The Key

by Brian Fisher

  Chapter 36

  Narja kept hold of his rifle as he tumbled out of the airlock, sucked into the merciless void. He tumbled head over heels for a handful of seconds, until he could fire his thrusters and regain control. His armor kept him safe from the vacuum and radiation of space, but even the armor would eventually reach its limits and fail.

  Narja checked his sensors and found that Corin Dante's' ship was fading into the distance, but still within range. He didn't hesitate as he brought his rifle up, and aimed at the ship. It took only a moment to access what he wanted from the weapon, and fired. The recoil sent him tumbling again, but his sensors showed that he had hit his mark.

  The tracking beacon was in place.

  Foul tasting bile started to rise in his throat as Narja fired his thrusters again, stopping the spinning. He calmly accessed his communications unit and locked on to the tracking beacon's signal. It was a short-range unit, and did not have the power required for what he needed. Still, it was his only link to serving his Captain, and completing his mission.

  Narja worked quickly, never hesitating or giving a second thought to what he was doing. He was facing his target, watching it grow smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared in a flash of light. As soon as the ship was gone, he quietly said his farewells, and diverted all of his armor's power into his communications unit, and a low power beacon, so that someone might find his body.

  With his life support shut off, Narja waited in the depths of space to die. He didn't want to die, but he prayed that when the end did finally come, that he would be together with her again. With Prinelle.

  The things that he had gone through, the things that he had done to get back to her...

  Tears ran freely down Narja's weathered face. She was the only thing in his life that he had ever wanted. Life was cruel that way, never allowing the chance to be truly happy, or at peace for more than a moment, before reality inevitably comes crashing through, ripping it all away. At least now, he could be at peace.

  He was happy once. Back when he held Prinelle in his arms. Back before she died.

  Narja closed his eyes, and allowed the memories to take him away.

  It had happened years ago, back in the time when he had felt himself to be invincible. They were in the Academy together, Senior Cadets when they met. Hundreds of training missions together, and countless more hours studying and confiding in each other had taken them from being friends, to so much more than that.

  He had been away, training, when he received the news. The Ta'Reeth had struck a violent blow against the Caldonian home world, and Prinelle had died in the fighting. More than three hundred thousand, mostly civilians, had been killed in just under four hours. It was the darkest day in Caldon's storied history, and he had not been there when he was needed most.

  Still, none of it prepared him for what had happened next.

  "Get away from me Lieutenant." Narja growled as Marjak came closer. The Lieutenant's sneer told Narja all he needed to know about the other man's intentions.

  Lieutenant Marjak was slightly older than Narja, but only by a couple of years, and slender, especially when compared to Narja's heavily muscled bulk. He wore his black and gold uniform neatly pressed, and highly shined. He was not the type of man that Narja could respect. They had known each other for a handful of years now, and Narja had to watch as Marjak continued to advance, but only at the considerable expense of others.

  "Cadet, are you threatening your superior officer?" Marjak taunted as he came closer. He swaggered a bit as he walked, showing Narja that he had something special in mind. "You know, I loved her first." he whispered into Narja's ear.

  "Lieutenant, you were never good enough for her." Narja snarled, testing the strength of the chains that held him. He had crossed Marjak earlier, letting him know that his tactics were foolish, and only going to get people killed.

  "That doesn't matter now that Prinelle is dead." Marjak waited and made certain that his words had their desired effect. He watched the color drain from Narja's face, and the shock manifest itself in his eyes. "Oh, you hadn't heard that the Ta'Reeth struck Caldon? Well, best you hear it now. She died in the attack, and you Narja, are being sold, by me, into slavery."

  Narja tried to rise, but was met with the full force of a charged animal prod that Marjak produced from nowhere. Agonizing pain burned through every nerve ending and synapse in his body as he fought through the paralysis. Narja forced himself back to his feet, and spat in Marjak's face.

  Casually, Marjak hit Narja with the animal prod again, and motioned for someone unseen to come to his side from out of the shadows. The man was tall and thin, remaining mostly hidden within the folds of his dark cloak.

  "Be careful with this one." Marjak told the other man. "I'm not sure that you can fully break him."

  "Don't worry." the other man smiled. "He's destined for the fight pits on the Valla moons. He won't live long."

  "Good." Marjak smiled as he stunned Narja again. The fires of pain raged through Narja's body as he finally succumbed to the darkness.