Shattered Destiny

by West, Shay

  “Unless you want your brains oozing out of your ears I suggest you let me work in peace.” Feeror did not even bother to look up from his calculations.

  Jon stood anxiously, bouncing from one foot to the next. In his mind, Astra could already be a dead and lifeless planet. He wanted to get home as soon as possible and destroy the Mekans on his world.

  “What can we do to help?” General Kamlor asked.

  Hundreds of Volgons poured out of the entry to Colony 3, all armed and ready to fight, though they looked a little nervous. They spread out behind their General, staring at the Mekans with both hesitation and conviction in their eyes.

  “Stay back, but be ready to fire your weapons if the sound machine fails,” Feeror growled.

  Feeror ordered Voilor to power up the weapon. He typed in the sequence that he thought would be the best match for the machines looming ever closer. He took a deep breath and activated the machine.

  The lead Mekan's legs twitched a little, but the forward momentum never slowed. Smaller machines appeared over the horizon now as well.

  Feeror studied the read-out on the computer and made some quick adjustments.

  “What happened? Why didn't it work?” Jon demanded.

  “The brain patterns must match perfectly. It takes a few tries.”

  “We don't have time for a few tries. It looks as though they are over the city.”

  Feeror once again ignored the boy's ranting. He readjusted the sound machine and activated it once more.

  The lead Mekan drew up sharply and moved side to side as though shaking off some unpleasant sensation. Some of the smaller machines had stopped moving altogether.

  “It's working! Try it again!” Jon came and stood right next to Feeror, his heart racing.

  The Volgon made more adjustments and activated the sound machine again.

  This time, the effect was dramatic.

  The smaller droids fell from the sky, crashing to the ground like large boulders. The biggest Mekan shuddered violently, its legs swinging about, toppling buildings in the city with each swipe. It lurched to one side and fell to the ground. The huge machine fell slowly, each moment stretching out before it finally came to rest on its side, legs smashing down and causing great geysers of sand to erupt. Huge gouts of dirt and debris sent the ground rippling toward the onlookers that celebrated near the machine.

  --We are orbiting the planet.

  --It is safe to come down. Forka answered. --Can you locate us?

  --Yes. We can use your brain waves.

  The travel pod came zipping through the dust clouds still enveloping the ruined city. It descended so quickly, Forka feared it would crash. It came to rest hovering a few feet off the ground. A small slit opened without a sound and a silver ramp emerged and landed on the dirt. The three remaining Kromin Chosen emerged, their tall, lithe forms looking quite out of place among the heavily armored and muscular Volgons.

  The Earth Chosen were trying desperately to stop the Volgons from firing their weapons at the newly arrived Kromins. Feeror and Gerok stood in front of the ramp with their hands up, trying to calm everyone down enough to explain. The Kromins simply stood on the ramp watching everything with the same familiar, placid expressions on their faces.

  --We mean you no harm.

  The Volgons stopped dead in their tracks. They looked at their companions, then back at the strangers.

  --Yes, we were the ones who communicated with you.

  The Volgons began backing away.

  Forka wanted to laugh out loud. He remembered how strange it was to have strange voices talking and answering him in the confines of his own mind.

  “It is how they speak. They are telepaths.” Forka used the sudden silence to answer. They could ill afford to have one of the Chosen inadvertently shot. “They are here to help transport this weapon to another world that is also being attacked.”

  The Chosen stared at the Kromins. This was the first time they had seen them in their native form. They were as tall as the Volgons, but much more thin, almost skeletal. Everything about them was thin: legs, arms, fingers, toes, even their necks.

  “How is it you can be on this world in your natural form?” Forka asked.

  --Our race has the ability to adapt to various environmental conditions, although it is sometimes an uncomfortable experience.

  “What do you mean by uncomfortable?” Gwen was transfixed by their large, dark, almond-shaped eyes.

  --The gravity of this world is different. Our internal organs must adjust to keep our fluids flowing, and this makes them work harder. It is uncomfortable.

  Gwen was amazed at the Kromins’ ability to stand there on the ramp to their ship, knowing they were being stared at and scrutinized, and yet remain so calm. The Volgons were slowly crowding forward to get a closer look at this strange alien species that had landed on their world, gripping their weapons tightly, ready to fire if the visitors made any threatening moves.

  General Kamlor pushed his way through the crowd and stood facing Feeror and Gerok. “This is what you spoke of?” He gestured to the fallen Mekans.

  “Yes. Another planet is being attacked as we speak. We must take these weapons there. These are friends who have come to help us do that.”

  “Then go, quickly. We will disassemble these things and use them to rebuild the city.”

  Gerok ordered the weapons stowed on board the Kromin's travel pod. The pod shot up to the sky and disappeared.

  “I thought you were going with them.” General Kamlor looked confused.

  “We need to go to the city before we leave.” Gerok refused to say anything more. He barked an order for the others to make for the city. He saluted the General and loped off after them.

  As he got closer, his heart sank. The largest of the machines had landed right in the center of the city. He could see the others ahead gesturing wildly, shouting and running even faster toward the building that housed the portal.

  Kaelin was making the biggest fuss. She was hysterical, pulling and gesturing at her leathery skin in obvious distaste.

  Saemus and Brad reached the spot where the building had once stood. One of the legs of the machine had landed mere centimeters away from the wall where the portal was located. The other Chosen gathered around the wall, mouths agape.

  “It can't be coincidence that the wall housing the portal is the only thing of this building left standing!” Brad gestured wildly at the wall. The other parts of the structure had fallen over, and the ceiling had somehow managed to fall away from the lone wall.

  Gerok could do nothing but stare at the pitted concrete and wonder at their luck. Or fate?

  “Perhaps we have someone on our side helping us out a little.” Robert said, smiling a little. He sent up a prayer to God and thanked him for the help, uncertain if the Lord would hear him on this far distant planet. He is God.

  “Whatever is responsible, I'm grateful.” Kaelin was already touching the symbol for her home planet, bouncing up and down in eagerness to arrive home.

  “It's still gonna hurt, you know.” Saemus teased. He knew of his sister's obsession with her appearance - being in this body was driving her crazy.

  “I don't care. I just want to be home in my own body with my own long hair and smooth skin.”

  “I felt like that when we first arrived, but now that I've grown used to it, I feel so strong in this body. Like there is nothing that can hurt me, nothing that I can't do.”

  “Well, strong or not, I want to be back in my own weak body and be beautiful again.”

  “I told you before that you are as beautiful on this world as you are anywhere else.” Brad sauntered up to the twins. Even here, Saemus and Kaelin's features were so similar that if one couldn't see the differences in the fangs denoting their sex, it would be difficult to tell them apart.

  Kaelin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, refusing to get into an argument.

  “I don't see any reason to wait. I told the Kromins that we are read
y to leave. They know how to get to your world, and they will meet us in the place you called the Blasted Lands.” Gerok stood next to Saemus and Kaelin. “Would you like to go first or shall I?”

  “I'll go,” Saemus volunteered. He took a deep breath and entered the portal.

  ASTRA

  “WE NEED TO HURRY. The Kromins could already be in the Blasted Lands.”

  Keera rolled her eyes at Jon. “If they were here they would have contacted us.”

  “So are you saying we should take our time? Let more people die?”

  “Why do you always have to be so dramatic, Jon? You're worse than a girl during her moon blood.”

  Jon sputtered, face reddening, fists clenched at his sides. “You're one to talk! With the temper tantrums you throw—”

  “Can we save the bickering until later? We have an important job to do in case you forgot!” Gwen stood between the two of them, hands on her hips.

  Jon and Keera went as ordered, mumbling under their breath. Gwen caught something about “bossy” and “too big for her britches,” but she ignored them. The sun was high, the sky was a perfect shade of blue without a cloud in sight, and it felt good to be home. She refused to let anything ruin her enjoyment of this perfect spring day.

  The plan was to hire a boat from Saguach Port to take them across the Sea of Solace. Once on the Eastern continent, they would make for the Blasted Lands.

  Unless they encountered the Mekans unexpectedly.

  They had not seen any sign of the machines when they emerged from the portal. Most had half-expected to find the portal cave in the Stroh Hills surrounded by the metal beasts. When they emerged, squinting in the bright sunlight, they held out hope that perhaps the Masters had been wrong and that the Mekans had been on some other planet.

  The only way to know for sure was to travel to the Blasted Lands and see for themselves.

  With Master Brok gone, it fell to the remaining two Guardians to take charge. But they were on a planet they were largely unfamiliar with. With the advice of Saemus, they decided on the course that would take them to Faerow.

  Gwen felt Master Brok's loss as sharp and as strong as the day he had passed away in the dirt back on Earth. She missed his scraggly white hair, his bony arms poking out from his shabby robes, his gruff voice, and his blue eyes. But most of all she missed his confident manner and his strength. We will have to be strong without him.

  After setting up camp, Feeror left the group to hunt. As Gwen and Keera were getting dinner ready, he had heard the mournful song of a wolf in the distance. He longed to pit his strength against one.

  Feeror returned to the camp carrying a wolf tossed over his shoulder. Its coat was a silvery white, like it was made from the light of the twin moons.

  The Volgon warrior regaled them with the tale of his kill. He took great pride in his first wolf kill. He acted out the hunt, demonstrating how he had come across the animal's tracks, followed on silent feet, and finally spotting his prey ghosting through the trees.

  He took great care when skinning the wolf, placing the hide off to one side.

  “If you want to keep that hide, I can show you how to cure it.”

  Feeror glanced up at Saemus and nodded wordlessly. When Saemus returned with long wooden posts and a second knife, the two set to scraping the fat and blood off the hide.

  Gwen watched the pair, wondering why Feeror wanted to keep the white pelt. They spoke in low whispers, and Gwen's breath caught in her throat when Saemus glanced her way. Her curiosity was piqued even more when she saw Feeror wave his hands about, obviously agitated.

  Each night, Feeror worked on the hide when they stopped to rest. Gwen burned with the need to know what the big man was up to. When he caught her looking, he moved out of sight.

  “Why do you care what he's doing?” Keera asked.

  “I just want to know what the big secret is, that's all.”

  “He's just tanning a hide, Gwen. It's not a ‘big secret’.”

  “Then why does he move off when he sees that I'm watching him? I'm telling you, he's up to something.”

  The next day, Feeror nervously approached Gwen, proffering a silvery-white cape. Gwen held the gorgeous garment in her hands, her face a mixture of confusion and joy. The fur was the softest she'd ever felt. Gwen rubbed it against her cheek. It's as soft as Moira's fur.

  She looked up to thank him for the gift, but he turned and left, moving away at a brisk pace. Her hands dropped to her sides, her enjoyment of the beautiful cape muted by his response.

  This journey was somewhat more pleasant than the last time they had traveled. The trees lining the road were no longer decorated with the bodies of the dead. The farms and homesteads once again had people living there, tending and working the fields. The families waved to the group as they made their way slowly east. “They have had no word of any attack. Perhaps the Masters were wrong?” Kaelin prayed to the good Spirits that the Mekans were not wreaking havoc on Astra.

  “It would take time for word to reach this Continent,” Saemus explained. He wanted to believe that the Mekans had not landed, but he knew they had to be ready to face them if they had. It was possible the image on the computer screen had been of some other world, but deep down in his heart he knew they would find the monsters in the hot sands of the Blasted Lands.

  “At least we can stop them. Thanks to the Volgons’ weapon, we can kill the Mekans. We can win this,” Jon said.

  After three nights of sleeping on the cold, hard ground, the girls began to put up a fuss about sleeping a fourth night out of doors.

  “There is no reason for secrecy. I wish to sleep in a bed and enjoy a bath. You boys could stand a good washing up yourselves.” Kaelin wrinkled her nose in mock disgust.

  The rest agreed that it would feel good to clean up and have a hot meal while sitting at a table like civilized folk.

  The group stayed the night in the village of Moorlae. The only inn, the Dancing Maid, was clean and well kept, though small; they had to sleep four to a room. The girls were more than happy to avail themselves of the two copper tubs. The cook put the water on to boil and took his leave.

  “Enjoy it, girls. It might be the last time we ever get to do this.” Keera sank to her chin in the warm water.

  “My, aren't we just the picture of optimism?”

  Keera looked to Gwen in the next tub. “I am a realist. Always have been.”

  Kaelin sat on a stool next to Moylir to wait her turn. “Who wants reality? It's much too horrible. I prefer dreams to reality any day.”

  “Dreams only last so long. Sooner or later, you have to come back to reality. And it isn't always so bad. Yes, we might have lost some of our comrades, and we have to fight something that is tearing our planet apart, and we might not make it, but you have found someone special haven't you?” Keera scrubbed her hair, eyes shut tightly against the suds.

  “And that's supposed to make me feel better?”

  “Life is about finding the little things and letting the happiness fill you. That way, when the big things happen, it is even more special and wonderful. If you can't take joy in the little things, then you are likely to be unhappy most of the time.”

  Kaelin wanted to argue. She wanted to shout that life should be all about the big, the grandiose, the spectacular.

  “She's right. On my world, any small joy is something to be cherished. It doesn't happen often enough.” Moylir added more water to the stove in preparation for her and Kaelin's turn in the baths.

  “But that seems to be changing. Your people are on the surface again. You will be living above ground when you return home,” Gwen said.

  “It's almost too good to believe. I wonder what other changes we will go through. Will the future race appreciate what we endured so that we would survive? Or will they call us barbarians, the way you thought of us when you first found out we kill our young?”

  “As long as your race lives, what does it matter? Or better yet, write down the history so th
at they will know of your sacrifice. You can regale your children and their children with tales of your bravery and battle prowess.” Gwen stepped from the bath, shivering as her skin pebbled in goose pimples. Kaelin pulled the plug and drained the tub, eager to enjoy a good soak.

  Moylir poured water into her own tub. “That is a good idea, little one. When I return home, I shall begin the process. It will be nice to use our technology for something other than killing.”

  Gwen used the power to clean her clothing, then decided to go ahead and clean Kaelin's and Moylir's. Kaelin looked as though she planned to soak until the Mekans appeared, knocking at the door.

  As she soaked, Kaelin's thoughts turned to Brad. Her brain seemed to only have two thought patterns these days: Mekans and Brad Phillips. She hadn't meant to fall for the insufferable man, but she couldn't hide the truth from herself. I can't hide it from anyone, it would seem. When she should have been thinking of her future or the coming fight, her mind would fill with images of his face, the way he smelled, or the twinkle that lit his eye, especially when he was poking fun at her.

  Her face grew warm when her thoughts took a more private turn. Brad was the first man who had ever made her feel as though she was on fire and yet sent shivers down her spine at the same time.

  At one time, she had had big plans for her life, plans that included a rich husband and scores of servants and a life of luxury and privilege.

  Now, all she wanted was to be where Brad was.

  Why do I waste my time with this nonsense? She tried to rid her mind of Brad and what their future might hold. Even with the sound weapon, they were walking into danger, and there was no guarantee that they would all live to see the end.

  “At least your weapon has given us the hope that we just might succeed. So all the fighting hasn't all been for nothing.”

  Gwen's conversation with Moylir cut into Kaelin's daydream. She sighed and pulled herself from the tepid water. She thanked Gwen for cleaning her clothing. She took the brush from Keera and pulled it through the tangles in her long black hair, smiling in joy to feel the familiar silky softness on her palms as she smoothed it down. She had had enough of inhabiting strange alien bodies.