"I am going to see you soon." Carlen's cheeks turned soft. His eyes began to glaze.
Jonas wrapped his arms around his cousin. "Thanks, Carlen. You sure aren't the geek I thought you were." Jonas hid his pained face behind Carlen's shoulder.
"Thanks." Carlen pushed Jonas away and smiled. "I can always count on you for kind words." He patted Jonas on the head. "I'll tell my mother that you're safe." Carlen gave Jonas a half salute, turned and walked away.
Liotta stepped in close to Jonas and gently pinched his chin. She brought his mouth close to hers. She rose on her toes, connecting their lips. Liotta kept her eyes closed for only a moment. "Wow."
"Yeah... Wow." Jonas responded with his gaze embedded in hers.
"Wow. Wow. Wow." Leo chuckled from the stone he was sitting on.
Jonas completely ignored him. "Stay with us."
"I can't." Liotta looked down abruptly. "My father--"
Jonas hushed her with his index finger across her lips. "I understand."
"I won't forget you." Liotta stepped back with her eyes fixed on the boy of her dreams. She then turned away and caught up to Carlen.
Leo's laughter ended. "Where they going?" Leo asked as he coughed a bit.
"Home. Back to their lives." Jonas watched them walk away with the utmost envy. Liotta was going home to her father and Carlen to his mother.
Just as they made their way over the hill, Liotta and Carlen returned running and waving their arms. Jonas perked up and tapped Leo.
"What's that about?" Leo stood up to get a better view.
"Run!" Carlen's hands were flailing about wildly. "Jonas, we got trouble." Liotta was right behind him with her blaster in her hands.
"I don't understand this." Jonas squinted and discovered a group of Enforcers not too far behind Carlen and Liotta. "Now I get it." He tugged Leo by his hood, into the brush. "Stay here." Jonas went over to the craft and grabbed two blasters from inside the hatch. He returned and handed one to his half-breed friend.
"Saw us landing. Will be more." Leo let out his signature laugh. "Be ready."
Carlen and Liotta dodged behind a huge rock that sat just over the horizon. They did not have time to join the others. Liotta readied her blaster.
Jonas and Leo hid inside the trees. "My call," Leo stated.
Ten Enforcers forged over the hill, pointing towards the valley. The group headed towards the opposite side of the woods.
"Fire!" Leo yelled as he pumped his weapon with fantastic accuracy. Two Enforcers dropped before their team could catch on to what was happening. The officers scattered into the woods. Liotta took out another officer. Carlen went around to the other side of the rock.
Jonas squatted and cautiously shuffled along the border of the valley. He tried to get up on his opponents without notice. Leo jumped out into the grassy field and screamed wildly. Jonas laughed because he knew Leo was diverting their attention. Leo hopped back into the brush with three Enforcers charging him from across the field. Liotta saw them as open game. She pegged one of them while Jonas took out the other two. There was four more hiding somewhere in the sticks.
"You should've told me to bring my blaster along," Carlen said helplessly. "I could be in the fight."
"Shut up. They're tracking us." Liotta knelt down to the ground. She grabbed Carlen by the collar and brought him down beside her. "Shh! It's too quiet." Her green eyes scouted the surrounding area.
Jonas cautiously waded through the leafy tree branches when he suddenly heard the cocking of a blaster. He stopped and slowly stood up straight. Turning toward the sound, he came face to face with a Parliamentary officer.
"It's gonna be my pleasure to kill Troupe's son." The officer's grin swallowed his square face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jonas dropped his weapon and put his chest out as if he was going to deflect anything that was going to fly out of the officer's weapon.
"You are just like 'em. Arrogant. You probably thought your father was a hero. Sorry to say--" The officer's jaw swung open as his eyes fried out of his head. He fell forward revealing the back of his skull. It was blasted wide open.
Leo stood behind the fallen officer with a sarcastic look upon his face. "Be happy." Leo laughed and swiftly turned, firing his weapon. Another officer looming in the brush hit the ground with a thump. Leo scurried over to the dead man. "Two down, two to go."
"Let's go." Jonas ran out of the woods. He motioned to Liotta in the direction of the other Enforcers.
Liotta went up against the rock and leaned into it with her back. She looked at Carlen and gestured for him to follow suit. "Stay here." She rolled out onto the open grass.
Carlen spotted an Enforcer, aiming at Liotta from the tree line. "Get outta the way!" He threw his body into Liotta, knocking her to safety.
Liotta turned to find Carlen holding his side. Carlen's eyes penetrated Liotta's. His pupils shifted at his charred upper body and back at his friend. He attempted to say something but trounced on the ground. His hands were severely burned as they blocked most of the blast.
"Oh my Gods. Oh, Carlen." Liotta tossed her weapon aside and rushed over to him. "Come on... Come on." Carlen's glassy eyes went straight through her. "Damn it." Tears covered her dirty cheeks. She leaned over him, noticing his leg was ripped open, too.
The Enforcer who blasted Carlen crept out from the trees, aiming at his newest target.
Jonas spotted Liotta crying over Carlen. "Oh no. Oh no." He whipped up the hill, unloading his weapon's firepower on the creeping Enforcer. The Enforcer flipped backwards into the tree line. Without acknowledging the officer's death, Jonas could only see his cousin. "Carlen? Carlen?"
Liotta turned to Jonas, her eyes puffy, her nose runny. "He's still alive, Jonas... he's still alive."
"How could this have happened?" His lips were quivering. "No. No. No." Jonas consistently shook his head in denial. His hands trembled. He did not know what to do first. He just wanted to rip the world into pieces. Jonas kept switching between rubbing Carlen's face and grabbing hold of his charred hands. "Oh poor Carlen. Poor, poor, Carlen." Jonas snuggled his cousin into his arms and rocked him. He pressed his chest against Carlen's chest.
Liotta watched Jonas as his depression built into anger. Jonas got to his feet, cocked his blaster and walked openly down the field. He approached the Enforcer, who lay motionless along the tree line. Jonas shoved his weapon into the dead officer's mouth and squeezed the trigger five consecutive times. Jonas's features transformed to stone. "Come out, you son of a bitch." Jonas continued along the tree line searching recklessly for the remaining officer.
A laser blast ripped through the dirt before Jonas's feet. The teen raised his gun in a very robotic fashion and consecutively fired straight into the woods. With every step he took, he squeezed the trigger. His ears perked when he heard a moan coming from inside the woods. He followed the sound. The final officer sat clutching his bleeding wrist. Jonas saw his hand, lying separately on the ground next to him. It was still gripping the officer's weapon. The man looked up at Jonas, hoping for his life. Jonas fixed his blaster against the man's forehead. He stared at the officer. "Say hello to my dad for me." Jonas squeezed the trigger. The officer's head quickly detached from his body. Jonas dropped his weapon to the ground. The teen started shaking uncontrollably. "What's happening to me?"
Liotta ran up, wrapping her arms around him. Jonas shrugged her off quickly. He wiped his face dry.
Leo caught up to them. "More on the way. Need to go."
"I am not leaving my cousin." Jonas turned to look up the hill.
"Never make the travel. Needs attention," Leo responded.
"What am I supposed to do? Leave him here?" Jonas snapped at the half-breed.
"I have an idea." Liotta gently placed her hands on Jonas's shoulders. "Come on."
Twelve
After wrapping Carlen's body to keep him warm, Liotta left a note stating Carlen was kidnapped and shot trying to assist the Enforcers in battle. She knew Carlen cou
ld not speak right now and the dead officer surely would not be able to tell them the truth. She knew Parliamentary Council code required all injured officers and Sapiens hurt in battle to be transported immediately to a medi-center.
Liotta also wrapped Carlen's stomach with shredded material from their Crow robes. His bleeding stopped but he remained unconscious.
Jonas desperately wanted to take his cousin with him. Leo and Liotta convinced Jonas, after several hours, that Carlen would surely die if he was dragged from place to place.
Though not comfortable with the idea of leaving his cousin behind, he knew they were right. However, he was certain of two things. First, the Enforcers would make sure Carlen was brought to a medi-center. Second, Aunt Cleonia would never speak to him again. Jonas knew she'd never really liked him from the beginning. All her new hospitality had to be due to the enormous death bonds his father had left behind.
The three started to walk up towards the mountains. "I'll be right back." Jonas broke from the group.
Liotta watched Jonas run back to his cousin. "Jonas, the Enforcers will be along any second."
"Keep moving. Wait for him in the woods." Leo guided Liotta forward while watching Jonas over his shoulder.
"Carlen." Jonas sank to his knees next to his cousin. "Carlen?" He waited but there was no response. Jonas fixed Carlen's hair, which was over his eyes. "Please forgive me, cousin. I don't want to leave you here." Jonas's lips started to quiver. His cheeks twitched. "I just want you to know..." Jonas's tears fell upon his cousin's hair. "...I love you. You and me. We are like brothers, right?"
Carlen lay there unresponsive.
"I know you can't talk to me, but I hope you can hear me." Jonas bent over and wrapped his arms around his cousin. "When does it stop, cousin? All this pain. It has got to stop." Jonas sat up and cleaned his face with his sleeve. He turned to see Leo waving from the woods. The teen let out a chuckle. Leo looked funny flailing his arms around.
"Good bye, cousin. I will see you again someday. I promise. Thank you." Jonas stood up, staring at Carlen. He could not get over the fact that he was actually leaving him.
Jonas ran back up the mountain. "Okay. Let's go."
***
Leo talked about an old village in a remote part of the desert. He truly believed this was Strom. He also knew what was in store for Jonas once he got there.
Strom was a place for everyone to coexist peacefully. It was about a round's travel on foot. They traveled by night along the Meso River which cut through the Sara Mountains. The only danger they encountered were a pair of wild dracosaurs and a pack of sabercats. The dracosaurs were easily tamed and used as transportation. The saber cats were slaughtered for food. Liotta was sickened by the thought of eating the twenty-five pound felines. However, her unending hunger and the way Leo fixed them convinced her to try it.
According to the half-breed, they were only an evening's hike away from the village of Strom. Strom was a stronghold of the Alliance.
The Earth was not only split between the Old Republic and the Parliamentary Council, but the third and smallest faction was the Alliance. This growing faction was exactly what its name stated. It consisted of three types of humans: Sapiens, Crows and half-breeds. Leo had discovered it shortly after the Council imprisoned him. Another man in the holding cell had alerted Leo to the Alliance's existence.
"I wonder why my parents didn't tell me about this?" Jonas asked Leo, who was crouching around a campfire, while the teen packed the dracosaur.
"Too young to be trusted." Leo grinned as he shoved a piece of hot saber cat meat into his mouth. "Strom is best invisible."
"I wonder why they wanted me to know about it?" Jonas blurted as he slipped his blaster into a makeshift holder on the animal's back.
"Didn't tell, you were Troupe's boy. Very secret man." Leo's eyes slid toward the teen, who stopped packing.
Jonas approached Leo and took a seat along the fire. "You knew who my father was?" He glanced over to make sure Liotta was still asleep. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Didn't know until I heard you yelling at Darden." Leo clenched another bunch of meat in his jaws.
Jonas squatted down in front of his half-breed friend. "Was my father a bad man?"
"Good man... No. Bad man... No."
Jonas glared at Leo blankly.
"Your father was a man who did what he had to do in order to protect his family."
"I don't get it." Jonas squinted his eyes.
Leo giggled as the food dribbled down his chin.
"I don't get it, Leo, you lost me." Jonas stood up, shaking his head.
"Wait until tomorrow. Have better understanding." Leo threw his scraps into the fire, creating gray smoke, which choked Liotta awake. Leo watched her twitch and wiggle her nose. He gave Jonas a stern look and put his index finger over his lips. "Not a word."
***
The sun was breaking through the early morning stars. The moons' images slowly faded into the sky. Leo, Jonas and Liotta approached the peak of a mountain somewhere along the Sara stretch. At the foot of the mountains, the Meso River forked and reconnected, forming an island. The solitary chunk of land was inhabited with primitive stone dwellings. Jonas could barely detect people moving about them. Leo outstretched his arms to introduce the two teens to this mystical village. "Roots are here. In Strom."
Jonas shot Liotta a look of embarrassment. He had no idea why Leo was acting so goofy. It really did not matter much because Liotta fell into hard laughter when Leo started dancing. "Why are you so happy?" Jonas started laughing. "What has gotten into you?"
"Home. Know how long it's been? I'm home." Leo leapt a few times with excitement. "You." He pointed to Jonas. "Home, too."
The three of them headed down to the river's fork. By the time they reached their mark, the sun was bursting through the atmosphere. Crisp white clouds accented the rich blue sky. Jonas was used to fortified cities, prisons and Safe Zones. This village was not protected by a single wall or fence. No guards with weapons to monitor visitors. The small community resembled paradise. Children were playing tag with three-foot lizards.
Liotta smiled as two little girls waved to her from a distance. "What a wonderful world."
"Your world. Your Earth." Leo giggled and motioned to a nearby walking bridge. "Let's see some friends."
Jonas was happy to go. He removed all their gear from the dracosaurs and sent them on their way. Because the animals were now tamed, they would be ready to return for service if ever needed. Jonas grabbed Liotta's hand, bringing her along behind him. Leo was walking lightly over the bridge as he hummed a cheerful melody. Every step brought them closer to Strom.
As they completed their passage across the bridge, a bunch of children gathered around them. They stopped when they spotted Jonas and his friends.
"I think they are scared of us," Liotta stated.
"Aren't used to strangers," Leo responded and waved to the children. "Good Sun."
The children waved back.
Their faces ranged in shape and size. Some had thick hair and two eyebrows. Some had small noses with bulging foreheads. Others looked like regular Sapiens, and others were completely Crow. Liotta was astonished by how happy they all seemed.
"My Gods. They are all friends," Jonas said in disbelief.
"Amazing. Little ones do not know difference." Leo chuckled as he started to walk towards a group of dwellings.
"This village is for everyone," Liotta said as she explored her surroundings.
"Like this when I grew up. Strom only one left." Leo pointed to an earthy stone structure. "That is headquarters of Alliance."
Leo made it clear that the structure was their present destination. Liotta and Jonas followed his lead.
They approached the huge dwelling. Leo rapped his knuckles on the door. There was no answer. The half-breed knocked harder. Still no answer.
"No one is in there." A voice came from behind Leo. They turned to see who was speaking. It was a Sapie
n man, who looked like he was in his late twenties. He was neatly garbed in animal skin pants. His upper body was clothed in an old Enforcer's uniform.
"Oh, I see. Could you please tell us where I might find someone who heads up the Alliance?" Leo seemed more courteous than usual.
"Sure. Follow me." The man turned and led the group down a dirt road. "The only one left is actually the senior-most member. He would've joined the others, but he is too old for scouting."
The group turned a corner and approached another stone dwelling. Leo giggled a bit as he watched the man tap on the door. The man turned the knob, opening the door slightly. He peeked in. "Jada? Jada?"
"Come in," an old voice summoned from behind the door.
The man opened the door and escorted Leo and the teens inside the dwelling. When they walked in, they could feel the warmth of the home. The walls were lined with everything from photographs to antique battle weapons. Along the wall sat a table loaded with all kinds of rocks. It reminded Jonas of the gifts his father used to bring home. Liotta invited herself to look at all the pictures. One caught her attention. It captured her attention so much that she did not noticed her friends had already greeted the old man.
"Welcome, travelers. Leo, good to finally see you again." Jada smiled at his old friend. The man in his twenties whispered in his elder's ear. Jada was a half-breed like Leo. "I see," he said, responding to the whispers. When that conversation ended, the old man looked up at Leo. "You are looking to live in Strom?"
"Hello, Jada. Pleasure to see you." Leo seemed awkward. He was not giggling. He was dead serious and being extremely respectful. "Like to reside here Strom." Leo bowed a bit. "Hold no allegiance to Old Republic or Parliamentary Council." Leo bowed again. "Promise to be much better citizen this time."
"Stop bowing. It's making me ill." The old man eyed Jonas. "What's your story, young man?"
Jonas could not get over how respectful Leo was to this old man. He even noticed Leo's usually broken speech was much better. He also wanted to find out about all that good citizen stuff. "My name is Jonas Troupe, sir. My parents were killed. Someone is trying to kill me. I basically need a place to stay." Jonas did not bow.
Center Moon - The Stone Of Cordova Page 13