Explorer X Alpha

by LM. Preston

  “Thank you, my friend,” Quetek said to a triumphant Triab. Then Quetek sliced him in two and watched with disdain as Triab fell lifelessly to the ground.

  Before anyone noticed that the captives had fallen, Quetek and his second-in-command, Petin, picked them up and ran quickly. They climbed on their beast and headed toward their home unnoticed.

  Chapter 57

  Aadi’s anger boiled at being captured. He tried to concentrate while he was thrown around by the catik. His arms were held behind his back by metal handcuffs as his Katek capturers raced across the red sand. His whole body was numb with the poison they had used during the attack. His mind was too groggy to issue any commands. He looked over to see Eirena, who looked at him with anger and said, “I told you so,” with her eyes. He quickly looked away and refused to see his mistake in judgment in her eyes. He would save them all, if it were the last thing he could do. He had to, for there was so much he wanted to do again. He thought of what it would be like to pick up a football again and not worry about fighting for his life or saving others. Being a leader was a lot harder than he ever thought it would be, but giving up was even harder.

  He took a deep breath as he looked ahead and realized that their journey was coming to an end. The drug was still making his vision slightly foggy, and he shook his head to try and end its effects. The Katek lands were directly in front of them, and the lead warrior was covering ground fast. Eirena and Jantik were both on the catik of the warrior named Petin, and Jantik looked a bit frightened, while Eirena was seething angry. Aadi figured once they got out of this mess, Eirena would be harder to tame. He didn’t know how much more of this fighting she would take before she became as bitter as Damien - or worse.

  “Hurry, Petin! We will see Olinu and the remaining warriors in the meeting place. We have to hurry, as I don’t know how long the stun device will work on these two. Their power is impressive; however, it can be controlled with the correct weapon,” Quetek added with a fierce look to Jantik. Jantik turned away, refusing to let the Katek warrior see how frightened he became. Jantik knew that it was unlikely that he would leave the Katek lands alive.

  They stopped in front of the Katek meeting chambers, and Quetek and Petin pulled their captives off their catik and threw them over their shoulders. Upon entering the building, they saw many of the Katek that were left to guard the Katek lands follow them in. They walked up to the cleared area in front of their leader, Olinu, and threw their captives to the ground with a harsh thud.

  “I see you have accomplished your brother’s task, Quetek. Where is Lentif?” Olinu asked, looking at him directly with unwavering eyes.

  “He was killed by the Femoh while trying to retrieve the captives who were stunned by my spy. I tried to save him, but he died before my arrival. I grabbed the captives and didn’t waste time getting them here, as they are unpredictable, sire. I didn’t know how long the stun would last,” Quetek replied, never wavering in his return glance. If nothing else, he was a good liar.

  “Good work, Quetek. Take the Nutah captive to the holding cell. Stand those beings up so I may speak to them eye to eye,” Olinu stated.

  Once Jantik was taken away, Aadi started to growl. His anger was building his inner power, and it bubbled out as he started to feel its warmth seep into his arms, legs, and chest. He started to move out of the metal binds that tied his hands behind his back, his gaze never wavering as it looked directly into the Katek leader’s red eyes.

  Eirena looked at the anger building on Aadi’s face and saw that he moved. She followed his example and dipped into her anger and tapped into her hidden adrenaline rush. She forced it out with so much fury that she broke out of her binds in a flash of light that blew the Katek around her off their feet. She growled as she flew to attack Quetek, jumped on his back, and pulled his neck backwards, causing him to fall lifelessly to the ground.

  “You will return Jantik to us now, or I will enjoy killing you all.” Eirena said calmly and quietly. However, all could feel the anger rolling off her marbled black skin as it seemed to ripple and move more furiously with each breath she took. Aadi broke free of his bonds to stand behind her in support of her demand.

  “Now, I understand you are angry, but I am willing to turn over your dear new friend for a favor. If my wishes are not met, you can kill us all, but your friend will die too,” Olinu said, briefly glancing at a dead Quetek.

  “What is it you want in trade of Jantik and for your warriors to leave the Nutah lands in peace?” Aadi asked.

  “Let me kill him now, and you can retrieve Jantik! I don’t trust this scum!” Eirena said, then stepped forward and raised her hand to an unflinching Olinu.

  “Eirena! Give me a moment,” Aadi said as he stepped between Olinu and Eirena.

  “Aadi! You are pushing this friendship too far! I should have killed them all when I had the chance,” Eirena said under her breath as she took a small step back.

  “What is it you want from us?” Aadi asked Olinu. He looked at him with all the anger he felt boiling inside of him.

  “We need you to accompany us to the Femoh lands and retrieve the shilmena. We Katek were born with a hunger for our planet, so much so it is painful for us to remain here away from our kind. In exchange for your friend’s freedom, we want you to bring us the shilmena. It has to be done now, as we hold many of the Femoh at bay in the Nutah lands, and now their fortress is at its weakest,” Olinu said, crossing his arms defiantly, as if he were well pleased with his bargaining skills.

  “Fine. We will do it,” Aadi said.

  “Now, killing some Femoh will be my pleasure,” Eirena said from behind Aadi.

  “Petin! You have just been promoted. You will lead the war party to the Femoh fortress to retrieve the shilmena,” Olinu stated, and Petin bent on one knee to accept the task before him.

  “Let’s go,” Petin said. He didn’t bother to glance back at Eirena or Aadi. He stepped over a lifeless Quetek and walked toward the door. A handful of Katek warriors followed, and Petin pointed them to a catik to ride on. There was only one left, so Aadi climbed up and offered his hand to Eirena. She refused it and pulled herself up behind him. Par for the course, Aadi thought to himself.

  Chapter 58

  “I guess you are angry at me?” Aadi asked. He looked straight ahead and pulled on the reins to control the catik they rode like a horse.

  “I am more than angry with you. I fire you as my leader, and you are my friend only because I have no one else,” Eirena said and refused to put her arms around Aadi to hold on.

  “Well, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have distracted you during the war. You could have contained them all if you had not been distracted,” Aadi stated solemnly.

  “Well, it’s over now, and the only shining light in all of this is that I get to kill more Femoh,” she said, then grudgingly encircled his waist in her arms as the catik jerked her forward. He held in a smile at the small victory.

  “Remember, we only kill to defend ourselves, or we will become like them. We need to remember that we are human, Eirena, not animals or a sadistic species that hurt beings for fun. Please, promise me you will only kill to survive. I don’t think I could stand it if I lost you to them and you became evil like they are,” Aadi said softly.

  “Aadi, I am not evil - just angry. After I destroy the one that did this to me, I will feel better,” she replied lightly.

  “Eirena, they are all that evil. It’s their nature. Killing one will never be enough, as we will be forever hunted by them and the Katek until we leave this place,” Aadi said and closed his eyes for a brief moment as he felt a slight shiver in her arms. He knew deep inside that she was scared, but unfortunately right now, she didn’t trust him to save her. He didn’t even know if he could save himself, as the power within him was getting harder to control when his anger was exposed.

  “We are here at the entryway. The last shilmena is directly under this sinkhole. You will go with us to retrieve the shilmena, and you will use y
our power source to start it. We will all hop in and take it to the Katek lands. One false move, and Jantik dies, and I’ll pump all of the power of this stun ray into you and rip you apart before its effects fade. Understand?” Petin instructed, his red eyes bore down into Aadi’s.

  “We understand. No further explanation needed,” Aadi, replied as he slid off the catik and pulled Eirena down with him. They proceeded to follow one of the Katek warriors down the sinkhole. They hit the floor and were flooded with complete darkness. The Katek warriors took a moment to adjust to the darkness, but Eirena could see instantly as her silver eyes saw Femoh coming their way. She walked angrily ahead of the group of warriors and held up her hands, simultaneously blasting the charging Femoh. They fell in writhing heaps on the floor as she walked casually over them in the direction of the ship.

  Aadi followed her and placed darkness, pain, and a command to not move in the minds of the fallen Femoh. He was happy that she didn’t kill them, as he knew she so desired. Yet, she brought them close, leaving them painfully within a breath of death. She didn’t look back, as he felt her power unfold like a raging river of fire. Her anger was simmered deep under the surface. He called to her mind and asked her if she knew where the shilmena was. Did it call to her, as it seemed to be calling to him?

  She didn’t respond, as she seemed entranced by the slight humming sound coming from deep within the dark hallway ahead of them. As they approached the shilmena, they could feel its presence. It was guarded by a large number of Femoh. They stood ready to attack as they watched Eirena methodically and calmly cripple their fallen comrades. She smiled at them and sent a white blinding light from within her, which caused them to shy back. Eirena pushed her outstretched arms forward in a punching movement. The powerful blast of energy pushed against them, and they fell, writhing in pain on the floor around them. Aadi followed with the Katek warriors closely behind, quietly watchful of Eirena, in awe of her power.

  Eirena was entranced, as she walked toward the huge ship. The ship had a pointed front with triangular lit side-by-side panels coming to a point in the middle of the hood. The panels dimly lit up as Eirena and Aadi approached, slowly brightening and dimming as if it were breathing. Eirena walked up to the hood of the ship and reached out to touch it, and it warmed to her touch as though it knew her.

  The Katek warriors followed Eirena and Aadi, killing the Femoh as they passed so as not to risk any counter-attacks the Femoh may try to wage before they were able to get in the ship. Petin closely followed and watched as Eirena emanated a glowing stream of power she fed into the ship. The ship slowly came to life, and the side door slid open to release a narrow stairway that led inside.

  The inside of the ship was huge and had two levels to accommodate passengers, as well as the Captain’s cockpit area. Eirena, Aadi, and Petin went into the navigation area and sat in the seats that controlled the ship. As Eirena placed her hands on the controls, she absorbed full understanding of how it operated. She glanced at Aadi to see if he felt it, too, and he looked at her with shocked recognition.

  Aadi spoke to her mentally and said, “Eirena, I know how to fly this ship. I feel like it’s alive, and I’ve waited my whole life to fly it.”

  Eirena replied back thinking, “Me, too, Aadi, me too.”

  Eirena started the ship, and Petin spoke up and said, “Do not forget why we are here. Your friend is waiting for us in Katek lands, as well as his people are being contained until we have this shilmena in our possession.”

  “We have not forgotten. We keep our promises. Just see that you keep yours,” Aadi replied, gritting his teeth, as he had had enough of Petin and the Katek manipulation.

  Eirena didn’t wait for Aadi to start the ship but placed her hands on the controls, and the ceiling of the tunnel opened up as they flew out of Femoh territory and up into the skies. Eirena looked at Aadi, and they smiled, forgetting for a moment about all that had gone wrong since camp and taking pleasure in this one moment of happiness. Flying this magnificent ship up into the skies was something they both loved to do.

  Eirena and Aadi navigated the ship to land smoothly in front of the Katek lands. Petin didn’t waste any time pulling them out of their seats and opening the ship doors. They went out of the ship and allowed the Katek warriors a false sense of control. Petin pulled Eirena forward by her arm and led them into the meeting hut.

  “Remember your promise, and the trade will be made,” Petin stated harshly as he pushed Eirena and Aadi in front of him into the meeting chambers. The Katek were out of their homes and waited in front of the meeting chambers. They quickly followed Petin and his captives inside.

  “Olinu, Olinu, we have retrieved the shilmena and the captives,” Petin exclaimed, as he had Eirena by the arm. She poured a power surge up her arm, and it reached out and burned Petin’s hand. He jerked his hand off her arm as she gave him an angry look and stuck out her tongue. He forced his gaze to Olinu as he placed his hand cautiously at his side.

  “Well, I see that you have. In that case, it is done. You may release the boy, Jantik, and return him and these beings back to Nutah lands. However, I must warn you that the Femoh are in the millions. Now that they know how to break through the Nutah’s defenses, they will become easy victims to the whims of the Femoh. I am sorry it had to come to this, as we Katek only desire to return to our homeland. It is a hunger within us that can’t seem to be appeased, no matter how much we try to make this place comfortable. Maybe you can help your Nutah friends survive the future attacks by the Femoh, as many of us Katek will be leaving in the shilmena for home,” Olinu said, as he looked upon Eirena and Aadi with much respect.

  “Thank you. We will take Jantik now and some of the catik. May I request one more thing?” asked Aadi, looking directly into the eyes of Olinu, now understanding their true purpose in waging this world war.

  “Yes, do ask,” Olinu responded.

  “Could the remaining Katek ally with the Nutah, who do wish to stay on this planet? They are small in numbers to the Femoh, and the Femoh will eventually overpower them without your assistance,” Aadi requested, bowing his head to Olinu for the first time in respect to his position.

  “That is a request that I can agree to. We will meet with the Nutah leaders to come to an agreement. In two days’ time, we will have placed the young Katek on the ship to return home,” Olinu replied. Aadi bowed to him and placed his hand on Eirena’s shoulder to get her to follow. She fought his slight push, then angrily cut her gaze at him as she bowed.

  Chapter 59

  Aadi, Eirena, and Jantik returned the Nutah lands as fast as the catik would take them. Jantik was worried that his father had not survived the attack. As they approached the lands, they saw Katek warriors standing guard to the surrounding Nutah lands. Jantik rode up quickly and dismounted from his catik with Aadi and Eirena on his heels.

  They came upon one warrior at the entrance to Jantik’s home, “We have returned from honoring our part of the bargain with the Katek. May we pass?” Aadi asked the Katek warrior who stood between them and Jantik’s home.

  “I am Senuli, and you may enter. We were told by our leader to stand watch and keep the Femoh out of these lands,” he said as he moved to the side for them to enter. Jantik ran quickly to the front door of his home that slid open as he stood in front of it.

  His father stood in the middle of the room, pacing. He looked up and saw his son, and then what appeared like a tear fell from his eyes. He quickly recovered with a stern look on his face. “Son, I knew these beings would bring nothing but trouble to our lands. What do you have to say for yourself?” Batil said and crossed his arms to look sternly at Jantik.

  “Father, you are wrong. They saved me. They may save us all. They have made an agreement with the Katek to help protect Nutah lands from the possibility of continued attacks from the Femoh. They did this in exchange for the ancient ship, the shilmena, which the Katek will use to go home. They forfeited their ownership of the ship in exchange for a truc
e between the Katek and us, as well as for my life. The remaining Katek made an alliance to stay and fight with us against the Femoh. The Femoh will not be able to replicate the shilmena very easily and will not power them without Aadi’s and Eirena’s power,” Jantik pleaded with his father.

  “I am not sure I trust the Katek - the same tribe that wanted to murder us throughout history and who considered us an abomination to their race. They have looked at us with the Femoh blood of their persecutors and wanted to kill us,” his father replied and got angrier as he spoke.

  “Sir, they need you now as much as you need them. Their numbers will be lower when their young leave for their home planet. They will need the added number of warriors to sustain their numbers and to remain alive until their kind returns to retrieve the masses,” Aadi stated and looked directly at Batil.

  “Well, in that you may be truthful. We will meet to decide if we want their so-called assistance,” Batil replied.

  “Also, I may add, until we get our ship up and running, we will continue to fight by the side of our very brave friend and his people, if you so desire it,” Aadi stated, and Eirena stepped up beside him in agreement.

  “That would be most appreciated. Your offer is accepted,” Batil replied as he looked at Jantik and then left through the door.

  Chapter 60

  Aadi and Eirena sat on the mountainside looking out at the two suns rising. They picked up rocks and threw them out onto the ground below, watching the baby druguna fight through the dirt to rise with the morning.

  “Eirena, our time here will be over soon. The Katek children have left to go back to their home planet, and the remaining Katek and Nutah have contained the Femoh… for now, at least,” Aadi said as he threw another rock over the side of the mountain.