Daughter of Destiny

by HC Playa

  The Mi’ica Praepa covered the distance quickly, even with his constant adjustments to avoid protruding instruments and sensors. The route took every iota of his concentration, but he couldn’t allow them to get a target lock on his energy signature. Approaching the juncture, he deactivated the cloak and fired one of his missiles. With one hand, he banked away from the carrier and the other reactivated the cloak. A huge explosion erupted behind him, the flames flaring brightly and then dying a quick death in the vacuum of space. He executed a roll to avoid flying debris from the frigate that careened across his path. Zane jetted toward the next carrier, making a beeline for his target instead of following a stealth approach as before.

  He repeated the same procedure on two more of the remaining ships. "They’ve got to be blind not to catch on!" Praying that his luck held, he went to attack the next carrier. A squad of fighters lay in wait for him when he reached the fourth carrier. Not particularly surprised, he weaved and dodged, but finally had to drop his cloak to return fire. He strafed a trio of small Kiwir class fighters with his laser gun, managing to hit each one. The middle ship exploded into a fiery ball of debris that engulfed the other two damaged ships before consuming all of the oxygen available. Two more explosions followed the first. Zane winced as the debris slammed into his shields, but it gave him cover to disable the fourth frigate.

  He reactivated the cloak, but a swarm of Kiwirs stayed on his tail. Apparently, they were picking up enough sensor information to track him through the cloak. His ship was a few kilicks faster and managed to outrace the swarm even while dodging laser fire. Just a few seconds from reaching his last target, another squadron of Kekkes appeared from the opposite side of the ship in between him and the target.

  "Kraghak!"

  They moved to box him in. If it weren’t for the need of a direct hit, he would just shoot through the squadron with his remaining battery of missiles and hope one got through. Since that wasn’t an option, he laid down heavy laser fire. He didn't care if he even hit anything, as long as their formation broke enough to give him room to maneuver. Weaving, diving, and rolling through spaces that opened up in between ships, he worked his way toward his goal. He aimed every ounce of his focus on getting the ship in close enough to drop that last missile. He barreled through the enemy fire, oblivious to the unavoidable hits on his shields. As the ship rocked and quaked, absorbing the impact of incoming shots, he dropped the last missile.

  He hit the button to reinitialize the cloak, but it blinked red and refused to cooperate. "Wasn’t doing a damn bit of good anyway." Careening at breakneck speed away from the ship, he managed to dodge the enemy fighters also attempting to get out of range of the resulting explosion. A second before the generator blew, one of the carrier’s shots hit home taking out the last of his shields. "Shit!"

  At the same time, the ship’s computer announced, "Unidentified ships entering system."

  Zane glanced at the electronic signatures as he pushed the accelerator to full speed. They were IGCF sloops dropping out of warp. It wasn’t exactly a fleet, but it was better than nothing.

  "It’s about damn time," he growled. His ship’s armor couldn’t take many more hits before the hull breeched. Desperation and instinct guided his hand at that point more than fancy technique. As he hoped, most of the fighters broke off to confront the new threat. The rest he managed to evade. Just as he cleared the field of debris, a fighter he thought dead in space came to life and pelted him with laser fire. The ship shuddered as the armored hull absorbed the heat and power of the lasers.

  "Kraghak!" He swooped around the ship, returning fire. His shot hit home and the fighter exploded. As he fell more than flew into Earth’s atmosphere, alarms blinked and beeped in a deafening display of lights and noise. System after system shut down.

  By the time he reached the troposphere, the guidance controls stopped responding. He had no time to try to evacuate the ship. The escape pod wouldn’t get clear of the ship quickly enough to avoid an explosion, and judging from the way the ship’s systems refused to respond, he wasn’t sure the pod would even launch. He tightened his harness and braced for impact with the hard desert ground rushing to fill the forward window.

  ***

  "Stupid human conveyance." Finn growled as he lost patience and shifted space with Katarina in his arms.

  A doctor and nurse rushed to meet them when he entered the medical facility.

  "Put her on the bed."

  As he laid Katarina on the bed, Naia raced into the room. "You know, you could have zapped me in here too."

  Finn ignored the little human and scowled at his son who lingered in the doorway. "Get over here and help me."

  The human, Naia, spoke in a rapid low tone, rattling of medical terms that Finn didn't know. The doctor nodded as he donned a green disposable gown. Across the bed the nurse set up an intravenous line. Far too much blood pooled beneath Katarina. A flutter of fear went through Finn as he registered its warm, sticky feel on his hand. The doctor called for several more nurses, but Finn tuned out their activity, focusing on his baby girl.

  He clasped her hand. "Hang in there inion." She smiled, but the smile turned into a grimace as a contraction gripped her.

  "Doctor, her pressure is dropping and the monitor shows fetal distress."

  Finn glanced over at Kieran, "What are you doing, lurking over there? Get over here. Hold your sister's other hand and share your energy. I'll mask as much pain as I can."

  Kieran stared at Katarina and looked almost as pale. "My energy? I-uh-" He broke off, and shook his head. "Sorry." Before Finn could say anything, his son shifted space.

  Finn let out a stream of curses in the old tongue, but then focused on Katarina again. She panted as another contraction hit her. "Baby girl, I can't transfer my energy, but I'll help you with the pain, okay?"

  She nodded.

  He opened his mind, enfolding hers within his and absorbed as much of the pain as he could syphon from her. He sucked in a breath. The impact of his elbows on the metal rail made him realize his knees had buckled. A nurse brought a chair over.

  "If this is going to make you faint, maybe you'd best wait outside, sir."

  Finn glared at her. "I won't faint, and I'm not leaving."

  "Mmhmm, if you say so, sir."

  He let the medical staff do their job and with his aid, Katarina rode the tides of pain that grew in intensity. Time passed, but neither he nor Katarina marked its passage. They merely rode from crest to trough of each contraction until two tiny babies, one after the other exited her womb. As the doctor staunched the hemorrhage and the nurses tended the infants, Finn wiped at the sweat beaded on his brow with the back of his free hand. Then he smoothed Katarina's hair. Dark circles made her eyes seem too hollow and her skin seemed far too pale.

  Naia let out a long breath. Finn met her gaze across the bed. She jerked a thumb in the direction of the doctor. "He's done, which means it wasn't bad enough to require surgery. She'll be fine."

  "You did well, baby girl."

  A ghost of a smile flitted across Katarina's face, but her eyes stayed closed. Naia picked up Katarina's other hand. "Go on. Meet your grandkids." She jerked her head toward the incubators.

  He hesitated, but the nurse had injected something in the I.V. bag, which seemed to dull pain, as he felt very little from Katarina now. He nodded and released his daughter's hand and made his way around the bed, veering around the doctor and other medical staff.

  Finn made no attempt to mask his feelings as he watched his grandchildren blink owlishly at him from the incubators. He reached in and picked one up and then offered a smile of thanks when a nurse assisted him by handing him the little blue bundle.

  "Can you bring them here, Da?"

  Finn blinked rapidly to hide the tears that filled his eyes when he heard Katarina's request. A moment a lifetime ago he held her and her brother just as he now held her children. A single foolish promise robbed him of his daughter for so many years. He never thou
ght to hear her call him by name, let alone "Da". He took a breath and put on his brightest smile. "Certainly, baby girl."

  He tucked a bundle into each of her arms. While she still looked pale, her aura remained strong, and the I.V. of blood platelets and the bag of saline dripping into her would no doubt help speed her recovery.

  For once, he was able to look at Katarina and not regret leaving her with her mother. Her life had given her an inner core stronger than tempered steel and a generous loving heart to go with it. Although weary, her happiness radiated from her.

  "You're scowling again."

  Her comment made him realize he was indeed scowling. He smoothed his expression. "I'm furious with your brother."

  "Da, I'm fine. Kieran just met me and he isn't used to the human realm. Asking him to fork over energy and share my pain was like dumping him in the deep end when he can't even tread water yet, don't you think?"

  A thrill of joy bubbled inside him as she called him something he never expected to hear from her lips. He treasured the bond forming between them and resented anything which marred it, including his son's idiotic behavior. "Perhaps, but he is your brother. He should have stayed by your side no matter the cost."

  Katarina sighed. "Give him time. Our bond is a bit intense."

  Finn furrowed his brow in thought. Perhaps it was time Kieran learned what it was to be human. Besides, if he stayed here under the premise of protecting Katarina, Kieran would be out of sight, and hopefully out of mind, of those who might try to strike at him by harming Finn's kin. He pressed his lips together to hide a smile. If anyone could whip Kieran into shape, Katarina could. She might wish she never had a brother before it was over, but she would teach him what it meant to be human. Of course, it would keep her out of Fairy as well, and the less Grian saw of Katarina, the better. Finn winced at the thought of having Grian and Katarina in the same room for longer than ten minutes. He could hear Grian screeching just thinking about it.

  ***

  Rotvraoq took action when a cloaked ship attacked the flag ship. He sent a coded signal through his hidden comm link to his agents placed throughout the fleet. Each man was assigned a specific task crucial to facilitating a successful coup. Rotvraoq said a silent prayer, hoping that he had not just sentenced everyone to death at either their fellow Goloths' hands or the humans.

  The bridge of the ship shook from the explosion of the generator and he spread his feet to ride the wave of violent vibrations. In front of him, Karglock leaped out of the throne-like command chair bellowing orders, none of which produced any results. Backup power provided emergency lights and life support, but little else. No further enemy fire followed, so Rotvraoq took the chance that the humans aimed only to incapacitate the ships rather than kill everyone onboard. IGCF could not be counted on to be as merciful.

  In the dim glow of the emergency lights, he locked gazes with the three other rebels on the bridge. Simultaneously they readied their weapons. He stepped to a mere hand's span away from Karglock's back and jabbed his phaser into his back, precisely over his heart. Rotvraoq announced in a deep resonating voice that held no resemblance to the obsequious toady he played for months, "Move and you die." The power and authority in his voice echoed throughout the bridge.

  At the sound of his command and the realization that three other soldiers also had weapons out and ready for use, everyone froze. Silence fell, interrupted only by the complaining alarms.

  Breaking the tense stillness, Karglock sputtered with impotent fury, "You traitor! Scum! Refuse!" He glanced around at his men. None met his eyes. "I am surrounded by cowards!"

  Rotvraoq growled, "Cease your wailing. These men aren’t cowards. They are men whose bloodlust has cooled. Logic tends to do that. You would abandon our home world and its people to create your idea of a grand war machine. You revolt me." Before Karglock could say anything more, Rotvraoq said to one of his agents, "Devraqeg, hand me your restraints." The man stepped forward and handed them over. Rotvraoq restrained Karglock’s hands behind his back and shoved him toward Devraqeg. "Take him to the brig. Feel free to stun him if need be, but do not kill him. He deserves to feel the wrath of all of our people at home."

  Devraqeg glowered at Karglock as if daring him to even twitch a muscle the wrong way. "Yes, sir." He jerked Karglock forward with an iron grip.

  Rotvraoq addressed the bridge crew, "Are there any of you who wish to challenge this change in leadership?" Silence answered. He met each soldier’s gaze, and all but one man looked him in the eye.

  "I can’t afford a knife in my back or some other untimely murder attempt." He gestured to another fellow rebel. "Take him to his quarters for now."

  The man was relieved of his weapon and escorted off the bridge. Then, Rotvraoq called each of the ship’s departments to determine if they were secure. Some departments experienced fighting, which resulted in wounded and a number of deaths, but the ship was now in his control. He ordered the injured taken to the medical facilities, no matter who they were.

  One by one he contacted the other Trapqerts. His heart rate didn't slow until the last one reported in, "Ship has been secured, sir. We await your orders."

  He said a silent prayer to Uykal in honor of those who gave their lives for their people’s freedom. The ensign monitoring what little sensors were working broke into his moment of silence.

  "Rotvraoq, sir!"

  "Yes?"

  "Several squads of Kiwir are heading out to meet the IGCF fleet. What are your orders?"

  "Tell them to break off immediately."

  "Affirmative." Then the ensign added, "The ship that incapacitated our Trapqerts is under attack."

  "Order them to break off as well. All fighters are to cease fire and return to their carriers."

  The young ensign’s hands flew across the board and then he reported, "Our fighters are breaking off, but IGCF is powering up their weapons. I'm reading power surges in some of the human bases sir. The computer isn't available to analyze, but they might be launching ground to orbit missiles."

  "Signal our surrender to both the humans and IGCF."

  "Yes, sir."

  ***

  Katarina smiled as she watched, through a glass partition, Finn grilling the doctor on her condition. He's probably making a list of all the things I'm not allowed to do, she thought with a small laugh. She sympathized with the poor man who kept nudging his glasses up and stuttering under her father's intense scrutiny. It was a good thing she wasn't as easily intimidated.

  She glanced to her right. Her babies lay well fed and sleeping in clear plastic basinets parked beside her bed. She, however, could not yet rest. Her body continued to pump adrenaline through her system and not just as a side-effect of the rushed delivery. Something was about to happen. She felt it with every instinct she possessed.

  She sensed Kieran's presence before she saw him. He materialized in the corner, out of sight of their father. He wore an apprehensive frown on his angelic face.

  "The delivery went well?"

  "Yes."

  Kieran averted his eyes, stopping a second to focus on the basinets and then settling on the machinery monitoring her blood pressure and heart rate. "I apologize for leaving as I did."

  Katarina shrugged. "We just met. I'm not angry, Kieran."

  His eyes darted back to study her face. "I sensed just a flash of what you felt—" He broke off and mimicked the shrug she gave him moments before. "We Fae are essentially selfish creatures. It goes against everything to give of our life energy. That Father expected me to do just that and it…" he trailed off again and broke eye contact.

  "Freaked you out?" Katarina finished for him with a small half smile.

  Before he could answer an image flashed in her mind. General Westing received orders to target the Goloth ships in orbit and to aim weapons at the IGC fleet closing in. Her mind played events in fast forwarded. She glimpsed the tapestry of the future and what would happen if that single action occurred or didn't. At the same time, s
he sensed Zane's frantic fight to control his dying ship and her father stopped harassing the doctor and turned perceptive glowing eyes on her.

  She shook her head to clear her vision and bring reality into focus. She yanked the IV needle out of her hand and pinned her brother with a stare that brooked no argument. "Watch my children. Guard them with your life, or I will teach you the meaning of pain."

  Before her father could stop her, she shifted space and sent a telepathic message to him at the same time. "Zane needs help. Now. Save him."

  If not for that glimpse into the future, she would go herself, but everything rested on her actions within the next few minutes.

  ***

  "Yes, Mr. President. I understand, sir." General Westing disconnected the private line. No noise from the war room filtered into the small office. The furnishings were sparse and mostly utilitarian but for the dark leather desk chair. The general stood at attention at his desk in front of a miniature holo comm with the chair pushed back. A silent witness cloaked with magic, Katarina heard every word of his orders. She cursed the Dedanaan for infecting the government with their fear and hatred. No, she didn't trust IGC, but the situation required diplomacy, not weapons.