SOLBORN, CHAPTER IX

KINDRED

“Can’t we shoot them down?” Selene asks. “Does this useless ship not even have missiles?”

“It does,” responds Caelthor. “But they must be expecting them by now, and they’re somewhat primitive. We can try, but it would take a miracle for them to hit.”

“I don’t care! Shoot them down!” shouts Selene.

“As you wish, Principissa! Computer, initiate own armed response. Annihilate them!”

Understood, sir. Initiating own armed response.

On both sides of the ship, five small launch tubes slide open, a small missile coming out of each. I feel the trembling of the spacecraft with every launch. Even though she’s trying to hide it, I can tell Miraen’s scared. She’s not used to this. Selene and I are. I don’t hear anything. “We didn’t get a hit, did we?” I ask.

“Negative,” says Caelthor. “They dodged them all with ease.”

“Shit!” says Miraen, unable to contain her nerves anymore. “We’re done for!”

“Not yet!”, replies Caelthor. “We might just be faster than them! I’ve gotten out of worse situations than this. Computer, full speed ahead!”

Understood, sir. Initiating maximum speed boosters.

“Grab even tighter!”

“Shit, we’re gonna crash into something for sure!”, shouts Miraen.

It truly is miraculous how we aren’t. Caelthor is demonstrating why he was promoted to Commander to perfection. We’re starting to lose our pursuer. They can’t match our speed. “That’s it, Caelthor!” shouts Miraen. “Keep going!”

Alert. Alert. Fuel usage at 700%. Reduce speed now or the fuel tank will empty in 300 seconds.

“Shit, not now! Not now! I’m pushing her too hard, we have to slow down!”

“Can we hide somewhere?” I ask.

“We’re still in their sights, I’m afraid. We must face them head-on.”

Alert. Alert. “Oh, what now?” Selene groans. Incoming unidentified ship headed in our direction. Alert. Alert. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Another scout is here already?”

“We’re trapped,” admits Caelthor. “Let’s not risk death. We should stop.”

“I agree,” I say. “We’ll get another opportunity, but only if we are alive to seize it.”

“Computer, find the most suitable rock around us to provide cover, we must be as protected as possible against any potential attacks!”

Understood, sir. Scanning surroundings. Scan complete. New course set, proceeding to our final destination.

“Final destination indeed,” says Miraen. “It’s over.”

Our ship stops moving next to a deceptively large ice rock, providing us with a semblance of protection amidst this never-ending highway of debris. But we know what’s coming. The scout finds us without issue, positioning itself in the opening in front of us. A transmission request is received on our end; we reluctantly accept. “Good day, prisoners! Welcome back to where you belong. First off, congratulations on making it this far. Until now, no one's even been able to even get past Iapetus’ atmosphere. Secondly, I wanted to extend my personal thanks for eliminating my support team. The reward for capturing you is going to be so much sweeter now that I won’t have to split it,” they say as they overload the comms with booming laughter. “Now, you will do as I say. You will let me dock my ship onto yours, and you shall offer no resistance to being arrested. Reinforcements are on the way. Have I made myself clear?”

Selene wants to fight back. “It’s only one man, we can take him! Come on!”

“Not for long,” I remind her. “There’s already another ship about to arrive, and who knows how many guards it’s carrying. All armed to the teeth too, I’m sure.”

“And we only have a couple plasma pistols,” says Caelthor. “We stand no chance. We must give in to his demands.”

The comms light up again. “I’m running out of patience, people! Have I made myself clear, or not?”

Cealthor presses a button and speaks. “Yes, understood. We won’t offer any resistance, and you may proceed with the docking.”

They respond after a couple of seconds. “Wonderful! I knew you’d come to your senses. I will initiate the—”

Loud sirens interrupt him. We manage to hear their computer’s robotic voice. Alert. Alert. Incoming missile threat. Abort—. An eerie silence fills the comms, immediately followed by the muffled sound of an explosion. We all rush to the small window and look out. Our captor’s ship has been destroyed by another.

“What just happened?” asks Miraen. “Does another guard want to claim the prize for himself? Are they so barbaric?”

Caelthor smiles. “That ship doesn’t appear to be Imperial. This is no scout—it is a friend.”

We receive another transmission request. “Sorry, Captain! I just couldn’t stay put like you asked. It seems to me it’s good I came after all!”

“Yes, my boy!” Caelthor replies. “Thank you.”

I cannot believe my ears. Is he really here? Could it truly be? I almost push Caelthor aside out of excitement. “Julian! Julian! Is that really you?”

“My brother! Oh how good it is, to hear your voice again!” Julian replies.

“But, but how…”

“There will be plenty of time to explain later, but now we have to run! Here’s the plan. You’re all going to come aboard my ship first, and then we’re going to blow up yours. That is sure to leave them quite confused when they find it in a million different pieces.”

“Good thinking,” says Caelthor. “You’ve saved us all, Julian.”

“Not yet! Initiating docking sequence,” he announces.

The two ships momentarily combine as one as gracefully as the hummingbird hovers over the flower it feeds on. The second the mist from the decontamination procedure clears and the airlock door opens, I rush towards Julian and hug him as tightly as one can be before suffocating. I lose track of time before letting go. I shed a tear or two. “I never thought I’d see you again, my brother.” I take a good look at him. I’m slightly taller, but his short, dark crimson hair is just as vivid as I remember.

“Me neither,” he says with eyes as watery as mine. “But I never gave up on the hope of seeing you free once more.”

“I enjoy an emotional reunion as much as anyone,” Selene steps in, “but in case anyone forgot, we have a moon to get to.”

“Oh, let them be, Selene,” Caelthor says. “I can pilot the ship, if Julian gives me the honour.”

“Be my guest, captain.”

“Splendid! Initiating undocking sequence.”

It doesn’t take long for us to be outside of our old ship’s grip. “And now, time for fireworks!” Caelthor says as he presses the button to launch one of the missiles from its tube. We’re ready, so we get to witness the destruction this time. No trace left behind. It’s going to be impossible for anyone to follow our trail beyond this point.

“Sit tight, everyone! We’re going straight to Enceladus.”

“Assuming we aren’t spotted again,” says Miraen.

“We won’t,” responds Caelthor. “They’ll be too busy looking for a ship that doesn’t exist anymore.”

“How long until we get there?” I ask.

“Less than a day,” says Julian. “Come, Alex, let us talk.”

This spacecraft is somewhat bigger than our last, allowing for some small private rooms. I follow Julian into one. It reminds me of my cell, my memories flooded with all the people we killed to allow ourselves to escape.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“It’s all right. I know what happened, Alex. We’re all in this together, so we must also carry our guilt as one. There was no other way to get you out of the prison. In fact, we weren’t even sure it was going to work; overloading the barrier with a simultaneous barrage of firepower and a physical assault was only a far-fetched theory. I’m glad it worked, even if it meant leading some to their deaths.”

“Julian,” I say with a heavy heart. “When the barrier cracked, the rooftop’s hatch was open. Death did not pay a visit only to those outside its walls.”

He grows pale. He wants to speak, but is unable to. His dread overpowers him. We sit in silence for a while. “I’m still glad you’re here,” he says eventually. “You didn’t deserve to be locked up, and, well, I also wouldn’t have known what to do or where to go without you.”

“Oh, Julian,” I say as I embrace him. “You’d be just fine without me. You are brave and strong, and you’re one of the most kind-hearted people I know. I’m the one who’d get lost without you. I’m glad I’m here too.”

“You’re too kind, brother. I missed you. We have much to talk about.”

I nod. “Yes. I was stunned to see you here. How did you manage to form an alliance with Selene and Caelthor?”

He laughs. “Strange, isn’t it? Truly an unlikely alliance. It was them who contacted me first. From what I understand, Selene had already thought of an escape plan long before she was even confined to Fort Stygian or any other prison, in case it ever happened.”

“Smart, yet unsurprising."

“Indeed. I’m guessing she also had some way of communicating with the outside world once she was locked up, because I was contacted on the first day of your sentence.”

“She controlled a good portion of the prison guards,” I say. “That must’ve been enough to get short messages in and out.”

“I see. Anyhow, Caelthor personally offered me an alliance to break you both out. Naturally, I agreed on the spot. But I wasn’t the only one. An old friend is waiting for us back at the base,” he says with a grin on his face.

“You can’t be serious! Eryx?”

“As grumpy as ever!”

I can’t help but smile. “Even after everything, he came.”

“Yes. He’s grown since then.”

“I can’t wait to see him. I’m glad.”

“Me too, my friend. Tell me, how’d you fare in the Fort? Is it as brutal as they make it out to be?”

“In some ways, yes. I was lucky to not be among the common inmates. They’re the ones who really have it rough. The prison uses them as slaves for their mining operations, subjected to conditions that would be considered harsh even for machines. Death is commonplace among its walls, but sometimes, not enough so. The constant influx of prisoners can, on occasion, be overwhelming. The Fort will take this opportunity to instill fear into the hearts of its population by conducting sting operations to make room for this never-ending flow of people.”

“Damn those bastards. Sounds miserable.”

“It was. But as I said, this didn’t affect me. I was too wrapped up in my own head. Truth be told, I still am; but when I had to spend countless hours in my cell looking up at the pitch-black sky, I thought I’d made peace with my past by accepting my punishment.”

“You say that as if you wouldn’t anymore.”

“You’re quite right. I wouldn’t, because I know something now that I did not before. The reason I chose to forsake my punishment is that I learned my mother is still alive.”

His eyes immediately light up. “Your mother’s alive? Didn’t she die in an accident when you were just a child?”

“Apparently not,” I say, my voice breaking.

He hugs me again. “Alex, that’s wonderful! How is she? Where is she? How do you know?”

“Selene showed me a recording of her voice, but I’m afraid she’s being held by the Empire somewhere. I can only hope she’s doing all right.”

“We’ll find her,” Julian reassures me.

“I know,” I reply with a smirk. “That’s my life’s mission now. I have been reborn to save her. I care for nothing more.”

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