Dreaming of Ayama

by K. A Knight

  “Sir?” the man with the gun asks.

  “Shoot him!” he yells.

  “No!” a woman calls from somewhere off screen. I look around in confusion before I spot her walking onto the screen and my eyes go wide. It’s her, from the ship. The woman who attacked me, who told me about my parents and tried to recruit me. “We need him, he is her weakness. We can use that against her, take him back to base. Harron you might be one of us, but you do not get to decide who lives and dies. This is bigger than you, bigger than us. Go back to that camp and get me some more recruits, we lost way too many in the crash.”

  I don’t think he is going to listen at first and she must think the same thing, because she steps closer and glares at him until Harron nods, snarling at Cain one last time before he peels away with his men, heading back to us. The woman turns to Cain, her cold face interested. “You are going to win us this war before it even starts, boy. She will come for you, and when she does I will kill her.”

  The recording cuts out there and I sit back in shock.

  “He’s alive,” I whisper.

  “Yes.” Effie grins.

  “He’s alive!” I jump to my feet, suddenly feeling more alive, my whole body wired and needing to burst out of here and find him. As if she knows my thoughts, Effie jumps in front of me.

  “He is, but we can’t just rush after them. We don’t know where they are and this was taken days ago. We need to plan first, but at least you know he is still out there,” she points out logically, and I nod reluctantly, fighting the urge to just run recklessly into the jungle.

  “Oh muffin cunt,” Jolp mutters, and we both turn to him in confusion.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Erm, bad timing, TGP is here and wants to meet you.” He winces, his tail hitting his chair anxiously.

  TGP...The Galactic Peacekeepers are here? Now?

  The jinum and the aliens are waiting outside near the ships when we go leave the command centre. There, in the midst of their smaller ships, is a hulking silver mass that wasn’t there before, with letters that I don’t understand painted boldly on the side and white stripes underneath. The doors are opening when I arrive with a descending platform, hitting the ground with a thump. I watch as at least ten walk down to greet us, looking every bit as scary as they sound. I stop at Jinum Gasdrgl’s side and he looks over at me.

  “They got here quickly. I am sorry I couldn’t give you any warning,” he offers. “They only hailed us as they reached our atmosphere, and by then they were already descending. TGP doesn’t have to give time frames. They make the rules.”

  “Jinum Gasdrgl of the Thredrick clan, formerly of planet Regor, come forward,” the alien in the front greets, standing ahead of the other men. The rest are dress in black from head to toe, even covering their faces with helmets. The only colour marring their appearance is the same symbol from the ship painted on their breastplates and the white stripes down their arms and legs. I spot what look like guns strapped to their sides, and it unnerves me that I can’t see their faces. They are obviously the peacekeepers...like some kind of space cop maybe? Either way, it’s not the time for questions. The alien doesn’t even spare me a look, and I watch as the jinum steps forward and bows. I’m lucky I have a translator, because I would be shitting a brick right now if I couldn’t understand them.

  The head alien is wearing all gold, like all gold, and it’s almost blinding. It’s similar to the suit the others behind him are wearing, but his is obviously for decoration and he wears no helmet. He isn’t like the jinum or the aliens of this planet. To begin, he has no tail. In fact, he looks more human than the aliens I am used to, apart from the three eyes of course. Big ones, all locked on us, they move like ours, but seem to have no eyelids, and each is a different colour. One is bright blue, like the sky, the second is a colour I have no way to describe and I am pretty sure we have never discovered, and the third is completely white. He also has big pointy ears and a bald head and oh, he is at least nine feet tall. Yay, new alien species. His doesn’t fill me with calm. Actually. I am downright terrified right now.

  “This must be one of the Novians?” he asks, and Jinum Gasdrgl turns to me.

  Spaceballs, do I bow? Fuck it, I curtsey instead and they both watch me in confusion.

  “What’s up, your majesty, oh TGP peeps?” I try and then wince, what the hell just happened? I panicked is what.

  “Fascinating,” he drawls, letting me know I am anything but fascinating.

  “Okay, grab your people.” He waves. “I need to be on Kilop in two hours.”

  “Er, sorry, what?” I question.

  “Your people,” he says slowly.

  “What about them?” I ask, only more confused. He throws the jinum a glance before concentrating back on me, those three eyes freaking me out a bit.

  “We are here to collect you of course. We have found the planet you have colonised and will take you there. Please form a line while we catalogue you as you board our ship. You may collect your possessions if you want, as peacekeepers of this galaxy and the next, you are now our wards and we will see you safely to your new planet.”

  I blink in shock before looking at the jinum.

  “You can trust them, Indy, they would never harm a race. If they say they are taking you to your home then they are.”

  “Effie, go get everyone,” I order, my heart racing. No, this is too soon, I still need to find Cain and I can’t leave the rebellion to the aliens. They are peaceful and they will get hurt.

  “There are a pocket of humans—Novians—on this planet, but we can’t find them and they might not be friendly,” I explain, trying to stall for time. What am I doing? This is exactly what we needed, a ride to Ayama...why am I hesitating?

  “No problem, I will send some of my best to collect them, and if they are hostile we will detain them until they can be delivered to your leaders for punishment, but with or without them we are leaving. I will send a pod to collect them. We leave now.” He is obviously growing bored with me.

  I look to the jinum for help and he steps towards me, blocking my view of him. “Indy, what is wrong?”

  “They can’t leave,” Wrenil declares. “My squishy human stays,” he demands, stepping closer to Effie.

  “Yes, I would like to suggest Effie stays as well,” Rhet adds.

  “I agree,” Nidolak calls.

  “That’s an option?” Jolp asks.

  “Jinum Gasdrgl, if I could, we could offer sanctuary to the humans, they have been most helpful and this planet is big enough for two species, is it not?” Rilon calls from the crowd.

  “Shush, Indy?” Jinum addresses me.

  “I can’t leave,” I whisper.

  He says nothing more, but steps back and leaves me to my warring heart. I see him thinking through what is happening. We stand in silence, under the scrutiny of TGP, and not five minutes later all of Colony 43 arrives. Barrott rushes to my side, as does Eldon and Auden.

  “Good, hello Novians. We are TGP, and we are the protectors of the planets and people within this galaxy. The Thedrick clan offered you respite while we arrived, and Jinum Gasdrgl contacted us with your plight. We will be transporting you to your new planet and making contact with your leaders. You have thirty clicks to gather your belongs!” the gold alien calls.

  Everyone looks at me, obviously unsure, and I hesitate, but Jinum Gasdrgl trusts this man so I do as well. I nod at them and I watch them relax, and some even look excited. “We trust him, they are taking us to Ayama.” Why don’t I seem thrilled, isn’t that what I wanted?

  People start to holler and cheer as they rush off to get their belongings, and I watch from the side, knowing I should be doing the same but I can’t.

  “Your Highness, a moment?” the jinum calls.

  “Yes?” he replies.

  “I would like to petition that you allow whoever of the humans wishes to stay to do so. We have grown close to this young race and we think we can live in peace with them. Our peo
ple died from our own stubbornness, maybe it is time we changed tradition. I would allow the Novians to remain here, if they wish,” he suggests.

  The gold alien’s eyes narrow on him. “You would allow the Novians to occupy this planet with you?” he challenges. “Be careful, you know TGP do not take responsibility if you choose to do this, they would be your wards.”

  “I do, with TGP permission, I offer them sanctuary. I offer them home.” Jinum Gasdrgl looks at me then and everything settles inside me, this is the right call. I know it. I was waiting, hoping for a way to stay. I have too much on this planet—Cain, Howard’s burial place, and even my own happiness. Ayama was Earth’s last-ditch effort to keep our race alive, but I want more than just to survive. I want to live. Dreko—Hope—is that for me, a chance. My own parents told me to choose my own path. Can I choose this one? Go against my own people and government, can I stay?

  Everything happens for a reason.

  Howard used to tell me that all the time. Did we end up here for a reason? Hope. Is this planet our hope? I can feel everyone looking at me, waiting, and I hold my head up and step forward. My decision is made, my heart is on this planet. I won’t leave it behind, not even for my people, and this time I choose Cain. I choose him over a certain future, over everyone else. I choose him.

  “I’m not leaving him, I can’t. I have to stay. I have to find Cain and stop the rebellion, it isn’t over yet,” I state loudly, but look over at my men, my heart frozen. They don’t have to stay, they should go to Ayama with our people.

  “Then we stay too,” Barrott declares, and Auden and Eldon nod like it wasn’t even a choice. I grin widely.

  “Our home is where you are, Good Looking, always. We stay.”

  “I’m staying too,” Effie calls. I look over at her, my mouth opening to protest, but she wags her finger at me. “You are my family, Indy, so we stay. Plus, I have more here now than even you.” At that, her gaze cuts to the aliens and I wink, even as she blushes. I didn’t even notice the colony members had returned, but they are watching us with their belongings in their hands.

  The head of the TGP stares at us in confusion before nodding, obviously unsure how he could deny us and I relax.

  “I wish to stay as well, I have never seen Ayama, it was the only option but...I like it here. I like our colony and even the aliens. I wish to stay!” Jim calls.

  “Me too!” someone else calls and steps forward, a man.

  “Well fuck, if everyone is staying.” Riley grins. “Plus, it means I get to kick some rebel ass!” At that, the colony laughs and the other guards step forward before saluting Barrott and me.

  Murmurs and yells rise up, more and more as people choose to stay and my jaw drops. Why are they doing this? Ayama is their future!

  “You can’t stay, there is a rebellion and it might never be safe again,” I call and a woman I don’t remember the name of steps forward.

  “With all due respect, Indy, that is our choice. The world will never be a safe place, but this is our home now, and you are our people. You offered us more in this lifetime than Ayama ever did.”

  Agreements rise and Riley grins. “It’s our choice, Indy. Ayama was nothing more than an end destination for us, an escape from a dying planet. This...this is home, rebellion or no rebellion.”

  Barrott grabs my hand, twining our fingers, and I look at him to see him grinning proudly down at me. “They aren’t just doing this for you, Indy. I know what you are thinking. This is their choice, so let’s make this home, baby, let’s stay.”

  Not everyone steps forward and that is okay. Barrott is right. This is their decision and there is nothing I can do to stop them.

  “Board them!” the gold TGP alien calls, and everyone says goodbye to those who are leaving. Lee is among them, and I find myself fighting back tears as he steps up.

  “I never was one to be a hero, Indy. I’m going to Ayama. I figure I can make some deals with TGP. Be the first trader and all that.” He flashes me his grin. “You don’t need me here, but they need me there, otherwise it would be all stiff and boring. Keep racing, Indy Stewart, and remember where you started. Know if this doesn’t work out, we will wait for you on Ayama.” I step forward, hugging him tightly, and he laughs and holds me back. “You are a hell of a woman, Indy, and you will make an even better leader. Look after them for me and find Cain. If there is anyone in this universe that can keep up with you, it’s him.” With that, he steps back and grins at me before turning and heading to the ship. I see him already eyeing up the TGP and I laugh, knowing before they reach Ayama he will have cultivated more deals than they know what to do with.

  The golden alien steps closer as our people finish boarding. “Are you sure? We might not come back and you could be trapped here forever.”

  “I’ll take that risk, my family is here and they need me.” I nod.

  “Very well. You Novians are not what I expected...Jinum Gasdrgl might be right. Until next time.” He turns then, marching back up the platform with his guards in his wake. I watch as the platform rises and before I know it, the ship is gliding into the air. I shield my eyes and watch as they shoot into space, heading for Ayama.

  Stars protect you.

  “So, we are going to war?” Auden inquires, and I look over at him to see him grinning, flashing those dimples as the colony watches the ship shoot into space. Our people are still here, mixed with the aliens. Our family, our home.

  “I guess. We can’t let them win and this our home now. We will find Cain as well and bring him home, to us. Ayama was a dream, and it’s time we let that go and fight for what we believe in. Hope.”

  SURVIVOR LOG 0010

  Date: Unknown

  Mission: 43, Colony

  Ship: Dawnbreaker

  Location: Dreko/Hope.

  I’ve done my part and my parents are finally at rest. I handed over everything I have found to Ayama. More people than I thought decided to stay, and I find myself proud of that. Maybe there is hope for humanity after all, even when faced with a new species and a rebellion, they can still understand this opportunity and the beauty here.

  I don’t know what the future holds, but I have made my choice. My family is staying here, and we are searching for our missing link. He told me it was so easy for me to believe that he was a bad guy. Was I really looking for reasons to push him away? No, I don’t think I was.

  Either way, I need to find him. I made promises and I intend to keep them. I need to know he is okay, then I will kick his ass for keeping this all from me and trying to protect me…then I’ll tell him I love him. Because I do, I love him and our family isn’t complete without him.

  The TGP took off yesterday, their warning ringing in my ears…we could be trapped here forever, but Cain is worth that risk and home is wherever they are, my family.

  So far we have just been surviving, facing the blows as they come, always fleeing, but we are going to take a stand this time. No more running. Now it’s time we fight back. We take this to them, and we end this once and for all. This is our new home and I won’t let them destroy it. Ayama is now just a dream, so maybe it’s time I said goodbye to that? Fuck the rebellion!

  - Indy, signing off.

  K.A Knight is an indie author trying to get all of the stories and characters out of her head. She loves reading and devours every book she can get her hands on, she also has a worrying caffeine addiction.

  She leads her double life in a sleepy English town, where she spends her days writing like a crazy person.

  Read more at K.A Knight’s website or join her Facebook Reader Group.

  THEIR CHAMPION SERIES

  The Wasteland

  The Summit

  The Cities (Coming 2019)

  The Forgotten

  DAWNBREAKER SERIES

  Voyage to Ayama

  Dreaming of Ayama

  THE LOST COVEN SERIES

  Aurora’s Coven

  Aurora’s Betrayal

  HER MONSTERS SE
RIES

  Rage

  CO-AUTHOR PROJECTS

  Circus Save Me

  Dark Temptations, Volume 1

  The Wild Interview

  The Hero Complex

  Shipwreck Souls