"Where are you taking me!?" Claude demanded as one of the strong men pushed him into the Commander's living quarters of the ship.
"You'll keep yur trap shut if ya know what's good fer ya!" the man bellowed and he locked the room door as he left.
Claude looked at his surroundings. The room looked much like an inn room from the inn in Cross, but this chamber was much more glamorous.
Then he saw a small window, just above the bed's headboard. He rushed to it, hoping to see the land of Expel outside. Instead, he saw the planet of Expel just below the craft, as it was hovering above it, in space.
Claude gingerly touched the bump on his head, where he had been hit during the struggle. He also saw that his arms and legs were cut, scratched, and bruised. His dagger was missing. He stood up to look in a mirror that was hanging on the wall. Claude noticed that he had a black eye and a deep gash that stretched from his temple to his jaw.
As Claude started to walk back to the window, he felt extreme pain all over, and collapsed.
"If only Rena were here," Claude thought. "Rena!" he gasped. "What happened to her!? Oh, Rena! I failed to save you!" Claude felt deep sorrow at the possible loss of his beloved wife and child.
Claude struggled to get to his feet, and looked out the window once more. At lovely Expel, the world of his love, Rena.
"Rena......." Claude wailed as he collapsed on the bed and fell unconscious.
*******
"Oooooooh,........where am I?" Claude gasped as he awoke. As his eyes became used to his surroundings, Claude realized that he was still on the ship, but not in the Commander's living quarters. Because he was lying on a stretcher, with his chest bare, and that a man in a white coat was leaning over a table covered in medical equipment, Claude assumed that he was in the hospital portion of the ship.
Suddenly, the door at the end of the room opened and the woman who first approached Claude on Expel entered.
As the woman noticed that Claude was lying on the stretcher, she quickly stood erect and saluted him. Claude sat up a bit, but did nothing.
"And how is Captain Kenni feeling?" the woman warmly questioned.
The man in the white coat, Claude thought to be a doctor, turned towards Claude and began to tend to his gash on the side of his face. Claude winced in pain, but still, did nothing.
"Come now, Claude," the woman said kindly and stepped forward, "you must remember me?"
Claude remained silent. Ignoring the woman, he viewed the cuts and scraps that grazed his abdomen from the fight.
The woman then reached into the top of her jacket, and from within the folds of her blouse underneath, pulled out an oval shaped gold locket on a gold chain.
Claude began to pay attention and sat up more comfortably as the woman took the necklace off and handed it to him with a smile.
Claude opened the dainty pendant, which stretched out to show 3 frames that contained photos of his late father, mother, and himself at a young age. As Claude calmly stroked the pictures, he realized something. He looked more closely at the woman, then turned to the image of his father in the locket. He glanced back and forth at the two beings for a few moments, then gaped in awe as he saw the resemblance.
"Yes, Claude," the woman said, as if she knew what Claude was thinking. "I am, indeed, related to your father. I am his sister Rachel, and your aunt."
"So why am I here now?" Claude demanded as he examined the pictures further. "And what position is yours in the Earth Federation?"
"I am the Commander of this spacecraft, the Tolden. My most recent mission was to examine the planet you were on, and I found you, Claude. Earth is in need of your help, and the Earth Federation has plans that require you. I had to bring you here using force as your presence in this plan is vital to its survival, and you refused to come with me. Thank goodness we finally found you! The plan will soon be carried out," Commander Rachel folded her hands in front of her and smiled at Claude.
"Why am I so important?" Claude demanded.
"You are in no condition at this time to understand. You will be told later on," Rachel stood up and turned to leave. But then she stopped. "How you have survived this long on such a hideous planet has been a mystery to all of us in the Earth Federation." then she started to leave.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!" Claude yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Yes?" Rachel turned back and smiled.
"You cannot say that! Expel is a better planet than Earth shall ever be! The environment is crisp and clean, and nature is more beautiful than Earth's prettiest girl. And the people are friendly and kind!" Claude shouted and he started to get up from the stretcher.
"You mean that ugly fat girl that you were with down there?" Rachel spitefully asked.
"THAT GIRL IS MY WIFE!!" Claude screamed as he threw Rachel's locket to the ground with such force, that it shattered. He then lept at her.
"Oooof!" Rachel was forced into a corner by Claude.
Claude grabbed the collar of his aunt's jacket and lifted her up off of the floor. "Rena is my wife! I love her! She is not ugly! She is not fat! She is pregnant! And you harmed her and my unborn child!" Claude's eyes blazed with hate for his aunt as his grip slowly choked her.
"Commander Kenni!" Rachel gasped as she began to loose breath. Her eyes began to roll back into her head, but Claude continued to hold her up tightly.
The doctor had been watching everything, and had been so afraid of Claude's anger to do something, that he had cowered back into a different corner of the room. Now that he saw that Commander Rachel's life was in danger, he lifted up a stool that was by the stretcher, and brought it crashing down on the back of Claude's head.
Claude fell back from the force of the chair and the pain it brought to his head. He released Commander Rachel and held his throbbing head.
As Claude did this, his aunt caught her breath. To make sure that Claude wouldn't come back after her, and to get revenge for what he had done to her, Rachel brought her knee up hard, into Claude's unprotected abdomen.
"Stop that!" Rachel sneered as Claude collapsed to the floor.
Heaving hard and holding his stomach, Claude hatefully looked up at his aunt and spat the words, "Why must you treat your nephew this way?"
"You are delirious and disoriented from your time on that disgusting planet down there," she mocked. "You act on anger. You must realize that Earth is your true home and that you are now a Commander. Your refusal and rejection of these facts gives me no other choice than to use force to make you understand."
As Commander Rachel spoke, the doctor nervously knelt down beside the aching Claude. Into Claude's left arm, the doctor inserted a needle, and injected him with a greenish liquid. All at once, Claude felt weak. With this drug now inside him, Claude knew that he couldn't rebel, even if he wanted to. But he knew that the chemical would soon wear off, and when it did, he would have vengeance on his aunt.
"Now lie still as the doctor repairs your broken body. Then you will sleep peacefully until I come to tell you what you are to do," Commander Rachel ordered as she and the doctor lifted Claude's limp body up from the floor and laid him back on the stretcher. "If you refuse to follow these orders, you will face punishment." Rachel then retrieved her damaged necklace from off the ground and left the room.
Claude didn't hear what she said. He was beginning to fall unconscious from the drug. His vision blurred, but he saw the doctor approach him again and begin to sew up the gash on his cheek.
"Rena.......," Claude whined as he slipped into darkness.
"You'll keep yur trap shut if ya know what's good fer ya!" the man bellowed and he locked the room door as he left.
Claude looked at his surroundings. The room looked much like an inn room from the inn in Cross, but this chamber was much more glamorous.
Then he saw a small window, just above the bed's headboard. He rushed to it, hoping to see the land of Expel outside. Instead, he saw the planet of Expel just below the craft, as it was hovering above it, in space.
Claude gingerly touched the bump on his head, where he had been hit during the struggle. He also saw that his arms and legs were cut, scratched, and bruised. His dagger was missing. He stood up to look in a mirror that was hanging on the wall. Claude noticed that he had a black eye and a deep gash that stretched from his temple to his jaw.
As Claude started to walk back to the window, he felt extreme pain all over, and collapsed.
"If only Rena were here," Claude thought. "Rena!" he gasped. "What happened to her!? Oh, Rena! I failed to save you!" Claude felt deep sorrow at the possible loss of his beloved wife and child.
Claude struggled to get to his feet, and looked out the window once more. At lovely Expel, the world of his love, Rena.
"Rena......." Claude wailed as he collapsed on the bed and fell unconscious.
*******
"Oooooooh,........where am I?" Claude gasped as he awoke. As his eyes became used to his surroundings, Claude realized that he was still on the ship, but not in the Commander's living quarters. Because he was lying on a stretcher, with his chest bare, and that a man in a white coat was leaning over a table covered in medical equipment, Claude assumed that he was in the hospital portion of the ship.
Suddenly, the door at the end of the room opened and the woman who first approached Claude on Expel entered.
As the woman noticed that Claude was lying on the stretcher, she quickly stood erect and saluted him. Claude sat up a bit, but did nothing.
"And how is Captain Kenni feeling?" the woman warmly questioned.
The man in the white coat, Claude thought to be a doctor, turned towards Claude and began to tend to his gash on the side of his face. Claude winced in pain, but still, did nothing.
"Come now, Claude," the woman said kindly and stepped forward, "you must remember me?"
Claude remained silent. Ignoring the woman, he viewed the cuts and scraps that grazed his abdomen from the fight.
The woman then reached into the top of her jacket, and from within the folds of her blouse underneath, pulled out an oval shaped gold locket on a gold chain.
Claude began to pay attention and sat up more comfortably as the woman took the necklace off and handed it to him with a smile.
Claude opened the dainty pendant, which stretched out to show 3 frames that contained photos of his late father, mother, and himself at a young age. As Claude calmly stroked the pictures, he realized something. He looked more closely at the woman, then turned to the image of his father in the locket. He glanced back and forth at the two beings for a few moments, then gaped in awe as he saw the resemblance.
"Yes, Claude," the woman said, as if she knew what Claude was thinking. "I am, indeed, related to your father. I am his sister Rachel, and your aunt."
"So why am I here now?" Claude demanded as he examined the pictures further. "And what position is yours in the Earth Federation?"
"I am the Commander of this spacecraft, the Tolden. My most recent mission was to examine the planet you were on, and I found you, Claude. Earth is in need of your help, and the Earth Federation has plans that require you. I had to bring you here using force as your presence in this plan is vital to its survival, and you refused to come with me. Thank goodness we finally found you! The plan will soon be carried out," Commander Rachel folded her hands in front of her and smiled at Claude.
"Why am I so important?" Claude demanded.
"You are in no condition at this time to understand. You will be told later on," Rachel stood up and turned to leave. But then she stopped. "How you have survived this long on such a hideous planet has been a mystery to all of us in the Earth Federation." then she started to leave.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!" Claude yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Yes?" Rachel turned back and smiled.
"You cannot say that! Expel is a better planet than Earth shall ever be! The environment is crisp and clean, and nature is more beautiful than Earth's prettiest girl. And the people are friendly and kind!" Claude shouted and he started to get up from the stretcher.
"You mean that ugly fat girl that you were with down there?" Rachel spitefully asked.
"THAT GIRL IS MY WIFE!!" Claude screamed as he threw Rachel's locket to the ground with such force, that it shattered. He then lept at her.
"Oooof!" Rachel was forced into a corner by Claude.
Claude grabbed the collar of his aunt's jacket and lifted her up off of the floor. "Rena is my wife! I love her! She is not ugly! She is not fat! She is pregnant! And you harmed her and my unborn child!" Claude's eyes blazed with hate for his aunt as his grip slowly choked her.
"Commander Kenni!" Rachel gasped as she began to loose breath. Her eyes began to roll back into her head, but Claude continued to hold her up tightly.
The doctor had been watching everything, and had been so afraid of Claude's anger to do something, that he had cowered back into a different corner of the room. Now that he saw that Commander Rachel's life was in danger, he lifted up a stool that was by the stretcher, and brought it crashing down on the back of Claude's head.
Claude fell back from the force of the chair and the pain it brought to his head. He released Commander Rachel and held his throbbing head.
As Claude did this, his aunt caught her breath. To make sure that Claude wouldn't come back after her, and to get revenge for what he had done to her, Rachel brought her knee up hard, into Claude's unprotected abdomen.
"Stop that!" Rachel sneered as Claude collapsed to the floor.
Heaving hard and holding his stomach, Claude hatefully looked up at his aunt and spat the words, "Why must you treat your nephew this way?"
"You are delirious and disoriented from your time on that disgusting planet down there," she mocked. "You act on anger. You must realize that Earth is your true home and that you are now a Commander. Your refusal and rejection of these facts gives me no other choice than to use force to make you understand."
As Commander Rachel spoke, the doctor nervously knelt down beside the aching Claude. Into Claude's left arm, the doctor inserted a needle, and injected him with a greenish liquid. All at once, Claude felt weak. With this drug now inside him, Claude knew that he couldn't rebel, even if he wanted to. But he knew that the chemical would soon wear off, and when it did, he would have vengeance on his aunt.
"Now lie still as the doctor repairs your broken body. Then you will sleep peacefully until I come to tell you what you are to do," Commander Rachel ordered as she and the doctor lifted Claude's limp body up from the floor and laid him back on the stretcher. "If you refuse to follow these orders, you will face punishment." Rachel then retrieved her damaged necklace from off the ground and left the room.
Claude didn't hear what she said. He was beginning to fall unconscious from the drug. His vision blurred, but he saw the doctor approach him again and begin to sew up the gash on his cheek.
"Rena.......," Claude whined as he slipped into darkness.