John’s gaze narrowed. “How far is your planet?”
“Three lunar cycles from here.”
John grimaced. “Three months. It figures.”
“It’s better than nothing.”
“I want to go home now.”
“Have you contacted your people?”
John’s lips thinned. “If I had, I wouldn’t need a ride home.”
“Are you happy here?”
John looked at him as if he was crazy.
“I can take you home, Seacat. If you want.”
John thought about it.
Bogdan shrugged. “It’s up to you. I just thought you would prefer actively returning home to serving drinks while waiting to be rescued.”
John glanced at the mug he held. “When is takeoff?”
“In three days. My companions and I have some things we need to purchase. Where are you staying?”
“Here,” answered John.
“Then in three days time, I shall meet you here, Seacat.” Bogdan held out his hand.
John clasped his forearm and shook. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” Bogdan returned to his seat.
“Well, is he coming with us?” Samael eagerly asked.
Bogdan nodded. His companions shared a secretive smile.
Sunday, the 15th of November
Planet Surreal
John was anxious to exit the ship. The sooner they unloaded the cargo, the sooner he would be heading home. Bogdan reached for the keypad beside the door. It opened and the plank slowly extended.
John exited the ship two steps behind Bogdan. Halfway down the plank, he experienced an intense coldness that stopped him in his tracks. “Do you feel that?”
“Feel what?”
John embraced himself. “The temperature made a nosedive.”
Bogdan shook his head. “I do not feel cold.” He continued walking.
John shivered as he followed Bogdan. He noticed not many spaceships were docked where Bogdan had landed, which was outside of the city walls.
“Where is the rest of the fleet?”
Bogdan looked at the docked spaceships. He exhaled deeply. “This is it.”
“You’re kidding.” John scowled at him. “How many ships are there?”
“A hundred. Half are on assignment. This half remains to protect the planet.”
John was stunned. How could there be only a hundred when his preternatural senses detected a large population behind the city walls?
“Why aren’t there more ships?”
Bogdan explained while they made their way to the walls. “Our fleet was one of the largest in this part of space, but one day, we were attacked by a powerful force. They destroyed the fleet and nearly annihilated my race.” He gestured to the docked ships. “This is what survived the attack. Without sufficient funds or valuable things to trade, we cannot get the materials needed to bild more. Luckily, our mechanics can keep the ships running with the little funds we do have.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Bogdan led him to a high stone wall. They stopped in front of a pair of wooden doors. Bogdan waved to the guards in the tower. The oversize doors cracked open to allow them entry. John paused to glance around the enclosed city. He had expected to have to weave through a crowd. The number of life forces he had detected from outside did not match the handful of scattered beings he saw working at their posts.
He used his senses to scan the area. It was the same. It confused him, making him suspicious. Bogdan called his name. John shivered, hugged himself tighter, and followed him. He found the mixture of spaceships and Middle Age technology an odd combination. He never considered the two occurring simultaneously. It saddened him to think this was what remained of an advanced civilization. Was this fate awaiting his empire?
“I take it you don’t have much funds to rebuild your homes, either.”
“I already told you. My race was almost annihilated.”
“Sorry.”
Bogdan led John to a medium-sized, sad-looking castle situated in the center of the run-down city. Again, John’s senses told him there were many beings inside the deteriorating walls. After entering, he looked around and saw only a handful. This puzzled him. Were the natives hiding from him? Why? He was not a scary guy.
John shivered. Perhaps the frigid air was throwing his senses off. It had never happened before. Then again, he had never been this cold before.
A clean-shaven, dark-haired man around John’s age entered the main corridor, calling the men’s attention. He wore a tan shirt, brown pants, and dark brown boots. The clothes complimented his youthful, athletic form. Bogdan immediately bowed and introduced the young man as King Yudit. John bowed his respects.
“Please excuse me, Lord Yudit, but I must leave. I have cargo to unload.”
“Did you manage to get everything I requested?”
“I did, and more.”
“Excellent. Until later then,” Yudit replied.
Bogdan looked at John. “I leave you in good hands. I will talk to you later.”
“Good-bye,” said John.
“Come with me to my office, Seacat. There we can speak privately.”
John nodded.
On entering the office, Yudit pointed toward two high, wingback chairs and a small table situated in front of the fireplace. “Please, have a seat,” he said. “Would you like some wine?”
“No, thank you.” John sat in the chair nearest the door.
He fingered his shirt pocket, debating whether he should put on his translator or not. After spending three months with Bogdan and his friends, he had learned the few altered English words they used. Since Yudit was a Surrealan also, he should not have problems understanding him. So, he decided to leave his translator in his pocket.
The king sat in the second chair. He intently regarded John while he spoke. “I hope your trip to Surreal was comfortable.”
“It was.” John nodded. “It’s a spacious ship. I’m sorry to hear what happened to the rest of them.”
“Bogdan told you then.”
“He did.” John smoothed back his short hair. “I can relate. My empire is under attack as we speak.”
“Is it really?”
John sadly nodded.
“Tell me about it.”
John carefully eyed King Yudit. Did he really want to know? He felt the young king needed to be aware of the situation in space, so he explained what happened on Sea Base Ten.
“It was my siblings Mathew’s and Areo’s twentieth birthday, and the grand opening of the latest space station built in the Sea-anan Empire. All were invited. The space station overflowed with visitors. Many have never traveled so far from their homes. By midnight, most of Sea Base Ten was asleep, except for the night crew and a few aliens who decided to start the party early. Minutes after the first bombs made impact, my brother Alan rushed into my room shouting we’ve been breached. We ran to the nearest bedrooms intending to help our relatives. Most were already gone. We found a few fighting in another hallway…”
While John recounted the events, his mind returned to Sea Base Ten.
“The children!” Areo shouted while executing several lethal kicks and punches. “We have to find the kittens and get them out of here!”
“We have to get everyone out of here!” corrected John. He grabbed his opponent by the head and jerked it to the right, breaking his neck. “We need to get our weapons and the Bracelets of Foresight!”
“We can’t let the bracelets fall into enemy hands!” added their brother Eric while he shredded the throats of the three remaining enemies with his extended, razor-sharp claws.
For the moment, the wave of enemy troops had ceased.
Areo stood next to her sibling. “Who are they, Eric?” She angrily stared at the fallen men. “I’ve never seen their kind before?”
“Neither have I.” He pointed to each in turn and said, “There are three different species working together.”
&n
bsp; “I don’t care how many there are,” commented John. “Spread out.” He looked at his cousins then at his brothers. “Lynxanna, Narfez, you two head to the Weapons Chamber and get the bracelets. Eric, Bobby, the two of you get to Docking Bay. Get the civilians who don’t have transportation aboard a White Star.”
“Alan, Johnny, Hank, help the rest of the civilians get to their personal ships,” Areo directed her remaining brothers. “John and I will head to the bridge. Good luck and stay frosty.” With a nod, they all parted.
Areo and John fought their way to the nearest elevator that led to the Control Room. John pressed the call button and the blood-smeared doors slid opened. Areo flinched. She turned her face, closed her eyes, and gripped the material above her heart.
John’s hands closed into fists. “They’re monsters,” he hissed. With a heavy heart, he dragged the two decapitated corpses from the elevator.
“Don’t forget their heads. Please.”
John noticed Areo did not look at the women. He gently lifted the heads and placed them beside the corpses. There was barely anything left of their carved bodies to identify them by. It was the same for all the victims—be it man, woman, or child.
During their short trip in the elevator, John watched his sister take a calming breath. She gagged, for the air was saturated with the stench of death.
“I think I’m going to be sick. I can’t breathe.” She held a trembling hand over her nose.
“I understand. But you have to concentrate. Don’t let your senses overwhelm you. Control them.”
“How can you stand it? I’ve never smelled so much death or evil.”
“Neither have I, sis—”
“My entire body is tingling.” She examined the goose bumps on her arms. “There’s an evil presence around us.”
John placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “I understand, but remember we’re Seacats. You need to focus. Too many lives depend on us.”
She agreed as the doors reopened. A team of enemy forces spotted them exiting the elevator. Areo and John managed to push past them. Arriving at the Control Room, John reached out and slammed his fist against the door’s entry pad.
He yelled his question before the doors were completely opened. “Captain, what’s the status?”
The bridge was full of humanoids dressed in black one-piece uniforms with gray stripes on the shoulders, running in different directions, receiving and executing orders.
“Piscean! Princess! Thank God, the two of you are all right.”
“What the hell happened?” John stood to the left of Captain Erickson, an Earthling. He glanced out the main oversized window at the one passenger Starfighters and larger White Stars that were engaging the intruding warships. The electromagnetic security grid that surrounded the perimeter of the station should have disintegrated any object that neared it before setting off the alarms. “How did they get this close without us knowing?”
“I was asking myself that same question. The only answer I came up with is—”
“Captain Erickson! Enemy troops have entered the main engine room!” interjected Lieutenant Johnson from the station’s main control panel.
“No, our life support systems! Our main power supply!” exclaimed Areo, seconds before the overhead lights began to flicker.
“Captain, if we lose power we won’t be able to keep up our defense shields, or maintain life support. Our laser cannons and homing missiles are malfunctioning. Plus I’m detecting a—”
A brilliant light from outside filtered in through the window, interrupting the Lieutenant. The ripples of the explosion that rocked through the space station temporarily replaced thoughts of flickering lights and power failure. Everyone on the bridge was happy to see a White Star had succeeded in destroying one of the larger enemy vessels. The overhead lights flickered several times more then died.
“No,” Areo whispered, releasing her tight grip on the railing.
“Switch to auxiliary! Relay power from the other three engine rooms! Bring those defense shields and life support back online!” shouted the captain to several aliens via the translator hooked around his left ear. “How many ships are left in Docking Bay? Have you reached Sea Base Nine? Has anyone answered our Mayday signal?”
John respected that ability. It was why he had nominated Erickson to command Sea Base Ten. The person had to be trustworthy, strong, intelligent, and capable of taking charge of a space station large enough to hold a million people.
Erickson suddenly turned to Areo and said, “You need to get out of here.”
“What? I’m not leaving until I know everyone is safely off the station.”
Erickson did not bother arguing with her. He spoke to John instead. “Piscean, we need to get her out of here. I have a feeling they know she’s here.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“How’s that?” inquired John.
“The same way they got close to us in the first place. Traitors.”
“Traitors!” John and Areo exclaimed in unison.
Erickson nodded. “How else could they have managed to get into Seacat territory without setting off the alarms? Why else would they target Sea Base Ten and not any of the other Bases, especially Sea Base Five, the Aligned Worlds headquarters?” Both men fixed their attention on Areo.
John faced the window. “He’s right.”
“I don’t care if they know I’m here. I’m not leaving anyone behind.”
“Areo—”
“No!”
“The empire and the alliance depend on your survival,” injected Erickson.
“I don’t care! I won’t and that’s final!”
“Look who we have here,” announced a familiar voice from the entranceway.
John turned around and saw his brother Mathew. His cousin Mike was with him. They held between them a battered, long-time friend, Mikkoa, from the planet Iguanidae.
“It seems Mikkoa has decided to turncoat on us,” explained Mike.
“You were in charge of the Bridge a little while ago.” The captain pointed an accusing finger at him. “It was you who turned off the security grid and the alarms.”
“Him and several others,” said Mike. “We’ve captured a few of his accomplices.”
“I’m wondering why even bother?” Mathew snarled. “They’re responsible for everyone who died today.”
“Agree. But we’re not savages like they are,” replied John.
“They’re not savages,” corrected Areo. “They’re monsters!” She glared at her new enemy. “Why did you do it? Why did you betray us?”
“They promised me riches beyond anything you can imagine,” Mikkoa replied in a raspy voice through his translator.
“So that’s it?” Areo yelled, stopping in front of him. “You fucked me over for a percentage! You bastard! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” She pointed to the entrance. “Have you taken a good look out there? Have you seen all the mutilated bodies lying around? All those innocent men, women, and children your newfound buddies have raped and decapitated for no fucking good reason!”
John’s hand landed on her shoulder. It would do no good for her to lose control. She was this team’s leader. Everyone there needed guidance and assurance that she was still in control. While she composed herself, John asked what was on everyone’s mind.
“Who are they, Mikkoa? Who do they work for? What do they want?”
“They call themselves the Dominion,” replied Mikkoa with a sneer. “Three races united to serve one ruler, Daehog.”
“Which are the races?” asked Captain Erickson.
“You have never heard of them. They are not from this part of the galaxy.”
“Humor us,” clipped Areo.
“The Ailatinegs. The Orions. And the Braqarians.”
“I have never heard of them.”
The new voice startled John. Blinking rapidly, he glanced at his surroundings. He had forgotten where he was, with whom he was with. The nightmare he had e
scaped was still fresh in his mind, even though it had occurred six months ago.
“What does Daehog want?” continued Yudit.
“Daehog wants to rule this dimension, Guildhall, and all the other dimensions.”
“All the others?”
John rubbed his face with both hands. “Areo’s bracelets, the Bracelets of Foresight, can unlock portals to other dimensions,” he answered. “I think Daehog intends to use the bracelets to enter these other dimensions so he can conquer them as well.” He shook his head. “But that can’t happen.”
“Why not?”
“There’s a spell on the bracelets. If anyone other than the rightful owner tries to put them on, the power within the bracelets will kill him.”
“That is good news.” Yudit paused before asking his next question. “Have you contacted your peepuhl?”
Peepuhl? He means people, thought John. “No.” He showed Yudit his wristguards. “I can with these, but if I do, the Dominion will find me.” He looked at Yudit. “Your planet barely survived one attack. I can’t be the cause of your destruction. As much as it kills me, I’ll wait for Bogdan to fly me to Sea Base Nine.”
“Thank you,” said Yudit. “Bogdan will be busy for a few days making certain his cargo is properly distributed.” He stood from his seat. “In the meantime, please make yourself at hohm. I’ll have a maid escort you to your quarters.”
John thanked the king for his hospitality. Soon after he left the room, Yudit sent his soldiers on horseback to spread the news about the Seacat’s arrival across the land. The women of the mist had to view the outlander. One of them was destined to be his permanent mate.
The moment John saw the bedroom had a fireplace situated at the foot of the bed, he asked to have someone start a fire. An older man with gray streaks throughout his once-black hair was quickly sent to his room with matches and logs. As he prepared the fire, John questioned him about where he might bathe. The man informed John that the natives of Surreal only hand-washed on a daily basis.
John was not happy. Because of his mixed heritage, he was born with special gifts. One gift in particular made it uncomfortable for him to breathe the longer he went without submerging in water. For now he would have to make due with submerging his face in the bowl of lukewarm water for ten minutes before cleansing himself with a towel barely larger than his hand.
A Lost Kitten Page 3