Rafaroy received the message while they were in full combat with the Taucets. It distracted him for a few moments, and that distraction got him a wound on his arm, but he didn’t mind. The news couldn’t be better. Khajal had escaped.
The humans had announced he had died in combat and that they had disposed of the body as they always did, whenever one of them died: retrieving all the cybernetic parts and cremating the rest, before throwing the ashes to the garbage. Such treatment was indignant to the men that fought every day of their lives to free their planet from the Taucets’ plague.
But this time, they were just lying, the way they had lied when Jarcor had finally managed to escape.
According to the news Rafaroy received, Khajal had escaped and was now living in a Taucets’ colony, in the Rocky Mountains. Apparently, the blue bastards were planning to attack a small village, and Khajal wanted them stopped. They would have to find a way to send that information to the humans without revealing their source, but they felt bound to protect the innocent people from the village they mentioned in the message.
“Did you hear it, Raf? Khajal is fine.” The cheerful words of his friend Zandar came across their secret channel.
“Yes, I did, the best news in a long time,” he agreed.
“There’s hope for us, my friend, more than ever.”
“I know, I know…”
“Have you thought about a way to warn the humans about the impending attack?” his friend asked.
“Not yet, but I will don’t worry. If you get any ideas, please share.”
“Will do.”
By the end of the day, Rafaroy hadn't been able to come up with a convincing story, but fortunately, Ibracor had the perfect story.
“Commander Jones, we managed to intercept a few messages from the Taucets related to an attack to a small town in the Rocky Mountains,” he informed his superior officer, and though they received the report with concern, their reaction was not the one they had been expecting.
Instead of sending more soldiers to the small village, they ordered those in the village to retreat, setting a trap for the Taucets. They wanted the Taucets to attack the village and capture as many slaves as they wanted, so the Earth forces could follow them and find the location of at least, one of the Taucets colonies.
The cyborgs protested loudly, but they were blatantly ignored.
“Sometimes, we’re forced to make small sacrifices for the sake of a greater good, and this is certainly one of those times,” General Foster said in an ice-cold tone. “All the Taucets are looking for, by attacking this village, are slaves, so let’s give them the slaves, and in exchange, we’ll be able to follow them to at least one of their colonies and destroy it.”
There were still a few protests from the cyborgs before the General answered them by sending a wave of pain rushing down their bodies, using his main control to discipline them.
“Your opinions were not requested and mean nothing to us. You’re here to do your job, and nothing else,” General Foster reminded the warriors icily before he dismissed the men and returned to his quarters.
“I swear I’ll see him dead, preferably crossed by my weapon,” Zandar muttered as they returned to their quarters.
“Those are useless wishes, and you know it, Zandar. I’ll be the one having that pleasure,” Rafaroy ranted, through gritted teeth.
His friend let out a loud laugh that called the guards attention, and Rafaroy threw his elbow onto Zandar’s stomach.
That morning had started, as usual, Elena had sent Alanna to school, after reminding her, what to do and where to go in case of an attack. Then she had headed to the café like she did every morning. The past two days they had had fewer customers since the small contingent of soldiers watching over the town had been called to help a nearby village.
Elena had been very nervous about their absence and had devised a plan to get Alanna to safety in case they were attacked.
She told her sister she should escape and hide in an ancient mine, just outside town and stay there until she was sure it was safe to come out. She would try to meet her there as soon as possible. She also told her how to get to the nearest village in case she wasn’t able to join her sister.
Alanna had looked a bit scared, but Elena wanted to prepare the girl. She didn’t want her to fall into the Taucets’ claws. “You’re overreacting, Elena,” she had protested, but she hadn't paid attention. She needed her safe, that was all that mattered.
There was an awkward silence in town, and she felt a chill going down her spine as she opened the back door to her café. Johanna was already there, baking the pies she was famous for and Elena joined her in the kitchen, preparing a few other things she sold at the café.
She had just opened the doors for her first customer when the hell exploded outside. They were under attack.
Running, she left the café through the back door, heading to the school as fast as she could, but she quickly realized they were surrounded by armed Taucets.
She was about to reach the school when a group of them appeared in front of her, with their vicious weapons pointing at her, forcing her and all the other people on the streets to walk back to the center of town.
The Taucets took over the small town and its inhabitants so easily it was shameful. They had no means to protect themselves, and the enemy had taken full advantage of that.
They quickly gathered the people in the middle of the main street, separating women from men and children.
The desperate cries of the children were heartbreaking but there was nothing any of them could do.
Elena had tried to see Alanna in the group of kids being taken to the Mayor’s house, but it was impossible to spot her sister in the middle of the chaos. She was mad at herself for not believing her instincts but now it was too late to do anything about it, she was a prisoner of the Taucets, and if the stories people told about them were true, she would soon become a slave, along with all the women captured with her.
Tears of desperation ran down her cheeks when she was forced to board one of the Taucets’ vessels. She knew that she would never see her sister again and she couldn’t bear the idea. Like her, all mothers and sisters around her were going through the same agony, and though they had asked endlessly about the children, the aliens hadn't given them a straight answer.