Center Moon: The Stone of Cordova

by Stephen Gambuti

  *

  Five

  The night sky hid behind the sun as it cracked through the horizon. The moons were vanishing beyond the reddish hue. The land was barren. Few trees dressed the landscape. The only protection the area could count on was the vast hills that encompassed the valley.

  Jonas was tucked in between the heavy plates that ran up and down the draco’s spine. The animal slowly trotted toward a collection of lights at the base of the hills.

  Suddenly the dracosaur stopped. The animal’s eyes reddened as it lowered its upper body. Jonas thought it was some sort of an attack stance because it had done the same thing to him at the swamp. The animal scouted the nearby area as if it were hunting something. It began to move again. However, this time it puffed out its armor plates and seemed to crawl more than walk. Jonas quickly regained his balance. He suddenly had more room because the wedge he sat in was not as tight.

  As the animal made its way towards the lights, it swayed back and forth, showing off its natural protection. Jonas felt like he was in a large rope swing. He slammed up against the plates with every shift of the drac’s spine.

  The reason for the animal’s strange behavior became very clear. Jonas and the dracosaur were surrounded by five long-tooths. The sabercats conformed to offensive stances. Jonas knew that meant an attack was eminent. He clutched the drac’s plates and buried himself deeper into its back. The sabercats released low, vibrating purrs. They inched closer to their dinner. Jonas could not sit back and become a meal. He recalled that the dracosaur responded to him in the swamp. “Hit them with your tail. Hit them!” Jonas slapped the huge lizard on its back.

  The drac opened its mouth and sounded a terrifying roar. The animal leaned back onto its hind legs, rolling Jonas down its back. The huge lizard pounced forward, crushing the sabercat beneath its feet. Jonas wrapped his arms around the animal’s rear plates. He prayed to the Gods that he wouldn’t fly off his precarious spot. With one swift motion, the angry lizard whipped its club-like tail across the path, sending a sabercat into a nearby tree. The sabercat hit the trunk with such force that it got wedged into it. Jonas could not believe that his animal friend had such tremendous power.

  The other sabercats retreated into the woods. The drac regained its stance and grunted loudly. The red in its eyes began to slowly vanish.

  Jonas could see a small city notched in the center of the valley. He wondered what was waiting for him. He nervously clung to his sack.

  The draco continued its way over a smooth trail as if nothing had happened. Jonas noticed a huge rock wall, which protected the hidden settlement. Above the stone wall, a strand of tangled wires ran the length of the village. The entrance was guarded by two human silhouettes standing in front of it. The draco picked up its pace as it noticed the end of its journey was near.

  This must be the Safe Zone, he thought.

  “Halt there, drac.” One of the men stepped out of the shadows. Jonas could not believe how ugly the guard was.

  “It’s a Sapian,” the other man shouted as he drew his blaster.

  The dracosaur came to a sudden stop. It branded its fiercest face and roared at the man with the blaster.

  The unarmed man approached Jonas with his arms up in the air to demonstrate to the animal that he meant it no harm. Jonas felt more confident, because he realized his animal friend would defend him. “What do you want?”

  “I was sent here,” Jonas answered.

  “I wasn’t talking to you, boy.” The guard gestured his partner to come closer with the blaster.

  The drac hummed a low-pitched warning.

  “How did this Sapian find us?” The man cocked his blaster again as he ignored the drac’s sounds.

  “I don’t know but he will have to be eliminated.”

  “Eliminated?” Jonas clenched his sack again. He grew nervous because the guards were no longer concerned about the dracosaur. “A man like you sent me here. He told me to come to the Safe Zone.”

  Both men laughed.

  “It’s true. He works at the medi-center.”

  “This Sapian is obviously mentally ill.” The guard waved his finger at his partner. “Go ahead, Zeek, kill him.” He stepped aside.

  “My pleasure.”

  Jonas stiffened up suddenly. He could not believe the person at the hospital had set him up.

  The man put the blaster right up to Jonas’s face. “The only good Sapian is a dead one.” The drac released a violent bark and whipped its tail into the guard, knocking his weapon from his hand.

  Jonas could not understand why this drac was protecting him. After all, it was a Crow that owned him.

  “No!” a dark figure yelled from the road.

  Jonas turned to see the man from the medi-center waving his arms.

  “Leave him be. The Sapian belongs to me.”

  Belongs to me? Jonas was not sure if he heard the man correctly. Since when did he belong to anyone?

  The guard was holding his bruised hand. “Darden?”

  “Yes, it’s me. Don’t shoot the boy.”

  “Yeah. Don’t shoot the boy,” Jonas chimed in defensively.

  The guard shot his dark eyes at Jonas again. “Quiet, Sapian.”

  “No problem,” Jonas said with a smile.

  “Darden? How do you know this boy?”

  “Someone was trying to assassinate him—at the medi-center, of all places.” Darden gestured to the dracosaur to lie down.

  The drac slowly dipped to the ground. Jonas looked at his new friend, Darden, and understood he had to dismount. Darden approached the dracosaur and patted him on his forehead. “Good girl, Chinka. Good girl.”

  “Come on, Darden. He can’t stay here.” The guard joggled his head.

  “He won’t betray us. I have a feeling about this one. He is not like the others.”

  “How do you know?” The guard stepped into Darden’s face.

  Darden turned and smiled at his dracosaur. “Have you ever seen Chinka so protective of someone?” Darden looked at Jonas.

  Jonas was so confused that he figured he would ask questions later.

  Darden kicked the dracosaur in the rear. “Chinka … Good night.” It hopped up and ran off.

  “Where is it going?” Jonas asked.

  “She needs to always be waiting in the swamps. Her job is to transport any Crows that need a safe place,” Darden responded as he led Jonas into the village.

  It reminded Jonas of another place he had seen previously. The city was a perfect blend between a spaceport and primitive living. The Crows did their best to emulate Sapian living. There were small dwellings along the outskirts, each holding a single family. Few lights were still burning from earlier that evening. Jonas recollected a trip to the farthest moon, Jenco. This was an exact replica of that.

  He knew that these people used to inhabit caves at one time, but the Enforcers flushed them out simply by tossing explosives into them. That would usually wipe out an entire family starting with the babies and ending with the grandparents. The only people awake were the guards.

  “We’ll stay there for the day.” Darden pointed to a large mud dwelling. “At night, you can take off.”

  “Take off? I don’t know how to get back. How would I find my aunt?”

  “We will look on the terrain grid before you leave.”

  Darden approached the round dwelling. He nudged the wooden door open with his hairy knuckles. “Go ahead.”

  Jonas entered.

  As the teen quickly glanced around, he could see many objects that were foreign to him. One wall was decorated with grinded stones that could double as knife blades. They came in many different sizes. He was impressed with the fine craftsmanship each blade had. Some of them had handles carved from thick tree branches. As much technology as the Sapians had, they could never create such beautiful tools.

  “So, what do you think?” Darden stood next to his collection with pride.

  “They are cool. How did you get these?” Jon
as asked as he glided his fingers along a large blade.

  “They are from generations past. My parents’ grandparents used them for hunting, cooking and just about anything you can think of,” Darden said with obvious pride.

  “Are they dead?” Jonas looked at Darden sincerely.

  “Well, my grandparents died naturally but…” Darden looked like he was about to cry as his pride ran away.

  “Yeah?”

  He sucked in a deep breath and wiped his eyes with his hairy hands. “The Sapians got to my family. I was on an exploration. They were searching for a place they’d heard of. They say it’s like the heavens.”

  “I don’t understand.” Jonas watched as Darden’s lips began to quiver.

  “They were on a quest to live without fear. The place is a place called Strom. Ever hear of it?”

  Jonas’s eyes grew wide. That had to be the place his father and mother were talking about that night. His mother said ‘storm’ but that had to be the place. “No.” He did not trust this man enough to give him a full account of his parent’s death.

  “Anyway…” Darden sighed. “They were killed by a small group of Enforcers.”

  Jonas noticed Darden was embracing a wooden figure, which resembled a boy. The man kept patting it. “What’s that?”

  “A gift from my son.”

  “You have a son?”

  “He was with my family the day they were murdered.” Darden twitched.

  Jonas felt badly for this man. He’d lost everyone who was close to him. They had a common bond.

  “Oh … is this yours?” Darden rearranged a leather purse, which was strapped to his chest. He opened it and pulled out the stone that Jonas’s father had given him.

  Jonas quickly searched his own pockets. “Where did you get that?”

  “You left it behind at the medi-center.” Darden’s lips curled and he outstretched his hand to give the stone back to Jonas.

  A loud knock came at the door. Darden quickly retracted his hand and pushed Jonas into an adjacent room. “Stay there. No person knocks on the door this late at night.” Darden headed towards the door but quickly ran back to Jonas. “Hide yourself.”

  Jonas listened as Darden answered the door cautiously.

  Darden began arguing with a man. It sounded just like one of the guards at the village’s entrance.

  “I had no choice, my friend,” the man’s voice said.

  “Of course you had a choice. Of course you did,” Darden’s voice fired back angrily.

  “He should be here shortly,” the man rebutted.

  “The boy trusted me. When did you talk to him?” Darden’s voice said.

  “Shortly after you left the gates.”

  “I’ve got to get Jonas out of here.” Darden’s voice got quieter.

  Jonas tilted his head slightly to catch a better listen. He was certain that the other man had called the Old Republic on Darden.

  “Forget it. He might be a nice kid, but he is still a Sapian,” the man said.

  “He’s different,” Darden pleaded. “Much different.”

  Jonas frantically scanned the room for a place to hide. The only thing he spotted was a closet and a bed. He walked around the room, making sure not to attract any premature attention.

  “I am sorry Darden … He will be handed over to the Old Republic.”

  Jonas stepped softly over to his bag. He bent down to pick it up.

  A loud knock was heard at the main door.

  Jonas sprang straight up.

  “Here they are now,” the voice said joyfully.

  “You better not open that door,” Darden warned.

  “They will kill you too, Darden, if you try and stop them.” The man paused to hear more knocking. “Then you will have died for a Sapian.”

  “So what? This has to stop sometime,” Darden said.

  “It will stop as soon as you hand the boy over.”

  Jonas heard the strange man’s footsteps approach the doorway. He was growing nervous. They had finally gotten him. This time they would not use probes.

  “Darden … The boy is not typical. He is the son of Captain Troupe.”

  “Troupe?” Anger grew in Darden’s voice. “Troupe?”

  “Yes. ‘The Butcher’ himself,” the man responded.

  Jonas was dumfounded. How did Darden know my father? Why did they just refer to his father as a butcher? What’s that supposed to mean? He discovered another collection of primitive tools, which were spread out along a small table.

  “Hello, friend.” Another voice joined the conversation.

  Jonas’s eyes widened as he realized that the Emperor’s men had entered the dwelling.

  “Where is the boy?” the new voice asked.

  “In that room,” Darden’s voice declared. “Please … Take him.”

  Jonas could not understand Darden’s sudden change of heart. He glanced around the room for a quick way to escape. There was none. Jonas quickly grabbed one of the tools that rested on the table. It was a stone blade. He clutched it by its wooden handle and stared at the bed.

  “In here?” The thumping of a hand pressed against the door.

  “Yes,” Darden confessed. “Before you open it … May I leave?”

  “On no, my friend. You will be coming with us.”

  “But why? I am handing you the boy,” Darden pleaded.

  “You are still guilty of hiding him in the first place.”

  The door burst wide open. Two men stood there draped in black cloaks. Their huge foreheads protruded through the overlapping hoods. One had a blaster hidden at his side.

  “Where’s the boy?”

  “He’s got to be around here someplace.” The man with the weapon started to investigate the room. He lifted his blaster and kicked open a closet door. “Gotcha!”

  “You found him?”

  “No. Only wishful thinking.” The man walked back over to the doorway. “Darden. Get in here.”

  Darden arrived at the door. “What’s the problem now?”

  “You said he was in this room.” The man held his palm open.

  “He was in here. Honest.” Darden poked his head into the room.

  The other man scanned the walls, noticing there were no windows. “Where could this boy have possibly gone?”

  Darden pointed. “Look under the bed.”

  Both men immediately dropped to their knees. The man with the blaster forced his weapon under the unmade bed.

  “Well?” Darden asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “I promise you … the Moon Gods as my witness. The boy was here.”

  “Save it, Darden.” The man fit the nozzle of his weapon directly into the gap under Darden’s chin. “I am quite sure the Old Republic will want an explanation.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “You will be in the prison camp on Cordova. There the Emperor will deal with you.” The man gestured to the guards to take Darden out of the dwelling.

  The men led Darden out of the room, slamming the door behind them. The room sat quietly. The only things in it were the bed and an old dresser.

  The bed started to shake as the thick covers slid off onto the floor. Jonas emerged from its center, full of sheep’s wool. He spit out a wad of stuffing, which had dried his mouth. Jonas pulled the rest of his body from the hole he had cut in the mattress. He covered the bed up once again with all of the covers. Jonas withdrew to the closet and sat down inside on the floor. He pulled the door closed, figuring this would be a safe place until the moons came out tonight. All he had to do was figure out a way past any guards.

  Jonas thought he felt something poking him in the side of his leg. He looked around but did not see anything. His mind must have played a trick on him as he remembered that Darden had his father’s stone. He needed to get that back. He knew where Darden was going. He would need to get there. If his father had done it, he figured he could, too.

  The image of his mother suddenly entered his min
d. He thought about her as if she were still alive. He just couldn’t get over the fact that she was gone. It didn’t seem real. Then, as if he’d been hit in the face with reality’s punch, part of him completely understood that he would never see her smile or watch her crazy mannerisms again. He just curled up in the corner of the dark closet and cried himself to sleep.

  The day passed without further incident. No one came back into the room. Jonas was so anxious that he could not keep still. Staying in a closet for hours was definitely not comfortable. Jonas had checked out the rest of Darden’s dwelling. He lifted a nice little blaster from the Crow’s bedroom.

  The blaster must have been special. It was half the size of anything Jonas had ever before seen. It had cool inscriptions along the chrome barrels, but he couldn’t read them. The words were written in Crintallo, Crow alphabet. He knew it had to be a keepsake of Darden’s. That made it even more worth it. He turned my butt in—I’ll kill him with his own blaster.

  His search also led him to a map, which was very useful—considering he didn’t have any idea where the dracosaur had taken him. Jonas looked over the map carefully. The tremendous details of the mountains and the valleys made planning his escape easier.

  He located Niles and ran his finger down the parchment scouting for his location. Niles was the city where his aunt lived. Nothing seemed to be marked to help him find it. There. Jonas spotted a valley, which was nestled at the bottom of three mountains. In the center of the valley he noticed a tiny dot. This has to be the Safe Zone. Jonas then ran his finger along the map until he stopped on a square, which was located on top of one of the mountains. He knew it had to be the medi-center. Thoughts of Darden’s betrayal constantly came into his mind.

  Jonas just couldn’t understand it. One minute the man was protecting him like a son. The next thing, Darden turned him in.

  That’s it. It had something to do with my father. Jonas remembered that when Darden’s friend mentioned his father, Darden switched his loyalty within seconds. Why does he hate my father? The guy was a hero. Now he could not wait to get into the Academy and to fulfill his father’s destiny.

  Jonas charted a route out of the Safe Zone. He laughed every time those words popped into his head. Safe Zone? What a joke. He needed to sneak past the guards and work his way up the mountains. He would lay low for the rest of the night. Then he would hike his way towards Niles.