Leptis coughed as she sucked in smoke while sprinting through the burning rows of cornfield. Fire licked near her robes, arms, and feet as she dashed through. Like a monster, the flames had spread, devouring the crops. It had rendered the air and landscape into a sore of destruction behind her. Fields of cornstalks still smoldered. Trees, blackened to a dead wood, littered the land. The most shocking to Leptis were the dark clouds that billowed from the burning buildings and homes of Irema.

Her tears dried from the heat as she pushed herself to keep running to the clearing where the ship had landed. Catching her breath, Leptis spotted one of the soldiers, standing on the ramp, aiming a pistol at her. There was no turning back. Irema, her hideaway and escape, had been destroyed. Where could she hide now?

“Identify yourself,” the soldier cried out above the wind and wailing alarm. Flurries of red-hot ashes circled around her.

She couldn't move her hands at her side to check if he were her contact. Her feet planted on the ground not obeying her mind to move toward the soldier. A coward, that's what she was, trembling at the harsh urgency in his voice while her home burned down.

Somehow, with an effort beyond the choking and burning sensation in her throat, she spoke.

“I am Sit-Pel-AR1, your informant.” She coughed again, hoping he was her contact. She felt a sharp burn up her leg. Before her reflex took control of her to run, the soldier sprinted to her. He slammed her down on the ground, patted his hands against her. She scratched his face, screamed while fighting him and the searing pain. He pushed her back down, took part of her robe, snatched it and smothered the flames that threatened to burn her alive.

Too weak and in excruciating pain, Leptis surrendered her resistance and allowed the soldier to carry her to his ship. She wrapped her arms around his strong neck. For one strange moment she felt protected, like a child hugging its parent for solace from a nightmare. She bounced in his arms as he ran for the ship, but each movement felt like a jolt of hot cuts into her flesh. The pain was unbearable. She moaned. To her relief, within seconds he reached the inside of the black carapace.

She wanted to pass out from each spasm, but she forced to stay alert to her surroundings. Delah and Teeabu still had to be found, whom she believed was aboard the ship.

The soldier spoke, his voice rumbled through her neck and shoulders. “Pilot Zere! Take off now to our rendezvous point.” His pilot ran down the small corridor. Leptis turned away from the glaring light that came from the command core.

“Nav Ru, how is she?” The commander asked.

Nav Ru, with brown eyes that sloped down, a strong jaw and wheat brown cropped hair, spoke back. “She's holding her own, sir. If it weren't for the chip in her temple deflecting the blast, she wouldn't have made it.”

Leptis deduced it was their commander holding her. The commander let a deep breath out, as if relieved and inhaled. “Nav Ru hold her while I go below and hand her back to me at the bottom.”

He opened a small hatch while his navigator held her and he went down until his head disappeared. Leptis couldn't bear the pain and cried out while Nav Ru moved to hand her over. She didn't know how far below they needed to go. When she looked down and saw the commander's arms just a few feet away, she stopped yelling. Nav Ru knelt and bent down to place Leptis into the commander's arms.

It was tight in the small belly section of the ship. He carried her a few feet to the other side of the room. A filtered green light glowed from behind two horizontal capsules. A woman, dark and still, lay in the second capsule. Leptis couldn't make out the details on the recumbent woman because of the searing pain. The commander gently lay Leptis into the restorative capsule.

Dipping into a pool of cool water from her sweltering was what it felt like. A shower of cool mist covered Leptis, coaxing her to lose consciousness. She wanted to slip into a deep sleep away from the horror, away from knowing that her loved ones and friends in Irema were either dead or captured because of her. She trembled while each thread of pain lifted from her nerves. The healing left a sealed coolness, wrapping itself around her.

“Sit-Pel-AR1, you are my informant.” His voice brought her back to clarity. His face lit up from the green glow, appearing like an apparition. “We're almost at the rendezvous point. I have very little time to be with you.”

He stroked her hair. This comfort gave her strength to answer back. Lying there, she grabbed his wrist and found the jewel on her bracelet glowed green, the same as his.

“It isn't supposed to be this way,” she said. “Do you know who I am?” He shook his head, no. She sat up and looked him in the eye. “I am Watchman Eyetna's sister. I was exiled to die out here among the Reedpods. But my precious father sought to keep me in his life. He hoped I'd stay alive and I did. I've kept in contact with him only to help negotiations of peace between Irema and Araidia. The plans of this city were only to use for peace. Why this attack?”

“You're Dignitary Leptis?” His eyes narrowed and she let go his wrist. He took a stumbling step back. She waited for him to ingest what she had said while he rubbed his temple. She cleared her throat and put on a dignitary snobbish tone to keep him submissive.

“Yes, Commander, and you're still indebted to me as you note by the message I sent to you. It is Watchman Ontomus's decree that you don't expose me. I can see that Watchman Eyetna hasn't officially received you as his military power or you wouldn't be here. Why this half-cocked attack? It's ill-planned, ignorant, and tragic.”

“Madam, I can't answer that. I only take orders.”

“I'll get the answers myself, then.” She raised herself out of the capsule and jumped off the edge then looked up at him. “You just make sure you keep this discussion confidential. If you disclose what has transpired, your career will be lost,” she waved her hand in front of his face, “psstttt, just like that. Forever. And it won't be by my doing. You know who will strip you of everything that you've worked so hard for.” His jaw moved from grinding his teeth. He wouldn't dare refute her station. He was only a military grunt to the royal dignitaries. She watched him lower his eyes and slowly nod his head. “I do have a request, Commander.”

“If it's in my power, I can grant it.” His eyes shifted to the wall where a light blinked red. “We're almost there so you'll have to ask quickly.”

Have you seen a young Araidian female?”

“May I ask why this is important to you?”

“I’m her mother and I need to see her.”

He gave a sharp bow and led her to the curved wall with three rungs and climbed after her.

                                                                                                                                                       To be continued...