We walked down the muddy paths back towards the trekker. The rain now was only a fine mist as we walked. Mud still splattered everywhere with every step and vehicle passing by. I could feel the mud soaking through my trousers. It seeped into my boots. I could feel the cold and wet slime between my toes.
Gabriel pulled my closer as a group passed close to us. Their hand gripping my hip and pulling me aside as a young man pushed through the crowd. His shaggy sol bleached blond hair was matted to his forehead from the rain. He pushed through the crowd, pushing people out of his way. As he passed us, he threw his gaze back over his shoulder. His light blue and bright green eyes met mine before turning back forward. His boots slapped against the mud; splashing all over. He took off down the path. There was a shout from behind us. The loud hum of an untuned trekker zoomed closer. The crowd dispersing to clear the path. The trekker hummed past us. Two Saeris behind the controls.
One of the people in the crowd cursed. The crowd began to disperse. I watched as the trekker disappeared around the bend in the path. Gabriel pulled me along. My heart decided now was the time to race. Gabriel caught my hand and squeezed. Their arm wrapped around my shoulder. I felt a little calmer. My heart still beating fast.
“It’s okay,” Gabriel said softly. I leaned against them as we walked. We neared the intersection with the tavern and repair shop were located. The Saeris trekker that had passed us was sitting abandoned in the middle of the path, engine still humming. The crowds just moved aside and hurried around it.
Gabriel reached out and caught the edge of the glide cart. We made our way through the crowd towards our trekker. I slipped the green wire from my pocket. While Gabriel brought the glide cart over, I worked on reattaching the wire. I popped the display panel up and hooked the wire back in. My hands were shaky. I grabbed at the electricity around us and forced it into the trekker. The engine purred.
I pulled the seat pad cover up and began helping Gabriel load our goods. I opened the rear cargo bin and began loading the larger items. Gabriel caught my hands as I reached for the sacks of flour.
“Slow down,” they said. “You’re shaking. Just breath.” They held my hands as I took a few deep breaths. “Take it slow. Don’t attract any more attention that necessary.” They looked me in the eyes. “I know you can handle this, Nat.” I nodded. Gabriel let go of my hands and went back to loading the trekker. We slowly and methodically loaded the remaining goods. My hands continued to shake.
Gabriel handed me the last can. I set it under the seat and pushed the seat pad back down. Gabriel had kneeled and was tapping away on the glide cart’s control panel. They pressed a button on their gauntlet and the glide cart turned and hoovered away, back to the store it floated.
What do we do now? I asked. Gabriel looked back towards the range where we started. The storm had moved away from here but seemed to be slowly moving over the mountains. Lightning still flashed and thunder rumbled. It had grown even stronger.
Head to the mountains? Gabriel said. We can’t stay around here. I can sense more Saeris.
I nodded. I didn’t know this part of the mountain range well. I had only ventured out into the passes a few times. I started to form a though to send to Gabriel, but I was suddenly knocked into. I saw Gabriel start to reach for me. A hand, a bare hand, slipped into mine. A cold metal piece was dropped into my palm. Gabriel caught my arm. I stood back up straight and looked at the young man walking away from us. He looked back over his shoulder at us. His light blue and green eyes seemed to see right through me.
I watched him disappear into the crowd as shouts rang out. My fingers wrapped tight about the cold metal in my palm. I pressed close to Gabriel. I could feel their heart beating fast. I slipped my hand into their pocket and let the metal piece drop.
He passed me something, I thought to Gabriel. They gave a slight nod. Movement over their shoulder caught my attention. My heart began racing as I watched a Saeris survey the crowd. Gabriel grabbed my hands. Glowing hazel eyes met my gaze. The Saeris raised their hand and pointed their index finger at me.
“Her!” The Saeris yelled. “Grab her!”
Gabriel had already moved. They drove alongside me towards the trekker. Their arm wrapped around my waist pulling me down with them. I was slung over the back of the trekker. My arms wrapped around Gabriel’s waist as the trekker lurched forward. I hugged Gabriel as they maneuvered the trekker through the crowd with ease. I could hear shouts and whining of engines behind us. Mud splashed all around us as Gabriel drove. People dived out of our way yelling curses as they slide through the mud.
Give us some cover, Gabriel’s voice echoed through my mind. I loosened my grip on them slightly and looked around. There was a row of glide carts outside of a shop. I stretched my arm out. I took a deep breath. I could almost feel the metal of the glide carts. I drew my hand into a fist. The glide carts jerked and clattered together. I flung my arm back behind us. The glide carts flew from their charging pads and through the air. Two trekkers rounded the bend behind us. The glide carts slamming right into them.
One trekker slid sideways trying to avoid the carts. One of its riders fell off the back. The other trekker crashed into the carts. The sound of crunching metal scratched in my ears. The Saeris driving cursed loudly. The other trekker, spinning in the mud, started after us again.
“Shit,” I hissed. I leaned back against Gabriel, looking over their shoulders for more objects to throw.
Phase us, Gabriel yelled. I let go of their waist and splayed my hand on the side of the trekker.
Make it fast! I replied as I took a deep breath. The air rushed through us. Several people did as well. Gabriel jerked the controls to our right and we barreled through a building. Glimpses of objects and people’s lives rushed by. I could feel each object that we passed through. They were cold. We exited the building but kept going across the road and through another building. I squeezed at Gabriel’s side as my lungs began to burn. We slide from the building and onto the road. We were now two roads over from where we began. I gasped for air. My lungs screamed at me.
You did great, Gabriel said.
I wrapped my arms back around their waist. I laid my head on their shoulder and closed my eyes. I felt electricity prick at my fingertips. I reached out. Lines ran through the buildings around us, but there were trunks running under us.
We were nearing the far end of the town. Soon we would have to flee into the mountain range. I grabbed some of the electricity around us and pushed it into the trekker. Gabriel carefully let the trekker gain speed. We swerved around the last bend and flew out deep into the Sylvan Valley. Pillars and walls of rock rose alongside of us. Rivers of mud and sand snaked across the landscape. Gabriel pushed the trekker faster.
There was a faint whine in the wind. It grew louder and louder. We continued to cover ground, but it kept up. Gabriel glanced over their shoulder. The whine was almost unmistakable now. It was a starship. I dared a glance over my shoulder. Two starships hovered above Hael and were rushing towards us fast.
Hold on, Gabriel said. I wrapped my arms tight around their waist. We drove off the path and into the rocks. I squeezed my eyes shut. The sound of rock clinking against the trekker made my heart hurt. If we survived this, Zeb was going to kill us for scratching his trekker. We bumped along through the rocks. There was a pseudo path through the large formations. The whine from the starships echoed through the rocks now. My heart was pounding in my chest.
Gabriel jerked us to the left and deeper into the rock formations. I glanced over my shoulder. I saw one of the starships disappear behind the ridge. It was a fighter. That ship has guns and they will probably use them on us. Gabriel reached back and caught my hand. They laced their fingers through mine.
Phase us through this slab. There’s a path on the other side.
I didn’t question how they knew that; I just squeezed their hand in response. I threw another glance over my shoulder. Both fighters were visible now. There was another speck on the horizon moving fast. Dread filled me. Gabriel squeezed my hand. I took a deep breath and let my power flow through us. Phasing through solid and dense objects was the hardest. We dove straight into the rock. Darkness was all there was. My lungs were already screaming. Gabriel held onto my hand.
We flew back into the light. I gasped for air as we bounced along. The path was uneven but seemed to be well traveled. I pressed my head to Gabriel’s shoulder. I took deep breaths trying to quench the burning in my lungs.
The scream of starship engines filled our ears. They had found us. Gabriel glanced over their shoulder. The fighters were so close now. The speck now visible not far behind the fighters. It was a third starship. Not a single pilot fighter though.
Nat, there’s a cavern ahead, Gabriel said, Take the controls.
I took another deep breath. My lungs still burning. I reached forward and grabbed the handlebars. I felt grains of sand pass through me. I pulled myself forward through Gabriel as they pushed themself backward. Their knees hugging at my hips. I felt the wind shift around us. The sand and rock shards billowed up in clouds around us. I glanced back at Gabriel. Their arms were outstretched. The wind was their doing. They were stirring up the sands to mask us and disrupt the fighters’ scanners.
I pushed the trekker faster. The rock face ahead became prominent. I prayed this was were Gabriel wanted me to go. Gabriel thrust their hands out over my shoulders. The rock slab in front of us broke apart; slabs of stone hovering in the air. I could hear the fighters’ weapons charging. The electricity building.
It fired.
I could feel Gabriel’s body against mine. Their arms wrapping around my torso. An explosion expelled behind us. Piece of the fighters began to rain down upon us.
I grabbed the electricity escaping into the ground and pushed it into the trekker. We flew through the opening that had been created. As soon as we cleared the opening, we were plunged into darkness as the rocks fell back into place. I depressed the brakes and we slid across the loose rocks in the darkness.
Gabriel’s hands slowly unsnaked from around me, resting on my shoulders.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” they replied. Their fingers squeezed at my shoulders.
“It’s dark.”
They laughed slightly. And like that light flared in this little makeshift cave, as if the sol was inside with us. I looked around. There was no source of the light. It was just there. I slid off the trekker. The loose rocks crunched under my boots. Dust floated through the air.
“Did you do this?” I asked gesturing around at the light.
“You obviously didn’t.”
“I didn’t know you could do something like this.”
“Reality distortion,” they said slipping off the trekker. More dust stirred as their feet hit the ground. Their tone suggested that they didn’t want me to ask about that power; a power I didn’t know they had.
“What happened?” I asked.
“The third ship,” Gabriel said walking over to me. “It fired on the Saeris fighters.”
“Why would it do-” I was cut off by the crunching of rocks.
We starred as the cave opened back up. The rocks broke back apart and floated into the air. I clenched my fists and let my muscles loosen. Gabriel stepped back so they were standing just behind me. The light inside vanished.
“Your Saeris friends are gone,” a rather high-pitched feminine voice came. “You both can relax.” The rocks hovered in the air. A figure appeared. The light from outside illuminated their silhouette.
My eyes adjusted to the backlight on the figure. She only stood to my shoulders if that. Her long red hair hung in curls around her shoulders. She was very pale for being on a desert planet. Freckles dusted across her face. She was very pretty. Her right eye was a deep blue color with a central heterochromia of green. She was a Zahren. She crossed her arms over her chest. I glanced back at Gabriel. They shrugged.
“What do you want?” I asked. I hoped my voice wasn’t wavering.
Her eyes roamed over me. That piercing combination of blue and green along with her solid grey sent chills down my spine. I felt that she could see right through me; learning everything about me. She stood straight up, her posture like that of one of the Saeris Lieutenants as they commanded their soldiers.
“Word is you are rebels,” she said. “My sister and I are searching for someone. We think you might know them.”
“Not all rebel cells are connected,” Gabriel said. The Zahren’s eyes flashed to them.
“I know, but you two are the most promising.” She dropped her arms to her sides and took a few steps towards us. “Everyone else we have tracked have been caught by the Saeris. You two fought them and escaped.”
“Who are you looking for?” I asked. I felt Gabriel’s hand slide to the small of my back.
There was a slight smirk on her lips. “Really tall man probably around your age. Dark skin and dark hair. Blue and brown eyes. Has this swirl tattoo on his left arm. Goes by the surname Zeke.”
Kannan? Gabriel asked me.
Sounds like Kannan.
“How do you know him?” Gabriel asked.
Her eyes glanced over us before she answered. “He saved my sister and I’s life. We were due to be executed on Oberon and he helped us escape into space. We thought that we were free, but the Saeris know we are alive. We have nowhere to go and no one to turn to now.”
Gabriel’s fingers dug into my jacket. She’s telling the truth.
What do we do?
I don’t know.
“I know a telepathic conversation when I see one,” she said. “What have you decided? What can we do to convince you to help us? We came to fucking Aten of all places. We are desperate.”
“She has a point,” Gabriel said. “Why would anyone willingly come to Aten for help?” I nodded in response. “What’s your name?” Gabriel asked her.
“Addilyn Remmington,” she replied. “I’m from Oberon.”
“I’m sorry you had to come to my dying homeworld,” I said. “I’m Nash Vega.” I looked back over my shoulder at Gabriel. Their eyes flickered away briefly.
“Gabriel Vaughn,” they said rather quietly. “If you can take us to our compound then we will try to help you.”
Addilyn nodded. “Thank you.” She turned slightly back towards the opening of the cavern. She glanced at us before disappearing back out into the light. Gabriel slipped their hand in mine. We walked after Addilyn.
.....continued
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