Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life (31 page)

Kalrea stood outside the accommodation space, onboard the
Aurora
, with Zoren in her arms. Before entering, she could hear the sound of joy and despair coming from within the room as some of the Agonian people were reunited and others, more sadly, found out that they had lost loved ones. She took a deep breath and opened the door. As she stepped in, the noise lessened and eventually there was silence. She walked slowly over to the seatra and lowered Zoren’s body gently inside.

Until your people can lay you to rest, you’ll be kept in suspended animation.

Kalrea turned to see everyone staring at her.

What do I say to them?

Gulco rushed over, ‘Kalrea. What happened? Is Zoren-’

‘I’m sorry, Gulco,’ Kalrea replied.

Zoren’s mother rushed over to the seatra. ‘Oh, no, my boy!’ she cried out.

Kalrea looked slowly at the Agonians, before she said, ‘Zoren gave his life for you, all of you.’ She paused and glanced briefly to the floor, finding it hard to continue. ‘Never forget that!’ she said almost in tears.

She turned and quickly left the room. As soon as the door closed behind her she started to cry.

I’ve never lost a person who I said I would protect before. I should have stopped him, but it’s what he wanted. It feels like I’ve failed. I had a duty to protect him.

She was still standing near the door, when it suddenly opened and Gulco walked out.

Kalrea quickly wiped her eyes.

I can’t let him see me like this
.

‘Gulco! Er... the
Aurora
has now left the Linud atmosphere.’

‘Are you all right, Kalrea?’ he asked, looking concerned.

‘Why shouldn’t I be?’

‘You look like… Well, like you’ve been crying.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’m fine.’

‘Kalrea, there’s not enough room in the living area for all of us.’

‘So what do you want me to do about it?’ she said in a defensive voice and then with an aggressive tone continued, ‘You’ll all have to share. The
Aurora
wasn’t built for this many people.’

Even if she did not mean it, she scared Gulco, who now looked like a school kid who had just been given a good dressing down by his teacher. Kalrea sighed.

‘Gulco, I’m sorry. It’s been a difficult day for me. Look, some of you can use the ships in the cargo bay. I estimate fourteen can stay in those, while the rest will have to stay within these living spaces. I’ll get the construction drones to start putting some walls up to give you privacy. I’ll also get them to construct a few more steam showers.’

‘We’ll help you build them.’

‘I didn’t mean to be unkind to you. The drones can manage.’

‘Kalrea, we need to do this. It would help us feel that we are beginning a new life.’

‘If that’s what you want, then the drone will assist as required. Is that ok?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ Gulco replied, but he seemed nervous. ‘Kalrea... Now we have everyone, where are we going to go?’ he asked tentatively. ‘We can’t stay anywhere near here.’

‘The plan is to go to a planet on the far side of the galaxy, out towards the rim. It’s uninhabited, so you’ll be able to settle there away from any threats from other species.’

‘What’s this planet called?’

‘It doesn’t have a name, so I suggest, as a group, you need to think of one. You’ll have plenty of time. Unfortunately it’s going to take an equivalent of eight standard Linud months to get there.’

‘How much food do you have onboard, Kalrea?’

‘Not enough. I only have food to feed you all for another twelve days. I’m also sure you’ll get fed up with the food-bars before that, so we need to get supplies. I’m currently heading for a planet called Vorlire. They are a very peaceful people and trade with other nearby planets. I’m sure we’ll be able to get enough food to get us to your new home. We’ll also pick up some construction materials.’

‘Did Zoren really give his life to save the rest of my people?’ Gulco asked.

Kalrea nodded. ‘He made an agreement with Lord Saylmon. His life for free passage. Lord Saylmon kept his word.’

Kalrea started to feel sad once more as she remembered back to what happened on Linud. She felt again like to cry and she tried to suppress the feeling, but she was unable.

‘I wish there could have been another way, Gulco. He was so brave, right to the end.’

Tears streamed from Kalrea’s eyes.

‘All I could do was watch. I’ve never been so helpless.’

‘Kalrea, I know what you’re going through,’ Gulco said and pointed to the closed door. ‘Everyone in that room is feeling the same way as you. Everyone has lost someone close. Zoren knew what he was doing and his death has not been in vain.’

‘I know, Gulco,’ she replied, before she thought,
and he’s now with the one he loves.

‘You need to be amongst people, not all on your own. Please, come back inside the room. I’m sure the other Agonians want to meet you and share your loss.’

Kalrea managed a slight smile. ‘Thank you, Gulco. I would like that.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘Please give me a moment.’

‘Don’t be concerned how you look,’ Gulco said ‘There are a lot of people in there who look just like you. There’s no shame in crying. You need to let it out. They’re all proud of you. I know I’m proud of you. Without your help we’d all be enslaved or worse dead by now.’

‘Your people need a strong leader, Gulco.’

‘Unfortunately, it looks like that’s me. I hope I can live up to their expectations.’

‘I know you’ll step up to the challenge. Just lose some of that arrogance,’ Kalrea said and smiled.

Gulco smiled back. ‘I think we’ve all had to change because of what happened. I’ll make sure my people pull together.’

Kalrea held out her hand and Gulco shook it.

‘Then, you’d better start organising who’s going where,’ Kalrea said cheerfully. ‘And you need to get that room cleared, so you can start putting some walls up.’

‘Shall we go back inside then?’ Gulco said.

Kalrea nodded.

At Vorlire, the
Aurora
landed in one of the main landing zones near to a commercial market. It was the ideal place to barter for the supplies they required for the long journey ahead. Kalrea and Gulco were preparing to leave.

‘Here’s seventeen bars of Jik ore,’ Kalrea said, handing the small pen-like bars to Gulco. ‘It’s a very rare material in this sector of the galaxy, so quite valuable and should be enough to buy whatever we need.’

‘What’s it used for?’ Gulco asked her.

‘It’s used to make expensive piercing jewellery, not that I’d want any.’

‘Kalrea, you might look good with a pierced eye ball,’ Gulco said, looking amused, but Kalrea’s expression was one of distaste and she replied,

‘No way! Expensive it may be, but I’m not letting anyone near my eyes.’

Gulco shook his head. ‘Mine neither!’

Kalrea took the telementor from her pocket. She held it in her hand and they both stared at it, in a moment of contemplation, as they thought of Zoren.

‘I... I want you to be safe on Vorlire, Gulco, so I need you to wear the telementor,’ she said, and then held it out towards him.

‘I’m not sure I can. Zoren wore that. He said you chose him as your pilot.’

‘Yes, I did. And now I want you to have it.’

She moved it closer to him, prompting him to take it. ‘Please Gulco, if you don’t wear it, I cannot guarantee your safety.’

‘So does this mean I have to be your pilot?’

Kalrea smiled at him, before answering, ‘No Gulco, don’t worry. I’ve decided I no longer need a pilot.’

He took the telementor from her. ‘It’s not in manual, is it?’ he asked handling it gingerly.

‘I can change it to manual if you really want me to,’ she said in jest.

‘No! No! I’m very happy if you decide when I need to be protected, honest!’ He raised his hand towards Kalrea, so she could see his wrist. ‘Can you help me put it on, please? Having one arm is sometimes very frustrating.’

Kalrea fastened the telementor onto Gulco’s wrist, and then said, ‘Are you ready to do some trading?’

‘Absolutely! Lead the way,’ he replied and moved his arm to show Kalrea the way to the lift. ‘After you!’

*****

After three hours and a lot of bargaining, Kalrea and Gulco returned to the
Aurora
.

The last of the seven hexagonal crates containing the supplies was being lowered by a large delivery ship onto the floor of the
Aurora’s
cargo bay. The ship released its load and accelerated quickly away to move onto its next delivery.

The Agonians had already emptied four of the crates and were now opening another, which contained parcels of food. Kalrea was helping to empty the crate, handing the food containers to a line of Agonians, who then carried the food away to a storage room located off the side of the cargo bay.

I feel a lot happier now we’re underway,
Kalrea thought, glancing over at some of the Agonians who were now turning their attention to the next crate. They started to remove wood and metal sheets, placing them on the floor nearby.

A group of children, curious about what was in the crates, were watching from a distance. Among them were Asnica and Doine with one of the Glonvis. They wanted to speak to Kalrea and hurried over to her.

Kalrea saw that Asnica was cradling a Glonvi in her hands and asked her,

‘What’s the name of that one?’

‘Duin,’ Asnica said. Kalrea noticed that Asnica looked nervous as though she had something on her mind.

‘Kalrea… Er…’ Doine said. ‘Er-’

Asnica interrupted. ‘Can we take the Glonvis with us to Kalzor?’ she asked, with a pitiful expression on her face.

‘Kalzor?’ Kalrea said puzzled.

‘That’s the name of our new planet,’ Supora said, overhearing them.

‘Oh,’ Kalrea replied.

Gulco was also nearby. ‘We all came up with names and then voted for the one we all liked, and the most popular was Kalzor,’ he remarked, while struggling to move a one metre long metallic bar with his only hand.

‘Who came up with that name?’ Kalrea asked him.

‘I think it was Vinuar, wasn’t it, Supora?’

‘Yep, he thought it would be appropriate to name it after Zoren and you.’

‘Well, I’m very touched,’ Kalrea replied. ‘And I’m sure Zoren is looking down on us with a smile on his face too.’

Doine tugged on Kalrea’s sleeve to attract her attention. ‘Can we take the Glonvis to Kalzor? Please!’

Kalrea glanced at Supora, who nodded quickly a few times in excited agreement.

‘All right, as long as you let them free when there are enough of them to survive.’

‘Thank you,’ Asnica said.

‘I’ll go and tell the other children,’ Doine said. She had a broad smile on her face because she was looking forward to giving the other children the news and then ran off.

‘Doine! Walk!’ Supora shouted at her. Asnica glanced to Supora, who raised her eyebrows and stared at her, as if to say, ‘that means you too’. Asnica crept away.

‘Are you all right lifting that metal bar, Gulco?’ Kalrea said, seeing he was having difficulty. ‘Let me help you.’

As Kalrea helped Gulco with the bar of metal, Supora commented,

‘Everyone’s working so hard to get all the food and materials unloaded.’

Gulco replied, ‘Yes I know. I think it’s time to celebrate with a group meal, don’t you?’

Supora nodded in agreement. She got up onto the steps of a nearby transport and then shouted out, ‘Listen up, everyone. We need to make a large table in the centre of the room. And we need to try out the food we’ve got from Vorlire. I know it’s not what we’re all used to, but I’m sure over time the creative among us will come up with some interesting dishes. For tonight we need to try out the pre-packaged food.’

All the adults began to help on their own initiative; some disappeared inside a storage room to sort through the food and drink, while others started to create a makeshift table out of a number of smaller crates, and sheets of metal and wood.

‘You will join us, won’t you, Kalrea?’ Supora asked her.

‘I’m not sure,’ Kalrea replied.

‘Oh, I see. Of course you don’t eat!’ Supora said.

‘No, it’s not that. This drone can eat, but these are your people.’

‘Come on, Kalrea!’ Gulco said. ‘You’re one of the family now. We want to celebrate the lives of those we lost over the last few days. We’d like you to join us.’

After ten minutes the crates, wood and some sheets of metal had been transformed into a long table now with food laid out along its length. Smaller crates and other suitable objects found around the cargo bay had been used for seats of various sizes, and the construction drones had delivered drinking glasses to the table.

Kalrea was distracted.
Scanners have been activated. Two ships have been detected, six thousand kilometres to port.

As the Agonians began to sit around the table, Asnica peered up at Kalrea and asked, ‘Will you sit next to me?’

Kalrea smiled. ‘Yes, of course I will, but you’d better put that Glonvi back in its enclosure. I don’t think your mother will be too please if it gets onto the table.’

‘My mum’s over there,’ Asnica said, pointing at and then ran over to her. ‘Kalrea’s going to sit next to me,’ she said to her. ‘I’ve just got to put Duin back in his pen.’ Then she left running. Kalrea could see that Supora was about to call out to her, but after only a few strides Asnica slowed and walked purposefully, bringing a smile to Kalrea’s face.

Kalrea sat down, so there was a vacant seat between her and Supora for Asnica.

They look very relaxed. The happiest I’ve seen them.

Those ships seem to be on the same course as us now. I think I’ll turn the Aurora onto a new heading, speed Q5.

Gulco was sitting opposite Supora. As he stood up, the buzz of talking quickly abated.

It was obvious that he was not used to making speeches to so many people. He glanced down at the table and then to his wife, Cafeor. She placed her hand reassuringly on top of his.

‘We…Er… lost a lot a good friends…Er… and family over the last few days.’ He started nervously. ‘Er… I know we’ve all missed someone close to us… a husband, wife… Er, a child, but we are here.’ He paused for a moment in thought. ‘We have a chance of a new beginning… Er. We’ve been in captivity; we’ve been taken for gain… Er. For nothing less than greed. Murdered!’ He paused again. ‘So others can have something that they don’t deserve. Immortality!’ He looked at each of his people in turn.

Kalrea was distracted again,
Interesting! Those ships have also changed course. They appear to be matching my navigational changes. I’ll increase speed to Q7 to lose them.

Gulco continued, ‘If Zoren hadn’t have been helped by Kalrea, he would have died on that Polnozoo all alone and we would have been slaves. There’s no doubt many more of us would have died. Er… So I want you all to celebrate Zoren’s courage and remember those we’ve lost. Remember the happy moments you shared together. Today is a new start, a new beginning!’ Gulco said, raising his glass. ‘To lost family and friends.’

‘To lost family and friends,’ everyone said loudly.

There was a moment of reflection.

The following ships are now out of scanner range, but I think I’ll keep at this speed. I’ll change course again.

Kalrea watched as they started to take some of the food and ate. Her eyes scanned up and down the table.

‘Aren’t you going to eat, Kalrea?’ Supora asked her.

‘What would you suggest?’ Kalrea asked and then thought,
I’ve never eaten before. I wonder what it will be like.

‘Try a piece of… ’ Supora read out the writing on the container, ‘cooked Fink bird. I think it must be a meat of some kind,’ she said and then passed the container to Kalrea.

Kalrea took out a piece of the black meat.

Looks a bit like cloth rather than food
, she thought, as she took a bite and then chewed it slowly.

‘So what’s it like, Kalrea?’ Gulco asked.

‘Well, there’s forty-three percent water; twenty-one percent protein; four-point-six-’

Gulco laughed, so Kalrea stopped.

‘What’s so funny?’ she asked him.

‘You’re not tasting the food, you’re analysing it!’ Gulco said.

Kalrea was confused, and replied, ‘Well that’s what it tastes like.’

Three ships have been detected. They’ll pass within twenty thousand kilometres of us on my present course.

‘We have taste receptors,’ Supora said. ‘We can’t analyse the food like you just did.’

Kalrea took another bite and after she swallowed it said, ‘Taste is difficult for me to understand.’

‘What do you feel in the mouth then?’ Gulco asked.

‘It’s actually quite a pleasant feeling in the mouth.’

‘So, do you like it, Kalrea?’ Supora said.

Do I like it? I think I do. I think this taste is what people call sweetness,
she thought and then said, ‘Yes, it’s very good. I think I’ll try something else.’

Kalrea picked up another container and read
‘Jiul’
on its side.

This is a vegetable
. She tried it.
This is completely different. Quite acidic! That must be a sour taste. Not sure I’d want to eat much of that.
She took it from her mouth.

‘Looks like you didn’t enjoy that one,’ Supora said to her, with a broad grin on her face.

‘That’s disgusting!’ Kalrea remarked.

Two more ships detected. They’re also converging ahead of me. I don’t like this.

Kalrea stood up.

‘Is everything all right?’ Gulco asked her. ‘Was it the food?’

‘No, it’s not the food, but we may have a problem. Gulco, sorry to interrupt your meal, but you need to come with me to the bridge.’

Gulco looked puzzled. ‘What now?’

‘Yes, now!’

Gulco got up and hurried around the table to her. ‘What is it, Kalrea?’ he asked her as they both walked together towards the Pojin lift.

‘There are five ships tracking us, all on an intercept course. No wait, another two… no three now closing from below us.’

‘Who are they?’ Gulco said as they entered the lift.

‘Scanners are indicating they could be the ships from Trafth. We’ll have to wait until we’re in visual range for confirmation, which will be in three-point-two minutes.’

Upon entering the bridge, Gulco rushed over to the monitor, which showed a number of ships heading directly towards them.

‘What do they want, Kalrea?’

‘Guess!’ she replied.

‘Can we out run them?’

‘Yes easily, but they seem to know that. It’s as if they want to make sure we have to pass by at least one or two of their ships,’ Kalrea said. ‘I think they’re going to attack us.’