by Jenn Nixon
“Miss, do you know where you are?”
“No. I do not,” Tiva said.
“You are on Uucor, a planet just on the edge of the Cobee star system. Do you remember where you came from? Do you remember your name?” Harai tucked a lock of her razor-cut orange hair behind her ear. Tiva noticed markings on her neck and chest. Harai’s pale yellow skin and bright green eyes clashed slightly with her neon pink jumpsuit.
“My name is Tiva Boon. I am from Abennelp,” she said, offering no more information.
“It is nice to meet you, Tiva Boon of Abennelp. Please come to the dining area for something to eat, you must be hungry.” Harai smiled and showed Tiva the way.
She followed silently, absorbing the atmosphere and her surroundings. Her chest felt heavy, it seemed more difficult to breathe. The kitchen was very modern—everything gleaming and smooth. Each wall held virtual projections of people and environments. The chair was wide, cushioned, and oval shaped. Much of the plant life and foliage she observed within the room had an odd yellowish green color, very different from what she knew. Tiva said nothing as she sat at the table.
Harai handed her a plate full of different foods. Tiva surveyed the offering and once satisfied that it was edible, ate, sipping the beverage provided in between bites. The young Uucorian sitting across the table smiled a few times at her, obviously trying to allay her nervousness. Tiva kept her eyes focused on different points around the room. She needed to know every exit, window, and weakness of the structure if she were to get out. When her plate was almost clean, Harai walked toward a cupboard, pulled out a tray of desserts, and offered them to Tiva.
“Thank you, but I am no longer hungry.” Tiva looked up at Harai and the young girl smiled. She was sure now the girl posed no threat, and her senses were not picking up others in the area, so she decided to gather information. “How is it you know how to speak my language?”
“This device is a phonics converter,” Harai fingered the small silver cube attached to her belt, “it allows us to communicate. We used the information from your pod to program your entire language into the unit. I attached one to your clothing.”
“Am I your prisoner?”
Harai laughed. “No, not at all, why would you think that? You asked for my father’s help, and he is doing just that.”
“Yet he has not been here to interrogate me.”
“And he won’t interrogate you. You committed no crime against us, Tiva Boon. You merely required assistance. However, my father is studying your escape pod…I’ll hear from him soon.”
“Did your people bring my belongings here or are they still in the module?”
“It’s in the back room. There wasn’t much inside, no clothing or food, just a few personal items from what I saw. If you would like to wash up I can find garments for you.” Harai offered, and Tiva nodded. “Do you need to contact your planet?”
“No!” Tiva said sharp and quick.
Harai looked at Tiva obviously full of concern, but she didn’t respond.
“I will wash up, and if you have a place for me to sleep tonight, I could use the rest.”
“Sure, no problem. My father had me prepare the guest room for you, just beyond the kitchen. I’ll gather your belongings and meet you there.”
Harai disappeared into the hallway, leaving Tiva alone in the dining area. She walked through the kitchen and saw the tiny guest room. The room was bright with beautifully decorated furniture and vibrant colors. Large pillows and a soft feathery blanket shrouded the bed. A carpet covered the hard, wooden floors; it displayed markings that Tiva assumed was lettering. In the corner of the room sat a small hutch, in the other corner a washroom.
The reflection staring back at her in the washroom was almost unrecognizable. Her lavender eyes seemed paler due to the dark circles underneath from lack of sleep. Her hair was matted and twisted in knots. She had several cuts on her face and hands, they were clean, but not bandaged, and the rest of her body held bruises both new and old. The crescent moon markings on her forehead were a very deep purple, almost black, revealing only to other Abennelpians that she was not in the best of spirits. No one would blame her for that if they knew recent events.
Harai arrived in the room before Tiva dwelled on her foul mood, offered her an Uucorian dress made of blue and silver material, and a very soft green sleep robe. Tiva took the clothing and thanked Harai.
“Here are your things from the pod. My father just contacted me with an update about your craft. He’s afraid that his people will not be able to fix it. Are you positive you don’t want to contact your planet? Your family might be looking for you.”
“My family is dead,” Tiva said flatly, opening the container holding her things.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Harai said with a frown. Tiva rifled through the box. “Is everything there?”
“Yes, it seems so.” Tiva pulled out a half-burnt book, opened it to reveal a small folded painting. She handed it to Harai. “This was my family.”
Harai took the painting and studied it.
Refusing to play the role of a pawn, Tiva opened her mind completely to the girl to sense her emotions. Maybe they were not keeping her prisoner, but she wasn’t going to trust blindly. She may be in the clutches of aliens with whom the Rebels were working, and perhaps the guardian uniforms in the painting would rouse the girl. Instead, Tiva sensed a deep sympathy and sadness from the girl. Shocked, slightly, she glanced at Harai and realized how young she truly was, no more than fifteen or sixteen.
Harai lowered her head and handed the picture back to Tiva. “I’m sorry. My mother died when I was very young, I understand the loss of a loved one,” she said and walked toward the doorway. “If you need or want to talk to anyone, I will be here to listen.”
Tiva nodded and picked up the robe before turning toward the washroom. “One last thing before I leave, my father has requested an audience with you in the morning to discuss your situation. I will have breakfast ready at sunrise.”
“You have been most kind, Harai Raku. Thank you.” Tiva made a fist and put it over her heart, closed her eyes, and bowed her head. “May the spirits always shed light on your path.”
Harai returned the gesture with her own, pressing her palms together raising them to her lips then forehead, “Blessings, and good fortune.” She smiled and left the room.
Tiva picked up a black bundle of cloth lying next to the painting of her family and waited for Harai’s footsteps to fade. Then she locked herself in the washroom.
After stripping off her clothing, she opened the bundle. The broken personal communications device lay on top of her belongings. It was worthless now, but she would keep it regardless. Deeper inside was her Timbur. The silver claws of the weapon were still bright and sharp. She thought it curious the girl’s father gave her access to it. Perhaps he thought it was not a threat. In her hands, however, it was lethal. She picked up the claw and attached it to her hand.
Sitting on the edge of the washtub, she stared at the painting of her family. She felt a void deep inside. Everyone was gone, as she should be herself. An unspoken code of the guardians rang in her head. If she fell captive and could not escape, she’d do the only thing possible. Even though the young girl insisted she was not a prisoner, Tiva remained skeptical. Why would someone help her without knowing who she was?
She detached the weapon, and pulled one of the long claws from the piece. Staring at herself in the mirror, she raised the claw to her neck. This was her only choice, for she did not belong here. She needed to be with her family. Tiva closed her eyes and recited a prayer for the dead. The words washed over her with ease, she had said the rite repeatedly over the last few months as she watched her friends and family die.
As the prayer ended, Tiva placed the claw against her skin. “May the spirits grant me safe passage to the Eternal Lands of my forefathers.”
She pressed the claw deeper. Blood trickle down her neck. The doors burst open, slamming agains
t her shoulder, and knocking her to the ground.
“Tiva, don’t do it!” Harai screamed.
“Harai, you must leave.” Tiva noticed the girl had tears streaming down her cheeks and fear on her face. Raising her mental shield to block the girl’s overpowering emotions, Tiva rose to her feet and covered herself. “This does not concern you.”
“You are a guest here; I can’t allow you to harm yourself.”
“I do not belong here, Harai, I must do what I must do.”
“Killing yourself?” Harai snapped. “If you can’t return to your own planet, you can make a place for yourself here on Uucor. We are a peaceful world full of people from all over the galaxy. There is no reason you should—”
“How did you know what I was planning?” Tiva said, suddenly curious.
“My people have the gift of foresight. We sometimes get visions when something bad is going to happen. When I reached my room, I had one of you. I experienced a very strong determination from you…Tiva, dying is not the answer.”
“I do not belong on your world. I belong with my people. My family, my king, and queen…they are all dead. I should be dead too.” Tiva lowered her head and sighed.
“I don’t know what happened, Tiva, but I’m sure your family would not want you to die. Perhaps you should have died, or you may have been spared to move on to better things.” Harai put a hand on Tiva’s shoulder and smiled.
“You do not understand…” Tiva protested.
“Then help me to understand.”
Tiva sat with Harai for hours and recounted her life story. Harai listened with great interest as Tiva revealed her upbringing in the Royal Guardians. She spoke of her training, the hardships she overcame, and explained the nature of her status.
“I helped avert several attempts on the king’s life; he granted me the chance to become an elite protector. I was the youngest and first female to hold such an honor, and guard King Delos and his family. About six moons ago, the Rebel group who, for many cycles past, had been trying to overthrow the king’s power, exchanged weapons and other alien technology for the natural resources of our planet with off-worlders, giving the Rebels enough power to force the king’s hand and we went to war.” Tiva closed her eyes as the memories flooded her mind.
“We fought night and day but there were just too many. Most of the king’s Legions betrayed us and joined with them when they broke through the palace walls. The army killed dozens of us. My father and I, along with the other Royal Guardians realized the only way to protect the king and queen was to flee the planet.”
Tiva stopped for a moment and opened her eyes. “We circled our planet, trying to remain in contact with those still on the surface. Then an alien supplier found and attacked our ship. We know nothing of space travel and our ship had little defenses. We tried to find cover at a nearby moon, but it was no use, their technology was far superior, and we could not escape.”
“Do you know who it was that attacked you?”
“No, I do not,” Tiva said. “They were powerful. The first attack on the ship crippled our systems. Many of us made it to the escape modules, but they were destroyed and the final assault on the ship resulted in the death of everyone except me. I watched, helpless, as their crafts shattered into nothingness.” Tiva saw Harai was crying.
“How many of them were your family?” she said, wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Fifteen of the sixty people on that ship were my kin; uncles, aunts, cousins, my parents and siblings.”
“Your whole family?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so sorry.” Harai cried and looked at Tiva. “Why don’t you cry?”
“I pray and mourn deep inside my heart,” she lied, and reached over, pulling out a burnt book. “This is the Yantar, our holy book. I have often taken comfort in its teachings. Within these pages are messages of peace… A peace the people of Abennelp no longer understand.”
“Maybe you can return to your planet one day and bring back peace to your people? Maybe that is why you were spared, Tiva,” Harai said.
“I am a guardian, not a noble. One day I may be able to return and help restore order if the Rebels lose their control, but for now, I cannot return. I will surely perish if I do, and I cannot stay here. My home must be near your planet, and if word travels to the off-worlders working with the Rebels… I dare not say what will happen. There are many questions left to be answered…”
“If you die you won’t get the answers to your questions, Tiva. But if you live, who knows what your future holds. If you will not stay here, maybe our alliance with the Union can help you.”
“The Union?” Tiva asked the young girl.
“Oh, yes the Union. They are a wonderful organization made up of different planets and races. You wouldn’t believe how many beings live in our galaxy alone. The Union was here not too long ago; my father says they are returning for a conference in four months. You should talk to him about the Union. They might be able to help your planet.”
“I will consider it,” Tiva said and stifled a yawn. “I must not keep you awake any longer. Fear not, Harai, I will not take my own life. Your kind words and compassion has changed my mind. I will speak with your father and weigh my options. But now, I must sleep.” Tiva rose and walked toward the door. “Thank you for listening.”
“Thank you for sharing your story with me.” Harai stood and wrapped her arms around Tiva.
Tiva responded in kind, but felt very uncomfortable doing so.
“I will see you in the morning.”
Tiva tossed and turned as the dreams invaded her sleep.
One by one, she watched in horror as the king’s legionnaires, the traitors, slashed the Royal Guardians, killing them instantly. Tespor, her friend, lay on the main path motionless. Skky and Loloa met their doom in the king’s garden. Yet, she was alive. Her skills had kept her from the fate of the others.
She saw herself standing in the palace courtyard covered in blood, her sword in one hand, Tespor’s in the other. Her father and uncles looked very much the same as they waited for the traitors to reach them.
“Guardian Boon!” one of the defectors called out to her. “Join us - you have no chance of surviving. The Rebels outnumber you, join us or you will die!”
“I would die a thousand deaths before I would turn my back on my king!” Tiva said, twisting the sword in her hand preparing for battle.
“Then a thousand deaths you shall have!” he said, charging in her direction screaming and yelling a battle cry.
“Tiva, all your training has prepared you for this moment. We must keep the king and queen safe. Should we die trying, our quest shall be fulfilled, we will meet in the Eternal Lands, and the task will pass on to those who survive.” Kevler looked deep into his daughter’s eyes, and gently touched her cheek.
“I will protect them until my last breath,” Tiva said confidently.
“I have never been prouder to call you my daughter than at this very moment, dearest one.” Kevler smiled, and Tiva smiled back.
“They come!” Devler said from a distance. Tiva and her father ran to him seeing the oncoming attackers as the rest of the Royal Guardians and the king’s true legionnaires formed a barrier in front of the palace doors.
The battle began with Kevler and Devler taking out several former legionnaires the instant the parties collided. Another Rebel went straight for Tiva. He raised his bladed staff and swung down at her; she parried and rolled to the ground slashing upward, grazing his thigh. He grunted and spun around aiming his weapon at Tiva’s head. She blocked the strike with one sword and twisted the other in her hand whipping it across the man’s stomach. He flipped back narrowly avoiding the attack, and leapt into the air, kicking Tiva in the shoulder.
She stumbled back, but regained her balance and spun the weapons creating a windmill effect as she closed in on her assailant. She struck with the left sword severing his hand, the weapon he held crashed to the ground. She spun around bu
ilding momentum and with her right sword, sliced the Rebel from navel to shoulder. Blood poured from his wound as he collapsed to his knees. Satisfied with her victory over the Rebel, Tiva searched for her father and uncle. Her eyes focused on their location, and just as she stepped to move, a traitor legionnaire sheared off the head of her uncle.
“Uncle! No!” she screamed, tearing herself from the dream. Tiva sprang from the bed, her Timbur secure on her hand, ready to fight. She viewed the surroundings, realized where she was. She wiped the sweat from her brow and sat on the bed. Each time she closed her eyes, the terror found her.
Pulling the painting from under the pillow, she stared at her family, running her finger over each of their faces while she caught her breath. Willing herself to grieve, she grew angry at the numbness within her mind and heart. She had lost everything. Everyone she ever loved and cared about was gone. She was alone. Why couldn’t she mourn?
Sighing, Tiva glanced out the small window in her room and saw the first streaks of sunlight rising in the east. She noticed earlier, the planet only had one sun, which made for a colder temperature.
The images of the dream remained and haunted her. She refused to sleep, instead, rested against the windowsill, and waited for morning.
*
As promised, Harai had breakfast waiting for Tiva when she ventured out of the room. Harai stared out the window. Tiva took a seat, sipped the juice, and ate the fruits and pastries on her plate. When Harai finally turned, the weight of the universe seemed to be on her shoulders. Tiva sensed her burdens, and immediately tightened her mental shield; her own problems were enough to deal with.
However, the girl who had been so kind toward her earlier needed comfort now.
“Is something wrong?” Tiva said.
“I told you about the gift my people possess, and I told you that I felt very strong emotions coming from you. Something else has happened,” Harai said and sat across the table from Tiva. “I saw your dream.”