Rajani Chronicles II

by Brian S. Converse

  Kalik bowed and left the chamber. Ronak looked down at the jagged pieces of glass from the computer screen, each one reflecting a different portion of his face back to him. It seemed he really was alone in this fight, but it was a fight he was resolved to win, no matter the cost.

  #

  Gianni was sitting on the ground outside of his room in the Sekani compound, drinking fernta from a bottle. He and some of the Sekani males that he knew had just returned from another patrol, where they hadn’t even seen a single Krahn. Typical, he thought. The one time he really wanted to take his anger out on someone, and even that didn’t work out for him. What was more disappointing was that he’d been stupid enough to lose Kieren to David, of all people. Of course, her choices were limited, but that wasn’t the point.

  He wondered if he did it to himself on purpose, unwilling to let anyone past his defenses. At first, he’d done his best to keep all of the others away, unsure of his situation and knowing that if they found out what he’d done for a living, it would be all they thought of him from then on. Especially after he found out that James was the cop that lived in his building. He’d managed to act like a jerk to all of them at one time or another on the ship, but after a while it had just been easier to play the part than show them who he really was. Or at least who he thought he was. He wasn’t sure anymore.

  When he’d arrived on Rajan and began helping the Sekani, he’d been able to change the way he viewed others. They didn’t care about his former life. They needed his help now. And he was happy to be needed, and to be able to make a difference in their lives. But he’d neglected his relationship with Kieren, and she’d moved on. He took a long swig of fernta and winced. He just needed to go to bed and sleep it off, he knew. Then he saw David. He was walking a few hundred yards away, looking like he was heading toward Kieren’s room again. Gianni stood up, unsteady from drinking fernta on an empty stomach. He began walking toward the other man.

  #

  David wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he got to Kieren’s place. Apologize for storming out earlier? Ask her if she wanted to give them another try? Maybe he’d moved too quickly the first time. He’d let the situation get away from him, he knew that now. And if she still rebuffed him, then what? His thoughts had been dark since he’d woken up in the Rajani medical facility and learned that Janan had been taken by the Krahn. He’d been able to curb his more violent tendencies aboard the Tukuli, but once on Rajan, and especially after the loss of his friend, he’d fallen into the same black hole of despair that he’d been in back on Earth. He was unloved. He was unwanted by those that he loved. And in his despondency, he was lashing out once again. The Krahn were easy targets, though a bit too simple to kill for his tastes. He was broken out of his reverie by the sound of a bottle dropping to the ground and breaking close behind him. He turned and just managed to duck a haymaker from Gianni.

  “You sonuvabitch,” Gianni said, a slight slurring to his words. He’d been drinking, David could see—and smell. Gianni took another swing at him, and he instantly powered up and ran around behind the other man before he’d even completed the punch. He dropped his power field and put Gianni in a full-nelson, wrapping both of his arms under Gianni’s and interlocking his fingers behind the other man’s neck.

  “What the hell is your problem?” he asked.

  “No powers, you little shit,” Gianni said. “Just you and me. No powers.”

  “Fine,” David said, unlocking his fingers and pushing the other man forward, away from him. This had been a long time coming. It was time to finally end it. He curled his hands into fists and brought them up in front of him. Gianni was taller and probably outweighed him by twenty pounds, but he was also drunk and uncoordinated at the moment, if his first two punches were any indication. David hadn’t been in a fight since his freshman year in high school, and even then, it had been more of a pushing match than anything else. He ducked a roundhouse swing and brought his right fist up into Gianni’s gut. He heard a satisfying woof of expelled air, and Gianni dropped to the ground on all fours, heaving for breath.

  “You’re pitiful,” David said. “You act like an ass to everyone around you, and I’m sick of it.” He swung his fist and connected with Gianni’s left cheek, knocking the other man on his back. He thought about kicking him in the ribs for good measure, but then he looked up and noticed that they had begun to draw a crowd of Sekani to their little bout. “I don’t know why you even bothered coming with us. You’re worthless.” He stopped a moment, shocked to hear his father’s words coming out of his own mouth. A swirl of emotions rose up inside of him.

  Just then, he heard Kieren yell, “Stop!” He turned and saw her running toward them. When she got closer, he could see that her eyes were puffy from crying. He could also see Yvette trailing along behind her. He’d have to wait to talk to her. Now was not the time. There were too many other people around, and he felt…confused. As she approached, all he mumbled was, “He started it,” knowing how lame it sounded. He turned and walked away, hating that he heard her asking Gianni if he was all right. He needed to get away. He quickly powered up and ran toward the coast, to think.

  #

  Kieren and Yvette had talked for a while, and Kieren had cried, but felt better for it. It was nice to have another woman around to talk to about her problems. She’d determined that she was better off without Gianni. He was too difficult to deal with, and had truly hurt her by what he’d said when they’d argued earlier. She was heading back to show Yvette her room at the Sekani compound when they’d both seen the commotion. She stopped a passing Sekani female. “What’s going on?”

  The Sekani female, Setanni, smiled. “I think there’s a fight in the courtyard. The Human males are having an argument.”

  “Thank you,” Kieren said, smiling back at her and hurriedly moving toward the gathering groups of hooting Sekani males. She picked up her pace even more when she saw Gianni kneeling on the ground in front of David. Then David punched him in the face. As he tumbled to the ground, her heart felt like it stopped for a moment in her chest.

  She finally reached them, and David mumbled something, but she didn’t hear what he said. She knelt down next to Gianni, smelling the fernta on his ragged breath. “Are you all right?” she asked. He didn’t answer for a moment, and she thought at first that he’d been knocked unconscious.

  Then he opened his eyes slowly, his left cheek and eye already starting to swell. “Ow,” he said quietly, and smiled at her. She smiled back at him, glad to see that he seemed okay. She looked up to see that David had disappeared somewhere. Gianni began to sit up slowly. She reached out to help him, but he gently pushed her hand away. “No, I’m okay,” he said. “I deserved it. Started it.”

  “What a surprise,” Yvette said, walking up to them. “At least you got it out of your system now. A good ass-kicking will tend to do that.”

  “Why did you start it?” Kieren asked, although she thought that she already knew the answer.

  “Doesn’t matter anymore,” Gianni said, staggering to his feet. “Too late. You…made your choice.” He walked away, leaving her kneeling on the ground.

  She stood quickly and followed him, ignoring the Sekani who were still gathered in the courtyard, watching them. She came around in front of him and stood there with her hand pushed out at his chest. “Yes, I did make a choice. It was you, you asshole. And you blew it.” She was beginning to cry again, and she stopped talking to wipe her eyes. “Why do you always blow it?” she asked softly, looking up at him.

  He stopped and finally looked her in the eye. “I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “It’s complicated. I-I think I’m going to be sick.” He staggered over to a building and threw up, bending over and then going to his knees as the spasms racked his body.

  “Typical man,” Yvette said, though she softened the words with a gentle hand on Kieren’s shoulder. “C’mon, I think he needs to be alone for a while.”

  “Yeah,” Kieren said, turning
away from him. “So do I.”

  #

  Yvette was exhausted from her day. Who knew that hanging out with Kieren and Gianni would be so difficult? She returned to her house to find James already in bed, sleeping. She knew that he had a lot on his mind, and was busy in meetings for most of the day, but she was still disappointed that he wasn’t awake to talk to her about her day with the dysfunctional love triangle. She slowly got undressed and slipped into bed next to him. She wasn’t too concerned about waking him. He didn’t stir as she climbed in beside him and pulled the covers up over her. She sighed. There was only one thing to do. She stuck both of her bare feet on his legs. He jumped, as she knew he would. Her feet were always cold.

  Without turning, James spoke. “I hope that’s you, Yvette.”

  She poked him in the side. “Who else would it be?”

  He turned toward her, smiling. “In this place, who knows?”

  She could smell the fernta on his breath. She knew that the custom on Rajan was to drink it as a show of friendship, but it didn’t mean she wanted him drinking it all of the time. “You didn’t brush your teeth,” she said, scrunching up her nose.

  He stopped smiling. “Yeah, I know. I was just so tired when I finally got home. And the fernta didn’t help, either. I was talking to Mazal about the plans for the coming battle, and he wouldn’t let me even start without drinking a glass of the stuff. And that was after sitting and drinking with him this morning too.”

  “I could tell,” she said. “So…”

  “So I’m going, I’m going,” he said, sitting up. He went into the bathroom, and she could hear him spitting after a few minutes. They didn’t have running water, nor did they have the nifty little contraptions that they’d used on the Tukuli, so they’d been forced to improvise toothbrushes and use water from bottles. It was better than nothing.

  When he returned to bed, she snuggled up against him, glad that he was there. “Much better,” she said, softly.

  “Tough day?” he asked, returning her embrace.

  “Not so much for me,” she said. “I was Kieren’s shoulder to cry on. Twice.”

  “Oh,” he said. “Gianni?”

  “And David,” she said.

  “Really?” he asked, arching his brows.

  “We have our very own soap opera,” she said.

  “As the Alien Worlds Turn,” he said dryly.

  She looked up at his face, seeing that he was smiling. “You have no idea,” she said, smiling back at him. “I’m so glad that I picked you.”

  “Me too,” he said. “More than you know.”

  She kissed him on the lips, and then turned away from him, feeling his strong arms slip around her as she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 18

  Fajel didn’t sleep well that day. Whether it was because he was worried about the mission, or the simple fact that the sun had lit the room they were in and was telling his body that it was time to be waking and not sleeping, he couldn’t say. He spent the day changing his position on the floor and trying to get comfortable as the shadows changed around the room. Finally, as the sun began to sink behind the horizon, he sat up, disgusted that he’d managed to sleep for only three hours the entire day. But at least he felt somewhat rested, if a little stiff from lying on the floor. His stomach, however, told him that he wouldn’t last very long without something to eat. Protein bars didn’t go a long way on filling him up.

  Rachal was snoring softly in the corner, and Belani was taking his turn at watch at the door of the building. Fajel had spent his time on watch thinking about his parents and watching a pair of masagas, which seemed to be everywhere in the ruined city, chase each other amongst the rubble. They really are disgusting creatures, he thought.

  As the day grew darker, Belani entered and kicked Rachal’s foot, startling the Rajani awake. “Get up, it’s time to go,” the Sekani said, sounding like he wished he’d been able to kick the Rajani harder but didn’t have a good enough excuse to do it. Fajel thought the Sekani had been acting strange from the moment they’d set out. He was belligerent, even angry at times, and for no detectable reason. And most of his anger seemed directed at Fajel.

  Guess we all handle our fear differently, he thought as Rachal sputtered awake. Fajel threw the Rajani the last of their protein bars, and they sat, eating silently together while Belani dithered with his pack, seeming to look through its contents but not really paying attention to what was there.

  None of them spoke as the room grew dark, signaling that it was time to leave. Fajel said a silent prayer and hefted his pack to his shoulders, feeling the soreness in his back and shoulders return immediately. Belani scanned the area outside their temporary refuge and they left. Only the masagas watched them leave, and when the Krahn arrived shortly afterward, they scattered.

  #

  Welemaan tuc Xenaani had grown up on the ocean of Rajan. His father owned a fleet of ocean-going vessels and took pride in knowing how to operate all of them, even if he wasn’t the day-to-day pilot of any of the ships. As an Elder, Xenaani’s time had been consumed with more important duties. But he had loved the ocean, and had imparted that love upon his son, taking him out with him on many occasions and teaching him how to handle just about any sized ship.

  When Welemaan had agreed to become a member of a strike team that would be heading to the south of Melaanse to find the Krahn’s main airbase, he hadn’t known at the time that he wouldn’t be in charge of it. The announcement at the meeting had been a surprise, and not a pleasant one. On top of that, he had tried to impart his knowledge of the area to Zanth, the leader of the Sekani, and had been treated with nothing but condescension from the Sekani. Even his friend Volaan had sided with the Sekani leader.

  No, he’s Kedar now, Welemaan thought. Kedar might be willing to give up his Elder name, but Welemaan would keep his. The name was not just a ritualistic change; it was a title that said he should be respected. Kedar meant well, he was sure, but Welemaan believed that his friend and the new Sekani leader were wrong. There was too much risk approaching the airfield from the north, and Welemaan, for one, was not going to take the chance of being caught before his mission was completed.

  As soon as he and the two other members of the strike team left for the airfield, he began to work on Y’tan, the Sekani who had been placed in charge of the trio. Finally Y’tan had relented and agreed to sail down the coast of the continent, and the three of them headed east toward the coast to search for a ship that was still serviceable. When they arrived at the coast, they found that most of the larger ships had been destroyed in the initial Krahn attack, but they finally managed to find a small ship that was in dry-dock, but turned out to be oceanworthy, at least, though it would need to be constantly bailed out. Welemaan wasn’t going to be picky. They would stay close to the coastline, anyway, and would arrive in good time to complete their mission.

  #

  Ronak, Mariqa, and Ronak’s counselors arrived on Rajan in the middle of the night. Ronak’s plan was to use the cover of darkness to mask the fact that he was there. That plan went straight into the defecation chute when they exited the lander to find a full military formation waiting for them, with his cousin Toruq at its head.

  “I see now why things are going so badly down here,” Ronak said when he made his way to his cousin. “You are still as stupid as ever, Toruq.”

  “I assumed you’d need an escort from the airfield—” Toruq began.

  “What I need is someone who will follow my orders,” Ronak said, his plumage raised in dominance.

  “B-but—” Toruq said, sputtering when he saw the expression on his cousin’s face. He’d seen it directed at soon-to-be dead Krahn warriors plenty of times before.

  “But nothing,” Ronak said. “Because of your incompetence, the Rajani are sure to know now that I’ve come down to their accursed planet. But no matter, I’m here to put us back on track. Our mission will succeed despite your utter lack of intelligence. You’re relieved of you
r command.” Ronak and Mariqa walked past him, followed by his counselors. Toruq was left standing in disbelief.

  “Are our forces in position?” Ronak asked, turning to Kalik.

  “Yes, Vasin,” Kalik responded. “The Rajani ‘strike teams,’ as they call themselves, should all be approaching our airfield from the north. Our Sekani contact has provided us with an approximation of their locations.”

  “The information had better be correct,” Ronak said. “The airfield is of vital importance. We’ve already lost Nestbase Two because of my cousin. We cannot afford to lose the airfield. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Mighty Vasin,” Kalik responded, bowing. He turned and hurriedly walked away from the procession.

  Ronak turned to look at his bloodmate. “So, what should I do with Toruq? I grow tired of killing incompetent warriors.”

  “I don’t think you should kill him quite yet,” Mariqa said. “He could still prove to be valuable to us.”

  “But where to keep him,” Ronak said absent-mindedly as he climbed aboard a transport vehicle that would take them to Nestbase One.

  “I’ve thought of the perfect place,” Mariqa said, climbing in next to him on the seat of the vehicle. “And he won’t even have to go very far.”

  #

  The night passed uneventfully for Fajel and his companions as they made their way through the heart of the city. They had not seen a Krahn patrol in hours. The night was warm, and Fajel found himself plodding along, falling into a semi-trance at the rhythmic sound of his own footfalls. He kept his eyes on the ground, no longer wanting to see the devastation around him. The center of the city seemed to have been the hardest hit in the initial Krahn attack. There were hardly any standing structures left, though there were still enough large pieces of rubble to hide their passage. Soon the buildings grew recognizable again, though most were still damaged. They also began to spread out more as the three reached the southern edge of the city. Fajel could see a large compound in the distance to his left, which stood out in the predawn light.