Alana put one hand on her hip, nodding slowly, then asked, “Where are Lance and the others, anyway? I thought they’d be with you.”
“We were separated along the way and I have not been able to make contact with them since,” Levian said. “And what of your team?”
Corporal Carmen exchanged an awkward look with the young warrior and reached up as if to pull her hair back from her face, but the action was blocked by her helmet. “Well, that’s an interesting story . . .” she began. “We bumped into Captain Nicholas and the crew of the Rain of Fire, as well as Sergeant Shepherd and Lieutenant Jenkinson. After a very long-winded argument, I finally convinced them to trust me and we decided to go back to the frigate to restock our supplies. When we got back to the ship, we were ambushed—I’m guessing by the same aliens that attacked you guys earlier. Kenon and I ran, got separated from the others, then our comms went down and we haven’t been able to get them working since.”
The Ship Commander hummed thoughtfully. “This brings me to my next question: how did those two come to be with you?” He looked from the Drocain AI bot to the hybrid, who stared back at him.
“Oh, you know. We just happened to run into them while they were wandering the tunnels, same way we found Nicholas and Co—which is starting to weird me out, by the way. Anyhow, according to Kenon’s pet here, Ayla was the one who made the decision to leave the Legacy of Night. We don’t know why she made that decision, though.”
“I see,” Levian murmured. “In any case, come. We have a long walk ahead of us, and I would like to use that time to tell you what I know of our new foe.”
December 03, 2438 (Earth Calendar) / Unknown Location, inside planet Calypsis
Levian was right—the journey was long, and painfully so. Hours of walking and still the only thing Alana could see was snow. She had hoped to reach the other side of the cavern before the Ship Commander finished sharing his knowledge of the Nephera, but it seemed they had quite a ways to go yet . . . To add to that, night was quickly falling upon them.
I wouldn’t have anything to complain about if only the weather would clear up. I can’t see a damn thing in this blizzard!
“How’re you doing, Doc?” she asked Chambers.
Red-nosed and shivering, the Doctor trudged along beside her, chin buried in the collar of her sweater. She’d pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her lab coat and wrapped them tightly around herself to hold in as much heat as possible.
“My body’s not what it used to be,” she admitted, out of breath. “I’m okay for now, but another hour in this storm is probably going to kill me.”
We’ve come too far to start retracing our steps now . . . not that there’s any steps left to retrace, Alana thought, realizing the snow would have filled in all of their footprints. She turned around to ask Levian what he thought would be the best course of action, then stopped. Squinting through the white haze, she saw that he’d halted a couple meters back and was staring at the ground.
“Levian?” she raised her voice over the roaring winds.
Dr. Chambers had noticed as well and alerted Kenon, then asked, “What’s the hold up?”
Alana shook her head, unsure. “What’s wrong?” she called to the blue warrior. Just then, she heard a distant popping sound, similar to the noise of a pebble bouncing off a boulder in a canyon—but the echo was different.
The Ship Commander looked up. “The ice,” he said, barely loud enough for the Corporal to hear. “The ice is breaking! Move!” As he went to step forward, the ice cracked and fell away, plunging him into the dark, frigid water below.
“Levian!” Alana cried out as she withdrew from the fracture, pulling Dr. Chambers with her—but Kenon did the exact opposite, charging ahead and diving straight in without hesitation.
Alana screamed his name and ran after him, skidding to a stop and crouching on the edge of the ice. She watched anxiously as the black waters swirled and saw nothing but darkness.
Then, a shimmer of light.
Kenon resurfaced and gasped for air, his left arm hooked around a barely-conscious Levian. He swam to the rim and lifted the Leh’kin warrior out of the pool with all his strength, then climbed up and collapsed to his knees, color drained from his skin.
Dr. Chambers rushed to the Ship Commander’s aid and looked him over. His muscles had gone into spasm and his breathing was erratic.
“I don’t get it,” Alana said, kneeling next to the young Drahkori. “Levian was only down there for a few seconds more than Kenon—why is he like this?”
“Leh’kin are extremely susceptible to the cold. That brief swim was enough to shock his system,” Dr. Chambers explained, her familiarity with their physiology finally being put to good use. “We’re going to have a serious case of hypothermia on our hands if we don’t get him warmed up fast.”
Alana stood, ready to move.
They had to find shelter—and fast.
Chapter
——SEVENTEEN——
Unknown Hours, December 03, 2438 (Earth Calendar) / Unknown Location
Lieutenant Knoble awoke with a horrible throbbing in his skull. He groaned and opened bleary eyes, expecting to see his teammates, but instead he found himself gazing through a sparkling blue film—a constraint field. He blinked to clear his vision and examined the area as best he could, unable to turn his head due to a painfully stiff neck.
Surrounding him were featureless gray walls and a few control panels covered in symbols he didn’t recognize. There was a hatch straight ahead, which appeared to be sealed, and a pyramid of supply crates to the right.
Knoble had no idea where he was. The only thing he could remember after being attacked by the Nephera was getting stabbed in the back of the neck and blacking out.
We were captured, he realized, cursing himself.
“My, my, my,” an unfamiliar voice sneered from somewhere behind the Lieutenant, and then a female alien strode into view, coming to a stop in front of him and resting a ruby-red gaze on his face. “What do we have here?”
Knoble was taken aback by her appearance. He had been expecting to see a warrior—a position she obviously did not occupy as there wasn’t a single scrap of armor on her body. Instead, white robes hung loosely from her almost human-like figure and her head was adorned with an elaborate circlet.
“Who the hell are you?” the soldier asked gutturally, trying to speak past the soreness in his throat.
The alien swept a feathered tail across the floor. “Clearly you are not as intelligent as my warriors make you out to be,” she said. “If you were, you would know that I am the ruler of the Drocain Empire—Queen Ahlaie Yhehiel.”
So this was the oh-so-powerful monarch in all her overvalued glory.
“Oh, well excuse me, Your Royal Highness,” the Lieutenant muttered scathingly. “I’m humbled to make your acquaintance.”
“Charming.” The Queen smiled, then began to pace back and forth as she continued. “Long have you led your team with determination and unwavering courage through some of the most frenzied engagements this war has seen. You have brought the lives of countless Drocain to an end, faced one of my strongest Leh’kin warriors, and even managed to single-handedly defeat a Khael’hin.”
Oh, how I would love to ram a crowbar down your throat right now, Knoble thought with contempt. It was infuriating having the leader of his enemies standing just an arm’s reach away from him. If only he could get out of this constraint field . . .
“I have a proposal to make,” the Queen announced.
“Shoot.”
“In exchange for the release of your team and the Rain of Fire with what remains of its crew, you, Lieutenant, must bring the Drahkori to me.”
“Psssh. Right, like I’m going to agree to that,” Knoble scoffed, straining to move his arms. “And there’s no amount of cash or trinkets you can offer that will convince me to work with you. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to make a proposition myself.”
“I am intereste
d. Speak clear, Lieutenant Knoble, let me hear your counter-offer.”
“Release the Rain of Fire, the crew, and my team; give me whatever data you’ve got that’s relevant to the Calypsis Project, and then maybe—just maybe—I’ll consider handing that warrior over to your caring hands.”
Knoble watched as the Queen’s confidence faded, turning to uncertainty. She held his stare for a minute, then tipped her head forward and asked with a hiss, “Is this mockery?”
“It was worth a shot.” The soldier shrugged. “What do you want with that rookie, anyway?”
She needs him . . . Why?
What could he possibly have that none of the other thousands of Drocain warriors could give? Lieutenant Knoble had been under the impression that Kenon was just one of the galaxy’s typical run-of-the-mill space lizards.
“That is one question that will go unanswered,” the monarch growled. She looked past the soldier and waved her hand, summoning three guards into the room. “For now, Lieutenant, you will sleep—and when you wake, we will try this again.”
Knoble felt a sharp sting in the back of his neck and then a cooling sensation ran up his scalp and across his shoulders. His vision distorted, and within a few seconds the slowing of his own heartbeat lulled him into a drug-induced slumber.
Chapter
———EIGHTEEN———
1020 Hours, December 03, 2438 (Earth Calendar) / Underground Tunnel System, planet Calypsis
Alana stared vacantly towards the opening of a small cave, silently watching the blizzard roll through as she hugged her helmet close to her chest. She wondered how much time had passed since she and the others had settled down in here.
After the accident on the ice, the team had gone on a frantic search to find shelter and eventually discovered this place tucked into the cliffs. It was cramped and drafty, but at least it could offer them protection from the worst of the storm.
Tearing her eyes away from the cave’s open mouth, she looked to where the unconscious ship commander rested with his scarlet robes wrapped around his body in an attempt to keep him warm.
He’s lucky to still be alive, Alana thought, grateful that Dr. Chambers had been there to help. We really dodged a bullet there.
Beside Levian an ashy fire pit glittered with hot embers, and beyond it Dr. Chambers lay curled up in her lab coat amongst the lanky limbs of the tyliven. Ayla hovered in the air next to them, a mechanical hum radiating from within her carapace.
Quite the assortment we’ve got here . . .
To the right, Kenon was resting with his back against the stone wall, head hanging as he slept. He’d suffered from the cold as well—though not to the extent that Levian had, thankfully. The icy dive had only left him fatigued and a little scratched up.
“It would be wise for you to rest while you can.”
Alana gave a start when the young warrior spoke, snapping out of her tired daze. She had assumed he was fast asleep—and it still appeared as if he was; his eyes remained closed.
“I thought you were sleeping.” The Corporal raised a gloved hand to her neck. “Are you holding up okay?”
“Fine,” he mumbled.
Alana nodded slowly and drummed her fingers on the top of her helmet, searching for words. “Back on the ship—when I asked you why you joined the Empire—I’m not sure if you were actually going to give me an answer or not, but I have to know . . . why?”
Kenon let out a cheerless sigh and his eyes opened slightly, glinting in the dull light of his helmet’s display screen. He reached up to his neck and gently touched his fingertips to the central tube where it connected to his throat.
“I was shamed,” he muttered, sounding dejected. “As a result of these.”
“. . . Why?” Alana thought that was absurd. When her alien friend turned to her, dismayed, all she could do was stare back at him and stammer as she tried to explain herself. “Sorry, b-but I . . . I honestly can’t believe how dumb that is. I mean, Corporal Parker’s right leg is all plastic and metal from the knee down—he’s had that prosthetic for three years and it’s never caused any problems. And obviously that piece on your neck doesn’t affect your performance on the field. I’ve seen you fight, your combat skills are impressive—if they weren’t, you’d probably be dead by now.”
“You are kind, Alana,” Kenon whispered. “But your words do not silence those that have been echoing inside my head for the past forty years. To answer your question: I came here to prove my worth to my father and to the High Council of Ceida State. If I fail to do this, then I cannot return to my homeworld.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit ridiculous? I don’t know about the High Council, but if four decades have passed and you haven’t been able to prove yourself to your father, then there’s no reason to keep trying. The only one you should have to prove anything to is yourself.”
“And I have tried—again and again,” Kenon hissed bitterly, turning away. “What you say has no merit when you speak with such little experience. Your father is already proud of you, that much is clear to me.”
“My real father took off when I was thirteen.” Alana bit her lip and frowned, old memories rising and stirring the anger and misery within her. “He left me and my mother with nothing. But you know what, Kenon? I was happy. I was glad he was gone because it didn’t seem to matter how hard I tried, I could never please that man. I worked my ass off for him, and even ditched my friends one day to help him fix some stupid pickup truck he stole from a junkyard. He was a pot-smoking alcoholic with no job and a tendency to sleep around with other women.
“A few years after he left, my mom met and married Lance Knoble. He was a retired war vet with a kind heart who was looking to start a nice, quiet life as an amateur scientist. We’re not related by blood, but that doesn’t matter. He still means the world to me.” Her eyes were starting to sting. “Lance made me feel like I was worth something, and like there was someone who actually gave a fuck about my existence in this sad excuse for a universe!” Alana could hear the blood rushing in her ears as her heart raced. She exhaled, stood shakily, and walked to the cave’s entrance.
He didn’t know—I shouldn’t have blown up at him like that, she thought, ashamed of the way she’d reacted. Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to jump to a conclusion when he knew almost nothing about her.
Kenon got to his feet and came up behind her. “I should not have made the assumption.” He sounded genuinely concerned. “I am sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault. I was stupid, thinking you’d understand what a ‘stepfather’ was. I mean, come on—you’re an alien from some far away planet halfway across the galaxy!”
The Drahkori put a hand to her shoulder and she turned to face him. “It surprises me that you have not followed your own advice to bring pride to yourself,” he said sympathetically.
“I have,” Alana told him, not quite sure if that was the truth. “But there are some things we can’t let go of—thoughts and feelings we can’t erase even if we don’t believe them for a second.”
When Kenon tried to speak again, she put her hands up, wanting to end the discussion here before it could escalate any further.
“Look, just . . . leave me alone for a while, okay?” she requested, then stepped by the young warrior and walked to the center of the cave where Dr. Chambers was kneeling beside the Ship Commander.
Chambers gave her a sort of reassuring smile and Alana wondered how much of the conversation she’d heard. Probably the worst of it. She could only hope that the Doctor would understand the reason behind her emotional outburst and not bring it up in future.
Alana crouched next to her and asked if she was still handling the bitter weather all right. The older woman simply shrugged and went back to observing her patient, who was beginning to show signs of regaining consciousness.
She never did like when people worried about her.
Dr. Chambers pulled down the collar of the blue warrior’s bodysuit and gen
tly pressed her index and middle fingers to the side of his neck, then announced with relief that his pulse was strong and steady.
Roused perhaps by the Doctor’s voice, Levian’s eyelids flickered, opened slowly, and he stared at the woman in a daze for a moment before trying to sit up. Chambers pushed him back down, a hand on his combat harness, and ordered him to lie still as she retrieved a flashlight from the deep pocket of her lab coat.
“Where are we?” the Leh’kin asked, looking around in confusion. “What happened?”
“We’re in a cave.” Chambers shone the bright light into his eyes, keeping one hand firmly on his harness. “You fell through the ice; gave us quite a fright. But you’ve no need to worry, you’re stable—”
“Get that device away from me!” Levian spat irritably and batted the flashlight out of the Doctor’s hand. Even in his weakened state, he pushed against her with ease and propped himself up on his elbows.
Alana expected Dr. Chambers to rebuke the Ship Commander for disobeying her orders, but instead she huffed and gave him space.
Maybe she has more respect for him than she does for her associates at the lab.
Levian rose, legs trembling, and staggered backward. His fall was stopped by Kenon, who caught him by the shoulder and held him steady until he’d regained his balance.
“How long was I unconscious for?” Levian asked.
“Six hours, give or take,” Alana said.
“Then we should keep moving. Enough time has been wasted already—” the blue warrior went to take a step forward, but his legs gave out and he collapsed.
Kenon caught him again; they exchanged a hard stare. Levian straightened and pulled his arms from the Drahkori’s grasp, readjusting his twisted robes.
Dr. Chambers bent over and picked up her flashlight, slipping it back into her pocket. “You’re in no condition to travel—and certainly not in this weather,” she told Levian with the sternness of a mother lecturing her child. “Your system hasn’t even had the chance to recover from the shock it took earlier. Give your body a while to warm up, get your blood pumping again. We’ll leave in an hour.”
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