Date on Earth: Wednesday, October 4th
"Ms. Aster. What a surprise. Though not a welcome one."
I pulled out my gun in a half-hearted attempt to intimidate the general, but he just gazed upon me in superiority.
"And what do you plan to do with that little weapon of yours? Force me to the ground while I beg for you to spare my life? Has the new atmosphere of Earth clogged your memory of my abilities?" To serve as a reminder, a cold breeze passed by and ice crystals started to form on the ground.
"The air of Earth contains so much moisture." Inugio seemed to be in a daze as he reached his hands out. "How powerful I will be here."
I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Uh, Tesha? What's the dude with the horrible haircut saying?" Asher whispered to me. "And how is he doing...that?"
Inugio turned his gaze to him before looking back at me. "Well, Ms. Aster? Are you going to introduce me to your new acquaintances?" The general now spoke in English, using the translating device my mother helped create.
"This is General Inugio," I told the three Earthens, proud of my voice for not shaking. "He is the commander of the Axonian army, as well as the fourth Chosen." There was a collective gasp.
"A fourth?" Tristen hissed. "Thought there were only three!"
A look of realization came across the general's face. "Oh," he said, studying the three humans.
"Oh," he said again, with a growing grin. "These are the Chosen ones of Earth? Three adolescent children? Is this the best Earth had to offer? How pathetic."
"Hey, at least we have all our hair you bald headed-" Diana was cut off, suddenly wrapping her arms around herself and shivering.
Inugio tilted his head at the red headed girl. "There's a spark inside of this one. She may not be completely helpless after all." Diana continued to shiver.
"Inugio," I told him. "Stop it."
The general turned towards me. "I was wondering how long it would take for an order to come out of you. Always ordering others what to do, just like your mother." He flicked his hand and Diana fell to the ground, shaking.
"Yes, these are the Chosen," I said to Inugio, trying to ignore the mention of my mother. "And the Jh'ai have found them worthy." I bit my lip, hoping that was the case and not just a result of a lack of options.
The general clicked his tongue. "No creatures other than the Axones are worthy to be hosts of such power." Inugio took a few steps down the ramp, five Axones trailing behind. My breath caught as I saw my friend, Lyzel.
Lyzel was like a brother to me on Nibura. We told each other everything and kept each other safe. When he found out about me and my mother's rebellious plan, he begged to help. He had acted as the distraction while we stole the Jh'ai.
He snuck a glance at me, face falling. Lyzel made a small gesture to his neck and understanding crashed through me. He had been picked to join General Inugio's mission and received the Hiqe Yuerset—the mark of obedience. Betraying it would be an act of treason, punishable by death.
I bowed my head slightly, a sign of forgiveness. Lyzel smiled gratefully.
Inugio disrupted our silent exchange. "You and your mother have made a grave mistake, Child of the Stars. Sending the Jh'ai to Earth has spelled out the fate for these three innocent humans. They now possess the power belonging to Nibura, giving us no choice but to eradicate them."
"When you say eradicate,'" Asher asked slowly. "Do you mean like, kill?"
Inugio's face contorted into confusion. "That is what the word means, is it not?"
Asher shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just thought that since you thought we were so innocent, it would stop you from murdering us."
Inugio's sharp teeth flashed in the light. "My ancestors and brother gave their lives protecting the Jh'ai from falling out of the hands of the Axones. They did not show mercy, and neither will I. Do not blame me, but the being inside inside of you for your untimely fate."
Tristen stepped forward hesitantly. "Can't we just give you the alien things? Never asked for it and I would happily give it away."
Diana nodded her head. "For once, I agree with Unicorn Boy."
I turned to face them. "You don't get to choose whether or not you have it," I told them. "If you are its host, then it will be in your possession until it deems otherwise. And no one is going to give up. Your jobs as the Chosen are to protect the Jh'ai, and that is what you must do."
I then pointed to the general. "And you! Do not think what you are doing is noble. My mother and I know of your secret plan to use the Jh'ai against the Krails and gain more power."
"You know not of which you speak," Inugio said. "Yes, I suggested the idea of using the Jh'ai to protect our civilization, but not for the purpose of gaining power. I only had the Axone's best interest at heart. Is that not what a general is entitled to do?"
I gritted my teeth. "You're lying."
"And what proof do you have otherwise, Ms. Aster?"
Anger flared up inside of me. "These three humans are the new holders of the Jh'ai, and I will not allow them to get into your cruel hands."
The general let out a sigh. "If you insist on fighting, then so be it."
General Inugio screeched and the five Axones that were following him formed a circle around us, plasma guns in their hands.
Me, Tristen, Asher, and Diana pressed our backs to each other, facing the Axones.
"I think we can take them," Asher said, holding up his fists with horrible form.
Inugio let out a hideous sound. "Such optimism, yet misplaced."
The general raised a hand, and the Axones pointed their guns at us.
Fear seemed to engulf me. There was nothing I could do. We were sitting ducks, waiting to be butchered.
My mission had failed, even before it could start.
I failed.
A loud crashing noise came from behind me, snapping me out of my self misery. I turned around to see a large creature with a horn charging into the Axones and knocking them to the side.
The Axones shot at it, but the creature seemed unaffected, besides a slight burn on its skin. More Axone soldiers poured out from the ship.
I took this opportunity to take out my gun and tried to shoot Inugio. A wall of ice formed in front of his body right before contact.
Inugio grunted in anger and shot his hand out, knocking my weapon from my hand.
I quickly backed away, searching for something to fight with. While tracking back, I bumped into Diana.
She looked up before closing her eyes. When I blinked Diana was suddenly gone, a bird taking her place. Two new Axones from inside the ship started to shoot at the animal, but it just flew higher. Then it turned around and darted at them. The bird started pecking at one of the soldiers before they could react, causing it to drop its weapon.
Asher stood right behind me, holding his stick out like a sword.
The air got significantly colder, and Inugio walked forward, a mad glint in his eyes.
"Nice tricks," the general spat. "The Jh'ai have chosen entertaining abilities for the human race." With a stomp of his foot, ice covered the ground beneath me and Asher.
I glanced at him. Asher had his face scrunched up in concentration, giving him a constipated look.
"Asher," I nudged him. "Now would be time to transform into your animal."
"I'm trying," he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut. Asher rubbed the sides of his head. "It's not working!"
I stepped in front of the human boy as General Inugio moved closer. Inugio peered around me at Asher.
"What's this?" the general said tauntingly. "Is the human child struggling to channel their power?" Inugio shoved me to the side and froze me in place.
"I wonder what beast you turn into," he pondered. Asher was also frozen in place, grimacing as Inugio trailed his fingers across his face.
"I'd appreciate it if you kept your icey hands to yourself," Asher said with a slight shiver. The general smirked at him and moved his hand to Asher's chest.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a fallen Axone soldier holding a gun. I made sure Inugio wasn't paying me any attention, and reached out to it, hope spawning. My fingers grazed it, but I wasn't able to get it in my grasp.
I reached farther, stretching as much as I could. My heart pounded faster as Inugio formed a dagger out of ice from his hand. He pointed the weapon at Asher's neck.
In a final desperate attempt, I pushed forward, wrapping my fingers around the gun's grip. Turning around, I didn't take much time to aim and pulled the trigger.
Inugio's head snapped around, realizing what I was doing.
But by then it was too late.
The general let out a cry as the plasma burned his chest. The ice around my feet melted and I ran up to Inugio, keeping the gun pointed at him.
Inugio let out a string of Axonian curses and bent over, cradling his side. Asher let out a cheer. "Nice shot Tesh!"
General Inugio straightened himself out, regaining his posture. He bared his teeth and started to form more shards of ice from his fingers, but suddenly stopped. A hideous smile grew on his face as he looked around.
I followed his gaze, mouth growing sour.
Two Axones had Diana in her human form, grasping her arms. The girl tried yanking away, but they pulled her closer.
I looked back at Inugio. He smiled at me maliciously.
"Take the girl," he ordered in Axonian. "We will strike again when the time is right." With no hesitation, Diana was dragged to the ship as she struggled and screamed.
Tristen came charging at the Axones in his animal form, but was knocked over by General Inugio.
"Diana!" he yelled, morphing back into a human. A gust of wind went by and he curled up into a ball, shivering.
With a triumphant nod, Inugio started to walk away and I ran after him.
Right before I reached him, he turned around and froze me in place. I tried to wiggle myself out of the ice, but for every crack I made, more formed.
I saw Asher sneaking up behind Inugio and swung his stick. It was about to collide with the general's skull when Inugio caught it in midair. Asher's eyes widened as frost started to form and moved up the stick. He dropped the walking stick right before the frost reached his hands.
"That's enough," Inugio growled. Asher was knocked over and ice bounded his hands and feet.
Inugio gave me one last look before stepping on the spaceship ramp. "See you soon, Ms. Aster."
And just like that, he was gone.
The ice melted as soon as the ramp closed. I fell to the ground, rubbing my arms to warm them.
Tristen stood up immediately, defeat plaguing his features as he watched the spaceship disappear into the distance.
The silence after the fight was deafening, all three of us in shock.
"We have to do something," Asher started to mutter to himself over and over again. He looked at me. "Tesha, there's a way to get her back, right?" Tristen lifted his head pleadingly.
"I don't know," I said quietly. I felt my lip start to tremble and bit it, trying to make it stop. No. I wouldn't give in to the pressure. I wouldn't allow myself to break down in front of anyone. I wouldn't cry in hopelessness and leave the Chosen humans to fend for themselves.
I wouldn't give up.
Sometimes the only way to solve a problem is to work through it.
"We must stick to the plan," I told Tristen and Asher, channeling the bit of confidence I had into my words. "Right now, all we can do is find Zogi. You two will need as much help as you can get, especially when the Axones already know where you are."
"What about Diana?" Tristen asked shakily.
I looked down. "For now, there is nothing we can do for her." Tristen faced away, balling up his fists.
"Don't give up hope just yet," I said to him. "The Axones are almost guaranteed to return. There is a strong chance we will see her again."
"Dead or alive?" he said bitterly.
I swallowed, searching for comforting words, but finding none.
Asher bent down and picked up his stick; the frost that had covered it was now melted. "We better start searching then. The sooner the better, right?"
"We should," I agreed. Searching for Zogi would be a good distraction, as well as keep them focused on the right things. Getting caught up in fear and grief was the last thing that we needed to happen.
"A Zygot's burrow is large and deep," I said. "But the ground above the burrow's entrance is very thin. It doesn't take much weight to fall through it. The best chance we have to find his burrow is to split up and try to break through the ground."
"Should probably start back at your pod," Tristen said softly. "Then we can split off from there."
I nodded in agreement and took one last look around. The feeling of failure, a feeling so familiar, washed over me again. I was supposed to watch over and protect the Chosen.
But already I had lost one of them.
What a protector I was.
I silently promised myself that I would find Diana and save her from General Inugio before turning back around to face the forest.
I trekked forward while Asher and Tristen followed me. Despite the flood of emotions, I couldn't help but stare in wonder at the green trees and blue skies of Earth. My mother had told me stories of her home planet. Given me descriptions of the beautiful plants and animals that roamed its surface.
Earth was so much brighter than Nibura. The air was crisp and refreshing, unlike the stifling air of the smaller planet.
I felt like a spoiled child that had gotten a taste of the best wonders of the world. If I ever went back to Nibura, I knew that I would never be able to see it the same way.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the Earthen trees that greatly contrasted with the skinny twig-like stumps I was used to.
Maybe, just maybe, there were hopes of a brighter future.
"Hey Tesha, are you done sniffing the air yet?" I snapped my head back to see Asher smirking at me. "I'm sure Tristen doesn't want you smelling his centuries old underwear."
Tristen let out a loud sigh. "Oh, since Diana's missing, now you gotta take her place and bully me?"
Asher put up his hands in mock surrender. "What can I say? You're easy to tease!"
"I apologize," I said to the two of them. "Earth is just so much more different from Nibura."
"Don't apologize," Tristen reassured me.
"Wait, now I'm curious," Asher asked me with a twinkle in his eyes, "What's Nibura like?"
I smiled at his excitement. "It is not nearly as nice as this planet. The sky has a reddish tint, and the clouds are always dark. The trees are short and skinny. The only pleasant thing about Nibura is its clear water."
"Earth ain't as nice as it seems," Tristen told me. "A hundred years ago, the whole planet was much cleaner than it is now."
"Tristen's right," Asher agreed. "But still. Earth sounds way better than Nibura." He tilted his head. "Why would you choose to go there?"
"I didn't." I studied my hands, avoiding the gazes of the two human boys. "My mother had left Earth sixteen years ago, attempting to travel farther than any other human." I felt my eyes start to water.
"She did not know she was pregnant with me when she had started her journey. When she landed on Nibura, my mother was in critical condition, and I was not expected to survive. However, when the Axones found her, they helped my mother heal, as well as saved my life."
"Hold on," Asher interrupted me. "You mean the Axones aren't the bad guys?"
"The terms 'bad' and 'good' are relative. Nobody ever sees themselves as the villain. It is their enemies that decide to call them that." The familiar words of my mother tumbled out of my mouth.
"The Axones were once me and my mother's allies. They raised and protected me, but their views started to change. The Axones have become blind to telling what is right and what is wrong. They betrayed me and my mother," I voiced cracked, and I coughed to cover it up.
"Your Ma was the first person to discover intelligent alien life," Tristen said in awe. "She would've been famous."
"She had told me that when I was younger. I asked her many times why she didn't return to Earth and have her fame," I smiled at the memory. "But she always said that being famous was only self-pleasing, and after a while becomes the opposite. She knew if she came back there would be many questions, and if humans discovered the Axones, they could be in grave danger."
"Your mother sounds smart," Asher noted.
I nodded, blinking tears from my eyes. "She was. Even the most discriminating Axones showed her respect-"
My voice caught, and suddenly I was crying. At first I tried to hide it, but the attempt was in vain.
Realization crashed into me, crushing me with grief. The thought that I had been trying to block out screamed through my head.
She's gone.
My mother is gone, and she's never coming back.
Sobs escaped me and I fell to my knees.
I silently cursed myself for this moment of weakness in front of the very people I was supposed to lead. What must they think of me now?
My breaths became shallow and quick. A large dark hole seemed to open up beneath me, pulling me in.
A hole that could never be filled.
I begged myself to stop crying and be strong, but the weight of grief was too heavy to carry.
Memories of my mother flashed by. Her warm smile. Her joyous laugh. Just her presence could change my mood and brighten my day.
But now those were only memories. Thoughts that would fade with time, disappearing until they were gone forever. Soon I wouldn't be able to remember the happiness she filled me with. The only thing I would recall feeling is emptiness. Loneliness.
She left me alone.
How could she leave me alone?
My misery then morphed into anger. Raging, boiling anger.
Why did she leave me alone? Didn't she know I needed her? That I was only sixteen Earthen years old? I wasn't strong enough. Wasn't brave enough. I needed her with me. There must have been some other way. Some other way that didn't require her to leave me forever.
How could you do this to me mother!
Fresh tears fell down my face, filled with a new emotion.
Suddenly I felt arms wrap around me. They were warm. Strong.
Like my mother's hugs.
I allowed myself to sink into the embrace, holding on with everything I could. Like the hug was my lifeline.
"Hey, it's okay," a voice whispered. I pulled away to see Asher hugging me. "Um, sorry if we brought up some bad memories-"
"No-no it's fine." I released him and stood up, wiping away my tears. "My mother died very recently, and I guess I hadn't accepted it until now."
Having the words said out loud made everything feel so much more real. I didn't want to accept it, but I knew I had to.
I had to stay strong.
"Sorry for your loss," Tristen said softly.
I nodded quietly, and Asher rested his hand on my shoulder. "I know we haven't known each other very long, and things are kind of falling apart, but just know that we're always here. Whether you want to rant to us or scream, we're here."
"Thank you," I whispered. Pushing down my feelings of anger and grief, I walked ahead. "We should get to the ship before nightfall. Are Earth's days long or short?"
"Compared to what?" Tristen asked. It was a good question, since my perception of a long time could be vastly different than theirs.
"Never mind. Let us just focus on getting to the pod and finding Zogi."
We walked for a little while longer before finally arriving at the escape pod. Remnants of the Axones attack were sketched across the ground; areas that were blasted with the plasma rays still had scorch marks.
I turned around to face Tristen and Asher. "We need to cover a lot of ground, so it would be best if we split up."
"I call this way!" Asher exclaimed, pointing to the left. "There was this awesome tree that looked like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. It even had a beard of moss!"
"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Tristen questioned him.
Asher laughed. "If you want to see the tree so badly, I'll be happy to show you after we find Zogi."
"No, I mean," Tristen gestured to his legs and Asher rolled his eyes.
"As I've said a million times, I'm fine. I barely need the stick anymore!"
"Yeah, but-"
"Yes Asher, you can go that way," I intervened before an argument could spark. "I will go left and Tristen can go right."
Tristen looked like he wanted to protest, but he bit his lip. "'K, meet you guys back here before dusk," he said before running off.
"See ya Tesha!" Asher told me, then walked away, tapping his cane on the ground saying, "Zogi! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
"You think that will scare him off?" Asher yelled back at me one last time.
I shook my head, stifling a laugh when he went back to yelling.
Walking left, I also called out Zogi's name, and stomped on the ground. Hoping that the short alien would hear.
...
"Zogi!" I called weakly in Axonian. It had been hours, but there still had been no sign of the Niburan alien.
"Zogi, it's me, Tesha! Please, I need your help!"
Silence.
I huffed in frustration. With every passing second, hope seemed to dwindle and dwindle. I must have been looking in the wrong spot.
Then again, everywhere I went seemed to be the wrong spot.
I sighed and started heading back to the ship. Maybe Tristen or Asher had found him, or at least a hint at where we might be dwelling.
When I got to my escape pod, I slumped beside it, closing my eyes. A few minutes later, Tristen and Asher appeared from the trees.
"Did you guys find anything?" Asher asked, panting.
I said nothing, leaning back and looking up. Through the trees, the sun was already setting, turning the sky a pinkish tint. It was similar to the sky of Nibura.
The color gave me a strange pang of homesickness. Despite Earth being better in so many ways, Nibura would always feel like home.
"Nothing," Tristen responded, annoyance unfiltered. "Doesn't he come out of his burrow once in a while?"
"Very rarely. Zygots usually hoard enough food to last them a year, so they don't need to return to the surface." Tristen groaned in frustration.
"My voice hurts," Asher complained. "I screamed for like, five hours. And the only thing I managed to find was a squirrel that tried to attack me." He leaned on his stick, obviously exhausted from a day of exercise.
"This attitude will not fix anything," I scolded them. "We are all feeling tired and frustrated, but we need to keep a clear mind if we want to have the slightest chance of finding Zogi."
"Where else could he be?" Tristen muttered. "We checked everywhere. He must've moved."
"No, he would not move," I stated stubbornly. "A Zygot would never travel farther than they have to."
"Maybe...he's sleeping?" Asher theorized.
Tristen sighed angrily. "This search is useless." He stomped away and sat down on a small rock.
The moment he sat down, there was a crack.
Tristen's eyes widened before the ground caved in beneath us.