by Corin Cain
Be with him. I couldn’t even say it – not even in my head – but I knew what it implied by the needy throb between my legs.
I lay down and Hadone and Darok both wrap their bodies around me, holding me tight to them. My lust has quieted, and they simply whisper in their language, soft and reassuring, telling me with their tone, rather than the meaning of their words, that everything is going to be alright.
I take a deep breath and my tears stop. The wetness rolling down my cheeks is not a sign of weakness. It’s catharsis. Now I have the grief shed from my system, I’m more determined than ever in what I know I have to do.
Whatever happens, I must keep Stacy, Tod, Tyler and Runner safe.
I’ve got three new charges now, too. The Aurelians might have saved me back in Barl, but it’s now my job to keep them safe. The three of them are fugitives, even if they don’t realize it yet.
The penalty for an Aurelian incursion on this planet is execution. I have no illusions that the Capital will make an exception when they learn of the unusual nature of these three tattooed Aurelians, or hear of the fearless sacrifices they made to protect us.
No. Those childish ideals burned away with my city.
A deep exhaustion grips me. I’ve nearly died so many times today that the idea is starting to lose meaning. Death, life – they’ve become two sides of the same coin.
The huge arms of the Aurelians hold me reassuringly tight, so much so that I can barely move. Yet, I don’t feel trapped. Their skin against mine actually makes me ache for life – to live it, rather than just exist as I had done for so many years in Barl.
I turn my head and look over at Forn, watching him in his deep slumber. I feel the fatigue overwhelm me, too. As my eyelids become too heavy to keep open, I hope desperately that I’ll have a dreamless sleep.
And tomorrow… Tomorrow, I’ll decide where to take my little group. Tomorrow, not right now…
12
Tammy
“Don’t move a fucking inch!”
My eyes snap open. I’m greeted by an array of weapons. Yesterday, I would have given anything to have the Capital’s troops surrounding me, protecting me from Scorp attack.
Now? They represent just another deadly threat.
I don’t know how they found us, or how they managed to sneak up on us so effectively, but they’re here.
The Capital’s troops are wearing old armor, long faded, but their rifles are just as deadly as when they were first constructed.
Budget cuts might have affected their uniforms, but the polished sheen of the well-maintained rifles shows where our periphery taxes have gone to.
I feel the Aurelians stir beside me, and I desperately grab their arms to quiet them before they can try a suicidal defense.
As soon as I reach out, though, I realize that only Darok is beside me. He looks at me blankly, but I see his hand inching towards the hilt of his Orb-Sword. Even with a mass of armed soldiers surrounding us, his first instinct is to fight.
I desperately shake my head, pleading him not to. There are at least five gun barrels pointed right at us; and while I’ve seen the Aurelian in combat, the odds against Darok are simply too great. Edgar proved that a bullet could wound or even kill an Aurelian.
Darok nods, remaining still. I shudder, turning back to the troops - watching their fingers tighten on the triggers. The Capital forces have never seen a real-life Aurelian before, and they are nervous. Really fucking nervous – and understandably so.
I tighten my fingers on Darok’s huge arm, willing him to be still. If one of us so much as coughs, a volley of gunshots will ring out; but we might not even hear them before they kill us.
How did this happen? How did they find us?
“Slowly put your hands up,” growls the leader of the troops. He has an eagle insignia on his breast, which shows that he’s an officer.
Where is Hadone?
“Put your fucking hands up!” The officer’s command is a bark this time, and Darok tenses up beside me. I know he’s aching to activate his Orb-Blade and throw himself into battle.
“He doesn’t speak the common tongue,” I say quickly, and the captain snarls:
“Bullshit. If he doesn’t get his hands away from the hilt of that weapon in the next second, I’m going to blow a hole through his head!”
I reach out, slowly and methodically grabbing the hilt of Darok’s Orb-Blade. He looks pained to surrender it, but allows me to take the weapon and toss it over to the captain before the worst can happen. Instantly, the soldiers press closer, emboldened now that their enemy was unarmed.
We’re pulled out of the lean-to, and outside I gasp at how many more soldiers there are. They’ve sent a whole platoon! Row after row of rifles point at us, and I shudder as I witness Forn, still wounded and barely conscious, being pulled from the lean-to by more soldiers.
My heart aches as I watch Forn’s head bouncing against the packed ground. He’s handcuffed and thrown to the dirt. Six rifles are pointed at him, despite the fact that Forn is barely conscious, still weakened from blood loss and his other wounds.
Stacy, Tod, Tyler and Runner are standing unrestrained near two more soldiers. Runner is smiling proudly, and a soldier shakes his hand, saying something too low for me to hear.
Runner! It was Runner who alerted a nearby platoon!
I want to hate the child for it, but I can’t. His father brainwashed him into hating the Aurelians and blaming all of his problems on the alien species. At least now I understand how they found our camouflaged little structure – Runner lead them right to us.
My last days have been a constant series of betrayals. Only the Aurelians have held fast.
My grim thoughts suddenly shatter under the sound of a gunshot. I snap my head over to look at Darok, terrified that he tried to escape. I breathe a sigh of relief as I see that he’s still handcuffed, albeit thrown to the dirt right next to Forn.
Birds flutter from the trees. The scream leaves my mouth before I can stop it. I look around wildly, trying desperately to find Hadone – dreading the inevitability that he’s been cut down by one of the soldier’s bullets.
Then there’s a rustle in the undergrowth and Hadone is lead out, bound in shackles but somehow, miraculously, unharmed.
The Capital’s forces are not known for their trigger discipline, but each member of the platoon knows the recognition, fame, and promotions they’ll receive by bringing in live Aurelians prisoners.
“Did they rape you?” It’s the voice of a young soldier, eighteen at most. He snarls as he says it, and I’m not sure if he’s horrified by the thought of aliens violating me – or excited at the concept. I say nothing, and instead the young soldier stares at Darok – looking at him as if he is some kind of freakish monster. The soldier’s tongue darts against his lips nervously. The testosterone pulsing through the young soldier’s body is overcoming his reason, and I know he wants to ‘avenge’ me for what he only imagines must have happened. I’m painfully aware of his rifle, pointed at Darok.
“No! No! Let them go!” I cry. “They saved me! They saved us! We were trapped in Barl, and if it wasn’t for these Aurelians, we’d have been…”
I’m suddenly cut off, my jaw dropping as the captain backhands the young soldier so hard that he crumples to the ground. I stare, eyes wide, not understanding.
“How dare you interrogate the young woman? One who’s just been kidnapped and abused by these beasts! Her mind is spinning – she doesn’t know what she says. In the Capital, she’ll be safe.” He turns to me, and murmurs: “You’ll be safe from these monsters there.”
His words might sound reassuring and sympathetic, but there’s a warning glare in the captain’s eyes. I understand. He’s not on my side, and he wasn’t backhanding the solider for my benefit. If I mention anything else positive about the three Aurelians, I know the next backhand will be for me - rattling my teeth.
The young soldier pulls himself groggily to his feet. His eyes aren’t focusin
g perfectly, and I can tell he’s groggy. “Y-yes sir,” he says, his voice losing all of the fire from earlier. He casts one last, rueful glance at the Aurelians, then looks down towards his boots.
“Tell me, woman, what is your name?” The captain scrutinizes me, as if I’m as guilty as he believes the three Aurelians to be.
“Tammy,” I say hesitantly. Darok has been cuffed as well, but he’s trying to inch forward towards me, wanting to put himself between me and the captain. His attempt doesn’t go unnoticed. Three soldiers pull him to the ground, and miraculously Darok doesn’t try to fight back. The Aurelians are then herded together – a dozen guns pointed right at them.
“Good, Tammy,” the captain wheels around to face me. “You’re safe now. My name is Captain Arnold and I’ll be escorting you and these prisoners to the Capital. Your testimony will be essential in convicting these Aurelian spies.”
My mouth drops open.
Aurelian spies? What do they think these three did? What are they going to pretend they were responsible for?
“But…”
Captain Arnold’s hand twitches. I know what he’ll do if I say anything else. I want to protect the Aurelians, but I can’t do that by earning myself the same backhanded slap the young soldier received.
“I understand,” I say meekly, hoping that if I pretend to be as timid as a mouse, maybe he won’t suspect that I have more strength than he could ever comprehend.
“Aurelians work in triads,” the Captain informs me condescendingly. “But these fuckers aren’t your normal Aurelians, are they? They’ve got tattoos all over their body. Tell me, do these bastards work in threes, or are there more of them lurking out there in the forest?”
I shake my head. “No… I only saw these three. I… I was in Barl when the Scorp came. These three…”
I want to try to convince him that these Aurelians aren’t like the ones we hate. I try to find the words, but I don’t know what to say.
“These three took you, and four children, and they would have done something terrible if I didn’t come to save you.” When he sees my mask-like expression, Captain Arnold tries to reassure me: “You’ll be lauded as a hero for surviving this. The whole planet will want to hear your story. You care about these children? Do you care about their future?”
He’s no simple infantry grunt. Each word is cold, calculated, and contains the unspoken promise of a thinly-veiled threat. My life is hanging in the balance, and so are the lives of the seven others under my care.
I nod, slowly.
The captain gives me a long glance. “Good. Then do as I say. I work for Lord Areon, and he can help these children… He can help you, if you remain… compliant.”
But he won’t help the Aurelians. Their fate is sealed.
And worse? Captain Arnold just admitted he’s on Lord Aeron’s payroll openly. There’s so much corruption in the Capital’s troops that he doesn’t even bother pretending not to be receiving Aeron’s bribes!
The name Lord Aeron is feared across Independence. He is not an elected official, but everyone knows he’s the bankroll behind the humanist party – and therefore the de facto ruler of Independence.
I spare a glance over to the Aurelians. They’re still as statues, their flesh white as marble, and totally unflinching. In contrast, the soldiers tremble before them, guns trained anxious at the towering aliens.
Forn glances at me, woken from his healing slumber. I can tell nothing from his gaze. I can’t even tell if he knows whether I was part of this betrayal. The three of them are utterly calm, as if their capture had been part of the plan all along.
“I want to see her!” I hear Stacy’s voice, and I glance at the captain. He gives me a quick nod, and I rush to the little girl’s side, picking her up and holding her close to my chest.
“They’re lying,” she sobs. “They keep saying that the Aurelians hurt us!” Stacy’s tears wet my cheek, as she embraces me desperately.
I set her down and look at her very seriously. “Stacy, don’t tell anyone the truth. You aren’t just looking out for yourself now.” I nod towards the other three kids. “You’ve always been the strong one. You need to protect Tod, Tyler, and Runner.”
“But… But Runner betrayed us! He’s the one who snuck out and led them to us.”
I swallow hard. “Runner was only doing what he thought was best. Now you have to do what’s best, and that means cooperating with the authorities. Trust me, Stacy, I’ve never done anything that wasn’t to help you. Let me help you here.”
Stacy nods. She understands that you should never actually tell the truth when the police pick you up and grill you over some petty theft – or it could just make life worse for a street brat like yourself. This situation is a hundred times worse.
It’s a lot to ask of her, but I trust the little girl to know the gravity of the situation, and I can see clearly in eyes that she does.
“Now go back and explain things to the others, okay? If you do things right, you might never have to live on the streets again.”
I hate the bargaining, and I hate telling a child to lie. It’s the truth, though. After the firebombing of Barl, heartstrings will be pulled in the Capital. Four orphans who’ve survived the ordeal will be snatched up in a heartbeat by rich, doting parents from the Capital – perhaps a couple who couldn’t start their own families naturally, or who have the resources to take another child into their families. I’ll personally make sure that the families they go to are wealthy, wise, and responsible.
That, I can do.
My mind is working furiously – racing and jumping from thought to thought.
The firebombing. How could the Capital have done that? How could they burn down an entire city?
Perhaps the decision had nothing to do with cruelty – it was a surefire way to end the threat of a planet-wide Scorp infestation. Yet, I never want to step inside the kind of mind that can make a choice like that so quickly. In truth, with the amount of Scorp warriors in Barl, it would have taken an entire army to stop them from spreading further; and who knows at what cost that victory would have come.
But an army is one thing the Capital has – and yet they chose not to dispatch it. But why? Surely it wasn’t merely an issue of expenses. Perhaps the rumors of tension between Independence and other neighboring planets are more serious than I thought, and the government couldn’t spare the troops from anywhere else.
The whir of heli-ship blades fills the air as transport ships buzz overhead. I look at the three Aurelians with open concern, and the captain notices my gaze.
“Careful with the scum! If there’s so much as a bruise on them, I’ll whip anyone involved!” He gives me a nod and I understand. Captain Arnold overheard my conversation with Stacy. He isn’t a fool, and he knows that I care for the three alien warriors. He’s telling me that if I cooperate, he can reward me with favors. In contrast, if I don’t cooperate…
Then he’ll hurt the Aurelians.
I just hope that the three alien warriors understand that I’m working with the captain for their own good, and don’t think that I betrayed them.
The huge transport ship lands, crushing the vegetation all around it. There’s a crack as our shelter is crushed beneath one of the landing gears. Just last night, I was intertwined in the arms of two of the gorgeous, towering alien warriors, and I nearly tasted the forbidden desires of the once-hated aliens.
Now, instead, I watch our home for that one night crushed into splinters by the forces of the Capital.
A wave of panic threatens to capsize my fragile mental state. I clench my hands into fists and barely regain control of my emotions. I just watched my city burn. I’ve nearly been killed a dozen times. I barely made it out to safety...
…and yet it seems like my journey is just beginning. I have to stay strong.
The Aurelian triad is herded in front of me, into the cargo bay of the transport ship. I engrain the memory of each of their faces in my mind, fearful that I’ll never
see them again.
I will get them to safety. I have to.
There’s no room for doubt in my mind as Captain Arnold waves me forward. I look at him without hatred. He’s simply another pawn on the chess board. I’ll find out how to play him to get my three Aurelians out and to somewhere safe.
And the orphans? Will they be better off in the Capital?
I walk towards the transport, feeling the rush of air against my face from the whirring blades. Despite the hurt of never seeing them again, I know that a life on the run is not what the children need. They’ll be treated well in the Capital, I predict – and despite my heartbreak at losing them, I know that’s where they’ll have the best chance for a happy, safe life.
The ship bucks. It is not made for a leisure flight. My leg presses against the man next to me, and a cut, newly healed from this morning, opens up again. I wince in pain and unzip my med-kit as we fly.
“That’s a pricy kit. Did you steal it?” It’s the man from across me. The one to my right chuckles. I ignore them both, pulling out a bandage.
I have to fix my cut… But it’s also the perfect excuse to secretly take what I need. I glance in the kit and see that the vial of black liquid is still intact.
Mercy.
Mercy is the strongest form of pain relief available on Independence. It’s to be given only as a last resort – when a man or a woman is in the last stages of life, and nothing more can be done. The liquid Mercy can give a deep sleep – deep enough for the suffering to never wake again.
Before anyone can see, I palm the vial and cram it into my sock. I use the cover of leaning forward to inspect my wound. My heart pounds and I have to stop myself from looking guiltily around to see if anyone noticed. If they did, they’d grab that vial and declare me complicit with the Aurelians. It’s a risky move – and it’s not even as if I have a plan of what to do with the vial right – but I know it could be a useful tool, and I want a weapon that no one knows I have.