“God, please let this work,” he said quietly. He began to rub his hands quickly on the tentacle. The tentacle started to smoke as the thick outer layer of the creature’s skin was scoured away. He rubbed faster and faster, until the smoke really started to billow, and he could see some type of ichor frothing under his hands. The tentacle unexpectedly let go of Janan and recoiled back under the sand.
David bent over his now-gasping friend. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Suddenly, the sand erupted behind them, and a large creature started pulling itself up out of the ground. It was tentacles and teeth and not much else, below a crown that matched the surrounding sand. It looked like a sand dune come to life, and it seemed very hungry, and very angry. It made a roaring sound as it rose from its pit.
“Oh shit!” David screamed. He grabbed Janan and ran, in a panic. His force field extended around Janan, protecting him and allowing him to breathe at the high rate of speed that David was traveling within seconds. David kept running, a blue blur, into the distance.
#
Yvette was exhausted. She’d been fighting Krahn warriors for hours, maybe even as long as a full day; ever since she’d woken up in her escape pod. She’d found in her training on the ship that her powers had their limits. Or at least, her energy field would only extend so far. They had measured it at about a hundred feet before it would stop. She had tried hard aboard the Tukuli to extend it farther during training, but so far, she had been unsuccessful. At least she could form just about any shape with her field that she could think of, which had already helped her a great deal. She wasn’t surprised when it finally occurred to the Krahn to stay outside of her kill radius. Now there was a stalemate; they stayed away, but wouldn’t leave her alone, and she couldn’t be hurt as long as she stayed awake and powered up. She had moved from her pod to a half-demolished building that was located to what she figured was the east of where she had landed; opposite the sunset.
The night was growing dark as she sat leaning on an inside wall of the building. It was definitely not the way she thought events would transpire when they reached Rajan. All she knew was that the ship was moving west to east when she ejected in her escape pod. If the Rajani were able to land the ship, it would be somewhere to the east, so that was the direction she needed to keep heading. But she was so tired, and starving as well. Another side effect of using their powers, they had found, was how much energy it drained from them. After every training session, they all had devoured a few protein bars each.
It occurred to her she could still see well in the darkness of the Rajani night. There was no moon up to aid her, yet she could still see the details in the rubble of the building. Another power? she wondered. The team had talked about the fact that some of them had inherited two distinct powers from the Johar Stones, while she and David had only one. Of course, they had never tried training in the dark before, either. If this was her second power, then she wondered if David had one that had so far gone undiscovered as well. She hoped she’d see him again to find out.
She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and instinctively struck with a lance of energy from her hand. But it was not a Krahn. It was a rat. Or at least, it was something similar to a rat. The creature was about ten inches long, sleek and dark-furred. It didn’t have a tail that she could see. It had a long snout, and its ears were nearly three inches long and laid back against its skull. She had skewered it through the middle of its body, and it still twitched feebly. Yvette had never been the squeamish type, even as a child. Her father had taken her hunting with him from an early age, and had taught her the proper way to dress a kill, whether it was deer, bear, rabbit, or squirrel. She guessed this thing was close enough to a squirrel.
Yvette didn’t dare start a fire, and she’d never tried eating a kill raw (except for her first, when she was forced to eat the rabbit’s heart—a tradition, according to her father). Her stomach turned as she watched the creature end its twitching for good. Then her stomach growled from the ceaseless hunger brought on by the Johar Stone, and she knew what had to be done for her to survive. She always had.
#
David was wearing down quickly. The heat of the desert and the lack of drinking water and food were taking a toll on his body. There had been plenty of supplies in the escape pod, but they both had come to the conclusion that carrying too much would only weigh them down unnecessarily. They had brought along the remaining drinking water, but that had only lasted for a few hours, even in the cooler temperatures of the night.
It was now day, and David found that his ability to run, especially while carrying Janan, was depleting, the task becoming more and more difficult. He was taking ever more frequent breaks, and not feeling as rested afterward. He knew that if they didn’t find water and food in the next day or so, that it might be the end. Not to mention the dangers posed by the local wildlife. Besides the thing that almost had Janan for a snack, there were large insects that lived in the sand and would suck blood from any exposed flesh that came in contact with the ground. There were things that looked like snakes that would shoot straight out of the sand to capture anything small enough that passed by. All in all, he thought the desert might be the worst place he’d ever heard of, let alone visited personally.
They had stopped singing after the thing had attacked Janan. The Sekani’s throat was sore, and all he could seem to coax from his injured vocal chords was a pained whisper, but David thought he’d be all right, as long as they got out of the desert soon. David’s own throat was raw from lack of water and the blowing sand that seemed to find every crevice of his body. In the end, he just wasn’t in a singing mood, and didn’t have the energy, even if he had been.
It also bothered him that his power to catch a glimpse of future events didn’t always seem to work. If it had, they could have avoided the incident with the keg beast, or whatever Janan had called it. It seemed to work well for short-term events, such as when he was running quickly and needed to avoid obstacles (much better than on the ship when Gianni had tripped him). But he only had the infrequent visions, and most of the time, they were confusing and non-linear.
He couldn’t worry about it now. They needed to find shelter. Night was quickly descending, and most of the really scary creatures would come out then. He’d thought, the first night, that he’d be able to rest a little without the heat of the sun baking his thoughts away with his energy, but had found that he needed to be even more alert. He’d ended up running for far too long. His arms and back ached from carrying Janan while he ran. The little alien was solid muscle, and must have weighed at least ninety pounds. Finally, he asked Janan to just start talking, anything to keep his mind occupied while his body was in such agony. Janan told him about his family, about becoming Rauph’s pilot, and about life on Rajan.
The only thing that seemed to stick in David’s mind was a whispered conversation they’d shared earlier that day.
“I can’t believe how much your planet sucks, Janan,” David had said, only half joking.
“Oh, it’s not my planet,” Janan had said in his new, whispery voice. “I may have been born here, but my species didn’t originate here, remember? We were brought here by the Rajani, long ago.” He had chuckled painfully then. “From what I’ve been told, there could be Sekani still out there somewhere on our home world, wherever that may be.”
“You don’t know?” he’d asked.
“No,” Janan had answered. “All records of it were destroyed by the Rajani after we were brought here. You want to know the worst thing?”
“What?” David had asked, wondering what could be worse than their present situation.
“Most Sekani believe this isn’t even the Rajani’s planet of origin, either,” Janan had answered. “This planet is just where they stopped running when they were done conquering other planets, and basically being the scourge of the galaxy. There’s a reason the only major Rajani city is along the coast. Everywhere else is basically uninhabitable. This des
ert takes up a good portion of the continent.” He had pointed listlessly out at the seemingly never-ending sand.
“The Kha may have taught the Rajani to limit their numbers because of a need for peace with other inhabitants of the galaxy,” he’d finally continued, “but it was also a safeguard against overpopulating this sorry excuse for a planet. The only ones that seem at home here are the Jirina, and for all I know, they might be the original inhabitants of this place, except the Rajani destroyed all records of their past as well, so there is no way to know.”
“That does suck,” David had said. “It would be like growing up in Topeka and later finding out your parents had moved there from LA after they were done partying with rock stars and then got pregnant with you, and they were forced to move and settle down because of it.”
“Whatever,” Janan had said. “I have no idea what you just said, but I’m tired of talking now. Maybe later you can tell me what a Topeka is, but right now, I just need to sleep.”
David had carried his wounded Sekani friend for what seemed like hours across the blowing sand, but now he couldn’t go on any farther. He dropped to his knees and set Janan down. “I’m sorry, Janan,” he said, lying down next to him.
“It’s fine, David,” Janan whispered, propping the Human’s head with his backpack to keep it out of the sand. “You rest. I’ll watch over you.”
#
On board the Tukuli, Rauphangelaa was still lying unconscious on one of the examination tables in the medical bay. The lights of the room were very low as the ship slowly lost the last of its power. In the shadows was the form of Bhakat, now powered up and even more imposing than before, his power field making him look taller and broader than he had been.
I’m ready, he thought, as he picked Rauphangelaa up as gently as possible. The operation had been a success, and while he was experiencing a major headache, there were no other symptoms he could attribute to not taking long enough to recuperate. He could deal with the pain for now. He left the medical bay just as the lights of the ship failed for good. The Tukuli was dead.
He walked toward the section of the wing where he had collected all of the supplies in an escape pod. He figured ejecting a pod manually would be the easiest way to leave the ship. He put Rauphangelaa down gently inside the pod and closed its hatch securely. He disengaged the holding clamps and pushed as hard as he could. There was a wrench, and then a flood of water, and then he was swimming free of the ship in a flurry of bubbles.
Chapter 7
Ronak, High Vasin of the Krahn Horde, was sitting on his throne aboard the Krahn colony ship, listening to reports from his counselors; mainly from his chief counselor, Kalik. He had set up his throne room to mirror the same room on Krahn itself, which he had vowed would one day be his. He was tall for a Krahn, a trait of his family, though he was not as tall as his hated brother, Maliq, who was currently in control of his home world.
The counselors were all standing before the throne, which was slightly raised on a dais in the middle of a large chamber. The throne was made of a light but strong metal, and covered with cushions, unlike the original throne back on Krahn. That throne was made from a solid block of native rock, and had no cushions. That seat had been worn smooth over the years by those who had sat, and ruled, from it.
Ronak had left Krahn in somewhat of a hurry, and he’d had no time to collect enough rock for a proper throne. He liked his little comforts as well. It helped appease him when he thought of his exile at the hands of his brother. He yawned as he leaned on one elbow, as Kalik droned on before him. Yet his followers had learned he was at his most dangerous when he seemed inattentive or close to sleep, and they knew better than to wake him up with bad news.
“…Sekani rebellion was quashed in the southern region, with a negligible loss of one hundred and sixty-four warriors,” Kalik was saying in his deep, steady voice, giving his daily report on the state of the Krahn warriors who had been sent down to the planet’s surface. “This brings the total list of Krahn casualties to eight hundred and ninety-nine.”
“Bah!” Ronak yelled, standing up and pacing before his throne, a common occurrence. Usually his bloodmate was present to keep his quirkier behaviors in check, but she had gone down to the planet herself to assess the situation. “I asked about the ship that was shot down attempting to return across our blockade of Rajan. Were there any survivors? It’s been long enough for your investigation to have told you something.”
The counselors conferred together in a circle, knowing that they needed an answer, and the wrong one could be fatal.
Ronak returned to his throne. After a moment, becoming impatient, he yelled again. “Well? Speak!”
“There may have—” Kalik began.
“May have?” Ronak yelled. “I may have to kill you all now. Find out.”
“There were survivors, bloodmate,” said a voice from the doorway.
They all turned to see Mariqa, Ronak’s bloodmate, standing in the doorway of the throne room. She was tall, statuesque, and quite imposing in full battle gear. Next to her was a Krahn warrior. The Krahn was badly beaten, and had blood dripping from cuts all over its body, as well as its face. One side of its face was swollen and discolored.
“This one captured one of the aliens who were aboard the ship,” Mariqa continued. “It was not a Rajani, though the alien was found next to a Rajani escape pod within the city below.”
“Excellent!” Ronak said, sitting back in his throne. “Bring it before me.”
“Unfortunately,” Mariqa said, disdain dripping in her voice as she pushed the Krahn before her closer to the throne dais. The Krahn warrior stumbled and almost fell to his knees. “This one also let the alien escape.”
Ronak stood up and screamed. “Am I surrounded by fools? You! What do you have to say? Come forward and kneel.”
Ronak sat back down on his throne. The warrior approached and knelt before him, its hackles almost touching the floor as it bent low before its leader. Mariqa stood behind him, a look of derision still on her face for the pitiful-looking warrior.
“Mighty Qadira,” the Krahn began through puffy and torn lips, using the honorific for the leader of the mightiest clan on Krahn. “This creature had powers the likes of which I have never seen.”
“Powers?” Ronak asked, glancing up at Mariqa. She nodded slightly, knowing the question that he was asking. He felt adrenaline rush into his system at the implication. They were close to their goal.
“Yes, mighty Qadira,” the Krahn continued. “It overcame and killed all of my warriors. I was knocked unconscious.”
Ronak rubbed his throat casually and looked down at the warrior before him. “It killed all of the others, and yet you, you survived.”
“Yes, mighty Qadira,” the Krahn replied. “Please allow me to return to the planet’s surface and find the creature once again.”
“Is that what you were preparing to do when I found you hiding in the medical facility like a coward?” Mariqa asked disdainfully.
“I was only seeking medical treatment before I took another patrol out to look for the creature,” the Krahn said weakly, looking from Mariqa to Ronak fearfully.
“Enough! Rise and approach my throne,” Ronak told him. The Krahn warrior slowly rose and walked to stand before his leader, keeping his head bowed.
Ronak leaned forward and placed his hand on each side of the Krahn’s head. “You are the offspring of my nephew Karel, are you not?” he asked, looking the warrior in the eye.
“Y-yes, mighty—” the warrior began.
Ronak snapped his neck with a swift, violent turn of his hands. “I will send my condolences.” Ronak turned to his counselors, pointing toward the dead Krahn lying before his throne. “Clean that up.”
Two of the Krahn stepped forward and dragged the body away.
Mariqa still stood before the throne. “Ronak, do you think he was talking about…?”
“Victory,” Ronak said. “He was talking about victory.”
/> Kalik walked up and stood before them on the top step of the dais. “Mighty Qadira, about—”
“That made nine hundred dead,” Ronak told his chief counselor. “Do you wish to be number nine hundred and one?”
“No, mighty Qadira,” Kalik answered with a sigh, unfazed by the threat. He received so many throughout the day that they hardly meant anything to him anymore. He could tell when Ronak was serious about the threats, and he wasn’t at the moment, having just sated his bloodthirst on the unfortunate warrior.
Ronak clenched his hand into a fist. “Then bring me the creature that so easily defeated my warriors, fool! And any others that are not from Rajan. I want them now!”
Kalik bowed and left the throne room, followed by the other remaining counselors in the chamber. Ronak waited for a moment before turning to his bloodmate. “The Johar Stones are here,” he said to her, a smile on his face. His voice was changed from the angry, contemptuous tone he used before others. This was a voice he only used while alone with Mariqa.
“The contact was true to his word,” she said. “It will only be a matter of time before we find the Stones and return to Krahn in glory.”
“My brother will die slowly before me for what he has done,” Ronak said, his smile now gone. “I promise you.”
#
David and Janan walked down a crudely paved road lined with tall, scraggly plants with long, hanging branches. The area was a flat plain with rolling hills in the distance. They had finally escaped the Desert of Ambraa. No other living things made a sound around them, which gave David hope that they might be able to rest that night without worrying so much about becoming something’s late-night meal.
“I should be able to run again in a few minutes,” David told his friend.
“There’s no hurry,” Janan replied with a whisper. “I’m enjoying the peace and quiet.”
“Yeah, I am too. How’s your throat?”
Janan rubbed his neck. It still had welts on it from where the tentacle had been wrapped around it. “Better. I should have remembered the danger of the Kleng beast. I was just so happy to be home.” Janan had told David about the creature that had almost killed him. They were nasty customers, from what Janan had said, and plentiful in the deep desert that bordered Melaanse.
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