Chapter Three

Rain rose up in her seat and glanced back over her shoulder to check on the progress of the other vehicles. She had only arrived back at the Mikana kingdom a few hours before and had taken just enough time to eat and take a short rest before gathering up people who were willing to help pilot the other vehicles back to the settlement to collect the rest of those who had committed to coming with her back to Penthos. The other vehicles were at a slight distance from her but still close as they moved swiftly across the planet. It was reassuring to see that Athan hadn’t fallen out of their formation. Though they hadn’t given her enough details to tell her what was really happening, Creia, Ellora, and Kyven had told her enough that she knew that they were in serious danger. Knowing this, she had hesitated to accept Athan’s offer to help her bring the rest from the settlement. She didn’t want to put him at any higher risk than he already was, but he had convinced her that it was that risk that made him the ideal person to go along with her. The people who were coming after him were the same people who had kept those vehicles hidden before he stole them. They already knew that he was the one who had stolen them. Going with her wouldn’t put him at any further risk except putting him out in the open, which he didn’t feel was much more of a risk with the other vehicles close to him. Anyone else who was piloting one of the vehicles, however, was also in danger. She had accepted that danger when she first took the vehicle to go to the settlement. He didn’t want to pass along the risk to anyone else if he didn’t have to.

They were nearing the settlement and Rain felt the bubbling of nerves in her belly. It was all getting so close. Once they had everyone who was willing to go along with them, they would go back to the kingdom and train for their return to Penthos. There had been no turning back for some time now, but there was a tremendous sense of finality in this step of the process. As they approached the settlement and she saw the people milling around in the center street, corralled close to the front of the village by the massive stone wall that bisected the street, she missed Lynx more than ever before. She wished that he could be there with her, helping her through this, but she knew that he was where he needed to be just as much as she made the right decision in coming back to Uoria. She was the only one who would be able to pilot the ship properly and the lives of those who were aboard relied on her to get them to the safety and the medical treatment that they needed, while those on Penthos needed her to gather the supplies and the reinforcements that would strengthen them in their fight.

Their vehicles swept through the gate and came to a stop several yards away from the crowd. They climbed out and headed toward the people closest to them.

“Is everyone ready?” Rain asked.

“There are still some who say that they want to go but who haven’t come down yet,” Gideon said. “They shouldn’t be long.”

“Do you know how many people are coming?” Rain asked. “Will we be able to transfer everyone in these vehicles?”

“Excuse me.”

Rain turned around and saw Sara stalking toward her with long, determined strides. She carried a basket on her hip and inside Rain saw a mound of fruit freshly picked from the orchard at the far side of the settlement. Her face was tense and angry, and she seemed to be keeping her focus away from Rain, choosing to look into the distance instead.

“Thank you, Sara,” Rain said. “All of the supplies that we can bring with us will be a help.”

Sara pulled the basket back toward herself and turned her eyes toward Rain.

“This isn’t for you,” Sara said, her voice almost sinister in its slow, controlled tone. “This is for my family. I can’t imagine that you need much more help than you already have.”

Without another word, Sara turned and Rain watched the other woman stomp away from her, heading back to the village.

“Don’t let her bother you,” Gideon said.

“What’s wrong with her?” Rain asked.

“She isn’t responding well to those of us who have decided to leave. She isn’t the only one.”

“Why?” Rain asked. “All of us would have left in a second if we had had the opportunity when we first crashed. It might have been a long time ago, but we have the chance now. What’s wrong with taking that chance?”

“Like you said, it’s been a long time since we crashed here. Families have formed here that didn’t exist before. Children have been born. A lot of those people are comfortable here and can’t imagine their lives if they tried to go back.”

“I can understand that,” Rain said. “I can get that there are some people who would rather stay here because they’ve gotten used to it, or they have children that they want to raise where they were born and not confuse them by trying to integrate them into Earth society, but what about the rest of us? What’s wrong with us taking advantage of the opportunity that’s been given to us? With trying to finish what we started?”

“They feel betrayed,” Gideon said. “They feel that we built this all together and that leaving it behind is dishonoring everything that we worked hard to accomplish and that we built, discovered, and experienced here. We’ve been on this planet far longer than we were on Earth and to them that means that we belong here.”

Rain took a step back, wanting to be able to see everyone gathered in front of her better. She scanned the crowd, taking in the faces of the people who had come to her, who were willing to face the danger and uncertainty of Penthos again. Most were etched with the years that they had been there, changed from what she had seen in the halls of the University and in the StarCity as they traveled, but still holding a glimmer of that hope and determination, the drive that they had all felt when they were preparing for this journey. There were a few, though, their numbers small but pronounced in the group, that looked almost impossibly young to her. These were the faces of the first children to be born on Uoria. One was Jason, a boy born to a mother who didn’t yet know she was pregnant when she went in for her final examination before the journey to Penthos. Rain could remember the angry, heated argument that his mother had had with the head of the team on Earth. They wanted to rescind her permission to be a part of the Nyx 23 program and not allow her to go on the mission because they felt that it was too risky in that condition. Lauria had refused to accept that. She fought hard against them, insisting that she had been able to pass all of the rigorous tests and exams that had been required just to be a part of the department itself, and then the further ones that enabled you to secure a place on the Nyx 23 team. Even pregnant she had been healthier and stronger than many of the other people, and had proven herself capable of handling what they anticipated would be waiting for them on the journey ahead. They had no way of knowing that rather than being gone only the few weeks that they had planned, she would never have the opportunity to experience her pregnancy on Earth and would bring the first baby into their number months after they built their settlement.

Now Jason was standing in front of her, growing quickly into a man. After the century of being locked by the Covra, he was still only just over 16 years old, a year older than the other three who were dispersed throughout the crowd. She was proud of them for standing up, ready to give of themselves for the cause that brought their parents to the only home that they ever knew, and face the uncertainty of visiting the planet that they had heard about their entire lives but had likely never even hoped that they would be able to see. Despite this, she knew that they were far too young to make that decision for themselves. They didn’t understand what they were really facing and the gravity of the choice that they were making by leaving the settlement behind. She knew that she couldn’t bring them to Penthos with her and put them in such incredible danger. For now, she would bring them to the kingdom and give them an opportunity to experience something more than just the small village where they were born and raised. She would introduce them to Creia, the warriors, and the rest, and let the Creia and Rey decide what they would do from there. In her heart she hoped that they would stay in the Kingdom while they were on Penthos and then they could return to Uoria and make plans to go to Earth.

“If any of you feel that way, please, go home now. I understand, and I will not blame you for not wanting to do this or not being able to handle the challenge. If you feel like this is a betrayal or that it is something that we shouldn’t be doing, please go ahead and leave now. I can tell you that I don’t feel that way. We left Earth with an intention. We were determined then, ready to take on whatever challenges we could to make sure that we accomplished that intention. I don’t think that there is any reason why we shouldn’t continue to pursue those goals. Yes, this is our home, and yes, we worked very hard to survive and thrive here, but that doesn’t mean that we are tied here. There is a battle still to fight, and I assure you that I will be standing on the front lines as soon as I can be. Those of you who will stand beside me, come. I will be proud to fight alongside you again. Those of you who want to stay here, stay. Make your decision. We will leave here in an hour.”

Without another word, Rain turned and started across the compound. She didn’t look over her shoulder to see how the crowd might be shifting and who may have changed their mind about going along with her. In those moments it didn’t really matter. Instead, she kept her eyes focused ahead of her, the final thing she felt she needed to do before she left the settlement clear in her mind.

Rain walked until the village was far behind her and a more peaceful quiet seemed to surround her. Soon she saw the rows of stones that marked the cemetery. The sunlight shimmering down on it took away the gloom and made the space looked hallowed and almost ethereal. She remembered the last time that she had been in the graveyard. It was after the final battle with the Covra, after the Denynso came and freed them from the bonds put on them with the virulent toxin that ensured they didn’t move while the eggs developed and grew within their bodies. The vicious creatures thought that they had found the ideal nursery for their young when they found the human settlement. They expected that their eggs would be able to develop and hatch at their leisure, devouring their human hosts when they were born to make them strong and healthy after the century that they had spent growing.

The Denynso and the humans who were with them had changed that. Though the warriors had at first been helpless to do anything for them, not knowing what was wrong with them or what needed to be done to free them, they had been there with them and protected them until the team in the compound was able to give them the idea that eventually woke them. The help had come not a moment too soon. By the time that they realized that it would require a human voice to break the people from their lock and bring them out of the deep sleep that had kept the entire settlement just as it had been for one hundred years, the hatching of the Covra young had already begun. Though most had managed to survive the horror by destroying the eggs within their bodies before they were able to hatch, some had not been so fortunate. Either embedded with too many eggs to overcome, too weak to fight the rabid attack of the young once they hatched, or hidden too far out of view for the Denynso or the other humans to find and help them, these people were lost, reduced to little more than their skeleton and skin.

When the battle with the Covra who returned for their young finally ended and the massive stone wall Loralia created secured in the center of the town as a permanent fixture to remind them of what they had faced and overcome, there was a time of both celebration and mourning. Though they were joyful at being delivered from the bonds of the Covra and having another opportunity for life without the overhanging horror of the Covra, there was also the deep sadness that came from the loss of people they had worked closely with and loved. Rain still remembered the intensity of the funeral fire on her cheeks. It seemed brighter and stronger than any fire that she had ever experienced. The wood seemed to wither away beneath the flames in a matter of seconds as the fire burst upward, sending sparks up into the blackness of the night as if they were to become a part of the galaxy itself.

That night had been the first time since the days following the crash that they had experienced the loss of any member of their crew. After they had mourned those who hadn’t survived the crash and interred them here in this section of ground the settlement had grown strong and healthy. None had been lost in the years that they spent on the planet before the Covra came and many had begun to look at the cemetery mainly as a memorial to the dead and to the crash itself. The deaths that happened after the Covra attack had been an unexpected and unwelcome shock of reality in the persistence of life. Opening up the cemetery again and permitting the Denynso to mourn with them, honoring the dead with their own funeral rituals, had been almost surreal. Rain had stood there, watching all of it happen, and wondering if anything would ever be like it was again. That night had been an awakening for her, bringing her out of the complacency of the settlement as much as Lynx’s love and the efforts of the Denynso and their allies had brought her out of the sleep of her bonds. It reminded her of what brought her here to this planet.

Now the cemetery was as much a reminder as it had been then. This was the last thing that she needed to do to be fully free of this place and the hold that it had had on her. Whether she ever chose to come back, or if she was ever even able to, standing here in front of the graves, acknowledging the lives, contributions, and loss of each of the individuals that now lay beneath her feet, was the final goodbye that she needed to give to this settlement and to the life that she had led here. If she ever returned, it would be by choice and not because of anything that tied her here. She knew that she would always be devoted to resolving what happened, making sure that they found the answers to all of the questions that had been tormenting them for so long, and ensuring that the people of Earth one day knew for certain what had happened to them. She owed that much to the people to whom she was paying her respects and offering her final goodbye. But she would accomplish that with absolute control over herself, her life, and what she would do each day. This was her release, the claiming of her freedom.

Enough people from the settlement had made the final decision to join her that Rain had worried they wouldn’t all fit into the vehicles with the supplies that they chose to bring along with them. While some had packed only small sacks that carried just enough to carry them through a short time away from home, telling Rain that they intended to return to the settlement when the war on Penthos was over, others had taken a different approach. Several had stood ready in the street, their feet surrounded by bags and stacks of belongings, everything that they claimed as their own within the settlement or felt that they would be able to use in the new life that awaited them. It was obvious that these people, mostly couples and single men, had no intention of ever returning to the settlement even when the battle on Penthos was over. They saw this as the same opportunity that Rain did, enabling them to finally escape the planet that had been as much an imprisonment as it was a home. She empathized with how they felt, knowing in her heart that despite what the others might feel, recognizing the forced nature of their time spent on Uoria didn’t equal bitterness. Just because they were able to admit that this planet wasn’t in their plan for their futures and they still wanted to return to the home that they had always known, even if it would be tremendously changed when they got there, didn’t mean that they didn’t feel love for what they had built there or that they wouldn’t carry fond memories with them for the rest of their lives.

Fitting everyone and their belongings into the vehicles was a challenge, but Rain was determined that they would not take a second trip to bring more out of the settlement. It would waste too much time and risk that some of those who were left behind in this first trip would lose their passion and drive. This would take away not just the people that they greatly needed, but also the chance for those people to follow their compulsions and seek out their return to Earth. They were nearly back to the kingdom when she noticed a figure standing directly in their path. Rain was tempted to simply navigate around him and continue on the short distance to the back of the kingdom, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the vehicle that Athan was piloting begin to slow. She slowed her own vehicle in response and then pulled to a stop beside Athan’s vehicle a few yards away from the figure.

“Stay here,” she said to the people in the vehicle with her. “Gideon, if anything happens, these are the controls. Close the vehicle and go. Don’t try to help me. Just go. Get into the kingdom and find Creia and Rey.”

Gideon nodded, and Rain stepped out of the vehicle, taking one of the weapons from the settlement with her. She couldn’t see the face of the man who they approached slowly. He wore a mask that made his face grey and smooth as if it were made out of stone. His hands were clasped in front of him and he didn’t move until Rain and Athan were standing just feet from him. His head turned very slowly toward Athan and he stared at him through the open black spaces of the mask as though he were expecting something.

“Do you expect a greeting?” Athan asked, his voice sharp and icy. “I am the target of the Order. I will no longer comply with the rituals and traditions.”

The man shook his head slowly back and forth.

“Then what?” Rain asked. “Why are you here?”

“The Order sent him,” Athan said.

“The Order?” Rain asked.

The name pricked in the back of her mind. It was what Creia and Rey had mentioned when they were trying to explain the tremendous danger to her without giving details. Though she still didn’t know what had happened or what this person was or represented, just the appearance of the man standing in front of her in his mask gave her a chill that made her understand that this was indeed as pressing and frightening as she had gathered from what the Kings had been willing to tell her.

“They did,” the man said.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Athan’s face tighten at the sound of the man’s voice. He obviously recognized it and the sound of it upset him.

“What are you here to do?” Athan asked.

Rain’s hand tightened on the weapon that she carried, unsure of what was going to happen. She hoped that Gideon was watching carefully and was prepared to follow her instructions if necessary.

There was a long, still pause and then the man slowly lifted his hands to the back of his head. He released the mask and eased it away, revealing a face that seemed far too young for the tension of the energy that was emanating off of him. She expected to see the same darkness and anger in his eyes that she was feeling, but instead she saw something that looked like sadness accented by fear. He looked at Athan almost pleadingly.

“I was assigned to you,” he said. “They sent me for you and for those who accompany you.”

“What do they want of me?” Athan asked.

“You are to be brought before the Panel on charges of betrayal, treason, and theft for taking the vehicles and for exposing the Order to outsiders.”

“What are their plans?” Athan asked tensely.

Rain felt her hand tighten even harder around the weapon in anticipation of what the man was going to say. Her mind flashed to Lynx as she prayed that saying goodbye the day that she left Penthos was not going to be the last time that she saw him.

“You are to be punished,” the man said, his voice falling slightly until it sounded almost powdery. “Severely.”

“And the rest?” Athan asked.

“They are to be briefed. If they agree to full secrecy, they may be permitted to live in the close watch of the Order.” He took a breath. “Except for her.”

Rain felt her heard thud painfully in her chest.

“And her?” Athan asked.

“She is your accomplice,” the man said. “She is to be eliminated.”

Rain felt her muscles spring to action and lunged toward the man, but before she could reach him, he collapsed to the ground. The young man landed on his hands and knees, his head hanging. The grey mask tumbled from his hand across the sand and landed with the empty black eyes staring up into the sky.

“Malcolm,” Athan said, lowering himself to one knee in front of the young man and reaching forward to rest his hand on his back.

Malcolm looked up at him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Please forgive me,” he said desperately. “Please.”

His head dropped again, and Rain could see his shoulders shaking as sobs racked his body. Athan tucked his hand beneath Malcolm’s chin and lifted it so that the young man faced him again. His expression looked as though it was painful just to look at Athan, but he had turned his face slightly into Athan’s hand as if the man’s touch was soothing what was ripping through his soul.

“Malcolm,” Athan said again. “You don’t need my forgiveness.”

“I do,” Malcolm said. “I saw you in the tunnels. I know the danger that you have been facing, and I didn’t help you.”

“You saved me in the tunnels,” Athan said. “Don’t think that I don’t know that. You could have led the Panel directly to me. You could have offered me up to them and enjoyed the rewards that I know they would have given you. You didn’t. You distracted them and enabled me to get away. You don’t need my forgiveness. You deserve my thanks.”

Malcolm lifted his eyes to Athan again and it seemed that his tears were only flowing harder now.

“I don’t deserve your thanks,” he said. “I was sent here to capture you and to kill you if you resisted.”

“Have you done either?” Athan asked.

Malcom shook his head.

“No. I can’t. “

“Why?”

“I can’t accept what they are saying anymore,” Malcolm said. “I can’t follow them anymore knowing what they have done and that I don’t even know everything that they have caused. I can’t be a part of them any longer knowing that is what my loyalty and efforts have supported.”

“What can I do for you, Malcolm?” Athan asked.

“I need to know everything. Please. I need to know what I’ve been doing since I was just a child.”

“Do you want to be a part of the Order any longer?” Athan asked.

“No,” Malcolm said.

“Can I believe you?”

“Yes,” the younger man said, and Rain could see the sincerity glowing through his eyes. “Yes, you can believe me. I don’t want to follow them any longer.”

“Are you asking to defect?”

“If you will have me, I would be honored to follow you, Athan. I don’t know all of what’s happening, but what I do know tells me that you are on the side of this that I want to be a part of, and I am willing to give of myself and everything that I have to these efforts.”

“You know that this is a final decision,” Athan said. “If you make this choice, you cannot go back. Ever. Once you have decided to leave the Order, that is the only option that you have. You commit yourself to whatever you left the Order to pursue, or you die. If you want to leave them, it can’t be for me or for Rain or for anyone else who is on this side. If you are going to defect, it must be for yourself and with an open, clear, and honest heart. This has to be for you and with the understanding that while we will stand beside you in anything, you are fully and wholly responsible for this decision and for everything that it leads you to. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Malcolm replied. “I understand.”

Rain watched as Athan stood and reached down for the younger man. Malcolm wrapped his hand around Athan’s wrist and Athan reciprocated. The older man pulled the younger up off of the ground so that they stood facing each other.

“Then you may join us,” Athan said. “But be warned. You are putting yourself on the bad side of the corrupt Order. It will take everything in you and all of the hope that you have inside of you of the truth and the hope that the Order once stood for to get through what lies ahead of us.”

“Thank you, Athan,” Malcolm said. “I am prepared to face anything that is required of me. I swear my total allegiance and loyalty to you and your faction.”

Rain felt a slight smile curve her lips. The Faction. It sounded strong and secure, unifying them into one group ready to stand against their common opponent.