From the Ashes

by A B Lucian

  Doc Murdoc was a short, stuffy man with quick green eyes and the longest nose Yosh had ever seen. “Well, to start off, the young lady isn’t in that bad a shape. These two are in far worse condition,” he said, pointing his barely noticeable chin at Yosh and Assai and flashing them a sinful smile. “This one only has a few bruised ribs and was exhausted and dehydrated. There were burn marks on her back though, consistent with a pulse blast.”

  Captain Dupont stepped close to her bed. “Miles told me she wore an expensive assault suit. It might have protected her from the full brunt of the blast, but how did she get here? And where did she come from?” He turned to Yosh.

  Yosh shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t see her when I was sneaking through Shacktown. There aren’t any other human slaves there. Certainly not any who own expensive assault suits and kohiri swords.”

  The captain seemed troubled by her arrival. He clasped his hands behind his back and studied the young woman. Yosh came next to him. The woman’s skin was white and smooth but caked with dirt, and her hair was black and curly. She had a straight nose and full lips, chapped and cracked from the dehydration. Captain Dupont placed two armed men in the infirmary. For her protection, he said, but Yosh knew better. The guards were too competent for that kind of task. Matthews was tall and slim and quick with a gun. Sunny was a young golden haired man with green eyes that shone yellow in the sunlight. They were two of the captain’s best, which meant he was very concerned. He had also sent out regular patrols since they’d found her. Without sensors, they were blind, and if the girl found them, the arkanians could find them too.

  The room was silent and Yosh seized the opportunity. “Captain Dupont, please forgive me for storming out this morning. I—”

  “It is a lot to take in,” the captain interrupted Yosh. He turned. “But you seem more… at peace.” His eyes dashed to Assai, to her tail wrapped around his leg and back to Yosh. “I heard troubling reports of peculiar sounds coming from outside the canyon. Is everything all right?”

  Yosh could see the barely visible smile at the corner of Captain Dupont’s mouth, but his face still reddened. “Yes. No. I mean… me and Assai were just… uh—”

  “Sparring,” Assai put in.

  Yosh nodded vigorously. “Sparring.” Why was he so nervous? The captain was the closest thing Assai had to a father, but it was none of his business. Still, his dark eyes looked straight through Yosh and it made him jumpy. “Captain, I had some other concerns we didn’t discuss this morning.” He tried to veer the conversation off him and Assai.

  Captain Dupont raised an eyebrow. “Such as?”

  “My grandfather. Where is he now, and when will he be back? We must make him aware of what’s happened.”

  “So you’ve accepted the truth, lad?” Headly said from behind. “It’s a tough pill to swallow, I know.”

  Yosh shrugged and shook his head. “My boils are gone, and I spotted this woman at nighttime at a thousand yards.” He raised his hands and studied his palms as he closed and opened his fists. “I suppose it’s because I haven’t used my eye drops or my ointment in over three days. But you aren’t to blame for that. It was my grandfather’s doing.”

  “Do not judge your grandfather too harshly. He is a wise man, Yosh Farmer,” the captain said. “I understand why he did it, and must admit, I would have done the same thing in his stead, but he should have told you sooner.” The captain approached him and placed a strong hand on his shoulder. He loomed above Yosh. “The deception was necessary while you were a child, but I believe you are old enough to understand. You are a man, Yosh Farmer. You’ve proven it in Shacktown, and you’ve proven it during the past few years here with us.”

  Yosh cleared his throat and swallowed hard. “Thank you,” he told the captain as formally as he could manage.

  ◆◆◆

  The young woman woke after an hour. Doc Murdoc had her back in shape in record time. He gave her a white robe that was way too large for her slim build, and they brought her to the mess hall where she wolfed down half a dozen nutrient bars until the senior officers gathered around the table.

  Miles leered and offered her his hand. “Hullo, I’m Miles.”

  She looked at him with deep black eyes and returned to the last bite of a protein bar. Miles’s bald head reddened as he pulled back his hand. He was about to say something when she spoke. But not to Miles.

  “Yosh Farmer,” she said, and licked her fingers clean of protein crumbs, “nice to finally meet you. I’m Sabina Farmer, your half-sister.” She reached a slender hand across the table toward Yosh.

  Yosh stood, dumbstruck. Farmer? Half-sister? What? He took her hand and shook it. Her skin was soft, but her grip was strong, as strong as Assai’s.

  Sabina took another protein bar and bit off half of it. “You don’t have to say anything, but you better get ready,” she said, chewing loudly. “I’ll need your help to free grandfather from Mikail and his Enforcers.”

  ◆◆◆

  “I will not send my crew to certain death,” Captain Dupont’s voice rang through the mess hall, making the crew shuffle imperceptibly away from him. “I agree, saving Olexander is important, but an all out assault on the Arkanian Secret Police is absurd. They had two full days to get entrenched and we don’t know how many came down.” The captain leaned against the table with both hands and craned his neck toward Sabina. “Why should I even believe your story? This could be an elaborate trap. Mikail is notorious for them.”

  “But it’s not,” Sabina said, raising a slim finger. She sat at the table, opposite the captain. “I’m Olexander Farmer’s granddaughter and Jack Farmer’s daughter. Look at my face.”

  A knot formed in Yosh’s throat at the mention of his father. He studied Sabina’s face and remembered. His father’s black eyes were kind and soft, but Sabina’s seemed harder, crueler somehow, even though the color matched. Yosh felt ashamed he remembered nothing else specific about his father. Only his voice—he would never forget his voice.

  “She does look like him, captain,” Marge offered. She leaned over the table too, right next to the captain, her cleavage sprawled in the open for everyone at the table to see. Bob slapped a meaty hand across the back of Miles’s head. Miles stopped staring and elbowed Bob’s belly.

  The captain ignored them and Marge’s cleavage. “Yes, she does. But looks can deceive.”

  Other crew members confirmed one by one that Sabina did, in fact, look like Jack Farmer. This was ridiculous. Did everyone on this ship know his father by sight? Anger surged inside Yosh again. Assai must have sensed it, for her hand slid across the metal table and clasped his. The anger melted away at her touch. He blinked rapidly and nodded to her.

  Sabina sighed. “Reactive armor can dampen a hit from a pulse weapon, but it cannot stop it, nothing can. He shot me point-blank in the back. If your people know their stuff, they’ll vouch that the plates on my suit could never have kept me alive after a hit like that.”

  The captain’s gaze shot toward Miles.

  Miles clenched his jaw and hesitated. He didn’t seem fond of disappointing the captain, but he nodded. “The plates on her suit are top notch, but at point blank, any of us would be dead.”

  Captain Dupont frowned.

  “And your doctor will bear witness to my uncanny recovery, I’m sure,” Sabina continued.

  Everyone at the table turned and looked beyond Matthews and Sunny at Doc Murdoc. He sat near the entrance, listening. Doc Murdoc nodded. “Aye, I expected her to be out for at least two days, but here she is.”

  Sabina smiled at him. “Thanks, Doc.”

  “Are you trying to say you are a Protector of the Earth? And that it proves you are Yosh’s half-sister?” The captain said.

  Sabina’s eyes lost their gleam for the slightest of moments. “Not exactly. The Protector genes only seem to be active in the male line. Don’t ask me how or why, I don’t know. I have the genes, but they’re inactive. They protect me somewhat, I heal faster and
I’m more resilient. I assume it’s because if I live long enough to have children, I’ll be able to pass on the genes. But that’s nothing compared to what they do for my half brother, I’m sure. And yes, I believe it should be enough evidence for you. I am Jack Farmer’s daughter.”

  The captain slumped in his chair, thinking, and no one said or did anything to interrupt him. Finally, he glanced at Sabina. “Attacking the arkanian camp head-on is not an option. Anything that attracts the arkanians’ attention is out of the question.” He paused again, studying Sabina’s scowl. “How did you get here? How come Olexander was captured, yet you escaped?”

  Yosh hadn’t even considered that. He hadn’t even internalized the idea his grandfather was a Protector yet. He was proud but scared. It meant his grandfather was over a hundred years old. How could anyone accept something like that? How could anyone take that seriously? The man looked no older than sixty. Perhaps the years stopped showing on one’s face after a certain age.

  “I suppose you know by now there’s an arkanian cruiser in orbit,” Sabina said.

  “We do,” Marge answered. “That’s why we’ve powered down everything.”

  “Olexander’s scout ship cloaked and got us past it. He knew Yosh was here on your ship, but he wanted to go home and recover a cache of Protector technology before the arkanians got their hands on it. It seemed important the way he described it.”

  “The suit,” Yosh said, making the connection in his head. “There was a suit there, and a terminal filled with Protector data. I saw it.”

  The corners of Sabina’s mouth arched downward, and she sighed. “Yes, the suit. Black with white plates, and the Protector sigil on its breast. Munov was already there, waiting for us. The scans didn’t pick him up, only his six Enforcers. The suit must also have cloaking capabilities, like the scout ship.” Her hand clenched into a fearsome fist. “He snuck behind me and shot me in the back.”

  “Who?” Yosh was confused. Munov? Lord Munov? “How come he could use the suit? I could open the case because of my Protector genes, but this Munov… is he another Protector?”

  Sabina raised an eyebrow, and Captain Dupont turned toward Yosh. “You have heard of him, Yosh Farmer. I have told you stories about him, and I know your grandfather spoke of him. You would know him as Mikail the Betrayer. He is the Protector who betrayed Earth. He orchestrated Earthfall.”

  Yosh’s brain hurt. He remembered the stories. Jack “Darkheart”, the fearless leader of the Protectors, had allowed more recruits to join their ranks by playing loose with the rules—rules that had served the Protectors well until then. The war with the arkanians turned from bad to worse in the final years, and there were fewer and fewer Protectors. Darkheart bypassed the traditions of his order and accepted all the volunteers he could get for the Protector genetic modification programme. Darkheart’s plan seemed to work at first, as the arkanians were getting pushed back. But then an entire arkanian battle group dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of Earth’s solar system and raced past every defense grid, rendering them useless with stolen defense codes. They headed straight for Earth.

  “That’s impossible,” Yosh said, crossing his arms over his chest. “If this Munov is the Betrayer, then he is over a hundred years old. I’m not saying it’s impossible for someone to live that long, but how could such an old man sneak up on you and grandfather and defeat both of you?”

  Sabina shook her head. “Grandfather is a hundred and thirty-two years old,” she said matter-of-factly.

  Yosh’s jaw dropped and at once felt foolish. “Yes… I know, I mean, I knew, but I forgot. It’s just so hard to get used to it. I guess somehow I thought grandfather received the Protector genes from his father, as we did from ours. But that wouldn’t make sense. Still…”

  Captain Dupont grinned. “It is reasonable to presume such a thing. Most people would not give your grandfather fifty years, let alone a hundred thirty-two.”

  “But I read about this. Quite a lot,” Yosh insisted. “Every book grandfather gave me about the Protectors and Earth hints that Protector genes cannot pass from parent to child. That much is clear. The recruits chosen to be Protectors underwent a genetic treatment; it wasn’t always successful.”

  “Your father was the first child to inherit the Protector genes,” Captain Dupont said. “Ever since he was born, humans in the galaxy harbored new hope of seeing the homeworld free again. Despair swarmed through all the freedom fighting groups when Mikail killed him, but your grandfather kept us together.”

  The news struck Yosh like a hot knife to the brain. He cupped his forehead in his hands. More lies unraveled, he thought. Will I ever sift through everything?

  “Is something wrong Yosh?”

  “No... Yes. I thought my father died in an accident on Mandessa, but go on, tell me everything—I’m getting used to this. Next I’ll find out I’m a sylosian and the ointments were meant to stop hair from growing all over my body.”

  Miles snickered at the jape, but everyone else just stared at him.

  “As I was saying,” Captain Dupont said. “Your grandfather is the reason a resistance still exists, and we owe him. But I’ll say it again: If Mikail is here, then trying to rescue your grandfather means certain death. I will not send my crew to die and I will not allow you, Yosh Farmer, to stroll right into Mikail’s grasp.”

  ◆◆◆

  Yosh sat back and listened as the argument between Sabina and Captain Dupont reverberated throughout the mess hall. The entire crew gathered there, listening and sometimes pitching in with opinions.

  “You pledged this ship and this crew to the resistance,” Sabina pointed out, tapping her finger on the table. “You pledged loyalty and obedience, and you got paid for being a smuggler in my grandfather’s service. If you won’t do it for honor, do it for the money he gave you.”

  Large beads of sweat dripped down the captain’s face and his eyes bulged. “This is not about honor or money. It is about survival! We received no money for our services. Only what we needed for ship maintenance, supplies and weapons.” He waved her argument away.

  “The more we stand here talking, the more Mikail can prepare for our assault.”

  “The twenty of us cannot mount an assault against Mikail’s Enforcers.”

  “Are you scared, captain? Is that it?”

  Captain Dupont smirked at her. “I’m no child to be goaded into this foolish endeavor. I have learned long ago that pride is one of death’s precursors.”

  “Will you hide and hope this will blow over? Is that your plan? Wait until Mikail and the arkanians leave? Because they won’t just go away. Mikail knows I’m here, and he knows Yosh is here. He will search this entire planet before leaving. I found you, wounded and delirious from the sun, but I had a look at a map of the area before we landed. I saw the nice big canyon just a few miles away from the slave settlement. If I had a ship, this is where I’d land too. How long will it take Mikail to figure it out? He’ll find you, I promise you.”

  The captain looked away, shaking his head. “If it comes to that, Marge can start the engines and fly us out of here in a matter of minutes. I have snipers outside, scrying the land. We’ll have ample warning.”

  “And the cruiser? It’ll detect you if you power up the engines.”

  “We will handle any torpedoes or pulse cannon blasts if it comes to that.”

  Sabina slapped a palm on the steel table. “Can you handle the cruiser’s fighter wing? How blind are you?”

  “It is still a better chance than assaulting Mikail. I will not sacrifice my crew!”

  Sabina exhaled. “I give up. You won’t help me, fine, I’ll go alone. Can you at least give me back my suit—ruined as it is—my sword and a gun, if it’s not too much trouble?”

  Yosh’s heart tightened, and the world stood still for a moment. He’d lain back in his chair until now, taking everything in and not thinking. It was time to choose. He didn’t know what the right choice was, but some things his mind didn�
��t let him do—abandoning his grandfather in Mikail’s hands was one of them. “I’m coming with you, Sabina,” Yosh said, standing. “I can’t abandon grandfather, even if the odds are against us.” The crew members mumbled among themselves. “I’ll think of something. I have to.”

  The captain turned to him. He blinked rapidly and studied Yosh for a long moment. Yosh was certain he’d change his mind now. He was like that. He badgered you until you gave up, but agreed with you afterward, if you were right. But not this time. The captain turned and waved them away. “Take what you want from the armory. I will have no part in this.”

  An uproar started as the captain turned his back to the table. Miles, Bob, Marge, and Headly—they stood and spoke at the same time. They protested the captain’s decision openly, but there was too much noise for Yosh to understand what each of them said.

  The captain turned back toward them. His fist boomed against the table. “Silence!” The echo hurt Yosh’s ears, and the room grew still in an instant. “This is my ship. Each one of you has pledged your lives to me, and I am telling you this is not the way. You do not get to decide where you will lay your lives in the struggle for Earth’s freedom. There are people there depending on us. We must make good decisions in their names. Do you want to commit suicide?” He looked everyone in the eye, one after another. “Disobey me in this and you forfeit your place on this ship, and in the resistance.”

  Yosh felt the captain’s iron will bidding everyone to sit back down. Most of the crew members that had protested stood silent. Yosh saw the doubt in their eyes and their sadness. He understood the feeling very well. He wanted to free his grandfather, he wanted to fight, but right now he felt helpless.