by Lucy Kelly
Margan and Trake gave a full accounting of the events back on HeVan. They tried to take full blame for Josephine’s decision to fight in the Mok-Tar. Her fathers told him they understood. Jo was the strong woman they had raised all their daughters to be.
When they got back to the house, Jo wasn’t happy they’d already spoken to her dads. She had been planning to gloss over the facts so they wouldn’t be worried.
The whole family ended up having a huge brunch. The two younger sisters, Margaret and Elizabeth, both wanted to know more about the Nephilim. Margan passed on the invitation for them to all visit the Far Star Station or even HeVan. Janine, their mom, had the final word. She agreed to close up the house for the summer and tell the neighbors they were going to Europe so she, Ken, and Woody, along with the two younger sisters, could have three months of travel time. It was long enough for a month on HeVan with a month of travel time before and after. Elizabeth and Margaret were still in school.
“I wonder what I should pack,” Janine said to the group, and they all laughed.
Jo had brought back souvenirs for everyone—gifts from Grace and her Ankida. The next day, Jo and her Ankida would have to head back to Chicago. She planned to talk to her boss about getting Margan and Trake into the FBI. Grace had also given her contact information for Captain Udaka, her old boss at the Chicago PD, in case the FBI didn’t work out. She had made her decision to keep quiet about the Nephilim on Earth. She was planning to do the same as Suzanna, and give Mike McLuckie the same freedom of choice.
Luckily, Mike had decided that having a couple of Nephilim FBI agents was a good thing. He liked being able to keep an eye on the two men. When they all discovered Ashnin had gifted them with the arbiter power to compel truth, he was even happier.
The one change they made right away was to move from her small apartment to a rented house. For some reason, Jo decided to contact a Great Dane rescue and get a dog. When she eventually agreed it was time to have a family, they would return to HeVan. For now, they were all settling in to their new lives on Earth. And life was sweet.
Epilogue
On the McCloud Ranch in Montana, the four sisters were sitting down to a family dinner. The sale to HeVan, Inc. had gone through a couple of weeks ago and, as Sarah told them, Dax had arrived with his two infant daughters.
So far, he hadn’t allowed anyone to help him take care of the girls. He insisted on caring for them by himself.
“It’s almost as if he has something to prove,” said Audra. As the sister in charge of guests, she’d had the most contact with him.
“He actually takes them out with him when he checks on the animals,” put in Anna. They had all seen him wearing the chest pack where the two infants were cuddled against him.
“Yeah, it surprised me at first. But when you think about it, I mean historically, mothers mostly have carried their babies with them when they worked in the fields and such,” added Aurora.
“He can’t do that when we start working with the cattle, though. It’s too dangerous. We have to convince him to accept help,” she said.
“I agree,” said Angie, the second oldest. “But, you have to admit, he’s big and strong enough to carry them around, until they’re both old enough to ride horses on their own!”
Joking and commenting on his Nordic good looks and strong physique, the four of them tried to work out how to help him without getting his back up. The discussion got them through dinner and cleaning up before they all headed up to bed.
Life started early on a ranch.
*****
Charl Darvik sat before his small campfire. He had sophisticated scanners and other equipment in his pack. However, if someone were to stumble across him, he wanted to appear as any other hiker. He’d started the search for his brother’s shuttle six days past and hadn’t any luck yet. He was determined not to leave until the shuttle was found, and he could lay Karlo to rest. Taking out his data retriever, disguised as a tablet computer of Earth manufacture, including the distinctive logo on the reverse, he brought up his map and crossed off another sector in his grid search. In the morning, he would move on to the next sector.
*****
Karlo Darvik woke when his safety suit ran out of energy, a day after Armus Hend had been captured. The last thing he remembered was right before being hit on the head. His head still hurt, and he was disoriented.
“Computer, status report,” he croaked out.
“The shuttle landed on the planet Earth nineteen hours ago. The shuttle is in stealth mode. I will run a diagnostic on all systems. Your life signs show distress. You need water and first aid. Do you require assistance?” asked the computer.
“Yes, please send out a distress beacon,” he said as he gingerly rolled over.
“All communications are found to be inoperative. Do you have further instructions?”
“No, continue diagnostic,” he said.
Thank the goddess that Suzanna required all shuttle pilots to wear survival suits under their uniforms, even for short flights. In the event of loss of cabin pressure, ejection into space or extreme physical distress, the suit would put the wearer into a type of stasis. It wasn’t a true stasis, since they were maintained with minimal life signs.
He still had his injuries, but his body had healed in the time he’d been unconscious. He knew it took approximately seven to eight days to travel to Earth at the present time. So his suit must have run out of juice. He was on his own.
Hurting all over, he made his way to the compartment holding emergency supplies. He drank some water, and then used an emergency medical scanner to check himself over. From the scans, it was obvious Hend had used Karlo’s own disruptor weapon on him. He had some medication, which was designed to counter the effects of a disruptor blast, and took it. The shuttle was large enough that he was able to relieve himself and take a sonic shower. Feeling much better, he ate some rations and kept drinking water. He was severely dehydrated.
“Diagnostic complete,” said the computer.
“Report,” he said, and then, as the computer went over all the systems, he listened carefully. It seemed both the communications unit and the emergency beacon had sustained damage. Everything else was in working order, although he was low on fuel. After pulling up the navigation system, he was happy to see he had enough fuel to make it to the Nephilim property in Wisconsin, known as The Sanctuary.
Checking the placement of the sun, he chose to take off immediately. His head still hurt. He knew he could get medical care at The Sanctuary, and he didn’t want to keep a shuttle in an area where it could be found. The fact it was in stealth mode, he discounted. It may not be visible on radar or satellite, but a person walking up on it might be able to see it. The surface of the vessel reflected the area around it. The longer it was in stealth mode, the more visible it became as dust and dirt accumulated and obscured the treated panels.
Setting his course, he turned on the engines and performed his pre-flight check. He would be flying below the surface radar. He expected the trip to take about fifteen to twenty minutes.
He had just lifted off and was preparing to engage thrusters, when everything in the navigation system when haywire. The course and controls locked him out and the shuttle started heading back to Earth. He was going to crash, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
“Computer, landing sequence!” he shouted, trying to stop the pre-programmed flight.
“Unable to comply. The navigation system has been locked out of pilot’s control by orders of Councilman Hend,” said the computer.
Karlo could see the ground approaching and ran through his options, few though they were.
“Computer, scan crash zone for life signs!” he said.
“Life signs present. It will be necessary to override navigation to avoid life signs,” the computer said.
“Change course to previous global position, entered by pilot, to avoid crashing into and damaging life signs,” he said.
“
Negative. The course plotted by Councilman Hend is locked in. Engaging landing thrusters to avoid life signs,” said the computer.
“Try to avoid buildings. I’d appreciate it if the pilot of the vessel were also kept alive,” he said sarcastically.
“Override of safety protocols in effect. Life signs will be avoided.”
Karlo had done all he could. He pulled his straps tight and waited for the crash.
*****
Marla Jones had gone to bed early. The life of a rancher was hard, and she didn’t know if she were going to be able to hold on to hers. She needed help and couldn’t afford it. Too many things were going wrong. Equipment went missing and turned up in strange places. Things had been damaged. There was no outright vandalism, so she didn’t have anything to report to the police.
At about two in the morning, she heard a loud crash. She sat straight up in bed. A few more loud noises seemed to be coming from outside. She got out of bed and put on her boots, her robe, grabbed her dad’s shotgun and her halogen flashlight.
Her dog, Rusty, was also awake and barking at the door. She turned on the porch light and stepped outside. She didn’t see anything but Rusty went running off in the direction of the hay barn. At this time of year, the hay barn was mostly empty. The winter was over. The new growing season was starting, so it would be a while before harvest, when the barn was filled again.
Walking around the edge of the barn, she was shocked at what she saw. There was some kind of vehicle crashed into the back of her hay barn! She looked to the left, and couldn’t figure out where it came from. It was too dark to really see everything in the beam of her flashlight. Hearing Rusty bark some more from inside, she went to investigate.
Stepping gingerly through the opening in the corrugated siding, she got another shock. The vehicle seemed to take up most of the room in her hay barn. She heard another bark and something else. Her light flickered along in front of her, as she made her way around whatever this thing was.
When she saw the man lying on the ground, she ran forward. Rusty was sitting next to him, licking his face. He looked up at her as if to say, “Look what I found! Aren’t you proud of me?”
“Good job, boy,” she said as she got down on her knees to feel for a pulse.
When she touched his neck, his eyes opened. The two of them locked gazes.
“Sanctuary,” he said, before losing consciousness.
Books by Lucy Kelly
Nephilim Series
HeVan Sent
Between HeVan and Hell
HeVans to Becky
HeVanly Christmas
Gateway to HeVan
Match Made in HeVan
HeVan and Earth
Laura's Shifter World – New Series – Coming Soon
Time Travel Series – Coming Soon
I would love to hear from you!
Website: http://www.authorlucykelly.com/
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Email: [email protected]
How it all began!!! Excerpt from HeVan Sent
Nephilim Series Book One
by Lucy Kelly
Ishnam, Supreme Queen of the planet HeVan, turned away from the window and slowly made her way back to her bed. She could feel the poison wending its way through her body. She only had a few hours left now. Still, she had time to finish one last act to prevent her enemies from succeeding in all of their traitorous plans.
She looked around her room; it wasn’t overly opulent, for a room in the palace. She gave in to a show of grandeur in the throne room, with its mirrored walls and gold and red tapestries framing the windows. Beautiful crystal chandeliers hung from the tall ceilings, lighting every corner. The marble floors had a plush red runner leading up to the ornately carved gold throne. It sat on a dais, with three steps leading up to it.
The throne had been in her family for centuries; it had been a gift from the people, but she’d always thought it was horribly uncomfortable. Her Ankida had ruled by her side so she’d had three additional chairs carved out of hardwood. They had been inlaid with rare woods and precious metals from every province on HeVan. She’d personally selected the cushions covered in the colors of her House. At least they could sit comfortably while she handled matters of State. She often requested their opinion on various problems and had found their counsel to be wise. She missed them with her whole being.
Here in her bedroom, only the size of twenty feet by twenty feet indicated wealth. The bed was large enough for her and her three mates to sleep comfortably. She reached over and picked up the pillow next to her and breathed in the scent of her Ankida, barely lingering there. Her heart broke a little more at the loss; she would be with them soon.
She looked over at the curved, wide couch where they all sat together so many times. It was covered in white and gold brocade, with beautiful multi-colored pillows for added comfort. She remembered lounging there in the mornings with her Ankida, having their breakfast, or in the evenings during story time with the children.
News had arrived about her successor her only daughter was missing and presumed dead, her ship tossed into hyperspace by a jump gate malfunction. She suspected this accident was also no accident. Now, since she herself was facing death, she realized the betrayal went further than even she had realized.
The Queens of HeVan had been blessed with a special gift. They shared a link with the planet HeVan itself, as well as with the people, keeping the world in balance. This power affected all aspects of life on HeVan. The Supreme Queen, known as the Nam-Nin, was the physical representation of Mother Earth for them all.
Only the Queen knew the secret place from where the first Nam-Nin had joined with HeVan and received the power to link all living things together and keep the planet in harmonious balance. As Queen Ishnam lay back in her bed, she decided she wasn’t beaten yet. The power she held had been passed from mother to daughter in an unbroken line going back for millennia. The location of the place of joining was passed along in the same way, lest it be forgotten.
She thought back to a month ago. Merél, her friend and confidant for many years, came to her and told her the time to pass her powers was approaching.
Merél was a powerful Seer of the present and past. On rare occasions, usually regarding things of great importance to their people, she would get a vision of the future. One such vision, she said, had prompted her to speak with the Queen.
Ishnam knew now Merél had not really had a vision. Yet, Merél’s warning had caused the Queen to make the one decision which would give the planet hope and allow Ishnam to pass from this world with less fear for the future of her people.
At the time, still believing in her friend, Queen Ishnam wasted no time. Her three Ankida had recently been killed in an explosion. Her grief was great; she thought her own end would come soon. Her only daughter, Tamiel, was scheduled to leave for an Interstellar Conference. She should already have left but delayed her departure due to a volcanic eruption in the northern region. So the Queen took advantage of the delay to take her daughter into her private chambers.
Her power, which linked her to the planet, she passed on to her daughter that very day. The action she had taken and the one she would take now would, with the blessings of the Goddess, save her people. Since she’d received word her daughter’s ship had malfunctioned while traveling in hyperspace, she began putting her plans in motion.
Queen Ishnam, known as the Nam-Nin to her people, was also dying. It was another betrayal.
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