Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
*** HESHER ***
T he glowing lava from the volcanoes gave the night an eerie light. Hesher eased Lydia down on the flat surface of the boulder, leaning her crutch against the rock wall. "Are you comfortable?" he quietly asked.
"Not really, but it's not the boulder or my position. It's me. I hate feeling helpless and dependent on others. I'm kind of like the ship, broken and in need of repair. Your people are scurrying all over it, fixing the problems we couldn't.
Then here you are, trying to fix me by showing me the wonders of your world.
I'm not complaining, at least not in the usual sense.
I would just rather do everything myself.
It's a character flaw. Don't get me wrong; I'm enjoying every minute of this.
I've never seen such breathtaking scenery.
We were so shortsighted to think that other planets would be rudimentary and certainly not as beautiful as Earth.
I've learned a lot about my misconceptions today, especially regarding the existence of fairy tale creatures. "
"Did my transformation frighten you? Does it make you feel uncomfortable to be around me? "
"You were magnificent. Quite frankly, it should have upset me. I was so shocked by all the things we were being told that I should have freaked out like the others. Instead, it calmed me. You calm me, and I don't know why," Lydia replied.
"My friends keep telling me we are very much the same person. Perhaps you recognize yourself in me on some level," Hesher stated.
"That may be true, but I think it's more than that. You send out a vibe that lets all around you feel there's nothing to worry about. You'll protect them no matter the cost. I would say you could slay the dragons, but in this case, you are the dragon."
"We are confused as to what to do about you and your crew," Hesher admitted. "We want to let you go home, but we also want you to keep our secret: not just what we are, but where we are. Is that even a small possibility?"
"I will do my best to protect you. I'll lie if need be.
I can't control the others, though. My authority ends outside the space unit.
If just one made the claim of seeing weredragons, we could put it off as an illness or stress from the crash.
But having a second one or more make matching claims would deem it real.
No two people would share the exact hallucination.
Does that mean your king won't let us leave? "
Hesher sighed painfully and replied, "He will plead with your crew not to tell, but in the end, he will let you go knowing the consequences. We do not keep those who do not want to be here from leaving."
"You're amazing; did you know that? You all hold such power and strength, yet you only use it to defend yourselves in the most dire circumstances.
I get the impression it's always been that way here.
Humans took many centuries to discover cooperation was better than war.
Earth has a truce among its nations, but it's a wary one. "
"We are not so perfect. We argue among ourselves and have diverse points of view. In fact, we do not agree about humans. Maxxus is suspicious of them. The king is wary but tolerant. Others trust and like them."
"Which category do you fit in?" Lydia wanted to know.
Hesher's eyes burned as he leaned in. His lips met Lydia's in a heated kiss that warmed her soul to a dangerous level.
She didn't pull away. Her lips moved beneath his and then slowly parted.
Hesher allowed his tongue to outline the opening and slide cautiously inside.
His breath was hot and tasted of smoke. Lydia responded with a whimper.
With a suddenness that nearly knocked Lydia off the boulder, Hesher jumped back. "I cannot allow that to happen again. I will take you back to the ship."
"Was it that revolting to kiss a human?" Lydia inquired, the shock of being rejected so suddenly making her angry.
"We are of different species and it is best not to pursue a relationship," Hesher stated without emotion.
"It was just a kiss, and don't try to tell me you didn't feel the attraction. You're the one that started it. Your species doesn't matter to me."
"The kiss was a mistake. I shall not be so weak again. I will aid you in returning to the ship." Hesher's voice had hardened and he spoke as if Lydia were a pebble in his shoe.
"I see. Don't bother with helping me. I'll get myself to the ship," Lydia said in a flat tone.
Silent, Hesher scooped her up in his arms, grabbed the crutch from its resting place, and marched to the spaceship. He stood her at the entrance, then turned and walked away. Neither said goodbye.
Hesher berated himself all the way to his quarters.
He had handled the situation terribly. Conversations with women were not easy for him, and his attraction to Lydia had caused him to muddle this one worse than most. The truth was that he liked her far too much, and he had made her think the opposite.
He should have explained it. Now, they were both hurting.
Morning brought more complications. Hesher and Kelan boarded the ship and headed to the communications center.
They were going to repair it and allow Lydia to speak with Earth.
She would need to swear not to give away her location, but her superiors had to be told of the crew's survival.
Otherwise, they would send out ships or reroute those already in space to search for the Outreach II.
The last thing Talonia needed was more spaceships landing.
A crew member must have alerted Lydia to their presence because she appeared almost immediately.
She greeted them curtly, refusing to look Hesher in the eyes.
She spoke solely to Kelan. "I have a communications officer working on this.
It will be repaired in a few days. Your efforts are appreciated, but not necessary. "
"I can do in a few minutes what it would take your officer days to accomplish.
I am replacing your system with my own. It will make communication clearer.
You will not be able to confer with other ships, just Earth.
It is the only place I left receivers. It is the way I communicated with the king and Hesher when I lived there.
Your space unit will not know the difference," Kelan replied.
"Why would you give us the technology?" Lydia asked. "Are you in a big hurry to get rid of us?" Her questioning eyes finally turned to Hesher.
"We simply wish to relieve Earth's concerns over your fate. Alleviating their fears will keep other ships from this sector," Hesher answered.
Kelan looked between them and frowned. There was a tension in the air that had not been there before. Hesher's voice had lost its warmth.
"Can't they trace the signal to its source?"
"I have safeguarded against it here and on Earth," Kelan told her .
"If you can do this, then why haven't you kept in contact with your company? Rumors implied that you were dead."
"I had planned to reach out to my staff once or twice a year, implying that I was on a tour of your planet, but it would just have prolonged my attachment.
I really cared for the people who worked for me and my company had become important to my well-being.
It was better to sever the ties completely and cleanly.
They would suffer less and so would I. Though, I do listen in without them being the wiser from time to time.
It's a mistake, for it makes me miss it all the more," he explained.
Hesher was shuffling his feet nervously as Kelan spoke. He was saying all that Hesher could not put into words. He caught Lydia staring at him and imagined he saw comprehension dawning in her eyes.
"It is done," Kelan declared. "You may communicate with Earth. I must remind you not to reveal our coordinates regardless of how hard your people push for it."
"I would never betray your kindness in that way. Let's do this before anyone else comes to spill the beans," Lydia replied.
"I can only guess what that phrase refers to. But you are right. Sooner is better than later. I apologize for the fact that we must remain and listen," Hesher stated.
"It's fine." Lydia put in her code and called out, "Earth Station Alpha, this is the Outreach II. Can you hear me? Respond."
She repeated her plea three times before a gruff, disbelieving voice replied, "Captain Valor is that really you?"
"This is indeed Captain Lydia Valor. I am reporting that the Outreach II has survived a crash landing. We are repairing the ship but must return to Earth. It can't sustain more deep space travel. Can you clear that with my superiors? "
"Hold on. We have questions that must be answered. How did you manage to survive? Why have you waited so long to let us know you're alive? Where are you? Can the planet sustain life?"
Lydia hung her head and tried to find a way to reply without saying too much.
"The ship was tougher than we thought. It held together nicely.
We lost eight of the crew, but the rest are fine.
Communications were down and have just now been repaired.
I called in as soon as I could. As to our location, I have no idea.
If you will remember, I explained the situation before the crash. We are lost in unexplored space."
"If you don't know where you are, how can you come back?"
"Like everything else, we'll figure it out. Maybe there's a way to reverse the hyperdrive, and it can return us to known areas. It may take time, but we are determined," she answered.
"Tell us about the planet. Is there life, breathable air, or water?"
"We have stuck close to the ship due to injuries and the need for repairs.
The air isn't toxic. There is some water and lots of volcanic action.
Life, if any, would be vastly different from what we're used to.
I don't trust the volcanoes. They are constantly spouting fire. We will leave as soon as possible."
"Send out search parties while you make repairs. Record everything. Find life."
"I'm sorry, but your last words were unintelligible. You're breaking up. I'm losing......" Lydia pretended her transmission was gone as she shut off the communication.
"You did a nice job of deflecting the questions. In return, I will tell you what I have heard while listening to my company," Kelan began. "There is trouble on Earth. Your space explorations have brought enemies from another planet to your home."
"I knew that. We were attacked before my ship left and further communication revealed that it was continuing. Thanks to your company, we have shields up to protect Earth."
"They have found a way past them—not the ships, but the aliens.
They are infiltrating society and trying to assume power.
They appear human until attacked, making it difficult, if not impossible, to tell the enemy from a mere radical.
Normal weapons are ineffective, including the lasers my company designed.
Once they are confronted, their form changes from a solid matter to one of gas.
Bullets, lasers, and swords are useless.
They go right through them. Fire deters them somewhat, yet does not seem to truly harm them.
The governments are protected by soldiers with flamethrowers.
Rankin World Defense is desperately trying to devise a weapon using fire, but they say there is a chemical missing from fire that would be required for the destruction of the aliens. "
"Then we're safer remaining here. There may not be a world to go back to. Why didn't they say something when I called in?"
"I suspect they were withholding information much like yourself.
They did not want to give you more to worry over.
Their slowness in answering is now more understandable.
They had more pressing concerns. It also appears the questions they asked have a second meaning.
If they lose Earth, a planet with water and suitable air will be a refuge.
That is why they wish you to explore Talonia.
They are frightened that they cannot win this war," Hesher confided.
"Help them!" Lydia exclaimed. "Kelan, you have to talk to your company.
Give them technology or something. Figure out what chemical they need to add to the fire.
Defense was your job! Hesher, you're a commander.
You won a war with aliens. Give them ideas.
Our families are there. You used Earth's discoveries to save Talonia. Now use yours to save us."
Hesher and Kelan silently communicated. They did not need words to convey what was already evident to them both.
The necessary chemical could not be added to normal fire.
It was found in only one place: here on Talonia.
What Earth required was dragon fire. To save the humans, they would have to travel to their planet and reveal themselves.
Were they willing to do that? Did the humans matter that much to them?
They thought about Michelle, Keshel, Eveline, and her unborn children.
They mattered. They turned their thoughts to Lydia and her crew.
In their hearts, they knew all of them mattered as well.
"We will set the information before the king and Maxxus. The decision will be theirs, and we will obey their commands. You are asking more of us than you understand. It is not technology or ideas you seek. It is weredragons and their innate power of dragon fire," Hesher admitted.