“Correct,” the voice said. “They must never discover the secrets of their past. Which is why you are here, and not roaming free somewhere, divulging the information you illegally obtained using a stolen identity chip. Did you really expect to be simply demoted to the planet of Asnuria after your initial offense without being monitored? Do you believe Galactic Intelligence is a misnomer of some type?”
“Galactic Intelligence?” Ries asked, a wave of cold passing through his body. Had GI taken him prisoner? If so, he was in more trouble than he originally thought.
“Yet, you still live,” the voice said, cryptically.
Ries had been wondering about that. Why keep him prisoner and ask him all of these questions if all they were going to do was kill him?
“You’re fortunate,” the voice said. “I’ve taken an interest in your obvious…talents. You’ve shown remarkable ability in intelligence gathering.”
“Commander Kan—”
“Is of no concern,” the voice said dismissively. “Oh no, where will we ever find another mid-level officer for such a mediocre assignment?” The speaker’s voice had taken on a mocking tone.
“Then, why am I here?” Ries asked, confused.
“If it wasn’t already obvious,” the voice said. “You are being recruited by Galactic Intelligence. To be more specific, by myself.”
Ries pulled himself up onto his bed, his body still aching. Recruited, he thought. He felt a smile appear on his face at the same time tears of relief began running from his many eyes.
#
Rulina had been scared beyond words when the Krahn had separated her from her mate, Tumaani, but she’d been comforted by the fact she had been surrounded by other females and younglings she knew, including Tumaani’s other mates. As senior living mate to an important Rajani Elder, she tried to stay as calm as she could, attempting to set a good example for the others to emulate.
The Krahn had steadily marched them from the prison toward the south of Melaanse. She’d been appalled by the devastation she witnessed while walking through the city. Everything she had ever known had been destroyed. Many of the females she was with cried the entire walk; some too exhausted to eat or drink the pitifully small rations they were each given. One female she didn’t know had fallen and refused to get up. The Krahn guard nearest to her had shot her in the back of the head as if he were swatting an insect. Through the screams that had followed, the Krahn had started them walking again. To the south; always to the south.
She had been relieved when they had finally called a stop. They had walked all the way through the city, and had come to a large field far enough west, away from the city, that she could no longer see or even smell the ocean. If they continued on their present heading, the grasslands would soon give way to the sands of the Desert of Ambraa. Almost all of the Rajani had fallen to the ground in exhaustion when the Krahn made it clear they were stopping. Their relief was short-lived, however, when the Krahn warriors pulled out their weapons and took aim.
Chapter 3
It was night in the Rajani capital city of Melaanse, the sun having set some time earlier. Little could be seen of the debris from the recent Krahn invasion, except a shadow here from a large piece of building and a darker hole there on the ground that could be a crater, or possibly a body. The moon illuminated very little of the devastation, and there were no lights visible from the broken buildings. The Krahn were thorough in their devastation of the city; not many of the buildings left reached higher than the third floor. Transport vehicles were thrown about haphazardly, some on their tops or sides, some with their inhabitants still inside, the vehicle now serving as their coffin.
The cone-shaped escape pod lay half on its side and half on its bottom, propped up against a large slab of rock, a remnant of one of the beautiful Rajani buildings in the northern part of the city, where it had landed. The hatch to the pod opened, emitting a soft, glowing light. The pod’s large parachute lay against the ground like a coiled snake, wrapping itself around the still-hot metal of the pod.
It was spring in Melaanse; the cold winter rains had passed only a few weeks earlier. No sound broke the silence of the mild Rajani night. The fighting had long been finished before the Rajani starship Tukuli had returned, ejecting four escape pods before crashing into the planet’s largest ocean. The city seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something to happen, with not even a breeze in the air to stir the various pieces of trash strewn about the ground.
James Dempsey, leader of a team of human beings brought to Rajan to help free it from the Krahn invaders, stood in the open hatchway of his escape pod, having just regained consciousness. He shook his head slowly, trying to clear his thoughts. He powered up, his body covered from head to toe in a protective suit of energy. He fell half in and half out of the pod, and then lost consciousness again. His energy field disappeared once more.
Out of the darkness stepped a Krahn warrior, its eyes glowing, reflecting the light from the escape pod. It tentatively approached the object that had fallen from the sky, from the ship that had screamed overhead just a few moments earlier on its way toward the ocean. Slowly, it crouched over James and hissed softly, looking around for any other potential threats. A short distance away, another Krahn appeared from the darkness, followed by another.
#
Yvette Manidoo was unconscious as well, lying on the inside wall of her escape pod. There was a large bang from outside the pod, which startled her awake. Another bang sounded as something struck her pod, and her eyes flew open wide. She reached for her head, thinking, Oh, damn. Where…?
The door of the pod was open, and she could see it was pointing up toward the dark night sky. Yvette could hear a hissing sound coming from outside, as the pod was slowly pushed right-side up by whoever was on the other side of the pod’s walls. She powered up quickly, remembering what James had told them just before they had all ejected from the ship. Her power field surrounded her in a dark yellow armor. James had told them it was better to be safe and stay powered up, even at the risk of scaring the inhabitants of the planet, and Yvette agreed with his advice. They hadn’t been sure what would await them when they reached the planet’s surface, but she was about to find out.
As the pod landed on its bottom, she did her best to move with it, landing with her feet on the floor as it came to rest, right-side up. She looked out of the hatch and was immediately met by a face out of a nightmare. The Krahn, for surely that was what it was, hissed at her, bringing up its weapon to fire. She never gave it the chance. Instantly, she formed a spear out of her right hand, pulled back her arm, and thrust it through the Krahn’s still-hissing face and out through the back of its skull.
She pulled back her hand, dissolving the spear as she did so and watching the still-jerking body of the Krahn disappear as it dropped to the ground. She was disgusted by the sound it had made as her spear pierced its head. Her strike had been instinct alone, but it had been effective. She re-formed her spear as she began to hear more of the hissing sound coming from outside the pod. She wasn’t sure how many there were, but she was ready to fight. She had no qualms about killing every Krahn she saw if she had to. Soon, she had her chance.
#
Inside another of the Tukuli’s escape pods, Kieren Gray and Gianni DeMilo were still unconscious from the forceful ejection of the pod from the Rajani starship. They had fallen to the floor of the pod when it landed on the planet’s surface. The pod’s safety harnesses were built to unclasp when the pod came to a stop after ejection. Whether it was the result of their being tossed about by the crash landing or something more subconscious in nature, they were almost embracing as they lay on the floor of the pod. The door had opened immediately after impact, another safety device, guaranteeing any inhabitant of the pod would not become trapped inside. The pod had come to rest in the middle of a grassy park in the north of Melaanse. The grass below the pod was singed black from the heat of the metal, which had just passed through the atmosphere
of the planet.
The sun was just coming over the horizon. A group of six Sekani males had gathered around the pod in the early morning light. The diminutive, cat-like aliens were badly dressed and dirty. Some had filthy bandages covering parts of their body; blood smeared some of their short blue fur. All had makeshift weapons of some sort, though most consisted of homemade clubs or sharp pieces of metal they had found lying amidst the debris. Weapons of any kind were banned on Rajan.
“What are they?” the first Sekani asked, looking in through the hatch at the unconscious Humans, his red eyes turning almost black as the pupils expanded, adapting to the gloom of the escape pod’s interior. Its emergency light had turned off with the light of dawn. “I’ve never seen their like before. They’re not Krahn.”
A second Sekani, this one with a large bandage over his wounded forehead, answered, “I don’t know. What are they doing in a Rajani escape pod? And where did it come from?”
A third Sekani, this one equipped with a large improvised club, waved them on. “We don’t have time for this. I say kill them and grab their supplies. They’re probably Krahn spies. I’ll bash in their heads myself.”
The first Sekani pointed at the third. “You’re not the leader here, Botran. Take them and their supplies to the temporary compound. Watch them closely. If they turn out to be unfriendly, or in league with the Krahn, kill them both. Otherwise, we’ll let Zanth decide their fate.”
The Sekani named Botran sniffed in the first Sekani’s directions, but he also put down his club along with the others and entered the pod cautiously. It wouldn’t do to be surprised in the close confines of the pod if the creatures woke up unexpectedly. They stripped the pod of emergency rations and other supplies before finally bending to the task of bringing the strange-looking creatures out. The pair seemed to be a male and female, though none of them could tell for sure. Until the female opened her eyes.
#
The last escape pod, which held David Morris and Janan’kela, the Sekani pilot of the Tukuli, was lying where it had landed, in the Desert of Ambraa, northwest of the city of Melaanse. The desert stretched for miles from the western outskirts of the city to the middle of the Rajani continent. Sand dunes were all that could be seen around the pod in the morning light. The sand beneath the pod had turned into a thin layer of glass from the heat emanating from the base of the pod. A large furrow led up to where the pod had come to rest, evidence of a hard landing.
The wind blew the sand endlessly across the dunes. It also whipped the pod’s parachute away from the pod, like a caged animal trying to escape its tormenting captor. There was already a large drift of sand on one side of the pod. The sun was rising slowly in the east, and the heat from outside the pod was starting to build.
Inside the pod, both of the inhabitants were still unconscious from the sudden G-forces experienced when the pod was ejected from the Tukuli. David began to stir gradually. He suddenly sat upright, remembering where he was. He looked over and saw his companion still sleeping. Standing slowly, he staggered over to the open hatch of the pod and looked outside.
“Oh, crap, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” he said, seeing the seemingly endless blowing sand of the desert. His voice broke, his throat dry from the desert air. It was difficult to swallow at all. He turned and knelt next to the small form of his Sekani companion.
“C’mon, Janan,” David said, checking where he thought a pulse might be found on the small alien’s wrist. He found one and smiled, and then the smile disappeared as he began to worry. What if he couldn’t wake Janan up? What the hell was he supposed to do if Janan was really hurt? Leave him here? Where the hell was here?
“Wake the hell up already,” he said, gently shaking his friend. “We’re stuck out here. I don’t know where we are, or even what direction I should go to find help.”
Janan, his eyes still closed, finally spoke. “Shut up, Earth man.” He threw one of his arms over his eyes, shielding them from the sunlight streaming in through the open hatch.
“Janan!” David exclaimed, a smile on his face.
Janan moved his arm from his face and squinted up at him, then pointed at a cabinet in the side of the pod. It had fallen open, and David could see a metallic bottle inside. “Softly, please,” Janan said. “Can you get me the bottle of water?”
“We have water?” David asked softly. “You mean I’ve been dying of thirst and there was water here the entire time?”
Janan smiled up at him. “Get a clue, man,” he said as David handed him the bottle. He took a long drink of the tepid liquid inside.
“Ha!” David said, watching his friend drink. “Give me some, at least.”
Janan grimaced and handed him the container. “Oh,” he said in Talondarian Standard. “I think I need some time to heal. Maybe a year or two.”
David drank some of the tepid water and made a face. “Ugh. This tastes awful.”
“It won’t kill you,” Janan said. “It’s probably been in this pod for quite some time. Plus, it’s real Rajani water, not the stuff constantly recycled by the ship. Different minerals, I guess.”
“Sure. Great,” David replied, taking another drink. “I don’t suppose you’ve created beer on this planet?”
Janan smiled. “No. Not yet.”
“Just tell me one thing,” David said, serious now.
“What?” Janan replied, already knowing what the Human was going to ask him.
David was looking at Janan now with a painful expression on his face. “Tell me you didn’t know about the other human beings on the ship. Tell me you didn’t know about the testing they did.” It wasn’t the loss of human life bothering David, but the thought his new friend had not told him about the first humans taken aboard the Tukuli. David had felt a real sense of betrayal when he’d learned about the bodies aboard the ship.
“I cannot lie to you,” Janan answered. “Although I didn’t know about it, there was nothing I could have done to stop it if I did. I’m only a pilot. A mere servant of Rauphangelaa’s House. I have no say in what he can and cannot do.”
They looked at one another for a moment, before David spoke. “I hoped that was the case. I’m glad you didn’t know. It does make a difference to me.” He stood and looked out of the hatch once again. “Let’s get out of here.”
“No,” Janan replied. “It’s better to rest now. It’ll be cooler at night, you’ll see. We’ll go then.”
“Where?” David asked, turning back to look at him. He still did not know which way was which when looking out of the hatchway.
“East,” Janan said, pointing at the pod’s internal compass, which was affixed to the wall of the escape pod, just over the hatch. “Toward the capital city, Melaanse.” The Sekani stood up slowly and walked to the open hatch. He stood next to David, looking out at the endless sand. “We just have to hope we’re close enough to make it to the city in one night. If morning finds us once again in the desert, we won’t survive the day.”
#
Under the ocean of Rajan, aquatic creatures swam, ate, and were eaten. Savage and beautiful were the life-forms found in the depths of the ocean on Rajan. It was a harsh planet whether on land or in the sea, and the animals had survived by adapting appropriate defenses. Air bubbles floated gently through the bright blue water near the surface.
The Tukuli, or at least what was left of it, was lying on the bottom of the ocean, just off the coast of the Rajani continent. Air bubbles trickled out from holes in the hull; some formed by the crash, others by damage caused by Krahn weapons as the ship passed through the blockade orbiting the planet. More aquatic creatures cavorted amid the wreckage of the once-powerful starship.
Bhakat tuc Rathaan was exhausted. He was giving himself a mental pep talk to keep from passing out on the floor where he stood.
My ancestors were warriors, he thought as he worked at winding a cloth bandage and placing it in a small bag. Their code was one of conquest. They were feared throughout the galaxy. Entire planets co
wered at the mere mention of our name: Rajani. Our ships searched all points of the known universe, exploring and conquering any planet they found. The time for war was long ago. Our ways have turned toward a peaceful existence. A better way of life, where the Rajani are in harmony with ourselves and our world. The Kha says discussion and understanding will work where force of arms may not. I’m losing my faith in the Kha and its teachings. An enemy is out there. They have taken away everything I believed in. They’ve killed almost everyone I care for in the world. The Krahn Horde cannot be placated. They will not negotiate. I must do all I can to rid our planet of their presence, but I cannot do it if I’m trapped down here.
Bhakat bent over Rauphangelaa’s bandaged and unconscious body. The injured Rajani was on one of the beds of the medical bay, his head pointed toward the medical robot in the middle of the room. The ship’s emergency lights were still working, but the inside of the ship was now cast into shadows. The Tukuli was dying. Bhakat had turned off any non-essential system he could to conserve the last remaining power in the ship.
I have a choice, he thought. There’s enough power left for one operation. I can either heal Rauphangelaa and we’ll both die slow deaths under this ocean—or I can do what no Rajani has done for thousands of years, and damn myself forever in the eyes of my species.
He looked down at Rauphangelaa again. There was really no choice at all. There was one Johar Stone left aboard the ship, and one Rajani left to use it. If he implanted himself, he would break the highest law of his planet. His life could be forfeit. He stood there a moment, thinking. I’m willing to take that risk, he finally decided.
He walked slowly across the corridor into the medical bay’s control room and began to input the parameters into the medi-bot for insertion of the Stone into his skull. He’d made detailed studies of the Humans’ skulls for the operations, but he had to guess about his own operation. He’d gathered as much food—mostly in the form of protein bars and other emergency stores—and water as he could. He placed it in close proximity to his Master, in case he should awaken while Bhakat was still unconscious.
Rajani Chronicles II Page 4