Chapter 9
SHIA HETON
I was absolutely thrilled to see Duron on the communication wall in his living quarters. Even though the communication with static and broken up, I understood him. He was coming for me. He was going to stop this monstrosity from happening to me. I didn't know how, but I knew that he would be with me. I could feel it. I trusted his word. We were bonded.
So when the warrior came in and forced me away, I was completely terrified. I could not go live with this Corillion leader known as Leader Xet Crasis. If he was just as brutal as Baradur had said, then I would end up hurting him, and then I would end up being killed in return. I would not last long. I would not get to see Duron one last time. It was awful timing. I had just got through to Duron and he was coming for me, but he wouldn’t get to me in time now that I was being pulled away.
The warrior dragged me through the base and I kicked and screamed the entire way. I held on to pipes and bars at every turn. Finally, he threw me over his shoulder and I could no longer prolong the trip. He carried me into the launch area. I could see a small ship being prepared. Many Corillions were still working on it. This was good. There was time. He carried me onto the ship and sat me down next to a warrior, who guarded me.
I was on this small transportation ship that would take me to the asteroid known as Crasis when the first bomb went off. I was startled to hear the Corillion warriors shout, “It's the humans! We are under attack by the humans!”
I was frozen in complete shock. Had my messages gotten through to Earth? Were they here to rescue Alexis and I? Would she want to go? There were so many questions running through my mind. Had I caused this siege through the communications I had sent? Now that it was happening I sort of regretted it because I did not know if it meant that Duron would die. But it was perfect timing. I had to figure out how to communicate with the Earth ships to let them know how to find me.
BOOM!
"The launch port has been hit! I repeat, the launch port has been hit!” the warrior shouted into the communication lines. This was good news. It meant that we could not depart to Crasis.
I quickly got up from my seat and ran towards the door and down the stairway of the ship. “Wait!” the warrior shouted.
“Let her go! It is not safe here!” another warrior shouted.
I ran down the stairs and onto the launch floor. Then I saw him, and I could not believe it. Duron was there! I was so relieved when I saw him I ran straight into his arms.
"Duron! You are here! You came back!” I cried into his arms.
"I am here, Shia. Come with me; we do not have much time. We are in a lot of trouble. The Earth vessels followed my ship from the battle we were in. We must get out of here; it is our only chance!”
"They followed you?” I asked him, realizing that perhaps it wasn't because I had signaled them. Maybe they didn't even know I was here.
"Yes, come with me; we must get off this moon base," he said.
I hesitated and stopped. “But it is humans, it is Earth. It is my chance to go home,” I said to him. He stopped and looked at me. There was sorrow on his face. We were both quiet for a few seconds as bombs exploded around us.
"I understand, Shia. If that is what you truly want, then I will help you to get on one of these Earth ships. I don't know how, but we can make it happen. You will be going back to Earth. It is what you want, yes?” he asked.
His willingness to sacrifice never seeing me again so that I could go home made my heart swell with joy. Suddenly the feeling of not being with him made me feel sick. Was it really what I wanted? I knew for sure that I did not want to be with Leader Xet Crasis, but that did not mean that I did not want to be with Duron. I had to make a decision, and I had to make it now.
"No. I will go with you."
"Shia, are you sure? This is your time to go home.”
"I am sure. I want to be with you Duron. Take me with you,” I said as I reached up and kissed him.
"It is what I want too. It is all that I want,” he said to me as he grabbed my hand and led me off into a small ship that reminded me of the escape pods from the space station.
“How could we possibly get out of this?” I said to him as the explosions continued around us. I did not see how we could get away from both Earth ships as well as Corillion ships.
"Come with me. I know a way,” he said to me as he continued to drag me through the launch port. He opened a patch on the ground. There was a ladder that led into the ground.
"Climb the ladder! Go down! I'm right behind you!” he shouted.
“All right! I’m going down the ladder! It’s so dark,” I shouted back.
I was terrified as I climbed down the steep ladder that went down into darkness. I could not see anything and I could still feel the vibrations of the attack. I looked up and saw Duron climbing down and closing the lid on top of him. I was relieved that at least he was with me. Then suddenly the entire tunnel of the ladder glowed with green light.
"I opened the panel with my hand print and turned on the light. It’s all right! Keep going; we are almost there, Shia!" he shouted at me.
I looked down and could see the ground now with the green light. I jumped off the last step of the ladder onto the ground. I looked around and could see that it was a very long tunnel. I could not see the end of it. It looked like it went on underground forever.
"Duron, where are we?” I asked him.
"Come on!" He grabbed my hand and led me down the tunnel as he said, “It is an escape tunnel from the moon base. It leads to a smaller launch pad on the other side. We will board a small ship there.”
This gave me hope. I ran faster with him. He was very smart and very skilled. He was a quick thinker. Finally, the tunnel gave way to a small launch port. I could barely hear the blast of the siege battle in the distance. I truly was giving up my chance at going back to Earth to be with Duron. It was a decision that I felt to no regrets over in this moment. It was astonishing how much had changed in such little time. Only a week or two before, I wanted to be on Earth at any cost. Now I felt completely bonded to this Corillion warrior. Maybe there was something to my theory about their kisses emitting spawn-like particles that bonded us to them. But at this point, I did not care; it was too late for me. I just wanted to be with him and it didn't matter where we were, where we went, or whose rules we broke: the Corillions’ or thehumans’. It only mattered that we were together.
"Here, climb in here!" he shouted as he moved around the outside of a small spaceship, removing the tethers that tied it to the launch pad. I climbed inside and quickly fastened myself into a seat. Duron was close behind as he moved in and began to flip switches and knobs and the ship came alive. The engine groaned a soft rumble.
"I have to make sure to take it off-line. No communications,” he said as he pulled on the communication switches, turning it off. We were going rogue. “I do not want to be tracked. We just need to get as far from here as possible.”
"Where will he go?” I asked him.
"Let's figure that out once we are out of range of Altid,” he said.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'm fastened and ready,” I said to him.
In seconds, the ship shot out of the launch pad straight into deep space. We did it. No one noticed, and we did not have anyone trailing us.
"I'm trying to get us deeper into the astroid belt. It is easier to hide there. There are many space rocks and debris flying around. Earth ships would not dare try to maneuver there. It gives us a lot of cover."
"Is it dangerous?” I asked.
"Everything we have done together is dangerous; this is no different,” he smiled at me. It was good to see a little of the tension leave his face and I knew that we were far from the moon base Altid.
I looked over at him with his long dark hair messy and sweaty, stuck to his face. His blue eyes were focused and he maneuvered the ship expertly. I couldn't believe that this spawn now held my heart, he wasn't even human.
"I am glad you got my message. I am glad you came for me,” I said to him.
"When I got your message, something came over me. I was powered by rage and nothing was going to stop me until I knew that you were safe. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before, Shia. It is very unfamiliar and confusing,” he said to me.
"I understand. It is not how you were programmed. It must be so very strange. I am happy and glad that you followed that feeling and came for me. I do not want to belong to any other Corillion than you,” I said, putting my hand on his.
"That is exactly how I feel as well,” he said to me.
Suddenly I noticed that the blackness of space in front of us was filled with many asteroid rocks. It was a minefield of dangerous debris and asteroids shooting by. I tensed up. Every angle that I looked out the window, there were dangerous things flying around us. I didn’t see how we would be able to get through it. I gasped at the sight.
"Do not worry yourself. I am skilled in this area. I have flown through here many times," Duron said.
"Where does this go?” I asked him.
"This is the way into the Corillion galaxy. The moon base known as Altid is the gateway to it. After passing it, this is the way to the Corillion worlds. This is the way you would be going to get to Crasis.”
"Oh, Duron, we are not passing by there on our way?” I asked.
"No, but we are passing by a few of the other habitations of the Corillion warriors. It is the only way."
BEEP! BEEP!
The siren on the spaceship blared. I felt fear come over me. Duron flipped switches and went into a panic. “No!” he shouted.
"What is it?!” I shouted over the loud siren.
"Someone has a locked on to us! They have control of our ship!” he shouted.
"Is it an Earthship or Corillion ship?” I asked.
He turned to me and gave me a sorrowful look as he said, “Corillion."