The Great War of the Kins, page 1
THE GREAT
WAR OF THE KINS
A science-fiction novella.
Rae Knightly
THE GREAT WAR OF THE KINS
Copyright © 2019 by Rae Knightly.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information, contact:
http://www.raeknightly.com
Cover design by PINTADO
Book Formatting by Derek Murphy @Creativindie
Publisher: PoCo Publishers
E-book ISBN: 978-1-989605-00-4
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-989605-01-1
First Edition: June 2019
.
TWO PLANETS AT WAR.
The Toreq and the A’hmun, once brother civilizations from neighbouring planets, have plummetted into a cataclysmic war. In a last attempt to achieve peace, the alien kins gather to try and avoid total annihilation. This is their last chance.
The outcome of the peace talks means everything to Jenna and her family. They have missed the civilian escape pods that have fled their ailing planet and are now stuck, awaiting final judgment.
Can a mysterious bunker they stumble upon be their salvation?
Herein lie the seeds to Rae Knightly’s science-fiction novels, The Alien Skill Series, and her upcoming series: The Lost Space Treasure.
.
Jenna’s world ended on a crisp summer morning.
She didn’t know it then, of course. She lay on her stomach in the grass, her chin resting on her crossed arms, watching an ant climb a blade of grass with painstaking patience. Up and up it crawled. When it reached the top, it extended its front legs, only to find it had reached the end of the road. There was nowhere else to go except down again.
Without taking her eyes off it, Jenna cut another blade of grass and balanced it between two others to make a bridge for the ant.
The insect cleaned its antennae, then scampered across into a myriad of grassy and leafy tunnels and bridges that Jenna had built for it.
Whoosh!
Just as it was about to enter the green castle, a sharp gust of air shoved the ant off its ledge and it disappeared into a mingle of grass roots below. Tunnels and bridges collapsed on top of it.
“Hey!” Jenna looked up angrily.
Mila placed a hand before her mouth and giggled.
“What did you do that for?” Jenna complained.
Mila shrugged and plopped down in the grass in front of her sister.
“M-o-o-m-m-y!” Jenna yelled, knowing full well that her mother couldn’t hear her from this distance.
Mommy’s silhouette moved inside the cabin as she finished opening the windows in a vain attempt to freshen the inside, though not much could be done to fight off the combined heat emanating from both of Taranis’ suns.
A Double Summer–as it was commonly called–only occurred once every twenty-seven years, when both Taranis’ stars were aligned in such a way that they were visible almost as a single sun, only appearing as two separate entities once they set on the horizon in a blaze of red and orange.
Jenna’s threat to involve Mommy worked.
Mila pouted at Jenna. “We can build it again. Look.” She grabbed a large leaf and placed it as a base on top of the turf, then snapped a long, thin twig into four pieces and created a makeshift wall on top of the leaf.
Jenna thought that looked really cool and concentrated on the task of rebuilding. Clanging sounds from the kitchen told her Mommy was preparing lunch, while the usual voice of a man spoke over the radio set on the windowsill. Jenna missed the time when the radio used to play music, but that had been a long time ago.
From somewhere behind the cabin perched on a lonely hill, Jenna heard the regular thudding of Daddy cutting wood. She still wondered why Daddy went to all the trouble of hacking up so much wood. With the Double Summer well under way, it wasn’t like they needed to heat anything. And anyway, couldn’t they just switch on the heater when it got cold again? Daddy had said maybe there would be no heating by the time winter came, and it was best to be prepared. Jenna wondered why there would be no heating. In her five years of life, there had always been heating when needed.
Her thoughts evaporated when the ant appeared at the base of a blade of grass again. She squealed happily.
Mila came closer and the girls’ hats knocked into each other. Mila swiped hers off with a flick of the hand while Jenna pushed hers so it rested on her back, a string holding it loosely around her neck.
The girls closed in again, their bald heads touching. They watched expectantly as the ant began its ascension.
Bojo let out a short bark, unhappy at being left out of the game.
“Quiet, Bojo,” Mila ordered the hairy pet.
Bojo approached them, his tongue lolling thirstily, but the leash that attached him to the tree only allowed him to reach the tip of Jenna’s feet. He licked her toes, making her shriek, but at the same time she was too absorbed by the miniature grass-castle to take her eyes off it.
The twins giggled and continued to play in the shadow of the tree planted next to the single dirt road, until natural light dimmed slightly.
Jenna lifted her head, wondering if she had played for so long that night was already falling, then remembered they hadn’t had lunch yet. She shielded her eyes as she lifted her head and gazed through the leafy branches above her. Only by squinting, did she realize that one sun shone brightly, while something had moved in front of the second sun. And that something was not a cloud…
B-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-p!
A shrill sound cut through the air. Plates crashed to the ground in the kitchen.
Jenna thrust her hands to her ears. Mila jumped to her feet.
The man’s voice on the radio broke through the sound, which receded into the background, and even the five-year-old captured the urgency of his message: something was going to happen. Something imminent.
Something terrible.
***
The massive spaceship came to a standstill. Though its occupants knew that their arrival had been detected, they made no attempt to reveal themselves, preferring to remain in stealth mode.
Pinpoints of light flickered behind it, expanding as they approached, then turned into a myriad of similar spaceships that took place beside the first one. Soon, two hundred and fourty-seven fully armed spacecraft took formation around the planet.
Before them, the blue-green globe of Taranis shimmered against the black canvas of the universe, awaiting its fate.
***
B-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-p!
The piercing sound drowned the man’s voice on the radio again.
“Palkon! Palkon!” Mommy cried from the kitchen, her voice heavy with terror.
The rhythmic thudding from Daddy’s log-cutting died.
Jenna shut her eyes tight and grimaced as she held her hands over her ears. She remained lying on the grass, too paralyzed to move.
Bojo whimpered by the tree.
B-i-i-i-i-i-i…
A loud crackle. Then static.
Jenna opened her eyes a crack. She didn’t know what was more terrifying: the shrill beeping or the crepitating noise that replaced it. She stood shakily and grabbed Mila’s hand, glancing at her twin sister, whose ocean-blue eyes reflected her own.
A large tear rolled down Mila’s amber-coloured cheek and fell on the strap of her white dress.
Jenna noticed that Mila hadn’t put her wide-brimmed hat back on.
Mommy’s going to be mad.
It was a strange thought, to be worrying about getting a sunstroke on their shaven heads, when something much bigger and much worse was clearly happening, yet Jenna automatically reached for her own hat which hung behind her neck and covered herself.
The two girls stood side-by-side, watching the two-story cabin with its windows wide open, curtains blowing in a heavy breeze. Appart from the crackling radio, there was only silence.
Then Jenna heard running footsteps and Mommy and Daddy appeared.
“Jenna! Mila!” Mommy called.
“Girls! Come here!” Daddy ordered, while he clicked opened the doors of their vehicle.
The girls sprang into action, the urgency in their parent’s voice making it imperative they obey without delay. Jenna ran after Mila and followed her into the vehicle.
Daddy had already started the engine while Mommy made sure the girl’s doors locked. Then, she got in herself. The vehicle lifted on an air pocket with Mommy’s one leg still out the door. She pulled it in quickly and shut the door, just as they sped off.
“Daddy, where are we going?” Jenna asked fearfully. She heard a distant barking sound.
“Bojo!” Mila screamed before Jenna could even open her mouth.
They turned their heads in unison, staring out the back window. Their pet barked wildly, the leash straining as he jumped back-and-forth in an attempt to dash after them. But Bojo was attached to the tree, which became smaller and smaller as the vehicle raced away.
“Wait, Daddy! Wait!” Mila cried.
Mommy and Daddy stared grimly at each other. As if a silent conversation passed between them, Mommy turned to the girls and said, “I’m sorry, girls.”
“No! Bojo!” Mila screamed. She sobbed and sobbed, the sound unbearable to Jenna’s ears. She felt so stricken that she could only sit, paralyzed, pouring her own shock and sadness into her twin sister’s wailing.
***
“All ships accounted for, Captain.” Lieutenant Saprakas turned to face his superior, who nodded once. “What are your orders?”
Captain Ob stared at the planet before him.
What a waste of a perfectly good planet.
He stood straight with his hands behind his back, a deep frown on his forehead, the white hair on his head and beard trimmed in an equal manner. Beards were extremely rare among the Toreq, and his own had been the subject of many a conversation–not all of them positive–but he had made it a point to maintain it. It was his mark, something that defined him from others, and could have turned into his strength or his weakness. In his case, it had turned into a strength, along with his strategy skill. The Toreq had begun associating his beard with his many successful battles waged against the A’hmun, which suited him fine.
But there was a deeper, underlying reason that made him keep it. With every battle that he had won in the Great War of the Kins, he had received the customary symbol on the side of his cheek: a small black star indicating his victory over the enemy. He had many of them, so many in fact, that they covered both his left and right cheeks.
Only, he did not like these marks.
They did not mean victory to him. They meant another meaningless battle had taken place, and more countless victims had fallen: men, women and children, who had been thrust into oblivion. So he let his beard grow over the marks.
“Captain?” Lieutenant Saprakas repeated, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Captain Ob squeezed his fists behind his back. “We wait,” he said.
***
Jenna couldn’t remember falling asleep, yet when the radio crackled to life, she found that Mommy had lowered her seat into a lying position. Mila lay asleep in the seat beside her.
The man’s voice from earlier came through in interrupted phrases, but Mommy and Daddy seemed to understand what he was saying, because they glanced at each other, eyebrows drawn together.
Daddy said, “Don’t worry, we’ll make it.”
“What if they find out? What if they won’t take me and the girls?” Mommy said in a low voice.
Daddy squeezed Mommy’s hand. “They will,” he said grimly. “They gave you passes. So they must!”
Mommy pressed her lips into a fine line, then turned her attention to the floating screen before her. A red square appeared with the white symbols ØÞŒ written on it.
Jenna followed the curb of the symbols with her eyes, wondering what they meant, but feeling too tired to ask. She drifted away again.
It seemed like only a second had passed, when Mommy shook her gently by the arm. “Jenna, Mila, my loves, wake up!”
Jenna sat up in a hurry, rubbing her eyes. “Bojo?”
Mommy shook her head.
Tears automatically crept into the corner of Jenna’s eyes.
“Girls,” Daddy said, glancing at them from the driver’s seat, “Put on your space suits. Mommy will help you.”
Jenna realized her parents had already slipped into their black-and-grey body suits.
“Stand up,” Mommy told her softly.
Jenna stood giddily so Mommy could make the inclined seat disappear into the back, giving her more space to undress.
As Mommy took off her white summer dress and helped her into the suit, Jenna glanced outside and caught her breath.
The sky had turned a dirty yellowish-orange, as if fine particles from a sandstorm had been thrust into the air, yet the horizon was still visible. They were driving along a lonely road by the side of a mountain. To their left, a valley extended as far as the eye could see. Below, Jenna could already make out the City of O’wan–their home city which they had left many weeks ago in favour of their lonely cabin. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on, as many dots from different types of air–and spacecraft circulated above the city towers.
Jenna frowned at the sight while Mommy inserted her arm into the sleeve. As she pulled it up to Jenna’s shoulder, Mommy’s bald head brushed against Jenna’s cheek, and Jenna noticed she smelled of fresh garden flowers. Jenna bit her lip. Would they ever go back to their cabin in the hills? Would they ever see Bojo again?
She followed the contour of Mommy’s face, with her high cheekbones and honey-coloured eyes, and still pictured herself on Mommy’s lap, playing with her long locks of beautiful, white hair, before they’d had to shave it off.
Mommy closed up Jenna’s suit with a click and turned to her other daughter. “Your turn, Mila,” she said.
“No!” Mila cried, stamping her foot.
“Mila!” Daddy barked, making them jump. “You will do as Mommy says. No arguing, do you understand?” He jabbed a stern finger at her.
Mila crumbled into sobs.
“Sh. It’s ok, love,” Mommy said soothingly, though her voice wavered.
When Mila had reluctantly changed, Daddy turned in his chair, the vehicle functioning on autopilot, and took Mila in his arms. “I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to shout.” He took Jenna and Mommy into his embrace.
Jenna dug her face into his neck, searching for comfort. “Are we going home, Daddy?” she asked, thinking of O’wan.
“No, love,” he replied. “We are going on a trip.” He pulled back, his eyes grave. “A long, exciting trip. We’re going to be explorers! And guess what? All of O’wan is coming with us! Everybody will be there: your friends, uncle Lot, cousin Shea…”
“But not Bojo,” Mila interrupted.
Daddy’s face fell. “No, not Bojo. There is no room on the spaceship for Bojo. But somebody has to watch over our cabin while we are away, right? And I couldn’t think of anyone better suited for the job than Bojo.”
Mila nodded with a watery smile.
Jenna knew her sister liked the idea, but she couldn’t help thinking that Bojo was tied to the tree…
The vehicle lurched.
“Palkon!” Mommy yelled in warning.
Jenna lost her footing and crashed into Mila.
Daddy didn’t have time to get back to his seat. The vehicle colided against something and was thrust aside violently.
Jenna vaguely registered several hands and legs flailing as the vehicle did a somersault, before the stabilizing mechanism brought them to a standstill, safety cushions expanding in the blink of an eye to soften their fall.
As soon as they were in an upright position, the cushions retreated, leaving them in a heap on the floor.
Jenna opened her eyes and saw a dark form rush to her side of the vehicle.
Wham!
The side window burst inwards, sending a sprinkle of glass all over Jenna. She flung her arms up to protect her face, then peeked at the man who was staring at her through the broken window. He thrust his hand inside, grabbed her wrist and pulled.
Jenna screamed.
She was outside before she knew it.
More glass breaking. Mila screaming, Mommy screaming, Daddy yelling. People running from all sides.
The man released Jenna. She fell heavily on the dirt road.
She rolled on to her stomach and watched several men and women clamber into their car. Six of them. They shoved at each other to get through the broken windows first.
Mommy called her name frantically. Jenna rushed to her mother’s side, huddling close to Mila.
“No, please!” Daddy pleaded, throwing himself at the passenger door, trying to force it open. “We have children!”
The last man to enter the driver’s seat gave Daddy a haunted look that branded into Jenna’s mind. He opened his mouth to speak, then changed his mind and slipped inside.
The vehicle zoomed off into the distance, Daddy running after it.
