Lost Forever

Part 1

"This invasion of aliens to our worlds cannot continue. Our leader, Akksul, has shown us this danger time and time again. We have suffered enough from the hands of the Kett. Now, reports are coming to say that 'humans' have arrived at Aya. They promise us peace and help. The leaders there are fools. This human has already infiltrated the Resistance headquarters on Aya. We cannot let them come to Voeld. Support the Roekkar." The words from the female Angaran on the comm were filled with mistrust and caution. Yet so powerful that they were captivating.

Saraf sighed as he paused outside the room Tulae was in. The bluish skinned female sat vexed upon listening to the transition coming over the communicator that evening. It was hard enough dealing with the increase risk to their outpost with the Moshae's arrival, the unforgiving hostiles on Voeld and the cold. He, like most Angaran, adapted to the cold weather but he never wanted to stray too far away from a welcoming heat lamp. The muscles in his body tensed up more and he tightened his jaw hearing the name "Akksul." Unlike his mate, he saw no good from him. His xenophobic ideas and hatred were going to cause them more problems down the road. Especially with new aliens coming into the galaxy. Sadly, his poisonous propaganda was already infiltrating several outposts throughout Voeld and that included the one he was in. "Tulae…" He softly warned with worry in his blue eyes. "The more you listen to these lies…the more you will start to believe them. How can you stay clear out here?"

Tulae paused for a moment and turned around in her seat to address him. The smile on her soft face reminded him still of the first day they met on Aya. Luckily, they were both transferred to Voeld at the same time when they joined the Resistance. With no offspring of their own, they thought it would be best to dedicate some of the first few years of their marriage helping their own kind. But the implementation of the Roekkar was starting to bring more and more disharmony in their lives and it was dividing the two apart. "How can you say that, darling?" Her voice calm but yet there was a sense of uneasiness about her. "You have heard the reports yourself on Aya. More aliens are coming to our worlds. How can we raise children like this?"

Entering the room, Saraf swept her hands up with his. "I do not want to lose you, precious one. I do not want to be enemies."

Tulae purred and lightly nuzzled her face with his. "As do I, Saraf. We will fight the Kett only. I just wish you would listen more to Akksul. He is telling the truth about the dangers."

Saraf tensed up once more. "Akksul…" He growled lowly. "The Kett are winning the fight against the Resistance because of him. Many of my friends including my siblings have fallen on Voeld because of him. Angaran are giving up the fight against the Kett and joining the Roekkar instead."

Sensing his body coming rigid, Tulae gently stroked his arms with her fingertips lightly. "Relax, Saraf." She lifted her chin up and kissed him gently. "Let us not talk about this any longer. It's hard enough to know I'll be leaving shortly for the mission."

Saraf embraced her tightly and kept his forehead against hers. His head lowered to look down into her beautiful ocean color eyes. "Why do you have to go? It is too dangerous now especially at night."

"Because I'm the designated Remnant expert and we will only have this one shot to track the worm's movements. Stars, just knowing about going up against that beast brings chills down my body."

"Stay strong and clear, my love." Saraf kissed her again with his lips lingering across hers. His body aching to embrace her once again.

The sound of someone clearing their throat, broke the pair apart. A blue skinned Angaran male stood at the door with a stern look on his face. "The Moshae is present. Be alert."

A dark purple Angaran female pushed the male aside. "Vehn Terev, do not act so silly. The Kett do not know I'm here and it will only be a few hours before we push on."

Tulae moved away from Saraf's arms to greet the Moshae. She hugged her tightly. "It is so glad to see you."

Saraf brought in the second hug. "I am glad as well, Moshae."

The Moshae looked at them but then the terminal containing Tulae's work on the Remnant caught her eye. "May I take a look?"

"By all means," Tulae led her over excitedly. "This is only a sample of what my team has collected on the Remnant. The data on this unit contains information over several months."

Moshae examined some of the figures and nodded her head. "Very impressive. I heard you have a team going out this evening."

"Yes, we are studying the worm that inhabits the planet. I have a theory there is a worm on each planet that contains a vault."

"Though, I have not seen a worm on Havarl," Saraf shook his head. "Your theory is inconclusive."

"It is a good theory." Moshae corrected him but then her voice lightened up. "May I send some of this to Jaal?'

Saraf's and Tulae's faces lit up. "Jaal?" They both asked in unison.

Saraf laughed. "Jaal is a good friend of ours. He and I share one of the same mothers."

"He is with the human on board her ship. He's the Angaran envoy from the Resistance."

"I'm surprised that Evra allowed that," Tulae scratched her head.

Vehn returned moments later and shivered. "Skkut. That blasted cold will never rid me. The area is clear, Moshae Sefa. We should be safe for the night."

"Stars and skies, then I should retire. This day's journey was long and I fear the next day will not be better. Safe journeys, Tulae." The Moshae turned around to leave.

Vehn stood at the door way to watch her leave and then looked their way. His face masked with something unsettling. He seemed almost hesitant to take a step forward in either direction. "Something the matter?" Saraf asked him.

The question seemed to startle Vehn. The male only gave them one final look before exiting the room. "What was that all about?" Tulae asked as she started to pack up her gear.

"I do not know." The reality of what was going to happen next made Saraf guarded once more. He reached over and hugged Tulae tightly from the back. "May the stars guide you tonight."

Tulae pivoted around to face him and kissed him once more. "You worry too much. We have been further apart than this."

"I know," He admitted as he finally made himself release her from his grasp. "The Kett troops have increased near our sector. I fear for some of our people who are trying to live a good life without fighting. They have strayed too far from our outposts. The same fate may happen to you…."

Hefting the bag over her shoulders, Tulae grabbed some nutrient paste from the countertop. "I almost forget these. I'll see you in two days. I can't wait to share our findings." Her goodbye kiss was swift and not entirely what Saraf wanted. Then again, the fight with the Kett made relationships tough for all of them. Once she left the outpost with the others of the group, Saraf found himself there with the remainder of their squad. Despite being surrounded by those of his own kind, he felt alone. The darkness of Voeld grew darker and colder. He could hear the wind howling around the structure.

Taking a sigh Saraf glanced outside the viewport. "May my ancestors watch over her."

A day later, after leaving the familiarity of the outpost, Tulae and the others took quick naps as they pushed ahead. Their scouts had picked up movement of the worm and its position was strangely moving further away from the closest Remnant structure. Most of the time, the worm stayed underground so just a glimpse of it was rare. Luckily, the path they were on didn't lead them to any Kett pockets to deal with.

The wind seemed to be colder so they had to move fast and only linger enough to get their bearings. Without any type of heat source for too long was very dangerous to an Angaran. One of her colleagues carried a portable generator that could power a heat lamp once fully charged for six hours at the most so they had to use it sparingly. Tulae dug through her backpack to take out her seismic activity reader. Her brow furrowed when she glanced at the data come in. "No activity," She raised her voice so the others could be heard over the raging wind. She had one arm up to shield the snow from blowing into her face. They had pressed too far now. The worm had to be here!

"Let's head back! The generator can't take much more!" Epaf, the team lead, motioned everyone to gather their belongings. He was a little lit big larger than Saraf and his skin was an odd mixture of blue and mauve.

Biting her lip, Tulae pressed her head forward to see if she could catch a glimpse of anything. Suddenly, her instrument chimed. She glanced down to see an increase of seismic activity in the westward direction. Alarmed, she waved her arm to gain everyone's attention. "I have a reading! It's six klicks ahead! A strong one too!" She held the device out as a guide and slipped her pack back on.

Epaf moved ahead and grabbed her shoulder before she could scurry off too quickly. "That's too far and this weather is becoming dangerous, Tulae!" His grip was firm and his voice decisive. However, she wasn't going to let the risk make her turn back now.

"This will be one for our record books! I have to keep going! We need this data!"

Moved, Epaf gave her a silent look as if he was debating internally on what to do. The others waited for the order. "We go there and that's it. If it's not there, we go back immediately. I will not risk more Angaran lives for this."

"Understood," Tulae took a sigh of relief and pushed ahead. Her heart began to race and her body became warmer from the movement. Her blue eyes never left the direction ahead.

Finally after some relief from the storm, the group of Angarans came closer. A weird howl came up ahead and they felt the ground shake. Epaf held up his hand to motion them to stop. His eyes darting quickly to assess the situation. "Skkut. Where is the damn thing?"

Tulae chewed her lip and studied her tool. "We are close." She then lifted her head to search for the worm. An eerie howl could be heard again. It seemed as it echoed across the sky, splitting the atmosphere.

"Arm yourselves!" Epaf panicked as he took out his rifle. A few of the armed ones in the group complied with the order. "Stay close to me, Tulae. Saraf will be angry if something happened to you."

"I can handle myself. Saraf troubles him so," Tulae saw a small knoll up ahead. If she could climb it, then perhaps…yes, that had to be it! Unexpectedly, she jumped ahead, ignoring the warnings of Epaf behind her. "Stay there! I'm scouting ahead!" She knew the male behind her was probably cursing her insubordination but this was for research! Her research! The blue blood in her veins seemed to pump harder as she felt a surge of energy hit her and enable her to scurry up the knoll in no time. When she looked across the horizon, she felt her knees become week. "Stars…." Her jaw gaped open as she saw the sight in front of her. Dead ahead was the worm! The full length of it! Not only was it out on the land, but flying in the sky! Its head swiveled to examine the ground below but she was distant enough to where it couldn't detect her. The metallic frame shined in the few glimpses of sunlight in the sky above. Its body almost gracefully moved around. It was almost stunning to know that something so gorgeous in her eyes could be deadly at the same time.

Throwing her pack on the ground, she quickly dug through her sorted items to find her observation capturer. The small hand held device had a powerful range and could capture crystal clear images. After snapping a few of the worm, she smiled to take on its beauty once more. Hearing someone come up beside her, she turned to see Epaf come to her side. "What did I say about disobeying orders?" His voice was playful and concerned at the same time. He then turned his head to see the worm and had the same reaction she did. "Scattered stars…is-is that it?"

"Yes. My theory was correct. It is Remnant. See, it's on a direct course to the monolith structure I examined months ago. Several of the machines are in its path and they ignore one another."

Epaf smiled warmly. "A true protégé of the Moshae talking."

"She is my idol but we vary on different opinions…." Tulae's voice trailed off. She knew how the Moshae felt about the Roekkar and Akksul. However, respectfully, she knew the Moshae was much older and the way of things was changing. If only Saraf could see that…

Gunfire caught their attention and they saw several Kett forces that were caught in the worm's path. The Kett soldiers fired blindly up in the sky to deter the mechanism's course. However, the worm bolted downward and made quick work of the aggression. They were too far away to unfortunately hear any signs of pain and anguish from their long time enemy. Epaf frowned. "If only that thing could be on our side. This stupid war would have ended." With that, he turned and headed back down the knoll.

Tulae sighed as she watched the worm go out of sight. How she almost wanted to go with it. Away from the war with the Kett, away from the aggression of the aliens. Away from every torment that plundered her and Saraf. The short break ended too quickly and it was back down to the rest of the group to begin their journey back.

The way back was not as solemn as the way out. The feeling of being back in the warmth and hospitality of the outpost brought cheers to the others. Some talked about what nutrient paste they were going to eat while others dreamt about hours of sleep they could take. Some even talked about their shot of being transferred to Aya. Everyone wanted a chance to live on Aya. Only one could live there for so long before they were transferred off world. Tulae, on the other end, was probably the only Angaran who would have gladly traded her turn for a visit to Havarl. She even fantasized about traveling to Kadara. Though that dream was always shot down by Saraf. Kadara was run over by alien exiles now and things were bad. Saraf felt that place was not one for them to raise a family.

Epaf gasped loudly as he stopped dead in his tracks a few feet ahead of the group. Tulae followed his gaze to see a huge cloud of smoke coming in the direction of the outpost! Her heart stopped. Her mind flashed quickly to Saraf. She quickly gave a look to Epaf for the order, but she couldn't wait for it. Ambush or not, she needed to get to her love! "Saraf!" She cried out the name as she ran as fast as she could. The others shouted in alarm and followed behind her.

Her leader was at her heels within seconds and he pushed ahead to assess the situation. "Watch for ambush!"

Tulae tried to make a mental note of her surroundings, but all she could think of was Saraf. As they got closer, they noticed the entire outpost was destroyed by a fire that was still smoldering. Two Angaran forms were found with their blood turning the snow blue around them. Epaf knelt down to assess the casualties and for Tulae's sake, the deceased were not Saraf. Tulae jumped over a charred step and entered what was left of the entrance. "Saraf!" There were no noises inside the complex. Holes were in the wall that were from a Kett rifle.

"Where is the Moshae?" A female Angaran from her team came up beside as she looked around. "Where is Vehn Terev?"

"Saraf!" Tulae ignored the other's question and made it back into the same room she left previously. There was no sign of him at all. She pushed away some debris and felt her eyes tearing up. Her terminal was completely smashed. All her research….

"The Moshae is gone!" The female ran back out of the complex to alert the others and Epaf.

Trying to sort through the charred bits, Tulae sighed and exited the building to see where the others were. Epaf was examining the ground where the snow was littered with both vehicle tracks and footprints. "Kett…" His expression hollow. "They were here. Several of them."

"A night raid?" Another male asked out loud as he looked on. "We have a small outpost, why hit this one?"

"The Moshae…."Tulae met Epaf's gaze as he searched his mind for answers. "They knew…they knew she was here."

"Why are there not more bodies?" The same female from earlier threw her hands up in frustration.

"They took them," Epaf stood back up and logged into his communicator. "This is Epaf. The Moshae has been captured. Repeat. The Moshae has been taken! We need a transport here to do a perimeter scan."

The radio crackled from the weather's interference till finally a male voice came online. "Message received and will be forwarded to Central Command. Transport enroute. ETA one hour."

Muttering under his breath, Epaf sighed. "We don't have that much time."

"Then we go for them." Tulae's face was filled with determination as she picked up a weapon from one of the fallen Angaran.

"Are you mad? We don't know how many there are," The purple skinned male next to her shook his head.

"They think they got all of us." Epaf countered as he looked around. "We are armed and part of the Resistance. It's our duty to get the Moshae back. Whatever the costs are."

"I'm getting back Saraf." Tulae felt her entire body shake. She couldn't even fathom where he was. She just hoped they got to him in time. She wasn't known in the Resistance as a true "fighter." That was Saraf. She was the scientist and he was the warrior. He would spend his evenings practicing and training while she analyzed artifacts that were collected. Before being dispersed to Voeld, she would sit along the Moshae as one of her students and learn more about the Remnant and the Kett. That's how she met Jaal. He was a student too, but not one of the good ones. In fact he dropped out. He and Saraf shared the same community mother but not the true mother. He known the two before they became mates. Jaal was always withdrawn. Opposite of Saraf. He approached her one day after she was leaving class and asked her to meet him at the Tavetaan for a drink. She would never forget that day. A lot of Angaran were forgotten over the years once they were captured by the Kett. She was not going to forget him. She was going to get him back.

A few hours later of following the tracks out from their site, they came across a Kett armored transport vehicle. Epaf halted his group and assessed the situation. The vehicle was stopped and appeared to have been stopped for a while. There was movement so definitely Kett around. "How many?" Tulae whispered as she felt adrenaline rushing inside her.

Epaf held up two fingers. He even turned back to look at the team, puzzled. There was no way that only two Kett could do the damage that was done nor capture the encampment including the Moshae. "They could be inside though." He looked over at the other male for his opinion.

The other male, known as, Norap, came to Epaf's side and looked on. "Could be an ambush. Though if we keep anyone back, we lose what forces we have."

"Let's rush them." Epaf took a breath and gripped his weapon tighter. "On my mark." Tulae nodded her head and did the same. This was it… her eyes stared at the transport's doors. Any minute…

Epaf leaped up and charged at the unexpected Kett. He unleashed a barrage of ammo and caught one Kett chosen squarely in the chest. The damage to the torso became too much and the loss of blood was great. The Kett stumbled over before being able to fire back. His comrade rushed around the transport and opened fire. Though he wasn't able to set his sights on the entire group of five Angaran coming at him. Tulae took the opportunity and nailed it in the shoulder and then the head. The Kett wailed before falling over, dead in the snow.

Now the entire area was calm. Epaf gathered his breath and opened the transport back doors. Tulae held her breath. However, it was what she feared….the transport was empty! "Skkut! It's empty!" Their leader banged the door hard with his fist.

Tulae jumped inside and looked around. A piece of fabric caught her eye. She leaned down to pick it up and realized it was the same as from Saraf's. Her fingertips gingerly ran over the cloth and she held it up to her nose. His scent…how she longed for him. "He-he was here…."

Norap jumped in the vehicle behind her and looked over her shoulder. "They wanted us to know they were here. This was planned. The Kett knew what they were doing."

"Where would they take them?" Tulae defeatedly jumped back down.

Epaf looked past the transport and in the distance ahead, he saw the faint glimpse of the Kett facility that towered up towards the sky. "There. Just like all the others…."

With her heart sinking, Tulae felt her knees giving away and she collapsed to the ground. She knew what that meant. Those who were taken to the facility, never came back. Saraf was going to be lost forever to her... "We have to go there…"

Without missing a beat, Epaf shook his head. "No."

Tulae looked at him incredulously. "Why not?"

"That facility is well protected. We do not have the man power to do an attack right now."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing! She stood back up and got right into Epaf's face. Her body shook with fear and rage. "I am going there! I have to get back Saraf!"

"He's gone, Tulae," Epaf replied back coolly as his eyes painfully met hers.

"No!" Tulae shook her head feverishly as she felt tears come down her face. "He's not gone! He's just there! We can get him back! They won't expect us!"

Epaf looked back at the facility and then sighed hard. He moved around Tulae and started to walk back the direction they came. "Let's go meet the transport. It will be an evac now. We can get back to the main base and wait for our next orders."

Tulae bawled her fists as the tears continued to pour down her face like water on Havarl. She clenched her jaw tightly. "I'm going."

"No you're not," Epaf stopped to look back at her.

"I am." Tulae ignored him as she stepped ahead but Epaf swiftly grabbed her. She struggled to break free. "Let me go!"

He grabbed her arms roughly and shook her. "Tulae! He's gone! We need to go! Any longer and you will die. The journey is too far away from a heat source. We will need to regroup at central command."

Tulae stared back at him and felt herself breaking down. She began to sob harder. "I can't let Saraf go. The Kett will kill him."

Epaf held her tightly to him. "Be strong, young one. The Kett will use this against you. Do not let them."

Days later…

"So this is a soy bean plant." Cora pointed over to the next plant in the makeshift greenhouse room on the Tempest.

"An s-oy plant?" Jaal squatted down to give the tiny specimen a glance. "May I ask what it is for?"

"Can be used in a variety of things including milk."

"Millllk?" Jaal tilted his head as she reached out to touch the leafling. "Hmm…I'm not sure I understand."

Cora laughed as she watched the Angaran before her stand back up with a puzzled look on his face. "I guess you Angaran used different terminology for things. So milk is-"The blonde paused as she saw Suvi standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to bother," The short haired science officer spoke up with a nervous look on her face. "Jaal, a private vid comm message came in for you. I thought you would like to know."

"You think Ryder would mind me using your ship for the message while she's gone on her mission?" Jaal turned back to look at the second-in-command.

"Not at all," Cora motioned for him to follow her out onto the second floor open area and up the ramp to the meeting area. Jaal remembered it was the same place that Celeste had her meeting about Jaal's presence on the Tempest as the envoy. "Just access the terminal and it should connect you to the sender."

"Uh, thank you, Cora," Jaal moved over and pulled up the terminal as instructed. A few seconds passed before a holo vid image of Tulae was displayed. Her demeanor was a lot different than he remembered of her on Aya. The lust for adventure and science escaped her and her face was filled with pain and loss.

"Jaal, thank my mothers that you answered," Sadness filled her voice.

"I am here, Tulae. Is something wrong?" He noticed the pause in her form. "Where is Saraf?"

The name struck a chord and he could hear her fighting back tears. "The Kett took him, Jaal. Him and the Moshae."

The news was unsettling and Jaal felt like the breath was knocked out of him. Even though he was kicked out of the class he was in for not being a good student of the Moshae, he still revealed her as an exceptional woman. His departure did not cause a trench between their friendship. The Moshae was revealed highly among several Angaran, especially those in the Resistance. Her aid is what gave them an edge in the battles. "What happened?!"

"Some of us went out to track the worm on Voeld. I was helping with the expedition. The Moshae was at our outpost for rest while she was traveling to another encampment to render aid. While we were gone, the Kett raided the outpost and took everyone. We tracked down the Kett we thought that had them but there were only two. They were taken to the Kett facility on Voeld. Do you know of it?"

"I have heard it…." A low growl came from Jaal's throat as the news of this tremendous loss was still sinking in.

"We are back at the main base for the Resistance. They won't set foot on that place, but we can't leave Saraf there to die. I know he's still alive. Please, Jaal, I don't know what to do…." Her voice quivered.

Jaal sighed hard as he looked around. He needed to talk to Celeste quickly and she was still down on Eos checking on their recently placed outpost. "I will talk to the Pathfinder as soon as she is back. We will get them back. Stay strong and clear."

There was a beat and Tulae closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure. "You too, Jaal."