Welcome to Gaia! ::

Prologue Pt1 redone

~Where am I?~
There was nothing, yet there was everything – a blind whiteness, stretching out from him in all directions, further than he could see, purer than the black he could half recall from what he could only assume were dreams – distant memories entwined in heavy uncertainty. It seemed to both surround him and moved through him, and he struggled to define himself from it, hopelessly swimming under senses that had suddenly come to life.
Somewhere he thought he sensed something move; a dull pull, a twitching sensation of a gravity out of his reach. He groped out at the whiteness and found a flat surface of resistance. It was more of a feeling then a substance – a sense that beyond it, pressing invisibly against its surface and sometimes almost in view, as if through frosted glass, there was a consciousness. A something that existed outside this empty -yet so full - space of light.
All He knows is that somehow She was aware, and around him. It had been Her, but the mechanics of it boggled even his mind.
A feeling of warmth seemed to radiate, and he could peek through the divide as it gradually developed. Beyond the tiny film that divided him from this other place where She moved, he could see blackness- like his distant dreams - then specks of light glittering from what he supposed what must have been the aftermath of some sort of energy- an explosion. The universe – that was it’s name. the word found him as if form nowhere.
~I don’t understand…~
He paused, moving back from the blackness and into the white again. Slowly, as if warmed by an inner hearth, knowledge began to greet him.
As mysterious of the origins of the universe was that of his ‘birth’. He could not recall it, but now…here…he was. He was a being within this strange endless plain and he knew at once, written deep into his consciousness, it was his. The white light gradually had a homely feel despite its utter blankness. It felt good…comforting. It was a haven.
~Heaven.~
He smiled to himself and raised himself up moving to the edge of Heaven, where the universe rolled above and down from the light .He pressed his hand against the thin film of matter dividing them once more. Gradually as he stared out at the rubble and glowing embers left form the explosion, the gates of Heaven rose up in great sheets of rock and molten fire, surrounding the place. He smiled and unconsciously as he created the gates and shifted his form to mimic the rolling ‘fire;’ of the big bang. Now he was no longer formless, he could define himself form the white light, taking a quiet pride in the licking flames of his body.
~ Who am I? ~
He looked about the walls of the potential prison of Heaven, its comforting feel gradually becoming claustrophobic as the panic of the mystery of his existence crept through him. He was lost.
Suddenly the universe jumped into life with greater vigour. Asteroids gathered into planets and collected into solar systems, stars were born and collected into separate clumps and formed galaxies, all rocketing off into the distance. He was dimly aware of the titanic passage of time and watched closely. A sense of being utterly lost filled him as the galaxies separated and moved away.
None of this was his. It frightened him to think of how much of this there was. He stared as something pressed what might have been a finger across the film of existence between heaven and the universe, as if beckoning him. It was gone.
He walked forwards again and could feel other consciousnesses take control of these alien galaxies. Tentatively, he reached out, gently pushing his hand out through the film and into the window of space, concentrating…searching until…there!
A new galaxy His galaxy, span around beneath his fingers and he watched it in wonder. The colours- so vivid – rolling purples, blues and reds, speckled with light. He felt He was touching a part of His soul.
~ This…this is who I am. ~
He felt a great relief and studied it closer, then willed it to become nearer.
There were thousands of new stars and a jumble of asteroids everywhere, silently turning. It was a blank canvas, and yet there was so much to grasp.
He turned from it and felt himself swell. He looked lovingly over the plains of Heaven. Pure white light…and the wall.
~There is much to be done~
He thought, smiling. He rose himself into the air, amazed at his own power – he could feel it coursing through him, beating and swelling.
Inspiration suddenly came as a torrent and he felt its warmth and grinned. He could do so much with this. He loved it!
From nowhere a voice came out of the light and whispered.
Jahovah; take care of this. You are its God, and you alone can help me. Keep it safe.
He looked around for the voice and closed his eyes. Instantly knowing who it was. It was Her.
~Fate. I am your servant. ~
There was a beautiful feeling, then it was gone and he was left alone once more.

~Jahovah. That’s my name. ~
He glowed with light and promise and rose to start his masterpiece within heaven, dreaming up the components he would use upon the real galaxy later to come. It was hard work, with every detail taking His attention as he dreamt of what could be possible, if the tiny atoms were able to turn the right way…if, with a little luck, things could evolve like this or that on their own. From nothing, the ideas where everywhere – countless visions and revisions presented themselves to him. He was in control, yet their took such a hold on him he could do little but laugh.
He set to work on Heaven.
On occasion, he was lost as to what to make next. A grass or tree would begin, and yet not end and he wished he too had the freedom of evolution in Heaven to choose for him where his inspiration would wane and he would remain stuck. The concept of evolution and real life was known to him, yet it had not started yet. In fact, he could feel the tiny spider webs of promise and potential stretching out into the future. He turned back to the newborn galaxy as the asteroids chose their stars. He couldn’t just paint a picture of a galaxy, he had to have meaning behind it. It had to have life, like his life.
How could this be achieved? He wanted to share this Galaxy. What could keep it as His stewards?
Concentrating deeply his form shifted. Two legs, two arms, head, torso… suddenly an image leapt out form the future to him and was gone nearly before He could catch it. But He had a glimpse.
Smiling again He realised He had to start here. The job was too big for him alone. He needed help. He looked out to the new lush land he had created in Heaven and brought out a hand, closing his eyes to concentrate.
“Gabriel.”

Chapter 1 – Kaisa


Kaisa Smith wandered down the wide, airy corridors of the vast NASA space station, her hands stuffed in her baggy jean pockets, and a tangle of messy straight black hair obscuring half of her face. Judging by the events of the last few weeks, Kaisa had better things to do than brush her hair. Now everything was calm she had neither the willpower nor the pain threshold to brave trying to unknot the terrible lugs and had settled on the hopes that if she left it alone it may take pity on her and return to normal. If this didn’t work, she clung to a hope that dreadlocks may spontaneously sprout from the mess so she could at least attribute it to a personal choice on her part.
The corridor led to the main hall of the space station, and in the walls of it were huge windows that let the pale morning light filter in, although the corridors were still artificially lighted. Unlike most corridors, this was not surrounded by rooms but instead its sides opened out into artificial gardens that were roofless and open to the elements; be them kind or cruel. Because of the scorching American sun the gardens were packed with thirty or so people, all savouring the last of earth’s beauty before the coming launch, stretching out like cats on the grass banks. This was the crew for the cargo ship that was to be launched this afternoon. It would be fat with building material and fuel for the ships constructing another space station some 2 million miles West of Pluto, and from there they would move on to ferry goods between the numerous space stations that littered the nearer reaches of the galaxy. Cargo ships were extremely common place, and practically the galactic equivalent of the royal mail. The crew usually travelled around in a rusty 23rd century space ship, but after problems they had to crash-land on Mars and be rescued buy the solar division of the federation. Kaisa could still remember being tossed about within the ship as the gravity and engines failed, and the horrific sound the ship made scraping the rocky ridges as they dived into the red planet. Though she already missed the old ship, she was glad for the idea that this one wouldn’t spontaneously smoke when you pressed more than 15 buttons within a minute, or spark like a blacksmith’s anvil at every re-entry. This new model was a top 25th century vehicle.
The crew was more of a family then anything, like a circus or a band on tour. They were all Kaisa had known, and she had become a shared child between the entire crew. Though she loved them all, she never felt like she belonged with anyone, yet would fight with tooth and claw for each without question. Cargo ship crews, they say, were as loyal as a pack of dogs. They were also the most mixed crew. There were all types of aliens, only about 17 humans were in the thirty. The ships were slow, only usually travelling at 24 times light speed, sluggish for a space ship, but it suited the means of the cargo ships. The months or years at a time in space meant that it wasn't surprising for children to be born on board. Therefore it wasn't unusual to find a few half aliens on board, much to the disapproval of the Terrestrialists – an extremist band against alien influence in Humanity. They said it was against nature, and even many of the NASA eggheads were reluctant towards cross-breeding.
Kaisa had been born on board, but was fully human. Cargo ships were all she knew, and the crew were the only friends she had.
She was 13 years old, nearing 14, with dark brown eyes and a determined look constantly showing in them, as if she had something to prove, or something to do, constantly.
She had a figure that would look good when she grew up, but right now was not lacking in puppy fat that she couldn't get rid off. She was wearing a brown T-shirt with black, tatty jeans with a chain dangling from the side, and a green jacket with the federation logo on the front and the NASA sign on the back. She wore black trainers that were unlaced. In general this was her default outfit – Kero had only seen her in anything else once in a blue moon. He had decided to stop questioning whether it was because she never changed or whether she had hundreds of copies of the same outfit. The soot and dirt on her clothes generally suggested the former.

Kaisa tugged at her hair again, wincing.
“Hey Kaisa!”
She turned on her heel and smiled. She waved and he waved back.
“Hiya Kero!”
A boy, ran out of one of the garden’s doors and down the corridor towards her. He was about her age with dark brown skin, thick - curled to the point of dreadlocks -black hair at near-shoulder length and a nose piercing. He was dressed in a tough-wearing brown religious habit, which tugged at the top part of his legs, and he tripped over twice before finally getting to her. She laughed and he grabbed her elbows for support when he almost tripped again, and grinned. Canine fangs caught the light and pointed ears were visible briefly under his hair. Kero was one of the half- human half-alien breeds on the ship: His father was human, but his mother was a Carluxin. The race was humanoid, and was well known for their psychic abilities and skills in magic. They were also the victims of kids' taunting, because of their pointed ears and jet-black skin and hair.
“Hi, hi….whew!” he bent an arm around Kaisa’s neck for support and panted and she lightly punched him in the side.
“Your mum doesn’t make you do enough laps, ey?”
“Shut up.” He straightened up, but kept his arm in place.
“You know we’ve gotta be on the space ship soon?”
Kaisa nodded.
“Uh huh. You got all your stuff?”
“I didn’t unpack!” he laughed, grinning again and skipping two and fro on his heels. Kaisa raised a brow at him and stepped back.
“What’s up with you? Y’ look like a squirrel!”
Kero stopped skipping and frowned at her.
“Peh. Nice. Compare me to a rodent!” he feigned offence and folded his arms, sticking his nose in the air.
"If you must know I only happened to appear excited because of a new trick I learnt, and wanted to show you..."
Kaisa smiled and stood up straighter. She giggled,
"Now you look like a peacock!"
"Shut up you!" he said smirking, and put his arm around her again. He held out his hand as if he was cupping some water in it. “What if I don’t show you this little trick, ey? I don’t think you’re worthy of my magic perfomanancery skills.”
“’ Perfomanancery’ isn’t a word.”
“A master sorcerer like me can make up whatever words I want.”
“Come off it.” She flicked his nose, making his piercing wiggle uncomfortably. He clapped his free hand to it.
“Look, are you going to show me or not, Kero?” she raised a brow at him and he winked.
“Ok, ok, just give me some time. Watch the birdie.”
Kero directed his attention to his hand and he closed his eyes and moved his mouth silently to some words. His hand quivered slightly and Kaisa stared at it in anticipation. Suddenly an eruption of sparks flew from his hand and spraying from it like a fountain.
"GAH!!!!" they both cried and fell over.
"I OVERDID IT!" Kero shouted over the deafening fizzing sound that had come with the sparks.
"YA THINK?!"
Kero's eyes darted around, trying to remember what the words were that would stop the things. Suddenly it flashed into his head.
"KAIYO ANI MARGARIJAI" he screamed and the fountain of sparks ceased.
Kaisa picked herself up from the floor and after a seconds stunned silence they both broke out into a fit of laughter. A few people in the garden stared through the windows at them and then rolled their eyes, returning themselves to absorbing what sunlight they could before the months of darkness in space.
Kaisa laughed and pulled Kero up, dusting him off.
"Look at that, such a skilled mongrel!" she teased sarcastically.
Kero frowned and kicked the back of her legs so she plummeted to the ground again.
"OW! You'll pay for that!" she yelled, pushing him over and pinning him down before he rolled on top of her and grabbed her nose. She stuffed her fingers in his armpits and he fell back, laughing, then kicked him in the shins before he could get up, standing up herself. Kero shuffled backwards then rugby tackled her to the ground again, both yelling and laughing and kicking at each other.

“What are you doing?!”
Kero looked up from the headlock Kaisa had him in to find his mother’s threatening glare fixed on them as she stood towering 6’3’’ above.
Jerrianai. A Carluxian, with black hair at least as long as her height, in a single plait. Her skin was blacker than ebony, and piercing purple eyes scowled at them. She was also wearing a habit, and a necklace made out of beads of amethyst that her late husband had given her on their honeymoon.
Kero and Kaisa looked up sheepishly at her and both gave a weak smile.
"What's happened, why are you fighting?" she asked in annoyance, showing her fangs – longer than Kero’s.
They both looked at each other and shrugged. They'd forgotten.
Jerrianai sighed and pulled Kero up. Kaisa quickly let go of him, putting her hands behind her back sheepishly.
“Come on. Ship, now.” She said sternly, leading him down the corridor by his shoulder. Kero sighed and looked around her, holding up a hand in a vague wave to his friend. “See ya later.”
“No Kero. See you later.” His mother corrected, giving an agitated glance back at Kaisa.
“Yeah?”
“Yes!”
“I know mom!”
Kaisa snickered and waved them off. As they disappeared around the corner she let her arm slowly drop and sighed, putting her hands slowly in her pockets again and turning to return back in the opposite direction. She glanced to the gardens again where the crewmembers began to get up and move out. Blinking in surprise at how much sooner the launch must be than she thought, she picked up speed to a run.
She headed up some stairs into the reception – now buzzing with activity as the last stragglers hurried where she had come to prepare for the launch – and she rushed into a small lounge, finding her rucksack on a chair. She breathed a sigh of a relief and a middle aged caretaker looked up from the TV at her and smiled.
“I kept your bag safe lil’ lady; you aught not to leave it about on its own y’know.”
Kaisa bustled up her bag onto her shoulder and smiled. “Thanks a lot, dude.”
“Dude?” the man chuckled and watched her head out the door. “You on the cargo ship, then?”
Kaisa looked back and nodded, smiling, although a flicker of a guarded expression crossed her features as if anticipating criticism. The man nodded to himself and placed his hands in his lap.
“Well you better head off then. It wouldn’t do for you to be late after all. Tell ‘em thanks from me – as I recall once when my cousin was out on a space station your lot helped him out with getting that space pod to them. Couldn’t have been home for Christmas without it.”
Kaisa smiled and nodded again. “Will do, sir.”
The man nodded again, pleased at the compliment of a proper title, and waved to her as she charged out of the door and down the stairs. She headed back through the corridor, hoping to catch up with Kero and his mum. When she couldn’t find them she caught her breath and sighed, frowning lightly again. She stuffed her hands in her pockets again and walked briskly but somewhat morosely. She watched as the crew and their little families walked ahead of her as they entered the huge main hall and sighed, thinking of her own. She wondered what it would have been like, if her parents were alive. If the explosion had never happened, if they had decided that day not to volunteer to repair the outside of the ship. She couldn’t help but feel like she had been robbed of a true closeness, and that she would never find it.

She scuffed the ground with her shoe and looked up as an announcement blared out of one of the speakers.
"# All members of the cargo ship X4412 please report to the launching bay for boarding. Repeat: all members of the cargo ship X4412 please report to the launch bay for boarding, thank you. #"
There was a moment of no recognition before something clicked. The serial code for the old ship was different, and burned into her memory, but the new one had not settled in yet. When it dawned on her she smiled with the usual rush of excitement passing through her as she awaited her next new 'adventure' in space. She put her hands on the straps of her bag and ran down the hall towards the launch bay.

Chapter 2 – The ship with no name

A few hours later the ship was well on its way to Pluto, gliding through the vacuum of space and out of Earth’s Federation Sensors with a good natured farewell. The captain was proudly sitting at the helm and the cooks were busy cooking and organising in the kitchen, merrily preparing for the celebratory first lunch. Everyone was in their place, doing their jobs as instructed.
Everyone, of course, but Kero and Kaisa.
"Klingons to your left captain Kaisa!!"
Kero yelled across the holding bay.
"BBBBUSSSSIIHHHHHHH!!! GOT'EM Henson Kero!" Kaisa hollered back, leaning forwards in the space pod and holding onto the controls, pressing with wild enthusiasm on the dimmed buttons. Somewhere on the screen ‘Control Lock’ flashed silently, prompting ‘Disengage Key Lock?’ before fading after being ignored.
The Cargo bay was a large empty metal room, stocked full with crates. The one Person Transport Space Pods, used for individual trips and as life rafts, were stacked on a pile of heavy crates rocking precariously as Kero and Kaisa fired imaginary guns at imaginary enemies energetically from either side of the Cargo bay; the cylindrical shape of the pods hindered by stout legs.
"DIE YOU ALIEN SCUM!"
Kaisa screamed 'killing' another part of the wall.
Kero grinned happily and leant out of his ship, pointing his hand like a gun and firing at the wall. The only problem was that Kero’s hands were actually armed.
Huge bolts of energy suddenly erupted out of his hand and exploded onto the wall, fanning out and corroding the metal until it dispelled, leaving a sooty dent the size of a land rover.
Both shut up with shock and stared at it, then slid slowly out of their vessels,
"Umm…" Kaisa said, trembling, "Wanna do something else now?"
Kero stared at his hands and gulped.
"Yeah…"

For some moments they were silent, walking out of the heavy metal sliding doors that were the entrance to one of the many cargo holds. Kaisa stuck her head out first, and checked around to make sure that no one was looking when they slunk out. Kero followed, gingerly avoiding touching Kaisa as he brushed past her. She stared at him levelly, then broke out into a smirk.
“What?” Kero said, irritably, hooking his thumbs into the belt of his habit so as to keep his hands close to his body.
“Nice shootin’ partner.” Kaisa laughed. “God, what’re you? You’re as bad as that asteroid!”
Kero frowned. “Asteroid? What?”
Kaisa sighed, rolling her eyes. “I mean, you’re just as dangerous. You could’ve just blown up the entire ship just then!”
Kero bristled. “Shut up. That was… it was fine.”
“Yeah, fine and dandy, I’m sure.”
Kero snorted. “Shut up, it was your idea anyway.”
“I didn’t expect you to be using real ammo.”
Kero looked coolly at her.
“Ok, ok. Fine I’m sorry, don’t get mardy.” She put a hand on his shoulder and wiggled it, smiling sweetly. There was a pause and she started laughing again. “You better not destroy this ship. That’s all. It’s all new an’ shiny.”
Kero shoved her off, half smiling. “Hey, you say I’m as powerful as an asteroid field? I’m touched. No, really. I’m sure I’ll take it as a compliment. Yep. That’s what I’ll do.”
Kaisa clicked her fingers in mock defeat. “Darn, you’ve outfoxed me mister skilled magician, sir.”
“Damn straight.”
“Seriously though…don’t blow up the ship. I kinda like this one. It doesn’t smell.”
Kero shoved her again, sending her smacking into a wall.
“’course not.”
She pulled herself up, rubbed her face, but grinned.
“Argh you little- ok! You’re in for it now!”
She dived after him, but Kero was already off running.


Meanwhile, the vacuum of space cocooned the cargo ship, blanketing it yet at the same time isolating it. In an age of travel, where species skipped from one planet to the next, space was the shipping currents. It was as large and mysterious as the ocean had been to our ancestors – huge, powerful and cold. As terrifying as the vast unknown of the sea had been, at least the ocean had been something. It was the nothingness of space that many hardened traveller felt trickling into the cracks of their minds. The ocean was a beast; a creature of it’s own that -true enough- seemed to want to kill you at times and swallow you whole and drag you into the crushing weight of it’s core; but Space was passive and empty, sucking out the existence of everything. This apathy often tormented those who swam in the black nothingness for too long.
For Xenon, the emptiness excited him. The more time he spent in space, the clearer his thoughts felt. It was sterile and absent from corruption and idiocy. Space was the mistress that held all the answers…and the power.
Miles upon miles above the cargo ship, (a mere hair’s breadth in the view of Space), Xenon’s ship hung in the blackness. It was far larger than the cargo ship, and covered in a reflective black exoskeleton, built in panelled layers like a scorpion’s armour. It was as deadly as the scorpion in arsenal also, and not much more subtly, with the hanging machines of weapons under its belly. Lucidly streamline, it was the height of alien technology for those who could afford it (and very little could). If the sinister cloaking could not tell you clearly enough who the occupants were, the price could: Space Pirates.
These morally deficit individuals were often the richest; after all who could fail to be rich in a no-cost-all-profit job? From cargo, to ships, to slavery to small moons - the pirates had grips on it all. However this particular ship was not nearly as commonplace as those ‘thugs’.
The ship was strictly ‘off the radar’ of the Federation for the simple reason that it left no survivors. As a considerably older pirate adage told: ‘Dead men tell no tales’.
Xenon, however, having never heard of these old Earth pirates, nor listened intently to any stories about Long John Silver as a child, made do with common sense and bloodlust in these matters.
He sat inside this ship in the captain’s seat – a metallic throne like chair – and tapped his clawed fingers impatiently, his short tail flicking two and fro in anticipation as he watched the Cargo ship on the huge observation screen.
Xenon was an Animagnan - more specifically the sub species Hynan. Like the rest of his home planet’s species he was an anthropomorphic beast, his species resembling a hyena. Course, short brown spotted fur covered his entire body, and wiry shoulder length straight hair was swept back from his muzzled face, settling mane-like between two long tufted ears on top of his head. His face was powerfully set, with a square, thick muzzle filled with carnivorous teeth, and topped with a large wet nose. Despite his dog like quality, his eyes were bright, not with a dopey loyalty, but with a sharp human intelligence and cunning. Though dark and fixed on the observation screen, they occasionally flickered about the room wildly before returning. Twitches in his face occasionally appeared and the eyes would flare with insanity.
Hynans had no concept of melodrama, but they achieved it effortlessly just by existing.

“What’s the population?” he asked in a rasped voice that none the less held the intonation of education buried deep within it. One of the various crewmembers on the helm controls looked at his equipment and smiled,
"Only 36 crew members sir; no-one will know they disappeared."
"Good." The captain smiled, drawing a tongue over the backs of his teeth slowly. “Weapons?”
Another responded with a smug smirk.
"Low base lasers captain Xenon. They wouldn't even singe us, nor do they look much worth robbing if you don’t mind me saying so, sir. Our nuclear weapons will take care of them. "
"No." Xenon said holding out his hand and clicking his fingers as he thought, "They will be perfect…"
"For what sir?"
"None of your business!" he barked suddenly, breaking his calm appearance and making the crewmembers flinch, "Just keep them alive! I want them captured, NOW!"
"Yes sir." They said nervously, reminding themselves to be more on guard for his outbursts next time.
"Good…" he purred, and sat back gently again, folding his fingers under his chin.
“Bring her down.”
Silently the ship turned, and went for a dive; its sensors guiding it to the exact location of the cargo ship X4412. With a subtle green flash, their weapons powered up. Not the nuclear ones, but the more docile lasers.


The captain of the cargo ship stood up in surprise. The Henson had just reported a ship that had come, as it seemed, out of nowhere on the sensors and even revealed that its weapons were locked on the engines.
Xenon allowed them this information. The ship could easily cover up and confuse their sensors no sooner than he could blink, but panic was what he wanted.
Yes, the captain would keep any danger discreet from most of his crew. Xenon would have to choose where to shoot carefully, in order to get the common crew worried.
"What should we do captain?" The advisor queried, after being given a vague description of the size of Xenon's ship.
"Hail them." The captain ordered, "Let's see what they want."
The communicator opened a channel to Xenon's ship. A little light flashed out of the corner of the Cytan pilot’s eye.
"Do you wish to speak to them sir, they are requesting attention." The Cytan – Veretrix - said carefully, wary of Xenon's irrational mood swings.
"Hmmm…." Xenon wondered, his tail flicking two and fro and his ear twitching. He stood up.
"Yes… let us see this captain…let him know who I am when my face is the last one he sees." He grinned and looked down at Veretrix. He hastily pressed a button, avoiding Xenon’s stare.
The screen at the front of the ship flashed into life, with the same initial green glow as the power was triggered as the weapons as they had charged.
The captains frowning face appeared on the screen, dominating the room.
"I am Captain P. V. Maneley, of the cargo ship X4412, from planet Earth. Who may I ask are you?"
Xenon smirked,
"Wouldn't you like to know."
The captain made a sound of irritation and gritted his teeth. The encounter already was pouring ice down his spine, and he couldn’t understand why he had grown so afraid so quickly. It was unnatural; after all he had been trained, and knew how to deal with pirates. Nevertheless, his heartbeat increased to a stressed hammer.
"Ok little monkey, I’ll play your game."
Xenon said smiling wider, revealing his powerful, yellow fangs.
"I am Xenon. This," he said waving a hand absently at the ship, "Is my ship. It has no name because it needs no name; it is simply the instrument of your destruction."

He laughed, placing his hands on his hips, his tail wagging quickly. The captain struggled to remain composed. He was embarrassed, but most of all afraid. He personally had dealt with small pirates in the past, though most knew cargo ships were peaceful and ones the size of his rarely carried anything of substantial value – at least not valuable enough for space pirates. He sensed quickly that xenon was something else. It was something in Xenon’s eyes that caused his heart to pierce with fear, and caused his voice to quaver as he replied.
"What do you plan to do? WHY?" The captain said quietly, his voice erupting on the last word to a yell of desperation, taking himself by surprise. He was no longer restraining this fear.
"Are you pirates?" the captain added weakly.

Xenon laughed the devilish cackle that reminded the captain far too much of the hyenas back home calling each other for a fresh carcass. The captain was terrified of what would happen to his crew, his…family. Xenon sensed it. He could taste every atom of the head crew's fear. He lived for that taste.
"No, no…we're not pirates." Xenon said quietly, just loud enough for the captain to hear, leaning forward so his face was just in front of the screen.
"Why would we want any of your cargo?" he asked mockingly, "We want something more…"
"What?"
"Your li-ives…" Xenon said I a sing-song voice, swirling around and cackling again.
He suddenly threw himself violently onto the bar protecting the communication screen from any falling bodies, stopping himself with his hands, his claws extending. He looked up with his demented eyes and bared his teeth. The captain stared in dread at this crazed creature. His training hadn’t prepared him for this mad…thing. The Henson looked around into the advisor's eyes as she nodded.
Then Veretrix called,
"Xenon, their engines are powering up for light speed!"
Xenon suddenly snapped out of his psychotic state and turned around, suddenly calm and smiled, turning to the screen again.
"Oh-ho captain…" He chuckled, "We can go three times as fast as you."
With one swoop of his arm their lasers fired and maimed the cargo ship's engines, sending the ship shaking.
"LALALA! You've got no pow-er!" Xenon sang again, breaking into a fit of devilish laughter and dancing in a circle.
"Damn you!" The captain shouted.
“Why don't you surrender captain, make it all, a little quicker." Xenon said.
"GO TO HELL! Hannah, turn the b*****d off!"
"Ok." Xenon said, smirking, "But I'm not going to hell alone."
The communication channel was severed by Xenon first and the captain's face paled with worry disappeared in a flash of green light.
Veretrix looked up nervously at Xenon, who was grinning maliciously and scratching his furred chin. His crew waited and watched him silently. The silence was broken by the sound of the electronic sliding doors.

Xenon's eyes darted to the door back to see a medium height human-like alien called a Mon’tan standing in the doorway.
"Ah, Tyran, my boy," Xenon said in a cheerful, paternal manner, “decided to join us?"
Tyran grunted and moved over beside Xenon, absently running a hand through some fur-like spiky black hair, then tugging on one of the red chunks of hair that fell over his shoulders free of lugs.
“Are you going to destroy them or what?"
Veretrix flinched in anticipation of Xenon suddenly lashing out at the blunt statement, but it never came. Tyran seemed to be the only one who escaped xenon’s temper.
"No…" Xenon said, like you would say 'silly boy' to a child who swore there were monsters under their bed,
"We're going to capture them."
Tyran nodded curtly and started to walk to the door,
"I'll get the soldiers then." He said simply, as he usually did, and disappeared through them, his black monkey tail, neatly wrapped around his waist, being the last thing they saw.
Veretrix wrinkled his nose slightly, glanced at xenon and steered the ship down to board the Cargo ship.

The ship X4412 was in red alert. The captain paced, deciding what to do, speaking hurriedly to his helm crew as in the belly of the ship the few security officers collected and armed themselves, ready for the imminent boarding the sensors promised. A shaking throughout the ship that nearly knocked the inhabitants off their feet proved that the eagle had landed. The more common remainders of the crew were panicking, only increased by the booming voice of the captain over the tannoys that they were going to evacuate.
"What's happening?"
Kero called to Kaisa, who was just beside him, but couldn't hear anything over the commotion.
"A Ship attacked us!"
Kaisa yelled back, her eyes darting around, watching everyone's distress.
"Is it serious?"
"I don't know!"
They took each other by the hand so as not to get separated and started running down the corridors, just two more people in the stampede.
"It looks like their trying to evacuate!" Kero said, pointing to a frantic woman trying to help an elderly man in an escape pod.
"Why?" Kaisa asked being pushed aside by a burly alien, "We've only been hit…"
Suddenly there was a yell. As if from no where thirty or so armed aliens boarded the ship, jogging down to where all the people were, then going to the main deck. The others fanned out, grabbing for those trying to evacuate. Like a tide the crew turned, trying to get away from them. Kaisa and Kero were stuck and ran to the nearest wall, covered partially by a metal outcrop and hid, looking frantically around and gripping each other so hard their knuckles turned white. Kaisa pressed herself and Kero further to the wall when a straggler exited from where the soldiers had boarded a few seconds later. He was a man with wild black and red hair. Kaisa shut her eyes and Kero looked at him, praying that he wouldn’t notice them. He paused in the middle of the floor, watching the soldiers exit, and turned to them. He fixed his sharp amethyst coloured eyes on Kero and kept them there, watching him. Kero cursed and Kaisa clung onto him tighter, her eyes still stubbornly shutting out what terrified her. The man’s black tail flicked out from around his waist, wagged lazily and he gave a thin smirk. Raising an eyebrow at Kero, he turned and walked away from him, exiting through the doors to the main helm. From behind the doors they could faintly hear him shout.
“Xenon said alive you idiots!”
Kero breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip on Kaisa a little, but the message written on the man’s face was clear. I don’t have to capture you personally – there’s no escape. Looking about them, they started as more soldiers filtered back into the room, preceded by a few more fleeing people. Kero forced any creeping grief for the helm-crew’s fate down and shook Kaisa, running to a jog to get away too.
“Kaisa! Kaisa are you ok?”
Her usually rock hard resilience was faltering and she nodded, forcing a firm look on herself. “yeah sure. We-“
“KERO! KAISA!”
Kero's mother was running down in front of them, crying out. In one scoop she picked Kero up, grabbed Kaisa by the hand as she was running; pushing the crowd away to get to the escape pods. A soldier dived in front of her and she turned on her heels, dragging Kaisa behind her, running in the direction she'd just come from, diving through the doors.
"Mom!" Kero yelled over the noise, “What’re you doing?! The escape pods are back there!"
"NO!" Jerrianai snapped, pulling him closer to her, "We're getting to the cargo!"
She belted down the hall like a black mare in a thunderstorm, knocking her friends and enemies out of the way – Maternal instincts on fire. She tripped over, letting go of Kero and Kaisa and sending them flying. She tried to get back up and cried out in pain, clutching her ankle. Looking back at the chaos she forced herself to her knees.
"Children, go to the cargo bay! I'll be there!" She yelled to him.
He nodded and got up, dodging the soldiers to get to his goal, Kaisa running right behind him.
They pushed back the broken sliding metal doors with difficulty, and ran into the cargo bay.
"There!" Kaisa said, pointing to the space ships they had played in and gasping for air, even at the short run. Both the hammering of his heart and the adrenaline set his lungs on fire.
"It can only fit one person in it!" Kero said desperately, watching five soldiers pursuing them,
"Get one each then!" Kaisa cried, pushing him into one and getting into the other.
"What about mom?"
"She'll be behind us – she said. We have to go!"
Kero looked around the room helplessly looking for his mother. Kaisa gripped onto the controls of the ship, looking desperately at the controls, then to her companion as the soldiers charged in and climbed the crates to get to them.
“Kero, we have to go NOW!” she shrieked.
He gulped, strapped himself in and get ready for take off.
"The red button!" Kaisa called to him.
He nodded, struck momentarily by the irony that there was actually a ‘big red button’ and pressed it. The whole ship appeared to shake, and in one surge of energy and power his ship took off, the superior new metal blasting through the roof and into space.
As it managed to pierce the metal roof all the air was sucked out, sucking Kaisa's ship with it, sending it spinning out of control and into the depths of space. Kaisa gripped for life on the controls and watched Kero’s ship catapulting away from her. She groped hopelessly at the viewing glass.
"KERO!"
"KAISA!"

Back in the corridor Jerrianai had managed to stand up and was looking around desperately, making sure her son was safe. People were being beaten, captured and shot into submission all around her, the more capable ones being killed if they resisted. It was all or nothing. Taking a deep breath, she focused all her energy onto getting to the next cargo bay, one of the series that had not been destroyed by the vacuum of space.
Her muscles tensed, and in a burst of speed she headed off down the corridor, her long legs taking her faster then most.
The rest of the soldiers hadn't noticed the children get away; the soldiers that followed them were killed when all the air escaped out of the cargo bay and the pressure changed so dramatically. Everyone expected the kids to have died with them.
A scaly one of Xenon's soldiers saw Jerrianai belting down the corridor and pursued her, gathering energy between his hands, ready to shoot a Chi blast when he got the chance. (Chi being a life-force that many aliens had learnt to manipulate for deadly use.)
When she reached it she almost crashed into the cargo bay door and struggled to get it open. She heard panting and turned around.
The alien was trying to catch his breath, his hands glowing with Chi energy, and pointed at her chest.
She looked up slowly, and he scowled.
"Heh…Heh" He tried to laugh, wheezing,” Cornered…. A-eh…are we?"
She stared at him, thinking. Her face was as blank as blank as a statue’s, but her eyes darted around trying to think how to get out of this. Her attacker stood and watched, his hands glowing, though gradually fading with the length of time of gathering. Jerrianai practically snorted aloud. He was obviously as killed with chi as he was fit, although she would not be able to hold him off long enough for his chi attack to fade completely. Praying that he had less energy than she thought even then, she made her decision- the only choice. Fight or flight.
"MAJERTAHA NAEIFH!" She screamed, sending a ball of magic energy at him. He let his chi energy erupt. The two special attacks fought against each other, moving closer and closer to Jerrianai. His attack, though unskilled was far stronger than she had anticipated. Brute power with little control. But enough… the surging weight of the attack against hers was superior, but she battled on with her magic.She panted with exhaustion, and stared at his grinning face, like a hunter's with a tiger skin. She wouldn’t be able to beat that attack. She knew there was little chance she could get off the ship either. A wave of hopelessness reached her. Was Kero safe? If he was she had to reach him… there was only one way she could do this now.
Desperately, as the attack neared, sending waves of fatigue down her arm muscles, she looked for another way. She could hear the cries of those who had been captured, and knew that with this enemy she had no way of escaping. Even if she managed to fend off his attack first time around. By the time she had turned and forced the cargo bay doors open she would be shot in the back. He was substantially huge enough to block off her exit and grab her if she tried to snake around him.
Hopeless.
~Kero, my darling…forgive me.~
She sighed and parted her hands, letting the magic cease. She was vulnerable and unguarded.
It was all in slow motion.
Jerrianai saw the attack coming towards her, his face grinning at her, her heartbeat in her ears slower then usual, thud-thud, thud-thud, in her ears, her breathing like a storm's gale swirling around her head, the backing for the pulsating thud of her heart. Her eyes were opened wide in wonder, a strange light filtering all around her, and her murderer to be, the light watching, and waiting - twinkling reassuringly. She turned to face the attack again, it almost hitting her…and she knew what she must do. All Carluxians were taught this. A last hope, to ensure your spirit will be with your loved ones…last contact.
She took a breath, like the tide's breath, closed her eyes, and whispered to the light;
"Kaio conor meisai naftertai, kai nedai iabe…."
The light turned brighter, and warmed her face; she opened her eyes, smiling a little.
Time was restored. The attack, like a speeding train charged to her, going right through her body. She gasped in pain and collapsed, lying like a fallen silk cloth on the floor.
She gasped her last breath; saw her last sight, the silhouette of her murderer, a shadow against the blinding, beautiful light…
Her body gave up, her heartbeat stopped, everything stationary. Rising up from her body, like a phoenix from the flames, her spirit rose, dragon formed, a smoky mist with piercing purple eyes.
It was invisible to the murderer. It rose up, accompanied by the light and with one smoky wing beat, disappeared through the space ship walls into the darkness of space.
It searched, and found him. Kero's space ship. He was sitting inside, shivering. It went through the spacecraft's walls and rested in his lap.
He looked down slowly and met her amethyst gaze.
"No." he said weakly, picking it up in his hands, "No."
It circled his head and as he breathed in followed the air, circulating around his body and touching his soul. As he breathed out, it followed, back outside him again.
"No." He said again, grasping out for her spirit, "No…mother!"
Her spirit brushed past his face, and smiled, travelling out of the spacecraft and into the darkness of space, before fading to join the life and disappearing.

Kero smiled weakly, knowing that she got what she wanted, but he couldn’t stop the hot tears spilling from his eyes and a choked wail escaping his mouth. Floating in solidity in space, he wished he had died with her. In the confinement of his spaceship, he mourned….

Kaisa looked around her again, but Kero's space ship was gone. Maybe gone forever, she thought, but forced the thought from her mind. She looked around her again, the blackness of space haunting, mocking.

Chapter 3- Zambia

The galaxy held million upon millions of planets, but few solar systems held two suns. Kaira and Thillis were small red stars that cast a continual blush over the skies of Animagna, which now, as the Kaira set to meet Tillis on the other half of the planet for 9 hours of night, the blush turned to crimson and crowned the grasslands in orange that leaked dozily up the scattered stone buildings of the largest city.
Zambia ignored all of this beauty that unfolded over the balcony her dark study opened out to. She sat at her computer tirelessly typing out her report.

Around her the dingy room was littered with hi-tech equipment. Currently, she was tracking the progress of her telescope a few hundred miles away and had opened another screen to view the current satellite data.
Zambia checked a satellite, and read the readings, growling in annoyance when there was no U.F.O information. With a flourish of complicated finger movements over the keys and a swish of her long spotted tail, the computer made a small box appear, tuning into a television channel. She was in luck, her favourite channel, Sci-Fact, was currently on news, and some slack jaw Dingoes were giving their accounts of recent abductions they claimed to have happened on them or friends.
# "Dere was a blinding light!"
One of the older Dingoes said, chewing tree sap and scratching his grubby dungarees,
“It went all 'round me, and took me up… I tought I was go'in to heaven! But den I sawed some strange aliens, look'in at me and acting all strange like, they tried to shoot me with dere laser guns!"
"Dey captured and probed him dey did!"
Another chirped in, enjoying the attention,
"He was a wreck when we got 'im, yes he was! We dourt 'e was drunk or summat!"
"I swear…"
The first dingo added enthusiastically, waving his arms about,
"Dat was da scaredest ting I ever did see!" #
Zambia rolled her eyes and returned to her work as it continued to play. She would have to be stupid to believe what Dingoes said, but there must be some truth behind their stories, mustn't there? That was why she did this research, looking for the truth.
She could never have guessed how close she would get to it.

Sighing in annoyance, she stood up, looking back to the reporter on the monitor as he discussed the recent ‘alien abductions’. Stretching out a clawed finger lazily, she flicked the little bobblehead figure on the shelf above her computer. A handsome male, his fur the brightest yellow, spots too logically patterned for reality, and tear stripes in the shape of arrowheads. More unusually, he had bright flowing red hair, and two magnificent red wings. Balthazar, her childhood cartoon hero and space adventurer. She smiled gently to herself. That was where it had all began. She remembered how her father had chuckled when she said she wanted to meet an alien, and shakes hands with it.
‘If it has paws of course daddy. They might not; they might have, like, tentacles n stuff!’
He had never stopped her though; he had always funded her eccentric desire, providing the telescopes, satellites, weathervanes, travels to interview people. All of it. Sometime later she had asked him, why he did it. Did he believe in them?
‘Of course not my dear, but it’s not for want of wishful thinking. No, I think I did it because I was hardly going to get you to do maths any other way, was I? You’re such a clever girl, and if these aliens can help you along, then why stop them? Plus, honey, I believe you can find some answers, if you look hard enough, my princess. Be the truth be alien or otherwise.’
She walked to the balcony and leant on it, the breeze stirring her fur gently, and the smell of night settling in. The damp, clear smell of greenery and atmosphere. She yawned, the customised tool belt at her waist heavy and sleep settling in her green eyes, rimmed with black ‘tearstained’ markings that brought a look of innocence.
She was her father’s daughter- intelligent to the point of genius, yet still carried such heavy innocence. She wondered what her father was doing now. He was close, only in the next kingdom – the kingdoms of Animanga were the size of large cities – and she could see the Lionans’ palace spire form the balcony, but she still missed him. He was off to discuss an advance in technology in the computer research section. He was due to come back tonight, but phoned Zambia up telling her gossip on the social issues between a flock of Flamigas, how his robes were chafing him again, and that he may be late. Shivering as the wind picked up, she retreated back into her room.
Sniffing, she watched as the TV station commentator continued his ramble:
‘Now, through these astounding abduction stories, the theory that we are in many ways descended and connected to these possible aliens holds all too true. The amoeba species on the near moons of Zaptoc prove that life is closer than we think, and if we can evolve as we have done, who is to say that our neighbours from across the stars cannot exactly the same? Are they so very different? Perhaps the answer is not out there, but within ourselves. It is this, ladies and gentlemen, to which we also must note that in our quest for truth, there is the line. We all remember Dr.Mufsabar and his terrible experiments…’
Zambia frowned slightly. Dr. Xenon Mufsabar.
She was just a cub when he was around, his life now reduced to almost an urban legend. Xenon had believed. He had dedicated his whole life to proving aliens’ existence. His contribution to the scientific community advancing space travel by countless decades in his quest to allow animagnans to explore outside of the solar system. The creation and fusion of antimatter into antimatter reactors for what had in experiments proved to become light speed. Now they had the technology, but not the bravery within the astronoughts. Xenon was brilliant – a genius. But he had taken it too far. Looking within his own species, obsessed with their link to the aliens outside and those on the moons he turned his experiments inwards, moving from unintelligent animal species like fish and primates to the animagnans themselves, taking vagrants from the streets, corpses from the morgues…abandoned babies… It was a horror story.
They say genius breeds madness, especially in a species like the Hynans…
Of course, the police eventually caught him, and provided the harshest punishment available – exile. Exile to the closest planet, Left to die on the one most suitable to support life.
Zambia shuddered and turned off the TV station on her monitor, still checking her satellite readings. Hideous, but she admired him. He was amazing, but so very, very flawed. 10 years and Zambia had found nothing, but for what Xenon stood for before his madness, for her little cartoon bobble-head, and for her father’s endless optimism and love, she was determined to find life in the stars.

Suddenly, piercing through the evening, the alarms roared.

Zambia started, whirling on her heel to stare at the computer. Countless flashing red screens blared their warnings.
[Unidentified object in atmosphere.]

“Wha-?“ She pushed the chair away and frantically typed and clicked, bringing up all the satellites. Simultaneously they read of a huge object hurtling towards the planet, substance an unknown metal alloy.
Desperately she pulled up the camera feeds form the satellites, and pieced together the visuals. Flashes of a black object then- there! Zambia’s heart leapt as her stomach sank and she half choked with laugher.
"I can't believe it!" Zambia squealed in excitement, "I can't believe it! First contact! A real live space-"
The alarms heightened in volume, picking up a nuclear signal. In horror she desperately collected further visuals, Satellite 6.7 getting a good close up of the magnificent black ship…and the ghostly green glow it emanated as it charged its weapons.
“Please…please gods no...”
She watched in desperate slow motion as the city of Wolvens evaporated into a mushroom cloud below the satanic ship.

Chapter 5 - touchdown

Veretrix crouched low over the flashing buttons of his post as Henson and tried to shut his ears out to Xenon’s voracious laughing. The beast leapt about the room manically basking in the visuals of the crater he had just scorched into his very own planet. Veretrix tried to avoid the screen, focusing on his buttons instead, and placing his long, light green fingers gently on them, their cool resistance almost therapeutic.
“FIRE!”
Xenon ordered, throwing a hand out. Veretrix heard a surprised yelp as it hit a young crewmember that had dared to come within an arm’s length of him, and sent him flying. Another charge and fire of the weapons. Another mushroom cloud enveloping the viewscreen.
How could Xenon do such a thing? It was Xenon’s home and he was destroying it piece by piece.
He forced his eyes open and glanced back, to see the young crewmember sprawled on the floor and Xenon in gleeful hysterics.
“One more, chaps, and we’ll land in the capital, and give those Lionans a welcome parade.”
Veretrix, gritted his teeth, disgusted at the cheery tone in his voice; more like a man rounding up his friends after a night in a pub. Another flash and Xenon was off dancing about the room cackling again. Veretrix looked steadily around the helm, at the blank faces of the crew. No one seemed to hold even the faintest hint of remorse. While he was haggard- the pink that dusted his antenna and large fanned ears pale- the crew were bright, alert and intrigued. He watched Tyran with hate as the Mont’an stood perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back, looking over the shoulder of the man operating the weapons. His face as unmoving and as emotionless as his body.
“Oy! Greeny!”
Veretrix’s ears twitched and he looked up as Xenon addressed him with a smirk.
“Get this thing landed, will you?”
Veretrix turned and mumbled a ‘yes sir’, pressing his fingers out across the buttons again. He opened his lungs gently to take a deep breath, and straightened up.
Come on now…
His fingers spread with a liquid elegance over the controls, pushing here and there as he piloted the ship towards Animanga. This was his element. Piloting was why he had joined Xenon’s ship, a young and bright eyed novice to the world of space that was still amazed by the rolling forms of planets below him. Xenon had seemed a respectable and profitable organisation, the perfect place for a young pilot to prove himself. Prove himself he had, but leaving had never been an option. For all the disrespect he received, Xenon viewed him as a valuable commodity. He didn’t even need to ask to leave for this to be apparent. Now, he was trapped, but with the doors wide open.
As he glided the ship across the rolling grasslands he forced the visions of the mushroom clouds from his head. To choke it down with the rest.

--

The undulating smoke moved from the distance, carried on the mockingly pleasant breeze to infect her nostrils with sulphur. Zambia was on the balcony, crouched low to look through the bars, claws fully extended and dug into them. She watched as the demonic ship curved through as it slowed from the atmosphere, turning to hover above the Lionan city, practically touching the spire. She tensed, slowing her breathing, keeping perfectly still. The great ship landed, sending another cloud of dirt up into the sky. She was in no doubt that the military of the city would be on red alert, but after watching it destroy the Wolven city so easily…there wasn’t a chance.
“What can I do?” she asked with desperation, shaking the bars of the balcony and baring her canines. “What can I do damn it!”
A mix of dread and excitement coursed through her veins and she almost screamed with indecision. The tall buildings barred all view of what was happening. For a moment she couldn’t think, but then one great realisation hit her.
“Dad. Daddy…oh gods…”
She forced herself to try and stand, but her legs failed her. She growled in frustration.
“Come on, stop it! Get up!”
She forced herself up again, and this time her legs held, the adrenaline beginning to compel courage into her muscles, her resolve strengthening with every breath.
Looking around urgently for a last time she gripped the top of the balcony and gracefully leapt over it, landing 3 floors below- her long legs absorbing the shock with ease. The air was alive with the distant sounds of explosions and gunfire. The city seemed to mock her with its distance, and she toyed with the idea of reaching full speed, but to do so would leave her practically incapacitated for over 15 minutes – a risk she didn’t dare take. Snarling in frustration again, she broke into the fastest run she could manage without it, forcing herself to ignore its sluggishness.
Be smart was all she could tell herself, repeating it over and over again in her mind, her eyes darting about, attempting to work out what she could possibly do once she reached the city. For once her mind drew a blank, and she was suddenly struck by how truly vulnerable she, and her assaulted planet was.

Eventually she reached the city to a tumult of gunfire and screams. Crowds forced their way through the narrow streets yelling and grasping out to one another. She pushed her way through, impaled by clutching hands and kicking claws, snarling against the smell of blood and fear. She looked up at the signs, all directing towards the central square of the city. This way for the apocalypse she thought, suddenly disgusted by this burst of gallows humour. She ran, blindly following the signs. A man dived out of a house, barrelling her out of the way. She cried out and fell, her head smashing on the cobblestones with a sickening crunch. Dazed, she squinted against the pain at the monsoon of people. A set of creatures pursued them, though she could only make out their purple uniforms, joined to create the appearance of a silhouette. They ignored her, diving after the people. One grabbed a Lionan and fought with him as he tried to escape, and with a crack of its weapon blood rained from the sky. The creature moved on with a spat out sound and the body of Lionan fell.
Zambia stared into his lifeless eyes and her body was overcome with the primal urge to keep still again. Play dead. She tried to force the scent of blood from her nostrils and gagged. She remembered childhood nights in her bed, rolled up in the covers, holding her breath. If you are perfectly still than the worm-man can’t see you. Play dead. She scrunched back tears. If you play dead you’ll be dead.
With shaking arms she forced herself up, and kicked off the ground back to a run.
‘Run, run, that’s all you Cheetans are good for.’ Go!
Snarling she reached the square.
Around her dead bodies littered the floor like discarded confetti; the great black float of a ship stood motionless a few streets away.
She shrank back to the central fountain as more of the creatures in uniform passed, some grabbing stragglers from the crowd and dragging them back to the ship.
When they had passed she raised to search through the bodies, so many Lionans, even –she moaned- cubs, stretched out like dolls.
Padding through the bodies carefully, her tail wrapped around one leg, she searched for what she dreaded.
She stopped in dismay as, left in the sea of bodies, was the familiar silver-gold fur, the dusty spots and the coarse blue-purple robes.
“Daddy!”
She started forward, stumbling over the bodies to her father’s side. His eyes were open, staring up into the sky. As she sat they turned to her and she cried in thanks. She propped his head up onto her lap and frowned as she placed her hand in a pool of blood that crawled from under his back.
“Oh gods…dad- daddy?” she mewed weakly, stroking his hair, “Please, Daddy can you hear me? Daddy please, you’re all I have. Dad?”
He chuckled softly, coughing up blood as she went to press his wound. He raised up a paw and brushed her away, watching her fondly.
“What?”
“Hello Zambia.” He said in a light tone, voice weak. He smiled.
“Dad, your wound, let me-“
He waved her off again.
“No, no my dear. It won’t do any good, don’t waste your time. Now listen to me darling.” He paused and smiled again, bringing a hand up to her cheek. Zambia was struck with how peaceful he seemed. She wanted to shake him, and force him to be more serious. Force him to cry.
“What’s wrong with you?”
He chuckled again, raising a brow. “Well my dear, I would have thought it was evident.”
She frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”
He sighed, stroking the tears back. A look of great sadness passed through his eyes and he sniffed, looking back to the sky for a moment. Wincing in pain. She dropped the subject and turned his face back to hers.
“Daddy, what happened?”
He waved an arm around him and the other casualties, and out towards the ship. He stretched out to stroke her fur again, but finally gravity won against him and it fell to the ground. He grunted in annoyance, then shrugged gently.
“Aliens. You were right, my dear. Of course you were…of course you were.” A look of wonder crossed his face and he turned his head to the bodies, his tail thumping on the ground.
“Such a pity though…”
Zambia scoffed humourlessly. “They’re killing everyone. Everything.”
Her voice quavered and she took her father’s hand, gripping it hard. She followed her father to look all around her. Mixed in with the causalities were a couple of the aliens. As she looked harder she saw that they were different, but not as much as she had imagined. Two arms, a head, two legs. They wore clothes. They had weapons. One was lizard like, similar to the primitive beasts of her planet, but as if it had evolved. She found that she wasn’t horrified by its appearance. She examined the uniform. Purple, a two piece but relatively figure hugging, like a shadow. There was a strange letter on it from an alphabet she didn’t understand. Two diagonal lines in opposite directions crossing each other.
She looked back down to her father. He was humming a little tune; his voice cracking every now and again as his body let another burst of paint erupt through his nerves, as if to remind him that something was seriously wrong. Zambia finally understood why he was being so foolishly optimistic while he was dying. It wasn’t like him to be stupid to disregard help. That was ridiculous. He was afraid. His eyes flicked between her and the sky. Her heart ached as she realised that he was only trying to reassure himself that death was not something to be afraid of. It was inevitable. He rubbed her fingers as she held his hand and sank his head further back into her lap. She saw that with death being inevitable, optimism was the best way. If you could keep your hopes up, then your happiness at the end would soften the blow death would cause to your loved ones. She gave a loud sob and brought her head down to his, rubbing against it in desperation.
“Please…”
“Come now.” He nuzzled her and laid back, keeping eye contact.
“The aliens have been taking a few –argh!”
He grimaced and hissed as his body made a desperate attempt to kick start him into recovery, dosing out a strip of agony. He took short gasping breaths and looked up at Zambia with new urgency.
“T-the rest are killed. This planet…I don’t think we will survive it. I… I heard one of the aliens…they said Xenon. Y-yes maybe it’s their l-language but…I think…it’s him...revenge.”
“Daddy please, conserve your strength.”
He dug into his robes and grasped out to her.
“Here. I was tal-ngh-talking to the king about the spaceships. All g-geared and ready. We were launching this week. A young astronaught...brave, brave young man…darling go.”
“What?”
“Go. Others have – I’ve seen the lights in the other kingdoms. They’re escaping. This… pass to get in. The code... on the back.”
“The spaceship?”
He nodded.
“No, I can’t. I don’t know how!”
“You can sweetie…they say even monkeys can do it.” He laughed, spluttering. And looked up at her lovingly.
“It’s terrifying I know…but we have taken a step now. All there is to do is...to go with what… you have dreamed about…all your life. It’s horrible but…but so wonderful in a way…isn’t it? Isn’t…it…beautiful? Just…please…b-be careful.” He sighed, closing his eyes.
“Daddy…I can’t leave you.”
“My beautiful girl…you have…no choice. Be brave.”
She let his head rest to the floor.
“I love you.”
“I love you too…my daughter. Remember us…”
His body seemed to heave and then sag, expelling his last breath and slowing to a gentle halt.
Zambia stroked his hair for a moment longer, tears drenching her fur. Eventually she stood up and gritted her teeth. She forced herself to turn away from his body and took a deep breath. Se wanted revenge, but her body was weak and her mind dulled.
Not now.

She examined the horizon, horribly aware of her father’s empty shell behind her. She wanted to scoop him up like a child and take him with her, but she knew she must leave him in this massacre of strangers.
She could see the space station on the horizon, and knew that between it and the city must be miles of grassland. It felt impossibly far.
Somewhere someone screamed and she jumped.
RUN.
Her muscles tensed and she let them uncoil like a spring. She burst into her full speed, thundering down the alleyways, her hair billowing, her tail straightened out, swishing like a oar to keep her balanced as she made the sharp turns of the alleyways.
Ahead of her a small group of aliens were collecting prisoners. Ears flat she ducked her head down and dived into them, slamming through them with a flurry of claws and teeth to leave them stunned on the ground.
She panted, mouth gaping, reaching her threshold of 60 mph. Her leg muscles burned, her ribcage heaved, yet she continued to jump over obstacles to land running.
Don’t’ stop .Don’t ever stop.
Her lungs rose and fell violently and sweat clung to her fur to mix with the tears. Her head started to swim but she pressed on.
She hit the grasslands as she exited the city, glad of the softer ground. The muscles in her arms and legs began tightening into cramps.
Crawling over the horizon was the spaceship, pointed to the sky like a great beacon. She looked up and smiled – her mouth wide open in an attempt to get more air. An icy dagger of cold air ripped through her lungs and she gasped, putting an arm around her mouth in an attempt to warm the air that she was breathing, but suffocating off the air she needed to maintain the speed. Removing it she gasped again and cried out as the cold knife stabbed her lungs once more.
The spaceship reluctantly dragged itself further into view, and Zambia let her speed drop to 30 miles an hour. Her head was swimming. She had never run so long, so fast. Cheetans could only maintain this speed for five minutes, yet she had been running for over ten. Five minutes extra may seem a very small time, but whole universes can die in five minutes.
The space port finally seemed to co-operate, pulling itself so it was towering above her. She slammed into the door and clung to the card her father had given her, fumbling in the code. It opened with a cheery beep and she collapsed into the room.
She laid, panting, her legs convulsing in spasms.
All was empty. There was a suffocating smell of fuel and she realised that another ship must have bee taken. She had the prototype.
She shook and her body attempted to drag her into sleep.
Hibernation sounds like a good idea.
She smirked and rolled onto her side. She forced herself back to her feet. She walked forwards, her paws like lead. She half expected them to make a metal on metal sounds on the floor, but instead they padded with weary reluctance. Silent.
She found the spaceship and managed to board it, bullying what knowledge she had to trickle back into her brain. She sat at the controls.
“Even monkeys can do it.” She said, smiling with sad fondness at her father’s words.
Fear suddenly griped her, twisting her stomach into a cat’s cradle. Every part of her body protested as she fiddled with the controls and commenced lift off.
With a press of a button, she strapped herself in, closed her eyes and blasted off; the programmes set to land her on the nearest planet that contained oxygen.
Light speed.
Her planet drifted away from her, beautiful, an orb of darkness, half lit in the setting suns. She had fallen asleep as soon as she closed her eyes, her home disappearing into space, without her even seeing it.