Chapter Three

“What now?” They were sitting outside in Brie’s favorite garden.

Slade couldn’t look at any of them, but he also couldn’t walk away. Not knowing what else to do, he handed each of them a small disc that held Brie’s final words for each of them. There was one left that he never noticed before. One labeled with his name.

My love,

You were never meant to spend your eternity on this planet. I always knew that, but I had permission a long time ago to be selfish. Now I have to let you go. It’s time for you to live the life that’s waiting for you. Go meet your brother and your future.

Even as I write this, I don’t want to say goodbye. You will always own part of my heart, my Warrior. Even as we move on it doesn’t mean we forget. With an undying love. Brie.

“I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I’m leaving.”

“Where are we going?” Thrice asked casually he was ready to leave. Their future wasn’t on this small planet.

“I’m going to Earth.”

“My brothers always talked about going to Earth. They almost made it.”

They all stopped. The pain of losing their family. The air labored in their lungs until they were able to push the nightmare that haunted them down for another day.

“When are we leaving?”

“Two rotations.”

They nodded, and each melted away to give him time to continue to grieve.

*~*~*~*

The ship was new and fast. He didn’t even know Brie purchased it. His Brie had a plan, and she worked it all for his benefit. She knew she was dying long before she told him. The ache in his heart made him sit down. He watched as the computer plotted the course. What should have taken months would take two days.

That was Brie always making things better for him. How would he live without her? Already he felt like centuries had passed and still his heart was breaking when in reality it had been less than two weeks. The others crept around him expecting him to break at any moment, but that had happened as he held her lifeless body in his arms. He was truly one of them now. He too was broken.

The door to the bridge opened allowing Jabari on deck.

“Everyone is on board.”

“Thanks.”

“Slade.”

“Don’t Jabari. It’s too new.”

He came to sit in one of the control chairs as navigation gave them permission to leave.

“I’ll take us out.”

Slade nodded while he talked to control and cleared their flight plan, as well as set up, for takeoff.

Jabari hit the all call. “We will be taking off in five minutes. The first jump will occur in ten minutes with a jump scheduled every hour for the next five hours. Prepare yourselves.”

He did one last preflight check and was ready when the space controller gave him the go ahead.

Five minutes later they were pulling out of the space dock. There was nothing around to stop them. Three minutes later he engaged the drive that would take them to the first jump site.

“I always thought it was interesting and accurate that Brie labeled us The Broken.”

“I don’t know I would have preferred The Jubilant, The Satisfied, The No Need to be Broken.”

A surprised bark of laughter came from Jabari.

“Can you really see any of us as jubilant?”

“No, but Brie could always see so much more than I could.”

“Two minutes to the first jump.”

Slade watched the view screen in front of him there was nothing on it except darkness. When he felt the engines make a subtle shift, he turned the view screen off. It was recommended that humanoids not watch it during the jumps. There had been several thousand cases of humanoids losing sanity from that activity. He was not worried about the small portion of sanity he held onto.

It was the other fact that was highly reported on that he didn’t want to encounter. It was said that within a jump you could see your memories like they were happening fresh and new. He wanted to see Brie, longed to touch her like it was the first time. He knew better than to open that door. If he were to walk down his memories like they were just occurring to come out with the knowledge of devastating loss, there was no telling what he might do. The ship might not survive, and whether he liked it or not, it was now filled with his new family.

The only thing he lacked with his brothers was the mental connection they would have had with the ones they were born with. A mental connection he never shared with his twin or their other brothers.

How was he supposed to lead when he couldn’t even talk to them?

“You’re an excellent pilot, Jabari.”

“Thanks. We’re stable for a while I’ll make sure I’m here for the next jump. Slade, I know you don’t want to hear this, but maybe you should get some sleep.”

“I will.”

Jabari stood and left the bridge.

Sleep meant dreaming of Brie, remembering the softness of her skin and the way her hair smelled. Sleep was something he would need if he were going to confront his twin. A rough smile commanded his lips. He didn’t care that they were separated at birth. It didn’t matter to him if he didn’t remember him. He was his twin the oldest, he should have found him. He didn’t think about the fact that he had been born a baby, they were both babies. He concentrated on his anger of being alone.

He left the bridge going down to the floor that held the captain’s cabin. It was the biggest one not that it mattered because every cabin on the ship was a nice size. Brie was thinking family when she bought this ship, not crew.

He placed his head against the outside of the door before he finally opened it. Brie would have come in here looked around to make sure it was the perfect place for her warrior to lay his head. That’s how she was, always taking care of him. How could another female take her place?

On the bed lay a small box, something she left for him to have. He forced his legs to the bed because the alternative was to run out the room. He sat next to it before he finally picked it up. It was wrapped in a bright yellow paper that reminded him of her eyes. The smile that hovered on his lips now was one of joy and sadness. She always knew how enamored he was of her eye color. Carefully he opened the package not wanting to destroy the paper that held it.

Inside was a simple yellow band that he could wear on his wrist. The heat that came from it was a minute piece of Brie’s life force. He clutched it in his hand being careful not to crush it. He sat holding it for what felt like hours before he finally slipped it on his arm. He ran a finger over it, and Brie stood before him dressed in his favorite red dress.

“I knew you wouldn’t bring one memory with you from our dwelling, so I left this for you. I will always be here for you. I have downloaded as much into this band as I could. I am interactive, but I am not real. I will try to answer any question you ask. Give it a try.”

“Who are you?”

“I am your Brie.”

His eyes closed. That was the answer she always gave when he asked that question.

“There will come a day when you won’t need me anymore Slade. Don’t be upset when it happens simply come and set me free.”

“Brie.”

“Shh, today is not the day.” She walked over to him and allowed her shadowy hand to linger on top of his. “Get some sleep, you’ll need it.”

He nodded and slid his hand over the band. She was right as usual, he thought if he didn’t take a memento a reminder of her that he would heal faster. Not being able to see her image felt like a festering sore in his soul. He fell asleep with his hand covering the band feeling her heat surround him.

“Slade, come to the bridge.” Jabari was on the all call. He should have turned it off before he fell asleep.

Standing he stretched. This was the most sleep he had gotten since that night. One look in the mirror showed that he was looking rough. He shrugged and headed out the door.

“Captain on deck,” Jabari announced when the doors slid open.

He flinched but didn’t say anything. Calling him captain was another way of acknowledging that he was the head of their impromptu family. There was nothing like a head that couldn’t connect to the rest of the body.

“What happened?” Jabari hadn’t called him on deck to remind him of who he was supposed to be.

He switched on the screen and then magnified it. In front of them were three ships that looked like they belonged to the legendary darkness. They were guarding what looked like a hole in space.

“Is that our next jump sight?”

“No, it’s beyond the ships, but we have to find a way around it.”

Slade nodded he was already looking at the projections that Jabari had run as well as doing a few calculations of his own.

“It’s in our best interest not to confront them.”

“I agree. What do we do? I am sure they have seen us, and they don’t seem to be the cordial type.”

“We jump early.”

“Early?”

Slade could hear the interest in his voice. It was a novel solution one that may leave them dead.

“How do you propose we do that?”

There should have been fear or even caution in his voice. A normal male would be considering other options but not The Broken. They faced death every day with a hope that it would win and give them a reprieve from the life they lived alone.

“We could slingshot from where the jump point is by using one of our weapons to open the portal allowing us to move through it.”

They both nodded as they watched the computer show them what would be needed to get it done. It was risky the chances of survival were slim, but not as slim as taking on the darkness would be.

Phoenix entered the command deck without acknowledging them. He went to a station to start working when he was done a new model with a greater chance of success was being displayed. The new model took their chances of success from six percent to fifty percent. They had fought in battles with lower odds of success.

The others silently came on deck and took a seat manning a station.

He gave them each a chance to look at phoenix’s model. They would create a jump point from where they were using the excess energy the ship gave off. It meant powering down several floors and even going to emergency life support, but the model was sound.

When no one offered another viable solution, he took his time meeting each set of eyes looking for a yay or nay. Every life here was on the line, and the final decision was his, but he also wanted their thoughts. It was unanimous the yay’s have it.

“Phoenix and Jabari make it happened.”