Chapter2

Kayjan saw the images of fire and destruction before him. He was rolling and tensing, trying to get them away from him. He felt as though he was in them, then he felt himself falling into blackness expect he landed with a thud when there should have been none. He opened his eyes violently to find himself curled up in his bed covers, lying on the floor to the side of his bed with all the other pilots in the room sitting up staring at him. He sat there for a moment staring back and then said with a dramatic confused look and shrugging shoulders "What?"

One of his fellow pilots at the back of the room, Millius, said "See, I told you he was crazy!" Kayjan then said in a slightly agitated voice "Well is anybody going to help me out of this mess?"

A reply then came from the back again. "Nope!" The way it was said made many laugh, even Kayjan who was normally so serious. The laughs continued as he tried to clamber out of his bedding.

Herra's first Sun was just appearing around the edge of the planet by the time Kay (As he was known to everyone) was properly up and moving. It wouldn't be long until drill practices so seeing as everyone was already awake in the bunk they began to change and prepare for the coming day. Kay had finished brushing his teeth and was dressing when his Best friend Colin walked up to him and asked him quietly "What's going on Kay?"

"Huh...Nothing," he replied but the slight stutter in his voice caused Colin to get suspicious. "Come on Kay. I've never seen you shouting out in your sleep before. It was scary. You kept yelling Get away, Get away! And I refuse to let it happen! What's wrong?"

"I told you, nothing!" replied key in an aggravated voice.

"Oh come on Kay, It doesn't take a Bentusi to know something's not right inside your mind. Now what is it?" Colin began to get agitated. By this time some of the others were beginning to stop what they were doing and listen in.

"Wait...The Bentusi, the ancient Foreseers. They set up the Intergalactic Trade routes. That's it!"

"What are you talking about Kay? Please, do know that I don't like to go behind your back but we were all talking about how worried we are about you."

"All? Ha... Are you sure you mean all?" he said as he looked at Niaba at the back of the room who was just getting on with making her bed and packing her kit.

"Oh come on Kay, don't bring that into it. You know she doesn't hate you. Besides, we have to know what is wrong. You look pale."

"Yes, come on Kay. Tell us what is wrong," said a voice from the doorway and all turned to see Lieutenant Carter standing in the doorway to the room, leaning against the doorframe. He was dressed in his traditional Green jump suit and Red beret. Everyone quickly stood to attention and saluted. With a smug grin on his face he stepped forward into the room and said "At ease." He walked further into the room and stopped in front of Kayjan. "I came to inform you of a message sent by the joint Chiefs, but that can wait. What is this problem you were talking about?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Kay in response.

"Try us," came a reply from somewhere in the group. Kay turned his concentration away from the lieutenant to look around at who was listening. He then found himself looking straight into the eyes of Niaba. The way she was looking at him told him that she was concerned about his well being as well and for a brief moment, time froze for him and he actually convinced himself that she cared.

He sighed as he turned his vision to the floor and said "Alright." The others came in closer so that they could hear. Both the pilots from Alpha and Beta squadron were interested in what he had to say.

"I was sitting awake last night," he began, "And I couldn't stand sitting in this stuffy room any longer, so I went in the restroom to get a drink. I then filled the basin with cold water to dunk my head in like I normally do. But this time it was different. I... I put my head in the water and... I don't really know what happened. Looking back on it I thought that the shock of coldness caused me to pass out. Expect...what I saw...it just...was so real."

Colin then asked, "What did you see?"

"Well at first I heard a blurred voice. It got louder and louder as more voices appeared. Eventually I had what seemed like a thousand voices yelling in my ears at once. Then...everything went silent. I saw images, in black and white. I saw Karak, our adopted home. I could feel the heat on my face and its wind in my hair. The view headed upwards into the stars. Then I heard a voice, a clear as yours is to me now. It told me that it knew of our people's banishment and return to our home. It then told me something that made me almost die with fear. It told me "Fate will no longer be so kind.' I t also spoke of our struggle only just beginning. I saw fire, and destruction. I think I was contacted by some physic being, but I don't know. When I came around I was still in the basin. Yet when I pulled my head out and gasped for breath, I found time had passed, lots of time. I had been submerged in the basin for half an hour at least and to you I swear this is no lie." The look on some of the others faces showed that they were amazed by this turn of events.

"What do you mean by fire Kay?" asked Colin.

"You know. Red, burning stuff," said Kay.

"No you idiot, what did you see burning? We need to know."

"I can't tell you. For if I did you would live in a world of fear until this is all over."

"Tell us Kay. I f all this is true you are required by Hiigaran code to reveal it to us," said the Lieutenant.

"...I saw our Homeworld. What I saw altogether is blurry and smudged, but I made some distinct connections. I think that I was only supposed to piece together parts of the picture and not it all, but... I saw our Home for sure. Missile fire was being exchanged between the surface and orbit. Thousands of shells were raining from the night's sky. Houses, building, cities were burning. Explosions...In the distance. There was a bright flash...I...It looked liked..."

"What?" asked Colin, but Kay did not reply.

"Alright, everyone back to preparations. You've got drills in half an hour." The lieutenant motioned them all to get moving.

"However, I need to speak to you Kay, and you Niaba." Kay's eyes widened when he heard what the Lieutenant said. Sure he would need to speak to him but why Niaba. They all stepped outside the bunk into the main corridor.

"I've called all two of you out here for a reason. It's the reason why I came down this morning. Because of repeated consistency in proving your flight and combat skills, you have been selected for a special task. You are to join the flight squadrons of the fleet accompanying 'The Pride of Hiigara.' They both looked at him with amazement. Kay couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I thought it wouldn't be able to house strike craft for another three months," said Niaba.

"That's what we wanted you all to think. If we tell our own people outside the project false information about the ship not ready then there is even less of a chance that the Vaygr will know about how close it is to completion. It prevents any leaks from inside our populace by traitors desperate for money."

"So you're basically lying to the public in order to protect them," said Kayjan.

"Basically."

"So you want us to join the crew of the new Mothership on its maiden voyage?" continued Kayjan.

"Yes. I was instructed to choose the best two pilots from my squadrons and to assign them to join the most highly advanced and best-equipped fleet that Hiigara has ever produced and out of everyone in the station I couldn't have picked to better pilots than you two. Kay and Niaba looked at each other for a moment, and then quickly broke eye contact.

"Nothing in this world happens by coincidence does it Kay?" That was something Kayjan used to say to everyone. He always believed that there was something that drove us to do all the things we do.

"Yeah

"I guess today had to be the day you get told you're being promoted to the main Hiigaran defence fleet. Sajuuk must be watching over you. (Ancient God. Sajuuk is worshiped as the Great maker whose hand shapes all.)

"For some reason sir, I doubt that," Kay said in reply. The lieutenant then ordered to get their kit together before they left. All the while Kayjan was discreetly keeping his eye on Niaba. He was watching everything that she was doing. He saw her still in such a beautiful light, her bright, glimmering purple hair swaying in synchronization with her movements. That's what was special about Kayjan. He didn't see beauty in the way others might see it. He always kept focused on a woman's face and what kind of person she had become. He always tried to see people for more than what was skin deep. He saw the true beauty of the world. Yet he always believed that because he thought of people differently to how everyone else did, that he was in the wrong.

It was late that afternoon when a single, unarmed corvette arrived in the docking bay to carry them both to the site of the new Mothership. Both of them boarded the craft and said farewell to the lieutenant who was the only person permitted to be in the dock. They both had spent years on the station and their relationship with both their fellow pilots and their superiors so it was hard for them to say goodbye because the same disturbing thought was etched into the back of everyone's minds... This might be the last time that they would see each other again.