Chapter 12
Commander Trent Qoln
“They’ve disappeared over the line,” my squad teammate said as we chased the Waysaw speeder.
“Don’t pursue them over the line. They are back in Waysaw territory. Head back to the base to report and gather a larger patrol, just in case there is a larger attack coming. I am going to check out where they landed to see what was so interesting there,” I said.
“Copy that, Commander,” he said.
I turned my speeder around and drove out toward the rock ledge where I saw the Waysaw speeder parked. But as I got closer, I noticed another speeder emerge from it. “What the hell?” I said.
I recognized it immediately as a Grantsion speeder. There were no others out on patrol, and I had just sent the only other speeder on patrol back to the base. So who the hell could be in this speeder and meeting with the Waysaw?
I pushed my speeder to top speed going directly after it as it made its way back toward base. This was not good. Did this speeder have a Waysaw as its pilot in disguise in a Grantsion speeder? This could be very dangerous. I had to catch up to it. I noticed it was flying clumsily and maybe even unaware of my presence.
“There you are. Now let’s see who you are,” I said as I caught up to it. I came up on the side of it and looked into the glass. I was shocked, as was the pilot at seeing me.
“Malaya?” I said as I looked at her piloting the speeder. I gave her an angry look and gestured for her to go back to base. She nodded, and I followed her closely. What the hell was she doing speaking to the Waysaw?
She finally landed outside the village. I landed beside her and stomped over to her. I opened the door and yanked her out by the arm.
“Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?” I shouted.
Tears fell down her cheeks. She was shaken. “I am sorry, Trent. I was just so angry. I wanted you to be with me, not with her. I am sorry for what I have done. I regret it now. Please don’t hate me. I could not bear it if you hated me,” she sobbed.
“What the hell are you talking about? What have you done?” I said in anger realizing that when she said she wanted me to be with her that she meant she did not want me to be with Samantha and that meant she had done something to harm Samantha. My blood boiled at her words. “Tell me now!”
“Samantha, she is pregnant,” she said.
I was in shock. Then a smile came across my face. “Pregnant? So I am going to be…”
“No!” Malaya said as she stopped crying. She was angry, and I saw the vengeance on her face. She wanted revenge and seeing me become excited about Samantha being pregnant snapped her out of her sobbing mess, and she became an angry Zenkian, full of hate.
“It is not yours, you fool,” she spat the words at me. I let go of her arm as her words sank in.
“What? How do you know this? If you don’t tell me everything now—”
“She was already pregnant when you found her. She is pregnant with Jenku Vade’s child,” she said angrily.
My heart skipped a beat. I felt everything fall away from me as her words echoed in my ears. Could it be true? She was his slave, and I knew what the Waysaw did with their human slaves. This was probably why she fled. I looked at Malaya. She had a smug look on her tear-strewn face as she watched my heart break. She was satisfied. Then I remembered that she had been talking to a Waysaw speeder. I grabbed her arm again.
“What did you do?” I said in restrained anger.
“I merely informed Jenku’s soldiers where he can find his future child,” she said with a tone that made my blood crawl.
“You have betrayed me, Malaya,” I said to her in hate.
“No, you betrayed me first. We were supposed to be together. That time under the waterfalls, when you kissed me. That was supposed to happen again. I know that you only needed time,” she said.
“This kiss? One kiss six years ago? That is what you are basing the murder of a female human on?” I asked in shock that she had held onto feelings for so long over a fleeting kiss when we were younger that I had not thought of since that day. “Did you think of that?” I said.
Her eyes widened as she looked at me in shock making her realize that she had not thought this through.
“I… I didn’t… I was so angry I just went straight to find a Waysaw, and…”
“Yes, you let your anger dictate your mind. Now this is on you. You have killed many Zenkian, your own kind, for your ego and bruised heart over a dream you have been holding onto for six years that was never real,” I said as I pushed her away from me letting go of her arm.
I grabbed a soldier walking by. “This is urgent. Inform the leaders that a raid is imminent by the Waysaw. Go now!”
“Yes, Commander!” he said as he ran off.
I began to walk off in the direction of the dwellings to find Samantha.
“Trent! Wait!” Malaya shouted at me.
“No. I have nothing more to say to you,” I said.
“But…”
“If you know what is good for you, you will remain out of my sight. Say nothing of this news, and I will keep your secret too, that you are responsible for this oncoming raid,” I said.
She was quiet, and I did not stay to speak with her any longer. I was raging. I had to find Samantha, and I had to find her now.
I barged into her dwellings.
“Tell me it’s not true!” I shouted at her as I got inches from her. I was shaking with rage. I could not stand the fact that the human I loved was carrying the child of my enemy.
“Trent. What is it?” she said as she began to shake in fear of me.
“It is true? You are with child?” I asked her as my chest moved up in down in my ragged breathing.
She gasped. “How did you know?”
“Malaya,” I said.
“I wanted to tell you. I couldn’t at first because I thought you would send me back to Waysaw. Then everything happened between us at the same time that this Earth agreement came up and I did not want to jeopardize the agreement. But I planned to tell you tonight, even if it meant losing your love,” she said frantically.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I shouted in rage. This could not be happening. The human I was in love with and would die for carried the child of my enemy.
“I am sorry, Trent. I hope that you can forgive me. If you cannot, I understand; just give me some time before you tell the others. I don’t know how to deal with this. It has been weighing on me,” she said.
“Time might not be something that you have,” I said.
“What?”
“Malaya told Waysaw scouts that you are here and that you arrived pregnant. Jenku will come for you. He will raid this place until he finds you,” I said.
“Oh my god,” she said.
“Yes, your god. Now stay here. I have to prepare the battalions. I hope that we can meet the oncoming Waysaw in the outlands and spare the raid on the village,” I said.
“But, Trent, what about us?” she asked.
“There is no us,” I said as I walked out, slamming the door. I had never been so pissed off in my life.