Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life (17 page)

‘I have to go,’ Kalrea said to Gulco. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get the children.’

Gulco nodded back. His wife was holding him tightly.

As soon as Kalrea entered the Pojin lift, she tried to contact Zoren, but there was no response.

‘Zoren, I’m sorry, but… you’re on your own,’ Kalrea’s broken voice said within the shuttle. ‘I have… to leave you. If you can… hear me, get away… from the shuttle. I will find you.’

The
Aurora
slowed and then dipped down towards a large blue field of grass. It hovered above the ground, and the Pojin lift descended beneath. The door rotated open and Kalrea jumped out onto the ground, before quickly running to the cover of some nearby trees. The
Aurora
rose swiftly into the sky.

Scanners! No ships detected. Good, they won’t know I left the ship. I need to keep those fighters occupied for a while, so I think a flight over to the next continent will do that. H’furni Raxom’s house is just beyond this thick line of trees.

The smell of old trees oozing with sap was almost unnoticeable, due to the sweet scent of fragrant plants being carried by a gentle breeze. As Kalrea moved through the undergrowth towards the house, the scent intensified and she emerged into a massive garden full of colourful flowers and shrubs. In the distance, down a long and very well presented avenue of small blue trees was an old mansion made of cream coloured stone, which dominated the garden. Tall tinted elliptical windows spanned the height of the three story building and the orange star-light reflected in the expanse of glass, making the windows look like gigantic eyes that stared at anyone who approached them.

Kalrea strolled down the middle of the avenue of trees, glancing occasionally from side-to-side for signs of danger.

Three gardeners, who were tending to one of the trees, looked at her.

‘Morning,’ Kalrea said calmly to them.

They watched Kalrea for a moment and then returned to their pruning.

Kalrea walked up a flight of steps, which were in the shape of an hour-glass and led to the large ornate main entrance to the mansion. The entrance had a huge stone archway and at its centre was a double wood door over three times her height.

Going on the size and opulence of this place, H’furni Raxom must be very wealthy.

Searching for computer systems. No computer systems detected.

She looked at the door for the access control system and then at a large door knob.

How quaint! A manual door.

She turned the knob, but the double door was locked. Kalrea studied how the door was set into the stone, and then with a sharp thrust of her arm against the centre line of the double door, the two halves flew open.

*****

Zoren regained consciousness. He peered down at the ceiling of the shuttle and thought,

I’m upside down!

‘… to leave you. If you can… hear me, get away… from the shuttle. I will find you,’ Kalrea’s broken voice said from within the shuttle.

‘Kalrea!’ Zoren said, but there was no reply.

Without Kalrea being able to tell if Zoren was in danger, the telementor returned to normal. He was now on his own, without her protection.

From his seat, he surveyed the cockpit. The console had been completely destroyed and was pushed back against the bulkhead, and smoke was slowly filling the shuttle. He was about to try and free himself from the seat, when it unexpectedly released him and he fell head-first onto the ceiling.

‘Damn! Ow…’

He got to his feet and then felt his forehead.

Kalrea said to get away from the shuttle, but how do I get the door open? The console is in bits.

There was a pad to the right of the door with some upside-down Qinant writing on it.

It must be there for a reason. Onboard the Aurora a pad like that would open a door.

He waved his hand over it and the door sprung open. All around the shuttle were tall trees and dense vegetation.

Zoren jumped down into the dense undergrowth, causing a cloud of pollen to lift into the air all around him. He waved his hand in front of his face trying to disperse the pollen and sneezed violently three times, before the cloud settled back onto the ground. He looked back at the trees cut in half by the shuttle’s impact and then to the front of the shuttle, which was severely damaged with its front window full of large cracks.

I can hear the noise of an engine. It’s getting closer. I need to get away from the shuttle.

A Gullin fighter thundered past overhead, just above the tree-tops. Panicking, he thought,

Which way?

*****

Meanwhile, back at the mansion.

Pieces of wood flew across the floor as the massive door to the mansion was forced open. One of hinges pulled away from the stonework showering masonry over the entrance.

Kalrea hurried inside a large lavish hallway where she was greeted by an even more intense scent of flowers. Directly in front of her, was a wide staircase made of bottle-green crystal leading up to the first floor. Brightly coloured flowers dominated the edge of the room and many were climbing the walls. Some towered above her, up onto the high ceiling which was decorated with an elaborate wood carving of a dragon-like creature.

I can’t detect any cameras, nothing. I can’t tell where the Agonian children are.

A man in a dark-grey uniform appeared at the top of the staircase and a woman, in similar a uniform, appeared from an open doorway to her left.

‘Excuse me, I’m looking for H’furni Raxom,’ Kalrea asked the woman, who was now staring at the wreaked front door with her mouth open. The man was now scurrying down the stairs.

Noticing the large amount of blood on Kalrea’s dress, he glared at her in distaste, before saying, ‘He’s in the Trinif room. And you are?’

‘My name’s Kalrea and I need to see him, now!’

A door opened to her right and a smart-dressed man came out.

‘Sir, this woman is asking for you,’ the man said to him.

So that’s H’furni Raxom.

The smart-dressed man looked over to the wrecked door and shouted,

‘What the hell have you done?’ He dashed over to it. ‘This was 650 years old you know. Cost me a lot! How did you do this?’ he said angrily to Kalrea, ‘Why did you do this?’

I don’t have time for this.

Kalrea wandered over to H’furni Raxom.

Just as he was about to shout at her, she punched him in the stomach, causing him to fly across the room.

‘Where are the Agonian children?’ she asked him in a calm voice.

H’furni Raxom was gasping for air as Kalrea picked him up.

‘Please! Watch... my suit, it’s a Joih. Look! Calm down lady. They’re... down the hallway, second door on the right.’

‘Thank you,’ Kalrea replied.

She set H’furni Raxom down on his feet and let go of him and then turned to the man in uniform and said,

‘I take it you work here?’

‘Yes… Yes, ma’am,’ he replied very nervously.

‘Are there anymore of you in the house?’ she said, as she walked passed him down the hallway.

‘Yes, there are, ma’am.’

‘Then I strongly advise you to get them all out of the house. Do you understand?’

‘Yes... ma’am.’

Kalrea glanced back at H’furni Raxom, who was adjusting his suit. He quickly admired himself in a nearby mirror, before brushing the arms of his suit to remove some dust from the fallen masonry.

Now what’s he doing? What a vain person.

As Kalrea hurried down a corridor, she caught sight of her own appearance in a mirror.

Oh! Look at the state of me. All that blood. The children can’t see me like this. It would be enough to give them nightmares.

She took off the grey dress and discarded it in the corridor. She then adjusted her uniform, and thought,

So to a Gullin this is underwear. Just as well we’re leaving this planet.

Kalrea approached the door.

She was about to kick it in with her foot, when H’furni Raxom shouted. ‘No, please! Don’t break my door.’

He rushed over, but looked almost dumbfounded by Kalrea’s appearance.

Before he could say anything Kalrea said,

‘Yes. I know! This is what my people wear, ok! Sorry it looks like underwear, but it’s not.’

H’furni Raxom stared at Kalrea and seemed to forget what he was going to say to her. He then eyed her slim body.

‘Seen enough!’ Kalrea said.

‘Oh, sorry!’ H’furni Raxom replied, looking slightly embarrassed, and then remembering what he wanted to say said, ‘The door is unlocked.’

Kalrea glanced at the door handle and then to H’furni Raxom and said, ‘All right! I won’t damage the door. Satisfied?’

She entered a colourfully decorated room, which was adorned with old furniture and ornaments. There were many new toys scattered around the room; however, all the children had ignored them and were sitting on two blue patterned seats, huddled very closely to each other. Except for a baby, who was being held in the arms of one of the older girls, each child had an electronic collar around their neck.

A two-year-old girl looked at Kalrea and then cried, ‘I want my mum!’

Kalrea went over to her and knelt down.

‘Hello, Miar. Please, don’t cry. Your mum’s waiting for you on my ship.’

Kalrea studied the collar around her neck.

‘Let me take that nasty thing off you.’

There was a click and the front opened out. Kalrea carefully removed it.

‘Would you like to go to my ship and see your mum?’

Miar felt her neck, but said nothing.

‘What are you doing?’ H’furni Raxom asked.

‘I’ve come to return these children to their parents.’

‘They don’t belong to you.’

Why the arrogant bastard!

Kalrea was annoyed. She stood up and glared at H’furni Raxom.

‘They don’t belong to you either,’ she said angrily.

She went to each child, releasing the collars.

‘I paid over the odds for those children. I have plans for them. I want to begin a breeding and reproduction farm of Agonians.’

‘How can you think of doing such a thing? They’re no different to you. They don’t deserve to be treated like animals,’ she shouted at him.

‘I’m not letting you leave,’ he said determined. He closed the door.

Kalrea turned to the oldest child.

‘Darrend, I want you to help me, please.’

He looked apprehensively at Kalrea, before saying, ‘What do you want me to do?’

He seems very frightened. Poor boy!

‘Would you like to see a space ship?’

He nodded, but it was not with excitement.

‘Well mine will be here in a minute, so we need to play a little game. Darrend, I need you to help me make a circle. Can you get the children to hold hands, please? We need to do it quickly.’

As Darrend got some of the other children to join him, Kalrea picked up Miar in her arms.

‘Don’t be afraid, no one’s going to harm you now,’ Kalrea said to her.

Kalrea felt a tug on her leg, so glanced down.

‘My name’s Asnica,’ a nine-year-old girl said.

‘Yes, I know,’ Kalrea said.

‘And this is my sister. Her name’s Doine,’ Asnica said. ‘Are our mum and dad on your ship?’

Kalrea gulped, as she thought of Supora lying inside the seatra.

‘Yes, your mum’s there, but she been hurt.’

‘Will she be all right?’

What do I say? Supora has been seriously injured and may not survive.

‘I don’t… I mean.’ Asnica was staring straight into Kalrea’s eyes. ‘Yes. She’ll be fine.’

‘What about our dad?’

The poor girls... Their father, Valon, is dead. I can’t tell them that as well.

‘He... he’s not there,’ Kalrea replied unconvincingly.

Kalrea lowered Miar to the floor and then took hold of one of her hands. She looked at Asnica and said, ‘Will you hold Miar’s other hand, please?’

Asnica nodded and then, acting like an adult, gripped Mair’s hand and said to her, ‘I’ll look after you.’

Kalrea took hold of one of the other children’s hands, so they were now all holding hands in a large circle.

‘What are you doing?’ H’furni Raxom asked, moving towards Kalrea.

Kalrea glanced to him. ‘You may want to be somewhere else.’ Then, looking to the children, she said, ‘Now it’s time for a game. I’m going to make some pretty lights.’

Activate defence shield.