Shifter | Chapter 2 – Thes-Omatz
PLEASE NOTE: I'm publishing chapters 1-3 of my novel Shifter to crowdsource funding for the full novel. If you're interested in supporting my efforts, the link is at the end.
You can read Chapter 1 here
Eli-Fian stared out the window of her room as she listened to an audio book in her father's synthesized voice. She was entering young adolescence, and—although she noted she had some disdain for her father's and mother's presence, she found she grew strangely homesick out here in deep space. The Thes-Omatz was “sturdy,” as her father Xel-Na described it. The vessel was so sturdy, in fact, it had had been within ten thousand kilometers of Bursin-Lee without any heat damage; and during a mission in the year 31,427 when it lost com contact, the crew was still able to survive for five months until they were found and rescued. Xel-Na often denied her requests to travel with her mother Zomi-Kai, but he finally gave in after Eli-Fian told him she would be on the Thes-Omatz.
The approval process did take some pulling of strings. It helped that Xel-Na was on the Chair of Discovery. Governance (at least Vek-Gozen governance) restricted children from joining their parents on missions. Eli-Fian found it difficult not to brag to her friends when she received official approval from Governance for the Thes-Omatz. Most of her friends weren't interested in space, so her excitement in sharing the news was mostly met with indifference.
But Eli-Fian didn't care. For her, this was a prime opportunity to get away from at least one parent. Although she and her mother were on the same ship, they only occasionally saw each other. Eli-Fian got plenty of alone time: she worked on her schoolwork, became a curious pupil with other researchers, and even made a new friend—a boy named Men-Laki (though he was several years younger than she was).
Soon growing bored of the audio book, she turned it off, then took a walk along the hallways.
She then came across Men-Laki playing in the hallway, bent over a toy vehicle. He was poised in a sprint position, eyes fixed on the end of the hallway. Many workers passed by him, some scowling at his antics, others amused by the childish diversion.
Eli-Fian silently tiptoed up behind him and grabbed his torso. “Surprise!”
Men-Laki shrieked and whirled around. “Eli-Fian!” he cried, then turned back to the vehicle, narrating his imaginative scenario he'd created. “I have to get to the end of the river before Sel-Lol and his men destroy the bridge.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. You see, Sel-Lol has kidnapped my mother, but he doesn't know that I have this rover that goes really fast.”
“Oh, a rover,” Eli-Fian said. “It sounds like you really prepared!”
“Yeah, but that's not all! This thing has blasters! Big ones! I just have to run really fast down there and kill his men before it's too late!”
Eli-Fian bent down. “You'd better hurry!” she said excitedly.
“I need some help.”
“Here, let me help. I run really fast.”
“Okay,” Men-Laki said. Then, once Eli-Fian was in position Men-Laki cried, “Go!” Both she and Men-Laki joined forces to race the vehicle down the hall. Then, reaching the end, Men-Laki created sounds of explosions. Eli-Fian laughed, injecting reactions of “Oh! Wow! Oooh!” Finally, ecstatic that he won, Men-Laki jumped up and down excitedly. “We did it! We did it!”
“Daughter!” The sharp scold came from her mother. Eli-Fian whirled around in surprise. Her own mother, Zomi-Kai, was glaring at her. Eli-Fian flushed.
“What did I tell you about playing in the hall?”
“I'm sorry, mother. Men-Laki looked like he needed someone to play with.”
“The halls are work areas. If you want to play, we've set up a play area on the 4th level for children. I'm not going to ask you again.”
“Sorry, mother.” Eli-Fian turned to the boy. “Men-Laki, you know where the play room is—you have to stop playing in the hallway, okay?”
He nodded, holding the toy close to his chest.
“I'll play with you later,” she said. She pointed down the hall and gently guided him away. Men-Laki left, leaving Eli-Fian with her mother.
Now that the reprimand was over, Zomi-Kai changed her tone. “Nez-Gami said you can sit in on his research. He's not working with radiation today so you should be safe.”
Nez-Gami! Eli-Fian tried to hide her excitement. “Thank you, mother.”
“Have you thought about dinner tonight? Any interest?”
Her mother often invited her to dine with her. Besides now wanting more independence (despite her mother's attempts to connect), Eli-Fian still did not understand the draw of sharing meals on long space flights. She knew crews did it all the time, but it just lacked the romance that made her enjoy it back on her home planet of Un-Rofo. Something about the sometimes-heated, nearly-flavorless food packets made shared meals feel more like a test of will than anything remotely relaxing.
Eli-Fian declined Zomi-Kai's invitation. “No thank you.”
“Alright. Remember, if you need anything, just let me know. You can always reach me on coms.”
“Alright.”
Eli-Fian continued down the hall, beaming with delight at the prospect of spending the day with Nez-Gami. Since her father was the Chair of Discovery she sensed most of the people on board the Thes-Omatz simply tolerated her, but Nez-Gami was different: he took a liking to her insatiable curiosity, going so far as to show her things he normally wouldn't be allowed to show anyone else. Plus, she was reaching the age when she began to notice a peculiar attraction toward men, and Nez-Gami was a man to whom she felt a particular attraction. She didn't know what it was—perhaps his kind eyes, or perhaps the way his sandy hair fell over his face when he was concentrating. Nez-Gami did have a partner back on Un-Rofo, and she'd always respect that—but she couldn't help but enjoy spending time with him.
Upon entering his lab she saw trays already set up. In them were plants—nakata— in various stages of growth.
Nez-Gami turned and greeted her. “Hey, Eli-Fian. Just in time. I took these out of the nursery and am running tests on them right now. I could use some help.”
“How so?”
He handed her a small stencil probe. “I just don't have the fine dexterity to probe the soil chemical composition. Normally I'd be here all day doing it.”
Eli-Fian took the stencil probe. It felt heavier than she expected. Now that she thought of it, she noticed it wasn't just the pen that was heavy, but that she herself began to feel heavy walking over here. “Not sure how good I'll do either. I'm feeling a bit sluggish this morning.”
Nez-Gami gave a playful smile. “Having too much fun last night?” He chided.
Eli-Fian chuckled. “Pfft! Hardly.”
“Alright, let's get these soil samples done. Have you ever performed a chemical probe before?”
Eli-Fian admitted she had not, so Nez-Gami walked her through it. She had to very delicately move around the soil, ensuring she moved through as much soil as possible without disturbing it too much. “We want to check the health of the naka, not kill it,” Nez-Gami stressed.
She and Nez-Gami worked in tandem, carefully reading the chemical make up of the soil. Eli-Fian kept hoping her sluggishness would wear off, but it never did. “I think I must be coming down with something,” she said.
“Actually, now that you mention it,” Nez-Gami said, “I'm feeling rather—um—heavy myself.”
Eli-Fian thought a moment. “Could Thes-Omatz be accelerating faster?”
Nez-Gami shrugged. “Maybe. But I don't see why they would.”
“Maybe we're behind schedule?” Eli-Fian suggested.
Nez-Gami was skeptical. “If we were behind schedule the mission director would notify us of a turnaround.” Indeed, they weren't past the turnaround point, so if they were behind schedule then the mission director would simply order a turn-around.
Nez-Gami let out a smile. “I'm sure it's nothing. They'd tell us if it was. So you're not ill?”
Eli-Fian shrugged. “I suppose not. Just tired from the increase in gravity.”
Nez-Gami perked up. “You know what that means!” He waved his hand in front of the plants.
Eli-Fian raised an eyebrow. “Gravity experiments?”
Nez-Gami nodded enthusiastically.
Nez-Gami and Eli-Fian switched up the experiments to record how the increase in gravity was changing the plants on a micro level. Throughout the morning and into the early afternoon Nez-Gami guided Eli-Fian through experiments, and even asked for some of her own ideas.
But suddenly the mentoring session halted.
Nez-Gami was scowling at his console.
“Is—is everything alright?” Eli-Fian asked.
Nez-Gami continued staring at his console for a few beats, then said, “The bulletin—it's concerning.”
“Bulletin?”
“It just came in.” He turned form his console. “Sorry, Eli-Fian. I think we'll have to stop for today. The mission director ordered an emergency meeting.”
“Can I join?”
He smirked at her. Eli-Fian's heart fluttered. “By the sound of the bulletin I don't think it's the kind of meeting you'd want to join.”
“But can I join anyway?”
Nez-Gami nodded, standing up. “Alright, come on.”
They walked to a central meeting room on the 3rd level. Eli-Fian had only been in here once, for an introductory safety briefing for crew's family right before official departure. As Eli-Fian scanned the room, she noted that everyone looked tense and concerned. Zomi-Kai came in, too, and sat next to Eli-Fian. Next to Zomi-Kai was the director, Jem-Sati. Zomi-Kai was asking him questions in a hushed, sharp tone—Eli-Fian couldn't make out what she was asking, but she got the sense Jem-Sati wasn't telling her much.
Finally, Jem-Sati cleared his throat. “Many of you saw the bulletin. I didn't want the information to get out too quickly for fear that the entire crew would panic. And as you may have noticed, we did increase Thes-Omatz acceleration. The reason—we're being pursued by a small militant group.”
A collective gasp fell over the room. A militant group? Who was it? What enemies did they have that could pursue them? Eli-Fian leaned in to her mother to ask her, but someone interrupted.
“Are they going to pass by?” While it was often considered impolite to interrupt the mission director, in a meeting like this, interruptions were indulged.
“Unlikely. They were pursuing our vessel at 1.1G. When we accelerated to 1.2G, we found they accelerated to 1.3G. They have the full intention of overtaking us.”
Everyone started murmuring.
I knew it! Eli-Fian thought. That's why she felt so weak today. The change was very slight, but she noticed. If the situation wasn't so dire she'd tease Nez-Gami about it later.
“Can't we go faster?” someone asked. “Outrun them?” Others quickly chimed in with their own suggestions.
The mission director raised his hand to call for order. “Doctor Xana-Mai says we can safely accelerate to 1.8. However, my team has concluded since they immediately accelerated when we did, they have trained for this kind of pursuit. This wasn't the first time they overtook a frigate.”
Even more murmurs. Jem-Sati had to raise his hand again.
“At this point we cannot determine who is behind the group. We only discovered them after our communications director could not send any messages back to Un-Rofo—or any station for that matter. He found they were jamming outbound coms.”
“Are they pirates?” someone asked.
“Unlikely. Their formation is well-organized. Their vessels appear to be well-equipped with advanced weaponry and shielding. They do not bear any indication of a nation-state nor a planet-state, so we theorize they are an independent group. However, since they are not pirates, we're at a loss for what they might want. We've tried initiating contact many times, but our attempts have gone unanswered.”
Eli-Fian couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked at her mother who was watching the director with rapt attention.
“What recourse do we have?” someone asked. “We don't have anything to fight back with.”
“We're working on a plan. I have a team that is preparing some of our cargo to jettison when the fleet gets too close. If it all goes according to plan, the cargo might be a deterrent. While Thes-Omatz should be safe during this operation, we'll notify the crew when we'll deploy. When we do, everyone must be in emergency seating.”
“What if the cargo plan fails?” Zomi-Kai asked. “Do we have another plan?”
Jem-Sati winced: he was obviously not thrilled about his backup plan. “We've asked security for additional strategy. They're working on one. It's not much, we do have weapons on board. If they board, we can use weapons. That might at least make them leave.”
Thes-Omatz did have light security detail, Eli-Fian knew; however, they were only there to resolve light squabbles or keep people out of restricted areas; they were not equipped to handle large-scale assaults like the one that was catching up to them.
“We have escape pods,” someone noted. “With coms jammed, can't we take them back to Un-Rofo?”
“No. Un-Rofo is too far away. And in any case, the only thing the escape pods would do is create more targets for our adversary. If anything, they are more useful as debris.”
“How about maneuvering Thes-Omatz to avoid being boarded?”
“We considered this, but no one on board has that kind of training,” Jem-Sati said. “The kind of G-forces involved would result in unconsciousness for even the strongest of our navigators. Even if we could, there are seven of them, and they're small and nimble. They will be able to outmaneuver us. And even if they couldn't initially outmaneuver us, they could just as easily take out our engines while keeping the hull intact. And since they have yet to launch any type of arsenal, we conclude they want us—or the vessel—intact.”
People began asking more questions, and Jem-Sati answered as many as he could, but, in the end, Jem-Sati simply repeated what he'd already said: that they were sitting yagashta without any hope of rescue.
The meeting continued, but Eli-Fian found her mind was racing. She was trying to process all this information, but it was too much! The more Jem-Sati spoke, the more Eli-Fian felt ill. She'd envisioned this mission would be a chance to do something different—to escape the monotony of school, to explore deep space, to have stories to tell when she got back. She never imagined this mission with her mother might be their very last.
She thought about her friends back on Un-Rofo: she wouldn't be able to see them again!
Then, a wave of guilt washed over her as she thought about Xel-Na, her father. She got into an argument with him the night before she left, and she wanted so desperately now to say she was sorry, to say how much she loved him. She wanted so badly to send him a message, but with the coms down, that just wasn't possible.
As she sat next to her mother for the remainder of the meeting, her mind went wild, thinking of all the horrible things that could happen to them. They could all be executed, lined up one by one—or sent as a group—into the inner chambers, only to have the outer door opened. Then you'd look out at the emptiness of space as you're trying desperately to gasp for the air that wasn't there—gasping and gasping until your vision turns white, you lose all sense of self, and soon and your lifeless body would float into the dark void along with everyone else, never to be collected, never to be remembered.
She shuddered at the thought.
Or maybe the pursuers were a militia looking for more soldiers. And they'd raid the vessel, stealing all the research equipment; rape the women, kill the men, and steal the young boys, brainwashing them into serving for their own twisted endeavors.
No matter where her imagination went, it always ended horrifically.
And this wasn't just a hypothetical situation they talked about in the initial briefing or in school—this was real, this was inevitable. This free air they were breathing right now was going to run out one way or another.
When the meeting ended, Eli-Fian kept close to her mother as they walked through the halls. She desperately asked her, “What's going to happen?”
“I don't know.”
“I don't want to die.”
“I know, Daila,” she said. “I know. I'm scared, too.” Her mother looked deep into her eyes. “But you have to be strong, okay? Keep your head up. We can't do anything to change the situation, but we can choose how we respond to it, right? They may capture us, they may take us, they may kill us, they may do any number of horrible things to us. But, Daila, when the do...we'll go into it with our head held high, right? We'll make your father and the nation-state of Vek-Gozen proud.”
Zomi-Kai's words strengthened her. Sometimes Eli-Fian felt Zomi-Kai was too strict; however, during times like these, Zomi-Kai's zealous confidence was the only thing in which she found courage.
Eli-Fian, in an answer to her mother's challenge, stood tall, squared her shoulders, and gazed confidently right back into her mothers eyes.
Zomi-Kai smiled warmly. “That's my daila.
“Now, I'll have to join the crew to plan our defense, I think it's best if you stay in your room. I'll give you updates.”
Stay in my room! Eli-Fian thought, And imagine all the horrific ways I'd die? “I want to stay with you.”
Zomi-Kai sighed. She relented, recognizing that sometimes her daughter could be just as persistent as her father. And in any case, Zomi-Kai, thought, she didn't know how much longer she'd have with Eli-Fian: she wanted her remaining hours to be meaningful.
Later, Eli-Fian sat by the window in the command center, staring out the window. While she wanted to make the most of the last moments she had with her mother, and to tell her everything she'd had on her mind, she also recognized now was not the time: the Thes-Omatz crew needed Zomi-Kai to help ready the ship for what meager defenses they could muster. So, instead, Eli-Fian just remained in the command center with her, trying to distract herself with the audio book.
But her mind raced. She kept having to repeat sections of the book.
Their pursuers were behind them (below them from her perspective) but she heard whispers from others who had been down to the first level that they could make out individual ships, some even going so far as to say they saw the intimidating weapons the vessels were equipped with.
Eli-Fian tried not to listen to these conversations. She was already distraught enough as it was.
Then, she heard a chime go off in the command center. She looked over to Zomi-Kai.
“We're preparing to dumping the cargo,” Zomi-Kai told her.
“Can I watch?” she asked.
Zomi-Kai looked to her subordinate, who nodded approval. Eli-Fian got up from her seat and joined Zomi-Kai at her console. They both strapped themselves into the chair, and Zomi-Kai brought up a 3D holo display of the Thes-Omatz being pursued by the fleet of seven ships. Eli-Fian saw that even though they were much smaller than Thes-Omatz, they had weapons far superior to anything she'd seen. Her body felt weak. No, no weakness! she thought. her mother was relying on her. She had to stay strong!
Zomi-Kai then zoomed out to get a view of Thes-Omatz. There were a few more warning alarms sounding in command. “Jettisoning cargo,” someone said.
Eli-Fain watched the display. Small tracker dots emerged from Thes-Omatz' cargo bay, then fell downward, no longer accelerating with the Thes-Omatz. She and her mother watched breathlessly as the debris began drifting toward the pursuing fleet.
“Trajectory indicates at least a few will be hit,” someone reported. “If the fleet stays on course, that is.”
But they did not. The ships moved to evade the debris. Eli-Fian felt a pang of desperation. Come on! They had to do something!
The debris soon reached the fleet. While all ships made an attempt to avoid collision, she noted two ships disappeared from view. “One hit!” someone announced, then, “Two hit!”
“Any more?” Jem-Sati asked hopefully.
The engineer who made the announcement shook his head solemnly. “They're free of our debris field.”
Eli-Fian counted the remaining ships. There were five. Thes-Omatz was still easily overpowered.
She stared at the scene before her: five ships, all with weapons, all with experienced pilots, overtaking a research vessel she and her mother were on. I'm sorry, Amanna, I can't be strong, she thought. “We're dead,” Eli-Fian moaned.
Zomi-Kai reached out and soothingly rubbed her daughter's back. “Sh-sh-sh....don't worry about that now, Daila. Keep a clear head.”
The moment was interrupted by Jem-Sati, calling for attention from the couple dozen crew members in the command center. Jem-Sati ordered the ship to be set to 1.6G to buy them a little more time, but the pursuing fleet then accelerated to 1.62G. The next few hours were filled with intense, bitter debates. No one had a plan, but people kept suggesting half-baked ones that were no better than rolling dice. They had hours remaining before the fleet overtook them, and everyone was growing tired, frustrated, and desperate.
“There's no other choice,” Jem-Sati finally said. “We have to mobilize. We know this ship better than they do. Let's plan a strategic ambush to gain the upper-hand as quickly as possible.”
The crew then went through floor plans, quickly devising choke points and other strategically advantageous positions. One by one people formed teams and discussed their strategy. Although nobody seemed thrilled with any defense strategy, it was at least something.
“Does everyone know their assignments?” Jem-Sati asked.
Everyone nodded. Jem-Sati got up, groaning against the increased gravity, and opened the armory. “Other armories are located on decks 3, 5, and 7. In fifteen minutes I'll decrease acceleration to .9G so we can move faster. But when I do, that means our pursuers will be on us within minutes.” He began distributing firearms to everyone in the control room.
Zomi-Kai got up to grab a firearm. Eli-Fian quickly followed behind her, catching up to her to grab her arm. “Mother, what are you doing!” she hissed.
Zomi-Kai turned and held her daughter's cold and trembling hands. Her mother's strong facade fell and she spoke with a quavering voice. “They need everyone, daila. I have to.”
Eli-Fian's mind raced, trying to think of anything she could say to make Zomi-Kai stay. But nothing came to mind, and she had to admit to herself it was selfish anyway. Zomi-Kai held her hand another beat, then let go, turning to the other crew members.
Eli-Fian simply stood there in shock. It seemed so wrong—Zomi-Kai holding an energy weapon. She barely knew how one worked. How was she going to kill someone with it? If Zomi-Kai was volunteering to fight, then Eli-Fian had just as much right to as well.
And in any case, Eli-Fian thought, if she didn't join her mother, what else was she supposed to do? Sit in her room, only to cover her ears as the screams of terror from her friends and family rang out through the halls? No! She wouldn't stand for it!
Eli-Fian took a deep breath and approached Jem-Sati. “I want a weapon.”
Jem-Sati stared at her in surprise.
Zomi-Kai's mouth fell open. She sputtered, “Eli-Fian, no, you don't have to—”
“You said you need everybody,” Eli-Fian told Zomi-Kai. “I'm everybody.” That's the best reason Eli-Fian could give. It must have been enough, because Zomi-Kai reached into the armory to grab the one of the last three remaining weapons. Once Eli-Fian hefted the firearm, Zomi-Kai relayed how to use it.
Everyone had their assignments and posts. Before moving out Jem-Sati gave a ship-wide announcement of a slowdown. “Decreasing to point nine Gs,” Jem-Sati said. Holding the weapon in one hand, Jemi-Sati worked the controls with the other to decrease acceleration. Within seconds, Eli-Fian felt lighter. Others started hopping in place and walking around, testing the limits of the lightened gravity.
Eli-Fian glanced over at Jem-Sati. They met eyes, and he regarded her with heavy regret. Eli-Fian sensed how he must have felt—sending a girl in as a soldier. But Jem-Sati cleared his throat, nervously entreating the teams for another ask. “I still need volunteers to join me by the entrance.”
The room fell silent. “By the entrance” meant the entrance to the docking port—the door by which the enemy would enter. It would be the location the enemy would be most prepared, so the location Thes-Omatz would receive the most casualties. The meaning of “the entrance” was clear: he was asking for volunteers for a suicide mission. Everyone looked around the room, hoping someone else would answer the call.
“Anyone?” Jem-Sati urged.
Zomi-Kai took a deep breath. “I'll go.”
“I will as well,” someone else said.
Three more volunteered to fight by the entrance. That was a team of six so far.
Eli-Fian considered joining another team. That would mean she'd be away from her mother; if she did that, how could she live with herself? No, she had to stand and fight by her side. She swallowed and said, “Me, too.” Zomi-Kai shot her a look, but didn't try to squabble.
“We have five minutes,” someone announced. “Get into position now!”
Everyone raced out of the command center and down the hall. The docking port was on the same level as the command center, but it was on the other side of the vessel, and the team needed to be ready. The halls were chaos: everyone was running, yelling, jostling to get into position.
Eli-Fian reached for her mother's hand. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't dare hold her mother's hand, but these were not normal circumstances.
Suddenly, Eli-Fian heard a familiar voice.
“Where's my mother?”
Eli-Fian and Zomi-Kai whirled around to find Men-Laki standing in the hall, toy in hand. His brow was furrowed, his face etched with concern. Eli-Fian and Zomi-Kai exchanged glances.
“Where's your mother?” Zomi-Kai asked him.
“I..,” Men-Laki turned and trailed off, distracted by the chaos.
Eli-Fian thought quickly. She spoke to Zomi-Kai. “Wait wait—are the internal coms still up?”
Zomi-Kai nodded. “They should be.”
“Give a public announcement that Men-Laki has been found. I'll tell him to hide.”
Zomi-Kai looked around to get her bearings then spoke into her com, ensuring to relay Men-Laki's mother's name, and the location where Zomi-Kai is.
Meanwhile, Eli-Fian knelt down to Men-Laki and put a firm hand on his shoulder. “I want you do something for me, okay?” she asked.
Men-Laki nodded.
“Have you ever played the game 'find me?'”
He nodded.
“You'll be playing with your mother, okay? She's the finder. I want you to hide in this space right here.” She pointed to a small inlet in the hallway. “Only come out if she calls. Understand?”
Men-Laki nodded again. Following Eli-Fian's instructions, he hid in the inlet and turned back to smile for approval. “Yes! That's right! Good job, Men-Laki! Stay there until your mother finds you!”
Though Eli-Fian saw he wasn't really buying that this was just a game, she didn't have time to reassure him.
Eli-Fian stood to her feet and dashed the remaining meters toward the docking port. Her mother was already in position. Jem-Sati took a forward position about two meters from the door on the left-hand side. Zomi-Kai filed in behind another crew member on the right-hand side, and Eli-Fian knelt right behind her. She lifted her weapon and ensured it was powered and primed. And just in time, too: the ship echoed with the eerie sounds of a vessel being attached, secured, and opened.
“This is it,” Jem-Sati rallied, slowly lowering his weapon to point at the door. “Kill anything that comes through that door.”
Eli-Fian wondered if she truly was up for this. She was not soldier. Never imagined she'd join the military. Never imagined herself taking someone's life. But now she would have to. Everyone was counting on her. Would she be able to pull the trigger?
She wouldn't need to wait long. She heard a low hum, then a whoosh, a sound, she knew, which meant the inner chamber was being vacated of air.
Eli-Fian knew that normally the air pump process took about thirty seconds. But as she felt her heart thunder in her chest, the process seemed to be taking ages. It allowed more time to imagine. How many men were coming aboard? Were they tall? Short? Were they unarmored? Easy to kill? Eli-Fian was hoping they were. She reached out and held Zomi-Kai's hand one last time and squeezed. Zomi-Kai squeezed back.
Boots sounded from within the inner door. Several of them, and all of them heavy and marshaled.
Then came a series of deliberate mechanical sounds. The inner door being opened. Thes-Omatz was a research vessel: there was no need to install security on the doors; the only visitors would be manned missions to and from planets.
The mechanical sounds stopped. The hatch opened. From out of the hatchway emerged three imposing heavily-armed soldiers, weapons drawn. Those on the Thes-Omatz fired first, but the energy blasts simply hit the soldiers' armor, which quickly dissipated, rendering the weapons effectively useless. The deafening firestorm had just started. The enemy fired back, systematically taking out one crew member after another. They started with Jem-Sati then swiftly moved on down the line, each blast hitting its mark without delay.
Four Thes-Omatz crew members lay on the floor, dead. The three enemy soldiers stepped into the hall.
A man, unmasked, unarmed, wearing a black jumpsuit came on board. He was tall; physically fit; light-skinned; and bore dark, striking features.
Eli-Fian remembered she was holding a gun. That's when she noticed she hand't fired yet. Why not? The man was right there! Come on, Eli-Fian! Take it!
But she couldn't—her hands were frozen.
Looking to the other side of the hall, she spotted another survivor: a lone man, sweating profusely, gripping his weapon tightly in his trembling fists as he braced himself flat against the wall.
The tall unarmored man noticed all this, but didn't seem bothered.
The last remaining survivor took one last look at Eli-Fian, swallowed, then gave one valiant battle cry, darting from his hiding spot with surprising courage and bravery. However, ever so casually, one of the enemy soldiers raised his weapon and shot him point blank in the head. His body fell unceremoniously on the ground, brain matter covering the floor.
That was the end. Everyone was dead, except for Eli-Fian and Zomi-Kai. The man in the jumpsuit eyed her and her mother.
Come on, Eli-Fian. Kill him. Kill him! Eli-Fian told herself. But the man's gaze peered into her soul, taunted her fear. Her fingers would not obey. As much as she thought about her mother and father and friends at home, she could not will her muscles to move.
This has to be a dream. Please, please this has to be a dream! she prayed. But she could only close her eyes, huddling closer to the wall behind her mother, her amanna.
She looked up when she heard a soldier's boots come toward them. Eli-Fian sneaked a peek. The soldier then stood over Zomi-Kai. Her head was bowed, and she raised her hands above her head, her weapon still gripped in one of her trembling hands. “Please don't—”
“Drop your weapon,” the soldier barked.
For a while, Zomi-Kai's hands only shook more. Then, eventually, she opened her hand. The weapon clattered to the floor.
The soldier turned his attention to Eli-Fian. “You, too.”
He towered over her, and then trained the end of his gun at her. The air around the end of the gun still sizzled with heat, and she could smell the ozone of its previous discharge. Eli-Fian willed her hand to release the weapon. Her numb fingers didn't feel its release, but she heard the gun clatter to the floor.
Once the soldier retrieved the weapons, the unarmored man stepped forward, standing above Zomi-Kai. “Stand up,” he commanded. “Both of you.”
Zomi-Kai stood. Reluctantly, Eli-Fian did, too, and saw, for the first time, the scope of destruction. Five bodies lay in the hall. All of them friends she had known over the past three months. All of them gone forever.
The man snapped Eli-Fian out of her haze. “Who's the leader?” the tall man asked Zomi-Kai.
Zomi-Kai nodded toward the corpse of Jem-Sati. It took a second for Zomi-Kai to collect herself. Finally, she managed, “He was.”
“Who's in command now?”
Zomi-Kai looked around for any other survivors. Then she stood as tall as she could manage. “That would be...me, now,” she said haltingly.
The man stepped closer, keeping his eyes on Zomi-Kai. She inhaled sharply and tried to step back, but her back was already against the wall. Although his expression was stoic, he was taunting her with his position and power. His voice coming out clear and commanding, causing Zomi-Kai to shirk back in fright. “I am in command now. These are my orders: go through every single level on this ship, and get everyone out of hiding. Gather everyone—man, woman, child, and animal. Bring them to the storage room on level eight. Is that clear?”
Zomi-Kai's lips were moving, attempting to form words.
Growing impatient, the man powerfully slammed his fist against the wall; Zomi-Kai and Eli-Fian jumped. “Answer me!”
“Yes! Yes! Everyone to the storage room on level eight! Don't kill us! Please!”
The man nodded to his guards. “Let's get set up. Now.”
Zomi-Kai collapsed to her knees. Eli-Fian knelt down to support her. “Amanna!” she cried.
More soldiers entered, carrying crates and other equipment. They walked past Zomi-Kai as if she wasn't even there.
Zomi-Kai put her hand on Eli-Fian's shoulder. “It's alright Daila. I'll be alright.”
“What are we going to do?”
Zomi-Kai shook her head. “I don't know, Eli-Fian. I'll think of something.”
Eli-Fian was out of options. She was out of strength. Out of courage. And now her own mother—the sole person she turned to for strength—could barely stand? You should have killed the man when you had the chance! Eli-Fian scolded herself. You had the shot, you should have taken it! Why didn't you! Eli-Fian began weeping, her apology coming out in incoherent sputters: “I'm sorry I didn't shoot—I—I couldn't. I froze. It—it—”
“Don't worry about that now, Eli-Fian,” Zomi-Kai said. She and the unmasked man exchanged glances as he passed by. Then, to Eli-Fian, she added, “Keep your head clear. You'll need it.”
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