The Anuan Legacy: Book 1 of The Anuan Legacy Series

by Traci Ison Schafer

  “Hi Mom, Bec. You two look beautiful today.” Gaige kissed each woman on the cheek. “Mom, I’d like for you to meet Victoria. Victoria, this is my mother, Sena.”

  I stepped forward and extended a hand toward her, no more nervous than I’d have been on Earth meeting a boyfriend’s mother. I knew my acclimation was almost over. “It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am.”

  She took my hand in both of hers and dipped her head toward me in a slight bow. “The honor is mine. And please, call me Sena.”

  We all walked along the peaceful trails that snaked through the woods, dipping our heads beneath a low branch every now and then, or rounding a meandering curve. They told me stories of Gaige as a child and how their families had always been close, long before Gaige and Conner were born. I had a wonderful time talking and laughing with them.

  After a while, Daigon joined us during a break from the bridge. I felt completely comfortable around Gaige’s father this time. I wondered why I hadn’t realized their relationship the first time I saw him. He and Gaige looked so alike—except for the eyes. Gaige had inherited his aqua eyes from his mother, but hers were even more piercing against her fair skin.

  As Daigon and Sena walked side by side in front of us, I watched how attentive Daigon was with her. Being captain, he must have had ship’s business on his mind, but one would have never guessed during our walk that he was anything other than Sena’s husband or Gaige’s father. Sena, I had learned, had a stellar career of her own as a cutting-edge engineer, leading much of the research in the advancement of nanotechnology. But, like Daigon, at that moment, her family had her complete focus.

  On the other hand, Bec looked adrift bringing up the rear. Her eyes and her attention were off in another world, like one half of a whole, yearning to be complete again. I wondered why her husband, Tas, hadn’t joined us. I had a strong, though irrational, feeling it was because of me.

  When our trail curved near the edge of the woods, Daigon paused. “I need to get back to the bridge. Gaige, can I speak with you in private?”

  Sena tipped her head and eyed Daigon.

  Daigon winked at her. “I won’t keep him long. I promise.”

  “Do you mind, Victoria?” Gaige asked.

  “No, not at all.”

  Gaige leaned forward possibly to kiss me goodbye, I thought, then stopped himself and patted my shoulder instead. “I’ll hurry back.”

  I’d felt fine when I’d told Gaige I didn’t mind him leaving, but when I watched him and Daigon walk out of sight, a panicked feeling came over me. With Gaige gone, I feared Sena would use the opportunity to interrogate the girlfriend. I took a deep breath, the way Gaige had taught me, and searched for balance. I realized then, I had no reason to worry. I was in control of my emotions now and not the other way around. I would soon find out what Gaige had been keeping from me. I would soon be able to decide my future.

  CHAPTER 80 -

  BRIAN

  I’d hoped to hold in heat better by nudging myself against one of the interior corners of the cell. My success remained debatable, but it had been worth a shot. The person who’d brought the bread and water had spoken of a visitor. I waited and listened, wondering exactly what the visitor planned to do with me.

  My stomach rumbled, begging for another slice of bread. With only one slice left, I wouldn’t give in. Not yet. Who knew how long it would have to last? After my initial chug of water, I’d rationed the rest out by the capfuls. Less than half remained. I licked my dry lips and daydreamed of more water, and food, and heat, and my home. Would I ever see any of those things again?

  CHAPTER 81 -

  GAIGE

  My father and I walked through the halls on the way to his planning room. Other than exchanging greetings with people we passed along the way, he remained quiet. I couldn’t read exactly what emotions he kept hidden, only that he guarded a heavy burden.

  When we reached his office, Dad headed straight for the window. I joined him, but stayed silent, giving him whatever time he needed before talking with me. His eyes stayed fixed, looking out the window for only a short while, and then he turned to me.

  “Gaige, you know Tas has some concerns about what you experienced on Earth. We both do.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “He feels the Tamanacke could have been involved in the Kian’s pursuit of you and Victoria.” He called up a virtual image of a Tamanacke and stood next to it. “This is what the Tamanacke look like.”

  The reptilian creature stood taller than my six-feet-four-inch father by several inches, and broader, too. With the slightly protruding fringe that ran across the sides and top of the head, it reminded me a little of the Earth’s ancient Triceratops. The mouth and nose weren’t much more than slits in the olive-green hide of the face, but the eyes held me. I looked deep into the thin black strips of pupil that ran down the middle of its yellow eyes and wondered if the creature still existed and what it might have planned.

  “If Tas is right, this is what you could face on Earth,” Dad said. “They’re strong, with skin as tough as Anuan roat vine. They’re difficult to defeat. Always protect your neck. They’ll go for the jugular every time. It’s their classic move.”

  “You think they might really still exist?”

  He let out a trouble-laden sigh. “They might. It’s impossible for us to know for sure. The Tamanacke’s energy resonates much lower than ours, too low for us to sense. At all. Even when they were inundating our planet, our inner senses couldn’t tell they were there.”

  The Tam-Anuan war had taken place when I was a baby. I’d heard the stories and seen the images. It had been years ago, though, before I knew I might have to face one of them. Looking at the projected Tamanacke with that knowledge put a whole different perspective on things.

  “Then I’ll use my other senses to watch out for them,” I said.

  “That’s a problem too, Gaige. They have the ability to shape-shift.”

  “Hmm.” I rubbed my chin, processing the challenges I might face if I ran into one of these beasts on Earth. “That is a problem.”

  “Gaige, you have to be careful when you go down for Brian. I know we have difficulty reading some of the more closed-minded Kians, but if you come across anyone you can’t sense—even Brian—get out. Don’t take the chance of battling one of these.” He pointed to the image towering over him.

  “The person in that cell is no shifted Tamanacke. I spent enough time with Brian on Earth that I can sense him from here. If we don’t get him out of that cell as soon as possible, he’ll starve to death. I won’t let that happen. The second the solar levels are low enough not to interfere with the ship’s cloak, I’m going in for him. But I’ll be careful.”

  “Gaige, you have to be. There are no second chances with the Tamanacke.”

  CHAPTER 82 -

  VICTORIA

  Gaige had left the park, smiling and socializing. He returned with a hollow face and heavy eyes.

  I didn’t want to pry into what might have been ship’s business, but I had to know what weighed on him so heavily. After we’d said our goodbyes to Bec and Sena, and were far enough away from the park to have a private conversation, I looped my arm around his and moved closer to him as we walked. “Is everything okay?”

  Gaige bent his arm at the elbow to give me an easier grasp. “Sure, everything’s fine. The captain and I just had some things to discuss about my mission.”

  I suppressed a grin. I found it funny that he sometimes referred to his own father as captain. In that context, I supposed he was acting as Gaige’s captain and not his father. The amusing, yet respectful gesture didn’t distract from the pang in my stomach that told me Gaige hadn’t shared the whole story. “Your mission? The one to see Brian?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “You’re sure there are no problems?” I asked. “And Brian is still okay?”

  “Don’t worry. Brian is still hanging in there and we’ll have him out soon. This should be a
quick, easy mission.”

  “Should be?”

  He pulled his arm loose from mine and put it around my shoulder. “I won’t lie to you, but there’s no need to worry you unnecessarily either. There are always unknowns. We have to think through all the possible problems so we’re not surprised by anything. That’s what we were doing.”

  I could tell he wasn’t going to elaborate on the possible problems, so I assured myself Gaige knew what he was doing and that I needed to trust him. I wrapped my now-freed arm around his waist. “Okay, it’s good that you’re prepared.”

  ***

  After spending the rest of the day seeing more of the ship, we returned to my quarters. Gaige sat in the chair, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. I lay on the bed and watched him for a long while. He remained so still, I thought he may have drifted off to sleep. I wanted to tell him to lie in the bed with me. I knew he wouldn’t, so I let him rest peacefully in the chair while I thought about all the new things I’d seen that day.

  Gaige’s quarters had been our first stop after we left the park. Family photos covered the walls. But the pictures didn’t hang on the walls, they emanated from within them. In one photo, he and his father stood, dressed in climbing gear, in front of a rocky outcrop. Matching smiles graced their faces and their arms hung draped over each other’s shoulders. Another photo caught Gaige in a moment of laughter with his sister Geeah, Chessa’s mother. Other photos showed him with Chessa, Sena, and Conner. There was even a group photo that included Bec and her husband. An odd feeling struck me when I saw the picture of Tas. He looked so familiar, like I knew him from somewhere. But that was silly.

  The modest-sized room didn’t contain much furniture. It didn’t need to. Just like the rest of the ship, extra furniture could flip from the walls as needed. A couple of chairs and a table sat fixed in front of his floor-to-ceiling, space-view window. No doubt he spent a lot of time there gazing at the spectacular scene. There was no better view to settle one’s soul.

  A small bookshelf tucked in the corner contained trinkets from Gaige’s life, including my favorite thing in the whole room—a sparkly chunk of rock about the size of my fist that Gaige had brought back from his first ground mission to Earth: the beginning of a journey that would eventually lead him to me.

  Seeing where Gaige lived, with pieces of his life proudly displayed around the room, made me feel closer to him. I couldn’t wait to hear the stories behind every item and every photo—the events that had built the Gaige I now knew.

  After we left Gaige’s quarters, he showed me Engineering. Brian would have loved that place, with its partially assembled droids, light beams, electronic devices, and other gadgets and gizmos the likes of which I’d never seen before. Everywhere, readouts hung in midair, lighting up the room with Anuan symbols I didn’t understand. Amongst it all, engineers—male, female, and droid—worked diligently. Some of the droids had features so lifelike it was hard to tell them from the real people.

  I knew the situation with Brian would be resolved soon. Maybe he’d one day see Engineering for himself. I had a feeling if he stayed on Earth, he’d never have peace again. Would I, if I stayed?

  I didn’t want to worry about what might happen on Earth after having such a nice day on the ship, so I let my mind drift back to that. I’d received my physical and got the okay to start a routine that would help me adjust to Anuan gravity—in case I decided to stay. I’d walked in place within a spinning metal frame about seven feet tall. It emitted a grid pattern of purple lights across my body that made the frame look like a screen door. The lights collected data while I walked in increasingly higher gravity levels within the spinning frame. I quickly learned that Gaige hadn’t been exaggerating about how difficult Anu’s gravity might be for me.

  Zada and the trainer used the data to come up with a workout routine for me. Gaige graciously agreed to start my sessions immediately and took me to one of their virtual simulators for a walk in slightly increased gravity. The place first appeared to be a plain, white room, but Gaige entered some commands into its system and it soon came alive as my favorite Florida beach. My feet, which had been firmly planted on solid ground, sank into the sand, and the silence turned to surf crashing against the beach in the distance.

  I smiled, thinking of our time there.

  “Come on. Last one in is a rotten egg!” Hoping to gain an advantage catching Gaige by surprise, I took off running as fast as I could toward the water. With my head down, I concentrated and pushed hard against the loose, sandy surface. Almost there, I looked up to see Gaige already standing ankle-deep in the water with a bored look on his face.

  “Glad you could finally make it.” He faked a yawn. “You don’t look much like an egg—rotten or otherwise.”

  “Very funny, Gaige. It’s just a saying.”

  “I figured. Kian sayings can be quite odd.”

  “I think I should have had a head start.” I bent down, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it at him.

  He jumped out of the way, the water missing him completely. “I don’t recall any such rule being established.” In one fluid motion, he swiped his hand through the water and flung it in my direction, hitting me directly in the chest.

  I gasped, water dripping down my clothes.

  He grinned. “You started it.”

  I laughed quietly, not wanting to wake Gaige. He was right. I had started it.

  At the end of that session, the virtual process had reversed and the scene had evaporated, along with the water on our clothes. Gone just like that. Would I be gone, just like that, too? I would. But from where? Here or Earth? Whatever the answer, I knew I’d have it soon.

  Gaige stirred. “Did you have a good day?”

  “Yes, I had a terrific day. I was just thinking about it. Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re welcome. I want you to be happy.”

  “I am. You make me very happy.” I walked over and sat down on the floor next to his chair.

  He ran his hand across my hair and looked at me with his worried look.

  “You’re ready to tell me?” I asked.

  “Almost.”

  “It won’t change anything.”

  “I hope not.” He leaned forward, kissed the top of my head, and then stood up. “I’d like to try something.”

  “Okay. What?”

  “Remember how I destroyed your phone?”

  “Yes, you toasted it with your Jedi mind powers.”

  Gaige grinned, shaking his head. “Yes, I guess you could describe it that way. I did it with mere thought.” He went to my dresser and picked up my hairbrush. “I’d like you to try it.” He laid the brush on the palm of his hand. “Try and move this hairbrush using only your thoughts.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Have you ever tried?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Try now.” He wiggled his hand, encouraging me. “Just relax and clear your thoughts like when you balance yourself. Then think this to you.”

  It seemed unlikely that my mind could achieve such a feat. But if Gaige thought I might be able to move it, I’d at least try. I focused on the brush. Nothing happened. I tried harder, squinting and straining until I thought I might burst a blood vessel.

  “You have to relax,” Gaige said. “Don’t fight to do it, know you can do it. Don’t doubt yourself.”

  I relaxed, took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. I imagined I really could do it. Come to me, I told the brush in my thoughts and envisioned it doing exactly that. It wiggled in Gaige’s palm. Come to me now! The hairbrush quickly slid out of his hand and flew across the room right at me. I held my hands up to keep it from hitting me in the face. It slapped me across my palms and fell to the floor.

  “Ouch.” I shook my hands to shake the sting from them.

  “Nice!” Gaige said, smiling wide.

  “I did it! I really did it!”

  “Yes, you did,” he said. “I knew you could!”


  “But how was I able to do that?”

  “Your abilities are strong.”

  I rubbed my sore palms with my thumbs. “I had no idea that was even possible. For Earthlings, anyway.”

  “I’ve told you, Kians have potentials they never touch. Maybe not potential like yours, but most have something they could build upon.”

  “So I’ve had these abilities all along?”

  “Your whole life,” Gaige said. “You just didn’t know it. So, like other Kians, you weren’t using or developing them. Here you’re able to feed off our energies, too. That’s helping to strengthen your abilities. I can’t even guess what you’d be able to accomplish right now if you’d have grown up around us on Anu, developing these skills your entire life.”

  “I want to move something else!” I scanned the room for anything small and loose.

  “You shouldn’t overdo it.” A full-dimple smile spread across Gaige’s face, the kind that formed when he was about to be ornery. “Though your timing could use some work.”

  “Funny, Gaige. I wasn’t expecting it to come so fast. So let’s practice.” I opened my top drawer and pulled out a sock. “We’ll use this.”

  “Hmmm. A better choice.” Gaige took it from my hand and placed it back in the drawer. “Tomorrow. I promise.”

  “Oh, all right. But first thing.”

  “First thing,” he agreed. “For now, we should get some sleep. You wear me out.” He laughed and walked to the constructor. “I’ll sleep on the floor again in case you have another bad dream. I don’t want you to wake up alone after one of those.”

  I wanted to tell him to sleep in the bed with me. We’d slept together every night since we’d known each other and nothing had happened. Did it matter if we were on the floor or in the bed? Something told me Gaige would think it did. So, I saved my breath and let him order what he needed from the constructor to sleep on the floor while I got ready for bed.