Tears rolled down her cheeks as he led her to his
invisible ship. Clip ran around, looked around and sniffed around until he was
certain. He turned to Nathaniel. “All clear.”
“Thanks,” Nathaniel said. He turned to Katra. “Follow
me.” He pressed a button on his watch and the triangular door opened. They
walked in and the door closed behind them.
“Please,” Katra said. “What about my kids? I can’t
just leave them.”
“Clip.”
Clip moved in front of her. “Step into the holding
cell,” he said. She did as she was told, after all, she saw firsthand what Clip
could do. Still something wasn’t right.
Nathaniel sat in his seat at the helm of the ship. He
whirled around as the metal cell door closed. Katra placed her hands on the
bars and stared at him with pleading eyes. He turned from her.
You are too kind
to your prisoners, an all too familiar voice said in his head. You should bind her arms, leg and head.
The voice belonged to Deragon, an alien that attacked
his friends a year ago. An alien that Nathaniel trapped in his own head to
protect the people he cared about. Deragon,
I am not in the mood for your brand of crazy.
You doubt yourself.
A leader should never doubt. She seems kind…kinder than most. However, kindness
can often be used for trickery.
Nathaniel ignored the advice and pressed the
contact button on his keyboard. He folded his arms and leaned back. In another
moment, the screen lit up with a very human looking alien. Kagome—his mentor. “Yo,”
she said.
“Hey, I have the target.”
“Good, make the delivery and hurry back. I expect to
see you coming out of hyperspace at this time tomorrow.”
He frowned trying to figure out the words to say.
“What’s wrong?” Kagome asked.
He showed her the palm of his hands. “Her pattern of
behavior doesn’t fit.”
“She is centuries old.” Kagome looked past him. “Can
she hear us?”
“No, Clip is using a sound dampener. “
“You have your orders.”
“Yeah, I do.” He studied his hands for the moment, but
then looked up sharply. “How are the others?”
“Everyone’s here but Zorn and Jon. We are having a
girl’s night out. It was Angela’s idea—yes, we will talk about things that
Earthian girls discuss. Unfortunately, that means Isis will talk about you.” She
showed zero hint of making a joke.
Nathaniel ran his fingers through his hair and attempt
to hide his nervousness with a smile. “So, uhm, can the team come spend
thanksgiving with my folks?”
Kagome’s lips tightened. “We have no such custom on my
planet. However, I have enjoyed that Earthian holiday. I also like Halloween.
It is not a bad idea. Complete your current mission and we will see.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“And tell you parents I said hello,” Kagome said and
ended the conversation with a push of a button.
The image disappeared.
Nathaniel began the takeoff sequence. He whirled
around to Clip who stood dutifully in front of Katra. “It’s okay Clip.”
Clip turned to him and barked. He then moved to his
doghouse, a cozy home placed under the navigational processing unit. The ship
rose slowly.
“Nathaniel, please. Savrit! I am innocent.”
He continued to fly the ship upward. Once he was out
of earth’s atmosphere, he dropped the ship’s cloak and shot passed the moon.
“What planet are you from?” Katra asked.
Nathaniel adjusted his reflector so he could see Katra’s
face. “Earth.”
“Surely you would understand. Humans have fought
against oppression for thousands of years, since before I was born. That is why
I stayed here.”
“You stayed here because this planet was out of the
Union’s jurisdiction. But still…” He slowed the ship. “What do you mean by oppression?
You are wanted for stealing from the High Prince of Mza.”
“I stole myself—I was one of the future wives of the
prince. His property. I couldn’t do it. I—I had to be free.”
“You were his…property?” He asked; his eyes still on her
image in the reflector.
“Yes.”
“But Union would never deal with a leader that allows that,” Nathaniel said.
“Scan me. I am telling the truth.”
“I don’t need to.” They entered hyperspace. Nathaniel
took in a deep breath and turned to her. Even just looking at her facial tics,
he could tell much about her. That and he had observed her for months now. Her
heart was pure. Yet, she broke the crimes of her land. It was his duty to abide by
the laws of the land…or was it? What if the laws were unfair? He decided to
change the subject. “You need a new starter.”
“What?”
“Your car. It needs a new starter.”
“Okay, you take me back and I will get one.”
He shook his head. Her face screamed desperation. “I
am not just a cadet from earth. I am the highest-ranking officer from earth. I
mean…there are only two of us, but that is not the point. I can’t allow rogue
aliens to come to my planet and do as they please….”
Tears came.
Bwahahaha! What
kind of criminal cries? Deragon’s voice rang in his head.
“Shut up,” Nathaniel said.
“I didn’t say anything,” Katra said through crocodile
tears.
“I wasn’t talking to—never mind. Maybe I should talk
to the king on your behalf?”
She brightened but then her smile dulled. “But surely
he will see you as a child. He may even—please, just take me somewhere and let
me go.”
“No. I have rules to follow. Besides,” Nathaniel said.
He paused. “Let’s just say that no matter my age, my name still carries weight.”
He pressed a button and typed furiously on his keyboard. “But I will have
a friend meet us there. He is exceptionally smart by Datrevian standards.”
She nodded. “No matter what happens…. I thank you for
believing in me.”
“Meh. You took up for me when the other students
teased me. Not that it was necessary, but the gesture was the kind of thing a
nice person would do.”
“Why did you pretend to stutter?”
“I was undercover. Moreover, I was not pretending. I
used to stutter all the time. It is easy to slip back into it.”
“I couldn’t stand seeing them tease you like that. And
yet you seemed unmoved by their teasing.”
“I don’t have to stutter, but even if I did, what
others say wouldn’t matter. I know who I am, I have people that I care about
and that is all I need.”
Do you, Savant?
Deragon said.
He heard a roar of laughter in his head. He formed the hand signal for
stop and Deragon’s voice disappeared.The next issue will post a week from today!
Please, feel free to comment below and follow me on Google and Twitter @ Frank_D_Rogers You can buy my scifi novel @amazon or here.
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