The Jeraal lurched as the missiles were expelled into space, and the display updated with orange arrows. Over a hundred flew toward the target. Flight time would be little over five minutes, but before half had passed, the speakers erupted with a terrified voice.
“We surrender...please, we give up, call off your missiles. Everyone’s dead. I can’t stop the ship. The controls are blown. Please. I don’t want to die!”
Zjokara passed her hand across her throat in a cutting gesture, and the voice died.
“Zlotta, what is the status of the ship? Is it as badly damaged as this person describes?”
The Sub-Commander leaned into her console, examining the feed from sensors which had been fed out along with the mines.
“No, Captain. The bridge area suffered no serious damage, except possible decompression. But unless the crew are idiots, they are all suited. Whoever this voice belongs to is lying.”
Zjokara sat back and pushed the general address again. “Crew, prepare to be boarded by hostile forces.”
The only reason the enemy had for not surrendering is they had Liberi aboard. They thought if they got close enough, they could reach out and portal onto the Jeraal.
Zlotta saw her captain’s shoulders hunch. She’d wanted survivors to find out the Walkers’ plans, but they weren’t cooperating.
“Fire starboard missiles. Full yield on all warheads. Bring us about, Zlotta. I want us into that asteroid belt as soon as possible.”
The asteroids would prevent the line of sight which Liberi required to portal to an unknown location. But it would take the Jeraal over ten minutes to complete the turn, and enter the belt, five of which they’d be in visual range. It was about to get bloody.
Chapter Thirteen
On the Enemy Ship
Jira was twelve years old. The last few weeks of her life had been traumatic. She’d witnessed the death of her parents and brother at the hands of an undead army of monsters, only to die herself straight afterwards.
Then, she wasn’t dead, but alive and in another place, with strangers who wanted to be her friends. But she hadn’t liked those people. Jira might only be twelve, but she’d lived with lies all her short life. Her father had been a drunk and a wife beater, but her mother always hid the bruises and denied anything wrong had happened. Jira always knew the truth, so she knew the propaganda being fed to her and the other new arrivals was nonsense.
Most of the children in her group had the super human perception, speed, and strength of the older Liberi, but the training was more like brainwashing. The lies the others swallowed were designed to turn them against anyone who wasn’t from Sanctuary. If you listened to them, you would believe Sanctuary was surrounded by enemies and teetering on the brink of collapse.
Jira knew the reverse to be true. Sanctuary and its leadership were the aggressors. The Liberi were being turned from a force of good, into a conquering army. She’d heard tales, hushed whispers and rumors, of how only months before, the Liberi existed to protect the universe. She had no idea what had happened, but she wanted no part of it. So, she’d jumped at the chance to get away, onboard one of the fledgling Sanctuary Navy’s ships.
Unfortunately, she’d never expected to be in her current predicament; about to portal aboard an enemy ship and destroy it from within. Well, we’ll see about that, she thought, as she tuned back in to the speech by a person she heartily despised.
“…dead, all of them. I don’t want a single sniveling lizard left alive.” K’raad breathed heavily. The adrenaline rush brought on by the fear of the first attack was dissipating, and fatigue was taking its place. His rant lasted more than five minutes and consisted of ways he wanted the crew of the ship to die, how much suffering to cause while killing them, and what to do to the bodies. Jira was especially sickened at this last part.
“We won’t disappoint you, K’raad,” said Teel. His large frame couldn’t hide his eagerness for the impending slaughter. “The three of us will pass through them like a blade through silk. They will shortly be dead, and we will have their ship. Nothing they can do will stop us!”
Jira glanced sideways at Priss. The older girl trembled, but did her best to hide her fear. Jira couldn’t be sure, but she though Priss was more scared of K’raad and Teel than anything else. Both of them were bullies. Priss was pretty, and of an age that attracted their interest.
Jira linked to her friend, projecting a feeling of calm support, receiving gratitude in return. Neither of them had mastered the link enough to allow true mental communication, but strong feelings were easy to sense. Right now, all Jira was getting from Priss was her sense this was wrong.
“Are you two ready? It’s time to go.” Teel pointed out the viewport to the tiny speck of light reflecting off the surface of their target. His superior attitude hadn’t softened a bit since Jira had come aboard. She hated him.
Priss looked at Jira, wide-eyed and terrified. They were about to portal to a ship full of people who wanted them all dead. Jira sent an image to Priss of what she intended to do. Pictures were easy to send. Priss’s thoughts were jumbled and confused for a second before understanding dawned.
“We’re ready, aren’t we, Priss?” Her friend didn’t speak, but gave a small nod.
Teel closed his eyes and his brows furrowed. A portal formed and he jumped straight through. Jira and Priss were supposed to follow him right away, but as they stood on the edge, Jira reached out and moved the destination of the portal over 100 meters from Teel. In seconds, they were both gone.
Chapter Fourteen
The Jeraal
“Captain, there’s a portal forming on the bridge!” Zlotta’s voice was level, but Zjokara knew her too well to miss the tremor in it. She’d seen the same vid Zjokara had of the Liberi assault on the outpost, and knew what these beings could do.
“On screen, please.” The screen in the auxiliary bridge was smaller than the main one, but they knew all along the bridge would be a primary target for any Liberi attack. A view of the bridge appeared just in time to see a large black humanoid jump through and land in a crouch. He was suited, as they’d suspected he might be, and he took in his surroundings in less than half a second, moving in a blur towards the bulkhead doors.
“Now, Zlotta.”
The sub-commander pushed the button her finger hovered over, and the ship shuddered as the bridge opened to space. The display shook as the concussion charges detonated, and the figure’s visor shattered. A second later, he was sucked out of the airlock and was gone. It had worked!
“Captain we have two more Liberi amidships, but...Captain, there’s something odd happening.” Zlotta’s voice rose, and she looked at the screen as the display shifted. It showed two figures in suits. They were much smaller than the other, and Zjokara suspected they were children. They sat on the ground of the hold with their hands in the air.
Alarms sounded as the Walker ship entered energy weapon range, but Zlotta silenced it immediately. The second wave of missiles had impacted seconds before, reducing it to a dying hulk, and as she watched her console display, the ship broke into two tumbling pieces.
“Zlotta, you have the bridge.” She snapped her head up as her captain walked toward the bulkhead door.
“Captain, you can’t, it may be a trap. I have the room ready to blow now.” Her captain continued towards the exit. “Zjokara, please, stop!”
Zjokara halted abruptly at the break in protocol. She rounded on Zlotta, but was too professional to rebuke her in front of the other crew. Later would be another matter.
“Sub-Commander, these are children. They are clearly surrendering. You’ve just seen what the first one was attempting. These are...different. I intend to talk to them.” And with that, she left the room.
Two minutes later, she was at the compartment door. “Status?”
“Unchanged, Captain,” replied the guard. She stammered and looked around for any other threats, but the main one was in the room behind her, and her captain was about t
o walk in. “Please, Captain, let me go in first.”
Zjokara tilted her head. The willingness of her daughter sister to protect her was touching, and she blushed. “No, Zhaan. I feel these beings are no threat to us. I sense if I show them trust, I may get the same in return. Open the door please.”
Chapter Fifteen
The compartment
Jira watched the door open, and saw the guards step aside allowing a tall figure into the room. She and Priss knew they’d been waiting outside for something, or someone. Frankly, she was amazed they were still alive, as they’d felt Teel’s death. The figure walking toward them caused an intake of breath from Priss. The link told her this was the first time her friend had seen a non-human, and the reptilian who sat down before them was definitely that.
“Why are you here?” the being asked.
Jira sensed her strength. This was the commander of the ship, she was certain. She lowered her arms just enough to reach the seals of the helmet, and she slowly twisted it and lifted it off.
“I’m scared, Captain. We’re scared.” Jira reached round and took Priss’s gloved hand. “Can you help us?”
The captain’s face changed, and Jira heard her heart rate slow and her breathing level. She’d done well to hide her discomfort, but inexperienced or not, the Liberi perception was unprecedented.
“Who are you? I mean, you’re obviously Liberi, but you’re unlike your friend,” said the captain. “I’m sorry, but we had to do what we did to protect this ship. I hope you understand.”
Priss turned in her suit, but didn’t say a word. Jira sensed her guilt mixed with relief at the news of Teel’s death. Feeling his passing might have been enough for Jira, but clearly Priss needed more.
“He wasn’t anything like us, Captain,” Priss whispered. She smiled, but drew her hands around her knees. “None of them are like us.”
She heard the hiss of air as Priss removed her helmet. “My name is Priss, this is Jira. She’s my friend. Will you help us, Captain?”
Zjokara hearts thumped in unison as emotion welled up inside her. “Yes. Yes, I will.”
Chapter Sixteen
Belfast
“So,” said Perri, “I was thinking. You know, about that tour of the galaxy you offered me.”
Krista laughed. It was the first honest laugh she’d allowed herself to have in a long time, and she realized the reason for it was this girl who’d come into her life just a few weeks ago.
“Perri, I think the galaxy is a little different than you imagined back then. We might have to wait a while.”
Perri left the doorway of the bedroom and came over to sit on the bed. “And you still won’t be stealing all the cute guys, will you?” Her smiling face looked down at the floor, refusing, or unable perhaps, to meet Krista’s gaze.
Krista was conflicted. Part of her, a huge part, still mourned for Dwenn, her first love, but something was happening here. Perri had this...ability, to feel other’s pain, and to somehow help or redirect it. What she’d done for Krista was both. She’d helped her deal with it, but she’d also unwittingly redirected it onto herself.
“No, Perri. I won’t be stealing any cute guys. But then, you know why, don’t you?”
The smile widened as Perri raised her head and looked straight into Krista’s eyes. “I guess so, but then I have no idea what’s happening here.”
Krista knew Perri was being honest. She’d talked with Katheryne a few days ago, about how she felt about Perri. It had been awkward at first, almost like a discussion with a teacher about a crush, but Katheryne had been brutally honest. Perri had always been into guys and, if what Katheryne said was true, there had been quite a few.
Krista turned on the edge of the bed and stared at Perri. “What do you want to happen, Perri?”
Perri’s smile faded. “I know you still love Dwenn. I know I could never...I mean I would never want to...”
The sentence was cut off as Krista leaned in and kissed her tenderly. It was beautiful. Perri felt Krista’s guilt, but took it into herself and returned the kiss. They were helping each other, but falling in love at the same time.
Krista pushed away and raised her hand to brush Perri’s cheek. “You’re right, I do...did, love her, and part of me these last few months has been so bitter that I hated everything. But Dwenn’s dead, Perri. She’s been dead for a long time. You helped me to get through it. You’ve helped me become me again. Thank you.”
The person who Krista saw now wasn’t the Perri Katheryne knew. Well, actually she was the same, but something which had always been hidden emerged.
“So, if we’re not going to be chasing guys, what should we do? I mean, I’ve spent most of the last few years chasing them. I haven’t got the first idea about how to...you know, chase girls?”
Krista laughed her musical laugh. “You silly girl. You don’t have to chase anyone.” She drew Perri’s face towards hers. “You’ve already caught me.”
Chapter Seventeen
Belfast
Derren and Katheryne lay entwined in each other’s arms. They did a lot of this lately, though neither of them seemed to mind. They grabbed every second together they could, before the storm struck again. The last few weeks had been quiet. There were no more reports of attacks, and Sanctuary seemed to be shifting its focus to a slower approach. True, Chran was overdue, but not overly so.
Krista and Perri were now officially, ‘an item,’ and had become inseparable. Katheryne smiled as she thought of them. If they were half as happy as she was, they’d make it.
“You know, I like this new Katheryne,” said Derren, “the one who smiles all the time.”
Katheryne giggled and playfully slapped his bare back. “Shut up! I wasn’t that bad.”
Derren stared back with his lopsided grin, and his eyebrow rose.
“Was I?”
“Katheryne, I’ve loved you for years, and I would never dream of criticizing you…ouch, especially when your hand is where it is right now.” He smiled as Katheryne chuckled mischievously. “But those first few weeks, you were so uncertain of who, or what, you were. You blamed everything that went wrong on yourself.”
Katheryne nudged back, and lay with her head propped up on her hand, looking down at her soulmate. “So, why are you still here exactly?” A mock look of seriousness was on her face as she pouted. “In fact, I want you to leave my bed right now, mister.”
“That might be a little difficult to do.” His eyes glinted, and his grin sent shivers down her spine. “You see, I’m stuck. I have this soul that’s become joined to another. A bossy, mean-spirited soul it was, but it shows signs of improvement.”
Katheryne drew herself back in feigned annoyance, “Bossy! Mean-spirited? That’s it, to the couch with you, you, you…charlatan.”
Katheryne managed to keep the expression up for maybe half a second, before Derren pulled her close and kissed her. “I have no idea what a charlatan is.”
“You know? Neither do I.” Katheryne gazed into his eyes and felt his soul cry out in joy. It was one soul now, and belonged to both of them. The energy ignited the heat within her, and all conversation was forgotten in an instant, as they melted together in ecstasy.
*
The next morning, Katheryne and Perri walked along the winding park path, through the light drizzle which made rainbows in the patchy sunlight. They were on the way to the chapel. Although there was no risk of any of the equipment being discovered-Derren had concealed it all under a diffraction cloak-it was a daily task that needed to be done to ensure the place was secure. They didn’t want any drunks breaking in and witnessing a portal open up, after all.
“So, things are good? Between you and Krista, I mean?” Perri didn’t need to reply. The huge grin plastered over her face said it all.
“Things are good.” Perri chuckled. “Shit, Kat, things are so much more than good it scares me.”
Perri continued to smile, but Katheryne’s heightened perception caught the whiff of some
thing else. “What scares you? You two are perfect together.”
“That’s just it, Kat. I love her.”
Katheryne halted abruptly. “Well, now you’ve gone and done it. Perri, are you going all grown up on me?”
Perri stuck her tongue out and aimed a backhanded swipe at her friend, which missed.
“Oh ha-ha,” Perri said, pouting. She saw behind the humor, to the concern her friend felt for her. “You know what I mean though, don’t you Kat? You of all people must understand how crazy this all is. I mean, I know I love Krista. But do I love her because I really love her, or do I love her because she’s the uber cool space chick?”
“Perri, can I ask you a question I’ve never asked you before?” The question was delivered bluntly. “Have you ever been in love?”
Perri stared back at Katheryne. She’d just been confronted with her biggest fear. “You know I haven’t. For god’s sake, I’ve tried for long enough.”
“Exactly. You’ve been trying to fall in love for years.” Katheryne took her hand. “But you can’t choose who you fall for, Perri. You love Krista because you can’t help it. It’s right.”
Katheryne paused for a second, as a tear appeared in her friend’s eye. “You can cry, you know. I’m still me. I’m still your best friend.”
If the passersby in the park saw the two girls clinging onto each other and crying, they didn’t notice or care. They had something in common, and it was the most powerful thing in the universe...love.
“You know, Kat. This might just be the first time you’ve saved me.” Perri squeezed Katheryne’s hand, “For years, you’ve called me your rock. Well, it looks like its mutual. Thank you.”
Worlds of the Never: A book with Dragons, Faeries and Elves, mixed with Science Fiction and Time Travel, for Young Adults and Teens. (Tales of the Neverwar 2) Page 6
