Urim
Urim had seen the battlebots with his own eyes. In pieces, they had been menacing enough, but once they stood completed, it was much worse. There were not many of them. There had to be a way to stop them. If the knights could get behind one, maybe they could cut wires or explode the inner workings. The battlebots could not cover all the knights at once. They could still win the war, but there would be many casualties on both sides. He wanted to be a good leader and do the right thing. The choices were more difficult than he had dreamed. How had his predecessors done it? Where did they find the knowledge and bravery they needed? Nabvan had once told him that courage came from a strong heart. If he listened to it, he would always do what was right. If a battle was lost, it was meant to be. You were victorious if you remained courageous and followed your heart.
The knights gathered around the ship. Urim stood tall in its doorway and declared, "War is imminent. The Pura will not back down. The human female has tried to negotiate with them. They will not listen. I know they look weak and childlike, but it is not them alone we must face. They have weapons that we do not. I have seen them. They are called battlebots. Sophisticated, handheld computers, like the ones that controlled the terrabots, are used to control the battlebots. They are huge and can destroy their enemies from afar. I have counted only five. Do not be downhearted. We can still be victorious. It will take more than swords to win. We must ready the foreign weapons. It is their use that will be our salvation. We must find a way to get behind the mechanical monsters and destroy their circuitry. Without them the Pura are helpless. Some of us will die in this war and not return home to our loved ones. We are warriors, Milisarian Knights. It is our honored duty to give our lives for our world. Win or lose, live or die, we will do what must be done to protect our species."
Urim watched his compatriots remove the foreign weapons from the ship. They were studying the workings of the odd weapons. All had been trained in their use but were still uncomfortable with anything other than a sword. Each of the knights was a personal friend. He could not imagine losing any of them. His heart told him the Pura had something bigger than the battlebots planned. They would not bet their lives on five mechanical giants. To give his knights the best chance of survival, he needed to know the Puras secrets. He must return to spy on their camp. It was a long walk, although he had found a shortcut between the mountains. He would leave immediately. The knights could prepare for war without him in attendance. He gathered a bag of supplies, told his second in command of his intentions, and started the long walk.
He pushed his worries aside and commanded his body to enjoy the exercise. The planet would be green in a few weeks. Crops were being planted by the colonists as fast as the land could be readied. He had warned them about the Pura, yet they courageously pressed on with their work. Families on all the worlds depended on these crops. The colonists were as brave as any trained warrior.
Urim stopped beneath a waterfall and let it wash away the dust and sweat that covered his clothing and face. The water brought to mind Josephine struggling in the cove. When he had seen her flailing arms, his heart had almost exploded. His legs could not carry him fast enough to her side. He had despaired of her dying before he could reach her. The fact that she wore no clothing had not even registered until after she was safe. He had just been relieved to feel her beating heart against his chest. She had clung to him, gasping for air and shivering with cold. It was her words that alerted him to her lack of attire. He had then realized that the softness under his hands was her skin. He had held her tighter in reaction, wanting to caress that skin. She had changed colors right in front of his eyes. He could feel the heat rise throughout her body. His heart beat faster as he remembered how the glimpse of her uncovered skin had affected him before she demanded he turn away. It had shocked him to the core when he discovered his attraction for a human. There were others on Milisaria, yet he had never longed to gather them close and press his mouth to theirs.
If Josephine was at the cove, she might be able to tell him of the Puras' plans. She had warned him of the battlebots. Or did her loyalties belong to the Pura? Had she just told him of the weapon in order to convince him to leave the planet? Perhaps he could trick her into telling him their plans. If he pretended the warriors were considering leaving the planet, she might use the plans to convince him it was a good idea. Urim could always act as if he already knew what the Pura were up to, and then she might elaborate. Neither option would work unless she came back to her hidden cove. What if she was not allowed to leave the camp? There was a chance they had found out about her speaking to him again and were now punishing her for it. Urim put his hand upon his aching heart. He did not want her harmed because of him.
He had been walking for hours and stopped to rest. The sun was rising, and it began to rain. He took shelter in a small mountain cave during the downpour. His pack held food and water, so he used the time to give his tired body much-needed nourishment. The rain did not slow, and he dreaded walking on the slippery mud the mountain was producing. An hour’s rest would not change the outcome of his venture. He settled back for a short replenishing nap.
Urim dreamed of war. Bloody bodies surrounded him. His warriors begged to be released from their pain. His sword rang out again and again against an unseen enemy. Josephine ran among the injured, mending those she could. Those she could not help, Urim put out of their misery. He saw the mouths of the dead move and say, "You could have stopped this." He awoke with a pounding heart, gasping for breath. Would these nightmares never end? Why did they all contain the same phrase? It was not possible to stop this war now. The knights were not cowards who backed down from battle. They stood tall and strong, proudly defending their planets. It was only his fear of failure that prompted the dreams, and the fear came from it being his first commanding position.
He ignored the dream. It meant nothing. The rain had stopped, and the sun was bright. The ground was still slick with mud, but he could not wait any longer. Time was not on his side. He gathered his supplies and set out.
Morning turned to afternoon as he pushed forward. To make up time for stopping during the rain, he began to jog. He spied a darkness coming over the farthest mountain. The rain must have moved to the Pura encampment. If it was a downpour like the one he had experienced, Josephine would stay in her shelter instead of coming to the hidden cove. He was embarrassed to realize how badly he longed to see her whether or not she told him of the enemies' plans. He could not let her distract him from his duty. Women were a luxury; war was a necessity.
Urim lost sight of the darkness as he came down the backside of the mountain. His heart told him there was an urgent need to hurry. If he did not, he would miss something very important. He changed his jog into a full out run. The ground was slippery and treacherous, but he could not slow down.
He reached the waterway and found a shallow spot with a rock shelf that would allow him to cross. He saw movement on the mountainside just above Josephine's cove. It had to be her. If she was leaving, he had to stop her. Urim plunged into the water. The mud on his shoes caused him to lose his footing. He fell hard on the rock shelf almost slipping into the deep swirling water. He clung tightly to the rock and tried to rise. He was dizzy, and blood ran into his eyes. He must have hit his head in the fall. Ignoring the pain, Urim crossed the water and entered the cove. Josephine was not anywhere to be found. Footprints went in all directions on the muddy ground. With his head throbbing, it took a moment to comprehend which direction the newest ones were going. They led to a tall set of rocks on the far side of the cove. Urim struggled to stay upright as he followed in their wake. Bits of mud smeared the rocks, giving him his next clue. He quietly circled the formation to find a better way up. A narrow trail between the two sets of boulders was his only choice. He squeezed his large body through the tight space and ended up on the very top of the formation. For a reason that he could not understand, Josephine was wedged in a small crevice.