The Key

by Brian Fisher

  Chapter 4

  T'Sula Mir fidgeted as she waited for her lunch to arrive. She hadn't realized just how hungry she actually was. She looked around the food court, hoping to catch a glimpse of her server with a tray of food. Her eyes passed the door leading out of the kitchen, and swept over the remainder of the courtyard. Not finding anything, she rested her chin on her hand and sighed.

  "Praise the Gods, I never thought to see you here." a familiar voice called from the side of her table.

  T'Sula brushed her hair out of her eyes as she looked toward the voice. "Oh my." was all she could say when she took in the sight. Standing barely a meter away was a petite young Bakeeron woman with dark brown hair, and jewels adorning her ears and nose. She wore a light colored robe and sandals that looked to be incredibly comfortable.

  "Long time, no see." Kamira smiled. "Can I join you?"

  "Of course! I'm sorry, I guess I... How have you been?" T'Sula stammered as she stood up and hugged her cousin. "It's been so long."

  "Five years." Kamira told her, pulling out the other chair at the table. "What's good here?"

  "I ordered the vegetable lasagna. Don't ask me how anything is, because I really don't have a clue." T'Sula beamed. "My lunch should be here any minute." T'Sula looked around again for her server.

  "Lasagna sounds too big." Kamira looked at the menu. "I think I'll try tomato soup. I've heard that it's delicious." she said as she placed here order with the computer.

  T'Sula could not stop staring at her cousin. The jewels sparkled in the sunlight, and seemed to shine through Kamira's eyes. "When did you get married, and why didn't you invite me?" her smile showed that her vacation had just gotten better than she had ever expected. "I want to know all the details, and I do mean all of them."

  "Well, he's a Starship Captain." Kamira started. Her smile grew wider and her eyes brightened as if they could outshine the sun.

  "I apologize for the intrusion, but which one of you ordered the lasagna?" an Olcai asked as T'Sula motioned for the server to bring her the food. "I am truly sorry. We are understaffed today." the Olcai placed its hand on T'Sula's.

  "Ow." T'Sula jerked her hand away, seeing a red spot on the back of hand. "What did you do?"

  "I apologize. Please enjoy your lunch." the Olcai bowed and hurried away.

  "Did you see that? He, she, or whatever gender they are, left a red mark on my hand." T'Sula showed her hand to Kamira.

  "I don't think that the Olcai have a gender." Kamira smiled. "You'll be alright."

  "I know. I'm just a little irritated." T'Sula took a bite of her lunch. "At least the food's good." She tried to relax and enjoy her unexpected visitor. Never had she imagined that she would find Kamira, without having to track her down. After everything that had happened lately, finally there was something to smile about.

  "A Starship Captain huh?" T'Sula took another bite of her lasagna. "Is he cute?"

  "A human Starship Captain." Kamira told her, blushing a little. "I know, you probably don't approve, but I love him. And yes, he is cute. In a bull in a China shop sort of way."

  T'Sula paused, letting the smile drop from her face. "Actually, I do approve. I've had a few human friends, and I think that the right one is the right one. No matter what race they are. It doesn't matter where someone comes from, or what they look like. What matters, is who they are inside." she sipped her cappuccino. "I met a human a few years ago, and I think that he and I could have had a relationship. If I could see him again, I would probably, I don't know what would happen." T'Sula sighed. "I miss the way he made me laugh." The memory made her smile. "Raul used to joke around a lot. When we went on missions together, he always found a way to cook some exotic meal for us. That's how I found lasagna, Raul made it for me." She took a bite of her lunch.

  "Well, if you see him, let me check him out. I want to make sure that my cousin is in good hands." Kamira smiled and looked around.

  "You won't. He's dead." T'Sula closed her eyes as Raul's memory came rushing back.

  "I'm sorry T'Sula, I didn't know." Kamira apologized.

  "It's alright Kam." T'Sula sighed. "He died on my last mission. The Ta'Reeth killed him." A tear rolled gently down her cheek.

  Smoke filled the sky as a loud roar filled the food court. Intricately carved statues toppled from rooftops high above the food court and crashed to the ground. Shards of stone exploded from the once beautiful statues, and ripped into people and shop fronts. The ground shook hard enough to topple tables and shatter windows, as an explosion ripped through the front of the restaurant that T'Sula had ordered from. Debris shot out, away from the restaurant, and imbedded in the walls of the other side of the food court. A hundred people died instantly, either from the flames, or the flying debris.

  "Get down!" T'Sula ordered. She dove to ground, away from the screaming crowd. "Are you alright?" she asked as Kamira dove beside her.

  "I'm fine." Kamira covered her ears, trying to block out the screaming of the other patrons. "What's going on?"

  "Seems like a bomb of some sort." T'Sula surveyed the scene. People ran in all directions, screaming and bloody. Smoke and debris surrounded the restaurant. Bodies from a dozen different races littered the food court. "Come on. Let's see if we can help anyone." T'Sula pushed herself to her feet, and then helped Kamira before running toward an injured Caldonian.

  The Caldonian moaned and thrashed as T'Sula searched her from head to toe for wounds. T'Sula gently touched and probed as she searched, and found a shard of glass protruding from the victims back, just under the ribs. Fearful that removing the glass may cause more damage, T'Sula ripped a length of fabric from the woman’s tunic. She then wrapped it around the victims’ stomach, and used the remainder of the makeshift bandage to tie the glass securely in place, so that it would not move and cause a fatal wound.

  T'Sula glanced over at Kamira. Her cousin was tying a tourniquet around the stump of a Bakeeron mans arm. Gods how she had changed. She was no longer the little girl she remembered, but a grown woman in her own right. T'Sula blinked away her musings and focused on the chaos at hand. The Caldonian would live until she could get proper medical attention.

  T'Sula Mir forced herself to her feet and went to the next casualty. She found a severely burned Olcai writhing on the ground. The alien’s skin had blistered instantly from the heat of the blast. "Help me." It cried with blood spurting from its mouth. It was the Olcai that had served her lunch.

  "Help is on the way." T'Sula tried to comfort the dying Olcai. The blood on its chin had escaped its blistered lungs. She watched helplessly as the small alien convulsed one last time and died. T'Sula held a ragged breath for a moment, and then searched for someone else that she could help.