Cydonia Rising

by Dave Walsh

  Trella’s first instinct was to call out, but she realized how futile it would be. The walls were thick, just about one meter thick by her scans and the door was barely letting in any light. The chances of anyone hearing her would be slim, outside of anyone monitoring the cells and she wasn’t interested in speaking with any of them just yet. There was a morbid curiosity that crept up in the back of her mind as to what exactly detaining her would do for Trallex. Did he consider her a threat to his master plan that Alva was presumably acting out at this very moment?

  Since her awakening thanks to Alva, everything had felt different, she felt more aware of her surroundings and how and why people were reacting the way they were. Cydonians were so heavily modified to have technical information available to them at all times as a way of understanding their surroundings. Ever since she finally let go and embraced these latent emotions that had swelled inside her her whole life but she had suppressed, she finally felt she had a true understanding of human existence. The only drawbacks were after spending a lifetime void of these emotions, they came in such oppressive waves that she had to simply buckle down and weather out the storm. Right now was one of those moments.

  While it was presumptuous to claim any sort of real paternal relationship with Trallex, he was biologically her father. He had even gone as far as to say it out loud, even if it was simply factual information he was relaying and not uttered with any form of sentiment attached to it. The only possible emotion that lay dormant inside him and was guiding his actions subconsciously was shame. He was ashamed that a Cydonian with his DNA had fallen so far from Cydonian norms and had fallen to her baser instincts of emotional attachment, discarding a life of cold, scientific detachment. His shame ran so deep that the very thought of her being a part of his grand master plan to restore honor to the Cydonian people to reclaim their home, possibly even the entire planet of Andlios felt impossible to her. It was a shame that that superseded working with their mortal enemies the Krigans, which is what made it hurt so badly.

  Without any advanced augmentations or ability to open a comm link, Trella knew she was trapped and at the whim of her father and the emperor. A chill ran down her spine.

  031. Bonds

  Jace

  The feeling of waking up inside their old apartment fogged his mind for a brief moment, and Jace had to remind himself what cycle it was and why he was there. There was a certain part of him that stirred, finding himself on the couch with a book on his lap, that wanted to stagger up to his feet and saunter off to bed, where he’d collapse into it and find his arm draped over Ro’s body. Instead, it was a very different time and place. He glanced quickly at the time and let out a sigh; he had only slept for about three hours, but he was still exhausted.

  Jace picked himself up and stretched out his arms, rubbing his eyes while he stomped into the neatly-tiled and chrome-plated kitchen. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and held it under the faucet while he let out a loud yawn. He had forgotten what the water in Krigar tasted like: slightly metallic and leaving a strange aftertaste. The water treatment within Krigar recycled a lot of their water and while they claimed it was perfectly fine to drink, it still tasted strange, especially when compared to the water he was used to from Cyngen and the other fringe planets.

  Even down in the stronghold, they had a supply of water that came from Cyngen that they exhausted before they started using the internal well that it was built atop of. Those strongholds were actually kind of a marvel considering how old they were. The Krigans were bloodthirsty and took whatever land suited them, but they sure knew what to do with that land once they had seized it and those strongholds were proof of that. The only thing that wasn’t produced within the strongholds was food, which the few of them had brought enough rations to not have to worry about it.

  It felt strange for Jace to be sitting inside his furnished, climate-controlled apartment and longing to be back underground in a cave with the people he barely knew but had considered his friends. The word friends stood out in his mind, especially after the scene he had just made back in the stronghold before he stomped off. He did consider them his friends and he had risked his neck for them traversing back into the Republic carrying what would be considered two fugitives and one Cyngen refugee that was linked to what felt like another conspiracy taking place behind the scenes.

  He gulped down the rest of the water and left the glass on the counter while he leaned back and pulled out his holoscanner, turning it back on after he had only briefly checked it earlier. It hit him like a ton of bricks that Katrijn had claimed that she was coming by and that was hours prior, right before he had fallen asleep. In a panic he called down to the front desk, only choosing a verbal commlink.

  “Yes, Mr. Krios?” a pleasant voice said.

  “Did anyone come by for me? I need to know, this is urgent!” It was difficult to catch his breath, trying to imagine what had happened if Katrijn had chosen to walk the streets alone.

  “There was a visitor before, Mr. Krios,” she said. “But we did not know that you were even here, our records indicate that you haven’t been here in quite a while, actually, welcome back…”

  “Shit,” he said. “Shit shit shit. What happened to my visitor?”

  “There was an altercation with the local police, actually,” she said, pausing. “I’m not sure, but I believe she was taken into custody by them after a struggle. If you want I can—”

  Jace quickly switched the link off and began pacing around the kitchen. This was bad, it was really bad. He quickly pulled up a link to Loren, ignoring any of the security protocols Loren had briefed them on using while on the planet. Loren’s face appeared before him, looking uneasy.

  “Yes, hi Mr. Krios,” he said, not his usual jovial self. “I’m not sure this is a secure connection and…”

  “She didn’t show, Loren,” Jace said, breathless. “She didn’t show and got picked up.”

  “What?” His face turned a shade paler. “But how…what do you mean, she didn’t…Fuck! She snuck out while I was sleeping. Gods dammit, where is she?”

  “I don’t know,” Jace said. “The local police got her, I fell asleep, I just—”

  “Gods dammit,” Loren said under his breath. “This is not good.”

  Katrijn

  Katrijn woke up groggy inside an old-looking, dusky cell with two walls made of iron bars, one side looking into another empty cell and the other overlooking a room with a few desks in it. She was sitting on a cot that was chained to the wall and her head was pounding. There didn’t seem to be anyone around and it appeared to be getting later into the evening, which meant Loren would be concerned about her and looking for her; even worse was that she was supposed to be dead.

  “Hello?” she called out, her voice echoing throughout the office. “Is anyone there?”

  “Oh, wow,” a younger man’s voice came from another room. He emerged showing a younger, slim, olive-skinned man in his early 20’s wearing a Krigar police uniform with a mug in his hand. His dark, curly hair hung down just above his eyes, and he had to brush it out of the way. “Those beat guys really zapped you pretty good, you’ve been out for a while.”

  “I guess so,” she said, rubbing her temples. “I have one throbbing headache right now.”

  “Oh, sorry,” he scurried over to a desk and rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a small bottle of pills that rattled as he walked. He grabbed some water from a faucet and came over, handing her the water and a few pills. “Take these, they should help out.”

  She snatched them through the bars, tossing the pills into her mouth and gulping them down with the water. The water felt cool and soothing as it slid down her throat; she hadn’t even thought about the possibility of her being dehydrated after walking around Krigar with the sunset on her back. “Thanks,” she said, handing the empty cup back to him.

  “You want some more?” He asked. “You seem thirsty.”

  “Please,” she said.

  “They to
ld me you were a tough one,” he shook his head while he filled up the cup. “Found a pair of knives on you, too, pretty ornate ones.”

  “Did they take them?” she asked.

  “Nah,” he pointed with his head toward the desk. “We’ve still got ‘em, we’ll give ‘em back to you when we can get ahold of your husband.”

  “My... husband?” She craned her neck.

  “Yeah, Mrs. Krios,” he said, holding out the cup of water through the bars. “I’ve been trying to find Mr. Krios but we don’t have a number or address listed for either of you out here, was hoping that you could help with that.”

  “Oh, right,” she said, forcing a smile. Loren must have pushed through the change to her records and linked her new name to her DNA. “Where I was picked up was actually our home, I just, well…We had an argument and…”

  “No need to explain, Mrs. Krios, we see this all the time and—”

  “Call me Eja, please,” she said, remembering the name she had chosen.

  “Oh, of course, Eja,” he said. “Do you have a way we can contact Jace?”

  “Yeah,” she said, taking the water and sitting back down. “I can give you the link information.”

  “Great,” he smiled at her. “I’ll get into contact with him and we can get you out of here shortly, then.”

  “Thanks…” She paused. “I didn’t catch your name?”

  “Oh right,” he laughed, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Officer Lu’thin.”

  “Lu’thin sounds like a Zarr’nid name to me,” she said.

  “Yep,” he tapped his fingers on the bars. “That’d be me, the last in the line of some proud Zarr’nid warriors working as a desk jockey.”

  “Well, Officer Lu’thin, I appreciate how kind you’ve been to me. This has been a rather long day…”

  “Oh, right,” he shook his head. “I’ll go contact your husband and tell him you’re alright. Here,” he pressed his finger to the pad on the door, sliding it open. “You don’t have to stay in there any longer, it’s not like anyone is pressing any charges or anything. Have a seat over here,” he motioned toward the desk.

  “Thanks,” she smiled, picking herself up from the cot and walking out of the cell.

  It didn’t take long for Jace to show up, no longer than about 40 minutes. He strode into the small local precinct wearing a look of concern on his face that actually made him look sort of endearing in his own goofy way. Officer Lu’thin greeted him at the door and Jace played his part as the concerned husband off rather well, she thought, standing up and giving a small wave to him. Jace quickly ran over to her and almost bowled her over with an embrace.

  “Dear gods,” he said. “I thought something horrible had happened to you, that this was all over.”

  “I’m sorry, Jace,” she said, starting to feel overwhelmed. “I didn’t mean it before.”

  “I didn’t either,” he said. “I was being an idiot.”

  “What else is new?” she laughed, and he squeezed her a bit tighter.

  “Folks,” Lu’thin’s voice broke into their touching moment. “Sorry to interrupt, just wanted to return the lady’s belongings.”

  “Oh, right,” she turned a dull shade of red remembering that he was there. “Thanks,” she reached out and took the holoscanner and the two knives from him.

  “Those knives,” he whistled.

  “What about them?” She asked.

  “I recognize them. They are old Zarr’nid in design, see,” he took one from her hand and pointed at the hilt. “Those carvings there were actually from my old tribe.”

  “Oh, wow.”

  “Yeah,” he smiled. “Sure are beauties. They must’ve cost a fortune.”

  “Family heirlooms,” she said, tucking them into her belt. “Thanks for everything, Lu’thin.”

  “Anytime,” he said. “You know, it’s very rare these days to actually have someone be nice to us these days. Feels like everything is bubbling up to the surface and all of late, lots of unrest. I just don’t know anymore.”

  “Just hold out hope,” Jace said. “I’m sure it’ll get a bit more rough for a while, but it isn’t all bad out there.”

  “You’re a good guy, Lu’thin,” Katrijn patted him on the shoulder. “We won’t forget that.”

  They strode out from the precinct office, the door zipping shut behind them leaving them alone on the street staring out at the now-darkened night sky. Both were quiet for a moment, just staring up at the sky, some of the stars visible but the cloud cover obscuring most of the view. “Thanks for covering,” she finally said.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “No problem.”

  “I had told him that, you know, we had an argument and I was outside and…”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I kinda figured. It worked out pretty well. I was a bit taken aback when I got a call that my wife was in lockup, but I had been trying to help Loren locate you anyway. I fell asleep and, well, here you are. Kinda felt bad about that one.”

  “Fuck,” she said. “Loren has to be pissed, huh?”

  “He’s not happy, that’s for sure. In fact, we should get back indoors soon, that was a close one.”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “I fucked up pretty bad today.” It felt odd admitting it out loud to him, but she knew he needed to hear it. “I’m sorry. We need you,” she paused. “I need you and I’m not sure that I really expressed that before.”

  “I guess I already knew that,” he said. “I just feel so worthless all the time. I’m just a pilot. I got us here and now there isn’t much else for me to do. Trella went off to try to get us some help from Alva and the Krigans, O’Neil got locked up, Loren is doing his thing, you are going to rule over all of this and me? I don’t even know. After this is all over I’ll be back out on the fringes flying minerals back and forth.”

  “That’s not true,” she said. “Jace, look, I know you are a bit out of your league here. You have to remember that I am as well. This is all new to me. I spent my entire life running. I never thought I’d see Andlios again, never mind Krigar and be involved in some crackpot plan to depose my brother. I’m not ready for that, I’m not a ruler and I barely know this place at all anymore. You’re right, you don’t have contacts on the planet, you can’t fight like I can and you did just fly us here, but I need you here for support, Jace. When the times comes, you’ll probably have to fight alongside me and I’ll feel a lot better having you there. I need support, I’m still human, and nobody has been as supportive as you have been.”

  “Well shit,” he looked away from her. “That makes me feel like an idiot even more.”

  “I’ve found that isn’t that hard,” she said. “So, it’s probably too late to head back to the stronghold, huh?”

  “Yeah,” he looked up at the sky. “It’s pretty late now, we can just crash at my apartment for tonight. You can take the bed, the couch is good enough for me. Alright?”

  “Sounds good,” she said. “Then tomorrow it’s back to see what Loren has come up with. He probably has something by now, right?”

  “I have no clue,” he said. “He’s Loren, though, so there’s always something.”

  032. The Raid

  Alva

  There was a feeling of excitement brewing inside Alva that was exacerbated by the raw power of the finely tuned engine in the transport while she rode off with the Wild Ones toward their target. There was a small group on board with her—only three: Jum’en the mechanic, Sor’el the maniac and Kenta the quiet one. Sor’el manned the mounted guns on the top of the vehicle while the other two sat quietly inspecting their weapons. The job seemed simple enough to Alva: it was a simple smash and grab. Zun’thir had warned her that security had been heightened on whatever remaining ground transport convoys were left, which was why they were going in with five vehicles when they’d usually opt for three.

  Telltale signs of their targets were off on the horizon in the dark, warm night. There was a trail of dust kicked up into the night sky, c
reating a thin haze that they were barreling toward. Alva could feel her heart beating in her chest, wondering what would be in store for them. Zun’thir had trusted her with his people—with his transport—and this was her chance to prove to not only them but also to herself that she was who she believed herself to be.

  “Three minutes to contact,” one of the voices squawked over the comm.

  “Prepare yourself,” Zun’thir said over the comm. “I’m going to need a vanguard for the V-formation.”

  “We’re on it,” Alva quickly said before letting anyone else claim the position.

  “Good,” he said.

  Alva positioned her transport into the center of the formation and felt the thrumming of the engine while she charged ahead. There were a few “whoops” from the back passage, and Sor’el climbed up into position on the mounted gun without being prompted. She could feel the tension while they grew closer, the knot in her stomach growing tighter and their mission racing through her mind. The mission was simple, really, all they had to do was run the guard vehicles off the road and box the carrier transport into stopping, loot whatever they could and then be off as quickly as they had appeared. The only real problem was that plans were meant for undiscovered bumps to appear in the road and in a hurry this simple supply run could turn into a bloody battle.

  The Wild Ones crested over a small hill, their targets in sight. There were two heavily armored transports flanking the cargo transport and they had accelerated at the sight of the rapidly approaching armored convoy. Dust was kicking up all over them, clouding the pursuit. Alva felt guilty about it, but quickly enabled her enhanced vision, able to sift through the dust and debris and focus on the small convoy. There was movement in the two armored escorts, and Alva noted that it looked like they were moving toward the mounted guns.