Rajani Chronicles I Page 4

  “Officer?” David asked, looking at James.

  “Yes,” James told him. “I’m a police lieutenant for the City of Detroit. Or at least, I was a cop before all of this happened.”

  “I don’t think your jurisdiction extends to outer space, Cowboy,” Gianni said, looking around. The others were also wide-eyed as they took in the sight of both the aliens and the viewscreen on the bridge.

  “No,” James said, eyeing the other man. “I guess it doesn’t. Lucky you.”

  “Well,” Kieren said, standing closer to James, “I, for one, am glad James is here.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Gray,” James said, turning toward her. He could see the sight of the large aliens had done nothing to ease her anxiety.

  “Kieren,” she said. “Everyone calls me Kieren.”

  “Please,” Rauph said. “We would like to move to a room offering more comfortable seating. If everyone will follow me, we can get settled and have some food and drink, as well. I’m sure you all are thirsty from your recent rest. Janan, set the Tukuli’s navigation system to autopilot and join us.”

  David and Yvette were left by themselves for a moment while the others followed Rauph out of the room.

  “So,” David said. “Um, we haven’t really been introduced. I’m David.”

  He held out his hand. Yvette didn’t take it.

  “I’m not impressed,” she said, not even looking at him.

  She didn’t notice his expression change quickly from surprise to anger, but it was gone as they both turned to leave.

  #

  Rauph led the procession of Bhakat and the five Humans down the corridor on the main level of the ship. He was encouraged that none of the Humans had become too upset when they had awakened aboard a starship. But then, he had ordered Bhakat to administer a slight sedative to each of them before they were awakened, so he didn’t expect any of them to become hysterical. It would have been counterproductive to his goals.

  He’d told Bhakat to set up a room with chairs around a round table and have refreshments set out for their meeting. When the Humans were brought aboard the ship, he had also made sure to request some of their native foods so they would feel more comfortable. The Tukuli’s own food stores were getting low; yet another reason they had to quickly return to Rajan. Unfortunately, the ship had sustained some damage to its power cells and would take more than the mechanibots to fix. They would have to locate a space port to have it completely repaired.

  They finally came to the meeting room, and the Human female designated as Kieren Gray gasped when she saw the various fruits, vegetables, and breads lay out on the table in the middle of the room. There were also pitchers of water and cups at each setting.

  Rauph set down the translating device in the middle of the table and hit the power switch before speaking again. “I must also apologize for the use of this translating device,” Rauph told them. “It is crude, but it works, as a last resort. The three of us have had translation implants inserted into our skulls, but I’m afraid this ship was not stocked with them. Please,” he said, motioning toward the table. “Quench your thirst and satiate your hunger. I hope our accommodations are adequate.”

  The Humans sat down at the table and began pouring water into their cups and piling food onto their plates. Before long, the frenzied eating and drinking had subsided, and Rauph felt it was time to begin. Janan’kela walked in through the door of the meeting room and smiled. He sat down next to the Human designated David Morris, who involuntarily inched away from the pilot, Rauph noted.

  “I will begin our story now,” Rauph told the Humans as he stood up. “Please feel free to continue eating.”

  “Before you tell us how you got here,” Officer Dempsey said, “I think we’d be more comfortable if you answered some of our questions.”

  “Yeah,” the Human Gianni Moretti added. “Like how long have we been here?”

  “A short time,” Rauph told them. “I believe in your calculations, it would be roughly fourteen days.”

  “Two weeks!” Morris exclaimed.

  “I apologize,” Rauph said. “We needed to keep you sedated until we were sure we had provisions aboard the ship, such as the food you see before you. Bhakat performed a thorough health check to make sure you were not carrying any potentially harmful viruses or diseases, and ensured you were acclimated to the atmosphere and gravity settings aboard the ship, which are different than what you are used to on your planet.”

  Rauph noticed the two women frown as they looked at Bhakat, presumably understanding what the health check may have entailed.

  “I’m so fired,” Morris said quietly, looking down at the half-eaten slice of melon on the plate before him.

  “Maybe they’ll write you a note so you don’t get detention,” Moretti told him, smirking. “By the way, if my cat is dead when I get back, I’m going to be very disappointed.”

  “So, you’re a single man who owns a cat?” Yvette asked. It was her turn to smirk.

  “What?” Gianni asked defensively. Rauph ignored this side conversation. He had no idea what a cat was, but supposed it was some type of servant.

  “How is it we’re breathing the same air as you?” Gray asked him. “I mean, you are aliens, right? From another planet?”

  “Ms. Gray,” Rauph said, “if you take on this mission, you will find most life in the Universe lives on planets similar to your own. There are billions of stars out there, and only a few have planets around them sustaining any form of life. Most of those planets have the same conditions; a yellow sun and a planet with an atmosphere the correct distance from the sun. There have been few documented life-forms found on the larger gaseous planets. Very little that is sentient. There are exceptions, of course, but again, they are very few.”

  Rauph was trying to be as general in his statements as possible. He wasn’t sure if these Humans were educated enough to know anything about planetary physics or complex biology.

  “So you’re not from our solar system, I take it?” Yvette asked him, still scowling.

  “No,” Rauph explained. “Though both of our solar systems are located in what your scientists call the OrionCygnus Arm of this galaxy. Our planet is located farther away from the center. We were heading toward the galactic core when our ship broke down. That’s where the seat of the Galactic Alliance is located. In relativistic terms, we’re neighbors, though our planet is thousands of light years away from your own.”

  The group of Humans sat still and thought about this for a moment, trying to grasp what Rauph was telling them. Rauph thought the Humans all looked like placid beasts of burden; almost as intellectually dense as the Jirina back on Rajan. Maybe we gave them too much of the sedative, he thought.

  He’d been thinking of the best way to present their plea for assistance, and had decided that starting from the beginning would be best. “If there are no further questions,” Rauph said, “we can begin.” He waited and saw no one else was eager to speak.

  “My species has not always been as peaceful as we are now,” Rauph began, the translating device again interpreting his language to English for the gathered Humans. “Our history is as bloody as it is long. Yet, for two thousand years we have lived in the peace brought about by Ruvedalin. Ruvedalin taught us the way of the Kha. The Rajani have had lives of prayer, meditation, and peaceful coexistence ever since. We have also lived secluded from the Galactic Alliance during that span.

  “Our peace was broken with the coming of the Krahn Horde,” Rauph continued after taking a small sip of water from his glass. “The Krahn are a younger member of the Alliance, who only recently invented inter-system travel, a prerequisite for inclusion. We’ve performed enough research in the Alliance’s databanks to find out the Horde is comprised of the banished followers of Ronak. He is the younger brother of the Krahn’s High Vasin, Maliq. Ronak was banished after a failed coup attempt on the Krahn home world.”

  “Nice family,” Moretti said.

  “No, they’re not
,” Rauph answered. “Now, Ronak and his followers pirate the space lanes in hopes of one day returning to Krahn to overthrow his brother. Ours is the first planet they have attacked toward that end.”

  The female named Yvette Manidoo was still relaxed-looking, leaning back in her chair, though her expression would still be considered a scowl. “And why is that?”

  Rauph turned toward her. “The Krahn Horde didn’t attack until they had sufficient numbers.”

  “You mean others have joined them?” Gray asked.

  “In a manner of speaking,” Rauph told her. “You see, each female of the species has the ability to produce ten or more eggs in each mating cycle. Their young mature in three to four years after hatching, much like many of the reptiles of your planet.”

  “So up until now, they had not had enough offspring to fill their ranks,” Dempsey said.

  “That’s correct,” Rauph answered.

  Moretti was smiling broadly. “Busy little guys, aren’t they?”

  “Killers are what they are,” Janan responded, looking at each of the Humans in turn.

  “And you expect us to do what, fight them?” Gray asked. “My God, I’m an elementary school teacher. I’ve never even fired a gun before.”

  “We’ve come too far,” Rauph said. “We’ve been away too long. We ask you to be our champions of freedom. Of peace. We cannot fight. It is against the Kha.” Rauph sighed. “I should not even be asking you to fight for us. I may be stripped of my title of Elder for it in the future, but right now, I have no other choice. I’m afraid there is no other way to free my planet.”

  #

  Yvette looked around the room at the others and wondered if the aliens could have chosen a more disparate group. The girl, Kieren, looked like she was going to either cry, puke, or both at any time. The guy with the short brown hair, David, was sleepwalking his way through this as if wondering if he was truly awake. Every time the little alien named Janan came too close, he would shy away as if he were sitting next to a leper. There was the man named Gianni, who looked at times like he was enjoying all of this, and at other times like he wanted to shoot someone. She would have to keep an eye on him. It wouldn’t do to underestimate what he was capable of while they were all trapped on the ship together.

  And then there was James, who was older, maybe in his late forties if she had to guess. Not handsome, but not ugly, either. Tough, masculine, and well-built. He looked like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with, but also sad at the same time. In a word: mysterious. Maybe intriguing was a better word, she decided as she listened to him talk about their situation, and as he spoke, she decided he might be worth getting to know better.

  It dawned on her it would also mean going along with the aliens on whatever adventure they had planned. She was surprised to find she felt no fear at the prospect, only excitement. She felt almost like she had as a young girl, before her father had moved them to Washington D.C.; not really knowing what to expect, but not at all daunted by the change coming into her life when her father was elected senator.

  #

  James had decided to sit back and observe the discussion. He wasn’t the kind who needed to be the center of attention, and he was observing the other people around him as much as the aliens. Then Gianni spoke, and that plan went by the wayside.

  Gianni had his arms crossed now. “So you want us to fight your battles for you. What the hell do we get out of it?”

  James leaned toward him. “Mister, you need to calm down.” He turned his attention back toward Rauph. “He meant no disrespect. We’re all still a little ... agitated.”

  “The Kha is too complex to explain fully,” Rauph continued. “We do not have the time. Only know we will not fight. We cannot.”

  Rauph turned his back on the group as he looked at the stars outside the ship, which were being displayed on a handheld tablet set in the corner of the room. There were many tablets like this one scattered about the ship. They were the only way they could interact with the Tukuli’s central computer when not on the bridge. The ship’s crew could literally control the ship from anywhere on board or a short distance away from the ship, as long as they had one of the tablets. “Our ship is almost repaired,” he said. “We need to return, with or without your aid. I’m afraid we may have already been away too long.”

  “There will always be time for vengeance,” Janan said, a snarl on his face emphasizing his sharp teeth. David nearly jumped out of his chair.

  James was surprised by the vehemence shown by the little alien, but he guessed if his entire family had been wiped out, he’d feel the same. He also noticed while the two Rajani believed in this ‘Cah,’ the pilot didn’t act like he spent his days praying. Maybe the two Rajani were members of a religious sect, while the little alien and his family were the hired help.

  Rauph turned from the tablet to look at the Humans. “Will you help us?”

  “And if we don’t?” David asked. He looked like someone had ‘pissed in his oatmeal,’ as James’s grandfather used to say. “I mean, come on! The five of us against an army of space monsters? Are you serious?”

  “He does have a point,” Yvette conceded. “We could do little harm to this ‘horde’ of yours.”

  “But you could,” Rauph told her. “With our assistance.”

  James thought Kieren was starting to lose her panicked look now that she was becoming more familiar with her surroundings and had resolved herself to the fact she was aboard an alien spacecraft. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “First,” Rauph began, “know this: what I’m about to tell you is a secret my species has guarded for a hundred generations. I now share it with you only because of the desperate situation we find ourselves in. To even speak of it with outsiders breaks our laws and could cause my life to be forfeited upon my return to Rajan.” He waited a moment to let this sink in before continuing. “There is a stone that, when implanted directly into the brainstem, strengthens a being’s natural abilities a thousand fold. This was our edge in warfare long ago. No one could stand before us. Yet we found peace; a better way: the Kha. This way forbids our use of the Johar Stones. These stones, of course, are what the Krahn are ultimately after, I’m sure.”

  Rauph sat down in his chair and took another sip of water. “If you agree to help us, you will each be given a stone. I do not know what the result may be, only that you are physically capable of interfacing with the stones. If you decline, you will be sent back to where you were ... taken. You won’t remember any of this ever happened.”

  “You can do that?” Kieren asked, incredulous.

  “I’m sure they’re advanced enough to scramble our brains up good,” Gianni said.

  “The implanting process is safe, I assure you,” Rauph told them, hoping he hadn’t broached the subject too quickly.

  “Yeah,” Gianni continued. “That’s what they said about Thalidomide.”

  “Excuse me?” Rauph said, looking confused.

  “Don’t worry about it,” James said. “It’s not important.”

  “What is important,” David added, “is the fact you want to implant us all with some alien steroid. Is anyone else here a little apprehensive of the fact we’ve been kidnapped by space aliens who want to perform experimental operations on us? Are we all fine with this concept? Can you at least take these stones out when all of this is over?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Rauph answered. “Yet, if they work like they’re supposed to, you’ll want to keep them, I assure you.”

  “When this is all over, huh?” Gianni said, looking more serious. “The kid has a good point. What happens when this little adventure ends?”

  “You’re free to do as you will,” Rauph replied. “If you wish to return to your home planet, then we will bring you back. If you wish to stay on Rajan, you may do that as well.”

  “Just like that?” Gianni said, the smirk returning to his face.

  “I give you my oath, we will return you to your planet,” Rauph said
. “That’s all I can give you. Is it enough to ease your worries?”

  Yvette was sitting back casually in her chair. “All right. I’ll do it.”

  David’s jaw dropped. “What? Are you crazy?”

  “Maybe,” Yvette said, not bothering to look at David. “Maybe it’s none of your business.”

  James was sitting forward in his chair, leaning on the table before him. “May we talk about this amongst ourselves? In private?”

  “Time is short,” Rauph responded, standing once again. “I can give you a few Standard hours to discuss, but then you must decide. Bhakat, Janan, please return to your duties on the bridge.”

  James waited for the three aliens to leave the room before speaking. “Okay, we’ve all been briefed on our situation,” he said. And had the shit scared out of us, he wanted to add, but didn’t think it would help matters. “Where do we go from here?” He waited a moment, but was met with stunned silence.

  Interlude

  Dennis Gray called his sister’s house again, feeling like he shouldn’t be as worried as he felt. It wasn’t like Kieren to not call him back after a couple of days, though. She was usually very conscientious about such things. She hadn’t even updated her Facebook status in a couple of weeks, which wasn’t only strange, it was disturbing.

  He was mentally kicking himself for not paying more attention to her lately and being too wrapped up in his own life to notice she hadn’t been around for a while. He’d recently ended a relationship with a man he’d thought he’d spend the rest of his life with, only to find out Stephen had been cheating on him for almost a year. He and his sister hadn’t gone out to dinner in almost a month while the messy finale had played itself out. If she didn’t answer her phone this time, he would head over to her place after work to check on her.

  When the call went to voicemail, he frowned and waited for the beep. “Hey, Squirrel, it’s your favorite brother again. Where are you?” he said, as cheerfully as he could. It was an old joke between them, as he was her only brother. “The firm’s annual picnic is this weekend,” he said. “Sorry for the short notice. Anyway, uh, I was hoping you could come. Um, even if you can’t, give me a call to let me know you’re all right. I haven’t heard from you in a while.”