"There's the Karkastian! After him!" one of them ordered. As soon as the soldiers were safely distracted, I made my way out from behind the energy beacons and headed for the crowded streets. The walkway that divided the industrial complex from the poorer area was now clear. I ran across it and into the crowd. I got some puzzled looks from the Sarceastians around me, but I managed to blend in once I pulled my hood over my head. I looked over at where Yahn had appeared, but he had already transformed into a vapor again. I saw the blue haze drifting over towards me, and the soldiers who were standing there, looked puzzled as to why he had vanished. They obviously had very little knowledge about Karkastians and their powers.
Soon, Yahn appeared by my side with a huge, satisfied grin on his face.
"Look at them," he said. "They have no idea what happened to me." We watched as they searched along the walkway. We were now well hidden amongst the crowd. We pulled our hoods up and began to walk further down the crowded streets. There were all sorts of vendors selling all sorts of things along the street. Some Sarceastians sold building materials like concrete blocks or stolen sheets of glass. Others sold clothing. Some sold food. All of them were shouting at us about how they had the best items for sale in all of Podesta. That's when we learned the name of the city we were in.
“We need to find a place to stay until we can figure out how to get off this planet,” Yahn stated. He held my hand tightly, not trusting some of the characters that sauntered down the street, eyeing us like the strangers that we were.
“These people need someone to fight for them and bring about better conditions for them to live in,” I said, with pity in my heart. I saw a mother carrying a very sickly-looking child. From what I could tell, there was probably very little medical care available for this sector of the population. We were astonished to see just how large this section of town seemed to be. The crowded domes and make-shift dwellings were piled one on top of the other for as far as the eye could see. It was obvious that the majority of the population lived in these conditions.
"Don't go getting any ideas. We need to get back where we belong. I want Demarin and the others that are oppressing the Sarceastians to get what's coming to them, but I don't see how it could be accomplished right now. Demarin has all of the weapons. All that these people seem to have is the hoods they wear."
“You can smell the unrest in the air. All they need is the right leadership- the right person to rally behind,” I said.
A few of the vendors in the street gave Yahn a dirty look. At first, I couldn't figure out why, but then I realized that Yahn was wearing a sleek, silver outfit that the military officials wore, unlike the cheaper material that the commoners’ outfits were made from.
“They don’t like your outfit,” I teased Yahn.
“Sorry, it’s the only one I have,” he shot back.
“Executive slime!” a few younger Sarceastians suddenly shouted. Two of them began to throw rocks at Yahn. Yahn took off his hood and the sight of him shocked the young Sarceastians so badly, they ran off.
“Very funny, but I wouldn’t do that if I were you. We don’t need anyone to know our identity. I’m sure by now word has gotten out about us. There might even be a reward being offered for our capture,” I suggested.
“You’re right. I just couldn’t resist,” Yahn admitted.
At the end of an alley, we saw a sign that we translated into ‘For Rent' using our handheld word translation device. We decided to check it out. We were both very exhausted and not sure how to proceed, so we needed a place to rest and collect our thoughts. We knocked on the oval-shaped, wooden door. All around us were dwellings that looked even smaller and more crowded than the area we had just walked through. The poorer segment of the population used wood and cardboard to fashion their dwellings.
A second later, an old, female Sarceastian came to the door and looked us over suspiciously.
“We are interested in your room for rent,” I said.
“It is no longer available, thank you,” she said, rather curtly, then proceeded to shut the door.
“Wait!” Yahn said. “We have a hundred Banis we are willing to offer.”
“Banis? We don’t accept that currency here. You will have to go to the exchange facility down the street. Also, it will cost you fifty extra because you are fugitives,” she suggested.
“How did you know?” I asked.
"You stand out much more than you think you do. It takes more than a Sarceastian robe to make a good disguise, young lady." The woman suddenly looked at something off in the distance.
“Come inside, we will negotiate our terms there, quickly!”
I looked behind us and saw a group of guards in their silver robes asking the vendors questions.
“Quickly, they’re coming this way,” I said to Yahn, pulling his arm. We went inside the dwelling and the woman put several locks across the door.
"Come with me," She said, leading us down several flights of stairs. There were several makeshift dwellings all around us. We came to one at the end of the hall and she opened the door. The dwelling consisted of one room with wooden walls that looked like it had been put together in a matter of minutes. There was one, dingy, couch-like piece of furniture and a mattress in another corner.
“It isn’t much, but it is all I have available right now. My name is Hilga,” she said, bowing to us, which is the Sarceastian custom for greeting a stranger. We bowed back at her.
“Thank you so much. I guess you know by now, we escaped from Demarin and his soldiers. I was kidnapped by them and Yahn here managed to stow away on a cruiser ship and free me,” I shared.
“I have no love for Demarin or the executive class. They have done nothing but exploit the rest of us, allowing us to live in abject poverty. If you are enemies of them, then you are friends to me,” Hilga said, smiling. She took off her hood to reveal a kindly face. She had the same pointed ears and red eyes that all Sarceastians had, but her visage was much more benign.
“I don’t have much in the way of food, but I can offer you some stromal. It is a stew made out of the leftover meat and vegetables that we have available,” she offered.
“We can’t turn down food of any kind at this point,” I said with a smile.
“Very good. I will go and get some for you. You can pay me tomorrow once you’ve exchanged your Banis for Sarceastian silver.”
“Thank you, you are very kind,” I answered with a big smile.
We settled in, resting side by side on the couch. Hilga came in a few minutes later with two steaming hot bowls of stromal. It was very strong-tasting, but filling.
“I have to say, I admire anyone who is able to escape from the executive military complex. It is very heavily guarded. You two must have some special skills if you were able to do that,” Hilga pointed out.
“We are very much used to escaping from danger and being on the run, I’m afraid,” Yahn shared.
“This is the first time I have ever seen a Karkastian on this planet. I am sorry for what became of your planet. Our leaders have exploited almost every civilized corner of the universe. Except for one…” Hilga said, turning to me. “I know who you are and know about how you defeated the Sarceastian space cruisers. They tell stories about you to the children. They call you the Arch Frankder.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means human savior. Many around here wish that you had completely destroyed our leaders.”
“I’m not a savior, just someone who believes in defending my homeland at any cost,” I answered humbly.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Yahn
After Hilga left, we began to stare into each other’s eyes and decided to take this opportunity to mind meld. I felt closer than ever to Jessie as she shared her thoughts with me. My whole body trembled with pleasure as I felt her love for me wash over my body. Then, I pulled her on top of me and we made love while holding hands and kissing passionately. It seemed that every time we were intimate with o
ne another, it was better than the last time. We had grown closer and closer and I felt as if both of our hearts were beating as one.
Despite our cramped and dirty quarters, we slept until late into the morning.
I went down the hallway and up to the first floor of the building. When I got to the entrance, I ducked back around the corner. I could hear Hilga talking to executive guards that were questioning her.
“We’ve heard a rumor that the Karkastian and the human were seen at this location,” The guard stated.
“I saw them. They asked me if I would rent a room to them, and I refused. I sent them on their way and they walked to the west. I don’t know where they were going,” Hilga answered. I could see the skeptical look on the guard’s face. He turned to talk to the other guards that were standing close by.
“I hope you are telling the truth, for your sake. If you do happen to spot them in this area again, you must communicate with me!” The guard stated, handing her a code.
“That would be fine if I could afford a messenger” Hilga remarked; messengers were the equivalent of Sarceastian phones which sent messages using beams of light energy.
“You can send a messenger to see me on foot. I am Captain Garin,” the soldier stated.
“Yes sir,” Hilga said, making a disgusted face as she turned away from them. I hid behind the corner until they were well out of sight and Hilga closed the door to the outside.
“I heard what you said, and I want you to know how much we appreciate you letting us stay here and risking your own safety to lie to those guards,” I shared.
“I promise that I will not tell anyone that you are here. However, I heard a rumor in the market today that there is a sizeable award being offered for your safe delivery to the guards,” she stated.
“Really? How much are they offering?”
“Twenty thousand silver pieces.”
“And what does that equate to in Banis?”
“That would be about thirty thousand Banis,” she said.
Just then, I realized that Jessie was behind me. “That is not a lot of money,” she said.
“That is a lot of money to most of the Sarceastians that live in this part of town and the majority of Sarceastians as well. That is why you must be careful when you will go to make your exchange. I will send my trusted friend and worker, Hemant with you today.”
“Hilga, are there lots of Sarceastians that could be persuaded to rise up against the rulers? I would be willing to lead them if they were,” Jessie said.
I looked at her incredulously. “Jessie, we need to get out of here. We shouldn’t lead the rebellion to the Sarceastians,” I insisted.
“Yahn, if we allow the Sarceastian rulers to continue their activities, no place in the universe will be safe from their grasp. If Demarin and his superiors are defeated, that will take away the threat that the rest of the universe faces, not to mention the fact that it will liberate these poor folks,” Jessie said. I knew that determined look in her eyes, and realized that it was useless to argue against her when she became impassioned like this.
“It is useless to try and dissuade you,” I finally conceded.
“Hilga, I have enough Banis to hire an entire army. I can pay much more than the reward is asking. Can you talk to the right Sarceastians who could be persuaded to join the cause?” Jessie asked.
“Yes, I can, but these Sarceastians are very rough types. They aren’t accustomed to taking orders from a female, especially a human female.”
“I don’t wish to be their ruler, only to assist and help mobilize them,” Jessie insisted.
“I will put the word out. You will also need to hire some of these same Sarceastians to guard you against those that want to obtain the award for your safe capture,” Hilga stated.
“Yes, that would be great,” Jessie replied.
“Let me fetch Hemant for you,” Hilga said. We put our hooded disguises back on. This time, I put on a gray outfit that was more akin to what the commoners wore so that I wouldn’t look like an executive official. Hemant was a very tall and burly Sarceastian with a cold stare. He was the kind of Sarceastian that you wanted on your side.
“Good to meet you,” he grumped and then gave us a half-hearted bow. We bowed to him in return.
“Likewise,” Jessie stated.
“This way.” Hemant led the way through the crowded market that we had walked through the day before. No one seemed to pay any particular mind to us at first. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple of Sarceastian merchants pointing at me. I had no idea what made me stand out or look different. Then, I looked down at my shoes. Most Sarceastians wore soft, gray shoes that had very little decoration. I was wearing combat boots that were a part of my military uniform back on Earth. Those must have given me away.
The currency building was just ahead of us, but the merchants that had been eyeing me, were coming up behind us. Hemant noticed them and turned to face them. He was clutching a laser cannon.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Hemant asked them. They moved backwards and put down their weapons.
“Who is that in your company, Hemant?” one of them asked.
“It is none of your business. You would do well to leave them alone or you will have me to contend with,” Hemant said. “Now, away with you!” The merchants reluctantly put away their weapons and scattered as we entered the currency exchange market. There was no one in the market. The male Sarceastian behind the counter looked very bored.
“Ah, you must be the ones that everyone is talking about,” he finally said. “I was hoping you would come here to make an exchange. We get very few foreign visitors in this part of town anymore. What reason would they have to want to come to such a slum? How much can I help you to exchange today?” he asked with a smile.
“I have four million Banis that I need exchanged into Sarceastian silver,” Jessie said. I thought the creature’s eyes behind the counter, were going to pop out of his head when he heard this figure.
“Did you say four million Banis? Yes, certainly, we can do that for you!” He said excitedly. He came back with so many silver coins; we had to carry two large bags of it in addition to filling all of our pockets. “Please, please come again when you have a need! I hope that they don’t capture you. Enjoy your visit to Podesta,” he said.
“Thank you,” Jessie said.
Hemant led us out of the shop and back to Hilga’s building. A few Sarceastians eyed us as we made our way through the crowd, but no one else tried to do anything. Finally, we made it safely back to Hilga’s building.
“Hemant, I want to thank you for helping us. Here is some silver for your efforts,” Jessie said, handing several coins to him.
“Thank you,” he said, bowing again.
“Hemant, would you be willing to join an armed rebellion against the rulers of this city?” Jessie came out and asked. Hemant looked surprised to hear her say this.
“Do you mean the executives?” he asked.
“Yes, is that what the rulers are called?” I inquired.
“Yes, long ago, the Executive Farfaulus declared himself the ruler of all of Sarceastium and recruited several desperate guards to help him. Once, we elected our leaders by popular vote, but now we have a dictator that has concentrated all of the wealth and left us to live in poverty. My parents were killed in the attempted revolt that followed. Ever since the last rebellion, the executives have increased their patrols. If anyone even looks at them funny, they are captured and tortured as an example to the others. It is even broadcasted on the virtual reality players, channel four. Although most of us cannot afford virtual reality players. But they have taken care of that by broadcasting the executions and scenes of torture on a large screen in the public square,” Hemant said.
“So will you join us so that we can defeat the executives? They not only pose a threat to this society but they are also wreaking havoc all over the known universe. If we can bring them down, we will be helping out m
illions of others as well,” Jessie pointed out.
“Yes, I will join you,” Hemant replied. “I know others who would want to join as well.”
“Wonderful. We would also like to recruit you to be our guard along with some others that you know. We will need protection against those that want to collect the bounty that is being offered for our capture. I will pay fifty thousand silver pieces for anyone who will join us,” Jessie offered.
“You should have a sizable army then. You are offering thirty thousand more than the reward that is out there. I will go now and see who else I can recruit,” Hemant said, flashing us a smile.
“Are you sure about this?” I said as we returned to our room. “We could easily buy a space cruiser and get off of this rock.”
“Yahn, you said it yourself, how much you wanted to defeat the Sarceastians. If we don’t do something, these executives will destroy other worlds the way they destroyed Karkast. They will continue to exploit the people of this planet as well. I just simply can’t allow that.”
The memories associated with the Sarceastian invasion in Karkast were still fresh in my mind. For a second there, the scenes of devastation came back to me. I pictured my relatives begging for mercy as one by one they were executed by Sarceastian soldiers. “You don’t have to worry about me, I’m with you one hundred percent,” I finally answered. Jessie smiled and threw her arms around me.
“Good, because I couldn’t make it happen without your help. I couldn’t have accomplished everything that I have without your help, my love,” she said. A young female Sarceastian that worked for Hilga brought us more stew. We thanked her and then ate our fill while we waited for Hilga and Hemant to return with the recruits for our rebellion. About an hour later, Hilga and Hemant returned with a huge line of recruits trailing behind them. When I saw how muscular and tough these recruits looked, I knew we had a group that was more than capable of mounting a formidable attack.
Yahn: Paranormal Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Alien Mates Book 4) Page 21