Solacium

Ch 16: Vorian

No...no....no!

This can't be!

I thought as my eyes searched the clearing with disbelief. The Terran had not been mistaken as I had hoped.

My ship was truly gone.

How was that possible? I thought to myself as I looked out at the empty ditch with dismay, a sinking hopeless feeling settling in my chest.

Without my ship...I'll be stranded here with no way to contact my fleet and inform them of my findings.

They will die never knowing that a solution existed...

This can't be! My mind cried. The forest around me began to blur as I lost my focus on the present, letting my mind run wild with images of my brothers slowly dying off leaving Zur a barren wasteland.

"You can put me down now if you'd like," I heard Jada say from atop my back, snapping me out of my dark daze. I blinked, refocusing on reality before turning my head slightly to nod at the older Terran's request.

I couldn't yet find the words to speak, as I was lost in my own thoughts on what could be done to rectify the situation. This planet was unknown to me, and I had not even the slightest clue as to how to proceed.

Nevertheless, I was grateful for the distraction and turned my attention to the older Terran. When I first let her on my back, I was surprised by how light she was. It seemed that Terrans did not have near the amount of bone density or muscle of any creature I had encountered, especially my own species. If it wasn't for her occasional comment, I would have forgotten she was on my back altogether.

Gently, I lowered myself to the wet ground, letting the older female slide off my back. She staggered slightly as she regained her footing before placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, dear," Jada said, giving my shoulder a quick pat before hobbling over to where Blake stood at the edge of the ditch a few feet away.

Who is dear? I repeated to myself...Had she already forgotten my name? I wondered as I watched her walk up to Blake who barely acknowledged her.

"Are you sure this is the right location?" I heard Jada ask Blake, who kept her green eyes focused on the empty ditch.

"Oh yeah because the forest is full of giant craters, let me just go check the others," Blake sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Though Blake's words were saying that there were indeed other spots to check for my ship, the tone of her voice implied otherwise. This was a term that Jada I believed called sarcasm, and it was something that Blake used often, which seemed to irritate the older Terran.

To my surprise, Jada lifted her hand to punch Blake hard on the shoulder. My eyebrows shot up as I watched the display, immediately moving to stand in between them. I swallowed down the fury that rose in my throat at the sight of Blake injured, no matter how minor it was.

"Ouch!" Blake grumbled, rubbing her arm.

"Now is not the time for sarcasm, girl!" Jada scolded, turning to place her hand on my arm. "Calm down Vorian, I mean Blake no real harm," She assured me, her tone growing softer.

"Please, the only harm you can do to me is when you cook me dinner..." Blake mumbled, shooting a look at Jada who harrumphed.

"We need to figure out what happened here," Blake said, turning her gaze back to the crash site. Her forehead creased in deep thought as her green eyes searched the strange ground, clearly as perplexed and disturbed by my ship's disappearance as I was. Though, I was not sure if for the same reason.