CHAPTER 8: THE ATTACK

RAEDEN

 

I was having the most wonderful dream, only to wake and find that it wasn’t a dream at all. Alex sleeps soundly, her body soft as she breathes gently beside me. I pull the covers closer over us and breathe her in. She has this beautiful flowery smell about her, mixed with a charming hint of mechanical oil from the jobs she does around the ship. I’m about to drift back to sleep, when suddenly we’re jolted awake to a banging on the door.

Alex, disoriented, tears off the covers and throws on some clothes.

“What’s going on?” I ask. She shakes her head, unsure.

“Here,” she says, throwing me my clothes. I frantically change into them, and I barely have enough time before the door is thrown open, and several officials step inside.

“What the hell is going on?” Alex demands, but she’s grabbed by one of the officers. “Don’t touch me,” she shouts, trying to wiggle free from their grasp. “Don’t you know who I am?”

Before I can process what’s happening, I’m ripped from the bed and thrown face-first onto the ground. “Stop! You’re hurting him!” Alex cries. One of the officers steps forward.

“By the orders of the captain of the starship Cordelia, this Ventran will be taken to infantry and immediately sent to the surface of Ventra along with the rest of the Krillux army. Please, don’t make this harder than it has to be.” He says.

I look over at Alex, watching in horror as they place a pair of cuffs over my wrists.

“You can’t take him, and that’s a direct order,” Alex demands.

“Your authority is unauthorized during a mission from the space program, Ms. McKinley,” the head officer says. “We suggest you take any further complaints to the captain.” He then turns to the rest of his men as they gather around me.

“Take him to the drop-ships,” he tells them.

I’m yanked to my feet, with Alex screaming and fighting for them to stop.

“Raeden!” She cries, reaching for my hand. I try to break free from the cuffs, but it’s no use. Instead, I have no choice but to let myself be dragged into the hall. My last sight of Alex is of her running to the door, just as it closes in front of her. She bangs on it, shouting for me, and my heart breaks for the both of us. We never got to execute our plan, and I’m not sure we ever will.

 

When I wake up, I find myself on the floor of the Krillux’s main ship, the familiar noise and awful smell surrounding me. My chains have been taken off, and I can see that the Krillux are scrambling to prepare the drop-ships. Countless members are hovering around the entrances to the ships, suiting up, ready for what they believe is just a simple mining expedition. They’re all blissfully unaware that every single one of their lives is in danger, and I’m the only one here that knows.

In the crowd, I can see Rex putting on his helmet. I grab him by the shoulders.

“Hey! Little Mouse! Ready for the big drop-off?” He asks me. His smile suddenly fades when he sees the terror on my face. “Don’t tell me you’re going to chicken out,” he says. I look into his eyes with all seriousness.

“Rex, you have to help me tell the others,” I say. “We’re headed straight into a trap. The humans are going to extinguish us all once we reach Ventra’s surface.”

Rex ponders for a second; unsure of whether he should believe me or not. But he knows that I’m not one for pulling practical jokes. “Alright,” he says. “I’ll try my best.” We split up, trying to grab as many as we can, warning them of the impending danger we’re about to face. But most of them push me aside, laughing it off as if it’s a joke. Not all of them are as understanding as Rex.

Rex returns to me, with only a handful of soldiers willing to believe us. I tell them to get ready to leave, but it’s too late. We’re already being forced into the drop-ships. Rex gives me a terrified look as he’s pushed into a different ship to me. I look down at Ventra below us and pray that Alex is making more progress than I am.

 

ALEX

I’ve reached the bridge, where I know my father is waiting to issue the command to attack. I grab him forcefully by the arm, and his security team inches closer to me to stop me. Dad holds up a hand to them.

“I have nothing to say to you,” he says.

“You have to stop the attack!” I demand. “Thousands of people are going to die because of you!” He turns away from me, looking over his screens and buttons. “You’ve betrayed me, your own daughter,” I tell him bitterly. He turns to face me.

“I think you’re the one that’s betraying me, Alex,” he says. “Fraternizing with a Ventran when you know full well he could have compromised this mission.”

“How did you know about him and me?” I ask.

“I have my sources,” he says, looking across the room. I follow his gaze, to where I see Cal seated at his desk, a knowing smirk on his face. I don’t have time to take my anger out on him right now. I have far more important things to worry about.

“Dad,” I say, trying desperately to put myself on the same level as him. He looks at me with stern eyes.

“Captain,” he corrects. I shrug this off.

“I’m your daughter. Surely that means something to you,” I plead. “Think about what you’re doing. Would Mom expect you to do something like this?” I know mentioning her is a soft spot for him, but instead he reacts with anger.

“Get her out of here,” he demands. The officers around him swarm me, grabbing my arms and dragging me towards the door.

“This isn’t about family, Alex,” he says. “It’s about business. Survival of the fittest.” The doors to the bridge are slammed in front of me and locked.

I bang on them until my fists ache; furious and hurt. I realize that the plan Raeden and I made wouldn’t have worked, no matter how hard we would have tried. I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I wipe them away. There’s no time for tears now.

 

I have a planet to save.

 

“Here, this should be enough,” Hali says, forcing a combat helmet over my head. A bright screen turns on, showing my vitals and my communication link. The source for the link reads ‘Hali’s Comlink.’ I suddenly hear her voice inside the helmet. “All good?” She asks. I give her the thumbs up. “Phew,” she sighs. “Not bad for a rush job.”

“Thanks for the help,” I tell her. “I’m glad someone on this ship understands what’s going on.”

“I’m going to talk to everyone in maintenance and tell them what’s going on. They wouldn’t be surprised if they heard Command is up to some corrupt shit.” She says. In the meantime, keep in touch with me while you’re down there. I’ll try my best up here to keep up with your whereabouts.”

I wish there was more I could say to her, in case this whole thing doesn’t work out, but we both know there’s not enough time. Instead, we share a hug before she ushers me towards a small escape pod.

“I already set the coordinates,” she says. “Are you ready?”

I nod as I buckle up.

“Bon voyage!” She calls out as the door hisses shut. Before I can even react, the escape pod detaches from the Cordelia, and I watch as I hurtle violently towards the surface of Ventra.

 

RAEDEN

 

Everything has gone horribly wrong since we’ve landed. The Krillux were led to believe that we needed to invade the nearby Ventran village. Although previous negotiations were set, the Ventrans were not made aware that the Krillux would be landing here, and instead, are attempting to fight us off.

The battle is gruesome, and I find myself taking shelter in a destroyed hut. I would rather die than hurt a member of my own people, and it pains me to see them suffer because of these men, and with such limited weaponry to fend them off. Several Krillux have been taken down as well; men that I’ve grown familiar with. This is why I hate fighting, what it does to all of us.

An explosion shakes me onto the ground as yet another hut is struck with a blast. As I look up from my shelter, I can see the mines in the distance - our eventual destination. The only thing standing in the way of the Krillux is this village. Women and children scream as they flee towards the forests. Some of them are among the men, trying to fight the intruders off. I want so badly in my heart to join them.

I try to get up, to see if I can warn the rest of them off, but I’m suddenly knocked onto the ground again, and I feel a searing pain in my side. I look down and see blood staining my tunic. I crawl towards another shelter in a panic, my breath heavy. I was split up from Rex, and as I look up at the sky, I see a small ship coming to land. Is it Alex? I hope it is. I can only hope, as the world grows darker around me…