you alright? What happened? Where are we? Why did we get woken up early?”
Ely and Wisteria turned to the man and both hugged him. “Son…Steven, take a breath and slow down. Everything is fine.”
Steven – how can this be – he was but an infant when we entered our sleep chambers. Sofia’s belly was not any larger and our child was not grown and yet Steven whom I just saw as an infant was now a strong, handsome young man.
Ely and Wisteria seem to know him and yet that did not make any sense to me. They had to have been awoken the same way we had and surely they did not have time to get acquainted with their son before running to the control center.
“Sit down Steven – we can explain everything.” “No! Wait - Mom – there is something that I must tell you. Someone is calling to me. I can hear their voice in my head. They are in real danger. It is as if I know this being and yet I have never seen this planet before in my life.”
“Do you still hear the voice now that the ship has returned to the outer orbit?” “Yes – but a bit weaker then before. I’m not sure if the being is still alive or it is just because we are farther away from the surface of the planet.”
“MISTRESS SOFIA – OTHERS ARE BEING AWAKEN BY THE CREATURES ON THE PLANET”
“What – how many others?”
“COUNTING NOW – 10, NO CORRECTION 15, CORRECTION COUNT IS INCREASING”
“Are there any Dhampir’s awake?”
“CHECKING NOW MISTRESS – YES ONE HAS BEEN AWOKEN”
“MASTER Mesquil”
“Order received mistress – sending someone now”
“First things first.” Sofia stood in the middle of the ship and placed her hands on the control panels. Her hands seemed to sink into the metal panel. “Let’s get this ship and crew stabilized first.”
Sofia called out a name – I could not understand the language that she used. Ely was standing next to me and he must have noticed the puzzled look on my face. “Sofia is talking with the ship now. Checking her systems and verifying which crew members are still sleeping and which were waking during our initial decent into the planet.”
“This is going to take a little while – why don’t we move into the conference room next to the control center and let Sofia finish her connection to the ship.”
Ely, Wisteria, Steven and I all moved into the conference room. As the doors shut, Steven sat down in one of the chairs and put his hands on his head. Wisteria and Ely went to sit next to him and all sat at the table with hands touching each other.
“Quiet now son – it will be alright.”
“Mom - I can hear the being again – more desperate now. It seems to be aware that I’m here now. She understands that I’m close she is asking no begging me to hurry.”
“What did you say Steven – SHE understands?” “She needs me mom! I’m not sure why. I’m scared. I don’t know why this being is asking for me.”
“Do you think the being is going to harm you?” Ely put his hand on his Son’s shoulder – “Relax, Steven, feel inside. Close y
our eyes, breath. Calm yourself. If you and this being are somehow connected, your fear and insecurity might be affecting the way this creature feels.”
“Relax. Try and calm yourself. Breath slowly.” “Better now.” “Ok, so what do you feel with your connection to the creature on the planet.”
* * * * *
Chapter 9:
“The creature is scared, trapped. Something is wrong. She senses danger all around. She is not able to get free. She is being held against her will. There are others like her nearby and all are trapped. She is worried about the others.”
“Mom - Dad what does this all mean? Why can I hear this creature? She is not like me I can tell – not of our species and yet it is like we are joined together in mind.”
Wisteria spoke up. “Perhaps the creature has the ability to send out her thoughts. We were passing through their space and somehow she reached into your mind.”
“That still does not explain how that connection broke our ship off its flight plan and how it turned the ship toward this planet” Steven replied.
“You have much to learn about our species. You have only just been awoken. Many years have passed that have aged your body and spirit. Your training occurred during your sleep cycle and you are still adjusting to your surroundings. The 50 years that have passed in sleep would have given you the time to adjust to becoming the man that you are now. But because you do not have the physical experiences that come with your age you are unsure of what you must do.”
“Each of us must find our own path. Each must look within our spirits and understand the reason for our existence. All of these things we learn though our life’s journey. You however have no real life experiences to use to help you only what the computer and the ship has set forth to teach you during you sleep.”
“We are both sure that you will find the purpose for our journey to this planet. You are the key to the reason why the ship turned off our assigned course and woke all of us early.”
Just then Sofia came into the room. She seemed much calmer. Her color and shimmer was back and she walked with an assurance that everything would be alright.
“So Steven – the ship tells me that you are the reason why we were pulled off course and woken early. What have you to say to that?”
“Honest, Aunt Sofia I have no idea what is happening any more then you do.”
“Well you sure have changed in the last 50 years. Look at you all grown up and a strong man. I’m sure we will find our answers on the planet below.”
“Everyone I have to tell you all something.” Sofia motioned for all of us to sit down around the table. “I was not sure what was going on until I merged with the ship just a few minutes ago. My mind was being filled with voices. At first I thought it was from the ship and crew. It would make sense to me that everyone on board was scared and worried why we were woken early.”
“But the ship has chosen to only wake a few dozen of us. I have asked all those who are awake to eat and dress. They will meet us in a few hours in the main docking area.”
“I hear voices from the planet as well; that is what I need to tell you.”
Ely raised his hand. “Sofia – it is alright – it appears that you are not the only one. Steven has been hearing a FEMALE voice ever since he was awoken a few minutes ago.”
“Hmmm…female…that is very interesting!” “Oh stop Aunt Sofia – I can not control this creature. It is like I have always known her. I hear her voice inside my head. I think she has always been with me and yet I do not remember her.”
“To be honest Aunt Sofia – I think I heard her voice while I was sleeping. I though I was dreaming but perhaps the dream was a gift of thought from the creature below on the planet.”
Sofia nodded her head decisively. “The rest of the ship is in order most all of the crew is still in their Kyro tubes unaware of the stop of the ship around this planet. I think it is about time that we all go back to our chambers and get cleaned up. Eat, rest and lets all meet back at the docking area in a few hours with the rest of the crew that is awake.”
* * * * *
Chapter 10:
Many moons ago on the planet of Algamo…..
A lone servant - Tusk– bent with age and dirty from head to foot ran along a small dark cave. His clothes were torn and smelled of sweat. Blood stains were on his shirt and pants. His hands were sore and torn in places. His right leg always hurt now. The long scar down his thigh was always red and never seemed to heal. His shoes were just strips of his clothes that he had tied around his feet using some twine he found. His head was gray now but he once was a tall, well cared for man. His skin was tanned from the sun and his muscles honed and tight from his many battles. His hair was once long brown and worn in a pony tail with pieces of bones from his kills tied into it. Tusk was once a leader of this area on his planet – the son of the great king who lived here a long time ago. Before…always everything he remembered was…before.
Algamo: A lush green planet with forest and water flowing on all of the land masses. Many life forms lived here. Birds sang in the trees once. Monkeys and other wildlife lived in the forest a long time ago. As Tusk remembered his planet his eyes filled with tears. He could remember how all who came to visit his family were happy. The other animals on the planet loved the royal family as well. Now, things were very different.
Of course all that was from a previous generation a very long time ago. The witch and her army had killed all but a remaining few of the original family. He was old now he knew that – but still he held out hope that somehow, someday he would have his revenge upon the witch and all of those who had enslaved his planet.
Each night he would look out to the stars and remember about the woman of his past. She was tall and matched his height all but a few inches. She had long brown hair and was tan as he was. She was to be his wife. The women of his planet held many secrets he knew but never once did his soon to be bride tell him those secrets. It was the way of their people that after their wedding the woman would tell her husband what her secret was.
Many nights they would sneak away out to the great lake. Tusk and his woman would make love upon the beach and wonder what their lives would be like. His bride, taken by the witch a long time ago as punishment to keep him in line, gone so long, he could not even remember her name.
Just then the ground rumbled and he placed his hands over his head as pieces of rock fell from the ceiling. The shaking was always followed by a blast of heat and if you were outside you could see the smoke and bright red fires that bellowed upward out of the ground.
Each time the shaking happened it appeared to Tusk to last longer and the mountains and sky seemed to be redder and filled with more smoke each day. Tusk could not remember now when was the last time he had not felt the ground shaking.
He was headed toward his master’s chambers. He had some news that he hoped would be greatly rewarded. Perhaps the witch might allow him some extra bread and water with his weekly rations. He was the slave to the witch. He no longer was one of the royal family born on this planet.
As Tusk entered the mouth to the cave opening he said “The queen has laid her eggs my master. There are several dozen of them this time. Do you think that this will end our wars?”
“I am but the witch - Kvony – Witch to the royal family. How would I know of such things? We need the war to continue. It is what keeps my family in power. Without all of the evil that I bring there cannot be royals to stay in charge.”
“Did you not just feel my power as it entered into this planet? Each time I make the ground shake I can feel the power that it brings to me and my family. The planet is giving herself up to me each day more and more.”
“It is my soul purpose in life to keep the royal family in power. They are not always aware of what I must do to keep their little royal heads on their thrones.”
“Tusk – empty the cages of the animals out – I think I will try another spell on the little red bird this time. Bring i
t to me! Now hurry up. I have seen you playing with the bird Tusk – what do you think I should do to it in return? You showed much love and attention to it and you know that this is not allowed in our kingdom.”
“Perhaps I will pull its feathers out one at a time – pluck, screech, pluck, screech – see – it suffers now because you showed it kindness. You will never learn.” The witch tossed the little red bird toward Tusk – “Here return it back to the cage. Let it lick the blood off its wings. It will learn that each time you come near it I will punish it – before long it will learn to bite you because it thinks you are the one hurting it.”
“I must practice on the little animals in the other cages because soon, very soon, the eggs from the queen will hatch. I will need to choose one of the new born creatures to care for. She will be brought to my lair and she will be trained in the manner that all witches are trained. She will learn from me and only me.”
“All that I am I will teach to her. She will learn to hate all things and learn that love is unwanted just as your little red bird has learned that your love, Tusk, has caused it to suffer.”
