Sojourners: Farpointe Initiative Book Two

by Aaron Hubble

  Still, there was something in those eyes.

  Entering his office once again, he sat down at the desk and tried to shake off the feelings. It wouldn’t do to question the parameters of the mission. But those eyes…

  Taking a deep breath, he called up the numbers. They were what he needed. Numbers to get him back on track. The screen began scrolling once again and the memory of the woman in stasis unit Beta three four one receded into the background as he focused on his job.

  Still, he wondered who she was and what she had been like. Not that it mattered now; he would probably never cross paths with her again. Certainly not outside of the stasis unit. He immersed himself in the numbers, let them caress his mind and push out the self-doubt and the questions.

  It was good to be back home.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  A week after waking up in the hospital, Calier was packing a small bag with the clothes and shoes he had arrived in. He wasn’t sure why. While the clothes had been laundered during his stay in the hospital, they were torn, stained and sported a nice circular hole where the bullet had entered his shoulder. The Ma’Ha’Nae had provided him with several sets of clothing and new shoes, but for some reason he was having a hard time parting with the clothing that had belonged to Berit’s father. Perhaps he felt it wasn’t up to him to decide what to do with them.

  He placed them in the bag along with the new sets of clothing. The compass and map went in next. While they hadn’t guided the group to their original destination, they had brought them to a much better place.

  He straightened and stretched his shoulder. It felt good not to have his arm immobilized any longer. Mirala, the doctor, said as long as he took it easy, his arm wouldn’t require a sling any longer. The treatments he’d received here in the hospital had sped up the healing process. His shoulder was still sore, but he could use it for regular activities.

  On the bedside table sat a small green rock and a book. He picked up the rock and ran his thumb over the smooth surface, remembering the lost friends they’d honored the day before. The bodies of Kan, Bormar, Kohena, Onan and Amer had been cremated on a funeral pyre and their ashes scattered over Lake Keali. It was a Ma’Ha’Nae tradition for the loved ones of those who had died to take one of the rocks from the shore of the lake. It was a way to remember. He placed the rock inside the bag.

  Then Calier picked up the small book and reverently opened it. It was a copy of the scriptures that had belonged to Kohena. Ibris had found it in Kohena’s small pack and had given it to Calier. The pages were well worn and many of the passages were underlined or highlighted. In the margins, the man’s uneven scrawl recorded insights he’d had about the passages over the years. He closed the book and ran his hand over the leather cover. He would treasure this and remember the kind man who had owned it.

  From under the bed he pulled Berit’s purple backpack. He unzipped it and removed the contents. Her sketchpad and pencils, a scarf, a lighter, a hand lamp, a length of rope and the small wooden box. He removed the lid and found the beaded bracelet inside. Berit had been wearing the bracelet for awhile, but put it back in the box after they’d entered the forest, afraid something might happen to it. There was also a silver covenant bracelet she’d purchased for Winnet, a picture of her husband-to-be, a candle and a handwritten copy of the vows they would repeat to each other on the day of their joining.

  He replaced the lid and set the box back on the bed. After he dropped his meager belongings off at the apartment he would be sharing with Maltoki, he planned to find the sentinel command center and petition that they begin a larger search for Berit. He didn’t know if he would get anywhere, but he needed to try.

  A knock on the door caused him to turn. In the doorway stood a thin woman with short, graying hair.

  “Hello,” she said peeking around the door. “My name’s Issae and I’m a volunteer in the hospital. I just brought you a few more things you might need after you leave. Hygiene items, toothbrush and toothpaste. Things like that.” She handed him a small bag.

  Calier gratefully accepted the bag from the woman. Issae appeared to be close to his age, a bit on the shorter side, with golden eyes. She seemed familiar to him, but he dismissed the feeling.

  “Thank you. The hospitality I’ve received has been overwhelming. Please tell everyone how much I appreciate what has been done for me,” Calier said.

  The woman nodded and stood quietly, her hands folded in front of her. It seemed to Calier she had something else to say, but was unsure how to begin. Maybe if he asked her a question, got her talking, it would alleviate some of her trepidation.

  “So, Issae, how long have you volunteered in the hospital?”

  “Not long,” she responded. “I haven’t been in Alam much longer than you have.”

  Calier’s brow rose in surprise. “Really? You’re from the outside? How did you end up here?”

  “My husband and I fled our home when the invasion started. He thought the forest would be a good place to hide until we could go back to our farm. We were chased by a group of soldiers. My husband died defending me and I was able to escape into the forest. The Ma’Ha’Nae found me starving and nearly dead from exposure, and so, here I am,” she said, spreading her arms.

  “I’m sorry about your husband. We’ve all lost a lot,” Calier said.

  “We have. Is it all right if I ask you a question?”

  “Yes, of course. Please have a seat.” Calier gestured to the chair and then began clearing off a spot on the bed where he could sit.

  Issae moved toward the chair and then stopped. Calier looked up at her and saw she was staring at the pile of Berit’s belongings.

  “Where did you get that box?”

  “It…it belonged to a friend of mine,” he said, then picked it up and handed it to Issae. She accepted it with shaking hands and slowly opened the lid as if expecting something to jump out at her. One hand went to her mouth and she closed her eyes. Tears poured down her cheeks.

  “Was her name Berit?”

  Calier stood. “Yes. It’s her box. How do you know her?”

  “She’s my daughter,” Issae said. “Where is she? Does she still live?”

  Calier was afraid Issae might fall to the floor, so he gently guided her over to the chair and sat her down.

  “I don’t know for certain, but my belief is she’s still alive,” he said.

  “Please, tell me more. I want to know,” Issae said, her voice shaking with emotion.

  “I found Berit in Gadol City after the attack. She was wounded and holding her fiancé’s head in her lap.”

  “Winnet?” Issae asked.

  “Yes. He didn’t make it through the attack.” He saw her close her eyes again and offer a silent prayer. “I tried to deal with her wounds, and then she and a former student of mine were able to escape the city with me that night. We found survivors in the village near your farm and then traveled across the grasslands, taking a route through Sho’el, where we were attacked by the invaders and then rescued by the Ma’Ha’Nae.” Calier looked at his hands. “We lost several wonderful people to the forest and to the attackers. Berit was one of them.”

  “How?” Issae whispered.

  “We became separated and the last glimpse I had was her being carried into the forest by one of the soldiers. They’re capturing women for some reason and I believe they did the same to Berit.”

  Issae nodded, tears spilling from her eyes and splashing on the smooth wood of the little box. It made sense now why she looked familiar. Issae had passed on her eyes to her daughter. Calier reached out and placed his hand over hers.

  “I still believe she’s alive, and my goal is to find her. When I leave here, I’ll be wearing a path from my apartment to the door of the sentinel commander until he says ‘yes’ to a rescue mission to find her and the rest of the women who have been captured. Until then, we can only pray for her.”

  Issae nodded. “Thank you.”

  “I tried to keep her safe, Is
sae. I really did, but I failed and I’m sorry. You need to know how special she is to me. She is the daughter I was never blessed to have. You raised a wonderful daughter,” Calier said.

  “I know. She has always been so full of life,” Issae said.

  “Here.” Calier reached behind him and began putting Berit’s belongings into the purple backpack. “These are Berit’s, and you should have them. Keep them safe until you can give them back to her.” He handed the small pack to Issae who hugged the bag to her chest. They sat in silence for a minute, remembering a young woman they each held dear to their heart.

  Issae stood first. “I should be going. Thank you again.”

  “It was my pleasure.” He looked at Issae. “Would you like to have dinner with me and my friends? We haven’t all been together since we came into the city and we wanted to regroup and share what’s been happening since we came here. I know they would like to meet you and hear your story.”

  Issae smiled brightly. “Yes. I would like that. Thank you.”

  Calier hesitated. “I’d like to tell you where I’m staying, but I don’t even know where I’m staying. All I know is the dinner is in a courtyard of the building my friends Ibris and Rohab are staying in.”

  “Oh my goodness! Rohab and Ibris. What a blessing to have old friends back again. I can’t wait to talk to them. Don’t worry, Calier, I will find you. Thank you again.”

  She turned and exited the room. Calier watched her go and then turned and looked at his belongings on the bed. They seemed so meager without Berit’s backpack. He would miss leafing through her drawings, but he was overjoyed at having reunited a piece of Berit with her mother.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  When Calier entered the small room where the council of elders was meeting, he felt he had stepped back in time. The room was carved out of the same rock as the tunnel that he’d walked down when entering the city. There were no chairs, no carpeting, no items of comfort or modern technology. Small torches lined the wall and sitting in a circle on the floor, six men and four women made up the council. Directly opposite of the doorway was possibly the oldest man Calier had ever seen. The man slowly stroked a gray beard that hung to the middle of his chest and quietly watched the others chatting softly. When he saw Calier and Ibris, the man stood, surprisingly well for someone so old, and approached.

  “Welcome,” he said grasping each of their hands. “You have my thanks for attending our meeting.” He turned and addressed the other members of the group who had become silent.

  “Brothers and sisters, for those of you who haven’t met Calier and Ibris” - he nodded to the two men standing next him - “their group was rescued by our sentinels several days ago and we have welcomed them into our home. I have invited them into these proceedings so they can tell us what is happening above the waters. We all know that an attack has taken place, but insight from eyewitnesses will help us get our facts straight before we make any decisions on what the Ma’Ha’Nae will do.”

  The group nodded and murmured their assent. Each member stood in turn, warmly greeting Calier and Ibris to the council. Calier was particularly pleased to see that Nayla was among the elders. He was looking forward to more conversations with the man about the history of the Ma’Ha’Nae.

  The Eldest rapped a polished piece of stone against the hard floor and the other elders drifted back to their spots.

  The Eldest looked around the circle. “In my one hundred and forty-eight years the Ma’Ha’Nae have never faced such a time. I’m thankful we have served together for so long because the decisions we make here today not only affect our own lives and families, but the lives of all the Ma’Ha’Nae and all Am’Segid. We have been tasked by the elders before us to protect and shepherd those who live underneath the dome with us.”

  Calier could feel the weight in the room like the pressure of the water that surrounded this city.

  “Brothers and sisters, invaders have taken Aereas and murdered untold number of our brethren and subjugated the rest. My spirit is deeply grieved by this blatant disregard for life, and I know all of you feel the same.” He turned to him and nodded. “Brother, would you please tell us what you’ve experienced.”

  Calier shifted uneasily under the eyes of the elders and then started. “I’ve told this story several times now and it never gets easier. In fact, I think it gets harder because every time the words come out of my mouth I’m forced to acknowledge they really happened.”

  He paused, took a deep breath and began his tale. “The invaders came in the morning about four weeks ago. Their ships flew in low and fast, destroying everything. Gadol City was razed to the ground. Myself and two others escaped the city. After the aerial bombardment the soldiers came in and started killing those who had survived. They also took some people captive.” Calier shrugged. “We don’t know why.”

  Calier continued the story about his group’s flight across the grasslands, their trip through the forest, the eventual ambush by the invaders and then rescue courtesy of the sentinels. Calier was thankful for the details that Ibris added to the story. He finished and then waited as the elders contemplated what he had said.

  Tulan, a woman with a weathered face, spoke first. “You didn’t say it, but you don’t believe these people are from Aereas, do you?”

  Calier stammered, surprised by the jump this woman had made. “No. No, I don’t believe they are. The cities were at peace, had been for hundreds of years. Their weaponry is too advanced. I saw them up close and they don’t have streaks in their hair. There’s too much that says they’re not Am’Segid.”

  She nodded and then was silent.

  “Do we know if the invaders know of our presence?” Nayla asked.

  The Eldest shook his head. “Not with certainty, but we must assume that some form of communication regarding the arrival of the sentinels and the loss of their ship has made it back to their leaders. We must also assume that they will be looking for us. In light of this, I believe that we must take action.”

  Faemar, the youngest of the elders stroked his chin in contemplation before speaking. “Even if they have a suspicion of our existence, they don’t know where the city is hidden. Furthermore, getting to and attacking this city would be a great task. I am unsure action on our part is necessary.”

  “It may take them awhile to find the city,” said Ibris. “But when they do, I have no doubts they will devise some means to destroy it. I saw with my own eyes what happened to Gadol City. The invaders were able to raze it in just a couple of hours. Our information says they have done the same to all the great cities. Do you really think they couldn’t do the same to you?”

  Ibris’ comment sparked debate around the circle. Calier watched, listened, and waited as the elders began to circle closer to the same conclusion he had come to during his quiet reflection time. After an hour of vibrant discussion the Eldest rapped the stone against the floor. The sharp cracks brought silence to the circle. They all looked at the Eldest, as he had been noticeably silent during the discussion.

  The man steepled his fingers in front of his face, closed his eyes, and began to speak. “Our people, our planet has known violence. The Ma’Ha’Nae built this city and hid away to escape that violence, and even after the Great Peace, chose to remain hidden, not wanting to be a part of any future wars. Now fighting and genocide have come to our doorstep, and we are faced with a simple decision that carries great consequences. Do we stay as we are, hiding beneath the water and hoping they never find us, or do we begin working to help our brothers and sisters who are right now suffering and dying at the hands of an alien invader? I submit we cannot hide any longer. We must reach out to those who are still alive. We must liberate those who have been captured. We must begin to build an army that will methodically make progress toward reclaiming Aereas and once again uniting all the Am’Segid in a fight to survive. To have a future, we must give up the security we have always known and have jealously guarded. Will you stand with me?”

&n
bsp; The Eldest pushed himself off the floor slowly and straightened. Calier watched those seated around him look at the ancient man and then rise as one. The Eldest reached down and grasped Calier’s hand, helping him to his feet. Around him the rest of the elders grasped hands. Tears streamed down many of their faces, but Calier saw a resolve in their eyes. He understood the decision they had just made would send many of their people, including some in this circle, to their death, but it was the only way to ensure the survival of the Am’Segid. Deep gratitude for these people welled up in Calier.

  Beside him, the Eldest began an ancient Aerean song of lament. Calier joined in and wept for those he’d lost and all of those that would die in defense of Aereas.

  ****

  After the meeting Calier sought out the woman who had asked about the origin of the invaders. It wasn’t sitting right with him. She, and the rest of the elders for that matter, had accepted and almost seemed to know that those attacking their world were not from Aereas. He tapped the woman on the shoulder.

  She turned and fixed a kindly look upon him. “Brother Calier.” She grasped his hand between both of hers. Her hands were tiny, the skin thin and wrinkled. She reminded him a great deal of his grandmother. “Thank you for coming and sharing with us.”

  Calier nodded. “It was my pleasure, Mother…”

  “Tulan.”

  “Mother Tulan. It’s nice to meet you.” He hesitated a minute and then voiced the question on his mind. “When you asked your question I had the sense that you already knew the invaders weren’t from Aereas. It didn’t surprise you at all, did it?”

  She smiled weakly. “No, it did not.”

  “Why?” asked Calier.

  “First, there are two people who belong to that army in this very city. The reasons you cited are strong proof, but also, their language is foreign. I would hazard a guess that it has never been uttered by an Aerean tongue.” She hesitated and then smiled. “There is another reason why I know they come from across the stars.”