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Kalon
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Chapter Twenty-Eight: Vek
Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant
Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation
Solar System: D-447
Planet: Ora
Location: Planet’s Surface, Near Naro City, Inside Derelict Destroyer
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My arms are burning now from the climb; we are close to the top of the ship and my hands are trembling from the exertion. I look over and see Arrum panting. It would be much easier if we could remove our heavy garb, but the chill would kill us. Even we Kuwathi cannot survive for long in these temperatures without gear.
“We are almost there Arrum, keep the pace,” I say, looking down below, seeing many follow our path.
Beneath me, I see Neeba, he is struggling to finish the climb, more so than his half-sister Nevari. I reach my hand down to help him up. He swats it away, through his mask I see the veins in his face thicken, and the iris in each of his eyes begin to glow dully.
“I… don’t need your help, Ulima.” He growls at me, spit flying from his chapped lips striking the mask.
Nekam grabs his arm, yanking him up, looking at him sternly, and for a moment I think I see anger on his face, but a calmness washes over him.
“Control your emotions.” He says to Neeba, pointing to his eyes.
Nevari gives her brother a glance, then me. Her eyes are not soft as they look at me. I am thankful I cannot see them well through the fog of her mask.
“Sorry, Father,” Neeba says, giving him a small bow; the glow fades from his eyes, the veins sinking back.
I get into position, getting ready for the next throw. Two of the men throw me above them, I grab the bar—barely able to pull myself up now. Almost losing my footing as I stand, the frost on the metal makes for unsteady footing. Peering over the edge; I can see we are hundreds of paces in the air now. After fastening my rope around the beam I move towards Arrum, helping him up. The two brothers help each other up as well.
“Finally,” Arrum says, seeing we are at the top; the beams now closer together, letting us move without ropes.
Looking around, I see upended panels and start cutting wires, and chunks of metal with my small laser cutter, it is a tool our people use to cut thin metals. Though it must be repaired and recharged in the city each night. Machines break down quickly on the surface. This one was designed with that in mind. In a pinch, it is as good as a knife. Though it does not work in the deep tunnels beneath the planet’s surface, nothing does for long.
Stripping the last panel by me, my first and second bag are now swollen from my labor, almost unable to fit more, I move closer to Arrum. Stuffing as much as my bags can hold. Being an orphan and not of their blood, I am expected to bring more than others for our Clan. Blood is everything to the Kuwathi—if you do not share theirs, you must give yours. If Nekam’s words were true, perhaps soon the burden will become less. Until then, we must do as we always have done.
My bags are filled now, I help Arrum to fill his. When finished, we help the brothers Haki and Daki, they have helped us many times as well now. When we finish, we wait for the others by a hole near the top of the ship. The cold from the uninsulated metal around the blast hole which likely slew this vessel is bone chilling, it makes ice crystals form on my mask. Obstructing my vision.
“We are lucky to have been among the first up.” Daki says.
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“There is still the journey back brother.” Haki says warily.
Nekam will make us increase the pace to return before other Clans. He is right to be wary though. Some Clans will fight near the end. There is no telling when we will get the next ship. It could be days, even a week or more. We will need to carve a path as well. All of this cuts into the little time we have each season to harvest. Tension is high as I look around to everyone moving towards Nekam. When all bags are filled, he finally speaks.
“Everyone is ready?” Nekam asks. He peers at each of us, taking measure of our bags. Everyone nods to him and he motions us to follow.
We all remove our ropes and begin tying them together; Nekam comes and checks every knot with extreme diligence. His grey eyes move over the strands as he checks for frays until he is satisfied.
He fastens the rope around a beam of metal and then selects the first to go. We number three hundred people. He lets four go down at a time until we are less than ten. Now is the danger, our numbers are small, bigger groups may try to attack us for our bags. Nekam looks around, holding his cutter in one hand, in the other a long knife with many notches carved into it. Each notch a man he has slain with it, I do not see a fresh notch for Keno upon it. My blade does not bare one for Barnak either.
Nevari comes to the gaping hole in the ships side, grabbing the rope, she looks back at me before climbing downwards. Her eyes are like blades, cutting me deep. Her brother comes now to the hole.
“Neeba, check the device,” Nekam says to his firstborn.
Neeba gives me a look of irritation, barely visible through his mask. He checks the contraption on my back. Pulling at it, checking it is functional and chipping the ice from it. We have never gotten along, even as young boys. Like Arrum and me, he is almost twenty. More than three years past the standards of the Kuwathi to be considered a man, and yet I can’t help but feel he is childish. He has always had trouble controlling himself. If he were Ulima, and his father not the leader, I am sure he would already be dead.
If it had not been his son who fell asleep on watch in the tunnels, I wonder if Nekam would have slew him. If Arrum or I had been the ones to fall asleep, we would have been sold, killed or abandoned. That much I know. That is the fate of an Ulima. My eyes move to look at the Ulima brothers that Arrum and I saved. They have adjusted well to being in our tribe. They never complain and always work hard. Always asking Arrum and I what more they can do to help us. It is strange to have others look to us, yet I find myself liking their company more than I thought I would.
I feel him tug on the metal box on my back again, and then he nods to his father, giving me one last look as he goes, descending the rope. I think I saw a grin on his face, but the ice blurs my vision and obstructs his face too much to know for sure. I push it from my mind to focus on my task.
“You know what to do,” Nekam says, nodding to me as he grabs my bags to carry down with him.
The risk is lower now that he has descended with it, as I have nothing of value to give, besides my cutter and gear; they will not even be able to keep my thermosuit, the City Chief’s guards would confiscate it at the gate. Still, I do not lose focus as danger can come from anywhere. I look down and see he is halfway now. There are hundreds of people around me pulling the little scraps from the ship now, the fervor intensifying as more pile in. On the edge of the platform, boots are stepping on the hands of climbers, keeping them down until others finish their quota. They do like we do, descending the holes of the ship. Everyone eyeing each other, keeping their bags close, their knives closer still.
Looking down again, Nekam is at the bottom, I waste no time trying to untie the rope, cutting it instead. Now crawling out of the ship, grabbing pieces of metal to climb to the very top as I must. When I reach the top I take a moment, looking out upon the frozen wasteland, as far as the eye can see… nothing but the cold embrace. The people look so small from up here. Looking across the landscape, towards the horizon, I see a storm far in the distance. We will have to be quick on our return or be consumed by it.
I close my eyes, taking in a deep breath, checking the contraption on my back with my hands wrapped in thick gloves. Running as fast as I can towards the edge, I leap with all my might to distance myself from the ship. The air rushes past me and my heart beats quicker now. Reaching back and pulling the cord once I am far enough away from the ship. Nothing happens. I pull again, harder this time, the cord pulls free, the end cut cleanly. I blink fast, the ground coming quickly as I rip off the contraption and see the problem. My heart sinks as I see the emergency cord has also been cut.
There is no time to think about the how or why. My chest is pounding. Focus, I need to focus. Calm bleeds through my veins as I press out all of my being into the moment.
Using my blade, I scrape and pry the back of the contraption off. Relief flows as a plume of shimmering fabric erupts from it, making a parachute. Relief does not linger though, as my heart plunges deeper into despair. My hands struggle against the tangle of cords that wraps me, I can’t let go of the chute to guide it, wildly I spin in the air. Fear grips me. The ship is coming toward me quickly as a draft of wind pushes. There is nothing I can do to stop it as I slam into it.
“Vek!” I curse loudly, the wind whips me back upward, then smashes me again towards the ship.
The chute slams to a halt on a piece of metal protruding from the ship, my shoulder dislocates with a loud popping noise. The pain rises as I meet the embrace of gravity and rocket towards the side of the ship. Darkness follows.