by Alex Guerra
I was still trying to see where she was looking exactly with her fully black eyes. Dotty had let me know that the Codari eye had a pupil, an iris, and sclera similar to a human eye, but they were just all black.
“A lifetime? No, it’s nothing like that. I’ve been at this for about three weeks? Perhaps a little more,” I said.
“Three weeks…are you joking? You’re playing around, right?” said Kayton, dumbstruck, her eyes growing.
“No, it’s been about that time,” I said, bluntly, “I told you, I’m not really supposed to be here, like at all. Some luck, huh? Don’t laugh or think I’m crazy for saying this, but I have an ancient artificial intelligence inside me. It’s actually what’s helping me speak to you right now,” I explained.
“That’s not entirely crazy…my translator works in a similar manner. With all the different species we run into daily, it’s very rare we don’t wear them,” Kayton said.
“You misunderstand, that’s not all of it. I am from a planet called Earth. My species has yet to colonize any planets or moons. We have only landed on our own moon a few times and never stayed. When I left Earth, our species was beginning to look at the next planet over called Mars as a place to colonize, but it will still take many years before the first settlers will be sent there.”
The Codari scrunched her “eyebrows” together in contemplation.
“You see, this ancient A.I. fell into my lap, essentially. It chose me out of necessity to stay out of the empire’s hands. It guided me to a hidden portal and teleported me across the galaxy to here. That was over three weeks ago,” I recounted.
She stared at me, mouth open and set her drink down. “That’s—”
“Crazy, I know.”
“No, that’s incredible…” she said. She grabbed my shoulders and gave them a squeeze, giving me a big smile. “Don’t you see? This gift came across all that distance and you say it was luck or chance? Art, it’s not luck, it’s destiny. Embrace it!”
Not how I was expecting this conversation to go, I thought.
I see you failed to read into Codari customs and belief systems. They are a very fatalistic species and believe that ‘gut feelings’ as you would put it, or stories such as your own, are the very gods at work.
She thinks I’ve received some sort of divine blessing then?
Perhaps not. According to your own memories, humans have a similar argument between free will and destiny. She’s just more optimistic about your own predicament than you are I’m afraid.
I was called a defeatist before…
My point exactly.
“It’s a lot to take in still. All the new technology, meeting new species for the first time—the food—if I’m not fighting through hordes of Patrassi or fighting the empire, I’m filled with culture shock,” I said to her.
“But you still move forward every time, don’t you?” said Kayton.
Even once I knew I couldn’t make it back to my home anytime soon, something kept me moving to the next objective.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I took another swig.
“That’s destiny driving you in the right direction. You say you’re not supposed to be here, but you are completely wrong. You are exactly where you need to be at all times, you just need to believe it yourself,” she said.
“I think you would get along with Seya with all this talk of destiny,” I said, taking another sip. “This doesn’t sound completely crazy to you?”
“Not at all, it sounds like the beginning of an incredible journey,” said Kayton.
“Thank you,” I gave her a genuine smile. “Besides Seya, you’re the only other person to say anything like that to me since I left Earth. I appreciate it,” I toasted the remains of my drink to her and finished it off.
She finished her beverage and set it down next to mine. “Absolutely. Know that I’m here to help where I can,” she brought the menu up again and ordered two more drinks.
As the machine cleared the empty glasses and made a new pair of drinks, I started to feel the alcohol working its magic. The machine moved up and away, and we retrieved our next round.
“Seeing as we have this huge mission starting in two days, a lot of my troops are on edge. We’re going to be in charge of taking out a large number of defenses in Nadune,” she said, staring into her glass.
“Are you scared?”
“Of course I am…a little at least,” she whispered. “I am before every mission, you’d be crazy not to be, but this is going to be the first open operation on the planet. Right at the doorstep of the empire,” she added.
“Let’s not worry about that right now, though. Let’s drink and hope to get through the next few days alive,” I said.
“Cheers!” she said, mimicking my toast from earlier.
We stayed and had a few more drinks laughing and having a good time. I was sloshed by the time we finished. I rarely drank this much, but it was worth it. I had Dotty reimburse Kayton for the drinks, despite her protests. She made a good effort to leave the bar without tripping or swaying very much in front of the other soldiers, but the facade broke upon exiting the building. We teepeed together, as we stumbled across the street towards the vehicle. She sloppily scanned her gauntlet several times over the door before it registered, allowing all five feet of her to climb in.
“You shhhouldn’t drive,” I slurred.
“I’m…I’m not,” she waved a hand at me, slowly tapping at the screen a few times.
The rover turned on, pulling out of the parking spot as I leaned back and stared out the window into the cavernous sky of the city.
“This thing is auto…mated?” I asked.
“Huh? Yeah…” She let out a sigh. “I prefer driving though, it’s so damned slooow.”
The rover took off at a leisurely pace, which I didn’t mind at all feeling a bit drunk. The two of us rode in silence for the rest of the way.
When we got back to the parking garage, I sobered up just enough to act right. Kayton gave me a tight hug, thanking me, and went off to her quarters, leaving me with the container of food packs she had gifted me earlier.
I walked back to the suite and placed the container on the living room table. Seya had her door still closed, despite my being gone for three hours. Dotty guided me to a cabinet in the bathroom that had some medicine inside and instructed me to take a pill that would clear my head, preventing the impending hangover the following morning. I was glad to see that I wouldn’t be the first guest to stay here that had too much to drink. Damn, these people have it all, I thought.
I peeled off my clothes and dove into bed, finding sleep on impact.
*****
The supplies from Tudok arrived in port the following day. The hangar was bustling with vehicles transporting the precious cargo to their assigned destinations. Engineers and specialists were checking the integrity of all the equipment received. After marking the cargo in working order, they distributed them to the various platoons, all preparing for tomorrow’s attack.
When I saw Seya, she told me she appreciated Kayton’s gesture and an evening to herself. She had used the time alone to do some deep meditation and then fell asleep.
Kayton was practically beaming when I told her Seya thanked her for the gift. She probably had the same pills I did because she was up and about, shouting orders to her platoon with ease. Her platoon received six of the armored suits, an assortment of explosives and high-powered long rifles. They would be in full force for their mission tomorrow. I wished her and her team good luck.
The council provided an easy solution for Seya and me in getting aboard the undercover ship that would receive Princess Ellia. During a shift change later in the evening, we snuck aboard the vessel and joined the undercover pilots. Unfortunately, no one told us that we needed to stow away for several hours in the hidden compartment. The checks were a few hours later, in the early morning, but there wasn’t a specific time for pre-flight checks. We stayed hidden until the mission began. By the
time the empire found out about the rogue ship, it would already be too late.
FOURTEEN
The rumbling of the ship’s engines woke me up. How I managed to sleep in an area the size of a coffin, was surprising as much as it was disturbing. Stowing away allowed us to bypass the security sweep during the pre-flight check. The security personnel would not know to look for the newly fabricated, hidden compartments on the ship.
They gave us the okay to come out of hiding, which allowed me to use the onboard latrine. While my suit had the capability of taking care of biological waste, I preferred not starting this day running around in my own filth, despite Dotty’s assurance that I would not know the difference.
The dropship had a center aisle about four feet wide with seats lining both sides and facing each other. There were viewports on either side, with two rooms available for storage and equipment, one on each side. A larger ramp was available at the rear of the ship, just like the one on Dagger’s, as well as two hatched entrances located on the port side.
The undercover crew on the ship consisted of the two pilots, three troopers, and an officer—none of which were Codari, as it was rare for them to join the empire. Instead, the crew were species commonly those found among the ranks of the empire.
Once we got closer to the Darkkon capital ship that brought the princess into the system, Seya and I would stay in the starboard side room until the princess was aboard. We would make our move as we were making our way back planetside.
It was customary for the host world to provide transport into their realm for special guests as a sign of respect or subservience. I believed we would be changing customs across the galaxy after this day.
We were informed that the attack on the outpost was now underway. Fortunately, word would not reach the empire in this system for another hour by way of skip drone through the starlane. It was in that time that we needed to complete our objective before the empire here reacted.
The pilots sent out a hailing frequency and requested docking permissions from the royal ship. Seya explained to me that while the vessel was classified as a capital ship, this one was on the small side. It was about three quarters the size of The Pillar and adorning the hull with a rather gaudy aesthetic that I didn’t care for. There were, however, many turrets tracking our approach towards it, while our docking permissions were still pending. The pilots had cut the engine and coasted very slowly towards the ship, appearing as non-threatening as possible.
“Permission is taking a while longer than expected,” whispered Seya to me.
Nervousness crept up inside me. If they shot us now while we were on the transport ship, the pilots would need to pull off a miracle to survive the trip back to Vallus. I squeezed my fists several times in a futile attempt to relax.
“Thank you, approaching docking bay one, Control,” said one of the pilots.
A sigh of relief washed over the cabin. The officer—who appeared a little older than me—took a few deep breaths as he prepared for his debut role. He was a larger man; a light shade of brown with many tough, dark spots splattered across his skin, which looked like a mix between scales and rocks but much smoother.
I gave him a quick, reassuring pat on the arm and nodded. He nodded back, his tiny orange eyes shining brightly against the dark circles they rested in while adjusting his cap and steeling himself. Seya and I would hide in one of the small rooms until they gave us the signal to come out—a boot heel kicking the door, or if things went south, the sounds of fighting.
We entered the hangar as the docking clamps locked into place and the ship made a slight bounce. The door slid open and the ramp could be heard extending, followed by the footsteps of four individuals exiting the vessel. Seya and I had slumped down against the bulkhead with our blasters ready.
It seemed like an eternity before there was another sound.
“You and your retinue have my permission to come aboard, Your Highness,” the baritone voice of the officer was slightly muffled, as the group approached the entrance.
“Retinue?” I whispered to Seya. She gave me a shrug in return that I took as ‘we’ll deal with it’.
A parade of footsteps stomped aboard the vessel, causing a ruckus before settling down.
“Please feel free to take a seat there, Your Highness,” replied the officer again.
“Thank you, Major. Guards, at ease. Prepare for departure,” said Princess Ellia, whose voice was light and a little higher.
“Yes Princess,” came a few voices—two, maybe three, I thought.
“Men, prepare for launch. Pilots, the cabin is ready,” said the Major.
“Yes, sir,” one of the pilots called out faintly, from the cockpit. “Control, requesting unlocking of docking clamps and clearance for departure.”
“Was your trip comfortable, Your Highness?” asked the Major.
“Yes, it was quite nice, Major. We had stopped in the Lomas system to check on a few assets before proceeding here. They have such a wonderful countryside. I’ll need to ask the Prince to build a palace in one of the mountains overlooking such a beautiful place,” said the princess, sounding a little too overly practiced and fake.
“I never had the pleasure of seeing it for myself, Your Majesty, only in videos, unfortunately,” responded the Major.
There was the rumbling of the engines winding up once again and the clamps unlocking. The moaning sound disappeared in an instant, marking our departure back into space.
“Well, if this visit goes smoothly, then I can put a word in to give you some time off to visit,” said the princess.
“You’re too kind.”
I’m glad he’s just acting. I’d hate to be the reason he never got to see anything outside of a cell for the rest of his life, I thought.
The Major continued chatting with the princess, passing time, while Seya had a look of disgust on her face. I sent her a message that read: you’re technically related to her. She rolled her eyes and stuck her blaster near her head, mimicking pulling the trigger. I couldn’t help but have a big grin on my face.
We waited, huddled in anticipation for the signal. Princess Ellia and the fake Major spoke at length for the next fifteen minutes, as we started our descent back into Vallus’s atmosphere. When the turbulence subsided, there was a hard kick at the door—our signal to get this party started.
In a flash, the door slid open and we sprang into action. The undercover soldiers all had their weapons pointed at the royal guards, freezing them in place. The Major raised his blaster at the princess, as did Seya, while I drew a bead on the nearest guard.
“What is the meaning of this, Major!?” the princess shouted.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” he apologized.
Seya moved around in front of Princess Ellia, her blaster resting just inches from her face. There was a moment of confusion in her eyes, followed by recognition.
“You…” she sneered. “I figured you died years ago waging these pathetic battles, Seya.”
“I see Ibram has told you all about me, how kind,” said Seya.
“He told me how you abandoned him. How you betrayed the empire to join these rebels,” she spat.
“Had he half a mind, he would see that I did what was right. He could have followed me a few years after I had left and fought against the injustices of the empire,” she poked the blaster at her. “I see now, that the empire brainwashed him just as they did you.”
“Brainwashed, ha! What we have is true loyalty to the empire. We have established peace in all of our systems. It’s your Galactic Conglomerate that’s been sparking all of the violence in the galaxy,” scoffed the princess.
“We fight because it is the only way to communicate with the Vael. You didn’t make any negotiations when you encroached on countless civilizations in your expansion, your empires swept the legs out from beneath each planet and forced them to join. You can’t just take people’s land and not expect resistance,” Seya spit back through gritted teeth.
&
nbsp; The shuttle moved away from its flightpath, back in the direction of the hidden base in the mountains.
“We’ve got enemy fighters approaching, they realize something is wrong—we’re being told to land immediately at the specified port,” said one of the pilots, over their shoulder.
“Tell them to stand down. If they pursue us further, our ground forces will shoot them down. No harm will come to the princess if they comply,” replied the Major.
The imperial fighters were flanking both wings. Their short, stubby appearance marked a more agile and better-equipped aircraft than the dropship we were in. Had the fighters wanted to shoot us down, they would blast us from the sky in a short amount of time. The two stayed in formation for some time, not showing any sign of complying.
“What do you plan on doing, traitor? You’re on an imperial world. The empire will suffocate you before you do anything of note,” said Ellia.
“Be quiet before I suffocate you first,” threatened Seya.
The two fighter’s broke formation and left the area, no doubt to help in the defensive, now that the real attack was underway. Below us, the city of Nadune was in full panic. Explosions and fireballs were erupting around the fortress that made up the empire’s turf as the skirmish raged on.
Kayton is down there with her platoon somewhere. I hope she will be alright, I thought briefly.
“You’ll all be executed for this. You do understand that, right?” taunted Ellia, with a sinister smile.
Seya gave her a hard slap across the face with her free hand—one that made everyone wince. That wiped the smile off her face, I thought.
The guard in front of me tried to move in to defend her, but I gave him a hard shove back into the seat, shaking my head at him in denial.
Ellia placed a hand on her raw cheek in astonishment. “You’ll pay for that, you—”
Seya slapped her again just as hard.
Geeze, woman! I thought.