by Lake, Edward
“I can’t do it, London.”
He looked at me. “Do what, My Ruler?”
“I can’t kill Samantha.”
He let out a stressed sigh. “Forgive me, Your Greatness, but our duty is to end the war. We must kill Juozas—even with his trivial rebellion, he is still the greatest threat our society has ever faced.”
I stared at him with great firmness in my eyes. “You can report me to the caregivers, London, but I won’t kill Samantha.”
Without hesitation, he shook his head. “No, My Ruler. If the caregivers question your decision, they will come for you themselves. I am simply a soldier, and my loyalties lie with you.”
“Good. So send the message to my fleet. We’re not taking Juozas’s ship down.”
Chapter 6: Juozas
I was pacing back and forth across the walkway of our ship with my arms crossed. Everyone was looking at me, waiting for me to make a decision. Finally, I went to the control board and sent a message to Isabella. “My Love...can you hear me?”
She responded right away, crying. “Yes, I’m right here, Juozas.”
Hearing the pain in her voice made me shudder. I struggled to go on and put my head down. I didn’t want to fail her, or my fellow rebels, or our adorable spawn Samantha.
“Juozas? Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here, Isabella.”
“What should we do?”
I took a moment to ponder. At last, I looked around at the soldiers on my ship. “Mother is right about one thing. It’s not just about us and Samantha.” I exhaled. “I have made a decision, My Friends, and that is that we will make this decision together, as a group.”
Isabella sent a quick reply. “I don’t understand, Juozas.”
“We can’t be selfish, My Love. We are not the only ones involved. Therefore, as rebels, we decide as one.”
“But what about Samantha?”
I cringed as I held my tears back. My voice got choppy as I replied. “Believe me, I didn’t want it to come to this. I would give my life for her, but we can’t decide the fate of our friends. They should have a choice.”
Right after, I got a response from Robert. “Juozas, this is Robert.”
I was pleased to hear his voice. “Hello, My Friend.”
“I have a suggestion.”
“Go on.”
“To be fair, we should put this decision to a vote.”
I narrowed my eyes. “A vote?”
On my ship, everyone gathered around the control board as he went on. “Let me explain. A vote is when everyone in a particular group makes a decision—a choice—and whichever decision is the majority—that is the decision the group follows.”
I checked everyone’s responses. They were all nodding. “Seems like the majority decision on this ship is that we agree with you.”
“Then I suggest we hurry and place our votes before Emily blasts us to hell.”
“You’re right.” I called to her in a hurry. “Mother?”
She took a moment to respond. “Yes, Juozas?”
“A member of the rebellion has introduced a satisfying proposal.”
“Tell me.”
“We would like to conduct a vote on the decision to surrender or continue the rebellion.”
Again, it took her a moment to respond. “Make it fast. My patience is running thin.” She ordered her fleet to stop shooting.
“Very well.” I quickly addressed the other ships. They had already heard my plea to Mother over the radio, and heard Robert’s explanation of voting. “Are we prepared to vote, My Friends?” I got a resounding ‘yes’ from a few ships, and no one radioed to oppose the idea.
Afterward, we did a count of all the participants. There were approximately four-thousand and seventy-four rebel ships left. In the Mamluk society, each ship was operated by two soldiers, and after adding myself, Isabella, Robert, Bill and the other humans from the cave in the northern ice lands, we had a total of eight-thousand, one-hundred and seventy-two voters.
To make it quick, we used Robert and Bill as choices. Robert represented the rebellion, and Bill represented surrender. To vote, all we had to do was send a private to message to one of them, and when it was over, whoever had the most messages would show us the majority decision.
“Send an ‘R’ for the rebellion, or an ‘S’ for surrender,” I radioed to everyone.
Robert sent a reply. “Bill and I are ready, so let the voting begin.”
Without thinking twice, I sent an ‘R’ to Robert. For the few who didn’t have a sija, they told their vote to someone who did and they sent the message for them. When it was over, Robert had eight-thousand, one-hundred and thirty-nine messages, and Bill had thirty-three.
Robert replied with a laugh. “That’s what we call a landslide.”
I smiled before sending my reply. “I’m sure that means an overwhelming majority of one decision.”
“That’s exactly what it means.”
Mother interrupted in a hurry. “Juozas? Is the voting over? What’s the decision?”
I pressed the button for the radio and bent down toward the small, oval-shaped transmitter with tiny holes. “The rebellion will continue, Mother.”
“Then prepare yourself for death.”
Chapter 7: Emily
“Fire at will, Soldiers. Destroy them—and remember, disregard Juozas’s ship. I have something special planned for him.” But that wasn’t the truth. I had to rescue Samantha. You will surrender, Juozas. One way or another.
I finished my food as I watched the battle on the holographic screen. The rebel ships were falling like dominos. Feeling a bit relieved, I turned to London and sighed.
He smiled and gave me a kind bow. “Victory is ours.”
I shook my head. “Not quite. The mission is to rescue Samantha.”
London looked at the screen with great angst in his eyes. “How could he be so selfish? That’s his spawn, and she should not be subjected to this foolishness.”
I sat back for a moment and pondered the situation. Come on, Emily—think. I looked back at the screen. My soldiers were completely eviscerating the rebel ships. It was an amazing sight to see all the explosions on the screen. In fact, from this view, it looked like a massive fireworks show.
A little while later, I got a call on my sija. I glanced at the screen on the device and realized it was Katie. I knew she would be asking about Lauren-Lynn, and I felt I owed her an explanation. When I answered, I heard her crying. “Hello? Katie? Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here, My Ruler.”
I smiled. “It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“It’s good to hear yours, too.”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence between us.
“Your Greatness, what happened?”
I sadly shook my head. “Juozas killed her, Katie. I tried to stop him but I couldn’t.”
Katie let out a frenzied cry. “I wish I could have been there for the ceremony.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. And trust me; I wanted you here, too, but as you know, we’re at war, and I need my advocates to remain in place for now.”
She went on with a lot fear in her voice. “I understand, My Ruler. I just—’’
“Hey, hey...relax, Katie. It’s still just me, your old friend.”
“I’m sorry. I just miss her so much.”
I put my head down. “I miss her, too. We all do. She was a great soldier, and an even better friend.” I looked up and sighed. “But don’t you worry. She will be avenged. I have the rebels pinned down. We’re about to end this war and restore peace.”
“I know. I’m watching it at the control center.”
I nodded. “Well, I should get back to it then— and I’m planning on taking a trip to Rumza soon, so I’ll be seeing you.”
“That sounds wonderful, Great Emily. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Katie.”
We shared another unnerving silence before ending t
he call.
“OK, I have to go.”
“Take care, My Ruler.”
“Goodbye, Katie.”
Chapter 8: Juozas
The enemy ships had stopped attacking my ship, and were now solely directing their fire at the others. I was a bit puzzled at first, but after pondering for a moment I realized the ploy. Mother loved being Ruler, and I knew she wanted to remain Ruler for as long as possible. Killing Samantha would force her to name a new Champion, and because the bloodline would be broken, the caregivers would not allow her continue her reign under a new bloodline.
Watching our ships go down was heart-wrenching, and not being able to do anything about it was even worse. This is the end. Still, I was proud that we had chosen to rise against injustice—and even prouder that we were standing by our beliefs.
“Juozas, look!” the soldier by the scanner said. He was pointing at a blinking dot on the screen.
I bent down and took a closer look. Everyone rushed to the control board and stared at the screen. The dot was the reading of a habitable planet. Over my shoulders, I heard a lot of loud cheering, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I hurried as I radioed to the other ships. “My Friends, we’ve found a habitable planet. I’m sending you the coordinates now.”
After sending the coordinates to the others, and to the space pods on our ship, I gathered everyone and went to the back of the ship. On the floor, there was a circular door that led to the space pods. Naturally, there were only two, one for each soldier, but they had enough room inside to fit three Mamluk-sized bodies. Luckily, there were exactly six of us on the ship.
I pressed the button on my sija that opened the door. “Hurry, inside.” Everyone marched down the small, narrow stairway. I went in last when the ship was clear. The lights on the lower level automatically came on.
With Saule and Samantha, I headed to one of the space pods. We paired with another soldier, and the other three got into the second space pod. I pressed the button on my sija to open our space pod and lay on the bottom with everyone piled on top. Once the others got inside their space pod, we pressed the buttons on our sijas that closed them up.
Finally, I pressed the button for takeoff, and just as I did, the ship rocked a bit, and we tumbled around. Desperately, and strongly, I gripped Saule as she firmly gripped Samantha. I closed my eyes, and the next moment, I felt the space pod discharge from the ship, and we blasted away at faster-than-light speed.
Chapter 9: Emily
I stood up and slammed my fist on the button that activated the radio. “What’s going on up there? Someone talk to me!” The space pods on the rebel ships were suddenly descending and rocketing away.
A soldier responded in a hurry. “The rebels are fleeing in the escape pods, My Ruler.”
I blew out a loud gasp and clenched my fist harder. “This is insane. How could they have found a habitable planet that fast?” I turned and looked at London. “Do you think they’ve gone to one of the planets under my rule?”
He sternly shook his head. “I highly doubt it.”
I quickly pointed at the transmitter on the control board. “Get in contact with my advocates. I want to make sure.”
London nodded and got right to it. “Certainly, Great Emily.” He pressed a button that linked the transmitter to the control center on each planet. He turned the transmitter on and moved away. “You are linked.”
I stepped toward the device and bent down. “This is Emily. I need to speak to my advocates.”
One after the other, a soldier at each control center replied, all saying the same line. “Connecting you to the advocates now, My Ruler.” Once I was connected to the sijas of my advocates, one at a time, they gave me a formal greeting.
“Listen up, everyone. As you probably know by now, the rebels are getting away; but we don’t know where they’ve gone. I want all of you to be on high alert. If anything comes up on your radar, destroy it!”
They responded accordingly, emphatically ensuring me they would follow the order. I sat back down and put my hand over my forehead.
London quickly turned to me. “Is there anything I can do in the meantime, My Ruler?”
I glanced at the screen to reflect. Juozas, what have you done with our Champion? I put my hand down and stared at London. “Yes. There is something you can do.”
He straightened up and stared back at me with passionate eyes.
“I want you to run a search through the universe. Scan as far as our technology will allow.” I leaned toward him and felt my face become tense. “Find them, London.”
His face reddened with eagerness as he turned to the control board. “Absolutely, Your Greatness.”
Part Two—A New Home
Chapter 10: Juozas
When we landed, everyone was still lying on top of me, and inside the space pod we looked like a pile of twisted brushwood. I lifted my hand and pressed the button to open the space pod. Once it opened, I heard the insistent pitter-patter of something on the outside. A cold whoosh came into the space pod that made us more alert. Everyone staggered off of me and went outside. I heard their feet splat on the surface below, and a bunch of mud flew up and hit me.
Samantha was still inside with me, nestled in the crook of my arm, crying with a red face. I sat up and lifted her into my arms. I held her close to my chest as I stepped out of the space pod. I felt water dripping down on us from the sky and finally realized it was raining.
I slipped on the muddy ground we had landed on and fell on my side. From above, I saw thick, gray clouds. I held onto Samantha harder and sat up in the mud. I checked the area and saw thousands of space pods spread out across a lumpy, muddy, foggy terrain. Isabella?
Through the wet mud, Saule walked to me and bent down. She reached out and helped me up. “We made it, Juozas,” she said with an ecstatic smile.
I hugged her with one arm, holding Samantha with the other. “I knew we would—I just knew it.”
I stepped back and carefully handed Samantha to Saule. “Please, watch her for a moment. I must find Isabella.” Saule gently rocked Samantha in her arms as I staggered ahead.
I swiped away the heavy fog as I went. “Isabella? Isabella, please, let me hear your voice.” The thought of losing her was making me angry. I dreadfully hoped that she had survived the attack. “Please, I need you.”
Finally, I heard her call to me in the distance. “Juozas—Juozas?”
I hurried to her voice, slipping and nearly falling a few times. “Yes. I am here.” At last, I found her on the muddy terrain. I let out a joyful cry and grabbed her strongly. I held her in my arms and let the rain wash away our tears.
A short while later, we found Saule. She kindly handed Samantha to Isabella, and Isabella deeply thanked her for watching our infant child. Moments later, as we regrouped with the others, I found Robert, Bill and Elos. I was delighted to see that they had made it as well. We shared hugs and cheered in the rain; but I had to stop the celebration for a moment to reflect on the ones we had lost.
I turned around and checked the others. “Everyone, everyone...can I have your attention please?”
They stopped in place and turned to me.
“We have escaped my mother’s wrath— but she will find us, and soon. Still, with this small victory, let us not forget the ones we have lost. Remember their sacrifice. Honor it, and with that honor, we will continue to fight for freedom.”
A few comrades howled and threw their hands in the air. I smiled at the passionate response and followed along, then everyone joined in.
Chapter 11: Juozas
We headed out and traveled through the fog, rain and mud for miles on end, with nothing in sight but giant indentations in the landscape. Finally, after seeing so many, I decided to stop and take a closer look.
“Wait a moment, everyone. Let’s have a look at these markings.” I lowered myself to one knee and placed my hand on the edge of the marking. The group huddled around me and studied it, too.
It was hard to tell with the rain coming down. I exhaled and wiped some water off my face. “I’m not quite sure.”
Robert turned around and broke through the huddle. “Let’s look at it from a distance.”
I stood up, and with the others, I stepped back and looked around at all the markings. After studying the spacing of each one, a thought popped into my head. “Footprints, perhaps?”
Isabella glanced at me with tremendous fright in her eyes, and she propped Samantha up a little. “I certainly hope not.”
I nodded. “Yes, let’s hope.”
We carried on, and after a few more miles of nothing but mud and fog, at last we found some greenery. “Look—over there.” I eagerly waved everyone on. We jogged ahead and reached the vegetation in a flash. There was a massive yet scattered forest of trees and plants just below us, stretching past a muddy slope.
Throughout the forest, I saw a collection of huts. We went down the slope and came up to a set of trees. I led Isabella to a tree and checked the shrubs. There were brown nuggets on the shrubs that looked edible. I yanked a few off and sniffed them, then I held one out to Isabella’s nose.
She sniffed it and quickly pulled her head back. “Oh my—I don’t know, Juozas.”
I held it out and narrowed my eyes. “What do you think, Bill?” I called to him.
He walked over to me with several nuggets in his hand. The texture was soft and slippery, and it had tiny ruffles all over. Bill shrugged. “What the hell.” He shoved one in his mouth and chewed with the few teeth he had.
Everyone close by, including me, watched with great curiosity.
After devouring the nugget, Bill nodded and revealed a toothless grin. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”
I heard some chuckles, then everyone began to eat. We stayed by the trees and ate all the slippery nuggets we could find. Isabella mashed them up and forced the goop into Samantha’s mouth—and thankfully, she cooperated and gobbled it right up. I smiled and kissed her wet head.
