Author’s Note:

Thank you for deciding to pick up the second installment of the Solar Retaliation Series. The following maelstrom of shenanigans called Ascension of The First Born is a mixture of European folklore, the Global War on Terror, and History, along with a few extra elements I have added. Aliens are now a thing, Zion is in a world of hurt, and the Vagabonds are about to run face first into the wall known as Gods, who may not be what they seem. So, sit back, enjoy, and follow along as our young heroes flounder their way across a struggle that shakes the known galaxy to its very core.

Act 1 

Moonlight Massacre

The blood-red sunset gently framed the green horizon. The wind softly swayed the golden wheat fields as the crops bent backward and forwards in the soft breeze. Small farms with wooden houses and primitive equipment protruded sporadically along the horizon. Overhead, the planet’s ring glistened, a beautiful rainbow of colors gliding across the evening sky like a banner grasping both sides of the world.

A small hill stood facing the gorgeous sunset, running adjacent to the mountain range, slowly rising skyward to the south. On top of the small hill stood a proud and old Oak tree with a rope swing. On the rope swing sat a beautiful woman, smoking a pipe as she lazily swayed.

Her raven black hair was carefully braided behind her head, running down her neck. Her tanned skin glistened in the sunlight, her green eyes squinting. Her body was concealed in dark green and brown camouflage combat kit. Her torso was burdened with navigation and reconnaissance equipment. Standing on its bipod, a slim and sleek rifle, scope on top, sat beside her. The weapon seemed just as sleek and deadly as the woman.

As she swung gently, the woman took a puff and noticed the pipe was nearly empty. She grumbled and reached into her left shoulder pocket, pulling out a sandwich bag of tobacco from back home. She grabbed a pinch and stuffed it into the pure white pipe engraved with a woman in armor, holding a spear that ran the entire length of the pipe.

The solitary lounger struck a match and puffed deeply as the rich smoke filled her lungs. She sighed with a smirk and rested her head on the suitable rope. As she swayed, her radio buzzed to life. The woman huffed, a grimace shrouding her face as she picked it up. The radio crackled as she watched the sunset, a broken-up voice softly calling.

“Broken and unreadable, change frequencies, Matt!” she groaned into the radio.

The lady clicked a button and waited. The radio crackled again.

“What have I told you about using names, Raven Actual!” the male voice complained.

“My bad, Ginger Fuck Actual. What’s your ETA? I’ve been sitting here for hours!” the woman whined.

“I’m not answering that until you use my actual call sign,” the male voice said, offended.

“No,” the woman pronounced slowly, cupping her lips.

“ETA is fifteen minutes; please be ready to receive the drop team. Zion Actual out,” a female voice said, sing songily.

“Thank you, Sapphire!” the woman giggled.

“My pleasure, Mistress Rachel,” Sapphire said happily.

“See how easy that was, Ginger Actual?” Rachel laughed, standing up from her swing and stretching.

“I’m going to strangle you when I get on planet,” Matt grumbled.

“In your dreams fuck boy!” Rachel laughed, leaning down and picking up her rifle.

“Drop site is ready, no hostiles on sight, you’re clear for descent, Zion One. The approach is vector five dash six dash nine. The wind speed is twenty-five miles. Come in from the North,” said Rachel, now serious, into her radio.

“Acknowledged, beginning descent now,” a new male voice called.

 Rachel replaced the radio into the hidden pouch of her armor’s cummerbund. She pulled out a sleek tactical scanner and peered skyward. As she looked for any signs of her friends, she noticed a tiny orange blip in the atmosphere.

She pulled the scanner away and stowed it. She racked the rifle back halfway, ensuring a round was in the chamber. Satisfied, she exhaled deeply, then began jogging down the hill. She reached into her battle belt and pulled out a mini drone as she ran. Rachel activated it with her thumb, sending it buzzing away into the distance.

As the drone scanned for any surprises or hidden enemies, the lone soldier entered the wheat fields, the crops barely touching her waist as she gracefully glided through the area. She came to the center of the field, huffing. She sighed, reached to the side of her belt, and pulled out a flare. She took the cap off of it and smacked the bottom of the canister.

The flare screamed skyward, exploding in the darkening sky. The bold white smoke ascended. She then pulled out two smoke grenades and threw them in opposite directions. Rachel smiled and pulled her pipe out.

The match struggled in the wind, but she expertly lit the pipe. This quaint countryside breeze stood no chance if she could smoke on top of a mountain during a blizzard. Remembering one of her missions, she smiled, gazing upward, watching the approaching shuttle.

The bold silver craft gracefully hovered above her. She tilted her head, confused as to why they weren’t landing. As she gazed, the side door of the shuttle opened, and multiple ropes descended from the craft. She rolled her eyes as numerous fighters began sliding down to her, thudding around her.

“So dramatic!” Rachel jeered over the thunder of the shuttle’s engines.

“What?” one of the fighters yelled.

Rachel shook her head, watching the craft detach the ropes. In the doorway, the form of a woman could be seen. She gracefully leaped from the vessel, igniting blue energy. Her hands became molten orbs of blue and white as she landed gently on the ground.

Rachel clapped slowly with a smirk as the shuttle careened away.

“Now that, that was dramatic, professor,” Rachel giggled.

“Not a professor yet, darling.”

The woman laughed, brushing wheat off of her pristine combat suit tailored in rich leather and black. Her features were sharp, her blue eyes darting as her pure white hair was swept back over the scalp down her back, the sides of her head shaved and covered in rich tattoos.

“Secure the perimeter!” the soldier who shouted earlier commanded.

A dozen men dressed like Rachel nodded, expertly sweeping the field.

“Site is secure, assholes,” Rachel whined, reaching out her open palm to collect the drone as it came back to her.

“Let him have his fun, my dear; we are in for a rough one from what I hear,” Sapphire said.

“I’m not losing another team to this hell hole,” the man grumbled.

“Oh, ease up, medal of honor, this isn’t Europe. They were all assaults and no pros. Not our fault the council sent in amateurs,” Rachel scoffed.

“Those amateurs were Zion troopers through and through. It is unlikely that they would have been caught off guard or ambushed quite so easily,” Sapphire chimed.

Rachel shrugged, holding the rifle over her shoulders.

“Perimeter secure, sir,” one of the soldiers called.

The man nodded, pulling his helmet off, revealing his bright red hair and freckles.

“Yeesh. Let’s hope they don’t have any snipers nearby; I could see that beacon a click away,” Rachel laughed.

Mathew grimaced, checking the holographic map projected by his watch-like device. After highlighting some key terrain, he spoke while looking at the map.

“This is what I get for not taking files seriously. She hates redheads, the worst teammate ever. Wild cannon she is, that’s the last one I’d pick,” Matt scoffed.

“Hey! Watch that shit, buddy!” Rachel threatened.

“Not part of my department; I can say whatever I like, buddy,” Mathew said, his brow furrowed, his eye squinted.

“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting cuz you act like such a stuck-up dick,” Rachel snarled.

Despite being military herself, she hated people like Matt. Robots in human clothing, so straightforward, no sense of humor. This job was hard enough, people didn’t need to be so uptight on top of that.

Sapphire crossed her arms.

“Are we done now, children?” Sapphire asked smirking, an eyebrow raised.

“Sure,” Rachel sighed.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Matt nodded.

“For the last time, Mathew, I am not your superior officer; I am your advisor. If anything, Rachel is your commanding officer, given her status,” Sapphire sighed, walking between them with her hands held behind her back through the field.

“HA! Suck it, nerd!” Rachel laughed.

“This is my team, those are my men, you’re just an asset. I only follow Sapphire’s and the council’s intent.” Matt spat.

“Well, how about you kiss my entire asset, and we call it a day, Lieutenant?!” Rachel said.

“The mission at hand, if you please, my dears.”

As the three slowly walked through the field, Rachel studied the fighters. They were tough-looking troopers, covered in camouflage tailored to this world. Their eyes were tested; none of them looked young or raw from what Rachel could see.

The Zion troopers’ faces were covered by tactical masks. Their helmets were sleek and low profile, as was their armor. Each man had a different role, and no two fighters had the same weapon or tools. Rachel approved; these were professionals, the kind she had wanted to serve with all those years ago.

“Is there anything left of the plant?” Sapphire asked as the other two caught up.

“No, they all got wiped out before I could get to them,” Rachel sighed as she walked.

“Pity, I rather admired Abraham’s methods,” Sapphire huffed.

“I didn’t see any Professors lying among the dead,” Rachel said.

“Then there may be a chance he’s alive,” Sapphire said wistfully.

“Or captured,” Matt grunted as he put his helmet back on.

Mathew beckoned to his men to follow. The signal was relayed by hand and arm as the team soundlessly picked up, prowling through the field like wolves as the three’s conversation continued.

“Let us hope it has not come to that. The man was kind and learned; fieldcraft was far beyond his expertise.” Sapphire said darkly.

“Then why send him out here?” Rachel asked.

“There are few Medieval age planets left in this ever-shrinking universe. Most likely, he was sent here to research and implement some sort of internship program,” Sapphire said.

“And when he got into trouble, they sent the team, which got massacred,” Rachel rolled her eyes.

She preferred “shock and awe”; kicking in doors, leveling compounds, and climbing obstacles. This clean-up duty was beneath her.

“Precisely. A rare occurrence becoming far less so by the day. Keep on edge; they gave me the best scourge and scout team for a reason.” Sapphire said.

The troopers formed a security posture surrounding the three as they walked towards the edge of the field. No sound came from the group, as somehow these men flowed through without breaking a twig or rustling from moving through the wheat. It was as if the men were simply the wind.

“But I thought you had always been our handler?” Rachel asked.

“That would be my father, darling, ” Sapphire nodded.

“How is Thaddeus, by the way? We haven’t seen him in months,” Matt asked.

“He’s tending to a rather delicate situation on a most peculiar timeline,” Sapphire said carefully.

Rachel wordlessly exclaimed excitedly.

“Does this mean new friends?” Rachel asked happily.

“Potentially,” Sapphire said.

“Last time he went out, he came back with Rachel. Any chance these new guys will be just as bad as her?” Matt asked, pointing with his head.

“If half the things I have heard about these Vagabonds are true, they will be far worse,” Sapphire said.

“Whew, man! Classy Sapphire? Using derogatory language against pupils? Damn, they must be really, really bad!” Rachel chortled.

“You aren’t serious. That can’t even be possible?” Matt gasped.

“Darling, they call themselves ‘The Vagabonds’. And no offense, please, my dear, I sincerely hope my father is exaggerating as he tends to do,” Sapphire sighed.

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Rachel grinned and nearly skipped as she walked. It had been so long without any new arrivals. Finally, she wouldn’t be the new kid on the block.

“Dude, this is gonna be awesome! Are they from Earth? Please tell me they’re from Earth! I can’t handle any more Armenium fucks,” Rachel said, pointing with her head towards Matt.

Sapphire said,“They are, and I quote here, ‘Martians’.”

“What, like the green men from the movies?” Rachel asked.

“Are you saying these are people who grew up on Mars?” Matt asked.

“They will be the first team ever to come from such a place. How they colonized and terraformed the planet is, well, let’s just say, rather unique. I’m afraid the environment breads rugged and wild beasts of people,” Sapphire said.

“Oh man, I can’t wait to meet them! We need some good new assaults,” Rachel giggled.

“Three of them are scourges. Type One, scourges. You will no longer be the most powerful asset in our department,” Sapphire said darkly.

The two pupils were stunned and silent. Rachel gulped angrily, rage forming in her chest.

“You know damn well I’m Type One,” Rachel growled.

“Type One is issued after proven power status in combat, darling. I do not doubt your power, but we are all bound by the rules,” Sapphire said.

“So, these new guys get a free pass? The fuck kind of shit did they go through? I fought in World War Three, for Christ’s sake! Where’s my Type One status?” Rachel spat.

“Back wherever you left your military bearing,” Matt jabbed.

“One more peep out of you ‘ranger handbook’ and I swear to God-” Rachel started.

“Where was the attack?” Sapphire interrupted.

Rachel huffed angrily.

“There’s a village five clicks to the North. Population and team wiped out a few days before I was inserted,” she rasped.

“Lead the way, if you would be so kind. I would like to see this killing ground,” Sapphire asked kindly, her blue eyes twinkling.

“You got it. Try and keep up, Matthew!” Rachel sneered, hefting her rifle, and jogging in front of Sapphire.

The team spread out, forming a long column with fifteen meters between each member. Rachel hiked along a beaten path in the fields, leading the way to the village. As they walked, the sunset, the insects, and birds of the night came out. Overhead, the stars glistened amazingly, seeing as there was no light pollution from modern technology.

Rachel activated her energy, her pupils glowing grey faintly like a feline predator in the night, allowing her to see as if it were day. Behind her, Sapphire seemed to see just fine, also. The rest of the team activated their night vision goggles attached to their helmets.

As the team softly trotted forward, thoughts crept into Rachel’s mind. She didn’t actually dislike Matt; in fact, she rather liked him. He didn’t seem to get her sense of humor; that was his dumb fault. As for Sapphire, she was a gem. Stuck up, a walking encyclopedia on literally everything, but a pretty cool person and a great teacher. Hopefully, this mission wouldn’t be too crazy, as this was technically Sapphire's first time in the field.   

 Thoughts of the new people took over as she almost absentmindedly led the way. Her training and experience at the helm as her mind wandered. Type Ones? She had never seen anyone that was enhanced, even close to Type Three. The tier system of power in Zion was confusing to her. She only knew that Types One through Three were your typical powerhouse fighters.

As they hiked, the miles kicking in, memories of the first time Rachel had used her powers came back to her. It had been a small firefight, more a skirmish, before Professor Thaddeus had whisked her away to Zion. Now she would have to listen to the new people. They were probably not as powerful as they said. Yeah, she would show them who was the real scourge.

As the team traveled, the dark shapes of the abandoned village came into sight. Rachel called a halt and beckoned for Sapphire and Matt. They stealthily crept beside her and knelt in the tall grass.

“That’s it up there, half a click at best,” Rachel whispered.

Sapphire nodded.

“Escort me in Rachel. Mathew, secure the perimeter,” She ordered.

Matt nodded and swiftly picked his men up, leading them into the thick forest adjacent to the village beneath the mountains.

“Are you sure there are no hostiles nearby?” Sapphire asked cautiously, her pupils faintly glowing in the dark.

 “Haven’t seen any since I got here,” Rachel shrugged.

“All right. Let’s go,” Sapphire whispered.

Rachel nodded and kept her rifle at the ready, pressing into the dark green pastures that surrounded the village. Behind her, the soft crackle of electric energy buzzed from Sapphire’s fingertips as she kept ready. As they got closer, the stench of death hit them.

Both women scrunched their noses as they passed the bodies of the dead animals. Sapphire shook her head.

“They even took the little ones,” Sapphire gently sighed.

“Wait till you see what they did to the people,” Rachel growled.

They entered the village, keeping to the shadows. They rested by the corner of a wooden building. Rachel pulled out her mini drone and sent it soaring into the night sky. Sapphire held her bracelet up to her mouth.

“Any signs of hostiles?” Sapphire asked the bracelet.

“None, ma’am,” Mathew’s voice crackled in Rachel’s headset.

“Right. How about your drone, Rachel?”

“Not a peep.”

“Okay, let’s go in, darling.”

Sapphire stood up, sighing with relief. She rounded the corner too quickly for Rachel to try and stop her. Rachel huffed and followed. Around the corner, Sapphire had stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were wide, her mouth twitching. Rachel slung her rifle and put her hand on Sapphire’s shoulder.

In the center of the village, the people all lay in the mud, butchered. Bodies, of all ages and genders, lay in pieces, strewn about as if wild dogs had come through.

“My god,” Sapphire whimpered, putting her hand over her mouth.

“There were more, a lot more. I buried some of the children first,” Rachel sighed.

“I am so sorry, my dear,” Sapphire gasped, her eyes glistening.

“Let’s just find the bastards that did this.”

Suddenly, a loud metallic clattering sounded out into the night. Like someone had knocked over some kitchen pans. Rachel immediately aimed her rifle. Sapphire’s hands erupted into furious balls of blue flame intertwined with arcs of electricity.

 “What’s going on?” Matt asked.

“We got company,” Rachel growled.

“Moving in!”

“No!” Sapphire exclaimed. “Stay put; this may be a trap.”

“Acknowledged.”

The two women exchanged nods, then split, forming a pincer on the dark house where the sound had originated from. As Rachel came to the front door, Sapphire scanned through the side windows, trying to illuminate the inside.

“Nothing on thermals or scanners,” Matt radioed.

“Something’s in there,” Rachel spat, her heightened senses hearing the rapid beating of a heart.

“Come on out, or we’ll smoke you out!” Rachel barked into the house.

“Don’t shoot!” A faint female voice squeaked.

Rachel and Sapphire looked at each other.

“Show yourself, we are not the same brutes who did this to your people,” Sapphire kindly, yet firmly, called.

Slowly, a dark shadow emerged in the door frame. Rachel instinctively aimed at the head, safety off, finger on the trigger as she slowed her breathing. The figure appeared, revealing a dirty and fatigued small girl. She had to be twelve years old, her dark ebony skin glistening in the moonlight. Her fair hair was missing patches and badly damaged, scratches and dried blood caking her gaunt and terrified face. Her skinny arms were torn and bandaged, her wool dress badly shredded and merely rags. Her grey eyes were darting and squinted. Her feet were bloodied as if she had spent several days running on them bare.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Sapphire coddled, extinguishing her energy. 

“Careful, the first time I’ve seen this one. Might be one of them,” Rachel growled, still aiming.

“Please, I hid from you when I saw your gun. They also had guns; I thought you were with them!” The little girl pleaded.

“Guns haven’t been invented yet in this world. And how do you know English?” Rachel said slowly.

“I’m not from here. Please, you must understand, I am from Zion; I must return there as soon as possible,” The little girl begged; her hands still raised in surrender.

The two women were silent.

“Under justice, the guardians of old shall,” Sapphire started slowly.

The little girls’ eyes widened.

“Keep the peace, defend the innocent, and uphold decency for all sentient life,” The little girl finished.

“Holy shit,” Rachel gasped.

“A student! Whatever are you doing, my dear?” Sapphire asked.

“I came here with Professor Abraham. We were studying Fauna before, before….” The little girl trailed off, her voice breaking.

“It’s all right. I am Intern Sapphire; this is staff sergeant Rachel; she’s a Zion trooper and Scourge,” Sapphire introduced.

“A real-life Scourge,” The little girl said with wide eyes, lowering her hands.

“Yeah, yeah, you can get my autograph later. What’s your name?” Rachel grumbled, lowering her weapon.

“I am Zyhara. Are you here to rescue the Professor?” Zyhara asked.

“Something like that. Hey, if you’re from Zion, how come you didn’t recognize Sapphire’s pure white hair, or I don’t know, the magic hands? It’s not like half of Zion has pure white hair,” Rachel jabbed.

“The people who did this were also competent particle manipulators. Besides, has hair dye not been invented on your home world yet?” Zyhara asked innocently, her darting eyes scanning Rachel’s gear.

Sapphire chuckled while Rachel grimaced.

“I like this one. Come here; we’ll have our medic take look at you,” Sapphire chortled.

“Bring it in, boys; coast is clear,” Rachel radioed.

“Moving in,” Mathew said firmly.

“If only his army issued a personality,” Rachel sighed, slinging her rifle.

Zyhara’s eyes widened with fear as the tactically clad men with glowing green eyes from their night vision materialized from the woods, closing in.

“It’s all right, my dear; you have nothing to fear from Zion troopers,” Sapphire soothed.

“Where are the people who did this similar to our guys?” Rachel asked.

Zyhara nodded as a stocky man knelt beside her, taking off his backpack and pulling out medical instruments.

“Particle manipulation, modern arms, good tactics. Now, it makes sense that our assaults got wiped out.” Rachel shrugged.

“Indeed. This is most troubling; I’ll need to send a report once we’ve finished tending to this little one,” Sapphire said.

“Who’s this?” Mathew asked gruffly.

“Zyhara, a Zion student,” Rachel’s head nodded.

“Pleasure to meet you; I’m Lieutenant Mathew Tygo, Assault Class Five.”

Zyhara giggled.

“Your hair is really orange,” She laughed as the medic used his biomedical scanner to check her condition.

“Damn, dude, can’t even catch a break from the shell-shocked sole survivor,” Rachel laughed.

“Zip it, Scourge,” Mathew barked.

“You are literally an entire power class under me!” Rachel snarked.

“Zion One, Zion One, come in,” Sapphire asked her bracelet.

 Silence from the radio.

“Zion one?” Sapphire asked again.

  “They can’t hear you,” Zyhara said darkly. “No one can; whoever did this jammed all off-world communications. That’s why Zion didn’t get our distress signal.”

“Great,” Rachel sighed.

“Child, do you remember where they went?” Sapphire asked.

Zyhara pointed south to the mountains.

“Somewhere up there. I could pick up Professor Abraham’s signature for a few days, but I think they’re jamming that too now,” Zyhara said.

“That doesn’t make sense; why not just dimension hop with him? Why dig in on a mountain?” Rachel asked.

“It’s a bit harder when not all parties wish to cooperate, darling. However, I will have to agree; this seems suspicious,” Sapphire grimaced.

           “We can take them,” Mathew nodded.

           “Are there more people coming?” Zyhara asked.

           “Not now; this is it,” Rachel huffed.

           Zyhara’s eyes widened, her brow raised and her mouth frowning.

           “They outnumber you all then, by a lot. Had to be at least fifty warriors, along with a few hooded people who could particle manipulate,” Zyhara said.

           “Can you better describe these manipulators, my dear?” Sapphire asked.

           Zyhara shook her head.

           “All black clothing, one of them had pure white hair, the rest seemed like normal humans.”

           Rachel rolled her head and cracked her neck.

           “Type One status, here I come, baby,” Rachel grinned.

           “Rachel!” Sapphire gasped.

           “Damn, and I thought I had ambition,” Matt whistled.

           “Oh my god, fine. I mean, oh no! So scary, guys. Let's just hide in the woods until Zion sends another team,” Rachel scoffed. 

           “This is no laughing matter! We aren’t equipped for a near-peer fight,” Sapphire scolded.

           “I’ve been fighting near-peer armies my whole life, might as well graduate to intergalactic enemies,” Rachel growled.

           “These people will prove harder than your little Russians,” Mathew laughed.

           “Hey! We fought the Chinese and North Koreans too! Those are some real fighters,” Rachel said.

           “Mhm, but I thought you said you were deployed in Eastern Europe,” Mathew chortled.

           “Says the guy born on a perfect world ruled by a Theocracy!”

           “I fail to see how that’s relevant to you never fighting real soldiers,” Mathew laughed.

           “Combatives. So much combative training when we get back to Zion,” Rachel snarled.

           “See!? She misdirects when she is losing an argument!” Mathew laughed.

Sapphire’s eyes squinting, her brow furrowed with a finger on her lip.

           “A clear symptom of early childhood neglect, yes? What did you say earlier about seeing his signature, Zyhara?”

            “I saw it coming from a mountain top; why?” Zyhara asked, surprised.

           Rachel was aghast with her mouth open, staring at Sapphire.

           “Rude!” Rachel gasped. 

           “No darling after that?” Sapphire asked.

           “Um, I couldn’t see it after a few days?” Zyhara asked.

           “Mathew, do you remember that report from Kurat twelve?” Sapphire asked.

           Mathew was silent, pondering, then his eyes lit up.

           “Off-world communications and scrying were jammed too,” He said.

           “This must be the same people. They were abducting Professors and ambushing counter teams on Kurat as well.” Sapphire said grimly.

           “Hey, teach, who cares? Let’s just go there, kill them, and get the Professor,” Rachel grumbled.

           “If we kill them all, how will we find their base and rescue any other people they may have taken?” Mathew asked.

           Rachel was about to respond but stopped, arched an eyebrow, then nodded.

           “I’ll do the recon; you guys bust in with some overwatch?” Rachel sighed.

           “I thought maybe you come in with us, can’t waste your talent in a tree somewhere,” Sapphire grinned.

           “Can I come?” Zyhara asked.

           “Absolutely not! We will leave you here with a few men until we have rescued your Professor,” Sapphire commanded.

           “Sapphire, I only got twelve guys; you want to go against fifty with eight or nine?” Mathew said worriedly.

           “Gingersnap has a point,” Rachel shrugged.

           Sapphire made a face but relented.

           “Fine, but she stays in the far rear soon as fighting begins,” She grumbled.

           “I won’t be a burden, I promise!” Zyhara giggled.

           “Let’s grab you some new clothes, kiddo, can’t have you humping it in whatever that is,” Rachel said.

           “Not from the corpses, Rachel,” Sapphire said.

           “For your information, I was gonna pillage the corpse’s houses, Mother.” Rachel said, beckoning for Zyhara to follow her.

           “Why do I bother?” Sapphire sighed.

           The group split up, Rachel rummaging drawers in bedrooms, trying to find some clothes for the little girl who’s questions was spewing from her mouth.

           “First time in the field, huh?” Rachel huffed, desperate to move the topic of herself.

           “Yeah,” Zyhara sighed. “They don’t let me out much.”

           “How come? You regular hairs are training to be in Sapphire’s spot; why keep you guys cooped up in the base?” Rachel asked.

           “My parents won’t let me. I must stay put and learn my craft,” Zyhara rolled her eyes.

           “Must be pretty important people to be able to tell the council what to do,” Rachel laughed.

           Zyhara shook her head.

           “There really aren’t; they just sit around all day telling people what to do. Mother says it’s because of our fate, but I think it’s just because we were the first,” She grumbled.

           “First? They must be loaded,” Rachel laughed.

           “Oh, they are; at least I think they are; we never talk about money.”

            “Trust me, if y’all don’t talk about money, you’re loaded kiddo. Are they on Zion with you?”

           “Kind of; they spend a lot of time abroad.”

           “Damn,” Rachel sighed.

           Rachel studied the girl as she handed her some wool clothing. She then stepped outside to give Zyhara some privacy, ensuring the windows were closed on her way out of the tiny home. Outside, the stars glistened, the birds and insects chirping and filling the dark with their tune.

           The Scourge reached into her pocket and pulled out her pipe, lighting a match and giving the pipe life. Soft white smokes gently wafted from the pipe as Rachel studied the mountains in the distance. As she smoked, her mind wandered, wondering what lay in store for them.