Page 6 of Hope Forged
Padya yelped and toppled over, sprawling on the ground. A slow laugh began until he guffawed. Tears streamed, but in the end, when his humor dwindled, she wasn’t sure those weren’t tears of sorrow.
“Do we have any ceaza?” she asked, burying her fingers into Seba’s fur.
His purr vibrated through her, offering her comfort.
Padya’s eyes widened. “He can’t be hungry again.”
She cuddled her friend close. “He’s growing,” she said, giving him a kiss.
Padya scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off. “Come, let us feed him then.”
She cast a last glance at the forest and the eyes peering at her from the dense depths. “Mudya,” she whispered, then with careful movements, she limped after her father.
Chapter Two
PlanetofGikaet
Four years later
Illan scowled at his brother, his O.D.I. activated and painting colorful spots across his vision. “The location is here,” he snapped, waving his arm and blurring the holographics in motion.
“A random data cache buried in the sand on Gikaet?” Iddan arched an accusatory brow. “It sounded too unbelievable when you first learned this. Standing on the planet’s surface…” He gestured to the gray landscape. “Only proves you have gone mad.”
“Finding anything Durn would help—”
“Figure out what happened to our homeworld, increase our knowledge, and restore the archives we have lost,” Iddan repeated by rote. “Which is why I agreed to come with you. But this…is the bad side of Gikaet. There are no Etterian bases toescape to if the Gika decide we will serve as dinner.” He took a step toward their courier-class ship,Stioba.
The white of its metal finish stood out against the dark, depressing world known as Gikaet.
Perhaps Iddan was right to hurry them. And Illan should have known the Maloidian trader had lied. But hope was a powerful thing. Not to mention the lure of a literal treasure hunt.
A pebble beside his foot vibrated, snatching his attention to the horizon. “Run,” he yelled, bolting for the ship.
He didn’t make it, the ship slanting to the left as if the sand swallowed it. Iddan sprinted past him, leaping over the rising ramp and diving through the door. Illan launched himself upward and caught the edge of the metal, crying out as the ship jerked, whipping his dangling legs up then down. As the ship tumbled, it flipped, skidded along a cliff face, and slammed him onto the flooring. He gritted his teeth against the agony shooting shards across his back and scrambled into the bay, taking a moment to slam the button to shut the door.
Iddan was in the pilot seat, punching the console and wrestling with the lever. The forevids filled with the gaping maw of a deep cavern.
“Vok,” Illan muttered.
“I know,” Iddan yelled, yanking back on the lever. The ship fought him, then pitched up, the engines squealing as they climbed.
Illan tapped the display vid to the side, switching the cams to the rear. The ground roiled, shifting under the number of Gika, their red pincers bright against the gray surrounds.
“A waste of time and fuel,” Iddan grumbled.
Illan harrumphed, expecting a lecture any moment from his younger brother. “We had to—”
The ship’s ass wrenched to the side, a screech deafening him even as Iddan spat curses and leaped up from his chair. “In the pods, now!”
“What?” Illan leaned in, peering at the bloom of molten yellow on the planet’s surface. “They fired at us?”
“Yes,” Iddan said, slapping the panel that opened to the escape pods. He shoved Illan in but stopped to draw something on his forehead, his touch burning. “Arngale.”
“No!”
“Just in case,” Iddan said, then glared at him through the window when the pod’s door shut.I cannot lose you, brother.He vanished from view, and from within Iddan’s mind and through his eyes, Illan watched him step into his own pod.
It is irreversible! You know this.Illan thumped the inside of the pod.
