“It is beautiful! Truly. I’ve never seen a starship so graceful in design."
Ryan laughed, finding he could not help himself.
The ramp lowered as they approached.
It was time to meet the newest of his guests.
“I have to warn you, in case you don’t already know. We have company. In all 22 humans, most from Signus and a few from Earth. A few have asked about you.”
They stepped into a crowded cargo bay. Eyes turned their way from all directions. He nodded to them as they passed through quietly.
Many were sleeping, others were talking amongst themselves, some were even playing games with small trinkets they must have brought with them. The Signites nodded to Aviore, many recognizing her features through the bandages.
Too many people. He was not used to so much company, and he wasn't sure he liked it.
"First things first. Ziggy, it’s mealtime.”
“And you,” he looked into her soft brown eyes, “I need to run some more tests."
He carried her into the medical room and sat her down gently. They kissed again, very passionately. He broke off regretfully.
The surgeon lowered and commenced the scans. He watched patiently, noticing positive changes. A stern low voice emanated from, well everywhere. The voice of the surgeon. Somehow, it carried with it a calming confidence.
"We will focus on your primary sources of pain. We are going to have to reset your jaw, as well as repair your broken teeth. One of the discs in your neck requires attention. These will be rebuilt by our nanites. Your blood has been analyzed, and we have noticed your hemoglobin is almost back to normal, but you still have traces of a viral infection, so we will need to temporarily enrich your immune system."
Ryan scanned the status display on the main console. “Aviore, given this status you should not be up yet. I don’t know how you are standing."
"I don't know what woke me up, but I needed to see you. Besides, relatively speaking, this is the best I've felt in years. And I wasn’t alone when I woke. I met your friend, Gem.”
"You've met her already?"
"Yes. She introduced herself. I have to admit for a second I was… well jealous, maybe heartbroken, until she explained herself.” She smiled, hiding a brief wave of sadness. “Gem told me where to find you, and Ziggy came to help. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well you did,” Ryan said with a chuckle.
The surgeon dropped down its snakelike arms. “I must inspect your oral cavity, please open.”
"There is considerable damage to repair.”
"It hurts," she said, or more accurately attempted to say, given her mouth was still pried open. Metallic fingers released, giving her back full motion.
Ryan ran his fingers along her face. "Do you feel up to some more surgery?"
"To tell you the truth, no."
"Well, we really can't wait. I know you’re tough. We need to address this now.”
She nodded quietly, accepting her prognosis.
“Your hands, let me see them.”
She laid them over his. Some of the fingernails had grown back, others hadn't.
"I was tortured. They wanted me to tell my father to give up, but I wouldn't."
Ryan inspected her fingers quietly. "We can take grafts from your other cuticles and grow new ones. It'll take a few months, but they'll be as good as new." He smiled at her.
She looked at him quietly, bravely holding back a sob. "Then go ahead Doc, cut me."
"We need to brace you first."
He locked her down on the bed, including the head brace as per direction by the surgeon. She had to remain absolutely still.
The first set of operations took almost an hour, the most critical occurred without any visible action, deep within her tissues. Nanites worked diligently under the surgeon’s direction to rebuild the damaged disc in her neck.
Ryan watched from the main surgery console, via the multiple imaging feeds which the surgeon used, some exploding out magnifications at the cellular level. Once complete, the surgeon focused on the dental work, leaving Aviore with two artificial teeth and two new crowns.
"How are you doing?" he asked her.
"Oway," she said, her mouth still wedged open.
He disconnected the holds. Her eyes were red. She was holding back tears. She was obviously in pain.
“Hurt?”
She nodded.
“The surgeon wanted to use local anesthetics only. Given the type of surgery, I know your jaw must be aching. We’re going to have to re-break and reset it."
Her eyes went wide.
"Don't worry, you'll be on pain suppressors and you won't feel a thing. But you will definitely be sore tomorrow.”
"I'm already sore, and you haven't even started. Are you sure you have to do this now?"
"Yes. The reason you're sore right now is because your jaw hasn't healed right. You can't leave it the way it is. I'm afraid that this is going to be a tedious surgery. The auto-surgeon will have to go in behind by the ear and remove scar tissue as well to ensure…"
"Don't tell me about it, just do it. When I wake up tomorrow, I want to be all done. Then it’ll be up to me. I'll do the healing myself."
Ryan chuckled. "You got a deal."
Hours later, Ryan carried Aviore to his bedroom and laid her down as gently as he could. He put an armband monitor on her and covered her up, being careful of her bandaged hands. He had decided to do everything like she asked. Now it was all up to her.
He hooked up an IV and left her to sleep.
* * *
The new human guests were surprised when he appeared. All of them looked relatively good, considering.
Ziggy had been busy.
They convened in the cargo area, the only spot large enough to house everyone. He addressed the crowd in Trinarieit, with Gem translating to Earth-English.
"We are about to leave Shawma and travel to the Signus. Those of you that wish may return to your home, but I must warn you, there is not much left, and living conditions for the resistance is hard. Those from Earth will have to stay with me for the time being.”
The small crowd shuffled uneasily, an Earth-woman hid her face in her hands.
He couldn’t get them home. He couldn’t afford the time.
He pulled his eyes away from his fellow Earthlings. “You do have an option. I am looking for volunteers to join me, and fight the Xi-Empire. I need to build a fighting force. I know this sounds impossible, but we’ve had some success already, arranged some allies with the liberated Shawma.”
“For how long?” uttered a Signite man. Others nodded.
“I don’t know - as long as it takes. To be clear, I’m not forcing you to join me. What I am asking for is dangerous, and you will be putting your life on the line. I will not fight beside anyone who is not willing, but please think about it."
"I just want to see my family again," one man stated, quietly.
"I understand, believe me. I know what you have been through.” He pulled up his pant leg, exposed ugly scars of scorched skin. “The brands burn into you, but they heal.” He put his hand to his head. “But not in here. You want to find peace? Help me destroy them. Think of all those that you’ve watched die. I know, sometimes, you wanted to be the one – but you survived, didn’t you? Now you know why.”
A sarcastic laugh bit into the thoughts of the crowd. "Who are you kidding? They ripped us to shreds - and they didn't even use their whole fleet! Look at their technology, their weapons, their ships. And we thought we could hold them back.”
This started an uproar of voices.
A Signite woman spoke up, she was favoring her arm, and her one eye seemed damaged. “When they force you to have children, only to rip them out of your arms and sell them to the highest bidder. Are you still going to tell me how it’s right to give up?”
The group quieted to a solemn silence.
“What are we going to fight them with? A couple broken down slaverships! M
aybe we can stock up on some extra large stones," stated a Signite sarcastically. He carried the features of an ex-military man. He was angry, face flushed red. "And how many other races have they enslaved? Do you know, Earthman? You don’t, do you? You know how many times others have tried what you are talking about? You think you can fly that one insignificant ship of yours against their entire fleet? You're as good as dead, along with anyone else that’s stupid enough to follow you."
The others were watching him, some nodding in agreement.
He was already losing them, and it was beginning to irritate him.
"How much is your life worth to you, Signite? Would you rather live as a slave or die free? So you tried before, and you lost. I’m giving you the opportunity to try again. How long has it been since you were captured?”
“Three to five weeks I think. I’ve been locked up in that slaver cell. It’s hard to say to the day.”
Ryan spat on the deck, openly pissed. “So you don’t have a damn clue. You’ve never seen them break someone, have you?”
With that, he stepped forward and grabbed the Signite by the collar. “You don’t know what I mean, when you’re past exhaustion, when all you know is, if you don’t take that next step they’ll slice you in half, like they did to the one beside you. You’re broke when you fall down, and you don’t get back up because you don’t care, because you’ve already died!”
“Captain. Calm down.”
It was Gem.
Ryan looked around, saw their faces. Fear, all too familiar. They were afraid of him, or maybe they were afraid of what he was saying. Afraid of what their future holds.
The Signite man he had hold of was trembling. He let him go.
"Sorry. I, ah…”
“It is perfectly alright, Captain,” said an older Signite in the crowd. “I’ve seen it. I was captured about five months ago. I’ve seen all the things you talk of. I’ve lived them.”
“Then join me.”
“Captain, all I want to do is get away from this - to get back home, to my family, to my home.”
“And where’s your home?” Ryan asked.
“Alterra. Just outside of it, actually. It is a beautiful city.”
A woman beside him grabbed his arm. “Alterra is gone, completely destroyed, it’s just a crater.” The color faded from the man’s face.
The woman turned to address all of them. “He’s right, you know he is. Signus is gone, the world that we knew is only a memory. They are attacking our colonies, and soon there will be nothing left of us. We have nowhere to run. We have nowhere to hide. This man is offering us a chance to fight back, to try again, but most likely die, die for the things that Signus once stood for. Since when do any of you feel like we even have a choice?”
Eyes turned to him as if he had something incredible to say, like he was some damned hero that could destroy the Xi-Empire all by himself. He despised that look in their eyes.
“You need to decide for yourself. If you don’t want to fight, I’ll try to find you a safe place. But there are no guarantees."
"What about us, what's going to happen to us?" asked one crow-nosed man, with rich black hair. He spoke in Earth-Spanish. Gem had translated for Ryan's benefit.
"Those of you from Earth – I know you want to go home, I know. Don't fool yourself. You're not safe there either. They know about Earth now. Once the Signite colonies are out of the way, I’m sure our home is next. Only this won't be like Signus. Our technology is pitiful in comparison. It'll be a damn slaughter."
"You asked me what is going to happen, you're not going to like the answer. You’re either going to hide out or fight with me, but there will be no returning home.”
“We don’t know anything about space stuff,” another woman said, already in tears. “I’m just a housewife. I want to get back home to my family. I have a daughter, she’s only two. She can’t sleep unless I read to her each night.”
Another woman wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman, providing as much comfort as she could.
“You are here now so you can protect your daughter, save her from a life of slavery. That’s the future that lies with Earth, and everyone on it, unless we stop them. I’ll train you as best as I can. Maybe we can slow them down for a time.”
“But we’ve got to get word back.”
Ryan laughed. “You think the governments in control would allow this to get out? If I brought you home and you started telling others – they’d lock you up in a tiny cell and throw away the key. He looked over at the woman who was still crying softly. “Be strong, for them. Maybe you’ve been called upon to be here for a reason.”
He turned abruptly, putting his back to them as he left. He was sick of holding their hands.
“Make your decision.” He yelled back.
The airlock door closed, shutting out the noise.
* * *
Three days passed.
Ryan had spent most of that time with the Showmish discussing battle strategies and boarding procedures. All known information of the enemy was collected and shared, including the specifications of every class of Xi-Empire starship. The slaverships’ logs were extracted and dissected for every useful tidbit of information. It was a mammoth task. The Showmish were overworked and tired, but they were remarkably resilient.
The last meeting was held in the makeshift boardroom in the Sbash Four. It included Ryan, the five Captains, and the assigned leaders of each regiment of Showmish warriors.
Ryan spoke for the majority of it while the Showmish listened attentively, not missing a word. Sometimes a question would be posed which would lead to a discussion. Ryan struggled to keep on track and keep the focus on the important issues, the most prominent being the difficult task of increasing the strength of their meager fleet.
"We'll keep hitting them where they're most weak - single ships, traders, slavers, whatever we find without escorts. When and if we encounter military vessels everyone else scatters. I’ll take care of them. We avoid anything big such as cruiser-class interceptors, at all costs. They have enough firepower to annihilate the lot of us."
"We can board and take over any ship, but we must have sufficient firepower to protect us while we are doing it," grunted Captain Roshesh.
"As soon as they see us, they'll transmit a distress. We'll have Xi-militia all over us before we can blink."
"No, no," Ryan said, frustrated. "The galaxy is a big place, and we'll be choosing when and where to hit. We'll know if there's a patrol in the vicinity. The trick is timing, to know when to hit, when to move, and when to keep our forces dispersed and hidden. We hit and run, hit and run. This is what we call guerrilla warfare where I come from."
"The Empire will soon notice. They'll send a fleet out to destroy us."
"They can't destroy what they can't find. We have access to superior technology. If we can integrate it into our ships, our shielding and weapons, we'll have the upper hand. All we need is time, know-how, and the raw materials. We can’t build a fleet, so we’ll steal it piece by piece. All we need is willing and able fighters and pilots. That's why we're headed for Signus. I think they will still have a worthwhile resistance. The Empire was too overconfident with them. They're in for a surprise."
"How do you know about the Signite strengths, and from what source?" asked Captain Shobotsh.
Ryan chuckled, "From an old friend named Taldig. Tell me something - what is a basic strategy employed when you know you are going to meet a superior force and will most certainly lose?"
"You retreat," joked one of the leaders. The room filled with Showmish laughter. Ryan waited for it to die down.
"He’s right. You don't run, and you don't engage either, at least not with your full arsenal. You leave a skeleton force of volunteers behind. You disperse and build your forces somewhere safe."
"Surely, the ones left behind know they will be destroyed," commented Captain Hushob.
"Yes," Ryan agreed, "yes they do."
The room filled wi
th silence for the first time in many hours. Ryan stood up, effectively signaling the end of their meeting. "You are going to have to elect a single representative for your people - someone with a strong military background and leadership qualities. I'll be waiting for your decision back on my ship." He turned to leave.
"We have decided already," announced Captain YushTar. "It will be you. You will be our leader."
Ryan turned back to face them. "No way. I'm not a leader. I'm not even Showmish. You'll have to choose amongst yourselves. I will not lead your people to their death."
"But, sister HishTar said otherwise," disputed Captain YushTar. "I have never known my great grandmother to be wrong. You have full authority amongst us. This matter is settled."
"No. No, it's not," refused Ryan. "I have my own kind to worry about."
"You represent us all, Commander," said Captain Shobotsh. "There are many other races under the oppression of the Xi-Empire. It will take a strong leader to bring them together and make this succeed. That leader is you. You cannot refuse."
Ryan checked every face in the group. There was one look he was sure about when it came to Showmish expressions. They were steadfast in their decision.
The idea raced across his mind. Leader. He didn't know the first thing about leading. He didn't want that responsibility. What if he doesn't have what it takes and they all end up dead? Or worse - he survives to live with that failure.
Taldig had told him something about leadership. He recalled vividly: "Those that lead, bear the weight of their own self-doubt. It is their greatest enemy and their greatest ally. Doubt stays impulse and avoids mistakes. If a leader must, he can use arrogance to provide missing self-confidence, but only instinct can compensate for missing information. And you, Ryan, have that instinct, more than any of us here. You survived inescapable odds. That is what a leader needs to keep his people alive."
Ryan studied the grimy floor, followed hairline cracks that spread up the bulkhead walls. This ship, like most of them, was falling apart. It took courage just to fly in one of these vessels, much less go to war in one. The Showmish were no fools, they knew this, and yet they had still chosen him. Maybe he had something, something extraordinary, or maybe he just had a plentiful dose of good luck.
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