Chapter 1 #2
Putting one knee on the ground, my arms and neck tighten under the strain as I lift the door upward, fighting against the hydraulics working against me.
The moment I get it a couple of inches off the ground, MeK is beside me, adding his strength as we struggle against the ship itself, which is simply trying to secure KyT as it is designed to do.
When BuK’s smaller form slides under the entranceway, MeK and I step back and the door slams shut.
Both of us shake out our arms from the stress we just put them through.
Before I can yell out to BuK, the door starts sliding upward with a loud squeak since we have just sprained the primary mechanism.
Something that will now have to be fixed before KyT can uproot and leave the planet.
Stepping inside, the intense, damp heat takes my breath away, and I instantly shift into my unprotected, non-insulated form.
My bare skin gets clammy, even though I still run hotter than most.
The first level of the ship is mostly the internal workings, and it takes walking around the base of the structure a few times before MeK finds the ramp leading up to the main level.
He presses an override button, and I am shocked as it slowly lowers.
BuK is the first one up the ramp, only to stop the moment he gets to the main landing.
“Vedece? It is BuK, can you hear me?”
“Yes, oh, thank you, baby Jesus, I was convinced I was gonna be stuck in here forever.”
“Well, do not get too excited yet … I can hear you, but I cannot see you through all these vines.”
I can barely get my large shoulders up into the main floor, with MeK and BuK standing there. Reaching out, I gently push on the vines, only to realize they have hardened.
“Vedece, this is HaL. I was the one talking to you outside. You said KyT is not responsive? Can you tell us what happened? I do not want to tear these vines out of the way until I know more.”
“We were out collecting what KyT called Redspore vines when he suddenly tensed up.
He scared the life out of me when he grabbed me in his arms and started running.
I kept asking him what was wrong, but all I was getting were one-word answers.
Saying I became speechless when suddenly this tree opened up from the bottom, is an understatement.
KyT finally set me down, but only to secure the door we’d just walked through, then he motioned for me to go up the ramp where you are now.
He started stumbling around, and his words were slurred like he was drunk.
I tried to get him to sit down, but he just pushed past me, checking all the doors up here, while I followed behind, confused about what just happened.
I thought maybe he’d seen something that scared him that I didn’t, but right before this place became a living jungle, he told me that I was safe and to stay here until someone came.
I thought he was going to leave until I saw the leaves falling off his head and his normally dark skin seemed like it was being drained of its vitality.
He was practically wilting right in front of me.
KyT backed up against the wall and closed his eyes, and I swear I watched the ship’s walls pull him in.
I’d just noticed ice hitting the windows when suddenly vines started pushing out of KyT’s sides and the floors.
Within an hour, this entire place was engulfed in the forest you see now.
I’ve been able to watch the landscape change through the cracks, and it took me a little while to put it all together, but the cold zapped him, just like the Timbers around us.
Somehow, he sensed the change coming and was doing his best to get me to safety.
Luckily, after this jungle formed, I was able to find the replicator, the bathroom, and a bed in this area.
I haven’t been uncomfortable, just confused and lonely.
I tried my comm unit several times, but it seemed like nothing could get out.
I thought it was because of these vines, but the longer KyT remains like this, the thicker the vines and branches are getting.
I’m terrified he won’t be able to pull out of this if it doesn’t warm up soon. ”
BuK tries to gently push the vines apart, but they will not budge.
“Vedece, I think he is in some sort of hibernation. He was hurt once in training and to heal, his body formed a cocoon around him, like this one. This looks similar, just larger, probably because he was trying to protect you both. The Timbers probably warned him that a deep freeze was coming, and he knew this was the safest place for both of you.”
“Can you guys help him?”
“I am not sure we will not hurt him if we force our way in.”
I turn toward BuK, “You have any ideas?”
“I am clueless. KyT never talked about his homeworld much when we were training together. As I said earlier, I watched him cocoon himself after he was hurt once, but after that, we were put in different areas, and I only saw him in passing until we were both assigned here.”
MeK, always being the voice of reason, intervenes. “Maybe we should ask Vedece what she wants to do.”
“Vedece, do you want us to open an area where you can get out, or do you want us to leave you in there?”
“I don’t like feeling trapped, but I don’t want to hurt him either. Do you think he will awaken on his own? And just what happened out there? I felt like I was the only person left in the world because it was so quiet.”
“The nebula spat out half a planet, and Etherium’s gravity pulled it into its orbit.
Thankfully, it simply floated right through Etherium’s many moons, but while it was doing that, it blocked its warmth.
It threw Ethra into a deep freeze in just half a rotation.
Everyone was stuck where they were when it hit, much like you have been here.
Thankfully, I managed to get supplies to those who needed them before anyone was lost to the cold.
You and KyT were the only two we could not locate. ”
“Well, thanks for comin’ to find us, HaL. From what I could see, I knew it was bad but had no clue the extent.”
BuK is fiddling with one of the smaller vines, trying to untangle it from the larger ones that are blocking us from getting in.
Since patience is not what I am known for, I try a more aggressive approach.
I push my arms through forcing them apart, only for large thorns to form on the branches I am trying to get through, and quickly, I find my unprotected skin stabbed and bleeding.
“Frack,” I yell as I yank my arms back, pulling the long thorns out of my delicate hide in the process.
MeK tugs one out of the back of my arm to look at. “KyT’s natural defenses are engaged and he does not recognize us in this form.”
“You are the brains here. How do you propose we fix that issue?”
MeK stands there for a moment, looking around. “BuK, you and KyT are the closest brothers. Take this and prick the end of your finger, then wipe the blood onto this limb. Let us see what happens.”
BuK does just what MeK tells him, and within seconds, we see the vines start to move out of the way. BuK ducks under one of the larger limbs, but just as I begin to go through, I suddenly find myself being lifted off the ground, my legs and arms quickly subdued as I hang, tangled up in midair.
MeK, who is still standing on the ramp, turns his head, trying to hide his laughter. Jerking my arm loose, I reach down, snapping one of the vines holding my leg, only for the little female to yell. “Stop! You’re hurting him, can’t you see the blood coming out of every branch or vine you break?”
“Do you have any suggestions little female, other than me simply staying like this until KyT returns to himself? This is not exactly comfortable, you know.”
“Here, let me see if we can simply untangle you.” Not thinking, MeK steps through only to find himself wrapped up just as tightly as I am.
I cannot stop the snarl that escapes my lips when BuK starts laughing openly. “Oh, how I wish I could capture this on a holopad for all the others to see.”
“Instead of laughing at us, maybe you should be trying to figure out how to get us out of this mess without hurting KyT any further.”
The small, dark human female steps closer, looking up at me.
“Let me try something.” Her tiny fingers start separating the vines, and sure enough, the moment she tugs on one, it loosens.
Quicker than I would have thought, she has me completely untangled, but I do not move, unwilling to be wrapped up like that again.
Once she has me out, she heads toward MeK, who has remained a lot calmer than I have this entire time.
Once she has both of us out, she steps back, looking us over.
“There, no harm done besides a few minor scratches, but I wouldn’t venture any further inside yet. In this form, KyT doesn’t know who’s his friend or his foe, and I think he’s just reacting.”
The entire ship seems to shudder, and the heat starts increasing to the point where I am suddenly extremely uncomfortable, and I realize it is time for me to go before it becomes dangerous for me. I reach out and gently touch the small female’s arm.
“Now that I know the two of you and the others are fine, I am going to head out. This heat is really beginning to bother me, and I have been away from home far too long already. MeK, BuK, I will be in touch. Little female, it has been a pleasure and thank you for your assistance with my brother’s unruly vines. ”
MeK walks down the ramp with me. “HaL, thank you for coming when you did. You saved several lives in the last rising.”
“I was glad to be of assistance MeK, and that is what family is for. You better get back up there before BuK finds himself cocooned.” MeK grabs me in a warrior’s handshake, “Walk in the Light, brother.”
“Strength and honor.”
MeK nods, then heads back. The cool air hits me when I walk out of KyT’s ship and it is so welcoming as I stand there in my un-insulated form, cooling down before changing into my polar form.
Once I shift, my large, furred feet walk hastily across the now-melting snow toward the shuttle area as I try to beat the heatwave I know will leave me weak and then soon unconscious.
“ANDI, can you read me?”
“Yes, and clearly for a welcome change.”
“Notify Father that I am returning to Hallister. The heat has forced my hand, and I am leaving before it weakens me any further. I found KyT and his female companion. MeK and BuK are both with them now, so all are accounted for.”
“Commander DaR and I are both on our way back to Ethra. He is currently in an important meeting, or I would patch you through to him. The stowaway we spoke of earlier apparently almost died while saving my Destiny and everyone else on board. If I am hearing this correctly, it looks like you may have just gained another brother. I have initiated the start-up procedure for your shuttle, and after preflight checks, you should be on your way safely.”
“Another brother, huh! Well, why not? I mean, we are so few after all.” My laughter echoes through the valley. “I cannot wait to hear this story.”
“I will have the Commander contact you once we get the newest additions for Ethra settled.”
“Were they able to find more of these soft-skinned humans?”
“Yes, I have five females on board as we speak. The Commander will be touching down shortly before my main shuttle arrives to greet them.”
“I wish I could be here as well. I am quite impressed by the human females, and I would not mind getting to know the one called Dawn more thoroughly, but my biology and this heat do not go well together, and their kind seems too thin-skinned to survive in my world.”
“Humans are more resilient than you think, but you are correct, HaL. Without proper coverings, your world would quickly prove deadly to them. Be safe in your travels home.”
“Thank you ANDI, I will notify you when I arrive.”
As I step into my shuttle, the interior’s instant coolness sends a relieving chill across my skin.
Thanks to ANDI, the ship is already hovering above the ground, ready for takeoff.
I check a few sensors, then accept the home coordinates.
My eyes catch a glimpse of ANDI as I leave the atmosphere, and I wonder if Dawn, the little human female, is watching as I leave.
Her beautiful face flashes before mine, and my heart jolts.
But I know we are too different so I turn away, forcing my thoughts to the things I know will need to be dealt with the moment I return home.