“Good,” Rauph said, picking up the translating device. “Then we’ll return to Rajan today.” He left the room with mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension.
#
David, Yvette, Kieren, and Gianni were already in the common room eating breakfast when James arrived. It was the first time he’d left his room since waking up in the medical bay after his adventurous spacewalk.
“Hey, there he is,” Gianni said, smiling.
“James, how are you feeling?” Kieren asked, standing up.
“Sore, but much better,” James replied, sitting down gingerly. “I hear Yvette took over your training while I was laid up.” She’d taught them all some basic moves during their time training together aboard the ship, but he had asked her to teach them as much hand-to-hand fighting as she could in the few days they had left before they arrived at Rajan.
“Yeah,” David said. “She’s like a drill sergeant and Mr. Miyagi combined.”
James laughed. “I bet she is.”
“Oh, quiet,” Yvette said, hitting him lightly on the arm before handing him a protein bar.
“Well,” James said, speaking around a mouthful of the bar, “you won’t have to worry about it anymore. Rauph and I spoke, and we’re going to Rajan right now. We should arrive within a few hours.”
“Finally,” Gianni said.
“Remember,” James said, “we don’t know what we’ll find when we get there. The Krahn could already be gone, or they could be waiting for us. No matter what, we need to stick to the plan we’ve all agreed on. If the Krahn are still there, we make contact with the resistance, or if there isn’t one, we create our own. If they’re not there, then this turns into a humanitarian mission and we help the Rajani rebuild the best we can. We need to work together as a team, so remember your training and we should all be fine. Stay powered up once we set down on the planet’s surface. I want everyone to get home safe.”
#
James had called off training for the day, so most of the team had spent their time alone in their quarters, waiting for the notification from the bridge telling them they’d arrived. When Bhakat’s voice came over the ship’s communication system, they all made their way to the bridge.
No one was surprised to see that Rauph, Bhakat, and Janan were already there; there would be no more down time for anyone aboard the ship. They saw the planet on the viewscreen, with numerous Krahn ships in orbit near the equator, where Rauph had said the city of Melaanse was located. The Krahn colony ship dwarfed them all. If James had to guess, he thought it looked to be maybe four hundred yards long and twice as wide. He’d never imagined it would be so big.
He felt a lump in his throat as he watched the smaller ships swarm around it, some leaving it and moving toward the planet’s surface, and others returning from the planet and docking with it. Many of them stayed close to the ship in a protective formation.
The Tukuli was slowly moving toward them. After months of training and preparation, everything would depend on their ability to get past the blockade of Krahn ships.
Yvette moved up next to Bhakat, who was standing next to Rauph’s chair. “My God,” she said quietly, her eyes fixed on the screen.
“Far from it,” Bhakat said, turning his head to look down at her before his eyes moved back to the mesmerizing spectacle before them.
“They can detect our presence by now, I’m sure,” Rauph said, his back rigidly straight in his chair. “We have to get to the surface as quickly as possible. Janan, no matter what happens, do not stop the ship.”
Janan turned and nodded wordlessly, his ability to speak having left him. He turned back toward the screen.
“What?” Gianni asked. “Are you crazy? We can’t get through that.”
Bhakat turned toward him. “We will get through it. It’s the only choice we have left. Either we reach the planet’s surface, or we die in the attempt.”
“Fine,” James said, his arms crossed before him. “All right, team, go to your rooms and strap yourselves into the emergency landing seats. There’s nothing else we can do at this point, and it’s not safe to stand around if we’re going to be in a firefight.”
“But, James—” Kieren began.
“I said, there’s nothing we can do,” James repeated. “Strap in, but be prepared to evacuate to the escape pods if this thing goes south. You may want to stay powered up as well. Let’s go.”
They all left the bridge and headed toward their individual rooms. James pulled Gianni to the side. “Hey, do you think you can throw up a force shield like you did back at the space port?”
Gianni thought for a moment. He’d been trying to create a curved force shield for a while, but had been unsuccessful up to that point. It still only appeared as a straight wall of energy. “I can, but I don’t think I can protect more than one side of the ship at a time.”
“It’ll have to do for now,” James told him. “Put a shield in front of the ship. It should protect us from a frontal assault. It’s better than nothing, I guess.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Big J,” Gianni said, smirking.
“You know what I meant,” James said. “Do the best you can. And Gianni?”
“What?” Gianni asked.
“Don’t call me Big J,” James said.
They smiled at one another, and Gianni extended his hand.
James hid his surprise and shook it. It was an unexpected, though welcome, gesture. “Good luck.”
#
After all of the Humans had left the bridge, Bhakat moved to the second chair and sat down, knowing it would be a bumpy ride to Rajan’s surface. “They’re not happy with us,” he said, thinking of the expressions of anger he was still receiving from most of the Humans.
“Did we expect them to be?” Rauph said curtly. His attention now was on the monsters between his ship and his home planet. “Janan’kela, take us in. Quickest route to Melaanse, please.” He turned his attention back to his Pledge. “Bhakat, will you pray with me?”
Bhakat nodded, and they bowed their heads, just as a force shield appeared in front of the Tukuli. The ship streaked toward the surface of the planet. The Krahn ships quickly came into range and began firing at them. Most of the fire hit the energy field, and some continued off into space. The Tukuli continued on as more fire came, some of it hitting the sides of the ship as their firing angles improved.
“Hull integrity is down to seventy-five percent on the port side panel,” Janan told the others. “Touchdown in five minutes.”
“Try to rotate away from their fire,” Bhakat said.
“I’m trying,” Janan responded. “They’re on all sides now!”
A flurry of energy beams and projectile fire struck the Tukuli from the Krahn ships that had moved in from behind. Silent explosions erupted from the hull of the Tukuli into space. Red lights popped up all over Janan’s control panel. “Multiple hull breaches,” he screamed as the ship began to shudder around him and alarm klaxons began to sound. “Our main booster is offline.”
“What does that mean?” Rauph yelled, trying to be heard over the din.
“It means I don’t think I’ll be able to control the ship’s descent,” Janan replied. “We’re going to crash.”
Rauph was silent a moment as the Sekani pilot’s words echoed in his mind. “Abandon ship,” he said, and then said again louder as he realized he couldn’t be heard the first time. “We must abandon ship,” he yelled. “Get to the escape pods.” He hit a button on his control panel. As he did so, a computer voice came on over the ship’s communication system.
“Abandon ship—seek escape pods immediately—abandon ship.” The voice repeated the message, alternating between Talondarian Standard and English.
“You two had better head for the pods,” Janan yelled, not taking his eyes off his controls. “I’ll keep the ship as stable as possible for as long as I can.” He was doing his best to dodge the incoming fire as the Tukuli passed into Rajan’s upper atmosphere.
Rauph was sitting with his head bowed. “No, Janan,” he said, looking up. “Turn on the auto-lander. You and Bhakat go to the escape pods. I’ll be along shortly.”
“I’ll stay with you—” Bhakat began.
“No, make sure Janan gets to a pod,” Rauph yelled. “May the Kha grant you wisdom.”
“And you as well, Master,” Bhakat said, bowing stiffly before turning toward the door.
Rauph waited until his Pledge and the pilot had left before rising and sitting at the piloting controls. He switched off the auto-lander—he had to make sure the ship wouldn’t crash into the city, and he wouldn’t sacrifice the others to do so. He knew he probably wouldn’t survive the crash, and he would have to make peace with that in the few minutes he had left.
#
Bhakat and Janan ran down the corridor toward the escape pods. Bhakat stopped as it occurred to him his Master might be attempting something both selfless and stupid. Janan stopped farther down the corridor when he noticed Bhakat wasn’t pounding along beside him.
“You go on,” Bhakat said. “Look after the Humans; make sure they all get aboard an escape pod.”
“What about you?” Janan said, walking back toward him. “Aren’t you coming with me?”
“Don’t you understand?” Bhakat said, looking back toward the bridge. “He’s not coming with us!”
“I don’t care!” Janan replied. “He may be your Master, but I don’t care if he makes it off this ship. You’re my friend, Bhakat. I want you to be safe.”
“And you’re mine,” Bhakat said, placing his massive hand on Janan’s shoulder. “But I can’t abandon him. You know that.”
“Yes, I know,” Janan said, wiping a stray tear from his cheek.
“Go now,” Bhakat said, bending down to look at the Sekani face-to-face. “I’ll see you on the surface. I promise.”
“Goodbye, my friend,” Janan said, hugging Bhakat’s neck tightly.
“Goodbye,” Bhakat replied sadly.
Janan turned and ran down the corridor toward the escape pods located near his room. Bhakat watched him a moment before turning and running back toward the bridge. He hoped he wouldn’t be too late.
#
When Janan arrived at the escape pods over the left wing, he noticed all of them were still present, though one of the pods’ active lights was blinking, meaning someone had entered it recently. He opened the hatch to see David sitting inside.
David smiled when he saw who it was. “I ... um ... couldn’t figure out the controls,” he said.
“Thank you for waiting for me,” Janan said, sitting down and strapping into the shoulder harness.
“No problem,” David said. “Besides, I didn’t want to go alone. Who would I have to talk to on the way down?”
Janan smiled and hit the eject button. The pod ejected from the ship, falling for a moment or two before the parachutes opened. The pod slowed as it headed toward the great Desert of Ambraa, west of the city of Melaanse. Its occupants were both unconscious as it floated down.
#
James had gathered up the others who had rooms near his on the right side of the Tukuli. He herded Kieren, Gianni, and Yvette toward the escape pods, hoping David had found his own way to one. The corridor was beginning to fill with acrid smoke as they arrived at the pods. “Okay, one person per pod is supposed to be safest,” he said. He opened the hatch of the first pod they came to and turned toward Yvette. “Be careful,” he said, wrapping her in his arms. “I’ll see you on the surface,” he whispered in her ear.
She kissed him, and he returned it fervently, hoping they weren’t saying goodbye forever. He pulled back to see she was crying silently. “Soon,” she said, climbing into the pod.
He hit the button to close the hatch before turning to the others. “Who’s next?” he asked.
“We’re going together,” Kieren said, reaching for Gianni’s hand. Gianni looked down at her hand in surprise before looking back at her face.
“But ...” James began before seeing the determined look on her face.
“I don’t want to go alone,” she said. “Please, James, don’t make me.”
James knew there wasn’t time for a prolonged argument. “Okay, it should be fine, I guess,” he said. “Gianni, take care of her.”
“Of course,” Gianni said, without a hint of his usual smirk as he stepped through the hatchway of the pod.
Kieren gave James a quick hug. “Thank you,” she said, and then stepped into the pod.
James pushed the button that closed the hatch. He walked down to the next pod and entered it, wishing he’d thought of going with Yvette before sending her alone.
Gianni and Kieren had powered up after strapping into the shoulder harnesses inside the pod. “It’ll be fine,” he said, though he sounded less reassuring than he wanted to be. He reached over toward her. She grasped his hand in her own, seeing the familiar flash as their power fields came into contact.
Gianni hit the eject button, and the pod shot off toward the planet’s surface, almost immediately deploying its parachutes and slowing its descent. Inside, both Gianni and Kieren’s power fields disappeared as they lost consciousness, though they were still holding hands.
#
James’s pod ejected and immediately deployed its parachutes, though it was already below the safe altitude point mandated by the pod’s sensors. He was powered up and strapped in, feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline throughout his system, though he surprisingly hadn’t felt it since coming on the trip, even when he’d gone out to disable the ASP ship.
All we’ve been through, he thought, all of the training, all of the planning. All of it for nothing.
All of their strategies were torn down like a straw house in a hurricane. James thought of the others, hoping they’d all land safely on the planet’s surface. His final thoughts before he lost consciousness were of the Yeats poem he’d been reading on the trip about things falling apart.
#
The Tukuli, now almost entirely a ball of fire and with Rauph and Bhakat still aboard, fell into the ocean off the coast of Melaanse, having missed the city. It skipped along the surface of the water like a flat stone before its momentum was slowed. The ship sank quickly into the dark water, disappearing from view.
The End - Stone Soldiers
The Rajani Chronicles II: Resistance
by Brian S. Converse
Coming in early 2018!
###
Connect with Brian S. Converse
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BrianSConverse
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BrianSConverse
Website: http://www.BrianSConverse.com
Rajani Chronicles I Page 25