by Sahara Foley
This is MY ship, dammit, and no one is taking it from me. Not while I’m alive. A small tear welled in the corner of Karrin’s eye. Lurga would be proud of me. He made me a Warrior.
Blinking away the moisture, she continued to open the chamber that held the Istibein Crystals. Once it was opened, she dumped the white crystals on the sand. They started smoking and, within seconds, disappeared into the beach.
She stared at the spot in shock. “Wow. I guess I ought be more careful. What if they’d landed on me?”
The scared woman took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling hands. She picked up a few pieces of ore and placed them in the, now, empty chamber until it was full. She pushed the knob, and the lid slid shut.
Karrin was about to push the charger button when she remembered Brownie. She hadn’t heard or seen him since she arrived outside. She didn’t want him anywhere near if she blew herself up.
“Ship, where’s Brownie?”
“It is in your chair, playing with the silver rock, Owner Karrin,” came the tinny response.
“Okay, get ready,” she ordered, though she had no idea what for.
Holding her breath, Karrin pushed the rifle as far away from her as she could and pushed the button. She immediately dropped the gun and threw her hands over her ears, cringing, as an intense, piercing shriek almost broke her eardrums. She fell to her knees, cowering, her head ready to explode.
Shit. What did I do?
The frightened woman knelt in the sand, eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking out. Within minutes, the screaming settled down to a howl, then to a loud humming. She opened her eyes to see smoke rising from the chamber in the rifle.
Well, I didn’t die. Yet. However, in two days, she might.
Against her better judgment, Karrin picked up the gun. Like everything else the Lear ore touched, it was turning silver. Holding the butt of the gun awkwardly against her shoulder, Karrin aimed at a rock sitting on a sand dune about thirty feet away. She pressed the fire button on the fore grip.
She tensed, expecting a thrust against her shoulder, but nothing happened. Not even a beam shooting from the barrel.
Maybe it’s not working. Perhaps it’s broken. But, when she lowered the rifle, she saw a hole in the sand dune with a thread of silver smoke wafting into the calm, humid air.
“Owner Karrin,” a shrill, tinny voice said in alarm. “A silver pulse escaped the weapon and penetrated the hill. It passed through rocks and trees and is, now, heading into space at incredible speed. What have you done?”
CHAPTER THREE
“I didn’t do anything,” Karrin retorted defensively.
“I warned you the Lear ore had unknown properties. We have no idea whether that beam will dissipate or continue indefinitely, boring through everything it encounters. Anything in its path will be in jeopardy.”
“I’m sorry, but I need to protect myself by whatever means available.” Sighing, Karrin peered at the ground and pushed at the sand with her toe. “Still, do you think the riles will work? Will I be able to fend off the Calens?”
“Uncertain, Owner Karrin. After scanning my database, I found reference to only one other weapon displaying the same type of power. It was from long ago, on a Calen ship, called the Weesa. However, the source is more legend than fact.”
She pushed at the fine grains with her toe, then scanned the skies. The fleet still had a distance to travel, yet, but time was ticking away. “Now, I need to find out if the Calen nullifiers will stop my weapons. If they do, I’m dead.”
“I am equipped with such a power nullifier, the same as we traded with Calen. It has been on, and it did not disturb the silver beam.”
“You carry a power nullifier, and you didn’t tell me?” yelled Karrin into her hand-link. “I’ve been worrying about them since Calen threatened me with them. And, come to find out, you gave it to them.”
“Senods are mechanics of commerce, Owner Karrin,” the ship said in a condescending tone. “We buy, sell, or trade anything for profit. How our customers use the products is not our concern. The Eilsels invented the power nullifiers. We bought some from them, took them to Deseption to be reworked, and sold the improved wares back to Eilsel for a tremendous profit. I turned on the nullifier as I feared what would happen with the silver power and hoped to stop it. Obviously, it didn’t work.”
Karrin never knew a computer could sound so miffed. She was used to dealing with an Ispepyein Contruda, which was a talking computer. However, this hunk of junk seemed to have a personality.
“Yeah, well, if the nullifier had worked, it would’ve been easier for the Calens to destroy us.” The young woman was getting annoyed with the bucket of bolts.
“Not us, Owner Karrin. Just you. The Ispepyeins will prevent my destruction due to our contract with them. If you are killed during the battle, I will be assigned a new owner. Preferably another Senod who understands commerce and not all this needless violence.”
“Loyalty to your owner isn’t one of your charming traits, is it?” Karrin asked with a sardonic smirk.
“Emotions are not programmed into my matrix. I am simply a trading vessel.”
Karrin snorted in derision. “You’re anything but a simple computer program. If you’re so knowledgeable, why didn’t you know I was, also, on this planet?”
“Unknown, Owner Karrin. During our scans, all we found were low-value minerals and formations of silver similar to the Lear ore. There was nothing to validate the expense of removal, so we left.”
Karrin squatted in the sand and doodled with a stick, thinking. I remember when they were overhead and how it made me paranoid and dizzy. I hid in my cave. The same cave that turned silver from the Lear rocks.
She stopped making designs in the sand, her eyes lighting up. “Are you saying you can’t penetrate the silver ore with your scans?”
“You are correct. The unusual radiation emanating from the ore stops all our attempts to identify it.”
Karrin tapped the stick on the ground a few times as she formed a plan. “Does anyone else use technology capable of scanning through the radiation?”
“Unknown, Owner Karrin.”
“Well, that does it, then.” Karrin jumped to her feet. “I need to bring all the silver outside. Is there any way to move the crates without me dragging them?”
“Of course. Place them on the walkway, and I will turn on the conveyor belt and move them to the cargo door on the land side.”
“Let’s get started.” With renewed purpose, Karrin strode back to the hole in the ship. “We don’t have much time.”
The rest of the afternoon, Karrin sweated and cursed as she struggled to push the heavy crates of ore up on the walkway. After they were lined up, the ship moved them like a long conveyor belt toward the rear of the vessel and the open cargo door. Karrin followed behind them. As she drew closer to the open doorway, she was surprised to see it was dark outside. Stars were scattered across the sky and a greenish-colored moon peeked over the horizon.
The tired woman stopped at the edge of the doorway and peered down. There was enough light from the ship to illuminate the growing jumble of broken crates on the beach. Due to the angle of the ship, buried in the sand, they fell twenty feet to the ground. They landed with splintering and smashing noises as the rocks crashed into each other.
Karrin gave a weary, satisfied smile. At least two tons of the silver ore glinted in the light as they tumbled down the pile. More than enough for her plan.
That night, she slept on the cooling sand because trying to sleep in the tilted ship would’ve been impossible. After she fell into an exhausted slumber, Brownie curled around her like a blanket, giving her comfort and warmth.
Waking the next morning, Karrin shielded her eyes against the bright glitter of the silver under the rising sun. All that shining metal against the black ship was quite beautiful and dazzling. She stood there, admiring the view when she realized Brownie wasn’t annoying her with his constant chittering. She glanced a
round, to find him, but she didn’t see him. She shrugged, thinking maybe it’d only been a dream that he’d slept with her last night.
With a loud groan and muscles complaining over the unaccustomed heavy lifting and pushing from yesterday, Karrin set about starting a fire to cook breakfast. She took the last two pieces of fish and slipped them on sticks before setting them next to the fire. After a few minutes, the smell made her mouth water.
Shaking her head, she gave herself a mental slap. Why didn’t I use my powers, yesterday?
Her abilities might be weak, but she could’ve used them to help push the crates, so her body wouldn’t be this stiff and sore, today. She cursed her forgetfulness. Her powers were so limited she hardly gave them a thought. However, the aching young woman wouldn’t forget them, today. She still had lots of work to do.
Finished with her meager breakfast, not even sharing it with Brownie, Karrin set to work. She used her powers whenever possible, to conserve her energy and worn-out body. Several times, she caught Brownie peering down at her from the cargo doorway, chattering away, but she was too busy focusing with her mind to say anything to him.
Lunchtime came and went with no break to eat. She didn’t have anything left to cook anyway. Finally, at dinnertime, covered with sweat and sand, Karrin fell to her knees, head bowed in exhaustion. Her young body ached all over, and her stomach spasmed with hunger.
“Ship, do you have anything to eat?” she asked hoarsely through dry, cracked lips.
“Certainly, Owner Karrin,” came the immediate response. “Your nourishment is on the way.”
With effort, she raised her head. Brownie stood in the cargo doorway, a gray package in his hands. He grinned, chittered at her, and threw it. It landed with a shower of sand on a, now, empty beach.
“Thanks, Brownie,” Karrin said, giving a slight wave. Groaning, she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled over to the package. “What is it?” Hunger and exhaustion made her fingers tremble, and she fumbled with the wrapping, trying to get it open.
“Ground Peena. Ispepyein Warriors value the meat for its high source of instant energy and as a snack food. That is the only food source available for you.”
With a final jerk, the packet opened, revealing a mound of ground-up, raw, meat. Karrin chuckled. “I should’ve known it would be gray since it’s from Ispepyein. The Peps sure love that color.” Tentatively, she took a small pinch. She’d eaten raw meat before when she didn’t have a fire, but over the past several years, she’d become spoiled from cooked food.
Making a face before she even tried it, Karrin threw a few chunks in her mouth. She chewed several times. “Well, it’s not terrible. It tastes like paper coated with brown sugar. A lot of brown sugar.”
Karrin munched on a few more pieces as energy surged through her tired body. She ate as much as she could, but the sweetness made her teeth hurt. Closing up the packet, she set it by the fire, hoping it might taste better if partially cooked.
Lying on her side by the flames, hands under her head, she surveyed her day of hard work. The blue rays of the setting sun shimmered off a small hut made of broken crates, layered with silver ore. It reminded Karrin of a small cave, big enough for her to crawl into and hide when the Calens and Eilsels showed up. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be able to locate her from space, and they’d come down low enough so she could fire at them with her rifle. She didn’t know how long the silver would last in her weapon, so twelve of them were charged and ready to go.
Several times during the day, Karrin caught herself talking to Lurga, explaining to him what she was doing and why. Then, she chuckled to herself, knowing Lurga would’ve growled and grumbled, telling her she still had much to learn. She, also, caught herself staring at the sky, searching for an early arrival of her enemies. Hoping they had.
Waiting for death to appear made her apprehensive and jumpy. She just wanted the fight to start. However, she remembered from Lurga’s training that the waiting before a battle was the hardest part of war.
Karrin sighed, turned on her back and gazed up at the stars, worrying about her opponents. Their arrogance will be their downfall. They think I’m a frail, worthless little Earth child. I’m more than that. The best Ispepyein Warrior in history trained me.
A tiny tear slid down the side of her face. She may never understand why the Calens wanted to kill her. However, no matter what happened, tomorrow, they would always remember their battle with Karrin, Warrior Child. She would make her Lurga proud.
Brownie sat out of sight, watching Karrin until she rolled on her side and fell asleep. He crept over to her and crawled on top of her, covering her body with his tails to keep her warm. The little Omar Watcher was waiting, too.
He was waiting to do the one thing an Omar was meant to do, even if no one, except the Great One, understood what that was. The Great One was the only Omar that did what Brownie was waiting to do, and when it was time, he would.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Owner Karrin, come to the screen,” a tinny voice said urgently, causing the young woman to jerk awake.
Karrin rubbed her eyes and looked around in confusion. She slept so soundly, she forgot where she was.
“Space messages collected during your sleep period require your immediate attention.”
“Okay. Okay, I’m coming.” Yawning, Karrin stretched her tight, sore muscles.
She picked up the packet of ground Peena. It was warm to the touch, so she threw a few pieces into her mouth, hoping it would be better cooked. She crinkled her nose. The meat still tasted like sugar-coated paper, but her energy level surged.
Karrin strode through the sand toward the ship. Brownie followed right behind her, chittering away, complaining about being woken before daylight. Chuckling at the Omar, the young woman climbed through the hole and down the sloped walkway to the control room and buckled herself into the titled chair.
“What’s so important you had to wake me early?” she asked with a grumble. Now that she was fully awake, she remembered today was battle day. The day she would most likely die.
“Begin on the left screen, Owner Karrin. I translated the messages into your language.”
The young woman leaned forward with her elbows on knees, reading. ‘Calen Fleet Commander General Martek to Ispepyein Leader. Calen requests no interference in our mission. We will not damage or attack the Senod ship. Our quest is for the Earth girl only. The same girl you were contracted to terminate but failed to accomplish.’
Karrin scoffed softly.
The message went on to say, ‘We have sixty Calen ships, plus twenty Eilsel crafts, en route to the planet. We will finish what your warrior could not. Repeat, we demand no interference. We are prepared to fight. Where do you stand Ispepyein?’
The threatening nature of the message caused Karrin to quirk her brow. She moved on to the next one. ‘Senod Commander to Ispepyein Leader. Senod requests regulatory procedures from Ispepyein. We are surrounded by Calen’s fleet. According to our laws, the abandoned ship is no longer Senod property. Not until we validate the salvage claim and negotiate a deal. Calen has a vast armada, and they mean to destroy the ship and its cargo. They are massed for an invasion, not for negotiation. Senod reminds you that we are Ispepyein’s largest, highest paying client.’
The young woman’s throat tightened at the thought of the vast armada headed her way.
‘Calen Commander to Senod Commander. Desist from your paltry complaining. You have no claim on the ship. Therefore, you are not under Ispepyein protection. We are only after the girl. We do not intend to harm the ship if at all possible. Regardless, after we eliminate the girl, you will need to negotiate with us as I, now, claim the ship for Calen.’
The next message read, ‘You cannot do that, General Martek. There is already a petition filed on the ship.’
‘Correct, Senod. Now, there are two. The dispute over ownership will be between the uncontracted girl and us. Only Calen is a client of Ispepyein, so they cannot interfere in th
is matter.’
What an arrogant bastard, Karrin thought. Are all Calens annoying