A huge explosion from behind the stage went off. The crowd panicked as the rear of the stage went up in smoke. Everyone felt the heat as the fiery commotion interrupted the event. A few guns began firing from the crowd which forced the Avayans to scramble. Several Avayans returned fire and shot into the crowd, slaughtering innocence. Trydon and a couple of slaves bolted onto the stage. They freed the final captive and disappeared back into the hundreds of frightened spectators.
Zurey Minos waited in his office as a handful of his lieutenants arrived. Zurey was humiliated by the events today and was desperate to take action. He was eager to find those responsible and to punish them dearly for their crimes.
“This is an outrage!” Zurey told them. “There are more of them involved than we thought. I want them found. Do whatever it takes, but get me those traitors!” He yelled. He was furious after having slave scum get the better of him.
Just a mere day later, the surviving woman had been found. She was killed and hung from a flagpole in the yard as an example.
People were now paying for their actions, things are looking a little grim, I think. But, on a happy note, I just got this adorable plushy. It’s a little kitten plushy.
FIFTEEN
Laurelle followed Vanakis through the thick of the jungle. He slashed his way through vines and shrubbery with his sword, no doubt eager to return to the ship and leave.
“So, what are we going to do now?” she asked.
“I’m going home,” Val explained. “I’ll work out what to do with this crystal thing later. Right now, I just wanna relax and get a burger.”
“What about Akrillis?” she said. “We can’t just leave him; we have to find him.”
“He’s a big boy. He can manage on his own. Besides, he’s not really gonna wanna be around me right now,” said Vanakis.
“Because you’re selfish all the time?” She asked.
“You know, why don’t you run along, huh?” Val turned to say. “You’re not helping the situation, as always,” he said before he turned back and continued onward.
“Because I don’t want to be alone,” she confessed.
Laurelle stepped back as a plant went to eat her. Luckily, she was out of its reach.
“You fall behind, you stay behind,” he told her. “You’re not my problem to deal with. You don’t wanna be alone? Find a nice Ravager or something.”
“Ravager?” She wondered with raised brows.
“Yeah, you know. Big, four legs, moves like a serpent, eats anything and everything,” he explained.
Laurelle found herself wondering whether she was actually any safer with or without him.
After an endless hike, Vanakis finally stopped and sat down on an old log.
Laurelle was quick to do the same. “Are we there yet?” she asked.
“Don’t start that,” Val responded. Vanakis drank the water cupped in a strange leaf. When Laurelle did the same, she felt the cool rush down her throat. The exhaustion and fatigue had been dragging behind her like a ball and chain.
“How are we going to get across that?” Laurelle asked. Their next obstacle was a large gorge.
“That log should suffice.” Val suggested.
“Let’s go.” Laurelle was overly eager. She hopped onto the log and balanced herself as she walked along to the other side. Below was at least seventy feet of open air before the shallow, rocky water below. At the other end, she turned around to see Vanakis still standing across the gorge. “Come on, what are you waiting for?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Vanakis stepped up onto the log. He found himself trembling, his palms sweaty. He trod his way across the fallen wood with a slow grind.
“What’s taking you so long?”
“Just be quiet,” he demanded.
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t like heights, okay?” He felt ashamed to admit this. Vanakis hated that. He hated feeling afraid and vulnerable, especially in front of someone.
Laurelle looked surprised, like she was shocked he felt fear at all. Perhaps that was what the tough exterior led her to believe. A breeze picked up for a slight second. Vanakis stopped dead, closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his muscles locked into place.
Laurelle saw the fear like he was holding up a sign. “Just don’t look down… Deep breaths. It’ll be okay.” The young girl found herself feeling the fear with him.
“Shut up,” he told her.
He stepped off the log and onto solid ground.
“How can you be afraid of heights when you fly a ship?” Laurelle wondered.
“Being inside is a lot different to standing out in the open on a freakin’ ledge. You tell anybody about this, and you’re dead,” he warned as he walked off.
Nightfall consumed the northern hemisphere, and storms raged across the valley. Jaroot was terrified at the sound of thunder. It set off his PTSD and left him in horror. Akrillis simply watched as the merc leader suffered. The two of them were relatively protected from the rain and wind within a black cave.
“You’re nothing like your brother,” Jaroot declared.
“Not the first time I’ve heard that,” Akrillis rolled his eyes.
“You are a man I can respect,” Jaroot continued. “Vanakis is the kind of person that will run our galaxy into the ground.”
“Well, we’re agreed on that much,” Akrillis responded, not at all defending his brother. After what Val did, this wasn’t at all surprising. It wasn’t the first time Vanakis used Akrillis to his own ends, and Akrillis was sure it wasn’t the last.
“What did he do to you?” Akrillis asked Jaroot.
“Several years back,” Jaroot explained, “a Tarian prince wanted in on our merc band. We thought nothing of it. Some of us thought this showed the might of our operation. Over time we began to notice someone accessing secure files—my personal files, that is. The clues pointed to one man, and Vanakis helped me in punishing that man. Of course, I later learnt that someone was still stealing files after this person was dead. Turns out it was the very Tarian who helped me gun him down.”
“He’s always been a snake,” Akrillis commented.
“Vanakis found out we were onto him, stole what he could, and left,” Jaroot continued. “Stole some of our goods from pirate raids,” Jaroot explained.
“What was he looking for in your files?” Akrillis wondered.
“We still don’t know,” Jaroot informed, “but I’m almost certain it revolved around the prymus. That must be how he learnt of it.”
Vanakis and Laurelle had found shelter within a hollow tree trunk while the storm raged. Bright flashes of light blasted their way into their retinas.
“When you talked about the ravagers earlier, you sounded like you knew this place,” Laurelle told Vanakis.
“I’ve been here before,” he revealed. “Long time ago now. I can’t actually remember why, to be honest. But I do remember the ravagers.”
“Why don’t you like me?” She abruptly asked.
“Why do you think?” said Vanakis.
“Is it because you’re stuck up? As Akrillis calls you, a sarcastic wise-ass?” she said.
“Watch it, kiddo,” he warned.
They both heard something outside, but it was too dark to see. They decided to climb the tree to stay out of danger. There, the two of them rested.
Laurelle and Vanakis continued onward the next morning as the might of the sun shone down upon them. The two of them found themselves entering an open field of grass after they hopped down from the tree they had slept in. The grass was long. It reached Val’s hips and just about covered Laurelle altogether.
“Where are we even going?” young Laurelle asked.
“There’s no signal here, so we keep walking until we find a signal,” Vanakis explained. Just as he finished his sentence, a dagger was pointed at his head.
Standing just a couple of feet away, the Veech was determined to fulfil his contract.
“And now, Tarian… Now I have my boun
ty,” he claimed.
Finally, something is about to happen.
Vanakis knocked the bounty hunter’s arm away and unsheathed his sword. As Slade grabbed his other dagger, Laurelle backed away in terror. Vanakis was quick to strike. He moved in close and lashed at the Veech. Slade easily deflected his blows, then quickly struck back. Each of them fought with brutal efficiency. They kept lashing out at one another. Vanakis continued to strike hard and push his enemy back, closer towards the lake. Slade blocked and deflected blow after blow. The bounty hunter held his defences high above the Tarian—a stone wall for which there was no getting past.
As Slade was driven back further and further, the Veech felt a sudden chill as a puddle swallowed his foot. Something instantly overwhelmed the bounty hunter. His perception of the world around him became blurry, his senses decreased, and anxiety kicked in. Veech couldn’t swim, and most feared the water as a result, but Slade was different. Past experiences flashed before him—traumatic experiences as a child left him not just afraid, but terrified of the water. Suddenly Slade felt the grip of pain take hold. Vanakis had slashed the bounty hunter across his shoulder. Slade was dragged out of his trance of terror and back to reality. That moment when the Veech stepped in the water, Vanakis gained the upper hand, and the Tarian knew this.
Val no doubt knew he had to use that and outsmart his enemy. Thankfully, they had been making their way closer and closer to the lake nearby. Vanakis began to move towards the lake, and Slade followed with caution. Val paced backwards into the deepening water. As Slade approached, his muscles tensed. The bounty hunter hesitated to make a move. His arms and feet felt numb with anxiety.
“You want your bounty, mate? Come and get it,” Vanakis taunted his foe.
Slade felt afraid. He was scared to step into the water, but he wasn’t about to let the Tarian get the better of him. Slade wasn’t about to be outmatched by this feline scum.
The bounty hunter hastily stepped into the shallow water. The two of them swung blades at each other in the ankle-high water. Slade, however, couldn’t concentrate on his foe. He instead struggled as he clashed with the thoughts in his head. He couldn’t shake the fact that he knew where he was right now. Unable to push those thoughts aside, Slade’s lack of concentration was evident. Vanakis was now left without a challenge at all.
Slade was unable to fight his enemy, consistently drawn out by the fight in his mind. The very thought of falling in that water was a horror he couldn’t seem to overcome; his hands were shaking, and his gut twisted like a merry-go-round.
Slade charged at Val in a desperate attempt to surprise his foe. As the Veech quickly approached, Vanakis deflected the swing of his dagger and took hold of his opponent. He used his own strength and his foe’s speed against him, and Vanakis lifted Slade over himself and onto the ground several metres away. Slade landed in the inch of water and froze solid. Val held the bounty hunter on his back while crouched over him with his sword to his enemy’s throat.
He knew his fate; Slade was prepared for the end. He waited for that last strike, the one that would end his life. Instead, he was left confused. Vanakis simply pulled the blade away and stood up. After backing away Val sheathed his sword.
“What is this?” Slade questioned.
“I need you for something,” the Tarian explained. “You came here on a ship, yes? I need to borrow that ship.”
“Not possible. I stowed away on a mercenary ship. They led me right to you, just like I knew they would,” the bounty hunter proclaimed.
“So, you have no way off this planet? Great,” Val complained.
“I thought you brought your own ship?” Slade asked Vanakis.
“Yeah, but I can’t signal it to make a rendezvous,” Vanakis admitted.
“So, you’re saying you’re trapped here?” Slade asked.
“You can fight,” Val declared. “Could use you. We can both get out of here alive.”
“You would trust me?” Slade asked. “I tried to slice your head from its body and would surely do so again. It would be a pleasure to dismember you, feline trash.”
Vanakis held his hand out and helped the bounty hunter to his feet.
“I don’t trust you a damn bit,” the Tarian insisted, “but right now, I need anything to get me outta this shit-hole. So, you’re a tool that’s useful to me for the moment.”
“I can work with that,” said Slade, “but as soon as we’re clear of this place, I plan on securing my bounty. And if you try anything—anything at all—I will gut you alive. You hear me?” the bounty hunter promised.
“Just make it quick if you decide to. I’m sick of your voice already,” Vanakis remarked. “And I’m watching you. No funny business, asshole, or you’ll be at the bottom of that lake,” Vanakis promised.
“Not if I kill you first,” Slade countered.
“You’re okay!” Laurelle shouted when she ran over, but her smile quickly vanished when she saw the company, “What’s he doing here?”
“He’s gonna help get off this stupid rock, and nothing else,” Vanakis explained. “Prick,” Val said under his breath.
“What was that?!” Slade demanded as he stormed towards Vanakis as if about to attack him.
“Nothing!” Laurelle jumped between the two of them. “It was nothing,” she clarified.
Slade gave Vanakis a stern look, and then they went on their way. As they kept moving and tried to find some way off world.
Slade heard as Laurelle whispered to Val, “What if he tries something?”
“Then he’s a dead man,” the Tarian responded. “Don’t worry. As soon as we have a way out of here, I’m slicing his head off on the spot.”
‘I can’t wait until I have secure passage off here. Then, I can kill him where he stands and get my pay,’ Slade thought to himself.
A temporary alliance? Might as well start making your wagers now, how long do you think before one kills the other?
SIXTEEN
The blowing dust was whipped up by the breeze and into his eyes. An Avayan patrol strolled through the grounds while one of them was rubbing his eye. They walked in a cluster while keeping close watch on the slaves. The group of guards gave all sorts of looks to the Tarians.
“Feline scum,” one snarled to them.
The Avayans continued onward to do their usual rounds in the leisure yards. They passed several slaves grouped around a shockingly-built bench. This band of slaves suddenly pulled out pistols and rifles from under their rags in a surprise attack. Caught off guard, the slavers had no chance.
Ha! The guards were caught off guard. Shut up. I think it’s funny.
Avayan blood had been spilt, and the corpses were left to rot as a signal for their masters.
“How many?” Zurey asked.
“Six of our guards, Sir,” the lieutenant responded. “Left on the sand to be found by us. Weapons gone, communicators gone. They made no attempt to hide the bodies. They wanted us to see it,” the lieutenant explained.
Trydon shortly met with Fleiss after the attack. Once again, they were separated by the wired fencing splitting the two parts of the compound.
“I heard about the guards that were killed not long ago,” said Fleiss.
“It went down well,” Trydon responded. “No casualties.” Trydon placed his hands up on the wire fencing with his fingers poking through to take hold.
“You know, eventually they’re going to catch up with us,” Fleiss worried.
“Hopefully, we’ll be out of here by then.”
“That’s an awful lot to hope for,” said Fleiss.
“Still better than nothing,” Trydon smiled.
Fleiss’ hands came up to find Trydon’s hands on the fencing. Her fingers overlapped and intertwined with his as she smiled back.
The city of Nova, Capital of Jenemi…
He felt the pain in his chest as the cough was expelled from his dry throat. King Papyrus had fallen ill. He rested in his soft, cloud-like bed while his wife sat
by his side.
“Is there any word from our sons?” Papyrus asked Amorae.
“Nothing,” she explained with a troublesome look painted across her face. “I’m sure they’re just out of range,” she assured him.
“I told Akrillis to stay away from Rynok. If they went there, they could very well be dead,” the king feared.
“Don’t think like that,” she told him. “They are much more capable than you think.”
“No matter how capable they are, no one can stand the might of the Avayan empire,” Papyrus claimed.
“He’ll be all right—and Vanakis, too. You’ll see,” Amorae insisted.
“Akrillis isn’t one to let me down. He’ll make it back,” the king promised. “I don’t know how long I have left.”
King Papyrus’ lowering health had become a worry for all the royals. Amorae made sure to watch over him.
This situation may have been a little better if these two brothers weren’t hating each other right about now. Oh, come on, you know how the story goes. They’ll rekindle their friendship by the end, overcome the bad guys, and save the day (or so the repeatedly overused formula suggests)
SEVENTEEN
Weeks had passed since Vanakis and Akrillis had become separated.
I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to miss their bickering.
They’ve each had plenty of time to bond, or not bond, with their respective company. Trapped on an unknown world with no way of calling for help or for their ship.
Akrillis navigated through the jungle, one sore foot at a time, with Jaroot by his side. They were now much more comfortable around each other than they had been several weeks prior.
‘I’ve got to be getting close by now,’ Akrillis thought to himself, having walked for what felt like months. He had little energy remaining. He decided to rest his aching muscles. The prince sat down on an old, weathered, and moss covered rock formation then checked his communicator for any signs, but still nothing. ‘Worth a try,’ he thought.
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