Four days later...
Things have been easy after leaving Talour and the disassembled drones behind four days ago. There's been next to no traffic, very few plasma storms and nobody has stopped us once. Which is weird.
Aris was afraid we would be followed or we would be stopped by a blockade in the slipstream which can only be expected since we kinda shredded half the freaking drone fleet. That'll most likely cost me a few million kyas coins. But it can't be helped since we're runaways now.
According to Aris we're now very valuable to the government. He says that there's a lot of laws that say Guardians can't leave the planet unless they are sent somewhere or they are banished for a crime. Which I think is really, really stupid.
I wonder why we can't leave. There's probably a long story behind it. I'll just ask Aris, he seemed to know almost everything.
Now I've seen government representatives come and go, passing through the Haven on a pleasure trips. That though made me smile. Saiden, Sattari and I used to play nasty pranks on the tourist who stayed at the Haven when we were kids. Those were the good old days.
We got in so much trouble with our parents. I remember the time we put old meat in the air vent near a tourist's guest room. I accidentally chuckled out loud.
"What's so funny?" asked Aris, who had been sitting in the pilot's seat in front of me. He glanced in my direction.
"Just thinking..." I said vaguely.
"About?" he persisted.
"About a prank we played on a mean representative that stayed at the Haven." I answered, enjoying the image in my head. He laughed and cracked a smile
"Which one?" he asked through his wide smile.
"The time Saiden and I put old meat in the air vent while Sattari kept the stuck up jerk busy." I told him. He grinned as he piloted the ship, constantly making minimal adjustments.
"Yes, I remember that one very well. After all, I was the one who figured out what that horrible smell was." I grinned sheepishly.
"That was you?..."
We got to talking about all the best pranks we played, trying to out do each other. He was truly a really good prank player. He was winning by two when an alarm went off above us, flooding the small bridge with flashing red lights.
"What's that alarm for?" I asked Aris.
"I'm not sure..." he answered uncertainly.
He leaned forward in his seat to study the nava screen carefully, all traces of his smile wiped away instantly and replaced with seriousness. Saiden came running in the room a moment later with wide eyes.
"What's happening?" he demanded, groggy.
"I don't know." I said, feeling a dreaded sensation crawl up my spine. I knew the easy times couldn't last. It's like the sudden deathly calm and quiet before a hurricane hits.
"I know what it is." Aris growled dangerously. That made my blood run cold. I'd only heard him use that voice once before. And even though I haven't known him long, I know that when he talks like that you'd better not get in his way. To put it mildly anyway.
"What is it then?" Saiden exclaimed impatiently, more awake mow.
"It's a Xaian slave ship, it picks up the stragglers who try to escape and actually get past the drones and the authorities." Aris informed us.
"Why didn't you tell us about it then." I asked him. "Because I didn't think there would be one so close to us since they didn't have anyway to track us." he replied as though stating the obvious.
Saiden nodded in agreement. "Yeah it would be hard for them to track us if they didn't have our cruiser's ID number. Everyone went quiet when the beeping alarm got louder and faster and the light didn't flash anymore but just stayed on, washing the whole room red. A ship ten times bigger that ours made its appearance on the nava screen, making us look like a speck.
Something glowing brighter than a star shot out of it heading our way. Aris cringed and Saiden and I held on to our seats as it hit us hard. Silver streaks covered the hull of the cruiser, making it seem silver itself when it was really dark gray.
"They're going to kill us." Aris muttered incredulously and clenched his teeth, most likely knowing exactly how they were going to accomplish that.
YOU ARE READING
Worlds Apart
Science FictionSeventeen year old Teirin lives in a haven where he has everything he could possibly want: technology, friends, family, a job and all the food he can possibly eat, but he isn't satisfied. All he wants is revenge for what was taken from him as a chil...
