Chapter 7-Qu'ut Minor and Ishaq
Cale woke up next to his sleeping wife, Akima. He laid nearest the wall and she lay facing him. Her eyes were slits and light gleamed off of her lips from the overhead lights that automatically turned on every 'morning'. He didn't care to wake her for he figured she would be a little grouchy if he did. He quietly slipped out of the bed by crawling out at the foot. She moved just a little and gave a tired sigh. Cale froze in his tracks in hopes that she'd not wake. He wanted to go and talk to Korso, so Cale put his cargo pants on and his brown, sleeveless shirt.
Cale slowly turned the handle on the door, opened it, and sneaked out, shutting the door quietly behind him. He realized the last night that he had no clue as to where they were going. He just knew that they were looking for the Orb and that kept his mind content until he really thought about it. It had been about five weeks since they left Kronos and launched into the black of space. He had plenty of other things to think about, namely his unanticipated daughter, and his mind just left the topic of the Orb, until now.
"Cale, g' morning." Korso said as Cale stepped in his door, "Come in." Korso had been sitting in his chair watching the stars shoot by outside of his window. It was normal for Korso to get up earlier than everybody else. This was explained by his military background. Usually, the last one up was Gune.
"Uh, Korso," Cale started as he walked next to the captain and sat down, "Where are we going, anyway?" he asked with his hands folded and both elbows resting on each knee.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. We're headed to Qu'ut Minor." Korso said, tilted back in his chair with his feet crossed and resting upon the table before them, "You have obviously been there before."
"How do you know?" Cale asked becoming unfettered.
"You have the Qu'utchaa, the sign of the Qu'utians, on your arm, kid." Korso explained as he pointed to Cale's right arm. Cale raised his elbow so he could see the tattoo on his arm.
"The sword with spikevine around it symbolizes victory through persistence," Cale explained, "I had it tattooed on my arm after I saw just how determined the Qu'utians were to survive after their planet was destroyed by the Drej." Korso nodded at Cale's anecdote. "So anyway, what is on Qu'ut Minor?" Cale finally asked.
Korso took his feet from the table and set them on the floor adjacent to Cale. "There was a man named Mohammad Bourain. He was a friend of your father's and I've met him once or twice." Cale began to get confused and showed it by lowering his eyebrows, but Korso continued, "He's been to Gianni, but he's dead. He died in a spaceship accident. We're trying to find his son, Ishaq, who continued his father's business on Qu'ut Minor. I figured he might give us an even better lead."
Cale understood now and trusted that the captain knew what he was doing. He nodded and shrugged as he stood up from his seat, "Thanks." Korso turned and faced the stars again with his feet propped up on the table. "See ya at breakfast." Cale added as he walked out of the captain's room.
The Valkyrie came out of hyperspace just outside Qu'ut Minor. It was a small planet compared to its race's former home. Minor was bleak and bore the scars of the superior planet. Several craters were deep and wide enough to be considered valleys. The atmosphere was very weak and a human wouldn't be able to live on it.
The purple-steeled ship levitated downward and set down on the side of one of the gargantuan craters. At the bottom of the crater was a door that came up out of the sand.
"Looks just as it did when I was here." Cale sarcastically said as he and Korso stepped out on the ramp and surveyed the landscape. Stith and Akima followed the two out, Stith carrying two heavy laser cannons in each hand.
"You wouldn't want to live here, but it's not this place we're going to. We go down." Korso said as he pointed down in the middle of the crater.
"Akima you stay here with Gune, " Cale said as he turned to her, "Korso, Stith, and I will go take care of this." Cale turned away to leave as Akima grabbed his arm.
"I want to go with you," she begged. Cale turned back to face her again.
"Akima, you and our daughter mean to much to me to lose both of you." Cale said as he held her slightly bloated stomach. She was nearing her fifth month.
"But how dangerous could it be? If you don't come back you would have lost us both anyway and I wouldn't want to lose you, so either way is the same." Akima explained, "And besides, I can take care of myself."
"Yeah, I noticed," Cale replied to her plead, "Well, I guess you have a point. All right, you can come." Cale smirked and let her walk in front of him, so he could keep an eye on her. They all left the ramp and continued walking down to the small door.
Inside of the planet was dark. There was a light made of some sort of small bug creature connected to the wall about every fifteen feet. They walked down a dark tunnel on several stairs cut out of the ground for a seeming eternity. At the end of the tunnel everybody was in awe as they saw what lay before them. It was a city, under the ground, all lit up with many small crafts flying around in the streets and above the buildings. Most of the structures were round at the top and were the color of a rustic brown. On the sides of the walls were several other tunnels which made it look like the inside of a large scale ant mound.
"This place has grown up." Cale announced as everybody started walking down toward the small city as Cale continued to take in the sight of the city. He eventually caught up and joined them at the foot of the stairs. The city was busy when they reached the street that led further into the city. There were trade shops, merchants, and innkeepers around the block where they were at.
The Qu'ution people were tall and thin. They were lizard-like in appearance and had colored, mossy patches of hair. They would occasionally crawl on all fours, but they mostly were bipedal. These people had lived underground for quite sometime and they didn't get out much.
Finally, they came to a building and stopped in front of it. "This is the place," Korso announced as he led the others inside. Akima winced; this place seemed familiar. And then, it struck her: this was Ishaq's house.
"Korso, why are we here, at Ishaq's house?" Akima asked. Korso stopped to turn to her. He was puzzled. He didn't know what had her all spooked.
"I figured he might know some info on the Orb. His father knew Cale's father and they both were at Gianni. I figured he might have told his kid a few things." Korso explained.
"I am the reason why his father's dead." Akima said as he turned to go into Ishaq's place. Everybody heard this and focused on Akima in disbelief.
"What do you mean, 'you're the reason'?" Cale interrupted. Akima sighed and looked at the ground.
"I killed him," she replied, "he was ill and I tried to fly him to a hospital, but at the time, I didn't know how to fly and I failed." she finished. Cale held her arm and tried to comfort her. It got quiet amongst them. Stith even failed to say something.
"Let's just go in." Korso said, getting a tad impatient. They followed and stepped inside. Inside were two Qu'utians, one standing at a counter on the far side of the room and the other waiting in a seat. The five slowly walked up to the one at the counter. "We're looking for Ishaq. Is he here?" Korso asked. The Qu'utian peered around at the group and took notice of Stith's weapons. He obeyed for fear that they might do something if they didn't find Ishaq.
"Sure, he's here. I'll go direct him to you." The Qu'utian replied. He walked around the counter and went out a door that led to the back of the building.
"Stith, you mind if you hung outside and watched our backs?" Korso asked. Stith agreed and went back outside to wait. A few moments later, Ishaq came out of the door. He stood there and looked at the group. He had black hair wore a brown jacket. He had even darker pants and a white shirt underneath the jacket. His body stood erect as he walked around to the group.
"Do I know you?" Ishaq asked. He turned to Akima, "I know you, Akima."
"Hi, Ishaq, long time, no see." Akima monotonously answered.
"Who's this friend of yours?" He asked as he turned to Cale. She paused for a moment and looked at him with stern eyes.
"That's Cale," she taught as she walked forward to him, "my husband." Ishaq's eyes slightly closed. He looked at Akima and then to Cale.
"Congratulations." said he, seemingly void of emotion. Cale shot Akima an unsettled glance. She knew he didn't like him.
"This is Captain Korso," she explained, "He knew your father and would like to talk to you." Ishaq smirked a little. His short, dark hair spiked in the air on top of his square face.
"What is it you came for?" Ishaq asked.
"I hear your father was on the spacestation Gianni. Sound familiar?" Korso began. Ishaq shook his head, "We're looking for something called, 'The Orb', it belongs to the Drej which makes this threatening to us. I figured you would tell us where Gianni is." Ishaq laughed a little at this. Cale held the butt of his plasma shotgun that was strung over his back. Akima settled Cale down by holding his shoulder.
"How would I know where that Godforsaken place is?" Ishaq curtly said.
"Sorry, kid, we thought you might want to help out the human race." Korso expounded. Ishaq was quiet for a while; he seemed to seethe with hurt emotions.
"I'm sorry, I don't know, but I can tell you that Commander Bencal on D'amara would have a better idea." said Ishaq. He peered at them out of the corners of his eyes. "Can you leave Akima and me here?" he asked. Cale took a bold step forward, but Akima held him back with a gentle touch. He worriedly looked at her, but her expression told him it was all right. Korso and Cale politely walked outside and shut the door behind them. Ishaq waited until they were out of the room before he let loose on Akima.
"Why did you leave me, Akima?" Ishaq asked. She looked at him with disdain, but he looked at her with a broken love.
"I went to the Fauldro Flight Academy, I've already told you." she said.
"But what about me? Did you not love me? I thought we were family." Ishaq said, "We could have been more."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Ishaq." she said with a turn from him. Suddenly there was a crash outside. It sounded like an explosion that could have taken out the entire city. Akima ran out the door, leaving Ishaq there. What she found outside was Korso, Cale, and Stith firing upon several Drej who returned their fire. Qu'utians ran and screamed in horror as they scattered on the street like cockroaches when a light comes on. They were cautious with their aiming so they wouldn't hit any civilians, but the Drej shot through several just to get to them. Cale took cover with Korso behind a parked hovercar while Stith stood in the middle of the street and welcomed the lumbering Drej with a barbaric war cry.
"You brought the Drej here!" Ishaq exclaimed as he ran out the door after Akima. One Drone walked down the street and shot a Qu'utian mother and her child as they made an attempt to evacuate the street. Akima's fury at this sight made her sling her plasma pistol out of the holster that sat in a crooked way on her hips as if it was too big. She immediately fired on the Drej as she held tightly with both hands on her firearm. Her knuckles were white from her grip and her absolute hatred for that particular Drej seemed to lead her aim. She hit him in the left leg, causing that limb to disappear from its body. She quickly fired a second shot, hitting the Drej drone in the head which canceled him from existence.
Akima ran for her life across the street, dodging a myriad of blasts that zinged behind her every step. She dove toward Cale and Korso and landed in Cale's arms. "You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm good." Akima answered with a cock of her pistol.
"Where's Ishaq?"
"Don't know, don't care."
Cale laughed at her answer only to be silenced by a Drej blast from his one side. He guarded his eyes from the debris that fell from his left. Cale pumped his shotgun and leaped out from behind the car with a spray of green plasma. It hit a Drej and seemed to dissolve him into air. He pumped again, still in a headlong run, and fired a second time. A drone fell to the ground with his arm and leg missing from Cale's shot and screamed as it hit the street with a thud. "Can't you just die!" Cale yelled as he pumped and fired a third time at the drone which fizzled the alien into thin air.
"Hang back!" Korso yelled from behind the car as he took his EMP grenades and fired a shell into the street. The shell flew out from the barrel with a chirping noised and landed about thirty feet in front of them. It bounced on the street until it finally rested in between four drones. It beeped and then sent out a blue wave of electromagnetic pulse in all directions that ran on the ground from the epicenter. The four Drej that were caught in this pulse evaporated into nothing as it ravaged them of their essence.
"Come on!" Stith yelled at the Drej, "Come and get me!" Two drones caught sight of her and one fired as he took a few steps forward. It barely missed Stith and singed a line of black, burnt hair on her left, giant ankle. She groaned at this and stumbled on the ground. To even the odds, she fired one of her large, cylindrical guns at the drone and killed the one that shot her. Its blue sparks flew in several directions as the Drej cried out for its life. The second that was with it stepped away from his disintegrated comrade and began pursuit of Stith.
Stith had a hard time getting up. She fumbled around with her guns and finally managed to get on her kangaroo-like feet. Akima ran over to her and aided her with her balance. The Drej got closer and halted his run at them a short ways away. He raised his weapon that was fused into his arm and ran off of his own energy at the two. Korso saw this and was busy trying to reload. Cale was off fighting another Drej that tried to flank their position.
Akima, with an idea and a smirk of confidence ran up to the Drej and drew both swords, one in each hand. The drone prepared to fire, but Akima harried him with several slashes. The metal gleamed with each passing swipe and it seemed to sing along with her brandish. Her first slash took off the Drej's arm that held his pistol and he yelped with pain as his extremity was severed. Akima stepped forward as he fell back and swiped again. This sent his head flying off and both body and head disappeared. Akima held her swords in each hand in a Japanese cobra stance which has one foot before the other and her back reared up.
"We gotta get out of here!" Korso yelled from behind the hovercar. He slung his grenade launcher and pulled out his pistol and held it close to his face. He jumped out from behind the car and ran with Cale, "Make a run for the exit!" Korso yelled. Akima took Stith and guided her as she quickly hobbled with the rest of the group. Three drones came in from behind and began firing as they ran. Akima looked behind her Mantrin friend and saw the drones. Cale turned to find Akima, leaving Korso running for the stairs, and ran back to them. He pumped his shotgun and ran toward them.
Just as one Drej held up his gun, he was instantly vaporized by some unseen thing. Cale, Akima, and Stith looked around for the shooter and found Ishaq on his roof with a plasma rifle. "Go," he yelled, "I'll cover you!" Cale smirked at this, grabbed Akima's hand and ran with her and Stith. Ishaq pulled the bolt on his rifle to charge up another powerful plasma burst. He fired again and took out a second drone that was chasing after them. Ishaq shot him dead in his tracks.
Cale, Akima, and Stith ran up the dirt steps from which they entered. They continued their ascent until they reached that same door. When they reached it, Cale let loose his grip on his wife and tried to turn the wheel that opened the door. "Aghh, it's stuck!" he said as he groaned trying to open the seal that kept them in. A blue blast screamed past them and hit the dirt wall, sending enough debris to cover one's eyes.
"Cale," Akima yelled while pointing behind her, "the Drej!" The blue creatures crawled up the steps on their hands and knees because the tunnel was too small for their complete standing height.
"Hold on!" Cale yelled as he pried Stith's gun from her hands.
"What are you doing!" Stith exclaimed as she was torn from her beloved weapon.
"Trust me!" Cale replied as he fired once upon the top hinge of the door and again at the bottom hinge. He handed Stith her gun and began to kick down the door as if there were no tomorrow. Finally, it felled with a loud clang and they each went running out. Stith fired behind her as they left and caused a cave in behind them. The Drej were instantly crushed in the claustrophobic cave. Cale, Akima, and Stith found themselves looking around for Korso and the Valkyrie, but they weren't on the ledge were they had last seen them. "That coward!" Cale exclaimed with a shake of his fist.
A rumbling came from overhead, it was the Valkyrie! He hadn't left after all! The ship hovered downward and nearly touched the ground. A very strong wind came from underneath that rushed between all of them. "Get in!" Korso's voice said from the outside amplifiers as he lowered the ramp. Cale helped Stith on first and then his wife. He pulled himself up onto the edge of the ramp. The Valkyrie began its climb into the air as his legs continued to hang in the air. Four Drej slijah screamed past the Valkyrie and opened fire. They hit the piston that pulled the ramp up. The shot startled Cale and he lost his grip and began slipping out of the ramp. The Valkyrie shot upward and put a significant amount of g-force on him. He lost his grip and fell from the edge. Cale screamed at the top of his lungs in pure fear. He was surprised to look up and see Akima holding tightly onto his hand.
"Give me your other hand!" she said with her hand open and stretching for his. Cale smiled and held on to her other hand with all his might. Akima pulled him up as Stith held on to her legs. Cale took one step up and stood in the rampway. Stith and Akima stood with him.
"The atmosphere! Go!" Cale yelled as he pushed them both through the hold. They ran with him and they all dove into the body of the ship as fire ran like liquid inside after them. The flame came through the doorway like some sort of rumbling engine and stayed contained in the door. Cale stumbled up and pushed the button that closed the door that led to the ramp which was jammed open. The fire squeezed in every way it could as the door closed and eventually shut it off. They could see fade out and empty into the black of space.
They all sat on the floor along the wall breathing heavily and sighing for relief. Their hearts pumped hard due to the thrilling and dangerous experience they had. Cale put his hand around Akima's head and pulled her to him. He gave her a kiss on the lips that Akima welcomed and deepened by putting her arms around his neck. They each were relieved that they were both all right. "Is everybody okay?" Stith asked as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Cale and Akima were too lost in the moment, but they were able to break their locking kiss to nod their heads.
Stith stumbled up and crept down the hall toward the bridge. Cale helped Akima up and began walking with her behind Stith. "Come on," he said, "let's get outta here."