Kael looked at the control screen in front of him and realized they weren’t going to make it. The ship had come out from the black hole somewhat damaged and at an uncontrollable speed. They would never survive entering planet Earth’s atmosphere.
“We have to abandon ship,” he informed his friends. “It’s not going to make it,” he explained, jumping out of his chair. They only had a couple of minutes before the total destruction of the ship.
“Are you sure?” Nezir asked, startled.
“Ask questions later, Nezir. We have to leave now.” The urgency in his tone finally convinced his friends, and they jumped out of their seats to follow him to the escape pods. “Try to stay together and in touch as much as possible. It’s going to be a rough landing, so be prepared,” he shouted as he ran through the hallways.
“What if we get separated?” Gaend yelled back.
“You all have the coordinates we were given before we left home. Do your best to get there. Good luck,” Kael yelled back, entering his escape pod and sealing it.
He didn’t press the escape button until his friends had abandoned the ship. As the captain, he believed it was his duty to see to his men’s safety, and he hated sending his men out there without knowing exactly what they were facing.
The last readings he had gotten from the planet they were heading to, had nothing to do with the stories his mother had told him throughout his life. It was as if they were arriving at an entirely different planet.
Once the last escape pod left the mother ship, he pressed the escape button too, and his pod was thrown out into the atmosphere. Only a few seconds later, the mothership exploded into a million pieces, and the massive wave of the explosion scattered all pods in different directions.
Kael wasn’t even able to see the rest of the pods, to establish their position. That would have helped him estimate their trajectory, but before he knew it, he was all alone, crossing the planet’s atmosphere at high speed.
For a moment, he thought the pod wasn’t going to resist the pressure, but the extra speed proportioned by the blast took him faster across the atmosphere and directly into some woods on the surface. That was the last thing he saw before the impact and losing consciousness.
Having no idea how long he had been out, Kael checked his vitals, making sure he was alright, thankful he didn’t have any severe wounds that would require medical treatment.
He was about to move when he heard someone outside the pod. Unable to establish if whoever was out there, was friendly or not, he kept his eyes closed and didn’t move an inch.
The person moved around the pod, thoroughly examining it, and a few moments later, it was no surprise that the person was able to open the pod. It had a security lever on the outside that allowed any person to open it in case of an emergency. He should have secured it as soon as he regained consciousness, but he had forgotten.
He scented the person approaching him, and he was immediately able to tell it was a woman. She used a delicate floral perfume that made him think of his mother. But the moment the woman reached out for his neck, he felt suddenly apprehensive and his whole body stiffened alert.
His clawed hand jumped up and grasped the woman’s wrist, strong enough to make her protest.
“I’m only trying to help,” the woman said, in a soft tone, stilling her hand to let him know she was no threat to him.
He opened his grey eyes and looked at her. “Who are you and where am I?” he asked in flawless English, apparently, surprising her.
“My name is Gwendolyn, and you’re in Penllergare Valley, Wales,” she replied, still using the same calm tone.
She was a very old person, judging by her white hair and the wrinkles on her face and hands, but he couldn’t know for sure. He was probably older than her, but his race didn’t age the way humans did.
“Wales, as in Great Britain, Wales?” he asked, trying to remember all he knew about the planet.
“I have no idea what you mean by Great Britain. We’re on a big island, divided into three nations, Wales, Scotland, and England,” she explained, slightly tugging at her hand.
Could it be possible the black hole had made them travel back in time? He remembered clearly his mother mentioning Great Britain and one of his aunts was born in England.
“Would you mind releasing me? I’m no threat to you,” she asked, with a warm smile, cutting his train of thoughts.
“Yes, of course,” he released her and watched her take a step back. She didn’t look scared, so he guessed she was only giving him room.
“Who are you and where are you from?” she asked curiously, looking at him and surely realizing how different he was from the men she was used to seeing.
“My name is Kael, and I’m from Zuvrak,” he said, unbuckling the seat belts and hopping out of the device.
She let out a sigh. “I’ve never heard of such a place, but I’ve never left Penllergare Valley, so that’s not that surprising,” she admitted.
“My vessel was seriously damaged on the trip here, and we had to abandon it,” he explained, rubbing his ridged forehead, finding some blood in it.
“You have a small scratch there. Nothing to worry about,” she told him, smiling.
“I know, my people heal quickly,” he informed her, looking around.
They were surrounded by trees and bushes, and there didn’t seem to be anyone around. He worried about his men and wished he had a way to contact them.
“Were you alone on your vessel?” she asked, looking around.
“No, I was with three other men, but the escape pods went in different directions when the main ship exploded. I have no idea where they might have landed,” he explained.
“So, you’re alone? This isn’t a good place to be on your own. We’re raided by some nasty creatures almost every day, and you would have trouble fighting them on your own,” she warned him.
He considered telling her he didn’t fear any creature, but that would sound arrogant and probably inaccurate since he had no idea what kind of creatures she was talking about. This clearly wasn’t the place his family had described to him, or at least, not the time.
He had to be prepared for anything.
“What do you suggest? Is there a place where I can stay?”
The woman looked at him, shaking her head. “I’m not sure, taking you to the village would be a dreadful decision. They would kill first and ask later,” she said, in a scornful tone. She didn’t seem to share the other villagers’ point of view.
“Why would they want to kill me?” he asked, frowning.
“Because you’re different. I can tell you’re a good soul, but they won’t. They will only see the claws on your hands, the ridges on your forehead, your size, and your strength. They will only see an enemy,” she explained.
“You didn’t,” he pointed out, intrigued.
“Let’s say I see more than just appearances, young man,” she said with a sassy smile.
“What should I do then? I have no intentions of fighting your people, but I will defend myself,” he warned her.
“Yes, that’s understandable, and that’s why I don’t want to put you in that position,” she replied, fixing the knitted shawl around her shoulders. “Why are you here?” she asked him.
Kael considered telling her the truth, but he finally decided against it. He had just arrived, and if he didn’t find a way to contact his home planet, he was stranded on this planet, probably forever. He had to investigate a bit more before he could confide in anyone.
“I’m on a reconnaissance mission for my people. I’m only here to observe,” he explained, telling her a half-truth.
She sighed and looked at the skies above them. “We need to get out of here as soon as possible. I have no idea who else saw you crash,” she explained. “Staying here any longer might be dangerous, for both of us. You can come with me, for now. I live just outside the village, and not many people visit me, so you should be fine there, at least, until you decide what to do,” she offered.
Kael looked around, trying to scan the place for danger, but he was unable to detect anything. He should be fine on his own. Based on the information he had about the planet, there should be no species that could be a threat to him, but, considering the inconsistencies he had noticed so far, perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to accept the old woman’s help. At least, until he learned more about the place he was in.
“I’ll go with you, thank you.”
She nodded and looked around. “Is there a way you can hide this thing?” she asked, pointing at the device he had been in.
“I should be able to unless the crash damaged the camouflage function,” he replied, walking towards the pod.
“Then, do it. I really want to leave, now,” she urged him.
He peeked inside the pod, retrieved a survival backpack all pods were equipped with before he pushed a button. In a blink of an eye, the pod closed up and became invisible. No one would find it unless they bumped into to it, and even if they did, they wouldn’t know what was there.
“It’s done.”
“Will you be able to find it again?” she asked, astounded by what he had just done.
“Yes, of course. I’ve memorized the coordinates to this place,” he assured her.
“Good, let’s go then before we get unwanted company.
Despite the woman’s age, she walked fast, and soon they were far away from the crash site. The woods around them reminded him of the woods back home, though the trees were a lot smaller here. The air was fresh and cool, and he took a few deep breaths, relishing it after so many weeks locked up on the vessel while he traveled here.
Recycled air was never the same. Kael always went to the mountains every time he returns from a mission, to replenish his lungs with fresh air and recharge his batteries.