by Saxon Andrew
Harmony arrived and Linnae hugged her before she left the wall. Harmony laid out a blanket and placed a pillow on it. She sat on the blanket and stared up at the darkening sky. Soon, she was lying down and listening to the sky. She waited until the priest blew the ten o’clock horn. She stood up, went to the jacket, and carefully lifted it off the drawing she made in the sand the previous night. She looked up searching the sky until she found the group of stars where the object was located the previous night; it wasn’t there. She rubbed her eyes and kept them closed for a minute. She looked at the sky again and after a few moments, she found it. It had moved to a different group of stars. She went down the steps and extinguished the two torches below her. She went back up and looked for the object again. She found it quickly and saw that it was slightly different. She lay back down and put her head on the pillow. She didn’t hear anything but there was a huge wave of thoughts originating a long distance away. She focused on them for a moment and heard a being wailing that their planet was burning. She stopped the thought and shook her head. That being was devastated and she could feel its sorrow. Its family was killed with the planet. She forced the thoughts out of her mind and wiped a tear. Her father was right, so much needless death. She stared at the comet and listened.
• • •
Five days later, Harmony could see the tail without the telescope. She had a priest build a mount for it so she would be able to keep it in sight. The tail was clearly longer than it was the first night she had seen it. “What are you doing up here every night?”
Harmony took her eye away from the telescope and was shocked that she had not detected the young man staring at her. “I’m looking at what might be the comet that is going to hit our planet.”
The young man’s smile was instant, “REALLY!?” Harmony nodded and wasn’t able to hear his thoughts. “May I see it?” Harmony nodded and stepped away from the telescope. The young man went to a knee and stared through the telescope and Harmony thought, “Can you hear me?”
The young man continued looking through the eyepiece and said, “I can.”
“Why can’t I hear your thoughts?”
He took his eye away from the eyepiece and she suddenly heard his thoughts. “I can block my thoughts from being heard.”
Harmony tilted her head, “REALLY!?”
The young man laughed, “I felt you and your sister listening to me three years ago and I didn’t know if I liked that. I felt you again later and I felt something click in my mind and your presence disappeared. I haven’t heard either of you since.”
“Why would you want to hide from us?”
He looked into the eyepiece again and shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess I’m insecure about revealing everything I think.” He moved his head back from the eyepiece and stood up, “However, I never saw either of you until now. I think from now on I’ll leave my mind open to you.”
Harmony’s eyes narrowed, “Why would you do that?”
He smiled and said, “Because you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. A guy would have to be crazy not to want you talking with him.” He headed toward the steps and Harmony said, “What is your name?”
“Just look in my mind, you’ll see pretty much everything you’d want to know.”
He moved down the steps and Harmony thought, “I will not take that information from you. If you want to tell me, then do so.”
She was suddenly shocked when she heard him think to her, “Michael Anderson Thomas, my friends’ call me Mat.”
“Are you telepathic?”
“I am, but not at the level you and your sister are. I block my thoughts to also stop me from overhearing anyone else’s private thoughts as well.”
“Why are you here?”
“Haven’t you noticed; all the warriors participating in the final confrontation have been called in. I’m one of those answering the call.”
Harmony stared at the young man as he walked toward the houses being used by the warriors. She heard Linnae in her mind, “Huba, huba, he’s beautiful.”
“Oh, Linny.”
“How did his mind feel?”
Harmony smiled, “Pretty good.”
“I noticed.”
“You should be asleep.”
“I heard him send his thoughts to you. It woke me up. I’m surprised that he wants that comet to be the one that hits us.”
“He wants to take part in the final fight. He’s worried it won’t happen until after he dies.”
Linnae mentally sighed, “He should be careful what he wishes for.”
“Maybe.”
“What do you mean?”
“I sense he thinks that we’ll lose our edge as warriors if we have to wait too long. He wants to face them when we’re at our best.”
“I didn’t see that.”
“He probably kept you from seeing it.”
“You saw it.”
Harmony smiled, “Yeah, I guess I did.” Harmony looked back up at the sky but her focus wasn’t on alien thoughts for several hours.
• • •
The starship fled from an enemy that had come out of space and attacked their home world with a savagery that was unbelievable. The ships defending the planet were helpless against the attacker’s lasers and force fields. The Royal Family managed to barely escape the large warships and their ship only just managed to jump away with three enemy warships in pursuit. The Regent saw his planet burning just before his ship disappeared into hyperspace. The beings on his ship were the last of his species and the enemy ships were gaining with each jump. The Regent knew the next jump would bring them into firing range of his ship. His sorrow and rage were overwhelming and as his ship entered normal space he mentally screamed his rage at the three ships. He waited for them to fire but they remained stationary where they had emerged into normal space. His pilot started to jump away but he placed a hand on his shoulder and thought, “Wait.” The three ships began drifting and he saw one of their force fields disappear. “Scan that ship.”
“Regent, every being on that ship is dead.”
“What killed them?”
“I don’t know. They appear to have grabbed their heads and collapsed to the ship’s deck. My sensors show more than eighteen hundred of them died at the same moment.”
“What about the other two ships?”
“They aren’t moving so I have to believe that all of them are dead as well.”
The High Female said, “I felt something when you screamed at them.”
The Regent looked at his mate, “What?”
“I felt something in my mind when you turned your thoughts toward them and screamed.”
The Regent stared at his mate and saw the rest of the crewmembers were staring at him. He shook his head and said, “We have to know if their deaths were caused by something I did.” He looked at his Sensor Operator, “Find a habitable planet. We have to determine what happened.” The Sensor Operator nodded and activated the long-range sensors.
• • •
Linnae jumped up and Harmony immediately joined her mentally. She focused in on the thoughts she was hearing and Harmony called Andy and Harvey to go to the wall. They arrived right behind Harmony and she said, “Be quiet, Linnae is listening in to a conversation.”
Andy and Harvey suddenly heard the thoughts of another being as Harmony fed them what she was hearing in Linnae’s mind, “You found how many planets?”
“Three.”
“Which one is closest?”
“The first one is five thousand light years from here.”
“Does it have intelligent life?”
“There’s no way to make that determination this far away.”
“Go to the closest and we’ll see if this new weapon works.”
“Yes, Regent.”
“If there’s no intelligent life, we’ll go to the second and if necessary, the third. I’d like to trial it on an intelligent species.”
Andy saw the planetary sy
stem in the being’s thoughts and knew the planet they were going to first wasn’t Earth; it had yellow clouds above it. This had to be the Aliens coming. Linnae broke contact with the alien and Andy said, “Can you find them again?” Linnae nodded. Andy looked at Harvey, “I want every glider brought in with enough people on board to harvest the entire crop of pods. Start sealing up the caves and get the people to harvest the crops they’re growing at the new communities as well. The event is coming and I believe those aliens will arrive before that comet.”
Harvey looked up at the sky, “That Comet is still a long way off.”
“Even so, we will start our preparations now.” Harvey stared at Andy and then nodded.
Linnae listened to them discuss their plan and felt Harmony listening in as well. “Hi, Sis.”
“It looks like the end game is about to play out.”
“Indeed it does. How much longer are you going to play with Mat?”
“I’ve been waiting for him to make the first move.”
“You might be waiting a long time.”
Harmony sighed, “I believe you’re right. For someone as talented as he is, he doesn’t have much of an ego.”
Linnae shrugged, “I really think you intimidate him. If time is running out, you’re going to have to take the initiative.”
Harmony didn’t respond but thought about what Linnae was saying.
• • •
The next night Mat walked up the steps and joined Harmony on the wall. She stared at him and he smiled, “I’ve opened my thoughts to you.”
“Why don’t we just talk like normal people? You’re still keeping some things hidden from me.”
Mat smiled, “I’m not at all sure I know what normal is. Everyone possesses a unique collection of talents. I think all of us are different in one-way or another. What have I hidden from you?”
Harmony smiled, “But some of us are more different than others.” Mat shrugged. “Why have you hidden your telepathic ability for so long?”
“I didn’t want to make others around me feel uncomfortable. I really didn’t see a use for my talent, so I kept it hidden.”
“I’ve told my father about you.”
Mat’s eyes narrowed, “Why would you do that?”
“Because he needs someone to lead the intruders that can hear the aliens’ thoughts. Linnae and I are going to be tied down to the initial confrontation, so you are a blessing he didn’t expect.” Mat stared at her for a long moment and Harmony said, “I’ve done a little research and discovered that you are a Master Warrior and the people in your unit respect you highly. Why are you showing reluctance to help where you’re needed most?”
“I don’t want to leave my unit. Their welfare is important to me.”
“Is it more important than the survival of our species?” Mat’s eyes narrowed again and he didn’t respond. “If it will help you feel better, Dad is planning to assign your unit to Maxius.”
Mat tried not to smile but failed after a few moments, “I suspect he’ll do a better job at protecting them than I could.”
“I doubt it but he will not put them in jeopardy without the situation demanding it.”
Mat leaned against the wall and shook his head, “Are you saying I’m as good as Maxius?”
“No, I’m not.” Mat nodded and Harmony said, “I actually think you’re better.”
“Now wait a minute…”
“Come on, Mat! Your unit won the last battle skirmish and it was due to your coming up with tactics that were out of the norm. You have a good mind for war and, according to Gordon and Rory, you are a rare commander indeed.” Harmony smiled, “I do find that difficult to believe, especially at your age, but I think it’s probably because you could look in the minds of our senior warriors and learn from what you saw.”
“Do you think I’m too young to command?”
“Tyler was seventeen when he took command of the fliers that took the Care Center in the war with the Destroyers. You’re nineteen; no, you’re not too young to play an important role in the coming fight.” Mat stared at Harmony and turned to leave. Harmony shook her head, “And while we’re being honest here, you lied to me about why you shut me out.”
Mat stopped dead in his tracks and turned around and looked at her. “What?”
“You shut me out of your thoughts because you felt me in your heart and were afraid that I would see it.”
Mat stared at her and after a moment said, “I told you that I wasn’t comfortable with anyone seeing my every thought.”
“And especially the thoughts about how you felt about me.” Harmony paused and said, “You shut me out but you used your talent to look at me through the minds of others.”
Mat sighed, “How do you know that?”
“Is it true?” Mat lowered his head and nodded. “Did you ever intend to let me in on how you feel?”
Mat looked up and shrugged, “Harmony, you’re Andy’s daughter. For God’s sake, you’re so far out of my league as to be unreachable. I saw no way you’d ever be interested in me. I’m sure every single warrior on the planet is hoping to get you to give them a chance.”
“That’s not true.”
“Of course it’s true.”
Harmony blew out a breath and shook her head, “Mat, I scare the crap out of almost everyone that knows me. They fear I’ll hear their innermost thoughts and that is a heavy load for anyone to bear. The only one that really cares about me for who I am, as well as what I am, is standing right here with me now. You’ve wasted three years where you and I could have gotten to know each other and see if we would make a good couple. Your insecurities prevented us from really finding happiness with each other. Now the aliens are about to arrive and all of us could end up dead. You’re an idiot!”
Mat stared at her with an open mouth and after a moment closed it. He tried to speak but didn’t know what to say. Harmony tilted her head and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. He shook his head and then smiled, “I am an idiot.”
“Yes you are.”
“Is it too late to start?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“How long you take to come over here and kiss me.”
Mat’s smile grew huge and he rushed over and took Harmony in his arms and kissed her. He opened his mind and felt her fill his consciousness. He broke the kiss and Harmony kept her eyes closed. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes, you’re not kissing me.” Mat laughed and kissed her again. This one lasted much longer.
Linnae sat on her bed and kept her eyes closed as she felt what Harmony was feeling; Boy! That guy could kiss.
Chapter Seventeen
Andy stood on the wall and looked up in the night sky. The tail on the comet was beautiful and it was getting larger and longer with each day that passed. Linnae and Melody reported that the aliens had not found intelligent life on the first two planets and were coming to Earth next. Andy looked at the Unit Commanders gathered at the wall and said, “Everyone knows their role. Linnae will let you know when the aliens use this new thought weapon and you should immediately grab your head and fall to the ground.”
“Won’t they be able to determine we’re still alive?”
Andy looked at Rory and nodded, “Yes, they have machines on their ship that will make that determination. That is what I’m hoping will cause them to land and investigate. Everyone will move to their positions in the morning and will stay in them until they arrive.” Andy looked at Linnae, “Do you have an idea on how long before they arrive?”
“The being I’ve been listening in on is doing some last minute scans and then they’ll be coming here. I suspect it will be either tomorrow or the next day.”
Andy looked around the eight warriors and said, “Do you have any questions?” Everyone looked around but no one had a question. Andy looked at Mat, “I’m depending on you to get to your position as quickly as possible.”
“They can only land in two possible lo
cations. We’ll be ready to move as quickly as we determine which one they’ll be using.”
Gordon tilted his head, “Andy, won’t their machines see those in camouflage?”
Andy smiled, “I’m betting that the Time Takers made those uniforms to be invisible to what they call scanners. If I’m wrong…” Andy shrugged.
Maxius stepped off the wall and said, “Let’s go. This is what we were put here to do.”
The group all shook each other’s hands and Andy turned to Harvey and Melody, “The glider is waiting for you. You need to get moving and get things ready.”
Melody hugged Andy and whispered in his ear, “You will not die!”
“Yes Mam.”
“I mean it, Andy. Kill them all before you take that kind of risk.”
“Melody, you know that we’ll all die if that happens.”
“Even so.”
Andy nodded and kissed her. He took her hand and walked her out to the glider. She stepped on board behind Harvey and his final team of priests. She turned around and looked at Andy as the door was closed and he saw her fear. He shook his head and blew out a breath. He felt his own fear as well but ran back to the wall as the glider rushed down the landing strip and rose into the night sky. It would arrive at daybreak at the Hole. He looked up at the sky and prayed he would meet be able to meet her there.
• • •
Mat and his group remained in the trees that grew next to the river flowing through the Community. He waited and hoped for advance notification on the Alien’s arrival. He thought about Harmony and worried about her safety. She was one remarkable young woman. She was right about him being an idiot; he had wasted so many years not communicating with her. Once he felt her enter his mind completely, he had no doubt she was the one destined for him. He took a deep breath and looked at the sun rising over the distant plains. He saw his warriors sitting against the trunks of trees waiting for the signal. Would it come today?
• • •
Harmony and Linnae focused on the sky and waited for what they knew was coming. Linnae had found the Alien’s ship first and Harmony had locked in on one of the beings on board. She listened and saw Linnae was listening to another Alien. “What do you mean this planet is going to be destroyed?”