Chapter 2
I led our small troop out into the hallway as we started to run back to my ship. Rayne fell into step beside me, Occana and Hemphy made up the middle, and Bob brought up the rear. The hallway itself was brimming with Lilacrons racing around the place like ants whose nest had just been flooded. Some of them were shouting and screaming in fear, while others had expressions of determination on their faces and were making a clear beeline for a specific place.
All manners went out the window, and I had to elbow my way through the crowd. I told myself that an elbow to the head was better than the Karaak coming to kill them, so I didn’t take much notice of who I pushed out of the way. It didn’t matter if they had a mild bruise if they weren’t gonna be alive tomorrow to feel it.
“Hemphy, are you still with us?” I asked the analyst over my shoulder.
“Yes, William Ryder,” Hemphy replied.
“Will is fine,” I said. “And I need you to do something while we’re gone.”
“What?” he asked.
“I need you to find the people who understand this technology to start working on weapons,” I said. “Whatever they can improvise from whatever you have on hand. In case we fail.”
“We won’t fail,” Rayne said.
“But there’s no harm in taking precautions,” I said. “Make this place a fortress if you can. And make sure someone is checking for more scout ships every second of the day. We can’t take the chance that one will slip through because the guy watching the screen had to take a bathroom break.”
“I don’t think they’ll listen to me,” he said. “I’m just an analyst, I’m not--”
“I don’t care if you’re a fly on the wall,” I replied as I turned to him and put my hands on his shoulder. “You’re people are at risk of extinction. If they aren’t listening to you, make them listen. Got it?”
“Yes,” Hemphy replied, and I actually saw the seed of strength start to grow in his eyes.
“Good,” I said. “I know you’ll do great.”
Rayne, Occana, Bob, and I took off running again, while Hemphy turned and disappeared down one of the other corridors, no doubt to get to work fortifying the Fermentum Colony. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so they needed to get started ASAP before the Karaak came back for a repeat of what happened on Lilacron.
It had been eerie to see the Karaak scout ship so up close on the screen. Of course, it had been a lot further away than it seemed, and the camera had simply enhanced and zoomed in on the image, but it still sent a shiver down my spine to realize they were so close. And now, here we were, running to meet them head-on instead of heading the other way.
“Will, are you sure that this is a good idea?” General Occana asked as we ran.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Shouldn’t we bring a fleet?” he said. “I know the ships aren’t as good as yours, but there is strength in numbers.”
“With all due respect, it would be suicide if anyone followed us in one of those ships,” I replied. “And I want to be able to follow that Karaak scout ship without having to worry about protecting another Lilacron one, and that’s what would end up happening.”
“You don’t--” the general started to protest.
“Besides, we’ll be harder to spot if it’s just one ship following them,” I cut in. “A whole fleet coming up behind them would be visible almost immediately. We wouldn’t stand a chance, and we’d lose any element of surprise we might have if we just take my ship.”
“Alright,” Occana replied. “I know you’re right. I just wanted to be sure you understood what you’ll be facing on your own.”
“Trust me, we know,” I said.
“Then I’ll do everything I can to make sure this mission is a success,” he replied. “Just tell me what to do.”
“I don’t tend to give orders,” I chuckled.
“He knows I’d just ignore them,” Rayne said with a joking smirk.
Occana clearly wasn’t sure if we were serious or not, so he just nodded as we stepped out into the hangar.
The hangar was just as busy, if not more so, than the rest of the colony. People were running around the place in every direction, and more than one Lilacron crashed into another as they tried to prepare for what was coming. A couple of Lilacrons were doing some final checks on my ship, while a few more were unloading the final stasis tube from the storage compartment.
Occana looked lovingly at the tube as they wheeled it past him toward the main part of the colony, and I wondered if he knew the Lilacron that was inside it, or whether he just cared so deeply about his species that the love was written across his pale, strong face.
I gave a nod of gratitude to the Lilacrons that had been checking over my ship, and then I jogged around to the rear and started to walk up the ramp. The final few Lilacrons exited my ship and ran past me. A couple wished me good luck, but I hardly heard anything anyone was saying.
This had all been a whirlwind since I’d left Earth, and I felt like I had been swept up in a tide that could drown me at any moment. At least I wasn’t alone in this fight. I had General Occana, who had so bravely agreed to come with us to save his people. I had Bob and Francine, my original partners in all of this and that I could trust with my life, and Rayne, of course.
I sort of wished that we’d had more time together away from all of this. I had agreed to take her with me from her home planet, Wildern, with a promise of a better existence. I wasn’t sure if I had fulfilled that promise, since I seemed to be leading her into deadly situation after deadly situation, but as I looked into her eyes, there was only excitement and exhilaration in them, and maybe a little nervousness, too.
She seemed happier than she had been on her radioactive, dog-eat-dog world, but I just hoped she would tell me if she stopped being happy and wanted to end our time together. She deserved a good life after the hardships she had faced, and I didn’t want to be the person to keep her from that life.
“Are you okay, Will?” she asked as we walked through the ship to the cockpit. “You’re staring.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I was just thinking.”
“About what?” she asked, her green eyes full of care.
“Are you okay with this?” I asked. “I realized I just decided that we were doing it and didn’t even ask you if you wanted to come. That wasn’t fair.”
“You did not ask me, either,” Francine commented through Bob, which made us both chuckle.
“Of course I’m happy,” Rayne replied. “Wherever you go, I’ll go.”
She smiled at me, I smiled back, and for a moment time stood still.
And then Occana marched into the cockpit and the moment disappeared again.
There was a small, fold-down seat in the back corner of the cockpit that I had never noticed before, mainly because it had only been me, and then me and Rayne, in the cockpit. But Occana made himself comfortable in the seat and strapped himself in while Rayne and I settled into our usual spots, and then I got the ship ready for takeoff.
The engine whirred to life and the thrusters kicked in as we started to lift off the ground. The Lilacrons had cleared out of the hangar, and I could see some of them watching through the windows in the doorway as I drove toward the airlock. It opened for us as we neared the massive doors, and then it closed behind us once we were clear.
A second later, the outer doors opened, and I shot out of the colony and into space. The dwarf planet quickly fell away until it was a speck behind us, and Occana watched it with a sad look in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking. There was a chance that he’d never see the colony or his people ever again, and we’d left in such a rush that he’d hardly had a chance to say any goodbyes.
“Did you have family back in the colony, General?” I asked.
“I had sleeping family on Lilacron,” he said with a dark tone. “But we all know how that turned out.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied.
“There is nothing to be sorry for,” he said. “One moment they were there in stasis with me, and the next they were gone. At least I was relieved of the pain of having to identify their bodies.”
I thought about the massacre I had seen on Lilacron and shuddered. I was also glad he hadn’t seen it. If that had been my planet with my people lying dead in pieces all over the rubble, I’m not sure I would have survived the heartache.
But I shook that thought away and focused on our mission. The Karaak ship was fast, and if we waited even a few more minutes to leave the colony, we might have lost them altogether. I had to push the engine to its limits just to keep the murderous, eel-like spacecraft within range of the ship’s scanners, but we’d caught a break since their folding engine still had to recharge.
“I think their ships are gross,” Rayne said after a while.
“Same,” I laughed.
“Yet, they are incredibly advanced,” Occana said from the back of the cockpit. “I have never come across anything like it in all my years.”
I made a mental note to ask him how long Lilacrons lived for, and if he’d been alive before all of his people went into stasis.
“And the Karaak themselves,” I said. “The way they’ve altered their bodies. At some point, you have to wonder how much of their original species are even left.”
“They seemed more robot than Karaak,” Rayne agreed. “Maybe that’s why they’re so ruthless. Maybe they took out the part of them that feels.”
“If there ever was a part like that in the first place,” I said. “There was this philosophical argument back where I come from. It’s called the Ship of Theseus. Basically, the idea is that there’s this boat, and over time, the owner replaces all of the parts until none of the original pieces remain. Is it still the same boat?”
“No,” Rayne said.
“Yes,” Occana said at the same time.
“That’s sort of what the Karaak make me think of,” I said. “How much of their actual species is left after they’ve finished taking parts out and adding bits in.”
“I don’t want to get close enough to them to find out,” Rayne replied.
“Good point,” I chuckled.
“They were clearly an intelligent species before technology got involved,” Occana said.
“Yes,” Francine said through Bob. “They had to have made the technology they now use in their bodies and the larger organisms they use as ships. The race would need to be extremely smart to create something like that. I am surprised it did not come to our attention sooner.”
“Well, that’s probably because the Karaak only show themselves when they’re on the verge of wiping out your entire planet and species,” I said. “And once they do that, there’s no one left to warn the rest of the galaxy about them.”
“Except for the scout ships that come a day earlier,” Rayne added. “It’s clever, really. Sending a ship a day’s jump away to scan the area, and when it’s done, it travels back to make its report. And then the motherships go and finish the job.”
General Occana cleared his throat, and Rayne and I grimaced. For a moment, we had both forgotten that it might have been a more sensitive subject for him than it was for us. I decided to move away from the topic for the time being, for his sake.
“I could eat a horse,” I said.
“I have no idea what a horse is, but me, too,” Rayne said. “Are you hungry, General?”
“I think you can just call me Occana, since we are a team now,” he replied. “And yes, I could eat.”
“Great,” Rayne chirped as she got out of her seat. “While Will flies the ship, I’ll get you something to eat.”
“Bob, can you go with them and make sure that Occana can eat what we give him?” I asked. “I don’t want to accidentally poison one member of the limited team we have here.”
Bob beeped affirmatively and tottered off toward the living compartment. Occana and Rayne followed him eagerly.
“Wait until you try this drink,” she said as they left the room. “Will calls it coffee. You’re going to love it.”
I chuckled to myself as I heard the door slide shut behind them. For the first time in a while, Francine and I were alone to talk. For a moment, neither of us said anything, since I was so focused on catching up with the Karaak spaceship. We sped past other dwarf planets and even smaller moons that were scattered around the place, and I took a moment to enjoy the beauty that space had to offer. It never ceased to amaze me.
“All of the planets in this system are dwarf planets,” Francine said. “As far as I am aware, none were inhabited by an intelligent native species, but there are a few small colonies similar to the Fermentum Colony with small populations of workers.”
“I wonder if any of them will be filled with refugees any time soon,” I sighed.
“They do seem determined to wipe out certain species,” Francine replied. “I had hoped to learn something on Lilacron about the logic the Karaak use, but unfortunately, that was not the case.”
“All we know is that they’re determined to finish off the Lilacrons for good,” I said. “And then they might turn on Earth next.”
There was another silence as the pressure of protecting my home and the billions of people on it resurfaced from where I had suppressed it.
“I believe we can stop them before it gets to that point,” Francine said.
“Let’s hope so,” I sighed as I looked at the scanner to see where the Karaak ship was up ahead. “I’m making sure I don’t get too close to them. Our radars are good, but we don’t know if theirs are better. I don’t want them to realize that we’re following them before we’ve come up with a plan to stop them.”
“The element of surprise is always helpful,” the AI agreed.
“Do you think they know we’re following them?” I asked.
“They may not be aware of us yet, but they probably will be soon,” the AI admitted.
“Brilliant,” I sighed. “I wish I had more of a plan, but I’m sort of acting on instinct on this one.”
“I wish I had instincts sometimes,” Francine said. “Being an AI means I can only make suggestions based on facts and statistics.”
“I wish I had more facts and statistics about the Karaak than I do,” I chuckled. “But you’re right. I’ve found that listening to my instincts and having gut feelings is a strength.”
“Speaking of which, I have noticed that the connection between you and Rayne has been growing,” Francine said mischievously.
“Jesus, subtle segue,” I laughed. “I guess we’ve been getting on, yeah.”
“I would argue that it’s much more than that,” Francine said. “As such, I consider it my duty to warn you that this ship may not be the right environment for offspring.”
If there had been something in my mouth I would have choked on it. As it was, I started to cough on some of my own spit.
“Offspring?” I protested when I could speak.
“Yes,” Francine said. “I am merely suggesting that you use protection of some sort to--”
“Please stop talking about that,” I groaned. “It was bad enough when I was thirteen and my mom gave me ‘the talk’. And anyway, we are a long way from anything like that.”
“I just mean that--” Francine began.
“Shh!” I hissed as I heard the door swish open behind me.
Rayne and Occana re-entered the cockpit, and the smell of coffee followed them inside.
“Whoa,” Rayne said as she noticed the awkward atmosphere. “Everything okay in here?”
“Yup,” I said a little too quickly.
“You’ve gone bright red,” she said.
“It’s nothing,” I replied. “I just need to put the AC on.”
I flicked a couple of switches and pretended to look busy, although I saw Rayne shrug at Occana before sitting back down in her chair.
“I made you a sandwich,” she said and passed me a plate and a cup with a lid on it. “And some coffee.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
I sipped on the coffee, looked down, and saw Rayne’s attempt at a sandwich, which made me chuckle. She had put the butter on the wrong side of the bread and had put in a huge chunk of cheese and about five sheets of ham. I realized she hadn’t actually made anything like this before, so for a first attempt, it wasn’t too bad.
I munched on one half of the sandwich absentmindedly as I studied the other ship’s trail. I was hoping I could pick up the pattern so I could find a way to cut them off in an ambush, but at the moment, the ship seemed to be content to move along the same path.
“What’s our plan, then?” Rayne asked. “Ambush them somewhere?”
“I mean, it’s probably best to do it around here,” I said. “Francine said this part of the galaxy is mostly filled with small colonies, so if they crashed somewhere, it wouldn’t cause too much damage.”
“That’s always a bonus,” Rayne said. “What are we gonna do when we catch up with them?”
“Kill most of them before they can get back to the mothership,” I replied. “In an ideal world, we would try and keep some alive to interrogate them about the Karaak’s plans, though I doubt they’d let themselves be taken easily. But I do want to take the ship in one piece. Maybe we could learn something from it as well.”
“Well, if anyone can do that, it’s you,” Rayne said and winked.
I found her unwavering faith in me touching, and I felt my cheeks start to turn red again. I had to distract myself, so I looked back up at the front screen, then at the scanners, and then I slammed the brakes on.
Rayne almost fell out of her chair, and Occana’s coffee slopped onto the floor of the ship. The general muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a curse word, but the translator didn’t provide me with an English equivalent.
“What are you doing?” Rayne asked as she put her seatbelt on properly.
“It’s the Karaak,” I said. “Look at the scanner.”
“They’ve stopped moving,” she replied nervously as she stared at the screen.
“What does it mean?” Occana asked.
“It means that they know we’re here,” I replied, and a sense of impending doom descended upon us like a plague.