“Commander, three Tureis ships were waiting for us when we exited the wormhole. We are under attack!”
“Return fire! I’m on my way,” Kollin replied just as the ship rocked from another hit.
When his door slid open, he found Zann standing in the open doorway, phaser in hand. “Stop right there, Commander,” Zann sneered. The phaser was pointed at Kollin’s chest.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Kollin asked as his eyes flared with anger.
With his lip curled up, Zann replied, “A new leader has taken over, and your services are no longer wanted or required.”
Kollin narrowed his eyes. If someone had harmed his family, they would find themselves dead at his hands. “I don’t think so,” Kollin ground out just as his hand shot out and grabbed Zann’s wrist, the one holding the phaser. With a twist, Kollin felt the bones snap beneath the pressure. Zann cried out in agony and fell to his knees, the phaser hitting the floor with a loud clang as metal hit metal.
When Kollin heard more footsteps, he looked up to find two more of his males with phasers pointed at him. He dove back inside the Ready Room just as the beam struck where he once stood. “Computer, seal the door! Authorization code 16493056.”
With the door sealed, the traitors still tried to gain entrance. He heard the sound of phaser fire as it struck the outside controls. Walking to the far wall, he placed his hand over a small sensor, normally unseen unless they knew what to look for. A panel slid back revealing an arsenal of weapons.
Kollin grabbed a couple of knives, sheathing one in each boot, a phaser, and a short sword. Marching with determination back to his desk, he grabbed the portable com-unit. “Bridge, this is Commander Kollin. I’m under attack.”
He waited, but there was no reply. The ship no longer rocked from enemy fire, and all was quiet…too quiet.
“Bridge, report!” Still nothing.
He walked over to the supply closet and shoved everything to the floor. The supplies were only there to hide the door that had never been needed before. Only he and his second in command knew of the secret escape route.
Stepping into the narrow tunnel that ran the along the ship’s walls, Kollin stealthy made his way through the dimly lit passage. The only light shone from cracks above his head where the top of the wall met the ceiling. This too, was by design. There were only four exits he could choose from. One was his quarters, Kassim’s quarters was the second, and then the cargo bay, and finally engineering. He chose engineering. From there he could monitor exactly what was going on.
When he came to his intended exit, Kollin pressed his ear to the metal door and listened. When he heard nothing, he turned his nose up to the lighted cracks and sniffed, trying to catch the scent of the enemy. Finding no scent, he quietly opened the door just enough to ease out.
Kollin spotted one of his soldiers standing on the other side of the room, looking at a console. Not knowing who the enemy was, he drew his phaser before addressing the male.
“Lannk,” Kollin said, and the male started before turning around, surprise on his solemn face.
“Commander, you startled me,” Lannk said distractedly and turned his attention back to the console, his eyes scanning the information.
“Report,” Kollin ordered.
Without looking up, Lannk responded, “Commander, I’m not sure what to make of it, but several of our males have taken the bridge crew hostage. They are demanding that you give yourself up in exchange for their release.”
“Are they mad?” It was a rhetorical question. The traitors had truly lost their minds if they thought they could get away with this. “What do they hope to accomplish?” Kollin asked while staring at the console that Lannk worked on.
“I don’t know.” Turning to the Commander, Lannk continued, “What are you going to do?”
Kollin exhaled a harsh breath before he said, “I’m going to find out where the others are being held, and after I rescue them, I’m going to kill the traitors.”
“They’re here in cargo bay three,” Lannk informed him as he pointed to the screen. Kollin could indeed see that ten people were in the cargo bay, he just hoped it was his bridge crew.
“It appears to be so,” Kollin said absently as he also stared at the console.
With Lannk still at work and his back turned, Kollin quietly slipped back inside the secret passage, hoping that he’d have the element of surprise on his side.
Slowly gravitating to cargo bay three, Kollin took sure, steady steps and calming breaths to clear his mind, readying himself for battle. When he came to the intended doorway, he grabbed his phaser with one hand and a knife with other before slowly opening the door, hoping to slip in unnoticed.
That didn’t happen. With the door half-way open, someone grabbed his arm to yank him forward. Kollin was too large a male and too skilled a fighter for someone to get the best of him. At seven feet three, he was larger than most by two inches or more. Dropping the knife, Kollin gripped the hand that held tight to his arm and easily twisted it lose. One punch to the face with his massive fist, and his opponent dropped unconscious to the floor.
Kollin lifted his eyes from the fallen male and noted that no bridge crew members were here, only traitors.
“I see Lannk sent us a present.” With an evil grin, Wallace continued, “We’ve been looking for you, Commander.”
Wallace remained a low-ranking soldier assigned to do menial tasks because he failed to follow the orders of superior officers.
“Wallace, what is all this?” Kollin spread his arms wide, his muscles bulging with anticipation. If Wallace didn’t realize that he was coiled to strike at any second, he could perhaps catch him off guard.
“This, Commander, is us getting rid of you.”
“Why?” It was a simple enough question and one he’d puzzled over. What were they hoping to gain?
Wallace studied him with a keen eye. Kollin could tell Wallace was itching to tell what he knew. He’d always needed to feel important, and this was his big chance. Looking at the others and then back to Kollin, Wallace shrugged. “Very well. It’s not like you’ll be around to tell the tale. Your uncle…”
“My what?” Kollin interrupted with surprise. When he spotted the gleam in Wallace’s eyes, he chastised himself for showing so much emotion.
With a nasty grin, Wallace continued, “Your uncle, your mother’s brother, doesn’t think Mallik is fit to rule Azziar. After all, he let his mate be slaughtered like a field animal.”
“You lie through your rotten teeth. My mother has no family.” Kollin tried to control his breathing as rage consumed him. What lies this parasite tells! His loving mother was an only child.
“Ah…but she does. They had an older son they kept hidden away. He’s watched your family all these years while hiding from our world.”
Shaking his head in denial, Kollin said with agitation, “That makes no sense. Why would he have to stay hidden? Why wouldn’t he just let us know that he was our uncle?”
Wallace laughed before answering, “Because he was born with a noticeable birth defect. It’s not a bad one, but your family—your mother’s parents—thought that if King Mallik knew of the defect, he wouldn’t mate their daughter for fear of having less than perfect young.” He paused and stared straight at Kollin when he delivered the last part of the mystery. “Imagine having to live in the shadows for hundreds of years knowing that your sister is a queen among her people. Think of the rage that fills him when he sees one of you.”
“Why didn’t he let Father know after he had mated my mother?” Kollin had a full understanding, and he hid the fear that coursed through his body. If this male, his uncle, was on Azziar, he could be harming his unsuspecting family.
“Because the lie had been told. The queen would have been deemed a liar and manipulator her entire life, so their parents forbade his telling of the truth.”
Kollin knew that his father and mother were not true mates. King Mallik had chosen her because of her
good looks and her family name, which was one of honor.
Wallace shook his head with a grin before he finished his story. “With his sister killed, and his parents gone, he’s free to pursue his revenge. Recruiting members who have lost loved ones under King Mallik’s rule… that’s genius.”
It was hard not to hear the admiration in Wallace’s voice, which grated on Kollin’s nerves and lit a fire in his veins. He lunged at the other Azziarin, but Wallace quickly fired before pivoting out of his grasp. The phaser beam grazed Kollin’s shoulder, but it didn’t slow him down. His elbow connected between Wallace’s shoulder’s blades, which sent him sprawling face first onto the unforgiving floor. Two others jumped him from behind. One wrapped his arm around Kollin’s neck while the other tried to grab his arms and twist them behind his back.
Kollin forcefully thrust his head back, cracking the nose of the one whose arm wrapped around his neck. He immediately let go to cup his bleeding nose with his hands, but the other male hung on, refusing to let go of his arms. Before Kollin could shake the other male loose, a prick in the side of his neck had everything looking blurry. Kollin shook his head to clear his vision, but stumbled…once…twice…and then dropped unconscious, his body making a loud thud as his head bounced off the metal floor.
Chapter Two
Krista
“I’m so tired of hiding! Why can’t we go outside?” Krista pleaded with her older brother, Alan. They had both survived the initial invasion and somehow made it to the family cabin nestled in the woods. The family property bordered National Forest, so they’d felt safe. Their parents had long since passed, both having died years ago in a fatal car crash, leaving their two children alone to pick up the broken pieces.
“Krista…don’t,” Alan warned. He was tired of hearing her whine about the current situation.
“I’m sorry, Alan. It’s just…well, they may have left by now. Maybe the aliens took what they wanted and left.” He gave her the look that said she was being ridiculous. She knew it wasn’t true, the aliens had ravaged Earth, and she should feel grateful that she and her brother were safe. But she had a bad case of cabin fever.
“I know, Krista, I feel it, too.” He let out a deep sigh and put the book he’d been reading away. He must have read it six times already, but with few choices, you do what you have to.
“Really? It’s not just me?” He never showed that he was unhappy. They had enough food stocked up for a year, plenty of kerosene for heat and several oil lamps. They also had several books and magazines for entertainment. However, the cabin was never meant to be lived in on a long-term basis, but more as getaway retreat. Being rustic, it lacked the comforts of home, but Krista did have food to eat, a mattress to sleep on, and water to wash off with.
They’d both lived in the city of Nashville, and when the aliens came and the bombings started, Alan retrieved his sister, who lived right down the street from him, and headed for the family home near the Smoky Mountains.
“No, it’s not just you.” He let out another sigh and uncrossed his legs before sitting forward in the chair he currently occupied. “Let’s get some rest, and tomorrow we’ll go for a walk. If the car still runs, maybe we’ll take it out and have a good look around.”
Warm happiness spread throughout her body, starting at the middle and moving outward. She threw her arms around Alan’s neck and repeated over and over, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
He couldn’t help but grin at her happiness. “You’re welcome.”
Even though Alan was only twenty-six, which was two years older than his sister, she always trusted his judgement. With all the excitement coursing through her body, Krista would be lucky to sleep at all that night.
The next morning, Krista lay on her twin bed with her eyes wide open, watching the light spill through the room as the sun rose. She’d slept a little, but not much. She was too excited about leaving the small cabin. Oh, it’d served a great purpose, but one could only live like this for so long.
She threw the covers back and hopped out of bed, eager to start the day. She dressed in a pair of dirty, worn jeans that sported holes in both knees, and a light gray sweatshirt. She grabbed her hairbrush and tried to get the tangles out of her long, blonde hair. A pair of worn-out sneakers completed her simple outfit. She peered out the small window and noted how the leaves had already changed colors; she knew that snow would be falling soon. On her way out, she grabbed a light jacket, just in case.
Alan was waiting at the small, round metal table in the tiny kitchen, eating a strawberry Pop Tart. Who knew those things would come in so handy? Krista grabbed her own and joined him.
“Sleep well?” he asked.
Krista chuckled a little before replying, “Not much. You?”
“Actually, I did.”
They both at in silence until Alan asked, “Are you sure you want to go out today?” She heard the hesitation in his voice, noted the concern on his face.
“Yes, I’m sure. I need this, Alan.” She turned her large, pleading baby-blue eyes on him.
“Okay, then.” He threw his Pop Tart wrapper in the trash. “Let’s get an early start. I don’t want to be out after dark.”
Krista grinned before stuffing half of the Pop Tart in her mouth, anxious to get the day started. She chugged a glass of water and then brushed her teeth.
“Ready,” she proclaimed.
Leaving the cabin made her tremble with excitement and fear, all rolled up into one little ball that sat in the pit of her stomach. They didn’t have far to walk to reach Alan’s car. It hadn’t been cranked in months, and she prayed it still worked.
It took five tries, but his 2015 blue Chevy Cruze finally started. “Yes!” Krista shouted with glee. Alan grinned at her excitement before heading down the winding gravel road.
Everything appeared normal. The trees were beautiful with their ever-changing colors. They sported an array of reds, yellows, and oranges mixed together. Krista sat back and stared at it all with a content smile on her face. At least until they hit the hardtop road.
The first group of houses lay abandoned, their contents ruined, their windows busted and their doors bashed in. Krista took in a harsh breath. Still, they kept driving.
Driving around the main town was a task in itself. Cars were abandoned on the road, some on the side, some in the middle. The overall impression for Krista was that the cars’ owners had just gotten out and run. She wondered if they’d headed into the the woods for cover.
“Seen enough?” Alan asked in a solemn, tight voice.
“Yeah,” she absently replied.
They came upon a burned-down shopping center. Alan was trying to find a place to turn the car around when Krista spotted them. Her heart pounded with fear as she clutched the console. “Alan!” she screamed.
The area was peppered with aliens—scary aliens with pasty, gray skin and flaming red hair. The eyes that stared at them were an inhuman amber color, with a looked that promised nothing good. As several headed their direction, a malicious grin spread across one of their faces and revealed rotting teeth.
“Alan, let’s go! We’ve got to get out of here! Hurry!” Krista said in a panic.
“I’m trying!” He threw the car in reverse, but as he backed up, he rammed an abandoned vehicle.
“Hurry, Alan!” she screamed as the aliens drew closer.
He put it back in drive before throwing it into reverse again. If he had to, he’d push the cars out of the way.
When Krista looked up, there were six aliens standing right in front of them. Fear ran rampant, filling every crevice throughout her trembling body. “Alan!” she screamed.
“I see them, Krista,” he swallowed hard. Glancing at his sister, he said, “Whatever happens, I love you.” He threw the car in drive and headed straight for the aliens, tying to run them over. It was their only chance at getting out unscathed.
The aliens quickly jumped out of the way as Alan tore out of the parking lot, not caring if he
hit anyone. Krista breathed a sigh of relief, and as Alan glanced at the rear-view mirror to see if they were being followed, he hit two abandoned cars that were blocking the roadway.
The screech of tires gave way to her screams of terror as they came to an abrupt halt. Smoke rose from the crumpled hood, and Krista’s shoulder ached from the seatbelt strap. She looked to her brother, who was lying with his head against the steering wheel, blood running down the side of his face.
“Alan…Alan, talk to me…Alan!” Krista scurried out of her seatbelt so she could reach her brother. “Alan,” she tried again as she leaned him back into his seat. He had several deep gashes across his forehead, but what concerned her most was the huge knot on the side of his head where he’d taken a hard lick.
He opened his eyes for a moment and then closed them again. “Alan, wake up,” her voice quivered as she spoke.
When he opened his eyes again, he tried to smile at her. She barely heard his whispered words. “I’m sorry, sis, so sorry. I love you,” and then his eyes closed for the last time.
“No!” she screamed as she cradled his head in her arms, not caring about the blood that now soaked her shirt. She rocked him the best she could in the small car as tears streamed down her face. This is all my fault! she thought. If only…if only she hadn’t wanted to leave the cabin. All my fault! The guilt crushed her as she tried to breathe. How could she live without him? All my fault!
When the door was forcefully opened and something tried to pull her out, she hung onto Alan, not ready to let him go, not that it helped. She tore her eyes from her brother and came face to face with the evil, grinning alien and screamed. And then she passed out…
Kollin
Book 3, the Azziarin Series
Fall of 2016
Thank you for reading!
Ambriel's Quest: Book 2 Page 13
